About Concept Properties
Industry: Real Estate
Company size: Less than 50 employees
What They Do: Concept Properties is a full-service real estate brokerage in the greater Boston Area.
Website: https://conceptre.com/
Meet Matt Ramey, Real Estate Broker at Concept Properties
Q: Our mission is to prepare students for the tech-driven business world by building tech and data analytics knowledge and leadership skills like critical thinking, creativity, and an entrepreneurial mindset. Can you speak to how D'Amore McKim graduate co-ops demonstrate their knowledge in these regards?
A: Our co-op contributed to developing the “Hustle Board,” an internal tool tailored for real estate agents. Using data analytics, the board examines agents' activities from the previous year, encompassing client interactions and investor engagements. It offers personalized suggestions to help agents manage their time more effectively, ultimately aiming to enhance productivity and strategically align agents during critical moments in clients' yearly cycles. This data-driven approach not only seeks to improve the closing ratio for real estate transactions but also sparks the creation of new revenue opportunities.
The team organized a hackathon led by our co-op to leverage the Hustle Board to jumpstart a new Mission Hill market for Northeastern students. Participants were divided into three teams and had to develop plans using analytics to outpace competition and close more deals.
The success of the “Hustle Board” and the hackathon are examples of the skillset of D'Amore McKim graduate co-ops in the tech-driven business world. Our co-op's achievement is a testament to the program's experiential learning approach, where students gain valuable experience, apply theoretical knowledge, and develop practical skills directly relevant to challenges they are likely to face in the business landscape. We are a forward-thinking company, and we find that D'Amore McKim's innovative programs and approaches to business education align with our progressive mindset.
Q: What qualities do you look for in selecting graduate co-op students?
A: Our ideal team member is an entrepreneurial self-starter, which is how I describe our co-op. He's exceptionally bright and very humble, and his mindset aligns with our team. Being a self-starter is very valuable, given the rapid pace of the real estate industry. We had a standing morning meeting to go over progress, and he was able to take the lead on essential initiatives with minimal oversight.
Q: Can you discuss some specific ways D'Amore-McKim Business Analytics graduate students stand out?
A: Our co-op showed us how well D'Amore-McKim equips students for the business world. He had a strong professional demeanor and a solid grasp of technology, including tools for data collection, data processing, visualization, and machine learning. His soft skills were equally impressive and demonstrated his ability to work well with people.
He stood out by actively engaging with the sales team, regularly conversing on the sales floor, and proactively assessing how new products were used. This hands-on approach contributed significantly to the success of various initiatives and helped advance our overall business strategy.
Q: Would you recommend the D'Amore-McKim graduate co-op program to business associates from other organizations?
A: I wholeheartedly endorse the D'Amore-McKim graduate co-op program. Its experiential learning approach connects businesses with skilled, adaptable, and innovative talent. In our experience, having our co-op on board opened my eyes to the significance of data analytics, positively influenced our company culture, and contributed to our growth.
