Sage Hospitality has joined the Industry Fellows program at the Center for Real Estate Finance (CREF) at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration.
“Sage Hospitality is a leader in innovation and service,” says Jan deRoos, HVS professor of hotel finance and real estate and executive director of CREF. “The expertise that the company will bring to our program will benefit faculty research as well as the student experience.”
Kenneth Geist, executive vice president of Sage Hospitality, will represent the company at meetings of the CREF Industry Fellows. Geist is responsible for all acquisitions, development, and new business activities at Sage. He has overseen the acquisition and development of 45 hotel properties, with a specialization in the use of public/private partnerships to redevelop historic buildings.
“Collaboration among researchers, practitioners, and students is necessary for the advancement of the real estate industry,” Geist says. “The CREF Industry Fellows program is an excellent way to bring these groups together to discuss the challenges and opportunities that face the industry today.”
The CREF Industry Fellows program is the cornerstone of the center’s outreach efforts. The program helps fund the annual Cornell Real Estate Case Competition, seminars on current industry topics, student travel to real estate investment conferences, as well as faculty research. The most recent meeting of the Industry Fellows was held in June in conjunction with the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in New York City.
