WOW Matters, Venterra Realty 2010

Page 1


WOW Stories

VenterraLiving.com


“The WOW concept is a fantastic way that every area of our company is displaying the customer service culture of Venterra. The theme of over-the-top service provided to residents that is included in so many of the great WOW stories in this book is essential in building great communities at our properties. This kind of behaviour can’t be legislated. It is happening because we have so many “believers” in this company and that is what makes Venterra a great and very unique organization. You can’t fake this stuff and investors in our properties have said as much after hearing executives talk about this unique customer service culture at Venterra, reading the WOW Book and then seeing it in action during property tours.” ~ John G. Foresi, CEO -Venterra Realty


Table of Contents

Introduction, By Richard Roos, COO................................. Overview, By Stephanie Gonzalez, Director of Marketing Customer Service Values................................................. Make it the Best...................................................... Power of Nice.......................................................... A Step Ahead.......................................................... Just Listen............................................................... Stuff Happens......................................................... Personalize It.......................................................... Clock’s Ticking......................................................... A Better Way.......................................................... Make a Difference................................................... Team First Stories............................................................ SGK Race for the Cure Team Photos, 2010.......................

1 3 4 5 9 15 19 21 23 29 32 34 43 53-62


Introduction By Richard Roos, COO In 2008 we made a major organizational decision to fully commit ourselves to being an industry leader in customer service. This led to the development of a new customer service strategy that we began rolling out in 2009 and formally launched in early 2010 at the annual Kick-off parties. Over the last two years we have made a number of major improvements that have laid the foundation for our customer service vision: • Customer Service • Customer Service Scorecard Vision/Values • WOW Contest • WOW Book • TQMR • Resident Portal Compliments/Complaints • Customer Service • 30 Day PMI and 120 Day Non-Negotiables PMO Service Request Escalation In addition to the above, we achieved a major milestone at the end of 2010 when we successfully implemented the 30-Day Move-in Guarantee across our portfolio. This is an incredible achievement and complement to our employees who have embraced our customer service vision and paved the way for us to offer such a powerful service promise to our customers. While rolling out various initiatives is great, ultimate success can only be validated by our customers. I am happy to report that we are seeing some significant indicators that our customers feel we are on the right path: • • •

In the last nine months, renewal rates have increased from 11% to 56% representing a 25% increase versus last year. 91% of our residents say they would refer their friends and family to our communities. Portfolio Apartment Ratings reached an all-time high of 76% (60% higher than our competitors). 1


It’s no doubt that a critical part of our success has been our annual WOW Contest and the amazing storytelling that occurs and ultimately fills the pages of our WOW Book. While I was amazed in 2009 when I read the stories of customer service excellence and great teamwork that were taking place throughout our organization, I have been even more impressed in 2010. Customer service is all about caring and it starts and ends with our employees. I want to thank everyone who contributed to the 1,608 stories, photographs and videos throughout 2010 and made for another incredible year of “Wowing” our customers and co-workers. The amazing things you do for your customers and co-workers are humbling to me and why I believe the sky is the limit for Venterra.

2


Overview By Stephanie Gonzalez, Director of Marketing As I was thinking through the first draft of the WOW book and reading all of the amazing stories, I stopped to consider our customer’s (our residents and prospects) point of view. Were they feeling the WOW experience and would they agree that we provide WOW in our daily practices? While I was pondering this, I decided to look at our compliments section on the resident portal and WOW (no pun intended)…was I impressed. It’s one thing to talk about what we see each other do at our properties, but it’s an even bigger rush to hear it and actually see it written by our residents and prospects in their own words. I found it to be euphoric. There was no going back. At that moment, I knew there had to be two sides to the 2011 WOW Matters Book—Ours and Theirs. Ours side is made up of stories submitted by us. Stories about great customer service observed and great acts of kindness provided to each other. We have two parts to this side of the book, the Customer Stories and the Team First stories. The Customer Stories have been categorized by our Customer Service Values and demonstrate our commitment to living these standards daily. The Team First part has story after story demonstrating the endless lengths at which we will go to help our team members. Theirs side is made up of the compliments and stories that were submitted by our residents. To demonstrate the level at which we are providing a Better Way of Living, we decided to categorize these by our Customer Service Promises: Simple, Clean, Fun, Working and Exceptional. This side makes it obvious – WOW does make a difference in our customer’s lives. YOU make the difference. What an amazing year! We went from 453 stories last year to 1608 stories this year! While we couldn’t include every story in the book, I believe we have a true representation of what WOW is at Venterra. Thank you to everyone that participated this year, and a special thanks to Christine Sissakis, Robin Finney and Brenda Grasha for the countless hours of proofing and editing the WOW Matters production.

3


Customer Service Values As part of our pursuit of our Service Vision we are committed to our Service Values and realize that achieving Customer Service Excellence depends on our ability to consistently deliver these values in every customer interaction. Make it the Best - do things right the first time and ensure total product and service quality. Power of Nice - be positive, smiling and willing to share a laugh. A Step Ahead - anticipate the unspoken needs of our customer. Just Listen - listen to every request with an open mind and always consider our customer’s point of view first. Stuff Happens - be willing to admit our mistakes in the pursuit of doing what is right. Personalize It - look for opportunities to go above and beyond to create memorable and personalized experiences. Clock’s Ticking - respect our customer’s time and respond with an exceptional sense of urgency. A Better Way - look for better ways to make our customer’s life more convenient, simple and enjoyable. Say Thanks - continuously thank our customer for choosing Venterra. Make a Difference - deliver WOW!

4



Mark Ruiz, Porter—San Antonio, TX An elderly resident was having trouble with her Internet connection. She called the internet company and they said everything was fine, but it still wasn’t working. She ran into Mark and told him what was going on. He offered to come and see if he could help. Mark messed with the wires and tested outlets and phone connections for an hour and found that the problem was a bad outlet. He was able to resolve the problem even though it was the internet company’s responsibility!

Justin Brown, Make Ready Technician—San Antonio, TX Justin loves living on property; however, he is not always easily disguised. Last night Justin was in the middle of watching a playoff game when he heard a knock on the door. He opened the door to find his next door neighbor. Her dishwasher had stopped working and she asked if he could help. Rather than telling her no or to page the oncall person, Justin grabbed his tools and went right over. He fixed her dishwasher in no time and was able to get back to his game! The resident was so appreciative for his willingness to help.

Tiffany Dunlap, Assistant Manager—Austin, TX We have kids come in every day after school for candy. But today, we decided to surprise them with popcorn instead!

Claudia Bickerstaff, Leasing Consultant—Brentwood, TN Claudia had been speaking with a prospect who was really interested in our community. She wanted to look at our property, but never got off of work until after our office was closed. Claudia made arrangements to stay after hours on Monday night to show the prospect around our community. Instead of just showing her the apartment, she went down and got the golf cart (which had already been put away for the evening) and took the prospect on a FULL tour of our property. Talk about going above and beyond! The prospect was impressed with our community, but more importantly, was touched that Claudia took the extra time to spend with her. She leased the apartment!

Kristi Mumford, Leasing Consultant—Houston, TX Kristi lives on property which is no surprise to a lot of our residents. On Sunday, a resident knocked on Kristi’s door and said she had been locked out of her apartment by her husband. Kristi could have told her to call a locksmith, but she smiled and told her she would be glad to go to the office and get her a key.

Yassin Yassin, Make Ready Technician—Brentwood, TN This morning Leslie and I were giving muffins to our residents as they drove by on their way to work. Yassin came up to run the trash compactor (which was near our location). As some of the residents were pulling up to throw their trash in the compactor, Yassin jumped in and took their trash for them! One resident expressed,

6


"Wow! We get breakfast and valet trash service? This is amazing!" Yassin always goes a step ahead with helping others out.

Marvin Valdizon, Assistant Maintenance—Austin, TX One Sunday (after office hours), Marvin was out enjoying the sun with his family. He noticed a resident walking from the pool area and asked if she enjoyed her time at the pool. The resident told Marvin that she and her daughter didn’t have a chance to get in the pool because they had forgotten the code to get in and the office was closed so they couldn’t ask anyone. Marvin walked with her back to the pool area and opened the door and gave her the code. Talk about after hour’s service!

Steven Martinez, Maintenance Manager—San Antonio, TX A resident recently transferred into a larger apartment and noticed that her cable wasn’t work in her second bedroom. The resident called the cable company and they stated that she would have to go through a third party vendor to fix the problem with the cable. She reluctantly called the other company and they quoted her a very high price for fixing it. The resident came by the office and explained the situation to Sonya and how frustrated she was! Sonya then explained the issue to Steve. Steve went to look at it and discovered that he could fix the cable! He had the resident pick up a few parts that were needed to fix the problem. He fixed it and did everything for FREE! The resident was very happy and thankful for Steve taking the extra effort to help.

Leslie Ress, Leasing Consultant—Brentwood, TN Leslie had a move-in scheduled to come on Saturday. They had some complications with their moving truck and were unable to make it out that day. Leslie gave them her personal cell phone number and told them that she would be more than happy to meet them when they got it town. They finally made it in on Sunday morning. Leslie came into the office on her day off to move her new residents in. Thanks Leslie!

Rudy Butterfield, Assistant Maintenance—Longview, TX Friday afternoon we had a resident ask if she could borrow our ladder to hang some curtains in her living room. Rudy took the ladder over to her apartment and instead of leaving, stayed to hang the currents for the resident! The resident was so appreciative that Rudy would do this.

Britney LaPorte, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX Britney WOWed a prospect on her second day of work! Keli was giving a young couple some leasing information. She asked them if they would like any water. They asked for bottled water, but we had none in the office, only filtered water. The light bulb suddenly struck and Britney quietly excused herself from the office. She remembered that we had some bottled water in our model apartment home! She went out, grabbed a couple bottles and came back. As Keli and the prospects were getting on the golf cart to tour the community, Britney appeared with the water. The prospects were amazed that Britney would go out of her way to do this for them!

Jesse Sanchez, Assistant Maintenance—San Antonio, TX One rainy Friday, Jesse was going through some work order requests when he was asked to deliver a few packages. Several residents called the office and requested that their packages be placed inside their apartment sometime on that day due to the weather. The storms were intensifying, but this didn’t faze Jesse. He put his raincoat

7


and a big smile on and began delivering the packages. Thanks Jesse for the extra efforts and superior customer service—especially during a storm!

Steve Griffin and Yassin Yassin, Maintenance—Brentwood, TN One night after work, Steve and Yassin were at the carwash washing their trucks. A resident drove down to use the carwash and decided to wait until they were done. Steve and Yassin jumped in and told her to pull her car right in. They proceeded to wash her car for her...no questions asked! The resident was completely blown away by their generosity and willingness to wash another car! It’s the small things that really do make a difference. Our guys are always looking out for others interests...even when off the clock.

Keli Jenkins, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX A resident called the office frantic stating that she had left her iron on in her apartment. Keli immediately went to her apartment and turned it off. The resident was extremely thankful!

Mark Ruiz, Porter—San Antonio, TX On Saturday a group was setting up for a wedding reception in the clubroom at the Enclave. Mark walked past the clubhouse and couldn’t help but notice the small number of people that were helping to set up. Mark jumped right in and began helping the group with the setup even though it was his day off!

8



Alex Alas, Porter—Austin, TX Our Porter, Alex was on-call this past weekend. While out on property, he noticed a woman struggling to move a TV. He went up to the woman and grabbed the TV from her and asked where he needed to take it. The woman had just moved in and was blown away by Alex’s generosity. The woman had just had back surgery, but her movers had somehow missed taking her TV in for her. Rather than calling someone, she tried to do it herself. It’s a good thing Alex was near!

Nicholas Tyser, Assistant Maintenance— San Antonio, TX We had a resident whose car had broken down in the middle of our parking lot as he was leaving for work. Nick was nice enough to stop what he was doing and was able to fix his car for him so that he wasn’t late for work.

Jose Flores, Maintenance Manager—Houston, TX A resident came into the office yesterday in a panic because she had lost her car keys. Jose went through the entire parking lot and the area that was close to her apartment home. He ended up finding her keys in the parking lot and returned them to the resident. The resident was very extremely thankful!

Robyn Keller, Property Manager—Dallas, TX Recently a couple from Australia moved into our community. They were only living in the states temporarily, so they didn’t bring much with them. They asked Robyn if she could help them find some basic things for their apartment—dishes, linens, groceries, etc. After buying everything, Robyn took the extra step and delivered everything to their apartment and helped them to setup. Robyn definitely went the extra mile!

Rachel Smith, Assistant Manager—Brunswick, GA A distraught resident came into the office. This seemed very odd to Rachel because this particular resident was always happy. Rachel asked what was wrong and she learned that the resident was having relationship problems. Rachel asked the resident to join her and Samantha for some coffee and a bagel. Just sitting with them for a few minutes, really cheered the resident up!

Robert Herrera, Maintenance Manager—Austin, TX As Robert was leaving work one night, he noticed a resident having car troubles. Instead of going home, Robert stopped to ask the resident if he needed any help. Robert was able to jump start his car so that he and the resident could go on with their evening!

