Rainwater Helps 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Students Dress For Success at National Real Estate Competition

Paul Rainwater (center) created custom suits for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students competing in a national real estate competition. Pictured from left to right are Adison Cummings, Jacob Ivy, Elizabeth Small, Paul Rainwater, Reid Nelson, and Warren Hoyt.
Paul Rainwater (center) created custom suits for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students competing in a national real estate competition. Pictured from left to right are Adison Cummings, Jacob Ivy, Elizabeth Small, Paul Rainwater, Reid Nelson, and Warren Hoyt.

A group of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students will compete in a national real estate competition in style, thanks to the generosity of Little Rock Business Owner Paul Rainwater.

For the second year in a row, Rainwater, owner of r in the Promenade at Chenal, is donating his time and skills to provide custom business outfits for a team of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students competing in the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation鈥檚 Annual Real Estate Challenge in April.

The competition, held in Chicago, challenges students to develop a real estate proposal for a designated site. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 team has a strong track record, winning the competition two years ago and securing second place last year. This year鈥檚 project focuses on a 10-acre site in the Bronzeville area of Chicago, previously home to a hospital.

Rainwater, who has been in the clothing business for more than 50 years, is outfitting the team with custom black suits and white shirts.

鈥淎 crisp black suit and white shirt is so clean and classic, and they can use it for other events in the future,鈥 Rainwater said. 鈥淚f you look good, you play good. I truly believe that.鈥

Senior construction management major Jacob Ivy is excited about both the competition and his new suit.

鈥淚鈥檝e always had trouble with clothes fitting, so it鈥檚 nice to get a measured suit,鈥 Ivy said. 鈥淚鈥檓 about to graduate and start a new job at Baldwin & Shell, so I鈥檓 sure I鈥檒l be using the suit for many years to come.鈥

Warren Hoyt, a senior finance major, Donaghey Scholar, and member of the Little Rock Wrestling team, echoed the excitement.

鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty cool to get a new suit. It will be great to have for my career and work,鈥 Hoyt said. 鈥淩eid and I are roommates, and we are both excited to get custom suits because we鈥檙e on the job market this year. I am especially excited about attending a job fair before the competition鈥

Hoyt鈥檚 roommate and fellow team member Reid Nelson, also a senior finance major, said the competition has been a learning experience.

鈥淚鈥檝e never done anything like it before,鈥 Nelson said. 鈥淚 have no experience in real estate previously, and I am meeting a lot of new people and gaining a lot of new experience. Getting a new suit is awesome. I only have one other suit from my senior year of high school, so this is great.鈥

Adison Cummings, a senior double major in architectural and civil engineering, is the only returning team member from previous competitions.

鈥淚t鈥檚 weird being the only person on the team who鈥檚 done it before, but it鈥檚 exciting to experience it with a brand-new team and fresh sets of eyes,鈥 Cummings said. 鈥淚 really made good use of the suit I got last year, and I think the all-black outfit will be nice for job interviews, weddings, and any type of outings where a nice outfit is required.鈥

Rainwater said he is honored to support the students in this way.

鈥淚t makes me feel like I鈥檓 a part of community efforts, and it鈥檚 a skill that I can help others with,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 am just appreciative of being a part of the team and the school.鈥

The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock team will compete in Chicago on April 5-6, bringing fresh ideas and strong preparation to the challenge along with a sharp new look to match.