Jordan Jadallah ‘14: From "Econ Nerd" to Data-Minded Real Estate Agent

Economics and the dynamics associated with it — data, factors, and theories — bring out the “econ nerd” in Jordan Jadallah. His interest in economic data analysis served him well as a student at the University of San Diego’s Knauss School of Business, and it continues to be an asset today as an Idaho real estate agent and a financial, sales and strategy person for a new security product venture. 

“USD greatly increased my grasp of analysis and analytics tools. As an econ nerd, I used every excuse to spend more time looking at everything I was learning in class. It strengthened my critical thinking skills and polished me for the real world,” says Jadallah, who majored in economics before graduating from USD in 2014.

He enjoyed many of his business classes, particularly those taught by economics professors Stephen Conroy and Steve Sumner, who emphasized classroom discussion among students as well as with the professor. Vibrant classroom discussions are encouraged through the school’s commitment to active learning and small class sizes. 

“Classes were extremely valuable to me due to the deep discussions we’d have on economics,” he said. “My favorite class was managerial economics with Dr. Conroy. He provided helpful insights on how to run a business, what’s important to look for, and how to manage your own economics. I learned how to think from a business manager’s perspective.”

In school, Jadallah focused on learning what it takes to create a business and run it. He and classmate Morgan Schwanke won $15,000 in the 2013 Venture Vetting (V2) Pitch Competition, a campus-wide competition where USD students pitch their business concepts or operating enterprises for cash awards. Their idea, On My Block, was designed to help college students find the best place to live. 

“We spent 50 to 60 hours just practicing our pitch for the competition. We had a good business model and that’s why we won V2. When you spend so much time on your pitch deck, it makes you look at your own business more critically because you want to be prepared for any questions judges may ask.”

Later, as a business analyst for TCG Advisors in Northern California, he built financial and business models for executive clients, including Cisco, Rackspace and GE. His passion for cars then led to a job as a driving instructor for Simraceway Performance Driving Center for a year before moving to EV manufacturer Tesla as a product specialist and then as a sales operations analyst where he was in charge of sales teams, retail and managing the CRM software for over 200 stores. Tesla afforded him a chance to give back and support USD students. 

“When I was at Tesla, Dr. Conroy contacted me about possible projects for the Student International Business Council (a student-run organization at USD). I convinced my director to allow USD students a chance to work as consultants on one of our many projects. Dr. Conroy had done so much for me, and this was a way to give back. I felt that students deserved the opportunity, and Tesla’s project gave them a direct connection and an opportunity to practice their business skills in the real world.”

Jadallah left Tesla after nearly three years and gained further experience with Samsara, a software development company, and ChargePoint. But in November 2021, his life turned in a completely different direction. He left Silicon Valley for Idaho, got engaged and became a real estate agent.

“I couldn’t be happier,” he says of his new life in Idaho. “My knowledge with statistics is a skill that not many have as a real estate agent. Understanding what’s going on with the economy as an agent and having a conversation at a technical level is quite valuable.”