The Campus Advantage Quarterly Newsletter
CAMPUS SUMMER 2015
ADVOCATE DESTINATION: MOVE-IN
The Campus Advantage team looks forward to kicking off this year’s move-in theme pg. 4
IN THIS ISSUE Property Spotlight Students FirstTM Conference Success Week Winners New Properties
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CAMPUS ADVOCATE SUMMER 2015 Rosemary Whaling Editor-in-Chief Katie Degutis Assistant Editor, Copywriter Lauren Goodman Art Direction Christy McFerren Creative Direction Luke Dyer
Interactive Distribution
CONTRIBUTORS Mike Peter Michael Hanley Katy Smerko Dan Oltersdorf Kelly Vickroy Claudia Chiquillo Kimberly Willcoxson
FROM COMMUNITY ASSISTANT TO CEO,
MOVE-IN DAY IS AN EXCITING TIME
AROUND CAMPUS ADVANTAGE. Staff has worked hard to pre-lease units and renew residents for another great year, and although the effort can be exhausting, the adrenaline runs high as the first students arrive. At Campus Advantage, we love to share in residents’ excitement as they embark on the next year at our properties. Move-in gives us the opportunity not only to be of service to our customers, but likewise allows us to hear what their expectations are for the coming year. It is the day we share our fi rst laugh, our fi rst bump in the hall, and, in some cases, the fi rst tears. This is where we begin to build a successful community. I, and every member of our senior leadership team, make it a priority to visit at least one of our communities to assist and welcome residents to their new homes. Most of us visit more than one, and you are likely to see us there in shorts and Ts breaking a sweat helping haul boxes and working the check-in tables. The opportunity to see what the true work realities are at the site level for our staff is invaluable, and we return to the home offi ce energized and truly connected to the reason why we started this business. The entire season is a reminder that we’re doing more than providing four walls and a roof for these residents, we’re invested in their future, and we can’t wait to help them succeed. This year is a move-in milestone for me personally as it marks the 25th year that I have participated in move-in — one year as a resident (community) assistant, two as a resident director, three as a manager, seven in various corporate roles, and now 12 years as CEO of Campus Advantage. Each year, Campus Advantage selects a theme for movein to help rally spirits and really welcome residents by showing them the kind of culture we have cultivated in our communities. This year’s move-in theme is travel and earlier this summer, our Residence Life team traveled to Winter Park, Colorado for our annual Students FirstTM Conference to prepare our Resident Directors for the challenging year ahead. Team members new and old came together, and I have no doubt the skills they learned will help make move-in and the upcoming year a great one for residents, staff, and everyone that is a part of the Campus Advantage family. As we welcome new team members and enter new markets, we recognize the successes we’ve had over the past 12 years and the hard work it took to get Campus Advantage where we are today. I look forward to seeing each property thrive next month at move in and throughout the next academic year, and wish everyone a successful turn season. Mike Peter CEO, Campus Advantage
LETTER FROM MIKE PETER 3
CAMPUS ADVOCATE
DESTINATION: MOVE-IN CAMPUS ADVANTAGE PREPARES FOR MOVE-IN 2015 There’s excitement in the air at student housing properties around the nation as we approach August and another year of “turn” — that special time when everyone is working around the clock to get units ready and welcome a new group of students for the fall semester. With such an experienced and dedicated team in place, it’s easy to forget about all of the work that goes in to the turn process. At Campus Advantage, we have a timetested and market-proven process in place for turn, and each year, things get smoother than the last. In just a matter of weeks, more than 8,000 apartments will be transformed from lived-in student hangouts to freshly cleaned and renewed apartments ready for move-in. Dedicated turn binders offer each property a collaborative online guide with the steps they need to take and the events that need to be taken care of prior to movein. While these and other tools are necessary — and we plan for every contingency — the biggest factor in developing a successful turn program is realizing that turn isn’t actually just those few weeks in August; turn is a yearlong process that begins the day residents move in. On move-in day, residents expect their new apartment to be clean and in great condition — it’s their first impression of the community, and although leasing gets them in the door, maintenance is a big part of what keeps them. Properties can boost retention through preventative maintenance checks
4 MOVE-IN 2015
each quarter and going the extra mile when fulfilling a maintenance request. Residents may not report a running toilet, but they’ll notice when it’s fixed, and it becomes one less thing to fix during turn. While the planning for turn begins in March, our maintenance and operations teams know that they’ve already been working toward it for months.
WE ARE EMBARKING ON
A YEARLONG JOURNEY OUR WITH RESIDENTS Move-in day can be a stressful time for everyone, as parents are saying goodbye to their kids. Along with the emotions, there’s extra traffic and, inevitably, something goes wrong that you didn’t plan for. But when you’ve been through as many move-ins as we have, you at least know how to handle it. At Campus Advantage, we help ease the move-in process by selecting a theme for move-in that helps get residents involved and engaged. This year’s move-in theme is travel and will introduce the yearlong journey that we are embarking on with residents new and old. Giving out travelthemed promo items or welcome baskets goes a long way toward making residents feel at home — it’s a great way to start the year on the right foot and show residents they aren’t just moving in to an apartment, they’re joining a community that cares.
