Michael Riopel, Assistant General Counsel, Real Estate Investments at Northwestern Mutual

At the NAIOP Wisconsin Annual Meeting & Awards program in January 2022, Michael Riopel received the 2021 Principal Member of the Year award. NAIOP Principal members are industry professionals who develop, own, and/or invest in commercial real estate.

Riopel, an active member of NAIOP since June 2011, has served on the Public Policy Committee and previously co-chaired the Programs Committee for the Wisconsin chapter. In 2016, Riopel was selected for the national NAIOP Developing Leader Award and is actively engaged in the Developing Leaders and DL All Star program designed for members 35 years of age and younger. Riopel serves on the national NAIOP Education Committee plotting out relevant professional development opportunities for the association’s more than 19,000 members and in 2020, he was selected as a NAIOP Research Foundation Visionary.

How has NAIOP Wisconsin membership benefited you in your career? I can honestly say that I would not have the career and the opportunities I have today without my membership and engagement in NAIOP. My first job out of law school was the direct result of networking through NAIOP. I used the connections I made through NAIOP to set up informational interviews and shadowing experiences. NAIOP members Brad Dallet and Hal Karas gave me my first opportunity as a law clerk with the real estate team at Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C. (now Husch Blackwell LLP) during my third year of law school. Later in my career, NAIOP has provided many leadership opportunities, a constant resource to learn more about the industry and a core source of trusted friends and contacts who have become the foundational rocks throughout my career.

What stands out to you in your experience with the Corporate Visionary program? The NAIOP Research Foundation and its Governors are a driving force in thought leadership and research for the CRE industry. The Visionary program is predominantly a chance for young leaders to be paired with the Foundation Governors through the mentorship program and engage in the NAIOP Research Foundation meetings and events. The Visionaries represent some of the best and brightest under the age of 40 across the country, so it’s helped me to keep a great pulse on various real estate markets, asset types and trends.

Riopel also collaborated with NAIOP Wisconsin, Marquette University’s Center for Real Estate, and the Real Estate Exchange program (REEX) to create our first two-week summer immersion program for high school students of color to learn about the commercial real estate industry.

Creating the first program for high school students of color was a big undertaking, especially during Covid which necessitated a virtual rather than in-person learning experience. What do you think were among the highlights of the program’s first year? The biggest highlight for me was seeing how much progress the scholars made and knowing that we opened their eyes to so many CRE opportunities. I also was so impressed by how many local professionals enthusiastically volunteered to be a resource for this program.

For most of our scholars this was their very first exposure to real estate. By the end of the program, we had a group of students who were confident enough to stand in front of a group of seasoned professionals and present a redevelopment concept from inception to concept. Best of all they took second place amongst a peer group from other universities which included schools like Harvard, MIT, University of Miami and others!