Sarah Arzola, Property Manager—Austin, TX Sarah was passing by the business center when she noticed that one of our residents was walking in to use the computer in search for a new job. Sarah asked if she was okay and the resident told her she was very tired and hot. She had just walked over a few blocks because her car was in the shop. Sarah immediately went to the kitchen

10


and grabbed water bottle and took it to our resident. She was so happy and thanked Sarah for being so considerate.

Jamie Keener, Leasing Consultant— Austin, TX Jamie took the initiative to offer money to a resident who had ran out of gas. Jamie wanted to make sure that he could get to his meeting on time. A few days later he returned the borrowed money to Jamie.

Robert Faircloth, Assistant Maintenance—San Antonio, TX Robert encountered a frantic resident outside searching for something. Robert asked what he was looking for, and the resident told him his keys. Robert joined in the search and within 10 minutes they had found his keys!

Aaron Leal, Maintenance Manager—San Antonio, TX Aaron was zipping by the office in his golf cart when he noticed a resident struggling to carry a large package out of the office. He stopped and loaded the package on his cart and delivered it to her apartment.

Mark Ruiz, Porter—San Antonio, TX A resident came in the office panicking because he had dropped his cell phone while getting in the elevator. His battery had come out and had fallen down the elevator shaft. Mark went searching for the battery and was able to find it! The resident was so thankful that he hadn’t lost it for good!

Vanessa Aragon, Assistant Manager—San Antonio, TX Vanessa mailed a card to a resident who splits his time between living in Texas and New York. He was away for the winter, so she mailed him a card!

Vanessa Aragon, Assistant Property Manager—San Antonio, TX One of our long-time residents was out of town for several days and asked Vanessa if she knew of anyone who could water his plants while he was away. Vanessa offered to handle the task and told him not to worry about paying someone to do that. Over the next few days, Vanessa watered and took care of his plants. When the resident came back, he stopped by the office and thanked Vanessa.

Breeana Tovar, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX Breeana was closing down the model when she noticed a resident struggling with her groceries. Breeana went over and offered to help the resident to her apartment. She

11


ended up staying to talk with the resident. After a day or so the resident came in and told Breeana how much she appreciated her help and for taking the time to get to know her. Apparently she had been having a hard time recently, and it really made the resident feel better!

Sally Flores, Senior Leasing Consultant and Rachel Smith, Assistant Manager—San Antonio, TX One of our older residents had several large packages delivered and was not home to receive them. Knowing she would have a difficult time walking down the hill with all of her packages, Sally and Rachel loaded them in Sally’s truck and personally delivered them to her door. They saved the resident a trip to the office and a trip from carrying all of the packages back home!

Rachel Kaser, Assistant Manager—San Antonio, TX While Rachel was out rent notices around the property, she noticed a resident carrying her trash out. Rachel stopped the resident and told him that she would be more than happy to take his trash to the dumpster for him. He was very grateful for Rachel’s help.

Jamie Keener, Leasing Consultant— Austin, TX Jamie saw some kids playing outside and wanted to sweeten up their day! She brought them out some candy to help make their summer the best!

Roberto Herrera, Maintenance Manager—Austin, TX Robert noticed one of our older residents carrying up some groceries and ran out of the office to help her. When he was finished carrying in her groceries, he looked out on her porch and noticed several plants. He asked her if she was planning on hanging them and she said she was waiting for her grandson to help her. Robert jumped right into action and asked her where she would like them hung. He got all of her plants up!

Megan Jewell, Leasing Consultant—Austin, TX One of our residents just had heart surgery and was trying to get the internet set up in her apartment. She was pretty confused by all of the offers and briefly mentioned to Megan that she was having a tough time getting it all figured out. Megan immediately offered to take a look at the info she had and before the resident knew it - she was good to go! She was so thankful that Megan got it taken care of so she could concentrate on her recovery!

Aniseto Bonilla, Assistant Manager—Dallas, TX Aniseto went at 11pm to check on our resident, Ron. Since he’s disabled, he really needed help. Aniseto helped him with his oxygen tank and plugged in his electronics. He made sure he left him comfortable and even went back in the morning to make sure he was fine!

The Staff at Bent Tree—San Antonio, TX One of our residents came in and was quite distraught because she had just purchased a new pressure cooker and thought she had broke it. She asked if we had the number to Wal-mart so she could call and ask. Rachel jumped right in and asked the resident what her cooker was doing and offered to take a look at it! It turned out that it was

12


not broken but the handle was screwed on too tightly. Rachel then asked Gilbert and our fixer-upper Emily to help. Together they were able to fix the problem and saved the resident from having to go back to Wal-Mart to buy a new pressure cooker. Way to go guys!

Roman Reyes, Make Ready Technician—San Antonio, TX Roman noticed a resident trying to carry her groceries all of the way up to the third floor. When she came back down for an additional load, Roman offered to help her carry her cases of water and Gatorade.

Brandi Simmons, Assistant Manager—Houston, TX A brand new resident just moved in last week and this morning her car would not start. Brandi jumped to the occasion and jump-started her car. Way to go Brandi!

Tiffany Dunlap, Assistant Manager— Austin, TX It was a HOT day here at Bristol Heights so Tiffany brought out popsicles to the kids swimming at the pool!

Bree Tovar, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX One of our residents had been having trouble finding a job so she asked Bree for help. Bree immediately called some places for her and got her an interview. The resident was so ecstatic for all of Bree’s willingness to help!

Samantha Garcia, Assistant Manager—San Antonio, TX We had quite a large and random storm roll through the other day leaving some our residents trapped in the office not wanting to face the rain. Sam jumped in to save the day by walking each resident home one by one with our only umbrella!

Leigh Sublett, Property Manager—Dallas, TX One of our residents was on her way back from a trip when her flight got cancelled. She called the office in a panic because her two cats would be alone for another night. Without hesitation, Leigh told the resident not to worry and that she would take care of her cats and check on them for her! Leigh fed the kitties and made sure that they had plenty of water. The resident was so relieved and thankful that Leigh was able to help!

13


Jose Flores, Maintenance Manager—Houston, TX We have had several residents this week that had packages in the office. One resident had a huge chair delivered to the office and Jose took it to her door. She was excited to come home to her new chair. Thanks Jose!

14



Crystal Sanchez, Assistant Manager—Fort Worth, TX A woman came into our office very frustrated and a bit overheated. Crystal simply asked her what was wrong and found that the woman was lost. Crystal gave her a bottle of water and was able to find out where she was trying to go. Not only did she print out a map for this woman, but she explained how to get there and gave her landmarks as well. Thanks to Crystals help, the woman left very happy and called back to thank her after she arrived at her destination!

Sally Flores, Senior Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX Last week a prospect came in with her mother seeking information for a new apartment home, however, there was only one problem; she needed somewhere that qualified based on income. Sally mentioned to the prospect about Section 8 Housing. She even took it a further step and gave them all of the contact numbers that they would need.

Rudy Butterfield, Assistant Maintenance—Longview, TX Some of our new residents were moving in on a 100 degree day. Rudy stopped to offer assistance but they declined. They looked so hot and frazzled so Rudy grabbed two ice cold bottles of water and took them back down to the apartment for them. They were astounded that he had done that for them.

Megan Jewell, Leasing Consultant—Austin, TX One of our residents was flying for the first time. She asked Megan how to get to the airport. Megan knew she probably needed a little more help than she realized. She asked the resident if she knew everything she had to do between now and sitting down in her seat on the plane, and the resident had no idea. Megan went through things step by step and even called Delta to get all of the information for the flight. Without Megan taking the time to explain to the resident everything that goes into flying – we’re pretty sure the resident would have missed her first flight!

Brandi Simmons, Assistant Manager—Houston, TX One of our elderly residents walked to the office to check her mail. She started getting dizzy from the heat. Brandi noticed that she looked distraught at the mail station and ran to her side to help. Brandi offered to drive her home and helped her onto the golf cart. When they got to her apartment Brandi helped her up the stairs, unlocked her door, put her mail on her table, and helped her into her chair. Our resident called the office later to let Brandi know how much she appreciated her help.

Keli Jenkins, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX Keli was walking the property one morning and noticed a resident had left his keys in the mail box. Keli grabbed the keys and called the resident to inform him that she had his keys. She even took it a step further and took the keys to his apartment!

Vanessa Aragon, Assistant Manager—San Antonio, TX A long-term resident called down to the office inquiring if the postman had come by already. Vanessa noticed that she did not sound her usual joyful self. Vanessa asked if she was feeling well and learned that she had suffered a bout of food poisoning. Vanessa offered to take up her mail and any packages she had. She also took it a step further and bought her a Sprite to help settle her stomach. The resident was surprised and so thankful. She had wanted a sprite all day!

Sonya Machado, Assistant Manager—San Antonio, TX A resident talked to Sonya and told her she would be out of town for two months with

16


the military. She asked Sonya to check her mail, water her plants and keep an eye on the apartment. She didn’t have any family here and wanted that peace of mind while she was away. Sonya gladly offered to take care of things for the resident while she was out of town to make things easier. Sonya took it one more step and had her carpet cleaned for renewal while she was gone. The resident returned and was thrilled with the shampooed carpet, all her mail on the dining room table and all of her plants still alive! Thanks to Sonya, the resident didn’t have to worry!

Johnna Bacak, Assistant Manager—San Antonio, TX Johnna’s new move-in had purchased a new couch and mentioned to Johnna that they were going to charge $150 to deliver it. Johnna told him that that was too expensive and that there were people on Craigslist that would deliver for you for a lot less. So Johnna got on Craigslist and found two people and gave the resident their numbers. The resident was able to get their bed delivered to them for only $40.00 thanks to Johnna!

Margarita Lazcano, Housekeeper—San Antonio, TX The other day we had a resident who was in a huge hurry to leave. She had to rush to take her mom to the airport, but needed to take her dogs out before leaving. Margarita saw that she was in a huge hurry and asked the resident if she could help her walk her doggies. Margarita took care of her dogs and put them back in their home when finished. The resident made it to the airport in time, thanks to Margarita!

Marcus Wilson, Assistant Maintenance—San Antonio, TX One of our residents is in the armed forces and gone for about four months at a time. During our last big storm, Marcus noticed that the resident’s car cover was torn up and hanging off the car. Knowing that the resident would not be back for a few months, Marcus took it upon himself to purchase a new cover so the resident’s car would be okay.

Leslie Ress, Leasing Consultant—Brentwood, TN Leslie recently had a couple moving here from Alaska. They applied online and did everything remotely. They were driving all the way from Alaska and would not be in until the evening. Leslie wanted to give them a great welcome. She put a plant in the apartment and turned on all of the lights so that it would be inviting when they entered. Leslie came over on her day off at 7 p.m. to meet them and escort them to their apartment. Leslie delivered a WOW to her residents!

Edgar Hernandez, Assistant Maintenance—Houston, TX Monday I had a future resident show up on our door step a week early with three boxes and a suitcase. She is 18 and just left everyone she knew in Indiana to go to school in Texas. Maurico (Edgar Hernandez) happened to overhear everything. I told her we would get her set up in another apartment and began to reprint the contract. Before the ink on the lease was dry, Maurico had changed the locks on the new apartment, removed the mini model items, left the move in gift and carried all of her luggage up to the 3rd floor for her.

Leslie Ress, Leasing Consultant—Brentwood, TN One of our residents recently had surgery and was unable to move around much. He had not been able to check his mail for the past few days. Leslie went up to his apartment, got his mail key, checked his mail and brought his mail and key back to him. He was so grateful for having Leslie there for him!

Sonya Machado, Assistant Manager—San Antonio, TX One of our long time residents called the office and was frantic because she had left for

17


work and couldn’t find her keys to her apartment or truck keys. She further explained to Sonya that she had her keys that morning when she returned from working out at the gym but when leaving one hour later couldn’t find them. Sonya calmed her down and told her to explain her exact steps again to help her trace her steps. Sonya then told the resident not to worry and that she would go to her apartment and look again for her keys. Sonya went to the resident’s apartment and searched all over and then remembered that the resident said she started a load of wash before leaving for work. Sonya went to her washer and looked through her wet wash and FOUND THE KEYS!! Sonya transferred her clothes from the washer to the dryer and went back to the office to call the resident about finding her keys. The resident was very thankful and happy that Sonya took the extra effort to help find her keys and even completed a load of laundry for her!

Sally Flores, Senior Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX One of our residents told Sally that her husband was still living in Virginia and wouldn’t be moving to San Antonio until he found a job. Sally went ahead and asked what type of employment he was seeking. She gathered a list of employers in the area for the resident. Sally later saw the resident and asked how her husband’s job search was going. The resident informed Sally that thanks to her, he had found a job!

18



Sonya Machado, Assistant Manager—San Antonio, TX An upset resident came to the office to tell Sonya that she had lost her wallet and cell phone the night before. She had been out with her friends the night before and couldn’t remember everything that took place. Sonya sat her down and listened to all of the events from the night before and helped her to piece everything together. Sonya called the cab company and reported the resident’s missing items while the resident was on the phone with the bank. Later in the afternoon, Sonya received a call from the resident that the cab company had her belongings! Thanks to Sonya’s willingness to listen and make the call to the cab company, the resident could be at peace!