PROPERTY SPOTLIGHT:
ARCADIA
QUICK FACTS LOCATION: Charlotte, NC
UNIVERSITY SERVED: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
NICKNAME: 49ers
MASCOT: Norm the Niner
COLORS: Green, White
NCAA CONFERENCE: Division 1
UNITS: 202
BEDS: 765
PROPERTY SPOTLIGHT: ARCADIA STUDENT LIVING Walking in to Arcadia Student Living may feel like you’re walking in to a vacation resort, but that’s not why residents are rushing to sign for another year; the staff is just as extraordinary as the grounds. The 765-bed property serves students at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and offers one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-bedroom units. Students visiting Arcadia won’t recognize it as your typical student housing community thanks to outstanding amenities, including an outdoor movie theater, bocce ball, a juice bar and yoga center, and more. Living at Arcadia looks more like you’re visiting a resort in the Swiss Alps than just two miles from campus. It’s no wonder residents can’t get enough of the Legendary Living offered here. The staff at Arcadia was able to overcome delays in move-in last year and has already reached 99.1% occupancy for fall 2015 and a 42% returning resident ratio while achieving higher rental rates. Learn more about Arcadia at arcadiastudentliving.com!
PROPERTY SPOTLIGHT 7
9TH ANNUAL STUDENTS FIRST CONFERENCE
TM
CAMPUS ADVOCATE
RESIDENCE LIFE DEPARTMENT HOSTS 9TH ANNUAL STUDENTS FIRST TM CONFERENCE IN WINTER PARK, COLORADO On June 8, 2015, Campus Advantage welcomed 25 Resident Directors and leasing managers to Snow Mountain Ranch in Winter Park, CO, for the 9th Annual Students First™ Conference. Together, they embarked on a weeklong summit focused on building them as leaders, as well as equipping them to develop and train their teams for success in residence life, marketing, and leasing. The week was filled with activities and training sessions designed to dig deep into the heart of Campus Advantage’s Students First™ experience. The unmatched Students First™ program is focused on providing exceptional customer service to our residents as we build a strong sense of community through rewarding experiences, meaningful connections, and excellent communication. Our goal is to create connections for our residents to be successful both now and in the future, and the conference attendees serve as our champions of this mission at the property level.
“IT’S NOT THE MOUNTAIN WE CONQUER, BUT OURSELVES.”
- EDMUND HILLARY
The attendees were trained on Campus Advantage’s philosophy and training materials, as well as how to go back and train their own teams this summer as we prepare for another successful school and leasing year. More importantly, the leadership sessions and connections that were made between attendees will provide them with the motivation and support systems to inspire them throughout the year. The team made sure to have some fun while they were there as well, including tubing down one of the country’s largest tubing hills, climbing and jumping off a 35-foot pole at the camp’s high-ropes course, a little trivia competition, and, of course, the conference’s traditional closing ceremony bonfire and s’mores. A big thanks goes out to all of those who helped make this conference a huge success, and we look forward to seeing all of the great things these leaders will do at their communities this year!
STUDENTS FIRST TM CONFERENCE 9
CAMPUS ADVOCATE
A LOOK BACK AT INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING As we embrace our move-in theme of travel this year, we can’t help but think back on the travel we’ve done over the last 12 years with our international consulting team. Whether we were traveling south to Mexico or around the world to Russia, our team is always excited to share their wealth of knowledge for projects big and small. Campus Advantage has sent teams to more than 10 countries to consult on development projects, site selection, market analysis, project feasibility studies, focus groups, design, investment structuring, and more. Our work has taken us to Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Mexico, Russia, the United Kingdom, and more, and we look forward to continuing our consulting services around the world.
Success APRIL 13-16, 2015
WEEK
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SUCCESS WEEK WINNERS At Campus Advantage, helping students succeed is of the utmost importance as we build our communities, and our Students First TM program is designed with this in mind. We offer a variety of events and activities to residents to teach soft skills not taught in school and provide experiences to help them grow both during their time as a Campus Advantage resident and after college. In the spring, Campus Advantage communities celebrated Success Week, where communities hosted events to help build residents’ living, learning, and career success. Four amazing prizes were raffled off to individuals who attended the events, and we are happy to announce the winners below:
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$4,000 grand prize — Paige Cashin of 4050 Lofts in Tampa, FL $1,000 Southwest gift card — Julia Gawel of Crimson in Tuscaloosa, AL $1,000 scholarship — Joshua Rosen of Windsor Hills in Blacksburg, VA $1,000 Macy’s gift card — James Molnar of Hannah Lofts in East Lansing, MI
Congrats to our winners, and a big thanks to everyone for making Success Week a huge success! We look forward to providing you with more amazing success events throughout the next year.
