7525 Babcock Road San Antonio, Texas 78249
The
PRSRT STD AUTO U.S. POSAGE PAID SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS PERMIT NO. 1935
San Antonio Apartment Association Magazine
September/October 2011
In This Issue... Managing Meetings Ask the Expert...Social Media Why Business Ethics are Important Leading Your Workforce During an Economic Crisis Time Management Tips Today’s Businesses Need Gladiator Leaders Tips for Better Presentations
Back to
Business
2 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 67
saaacalendar
For updated calendar information, go to www.saaaonline.org
September
9/1 9/5 9/6 9/6 9/6 9/8 9/9 9/13 9/13 9/14 9/14 9/20 9/22 9/23
Programs Committee Meeting SAAA Offices closed for Labor Day Holiday Building a Top Team - Dynamic Sales Strategies Seminar Train the Trainer Subcommittee Ambassador Committee Meeting Community Relations Committee Meeting IRO Committee Meeting Education Committee Meeting Let’s Go Leasing Seminar Executive Committee Meeting Board of Directors Meeting Rape and Safety Awareness Seminar Exceptional Service for Maintenance Seminar New Member Orientation
10/5 10/6 10/6 10/6 10/6 10/11 10/11 10/12 10/12 10/13 10/13 10/14 10/18 10/25 10/27
Annual PAC Golf Tournament Business Expo Education Conference Seminars Election of Officers and Annual Meeting of Members Business Expo PAC Silent Auction Love the One You’re With - Resident Retention Seminar Education Committee Meeting Executive Committee Meeting Board of Directors Meeting Programs Committee Meeting Community Relations Committee Meeting IRO Committee Meeting Fall Fair Housing Seminar Electrical Maintenance Technician Course Electrical Maintenance Technician Course
October
4:00 p.m.
Barbaresco’s
9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m.
SAAA SAAA Silo’s Restaurant Perico’s Restaurant SAAA SAAA SAAA SAAA SAAA SAAA SAAA SAAA
8:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.
Republic Golf Course Convention Center Convention Center Convention Center Convention Center SAAA SAAA SAAA SAAA TBA TBA SAAA SAAA SAAA SAAA
The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 3
tableofcontents
SAAA STAFF Executive Director Jeff Robinson jeff@saaaonline.org
feature articles...
Director of Communications Kimberly Pipes kimberly@saaaonline.org
12
Managing Meetings
21
Why Business Ethics Are Important
33
Leading Your Workforce During An Economic Crisis
37
Top 12 Time Management Tips
47
Today’s Businesses Need “Gladiator” Leaders!
55
Ten Tips for Better Presentations
Director of Education Jennifer Feeler jennifer@saaaonline.org Director of Finance Becki Perez-Clark becki@saaaonline.org
special sections...
Director of Government Relations Teri Bilby teri@saaaonline.org
11
American Red Cross Presentation
19
100 Club Fundraiser
22
Beach Blanket Bowling Tournament
31
Community Outreach
38
Business Expo and Education Conference
40
Annual PAC Golf Tournament
59
Bylaws Update
in every issue... 7
President’s Message
8-9
2011 Diamond Sponsors
25
Ask The Expert
43
Government Affairs Update
49
PAC Investors
52
Membership Updates
56
TAA Update
57
NAA Update
58
Market Review
Director of Membership Meg Ferries meg@saaaonline.org Director of Programs/Events Cheryl Hood cheryl@saaaonline.org
The
Executive Assistant Debbie Humes-Maldonado debbie@saaaonline.org
San Ant
onio A
partmen
Septe
Mission Statement
t Assoc
iation
mber/
Octob
In Th is
Mana
Administrative Assistant Andrea Villarreal andrea@saaaonline.org
Magaz
ine
er 201
1
Issu
e...
ging Me etings Ask the Expert.. .Socia Why Bu l Media siness Ethics Leading are Im porta Your Wo nt rkforc Time Ma e Durin nage g an Ec ment Gladiat onom Tips ic Crisis or Lead ers Tips for Better Prese ntatio ns
Legal Counsel David Fritsche 210.227.2726 david@lawordf.com
Busine
Back
The San Antonio Apartment Association offers the support and the opportunity for owners, managers and suppliers of the rental housing industry to relate, exchange ideas and experiences, and establish high standards. The Association serves as a professional, unified voice to express common issues affecting our industry and community at the local, state and national level. The Association maximizes resources to provide our members with benefits such as: access to quality educational programs, information through research and legislative involvement, and the enhancement and growth of professionalism within our industry while serving the community. Counties Served: Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Dimmitt, Edwards, Frio, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, LaSalle, Maverick, McMullen, Medina, Real, Uvalde, Wilson, and Zavala
4 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
to
ss
San Antonio Apartment Association 7525 Babcock Road San Antonio, TX 78249 210.692.7797 •877.306.4108 Fax 210.692.7277 • 877.316.1984 www.saaaonline.org
“The Residence” Magazine is published bi-monthly by the San Antonio Apartment Association, Inc. Circulated free to members. Entire contents are the © Copyright 2011 of the San Antonio Apartment Association, Inc., all rights reserved. The San Antonio Apartment Association, Inc., expressly reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject advertising which may subject the San Antonio Apartment Association, Inc., to liability under statutory or common law. Contributed material does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the San Antonio Apartment Association. Printed at Shweiki Media on FSC Certified Paper (www.fscus.org/paper).
PAST PRESIDENTS Donna Schmidt, CPM - Fogelman Management Group Steve Ross - Bob Ross Realty
boardofdirectors
OWNER DIRECTORS Julie Agne-Highsmith - Embrey Management Services Cheree Allee - Greystar Real Estate Partners Katherine Hinebaugh - Churchill-Forge Properties Jody Marquez - Implicity Management Allyson D. McKay, CPM - Lincoln Property Company Mike Rust - Shelter Corporation Ryan Wilson - Franklin Development Properties
PRESIDENT Mark Hurley Highland Commercial Properties 210-434-1052
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS Delfina Aguilar - Appliance Warehouse April Chapman, CAS - The Liberty Group Matt Lusk - Impact Floors Scott Milgrom - Signs Now
PRESIDENT-ELECT Jody Bronstad, CAM Pinnacle, American Management Services Company 210-824-4221
LIFETIME BOARD MEMBERS Barbara MacManus, CAM, CAPS, CPM, Mac Real Estate Bob Ross, Bob Ross Realty (Dec.)
PRODUCT SERVICE COUNCIL BOARD President - David Walker President-Elect - Matt Lusk - Impact Floors Vice President - Delfina Aguilar - Appliance Warehouse Secretary - Scott Milgrom - Signs Now
VICE PRESIDENT Dana Methvin, CAS, CAM Coinmach, Inc. 210-697-9200
MEMBERS AT LARGE Nicole Plummer - CORT April Chapman, CAS - The Liberty Group Tiffany Koch - Lone Star Carpet Cathy McCoy - Time Warner Cable Liz Johnson - Alamo City Recovery Mary Tranchell - Vamvoras, Ltd. Past Presidents - Nancy Payne, CAS - For Rent Media Solutions Dana Methvin, CAS, CAM - Coinmach, Inc.
TREASURER Kelley Liserio, NCP HomeSpring Residential Services 210-682-1500
___________________________________________________ TEXAS APARTMENT ASSOCIATION President - Jeff Lowry, CAPS Vice President at Large - Mark Hurley Board Members - Mark Hurley; Jody Bronstad, CAM; Kelley Liserio, NCP, Renetta Quintana; Donna Schmidt, CPM; Allyson McKay, CPM; Matt Lusk
SECRETARY Renetta Quintana NRP Group 210-487-7878
Alternates - Marc Ross; Steve Ross; Delfina Aguilar; Mike Rust; Nancy Payne, CAS
___________________________________________________ NATIONAL APARTMENT ASSOCIATION Chairman - Mike Gorman, CAPS, CPM, CCIM Regional Vice President - Marc Ross Delegates - Jody Bronstad, CAM; Steve Ross; Mark Hurley; Kelley Liserio, NCP; Donna Schmidt, CPM Alternates - Marc Ross; Jeff Robinson; Renetta Quintana
PSC PRESIDENT David Walker
The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 5
2012directory directory
It’s that time again! We’re updating the Directory for 2012 and need your information!
2012
Watch your email, fax, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more for updates! If you’d like to advertise in next year’s directory, please contact Director of Communications, Kimberly Pipes (kimberly@saaaonline.org), to reserve your spot! The 2012 DIRECTORY will be in print as well as online, so don’t miss the opportunity to market your company! 6 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
president’smessage Mark Hurley
Highland Commercial Properties
“The Man Who Planted Trees,” by Jean Giono, tells the story of a man who ran out of water whilst hiking in a treeless, desolate, valley. A valley where only wild lavender grew and where there was neither civilizati on nor water. Struggling with thirst, the hiker was rescued by a shepherd who had moved to the valley aft er his wife died. The shepherd had begun to plant a few trees every day. Refreshed, the hiker left the shepherd and the valley and ten years later, aft er fi ghti ng in World War I, he returned shell shocked and depressed. To his surprise and delight he discovered that the valley was now decorated with young saplings, streams and water reservoirs. Over the course of the next 30 years, because of the daily eff orts of the shepherd, the valley became a sort of Garden of Eden – full of color, cool, refreshing, invigorati ng, sti mulati ng and was peacefully sett led. I started to really get involved with the San Antonio Apartment Associati on about six years ago. I knew there were people volunteering to legislate for our industry, oft en selfl essly, and at ti mes in direct confl ict with their own interests, working for the greater good of our industry. I am passionate about our industry, I am passionate about our city and strangely enough for an Irishman, I am passionate about the state of Texas. I now know that I made the right decision to get involved personally and professionally. Over the past six years, along with many wonderful people who have the same passions as I do, I have worked hard for Texas. By legislati ng, educati ng, informing and by fostering commerce our associati on has made bett er our industry, our city and our state. In 1964 our predecessors planted the fi rst trees for this forest. It looks beauti ful today because of them and those many that followed them and took up their cause. The volunteers of our associati on pre-
serve and enhance that forest. We plant more trees in it every day. We don’t know what the forest will look like thirty years from now, but we know that someone has to protect it and grow it because it is good for the world. We do this not because it profi ts us monetarily, we do it because the humanitarian rewards are far greater.