Breeana Tovar, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX Breeana received a very angry phone call from an upset resident whose a/c had stopped working. The resident was frustrated because this was the third time she had called about it. Breeana explained that the guys were very busy with several a/c calls, but assured the resident that they would get to her soon. She was still not satisfied with this answer. Breeana told the resident that she was heading out to lunch and asked the resident if she would like for her to pick some food up and bring it back to her. The resident immediately changed her tone; paused and told Breeana that that was the nicest thing anyone had ever offered her. She told her not to worry about it. She then told Breeana that she understood the guys were busy and that she could wait for them to come after all. Sometimes all you have to do is listen and the rest will come naturally.

Veronica Mayfield, Leasing Consultant— Austin, TX Veronica knew a resident had been waiting on her new phone to come in from conversations she had overheard. She called the resident once it arrived to come pick it up. Veronica even stayed late to make sure she got it!

Britney LaPorte, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX A prospect came in this week inquiring about our availability and left with a potential job lead all thanks to Britney. It turns out during the time frame of her move in we had no availability what-so-ever, therefore it seemed like her quest for a new home at our property was going to prove to be unsuccessful. During their tour of our property, Britney really got to know this prospect and learned that not only was she in the market for a new apartment home, but was also desperately seeking new employment. She was seeking a job in the medical field and Britney immediately offered the name of her previous employer. The next day Britney received a call from the prospect who informed her that she had applied for a job at Britney’s old company. The prospect ended up extending her time frame for moving so that she could lease an apartment with Britney!

20



The Staff at Riverstone—Fort Worth, TX

One of our residents had a toilet that leaked on the 2nd floor down to the first floor. It flooded part of the first floor and even moved into the parking lot! Kim, Ricardo, Anthony and Ricky jumped into action! They waded through the water to save our residents electronics, cover their furniture and more while the leak was being repaired. Stuff happens but thankfully our staff is quick on their feet!

Gracie Martinez, Assistant Manager and Aniseto Bonilla, Assistant Maintenance—Dallas, TX One of our resident’s apartment flooded from a water heater leak. Gracie took it upon herself to call the resident while she was driving home at 9:30pm to explain what happened in their apartment so they wouldn’t be surprised when they got home. The carpet and pad had to be removed due to the excess amount of water. The resident was very thankful for receiving the phone call. Aniseto had also left a note on their door explaining the problem and let them know to call him when they got home because their lock had to be changed because our copy wouldn’t open their door. The resident got home around midnight, and Aniseto gladly took them their new keys. The resident was grateful for all of the updates and speedy response in taking care of the issue.

Valerie Nation, Assistant Manager—Longview, TX The electric company was doing some work in our apartment homes. Within the first 30 days of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson’s move-in, the electric company had managed to cut their power off three times and their water line once. Mr. Johnson called our office and said that they had had enough and that they wanted to move out. Valerie immediately called them back and apologized for the inconvenience and the situation and asked if she could come and visit with them. They agreed so I went to the closest store and purchased a $25 visa card and a greeting card and went to see them. Mr. Johnson said (who works in customer service) was very impressed with our quick response and changed his mind about moving out.

22



Tiffany Dunlap, Assistant Manager—Austin, TX Tiffany personalized her new resident’s move-in experience by giving him his favorite soda and by using his favorite color (blue) to decorate.

Marcus Bledsoe, Leasing Consultant— San Antonio, TX A resident came in and told Marcus that the soda machine had eaten his money! Marcus went to his car and gave the resident a $1 from his own pocket to reimburse him. The next day he stopped by the store and bought the resident two sodas and attached a balloon and a note and left it at the resident’s door.

Megan Jewell, Leasing Consultant—Austin, TX One of our resident’s dogs, Buddy, became very ill to the point that he needed to be fed Pedialyte almost every hour. The resident told Megan that she had to work all day and didn’t know how she was going to be able to care for Buddy that day. Megan immediately offered to feed the pup throughout the day, which was a HUGE relief to the resident. She was so surprised and grateful that Megan would help her like that. Now Buddy is feeling much better thanks to Megan!

Tiffany Dunlap, Assistant Manger—Austin, TX Tiffany helped our resident create a resume to get into the apartment industry!

Crystal Sanchez, Assistant Manager—Fort Worth, TX One of our elderly residents came into the office to complain about the printer not working. Crystal walked over to the business center with him and started to trouble shoot only to find nothing wrong with the printer. Instead of just saying that the printer was fixed, she began asking him a couple questions. She then realized that he did not know how to print anything from the computer. She walked him through step by step and showed him what to do, and helped him with a few other computer

24


questions as well. The resident was so happy that he stopped by the office on his way out to show her all the documents he printed on his own to take home! Way to show great customer service!!

Britney LaPorte, Leasing Consultant— San Antonio, TX Britney had a prospect that was telling her about her mother recently being diagnosed with breast cancer. Britney listened to her story and gave her one of our TP Ducks to take with her.

Kristin Brenkus, Leasing Consultant—Dallas, TX While out on a tour, Kristin was showing a prospect a vacant apartment, which happened to face the parking lot. The prospect was concerned about the noise level inside the apartment since it was near the parking lot and might be open to more noise. To set the prospect’s mind at ease, Kristin decided to stand out on the patio, close the door and scream at the top of her lungs while the prospect stayed inside. Well, guess what? It worked! This created a memorable experience for the prospect and earned a lease for Kristin! Way a unique way to step outside of the box, Kristin!

Jessica Hernandez, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX One of our new residents came into the office and was telling Jessica all about a Baskin Robbins coupon that she had received for free ice cream. She had looked for a location, but couldn’t find one near. Later that day, Jessica printed out another free coupon from the Baskin Robbins website and a map of all of the area locations and delivered it to her!

Alex Rafieha, Assistant Manager—Houston, TX One of our valued residents ran in the office, freaking out, because his car is giving him trouble. He wasn’t sure what to do. Alex went out to look at the car and was able to fix it!

Rudy Butterfield, Assistant Maintenance—Longview, TX We have a single mom her at the property with two children. She was talking to Rudy and mentioned that they did laundry all the time because they only had 6 towels for all 3 of them. Rudy went to Wal-Mart and bought her some more towels so she wouldn’t have to do laundry as often!

Donald Crow, Porter—Longview, TX One of our residents had dropped a very precious ring that her son had given her down in the console in her SUV. Donald grabbed his pliers and pulled it out for her!

Terrell Miller, Maintenance Manager— Atlanta, GA We had a resident who called in an "emergency" service request on the weekend to change his locks. He had broken up with his girlfriend and didn’t want her to have the key. He let us know that if we couldn’t do it, he would have to make the drive into ATL to pick up his spare key from

25


his ex, which he didn’t really want to do. Terrell, our maintenance manager, being the kind soul that he is, came in on his day off to change the resident’s lock for him. Terrell wasn’t even on call!

Geno Diaz, Make Ready Technician—Dallas, TX Last Saturday, Geno was picking up the grounds when he saw a fragile elderly resident gardening on her back porch. He noticed that she was struggling to hang a tomato plant. He asked if he could help her and she said, yes! She could reach the hook to hang the plant, so Geno helped her. She was very thankful, as she would not have been able to do this on her own.

Gilnnie Mendez, Property Manager and Ryan Ramsey, Maintenance— Raleigh, NC While walking the property, Gilnnie noticed a young lady struggling with two big trash bags and a bag of kitty litter. She walked over to her and offered help with her bags. As Gilnnie was getting the bags, Ryan saw us struggling with them. He loaded all the bags in the back of the golf cart and took them for us. It turns out that this wasn’t even a resident, but a friend of one of our resident’s! She was so impressed that she came by later to express her gratitude and appreciation for where her friend is living!

David Torres, Make Ready Technician—Austin, TX We had a resident that was having some trouble with her washing machine. While she was running a cycle, the machine broke and water started leaking all over the floor. She immediately called the office to report the problem. Our make ready technician David went out there to fix the problem. Upon arriving, David noticed that the water had leaked all over the bathroom floor and had soaked a lot of her clothes. Not only did David fix the problem, but he also took it upon himself to take her clothes to a nearby Laundromat to have them washed. He even took care of the cost himself. He later delivered the clean clothes to the resident. She was very impressed with David’s high level of customer service and that he went above and beyond to help out.

Earnest Jackson, Make Ready Technician—Atlanta, GA We have an elderly resident who needed help hanging some pictures. Earnest took the time to help her hang them. She was so happy she sent him away with some pecan pie!

Christina Monahas, Leasing Consultant—Houston, TX During a torrential downpour a lovely couple showed up to look for an apartment. They had just driven two and a half hours and had no idea that the weather would be so bad. They called the front office while sitting in our parking lot and spoke to Christina. Christina didn’t want this to be a wasted trip for the couple so she gathered up all the leasing material and ran the information out to their car. She then ran to her car and drove them to the model apartment, jumped out and ran to their car with an umbrella. She then led them to the model. The couple was so impressed with Christina’s service even during heavy rain! They leased the apartment before driving back home!

David Torres, Make Ready Technician—Austin, TX We have an older resident that has been having trouble with her knees lately. David noticed that she was carrying groceries into her apartment. David immediately offered to carry her groceries inside!

Rie Gresham, Property Manager—Houston, TX One of our residents recently had foot surgery and was unable to make it to a resident

26


brunch that we were having. Rie knew the resident would be upset for not getting to attend. Rie fixed a plate of the delicious brunch items and hand delivered it to the resident’s door!

Jamie Keener, Leasing Consultant— Austin, TX Jamie went to do her final touches for her new move in and remembered her saying she wanted her apartment to be as fresh as can be! She took spray with her to put into the vents just before they moved in!

Valerie Nation, Assistant Manager and Rudy Butterfield, Assistant Maintenance—Longview, TX We love helping our residents! Valerie and Rudy went out of their way to help one of our resident’s that is 83 years old. Valerie helped him get his cable set up on his TV and Rudy help to install his new license plate on his car. We’re always looking to help!

The Staff at Somerset at Spring Creek—Dallas, TX One of our residents is dating a "famous" fitness guru named Jay Robb- he is a personal trainer that has written books and made fitness videos. Leigh, Kristin and Tiffany knew that another resident of ours named Casey is a huge fan of his. We had the author give us a copy of his newest book. He even wrote a personalized note on the inside addressed to Casey with his autograph! We presented the book to Casey and she was so excited because she was getting ready to go buy a copy of the book but now she has an autographed, free copy!

Tony Thanos, Maintenance Manager—Atlanta, GA While Tony was at the compactor this morning, one of our residents came to throw out his many bags of trash. Because it is so hot outside, Tony told the resident to stay in the car and stay cool while he got all the bags out of the trunk. The resident was so appreciative that Tony went above and beyond to help him out!

Rudy Butterfield, Assistant Maintenance—Longview, TX We have a resident who home schools her children. She was waiting for their books to come in mail and was concerned that they may not arrive because she was transferring to another apartment. Rudy noticed a package that UPS had left on the patio of their old apartment. It happened to be the package they needed. Rudy took it over to their apartment and they were very grateful.

Francisca Yanez-Gamez, Leasing Consultant— Atlanta, GA We love making our residents feel special! We had cake for all of our residents whose birthday is in June!

27


Earnest Jackson, Make Ready Technician—Atlanta, GA We had a new resident who was coming in the morning to move-in. When Earnest got to work the next day, he went straight to the apartment to make sure everything was ready. When he got there, he noticed the resident that was supposed to be moving in was there waiting for us to open. He took it upon himself to show them around the apartment, while Christy went to the office to get their lease and keys. The residents LOVED that Earnest stepped up to help. After he showed them around, he then helped them move their stuff in because the husband has a bad back. He took it two steps above and beyond his everyday job!!

Briana Arzola, Leasing Consultant—Dallas, TX One of our residents came by earlier in the week to inquire about our fitness center. The resident had lived here for a while, but had never seen it! Briana gladly took her over to the fitness center. The resident had never used any of our exercise equipment, so Briana explained to her about each piece of equipment as well as its purpose. The resident was so excited that Briana had taken her time to show her the fitness center. She ended up staying in there for her first workout! She then came back in the office, to let Briana know how appreciative she was for Brianna’s Fitness 101!

Robert Cotrone, Regional Leasing Manager—Houston, TX One of our new residents kept complaining about a loud vibration sound in her apartment. We all took turns sitting in her apartment but heard nothing. One night Robert volunteered to sit with her for 4 hours, but heard nothing! After that, the resident quit complaining about any noises!

28



Arica Amerson, Assistant Manager—Houston, TX Arica had a couple of interns from GE come to look at an apartment. Their only requirement was that they needed to move in today. Arica went right to work. She toured & closed them by explaining that with Venterra we can make it happen…and she did! Arica went right to work and got the interns approved. They went back to work that afternoon and bragged about Arica’s hard work and efficiency!

The Staff at Bradford Pointe—San Antonio, TX This past week Robert (Maintenance Manager) and I (Property Manager) both happened to be out on vacation. A resident, who was transferring to a different apartment, got her move-in date confused and ordered movers for the wrong day! The apartment was not ready and "the bosses" weren’t there help. Our Assistant Manager, Nancy, and leasing consultant, Monica, immediately mobilized the team and got the entire apartment ready in one day! After seeing the resident’s upsetting face, they knew they had no other option. Robert and I were so appreciative that our team took this initiative and handled this so efficiently—without us being there!

