About the Interns

Colton Faulkner is a rising senior at the University of Arkansas pursuing a degree in Finance with a concentration in real estate. He is a member of the newly launched Walton Alternative Investments Program starting in the fall and serves as Treasurer of the University of Arkansas Fly Fishing Club.        

Emelia Eriksson is a rising senior at Ouachita Baptist University pursuing a degree in Accounting and Finance while competing in her fourth year on the OBU Cross Country and Track Team. She is a member of the Hickingbotham Student Advisory Board and will serve on the Eddie and Phylliss Ary Student Investment Fund starting in the fall.

It has been a pleasure to work with the Tempus team for the past 12 weeks. What has been most striking is how Tempus serves its investors and how much the team values relationships. These relationships allow them to acquire exceptional properties and execute premium deals. We walked through every phase of a deal from acquisition to sale, met with contractors and engineers, cared for our tenants, and served our community through GROW. We have learned so much! 

The amount of hands-on experience we gained was incredible. We learned all the important components of a commercial real estate firm, from modeling to execution. Starting with how to model an acquisition, determining cap rates and weighing factors including location, sector, underlying credit, rental rates, and lease term. One highlight was building a forward-looking IRR to decide whether to hold or sell a property. It was a great opportunity that pushed us to think carefully about the future of the property with returns in mind. We are so thankful for what we have learned and how we can apply it to our future careers. 

How Tempus Works 

A small but mighty team turned out to be one of the summer’s greatest advantages, giving us the opportunity to gain exposure to all facets of the firm. We were able to see firsthand how deals were sourced, executed, and raised. The firm concentrates on and targets mainly industrial and office properties in the heartland, financed through debt and capital raising. Acquired properties are often combined into portfolios that are shared with investors, who are paid quarterly distributions.  

Summer Projects 

Beyond everything we learned by observing and asking questions, we were lucky to spend the summer working on projects that genuinely mattered to the firm. We got to dig into real deals, real investors, real numbers, and see our work make its way into the conversations and decisions that followed.

A few of the projects we’re most proud of are: 

Project Highlights 

• Supported an investor milestone project recognizing investors who reached 0.5x to 3.5x returns. 

• Audited Tempus’s 501(c)(3) GROW 529 incentives and built a master student list for the Clinton School. 

• Completed acquisition and disposition analyses using financial models and databases. 

• Built forward-looking IRR models to evaluate hold-versus-sell decisions. 

• Leveraged AI and Python to streamline and automate internal processes. 

• Analyzed and compared contractor estimates for build-to-suit developments. 

• Calculated tax holdbacks for a recent sale distribution. 

• Developed an investor newsletter announcing a new Evergreen acquisition. 

• Requested, summarized, and organized tenant financial and insurance documentation. 

Key Takeaways and Intern Insights 

Our biggest takeaway is that we loved learning from the Tempus team. No matter their role, everyone in the office made intentional time for us. Everyone invested in our growth and taught us how the firm operates. They walked us through their projects and then trusted us to help them where we could; we contributed everywhere from small details to bigger ideas. Some of the work and ideas had a direct impact on the firm, which is a rare thing for an intern to be able to say. We are so thankful that we had that much visibility to the firm and their trust in us to contribute. 

After this internship we have built confidence and heightened our skills, knowing that we learned more about CRE than we ever would in a classroom. Tempus has set the standard for what we want our office environment to be. They have a wonderful group of people who treat each other like family. Every birthday is celebrated, and meaningful conversations simply occur, even around the coffee machine. 

One of our favorite parts was getting to work alongside the whole team almost every day. Everyone, from partners to analysts, gave us a real feel for the industry and let us experience every side of the firm. We even got to follow deals from start to finish, watching acquisitions go from a broker’s first pitch to a fully closed and raised deal and dispositions going from an initial listing to a final sale. It couldn’t have been more hands-on, and we’re both so grateful for everyone at Tempus. 

Colton: Without question, what stood out to me most was getting to understand the why behind each deal, not just the mechanics of it. I saw how Tempus evaluates an opportunity, what it will and won’t pursue, and how each decision fits a long-term vision rather than a single transaction. What made all of it click was watching a deal get raised. It was an exceptional property, and commitments came in over just a few days until it was fully subscribed. That’s when I understood that the relationships come first and the deals follow. Getting to sit in on those conversations and hear the reasoning laid out, rather than just the conclusion, gave me a level of insight I did not expect as an intern. It only reinforced my confidence in the firm’s leadership and where it’s headed. 

Emelia: Coming back for my second summer, I’m leaving even more impressed than I was before. I’m impressed by how Tempus runs its operations and by the ambition behind future goals. Last summer, as a rotational intern, I left excited to do and learn more. This summer, I got to do exactly that. I watched a deal go from start to finish and built models that played a real role in the decisions behind them. I’ve loved learning about alternative investments, and the standard Tempus has set for itself is something I’ll carry throughout my business career. What stood out most this time was watching people grow within their own roles from one summer to the next. This team is what makes Tempus special, and I’m grateful to have been part of it. 

More Than an Internship: Thank You, Tempus 

This summer meant more to us than we can easily put into words. You taught us, welcomed our questions, and gave us front-row seats to the impressive work you do. You made us feel like part of the team from the start, and we couldn’t be more grateful. We couldn’t have chosen a better place to spend our summer, or a better team to spend it with.