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MULTIFAMILY<br />
MARCH WOMEN’S MAGAZINE<br />
<strong>2019</strong><br />
FELICITE<br />
MOORMAN<br />
CEO<br />
STRATIS IOT &<br />
BULOGICS<br />
CONFLICT<br />
RESOLUTION<br />
20+<br />
TOP<br />
FACEBOOK<br />
PROFILES<br />
DRU<br />
ARMSTRONG<br />
ON FEMALE<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
ENHANCING<br />
CONFIDENCE<br />
FOR LEADERSHIP<br />
POSITIONS<br />
SKILLS TO<br />
MEET TECH<br />
TRENDS
“This is the<br />
beginning<br />
of what could<br />
be a big<br />
opportunity<br />
for the<br />
<strong>Multifamily</strong><br />
Industry”<br />
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHERS<br />
First of all, we want to thank those of you who have<br />
helped us propel this initiative into the industry with your<br />
support, enthusiasm, and encouragement. We are daily<br />
inspired by your shared vision of creating a platform that<br />
will deliver relevant content and discussions from leading<br />
experts of various fields, allowing both men and women<br />
to understand the vital role women play as executives,<br />
associates, team members, and customers.<br />
We have a vision to create a bigger and better future<br />
for women within the multifamily housing industry, and<br />
it begins with our platform, including the inaugural <strong>Multifamily</strong><br />
Women’s Summit, special segment on the <strong>Multifamily</strong><br />
Leadership Podcast, the <strong>Multifamily</strong> Women <strong>Magazine</strong>,<br />
and the <strong>Multifamily</strong> Women’s Leadership Series.<br />
Let’s talk about why a men and women partnership is important<br />
to the bottom line…<br />
Organizations ranked highly on Fortune’s World’s Most<br />
Admired Companies list have twice as many women in<br />
senior management than do companies with lower rankings.<br />
Research shows that when men are actively involved<br />
in gender diversity, 96% of companies report progress.<br />
When they’re not, only 30% show progress.<br />
McKinsey & Company’s study of 1,000 companies in 12<br />
countries found that organizations in the top 25%, when<br />
it comes to gender diversity among executive leadership<br />
teams, were more likely to outperform on profitability.<br />
We want to be very clear.<br />
Too many gender initiatives focus solely on changing<br />
women—from the way they network to the way they lead.<br />
Organizations must enlist both women and men to work<br />
together as allies in changing the organizational norms<br />
and structures that perpetuate gender gaps. When it<br />
comes to strengthening the men and women partnership<br />
at work—especially initiatives to eliminate gender bias—<br />
we believe men have a critical role to play. Engaging men<br />
is crucial to moving forward.<br />
Our Summit, Podcasts, and Leadership Series are an<br />
all-inclusive initiative. We whole-heartedly believe the<br />
change we envision can only be realized by having everyone<br />
on board. This means we are inviting and bringing<br />
men into the conversation. We realize there are many<br />
men who want to be a part of this and believe in it but<br />
are stifled by the situation for various reasons. Many<br />
companies have unwittingly alienated men, inadvertently<br />
jeopardizing the success of the men and women partnership<br />
initiatives.<br />
Our goal is to extract the wisdom from those that get it<br />
right and deliver content from expert sources to break<br />
down those barriers to effect change.<br />
So, how do we provide everyone with the tools and information<br />
necessary to create a balanced, men and women<br />
partnership in the workplace? How do we move forward,<br />
beyond these issues, to ensure we make an impact on<br />
women being part of the innovation, technology, and talent<br />
we need for the future? In order to elevate the conversation<br />
and to answer these questions, we’ve assembled,<br />
in our humble opinion, the most amazing group of<br />
advisors and contributors to affect change.<br />
We are currently crafting what will be the highest-level<br />
Women’s Summit in the industry by bringing in experts<br />
from outside the industry, both men and women, and<br />
will extract their knowledge on our stage. This summit<br />
will deliver a premier industry event with notable<br />
thought-provoking speakers, informal peer-to-peer discussions,<br />
and unparalleled educational content inside<br />
an exclusive networking environment. This new event<br />
is part of a bigger plan to advance women’s leadership<br />
throughout every aspect of the industry with the endgoal<br />
of sharing expert content through print-based materials,<br />
social media, and even a special segment on the<br />
current <strong>Multifamily</strong> Leadership Podcast.<br />
We look forward to sharing this journey with you.<br />
Best,<br />
Patrick & Carrie Antrim<br />
02
#WEAREMULTIFAMILY<br />
GET INVOLVED<br />
THE MOVEMENT TO ADVANCE<br />
WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP<br />
IN MULTIFAMILY<br />
Support the vision to create a bigger and better future for women<br />
within the multifamily housing industry. Our research proves<br />
those companies with an equitable division of men and women<br />
within the leadership team have higher levels of engagement,<br />
higher revenue, and are on the leading edge when it comes to<br />
innovation. We want you to support the movement and have<br />
made it incredibly simple for you to get involved in a lasting way.<br />
Who is this for?<br />
<strong>Multifamily</strong> Owners, Operators and Industry Professionals who<br />
want to strengthen their network, expertise, and influence. Companies<br />
that want to understand the role women play not only as<br />
executives, associates, and team members but also as residents<br />
and customers. People who want to hear insightful discussions<br />
on the importance of not only elevating women in leadership but<br />
also becoming mentors and helping shape the future of the <strong>Multifamily</strong><br />
industry. Companies investing in technology, you will hear<br />
from top experts on the ever-evolving roles women play in the<br />
innovation of multifamily organizations. Executives who want to<br />
attend the highest level women’s summit in the apartment industry.<br />
Period.<br />
This is the movement to advance women’s leadership in <strong>Multifamily</strong>.<br />
Aspiring leaders will join us for two of the most rewarding<br />
days they’ll spend all year.<br />
AMAZING<br />
SUMMIT EXPERIENCE<br />
03
CONTENTS<br />
10<br />
06<br />
14<br />
02. LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHERS<br />
Gain a greater understanding of the vision of <strong>Multifamily</strong><br />
Women and the impact we will create together.<br />
06. BEST PLACES TO WORK MULTIFAMILY<br />
Overview of the Best Places to Work <strong>Multifamily</strong> Program<br />
and how to get registered to participate.<br />
08. EIGHT KEY AREAS OF RESEARCH<br />
The 8 Key Areas of the Best Places to Work <strong>Multifamily</strong><br />
Program.<br />
10. ELECTRIC GIRLS<br />
Building a Grassroots Effort for Our Next Generation<br />
Innovators to Thrive<br />
14. ENHANCE YOUR CONFIDENCE FOR<br />
LEADERSHIP POSITIONS<br />
By Valerie Martinelli, MPA<br />
18. WOMEN LEADING THE WAY<br />
Facebook profiles of our fabulous <strong>Multifamily</strong> Women and<br />
their Top 3 Workplace Challenges.<br />
20. CONFLICT RESOLUTION<br />
Steps to Gaining a Fresh Perspective<br />
By Cheri Plett<br />
24. FELICITE MOORMAN<br />
Profile of Felicite Moorman, CEO of Stratis IoT and Bulogics,<br />
Inc.<br />
All rights to the content of this magazine are owned in full by <strong>Multifamily</strong> Leadership, LLC and may not be reproduced in full or part without written permission from publisher.<br />
Neither the publisher, nor any of its agents, officers, or affiliates may be held responsible for errors or accuracy of information provided by partipating companies or advertisers.<br />
04
24<br />
18<br />
25<br />
52<br />
31<br />
58<br />
M U L T I F A M I L Y W O M E N . C O M<br />
25. THE INDISPENSABLE LEADER<br />
Skills to Meet Technology Trends of the Future<br />
By Rita Devassy<br />
28. FEMALE LEADERSHIP<br />
An interview with Dru Armstrong, CEO of Grace Hill, Inc.<br />
By Cyndy Trivella<br />
31. BPW BENCHMARK REPORT & DATA<br />
This report summarizes the results of the Best Places to<br />
Work <strong>Multifamily</strong> Program.<br />
52. MENTORING<br />
A Solution to Bridge the Gap<br />
By Cyndy Trivella<br />
58. FACEBOOK PROFILES<br />
Meet the real <strong>Multifamily</strong> Women and learn about their<br />
journeys through this industry.<br />
Publisher<br />
Patrick & Carrie Antrim<br />
480-719-4409<br />
contact@multifamilyleadership.com<br />
Editor in Chief<br />
Carrie Antrim<br />
480-719-4409 ext. 102<br />
carrie@multifamilyleadership.com<br />
Contacts<br />
Web: multifamilywomen.com<br />
Phone: 480-719-4409<br />
Email: contact@multifamilyleadership.com<br />
Subscriptions<br />
app.multifamilyleadership.com/women<br />
Reprints<br />
To request reprints, email:<br />
carrie@multifamilyleadership.com<br />
Licensing<br />
Email: contact@multifamilyleadership.com<br />
05
OLYMPUS PROPERTY on the Red Carpet at the <strong>Multifamily</strong><br />
Leadership Summit.<br />
REGISTER TODAY AT<br />
BESTPLACESTOWORKMULTIFAMILY.COM<br />
06
RECOGNIZING<br />
GREATNESS<br />
IN MULTIFAMILY<br />
Our “Best Places to Work <strong>Multifamily</strong>”<br />
program results in significant organizational<br />
benefits for all who participate.<br />
Whether or not you think your organization would<br />
receive a “Best Place to Work <strong>Multifamily</strong>” distinction,<br />
we encourage you to participate. Gathering feedback<br />
from your employees will provide you with a baseline so<br />
you can see where your organization can improve.<br />
When an organization appears on the “Best Places<br />
to Work <strong>Multifamily</strong>” list, management, employees,<br />
and other stakeholders feel an overwhelming sense of<br />
pride within the organization. The “Best Places to Work<br />
<strong>Multifamily</strong>” award affirms an employee’s sense of<br />
belonging within the organization, therefore increasing<br />
employee engagement and retention. Organizations<br />
named to the “Best Places to Work <strong>Multifamily</strong>” list<br />
can see a tremendous impact on any marketing they<br />
conduct. They can use the distinction to enhance their<br />
employee recruiting efforts, increase effectiveness of<br />
the organization’s marketing to reach residents, and<br />
improve their reputation in the community, state, or<br />
industry.<br />
BEST PLACES TO WORK<br />
MULTIFAMILY<br />
The results of the survey process prove an invaluable tool for<br />
any participating organization, even if they do not make the<br />
list. After completion of the survey process, all participating<br />
organizations have the option to receive the Employee Feedback<br />
Report, which includes employee feedback for each survey<br />
question, employee comments, and aggregate organizational<br />
benchmarks. Benchmarking data allows organizations to<br />
compare their scores to the overall averages of both the listmaking<br />
organizations as well as all program participants. To<br />
conduct this kind of in-depth research independently would<br />
normally cost between $5,000 and $10,000 in consulting fees.<br />
07
KEY AREAS<br />
OF THE BEST PLACES TO WORK<br />
TM<br />
MULTIFAMILY PROGRAM<br />
1<br />
LEADERSHIP AND PLANNING<br />
2<br />
CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION<br />
3<br />
ROLE SATISFACTION<br />
4<br />
WORKING ENVIRONMENT<br />
5<br />
RELATIONSHIP WITH SUPERVISOR<br />
6<br />
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT<br />
7<br />
PAY AND BENEFITS<br />
8<br />
OVERALL ENGAGEMENT<br />
08
How does<br />
your company<br />
compare?<br />
Check out the <strong>2019</strong> winning<br />
company profiles and register<br />
to participate in the Best Places<br />
to Work <strong>Multifamily</strong> program.<br />
Gathering<br />
information from<br />
your employees<br />
will provide you with a baseline<br />
so you can see where your<br />
organization can improve.<br />
09
ELECTRIC GIRLS<br />
BUILDING A GRASSROOTS EFFORT FOR OUR NEXT<br />
GENERATION INNOVATORS<br />
BY: PATRICK ANTRIM | CEO, MULTIFAMILY LEADERSHIP<br />
