Trevor Chapman, BMC Capital Markets, Intern

"The most valuable advice I've received is to be extremely persistent. That lesson stuck with me, and since then, many more opportunities have opened up due to my almost annoying persistence."

Trevor, you’ve got a unique background that starts on a ranch in Florida and leads all the way to real estate finance in Dallas. Can you walk us through your journey and how it shaped your interests?

I grew up on a small ranch in Florida, homeschooled and spending most of the day either outside with the animals, or surfing on the beach. It was not the most academic upbringing, and it absolutely had nothing to do with real estate, but it shaped who I am. That lifestyle of working on the ranch gave me and my siblings the work ethic that we have today. That foundation of hard work paired with my extreme competitiveness later pushed me to seek out challenging, entrepreneurial career paths, which is what ultimately led me to real estate.

What ultimately led you to transfer to UNT, and how did your involvement with Sigma Chi and the Real Estate Program help shape your career direction? 

After my family moved to Texas in 2014, I attended a small university in Colorado on a track and cross country scholarship. At the time, all I cared about was running and had no clue what I wanted to do for my career. After my freshman year I pretty quickly came to the realization that every collegiate athlete eventually does, that I can't do this forever. It was a low point in my life because running was my whole identity and I no longer saw a future where I was. I decided to transfer closer to home at UNT where I rushed Sigma Chi and joined the real estate program. Both Sigma Chi and the real estate club gave me opportunities to gravitate to leadership roles where I had gained a lot of personal growth and new identity.

What was your first experience in the real estate industry, and how did it influence your path?

I was first introduced to real estate through a professor at UNT named Dr. John Baen, who a fraternity brother strongly encouraged me to take. On the first day of class, Dr. Baen pulled out over a million dollars’ worth of checks he had earned in recent months and started flipping through them - slightly to show off, but mostly to get our attention. He told us he teaches because it’s his passion, and if we want to get rich from our hobby, we should pay attention. I had never had a professor be that direct or inspiring before, and from that moment on I was hooked. Shortly after, I landed my first hands-on experience at the Denton Central Appraisal District, where I was introduced to valuation and real estate taxes. While I didn’t pursue appraisal long term, it was an important stepping stone that helped me build technical knowledge and ultimately transition into real estate finance - where I’ve found my long-term focus.

You served as President of the UNT Real Estate Club. What were your goals in that role, and what are you most proud of accomplishing during your time there? 

I decided to run for President of the Real Estate Club shortly after the passing of John Baen. He was the reason I got into real estate in the first place, and I wanted to help carry on his legacy by giving back to the program he built. Alongside the new head of the Real Estate Department, Marc Moffitt, we focused on two main goals this past year. First, we emphasized the principal side of the industry, not just brokerage, to attract more finance students. Second, we aimed to provide as much value as possible to our members. The best way we found to do that was by inviting successful real estate professionals to speak to students about the industry and how to break into it. I’m most proud of the positive feedback from students and their engagement, so much so that I often had to cut meetings off at the two-hour mark because of the number of questions being asked.

At BMC Capital, you've been exposed to how large commercial properties are structured and financed. Can you share what kinds of deals or lessons have stood out the most so far? 

I think that the most valuable thing I have been exposed to is knowledge of the debt market as a whole in today's economy. Brokers tend to be the first to feel shifts in the market whether it be rates or other economic factors, I think being in commercial mortgage brokerage has been a unique learning lesson that I wouldn't get in many other parts of the industry. I also enjoyed the creative financing of deals and overall understanding of the components of a capital stack.

You’ve mentioned that you’ve had over 150 coffee chats in the Dallas real estate community. That’s an incredible level of outreach. What motivated you to do that, and what advice would you give to students looking to build a strong network? 

The reason I’ve had well over 150 coffee chats in the past few months is that, going into my senior year, I knew I was behind the curve and needed guidance to compete. I kept hearing that my friend was meeting with a new, highly successful professional in Dallas-Fort Worth almost every other day, and I just decided to join him. Since then, I’ve connected with many incredible people I look up to and received mentorship I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I have also always genuinely enjoyed meeting new people and hearing about everyone's unique success story. My advice for students starting to network is to play the volume game: cold call or email as much as possible and meet with anyone who’s willing. Once you start building your network, focus more energy on those who have made a meaningful impact on your journey. Keep following up and stay in touch with them.

You’ve expressed interest in both capital markets and principal-side roles, especially development and acquisitions. What are you looking for in your next step, and how do you see yourself growing in those areas? 

As far as next steps, I've been more focused on whether an opportunity has highly respected leadership, a strong reputation, great team culture and mentorship, and opportunities for growth. Through networking with professionals across nearly every major firm in Dallas, I've developed a strong sense of who I want to work for and the kind of reputation I want to be part of.

Are there any firms, deal types, or mentors that you’re especially drawn to as you think about where you want to be in the next 3–5 years? 

In such a tightly connected CRE market like DFW, reputation means everything. You often hear about someone long before you meet them. I pay close attention to how others talk about their mentors, colleagues, and leaders. I'm most excited to connect with those who are consistently respected and admired. On the flip side, I've also learned to steer clear of individuals whose names have come up with negative context. That kind of awareness has really helped shape how I evaluate where and who I want to be working with in the next 3-5 years. A specific mentor that I have been drawn to has been Carl Ewert, he is a legend in Dallas CRE and has been extremely generous in guiding and mentoring me in my journey.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received so far - and what advice would you give to someone just starting out in real estate today? 

The most valuable advice I've received is to be extremely persistent. One of my biggest mentors taught me this by intentionally not responding to my emails or calls until I had followed up several times. That lesson stuck with me and since then, many more opportunities have opened up due to my almost annoying persistence. For someone starting out, My advice would be if you are trying to get in contact with someone or pursue an opportunity to keep reaching out and following up. Don't stop until they deliberately tell you to, most of the time they are just busy and the reminders are usually appreciated.

If you could go back and tell your younger self one thing - maybe back in Colorado or even earlier - what would it be? 

If I had the choice I don't think I would tell myself anything, but if I had to, I would probably tell myself to stop trying to be good at many things and instead focus on becoming the best at one thing. I think I spent too much time being a jack of all trades and a master of none. I would also tell myself to sell everything and buy bitcoin.