Building a great business requires passion, hard work, ti me, perseverance and the belief that you, by yourself, can make a diff erence. “The Man Who Planted Trees” is a brilliant allegorical tale. I learned that building something truly worthwhile and enduring probably takes a lifeti me. Building a great business or a great life does not take the mind of a genius. Building a great business requires passion, hard work, ti me, perseverance and the belief that you, by yourself, can make a diff erence. It is all the more rewarding when there are good people changing the world with you. Our company has existed for over fi ft y years. The founder of Highland Commercial Properti es could not have visualized what his hard work would become while riding around on his bicycle trying to plant the fi rst seed for his fl edgling company. It is a company that perpetually grows and operates, successfully across 3 conti nents. You can’t picture the forest looking forward, but you will in ti me, see the forest looking back. I am very proud to be a part of this associati on. I am very proud of the staff and volunteers I work with at the associati on; they make the world a bett er place to live. They are good people and together we conti nue to do good things.
The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 7
APARTMENTS.COM
ALAMO CITY RECOVERY 210-648-0799 alamocityrecovery.com
210-325-7155 • apartments.com
APARTMENT GUIDE 210-499-5998 apartmentguide.com
FOR RENT MEDIA SOLUTIONS 210-377-3116 • forrent.com
BEXAR TOWING 210-590-6200 bexartowing.net
COINMACH
210-697-9200 • coinmachcorp.com
GRATR LANDSCAPES CORT
210-615-8264 • cort.com 8 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
210-764-7773 gratrlandscapes.com
DIXIE CARPET INSTALLATIONS 281-261-6334 dixiecarpet.com
THE LIBERTY GROUP IMPACT FLOORS
210-525-7966 thelibertygroup.com
210-389-9216 • impactfloors.com
HD SUPPLY
800-431-3000 hdsupply.com
RASA FLOORS & CARPET CLEANING
210-212-4444 • rasafloors.com
VAMVORAS PLUMBING 210-341-2000 vamvorasplumbing.com
LONE STAR CARPET 512-836-9311 lonestarcarpet.com
REDI CARPET
210-257-0000 • redicarpet.com
WORLDWIDE PEST CONTROL TIME WARNER CABLE 210-582-9586 twc-sa.com
210-734-0000 worldwidepest.com
SIGNS NOW
210-520-6699 • signsnowsa.com The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 9
10 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
americanredcross The San Antonio Apartment Association presented a check to the American Red Cross San Antonio Chapter in the amount of $25,284.77 on July 28th at The Amberton Apartments. The event was covered by local media as The Red Cross thanked SAAA and our own special Heroes! Special Thanks to our Top Donors: Lincoln Property Co. $8,003.70 and Melanie Taylor/The Amberton Apts. $5,152.81! 2011 was an outstanding campaign!
The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 11
managingmeetings
• Stay focused, follow your agenda • Encourage discussion - actively listen to and note what others say • Curtail digressions - pre-empt hostile comments • Maintain your composure/dignity • Admit not knowing the answer to a question • Call upon those who do have the answer • Establish completion dates for pending actions • Recap key points, concerns, decisions, and future actions before adjourning • Follow up to see that decisions are being carried out
MEETINGS
THAT MATTER
Stacking the Deck for Success
B
y its very nature, supervision entails meetings: casual, formal, oneon-one, all hands on deck. Some meetings are strictly for the dissemination of important information that everyone should have; others are to present a problem that would best be solved with input from others who might be more knowledgeable than the person who called the meeting. Wonderful but rare are the times when meetings end and those in attendance leave feeling their time has been well spent. This is usually the result of poor planning. For your sake and for the benefit of those who attend, it is worthwhile to know how to manage meetings efficiently and productively. Meetings involving you and at least two other people require careful preparation. Below are guidelines for the most basic steps you should take before, during, and after a meeting to ensure its success. • Make sure you need to call a meeting - would a phone call or email work? • Know your purpose - informational, problem solving, both?
As a supervisor, you have the authority to schedule meetings, and you have more control than you realize over how receptive and cooperative your attendees will be. By following the steps above, you will indicate to them the value you place on them by keeping them informed of important issues and problems and the value you place on their time and yours by structuring a well-organized agenda that you follow. If you have scheduled the meeting, done your homework, laid the groundwork, and are the senior ranking staff member in attendance, you are justified in expecting cooperation, if not enthusiasm, from those who show up. What you should not expect or accept is indifferent, inattentive, or impolite behavior directed at you or anyone else within your organization. Anticipating problems will help you keep them from materializing. While certainly not exhaustive, the following is a list of behaviors that are unacceptable during a business meeting: • Arriving late - in business, never fashionable; potentially devastating. Under no circumstances should you delay the meeting because of stragglers. Make it clear when you announce the meeting that you expect people to be on time. Those who may be late should let you know in advance. • Establish your ground rules when you plan the meeting. Having side conversations - especially likely if someone has arrived late and wants to know what’s been covered so far. If you have distributed the agenda along with the particulars of when the meeting will occur, the late arrivers can look on the agenda and see what they have missed. • Coming unprepared - you’ve already given them the agenda. The least they can do is show up with it and something to write with. • Forgetting to turn off cell phones - as intrusive as yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater. If they don’t have enough courtesy to set their phones on “vibrate,” you are under no obligation to extend them courtesy as you try to remember where you were before the interruption.
• Write out the agenda - if possible, distribute it to those involved before Taking no notes - nobody’s memory is that good. Aren’t you covering important things that you want people to know and act on? Haven’t you gone the actual meeting to some trouble and expended time getting everything arranged? Wouldn’t • Determine who should attend (hint: the fewer, the better) you think someone would be writing something next to the items on the agenda? Here’s a thought: pick someone who has been taking notes to • Handle the logistics (location, seating arrangement, necessary serve as the recap provider, and pass on some praise. Positive reinforce equipment, etc. ment goes a long in modifying behavior. • Determine how much time you will need to cover the agenda *If the culprits guilty of the above are your bosses, use the good sense that • Start on time, establish the ground rules for how you want the meeting helped you become a supervisor and don’t point out their shortcomings! to operate Article courtesy of Business Training Works. For training, coaching, and • Adhere to your time schedule keynotes, visit www.businesstrainingworks.com. 12 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
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ANNOUNCES ITS NEW
ONLINE UNIVERSITY! SAAA has partnered with the
National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI) and CallSource to launch a universal online-based Learning Management System (LMS) that will be utilized across all NAA affiliates. On this new system, you can take online courses 24 hours a day without leaving your home or office!
Get started today! • Bed Bugs 101 • Dealing with Difficult People • Setting the Appointment • Don’t Let the Mold Get Old • Preventive Hiring • Art of Resident Retention • Marketing with Little or No Money • Fair Housing for Maintenance • Customer Service & the Maintenance Team • Customer Service & the Office Team • Dealing with Difficult People, Supervisor Version • Coaching for Development - NEW! • Improving Time Management Skills - NEW!
The list will be expanding so keep watching for updates! The courses are only $58 for SAAA Members and $68 for non-members
Contact Jennifer Feeler at 210.692.7797 or jennifer@saaaonline.org Spanish versions available! for more information!
Go to the SAAA website at
www.saaaonline.org click on the Education tab and then the Online Education tab for instructions, tutorials and more! The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 15
16 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
Thanks to everyone for a successful kick-off to the 2011 SAPD Operation Blue Santa!
Our fall toy drive will resume in October...so get ready!
The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 17
THANK YOU! THANK YOU to OUR SPONSORS!
and
COOK-OFF SPONSORS:
ARTIST OF YEAR Worldwide Pest Control ROCK STAR Bexar Towing • Impact Floors • Roof Doctor • Vamvoras Plumbing RECORD PRODUCER Atlas Towing & Storage • BG Personnel Services • Blackmon Mooring Constructi on Early Bird Pest Control •Geofi ll Material Technologies, LLC • Vista Painti ng & Resurfacing ROADIE Emplicity • Roto-Rooter • Signs Now • Triton Renovati on FAN Appliance Warehouse • Bob Ross Realty • Century A/C Supply Cort • Emergency Cleaning Soluti ons • Groundscapes Development Growing Soluti ons • MaidPro • Milestone Management Mosaic Residenti al • RentDebt • Tidy Pro
MAINTENANCE MANIA SPONSORS:
GAME SPONSORS Bexar Towing • Coinmach • CORT • Impact Floors • Maintenance Supply Headquarters TPI, Inc. • UCS • Worldwide Pest Control MANAGEMENT COMPANIES 1st Choice Management Group • Bob Ross Realty • Churchill Forge Properti es Fogelman Management Group • Franklin Development Greystar Real Estate Partners • Highland Commercial Properti es HomeSpring Residenti al • Implicity Management • Lincoln Property Company NRP Group • Pinnacle • Verde Apartment Communiti es
18 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
100club
The 100 Club Serves the Families of Fallen Law Enforcement & Firefighters in San Antonio & Bexar County
SAAA Raised
$10,270!
for The 100 Club of San Antonio this year!
Thank you to: Community Relations folks for volunteering at the Annual Meatball Roll, Spaghetti Dinner and our Bowling Tournament, to those who bought raffle tickets/ donated raffle prizes and to all who contributed to this wonderful cause!
The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 19
20 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
businessethics offer their end of the bargain at all cost because this is the only way to cement customer and business partner’s loyalty. 3. Engaging in fair trading practices, like guaranteeing a safe workplace for your employees, fair pricing for your products, that will at least cover the cost of production, and treating your customers well among others, will guarantee a high business turnover.
Why Business ETHICS are
Important B
efore we seek to find out some of the business ethics that business people should embrace, it is needful to first understand what the word ‘ethics’ refers to. Ethics are a set of moral principles which are recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, for instance the medical ethics, legal ethics, teaching ethics that brings together people of the same profession. These principles deal with values relating to human conduct with respect to concepts such as being good or bad, noble or ignoble, right or wrong etc. These values guide members of a group to act in a manner that is consistent with the values and standards as established. Business ethics are those virtues that business people apply when making business decisions. They are the standards expected within the business world, even if they are not written down and which business people ought
to adopt. For instance, business people are expected to afflict least suffering to their customers, being fair in their dealings and nurturing an enduring virtuous corporate character in totality. Business ethics are important because they keep business people to operate within a moral and legal pedestal which not only leaves them satisfied internally but also increases sales because most people like dealing or doing business with honest businessmen. Also if the public or your potential customers perceive you to be engaging in improper business deals, they will shun you. Good business ethics should be embraced by all businessmen because engaging in unethical practices, which may include breaking the law, may lead to heavy fines or lack of trust by members of the public. Some of the business ethics include the following: 1. Being trustful by recognizing that customer is the king. Customers want to do business with companies they trust and which they perceive to be showing them respect. When a business entity is trusted, it creates a loyal clientele.
