Better Together: How PILLAR’s Cohort Learning Advances Industrial CRE Professionals
By Charlene Manuel, Director of Education & Research
IAMC brings together industrial CRE professionals through multiple opportunities – forums, locals, international events, webinars – but collaborative cohorts offer members an entirely new professional development learning experience.
IAMC Skills Paths offer cohort-based learning, putting you in a sustained, structured learning experience with your peers — working through the same content and the same challenges together.
Brett Von Bergen, Penske, shares “Learning in the group setting was one of the greatest sources of value in this program and reminded me of a miniature version of my MBA experience, which I enjoyed. Hearing validation of some phenomena I see at my own company, hearing new ideas and approaches to problems, and taking on the capstone project with multiple perspectives are just some examples. I believe it’s hard to replicate this type of experience.”
A Curriculum Designed for Industrial CRE Professionals
The PILLAR Skills Path runs for three months providing content, assignments, tools & frameworks for learners to apply in their roles. The insights don't happen in a single session – they accumulate and compound to prepare learners for the final capstone project. Katie Matthews, Tricorbraun, shares: "To be a trusted resource in your organization, one must keep learning and have their finger on the pulse of what is going on in our industry. Investing in yourself is important and it’s exciting to leverage IAMC’s new continuing education opportunities."
Corporates, Economic Developers, & Service Providers: Learning Together Strengthens Industrial CRE
A service provider who understands how a corporate end user builds a business case internally becomes a more trusted advisor. An economic developer who has worked through a capstone alongside a corporate end user asset manager sees site selection and project development through a sharper lens. A corporate practitioner who hears how partners and developers approach the same transaction gains a fuller picture. Every professional — regardless of years of experience or organizational role — makes the cohort stronger.
Jonathan Majors, Graphic Packaging International LLC, described what that sustained engagement produced: "One of the most valuable aspects of the program was gaining insight into how others in the field approach and navigate similar challenges."
Earn Recognition That Goes Beyond the Program.
Those that complete a PILLAR Skills Path receive a formal IAMC certificate of completion, are recognized at IAMC's Forum, and earn credit toward new IAMC designations being developed to recognize expertise and commitment across the industrial CRE profession.
Richard Tyler, Smurfit Westrock, noted that recognition carries real weight: the credential "will signal to others knowledge gained and commitment to continuous learning, as well as helping to elevate the profile of IAMC."
Upcoming Cohorts Kick off in July & August. Will You Be In It?
The next PILLAR Skills Path — Executing Industrial Real Estate Projects — begins in July and will combine virtual learning with an in-person capstone at IAMC Fall Forum 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. IAMC will also re-run Building & Selling Your Industrial Business Case as an entirely virtual experience beginning in August.
Cohort seats are limited and each Skills Path will maintain a ratio of corporate end users, service providers and economic developers.
Not ready to commit to a full Skills Path yet? On-demand courses — including Know Your Industrial Real Estate Portfolio and Using Data to Drive Strategic Industrial Real Estate Decisions — are available now as an immediate first step.
Enroll today and explore all available programs at pillar.iamc.org.