How We Are Joining Together To Move Into The Future

By: Pete Regules

Our time together on this planet is quite short. And, as we ride together on this blue and green orb traveling through space, it has occurred to me that the thing that makes the experience of life special is our togetherness. For me, one of the special moments of fellowship I get to enjoy is the NHMC OpTech Conference. I love being surrounded by some of the most brilliant minds in our industry as we learn new ideas, wonder at the amazing technology and discuss what is next in the multi-family world. And this year’s conference was especially poignant for me, as it cast a spotlight on what we are doing together rather than as individuals.

The opening session that kicked off the 2016 NMHC OpTech Conference was fantastic. Rachel Botsman spoke to us about the collaborative economy. Do you buy physical albums and cassettes, or do you use Spotify / Pandora? Do you rent physical movies or do you use Netflix, Hulu, etc.? Now imagine the same philosophy being attached to toys or even pets. We live in an era of on-demand control.

That is why everyone loves Uber: it puts you in control. Imagine Uber Fresh… Uber Rush… Uber Kitten… (Snuggle the kitten for an hour)! Everyone is looking to today for the next “Uber” of _____. This is the what our new “sharing” economy is about. We are in control.

The amazing education was not just limited to this session. The Illuminating Insights session brought me a new perspective on how the future of customer interactions is already here.

Renters look at the organic search results first (but you must have the Number 1 paid advertising spot to get value from that investment). So, organic is best, but if you pay to be listed you need to be Number 1 to get a good return on investment.

Prospective renters today do so much research prior to the visit that, by the time they reach your door, they’re 100% yours to lose. The renter’s final decision will be based on your interaction with them. Today’s search process starts by looking for the neighborhood/lifestyle long before they look at a particular property. After a neighborhood is selected, the community itself is very important.This is when reviews kick in.

When people are looking at reviews, they’re looking for a fair number of reviews, how recent the reviews are, whether they are relevant to them and whether they are authentic. In my discussion with Tom Geyer after the session, we talked about the common sense ways to treat prospective and current residents. If your employees get to know the perspective of both future and current residents better and create better, more positive experiences, your closing ratios and retention rates will drastically improve.

Of course, my favorite session is always the LaunchPad, where we get a glimpse of the innovative brands that are driving us into the future. Congratulation to Knock for being selected as this year’s winner. Last year’s winner – Updater – was also on stage to let us know that their business has grown over 160%, representing 1.3 million units using his service today! I am proud to say that CORT was one of the first companies to opt in to the Updater program. Way to go, Ash Bell!

But everything cannot be focused strictly on education. The exhibit hall is where much of the real magic happens. I was joined by CORT’s Senior VP, Mark Koepsell, CORT’s eCommerce and IT Business Development Analyst, Ben Clark, CORT’s VP of Destination Service, Jeff Rowe and, of course my partner in crime, Tamela Coval, as we met with clients and partners. We discussed the future of the industry, the technology that is driving it and how we can all work together “collaboratively” to reach our common goals. It was great spending time with our friends from Realync and Perq.

Even with all of this, my favorite conference memories will be connect to the Commerce Corner. Spending that much quality time, in a sort of reverse trade show environment, with the top multi-family operators in the nation is rewarding in and of itself. But this year, each company’s meeting fee of $200 went towards a spectacular charity: Shelters to Shutters. This outstanding group is working tirelessly to help “transition individuals and families from homelessness to economic self-sufficiency”. It was an honor for us to help support this organization.

Again, the rewards I gained from this show are immeasurable. I can hardly wait for next year.

Cutting Edge Magic and the Greystar Experience

By: Pete Regules

Pete Regules and John Argus from CORT mingle with the Greystar crowd

When you woke today the chances are good that the first thought in your head was, “What can I do today that others are not?” But if you are Andrew Livingstone – Greystar’s executive managing director – that question is a driving force in your life. Under his guidance, the over 1600 communities comprising the Greystar portfolio are driving the apartment industry into new frontiers.  On April 26^th teams from Greystar communities from across the globe met in Orlando for the Greystar National Conference. This served as the stage for Andrew Livingstone’s message that Greystar will remain the leader in multi-family innovation.