4. Every businessman wakes up every day with the intent to make a profit. When a business operates within ethical realms, there will always be clear indications for growth. Equally, a business needs to make profit so as to meet its ethical obligations to the company, its employees, the authorities and customers. 5. In essence, being ethical as a business person builds the image of reliability and establishes reputation with your customers, the two things that are very important to a business. Most business people do not take a keen interest in implementing business ethics. Most of them think that making profit is the most important thing but as they realize later, no matter how hard they try, they do not achieve their objectives. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ryan Fyfe is the CEO of www.shiftplanning.com. An intuitive and free online employee scheduling tool for businesses of all sizes in all industries.
2. Business people should be ready to meet the obligations of their customers and business partners regardless of anything else. Business people should
The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 21
More than 300 members gathered on July 14 to participate in the 14th Annual SAAA Bowling Tournament! This year’s theme was Beach Blanket Bowling, a throwback to the Surfer movies of the 1960s!
Congratulations to Roof Doctor’s team for winning 11 PLACE overall! More congratulations go out to… BOWLING WINNERS 2nd Place – Rolling Ridge 3rd Place – Rolling Ridge
HULA HOOP 1st Place – Marilyn Mead Roof Doctor LANE DECORATING 1st Place 2nd Place Sage Crossing Geofill Material Technologies
Bottom 3 photos by photographer Joseph M. Coelho, JVC Studios LLC
22 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
bowling2011 Thank you to our sponsors for donating the Visa Gift Cards for our Contest Winners!
AmRent • BG Personnel • Churchill Forge • CORT
Special Thank You to our “Beach” Carpet Sponsor: Rasa Floors & Carpet Cleaning Thank you to For Rent Media Solutions for giving up your lane so SAFD and SAPD could bowl with us!
The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 23
24 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
Nadeen Green | July 7, 2011
Dear Fair Housing Lady:
My owner is such a sti ck-in-the-mud. Everyone I know in the business is starti ng to use social media as part of their marketi ng strategy and lots of my friends check out social media websites when they are making decisions on where to rent. But when I suggest to my owner that we think about this for our community, he gets all anxious and fretf ul. According to him, we will see photos of people and he is worried that someone will say that those photos infl uenced a decision related to the rental opportunity. Is this a fair housing issue? Sincerely, Lisa (with 263 friends on FB!)
asktheexpert all along. So while it is always smart to be aware of fair housing issues (yes, indeedy), there is no need for special concern with social media. Your owner just needs to be sure that there are good writt en policies and criteria in place for all interacti ons with prospects, applicants and residents (please let that be true!). And then he needs to be sure he has good employees such as you who can be counted on to follow those good policies and document that they are doing so. (If your owner is sti ll afraid, then you may want to suggest a policy for having prospects cover up when they come in, or a policy whereby you close your eyes and never look at them. Voice disguising soft ware can be used for telephone interacti ons.) There may be other reasons your owner is not ready to embrace social media, but fair housing should not be one! Friend me on FB! Sincerely, DFHL The Fair Housing Lady Fair Housing Lady is the alter-ego of Nadeen Green, Senior Counsel with For Rent Media Solutions™. While that makes her their attorney, she is not yours, so her information is not legal advice for you. She would love to have your questions for future newsletter appearances (so she doesn’t have to make the questions up, which is just extra work), so send them to Nadeen.Green@ForRent.com. Nadeen Green has been an attorney since 1979. She has taught Fair Housing law to the multi-family housing industry since the Fair Housing Amendments Act went into effect in 1989. She has been asked to speak numerous times for the National Apartment Association and the Multi-Housing World annual conventions. Her reader-friendly articles on Fair Housing appear regularly in industry publications.
Dear Ms. Popularity:
Nadeen is proud to be Senior Counsel with For Rent Media Solutions, which offers print and online advertising products for all communities, whether through For Rent Magazine®, ForRent.com, Para Rentar, Senior Outlook, After 55, or specialized publications for condominiums and student housing.
Is this a fair housing issue? Of course! BUT… there is no more risk with social media interacti ons between landlords and prospects/applicants/residents than there has been since the fi rst leasing offi ce opened its doors long, long ago. You see prospects every day when they come into your leasing offi ce (so you see their race, their color, disability, etc.); you hear prospects on the phone and then can oft en discern race, nati onal origin, etc. (oh, yes, you can!). Even email interacti ons can lead to profi ling as email addresses oft en include one’s name and oft en workplace or other affi liati on. But your owner should understand that bott om line, social media gives no more informati on than landlords have been getti ng The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 25
NEW PRICING makes PEP affordable to everyone!
Get Back to the Basics with your
Professional Education Program! The 2012 Professional Education Program (PEP) is designed to provide additional value to your Association membership. A carefully planned variety of quality instruction has been implemented to meet the needs of all multi-family personnel. Watch your mailbox for the complete 2012 PEP brochure!
New PEP pricing for 2012! 0-99 units - $199 100-200 units - $399 201+ - $525
Be sure to put your PEP subscription in your 2012 budget! Contact Jennifer Feeler for more information: jennifer@saaaonline.org, 210.692.7797
26 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
educationcalendar
remaining
sept
September 6, Building a Top Team - Dynamic Sales Strategies, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. September 13, Let’s Go LEASING, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. September 20, Rape & Safety Awareness, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. September 22, Exceptional Service for Maintenance, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
oct
October 6, Expo Seminars, 12:30-1:30 p.m. October 11, Resident Retention, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. October 18, Fall Fair Housing, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. October 25 & 27, Electrical Maintenance Technician Course, 5-9 p.m.
nov
November 3, Leadership, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. November 8, Social Media, 2-4 p.m. November 8, Let’s Go LEASING, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. November 10, Legalease, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. November 29, Take Me to Your Leader, 9-11 a.m.
dec
Education Calendar
December 6, Rental Housing Laws, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. For information on any of these classes or seminars, contact Director of Education, Jennifer Feeler, at 210.692.7797 or jennifer@saaaonline.org
The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 27
Mission Statement
The Mission of Implicity is to provide excellent service to our Clients, our Residents and our Employees. We will achieve this through: • Being a results-driven company • Providing a safe and secure environment for our Residents to live • Focus on Employee growth and happiness by providing continuing education, recognition and a true interest in our employees’ well being • Focus on Cash Flow and Asset Value for our Clients • Providing valuable market research to our current and future clients to help in the decision-making process for acquisition and disposition of assets
Services
Property Management Due Diligence Surveys Construction Management Real Estate Consulting Services
Implicity Advantages Team Integrity Transparency And Accountability Expertise Dedication
Contact Us:
Implicity Management Company 8603 N. New Braunfels Suite 101 San Antonio, Texas 78217 Ph: 210.829.7770 Fax: 210.829.7772 www.implicitymanagement.com 28 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
IRO Networking Event August 16, 2011
Attorney and Business Owner, Ben Wells from UCS, spoke to the group on Legal Structures to Protect Your Multifamily Structures and Legal Considerations for Independent Rental Owners
Join our next IRO committee meeting on September 9th at 10:00 a.m. at SAAA 7525 Babcock Road
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communityservice
A HUGE thank you goes out to our members that volunteered at the Batt ered Women’s Shelter in July! Community Relati ons Committ ee Members played with the kids and created arts and craft s while the Outreach Committ ee taught classes for the moms at the shelter. It was hot! So thank you for giving up your ti me and serving our community!
Shown above is an art project one of the kiddos created!
30 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
OUTREACH A
s I sit looking out the window of our Boeing 737, I look out with amazement. It does not matt er how many ti mes I fl y, the long gaze below has become part of my weekly refl ecti on. Refl ecti on which entails my “to-do” list of the week, the kids “to-do” list of the week, how many curve balls I was going to be thrown that week that would have to be dealt with, and recently…how to serve our community as an organizati on.
I was approached in early January 2011 and was asked to chair the Outreach Committ ee for the San Antonio Apartment Associati on. Not knowing what this really meant, I gladly accepted. (Shhh – don’t tell anybody). I now know what it means. (The SAAA website defi nes the roles of each Committ ee. The Outreach Committ ee is to develop and incorporate new ideas and presentati on tools while creati ng awareness of our industry and our employment opportuniti es.) The Outreach Committ ee began its journey in the fi rst quarter. Our fi rst meeti ng had two main objecti ves: 1) to determine what groups we wanted to focus on and 2) revise and update our presentati on materials. With much discussion, the Committ ee decided to target the Batt ered Women’s Shelter, Haven for Hope, High School educati on and military spouses. Our purpose: to teach and educate others about our industry and employment opportuniti es.
communityservice by Julie Agne-Highsmith, Outreach Committee Chair
and career opportuniti es. A Spanish version was also implemented by several key Committ ee members. These classes have given way to an upcoming expanded curriculum of interview techniques, dressing for success, and a possible suit drive (details coming soon). And to think…. this is just the beginning.
forward to working with them in the near future.
I also want to thank those committ ed members of the Outreach Committ ee for their passion and commitment to people. I do not believe we can be truly whole unti l we are able to serve others. If you feel the same, please contact the SAAA for informati on on The committ ee has also been to meeti ng dates and ti mes. We would several high schools earlier this year love to have you join this exciti ng and in order to educate graduati ng seniors growing Committ ee. of the “do’s” and “don’ts” of leasing their fi rst apartment. The students What does the remainder of the year were engaged and asked relevant look like for the Outreach Committ ee? questi ons. Many were quite surprised Busy with housing fairs for local when we presented the qualifi cati ons colleges, expansion of our educati onal to rent an apartment. And even more curriculum, high school educati on, surprised at the overall cost of leasing company internships, and conti nued their apartment home. work with the Batt ered Women’s Shelter and Haven for Hope. We hope I must thank the Community Relati ons to see you soon! Committ ee. Their assistance at the Batt ered Women’s Shelter this 2011 Committee Members: summer was instrumental. They Julie Agne-Highsmith, Chair, Delfi na Aguilar, entertained the children with craft s, April Bloodsworth, Bernadett e Cepeda, Sandy Couch, Sunny Giarritt a, PJ Gibson, water acti viti es, and sporti ng events Linda Izaguirre, Emery Johnson, Kimberly while their moms were in sessions Keener, Jennifer Kimball, Ruth Lewis, Kelley with the Outreach Committ ee. This Liserio, Sharon Murray, Kristi n Muse, Ledy ti me was priceless and we look Provencio, Omar Rodriguez, Mike Rust, ReyAnne Schmidt, Patricia Sti ch-Langford, Jeanne Thompson, & Jennifer Feeler (liason)
We began by touring the Batt ered Women’s Shelter and the Haven for Hope - two phenomenal faciliti es in which many are given the opportunity for a second chance; a chance that the SAAA would be able to assist with. We have given two classes at the Batt ered Women’s Shelter regarding our industry, lease expectati ons, The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 31
32 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
LEADING YOUR
WORKFORCE
During an Economic Crisis... TEN ACTION STEPS TO TAKE NOW! Gregory P. Smith
I
n the days and weeks since the economy began tanking, the workforce has been on an emotional roller coaster. Some people have fallen to terrible lows of fear, uncertainty, and frustration. On and on it goes. While no one knows the outcome of our current situation, one fact is indisputable: the out-of-control emotions and the financial condition of our employees will have a tremendous impact on worker motivation, employee retention, and productivity. How can business leaders lead in the wake of this crisis? No two people will respond to these events in exactly the same way. Some may seem unaffected, others may exhibit out-of-the-ordinary behavior, and still others may react in dramatic ways. Actions business leaders take today can help improve productivity, maintain motivation and avoid a mass exodus of alienated employees when the economy turns around.
