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Washtenaw Area Apartment Association, Ann Arbor, Mich.

In 2021, the City of Ann Arbor passed two ordinances that were detrimental to rental housing: One preventing rental housing providers from running a criminal background check and a lease-signing ordinance preventing campus properties from signing leases until 150 days from the end of the lease. 

The Washtenaw Area Apartment Association (WA3) filed a lawsuit that challenged both ordinances, enduring protests from a graduate student organization as well as picketing at WA3 events. WA3 ran a fundraising campaign for legal fees as well as hiring a public relations firm, which raised nearly $90,000.

While the lawsuit was ultimately voluntarily withdrawn without prejudice on WA3’s attorney’s recommendation, the campaign was nevertheless successful in uniting campus housing providers and responding to the negative press.

On the service side, WA3 started a nonprofit called Grace Outreach in 2016, which aids families and veterans. While they had to temporarily stop collecting and delivering items, in May, one of the people they had previously helped moved again and they were able to provide her with additional items. 

Concerning education, WA3 was able to offer its members five credential courses by achieving agreement with all other Michigan associations to allow any of its members to attend classes at any association. 

In 2021, many of the WA3 members weren’t ready to return to in-person meetings, so the association developed ways to stay engaged virtually. They started a free, monthly “Coffee with Corporate” event, akin to a 30-minute reverse trade show, as well as a quarterly “Legal Corner.”

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Detroit Metropolitan Apartment Association (DMAA), Bingham Farms, Mich.

In response to the pandemic, staffing shortages and commitment during uncertain times, the Detroit Metropolitan Apartment Association (DMAA) delivered education to it members via virtual and in-person efforts to facilitate each students’ needs.

In 2021, DMAA membership participated in calls with regional managers and decision-makers throughout  the State of Michigan to learn how to navigate the pandemic. It also co-hosted free, quarterly legal sessions and Q&As, offering insight into issues affecting the industry.

DMAA is unwavering in its advocacy, and despite COVID and other obstacles, it found ways to bring issues affecting rental housing to policymakers. It also hosted fundraising events and initiatives to benefit NAAPAC, including a professional headshot fundraiser, surpassing its fair share goal for 2021. 

DMAA also is invested in giving back to the community. In 2021, its members twice supported Oakland Family Services’ reading initiative, reading to children during school closures. The books were then donated to the organization and children. DMAA also hosted its annual wrapping event at Friends of Foster Kids for foster children in the Detroit community.

DMAA consistently engages with its members, with a goal of visiting five to 10 member communities and offices a week. It also convenes several member-oriented events, including a golf outing, holiday party and its PRISM Awards, as well as a Halloween Karaoke networking event for current and prospective members.

The DMAA Team also visits participating communities for their “DMAA Takes A Tour” video segment on social media. It also launched its annual Designation Lunch to celebrate NAA credential earners.

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Arizona Multihousing Association, Phoenix

In 2021, Arizona Multihousing Association’s (AMA) education strategy was to provide new and engaging content, adding classes to its offerings such as assistant manager best practices and teaching maintenance and office staff how to communicate.

AMA also launched a free, monthly virtual class switching between two formats: A live Q&A, “Latte With Lawyer,” and a 30-minute lesson on topics ranging from economic forecasts to tips for virtual training.

In 2021, following four years of collaboration and coalition building, AMA worked to design and pass a bipartisan bill to create a state Low-income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) mirrored after the federal LIHTC program. Among the first in the nation to do so, AMA spearheaded efforts to require all Arizona courts to allow for virtual appearances. The measure effectively increased resident participation in hearings and reduced legal costs for owners and operators. The AMA also defeated over two dozen bills attempting to implement rent control, expand or implement new statewide eviction moratoria and seal eviction records, to name a few.

AMA also worked to reform all local and statewide Emergency Rental Assistance Programs, ensuring owners were made whole again with over $320 million in disbursed emergency assistance.

In June, members vied for the title of “Charity Week Champion” by holding fundraising events for AMA’s first-ever Charity Week Competition. Centered around a boxing theme with two “weight classes,” property management companies and industry partners, AMA members raised $31,270.94, with all proceeds benefiting AMA’s many charitable partners.

Patrick McCloud, Chief Executive Officer, Virginia Apartment Management Association, Hampton Roads, Va.

Patrick McCloud has established himself as a leading voice for the industry, highly sought by the press for commentary and instrumental in helping VAMA transform the way the apartment industry in Virginia is portrayed by the media.

