An Elevator Ride with a Zicklin Real Estate Maven
January 13, 2026Zicklin News recently took an elevator ride at the Newman Vertical Campus with Lecturer Robert Buchsbaum of the William Newman Department of Real Estate. He told us his story and how he ended up at the Zicklin School of Business. Here’s what we learned.
“In 2008, I worked as a commercial real estate consultant. Subsequently, the financial crisis resulted in minimal activity, and I became the primary caregiver to my son. I was getting worried that my real estate career had ended. Thankfully, my alumni association helped me reposition myself within the industry, and I landed a job as a real estate director for a global cement producer. That led to other opportunities, broadening my capabilities. I’ve done many different things in the industry, from regional economic development planning to air rights valuation analyses—assessing the financial value of the vertical space above properties—to commercial property reuse of brownfields, which are abandoned sites that potentially contain hazardous substances. Having pivoted multiple times, I landed at the Zicklin School in 2023, and I consider teaching to be my calling. Real estate is a hot industry right now and my students are extremely focused on getting into the workforce, so I love being able to help them succeed in their careers.”