Katie Vara, Assistant Manager—Dallas, TX A prospect came in 15 minutes before close one Saturday evening. Katie had somewhere to be when work was finished. The prospect stated that he needed to get in ASAP. Katie pushed her plans aside and devoted all of her time to the prospect. She found him an apartment home and got him approved all in one sitting. Thanks to Katie’s selfless ways, the prospect was able to move-in.

Fabiola Celado, Assistant Manager—Houston, TX On Thursday afternoon one of our residents was having a diabetic attack. Fabiola responded immediately and rushed the resident to the hospital! She even took the time to call the resident’s family to keep them informed on what was happening.

Christy Hein, Assistant Manager—Atlanta, GA Christy offered to stay until 6:30 so that she could help a prospect (who had come earlier that day to see the apartment). When 6:30 rolled around, the prospect did not show up. By 6:45, Christy called the prospect to ask if something was wrong. It turns out he had driven to the wrong community saw that it was closed and left. Christy told him that she was there and would continue to wait! He turned around and found the right place this time. Christy stayed with the prospect while he filled out his application. The prospect told Christy that this was definitely the place to live—great customer service and he hadn’t even been approved!

Abby Hicks, Porter—Atlanta, GA Yesterday as Abby was picking up grounds she noticed one of our residents looking a bit panicked at his car. He told her that he didn’t know what he was going to do because his wife apparently drove the car the night before and returned home with the tank on empty. To make matters worse, he was on his way to a job interview!!! Abby immediately jumped into action. She hopped in her car and drove to the nearest gas station to fill a gas can. She returned back to the property nearly squealing tires and was able to give this resident enough gas to get to the interview. Of course, he offered Abby money, but she told him not to worry about it but to remember it when someone needed his help one day.

The Staff at Whispering Oaks—San Antonio, TX One day, we had an apartment to finish up for a move-in that was right around the corner. We had been short-staffed for a while and there was still so much to do. Our team was on a mission to complete this apartment without any defects. Five

30


employees (including inside staff) stayed late and volunteered their time to make sure the apartment was perfect.

Rachel Smith, Assistant Manager—Brunswick, GA One of our residents came in recently and said that he had accidently locked himself out of his bathroom. Without hesitation Rachel took action and went into his apartment to unlock the door.

Tiffany Van Cleave, Assistant Manager—Dallas, TX A resident came into the office Saturday morning panicking because her computer had crashed and wasn’t sure if everything had been saved. She works from home, so this was very crucial. Tiffany knew that two of our residents are really good with computers, so she called them and explained the situation. They went to the resident’s apartment and were able to recover her computer and lost files. Great thinking, Tiffany!

Marvin Valdizon, Assistant Maintenance—Austin, TX Marvin was walking around the community with his daughter one weekend. He passed the car wash and waved to a resident who was washing her car. The resident looked pretty frustrated so Marvin asked what was wrong. She informed him that the drain was clogged so the water was not very clean. Marvin told the resident that he was going to take his daughter home and come back to look at it. He came back and ended up spending an hour fixing the drain! The resident was blown away by Marvin’s willingness to help and get the job finished all on his day off! The resident made sure she called on Monday to let us know that Marvin went above and beyond.

31



Kimberly Knearem, Property Manager—Fort Worth, TX Many of our residents are in the Symphony. As you can imagine, they need to practice their instruments while at home. While the music is absolutely beautiful, it can be disturbing to their neighbors. In fact, we had received some complaints from some of the neighbors. We offered our Billiards room to our residents in the symphony so that they could practice and not disturb others. Now everyone is happy and we get to hear beautiful music in the office!

Tracy Wall, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX Tracy had been working with a prospect for over a week on getting her to apply. The prospect kept telling Tracy that she was going to stop by with her application, but she never got off of work in time before the office closed. Tracy offered to stay late one night so that the prospect could make it there in time. She finally made it in and Tracy was able to help her apply!

Michelle Meigs, Leasing Consultant—Atlanta, GA Michelle saw one of our older residents struggling with a heavy bag of trash while she was out on the property delivering a few notices. She drove up to and asked if she could take her trash for her. It also saved the resident a trip to the office because she was on her way to drop off her rent too!

Margarita Lazcano, Housekeeper—San Antonio, TX One of our residents was having some work car troubles and phoned a car shop for help. There was one problem though. The man on the phone only spoke Spanish and the resident didn’t know any! Margarita (who is fluent in Spanish) offered to speak to the man over the phone and give him directions in Spanish!

Mollie Norton, Leasing Consultant—Houston, TX Recently, one of our older residents called to say her cable was not clear. Mollie jumped up and ran over there to see if she could assist. She noticed that the cable cord needed to be replaced. She ran home and got a new cable. Once installed the reception was much better. While at the apartment, Mollie noticed that the resident had a brochure for a retirement home. She asked the resident if she was planning on moving. The resident responded that she was thinking about it because the cost included food. Mollie jumped into action and called "Meals on Wheels". She was able to get the resident on a waiting list for lunch every day. The resident stated that lunch was not the issue, dinner was. Mollie suggested that she take the lunch, keep it in the fridge and save it for dinner. The resident loved that idea and decided not to move!

Aaron Leal, Maintenance Manager—San Antonio, TX A resident called the office really upset about the sidewalks always being muddy when it rains. We have spoken to our new landscapers to help us come up with a solution but they had not gotten back to us. Aaron decided to run to Home depot to buy a few things to try and correct the problem. When he was finished we went to the resident’s apartment and ask her to look at his work to see if she thought it was a good solution. She was very happy with his effort and that he took the time to do such an extensive job!

Luis Gonzalez, Assistant Maintenance—San Antonio, TX We had a resident whose car wouldn’t start and no one could get close enough to his car to jumpstart it because he was parked in such a tight spot. Luis had the brilliant idea to pull his golf cart up near the car. He was able to jump the resident’s car by using the golf cart’s battery. Luis overcame this obstacle and sent the resident on his way in his car!

33



Tony Thanos and Earnest Jackson, Maintenance—Atlanta, GA Tony and Earnest helped a resident after hours who couldn’t figure out how to change her brakes and rotors. They spent an hour grinding the bolts off of each tire. Once they found out the problem, Tony went to the auto parts store. He bought brakes, rotors and all the tools needed to change everything because she couldn’t afford the parts. After he returned, he ended up changing everything for her and she reimbursed him over time.

The Staff at Huntcliff—Houston, TX Last week a couple came into the office looking for an apartment for immediate move-in. The house they lived in for 39 years had burned to the ground the day before and they lost everything. All they had were the clothes on their back and what they could grab as they were running out of the house. The couple applied, were approved the same day, and moved in the next day. Brenda, Tristen, and Jessica put the word out about this very sweet couple who were going through a tough time. Taking the lead, Tristen gave them a television; Jessica gave them a set of silverware, towels, and small kitchen appliances; Brenda donated a DVD player and a VCR. The word spread and residents and employees at our sister properties even donated items. These inspiring actions are truly worthy of a WOW!

Nancy Hare, Assistant Manager—Austin, TX A resident and his wife have been unable to work for several reasons and are really struggling financially. They make sure to pay their rent on time every month but picked up from some comments that they have made, that they barely have enough money for food. Nancy went out and filled a big basket with pasta, sauce, salad and a big beautiful loaf of bread. The husband was so touched when Nancy took it to their door that he started crying.

Joshua Alvarez, Assistant Maintenance—San Antonio, TX As Josh was leaving work to go spend time with his family, he noticed a resident with a flat tire. He pulled over, changed the flat and went on his way. She was so grateful that Josh had driven by when he did.

Julio Cerna and Obed Moncada, Maintenance—Dallas, TX One night while I was working late I noticed Julio and Obed, carrying ladders across the parking lot. They are usually gone by 5 or 5:30, so it was strange seeing them still here past 6:00. When I asked why they were still here, they told me they were helping one of our older residents hang curtains in her apartment! I was so impressed that they gave up their personal time to help one of our residents!

Anna Flores, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX One of our residents recently moved in and needed some assistance in unpacking. Rather than give the resident a list of movers, Anna volunteered! She helped him unpack his kitchen and hang his pictures on the wall.

Albelis Hicks, Porter—Atlanta, GA One of our new residents showed up at 9 am when the office opened to pick up her keys and begin her move. Due to the layout of our property, trucks have to be parked outside of the parking garage, which is approximately 50 feet from the building, and then loaded onto the elevator. By noon, she and her friends were about half way done and already exhausted. As Abby was walking through the hall she noticed their fatigue and knew what she could do to help. She immediately came to the office, grabbed a few bottles of water and ran back upstairs. The new resident and her friends

35


were beyond words...literally they could barely breathe. They were so impressed and thankful. Thanks, Abby for taking care of our new residents!

Consuelo Ramos, Housekeeper—Austin, TX While Consuelo was out on property one day, a resident stopped her and asked if she could borrow her vacuum because she could not afford to purchase one on her own. Consuelo was more than happy to let her use it. This continued time after time that finally when the resident asked again, Consuelo told her to keep it because that was just an extra! The resident was extremely grateful that Consuelo would do that out of the kindness of her heart!

Marvin E. Valdizon, Assistance Maintenance—Austin, TX Early this morning, Marvin was heading to finish an apartment for a resident moving in this week. While on his way to the apartment, a resident stopped Marvin and asked if he could help him with a few things. Marvin told the man that he had to get a few things done but would be more than happy to come back during his lunch break and help the man. The resident felt bad that Marvin was trying to give up his lunch hour and told him not to worry about it. But Marvin insisted that he did not mind. Marvin did just as he said—came back on his lunch break to help the resident move a few things and he still had time to eat something before having to go back to work. The resident was so appreciative of Marvin.

Arica Amerson, Assistant Manager—Houston, TX One of our residents was having cable installed in her apartment and she started going into labor. She called the office in a panic because she needed someone to be at her apartment while the cable was being installed. Arica jumped into action and told her not worry; as she would be right over. Arica ended up staying at the resident’s apartment until the cable was installed.

Joshua Alvarez, Assistant Maintenance—San Antonio, TX While walking property yesterday, Josh noticed that one of our elderly residents had left her keys hanging in her front door. Josh knocked on her door. She had actually been asleep and Josh’s knocking had woken her. She had no idea she had left her keys in the door. She was so relieved that Josh had seen them and let her know!

Tiffany Dunlap, Assistant Manager—Austin, TX Tiffany had a resident come in who was in need of some help with some personal banking issues. She couldn’t log in to get what she needed. Tiffany took the extra step to help her figure out where her user name was located. She also helped her to print the documents that she needed.

Nicholas Tyser, Assistant Maintenance—San Antonio, TX Nick was walking by and overheard a resident talking to a friend about moving a dining room table into his apartment. Nick stopped over and asked the resident if he could help. He ended up helping the resident to move his new table in and the old one out. Thanks for looking out, Nick!

Rudy Butterfield, Assistant Maintenance—Longview, TX One of our residents received a package at the end of the day on a Friday. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but their delivery was on an 18-wheeler truck and the truck couldn’t get to her apartment! It was too big. Rudy graciously unloaded her items from the 18-wheeler onto a dolly and wheeled them up to her apartment. The resident was so grateful!

36


Sarah Arzola, Property Manager—Austin, TX One of our residents came into the office and was feeling a bit down. He told Sarah that his dryer was not working, but he could not afford to purchase another one. Sarah started calling around to different repair appliance places and found one for him that would not charge to come and look at his dryer. The technician looked at the dryer and noticed that all it needed was a fuse that cost $10.00. Our resident was so excited and very thankful that he did not have to buy a new dryer.

Aaron Leal, Maintenance Manager—San Antonio, TX A new resident came by the property upset because her new couch wouldn’t fit in her apartment. Aaron overheard her talking about this so he decided to go to her apartment to see what he could do. He ended up removing the door and helped to move the couch inside.

Robyn Keller, Property Manager—Dallas, TX Robyn took a leasing call but unfortunately we had no availability during the prospect’s timeframe. Rather than just saying “sorry” to the prospect, Robyn took it a step further. She got the prospects information and called a couple places for her. She then called the prospect back and gave her a list of other apartment communities to try. Even though we didn’t have any availability, Robyn still gave great customer service!

Sarah Arzola, Property Manager—Austin, TX A resident stopped by the office and asked why the pool was closed longer than usual. Sarah explained that a glass bottle had fallen in the pool and there were going to have to drain it to ensure that it was safe. Sarah informed the resident of a community pool not too far away. She also told the resident to bring her the receipt after she went to the pool and that she would reimburse her for the inconvenience. The resident said for Sarah not to worry about it, but appreciated that she not only would think to offer another place to swim but also to reimburse her for going!

Kimberley Baker, Assistant Manager—Houston, TX One of the residents came in the office looking worn out and exhausted. She had been trying for the past 30 minutes to get a picture hung up on her wall and wasn’t able to reach it. She decided to come by the office to ask for suggestions. Kim immediately offered her assistance and went to the resident’s apartment. Together they were able to hang the painting.

