Connor Nolan

2010 Shelton High School graduate Connor Nolan had multiple options on the table when it was time to choose a college, but in the end, he selected Western Connecticut State University.

“I visited many colleges and ultimately chose WCSU because I enjoyed my visit to the Midtown and Westside campuses, the baseball coaching staff was welcoming, and there were many academic programs available to me as I was determining my major,” Nolan said.

He decided to pursue Business Management and Entrepreneurship in the AACSB-accredited Ancell School of Business soon after arriving at WCSU. “I was very interested in real estate and worked as an intern for an office developer in high school, which gave me a jump start in knowing what I wanted to spend my career doing,” Nolan explained.

His collegiate baseball dreams, sadly, were short-lived. “My coaches — Coach Susi and Coach Arconti — were helpful in my progression as a pitcher,” Nolan said. “Unfortunately, I had a shoulder injury my sophomore year and could not continue playing for the remainder of my college career, but I have remained in touch with my coaches since.”

Although his time on the mound ended early, Nolan kept his drive — and his pitch — alive in the classroom.

Connor Nolan pitches his winning idea at Startup Weekend at the Stamford Innovation Center in 2014.

“While I was at WCSU, I participated in the Marketing Club pitch competition and won first place,” he said. “From there, I was able to use the same idea that I pitched to attend Startup Weekend at the Stamford Innovation Center. WCSU sponsored my attendance with funds from the Constantine S. Macricostas Entrepreneurial Endowment Fund. This allowed me to work with others who had interest in entrepreneurship with various specialties. The marketing pitch competition and Startup Weekend were amazing experiences for me, and I recommend others to look out for opportunities like this to diversify your knowledge and connections,” he said.

In addition to his Western Marketing Association (WMA) endeavors, Nolan immersed himself in the expertise offered up in his classes. “Dr. Pauline Assenza was my professor for MGT405 – Small Business Entrepreneurship, and had a big impact on how I viewed the opportunity to formulate an idea and build framework around it to operate a business,” Nolan said. “Bruce Collins was my professor in a Finance class that I found very helpful personally and professionally, too. That course helped me to better understand various types of investments, the power of compound interest, and the importance of being curious and knowledgeable about the fields in which you are investing in.”

Nolan also found time to gain experience off-campus. “I worked while I was a student, at times working three part-time jobs at the same time: at an accounting office for a local real estate developer, as a security guard at a local biotech company, and as a property management assistant for a local company. I was lucky to get a jump start on my career by taking advantage of the breadth of courses and offerings outside of the classroom. WCSU has two campuses in a city where businesses surround the school, and it was a great place to spend my college years.”

Nolan graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management and Entrepreneurship.

“Once I graduated, I obtained my real estate license and began working in property management and commercial brokerage,” he said. “This involved leasing and selling commercial properties to retail, office, and industrial clients. While I was working as a broker, I learned about the different paths that can be taken in the industry and came across an opportunity to work for a publicly traded company in Manhattan that was a spin-off of Sears Holdings portfolio. That position took me around the country where I was responsible for leasing and transforming former Sears stores and auto centers into multi-tenant shopping centers.”

Connor Nolan on the pitcher’s mound.

Nolan continued, “After that, I worked for a large private shopping center developer in Boston and have now landed back in Fairfield County at Brand Street properties in Greenwich, where I oversee leasing a growing portfolio of retail and mixed-use properties, including Blue Back Square in West Hartford.”

Despite being thrown a curveball with his shoulder injury, Nolan has no regrets about his decision to attend WCSU. “Getting my degree at WestConn helped me get to where I am today. The courses offered, coupled with the business community around the school, gave me options that other universities could not, and I look back on my college experience with gratitude for giving me the tools and guidance to succeed.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals, and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.