It’s no secret most businesses face not only the<br />
shortage of a skilled workforce, but also the lack of<br />
next generation workers seeing potential in particular<br />
industries as a long-term career path. Thanks<br />
to our dependence on technology, you don’t have to<br />
look further than the technology industry to spot this<br />
shortcoming. Our demands and expectations for the<br />
latest and greatest tech solutions are now exceeding<br />
the reality of what is possible with the present-day<br />
workforce in place, and according to recent surveys,<br />
not much has improved over the past decade. Out of<br />
3,000 tech professionals surveyed, 65 percent believe<br />
that hiring challenges hamper the growth of one<br />
of the biggest economic game-changers most cities<br />
have ever experienced.<br />
Despite the disparity, technology continues to slowly<br />
evolve. Today, you can control the atmosphere of<br />
your home from your smartphone, order your<br />
groceries instantaneously, and experience an autonomous<br />
car ride worthy of a private chauffeur.<br />
But, for these technologies to progress further,<br />
skilled workers are needed. Despite current efforts,<br />
the labor deficit in technology, media, and<br />
telecommunications will be approximately 1.2<br />
million by 2020. The gap nearly quadruples in the<br />
next decade, leaving America with a shortage of<br />
4.3 million workers by 2030 and a loss of 449.7<br />
billion-dollars to the U.S. economy.<br />
Even still, there is no denying that tech epicenters<br />
such as Silicon Valley have experienced significant<br />
success over the years, creating business<br />
behemoths that have become American institutions<br />
themselves, such as Google, Facebook, and<br />
Apple. But, a few years ago, the glamour associat-<br />
10
Out of 3,000 tech<br />
professionals surveyed,<br />
65 percent<br />
believe that hiring<br />
challenges hamper<br />
the growth of one<br />
of the biggest economic<br />
game-changers<br />
most cities have<br />
ever experienced.<br />
ed with Bay Area living was struck with a hard-hitting reality:<br />
the cost of living. As countless tech workers slipped beneath<br />
the cracks and began turning to smaller tech hubs around the<br />
nation, many tech giants – Microsoft, being the most recent,<br />
with its announced 500 million-dollar commitment – have begun<br />
to invest in affordable housing.<br />
Nonetheless, workers across the country exited these hot<br />
tech hubs seeking more for less, and a number of start-ups<br />
and larger companies began to follow. For this reason, Southern<br />
cities, such as Austin, Houston, Atlanta, and New Orleans,<br />
have become popular destinations for tech enthusiasts.<br />
When publicly traded (NYSE) technology giant, DXC Technology,<br />
started looking for a location to build its latest “Digital<br />
Transformation Center,” which would employ over 2,000<br />
workers, many were surprised when the company selected<br />
New Orleans.<br />
But, believe it or not, New Orleans has slowly transformed<br />
into a tech hub since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the local<br />
economy in 2005. Many ventured to the city after the natural<br />
disaster, seeing not devastation, but potential. As a lowcost,<br />
high-culture city, New Orleans appeals to the tech demographic<br />
who tends to work hard and play even harder. In<br />
addition to the food, music, and nightlife it’s known for, New<br />
Orleans continues to reinvent itself from the dark days of Katrina,<br />
emerging as the Silicon Bayou – America’s next great<br />
innovation hub.<br />
The appeal of the city’s reinvention<br />
has drawn other<br />
technology companies to New<br />
Orleans over the years, from<br />
GE Digital to Gameloft, making<br />
Louisiana’s software industry<br />
the fastest-growing in the<br />
country. Recently, the state has<br />
generated nearly 21,000 jobs<br />
as software companies continue<br />
to invest millions of dollars<br />
in setting up shop.<br />
With all this new-founded<br />
growth, there came a need for<br />
competent tech workers in the<br />
very place where universities<br />
had once cut programs due to a<br />
dismal interest in software development.<br />
Now, tech conglomerates<br />
in New Orleans have<br />
partnered with local universities<br />
that have revamped their<br />
technology-oriented programs<br />
to feed the local industry’s<br />
need for workers. Additionally,<br />
a number of coding camps<br />
and immersion programs have<br />
11
popped up, looking to steer those pursuing a career<br />
pivot into the high paying tech industry.<br />
However, a number of local tech companies, which<br />
have been around long before the big guys came to<br />
town, are taking a more holistic view. Enter the multifamily<br />
industry’s very own 365 Connect, a homegrown,<br />
New Orleans-based tech company, founded<br />
less than two years before Katrina hit land. Today,<br />
the company is highly recognized as one of the<br />
founding fathers of the Silicon Bayou.<br />
Founder and CEO, Kerry W. Kirby, explained, “Katrina<br />
was certainly a turning point for us. We actually<br />
lost everything overnight, and they do not write<br />
about how to handle something of that scale in business<br />
school. Somehow, I landed on the BBC Radio<br />
Network a few months after Katrina and was questioned<br />
on how I kept the company going despite the<br />
disaster. My interview was aired live to a worldwide<br />
audience of 163 million, and overnight, my email box<br />
blew-up with overwhelming support and encouragement.<br />
At that point, I decided that it was time for<br />
the world to know of the tech industry we were creating<br />
in a city that is better known for Mardi Gras<br />
and great food.”<br />
Kirby added, “After Katrina, we had many recovery<br />
workers in the city, and with most of the local universities<br />
shutting down completely for months and<br />
returning only to further slash program funding,<br />
our original efforts were to build a supportive ecosystem.<br />
We started doing meetups and hackathons,<br />
where we met company founders and software<br />
developers, as well as those who encompassed a<br />
blossoming interest in technology. We became the<br />
go-to source for any tech-related event taking place<br />
in the city, establishing our reputation as the guys<br />
who would buy the pizza for an all-night hackathon.”<br />
Along the way, 365 Connect got involved in some<br />
very high-profile projects, from participating in an<br />
international hackathon to build apps for a Tsunami<br />
recovery project to being one of the 21 cities to participate<br />
in the White House’s Police Data Initiative.<br />
But, as the New Orleans tech industry grew faster<br />
than its workforce, the company began to deepen<br />
their support of Tech-Ed, or programs and events<br />
that educate people on the opportunities within the<br />
technology industry.<br />
Their first true foray was with an organization<br />
named WIT, or Women in Technology. The organization<br />
was having difficulty obtaining sponsors<br />
for workshops, but eventually found 365 Connect<br />
through some clever networking. “We immediately<br />
supported what WIT wanted to do,” stated Kirby.<br />
“We funded a series of workshops for women seeking<br />
a new career in tech and planned a hackathon<br />
event called ‘Bring You Daughter to Hack Day.’ Our<br />
focus was to teach young girls how to build a website,<br />
while simultaneously creating bonding time<br />
between them and their parents. The participation<br />
was unbelievable; we actually had 86 girls attend<br />
the first year. The second year, we had over 200<br />
girls attend, and it was incredible.”<br />
From there, the company progressed its Tech-Ed<br />
initiatives with Tech Teen Day, a single-day grassroots<br />
event for teens. The event was designed to encourage<br />
attendees to build apps, websites, and even<br />
robots with the guidance of experienced volunteers.<br />
In a similar vein, 365 Connect recently joined forces<br />
with another New Orleans-based Tech-Ed initiative,<br />
Electric Girls, which is a local organization bridging<br />
the gap of missing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,<br />
and Math) programs in schools.<br />
The program serves girls from ages 5 to 14 with an<br />
empowering curriculum, focused on building confidence<br />
and capabilities. In fact, Electric Girls has<br />
become the most rapidly growing educational platform<br />
in the Greater New Orleans area, providing after-school,<br />
weekend, and summer camp programs.<br />
To date, Kerry, and fellow 365 Connect founder and<br />
CAO, Melinda M. Kirby, have funded full scholarships<br />
for 50 girls from low-income families to attend<br />
Electric Girls’ after-school programs.<br />
So, how have all these extraordinary efforts paid<br />
off? Melinda Kirby stated, “We do not just write a<br />
check – we get involved. We like to make our presence<br />
known beyond a simple financial contribution.<br />
For example, we recently spent a Saturday at an<br />
Electric Girls demo day. We met some very talented<br />
young girls, who were constructing various projects,<br />
from question-based search engines to electric<br />
motors. The excitement and confidence they<br />
gain through Tech-Ed programs are our return on<br />
investment. Through establishing our presence at<br />
these events, we are sending a message that we<br />
must foster our next generation of change-makers<br />
and give them the tools to thrive. More importantly,<br />
our transparency allows our team members and<br />
customers to know they are the ones making this<br />
happen, as it is their hard work and trust in our<br />
product, which is the catalyst that makes all this<br />
possible – we are just the conduit.”<br />
12
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13
Enhance Your<br />
Confidence for<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
POSITIONS<br />
VALERIE MARTINELLI, MPA<br />
CEO, LEADERSHIP & CAREER COACH<br />
WWW.ASKVMC.COM<br />
BY: VALERIE MARTINELLI, MPA<br />
—<br />
Companies employing large numbers of women<br />
outperform their competitors. While we have<br />
made undeniable progress and those who closely<br />
follow the shift in societal values see the world<br />
moving in a more female-led direction, we can’t<br />
get there by ourselves, either.<br />
“We work as a team,<br />
everyone has a voice and<br />
everyone can add value. Together<br />
we elevate our expectations<br />
and each other.”<br />
- Sara D’Elia<br />
CEO REMM Group<br />
I have found that the single most important trait<br />
for women to succeed and excel in the workplace<br />
is confidence. Self-confidence is one of the most<br />
studied concepts in modern social science and<br />
matters just as much in the workplace as competence.<br />
Without confidence, leadership skills cannot<br />
be developed because women do not understand<br />
that they can become leaders. What I have<br />
been finding in my own coaching business is that<br />
there are women who very much fear their own<br />
power and capabilities. Knowing who you are<br />
and being comfortable in that takes many of us a<br />
long time. When the fears have shifted for women,<br />
then they become more comfortable leaning<br />
into their power and discussing their professional<br />
goals.<br />
The Psychology of Confidence<br />
Confidence by those who study the subject is<br />
the degree to which we think and feel our actions<br />
will achieve positive results. It is important<br />
to note that confidence and self-esteem are not<br />
14
the same thing. Self-esteem denotes to how one feels about<br />
themselves. Confidence refers to an internal belief that one<br />
can complete tasks successfully. Being confident provides an<br />
edge in life and one’s actions ultimately influences the results.<br />
Understanding that everyone can influence the outcome of a<br />
situation, creates a sense of control and responsibility, which<br />
initiates confidence.<br />
Confident individuals grow up with a realistic appraisal of<br />
their abilities and therefore know where they stand. This allows<br />
them to develop a strategy and a plan to improve themselves<br />
and to use developments to create a positive feedback<br />
loop that strengthens their perception so they can influence<br />