The CORT team at the Greystar National Convention

As I joined with the Nation Team from CORT in our booth, I met person after person who wanted to talk about the cool things they were doing to create a magical experience for their residents.  Greystar’s tagline is “Redefining Excellence in Apartment Living” and this is just what they are doing. This is what has allowed them to become the largest housing provider in the nation. And it is not just here in the US. The CORT team spoke to Greystar team members representing the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe as well. Each one had the same quest to be on the cutting edge of the multi-family industry.

Pete and one of our great Greystar friends

I left the conference filled with something special. CORT is not just a Greystar “2016 Preferred Partner”. Along with the rest of Greystar’s partners, we play a pivotal role in finding new and creative ways to use technology and innovation to attract and retain people that want more than just an apartment. They want an experience. Congratulations to Andrew Livingstone and all the Greystar teams across the globe on setting the standard on which the future of multi-family living will be based.

Berkshire Communities is “All In” and You Should Be Too

At the 80s party with Berkshire Communities President, Alan King

Last week, I had the distinct privilege to participate in the annual Berkshire Communities National Conference.  Many management companies have their own conferences that are spectacular, but Berkshire Communities is unique in its own right. It has also caused me to ponder the question: Are we properly focused at work on customer service and taking care of our people as well as our partners?

Each of us is busy…REALLY busy. As a result, we are often scurrying around, trying to get caught up before the growing mass of “to-dos” becomes overwhelming. Unfortunately, the daily distractions of email dings, text chimes, and social media alerts have added additional challenges to our time management. Today, it often seems as if the interruptions of our day are more frequent than the time we are actually spending getting the job done. Have we lost the focus on how to create a better customer experience in favor of how many emails we can respond to? Have we forgotten what the job really is…to provide our customers a home?

Berkshire Companies President, Alan King, welcomes all of the Berkshire Partners

Alan King, head of Multi-Family Property Operations and president of Berkshire Communities is on a quest to ensure that the team members of Berkshire Communities have the opportunity to be unobstructed in their quest to provide superior customer service to those they serve and to each other.  This goal to become more present rang home throughout the conference’s “All In” theme and even into the ‘80s-style extravaganza during the show.

As part of the conference, Berkshire Communities did a great job connecting to their long-term industry partners. Many apartment management companies talk about it, but Berkshire Communities actually does it. They went as far as to cheer for us when we walked into the room (yes, they cheered for the suppliers). Alan – in front on the crowd – asked us to identify how long each of had been a Berkshire partner. It allowed us to feel as though we were all part of the group and not just mere suppliers.

Tamela Covel and I were thrilled to have the opportunity to capture the ear of owners and team members.

The owners were even present (yes, you read that right…the owners!). This is unheard of in the market. Real, live, true access to real decision makers. No smoke and mirrors. They really wanted to hear from us and we were able to capture a listening ear as they attentively met with us.

Are you present for your teams and partners at this level? We all want the perfect customer experience including the repeat client and the referral. But, in order to get any of that done, we need our employees and partners to feel wanted. We all need to be moving in the same direction and this philosophy has been instilled in everyone at Berkshire Communities from the top down. Are you prepared to make the same commitment in your working world, and are you equally prepared to keep that commitment each and every day?

Is Customer Service merely a “motto” or “slogan”, or do you live it? Do you practice what you preach? In other words, are you giving the resources, training support and authority to your teams to provide excellent customer service?  Have you engaged with your supplier partners to completely understand your customer’s experience? Are you prepared to be “all in” and present for those who encounter you every day?

Delaware Rocks the Mutli-Family Marketplace

pictured left to right: Matthew Martelli (Pettinaro Residential), Paul Chandler (Sovereign Properties), Jim Korman (Korman Residential), panel moderator Corey Lonberger (Rittenhouse Realty), Brian Paule (Galman Group), Gunti Weissenberger (Westover Companies), Kevin Wolfgang (Evergreen Apartment Group)

Congratulations to the Delaware Apartment Association. This is their 18th year of having an education conference. I just attended a multifamily property discussion was led by six industry leaders from the Delaware market.

Delaware is strategically located between many major markets. The panel thought that Delaware’s position is about the 50 yard line on the major growth in the Northeast. The cost of living is lower than most of the major markets and it’s a landlord friendly environment.