Kara Martyn, Leasing Consultant—Houston, TX A resident had been waiting and waiting for a package, so when it came in Kara ran it over to the resident’s apartment in the pouring rain!

Tiffany Van Cleave, Assistant Manager and Kristin Brenkus, Leasing Consultant—Dallas, TX One of our residents had to go out of town for his mother’s funeral. He has a lot of medicine delivered to his apartment and it has to be kept in the refrigerator. He came into the office and told us that he was leaving town was worried about his medication. We told him not to worry - that we were ready to help! So three times last week his refrigerated medical packages came into the office and each time Tiffany and Kristin took turns taking his medicine to his apartment and placing everything in his refrigerator. When he got

37


back into town, he was so thankful and said that his medicine would have ruined in the 100 degree Texas weather and then he would not have had any medicine!

Geno Diaz, Maintenance Manager—Dallas, TX We recently had a family move into our community. They got an apartment for a short term lease because they were transitioning from one house to another. The only downside for the family is that the father does a lot of work from home and unfortunately there is not enough room in their apartment for an office. The resident was telling all of this to Leigh and Kristin when they came up with a brilliant idea—he could use the business center! He gets off work after the office closes, so they came up with a plan. Geno, our awesome Maintenance Manager, lives at the property. They explained the situation to Geno and he offered to unlock the business center at 7 each night and come back around 10 to lock it up! The resident couldn’t believe that we would do this for him. That’s customer service for you!

Kara White, Leasing Consultant—Fort Worth, TX Kara is a super trooper! She has shown two girls the same model apartment about 6 times now. The two roommates just cannot decide which floor plan they want, where they want to be, or if they even want to be roommates. Kara was nice each and every time they asked to see the model. In the end, both roommates ended up leasing separate one bedroom apartments, but Kara stuck with them right through the end and never once complained about having to show the model time and time again.

Keli Jenkins, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX A resident’s computer went down the day of his online final for school. The resident came in the office explaining to Keli what happened. Keli called her husband to pick up their kids from daycare and she stayed in the office with the resident until 8 pm so he could complete his final!

Jessica Hennessy-Lewis, Assistant Manager—Houston, TX One of our residents had to leave town to go help with the oil spill in the Gulf. She originally thought that she was just going to be gone a month, but instead it turned into four months. She called Jessica to let her know what was happening and asked her if there was any way that she could ship some of her clothes. Jessica went to the resident’s apartment and while on the phone with her, got together all the clothes and shoes that the resident would need for a while. Jessica packed up the box (which ended up being a pretty good size) and mailed it to the resident. She also threw in several goodies to encourage her during her hard work!

Jesse Sanchez, Assistant Maintenance—San Antonio, TX Jesse was leaving for the day when he noticed a frantic resident who was on her phone, crying. He went over to see what was wrong with the resident and found out that she had just locked her new born baby in the car and didn’t have extra keys with her! Jesse thought quickly and got a metal hanger and was able to unlock the door within 10 minutes. The resident was so happy and joyful that Jesse came to her rescue and unlocked the door so quickly.

Marvin Valdizon, Assistant Maintenance—Austin, TX Late last night Marvin was heading out to pick up his wife from work when he noticed that one of our residents was having trouble with his car. Although Marvin needed to pick up his wife, he took the time to help out the resident and was able to get his vehicle started. Our resident was happy to be able to make it to work on time and Marvin still managed to pick his wife up on time.

38


Bree Tovar, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX Breeana had a resident come by in tears because she had lost her source of income and was no longer going to be able to afford her apartment. The resident told Breeana that she didn’t even have any money for groceries. Breeana hated to hear this and wanted to do something to help the resident so she got with her church and together they donated food items to the resident. This selfless act of generosity and kindness made the resident feel important and helped her to get through a very rough time.

Kara White, Leasing Consultant—Fort Worth, TX Kara escorted her newest residents to their new apartment home and walked them through the apartment. As she was leaving she looked back and noticed them struggling to carry their king sized mattress inside. She stopped, turned around and went back to help them!

Ricardo Grimaldo and Ricky Booth, Maintenance—Fort Worth, TX We have an elderly resident who likes to rearrange her apartment just about every month. Ricardo and Ricky both are so nice and help this resident each and every time she comes calling, ready for a change! Today both guys went to her apartment and helped move a couch, TV, entertainment center and bookshelves! She is always so appreciative and lets us know that our guys are the best!

Terrell Miller, Maintenance Manager—Atlanta, GA One of our residents was going to be home late so she called the office to ask if one of us could check on her dog, Bear. Terrell volunteered and it was a good thing, Bear really needed to go potty!

Bree Tovar, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX Bree and Nick put balloons and a Happy Birthday banner in a resident’s apartment for her son’s first birthday. The resident didn’t have a lot of money and couldn’t afford to decorate so they helped her out!

Rachel Kaser, Assistant Manager—San Antonio, TX Our Assistant Manager, Rachel, noticed that July was a tough month for rent collections. Rachel sent out a letter offering to help find rental assistance for families that were struggling. Rachel had three families call her and she was able to get all three rent assistance. Thanks Rachel for making a difference and offering assistance when these families really needed your help!

Leslie Ress, Leasing Consultant—Brentwood, TN On Saturday a 69-year old resident, came into the office looking very hot and haggard. His car had broken down at the entrance and he had walked back as far as the office. Leslie gave him some cold water and offered to take him in the golf cart the rest of the way home (all uphill). He was very grateful not to have to walk any further in the 105 degree heat. Leslie told him...next time to call the office and we will rescue him!

39


Kristi Schimming, Leasing Consultant— Houston, TX Residents were trying to cool down at our pool when Kristi decided to help them beat the heat by bringing out Ice Pops. Thanks Kristi you made their day a little COOLER

Lamonica Bond, Leasing Consultant—Raleigh, NC Lamonica was on a tour with a prospect who was expressing how nervous he was about his upcoming job interview. Lamonica offered him some encouraging and motivational words which helped our prospect feel at ease. Not only was she helpful prior to the interview, but she also followed up with him the day after the interview to discover that he had gotten the job! He ended up coming back to lease the apartment as well!

Robert Faircloth, Assistant Maintenance—San Antonio, TX One of our residents had recently broke her foot and was hopping around with a cast on her injured foot. Well, a couple of days ago, she received some packages in the mail. Robert decided to deliver the packages. Once he got there she informed him that it was just some furniture that she had ordered online but explained it would have to wait for a few weeks since she could not assemble it. Robert offered to put the table together for her. It took him only 10 minutes. She was so thankful!

Britney LaPorte, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX One of our residents became ill and was too weak to stand in her shower. She told Britney that the doctor told her to put a shower seat in to help. She had ordered the seat, but found out that it was going to take at least a week before it would arrive. Britney researched and found out that Lowe’s carried them and had one in stock at the store. She went and picked it up and took it to the resident’s apartment along with a Get Well card. She even put the seat together and put it in the bath tub for the resident!

Sarah Arzola, Property Manager—Austin, TX Sarah is on top of hydrating our residents. When she sees them going to the pool, she stops and gives them an ice cold bottle of water!

40


Valerie Haddock, Assistant Manager and James Matthews, Assistant Maintenance—Jacksonville, FL We had a new resident who was scheduled to move-in on a Saturday night. The office was ready to close but the resident still had not shown. We tried calling him, but there was no luck. We closed the office and left for the evening. The resident finally showed up at 7:30 p.m. but of course found the office closed. The resident paged our on-call maintenance number. James responded to the call and called Valerie to find out what he should do. Without hesitating, Valerie told James not to worry about it and that she would be right there. Valerie arrived at the property, went over the lease with the resident and escorted him to his apartment. Thanks to Valerie’s willingness to come in after hours, the resident was able to enjoy his first night in his new home!

Vanessa Avalos, Leasing Consultant—San Antonio, TX Vanessa had two prospects that were unable to make it before the office closed. She stayed late for one of them to ensure they would not miss a beat in their moving experience. She then came in the following day (on her day off) to assist the other move-in. They had been driving from out of town and had experienced vehicle problems. She knew they had nowhere else to stay, so she went above and beyond to make a difference.

Errol Gooden, Maintenance Manager—Dallas, TX While replacing carpet in a resident’s apartment, Errol noticed that his desk in his room was falling apart. They needed to move the desk to finish replacing the carpet, but didn’t want to risk breaking it. Errol took it upon himself to fix the desk. He went to Home Depot, bought some wood and came back and fixed the desk! When the resident came home his new and improved desk (in addition to the new carpet), he was blown away!

Brandi Simmons, Assistant Manager—Houston, TX Brandi received a call today from a panic stricken mother whose children were locked inside the apartment. One child was two and the other was a newborn. The newborn was taking a nap and the two year old was watching cartoons. The mom told her son that she was walking outside for a second to put the trash outside. While she was outside, the little boy turned the privacy lock and locked his mother out! He began to cry and scream because he didn’t know how to unlock it. Brandi went over there to help the resident get in her apartment. She checked the windows but they were both locked so she cut one of the patio screens, climbed into the patio and talked the little boy through unlocking the door. Thanks to Brandi, the little boy was able to watch her and open the door!

Sonya Machado, Assistant Manager—San Antonio, TX Sonya leased an apartment to a resident who was moving from out of town. The resident informed Sonya that she would be coming in on Sunday—a day that our property is closed. Sonya offered to meet the new resident at the office so that she could sign the lease and walk her to her new apartment. Sonya had also offered for her husband to help move the resident into her new home—since she was unable to get a mover at the last minute. The resident offered to pay Sonya’s husband but he wouldn’t accept any money. The new resident was very happy and extremely impressed by Sonya’s kindness and going the extra mile for her.

Armando Galindo and Michael Martinez, Maintenance—San Antonio, TX We have a single mom that just moved in to one of our three bedroom lofts. While moving in, her movers accidentally placed a dresser upstairs instead of downstairs. Armando happened to be in her apartment completing a service request when he

41


noticed her frustration. He called Mike to come help. Between the two of them, they were able to get her furniture in the right place. She was so excited and offered to pay them. But of course, they declined the offer and said that the satisfaction of making her day better was all that they needed.

Yassin Yassin, Make Ready Technician—Brentwood, TN I had a corporate housing provider lease an apartment for a client. On the day of move-in, Yassin met us at the apartment to do a walkthrough with the corporate housing providers. While walking into the apartment, he went a step above and beyond and began helping them unload their moving truck full of furniture into the apartment! It was awesome to see someone as busy as Yassin take the time to make sure they liked the apartment, and also take the extra step to help move furniture! The corporate provider was so impressed by the service he gave them.

Karen Nelson, Property Manager—Houston, TX A resident came into the office, distraught over her missing dog. Without hesitation Karen stepped into action. Karen consoled the resident telling her everything would be alright. She told the resident to email her pictures of her dog. Karen made flyers and posted some around the property and printed extras for the resident pass out. Another resident saw the flyer and said that she had seen a wandering dog on the property. The observant resident saw the missing dog by a particular apartment. We knocked on the apartment door to find the dog inside! The resident who found him had taken him in until the owner could be found. Due to Karen’s big heart, quick thinking and actions, the dog owner was reunited with her beloved furry family member.

42



Brandi Simmons, Assistant Manager— Houston, TX We walked into the office to find the awesome message Brandi had left for us. She even included breakfast!

Cindy McClain, Property Manager— Houston, TX Cindy came in on her vacation day to help make sure that the flowers and everything was in order for the residents for the holiday weekend!

Edith Sanders, Property Manager—Atlanta, GA I wanted to give a WOW Shout Out to my wonderful property manager, Edie. I just had a baby. And those who have children know that the first day back from maternity leave is not easy. The morning I came back, Edie had a welcome gift on my desk waiting for me. She gave me a beautiful picture frame for the baby and a handblown glass candle that matched my home decor. Not only did she take the time to thoughtfully pick this gift out, she also bought me lunch that day!

Irene Alvarado, Housekeeper—San Antonio, TX Our manager, Vanessa, was the only one in the office when a Spanish-speaking couple came in to view an apartment. Vanessa doesn’t speak Spanish so she called our housekeeper, Irene to help to communicate with the prospects. It was at the end of the day and Irene was getting ready to leave when she received Vanessa’s call. Irene told Vanessa that she would be right there to help translate the apartment features to the prospects. Irene stayed and went on the whole tour. The prospects ended up leaving an application for an apartment. Team work does really pay off! Thanks Irene for your sincere dedication to your job and for helping at a moment’s notice!

Iqbal Mann, Venterra Realty Canada Iqbal was truly our Superman last week. While at Waterford at Mandarin posting rent and sorting through ledgers, we found a TON of missing concessions and billing errors that were caused by the previous management company. Iqbal jumped to our rescue and fielded email requests left and right, even on Saturday! Thanks Iqbal! I really appreciate your extra effort in getting these items addressed so quickly! I wonder if you can also leap buildings in a single bound?

Tiffany Dunlap, Assistant Manager—Austin, TX Tiffany wanted to celebrate with the residents the Fourth of July, so she put the spirit in the office!

