Runstad X ULI Northwest Networking Event Recap On the evening of April 9th, the Runstad Department of Real Estate partnered with ULI Northwest to host their first-ever joint networking event, drawing more than 50 MSRE and BSRE students, ULI members, and Runstad Advisory Board members for an evening of conversation and connection in the beautiful second-floor lobby of Rainier Square. The event featured three speakers with deep ties to the city’s built environment:
● Rico Quirindongo, Director, Office of Planning and Community Development, City of Seattle
● Salone Habibuddin, AVP and Chief Real Estate Officer, University of Washington
● Carl Pierce, Director of Strategic Operations, Metropolitan Tract at UW Real Estate Development
The speakers touched on the rich history of the Seattle Metropolitan Tract, the 10-acre downtown parcel that UW has owned since its founding days, and its evolution into one of Seattle’s most significant developments. When UW relocated to its present campus in 1894, the Board of Regents chose to retain ownership of the original downtown site, a decision that gave rise to generations of landmark development. Today, the Tract is anchored by Rainier Square, the second-tallest building in Seattle, featuring office space, retail, and residential units, the very building in which the evening’s event took place.
Beyond history, the discussion centered on placemaking and the challenge of keeping downtowns dynamic amid the rise of hybrid work. The speakers offered a firsthand perspective on how Seattle’s urban core is being reimagined and what intentional, community-driven development looks like in practice. For Runstad students, the evening was a great chance to engage directly with both ULI members and Runstad Advisory Board members who are actively doing that work. As the next faces of the Seattle real estate industry, MSRE and BSRE students benefit greatly from the many new connections and new perspectives they gain by attending industry-focused events like this.