Just as the United States is forming an economic plan to stabilize the economy, managers need a strategy for helping their companies get through the current crisis. I offer the following 10 steps— which are organized under the acronym TAKE CHARGE—for managing, motivating and leading your employees in a radically changed work environment. T-Target fears and anxiety. People traverse through a span of emotions during crisis situations beginning with concerns over their job security, their compensation, and their ability to pay their bills. Announcements of job layoffs have exacerbated fear and anxiety. Managers should plan to address each of these concerns. A-Accept the fact performance and productivity will drop. People respond dif-
economiccrisis ferently in crisis situations. Expect to see people having difficulty concentrating, being forgetful, showing anger, and displaying increased absenteeism--all normal responses. People will need to talk more, a natural aspect of dealing with this crisis. The more they talk the healthier the organization becomes. Expressions of concern and help with simple, daily tasks will go a long way to improve productivity. K-Keep communication open. During times of crisis and uncertainty, business leaders tend to hold Information—this will wreck havoc on the motivation of the workforce. Meet with staff members at all levels to express concern, as well as to promote available resources and other services. Obviously, people want to know about the security of their jobs and their compensation. Focus groups and town hall meetings can go a long way in helping people deal with the situation. E-Educate managers and supervisors. Human resource professionals, managers and supervisors should be equipped with the resources, information and authority to assist employees. Training should include how to identify and help with stress as well as other issues related to financial distress. Identify those most vulnerable and ask questions to determine how they are doing both at work and at home. continued on page 35
Managers have a critical role to play in these uncertain times; indeed, how managers treat their employees today will continue to resonate tomorrow. In offices across the United States, employees have been laid off while other businesses have closed their doors for good. In times of crisis, communication is vital. One frustrated CFO accidentally blurted out to a few employees they were “lucky to have a job.” That one act did more to damage the morale and loyalty of the workforce than anything else.
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continued from page 33
C-Calm, confident and reassuring leadership style. Don’t underestimate the importance of your personal leadership style. Displaying a calm and confident style of leadership can go a long way in maintaining stability and productivity. Managers should attempt to compartmentalize their own personal fears and concerns. H-Help those in need first. Make no assumptions on how people feel or how they have been impacted by this crisis. While many will share their feelings, others will try to manage the burden by themselves. Recognize some individuals may need professional assistance—so insure they understand how to access the employee assistance program. (EAP) A-Allow people to display their emotions. People are as diverse as their emotions and they display them in different ways. Allow them to express their feelings and emotions appropriately. One business has established a monthly gathering called the “Rumor Mill Meeting” where they address all the misinformation and rumors circulated that month.
R-Restrict negative behavior. A crisis brings out the best and worst of people. Make sure your performance management process addresses performance issues brought on by the financial crisis. Be aware and take appropriate actions to prevent theft. Make clear, in no uncertain terms that behavior of this sort will not be tolerated and will be dealt with accordingly. G-Get people to embrace and support others. The success of any business is the people that work there. Similar to an act of terrorism, a financial crisis creates psychological damage on self-worth—it violates them and attempts to rob them of control over their life. Management’s role is to give control back to people. Interstate Battery Company is concerned about both the spiritual and emotional health of their workforce. Therefore, they have a fulltime chaplain to assist people with care and support. E-Expect and plan for the long term. Unfortunately, this financial uncertainty is going to be with us for a long time to come. Insure you allow for activities to keep people motivated and engaged. Graham Weston, co-founder and CEO of
the San Antonio based Rackspace Managed Hosting, finds this creative way to motivate employees and it has a big impact. Outstanding employees get the keys to the CEO’s BMW M3 convertible for a week. He says, “When someone gets to drive my car for a week, they never forget it.” Applying these ten steps is not only the right thing to do; it is the smart thing to do from a business standpoint. Do not abandon your employees. They will remember how you treated them during this highly emotional time. If you want your organization to be a place the best and the brightest will want to work in the future, you must be careful what you do in the here and now. Greg Smith’s cutting-edge keynotes, consulting, and training programs have helped businesses reduce turnover, increase sales, hire better people and deliver better customer service. As President and founder of Chart Your Course International, Greg has implemented professional development programs for thousands of organizations globally. He has authored nine informative books including 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees. He lives in Conyers, Georgia. Sign up for his free Navigator Newsletter by visiting http://www. ChartCourse.com or call (770) 860-9464.
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timemanagement
TOP 12 TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS day without a plan is like running errands without a list. You are bound to do things you don’t need to do, forget to do things you do need to do, and waste a lot of ti me going back and forth between acti viti es.
are necessarily doing the right things. Let technology work for you: Don’t you work for technology.
Complicated organizers are not necessary. A simple list of tasks is enough for most people. If you don’t have one for It’s hopeless. They just dump too much today, do yourself a favor; stop reading on me. We hear statements such as aft er the next ti p and make one. these every ti me we teach a ti me management training course. The good news 3. Be Realistic is that the people there recognize that they are in trouble, and many want help. Oft en people either put too much on a Here are the top 12 concepts we intro- list or grossly underesti mate the amount duce throughout the program. of ti me something is going to take. Just as you can’t bake a quality cake in three 1. Know What You Really Care About minutes, why do you think you might be able to write a great report in that How can you manage your ti me if you amount of ti me? If you are not good at don’t know what you really care about. esti mati ng, measure your performance Which project is most important? Which against your esti mati ons. The more you client? What are your short and long- do this, the bett er you will get at being term goals. If you don’t know, how can realisti c. you expect to get the most out of your day? 4. Don’t Be a Slave to Technology
If you work anywhere around people, you must accept that interrupti ons will occur. For that matt er, even without people interrupti ons can occur (Remember those technology tools? Have you ever had one act up?). If you book your day solid, you will rarely accomplish all that you set out to do. If you work in an environment that has a lot of interrupti ons, you may want to leave as much of half of your day fl exible by scheduling meeti ngs with yourself. Then when those unknown interrupti ons show up, you will be bett er able to deal with them.
I can’t get it all done.
2. Start Your Day with a Plan When you wake up in the morning do you have a clear plan regarding what you need to get done, what you want to get done, and how and when you are going to tackle each task? Starti ng the
Internet addicti on is a serious problem that aff ects people all over the world. More common, however, is an addicti on to instant communicati on. If you are checking your Blackberry 80 ti mes a day, you are wasti ng ti me. Just because you are doing something does not mean you
5. Accept the Fact That Interruptions Will Occur
6. Determine How Much Your Time Is Worth If you are a CEO, you should not be making your own travel arrangements. If you value your personal ti me, should you really be ironing or mowing the lawn? If you don’t enjoy those acti viti es, outsourcing them to someone who is paid less for their ti me makes sense. Does the President have ti me to cook dinner? Hardly. His ti me is worth too much. Figure out what you can outsource, and get it off your plate. continued on page 45
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2011
Business Expo & Education Conference October 6, 2011
60’s: Business & Politics...
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Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
0 Re Lu gist nc rati h pr on ov at id 11 ed :3
EDucation Conference...
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Seminar 1: Effective Service Operations
2:3
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Mark Cukro, President of Plus One Consulting
In this session, learn new ways to improve the overall quality of your service department, how to manage a service team more effectively, and how to deliver better service to your residents. You have never been to a seminar like this; it is fun, engaging, very informative, and taught by someone who started on-site. We will give you the tools to build a team that performs at higher standards, discuss how to implement new ideas successfully as well as gain buy in from everyone on the team. You will also learn the most common mistakes Service Managers make and how to avoid them. Who should attend? Groundskeepers, Housekeepers, Maintenance, Service Technicians, Service Managers. Anyone that wants to know or learn more about providing better service.
Seminar 2: Dealing with the Aftermath of A Concession Driven Market Tiffany Yelverton, President of Creative Apartment Marketing, LLC
“You’ve had a tough year or two thanks to concessions; but now it’s time to sell new customers and residents at market rate!” This powerful session will arm you with proven strategies and provide solutions that you can implement at your property or portfolio-wide. Learn how to: · Overcome the reputation for offering concessions · Address and overcome price objections · Demonstrate “apples to apples” features and benefits compared to the competition · Stand head and shoulders above the crowd without giving away the moon · Convince future and current residents of the value your property offers · Achieve the higher revenue that your apartments and amenities are truly worth! (And your owner/managers are begging for!)
$68 Members • $61 PEP • $85 Non-members To register for these seminars, contact Jennifer Feeler at 210.692.7797 or jennifer@saaaonline.org
Seminar Sponsors:
Lunch Sponsor:
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Special note on PAC donations: State law prohibits corporate contributions to PACs. Therefore, donations cannot be paid with corporate checks or corporate credit cards. Your SAAA account cannot be billed. Personal, sole proprietor or partnership checks should be made payable to “SAAA PAC�, and will be used as political contributions for local candidates favorable to the rental housing industry. Or, you may charge your personal, sole proprietor or partnership credit card. All contributors are voluntary and you may contribute more or less than the guidelines suggested. SAAA PAC will not favor nor disadvantage anyone by reason of the amount contributed or the decision whether or not to contribute. In addition, political committees are required by law to report the name, mailing address occupation and name of employer for each individual. 40 | September/October 2011 | www.saaaonline.org | The RESIDENCE
PAC SILENT AUCTION... The 4th Annual PAC Silent Auction will be held in the center aisle of the Business Expo 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Great auction items will be available! Past auction items have included: • Photography packages • Tools and electronics • Management company executive packages • Beach condo packages • Spurs tickets • Spa services • Broadway Series tickets and much more!
Contact Teri at 210.692.7797 or email teri@saaaonline.org for more information!