44


Tansy Miller, Maintenance Manager – Atlanta, GA Park Manor is a small property so there is only Terrell and I in the maintenance department. It was in the middle of summer when a resident's air conditioning quit. She had the temporary ac unit while we were waiting for HD supply to deliver a new one, but it was still warm because of the close to hundred degree temperature outside. We had the old unit dismantled, HD still wasn't here. Terrell was due to leave for vacation. I told him I could handle it, not to miss his flight. He drives off property and about five minutes later HD pulls in, and behind it is Terrell. He passed them on the road and turned around and came back.... Awesome

Sarah Arzola, Property Manager— Austin, TX Sarah’s husband knew that the entire staff was going to be very busy, so he volunteered to plant some flowers and enhance our curb appeal. What a great husband!

Jamie Keener, Leasing Consultant— Austin, TX Jamie went out on her lunch break to buy all the stuff to make pink ribbon lollipops for our SGK event!

Veronica Mier, Property Manager—Houston, TX Veronica from Sandstone surprised Debby from Willow Springs with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a card, and Starbucks. Veronica did this out of the kindness of her heart and it is so much appreciated and truly made my day!

Christina Ho – Venterra Realty Canada Christina Ho saved the Technical Services Department from my wrath. I have been compiling and submitting all of the expense mileage reports for the Technical Services Department monthly for many years and my guys have learned to stay away from my office during this tedious process. Christina Ho devised a report that did much of the time consuming calculations for me. I completed all of the reports today in half the time it normally takes using Christina's new report. I actually was able to eat lunch today. Thank you Christina!

45


Tomas Gonzalez, Maintenance Manager and Cindy McClain, Property Manager—Houston, TX One night we had some really strong storms that reminded us of Hurricane Ike. The strong winds knocked a large branch over onto our pool furniture. A resident immediately called Tomas to inform him of what just happened. He came out as soon as he could to assess the damages to see what he could do. The branch was too large for him to move, so he was going to have to call a specialist to come remove it. Tomas came back out on his off day in hopes of getting the pool all cleaned up for Memorial Day weekend. Cindy brought her chainsaw from home and the two of them together were able to move the branch!

Earnest Jackson, Make Ready Technician— Atlanta, GA Brandi had a nail in her tire so Earnest offered to put on her spare and get her tire fixed!

Michelle Meigs, Leasing Consultant – Atlanta, GA I was having a rough week, Thanksgiving was right around the corner and I had tons of family coming. I attend college classes at night after work, so money and time was being stretched very tight. I was stressing and Michelle noticed. That’s one wow, because I had not said a word. The second wow is that Michelle went to the grocery store on her lunch hour and brought back a ready to eat meal for me and my family for that night. Happy Thanksgiving!

Brandi Lumley, Property Manager—Atlanta, GA Brandi took it upon herself to lend a helping hand to the maintenance staff. She was able to clean and deodorize the gym in no time at all!

Katie Vara, Assistant Manager—Dallas, TX While Maintenance was at an HVAC training class, Robyn and Katie took it upon them to pick up all of the trash on the property in their absence.

46


Britney LaPorte, Leasing Consultant and Leann Cordes, Property Manager—San Antonio, TX Brit and Leann stayed late one night after work to paint two accent walls that they didn’t have time to do earlier.

The Staff at Sandstone—Houston, TX Recently a resident had an accident on property that literally took out 9 of 10 mailbox sections totaling about 386 apartments. This affected over half of the residents’ mail. Rather than having to stop delivery of mail to that portion of the residents, Veronica decided to personally sign for all the residents’ mail when delivered to the property! In addition, the entire staff stepped in to help assist all of the residents until their mailboxes could be replaced!

The Maintenance Team at Villas of Bristol Heights— Austin, TX Jeremiah and Marvin found a leak coming from the water fountain. They got their tools together and went to work on it right away! Great team work guys!

Veronica Mier, Property Manager and Julio Corcio, Maintenance Manager— Houston, TX To say "Stuff Happens" really doesn’t do it justice. Earlier this week a resident burst into the office to tell us that there was a lady laying in the road bleeding. Veronica sprang to her feet and sprinted across the parking lot and out the exit gate to find a vehicle sitting in the driveway, on the exit side, and a lady lying in the road. The lady lying in the road had been struck by a car while she was crossing the driveway, which knocked her into a lane of on-coming traffic on a very busy street. Veronica immediately went into the road and began talking to the injured lady to see how badly she was hurt. As it turns out, she had a serious injury to the back of her head, from where she hit the pavement. Veronica spoke to the lady and tried to keep her calm and alert until the police and paramedics arrived. Julio, the Maintenance Supervisor, had followed Veronica out and grabbed an umbrella to hold over the injured lady to shield her from the blazing sun. When the Paramedics arrived, Julio gathered the injured lady’s belongings and shopping bags and took them to her apartment. Way to step in and help in an emergency!

47


Geno Diaz, Make Ready Technician—Dallas, TX The maintenance golf cart died on Friday morning so Geno used his personal vehicle to make sure curb-side trash pickup would go on! Way to Keep It Working!

Amy Pollak, Property Manager—Houston, TX They call me Dr. Do-little here because stray animals always find me. My manager’s dog passed away after 16 years. She swore she would never own another dog until I found the right one for her!

The Staff at Raintree— Houston, TX Team Bonding Activities are always fun! This time we had to direct someone wearing a blind fold around the room, make sure they didn’t hit anything or drop their cotton balls. At the end of the obstacle course they had to place the cotton balls in a bowl!

Aaron Leal, Maintenance Manager— San Antonio, TX Today I received my new license plates from the leadership conference. Aaron was leaving for lunch, but stayed back and helped put them on my car.

48


Megan Gustafson, Property Manager— San Antonio, TX On Friday, Megan and her staff lent Whispering Oaks a helping hand with work orders. She jumped right in without hesitation and was able to help the guys out. Thanks Megan for helping out and showing the boys that we girls can get dirty too!

Crystal Sanchez, Assistant Manager— Fort Worth, TX When our sign company called to say they could not fix the sign, Crystal was able to find the same gold letters at the store and fixed it herself!

Brandi Lumley, Property Manager— Atlanta, GA For the past week, our temperatures have been between 103 - 115 degrees! On Friday, Brandi went out for her way to go pick us individual canteens (she even personalized them!!). The maintenance team absolutely loved them!

The Staff at The Enclave— San Antonio, TX The entire staff pitched in to make our Resident Appreciation BBQ a huge success!!

49


Ramon Gonzalez, Property Manager – Houston, TX Ramon is the type of Property Manager that gives plenty, but hardly takes. I can whole-hearted say that he is a blessing from God. My mom had a heart attack recently and I took on some extra trips(out of town) to the hospital for support. With gas and other expenses, I fell short of making groceries for me and my babies, the Fab sour. I was in trouble and couldn't find a way out. I guess the celery sticks, Spam sandwiches, and water gave me away. Without hesitation, Ramon made a way for me. This evening, he pulls up in his Porsche, top down, with a couple of grocery bags blowing in the wind! What a surprise!! Cornbread and chicken, ridin’ in style!! Team first at its finest!! I thank God for Ramon and the VB team; I don't know where I'd be without you. And Venterra!

Leann Cordes, Property Manager— San Antonio, TX After a long hectic week, Leann decided that everyone deserved a break. They decided to have an hour of fun and eat a giant pizza!

Shazieh Khan, Accounts Payable Manager—Venterra Realty, Canada Shazieh is always there to help all of us commuters. Every day before she leaves the office, she always asks if we need a ride to the bus stop. All of my fellow commuters will agree that the bus service is not that great and that it never runs on schedule. It takes time to walk to the bus stop and that could potentially mean missing the bus and having to wait 30-45 minutes for the next one to arrive. I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to Shazieh, for also waiting for us and giving us rides to the bus stop!

The Staff at Raintree—Houston, TX Kristi has the best team! They threw together this awesome party for me complete with streamers, cake, and balloons! They made it a memorable day!

The Staff at The Enclave— San Antonio, TX We capped an entire week of Resident Appreciation activities with our free community carwash! The entire staff "wowed" our residents all week long! Thanks team

Mollie Norton, Leasing Consultant – Houston, TX Today I was blown away with such kindness. Mollie at Merrywood called me today to

50


ask what the name of the elementary school near College View was. I was thinking that she had a resident who needed to transfer to this side of town. I told her that our school was College Park Elementary. Molly then told me that she was at lunch and heard there was an outbreak of Meningitis at College View Elementary, and she just wanted to make sure that I was careful and to wash my hands regularly. She also told me what to look for and where they are doing testing. I would like to say thanks to Mollie for thinking about her co-workers 50 miles away on her lunch break. I know now why she is always in the high achievers circle; she is 100% in my book.

Aaron Leal, Maintenance Manager—San Antonio, TX The flower beds at our property were in dire need of some attention. We were in the process of changing landscapers so this was not going to be taken care of right away. Our Maintenance Manager, Aaron stepped in and took care of the flower beds! Thanks Aaron for your constant effort and dedication!

Deborah Eads, Property Manager- Atlanta, GA Yesterday evening at 6:25pm we had a resident call to report water leaking from her ceiling. Debbie was in the middle of contacting the maintenance person on call when someone started knocking on the back door on the leasing office. The resident from the upstairs apartment was very upset because she had water pouring all over her kitchen and did not know how to shut it off. Debbie ran down to the apartment with her, shut off the water from the main water valve, moved her furniture, called for the water extraction and phoned maintenance to make the repair. The resident was thankful that Debbie was able to help her immediately. Now that is a SUPER MANAGER!!!...

Sarah Arzola, Property Manager— Austin, TX Our Manager Sarah knew that we had a Patio rental in the morning and the grill had just been used. Only Jamie would be working tomorrow, so Sarah took on the grill!

Oscar Vergara, Alex Zenteno, and Luis Escobar, Venterra Realty Regional Rovers I just want to give a BIG THANKS to the three rovers that worked with me last week at The Waterford at Mandarin: Oscar Vergara, Alex Zenteno, and Luis Escobar. These guys are incredible! With the help of the onsite staff during the past week they managed to complete over 200 work orders (many of which came with an onslaught of additional tasks that are not logged in the data), finish the make ready portion of

51


eleven units, and keep me informed on the status of our supplies with precise specifications, part numbers, and quantity requirements. They provided me with all the information I needed to get the proper tools and equipment in place for the team going forward and worked late into the nights and weekends in order to set the property up for success. I look forward to any day I get to work with this group of guys. THANKS AGAIN!

52












Table of Contents

Customer Service Vision.................................................. Keep it Simple................................................................. Keep it Clean................................................................... Keep it Fun...................................................................... Keep it Working............................................................... Make it Exceptional......................................................... Venterra Facts.................................................................

1 2 4 7 11 18 30-32




I finally noticed the portal area of the website. Thank you for making all my interactions with you so easy and enjoyable. I also love the convenience the resident website offers. Thank you again. Gena Dawson, Villas of Bristol Heights Thanks for making my renewal process a breeze. I’m very happy I didn’t move. LaTasha Adams, Wilshire Place Apartments Just recently I received an e-letter reminding me that my rent for the next month was due. This is a great benefit to me. Thank you so much for it! I really enjoy living at Bent Tree Apartments. Nastassia Patterson, Bent Tree Apartments I would like to thank Kristen for being understanding and making the whole process of moving in as smooth as possible. Fatma Levent, Somerset at Spring Creek Apartments First, I want to thank you for the My Home Matter website. I love that my statement is available online and I can pay in one place. I've lived in more expensive apartments and have not had this luxury - so thank you! Emily Musso, Wilshire Place Apartments I have submitted several maintenance requests online, which have all received prompt attention. I have basically received same-day service on all of my requests, and I am sufficiently pleased! Rasheeda Chavful-White, The Vanderbilt Apartments

Crawfish at The Pointe

It's my first time on the website. I'm a little late, but it's awesome! Kudos to all involved with setting this site up. I can't wait to make my first convenient payment online. Thanks! Nathan Baker, Champion Woods The website is fantastic. Thanks for having such a great website, especially one where I can pay rent online. It was quick, too. I just applied today. I can't wait to move in. Thanks for everyone's help! Ellen March, The Park at Waterford Harbor This is just a quick thank you for making my apartment transfer so easy. Thanks for all of your help in getting everything straight and getting our apartment ready. It was such a smooth transition so I wanted to say thank you for such a great experience. Everyone was truly accommodating and I truly appreciate it! Thanks so much! Oh, and we love our new apartment! Angela Maselli, Westminster at Buckhead

3



I just moved in Saturday and want to say how much I really love this community! I took my son to the pool on Sunday and it was so nice and quiet and clean. The neighbors are awesome and everyone really does their part to make living here really enjoyable. Thanks! Lakey Badger, The Villas of Bristol Heights To the office and maintenance staff, thank you for installing the pet stations around the community. I can see the change in the grounds a little more every day. I felt that everyone needed a shout out for their hard work. Stephanie Smith, Shadow Valley Apartments I do enjoy sitting on my patio and enjoying the great landscaping. Wanda Allen, Foxborough Apartments After last week's storm that blew in, the grounds were cleared of the debris and the pool area was ready for Memorial Day. Great job! Sonja Maldonado, Tree Tops at Post Oak Apartments

