Career Path Of A Senior Project Manager At The Grupe Company
Rob's career path was unplanned, starting with a general business management degree and obtaining a real estate license, only to discover "I didn't like sales". This led to a project role within the family's commercial real estate business, eventually transitioning to a financial analyst position at The Grupe Company five years ago, where Rob expanded their skills into project and asset management.
Career Exploration, Project Management, Real Estate, Financial Analysis, Career Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Rob Toste
Senior Project Manager
The Grupe Company
California State University Stanislaus
N/A
Business Management & Admin, Entrepreneurship
Real Estate
Operations and Project Management
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. During college, Rob pursued a business management degree and unexpectedly obtained a real estate license, which led him to discover his disinterest in real estate sales.
2. After graduation, he joined his family's real estate company, gaining experience in project management on a new project, and later transitioned to The Grupe Company.
3. His career progression at The Grupe Company involved starting as a financial analyst, gradually taking on project management responsibilities, and currently encompassing both asset management and financial analysis roles.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
Starting in college, I didn't really know the exact path I wanted to take. The path led me to knowing many people in the real estate industry, but I didn't fully understand what that meant. I knew people who sold real estate, and that was the extent of my knowledge beyond my family's business.
My family's business involved owning and managing commercial real estate. I didn't really know what that entailed either, other than there were buildings owned by the family that someone managed. As I progressed through college with a general business management degree, I began learning more about real estate sales. I even obtained my real estate license during my undergraduate studies.
From there, I quickly realized I didn't enjoy sales or the day-to-day process of real estate sales as I learned more about it. After graduating, I ended up joining the family company for a new project that was starting, the first in many years. A role was available for someone new, younger, and part of the family bloodline to understand what was happening and help carry it forward.
No one else among the grandchildren had shown any interest in the business. So, I filled that role for as long as it was needed. Then, other opportunities arose for me to expand my career. That's when I found Groupie about five years ago and started as a financial analyst, which was my initial role there.
As more projects came my way, I learned the project management side of the business. For the last two or three years, I've been more focused on project management. I also fill an asset management role and some financial analysis, depending on the task. That's essentially how I ended up in my current role today.