Throughout his career as an AE, he has served NAA in many capacities, including on the NAA and NAAEI boards and chairing the Association Executives Council. He is also the consummate educator, with 15 years’ training experience specializing in operational management and legal/risk management. He developed VAMA’s first ever Department of Professional Occupational Regulation (DPOR)-approved Fair Housing program and also provides monthly Fair Housing training, with 853 attendees in 2021.

McCloud has been at the helm of many of VAMA’s greatest legislative victories, like the years-long fight against source of income laws, bringing down barriers to housing construction, financing housing affordability and local issues like pool regulations and mulch ordinances.

McCloud was integral to the improvements made to Virginia’s Rent Relief Program (RRP), which now stands as an example for the nation. His advocacy helped the apartment industry push back on destructive barriers to participation in the RRP, like rent forgiveness requirements and a lack of transparency for housing providers.

Thanks to his years of preparation and his steady leadership at the onset of the pandemic, VAMA not only survived through COVID, but thrived. To wit: McCloud’s advanced technical abilities helped in setting up two of VAMA’s largest events in 2021 as hybrid events for both in-person and virtual attendance, April’s VAMA Conference and October's ACE Awards.

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Pangea Properties, Chicago

Founded in 2008, Pangea Real Estate is an owner-operator of multifamily communities in Chicago, Indianapolis and Baltimore, with 13,000 units across more than 500 properties under management.

In 2012, the company launched Pangea Cares, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with the goal of helping its communities from the inside out. With the Pangea Cares initiative, the Pangea Family works to make a meaningful social impact through three pillars of service: Food and Nutrition, Education Enrichment and Community Development.

With the help of the community, and through partnerships with The Greater Chicago Food Depository and local shelters as well as internally led initiatives, Pangea Cares has helped to make nutritious foods available to those who need it. One such effort included preparing and delivering 175 Thanksgiving meals for residents in need. 

Pangea Cares believes that future leaders, with the right foundation, are poised to become agents of change in their families, neighborhoods and wider communities. In that spirit, it has created several programs within Pangea Cares to support youth education in its communities.

Pangea Cares also believes a beautiful and safe neighborhood brings communities together. It strives to make its neighborhoods the kind that residents love to live in and can be proud of through participating in local events and leading clean-up efforts in local gardens and community areas. It takes a collaborative approach, working with its residents, employees, local government and nonprofit organizations. Since Pangea Cares began, its employees have consistently participated in monthly volunteer events, collectively donating more than 9,850 hours of their time. 

Cortland – The Associate Journey, Atlanta

Cortland views supporting industry careers as a “R.O.A.D.” to exceptional experiences with four waypoints: Recruiting, Onboarding, Advancing and Developing.

Cortland focused on university and community outreach to promote industry careers for the Recruiting waypoint, guest-lecturing at the University of Georgia and partnering with Project Destined for a Financial Modeling Internship, a four-day virtual program for underserved Atlanta-
area college students. It also led a company-wide Commitment Week, where employees completed various services including building houses, washing clothes for people in need and cleaning up spaces.

Cortland believes the Onboarding waypoint is crucial to promoting apartment careers. Each role in the organization has a specific learning plan, where new associates complete instructor-led and computer-based training. New associates receive peer coaching during structured virtual and in-person meetings.

The goal of the Advancing waypoint is to keep associates challenged and engaged. Once an associate is certified in their current role, they can access course content for additional roles to continue to prepare for career advancement. Likewise, the Empower Peer Coaching initiative serves to allow high-achieving, existing associates an opportunity to advance their skillset through mentoring, giving feedback, coaching and evaluating performance.

For the Developing waypoint, Cortland invests in its leaders so they are well-equipped to develop others. In 2021, this included an experiential learning program called Leaders Boot Camp, a series of virtual training events blended with self-assessments, knowledge checks and post-session activities, and the annual Cortland Prime event, where community managers, service managers and regional leaders attend executive-led professional development sessions and team-building activities.

Sloane Cerbana, Director of Career Development, Washington Multi-Family Housing Association, Renton, Wash.

Sloane Cerbana joined the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association in 2008 as Director of Career Development. Since then, she has positively impacted thousands of professionals with top-quality educational programs, empowering students to pass along their knowledge, build their industry network and include association involvement in their education.

Cerbana stewards WMFHA’s Education Scholarship Fund, and in 2021, $38,100 was awarded to 28 students to participate in credential programs.

