University of Cincinnati
06/23/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/23/2026 08:11
Record-breaking Real Estate Center dinner lauds students, industry leaders and partnerships
Record-breaking Real Estate Center dinner lauds students, industry leaders and partnerships
Uptown Rentals founder recognized as distinguished service awardee
8 minute read June 23, 2026 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Reddit Print Story Like
The UC Real Estate Center held its 35th Annual Dinner on June 4 at Cincinnati Music Hall, honoring the accomplishments of the center, its champions, students, alumni, faculty and staff.
A record crowd of more than 630 attendees heard from Distinguished Service Awardee Dan Schimberg, the president and founder of Uptown Rental Properties; said goodbye to Carl Goertemoeller, the center's retiring executive director; and welcomed Goertemoeller's successor, Sean McGrory.
Goertemoeller opened with thanks for members of the center's Board of Executive Advisors in Real Estate (BEARE), highlighting the center's mission of empowering experiential learning opportunities for its students, and outlining the center's deep industry connections.
From left: Gary Painter, PhD, academic director of the real estate program, professor of real estate and BEARE Chair in Real Estate; retiring Executive Director Carl Goertemoeller; incoming Executive Director Sean McGrory; and Lindner dean Marianne Lewis, PhD.
"Whether through industry conferences, student travel experiences, speaker series, hard-hat tours or our monthly roundtables, we work to connect education with real-world experience," Goertemoeller said.
Warren Weber, PNC Regional President for Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, echoed Goertemoeller by affirming the power of partnership and a shared commitment to shaping the region's future. Weber also emphasized the potential of the students in the room.
"Just as we are privileged to work alongside many of you in this room on projects that transform our communities and economy, I am equally excited to see how these future leaders bring their ideas and vision to life," Weber said.
Partnerships in action
Lindner dean Marianne Lewis, PhD, expanded on that theme, noting that the center brings UC's co-op model to life.
"Our students do not simply study real estate - they engage it," Lewis said. "They learn from professionals shaping the field. They test ideas against real projects and real markets. They build relationships with mentors and employers. They see themselves not only as students preparing for careers, but as emerging leaders ready to contribute from day one."
Real estate students, staff, faculty and program champions.
Chad Burke, Principal and Mixed-Use Market Director at GBBN and member of the center's Real Estate Advisory Council, served as the 2026 annual dinner chair.
"What makes this community special is not just the quality of the work being done, but the quality of the people doing it," Burke said. "It's exciting to be part of a group of professionals who care deeply about the future of our city and are willing to invest their time, energy and talent into shaping it."
Dinner Sponsors right arrow down arrow
Corporate Sponsors
- Assured Partners
- BWE
- Corporex
- Dinsmore
- Merus
- Midwestern Plumbing Service
- Strauss Troy
- Taft Law
- Thompson Hine
- UBS
- Uptown Rental Properties
Bearcat Sponsors
- CBRE
- Central Bank
- Cincinnati Commercial Contracting
- Cincinnati Development Fund
- Clark Schaefer Hackett
- Clous Rd Partners
- Compton Wessels Gorup
- Dean Dorton
- First Commonwealth Bank
- GBBN
- Greater Cincinnati Foundation
- IMEG
- KLH Engineers
- KMK Law
- The Loring Group
- MA Design
- Mobile Infrastructure
- Oswald
- Oyler Hines
- PLK Communities
- RCF Group
- Schaefer
- SSP Law
- Van Trust Real Estate
- Viking Partners
Individual Sponsors
- Core Resources
- NKY Port Authority
- Peoples Bank
- SPS Partners
- Thunderdome Restaurant Group
- WesBanco
Highlighting student success
Gary Painter, PhD, academic director of the real estate program, professor of real estate and BEARE Chair in Real Estate, noted that thanks to the generosity of supporters Dan and Chris Neyer and Carl Segal, 15 students received a record $65,000 in scholarship support.
Painter (middle) with Raegan Griffith (left; Real Estate Program Student of the Year) and Billy Kander (Real Estate Center Student of the Year).