10 WHAT’S HAPPENING
WHAT’S HAPPENING
THE HYPE
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY THE LUXX
CAMPUS ADVOCATE
CAMPUS ADVANTAGE WELCOMES THREE NEW PROPERTIES We are proud to announce that Campus Advantage has added three new properties to our third-party management portfolio this quarter: The Luxx, The Depot, and The Hype. We are always excited to introduce our premier operations department and our award-winning Students First™ program to new markets and can’t wait to see the great things to come at each of these new properties. THE LUXX (WWW.LIVELUXX.COM)
The Luxx offers unbeatable amenities to the San Antonio market, including a Vegas-style pool and a 30-person hot tub, a two-story fitness center with its own spin room, and much more. • Caters to the University of Texas at San Antonio • 694 beds THE DEPOT (WWW.DEPOTATAKRON.COM)
Located right across the street from campus, The Depot offers affordable one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom units to students, while providing the best amenities in Akron. • Caters to the University of Akron • 624 beds THE HYPE (WWW.THEHYPEWACO.COM)
Green apartment living has a new standard at The Hype in Waco, Texas. This property is just across the street from Baylor’s new McLane Stadium and boasts an amazing resort-style pool, a fitness center with free fitness classes, and the best tailgating location in town. • Caters to Baylor University • 430 beds
NEW ADDITIONS 13 THE DEPOT AT AKRON
CAMPUS ADVOCATE
CAMPUS ADVANTAGE ADDS NEW TEAM MEMBER In the past few months, the Campus Advantage team has grown with the addition of Rosemary Whaling to our corporate office in the role of Vice President, Communications and Marketing. Join us in welcoming Rosemary, and keep an eye out for all of the great things she is sure to accomplish! Rosemary leads and manages all communications and marketing activities for the Campus Advantage corporate brand and works closely with all departments. Her role in planning, developing, and implementing marketing strategies, marketing communications, and public relations activities will continue to help increase Campus Advantage’s recognition as an innovative leader in student housing. Rosemary began her career with 10 years of progressive brand management and public relations responsibilities from Procter & Gamble. She has also worked with brands including Dell, Commemorative Brands, Sweet Leaf Tea, and HeatGenie.
Rosemary Whaling, VP, Communications and Marketing
ANNIVERSARIES 5 YEARS
2 YEARS
Thomas Bennett
Violetta Artz Laura Belalcazar Eric Chavez Anthony Lawrence Michael Madrid Kerry Mahoney Priscilla Ramirez Rachel Sadberry Ashley McCarty Asia Smith
Joseph Tynan Bryanna Hollis Brandon Motes Larry Motes Joanna Rose-Self Shane Simmons Anna Stubbs John Lowery
NEW TEAM MEMBERS & ANNIVERSARIES
AVAILABLE POSITIONS AT CAMPUS ADVANTAGE We are always looking for bright new members to add to our team. See below for open positions at both our corporate and property levels. For more information, please visit www.campusadv.com/careers.
CORPORATE OPENINGS Operations Specialist - Corporate
Corporate - Location Flexible
Accounting Manager
Corporate Headquarters - Austin, TX
Floating Leasing Manager - Corporate
Corporate - Location Flexible
Sr. Executive Assistant
Corporate Headquarters - Austin, TX
Vice President - Property Operations
Corporate Headquarters - Austin, TX
ON-SITE OPENINGS Maintenance Tech / Porter
318 Commons - Rochester, MN
Leasing Manager
4050 Lofts - Tampa, FL
Assistant General Manager
Cortland - Cortland, NY
General Manager
Cortland - Cortland, NY
Leasing Manager
Cortland - Cortland, NY
Maintenance Supervisor
Cortland - Cortland, NY
Resident Director
Cortland - Cortland, NY
AGM/Bookkeeper
Crimson - Tuscaloosa, AL
General Manager
Crimson - Tuscaloosa, AL
Leasing Manager
Crimson - Tuscaloosa, AL
Porter
Crimson - Tuscaloosa, AL
Leasing and Marketing Manager
Fifty Twenty-Five - San Diego, CA
Shuttle Driver
Fifty Twenty-Five - San Diego, CA
Assistant Property Manager
Islander Village - Corpus Christi, TX
Maintenance Technician
ON50 - Tampa, FL
General Manager
The Depot - Akron, OH
General Manager
The District on Luther - College Station, TX
Housekeeper
The District on Luther - College Station, TX
General Manager
The Highlands - Reno, NV
Maintenance Technician
The Highlands - Reno, NV
Resident Director
The Hype - Waco, TX
General Manager
The Luxx - San Antonio, TX
Housekeeper - Full Time
The Luxx - San Antonio, TX
Maintenance Technician
The Luxx - San Antonio, TX
Porter
The Luxx - San Antonio, TX
Lead Leasing Agent
Tobin Lofts - San Antonio, TX
Maintenance Technician
University Crossing - Manhattan, KS
JOIN OUR TEAM
110 WILD BASIN ROAD #365 AUSTIN, TX 78746 (512) 472-6222 WWW.CAMPUSADV.COM