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Tuesday, October 18, 2011
at the SAAA Education Training Center 7525 Babcock Road
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Contact Jennifer Feeler at 210.692.7797 or jennifer@saaaonline.org to register!
governmentaffairsupdate Teri Bilby
Director of Government Relations
New Property Maintenance Code for San Antonio:
The City of San Antonio adopted the 2009 Internati onal Property Maintenance Code with local amendments (now known as the San Antonio Property Maintenance Code, “SAPMC”) on May 5. In additi on to adopti ng the SAPMC, the City also decriminalized violati ons of the property maintenance code and reconsti tuted the Dangerous Structures Determinati on Board into the Building Standards Board (“BSB”) for the quasijudicial adjudicati on of violati ons of the SAPMC. The BSB will be a 14-member citi zen board with 10 members appointed by City Council district and four members appointed by City Council at large including the Mayor’s designee. The four members appointed by City Council at large and the Mayor will have prescribed categories: single-family, multi -family, and commercial rental property managers and a historic preservati on-type professional. The SAPMC and the BSB will be eff ecti ve on January 1, 2012. This is a hard-won victory for the multi -family rental industry in San Antonio as well as the community at large. The SAPMC will ensure that a minimum standard of maintenance is applied to all structures in the city and all persons responsible for maintaining structures will have easy access to the published standards by purchasing a printed copy from the City and to any Code interpretati ons on the Internet. Highlights of the new SAPMC that strengthen and broaden minimum property maintenance codes include: • Require electrical service in dwelling units; • Require heati ng faciliti es in habitable spaces capable of maintaining 60 degrees Fahrenheit between November 1 and March 31; • Require four-foot enclosures with lockable gates around pools and hot tubs (specifi cally addresses single-family homes that currently do not have enclosures around their pools; e.g., privacy or specifi c pool enclosures); • Require additi onal smoke alarms in single-family and duplexes if bedrooms are not conti guous; and
• Restricti ons on items allowed to be stored outside. The following key changes also help clarify code requirements and improve transparency: • Specifi c minimum fence maintenance requirements; • Minimum compliance ti meline (10 days); • References to relevant other City codes; • Clarifi cati on of property hazards such as hazardous vegetati on and surface hazards; and • Requirement for the City to post code interpretati ons on the Internet. The decriminalizati on of property maintenance code violati ons through the establishment of the BSB will expedite the hearing of cases as the Board will be solely focused on code cases. The BSB will have the authority to order compliance with city codes and can assess civil penalti es for violati ons. In additi on, the BSB will hear appeals for property maintenance code violati ons, dangerous structures cases and will provide recommendati ons to the code offi cial on potenti al updates to the city code.
City of San Antonio Mandatory Recycling in Multi-family Update:
All multi -family properti es in the City of San Antonio with 300+ units should be providing recycling services to their residents. All properti es that are providing recycling services are also required to provide new residents with informati on about the recycling program onsite upon move in. The next group, properti es with 200-299 units, should have submitt ed their recycling plans before July 1 and are required to begin providing recycling services to their residents no later than October 1. Visit the City of San Antonio’s Solid Waste Management Department’s website to review the ordinance, download recycling plan outline forms as well as electronic versions of educati on materials that may be handed out to residents at www.sanantonio.gov/swmd. Please feel free to email teri@saaaonline.org regarding any questi ons about the new Property Maintenance Code, the Recycling Ordinance or any other local regulatory issues. The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 43
TAA Meeting SAAA President-Elect, Jody Bronstad, presents a PAC check to TAA’s President, Jeff Lowry
Photos by Suzanne Staton
SAAA Board Secretary and TAA Chair of Public Relations, Renetta Quintana, addresses the TAA Board of Directors
SAAA Board Member, Allyson McKay, accepts a Community Service Award for our 2011 Red Cross Heroes Campaign
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continued from page 37
7. Choose Your Friends and Associates Wisely Some people require more of your time than others. Evaluate your relationships. If you find that certain people take up too much of your time for reasons you don’t like, you need to reduce contact. Do you have a friend who calls you at work all of the time? Do you have an associate who often stops by to “chat”? Find better places to focus your energy and surround yourself with people who will support your success and not those who sabotage your productivity.
8. Don’t Give Birth to Monkeys Having a monkey on your back is a common English idiom for having something unpleasant in your life that won’t go away. Sometimes we find ourselves with monkeys that we have to cope with. That’s life. What you don’t want to do, however, is make monkeys of your own. Don’t promise people that you will be responsible for things beyond your control. “I will be sure he calls you back.” Congratulations on the birth of your new monkey. You now have to ensure that a follow-up call is made, or you must dismiss your integrity and not worry about it. Instead, try not to create a monkey in the first place. “I will pass on that message for you.” Monkey birth averted.
When you do say no, it should go something like this: “Can you stay late this evening to work on this project that just came up? The deadline is tomorrow.” “I’m scheduled to pick my children up this evening. What parts of the project can I help with from home after they’ve gone to bed?” In that example you’ve taken care of what matters (your family (see tip one)), and you’ve offered an alternative. “No” does not have to come out sounding like “hell no!”
10. Ask for Help
If you are drowning and you’ve made a sincere effort to follow steps one through nine, you need help. Ask for it. “I want to do a good job on these accounts and do not feel that I’m able to given my understanding of the current priorities. Can we talk about this?” During the conversation that follows, one of three things should happen: (1) The priorities 9. Learn to Say No are clarified, and you can work with the resources you have. (2) The resources Along the same lines as the previous are adjusted, and you can get the work suggestion, you must learn to say “no.” done. (3) You realize that the relationOther people are looking for people to ship is not a good fit and you start lookwatch their monkeys. If the tasks you are ing at other options. being asked to do are not something you really care about, you must say no. This 11. Find Time to Recharge Your doesn’t mean that you tell your boss that the task she has asked you to complete Battery is just not that interesting so you must say no. If you are interested in keeping If you are out of balance, eventually you your job, yes is probably a better (more are going to run into problems. Are you spending too much time at work? Are appropriate) choice.
you neglecting the people and activities you enjoy beyond work? Are you exercising and eating right? If not, you can survive - sometimes even for decades. But why simply survive when you can live?
12. Evaluate Your Progress Against Your Goals at Least Once a Month Everyone can get out of balance and lose focus if the systematic ritual of celebrating successes and setting new goals is not in place. On a regular basis you should schedule time with yourself to see where and how you are. Are you happy with your ability to manage your time and productivity? Are you happy with your relationships? What changes do you need to make? Being productive and staying that way is a continuous process. Now that you’re done reviewing the top 12 ways you can improve your productivity, what do you want to do today?
Article courtesy of Business Training Works. For training, coaching, and keynotes, visit www.businesstrainingworks.com.
Start Your Day with a Plan
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businessneeds
TODAY’S
BUSINESSES NEED “GLADIATOR” LEADERS! Management consultant Greg Smith says “gladiator virtues” like bravery, honor and vision can help your company rise from mediocre to extraordinary. Remember the heart-pounding, soul-stirring message of the movie Gladiator? Remember how Maximus, the Russell Crowe character, rallied his men around him and led them to victory, even in the face of almost certain defeat? Remember his “envision the goal” technique for getting through the horrors of battle? Now, consider the leadership in your own company. Any gladiators in the ranks? Are you a gladiator? The time is right for a more heroic style of leadership. Desperate times lend themselves to the rise of gladiators. Instead of seeing today’s economy as a negative, executives should view it as an opportunity in disguise— a chance to position your organization for the inevitable economic upswing. Here are eight virtues of Gladiator Leadership. 1. Gladiators have a mission for which they feel real passion. Call it a purpose, an obsession, a calling: whatever the terminology, good leaders have a defining mission in their life. This mission, above all other traits, separates managers from leaders. In Gladiator,
Maximus lived for the mission of killing the evil usurper Commodus and restoring Rome to the values that made her great. 2. Gladiators create a vision. Having and communicating a clear picture of a future goal will lead to its achievement. Dare to think great! Maximus helped his fellow gladiators see that they could overthrow their enemies and survive the horror of the battles they were forced to participate in. In business, a leader may create an “enemy”—the economy, the competition, inefficiency—to challenge the energies of his or her people and give them something to fight for. 3. Gladiators lead from the front—they don’t dictate from the back. In the movie, both when Maximus was a general and a gladiator, he fought up front where the firestorm was heaviest. So does a good business leader. Working “in the trenches” shows you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty, it helps you fully understand the issues your “soldiers” are facing, and inspires loyalty in your troops. 4. Gladiators know there is strength in teams. Where would Maximus have been if he hadn’t trusted his men to fight with him and cover his back? Likewise, where would you be without your employees? While the gladiator leader has the skills to draw people together, he doesn’t hog the spotlight. He has care and compassion for his team and wants every member to be recognized for his or her efforts. This is especially important in a time when the old style “command and control” structure is waning. Younger workers (Generations X and Y) tend to be loyal to their coworkers rather than the traditional “organization.” 5. Gladiators encourage risk-taking. In the Roman Empire, gladiators were expected to die with honor. Refusing to lie down and let one’s opponents win was bucking the status quo. (And certainly, killing the reigning em-
peror—however corrupt—simply was not done!) If a company does not examine its way of doing things, if it does not push out its boundaries, if it never makes mistakes, it may become road kill. 6. Gladiators keep their heads in a crisis. Maximus had to think on his feet and refuse to give into terror and panic. He faced the most formidable foes calmly and with focus. Business leaders must do the same. They must take a position and defend it when things go awry. Being graceful and brave under fire is the surest way to build credibility—a necessity for sound leadership. Gladiators don’t retreat due to the slowing economy, but look for the opportunity under their feet. 7. Gladiators prepare for battle 24 hours a day. Essentially, a Roman gladiator was a fighting machine. To stay alive, his mind had to be constantly on the upcoming battle. Business leaders, likewise, must be obsessed with training and developing their people in good times and bad. People need and want to hone their individual skills and “sharpen their swords.” Furthermore, good leaders must constantly learn what’s necessary to survive and unlearn the “old rules.” Just because a management style worked a decade ago does not mean it will work in today’s economy—good leaders evolve with the times. 8. Gladiators are teachers and mentors. Maximus taught his men the lessons they would need to survive in their new role as gladiators. In today’s rapidly changing environment, leaders must also teach and train those who may soon replace them. We are not necessarily talking about formal classroom training. We need leaders talking to people in the hallway, in the restaurant . . . everywhere. Everyone should be mentoring someone. Greg Smith’s cutting-edge keynotes, consulting, and training programs have helped businesses reduce turnover, increase sales, hire better people and deliver better customer service. As President of Chart Your Course International he has implemented professional development programs for hundreds of organizations globally. He has authored eight informative books including 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees. For more information, visit http://www.ChartCourse.com or call (770) 860-9464.”
