Dare to Disrupt Episode 31: Transforming the Real Estate Landscape with Peter Cocoziello

Peter Cocoziello is chairman, founder, and CEO of Advance Realty Investors, a company specializing in real estate development, construction, and property management. Over decades of fluctuating market cycles, Peter led Advance Realty to service major corporations with build-to-suit developments, including G.H. Bass, Phillips Van Heusen, Allied Beverage, FedEx, Bayer, and United National Bank. 

In this episode, Peter shares how he launched Advance with only $5,000, and then both entered and eventually dominated various real estate verticals in the northeast. He also discusses how the Penn State Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation is supporting cross-disciplinary collaboration, and what technological innovations mean for the future of the real estate industry. 

At the end of the episode, current Penn State student Jon Smith joins the conversation. Jon is a junior at Penn State studying architectural engineering. He is the co-founder and CEO of Streamline Charging, which builds electric vehicle charging solutions that make financial sense for apartment owners. He recently participated in the Invent Penn State Summer Founders Program. Jon and Peter discuss the real estate industry’s adoption of EV charging units, as well as areas of innovation in the real estate industry to keep an eye on.

Episode Chapters

1:53 – 3:32 From humble beginnings in the small town of Fairchance 

3:32 – 8:12 The business of a paper route 

8:12 – 9:41 From failing exams to becoming an honors finance student 

9:41 – 12:37 The banking world as a foray into real estate 

12:37 – 17:39 Launching Advance Realty with $5,000 

17:39 – 19:42 Entering various real estate verticals 

19:42 – 21:27 Taking advantage of the market environment 

21:27 – 25:32 Build to suit and buy to suit real estate market 

25:32 – 27:25 Launching the Penn State Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation   

27:25 – 30:58  Technology’s role in shaping the real estate industry 

30:58 – 36:08 Student section

About Peter Cocoziello

Peter is chairman, founder, and CEO of Advance Realty Investors. He graduated from the Penn State Smeal College of Business with a bachelor’s in finance.

Download full episode transcript

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | Spotify

Dare to Disrupt is a podcast about Penn State alumni who are innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders, and the stories behind their success. Learn more.