One of her many passions is diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA). She is a founding member of the WMFHA’s DEIA steering committee and executes her work with an equitable and inclusive lens. She completed a rigorous Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace certificate program with the University of South Florida Muma College of Business in 2021, and also teaches monthly fair housing classes.

One of Cerbana’s current efforts is partnering with NAAEI to pilot a Property Maintenance Pathway program. Targeting opportunity youth, this effort will not only attract potential maintenance talent but also reach marginalized communities.

Between in-person classroom offerings and virtual classes, Cerbana is committed to serving members’ educational needs with a dedication to educating and motivating members to grow their careers and industry experience. The impressive accomplishments of WMFHA’s educational programs in 2021 included over 60 classes with over 3,600 student attendees.

Cerbana also assisted North Seattle College develop a Property Management bachelor’s degree of applied sciences and serves as the Chair of the degree’s Program Advisory Board. She works on her own time to ensure WMFHA members have a direct pipeline to graduating students of this degree program.

Richard George, CEO, Blue Door Apartments, Rochester, Mich.

Richard George is known in the industry as the “NOI Coach.” An NAAEI Senior Faculty member, George has been in the industry over 30 years, beginning as a groundskeeper in college. He is now a partner in or owns four industry-service companies, and is an independent rental owner and investor. He has authored three books, one in partnership with NAAEI as the text for the Advanced Facilitator Training (AFT) and Virtual Facilitator Training (VFT) programs. 

Not only is George an outstanding example of residential property management career success, he truly believes in giving back, demonstrated by the countless hours of volunteer time given to NAAEI. Between time spent on the AFT and VFT programs, and his significant role in both CAM and CAPS as a subject matter expert, he volunteered over 400 hours of his time in 2021.

Those who have heard his story know that he often prefaces it by saying, “I share my story with you not to brag, but to demonstrate the opportunity in our industry is real.”

As a key member of the Senior Faculty for almost 15 years, he has been an essential part of the journey in creating over 400 members of NAAEI’s faculty. He teaches over 10 CAM courses and at least five CAPS programs annually and was instrumental in in the development of NAAEI online curriculum since the offerings began. He is a frequent speaker at Apartmentalize and has always remained on committees and boards at the local, state and national levels.

Jamie Medina, CAM, Property Manager, Woodlands Village Apartments, Flagstaff, Ariz., Bella Investment Group, LLC

Jamie Medina has been with Bella Investment Group for five years, currently serving as the Manager of one of the largest communities in its portfolio.

Under her attentive eye, Medina maintained high occupancy during the pandemic, resulting in a 4% increase in occupancy, 6% increase in total income and 9% increase in NOI from 2020 to 2021. In 2021, Medina’s community averaged 97% occupancy, 52% lease conversion and optimized minimum vacancy.

Medina ensured her team worked alongside struggling residents to reduce delinquency and, following the eviction moratorium, avoid eviction filings through connecting residents will local and national rent relief programs.

Medina’s professional accomplishments include nominations for the AMA Manager of the Year Outside the Valley Award (2021 and 2022), recipient of the Alexandra Jackiw Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship, graduate of the NAA Diversity Leadership program and acceptance into the AMA's 2022 Leadership Lyceum program.

As an industry champion, Medina has passionately served on the AMA Membership and Charitable Fund (AMCF) committees. She also serves as the Chairperson for the Bella Initiative of Grace (BiG) Fund, which saw record grant gifting in 2020 and 2021.

Medina actively engages with her community. Her passion for engagement and creating inclusive places of belonging has led to partnerships with local vendors for resident events and creative connections with her residents that have maintained resident satisfaction and retention. For three consecutive years, communities under her leadership have placed in or won the annual Best of Flagstaff competition for favorite Apartment Community.

Erin Heathers, CAM, CAPS, Regional Manager, Epic Asset Management, Seattle

When Erin Heathers began earning her CAPS credential in August 2019, she questioned if she wanted to continue in the industry. However, her love for the industry was restored after the time spent learning and networking, and in January 2020, she reclaimed a Regional Manager position with a newly gained confidence and CAPS credential. 

With an emphasis on operations, Heathers’ specialty is tactical business plans for repositioning assets. With a head for numbers and a heart for people, she brings a creative approach to asset performance with a people-first mindset. She says accountability and teamwork make the difference between a community that operates and a truly “Epic” asset.

Heathers is also actively engaged with the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association, currently serving on its board of directors.