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3 CECs
Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, 9 a.m. -12 p.m. SAAA Education Training Center 7525 Babcock, San Antonio, TX 78249
$68 Members / $99 Non-members / FREE for PEP Learn about safety procedures including: • How to survive if you are attacked • Crime prevention and safety tips • Importance of company policy and procedure • How to set up crime prevention meetings, neighborhood watch programs and more!
Class Presented by: Patricia Stich-Langford of
Hear first-hand testimony from a victim who was raped while showing an apartment! All on-site and corporate personnel are encouraged to attend - it could save your life!
REGISTRATION FORM: Company/Community Name:________________________________________________ 1__________________________________________ 4____________________________________________ 2__________________________________________ 5____________________________________________ 3__________________________________________ 6____________________________________________ PEP Subscriber? Total amount to be billed: $_______________________ ❑ Yes ❑ No Company:_______________________________________ Primary Contact:________________________________ Phone:___________________Fax:____________________ Email:_________________________________________ Cancellations must be made by September 15, 2011
Cancellations must be received by deadline date to receive a refund. The reservation fee(s) will be due if notice of cancellation is not received. Phone, fax and emailed reservations are considered confirmed. No-shows will be billed. I understand that by providing the fax number and email address above, on behalf of the company/organization/property specified above, that I am authorized to and hereby consent for the company/organization/property to receive faxes and email notices sent by or on behalf of the San Antonio Apartment Association.
Please send completed form to Jennifer Feeler either via fax at 210.692.7277 or email jennifer@saaaonline.org. BILLING OPTIONS: ❑ Invoice me ❑ Check Enclosed ❑ Prepay Option Card No: __________________________________Exp:__________Billing Zip Code:__________Sec. Code:______ Signature______________________________________________________________________________________ It is the policy of the SAAA that all events and education seminar invoices incur a $2 billing fee, unless payment in full has been made prior to the invoicing of such event or if registration is being paid in full at the door. To unsubscribe from further emails or faxes, please email admin@saaaonline.org. 7525 Babcock, San Antonio, TX 78249 Office 210.692.7797 Fax 210.692.7277 SAAA will be photographing and video recording this event. Your presence constitutes your express authorization for SAAA to use your likeness, image and voice for broadcast, publicity, marketing, media, etc. in conjunction with promotion and features of this event and future SAAA events.
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INVESTORS
PAC INVESTORS as of 08/01/2011
Aaron Koch Allyson McKay Brian Sills Carlton “Corky” Wolf, Jr. Charles Jackson D.D. Cobb Debbie Sulzer Donna Schmidt Elizabeth “Liz” Johnson Eric Leonard Fran A. Weiss Frank G. Gamboa, Jr. Gary S. Meaney Ginger Miller Heather Krula Jason Hall Jeanne Wheeler Klobedans Jennifer Feeler Jill Welborn Jody Bronstad Jody Marquez Joe A. Guerrero John Bezdek Jorge C. Baldor Jose Ramos Kay Sachs Kelly Shipley Leonard May Jr.
Linda Izaguirre Lorie Staff ord Marc Ross Martha J. Davis Nancy R. Payne Nicole Pulley Noble Glenn Peter Collaros Peter Ross R. David Fritsche Rob Weakley Robert J. Wandrisco Roxanne Wilson Russell C. Rubin Scott Vowinkle Steven Ross Susan C. Nash Susan Choice Tim Broxson Tom McKeon
If you would like to fi nd out more informati on about the SAAA Politi cal Acti on Committ ee, please contact Teri Bilby via email teri@saaaonline. org or 210-692-7797. The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 49
RECYCLING
CAM CLASS
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For information on any SAAA Education Class contact Director of Education, Jennifer Feeler, at 210.692.7797
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A DIAMOND SPONSOR? If you would like more information on becoming a Diamond Sponsor, contact Cheryl Hood at 210.692.7797 or email cheryl@saaaonline.org
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membershipupdates
OWNERS/ MANAGEMENT:
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS:
Aspen Square Mgmt. 10950 Biering Lane San Antonio, TX 78249 Mercy Larson 210-520-6200
River Ranch Apt. Inc. 5071 FM 2673 Canyon Lake, TX 78133 Lou Klock 830-899-5999
Hillcrest Apt Mgmt. 2903 Hillcrest Drive San Antonio, TX 78201 Ashley Bagley Joe Bob Wenzel 210-734-3171
Simply Better Mgmt. 423 West 55th Street New York, NY 10019 Christi an Hinojosa 212-506-5896
ET Holdings, LLC 1000 Fourth St, Suite 570 San Rafael, CA 94901 Todd C. Hedin 415-453-0441
Blanket Top Theater 2108 Yewpon Court Carrollton, TX 75007 Susan Willeford 214-448-9273
Champion National Security, Inc. 7136 Oaklawn San Antonio, TX 78229 Jess Dunlap 210-738-8408 Jewels Commercial Cleaning 412 W. Nakoma San Antonio, TX 78216 Julia Siordia 210-888-6130 We Heart Junk 10722 Mathom Landing, #1 Universal City, TX 78148 Ian McKinney 210-284-2413
FREE LUNCH! Attention Property Managers: Win a FREE lunch for you and your staff! Recruit a new member for SAAA! Contact meg@saaaonline.org for details! Contest runs from June-Nov. 2011
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The staf fa enjoys t t Costa Cadiz heir free lunc h!
Emery Johnson, The Phoenix Recovery Group, teaches the Collections Seminar on August 19th sponsored by Time Warner Cable.
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There was a massive, three-alarm fire at the Summerview Apartments on August 17th. Over 200 people were displaced by the fire and a large number of them lost everything. SAAA will be accepting cash donations over the coming weeks to help support the American Red Cross’ efforts to help the families in need. Thanks to all who have donated or will donate to this cause - your generosity is truly appreciated!
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”
Lynn Snyder, Manager at Forest Glen Apartments and member of the Community Relations Committee, recently lost her father. Please keep Lynn in your thoughts and send a kind word her way.
Helen Keller
Our condolences go out to the Hogan family, Mike Hogan and Kelley Liserio, on the passing of Mike’s mother. Mike is the owner of Hogan Real Estate Partners and has been a long-time supporter of SAAA and Kelley currently sits on the SAAA Board of Directors as our Treasurer.
Equimax and United Apartment Group have established 2 CAM scholarships in the name of Stephanie Jimenez-Hernandez! Thank you to both companies for helping our future industry leaders get their designations!
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Ten Tips For
presentationtips
BETTER PRESENTATIONS S
peaking experts have written volumes about the craft of public presentations: don’t read from your slides, keep your slides to six lines with no more than six words each, practice, practice, practice, etc. Indeed, those tips on style are important. Too often, however, this is where people begin working to improve their skills. Great style is no substitute for well-organized substance. Think of it like a plane ride: even if all of the seats are first class and the food is great, if the plane ends up in the wrong city, the flight is a failure. In our practice as professional speaking coaches, we find that presentations can quickly hit the mark by following a few simple steps.
u Know what you want people to do with the
information you are giving them. If you start with this phrase, you will quickly focus your thinking: “By the time my audience leaves I want them to _________________.”
v
Next ask yourself why people should do what you want them to do. Is it better for them? Is it more beneficial to your customers? Will they be able to make better decisions based on the information you have shared, etc. Your reasons should quickly become your “what’s in it for them” points.
w If you are using PowerPoint or some sort
of handout, create the last few pages first. This one act will help you stay true to your focus and should keep you from running out of time to prepare an ending with impact.
x Once you have a good idea of what your
ending should look like, it’s time to start at the beginning.
How will you get people excited about what you are going to talk about? How will you sell the what’s in it for them? “Today I am going to talk about how to get the most out of your training dollar” is okay. “Today I am going to show you how to stretch your training budget and improve your team’s performance results” is a lot better. Play around with your benefit statement. Usually the more specific you are the better.
y When you’ve refined the nuts and bolts
of your benefits statement, you are ready to add some style to your opening. Will you begin your talk with a question? A statistic? A story? A shocking photo? If we go back to our previous example of stretching the training dollar, there are a multitude of potential openings. Here is one you might use if you were one of a series of speakers during an afternoon session where people were starting to get a little tired. To illustrate to an audience of 100, for example, that only 3% of the annual training budget shows measurable results, you might ask everyone to stand up and tell the group that they each represent $1000 in training dollars. Then you could ask all but three to sit down and point out that those standing statistically represent the only transfer of learning from the $100,000 budget. That type of opening is certainly stronger than just launching into the material.
z Having more than one opening is another
way to improve your presentations. If we go back to the previous example, how successful would the stand-up opening be if the previous presenter had had people up and down for the 30 minutes? More options give you more flexibility.
{ Once you have launched into your material, it is helpful to tell people what you expect from them. For example, “I would like to keep this session informal. I’m going to talk about three topics; by show of hands which of the following three topics is most interesting to you.” Or, “I am going to talk for about an hour about three key elements for improving relations in the Middle East. At the conclusion, I will take questions for 30 minutes. Please write your questions on the blue cards that were on your chair when you came in.
Audiences will usually do what you want if you tell them what that is. Don’t believe that this is a frivolous step. People have different ideas about what is expected, and they often process information very differently.
| When you are into the meat of your presentation, be sure that you connect your points together with solid transitions. It never hurts to follow the old tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them formula. No matter how engaging you are, from time to time people will miss elements of what you are saying. Good transitions help to reinforce connections.
} If your presentation has a question and an-
swer period, prepare for some of the likely questions. This is an especially important step if your topic is controversial. If you’ve been using graphics throughout your presentation, it never hurts to a have graphics to support your answers to questions.
ut Finally, if any of the steps are difficult for
you, what you might have discovered is that you are not as familiar with your topic as you should be. No style can make up for solid knowledge. If you can’t determine a benefit, for example, you probably don’t really know what you are doing. If the transitions are difficult, maybe the points don’t really connect. If you can’t figure out how to introduce the topic, again, there may be a problem. To solve holes in substance you can either do the work to improve your knowledge, shrink the scope of your topic, or partner with someone who knows more. All of those options are better than winging it. By following those ten suggestions, you should have a solid plan for successfully arriving at your destination. Best of all, once you are comfortable with what you are talking about, why you are talking about it, and how you are talking about it; you will find that making improvements related to personal style and presence much easier to implement. Article courtesy of Business Training Works. For training, coaching, and keynotes, visit www.businesstrainingworks.com.