an outcome, a perception that reduces anxiety when you enter<br />
pressure moments. Confident people play positive visualizations<br />
of themselves, take criticism productively, have a<br />
supportive background, and experience a confidence building<br />
event at some point in their lives.<br />
We assume that we are among women who would be brimming<br />
with confidence and yet, they are still lacking somehow.<br />
Confidence has been an elusive concept for some time now<br />
and we have yet to fully understand why it is that many women<br />
are loaded with self-doubt. So, what gives?<br />
Women need to know that they are not alone. You can have<br />
graduate degrees and certifications and still believe that<br />
you are not intelligent enough for a promotion. The sub-conscious<br />
belief that you are not good enough to fulfill a role does<br />
not necessarily bear any truth. Is it because men are more<br />
self-assured?<br />
Studies have shown that there are strong findings that there<br />
is a significant gender gap that men report higher levels of<br />
self-esteem than women do. This gap emerges in adolescence<br />
and persists throughout early and middle adulthood before it<br />
narrows and disappears in old age. Past research has shown<br />
that socioeconomic, gender equality, sociodemographic, and<br />
cultural value indicators moderate cross-cultural variation<br />
in gender and age differences in broad personality characteristics,<br />
it is conceivable that they may play a role in gender<br />
and age differences within self-esteem as well. These gender<br />
and age differences can be observed and across the world<br />
and can be reflective of their development, however, that does<br />
not tell the whole story regarding our leadership disparities.<br />
The Role of Men<br />
If men want to fully understand how to help women in the<br />
workplace, they can consider the type of feedback that they<br />
are providing. Also, be sure that your female employees and<br />
counterparts have the necessary support to enhance their<br />
strengths and become the best leader that they can be inside<br />
15
and outside of the workplace.<br />
Focusing on your weaknesses will not make one feel more confident. What have you achieved? What would<br />
you like to achieve in the future? What are your goals?<br />
Another large component to increasing confidence levels is addressing how women are perceived. More<br />
confident women won’t necessarily eliminate unconscious bias or stop more self-assured, outspoken<br />
women from being labeled. What it will do is empower more women to call out a bias when they see it, put<br />
themselves forward and take the necessary risks. This will see more women moving up the ladder, which<br />
in turn, will provide more much needed role models, mentors, sponsors, and inspiration for women who<br />
wish to follow in their footsteps.<br />
I am inspired to instill more confidence in women. There isn’t a reason why we can’t lead fulfilling lives or<br />
be successful simply because we inherently believe that men are better at our jobs than we are. Women<br />
are typically rated higher than men at most leadership competencies. Whether we realize it or not, we<br />
are holding ourselves back. Organizations need diverse perspectives and they are more important than<br />
ever in a highly-connected, fast-paced, interdependent global economy. Without confidence, women cannot<br />
fulfill what employers are seeking; let alone the requirements of leadership positions. From what I have<br />
witnessed, women are continuously caught up in comparing themselves, whether that is to another female<br />
or a male counterpart. In either case, that is the single worst thing to do. We do not need to look another<br />
female who on the outside may have the perfect life or job or a male co-worker who may earn more than<br />
we do. Rather than focusing on what’s wrong, focus on what’s right. What do you have to offer your employer?<br />
Are you due for a review? Great- there isn’t a reason you shouldn’t consider asking for a promotion<br />
or a raise. Don’t automatically undercut yourself because you’ve fallen into the pattern of comparison or<br />
because you’re waiting for someone to hand it to you.<br />
Work together. Our beliefs drive how we function, and we can’t allow ourselves to fall into the trap that men<br />
are against us and vice versa. If we instill confidence in each other and lift each other up, we can make<br />
progress.<br />
16
# WEAREMULTIFAMILY<br />
SHERRY KING<br />
—<br />
My current role is as SVP for Western<br />
WA and Boise markets for Coast<br />
Property Management. My journey<br />
began 30 years ago as a leasing agent<br />
for the marketing director at an owner/manager/developer<br />
firm. I really<br />
get jazzed about developing others<br />
whether my part is big or small. I am<br />
so excited to have been invited to the<br />
group!<br />
RENEE PULLIAM<br />
—<br />
I’ve been in the industry for almost<br />
20 years. I’m currently a Regional<br />
Director with Matrix Residential in<br />
Richmond, VA. I became a licensed<br />
realtor and also earned the following<br />
designations: CAM, CAPS, HCCP, and<br />
CPM. I’m also an NAA Lyceum graduate.<br />
I enjoy giving back to the industry<br />
through my involvement in the Virginia<br />
Apartment Management Association.<br />
In addition, I serve on three NAA<br />
committees. My passion is training<br />
and I spend time each month teaching<br />
financial management and fair<br />
housing classes throughout Virginia!<br />
17
SHERI MAILLER-ZIRSCHKY<br />
—<br />
So, 18 years ago I was told, “You should<br />
check out renting apartments for a living.”<br />
I had no idea what it entailed, but after my<br />
first couple of interviews I was drawn in.<br />
Best decision I ever made.<br />
This industry has not only grown me personally<br />
but made me realize my passion<br />
for helping others achieve goals they didn’t<br />
even know they wanted to hit! I’ve grown<br />
from leasing to managing the whole division<br />
of not only apartments but business parks,<br />
personal homes and self storage facilities!<br />
At the end of it all...it comes down to people.<br />
Knowing them and managing them in a way<br />
that works for their personality. I am super<br />
excited to be a part of this group and see<br />
just what kind of impact we can make out<br />
there!<br />
WOMEN<br />
LEADING THE WAY<br />
18<br />
Upon requesting to join the <strong>Multifamily</strong><br />
Women’s Facebook group, new members<br />
are asked three simple questions:<br />
1. What is your current role within your<br />
company?<br />
2. What are your top 3 workplace challenges?<br />
3. What does a bigger and better future look<br />
like to you?<br />
We use this valuable information to structure<br />
content based on what our members need.<br />
The <strong>Multifamily</strong> Women Leadership Series<br />
is free to anyone and also provides content<br />
based on the feedback we receive from our<br />
Facebook group members.<br />
MULTIFAMILYWOMEN.COM
Misty Haskins<br />
I have been in multifamily for 5<br />
years. I am a student at Belmont<br />
Abbey College I’m a Property Manager<br />
for Pinnacle in Gastonia, NC<br />
and worked for Southwood Realty<br />
for 4 years prior to. I earned<br />
my CAM credential in 2016 will be<br />
earning my CAPS in <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
Donna Hickey<br />
I’ve been in property management<br />
this year 40 years. I’ve held many<br />
positions from Leasing to Vice<br />
President and worked in Speciality<br />
Housing. I own a full service consulting<br />
firm, specifically for the<br />
apartment industry.<br />
# INTRO<br />
TOP 3 WORKPLACE<br />
CHALLENGES<br />
01<br />
TALENT<br />
Hiring, and retaining top talent. Employee turnover, engagement<br />
and competing with innovatinve outside industry employers.<br />
02<br />
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS<br />
Keeping up with new operating systems, apps, programs,<br />
and opportunities. Dealing with those who are resistent to<br />
change and innovation.<br />
03<br />
TIME MANAGEMENT<br />
Trying to find a balance between work and life while finding<br />
time to accomplish everything that needs to be done in a day.<br />
MAGGIE MAHER<br />
I am the owner and CEO of Dwell-Greenville. We<br />
are an apartment relocation concierge company in<br />
one the fastest growing markets. I’ve been in multi<br />
family for the last 18 years. I am excited to meet<br />
you and explore new ideas and helping each other<br />
succeed.<br />
DONJE PUTNAM<br />
—<br />
Once upon a time a student needed a part-time job. Her<br />
dad had briefly been an Assistant Manager at a local<br />
apartment complex. He got her an interview and she<br />
got a job as a Leasing Agent, even though she was 2nd<br />
choice! GASP! And that’s how I got in 23 years ago.<br />
Currently, I am the Director of Marketing for a smallbut-mighty-company,<br />
Signature Management Corp,<br />
located in Hampton Roads, VA. I also do compliance,<br />
which may seem like a weird sideline to marketing but<br />
I do so love rules and policy. I just switched roles from<br />
Regional Manager in September.<br />
BROOKE EYSTER<br />
—<br />
I’m celebrating 10 years in the<br />
industry this summer. WOW! I’ve<br />
leased, managed and even completed<br />
a few work orders along<br />
the way! I’m most passionate<br />
about working in marketing now.<br />
I’ve had the best mentors and<br />
leaders on this journey!<br />
19
CONFLICT<br />
RESOLUTION<br />
STEPS TO GAINING A FRESH PERSPECTIVE<br />
hero’s favorite line is “Let me help you.” On the surface,<br />
the hero’s actions seem noble. However, these<br />
actions can represent an avoidance of their own issues,<br />
disguised as concern for others.<br />
Start with Compassion<br />
BY: CHERI PLETT, OWNER OF PROGRESSIVE<br />
LEADERSHIP SOLUTIONS. HER PROGRAMS FOR<br />
LEADERS FOCUS ON CONFLICT, COMMUNICA-<br />
TION, EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, AND WORK-<br />
PLACE CULTURE.<br />
Success in your career requires not only business<br />
and technology skills, but also strong people skills<br />
that include being able to resolve conflict. As a<br />
leader, you may face conflict with your peers, your<br />
team, or even your boss. Progress, innovation, and<br />
change come with a measure of human drama, and<br />
most leaders dream of being able to resolve conflict<br />
gracefully.<br />
Understanding the Nature of Conflict<br />
Conflict is costly! The price of handling conflict<br />
poorly includes watching your top talent walk out<br />
the door, declining motivation and engagement, and<br />
wasting time putting out fires instead of working on<br />
projects to help your business grow.<br />
The elements of conflict are often invisible. It’s hard<br />
to solve a problem you can’t see. The good news is<br />
that we can learn to see the invisible forces in conflict<br />
situations.<br />
One unseen factor during conflict is the roles we<br />
play. Stephen Karpman’s “drama triangle” reveals<br />
three destructive roles we adopt during conflict:<br />
victim, villain, or hero. You are playing the victim<br />
role when you feel helpless or powerless to make<br />
decisions. If you start thinking “It’s all your fault”,<br />
you might be caught in the villain role. Finally, the<br />
Google’s Chade-Meng Tan, author of Search Inside<br />
Yourself, encourages people to imagine what would<br />
happen if their thought during conflict was, “I wish<br />
for this person to be happy.” Our work environments<br />
often discourage compassion in an attempt to generate<br />
“professionalism”. Women often shy away<br />
from compassion so they don’t appear too emotional,<br />
and men avoid compassion to not look weak.<br />
Dr. Kelly McGonigal, a Stanford University Compassion<br />
Researcher, explains that compassion is<br />
instinctual. She says when we feel compassion for<br />
another person, our brain sees them as a friend<br />
rather than a foe. When we allow our heart and<br />
mind to work together, we have access to greater<br />
levels of intuition, awareness, and better decision<br />
making.<br />
Your Buttons Are on The Inside!<br />
Most of us have said, “That person really pushes my<br />
buttons!” Yet the truth is our buttons are on the inside,<br />
and we push our own buttons as reactions to<br />
the behavior of others.<br />