Among her many efforts during the pandemic, she conducted an eviction moratorium delinquency initiative, where she created comprehensive delinquency and rental assistance reporting for the organization, assisting over 400 households stay in their homes with more than $5.5 million in city funding as of the time of her award application. She also served as a Washington Professional Services Plan COVID-19 Program Administrator, producing weekly tracking for required COVID-19 compliance and PPE inventory workbooks for 38 sites.

She organized a “CAREvan” to travel to Epic communities with care packages, letting residents know that the organization appreciated its essential workers. The CAREvan story was featured on local evening news. She says she is very proud to have conceived of and brought
to fruition this effort to show the industry in a positive light.

Heather Edwards, CAS, Marketing & Training Director, Apartment Advantage Staffing, Bellevue, Wash.

As Marketing & Training Director for Apartment Advantage Staffing Seattle, Heather Edwards assists the company’s employees with training, mentorship and overall career growth support. She teaches the company’s Career Advantage Academy Leasing-In-Training (LIT) classes, bringing new associates into the industry. 

When the pandemic began, she had to pivot to support employees in new ways. She began holding virtual LIT classes and quickly prepared a plan to provide PPE kits to all employees to make sure they returned to work safely, ensuring that clients’ staffing needs were met, too. She also manages the Dress for Success Career Apparel program to help employees jump-start their professional wardrobe.

During the pandemic, Edwards trained 162 new associates, and her team has seen continued growth, provided new career opportunities in property management and met the staffing needs of the clients. She is always looking for new ways to generate business, and has grown the company’s online presence by more than 25% during the past two years.

She says her philosophy is to remain a lifelong student, striving to learn something new every day. Edwards says that earning her Certified Apartment Supplier (CAS) credential has shown her that industry suppliers need to be committed to themselves, their companies and clients because their roles have an enormous impact on how the apartment industry operates. She says earning the CAS has given her the ability to see all sides of property management and can effectively put herself in the industry’s shoes to see how staffing services affect apartment communities today and in the long term. 

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Contemporary Housing Alternatives of Florida, Clearwater, Fla.

Formed in 1992, Contemporary Housing Alternatives of Florida, Inc. (CHAF) provides affordable housing for low- and moderate-
income individuals and families. CHAF currently has 17 properties with 569 units throughout Pinellas County.

During the pandemic, CHAF said it was struggling to figure out how to recover rental income and at a loss for how to help residents get back on their feet. CHAF’s Director of Property Management Holly Butler had an idea to help, which ultimately led to what the company calls its “Back on Track” program, designed to reduce the rent owed and help local communities in the process.

CHAF said a lot of their residents lost jobs or were given reduced hours because of the pandemic. To help those facing a rental delinquency situation, if the resident volunteers one hour of community service to a nonprofit organization, CHAF would write off $100 per hour worked. The program, which was offered from April 2020 to May 2021, had a high level of participation, writing off approximately $25,000 through resident community service efforts that included picking up 400 pounds of trash in Pinellas County and working at local food banks. The program received great feedback and was featured on local news stations and the Tampa Bay Times.

Truly a win-win situation, CHAF’s “Back on Track” initiative not only provides relief to those in their communities, it also proved an immense help to the many dedicated nonprofits involved with assisting those suffering from the impacts of COVID-19. 

Khara House, CAM, Director of Community Engagement, Bella Investment Group, Flagstaff, Ariz.

Colleagues of Khara House say she is a tremendous champion and advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). At Bella Investment Group, House provides her leadership to the company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group and is a constant advocate for the integration of DEI in company culture.

A DEI educator, facilitator and advocate at the local, state and national levels, House leads a variety of DEI-centric workshops. She also assisted in the development of the Arizona Multihousing Association’s (AMA) adoption of DEI initiatives.

As a member of NAA’s DEI Committee, she led the creation of NAA’s Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit, pledge and company/association D&I statement guidance. She also serves as a mentor for the NAA Diversity Leadership Program.

House has had a significant impact on the broader community. She received a 2020 Key to the City of Flagstaff for community advocacy, including the writing and adoption the Lived Black Experience Strategic Plan and co-hosting the Lived Black Experience CommUnity Dialog series.

House also leads the Coconino African Diaspora Advisory Council, which recently led to productive conversations with the Commonwealth of Virginia on its plans to establish and African Diaspora Advisory Board. She also serves on Sen. Mark Kelly’s African American Advisory Council.

