Rice Certificate Program

The deeper we understand our clients’ businesses, the better we can serve them. With this premise, Jing recently returned to Rice University. She completed the Real Estate Investment and Development course. Learning how to analyze the commercial viability of real estate investments and developments has turned out to be an invaluable investment for PRISM.

Twelve years after completing her MBA at Rice University, Jing recently returned to Jones Business School and completed the Real Estate Investment and Development course. It turned out to be one of the best investments for our business.

In the past few years, the number of our clients in commercial real estate has increased significantly. Interestingly, when these clients come to us, their projects are usually in the feasibility study phase, well before engaging an architect. Our client's primary goal is to acquire funding or entitlement during this phase. By enlisting PRISM to develop a conceptual design with compelling renderings or animations, our clients can present their development vision to all stakeholders and move projects forward.

Working with owners and developers on these early-phase projects has definitely resulted in a different kind of relationship. Clients require us to step out of the typical vendor role and become a trusted advisor, providing consultation and guidance on their design vision. They rely on us to help reach their development goals.

"After completing this course, I have a deeper and more holistic understanding of commercial real estate developments, including opportunities, risks, and rewards. This new perspective helped me understand better our client's business model, process, and challenges. As a result, I can now work closely with our clients while speaking their language and figuring out a unique solution for each project," Jing said.

Trying to align our business strategy with our clients is another way we provide exceptional value to their business success.