Tammy Lenski, author of The Conflict Pivot, explains<br />
that we get stuck in our stories during conflict. She<br />
says “conflict occurs when something important<br />
feels threatened or insulted. The things you dwell<br />
on are hints about the true source of your unease<br />
in the conflict.” We feel distress when others don’t<br />
recognize us as being capable, self-reliant, likeable,<br />
worthy, dependable, and virtuous. When you observe<br />
what usually “hooks” you during conflict, you<br />
can set yourself free from the turmoil of conflict.<br />
Mastering Conflict Conversations<br />
A key to mastering conflict conversations is avoiding<br />
either/or thinking. It’s easy to accept a false dichotomy<br />
and only see “your way” OR “my way”. In<br />
20
21
contrast, a genius at conflict resolution finds an<br />
elegant solution by looking for a third option using<br />
the word AND instead or OR. They get curious and<br />
ask how to embrace “your way” AND “my way”. You<br />
can begin to master conflict conversations by asking<br />
questions that uncover creative “AND” options.<br />
When conflict arises from unmet expectations, describe<br />
this gap as clearly as possible without making<br />
assumptions. Simply saying “I thought you were<br />
going to _____, but it appears you did ____. Can<br />
you help me understand?” This approach eliminates<br />
blaming and helps you stay curious and open to<br />
solutions. Jumping to conclusions can make people<br />
feel threatened, defensive, and closed to finding<br />
conflict resolutions.<br />
“Practice makes perfect.” Investing time role-playing<br />
possible scenarios also helps leaders develop<br />
strong conflict resolution skills. Practice opening<br />
the conversation by stating its purpose, identifying<br />
concerns, developing and agreeing on possible<br />
solutions, and closing the conversation with clarity.<br />
Focus on Developing Partners and Allies<br />
When people are willing to do the inner work, as<br />
well as the outer work, during conflict, another<br />
gift emerges. Those we once characterized as the<br />
“enemy” become our partners and allies. Among<br />
progressively-minded leaders, there is a growing<br />
awareness of the dynamic connectedness of all<br />
things. With this awareness comes the realization<br />
that together we rise, and together we fall. What a<br />
powerful concept to remain mindful of during conflict<br />
situations. An “us against the problem” mindset<br />
is always more productive than seeing other people<br />
as problematic. “But what if the other person won’t<br />
accept this cooperative approach?” Never underestimate<br />
the power of one person shifting their energy<br />
from hostility towards compassionate cooperation.<br />
The Ruler Activity is a powerful exercise used to<br />
teach people the power of proxemics. Participants<br />
are instructed to stand 12 inches from their partner.<br />
First, they square off face to face and report<br />
how this position feels. Most report it feels threatening.<br />
Next, they stand side-by-side and report the<br />
difference experienced. People usually say this<br />
stance feels impersonal and cold. Finally, they position<br />
themselves at a 90° angle from each other.<br />
Powerful insights emerge as they view a situation<br />
together while still seeing each other. The 90° angle<br />
concept can be applied to our mindset and attitude<br />
as well when we choose partnership over animosity<br />
or detachment during conflict situations.<br />
Wrapping It Up<br />
Conflict is inevitable, and workplace relationships<br />
are not immune. When handled with creativity, compassion,<br />
and confidence conflict can serve as a catalyst<br />
for positive change and relational growth. As<br />
a business leader, you can be the one who strategically<br />
brings compassion and wisdom to the conflicts<br />
in your organization. “In the middle of difficulty lies<br />
opportunity.” – Albert Einstein<br />
22
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23
FELICITE MOORMAN<br />
CEO OF STRATIS IOT & BULOGICS, INC.<br />
Felicite Moorman is an<br />
award-winning technology<br />
entrepreneur, attorney,<br />
speaker and community<br />
activist.<br />
She has earned an international<br />
reputation as a go-to<br />
wireless industry expert,<br />
developing pioneering<br />
strategic partnerships and<br />
unprecedented technology<br />
strategies and initiatives<br />
for the Internet of Things.<br />
She is currently CEO of Bu-<br />
Logics, Inc., which designs,<br />
builds, and certifies IoT<br />
devices for Fortune 500<br />
companies and start-ups,<br />
and is the Co-Founder and<br />
CEO of StratIS, Llc,, which<br />
creates software platforms<br />
for large scale IoT installations,<br />
specifically focused<br />
on multifamily and campus<br />
communities. Moorman<br />
also serves as the Business<br />
Development Strategist for<br />
The Golding Group.<br />
Prior to making East<br />
Falls, Philadelphia her<br />
home, Moorman spent<br />
fifteen years in the Baltimore-Washington<br />
corridor<br />
as Managing Member of a<br />
conglomerate of privately<br />
held national companies<br />
spanning the real estate, finance,<br />
insurance, and legal<br />
arenas.<br />
Moorman attended the Uni-<br />
versity of Maryland School<br />
of Law, where she was<br />
awarded their Inaugural<br />
Law Leadership Scholarship<br />
and received her Juris<br />
Doctorate in 2002. Moorman<br />
is currently licensed<br />
to practice law in Maryland,<br />
Washington D.C., and Oklahoma.<br />
24
Rita Devassy<br />
FOUNDER<br />
Deva Seed, LLC<br />
http://www.devaseed.com/<br />
THE INDISPENSABLE<br />
LEADER<br />
SKILLS TO MEET TECHNOLOGY TRENDS OF THE FUTURE<br />
The world of the future is artificial<br />
intelligence, smart, connected<br />
devices—and many things<br />
that will feel like science fiction<br />
meets reality.<br />
What your employees or clients<br />
require tomorrow will be different.<br />
Communication is already<br />
starting to move online and will<br />
continue to expand (Example:<br />
Slack, WhatsApp, Skype, etc).<br />
Multiple generations will exist<br />
within the same environments<br />
with different beliefs and habits.<br />
Proper security measures is a<br />
growing concern and an area of<br />
increasing attention. Work habits<br />
which have already begun to<br />
evolve will continue to shift: “a<br />
study released by Zug, Switzerland-based<br />
serviced office provider<br />
IWG found that 70 percent<br />
of professionals work remotely<br />
— a phenomenon known as telecommuting<br />
— at least one day<br />
a week, while 53 percent work<br />
remotely for at least half of the<br />
week” (Browne 2018).<br />
Many leaders are not prepared<br />
for these changes that technology<br />
will place into their work and<br />
home environments. For example,<br />
today leaders are faced with<br />
the impacts of wide-scale con-<br />
25
nectivity which has been playing out for the last 10-<br />
20 years; while most impacts have been hugely positive,<br />
the downside that was not predicted has been<br />
the high levels of distraction, unfocused attention,<br />
stress and feelings of overwhelm and anxiety. This<br />
in turn has affected level of happiness, well-being,<br />
productivity, motivation and so much more.<br />
“According to the American Psychological Association,<br />
53 percent of Americans work over the<br />
weekend, 52 percent work outside designated work<br />
hours, and 54 percent work even when sick. Flextime,<br />
typically viewed as a benefit of technology providing<br />
greater freedom, actually leads to more work<br />
hours….In a widely cited study, cognitive scientist<br />
Gloria Mark and her colleagues state that people<br />
compensate for interruptions by working faster, but<br />
this comes at a two-fold price: The individual experiences<br />
more stress, frustration, and time pressure<br />
and effort.” (Joyce, Fisher, Guszcza, Hogan 2018)<br />
While in the past providing perks or prized projects<br />
were most important, tomorrow’s teams will require<br />
authentic relationships, meaningful work and<br />
flexibility to live and work as they choose. Emerging<br />
neuroscience is really changing the basis for leadership.<br />
Take for example, this study by two Harvard psychologists<br />
who concluded that a wandering mind is<br />
an unhappy mind (Killingsworth, Gilbert 2010). This<br />
study concluded that people’s minds wandered fre-<br />
quently regardless of what they were doing; additionally<br />
the study concluded that people were less<br />
happy when their minds wandered—and what they<br />
were thinking about was a better indicator of their<br />
happiness than what they were doing.<br />
So, what does this imply? Take for example, when<br />
you are feeling frustrated about a person at work—<br />
how do you know that? You may have some physical<br />
symptoms like restlessness or a furrowed brow or<br />
a tight lip for example. And you may also be aware<br />
that you are feeling a sense of fear—maybe a fear of<br />
losing something. And there are usually accompanying<br />
thoughts like “I don’t think I am going to make<br />
it” or “I can’t trust them”— a bit of mind wandering.<br />
So, then on auto-pilot you tell yourself that you are<br />
frustrated or people can sense that you are. All of<br />
this happens very quickly in our brains.<br />
If you are able to isolate the feeling and thought,<br />
would you be able to address it in a more effective<br />
way? In other words, if you were able to calm yourself<br />
through slow, deep breathing or by taking a<br />
walk outside or getting a hug, you would lessen the<br />
impact of your body’s defense system (fight or flight)<br />
to protect you. The second step is having a conversation<br />
with yourself about whether or not the fear<br />
makes any sense.<br />
Knowing that you are not instinctively wired to just<br />
be calm all the time is powerful; the fight or flight<br />
response in your brain exists for a good reason.<br />
26
But when you train yourself to monitor and regulate<br />
your thoughts and emotions, you can regulate this<br />
natural defense mechanism to respond with less<br />
anxiety or frustration—and in a more thoughtful,<br />
deliberate and relevant way instead. Your fight or<br />
flight response doesn’t have to be activated constantly.<br />
Make sense?<br />
Coming back to why is this an indispensable skill of<br />
the future.<br />
In order to face the rapid changes in technology<br />
which will affect how people work and live:<br />
1. Leaders will need self-confidence, clarity<br />
and calmness to make decisions in greater contexts<br />
of uncertainty and ambiguity.<br />
List of References<br />
Browne, R 2018, ‘70% of people globally work remotely<br />
at least once a week, study says’, CNBC Make<br />
It, 20 May 2018.<br />
Joyce C, Fisher J, Guszcza J, Hogan S.K 2018, ‘Designing<br />
work environments for digital well-being’,<br />
Deloitte Insights, 16 April 2018.<br />
Killingsworth M, Gilbert D 2010, ’A Wandering Mind<br />
Is an Unhappy Mind’, Science 330, 12 November<br />
2010.<br />
Schulte, B 2015, ‘Harvard neuroscientist: Meditation<br />
not only reduces stress, here’s how it changes<br />
your brain’, The Washington Post, 26 May 2015.<br />
2. Leaders will need to find ways beyond exercise<br />
and diet to monitor and respond to the brandnew<br />
challenges of tomorrow.<br />
3. Leaders will need the capacity to empathize<br />
with the changing expectations and needs of employees,<br />
clients and partners alike.<br />
These skills cannot be developed from something<br />
external—it is only possible if a leader harnesses<br />
their internal experiences first through mental<br />
training. While there are many ways to train the<br />
mind through exercise and diet, it requires more.<br />
Training the mind is most effective with a suite of<br />
mental practices like meditation, gratitude journaling,<br />
daily goal and priority planning to name a few<br />
methods. In a Washington Post interview (Schulte<br />
2015), neuroscientist Sara Lazar shared specific<br />
changes in the brains of a research study group after<br />
8 weeks of mindfulness-based stress reduction;<br />
these results indicated reduced mind-wandering,<br />
increased empathy and compassion and reduced<br />
anxiety, fear and stress.<br />
Leaders should be aware that one of their biggest assets<br />