Said one colleague, “Khara takes the impact of DEI to heart, and strives daily to improve our company culture, our residents’ lives and the betterment of our Flagstaff community.  I truly believe this is Khara's heart, played out in a way that makes us all better humans.”

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Centerspace, Minot, N.D.

Centerspace seeks to create a culture that is inclusive, equitable and diverse by fostering an environment where every idea can be heard and everyone belongs. Its DE&I roadmap is built on four pillars: Education, Workplace, Community and Partnerships.

Centerspace has a communications and training plan to create greater awareness and develop greater skills around DE&I, as well as information and ongoing education to its team members through a dedicated resource page on their intranet. It also requires annual compliance training on diversity.

Its culture values the contributions of all team members, and its commitment to the workplace begins with recruitment. Both of its recruiters are graduates of the Qualified Diversity Recruiter Program through HRCI.org. It actively seeks opportunities to recruit diverse candidates through career fairs such as the MLK Jr. Diversity Career Fair in Minneapolis and the Diversity Employment Day Career Fair in Denver.

Centerspace also has removed criminal history disclosure and wage history from applications to avoid potential discriminatory hiring practices. Its team members also chart its direction through service on the company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Representatives from all levels and areas of the organization are invited to self-nominate, with committee members selected by the DE&I Steering Committee.

Its outreach activities and charitable giving support diverse organizations to help create better days for everyone. Through its Centerspace Cares program, it not only makes monetary contributions, but allows its staff 32 hours annually to volunteer for the organization of their choice. For partnerships, it seeks to align with individuals and companies with a demonstrated commitment to DE&I.

Eddy Perez, CAM, CAPS, ARM, General Manager, KETTLER, Celebration, Fla.

Eddy Perez is a leader who has proven that with wise council, education, diligence and fervor, one does not need to wait until the “wise years” to make an impact.

When considering individuals like Perez, it is reassuring to know that the industry will remain in good hands as the next generation of leaders emerges.

Perez’s started with KETTLER in 2020 on a lease-up that was 40% occupied, just before the pandemic began. Within nine months, he and his team leased-up Trelago Apartments and had the asset firing on all cylinders. His effort garnered him the opportunity to lease-up KETTLER’s Florida flagship asset, Delamarre at Celebration, a two-phased 474-unit class A product. With his leadership successful development of KETTLER’S Florida teams, Perez was promoted to General Property Manager, overseeing both Delamarre and Trelago.

Under his leadership, the Florida team powered through the lease-up and exceeded pro forma rent and occupancy by 30% within eight months. Perez has been instrumental in the expansion of the KETTLER brand in the Southeast as well as a critical player in the creation of KETTLER's Diversity Council. He was named KETTLER’s 2021 Rookie of the Year.

Perez was named to NAA’s 20 in Their Twenties in 2021 and IREM’s 30 under 30 in 2020, is a graduate of the Apartment Association of Greater Orlando’s (AAGO) LEAP program and the Florida Apartment Association's Leadership Lyceum. He is presently in NAA’s Diversity Leadership Program, a member of the AAGO Board of Directors, Government Affairs Council and DE&I Committee.

Ramon Nunez, CAM, CEO and Managing Director, Bravo Capital Management, Houston

Bravo Capital Management is an apt example of independent rental ownership. It owns two communities and manages three, with 107 units total, and is involved in every aspect of the business.

CEO and Managing Director Ramon Nunez started working at the communities in 2016, purchasing them in 2019. He says that it was through hard work, saving money, learning the business and buying the communities that makes him thankful for his American Dream coming true.

One unique offering is a credit builder program to increase residents’ credit scores for paying rent on time. The company also improved its resident experience in 2017 by adding online applications, renewals, rent payments, work orders and text messages, as well as smartphone front gate access in 2019.

In 2020, Bravo created a COVID-19 Resident Support Program to help with processing applications for rent assistance. Its team had weekly correspondence and meetings with each resident to discuss the progress of their applications, resulting in no evictions in 2019, 2020 and through the time of this award application in 2021.

Nunez says they are incredibly involved with making their community a better place to live. In 2018, he formed a task force to bring together stakeholders for community improvement, including the Houston Police Department (HPD) commander and the Spring Branch Management District (SBMD) Safety Board to try to solve for an uptick in criminal activity, resulting in increased police and security patrols, more mobile courtesy cameras installed and increased awareness among HPD of issues in the community.

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The Flats at Tioga Town Center, Newberry, Fla., Hankin Apartments, Exton, Pa.

