Marquette senior gives Wisconsin’s real estate students a stage of their own

In a world gone digital, Toni Coca retains a strong affinity for the tangible. This affinity, along with family ties, anchors his interest in real estate. The field's emphasis on physical assets allows Coca to pick up where his grandfather, a first-generation Greek immigrant, left off: creating a successful career managing retail and residential properties.

A senior studying finance and real estate, Coca has reaped the benefits of the many applied learning opportunities in Marquette Business, specifically case competitions.

"My involvement in case competitions gave me entry into the world of real estate," Coca says. "The tremendous amount of learning that goes into preparing for these competitions offers a glimpse into life after college. You really get a sense for what the industry is like."

Coca has always traveled out-of-state for these competitions, as nothing of the kind existed in Wisconsin. The cost and time associated with this travel often causes students miss out on a key piece of the learning experience: defending proposals and interacting with judges. When Coca secured a $4,500 grant from the Pension Real Estate Association Foundation, he had an idea. Instead of using the funds for existing real estate club events, what if he brought a real estate case competition to Wisconsin?

"I thought of it as a great way to reach out to other schools across the state," Coca says. "It would be a new way to build exposure and network with other students. I knew firsthand how impactful case competitions are, and I knew this idea would positively impact students at Marquette and beyond."

With this vision, Coca set out to create an event that had never before been attempted in Wisconsin: a development-focused case competition built around a real site, real market data and real industry judges.

From grant application to statewide competition

On February 28, eight student teams from six universities across Wisconsin converged on the Marquette campus to compete in the inaugural CORE Development Case Competition. Hosted by the Vieth Institute for Real Estate Leadership in partnership with the Commercial Association of REALTORS Wisconsin (CARW), the event challenged students to step out of the classroom and into the role of real estate developer.

"CORE bridged the gap between classroom learning and industry experience. It created a platform where students could practice real-world decision-making, defend their assumptions and present to experienced leaders in the industry," Coca says.

The challenge

Teams were given two weeks to underwrite and present professional development proposals for a real site in Milwaukee's Harbor View district. The scope mirrored what a development firm would produce: site analysis, market positioning, design strategy and financial feasibility. Teams then defended their proposals in front of seasoned industry professionals.

Participating schools included Marquette University (two teams), UW-Madison (two teams), UW-Milwaukee, UW-Whitewater, UW-La Crosse and UW-Stout.

Bringing the real world into the room

The panel of judges included professionals from a variety of respected Milwaukee real estate developers, including Bob Monnat of Mandel Group, Charlie Monnat of Baum Revision, Phil Aiello of Mandel Group, Bill Quinlivan of Colliers and Tracy Johnson of CARW, who provided invaluable support throughout the competition's creation.

"I was inspired not only by the quality of the presentations - developed in just a few short weeks - but by the energy and excitement surrounding the event," Johnson says. "It was clear this competition was more than academic. With teams made up of freshmen through seniors, students were building relationships across class years and campuses that will shape their professional futures."

A platform built to grow

For a state with no prior development-focused case competition, CORE's debut signals a shift in how Wisconsin's real estate programs are preparing students for the industry. The competition gave participants something that no textbook can replicate: the experience of standing in front of a room of professionals, defending a deal and learning from feedback.

"The collective level of preparation, analytical depth and professionalism reinforced how powerful experiential learning can be when students are asked to think like decision-makers," Coca says.

"What stood out most was students' curiosity and professionalism," Johnson adds. "This competition didn't just test their skills - it demonstrated the depth of talent we have in Wisconsin and reinforced why investing in the next generation of commercial real estate leaders matters."

The CORE Development Case Competition is expected to return in 2027. 2026 competition sponsors include Mandel Group, Inc., Marquette University Vieth Institute for Real Estate Leadership, CARW and Pension Real Estate Association (PREA).

Results

First Place: Cristian Coca, Quinn Galligan, Hayden Kleynhans, and Owen Krueger - Marquette University

Second Place: Madison Grulkowski, Jacob Gurican, and Ava Hetland - UW-Milwaukee

Third Place: Alexis Brinkmoeller, Madelyn King, and Breyden Kane - UW-Stout