in the next century will be training their mind—<br />
to serve their teams and their clients. As everything<br />
in the world changes rapidly around them, the one<br />
skill that will become more critical than ever and<br />
within one’s own control is self-awareness, being<br />
present and the ability to monitor and regulate<br />
one’s own emotions.<br />
In other words, turn inward for calm, certainty,<br />
connection, confidence, courage, clarity, creativity,<br />
concentration and compassion.<br />
27
An Interview:<br />
ON FEMALE<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
BY:CYNDY TRIVELLA<br />
WITH<br />
DRU<br />
ARMSTRONG<br />
I had the pleasure of speaking with Dru Armstrong, CEO at<br />
Grace Hill which is an online training courseware and administration<br />
services provider for the property management<br />
industry. We talked about the role of female leadership<br />
in today’s business world and how women create fervor<br />
and make a positive impact on the economy and business.<br />
Cyndy: Dru, thanks for joining me for this conversation.<br />
I’m excited to speak to you about female leadership and its<br />
impact on business. Let’s start with the million dollar question.<br />
Why is it important for women in business to support<br />
other women?<br />
28
Dru: As a woman, I know firsthand what it feels<br />
like to be held back because of my gender. As<br />
someone in a leadership position, I view it as<br />
my responsibility to ensure our organization is<br />
diverse and inclusive. I lead a technology company,<br />
and our organization is 50 percent plus<br />
female all the way through the executive team.<br />
We are lucky because we serve <strong>Multifamily</strong> and<br />
so many of our clients are incredibly talented<br />
women. When we recruit for key roles, we always<br />
include female candidates in the pool. It<br />
doesn’t mean we only hire women, but it does<br />
mean we are more likely to. Once we hire a<br />
great team member, we also work hard to remove<br />
some of the challenges that we know they<br />
face. For example, studies show that women often<br />
don’t apply for roles unless they meet every<br />
criterion. We post all our positions internally<br />
and proactively encourage our top performers<br />
to apply for those jobs, even if they don’t meet<br />
every requirement today. That’s how I try to<br />
support women in my organization—by letting<br />
their talents guide their path uninhibited.<br />
Cyndy: It’s refreshing to hear that you don’t expect<br />
someone to tick every box on the job requisition.<br />
I believe companies spend too much<br />
time checking boxes rather than considering<br />
the potential of the talent before them. You and<br />
I know that mentoring is vitally important for<br />
women in the workplace, but companies typically<br />
don’t provide these opportunities, readily.<br />
So how can women approach their male<br />
counterparts to seek mentoring and guidance?<br />
bottom line. In what ways does the inclusion of<br />
women into leadership roles affect an organization<br />
financially?<br />
Dru: Anyone in a position of leadership should<br />
be focused on this issue because it creates tangible<br />
opportunities for their business. Not only<br />
have studies shown that women-led organizations<br />
are more profitable, but they’re, also,<br />
better at attracting strong female talent which<br />
can be a significant competitive advantage. I<br />
can’t tell you the number of times when I have<br />
interviewed a strong candidate, and they have<br />
told me they are interested in joining a company<br />
that is not a boy’s club, and where they will<br />
have an opportunity to have their performance<br />
recognized. Also, if you are looking to recruit,<br />
I personally recommend starting with women<br />
wanting to re-enter the workforce after having<br />
children. There is a lot of data on how taking<br />
even a year off to have a child can permanently<br />
set a woman back in terms of her earning potential<br />
for the rest of her career. A lot of women<br />
that I know struggle to find a re-entry path that<br />
compensates them fairly. I would recommend<br />
recruiting that untapped talent pool and giving<br />
them a career path that fairly compensates<br />
them for their skills and experience. In a world<br />
where so much work gets done virtually, we as<br />
leaders have the opportunity to flex our company’s<br />
working styles in order to accommodate<br />
Dru: My personal board (of mentors) is a diverse<br />
group of business leaders that I worked with<br />
and admired throughout my career and who<br />
are invested in my success, many of whom are<br />
male. Mentorship is a relationship that should<br />
be mutually beneficial and oftentimes requires<br />
that the mentor is invested in your success. I<br />
recommend proactively asking senior folks that<br />
you are working with to be your mentor. If they<br />
have worked with you and can see your potential,<br />
they are more likely to want to invest in you<br />
and your success. I am always surprised at how<br />
rewarding it is to my mentors, who are CEOs,<br />
Executives, and Managing Directors, to be able<br />
to give advice to someone who is interested in<br />
learning from them.<br />
Cyndy: I agree. As someone who has been a<br />
mentor to both male and female talent, I find<br />
it very rewarding to help these bright people<br />
advance in their careers. Let’s talk about the<br />
29
top talent that may be juggling career and family.<br />
Plus, I think we can all agree that no one is a better<br />
multitasker than a mother!<br />
Cyndy: Tapping into untapped talent is just smart<br />
business, and yes, you are so correct. Moms are<br />
the ultimate do-it-all, jack-of-all-trades! The multifamily<br />
industry is a burgeoning one. Tell us how<br />
you envision the role of women in the multifamily<br />
industry developing over the next 20 years.<br />
Dru: <strong>Multifamily</strong> is rapidly changing, due to a number<br />
of factors, including the proliferation of technology<br />
and data and due to its record growth due to<br />
strong tailwinds. I think the change will bring opportunities<br />
for women (and minorities). Growth plus a<br />
tight talent market should give top talent opportunities<br />
for accelerated growth. Additionally, we are<br />
seeing a lot of excitement around investing in Real<br />
Estate Technology, so I think women with a fresh<br />
perspective on how technology and data can move<br />
this industry forward will have an opportunity to<br />
build new products and companies.<br />
Fundamentally, I think <strong>Multifamily</strong> is a great industry<br />
for women to build their careers. The women<br />
leaders that I know in <strong>Multifamily</strong> that have a successful<br />
career have had to succeed in a range of<br />
roles, from sales, to finance, to technology, to management.<br />
This hands-on training onsite is an incredibly<br />
powerful way to prepare to be a CEO, Executive<br />
or Entrepreneur, because you know the business<br />
inside out and have an incredible range of tools at<br />
your disposal to navigate challenges and opportunities.<br />
I always recommend <strong>Multifamily</strong> as an incredible<br />
place to build your career to young women<br />
starting out. It is an industry that will value your<br />
raw talent and determination and invest in developing<br />
you as a professional, and no graduate degree<br />
required.<br />
Cyndy: Thank you, Dru, for your great insight, advice<br />
and for being such a wonderful role model for<br />
women in the multifamily industry and in business,<br />
overall.<br />
CYNDY TRIVELLA<br />
VICE PRESIDENT STRATEGIC RELATIONS<br />
WORKSCENE<br />
Elizabeth Ignatowicz<br />
I am currently an Associate Community<br />
Director with Matrix Residential.<br />
I have a passion for people<br />
and do everything that I can<br />
to make sure that I am making<br />
a difference in someone’s life in<br />
some way. I am currently working<br />
on becoming more active in<br />
our local apartment association<br />
and enjoy being a member of our<br />
Government Affair’s Committee.<br />
Paula Infantino Reynolds<br />
I began my career in 1995 in<br />
South Florida. It has been a great<br />
journey to be part of such an<br />
awesome industry for the past<br />
24 years as a vendor supplier<br />
on a National Executive Level. I<br />
have met some fascinating, successful,<br />
inspiring women along<br />
the way. I have been blessed with<br />
some amazing career opportunities<br />
with endless growth. It’s an<br />
honor to be part of such a powerful<br />
group of women within this<br />
group.<br />
#WEAREMULTIFAMILY<br />
30
BEST PLACES TO WORK<br />
MULTIFAMILY<br />
PERCENTAGE % OF<br />
POSITIVE RESPONSES<br />
EMPLOYEE<br />
BENCHMARK REPORT<br />
LIST<br />
MAKERS<br />
NON LIST<br />
MAKERS<br />
LEADERSHIP AND PLANNING<br />
86<br />
81<br />
CORPORATE CULTURE AND COMMUNCATIONS<br />
84<br />
81<br />
ROLE SATISFACTION<br />
89<br />
86<br />
WORK ENVIRONMENT<br />
91<br />
90<br />
RELATIONSHIP WITH SUPERVISOR<br />
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT<br />
PAY AND BENEFITS<br />
90<br />
84<br />
79<br />
89<br />
79<br />
72<br />
OVERALL EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT<br />
90<br />
85<br />
AVERAGE OF ALL CATEGORIES<br />
87<br />
83<br />
This report summarizes results of the Best Places to work <strong>Multifamily</strong> program.<br />
Our goal is to provide forward-thinking executives with a snapshot of what<br />
charactarizes the Best Places to Work <strong>Multifamily</strong>. Each report contains examples<br />
of the benefits and perks offered by participating organizations, as well as employee<br />
engagement and satisfaction averages from our survey process.<br />
31
BEST PLACES TO WORK<br />
MULTIFAMILY<br />
The chart below provides a glimpse into some of the results from the detailed employer<br />
benchmark report from participating organizations, which are all <strong>Multifamily</strong> property<br />
managers. The orange bar represents the percentage of Best Places to Work in <strong>Multifamily</strong>,<br />
while the light grey bar represents the percentage of all other program participants.<br />
I UNDERSTAND THE LONG-TERM<br />
STRATEGY OF THIS ORGANIZATION<br />
85<br />
90<br />
I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE<br />
LEADERSHIP OF THIS ORGANIZATION<br />
84<br />
89<br />
THE LEADERS OF THIS ORGANIZATION<br />
CARE ABOUT THEIR EMPLOYEES’ WELL<br />
BEING<br />
85<br />
88<br />
SENIOR LEADERS LIVE THE CORE<br />
VALUES OF THE ORGANIZATION<br />
83<br />
86<br />
Participating in the Best Places to Work in <strong>Multifamily</strong> Program<br />
is a reflection of our commitment to upholding standards<br />
of excellence, delivering an entrepreneurial environment<br />
and leading the industry by thinking disruptively — all<br />
of which directly impacts our ability to attract and retain top<br />
talent.<br />
Greta Schneider, Vice President of Alliance<br />
Talent Management<br />
32
THERE IS ADEQUATE PLANNING<br />
OF DEPARTMENTAL OBJECTIVES<br />
76<br />
82<br />
THERE IS ADEQUATE FOLLOW-<br />
THROUGH OF DEPARTMENTAL<br />
OBJECTIVES<br />
76<br />
81<br />
THE LEADERS OF THIS ORGANIZA-<br />
TION ARE OPEN TO INPUT FROM<br />
EMPLOYEES<br />
79<br />
85<br />
THIS ORGANIZATION’S<br />
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS<br />
ARE FREQUENT ENOUGH<br />
82<br />
87<br />
HOW DOES YOUR COMPANY COMPARE?<br />
We participate in the Best Places to Work in <strong>Multifamily</strong> Program<br />
Now that you’ve<br />
to get<br />
seen<br />
anonymous<br />
a sample of<br />
feedback<br />
benchmarking<br />
from<br />
data<br />
our<br />
for<br />
employees.<br />
Best Place to<br />
We<br />
Work<br />
use<br />
in<br />
the<br />
<strong>Multifamily</strong>,<br />
results<br />
how does<br />
to help<br />
your<br />
plan<br />
organization<br />
our employee<br />
compare?<br />
strategy<br />
Find out<br />
for<br />
by<br />
the<br />
participating<br />
next year,<br />
in<br />
examining<br />
the<br />
Best Places to Work in<br />
areas<br />
<strong>Multifamily</strong><br />
we can<br />
program.<br />
build a better workplace, improve communication,<br />
respond to employees’ opinions we may not otherwise<br />
have known. It has been an added benefit and an honor to have<br />
