In collaboration with the Desautels Graduate Students Society, McGill Management Insights was proud to host the inaugural edition of McGill Desautels Talks. Current MBA students gathered to hear from industry leaders Jason Parravano, CEO of Plaza REIT, and Evan Paperman (BCom’09), President of Woodland Capital, as they shared their dynamic career journeys and hard-earned lessons in real estate. The evening was a blend of personal anecdotes, professional insights, and advice for aspiring leaders, all recorded as a special video episode of McGill Management Insights.
Jason Parravano’s story of discovery began with a series of early jobs, including stints at Canadian Tire and in restaurants.
Yet, it wasn’t until he “fell into real estate by chance” after pursuing accounting that his career took shape. By 2015, Jason had become one of the youngest executives on the Toronto Stock Exchange, leading Plaza REIT to remarkable growth.
Reflecting on his leadership evolution, he shared the following.
“When you have a small team, you’re able to pick the strongest team. But with a larger team, there are some people that are stronger and some people that are weaker. You need to approach some people differently and know everyone's strengths and weaknesses.”
For Evan Paperman, the journey into real estate was anything but straightforward. Graduating from McGill University with a BCom in Finance in 2008—amid the global financial crisis—meant opportunities in finance were scarce. This led him to pursue corporate law.
“I went to law school with no intention of being a lawyer,” Evan admits. Yet, his exposure to mergers, acquisitions, and deal flow at a Montreal law firm sparked his interest in transactions and business development.
“I loved the idea of working on these deals, seeing people buy businesses, sell businesses,” he explained. “But I didn't love that I was only working on the transactional part.”
Evan’s transition into real estate came serendipitously when a high school friend invited him to partner on a small building purchase. That pivotal moment turned into a full-time career in residential real estate. By 2017, Evan had left law behind, and today, he co-manages a portfolio of 30 properties.
Both speakers underscored the importance of adapting to challenges in the ever-evolving real estate industry, highlighting how population growth and limited land supply have created opportunities to increase market rents, as Evan delved into residential real estate, sharing how rising interest rates reshaped his approach to investments.
“When interest rates were near zero, mistakes were more forgiving,” Jason explained. “Now, only those committed to real estate full-time remain. It’s weeded out those who treated it as a hobby.”
Jason emphasized the role of creativity in dealmaking. He shares an example of using a tax-saving structure to close a $25 million deal by aligning the vendor’s interests with his company’s goals.
“It was a creative way to be not the highest bidder,” he explained. “That's one example where you take advantage of your structure, you take advantage of what you do and what you know.”
Both leaders stressed the importance of building strong networks.
"You don’t need to be smart in real estate to make money, you just have to know some smart people,” Jason said. “The better your relationships with those people, the more successful you’ll be.”
It's a sentiment Evan echoed, advising attendees to cultivate connections with banks and decision-makers, as these relationships often determine the success of a deal.
Evan also shared how a dean’s advice during law school helped him overcome imposter syndrome.
“If you doubt why you’re here, have confidence in the people who put you in the room. They believe you belong,” they told him.
Jason offered his own advice.
“You’ll have many mentors and coaches throughout your career,” he said. “Mentors provide guidance in a back-and-forth relationship, while coaches focus solely on helping you figure out the right decisions. Both are invaluable.”
The conversation ended with Jason and Evan reflecting on their journeys and the lessons learned from setbacks. Jason emphasized the importance of calculated risks and resilience.
“You make mistakes, but to be honest with you, as long as you don’t make them twice it’s okay,” he said. “Oftentimes risks result in mistakes, so it’s a balancing act here between the right risk to take and the wrong risk to take.”
For aspiring leaders, both speakers highlighted the need to stay adaptable, build relationships, and trust the journey. As Evan aptly put it, “You can never go wrong doing the right thing.”
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