With a lower cost-of-living it can sometimes can be difficult to raise rents but they’re continuing to push forward by making sure they bring additional value to the residents. Most of these companies are working on added lifestyle amenities such as dog parks, bicycle share, car share, and community gardens.

Tips from the audience included making sure that we continue to be innovative by looking at similar businesses and by bringing those ideas to multifamily. They also cautioned everybody to be prepared for what will eventually be a downturn in the market. Now is the time to begin those preparations.

A recurring theme was that your best performing properties had the best people …people make the difference. On-site personnel should really understand what makes the property profitable ..why we raise rents ..why resident retention  is good… Why with the appropriate rental rates, we could be happy with 93% occupancy versus 96%.

Once again, congratulations to the Delaware Apartment Association, it’s paid staff, and all of the volunteers! They was a great mix of marketing leasing and motivation (from yours truly) …some high-end maintenance conversations and an owners panel …65 supplier partner trade-show …capped off by 100 person maintenance mania  event supported by hundreds multifamily professionals! Keep being awesome DAA! Keep being awesome!

CORT Gives Back to Multi-Family Industry Partners – Marquette

(Left to Right) Pete Regules – CORT, Jim Cunningham – Marquette Property Management, Richard Ritter -CORT senior executive vice-president

CORT is proud to join with our industry partners in charitable engagement across the country, including an exciting fund-raising campaign we conducted during the 2015 National Apartment Association Education Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas this past July. During the expo, multi-family management companies teamed together to compete against each other when visiting the CORT exhibit. Teams raced on stationary bike work stations, demonstrating CORT’s commitment to creating flexible work environments.

CORT donated $1,000 to the winning company’s favorite charity. Then, after the races were complete – as a response to the crowd’s enthusiasm – CORT executives kindly made the decision to grant $1,000 to the second-place teams’ favorite charities as well. In all, 11 teams generated a total of $11,000 to be divided amongst their charities of choice. CORT is happy to make these donations, but the real purpose was, and continues to be, highlighting the great work that our industry partners are doing across the country.

CORT Team (From left to right) Kris Augsburger, Cassandra Vollmann, Tori Kavooras, Pete Regules, Nicholl Thomas, Allie Flando, Vanida Zdanowicz, Catherine Phaneauf, Elise Robinson, Richard Ritter

The more we share these stories, the more other companies will be inspired and will commit to continuously evolving the charitable support of our industry. There are hundreds of management companies, apartment communities and industry friends accomplishing great deeds every day for thousands of charities across the country. By sharing the stories of these 11 companies, we hope that others will be inspired to join us in raising awareness of all the great things the multi-family industry does to give back to their communities.

Special thank you to Jim Cunningham from Marquette Property Management for the tour of his wonderful property… Catalyst. He is also accepting a $1000 check from CORT for their internal employee support charity …Marquette Cares. The Marquette Cares Fund is a unique partnership between the Institute for Community (IFC) and Marquette Management.  The Marquette Cares Fund provides financial aid and assistance to Marquette employees that are in need due to a catastrophic event such as an illness or accident.  Marquette views these challenges as an opportunity to pay forward to success they have had in developing communities of care and empathy.

James J. Cunningham – Chief Operating Officer of Marquette Companies had this to say: “How unique in this day and age where a success partner of ours CORT goes the extra mile and allows us to give back to the community and in our case our Marquette Family by donating $1000 toward our charity.  We are all use to being thanked for our business in other ways, less meaningful and less impactful.  This truly sets CORT apart from its competition, thank you from the bottom of our heart for you contribution.

To learn more about the Institute for Community visit this link:  http://www.instituteforcommunity.org/

CORT Gives Back to Multi-Family Industry Partners – Apartment All Stars

CORT Chicago Sales Manager – Kris Augsberger (right) along with Pete Regules (left) present a check to NAAEI President Diana Pittro from RMK Management Corporation (center)

CORT is proud to join with our industry partners in charitable engagement across the country, including an exciting fund-raising campaign we conducted during the 2015 National Apartment Association Education Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas this past July. During the expo, multi-family management companies teamed together to compete against each other when visiting the CORT exhibit. Teams raced on stationary bike work stations, demonstrating CORT’s commitment to creating flexible work environments.

