Malls today differ from their glory days of the ’80s and ’90s. Gone are the neon lights beckoning shoppers in, music stores filled with rows of cassettes and later CDs, 孩子们在游戏厅花光了一个月的零用钱. 现代购物中心不再是一个购物的地方，更多的是将社区聚集在一起. This is exactly what Ryan Benz G’11 had in mind when his company, Redev CNY, 和他的合伙人投标重新开发德威特的购物城, New York.
“我首先关注的是项目对人们的影响,” says Benz, who earned a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises from Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management. “From a civic perspective, 这需要为纽约市中心的生活质量增加更大的价值.“文化是奔驰最初集中精力在该地区开设几座高端公寓楼和餐厅的原因, including Oh My Darling and its basement speakeasy The Fitz, which have been in operation for about three years. 他和开发团队目前正在评估新空间的主力店, which they are calling District East, 设想一下整个氛围的样子和感觉. “You're seeing greater interest in experiences,” Benz explains. “A traditional mall environment is not an experience. It's a place where you go shopping. Shopping is not the experience; the experience is how you feel when you're there.”
奔驰在锡拉丘兹地区拥有几座高档公寓楼和餐厅, including Oh My Darling and its basement speakeasy, The Fitz.
To that end, the site will include restaurants, apartments and condominiums, a movie theater, offices and medical suites, a grocery store, other entertainment attractions, 并且可以连接到伊利运河附近的人行道和自行车道. “Restaurants are cultural anchors. 这是将社区聚集在一起的原因，也是建立文化的重要因素. A culture, which then leads to businesses, people wanting to come downtown and more jobs coming downtown.” By the time the project is finished, which will likely take several years, 它几乎不会像目前位于该地点的购物中心.
如果没有雪城大学(Syracuse University)的学位，我就没有资格，也没有机会在毕业后立即从事房地产行业的第一份工作.
Ryan Benz G’11
重新发展和创业似乎与吹小号相去甚远, 这是本茨在新泽西州蒙特克莱尔州立大学读本科时所学的专业, but the entrepreneurial spirit was always in his blood. 他的第一份工作是在12岁时送报纸，当时他正在学习音乐, 他经营一家车道维修公司，还发明了一种音乐笔记本，卖给大学书店和音乐商店. “I grew up with this mentality that said, what else are we doing? Let's go.”
Applying and Sharing Knowledge
Benz is an active member of the Whitman School alumni, visiting campus to share his experiences as an entrepreneur. 他曾担任Orange Tank Pitch Competition的评委，在这场比赛中，惠特曼商学院(Whitman School)的在校生和校友企业家将展示自己的创业项目，以获得现金奖励.
本茨认为，惠特曼商学院的教育给了他从事房地产工作所需的经验和知识. 毕业后，他在金字塔管理集团(Pyramid Management Group)担任Destiny USA的租赁代理. “如果没有雪城大学的学位，我就没有资格，也没有机会在毕业后立即从事房地产行业的第一份工作.”
我很荣幸能回到锡拉丘兹，帮助培养年轻的企业家或房地产开发商.
Ryan Benz G’11
他说，他的学位让他更有市场，更适合跨入房地产行业, it also gave him the confidence he needed. He and his wife, Leigh Ann, 在回到纽约中部之前，他在纽约和新泽西开了一家名为Lee Lee 's Forest的连锁零售店, where Benz grew up, to raise their son.
Ryan Benz G’11, 谁获得了创业和新兴企业硕士学位, 他的公司Redev CNY和他的商业伙伴正在德威特的前ShoppingTown Mall空间开发东区.
Now, as he works on District East, his restaurants and apartments, Benz also finds time to give back to his alma mater. 他回来与企业家俱乐部和房地产俱乐部分享他作为企业家的经验, 并担任Orange Tank Pitch Competition的评委，在这场比赛中，惠特曼商学院的在校生和校友企业家向评委介绍他们的企业，并争夺现金奖励. “我很荣幸能回到锡拉丘兹，帮助培养年轻的企业家或房地产开发商. 我认为，作为一名校友，支持在校生是一种义务，我非常喜欢参与其中,” he says.
甚至有一些惠特曼学院的本科生到奔驰公司实习, 说他们都给人留下了深刻的印象，并继续做着伟大的事情, including attending law school. 他表示，成为“充满活力”的校友网络的一员，使他有机会提升到为专业网络设定的期望水平. 他表示:“拥有这些校友关系，无论是在职业上还是在日常生活中，对我来说意义重大。. “重要的是要保持和提高我们学生的水平，并最终保持和提高我们学校的水平. I believe that through that growth, 我们的学生将在未来有更好的机会，并处于最好的位置来延续卓越的文化. 对下一代领导者产生影响是一件很有趣、很有意义的事情.”
