His dream job wasn’t apparent right out of college, but Paul Ziady found that an education in a field with universal application––accounting, in his case––gave him the flexibility to explore different options until he found a long-term direction for his career.
“My uncle was a publishing CEO, and he told me that numbers are the key to success in business,” Ziady said. That idea helped him land on accounting as his major once he arrived at Trevecca, following a brief stint at another university. His experience on the Hill was a positive one, and professors who were experts in their fields helped prepare him for life after graduation.
For Ziady, that would involve experience in a number of jobs. He interviewed with multiple companies after graduation and went into public audit. Deciding that wasn’t for him, he moved into an investment role with Morgan Stanley, but the market crashed in 2001.
“Then I got into the restaurant business,” Ziady said. “From there I eventually made my way into real estate and started developing homes in 2007.”
Soon after that, he founded Urban Core Development, and since then he’s specialized in real estate development and acquisitions, dispositions, financing and builder partnerships for residential and commercial properties. His company’s mission is to improve the quality and the cost of housing for community members who want to be in the urban infill market.
“The definition of an economy that is doing well is the size of the middle class, so I am creating a product that those individuals want and a place where they want to build a life,” Ziady said. “If we don’t create it, it might not happen.”
The value of real estate was always evident to him, and he recalls when hearing an interview with the head of the World Economic Forum encouraged him to follow the path of building in urban areas.
“She said, ‘the entire world is moving to cities.’ There is more access to healthcare, you don’t have to drive as far… there are a lot of benefits,” Ziady said.
While Ziady has clearly found his purpose in establishing and growing his company for more than a decade now, he hasn’t forgotten that his education helped him make a living while he was figuring out where his career could go. His accounting degree has prepared him to succeed at every stage and given him the resources to understand the common thread between each business opportunity.
“Finances are essential to understanding business at a fundamental level. From auditing to restaurants to real estate, accounting is the language that ties it all together.”
