Over the last 10 years, Tricon Homes  – which Berlanga runs with his brother, Tristan Berlanga – has built more than 700 homes in the Midtown, Heights, Montrose, Rice Military and Cottage Grove areas. Berlanga specializes in the land acquisition and financial transaction aspects of the business, whereas Tristan, an architect, oversees the design, development and construction.

From a young age, Berlanga has possessed an entrepreneurial spirit. He developed his own petroleum machinery import/export business while he was pursuing his degree. Berlanga also pursued several other investment opportunities such as distribution centers, restaurants and real estate in both Mexico and in the United States until he partnered with his brother to found Tricon Homes.

In addition to the diverse student body and close relationships with professors, Berlanga said Cameron School of Business students who plan to work in Houston have the networking advantage. He also credited the University for helping him to develop the interpersonal and communication skills essential to the business world.

“One of the benefits of attending a school in the same area where you build a business is that you are able to develop a lot of important business relationships for the future,” he said. “I feel like I got a head start on students from other universities!”

As a UST student, Berlanga was also able to familiarize himself with neighborhoods which would later become so vital to his business.

“While I was at St. Thomas, I began paying attention to the neighborhoods around campus,” he said. “I knew the potential of those areas would grow in relation to the Museum District and Medical Center, and changes in later years would validate that early intuition. I’m proud to be a part of the continued revitalization effort of the area, and every time somebody asks me where I went to school, I am even more proud to say that I graduated from the University of St. Thomas.”