Tioga Town Center is an award-winning, 23-acre, mixed-use lifestyle center featuring over 30 businesses, 184 luxury apartment homes at The Flats at Tioga Town Center, an amphitheater, a public playground and ample greenspace. The community fully embraces the invigorating mix of living, shopping, working and dining with numerous local businesses, restaurants, health and fitness center, luxury residential apartments, electric car charging stations and more.

Tioga Town Center was created to provide a sense of connectivity and community within the Greater Gainesville Region, with a goal of fostering an environment where people can “Live, Shop, Dine, Play” in the heart of a walkable, friendly, local town center. It believes in offering exceptional amenities at an exceptional value, and offering beautiful spaces open to the public to encourage a thriving neighborhood community.

Tioga Town Center plays host to many exciting events, inviting families and guests of all ages to enjoy local, outdoor entertainment at the covered amphitheater at The Square. Tioga Town Center and The Flats also strongly believes in giving back to its community, hosting an Annual “Days of Giving” tradition of giving back to those in need, hosting nonprofit organization events and fundraisers, and intentionally making the effort to consistently invest in the Greater Gainesville Region. 

It says its happy residents are the culmination of inspiring leadership, strong dedicated team members, a focus on culture and comradery and a desire to continue to elevate the level of service and dedication to the community.

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The Cottages of Cypresswood, Spring, Texas, Q10 Property Advisors, Houston

The Cottages of Cypresswood will take you back to the good ol’ days with its rustic charm and welcoming Southern hospitality. The Cottages, built in 1984, is a one-of-a-kind community with 136 units, offering both apartments and townhomes. It features a fishing pond with two oversized cedar bridges, as well as a petite, resort-style pool perfectly sized for the quaint community. Extreme care has been put into updating the community and the property, providing the best value for its residents while adding value to the community. Updated interiors and rejuvenated patios and balconies add style and purpose to each apartment. The location is ideal, close to shopping, dining and entertainment, and surrounded by single- family homes to create the perfect lifestyle for any family size. 

The staff are highly active in community outreach, including participation in school events, parades and in local crime prevention. The staff participates in “Meet the Teacher” night with refreshments and also provided meals to students during the pandemic. The community works with local Harris County officials for kids education, community action for crime and awareness in general. The time invested in the community has allowed the Cottages of Cypreswood to be a sought-after environment for educators and bus drivers, with those two occupations alone comprising 15% of current occupancy with that number expected to grow. Through hosting resident events twice a week, capturing the “There’s no place like home” vibe is something that Cottages at Cypresswood strive to maintain.

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Uncommon Athens, Athens, Ga., CA Management Services, Chicago

Uncommon Athens, serving students at the University of Georgia, is a boutique-style community with 210 beds, allowing staff to build relationships with each resident, creating a close-knit environment. Located close to campus and downtown Athens, students enjoy the convenience of easy access to their classes as well as the city’s historic culture, restaurants, shops and vibrant art scene.

The community offers one-, two- and four-bedroom furnished floor plans fitted with various elevated amenities including stainless steel appliances, granite kitchen countertops, in-unit laundry and several tech features. The community also features state-of-the-art fitness center and sauna, clubroom, study rooms, golf simulator, game room, terrace with grilling areas overlooking downtown and much more. All programming, events and amenities are designed for residents’ academic success as well as their health and wellness.

The property was built with sustainability in mind. The property team collaborates with the corporate office to regularly monitor utility usage against defined targets, and communicates with residents ways to reduce their footprint. Uncommon Athens, and the company’s entire portfolio, has received Energy Star certification and are recognized by the GRESB.

Uncommon’s strategies to serve residents and the surrounding community have proven extraordinarily successful. The property maintained a 99.5% occupancy rate through 2021, and currently is 99.1% occupied. They have a 35.2% renewal rate and are 86.2% pre-leased for the upcoming fall 2022 leasing season. Uncommon has consistently maintained over a 10% favorable leasing velocity year-over-year while increasing rates, remaining one of the top competitors in the local student housing market.

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Chadwell Supply, Tampa, Fla.

Chadwell Supply is a multifamily maintenance supplier with the highest fill rate in the industry. The company strives to provide an unforgettable customer service experience, and its sales associates and renovations experts treat its customers like family. It remains committed to helping clients keep their properties running smoothly and on budget.

Chadwell describes how it exemplifies excellence in three words: Relationships. Service. Commitment.

