Class of 2022 Career Spotlight: Jacob Merilo
Jacob Merilo, Class of 2022.
Real Estate Graduate Utilizes Network to Secure Role at Post Investment Group
While on a leave of absence from SDSU, Jacob Merilo found himself connecting with professionals who motivated him and inspired his major change to real estate. During his return to SDSU, Merilo was eager to get involved on campus and find internships that gave him valuable experience.
Jacob’s networking skills and passion to learn allowed him to land a position with Post Investment Group months before graduation. He is thrilled to embark on this job opportunity and reflects on how his collegiate journey prepared him for this new role.
Q: Can you describe a little bit about yourself and how/when you decided to pursue Real Estate as an area of study?
This story is an interesting one and I love to tell it to everyone who asks. When I came to San Diego State University as a freshman, I was originally a finance major. At the time, I was in love with dividend reinvestment, so I did my fair share of personal research on the stock market and dividend paying companies. When fall 2019 came about, I unfortunately had to move back home to Los Angeles and take a leave of absence for a semester from SDSU. During this time, I worked in golf operations at the Brentwood Country Club in LA where I met a lot of professionals who worked in Wealth Management or Hedge Funds. I loved meeting new professionals everyday, but the intimacy of the club allowed me to really dig into the minds and everyday lives of these professionals. With my newfound stability and strengthened motivation, I quickly found myself gravitating to those in real estate. Real estate applies the same foundation of finance, but it seemed more fun because of all the travel and tangibility. After my time at Brentwood, I found new operational work at The Los Angeles Country Club (LACC), where I met Scott Pickett, President of Post Investment Group. Speaking with Scott over the last two years certainly solidified my interest in real estate finance and now, here we are!
Q: Describe the position you will begin after graduation (job functions, key role).
After graduation, I will start my role as a Financial Analyst for Post Investment Group. Post is a venture capital and private equity investment firm. As an analyst, I will be responsible for the analysis of Post Real Estate Group’s investments. My role focuses on the current and future private equity multi-family investments. My main focuses will be on the overall U.S. market research, mainly looking for opportunities to invest in Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC.) I will also be involved in the underwriting, management, due diligence, and budgeting for the firm.
Q: When did you receive your official job offer and what was your reaction when you received the offer?
I am extremely proud to share that I received my offer in February of this year. I was elated when I received the offer because Post Investment Group has such a great reputation and company culture. To add on to the excitement, the office environment is a direct reflection of the quote, “work hard, play hard.” Post is headquartered in Los Angeles, so being back in my hometown is something that I have been looking forward to. The office is specifically located in Beverly HIlls, so being in this area will definitely push me to work even harder towards my personal and financial goals.
Q: How did you get connected with this company and position?
I was connected with Post Investment Group when I reached out to Scott Pickett to update him on my academic and professional career. We originally met at LACC and talked about the industry quite a bit. I had a lot of news to share with him and that conversation turned into an interview with the team. I was introduced to Troy Thomas, an associate of Post, and that went really well. After that, I ended up interviewing with everybody on the team. I went to Beverly Hills in early February to see the office and eventually interviewed with Jason Post, CEO/Founder of Post, and the entire acquisitions team.
Q: Did you use any other campus resources to help you acquire this position? If so, describe the support.
For this specific position, I did not. However, I did find a Real Estate Management Internship with Trinity Property Consultants through SDSU. Trinity reached out to SDSU in 2020, leading to an internship program in Downtown San Diego in 2021. The internship was extremely hands-on and rewarding. I was able to truly see and understand the operations of apartments across all classes, allowing me to transition into the financial side of the industry with ease. It is extremely important to be able to understand a product before you start investing in it.
Q: Are there specific skills you learned at SDSU (in class or otherwise) that helped you with the role’s qualifications?
Definitely! The analyst role I have now is fully consists of concepts from various finance classes such as FIN 331, 431, and 437. The time value of money is an extremely important concept to real estate finance, making it the backbone of commercial real estate. Understanding Net Present Values and IRRs are the basis of all investments you will make. FIN 435 and 433 dealt primarily with the valuations of properties and their buy/sell analyses. FIN 336 was actually a class that I feel was a little overlooked by real estate students. Whether you want to go into development, property management, or acquisitions, a lot of the value is created in properly managed buildings.
Merilo at the Los Angeles Country Club (LACC).
Q: What advice do you have for fellow students, regardless of their field, looking to jumpstart their career and land their first job post graduation?
I have two pieces of advice to share and I share them equally. First and foremost, be yourself. Don’t do something just because it makes you happy, do something that completes you as a person internally and externally. Being happy and doing what you love will take you to places that luck won’t be able to. Secondly, make yourself marketable. The job market is hot and there is a lot of talent out there. Get involved with case studies, clubs, societies, and professional organizations. If you can, find internships or jobs in the field that you desire. I did a real estate management internship and ended up doing boutique apartment leasing soon after for a couple different companies. Although this wasn’t directly related to the investment and acquisitions side of the industry, these hands-on experiences taught me a lot about the way that these assets worked. I can translate that into my new role in finding and adding value.
Q: What is it that you are most looking forward to as you kick start this next chapter?
I am most looking forward to the collaborative work with the team at Post. Learning about the industry with our professionals will make me a stronger working professional and I can’t wait to be among the prestigious. Everyone is so talented and hardworking, being associated with them will be a true honor.
Q: What is the best advice you have received during your time at SDSU?
The best advice I have received during my time came from Mark Varo, SDSU Alumni, of the RVR Group. Mark shared with me the advice that I shared earlier. Mark taught me to make myself marketable. Standing out when you’re young is an extreme advantage when applying for jobs. If you’re marketable or well rounded, you will be “recession-proof.” That is what makes a truly successful individual.
