Real estate executive Adam Tiktin started his first business with the help of his grandparents, who lent him $10,000. When he later moved to Miami to get into real estate after 9/11, it was Tiktin’s grandfather who cheered him on through tough times.
Today, as president and broker at Titkin Real Estate Services and a member of the Hollo School of Real Estate Advisory Board at FIU Business, Tiktin actively strives to create new networks and reach out to help students. His recent $50,000 gift established the Harold and Freyda Tiktin Real Estate Excellence Award, honoring the grandparents who nurtured his success.
“I tell people: if you’re getting down, I want you to think about my grandfather, like he’s on your shoulder, cheering you on,” Tiktin told MS in International Real Estate graduates, their families, and faculty members assembled on June 27, 2021 at Smith & Wollensky in Miami Beach for the first in-person celebration since 2019. The award recognizes one student and up to four faculty members in the Hollo School for their hard work, outstanding contributions, and commitment to the field of real estate.
Eli Beracha, director of the Hollo School, noted the challenges presented by the pandemic were overcome by the program’s seamless switches to online learning and then back to partial face-to-face.
“It’s been an unusual time, but the things the Hollo School has been able to do have been amazing,” said Beracha. Credentials earned in the past year include a No. 1 ranking in the world for faculty research from the Journal of Real Estate Literature, tying FIU with the prestigious National University of Singapore.
Beracha stressed the importance of networking. “In five or 10 years, not only will you have friends from this class, but you’ll be in business together and you’ll be extremely successful.”
William Hardin, who started the program 14 years ago with 12 students and now serves as interim dean, also testified to the power of building and maintaining a network.
“If you meet people who tell you they’re successful on their own, keep on walking. We’re all better by being there for other people,” he said, noting that his own network extended back to people he shared classes with 40 years ago. “We become successful by helping other people become successful.”
Tiktin, who noted the award came from proceeds of a deal he did with fellow Hollo board member and donor Malcolm Butters (MSIRE ’83), also extolled the value of building a strong network. He encouraged the grads to seek opportunities in what is now a strong real estate market.
“It’s all about confidence,” he told the graduates. “Someday, you will all do well, and you’ll take some of the money you make in real estate and give it back to make this a better world.”
Titkin presented a $5,000 scholarship award to graduate Thais Guevara, who came to the U.S. alone from Venezuela 20 years ago and met many challenges on her road to success. Hardin and Beracha won awards for Best Professor.