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bylaws SPECIAL NOTE: Listed below are the existing bylaws for The San Antonio Apartment Association along with proposed changes (shown in red), to be voted on during the Annual Meeting of Members on October 6, 2011
Bylaws SAN ANTONIO APARTMENT ASSOCIATION, INC. Association By-Laws bylaws COUNTIES SERVED Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Dimmitt, Edwards, Frio, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, LaSalle, Maverick, McMullen, Medina, Real, Uvalde, Wilson, Zavala INDEX OF ARTICLES Article I – Organization & Objectives Article II - Emblem Article III - The Fiscal Year Article IV – Offices Article V – Membership Article VI - Meetings of the Membership Article VII – Officers Article VIII – Board of Directors Article IX – Committees Article X – Election Article XI – Rules of Order Article XII - Amendments Article XIII – Indemnification Article XIV – Financial Records and Reports
ARTICLE I. ORGANIZATION & OBJECTIVES Section 1. Organization. These Bylawsbylaws are for the government of the San Antonio Apartment Association, Inc., hereinafter referred to as the “Association,” and its members to promote and aid the carrying out of its purposes set forth in the Corporate Charter Articles of Incorporation as amended from time to time, to meet the Mission Statement of the Association and to achieve the objectives set forth herein. Through pooling resources, both financial and human, the Association provides educational, legislative and research programs for a general enhancement of professionalism. The Association shall operate within the following counties assigned by the Texas Apartment Association, Inc. (“TAA”): Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Dimmitt, Edwards, Frio, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, LaSalle, Maverick, McMullen, Medina, Real, Uvalde, Wilson and Zavala. Section 2. Objectives. a. To advance the general welfare of the multi-housing industry.; b. To provide opportunities for the people in the multi-housing industry to relate and exchange ideas through meetings and educational programs.; c. To promote and assist in the enactment of laws pertaining to the multihousing industry.; d. To develop and maintain within the industry a high appreciation of the objectives and responsibilities of fully serving the public.community; e. To inform members by providing legislative, educational, and other useful information.; and f. To function as an affiliated association of the TAATexas Apartment Association and the National Apartment Association. ARTICLE II. EMBLEM The Board of Directors shall adopt an
official emblem to be used on stationery, letters, publications and advertisements of the Association. ARTICLE III. THE FISCAL YEAR The fiscal year of the Association shall be from January 1st of each year through December 31st of the same year. ARTICLE IV. OFFICES The principal office of the Association shall be located at such place as the Board of Directors may select. The registered office as prescribed by the Non-Profit Corporation Act of the State of Texas need not be the same as the principal office of the Association. ARTICLE V. MEMBERSHIP Section 1. Categories of Membership. Membership in the Association shall be open to any sole proprietor, partnership, corporation or other form of entity, hereinafter referred to as a “Business Entity,” and to any individual, which shall agree to abide by the Bylawsbylaws and meet the qualifying factors: A. OWNER MEMBER CLASS: Those A Business EntitiesEntity or individualsindividual that own, manageowns, manages, or controlcontrols multifamily units or other residential units in the counties served by the Association. B. PROVISIONAL OWNER MEMBER CLASS: A Business Entity or individual that owns, manages, or controls multifamily units or other residential units in the counties served by the Association; this membership class is temporary. E.C. ASSOCIATE MEMBER CLASS: 1. Associate Members shall include suchA Business EntitiesEntity or individualsindividual that supplysupplies products or services to the multifamily housing industry. Associate Members may receive special designation/ or recognition for giving monetary consideration to the
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bylaws Association in sums prescribed by the Board of Directors. If there is2. Upon a transfer inof 50% or more of the ownership interest of an Associate Member of 50% or more by sale, assignment, bequest or otherwise, such membership terminates unless the Associate memberMember reapplies for membership and is approved by the Board of Directors pursuant to Article V, Section 2. No application or transfer fee for such re-application will be assessed. D. AFFILIATE MEMBER CLASS: 1. A Business Entity or individual who is not eligible for membership in any of the other membership classes, but has a personal interest in advancing the general welfare of the multi-family housing industry. Such members shall not be entitled to vote or hold an elected office. Affiliate Members may receive special designation or recognition for giving monetary consideration to the Association in sums prescribed by the Board of Directors. 1.2. Upon a transfer of 50% or more of the ownership interest of an Affiliate Member by sale, assignment, bequest or otherwise, such membership terminates unless the Affiliate Member reapplies for membership and is approved by the Board of Directors pursuant to Article V, Section 2. No application or transfer fee for such reapplicantapplication will be assessed. E. AFFILIATE MEMBER CLASS: An Affiliate Member shall include Business Entities or individuals who are not eligible for membership in any of the other membership classes, but have a personal interest in advancing the general welfare of the multi-family housing industry. Such members shall not be entitled to vote or hold an elective office. F.E. HONORARY LIFE BOARD MEMBER CLASS: The Board of Directors, by a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the entire Board of Directors, may bestow the special designation of Honorary Life Board Member upon those individuals who have distinguished themselves in the Association and the multi-family housing industry, such designation entitling the individual to lifetime free membership in the Association and nonvoting directorship on the Board of Directors of the Association.
Section 2. Application for Membership. All applications for membership shall be accompanied by appropriate dues., fees and assessments. A member classified as an “Owner Member” shallor a “Provisional Owner Member” must report all units then owned or, fee managed or controlled in the counties served by the Association. No 1. Owner Member Class membership may be considered asis accepted untilupon approval of the application has been approved at a meeting of the Board of Directors by a vote of at least two-thirds of the Board Members present and voting. No membership, Owner Membership, Honorary Membership or Associate Membership, may be sold, assigned or in any way transferred by the member.. 2. Provisional Owner Member Class membership status solely allows the Provisional Owner Member to access and purchase hard copies of forms until the Board of Directors approves or denies their application. Disapproved applicants will be notified in writing, access to forms will immediately cease, and any prepaid dues, fees and assessments will be reimbursed within thirty (30) business days. However, the application fee will not be reimbursed. 3. Associate Member Class membership is accepted upon approval of the application at a meeting of the Board of Directors by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the Board Members present. 4. Affiliate Member Class membership is accepted upon the approval of the application at a meeting of the Board of Directors by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the Board Members present. No membership, Owner Class, Provisional Owner Class, Honorary Life Board Member Class, Associate Member Class or Affiliate Member Class may be sold, assigned or in any way transferred by the member. Section 3. Suspension., Expulsion or Resignation. Upon receipt of a written, sworn complaint of any member, the Board of Directors may cause a hearing to be held for the suspension or expulsion of any member. The accused member shall be given written notice by certified mail at least thirty days in advance of the hearing and shall have the right to be represented by counsel and to present any evidence to the Board. The President shall preside as Chairman of the Board and shall be assisted by the Legal Counsel of the Association. A quorum as otherwise outlined herein must be present
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at all times and thean affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members of the Board of Directors present shall be necessary for suspension or expulsion. Any member may resign by filing a written resignation with the President or Secretary and all prepaid dues fee and assessments, if any, shall be forfeited. Resignation shall not relieve the member of its obligation to pay dues upfinancial or other obligations to the date of resignation.Association. No resignation shall be effective until the Board of Directors formally accepts such resignation by a majority vote of allthe members of the Board present and voting. Section 4. Dues. The Annual dues for membersDues, fees and assessments shall be set by the Board of Directors. An Owner Member shall pay or cause to be paid dues, fees and assessments for all units owned, fee managed or controlled. in the counties served by the Association. The Board of Directors, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the entire Board of Directors, may, when special circumstances beyond the Owner/ Member’s control exist, suspend the requirement of payment of dues, fees and assessments for certain units. Section 5. Benefits of Membership. Members in good standing shall be entitled to the membership benefits set by the Board of Directors. Section 6. Use of Forms. Association and TAA forms may be used only by associate membersAssociate Members, Owner Members or owner membersProvisional Owner Members whose units have all been reported to the Association and dues, fees and assessments have been fully paid pursuant to Article V, Section 4. ARTICLE VI. MEMBERSHIP
MEETINGS
OF
THE
Section 1. Annual Meetings. An annual meeting of the members shall be held on the date, time and place as set by the Board of Directors for the purpose of electing officers and directors and for such other business as may come before the meeting. Section 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the members may be called by: (i) the President on order of the Executive Committee; or, (ii) the Board of
Directors; or, (iii) as a result of a petition signed by ten percent (10%) of the members in good standing and submitted to the President requesting a Special meeting. Section 3. NoticesNotice of Meeting of Members. Written notice, sentNotice of the meeting of the members shall be delivered at least five (5) days in advance of the meeting to all memberseach member at the addressesaddress of the member in the records of the Association, shall be mailed at least five (5) days before each annual or special meeting of the members. The notice shall include the time, place and general purpose of the meeting. Notice of the meeting printed in an official publication of the association shall serve as written noticeis sufficient provided the five (5) day advance notice requirement is met. Section 4. Quorum. The members present at any annual or special meeting shall constitute a quorum. A majority vote of the qualified voting members present at any regular or special meeting is required to adopt any proposed measure or to elect officers or directors. ARTICLE VII. OFFICERS Section 1. Number of Officers. The officers of this Association shall be the President, President-Elect, Vice President, Treasurer and, Secretary and the two (2) Past Presidents. Section 2. Election & Removal of Officers. Officers shall be elected at the annual meeting of members with their term of office commencing January 1st of the year following their election. On January 1st, the President-Elect who has been serving in such capacity during the immediately preceding year shall automatically assume the office of become President, the outgoing President shall automatically begin serving asbecome immediate Past President, and the other newly elected officers shall automatically begin serving in the capacity elected. An officer, being duly nominated and re-elected by the membership may succeed himself or herself for one (1) additional term. An officer may be removed from office for cause, after a hearing for cause, and by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the entire Board of Directors. Section 3. Qualifications. All officers must be Owner Members except for the Vice President who may be an Associate Member. In all cases, The
member represented by the officer’s membership statusOfficer must be current and in good standing at the time of the Officer’s nomination and throughout the respectivetheir term of office. Any officer whoIf, during thean Officer’s term of office, the member represented by the Officer is no longer a member in good standing, or the Officer is not employed by a member in good standing, the Officer will be automatically terminated from such office unless, within ninety (90) days, such officerOfficer becomes a member or is employed by a member of the same membership classification held by such officer or officer’s employeethe member represented by the Officer at the time the officerOfficer was elected. Section 4. Duties of Office. The duties of the officers shall be determined by these Bylawsbylaws, and as provided by law. Section 5. Vacancy in Office. All officers, except those removed from office according to the relevant provisions of these Bylawsbylaws, shall serve until their successors have been duly qualified, elected and assumedassume office. Should a vacancy occur in the office of the President, the President-Elect shall immediately become President. Should a vacancy in an officer position occur (by death, resignation, or removal), a majority of the Executive Committee shall recommend to the Board of Directors a replacement whose appointment is to be ratified by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. Should a vacancy occur in the office of President-Elect an election, pursuant to Article X, shall be held to elect a President-Elect to fulfill the remaining term of office. Such election shall occur at the earliest of an Annual Meeting, or Special Meeting. A Special Meeting may be called with the sole purpose of filling such vacancy. Section 6. Director Board Membership. ARTICLE VIII. BOARD OF DIRECTORS To promote fair representation among members, the Nominating Committee shall nominate a slate where each Director is employed by a different Company. Upon the occurrence of more than one Director being employed by the same Company, one or more Directors employed by that Company must tender their resignation by the end of that calendar year; if one or more of those Directors fail to tender their resignation so
bylaws that only one Director is employed by that Company, all Directors employed by the same Company are automatically removed from the Board of Directors effective the end of the calendar year. ARTICLE VIII. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Section 1. Number, Term and Qualifications, Election and Removal. The governing body of the Association shall be the Board of Directors which shall be composed of nineteen (19) directors no less than seventeen (17) nor more than twenty-two (22) members as follows: the seven (7) officers, sevenno less than five (5) or more than nine (9) directors who are Owner Members, four (4) directors who are Associate Members, and the President of the Product Service Council. In addition to the regular nineteen (19) directorsmembers of the Board of Directors, all Honorary Life Board Members shall sit as non-voting members of the Board of Directors of the Association. Section 2. Term. Directors shall serve a term of two (2) years, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, and shall be eligible to succeed themselves, if duly nominated and elected, for two (2) additional successive terms. Section 3. Election. Directors shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of members with their term of office automatically commencing on January 1 of the year following their election. The Board of Directors shall set rules so that, as nearly as possible, one half of the Board of Directors shall be elected each year. Any director on Section 4. Qualifications. The member represented by the Board of Directors who, during theDirector must be in good standing at the time of the Director’s nomination and throughout their term of office,. If during a Director’s term of office, the member represented by the Director is no longer a member in good standing, or the Director is not employed by a member in good standing, the Director will be automatically terminated from such directorship unless, within ninety (90) days, such directorDirector becomes a member or is employed by a member of the same membership classification held by such director or director’s employerthe member represented by the Director at the time the director iswas elected.
