GlobeSt.com: What does it take to achieve this honor?

Ortwein: The largest thing I've been lucky enough to receive is opportunity. Once given that, I've completely thrown myself at whatever job that was presented in front of me. I've been lucky enough to work at two wonderful companies with great mentors who have really opened up some avenues to have upward mobility in the organization and take on new challenges, as well as to show my ability to learn a business and to grow. It's kind of like being put in the position you grow into rather than the position that's perfectly fitted to your abilities at the time. Someone sees something in a young guy or gal in the office and says, “We can give him a little more than what he does.”

GlobeSt.com: What can others learn from your achieving it?

Ortwein: Hard work and completely throwing yourself at it is huge part of it, but also not being afraid to make a mistake. Sometimes throwing yourself at it means taking a risk and running a certain direction on the task, and you don't always run in the perfect direction. You've got to be willing to take some chances and go for it; don't be gun-shy. It's an environment where people are willing to help you out when you stray. In the early stages of your career, use that to your advantage. A veteran in the industry is not going to be asking for this kind of help, so use this time in your career and ask what may feel like a silly question. People certainly want to help; it's amazing how much people want to help when you ask for it. Whether you're working with a city or governmental agency, a trade partner or a consultant, you may need help the first time. It's amazing how far that can get you if you do it in the right way.

GlobeSt.com: Which mistakes have helped you grow the most in your career to date?

Ortwein: One of the biggest mistakes I made early on was not picking up the phone and calling people. I hid behind email a little as a young guy and didn't think about the value of picking up the phone and calling someone direct. A more specific mistake happened in a project where we were trying to get ready to start construction, and there was an entire scope I completely missed: I didn't get a certain agency's approval. Luckily, I had great guy out in the field who foresaw it and helped me get going on it and cover up the mistake to some degree. Having those relationships, when things get by the goalie, having a team behind you that helps you pick up the slack when you've made mistake is crucial. There are things you don't know that you don't know that are going to hurt you.

GlobeSt.com: What do you look forward to learning more about in real estate?

Ortwein: I think the next big milestone in my career is going to be taking on a full, complex entitlement project. I've taken projects to planning commissions and gotten pretty complex approval through local and state agencies, so next I'd like to take an unzoned, unentitled project through the political process of getting entitlements. There are a lot of variables to it.

COSTA MESA, CA—Having strong relationships with people who have your back when something slips by you can stop a project from derailing and help you learn from your mistakes, TRI Pointe Homes project manager Brian Ortwein tells GlobeSt.com. Ortwein was recently awarded the 2016-17 NAIOP SoCal-CRE Fellowship from NAIOP SoCal and the Center for Real Estate at UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business.

The fellowship offers a combined learning experience, where awardees have the opportunity to attend NAIOP SoCal board meetings and also enhance their formal education through a $7,500 financial award designed to develop and prepare future real estate industry leaders. Ortwein plans to apply his award to his studies at the Merage School, where he is enrolled in the Fully Employed MBA program class of 2019.

As a project manager with TRI Pointe Homes, Ortwein is responsible for eight projects, totaling 723 units, which are anticipated to generate approximately $450 million in revenue. He has also navigated numerous local and state government agencies to obtain entitlements required for project development. Prior to his current position at the firm as a project manager, Ortwein was a land-acquisition associate. During that time, he executed an aggressive land-acquisition strategy that grew TRI Pointe into a top 10 California home builder. Ortwein's experience also includes a role as project engineer on large institutional development projects with Jacobs Engineering.

Ortwein earned his passion for real estate at a young age and today is part of a family legacy that began with his father and brother, former executives at the Koll Co. and current principals at Focus Real Estate. We spoke with him about achieving this honor and what others can learn from it.

GlobeSt.com: What does it take to achieve this honor?

Ortwein: The largest thing I've been lucky enough to receive is opportunity. Once given that, I've completely thrown myself at whatever job that was presented in front of me. I've been lucky enough to work at two wonderful companies with great mentors who have really opened up some avenues to have upward mobility in the organization and take on new challenges, as well as to show my ability to learn a business and to grow. It's kind of like being put in the position you grow into rather than the position that's perfectly fitted to your abilities at the time. Someone sees something in a young guy or gal in the office and says, “We can give him a little more than what he does.”

GlobeSt.com: What can others learn from your achieving it?

Ortwein: Hard work and completely throwing yourself at it is huge part of it, but also not being afraid to make a mistake. Sometimes throwing yourself at it means taking a risk and running a certain direction on the task, and you don't always run in the perfect direction. You've got to be willing to take some chances and go for it; don't be gun-shy. It's an environment where people are willing to help you out when you stray. In the early stages of your career, use that to your advantage. A veteran in the industry is not going to be asking for this kind of help, so use this time in your career and ask what may feel like a silly question. People certainly want to help; it's amazing how much people want to help when you ask for it. Whether you're working with a city or governmental agency, a trade partner or a consultant, you may need help the first time. It's amazing how far that can get you if you do it in the right way.

GlobeSt.com: Which mistakes have helped you grow the most in your career to date?

Ortwein: One of the biggest mistakes I made early on was not picking up the phone and calling people. I hid behind email a little as a young guy and didn't think about the value of picking up the phone and calling someone direct. A more specific mistake happened in a project where we were trying to get ready to start construction, and there was an entire scope I completely missed: I didn't get a certain agency's approval. Luckily, I had great guy out in the field who foresaw it and helped me get going on it and cover up the mistake to some degree. Having those relationships, when things get by the goalie, having a team behind you that helps you pick up the slack when you've made mistake is crucial. There are things you don't know that you don't know that are going to hurt you.

GlobeSt.com: What do you look forward to learning more about in real estate?

Ortwein: I think the next big milestone in my career is going to be taking on a full, complex entitlement project. I've taken projects to planning commissions and gotten pretty complex approval through local and state agencies, so next I'd like to take an unzoned, unentitled project through the political process of getting entitlements. There are a lot of variables to it.