Program in Real Estate Cornell University

Cornell Program in Real Estate alumnus (’04) Rodrigo Godoi took an unusual path to Ithaca.  He originally came to the United States from his native Brazil to attend Louisiana State University on a swimming scholarship.  Now he’s navigating the sometimes choppy waters of Southeast Florida real estate development.  Since joining national luxury home builder Toll Brothers, headed by Cornell Real Estate Advisory Board member Bob Toll, three years ago, Godoi has closed deals totaling $100 million dollars.  He’s land acquisition manager for the company’s Southwest Florida region from Collier County to Tampa.

The competition, he says, is intense.  “The growth we’ve seen makes everyone want to be a developer,” said Godoi.  And development can spark opposition from residents and local officials, but he enjoys helping all sides reach consensus, he added.

In 2005, Godoi helped launch the Southwest Florida Urban Land Institute’s Young Leaders Group, which is partnering with area economic development organizations to find incentives to workforce housing that will appeal to developers, residents, and community leaders.  “We want to come up with a plan where everybody wins,” said Godoi.