I’m Italian and I like to talk a lot, so I was told to keep this short. But, really it’s an honor to speak today.  I’d like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Maguire, Ms. Holdsman, and the Maguire Foundation for the honor of speaking. I look forward to this luncheon every year. My name is Michael Giangiordano, and I am currently a Senior in the LeBow College of Business at Drexel University, with majors in Finance and Economics, enrolled in the 4-year Co-Op program. I am a South Philadelphia native and a 2012 alumnus of St. Joe’s Prep as well as a 2008 alumnus of St. Nicholas of Tolentine in South Philly.  I am honored to be here and it is a great privilege to be a Maguire Scholar.

I’d like to focus my speech today around two central themes that I see as important to Mr. and Mrs. Maguire, the Maguire Foundation and me and they are entrepreneurship and Catholic education.

Like Mr. Maguire, my family has a strong sense of entrepreneurship. My great-grandfather came to America from Italy with a vision to make a better life for his family. He came with little to no money in his pocket. In spite of this, he started his own business here in America. My grandfather did the same as did my father. Mr. Maguire started his own business as well. All of these people have inspired me to start my own business and I believe that entrepreneurship is in my blood. They inspired me to fill a need for people. For these and many reasons, I recently launched my own business that began with an idea to make residential rental tenants more informed. It is a tech company called Rental Rater. It will be the tenant rating website for residential rentals. The Maguire Foundation has given me the opportunity to attend a university like Drexel that places great emphasis on new entrepreneurial ventures. One program is the Dean’s Student Advisory Board mentoring program in LeBow where I was paired with an alumnus and she and her husband.  Together, they have been a great asset in supporting my venture.. This would not have been possible without the support of the Maguire Foundation and being a Maguire Scholar.

When I first thought about college, I thought that the professor and student were distant from each other.  Professors stood at the front of the room and lectured to you and that was it. I found that to be very different when I visited Drexel and when I attended. The word that comes to mind is family. We are very much a family. A family that is similar to the family that formed in my Catholic upbringing at St. Nick’s and the Prep. The Maguire Foundation has put a great emphasis in supporting Catholic education and I can say that I honestly am in part the person that I am today because of my Catholic foundation. I appreciate the strong emphasis and support of Catholic education by Mr. and Mrs. Maguire. I have such strong faith and commitment that I remain very committed and active in my parish church and school, St. Nick’s. I serve as a lector at Mass as well as a member of both our annual Italian festival committee and a member of our alumni committee. I have a strong commitment and involvement as well at the Prep. My desire to keep Catholic education strong also inspired me to seek an internship with the Archdiocese to fundraise for our Catholic elementary schools in South Philly. I am currently doing this internship. Once again, the Maguire Foundation is supporting students like myself and for that I am forever grateful.

Mr. and Mrs. Maguire, I hope that these stories can serve as a humble thank you. A thank you in which I am forever indebted to you. I hope that one day soon I can be in the very same position that you are, supporting students such as myself to reach their dreams. Thanks again for allowing me to speak today, and I hope that you enjoy the rest of the reception.

I’m Italian and I like to talk a lot, so I was told to keep this short. But, really it’s an honor to speak today.  My name is Michael Giangiordano, and I am currently a Senior in the LeBow College of Business, with majors in Finance and Economics, enrolled in the 4-year Co-Op program. I am honored to be here, and just wanted to thank everyone for their continued support of the University, its programs, and of course, students such as myself.

At a time when many universities focus on just making sure students graduate, and ensuring that they are simply just doing what is expected of them. Drexel is different. As I mentioned, I come from a very large and noisy Italian family and we are very close. When I first thought about college, I thought that the professor and student were distant from each other. They just lectured to you and that was it. I found that to be very different when I visited here and ended up coming here. The word that comes to mind is family. We are very much a family and the alumni are a big part of that family. You see the impact that alumni have on our great university from supporting co-ops, to sponsoring sports and activities, and impacting students’ lives through scholarship. But besides these – there are many more!