What a view at Cedar Springs

The Merrywood grounds always look flawless. Several of my friends expressed that they would love to live here since it’s always so clean! Brandi Rogers, Merrywood Apartments The grounds are very well maintained. Someone is even picking up the dog poop! The front of my building at one time had lots of dog poop, so much so, that whenever I saw someone allowing their dog to go, I would ask them if they were going to pick it up. Thanks for whatever you did. Alice Burgess, Riverstone Apartments I am so happy to see the pretty plants that are hanging by the pool. They light up the scenery and the colors are beautiful. I want to thank the manager and staff for all the hard work they do to keep this place pretty. I am a senior citizen so it makes my day as I walk around and talk to neighbors and enjoy my stroll around the pretty complex. Susie Davis, The Vanderbilt Apartments Thank you so much for putting the edging in front of my apartment. I was able to get out this morning and cleaned the sidewalk and was able to sweep part of the parking lot. It looks so nice when we are able to keep the dirt off the sidewalk and parking lot. Thanks again for being so nice to put the edging in. Jerri Munger, Sunray Apartments

5


It’s all fun and games at Riverstone

The daily clean up of the grounds is greatly appreciated. It is obvious that the staff do care about the appearance of the grounds! I just wish all my neighbors did, too! Thanks for all you do! Wanda Allen, Foxborough Apartments Hello, My husband and I would just like to say thank you for working diligently to make the buildings and grounds clean and neat in appearance. We appreciate the new window screens, the railings by the steps outside, and other changes that have recently been made. We also appreciate that maintenance requests are fulfilled so quickly and efficiently. All of the changes have made a positive impact on our life here at Whispering Oaks and we are proud and comfortable in making our home here in this lovely community. It has now been a bit over 5 years that we've lived here and are happy to call this community - home. :) Thank you! Keep up the good work! Jorge Diaz, Whispering Oaks Apartments The appearances of the apartments are looking very nice. I like the new color that the apartments are being painted. A great decision! Miesha Garrett, Sandstone Apartments I give kudos to those who make our community beautiful. Thank you very much for making me feel proud to live here. Levera Davis, The Vanderbilt Apartments I appreciate the upkeep of the grounds and landscaping. That was one of my deciding factors on choosing to live here. The greenery sets it apart from many other apartments in Longview. The grounds are kept immaculate and when trash appears, it is addressed. I walk every morning around the parking lot so I am able to see if something needs to be addressed. Overall, great place to live, nice larger floor plans, and easy access to surrounding areas including the loop. I recommend living here! Michael Goforth, Regency Park Apartments Just want to say thank you for keeping the workout area clean and up to date, and for the quick service and friendly, smiling faces. Jasmine Allen, Providence of Northlake Saturday the 29th we went to the pools and found them to be the cleanest since we moved in. Thank you so much for such a great job on all three of them. You made it a great day to relax and get some relief from a stressful week. Thank you so much. Michael Garcia, College View Apartments

6



Sarah WOWS the residents with an afternoon popcorn snack and her bright spirit!

Thank you for a very pleasant evening celebrating Cinco De Mayo! I enjoyed the food. I am happy to live here! Angela Trevino, The Ravinia Apartments This is the only community I have lived in that actually has monthly resident activities. They just had a day for community pride where there were awards and pizza! It was enjoyable and I appreciate that they do these types of things for us. Kristen Kaser, Vista Del Rey Apartments Yeah, movie night is back! I always trust Shannon's movie choices. Kathleen Able, Sunray Apartments We haven't been able to attend the recent resident get-togethers but we wanted to say please keep it up! It makes living at Tree Tops that much more fun and rewarding, especially when we meet new neighbors each time. Rachael Turner, Tree Tops at Post Oak Apartments I think all the events you plan for the residents are so great. I have not been able to attend an event yet but think it is a great way to meet your fellow neighbors, and network. Rosario Aleman, The Enclave at 1550 Apartments Thank you all so much for my Starbucks gift card. This makes it twice that you have surprised me! First when you left the balloons at my door on my birthday and now this gift card. What a thoughtful group of people you are! You’re the best! Wanda White, The Landings of Brentwood I am very happy to have Cedar Springs as my home. The staff is wonderful and Gilnnie was the perfect host for the pool party last Saturday—good food, friends and fun for all! I recommend Cedar Springs to all my friends because the apartment is spacious and has wonderful views, not to mention the convenience of nearby shops! Mary Hillard, Cedar Springs Apartments The staff at Ravinia have gone above and beyond our expectations with recent dinner events, pool landscaping, gift giveaways, and car washes to name a few. Plus they are always pleasant to speak with and quick to respond to any maintenance issues. We're very happy here! Kelly Reed, The Ravinia Apartments

8


Superstars of Willow Springs

This morning we were invited for waffles and all the toppings were provided by the ladies in the office. It was great to see the nice turnout and everyone appreciated the delicious waffles, tasty sausage, and the smiles from the ladies. We appreciate you and the breakfast ladies! Michael Goforth, Regency Park Apartments Last night I watched the Texans game with some of my neighbors. Elizabeth and Erica did a fantastic job again. They planned a great football night for the residents at Champion Woods. The food and company was great! I can't wait to do it again. Debra Woloson, Champion Woods I have been meaning to thank you for the wonderful spaghetti dinner Leslie cooked for us last week. It was so good! Leslie works so hard to come up with great things to get us together. She's a good cook too! I can't wait until the next event! Joanne Eskreis, The Landings of Brentwood Thank you for the Resident Appreciation Week. It was a great gesture to appreciate the residents of the community! Gilbert Casillas, The Enclave at 1550 Apartments Thank you for the Halloween party/haunted house. My daughter and I had a lot of fun and can’t wait until next year’s! Jill Neal, The Ravinia Apartments I went to the Halloween party on Friday. Elizabeth and Erica went to a lot of effort and thought for the kids. I had a good time visiting with some of my neighbors and watching the kids. Thanks for a good time! Debra Woloson, Champion Woods I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the meal that was provided for the residents during the resident appreciation day. I have never lived at an apartment complex where dinner was provided to the residents. The dinner was great and delicious. I hope there will be more. The team hear at Sandstone always seem to have a smile on their faces and are always ready to assist. Thank you for what you have done and continue doing what you do best. Jamie Stagg, Sandstone Apartments Shannon did a great job with the Super bowl party! She took her own time to make rival Super bowl cakes that not only looked fantastic but tasted delicious! Shannon works very hard and we appreciate all of the fun activities she plans for us each month. Miki VanCamp, The Enclave at 1550 Apartments

9


I just want to say how good it is to live here, my kids have so much fun playing on the green areas we have. During the summer they enjoy the pool. We have lived at other apartment communities but this one is completely different. Brandi is always so nice to the kids and she always has candy for them. Every time I see her she is happy and always has a smile on her face. Melchor Sayavedra, Reserve at Pebble Creek Apartments

Yappy Hour at Carlyle Place

Thank you for a wonderful Mexican Fiesta Night. The atmosphere was very nice and I look forward to many more events like that! Angela Trevino, The Ravinia Apartments

10



I had submitted a few maintenance requests on Monday. When I got home Tuesday, everything was addressed. You had even labeled outlets and switches for me, which was thoughtful and helpful. Renee Rodrigues, Riverstone Apartments I cannot thank you all enough for fixing our air conditioning so fast! We called today (Sunday) around noon and by the time we got back home, it was fixed! About a year ago when this complex was under different management, we had the same problem and it took much longer to fix. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Jennifer Lucy, Champion Woods I really appreciate you taking care of the issues we recently had in our apartment. Both Stephanie and I want to send a big thank you for the great work, getting it taken care of quickly and for the nice follow up call to make sure it was done to our satisfaction. Mark Erickson, Providence of Northlake I have to give thanks to Ary. Today, I renewed my lease for another year because she makes it worth it to stay here. I have lived here for 3 years now. Every time I’ve had an issue, she has done everything she could to get my issue resolved as fast as humanly possible. Good management is so rare these days. I greatly appreciate Ary and all she has done for Foxborough. Thanks so much, Ary! Daniel Cronkhite, Foxborough Apartments

Elvis was spotted at Providence at Northlake

During my move in, I had a small leak under the kitchen sink which was causing a bad odor. I called the office. left a message and my phone call was quickly returned by maintenance. Within the hour a maintenance man was at my apartment fixing the problem. He went above and beyond to make the very small problem right. He even left and came back with some bleach to disinfect the area and help the smell. He was very friendly the entire time he was in my new home. I am very pleased with the service I received from both the office and the maintenance staff. I love my new home! Emily Burleson, The Ravinia Apartments I had asked that weather stripping be placed on my front door. In less than 24 hours, this request was met. The maintenance staff not only did an excellent job of installing the stripping, but he also checked and then updated all of the smoke detectors, which gives me great peace of mind! Renee Rodrigues, Riverstone Apartment

12


On a rating of 1-5 (5 being the best), I would rate the customer service of the maintenance staff a 5. All of my maintenance requests are handled within 2 days after submission, and the staff is never intrusive. Adam Schrader, Reflections on Sweetwater

Chillin’ & Grilling at Treetops

I have almost lived at Raintree for a year. This past year has been a pleasure for me living here. I love the way the grounds are always kept nice and clean and well trimmed. Any maintenance requests I have had have been handled promptly and efficiently, including the addition of the ramp at the sidewalk. Every single person I have dealt with in the office, have been especially nice to me. Just wanted to say thanks for all you do to make this a great place for me to live. Diane LaDue, Raintree Apartments Jessica is super nice! She is always so helpful and sweet. Huntcliff is already a nice place to live but she makes it even better when I have a question or concern. Thanks Jessica! Kara Gilbert, Huntcliff Apartments Jason is my son's hero. He has been praising him for the last few days because Jason fixed the heat in his bedroom. We have had this problem for years during the winter time but nothing could resolve it, until Jason has found the answer. He is the absolute best maintenance man we have ever had in any apartment and we are so pleased by how he takes care of our maintenance requests. He goes above and beyond, we are so lucky. I know it takes everyone on your staff to work together, and I know you know how we feel about everyone on staff at The Landings. We think you guys rock and are awesome! My son is much more comfortable in his room and wanted to make sure you were complimented for your skill and hard work. Joanne Eskreis, The Landings of Brentwood

13


Breakfast on the Go at Legacy at River Crossing

Once again, Mr. Vinney came to my aid Sunday morning. My toilet wasn't working and he came (dressed for church) to correct the problem. What would we do without your dedication? Thank you. Linda Harris, Merrywood Apartments We can never say enough great things about our maintenance staff here at Carlyle Place. Whenever we have had a problem, it doesn't matter how big or small the job, both Raymond and Mario have gone above and beyond to exceed our expectations. These two gentlemen do a remarkable job of keeping this complex up and running each and every single day. We are extremely grateful for all of their hard work, and dedication to do the job, right! Larry Padilla, Carlyle Place Apartments Jose came within the hour to fix my refrigerator. None of my food went bad which I was worried about. I appreciate him so very much. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Felicia White, College View Apartments Yassin came to fix my back door and went above and beyond to make sure I was happy with it. He also came later in the day and stayed late to accommodate my schedule. I appreciate that he did it with a smile. Amy Balderrama, The Landings of Brentwood

Palm Club kicks off the summer in style!