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bylaws Section 5. Removal Any director may be removed from office after a hearing for cause, by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the entire membership of the Board of Directors. (Revised October 16, 2008) Section 26. Meetings of the Board of Directors. The President shall serve as Chairman of all the Board of Director Meetings. The Board of Directors shall have a minimum of ten (10) regular meetings each fiscal year at such places and times as designated by the Board of Directors. In addition to the regular meetings called by the Board of Directors, the President shall have the authority to call up to two (2) regular meetings during any fiscal year. No more than one regular meeting shall occur during a calendar month. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the President or upon petition of five (5) of the members of the Board of Directors. Directors may participate in electronic meetings by means of which all persons in the meeting hear one another. directors of the Board of Directors Participation in such a meeting shall constitute presence in person at the meeting, except where a person participates in the meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction on the ground that the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Section 3.7. Action Taken Without a Meeting of the Board of Directors. Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Board of Directors may be taken without meeting if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, is signedapproved and executed in writing by a majorityunanimous vote of every member of the Board of Directors. Such writings entitled to vote. Consent may be executed concurrently in one or more counterparts, including execution of a facsimile of, telecopy or email versions having the signature of the member thereon, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Such consent shall have the same force and effect as a unanimous vote at a meeting and may be stated as such in any document or instrument filed with the Secretary of State. Directors may participate in electronic meetings by means of which all persons in
the meeting hear one another. Participation in such a meeting shall constitute presence in person at the meeting, except where a person participates in the meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction on the ground that the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Section 48. Quorum. A majority of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any Board Meeting. The act of a majority of the Directors present and voting at any meeting at which a quorum is present shall be an act of the Board of Directors, except as otherwise specified herein. Section 59. Absences. Should a member of the Board of Directors have three (3) consecutive absences, or a total of five (5) absences during a calendar year, from regular meetings of the Board of Directors, his or her directorship shall automatically terminate. Section 610. Vacancy. A vacancy on the Board of Directors (by death, resignation, removal, or under Article VIII, Section 5) may be filled by the President appointing a successor whose appointment is ratified by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Board of Directors. A Director appointed to fill a vacancy shall be elected forserve the unexpired term of his or her predecessor in office. Section 711. Duties of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors, being the governing body of the Association, shall supervise the activities and business affairs of the Association, provided such general powers shall be executed to further the declared objective and purpose of the Association. A. The Board of Directors may employ an Executive Director whose term and conditions of employment shall be specified by the Board. The Executive Committee shall recommendhave sole authority regarding the ongoing compensation and other financial arrangements offor the Executive Director forafter employed by the Board approval; provided, however, that the Executive Committee shall report to the Board of Directors the percentage of any change in the Executive Director’s salary. B. The Board of Directors shall have the power to collect such dues, fees and assessments as are established by the Board.
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C. The Board of Directors shall have the power to censure, suspend or expel any member who, after having full and fair opportunity for a hearing with due process before the Board, the Board determines has violated these Bylawsbylaws. ARTICLE IX. COMMITTEES Section 1. Standing Committees. Except as provided for herein, the President-elect shall appoint, by a date set by the Board of Directors, a chairperson for the following standing committees whose appointments become effective on January 1st of the following year: Budget & Finance, Bylaws, Education, Government Affairs, Membership, Nominating, Independent Rental Owners and Program. If In the event of a vacancy in the chair of a standing committee, the President does notshall have the authority to appoint a chairperson, that committee will not meet during that respective fiscal yearnew chair. Section 2. Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, President of the Product Service Council and the two (2) Past Presidents. The President shall serve as Chairman of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall be the Steering Committee of the Association, subject to final authorization and approval by the Board of Directors. Section 3. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall consist of the following members;: the current President, the current President -Elect, two (2) most recent Past Presidents selected by the President and able to serve and a Past or the current President of the Product Service Council selected by the President. In the President’s sole discretion, one additional person may be appointed to serve on the committee at large. The chair person of the Committee shall be an owner member of the Committee appointed by the President. The Nominating Committee may on its own motion agree to deliberate in closed session. The Nominating Committee shall be appointed at least sixty (60) days prior to the annual meeting of members. Section 4. Special Committees. Except as provided for herein, the President-elect shall appoint, by a date set by the Board of Directors, chairpersons for such other task forces or committees as the President-elect may deem necessary whose
appointments become effective on January 1st of the following year. In the event of a vacancy in the chair of a special committee, the President shall have the authority to appoint a new chair. The President shall appoint such other task forces, committees and chairpersons as the President may deem necessary. Section 5. Product/Service Council. The Associate Members of the Association shall be members of the Product/Service Council. ARTICLE X. ELECTION Section 1. Directors and Officers of the Association. The election of directors and officers of the Association shall take place at the annual meeting of members each year, or at a special meeting, according to the following procedure. A. The Nominating Committee shall present its report at the annual meeting of members, or at a special meeting. The President shall accept the report/ nominations of the Nominating Committee and ask for further nominations from the floor. B. Upon request by any member eligible to vote, the voting for directors and/or officers shall be by secret ballot. Voting for directors and/or officers by written proxy shall not be allowed. The President shall appoint three (3) Owner ManagersMembers to be election judges to supervise the election procedure, canvas the voting and report the results to the President. C. Only Owner Members and Associate Members are eligible to vote in the election of directors of the Association. Only Owner Members are eligible to vote in the election of officers of the Association. Section 2. Officers of Product/Service Council. The members of the Product/Service Council shall elect their officers. ARTICLE XI. RULES OF ORDER The latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the authority for establishing meeting procedures of the Association when not in conflict with these Bylawsbylaws, the Articles of Incorporation, or Texas or Federal laws.
bylaws
ARTICLE XII. AMENDMENTS Section 1. Amendments. The Bylawsbylaws of the Association may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Owner Members present at a regular meeting of the membership provided the following prerequisites are fulfilled: A. The proposed Amendment was submitted to and approved by a two thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Directors present. B. A written notice of the scheduled amendment vote along withNotice that proposed amendments would be voted on at the meeting and the complete text of the proposed amendmentamendments was maileddelivered to each Owner Member at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting. ARTICLE XIII. INDEMNIFICATION Section 1. Liability Limitation. A director is not liable to the Association or its members for monetary damages for an act or omission in his or her capacity as a director, except for, a breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the Association or its members, an act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of the law, a transaction from which the director received an improper benefit whether or not the benefit resulted from an action taken within the scope of the director’s office, or an act or omission for which liability of the director is expressly provided for by statute. Section 2. Indemnification. Every officer, director and employee of the Association shall be indemnified by the Association against all expenses and liabilities including, but not limited to, attorneys’ fees and expenses reasonably incurred or imposed upon them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be a party, or in which they may become involved by reason of being or having been in such position, or any settlement thereof whether the person is in such position at the time such expenses are incurred. Such indemnification shall apply except in cases wherein the officer, director or employee commits a breach of duty of loyalty to Association or its members, an act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of the law, a transaction from which is received an improper benefit, whether or not the benefit resulted from an action taken within the scope of their office
or position, an act or omission for which liability is expressly provided for by statute, or an act related to unlawful payment of a dividend, or is finally adjudged liable, by due legal process, of willful malfeasance or malfeasance in the performance of duties. The foregoing right of indemnification shall be in addition to and not exclusive of all other rights to which such position may be entitled. ARTICLE XIV. FINANCIAL RECORDS AND REPORTS Section 1. Financial Records. The Association shall maintain current, true and accurate financial records with full and complete entries with respect to all financial transactions of the Association, including all income and expenditures in accordance with generally accepted accounting practices. Section 2. Financial Reports. Based on the foregoing records, the Board of Directors shall annually prepare and approve the report of the financial activity of the Association for the preceding year, which report shall conform to Generally Accepted Accounting PrincipalsPrinciples, including a statement of support, revenue and expenses, and exchanges in fund balances, a statement of functional expenses and balance sheets for all funds. Section 3. Inspection of Books. The records, books and annual reports of the financial activity of the Association shall be kept at the principal office of the Association for at least three (3) years after the closing of each fiscal year, and shall be available to members for inspection and copying thereof, during normal business hours. The Association may charge for reasonable expenses of preparing copies of such records or reports.
NOTE: There are no proposed changes to the San Antonio Apartment Association Product Service Council Policy.
The RESIDENCE | www.saaaonline.org | September/October 2011 | 63
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7525 Babcock Road San Antonio, Texas 78249
The
PRSRT STD AUTO U.S. POSAGE PAID SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS PERMIT NO. 1935
San Antonio Apartment Association Magazine
September/October 2011
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