been a finalist all 3 years we have participated!<br />
Mary Gwyn, CEO<br />
Apartment Dynamics<br />
33
BEST PLACES TO WORK<br />
MULTIFAMILY<br />
The chart below provides a glimpse into some of the results from the detailed employer<br />
benchmark report from participating organizations, which are all <strong>Multifamily</strong> property<br />
managers. The orange bar represents the percentage of Best Places to Work in <strong>Multifamily</strong>,<br />
while the light grey bar represents the percentage of all other program participants.<br />
THIS ORGANIZATION’S CORPORATE<br />
COMMUNICATIONS ARE DETAILED<br />
ENOUGH<br />
81<br />
87<br />
I HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF<br />
HOW THIS ORGANIZATION IS DOING<br />
FINANCIALLY<br />
69<br />
73<br />
I CAN TRUST WHAT THIS<br />
ORGANIZATION TELLS ME<br />
80<br />
85<br />
THIS ORGANIZATION TREATS ME LIKE<br />
A PERSON, NOT A NUMBER<br />
84<br />
87<br />
The success of Berger Rental Communities is the result of<br />
having outstanding employees that are dedicated to serving<br />
their customers, caring for one another, and delivering great<br />
results. I am proud of the outstanding culture that our team<br />
has built and the results we have achieved.<br />
Dan Berger, President<br />
Berger Rental Communities<br />
34
THIS ORGANIZATION GIVES ME<br />
ENOUGH RECOGNITION FOR<br />
WORK THAT IS WELL DONE<br />
74<br />
81<br />
STAFFING LEVELS ARE ADEQUATE<br />
TO PROVIDE QUALITY SERVICE<br />
68<br />
73<br />
QUALITY IS TOP PRIORITY WITH<br />
THE ORGINIZATION<br />
83<br />
87<br />
SAFETY IS A TOP PRIORITY WITH<br />
THIS ORGANIZATION<br />
87<br />
91<br />
While it’s great to win an award, we strive to always improve<br />
and the information learned from this process is invaluable.<br />
Todd Farrell, President<br />
LMC<br />
35
BEST PLACES TO WORK<br />
MULTIFAMILY<br />
The chart below provides a glimpse into some of the results from the detailed employer<br />
benchmark report from participating organizations, which are all <strong>Multifamily</strong> property<br />
managers. The orange bar represents the percentage of Best Places to Work in <strong>Multifamily</strong>,<br />
while the light grey bar represents the percentage of all other program participants.<br />
I BELIEVE THERE IS A SPIRIT<br />
OF COOPERATION WITHIN THIS<br />
ORGANIZATION<br />
83<br />
87<br />
MY EMPLOYER ENABLES A CULTURE<br />
OF DIVERSITY<br />
89<br />
91<br />
I LIKE THE PEOPLE I WORK WITH AT<br />
THIS ORGANIZATION<br />
93<br />
93<br />
AT THIS ORGANIZATION, EMPLOYEES<br />
HAVE FUN AT WORK<br />
87<br />
87<br />
At The REMM Group we strive to enrich those around us and<br />
encourage growth both professionally and personally. This<br />
award is meaningful because it is awarded by our associates<br />
in a confidential and honest forum. We take great pride<br />
in knowing that our culture is embraced by our associates<br />
....going beyond creating value, has become a way of life.<br />
We work as a team, everyone has a voice and everyone can<br />
add value. Together we elevate our expectations and each<br />
other!<br />
Sara D’Elia, CEO<br />
REMM Group<br />
36
I FEEL I CAN EXPRESS MY HONEST<br />
OPINIONS WITHOUT FEAR OF<br />
NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES<br />
76<br />
81<br />
CHANGES THAT MAY AFFECT<br />
ME ARE COMMUNICATED TO ME<br />
PRIOR TO implementation<br />
69<br />
76<br />
I LIKE THE TYPE OF WORK<br />
I DO<br />
93<br />
95<br />
I AM GIVEN ENOUGH AUTHORITY<br />
TO MAKE DECISIONS I NEED TO<br />
MAKE<br />
85<br />
87<br />
To lead our team of talented and devoted professionals in the<br />
service of helping others is an honor and privilege. That their<br />
feedback was a basis for this achievement speaks volumes<br />
about the commitment, spirit and passion required in making<br />
a difference in our community. We are thrilled to be a Best<br />
Places to Work <strong>Multifamily</strong> finalist!<br />
Helaine Blum, President<br />
Pathlight HOME<br />
37
BEST PLACES TO WORK<br />
MULTIFAMILY<br />
The chart below provides a glimpse into some of the results from the detailed employer<br />
benchmark report from participating organizations, which are all <strong>Multifamily</strong> property<br />
managers. The orange bar represents the percentage of Best Places to Work in <strong>Multifamily</strong>,<br />
while the light grey bar represents the percentage of all other program participants.<br />
I BELIEVE MY JOB IS SECURE<br />
84<br />
85<br />
DEADLINES AT THIS ORGANIZATION<br />
ARE REALISTIC<br />
78<br />
85<br />
I FEEL I AM VALUED IN THIS<br />
ORGANIZATION<br />
80<br />
84<br />
I FEEL PART OF A TEAM WORKING<br />
TOWARD A SHARED GOAL<br />
85<br />
87<br />
We are honored to be recognized as one of the nation’s leading<br />
multifamily property management and investment firms. We pride<br />
ourselves on cultivating a truly authentic company culture that remains<br />
focused on family and allows our associates to go above<br />
and beyond to show our customers the Fogelman Difference. The<br />
team is thrilled to see Fogelman associates being nationally recognized<br />
for both the culture and exceptional performance they work<br />
hard to create every day.<br />
Melissa Smith, Chief Administrative Officer<br />
Fogelman<br />
38
I AM ABLE TO MAINTAIN A REA-<br />
SONABLE BALANCE BETWEEN<br />
WORK AND MY PERSONAL LIFE<br />
82<br />
82<br />
MY JOB MAKES GOOD USE OF MY<br />
SKILLS AND ABILITIES<br />
85<br />
90<br />
I HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING<br />
OF MY JOB ROLE<br />
94<br />
93<br />
I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE<br />
OF MY ROLE TO THE SUCCESS OF<br />
THE ORGANIZATION<br />
93<br />
95<br />
We have created an atmosphere where team members are<br />
encouraged to share their ideas, develop their careers in a<br />
way that utilizes their passions and skills, and contribute to<br />
our success. As an organization, we feel it is our honor and<br />
responsibility to provide our team members with the support<br />
and resources to be the CEO of their area and provide the best<br />
service possible to their customers and team.<br />
Heather Riggs, VP <strong>Multifamily</strong> Operations<br />
Continental Properties<br />
39
BEST PLACES TO WORK<br />
MULTIFAMILY<br />
The chart below provides a glimpse into some of the results from the detailed employer<br />
benchmark report from participating organizations, which are all <strong>Multifamily</strong> property<br />
managers. The orange bar represents the percentage of Best Places to Work in <strong>Multifamily</strong>,<br />
while the light grey bar represents the percentage of all other program participants.<br />
MOST DAYS, I FEEL I HAVE MADE<br />
PROGRESS AT WORK<br />
88<br />
92<br />
MY PHYSICAL WORKING CONDITIONS<br />
ARE GOOD<br />
94<br />
95<br />
MY GENERAL WORK AREA IS<br />
ADEQUATELY HEATED/COOLED<br />
89<br />
91<br />
THERE IS ADEQUATE NOISE CONTROL<br />
TO ALLOW ME TO FOCUS ON MY<br />
WORK<br />
87<br />
90<br />
This award is a testament to building a company that is<br />
built on Culture first. To all team members - past and present<br />
- thank you for being a part of this Team and a part of<br />
the Cardinal Story.<br />
Alex OBrien, President<br />
Cardinal Group Management<br />
40
MY WORKSPACE HAS ADEQUATE<br />
PRIVACY FOR ME TO DO MY JOB<br />
84<br />
86<br />
I FEEL PHYSICALLY SAFE IN MY<br />
WORK ENVIRONMENT<br />
94<br />
94<br />
MY SUPERVISOR TREATS ME<br />
FAIRLY<br />
90<br />
91<br />
MY SUPERVISOR TREATS ME WITH<br />
RESPECT<br />
92<br />
92<br />
Gables is proud to be nominated for such a distinguished award. This<br />
award is meaningful as it encompasses everything we strive to do every<br />
day not only for our customers, but also for our associates, investors<br />
and community. Our company knows that our greatest asset and<br />
distinguishing strength is our people. This nomination helps to reaffirm<br />
that what we work towards every day makes a difference.<br />
Sue Ansel, President & CEO<br />
Gables Residential<br />
41
BEST PLACES TO WORK<br />
MULTIFAMILY<br />
The chart below provides a glimpse into some of the results from the detailed employer<br />
benchmark report from participating organizations, which are all <strong>Multifamily</strong> property<br />
managers. The orange bar represents the percentage of Best Places to Work in <strong>Multifamily</strong>,<br />
while the light grey bar represents the percentage of all other program participants.<br />
MY SUPERVISOR HANDLES MY<br />
WORK-RELATED ISSUES<br />
SATISFACTORILY<br />
89<br />
90<br />
MY SUPERVISOR HANDLES MY<br />
PERSONAL ISSUES SATISFACTORILY<br />
90<br />
90<br />
MY SUPERVISOR ACKNOWLEDGES<br />
WHEN I DO MY WORK WELL<br />
87<br />
89<br />
MY SUPERVISOR TELLS ME WHEN MY<br />
WORK NEEDS IMPROVEMENT<br />
91<br />
92<br />
The backbone of Blue Ridge Companies is a high performance<br />
team of like-minded individuals who share common values and<br />
goals. We are very proud of the culture they have built. Being a<br />
finalist in the 2018 Best Places to Work <strong>Multifamily</strong> is truly an<br />
honor and affirms that we represent words with actions.<br />
Susan Passmore, Executive Vice President<br />
Blue Ridge Companies<br />
42
MY SUPERVISOR IS OPEN TO<br />
HEARING MY OPINION OR<br />
FEEDBACK<br />
88<br />
89<br />
MY SUPERVISOR HELPS ME<br />
DEVELOP TO MY FULLEST<br />
POTENTIAL<br />
82<br />
85<br />
I FEEL I CAN TRUST WHAT MY<br />
SUPERVISOR TELLS ME<br />
87<br />
88<br />
THIS ORGANIZATION PROVIDED<br />
AS MUCH INITIAL TRAINING AS I<br />
NEEDED<br />
77<br />
81<br />
Our employees are the biggest asset we have, and we are invested<br />
in making them healthy, happy and successful! Our<br />
company is a large family – we are motivated to do the best for<br />
each other and for Carter-Haston. This culture and our people<br />
are truly what sets us apart!!<br />
Allyson Andrews, Vice President of Operations<br />
Carter-Haston<br />
43
BEST PLACES TO WORK<br />
MULTIFAMILY<br />
The chart below provides a glimpse into some of the results from the detailed employer<br />
benchmark report from participating organizations, which are all <strong>Multifamily</strong> property<br />
managers. The orange bar represents the percentage of Best Places to Work in <strong>Multifamily</strong>,<br />
while the light grey bar represents the percentage of all other program participants.<br />
THIS ORGANIZATION PROVIDES AS<br />
MUCH ONGOING TRAINING AS I NEED<br />
80<br />
85<br />
THIS ORGANIZATION PROVIDES THE<br />
TECHNOLOGY, EQUIPMENT AND<br />
RESOURCES I NEED TO DO MY JOB<br />
WELL<br />
86<br />
89<br />
THE COMPUTER OR OTHER<br />
HARDWARE I USE TO DO MY JOB IS<br />
DEPENDABLE<br />
84<br />
86<br />
THE SOFTWARE AND PROGRAM<br />
APPLICATIONS I USE TO DO MY JOB<br />
ARE ADEQUATE<br />
84<br />
87<br />
I’m trying to create a concept of conscious capitalism. We’re<br />
trying to create a model which is a win-win model for investors,<br />
employees, the community, and tenants that call our<br />
properties homes.<br />
Swapnil Agarwal, CEO and Founder<br />
Karya Property Management & Nitya Capital<br />
44
TECHNOLOGY ISSUES ARE RE-<br />
SOLVED IN A TIMELY MANNER<br />
86<br />
86<br />
TECHNOLOGY ISSUES AFFECTING<br />
MY WORK ARE COMMUNICATED<br />
TO ME IN A TIMELY MANNER<br />
74<br />
82<br />
I UNDERSTAND WHAT IS EXPECT-<br />
ED FOR CAREER ADVANCEMENT<br />
73<br />
80<br />
I AM ENCOURAGED TO EXPLORE<br />
GROWTH OR ADVANCEMENT<br />
OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE<br />
ORGANIZATION<br />
72<br />
80<br />
Our people are the very engine of all we do. Without them...<br />
we’re just selling lumber. Walls and doors. With the right<br />
team...we’re building vibrant communities. Places worthy of<br />
calling home.<br />
Darren Williams, President<br />
Portico Properties<br />
45
BEST PLACES TO WORK<br />
MULTIFAMILY<br />
The chart below provides a glimpse into some of the results from the detailed employer<br />
benchmark report from participating organizations, which are all <strong>Multifamily</strong> property<br />
managers. The orange bar represents the percentage of Best Places to Work in <strong>Multifamily</strong>,<br />
while the light grey bar represents the percentage of all other program participants.<br />
THERE IS ROOM FOR ME TO ADVANCE<br />
AT THIS ORGANIZATION<br />
72<br />
80<br />
I TRUST THAT IF I DO GOOD WORK,<br />
I WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR A<br />
PROMOTION<br />
