Bergstrom Real Estate Center teams up with GatorMade for career prep opportunities

In February, the Bergstrom Real Estate Center teamed up with GatorMade, an initiative focused on giving leadership opportunities to the University of Florida’s football team, to teach scholar-athletes about real estate opportunities in Miami.

The weekend-long trip gave 14 scholar-athletes the chance to learn what a career in real estate might look like and how they can plan ahead. While in Miami, Bergstrom Advisory Board members and residential agents shared their insights, as did Teal Henderson of Bones Investment Group, who regularly works with NFLPA and NFL teams on education in real estate investing, and UF alumni Isaac and Elenis Camargo, representing Thirdstone Properties.

“Each year, we poll our students on what skills they would like to develop and what career/industries they are interested in,” said Savannah Bailey, senior director of player relations and creator of GatorMade at Florida Football. “It was an overwhelming response for real estate [this year] and so we created this opportunity with that in mind.”

Along with hearing from the panelists, the team got to network with the Miami Gator Club, talk to former football players about their experiences in real estate and visit sites in the city to review and compare rental properties.

“We are learning from people with 20+ years of experience as we head into our own real estate ventures,” said cornerback Devin Moore (BSBA ’25). “The experience is invaluable and I’m thankful for us to have opportunities like this to grow in our knowledge and networks.”

Special emphasis was offered on what resources are available to students through the University of Florida Warrington College of Business. Even athletes not currently associated with the business school can take advantage of their educational resources, the panelists shared.

“I’m excited to get started in real estate,” said quarterback Graham Mertz (BA ’24). “It’s something that I have been interested in but, before now, I didn’t have the plan in place to begin. We have a lot of resources here to tap into and this trip provided even more exposure to what those resources are.”

Partnering with the Bergstrom Real Estate Center emphasized the values they share with GatorMade: To help students succeed both in and beyond the university’s campus.

“Real estate is a very entrepreneurial field that requires a lot of the skills sets that athletes bring to the table,” said Tim Becker, executive director of the Kelley A. Bergstrom Real Estate Center. “Athletes at a place like UF are highly competitive and self-driven, they have to have great time management skills and they are willing to do what it takes to succeed. Those qualities line up well with a lot of industries, but particularly with the real estate business.”