Paragon
Oct 9, 2025
For more than a decade, Paragon Commercial Group’s Erwin Bucy has dedicated himself to mentoring the next generation of real estate professionals. As a board member of Loyola Marymount University’s Real Estate Advisory Committee...
...and a guest speaker at USC’s MRED program, he’s shared lessons from years in the field — and lived by one simple philosophy:
“A rising tide lifts all boats — be the tide.”
“I come from a family of educators,” Erwin says. “Making even a small positive impact on someone’s life is incredibly meaningful. Helping the next generation not only strengthens our industry but society as a whole.”
That same belief has shaped his daughter, Alaina Bucy, who discovered her passion for real estate thanks to one memorable trip with her dad. During a high school volleyball tournament in Minnesota, Erwin took her to Target’s corporate headquarters, where she met their Director of Real Estate.
“That experience opened my eyes to how creative, relational, and dynamic the business could be,” Alaina says. “It planted the seed for my future in commercial real estate.”
She admits she didn’t always see it that way.
“For a long time, I thought my dad’s job was all numbers,” she laughs. “But I realized it’s like solving a puzzle — bringing people and places together. My dad always told me two things that stuck: One: Hard work and a good attitude will take you anywhere, and, Two: Create your own destiny, or someone else will. Those words drive me every day.”
Now a retail broker at Highland Partners, Alaina continues to build her own path — guided by the same values her father has spent years instilling in others.
“This business demands discipline, creativity, and heart,” Erwin says. “Seeing Alaina — and so many others — take those lessons and make their mark reminds me why I do what I do.”
A true full-circle story — built on mentorship, hard work, and the belief that lifting up others lifts us all.