72<br />
80<br />
MY PAY IS FAIR FOR THE WORK I<br />
PERFORM<br />
67<br />
73<br />
OVERALL, I’M SATISFIED WITH THIS<br />
ORGANIZATION’S BENEFITS PACKAGE<br />
74<br />
81<br />
The Best Places to Work <strong>Multifamily</strong> program allows us to<br />
stay informed about the things that matter to our employees<br />
and in turn to do the work needed to consistently be one of the<br />
Best Places to Work in the multifamily industry. Our employees<br />
are the heartbeat of the company; their job satisfaction,<br />
work environment and the benefits we offer provides the lifeblood<br />
needed for them to be successful which translates into<br />
success for the company now and well into the future.<br />
Wendy Drucker, Managing Director<br />
Drucker & Falk Real Estate<br />
46
I’M SATISFIED WITH THE AMOUNT<br />
OF VACATION (OR PAID TIME OFF)<br />
75<br />
84<br />
I’M SATISFIED WITH THE SICK<br />
LEAVE POLICY<br />
74<br />
85<br />
I’M SATISFIED WITH THE AMOUNT<br />
OF HEALTHCARE PAID FOR<br />
69<br />
74<br />
I’M SATISFIED WITH THE DENTAL<br />
BENEFITS<br />
76<br />
79<br />
At CWS, we believe our people are our greatest asset; we understand<br />
our core values and culture create a dynamic environment<br />
for people to be their best every day. Being nominated for this<br />
prestigious award is a reflection of our amazing team and the<br />
culture we have built together at CWS, and we couldn’t be more<br />
proud.<br />
Marcellus Mosley, Senior Vice President<br />
CWS Apartment Homes<br />
47
BEST PLACES TO WORK<br />
MULTIFAMILY<br />
The chart below provides a glimpse into some of the results from the detailed employer<br />
benchmark report from participating organizations, which are all <strong>Multifamily</strong> property<br />
managers. The orange bar represents the percentage of Best Places to Work in <strong>Multifamily</strong>,<br />
while the light grey bar represents the percentage of all other program participants.<br />
I’M SATISFIED WITH THE VISION CARE<br />
BENEFITS<br />
77<br />
80<br />
I’M SATISFIED WITH THE RETIREMENT<br />
PLAN BENEFITS<br />
72<br />
79<br />
I’M SATISFIED WITH THE LIFE<br />
INSURANCE BENEFITS<br />
77<br />
82<br />
I’M SATISFIED WITH THE DISABILITY<br />
BENEFITS<br />
73<br />
79<br />
We are thrilled to be receiving this honor, but most of all we’re<br />
happy because what this really means is that we’re doing a<br />
great job as an employer. We’ve known for a long time that the<br />
greatest asset we have at ALCO are the people who work here<br />
and I think being added to this list just confirms our belief.<br />
Frank Jemison, Jr., Chief Executive Officer<br />
Alco Management, Inc.<br />
48
I’M SATISFIED WITH THE TUITION<br />
REIMBURSEMENT BENEFITS<br />
56<br />
69<br />
OVERALL, I AM VERY SATISFIED<br />
WITH MY EMPLOYER<br />
88<br />
91<br />
MOST DAYS, I LOOK FORWARD TO<br />
GOING TO WORK<br />
82<br />
88<br />
MY JOB PROVIDES ME WITH<br />
A SENSE OF MEANING AND<br />
PURPOSE<br />
82<br />
88<br />
In an age of corporate transparency, this program provides<br />
valuable insight into what our associates feel, and also shows<br />
that we are actively listening. It’s no longer about “the squeaky<br />
wheel getting the grease,” but about nurturing a corporate culture<br />
that makes JVM the most desirable employer in the industry.<br />
Jay Madary, President and CEO<br />
JVM Realty<br />
49
BEST PLACES TO WORK<br />
MULTIFAMILY<br />
The chart below provides a glimpse into some of the results from the detailed employer<br />
benchmark report from participating organizations, which are all <strong>Multifamily</strong> property<br />
managers. The orange bar represents the percentage of Best Places to Work in <strong>Multifamily</strong>,<br />
while the light grey bar represents the percentage of all other program participants.<br />
I AM PROUD TO WORK FOR THIS<br />
ORGANIZATION<br />
86<br />
91<br />
I FEEL THIS ORGANIZATION HAS<br />
CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE I<br />
CAN DO MY BEST WORK<br />
81<br />
87<br />
I AM WILLING TO GIVE EXTRA EFFORT<br />
TO HELP THIS ORGANIZATION<br />
SUCCEED<br />
92<br />
96<br />
I PLAN TO CONTINUE MY CAREER<br />
WITH THIS ORGANIZATION FOR AT<br />
LEAST TWO MORE YEARS<br />
83<br />
88<br />
RealSource Management takes pride in serving our teams using a<br />
people centric approach, as we are passionate about their personal<br />
and professional growth. First and foremost, we strive to listen to<br />
feedback and implement change, empower our teams, and develop<br />
our people so that they can pay it forward. With the right principles<br />
and the right culture, we believe our people will do extraordinary<br />
things.<br />
Teresa Rose, Senior Vice President<br />
RealSource Management<br />
50
I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS OR-<br />
GANIZATION’S PRODUCTS/SERVIC-<br />
ES TO A FRIEND<br />
88<br />
91<br />
I WOULD RECOMMEND WORKING<br />
HERE TO A FRIEND<br />
85<br />
90<br />
HOW DOES YOUR COMPANY COMPARE?<br />
Now that you’ve seen our benchmarking data for Best Place to Work <strong>Multifamily</strong>, how<br />
does your organization compare? Find out by participating in the Best Places to Work in<br />
<strong>Multifamily</strong> program.<br />
Employee engagement is actually a much more powerful indicator<br />
of organizational success than the size of the company,<br />
as employee engagement is tied to behavior and higher performance.<br />
Patrick Antrim, Chief Executive Officer<br />
Multifamiliy Leadership<br />
51
By: Cyndy Trivella | Photo: <strong>Multifamily</strong> Leadership Summit VIP Hangar Experience<br />
MENTORING:<br />
A SOLUTION TO<br />
BRIDGE THE GAP<br />
“Every chance we have to move<br />
forward gets them to the finish.”<br />
Janelle Monae, singer, and actress<br />
We live in a fast-paced and competitive<br />
world. We attempt to do<br />
more with less and have become<br />
eager in our attempts to carve<br />
out our careers. For many women,<br />
establishing a career is not<br />
an easy task, and it’s usually one<br />
that requires a trusted posse of<br />
people to offer support, guidance<br />
and mentoring.<br />
When women receive support in<br />
the form of mentoring not only<br />
do they win out, but so does their<br />
company.<br />
As stated by Dru Armstrong, CEO<br />
at Gracehill, “In my experience,<br />
a mentor is someone who I can<br />
get good guidance from based on<br />
their experience and their knowledge.<br />
I think it is critical as we<br />
think about women in leadership<br />
and how to accelerate putting the<br />
right people in key roles, regardless<br />
of gender, that the conversation<br />
includes both men and women,<br />
especially those in leadership<br />
positions today because they will<br />
be the ones to make the changes<br />
happen the most quickly.”<br />
When done with the best of intentions<br />
and in an environment<br />
where mentoring is endorsed<br />
and encouraged by leadership,<br />
it can bring men and women together<br />
to learn and collaborate<br />
in a safe way that is intentional,<br />
cost-effective and non-threatening,<br />
all while bridging the gap between<br />
people.<br />
The following list of questions<br />
should be considered when developing<br />
a mentor program,<br />
as well as revisited during the<br />
course of the program:<br />
What you need to know<br />
A defined program should outline<br />
what it includes in a mentor pro-<br />
52
gram and be designed to achieve<br />
the results you seek. If the goal<br />
is to advance more women into<br />
leadership roles (reasons will<br />
vary from company to company),<br />
then the program needs to<br />
be geared to this audience with<br />
the intent to inform, guide and<br />
support the female participants.<br />
As you’re designing the program,<br />
consider the following:<br />
-- How much time per week or<br />
month is required?<br />
-- Will it be one-on-one or group<br />
mentoring? If one-on-one, how<br />
will people be paired?<br />
-- How often will you have face<br />
time together?<br />
-- Will the program be formal or<br />
informal?<br />
-- Will you be using collaboration<br />
tools to document steps and calls<br />
to action?<br />
-- Where do you meet to have<br />
your discussions?<br />
-- Is there required “homework”<br />
that mentees must complete?<br />
-- What areas of interest will be<br />
discussed and does the mentee<br />
help decide this?<br />
-- What is the timeframe (per person)<br />
for the mentor program, or<br />
is it indefinite?<br />
-- Will the program be open to<br />
anyone interested?<br />
-- Will the program be offered in<br />
phases or an annual program?<br />
-- What qualifies people for inclusion<br />
in the program and how do<br />
they enroll?<br />
-- How do you define the end goal<br />
and how will you be able to gauge<br />
its success?<br />
These items need to be outlined,<br />
so each person understands<br />
what needs to be accomplished<br />
and what level of involvement is<br />
necessary for a mentor program<br />
to be successful.<br />
Even in the case of a casual mentoring<br />
program, there should be<br />
established guidelines, so each<br />
person understands the parameters<br />
and boundaries of the relationship.<br />
One thing to note is not to make<br />
the program an exercise in heavy<br />
lifting. It should be something<br />
both parties look forward to and<br />
are finding value within the interactions.<br />
Also, revisit the criteria<br />
you initially used to develop the<br />
mentor program and adjust as<br />
needed. Fine tuning along the way<br />
eliminates what doesn’t work and<br />
provides an opportunity to insert<br />
new ideas.<br />
Begin by looking around your<br />
workplace and note the people<br />
who are there. Who’s a great<br />
53
54<br />
“Though putting<br />
a price on the results<br />
of mentoring<br />
is tough, the value<br />
a mentoring program<br />
can bring is<br />
priceless.“
COMPANIES THAT HAVE MENTORING<br />
PROGRAMS ARE INVESTING IN THEIR<br />
GREATEST CAPITAL ASSET:<br />
THE EMPLOYEES<br />
communicator? A great collaborator?<br />
A team player? These<br />
are likely candidates for both the<br />
mentor and mentee roles and<br />
should be the people most heavily<br />
involved in its development, but<br />
not the only people who oversee<br />
it and have access to it.<br />
More passive or introverted people<br />
may be the people who need<br />
a mentoring program the most,<br />
so let’s not exclude them from the<br />
conversation.<br />
Also, don’t assume that only new<br />
talent is prime for being a mentee;<br />
anyone of any age should<br />
have access to a mentor if they<br />
so choose. This opens the door<br />
for guidance and support to be<br />
offered without exclusion based<br />
on age.<br />
Further, mentoring can take<br />
place with leadership mentoring<br />
to direct reports or peers mentoring<br />
peers. The most important<br />
consideration above all is whether<br />
or not the people involved possess<br />
the necessary qualities and<br />
interest, and will put in the time to<br />
give and get mentoring.<br />
Is it costly?<br />
Companies that have mentoring<br />
programs are investing in their<br />
greatest capital asset: the employees.<br />
Budget concerns will always be<br />
top of mind for the leadership in<br />
any organization, so when presenting<br />
reasons to leadership<br />
for why a mentoring program<br />
is needed within your company,<br />
you’ll need to put forward compelling<br />
reasons that are usually<br />
tied to financial results.<br />
Though putting a price on the results<br />
of mentoring is tough, the<br />
value a mentoring program can<br />
bring is priceless. When you’re<br />
able to qualify the data associated<br />
with outcomes tied to revenue,<br />
you will gain better traction and<br />
leadership buy-in which is necessary<br />
to ensure the program is<br />
55
taken seriously. Include numbers that directly hit<br />
the bottom line:<br />
-- time-to-fill for open positions<br />
-- the cost of employee turnover<br />
-- the cost of hiring externally versus internal promotions<br />
-- employee satisfaction and how this spills over to<br />
customer satisfaction which spills over to sales<br />
-- the direct monetary correlation between productivity<br />
and disengaged employees<br />
Whether the mentoring is a formal or informal program,<br />
employees recognize it as an extension of<br />
