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A 2015 graduate of The Neighborhood Academy, Jerico Berlin’s has turned his high school passion for real estate into a thriving career. He credits his eagerness and determination to go above and beyond to what he calls his ‘willingness to do what others won’t.’

“At TNA, I was a student ambassador and would give tours to school visitors. One day, I was giving a tour to Keith B. Key, President and CEO of KBK Enterprises, and he introduced me to the world of real estate development,” said Jerico. “After the tour, I went to Jodie Moore (TNA Co-Founder,) and expressed my interest in real estate. She quickly put me in contact with JC Pelusi, Market Director with Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). JC was a mentor and fueled my passion for real estate all through my college career.”

A week after graduating high school, Jerico completed a two-month internship in marketing and sales at SFMADE in San Francisco, CA. Returning to Pittsburgh to answer his calling for real estate, Jerico continued gaining experience at agencies such as JLL and RE360 during his college journey.

In 2019, Jerico joined the United States Air Force as a federal reservist stationed at the 911 Airlift Wing in Coraopolis.

His career path took a pivotal turn at a career fair in 2020, where he connected with Jeffrey Ackerman, Executive Vice President at CBRE. Despite the pandemic delaying his internship with the real estate and investment firm, Jerico maintained contact with Ackerman through monthly check-ins.

“In 2021, I joined CBRE as a brokerage intern gaining experience across asset classes like office, retail, and capital markets,” said Jerico. “A year later, after I received my degree in business marketing from the University of Pittsburgh, I was offered a full-time position with CBRE… Soon after I was hired, Jeffery unexpectedly passed away. I’m thankful for him taking me under his wing and believing in me.”

Today at CBRE, Jerico manages over 1.5 million square feet of office space in Pittsburgh, completing more than 100,000 square feet in transactions and generating $12.3 million in lease revenue for clients.

Pittsburgh is a ‘small world,’ and Jerico recently brushed shoulders with TNA alumnus and current board member, Micah Arnold ‘18, who is a Project Coordinator at Beam Collaborative. 
“I’ve run into Jerico a few times downtown. After a discussion with him, I had Beam Collaborative’s Chief Strategy Officer and former Board Chair of The Neighborhood Academy, Joe Massaro, reach out to him as we were looking for a space to house a Controlled Environment Agriculture facility…  we quickly hired him on to help with Beam’s search.”

Jerico is highly motivated and prides himself on relationships over transactions. He recently enrolled into the Bridgeway Capital’s Emerging Developer Accelerator program to equip himself with necessary knowledge and resources to fund his dream of becoming a local housing developer.

Jerico can be contacted at jerico.berlin@gmial.com. He is open to expanding his network!