2 minute read
Long live the treasures
by FIU
VIP: Very Important Panther
Malcolm Butters ’83 • President and Principal, Butters Group
• Master of Science in Real Estate 1983 • FIU Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame inductee 2008
• Torch Awards Distinguished Alumnus 2015
Q: To what do you attribute your success? A: I attribute my success to a strong educational foundation, starting with an excellent high school and leading all the way up to the tremendous graduate program at FIU, which has been so critical to my success.
Q: Is there a philosophy by which you live? A: My biggest fault is being too nice. But I am a big believer in karma. I feel that people want to do business with people they like. So, my philosophy is to be nice to clients and all people in general. Help those in need, donate to FIU or other charities and good things will happen.
Q: Who has been the biggest influence on you, whether in the business world or otherwise? A: My Dad was my biggest influence. He was a hard worker who did not take unnecessary chances, provided me with an outstanding education and paid for all my education. He taught me about real estate and taught me critical basic lessons of life.
Q: In speaking with FIU students, you address the issue of corporate responsibility. What does that mean to you? A: Corporations have a responsibility of giving back to their employees, as well as to the community. To me the way we give back is to offer scholarship monies to FIU students and create the first endowment for the real estate school.
Q: Your support of FIU includes wiping out the debt of students in FIU’s Hollo School of Real Estate. Why is that important? A: Student debt in the USA totals $1.2 trillion dollars. That’s an enormous burden on the students. They need to get a break so they live a prosperous life and not have to struggle just because they wanted an education.
Q: What does the future hold? A: The future is bright. The government needs to move toward center, having an extreme right or extreme left policy is bad for our country. I think in the long run the United States is the best country in the world, but we need to set the example and have a government that works together and is not divisive.
Q: When you’re not working, what’s a perfect day for you?
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TOUGH DECISION: In a photo that university archivists believe dates to the 1970s or ’80s and likely captures what was then known as “International Week”—a campus festival of food, music and dance from around the world—a student appears to be choosing a “pincho,” or shish kebab, of beef tenderloin from a mobile vendor. It all unfolded under the watchful eye of a heartthrob pinned to the back of a van door. If you know any of these people, contact us at FIU Magazine.