It maintains a small business approach to its ever-expanding reach, remaining firmly rooted in the fundamentals that has allowed it to grow across multiple regions since opening its doors to the industry in 2008. 

Customization and personalization are the foundations of its operations. In each of its growing local markets, it focuses on building personal relationships at the community level and keeping its brand rooted in its people. The family-owned company empowers its team to act quickly and do what’s best for customers. It works to align with the operational objectives of its clients, and its efforts to maximize order fulfillment and inventory management help customers maximize their budgeted potential as well as resident satisfaction.

Chadwell Supply’s passion for the industry expressed through local customer appreciation events, support for local apartment associations (staff is actively involved and holds leadership roles in apartment associations throughout NAA’s network) and training opportunities through Chadwell University (partnering with 23 associations in 2021 for 82 certification and training classes). Says the company, “Our customers work hard for their residents, so we work hard for them.”

Elizabeth Francisco, President, ResMan, Plano, Texas

In her 30 years in the industry, Elizabeth Francisco has continuously demonstrated commitment and service to her residents, team members and investors while working for a multifamily operator, and then to her customers, partners, corporate staff and investors at ResMan.

 Francisco has been actively involved with NAA throughout her entire career, starting out as a leasing agent who took advantage of the educational and networking opportunities offered by her local NAA affiliated apartment association to learn the business and develop the skills and connections that enabled her to move through the ranks to Vice President of Operations. With the launch of ResMan, she continued to support NAA and its educational, legislative and charitable initiatives, investing her time and company resources.

Francisco’s commitment to the multifamily industry extends beyond her involvement with NAA. She is generous with her time and says she thrives on connecting with and advising individuals and companies across the industry. She finds formal and informal ways to help people and organizations succeed: She supports technology suppliers to the multifamily industry through ResMan’s partner network, which enables both new and established software companies to connect to ResMan and access a new sales channel for very little cost, as well as educates the industry on critical topics and provides a forum for innovative operators and suppliers to share their stories through her “Trailblazing” podcast series, webinars and blogs.

She also finds time to mentor and coach many women leaders within multifamily supplier and operator communities—helping them to address challenges, build confidence and overcome barriers.

Ashlee Partin, Affinity Waste Solutions, Sanford, Fla.

Ashlee Partin is a born leader, connector and relationship builder. Her colleagues say that when you meet her, you’re instantly making a friend in the industry forever.

Partin is involved in much more than sales. In addition to planning events and volunteering at local and state apartment associations, one of her primary passions is being an advocate and cheerleader for her peers. She truly believes that helping others become successful will help you become more successful.

Like many other sales professionals, Partin had a challenging year considering pandemic-driven labor shortages, where her company had a difficult time keeping up with growth while finding talent to do the work. The company paused all sales growth in July 2021 for 90 days, wanting to ensure its customer service to its existing clients remained top notch before adding new business. While 90 days became 120 days of paused sales, she still managed to grow sales 100% over her goals and closed more units than the rest of the sales team combined.

Although sales briefly paused, Partin didn’t. Without previous experience, she started recruiting for the company and interviewed more than 1,500 candidates across the country. As one colleague says, “She wanted to help in any way she could, because that’s just who she is. She’s a problem-solver, a team player and doesn’t care what the mountain is in front of her, she climbs it and finds a way to navigate to the top and she brings everyone she can with her.”

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Santa Maria Apartments, Indus Communities, Houston

Santa Maria Apartments offer a comfortable, modern lifestyle for residents, with its newly remodeled one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes located near many popular attractions, including the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Houston Zoo and Space Center Houston.

The renovation of Santa Maria Apartments took place in stages over 12 months. Its initial occupancy was about 67%, and during the renovation period its monthly revenue increased 72.2%. Today, it is stabilized at 95% occupancy.

The Indus rehab team began by replacing all the doors and HVAC systems, and all windows were replaced with energy-efficient options. Then came more capital-intensive exterior projects such as painting and replacement of siding and fascia. Interiors were upgraded, and a new parking lot and playground were installed.

Residents now enjoy tiled flooring, granite countertops, brand-new appliances, new lighting and plumbing, covered parking, and a completely new playground for children. Additional onsite amenities are available, such as laundry facilities in each building, on-call maintenance, access to Indus swimming pools, free community events and limited access gates.