A pair of recent graduates, Billy Kander and Raegan Griffith, were honored as the Real Estate Center Student of the Year and Real Estate Program Student of the Year, respectively.
Kander held multiple leadership roles with the University of Cincinnati Real Estate Association (UCREA), most recently as president during the 2025-26 academic year. The finance and real estate double major gained hands-on industry experience through co-ops with Merus and Eagle Realty Group. Kander recently began his full-time career as a commercial real estate analyst with Fifth Third Bank.
Griffith, who majored in real estate and minored in professional sales, was actively involved with UCREA and completed co-op experiences with JLL and M/I Homes. As a member of the UC dance team, Griffith earned multiple top three national placements and represented the U.S. National Hip Hop Team at a worldwide competition. Post-graduation, she joined JLL full-time as a brokerage associate.
2026 Scholarship Recipients right arrow down arrow
- BEARE Scholars: Travis Ertel, Abbey Nierste
- Neyer Properties Scholarship: Zach Lewis, Allyson Shansky, Aliyah-Antione Spriggs
- Carl E. Segal Scholarship: Monique Mauler, Brennen O'Neill
- James B. Selonick Scholarship: Emily Fischer, Cody Hurst, Natalie Rubi, Alex Snyder, Carter Sokolis
-
External Scholarships
- Ohio REALTORS Scholarship: Carter Eilers
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Chapter of NAIOP Scholarship: Ben Lones
- CREW Network Foundation Scholarship: Monique Mauler
- UC-ICSC Foundation Scholarship: Austin VanAtta
Schimberg reflects on career, lessons learned
After he was introduced by longtime friend Kevin Riley of North American Properties, Schimberg took to the stage. He founded Uptown not long after obtaining a business degree from UC, and for years was its sole employee - often clearing sewers, appearing in eviction court, installing a dishwasher and arranging financing in the same day.
"There was nothing romantic about it," he said. "There were stretches when the margin between staying afloat and losing everything could be measured in days."
Schimberg (last row, fifth from left) with family, friends and the Bearcat prior to the event.
Schimberg eventually realized that "wearing every hat" was limiting Uptown's growth; he needed to hire trustworthy employees to build a pipeline of capacity.
"That is how a one-person rehab operation became a company that has built thousands of apartments in the urban core of multiple cities. One person eventually learned to leverage the talents of many," Schimberg said. "The people who came alongside this journey deserve enormous credit. They brought their brains to work every single day, and trusting them was the single best business decision I ever made."
Schimberg closed with advice for students, revealing that the "glamour is not in the destination; it's in the fight," and advising them to become "truly exceptional" at their profession.
"The most meaningful moments in my business and in my life come from the problems solved, the neighborhoods transformed, the organizations strengthened and the lives made better," he said.
Leadership change
The annual dinner also marked the retirement of Goertemoeller, who joined the center in September 2020 after leadership roles with Viking Partners, Macy's and Simon Property Group. Goertemoeller received his bachelor's degree in business administration from UC, majoring in finance and economics.
"The opportunity to come back to my alma mater and experience it in a whole new way has been an absolute blast," Goertemoeller said. "My sincere thanks to everyone involved with the center and the real estate program for their partnership and friendship."
Sean McGrory, an assurance shareholder with Clark, Schaefer & Hackett, where he leads the firm's construction and real estate practice, has been hired to replace Goertemoeller.
Featured image: Distinguished Service Awardee Dan Schimberg (first row, fourth from left) and retiring UC Real Estate Center Executive Director Carl Goertemoeller (first row, fifth from left) with real estate students.. Photos/Lauren Meisberger.
Prior to the annual dinner, Schimberg joined Dean Lewis on the Bearcats Mean Business podcast to reflect on the leadership lessons learned while growing from a one-person operation into a large organization, the qualities he looks for in young professionals and how solving problems - both in business and beyond - has guided Schimberg's career for decades.
Leading Real Estate Center
The UC Real Estate Center serves as the catalyst connecting the University of Cincinnati and the real estate industry. Academic programs, industry outreach and research are our pillars, and our strong connections to the community allow our programs to cultivate the next generation of real estate leaders. Get involved today.
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