President’s Corner – Let’s recognize and honor the lifeblood of our industry’s customer service.

By CHRISTY RODRIGUEZ, 2022 HAA President

This month’s issue focuses on the heroes of our multifamily properties – our maintenance and service team professionals. Meet our top 2022 Honors Awards Maintenance and Supplier winners, starting on Page 32.

As President of this great association, it brings me much joy and pride to hear about the countless number of positive customer service interactions our maintenance professionals create with our communities and residents every single day. After all, these professionals know the life of the community better than anyone on staff – and can be even more engaged with residents just by doing their day-to-day jobs.

Oftentimes in the news, we hear about poor maintenance of “apartment complexes,” yet every single day, thousands of our residents' lives in our great metropolitan are being impacted positively by the fast acting services of our maintenance professionals.

Throughout my career, I’ve personally witnessed residents beaming with joy as their air conditioning services have been restored after a blistering summer heat because of the swift action our service team takes to restore broken appliances. I’ve seen and read a countless number of positive social media stories and online reviews directly from residents praising our maintenance professionals for the care and quality of service they provide.

Over the last few years, as many residents have shifted to remote work schedules that allow them to be home more often than before 2020, the demands placed on our service teams have really increased. But our maintenance teams are the ones with the most open positions, specifically entry level positions. We need more of these amazing employees at our properties!

So, how do we bridge the gap?

Our industry is dynamic and recession-resistant, but we must do a better job getting the word out about the employment opportunities that we offer. We must continue to make our industry known to the workforce by leveraging the tools and resources that our great association provides. The Avenues Maintenance program and TAAEF careers resources are just a few of the many resources the association offers which create opportunities to educate, appreciate and recruit talent into our industry. Are you taking advantage of these membership benefits?

Speaking of education, did you know that education grants are available for each credential program from the National Apartment Association? Any member can and should apply. Scan the QR code below if you want to explore more or to find out more info on the program.