learning and development, which is becoming an increasingly<br />
important factor is someone’s decision<br />
to accept a new job or stay in the current one. For<br />
example, Gallup revealed that 59% of job-seeking<br />
Millennials take access to learning opportunities<br />
into account when considering a company for potential<br />
employment. This evaluation can negatively<br />
impact the employer brand in addition to creating<br />
a delay in filling open positions which has a direct<br />
correlation to revenue.<br />
“IN MY EXPERIENCE, A MENTOR<br />
IS SOMEONE WHO I CAN GET<br />
GOOD GUIDANCE FROM BASED<br />
ON THEIR EXPERIENCE AND<br />
THEIR KNOWLEDGE. I THINK IT IS<br />
CRITICAL AS WE THINK ABOUT<br />
WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP AND<br />
HOW TO ACCELERATE PUTTING<br />
THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN KEY<br />
ROLES, REGARDLESS OF GENDER,<br />
THAT THE CONVERSATION<br />
INCLUDES BOTH MEN AND<br />
WOMEN, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN<br />
LEADERSHIP POSITIONS TODAY<br />
BECAUSE THEY WILL BE THE ONES<br />
TO MAKE THE CHANGES HAPPEN<br />
THE MOST QUICKLY.”<br />
DRU ARMSTRONG | CEO<br />
GRACEHILL, INC<br />
NETWORKING & SHARING AT THE MULTIFAMILY<br />
LEADERSHIP SUMMIT- VIP EXPERIENCE<br />
56
57
MELISSA D. WHITE<br />
I’ve been in the <strong>Multifamily</strong> industry since 2004. I<br />
took a detour on my way to law school and landed<br />
my first leasing job out of college when I started<br />
with SALES, Inc. in 2004. It was an unconventional<br />
way to start as a National Leasing Expert, and I’ve<br />
had the amazing opportunity to lease and facilitate<br />
lease ups and rehab assets in several markets<br />
nationwide. In my 15 years, this industry has<br />
brought me great joy in serving with companies<br />
such as First Communities, Maxima Investments,<br />
GFI Management and Balfour Beatty.<br />
The <strong>Multifamily</strong> industry led me to discover my<br />
passion for sales, marketing and training. I am<br />
now the CEO & Principal Consultant of The Activation<br />
Hour, LLC, a Coaching & Consulting Agency for<br />
sales, marketing, media and training to <strong>Multifamily</strong>,<br />
Nonprofit, Corporate and Civic organizations.<br />
I’m also the Founder of Writing Our Wrongs, Inc. a<br />
501c3 on a mission to activate youth to write and<br />
speak for anti-bullying and social justice.<br />
# WEAREMULTIFAMILY<br />
N E T W O R K . L E A R N . S H A R E . M E N T O R . S U P P O R T . R E L A T E . E N C O U R A G E<br />
“ “ “<br />
BETSY KIRKPATRICK<br />
I’m from Charlotte, NC and I work for BG<br />
<strong>Multifamily</strong> as a National Account Executive.<br />
I am actively involved on a local,<br />
state, and national level and participate in<br />
committees in each. I am the secretary of<br />
my products and services council and extremely<br />
involved and vocal in government<br />
affairs and PAC.<br />
STEPHANIE WALTON<br />
ANDERSON<br />
I started in leasing and I have held a multitude<br />
of roles both ranging from Leasing<br />
to Director. Two months ago I took a leap<br />
of faith to join the non-profit segment. This<br />
is my opportunity to truly give back to the<br />
apartment Industry and focus my love of<br />
Operations into member education and involvement.<br />
REBECCA MIGNERY<br />
I am a community manager. I’ve been active<br />
in the multifamily industry for a little<br />
over 6 years, primarily in the Tax Credit<br />
side. I am a recent graduate of the C.A.M.<br />
certification course. I am on the Outreach<br />
and Green committee with our local apartment<br />
association. Outside our multifamily<br />
home I volunteer with the local U.S.O. and<br />
JDRF.<br />
58
AMY WILLIAMS<br />
I have had the good fortune of over 22 years in<br />
<strong>Multifamily</strong> Real Estate and Brokerage in the Pacific<br />
Northwest. I began my career like many of<br />
you, by chance and have had wonderful opportunities<br />
created through the passion for what we do,<br />
build communities and help people. I could speak<br />
to all of the great companies and real estate I<br />
have touched over the years, however, my biggest<br />
joy is participating in the growth of other professionals<br />
careers and helping young professionals<br />
find their way to success.<br />
Success looks different to all of us and after<br />
reading many of the #intro’s for this group, I am<br />
looking forward to celebrating the success and<br />
learning the stories of the women in the group.<br />
After spending some time reviewing #<strong>Multifamily</strong>Women<br />
I am excited to participate in this great<br />
resource for professional women in our industry.<br />
THE MULTIFAMILY WOMEN’S<br />
FACEBOOK GROUP IS A PLACE FOR<br />
SUPPORT, NETWORKING, AND SHARING<br />
Get to know the<br />
women making an<br />
impact in <strong>Multifamily</strong><br />
WITH OVER<br />
1,300 NEW<br />
MEMBERS IN<br />
LESS THAN<br />
30 DAYS, THE<br />
MULTIFAMILY<br />
WOMEN’S<br />
FACEBOOK<br />
GROUP IS<br />
MAKING A BIG<br />
IMPACT<br />
NATALIE ROSS<br />
I am currently the Regional Marketing Manager<br />
over New Development for Cortland. I’ve been in<br />
the apartment industry since I was 19, starting<br />
out in Charlotte, NC as a part-time leasing consultant<br />
and working my way up to Property Manager.<br />
I decided in 2017 to follow my dreams of<br />
marketing to Atlanta and the rest is history.<br />
Multi-Family is in my blood with both parents being<br />
in the industry longer than I have been alive. I<br />
couldn’t imagine any other career then the one I<br />
have now. I am so grateful for the amazing women<br />
that worked with me and on me to help me become<br />
the career-driven woman I am today, especially<br />
my mother. I’m so excited to be a part of this amazing<br />
group of women!<br />
59
<strong>Multifamily</strong>Women<br />
#WEAREMULTIFAMILY<br />
LEAH LOVE ORSBON<br />
I started my consulting business 5 years<br />
ago. I am a consultant for all things property<br />
management. I have over 17 years of experience<br />
in both conventional and student<br />
housing. My most recent project is my new<br />
podcast, The Leasing Leah podcast, which<br />
is industry related and I interview someone<br />
from the <strong>Multifamily</strong> industry each week.<br />
I am very happy to be a part of the group!<br />
TASHA PAMA<br />
I started in the business when I was 21 as<br />
Leasing Specialist. I immediately loved it<br />
and knew that this was what I wanted to<br />
do with my life. I had amazing role models<br />
and got my NALP certification which introduced<br />
me to so many phenomenal people.<br />
I’ve now been in the business a total of 10<br />
years and have never been happier. I truly<br />
love this job, the people in it, those that I<br />
get to meet and those that I will meet in the<br />
future.<br />
LINDSAY KABLER PEASE<br />
My love for our industry began 22 years<br />
ago when I was offered my first real job as<br />
a Leasing Consultant (at the tender age of<br />
8
M U L T I F A M I L Y W O M E N . C O M<br />
“I BELIEVE IN MENTORING<br />
THE NEXT GENERATION OF<br />
WOMEN IN OUR INDUSTRY.”<br />
KIM BREWER CROSS<br />
I started in <strong>Multifamily</strong> in 1990 with Lincoln<br />
Property Company on the IT side of our clients with all of their software<br />
8pm Monday thru Friday to assist<br />
the industry. Thru the years I have been issues. <strong>Multifamily</strong> has supported me<br />
an IT Director at property management thru all my life changes. Helped me<br />
companies. I am a certified Yardi Consultant.<br />
A Certified RealPage Consultant. I was gle mom. It gave me a career that I<br />
care for my three children as a sin-<br />
a VP at Entrata over the consulting team. am passionate about. It provided me<br />
I have had my own company since March with life long friendships. Attending<br />
1, 2013, Kim Senn Consulting. We are 16 conferences is not only for business<br />
members strong. We do implementations, but to hug the necks of friends I have<br />
training, support, and data conversions had for 30 years. I hope to be a mentor<br />
and of service.<br />
for most major software platforms. The<br />
outsource help desk solution runs 8am-<br />
I started in the business when I was<br />
12 years old, putting newsletters<br />
on apartment community doors. Officially,<br />
I got my start as a leasing<br />
consultant in Tulsa, OK. I now happily<br />
reside in Southern California. My focus<br />
on the corporate side of the business<br />
as my career progressed was<br />
in marketing and training. Today I am<br />
VALERIE SARGENT<br />
president of Yvette Poole & Associates,<br />
a company my business partner<br />
and I formed in 2005.<br />
DEBBY HIXSON EURE<br />
I am honored to be part of this group of<br />
overachieving women! I started in Property<br />
Management on April 1, 1975. That’s<br />
right...April Fool’s Day. I was a Junior in<br />
College at Christopher Newport in Newport<br />
News, VA. I had to know everything<br />
the Manager knew. In July 1976 I moved to<br />
Richmond, VA to be an Assistant Manager<br />
of a 683-unit community in the West End<br />
called London Towne. I became a Property<br />
Manager in 1977. Fast forward to 1999<br />
when I became the Director of Training,<br />
Marketing and Recruitment for Artcraft<br />
Management in Richmond. I later became<br />
a Regional Property Manager for them<br />
and in 2007, became a Property Manager<br />
again with a fabulous company, Drucker<br />
+ Falk. Along the way, I have been able<br />
to share experiences with CAM students,<br />
NALP students and various other PM folks,<br />
which is my passion. I have even taught<br />
Spanish to PM professionals! So, I have<br />
been able to “teach/share” throughout<br />
these many years! The most awesome experiences<br />
for me have been working with<br />
on-site teams. I have been at Colonial Pines<br />
since April 2007. It is a pleasure to come<br />
to work every day. My career has spanned<br />
almost 44 years!<br />
61
Voicceee of an Angeeel...<br />
Thheee<br />
Heeeart of a Warrior!<br />
Thheee<br />
Roseeeveeelt Rawls<br />
-<br />
Youthh Ambassador<br />
Chhildhheeelp®<br />
www.RoseeeveeeltSings.ccom<br />
ROSEVELT RAWLS: THE VOICE OF AN ANGEL...THE HEART OF A WARRIOR!<br />
Jane Seymore, Betty White, John Stamos, Cheryl Ladd, Kathy Lee Gifford, John O’Hurley, Michael Douglas<br />
and many more are “Celebrity Ambassadors” for one of the largest non-profit organizations in the world.<br />
Childhelp founders, Yvonne Fedderson and Sara O’Meara, personally extended an invitation to Rosevelt to<br />
be a Childhelp Youth Ambassador.<br />
Mission Statement: Childhelp exists to meet the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of<br />
abused, neglected and at-risk children. We focus our efforts on advocacy, prevention, intervention, treatment<br />
and community outreach. (from www.childhelp.org)<br />
As Youth Ambassador, Rosevelt hopes to align her talents with Childhelp to bring a greater awareness to<br />
those who can help – and bring more hope to those who need help. Her heart is saddened that kids her<br />
age and younger are abused, abandoned and mistreated. Rosevelt can’t imagine any reason, excuse or<br />
justification that would give permission to anyone to mistreat a child in any way.<br />
Rosevelt is only 11 and though she may not be not very big, she can use her incredible voice to speak (&<br />
sing) to people who will listen, and she’s prayerful that those who are in a position to contribute, will step<br />
up and step in. Rosevelt hopes that you’ll join her in speaking with a loud voice that abuse and neglect have<br />
no place in this world!<br />
100% of the proceeds from Rosevelt’s CDs and downloads will directly benefit the kids at Childhelp.<br />
“Thank you Yvonne and Sara, and all the hearts at Childhelp for this assignment. You’ve used your voice<br />
for 60 years. I hope to do you proud as the next generation’s voice. For my 12th birthday this year, I’m challenging<br />
everyone to take #RoseveltsChallenge.” - Rosevelt Rawls<br />
– Click HERE to find out more about Rosevelt’s Challenge and to participate.<br />
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MULTIFAMILY<br />
L E A D E R S H I P S U M M I T<br />
TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP<br />
INNOVATION<br />
<strong>Multifamily</strong>Leadership.com