CORT donated $1,000 to the winning company’s favorite charity. Then, after the races were complete – as a response to the crowd’s enthusiasm – CORT executives kindly made the decision to grant $1,000 to the second-place teams’ favorite charities as well. In all, 11 teams generated a total of $11,000 to be divided amongst their charities of choice. CORT is happy to make these donations, but the real purpose was, and continues to be, highlighting the great work that our industry partners are doing across the country.

The more we share these stories, the more other companies will be inspired and will commit to continuously evolving the charitable support of our industry. There are hundreds of management companies, apartment communities and industry friends accomplishing great deeds every day for thousands of charities across the country. By sharing the stories of these 11 companies, we hope that others will be inspired to join us in raising awareness of all the great things the multi-family industry does to give back to their communities.

From Left to Right: Apartment All-Stars Lisa Trosien, Pete Regules, Kate Good

During the NAA Trade Show we were honored to have the Apartment All-Stars compete. Of course, bragging rights were on the line as Kate Good and Lisa Trosien peddled their way towards victory against each other. When the dust had settled, it was a dead even tie and they had earned a $1000 donation for the National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI). NAAEI’s mission is to provide a broad-based education, training and recruitment program that attract, nurture and retain high-quality professionals and develop tomorrow’s apartment industry leaders. Diana Pittro with RMK Management Corporation and the President of NAAEI recently accepted this donation check from CORT furniture for $1000 which was presented with CORT Chicago Sales Manager – Kris Augsburger.

Learn more about how the National Apartment Association Education Institute helps develop the future leaders of the multi-family industry by visiting this link.

Learn more about the Apartment All-Stars by visiting this link.

 

CORT Gives Back to Multi-Family Industry Partners – BRG Realty Group

CORT is proud to join with our industry partners in charitable engagement across the country, including an exciting fund-raising campaign we conducted during the 2015 National Apartment Association Education Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas this past July. During the expo, multi-family management companies teamed together to compete against each other when visiting the CORT exhibit. Teams raced on stationary bike work stations, demonstrating CORT’s commitment to creating flexible work environments.

CORT donated $1,000 to the winning company’s favorite charity. Then, after the races were complete – as a response to the crowd’s enthusiasm – CORT executives kindly made the decision to grant $1,000 to the second-place teams’ favorite charities as well. In all, 11 teams generated a total of $11,000 to be divided amongst their charities of choice. CORT is happy to make these donations, but the real purpose was, and continues to be, highlighting the great work that our industry partners are doing across the country.

The more we share these stories, the more other companies will be inspired and will commit to continuously evolving the charitable support of our industry. There are hundreds of management companies, apartment communities and industry friends accomplishing great deeds every day for thousands of charities across the country. By sharing the stories of these 11 companies, we hope that others will be inspired to join us in raising awareness of all the great things the multi-family industry does to give back to their communities.

Today we highlight the great partnership between BRG Realty Group, LLC, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati offers positive alternatives to children who are surrounded by negative influences, showing them how to live successful and productive lives. The organization’s mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Providing a better future for and protecting America’s children remains the public’s top priority. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky (BGC) serve approximately 10,000 at-risk kids each year from 10 locations, primarily in economically challenged areas.

During the NAA Conference CORT competitions, Don Brunner, chief operations officer for BRG Realty Group, earned $1,000 for this tremendous organization.

“What an unbelievable day at the new Rhonda & Larry Sheakley Boys & Girls Club! This program will make an amazing difference in the lives of these kids. Thanks to CORT for supporting this wonderful cause on behalf of Don Brunner and BRG!” – Jeffrey P. March, CEO of BRG Realty Group

“On behalf of the more than 7,000 youth that we serve annually, I want to thank CORT for investing in the kids who need us most. When our Boys & Girls Club members walk through our blue doors, they are walking through a portal that leads to hope and opportunity in our community’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. We are thankful to have support from good corporate citizens like CORT.”

