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Derek Delp (HTM '95) will see his 75th Jimmy Buffett show this fall. Fitting since Delp, a longtime Parrot Head, had a Buffett classic in mind — "Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude" — when he moved to Las Vegas in 1998. With one connection, a cousin, he landed a job in the booming hotel business. With a few more assists from Purdue connections, he successfully transitioned from hospitality to real estate sales.
Delp believes his undergraduate degree in hospitality and tourism management prepared him well for his Southwestern leap of faith. From the robust internship programs to the many career fairs at Purdue, he says, "I really learned how to talk to and engage with people."
The Boilermaker brand also travels well, he says, opening many doors. While he made great money as a bellhop and valet, Delp wanted to embrace his entrepreneurial spirit and joined the Purdue Alumni Club to meet more people. A fellow member encouraged him to pursue real estate sales.
Delp, now a successful residential sales agent for Re/Max, says communication skills can determine success. "Being trustworthy is huge, and you have to adjust your communication style to your client," he says.
In a business that's all about connections, Delp can trace a majority of his contacts to within six degrees of Purdue. As the president of his alma mater's alumni club in Las Vegas for nearly a decade, he says it's not uncommon for people to both ask for and extend favors. "It's normal for Purdue alumni to help one another."
Though casinos, nightlife and lavish shows may fill the imaginations of those less acquainted with Las Vegas, Delp says it offers much more. He and his wife, Michele, who also works in real estate, live in Summerlin, one of the largest and best-selling master communities in the country. The neighborhood itself — about 20 minutes from the strip — might shatter the sin city stereotype. "We have great communities with great homes, beautiful golf courses and wonderful restaurants," he says. "You can go hiking in Zion National Park. Los Angeles and the Grand Canyon are both about three hours away. And there are a lot of easy day trips."
As for the trip that took him from the Midwest to Las Vegas, Delp has few regrets. He encourages young graduates to pursue careers that match their passions and not be afraid to switch fields if needed.
He also suggests getting to work early and not shortchanging anyone. One story of his good karma comes from working several years ago with a burgeoning buyer who wanted to purchase low-cost investment homes. In real estate that means less commission for the agent. Nevertheless, Delp worked within the budget and befriended the young man, Jonathon Scott, who now stars as one of the twins who buys and flips homes in the reality TV series Property Brothers. Delp appeared in a recent episode.
Succeeding in a business of commission sales, Delp isn't overly nostalgic about the road he's taken. But the optimism he felt when he changed latitudes still resonates in the lyrics of Jimmy Buffett: "Yesterdays are over my shoulder, so I can't look back for too long. There's just too much to see waiting in front of me, and I know that I just can't go wrong."