Home » Real estate mentorship program expands to Indiana with hopes of keeping talent in state
Real estate mentorship program expands to Indiana with hopes of keeping talent in state
September 15, 2026 | Cameron Shaw
Before working to bring the program to Indianapolis, JLL Senior Associate Luke Lonneman took advantage of the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation’s mentorship program in 2024. Lonneman (left) spent the day at Meta’s Chicago office, where he shadowed Jenna Goebig (right), who now works as a managing director for Cushman & Wakefield. (Provided by Luke Lonneman)
A Chicago-based commercial real estate mentorship program recently expanded into Indianapolis, offering college students opportunities to shadow and connect with the industry’s key players.
Officially launched on Thursday, the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation’s mentorship program lets students request mentorships from more than 50 real estate leaders in central Indiana — all without paying a dime.
The program promises that students who sign up will get a one-day job shadow experience at a major company, but if they play their cards right they will also develop lasting relationships that could help jump-start a career.
The program has been offered in Illinois since 2000 and has scheduled more than 2,200 mentorships and counseling sessions, according to its website. Without Indiana-based mentors, Hoosier students would have to travel to Chicago to meet its professionals.
“What if we had this in Indiana, where students were meeting their connections and establishing the relationships and understanding the Indiana market as opposed to the Chicago market,” said Luke Lonneman, a senior associate of brokerage at JLL and a leader of the foundation’s Indiana Mentorship Advisory Committee, which is overseeing the Indiana program.
A 2025 graduate of Indiana University Kelley School of Business in Indianapolis, Lonneman, 23, said several students have already signed up for the Indy program since it launched on Thursday. The first shadow dates are about two weeks out, he added.
A former Eisenberg scholar and mentee himself, Lonneman explained that students can sign up more than once, meaning they can shadow and connect with multiple professionals on available days. He expects a triple-digit number of students to have accessed the program by the year’s end.
For Eddie Hill, a senior at Indiana University Kelley School of Business in Indianapolis and president of the school’s real estate club, the mentorship program is “going to be huge” for his personal development as he prepares to graduate.
Hailing from Granger, Indiana, Hill had no plans to pursue a career in real estate, originally considering becoming a professional bassoonist. But after a friend connected him with the real estate club, he fell in love with the school’s real estate program.
Like Lonneman, Hill was also an Eisenberg Scholar, which is another program the foundation offers. Through a deepening connection with the foundation, Hill also met with several mentors from the Chicago area.
With the new Indianapolis expansion now available, Hill says it will be vital for him as he looks to deepen his resource pool.
“You get to build a relationship with someone that’s already well-established and can connect you with a lot of people if you play your cards right,” Hill said.
Lonneman described the program as a win-win for students and mentors.
For the former, students are essentially test-driving a car with the manufacturer sitting next to them.
“You get to ask questions about, hey, what’s it really like?” Lonneman said. “Or in this instance, what’s it really like to work here in this sector of commercial real estate?”
For mentors and employers, it means connecting with up-and-coming talent.
While Lonneman said he ultimately chose to stay in Indiana after graduation even after getting offers from other markets, but many other students facing the same choices decide to leave the state.
“Indiana invests heavily in developing exceptional young talent, but too often we lack the exposure and connectivity necessary to keep that talent here,” he said.
Grayson Fenwick, the southern Indiana market president for Horizon Bank, echoed Lonneman’s concerns, emphasizing the role mentors can play in securing young hires.
“Doing this mentorship and keeping the top talent here within Indiana will only benefit the banking and commercial real estate development industry here in Indianapolis,” Fenwick said.
The Garrett Cos. President Rob Martinson said Indianapolis real estate tends to fall under the radar from a national perspective.
“This [program] is, I think, a way to not only continue to build the talent and support the talent here in central Indiana and keep people here but then ultimately continue to grow the businesses here that are going to attract great talent here to central Indiana,” Martinson said.
Several program mentors who spoke with IBJ for this story said they were motivated to take on the mentorship role because of the mentors they had in their own lives.
“I’ve been fortunate to have people who took the time to invest in me, provide guidance and expose me to different areas of commercial real estate,” Ambrose Vice President of Asset Management Erin Shepherd said in an email. “Becoming a mentor felt like a great opportunity to give some of that back, as it’s important to grow the next generation.”