Former Buffer and football player Joshua Bruff '05, just three short years out of Hamilton, was named a manager of Developers Diversified Realty Corp., a position which typically only a person with eight years of experience gains. Bruff earned the title after completing a management training program in 2007. Bruff was profiled in the Crain's Cleveland Business and the article includes a link to a video interview with him.
"Senior management's philosophy is that if you are capable to do the job, regardless of your background, you can get it," Bruff said in his media interview. "This job is like a dream come true."
In his new, , hard-earned position as manager of mall operations and commercial assets, Bruff is now responsible for managing 12 enclosed shopping malls and six office and industrial buildings, totaling five million square-feet of property.
Bruff learned about Developers Diversified from a fellow football player who learned that the former-senior defensive end held an interest in pursuing a real estate career. Having a degree in communication, however, Bruff chose Developers Diversified over jobs in insurance and investment banking because of their intensive management training program. Beyond the prestige, however, Bruff had a more heartfelt reason for choosing Developers Diversified:
"These people were dedicated to their respective properties [and] their respective communities," Bruff said. "They had not only financial interest, but a vested interest personally."
Daniel Hurwitz, Developers Diversified president and chief operating officer, said Bruff was one of the only four college graduates the company selected for the program, out of an application pool of 75 in 2005. Developers Diversified designed the program to quickly accumulate a pool of potential executives just like Bruff.
Bruff grew up near Hartford, Conn., the oldest of three children of Jamaican immigrants. He attended public and private schools until gaining admission to Avon Old Farms School. From that point on, it was his good grades rather than his athleticism that paved his path to Hamilton College.
"Senior management's philosophy is that if you are capable to do the job, regardless of your background, you can get it," Bruff said in his media interview. "This job is like a dream come true."
In his new, , hard-earned position as manager of mall operations and commercial assets, Bruff is now responsible for managing 12 enclosed shopping malls and six office and industrial buildings, totaling five million square-feet of property.
Bruff learned about Developers Diversified from a fellow football player who learned that the former-senior defensive end held an interest in pursuing a real estate career. Having a degree in communication, however, Bruff chose Developers Diversified over jobs in insurance and investment banking because of their intensive management training program. Beyond the prestige, however, Bruff had a more heartfelt reason for choosing Developers Diversified:
"These people were dedicated to their respective properties [and] their respective communities," Bruff said. "They had not only financial interest, but a vested interest personally."
Daniel Hurwitz, Developers Diversified president and chief operating officer, said Bruff was one of the only four college graduates the company selected for the program, out of an application pool of 75 in 2005. Developers Diversified designed the program to quickly accumulate a pool of potential executives just like Bruff.
Bruff grew up near Hartford, Conn., the oldest of three children of Jamaican immigrants. He attended public and private schools until gaining admission to Avon Old Farms School. From that point on, it was his good grades rather than his athleticism that paved his path to Hamilton College.