Each individual in this room, has helped create a unique experience, which exceeds expectations, for a student here at this University, that is more than just the syllabus and textbook. For these students, like myself, it is sometimes easy to take this amazing campus and community for granted. I’d like to share a few examples that I have experienced and seen around campus.

As a business student, I can truly say that Gerri C. LeBow Hall has done wonders for the college. From the ability to reserve rooms to collaborate with other students, or the ability to simply hop on the elevator, and visit a professor, or even the dean, is just incredible. The inclusion of state-of-the-art technology, such as the ability to video chat with other students and faculty all over the world, helps students learn to use these tools before entering the workplace. I see this building as a second home. There are named spaces for alumni who helped make the building possible and students see that throughout the building. The faculty is incredible, the staff is friendly, and the energy in the air compels you to want to achieve as much as possible. It truly is a family.

Many schools support entrepreneurial ventures for students, but not as many come close to having a school of entrepreneurship. In about a month I will be launching my own business, a tech company called Rental Rater. It will be the tenant rating websites for residential rentals. This could not have been possible without the support that the university and alumni have given to me. Alumni support numerous entrepreneurial programs. One is the Dean’s Student Advisory Board mentoring program in LeBow where I was paired with an alumnus and she and her husband have been a great asset in supporting this entrepreneurial venture.

This short list does not even begin to touch the hundreds of other areas that individuals such as yourselves have contributed to this University that help to further the unique experiences that students here are Drexel. I myself am a student donor at the University, I have received a scholarship from the Alumni Association, and even serve as the Senior Class Gift Chair of the Student Philanthropy Council. While some students may think that scholarships are the biggest part of what long-time donors such as yourselves do, I hope that they too can see how every unique experience, is somehow made possible by the support of the Drexel community, starting with the people in this room. I hope to be standing in your shoes one day soon, supporting students just as you do.

I hope that these stories can serve as a humble thank you on behalf of the student body. Thanks again for having me here today, and enjoy the rest of the reception.

Michael Giangiordano, CEO/Founder, Rental Rater

First I want to highlight my family’s story. The story begins in a small town in Italy called Roccascalegna. It was here that my great-grandfather, Philip Giangiordano, decided to drastically alter the course of history for his family. Philip decided to venture across the Atlantic Ocean in search for a new beginning. That new beginning was in the United States. He came to Philadelphia with his family in the early 1900s and started a produce and a construction business in the 9th St. Italian Market. It was this risk and entrepreneurial spirit that drives who I am today. That tradition has carried forward with my grandfather, Tony, who continued that same produce business and my father, Michael, who today runs his own real estate firm. Now, one might ask how does this story connect to Rental Rater? Well, it is a very important piece of Rental Rater because if it wasn’t for that risk-driven spirit and entrepreneurial drive that is in the fabric of my DNA, Rental Rater would not exist today.

Rental Rater began on a cool fall day. I was showing one of our apartments when I was asked by the potential tenant what the current or past tenants thought of the place. Being proud that we are excellent landlords, I responded, “To my knowledge, she is very happy and all of our tenants are very happy.” This question sent me on a search–to find a place where tenants can review rentals. My search came up empty. There was no place that adequately fulfilled the needs of the consumer – thus Rental Rater was born! My next mission was to sell family and friends on this idea. It took some convincing, but they believed in me thus they believed in Rental Rater. Now, I was confronted with a problem. I was not a software engineer and I didn’t know the first thing about starting a business or building a website. This is where the help and guidance of my father and my alma mater Drexel, came in. They have been incredible. A debt I can never possibly repay.

Rental Rater began with a simple idea – bring landlords and tenants together! Create a forum where tenants can let other tenants know about their rentals. Hold bad landlords accountable and reward good landlords, like my father, with reviews from past and present tenants. See Rental Rater is not just a web app, Rental Rater is a place where you can review rentals and read reviews before renting your next place. It truly gives you a sense of peace and it allows you to rent with confidence!