
"The foundation of having an incredible mix of business-oriented professors and working in the industry was a huge value-add for my career."
Mark Zettl
President, Property Management, JLL
Chicago
BS Hospitality & Tourism Management
"The foundation of having an incredible mix of business-oriented professors and working in the industry was a huge value-add for my career."
The foundation of having an incredible mix of business-oriented professors and working in the industry was a huge value-add for my career. Those skills catapulted me not only to be able to manage hospitality but expand into other property sectors, including office, retail and industrial.
My favorite memory of RIT is by and far meeting my wife, Tracy. She and I were the only two to show up for a canceled class, so we started a conversation and the rest is history!
My career highlight has been working at JLL, a global commercial real estate firm, and managing 3,000 properties with 750 million square feet of office, retail and industrial. Since I started with the firm, my mission has been to disrupt the office experience and curate experiences in office space that are more in line with the hospitality experience. Today’s office is much more of a relaxed, welcoming environment with many spaces featuring coffee bars, pool tables, lounges and amenities you didn’t see ten plus years ago.
It’s very exciting as an alumnus and now a professional in my field to work with RIT and share my experiences with the next generation of property managers, including where I think the future of hospitality is headed. I wanted to thank RIT, especially Liam Welch, who has partnered with JLL and worked tirelessly to advance our partnership.