Given Santa Maria Apartments’ proximity to other Indus-owned assets, the company was able to centralize a shared amenity with the installation of a resident learning lab filled with computers pre-loaded with reading applications for children. Community organizations are also encouraged to utilize the space to offer programs like continuing education, senior health initiatives and government-subsidized health care programs. The new parking areas create other opportunities for additional collaborations and partnerships, including free COVID testing as well as food distribution to those in need. 

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Tierra Vista Communities, Colorado Springs, Colo., Lendlease and WinnMilitary

Tierra Vista Communities (TVC), a 50-year partnership between the Department of the Air Force and Lendlease through the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI), has provided communities where military families can live and work, and thrive for nearly 15 years. Comprised of over 900 homes across Peterson Space Force Base and Schriever Space Force Base, TVC has been responsible for planning, designing and managing the communities since 2007.

TVC comprises two-, three- and four-bedroom homes designed for active duty, reserve, and single or unaccompanied military members of all services and their families. New homes feature Energy Star appliances, technology niches and covered porches for integrated indoor/outdoor living with a focus on sustainability. Environmental, social and economic sustainability is integrated into every facet of the community. Sustainability is highlighted through educational and family-focused resident programs, local partnerships, the use of small and local businesses and innovative safety programs.

TVC provides an environment where residents feel supported while enduring the demanding military life. Its staff is comprised of highly qualified individuals, and it provides continuing education opportunities to achieve the highest satisfaction throughout the resident experience.  

The TVC team successfully hosted nearly 50 virtual and in-person resident experiences in 2021, including establishing drive-through breakfast on the run events and a Home for the Holidays community parade.

Understanding the stress that can come with military life, TVC sees great importance in providing programs that support educational growth and alleviate pressures when a spouse is away, including a Deployed Spouses Program and the BlueStar Scholarship Program, providing up to $5,000 for high school seniors.

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Elmhaven Manor, The Associated Management Company, Livonia, Mich.

Built in 2004, Elmhaven Manor is finished with a brick exterior complimented by a timeless design. Lush landscaping surrounds the community, allowing residents to step out from their patios and enjoy the outdoors. Its offices are conveniently located on the first floor with the team always on standby to help. The dining area is off the firelit entry lobby, where residents have meals prepared for them by a catering company. Other amenities include a convenience store, gym, library, arts and crafts room, movie theater and lounge.

Elmhaven Manor says affordable senior housing doesn’t mean one has to give up their independence or what they expect from a community. It puts its residents first and foremost, ensuring they have a calendar packed with social activities such as bingo, trivia, arts and crafts and more. Their Activity Coordinator creates a weekly events roster, including healthy options like yoga and walking groups. Elmhaven Manor also provides transportation for residents to local stores.

The staff is always ready to help our residents with all their maintenance and service needs, including the “Haven Handyman” service for hanging shelves, assembling TV stands, installing closet organizers and rearranging furniture.

Elmhaven Manor gives back to the community in many ways, supporting organizations throughout Michigan and participating in give-back events. Every employee is given a paid day off to donate a time to the charity of their choice. The community also provides annual scholarships to deserving students, one worthy resident (or child or grandchild of a resident) and one TAMC employee or employee family member.

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Second + Delaware, Yarco Company Inc., Kansas City, Mo.

Second+Delaware Apartments is a four-acre campus with 276 luxury housing units consisting of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. Designed to last 200 years, Second+Delaware holds the distinction of being the Largest Passive House Community built in the world and one of the first in the United States.

The building is designed to use between 80% and 92% less energy in day-to-day operations than comparable buildings in the area. The triple-glazed windows and 16-inch-thick insulated concrete walls provide much higher controllability of interior temperature year-round. The HVAC system actively draws in 50 cubic feet of fresh air per minute, providing exceptional high fresh air circulation and high air filtration. The 300 KW array of 760 solar panels cover 14,000 square feet, producing electricity to be used onsite. 

It has a large community room with a full kitchen, billiard space, management offices, conference room, fitness center, wellness yoga studio, four gas firepits and soft seating area, three outdoor barbeque grills, private reservable rooms and activity room. Also available are a package delivery system, wellness center, concierge service, weekly yoga classes and resident activities, complimentary refreshment bar, valet trash service and controlled video entry.

There are 500 underground parking spaces, electric vehicle charging stations and bicycle storage. There are also two pet-friendly pocket parks, a 30,000 square foot green rooftop with 110 resident garden beds and a resort-style saltwater pool overlooking the Missouri River.

The property features and overall sustainability resulted in a 97% occupancy within six months of unit delivery date.