Real estate seniors take second in national competition
Students applied their classroom knowledge to a competition testing real-world real estate analysis skills.
A team of undergraduate students in the Blackwood Department of Real Estate took second place at the 2025 Colvin Case Study Challenge, the department’s best-ever finish.
Team members Bo Dortch, Allie Richards, and Amanda Roberts, are seniors pursuing a bachelor’s degree in real estate from the Pamplin College of Business.
Hosted by the University of Maryland, the Colvin Case Study Challenge is a national, intercollegiate real estate case study competition that requires teams to document an innovative real estate development project in their region and demonstrate an understanding of the challenges that had to be overcome to bring it to fruition.
The team from Virginia Tech selected Apex Plaza in Charlottesville, Virginia for analysis - a 187,000 square foot office building developed by Riverbend Development and the Hourigan Group. Its mass timber construction, 875 solar panels, and green roof showcase how creative design and advanced engineering can reshape the built environment with sustainability in mind.
“The best developments tell a story,” Roberts said, “Apex Plaza is not just an office building, it was created as a physical expression of Apex Clean Energy’s mission.”
The Hokies finished just ahead of a team from the University of Texas - Austin, and just behind a team from Columbia University.
“The students did an incredible job,” said Dustin Read, head of the Blackwood Department of Real Estate and Bates Family Professor of Real Estate, “They selected an interesting real estate development project to study, and then put in the work to figure out how it came together. Their attention to detail is what sets them apart from many of their competitors.”
For the team, participating in the Colvin Case Study Challenge was a valuable experience. “I learned that sustainable development can be profitable and make a profound impact,” Richards said. “I observed how a development team’s ability to work together can make or break a project.”
Written by Alex Kerstetter
