Leatha Clark, a Project Manager for USA Properties Fund, has graduated from the North State Building Industry Association’s prestigious BUILD Program, a demanding program that educates and exposes future leaders to the many sides of the construction industry.
Clark and the 17 other graduates learned about acquiring and developing land to marketing and selling a completed project, and numerous other phases of the industry through the BIA BUILD program.
“I gained a lot of knowledge about parts of the industry that I don’t get to touch every day such as sales, marketing and design, and had the opportunity to meet and speak with some brilliant people,” says Clark, who joined USA Properties Fund in July 2018. “I also made some wonderful professional connections and friends.”
BUILD program graduates participated in educational workshops, leadership projects and got their “hands dirty” on a community service effort remodeling a recovery shelter during the past year.
“The most significant takeaway from the program was gaining a thorough understanding of how important BIA is to our industry,” Clark says of the organization that educates professionals, encourages camaraderie in the industry and lobbies at the federal, state and local level.
Clark, who earned her bachelor’s degree in City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning from San Jose State University, encourages others in the construction industry to apply for the BIA BUILD program.
“It’s a great opportunity to meet and learn from some of the leaders in our industry and to build your professional network,” says Clark, who was also busy at the office in 2022, closing and starting construction on an affordable apartment community in Rocklin and completing the entitlement process of three other projects in California during the past year.
Milo Terzich, USA Properties Vice President of Development for USA Properties, nominated Clark for the BIA BUILD program.
“Leatha has been a strong performer since she joined the company,” Terzich says. “She is a quick learner and motivated to expand her expertise. She has a sense of purpose in the value that housing brings to people … and an innate desire for service and community benefit.”