– Brent Seelmeyer, president, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati

“The Boys & Girls Club is extremely excited to have completed the development of its newest club: the Larry and Rhonda Sheakley Price Hill Boys and Girls Club at 4100 Glenway Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio. At approximately 18,000 square feet, this club is more than three times the size of our existing 70-year-old club in the Price Hill area and will allow us to serve almost 200 kids daily. The Larry and Rhonda Sheakley Price Hill Boys and Girls Club was made possible through a partnership with the Sheakleys, Major League Baseball, the Cincinnati Reds, and many, many other generous individuals, foundations and corporations. It will change the lives of the kids it serves. We thank CORT for its generous donation and being a responsible and caring corporate citizen that gives back to the communities in which it does business and understands that financial investment in the Boys & Girls Clubs are returned many times over through improvement of the backbone of our community – our kids.” – Andrew Giannella, vice president of business development for BRG Realty Group, LLC

To make an investment in the lives of kids in Greater Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky community, please click on the following link: http://www.bgcgc.org/donate.

 

CORT Gives Back to Multi-Family Industry Partners – Greystar

By: Pete Regules

Pictured: Pete Regules (CORT), Larry Kallestad (Greystar– Senior Director), Richard Friedman (Greystar– Senior Director)

CORT is proud to join with our industry partners in charitable engagement across the country, including an exciting fund-raising campaign we conducted during the 2015 National Apartment Association Education Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas this past July. During the expo, multi-family management companies teamed together to compete against each other when visiting the CORT exhibit. Teams raced on stationary bike work stations, demonstrating CORT’s commitment to creating flexible work environments.

Pictured: Jeanette Lillibridge (Senior Director – Greystar),
Deanna O’Brian ( Senior Director – Greystar), Cormac Doyle (Financial Analyst – Greystar),
Terri Nelson (Regional Sales Manager – CORT), Pete Regules

CORT donated $1,000 to the winning company’s favorite charity. Then, after the races were complete – as a response to the crowd’s enthusiasm – CORT executives kindly made the decision to grant $1,000 to the second-place teams’ favorite charities as well. In all, 11 teams generated a total of $11,000 to be divided amongst their charities of choice. CORT is happy to make these donations, but the real purpose was, and continues to be, highlighting the great work that our industry partners are doing across the country.

The more we share these stories, the more other companies will be inspired and will commit to continuously evolving the charitable support of our industry. There are hundreds of management companies, apartment communities and industry friends accomplishing great deeds every day for thousands of charities across the country. By sharing the stories of these 11 companies, we hope that others will be inspired to join us in raising awareness of all the great things the multi-family industry does to give back to their communities.

This charity is supported by the wonderful teams at Greystar. During the NAA competitions, Mike Clow was able to succeed in earning $1,000 for Greystar’s charity of choice: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. We were excited to present them their check yesterday in Irvine, Calif. Special thanks to Larry Kallestad, senior director, and Richard Friedman, senior director, for joining us for the check presentation, along with other members of the Greystar family. A special thank you to the CORT team members who helped make yesterday’s check presentation magical. Learn more about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by visiting this link.

 

CORT Gives Back to Multi-Family Industry Partners

By: Pete Regules

CORT is proud to join with our industry partners in charitable engagement across the country, including an exciting fund-raising campaign we conducted during the 2015 National Apartment Association Education Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas this past July. During the expo, multi-family management companies teamed together to compete against each other when visiting the CORT exhibit. Teams raced on stationary bike work stations, demonstrating CORT’s commitment to creating flexible work environments.

CORT donated $1,000 to the winning company’s favorite charity. Then, after the races were complete – as a response to the crowd’s enthusiasm – CORT executives kindly made the decision to grant $1,000 to the second-place teams’ favorite charities as well. In all, 11 teams generated a total of $11,000 to be divided amongst their charities of choice. CORT is happy to make these donations, but the real purpose was, and continues to be, highlighting the great work that our industry partners are doing across the country.

The more we share these stories, the more other companies will be inspired and will commit to continuously evolving the charitable support of our industry. There are hundreds of management companies, apartment communities and industry friends accomplishing great deeds every day for thousands of charities across the country. By sharing the stories of these 11 companies, we hope that others will be inspired to join us in raising awareness of all the great things the multi-family industry does to give back to their communities.

Our first charity is supported by the terrific team at Weidner Property Management. Director of Public Relations Greg Cerbana and the entire Weidner team of 228 apartment communities across nine U.S. states and Canada chose D.A.W.N. – Domestic Abuse Women’s Network – as their charity of choice. In 2014, D.A.W.N. served a total of 14,213 clients, and the demand for programs and services continues to grow.  Learn more about D.A.W.N. by visiting this link.