The Aggie Real Estate Network’s roots date back to the late 1970’s when students in the Masters of Land Economics and Real Estate (LERE) Program began gathering as a social and networking group. The organization formalized itself into ATREE (Association of Texas Real Estate Economists). ATREE flourished with the support of Dr. Ivan Schmedemann, the then director of the LERE program.
ATREE was renamed The Society of Texas A&M Real Estate Professionals in the early 1990’s in an attempt to better define its membership, which was a growing network of real estate property professionals, most with ties to Texas A&M University. While Dr. Schmedemann remained strongly involved in the organization after retirement in 1998, the Masters program (and indirectly the organization) has been fortunate to further its influence under the continued leadership of Dr. Wayne Etter, Ms. Cydney Donnell and currently Ms. Nicky Amos. The LERE program moved from the College of Agriculture to the Mays School of Business in the late 1990’s as finance was becoming an increasingly important part of the program’s curriculum. In 2007 it was renamed the Master of Real Estate Program. This move further enhanced the influence of the organization and its members in the real property profession in Texas and around the nation.
Over the years the organization has been responsible for a myriad of events for the benefit of its members. In the early years, the organization began developing seminars for the continuing education of its members. The annual Ad Valorem Tax Conference is an example of an outgrowth of an event organized by the Society of Texas A&M Real Estate Professionals. Today’s more broadly commercial real estate focused organization, the Aggie Real Estate Network (AREN), hosts an annual conference allowing the membership to network and share knowledge among both members and guests from the real estate industry, with cutting edge presentations reflecting the current state of the industry. What began as informal, social gatherings at the Schmedemanns’ ranch has grown into professional conferences held throughout the state, including top industry speakers, golf tournaments and nightly entertainment.
The organization and its members have been responsible for a multitude of endowed scholarships such as Ivan and Luanne Schmedemann scholarship, Ed Elmore scholarship, and the A. B. (Pat) Wooten scholarship. Members also regularly return to the Texas A&M Campus to mentor current students.
In the 21st century, the Aggie Real Estate Network is dedicated to expanding its membership to include all Aggies and Aggie supporters of the real estate industry. It is increasingly common to find members throughout the country, who are leaders in their particular facet of the real estate industry, ranging from valuation professionals to financial advisers and lenders, feasibility experts, developers and managers and owners of commercial real estate, just to name a few. Our members cover the entire spectrum from individual entrepreneurs to top level employees of fortune 500 companies.
WE ARE THE EVER GROWING AGGIE REAL ESTATE NETWORK!
