Finalists announced for 2022 ‘She Has a Deal’ competition

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT competition “She Has a Deal” announced six teams to the final round of SHaDPitch 2022. SHaD is focused on promoting female ownership of hotels.

Also, SHaD partnered with asset management and advisory firm CHMWarnick to provide long-term guidance as an asset management advisor and educating sponsor to successfully operate the assets, according to a statement.

Six teams reach the final round

The six finalists announced are: ART, LLC: Rebecca DelValle and Alexandra Vendola from University of New Haven; ASM Consolidated, LLC: Morgan Mason from Purdue University; L&B Hospitality Consulting: Brylynn Smith and Lauren Graff from San Diego State University; L&J Investments: Lilian Amirfazli, Lily Payne and Jayln Rowley from Michigan State University; Lumine Investments: Shanti Huang and Valerie Feng from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and Quarters & Halves: Yvana Petros, graduate of George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, and Shannah Reagan, graduate of University of Pennsylvania.

The final pitch competition will take place at the Innovation Gallery at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner on April 28 to 29.  The competition will be followed by an awards and networking luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Tysons Corne.

"This year's group of aspiring women hotel investors and developers brought a fresh, diverse perspective to hotel development and strategy. Their charisma, professionalism and potential to transform the industry shined throughout the competition," said Ravi Patel, SHaD judge and CEO of SINA Hospitality.

The competition allows teams of early-career, women hospitality students to compete for the prize of $50,000 in hotel deal equity following the conclusion of a virtual, preliminary round of pitching.

The new partnership

As part of SHaD’s deal with CHMWarnick, the advisory firm will share best practices on asset management, prepare training modules for SHaD participants, and leverage Proph+IT, the company’s technology platform that harnesses big data to optimize hospitality investments.

“This generous investment enhances the knowledge and skills of our team to be at the cutting edge of asset management,” said Tracy Prigmore, founder of SHaD. “Our investors and partners can be assured that the hotel assets that SHaD has under management will benefit from the expertise and firsthand knowledge imparted by CHMWarnick, the leading hotel asset management company in the industry.”

“As a company, we recognize the hospitality industry still has a long way to go when it comes to gender diversity, equality and inclusion. However, we are encouraged by the work being done by organizations such as SHaD and the Castell Project to challenge the status quo, elevate women to leadership roles and create investment opportunities," said Kristie Dickinson, managing director/EVP, CHMWarnick.  "By working with Tracy to develop a best-in-class asset management platform for SHaD’s hospitality investments, we can contribute directly to the success of this next generation of hotel owners while fashioning a structure of oversight and value creation that the investment community has come to expect and is synonymous with CHMWarnick.”

According to the statement, CHMWarnick will contribute content for the SHaD MasterClasses, SHaDTalks! and ongoing programming designed to accelerate participants’ knowledge on investing in hotel real estate.

Vinay Patel, AAHOA chairman and president of Fairbrook Hotels in Richmond, Virginia, is on the SHaD advisory board. Aditya Bhoopathy, principal and executive vice president at Noble Hotels, and Samantha Ahuja, partner at Greenberg Traurig law firm in Miami, are two of SHaD’s luminaries, cited in the competition’s master class.

In February, SHaD started a 10-city tour of U.S. cities to raise equity capital under the name “SHaD Prosperity Fund I" to support women-led hotel projects.