I want to thank the maintenance staff for the excellent work they performed. Today, Pablo assisted me with a few things in the apartment. I really appreciated everything that he helped to fix/improve today. He was very courteous and informative as well. Thanks again! Kelli Satterwhite, The Pointe Apartments

14


Most of my online maintenance requests are completed within one day which makes my life less stressful and allows me to focus my energy on more important things. Thanks! Destiny Montgomery, Bent Tree Apartments I would like to thank Jason and his team for their help in getting our maintenance issues resolved to everyone's satisfaction. Dwayne Alexander, Palm Club Apartments I came home from being out of town Sunday evening and my apartment was 55 degrees. I checked the heat which I knew was set at 69 and it would not come on. I immediately called and left an emergency message for maintenance. They called me back within 15 minutes and were at my apartment within 30 minutes. I just want to say thanks to those wonderful angels in disguise who helped me on this very cold night to restore my heat. They fixed the furnace within an hour and wished me a good night. God bless them.....and thank you at the Ravinia for having a wonderful, trustworthy maintenance staff! Debra Tindall, The Ravinia Apartments I would like to compliment the maintenance staff on the speed and efficiency they used in fixing my fan in the bedroom. Also, this week I called in about a plug-in and two tiles loose in the kitchen. I left to run errands and when I got back everything had been fixed. Wow! That is great. Keep up the good work. Carolyn Buras, Wilshire Place Apartments I just want to say thank you to Robert who has been extremely helpful during the hot water maintenance ordeal in building #10. He was understanding, courteous and most of all, he followed up and kept me posted on the progress. His customer service is excellent! Thank you, Robert, for all you do! Aubrey Caldwell, Bradford Pointe Apartment

French Place gives “Thanks� for their residents

I would just like to thank the office staff for helping us out when our mail boxes were damaged. It was inconvenient to everyone including Megan and Sharon. Regardless, every day I was greeted with a smile and a stack of mail. Thanks! Lisa Rotter, Carlyle Place Apartments Over the weekend my rental property's foundation shifted causing my door locks to stick and break. I called the emergency line to get the locks fixed as soon as possible. Carlos called and showed up almost immediately. He had all the right tools and was extremely helpful and quick, despite being late at night. He did a really great job and I was impressed by his professionalism. Great job! Andrew Quirin, Sunray Apartments

15


Park Manor supports SGK with a lemonade stand

Thank you so much for fixing the water problem we had when it rained. It is wonderful to walk out after it rains and not walk through water. You guys are fantastic and we want you to know it. We love living here and hope to be a very long time. Thank you again. Ricky Cormier, Sandstone Apartments I would like to commend the maintenance people through the cold weather. I had no hot water when I came home one day and I called in a request. They had it fixed in just a short time. This is the fastest turn around I have seen. The staff itself is just so helpful and cordial. Carolyn Buras, Wilshire Place Apartments I would like to thank Jason and Melissa for the quick response on shovelling the snow off the sidewalk by our building. I understand he had to use something other than a shovel and I know he worked really hard and did a superb job. My mother and I were afraid to walk on the snow for fear of falling and he cleared it all away. Jason is the best maintenance person we have ever had. He takes great care of all of us and we appreciate him so much. Thanks Jason and Melissa! Joanne Eskreis, The Landings of Brentwood

Having a blast at Westminster at Buckhead

I appreciate the quick response to my shower faucet. Also, Friday when I couldn't use my washer because of a maintenance issue I greatly appreciated someone being sent over to fix it that afternoon when I called. It is very peaceful living here so far. I'm glad I chose this place to make my home. It’s great to know someone cares when you have a maintenance problem and that it will be taken care of in a timely manner. Thanks again. Rachel Kovac, Raintree Apartments

16


Fred and I want to thank you for being right on top of things when the pipes burst in the apartment last Saturday. Things could have been so much worse if the maintenance staff hadn't been quick to react. The ceiling was painted this morning and it is beautiful. You would never know there was a problem. Thanks so much for taking such wonderful care of us and all of your tenants. You make living here a real pleasure. Mary McNair, Reflections on Sweetwater

National Night Out at Vista Del Rey

Somerset’s new Car-pool.

17



I moved from Iowa to Georgia and had three weeks to get everything in order. You made it so easy by having online applications, and the office staff was extremely helpful. There was one point where it was coming close to my move date and the staff stayed later to make sure I had a decision before the end of the day. I am glad that I chose to go with you because you made it so easy and reassured me everything would be ready on my move date. On my move date everything was ready and I was taken to my apartment and shown around the community. The staff even offered to print out MapQuest directions for me, and tell me where to go around town. I also appreciate the online services available once you are a resident. Paying rent is very easy. I also like the online offers to connect services. Thank you so much! Natalie Dunkin, Legacy at River Crossing Brandi and the office Staff made my stay a pleasant one. If my house had not been ready to move into on time, I would have stayed longer. In actuality it was Brandi's personality that sealed the deal when we decided to move to Legacy. I had horrible experiences when looking for an apartment until I found Brandi and her smiling face. I even used the office equipment on numerous occasions and I often felt like I worked at the front office. They always welcomed me with a smile, made sure there was paper in the printer, fax machine, and copier. If I received a fax it was always put aside for me. Everyone in the office, were very friendly and eager to help. Michael Malloy, Legacy at River Crossing

Reservations required at The Ravinia

Everyone I have ever met in the office is so nice and I enjoy the fact that everyone cares about you. I think the office employees are the best that I have encountered. Thanks for all the hard work you do and keep up with the good work. Brittany Stringfield, Legacy at River Crossing I had a wonderful move in experience here at Providence of Northlake. The apartment that was originally offered to me became unavailable because the tenant decided not to move out. I was frustrated at first because there was not another one bedroom in that size available in my time frame. Erika found a larger apartment for me, which has worked out wonderfully. I am so comfortable here and have plenty of room. Erika, James, and Lindsey all went out of their way to make me feel important and they addressed every need that came up. I have been a resident here now for 2 months and I love it! Candace Stacy, Providence of Northlake I just want to give a special thank you to Mr. Lindsay. He is always very hospitable and looks out for the residents in a careful manner. For example, he informed me that my tail light was out and offered to put a new bulb in for me. After I purchased the bulb, he did just that. Thank you, Mr. Lindsay, for your gracious hospitality and as well for completing other apartment repairs in a timely fashion. Kudos to you!! Tricia McClendon, Providence of Northlake

19


Just wanted you to know how wonderful it was working with Tricia. She is very knowledgeable and very polite. She made me feel great about picking Palm Club as my new home. I am so excited about becoming a part of the community. Renae Florence, Palm Club Apartments We have now been here for a year and we love everything about this place. The management and maintenance staff are excellent and the managers are very easy to deal with. We love our apartment community and couldn’t ask for anything more. Keep up the good work! We are about to renew our lease and can't wait for another year at Park Manor. Thanks for everything! Deanna Bennett, Park Manor Apartments This is an opportunity to compliment the apartment complex as a whole - from the office staff who are a pleasure to meet and get to know, from the maintenance who try hard to handle each request and respond in a timely manner to every concern, to the grounds that are kept nice and illuminated and the diversity of people living in harmony with the four legged neighbors of the community. It is a picture, and a very good one! Charles Hunt, Reflections on Sweetwater

Love at First Sight at The Villas of Bristol Height

Due to the recent floods, I was stranded at a friends' house in Antioch and unable to get home to my dog. She was in her crate since that morning and I knew I would not get home until the next day, I was worried about her since she is a puppy. I called the front office and they were very gracious and kind enough to go up to my apartment, check on her, take her outside to let her use the potty, and assess any possible water damage in my apartment. They called me back immediately letting me know all was well and if there was anything else they could do for me, they would be happy to do so. This small activity helped put my mind at ease and know that if there was a chance of me not getting home the next day; that someone would care for my puppy. Little things like this go a long way and I am so grateful to live in a community that actually cares about their residents. Danielle Reeves, The Landings of Brentwood

Poolside at College View

20


Hello, I just want to say thank you to Cat for helping my daughter find a home for her dog! Cat went above and beyond to help Ashley by giving her a contact at a rescue that can help find a good home for the dog...thank you! Jeannine Blair, The Landings of Brentwood The office staff, maintenance staff and the overall appearance of the Villas of Bristol Heights are wonderful! Every staff member on this team, are so professional and friendly. I believe that I have the most beautiful setting at this apartment complex. I can sit out on my patio and really enjoy the beautiful view. I see the swimming pool and can enjoy the beautiful sunsets. I've made this my home for over six years and am proud to call it home! Peggy Green, The Villas of Bristol Heights I would like to commend the office staff at The Villas of Bristol Heights for treating people who live here like family. All requests made have been completed in a professional and efficient manner. The staff also showed they care when we had a loss in the family. They were compassionate and let us know that their thoughts and prayers were with us. With more individuals like these at your communities, there is no doubt in my mind that all your properties will be successful. They have earned our respect and love and we hope to continue living here as long as they work here. Wamed Arroyo, The Villas of Bristol Heights

Sweet treats at Reflections on Sweetwater

I appreciate the effort and extended time taken by Samantha for closing the deal on my apartment. She understood my needs quickly, and explained very politely to the queries asked. Her professional approach was the reason I didn’t give it a second thought and I signed my lease on the same day. She stayed late until 7:30 p.m. to complete all the paper work and she is just a sincere, hard worker. Bala Murugan Batmanabin, Bent Tree Apartments This is for all the staff here at Carlyle Place. I am grateful and deeply appreciative of the tremendous job the staff does to make this such a great place to live. From the housekeeper, whom I see walking the grounds keeping things clean and picked up as if she was maintaining her own home with pride; to the leasing agent, who's pleasant voice and beautiful smile greet and welcome you; to the maintenance staff who work diligently around the clock to help maintain the property and meet all maintenance requests; to finally, the managers, who oversee it all, please know everyone’s work here has played an important role in making this such a wonderful place to call home. Larry Padilla, Carlyle Place Apartments I am very happy to live in this community. To begin with, the staff is marvellous. Sharon, Megan, the maintenance staff and Margarita. All of you are always smiling, always willing to help, and always responding to our concerns immediately. I cannot

21


say enough about all the great jobs that you do for us. The whole area is always kept clean and the green areas are always taken care of. I have a nice feeling when I leave and come back, and see the entrance with all the trees and grass trimmed and the beautiful flowers which give an aspect of elegance to the complex. I am very happy living here and I hope that nothing forces me to move out. I mean it: I don't think there is another complex as beautiful and well designed as Carlyle Place. My sincere thanks and appreciation for the work that all of you do. Maria Teresa Esquivel-Bush, Carlyle Place Apartments I recently had to be in the hospital for several days. I had no one to take care of my little Angel (cocker spaniel). Not only did Elizabeth and Kara offer to help out, but they offered to walk my dog and feed her, while I was in the hospital and get me items from the grocery store, once I returned home and wasn't able to drive. I have never had an apartment manager or assistant manager offer to help out like that and it was greatly appreciated. The girls in the office here at Champions Woods are truly great! Judith Krebs, Champion Woods I have been searching for an apartment for a few months now, and have been living with my parents for the past couple years. I recently signed a lease with Champion Woods after receiving poor customer service from other properties! My decision was made simple by the warm, friendly, and professional staff at this complex! Lisa Scott, Champion Woods I just moved in this weekend and I am amazed at the friendliness of the staff. I submitted a maintenance request online and the issue was resolved the next day. The gentleman that knocked at my door was exceptionally friendly. So far I am very happy having moved here. Beatriz Castillo, Foxborough Apartments

Regency Parks newly renovated Volley Ball Court

Pancakes for a “Cure� at The Landings of Brentwood

22


I have many compliments to mention about French Place. I have been a resident here for almost a year now and I must say that the office staff and maintenance staff are some of the kindest people ever. My overall stay here has been very memorable to me and what I love most is they are so loving and caring of animals. I have a dog and when I visit in the office my dog comes along to say hi as well. Brittany North, French Place Apartments I want to thank everyone for helping make my first apartment feel like home! I know I have asked a lot from the front office about having work done but I have never felt like a place has ever cared as much as Bradford Pointe. I want to thank Robert for being prompt and for helping me make my apartment feel like a home. Anything I needed done, he was there promptly. I choose to live here because I finally found a place to call home where I feel safe and where it feels like talking to family when it comes down to asking for help with anything. I look forward to the years to come. Parker Beaty, Bradford Pointe Apartments

Blanding Place’s Halloween Party

I have lived at Huntcliff for the past 3 years. I would just like to tell you that the current staff is the best I have seen at Huntcliff. They are kind, conscientious, considerate and very helpful when it comes to handling resident issues. As long as they are here, I expect to remain a resident at Huntcliff. Charles McIntyre, Huntcliff Apartments I have little apartment leasing history due to previous unsatisfactory and poor office/property management. I eventually began renting from private owners to avoid those issues. However, Brenda and the rest of her staff are personal, pleasant, and a sheer delight to work with. They have definitely changed my tainted perspective of apartment living. Thank you for making my first experience in almost 10 years a pleasant and smooth transition. Marci VanDerkarr, Huntcliff Apartments The nicest thing happened to me on my way to the trash compactor, one of our maintenance guys was working at the apartment next door to me, and was outside of that apartment, as I came out of my front door to take a bag of trash to the trash container, he walked over and took my trash for me. I was very impressed with his actions, he very nice, polite young man. As far as I am concerned, the people who do maintenance work never get appreciated enough. The job starts with them. Joyce Evans, Merrywood Apartments I thought customer service was dead in all industries. I can't express how satisfied I am with the property. All of the office staff are phenomenal and the maintenance staff are awesome. I hope to stay at Merrywood for as long as I can. I hope that the management company does not change and that all the staff currently in place remain. I am shocked everyday of the level of customer service the office staff gives to its residents. They have always treated me with the utmost respect. The other day my

23


son asked me, “Mommy, how long will we live here?” I said, “I don’t know; how long do you want us to live here?” He said “FOREVER!” I just want to thank all the office and maintenance staff for their attention to detail in everything they do and for making this property home for me. Diane White, Merrywood Apartments I just want to use this opportunity to compliment Brandi at Pebble Creek. She is the reason why I am a tenant here. She has a great customer service attitude that blew me away immediately and stopped my apartment search. I am grateful for her services. Henrietta Alaiezi, Reserve at Pebble Creek Apartments

Texas BBQ at its best at The Vanderbilt

This community is by far the best I have ever lived. I enjoy how quiet and peaceful it is here. Everyone in the front office is awesome and always ready to help. I even get letters from them asking if there are any maintenance concerns or issues that need attention. I have never received these letters anywhere else I have lived. I love it! Boris Lantsman, Reserve at Pebble Creek Apartments This is for the entire staff. Just want you to know that my wife and I love this property and the staff! They go above and beyond every time we need them. This property is heaven. Thank you so much for everything ya'll do! Ben Richardson, Reserve at Pebble Creek Apartments Any time I have gone into the office, the staff has always been warm and friendly! It's so nice to have good people working here. It makes me happy to come home because I feel comfortable and welcome here. Thanks for doing a good job! Lori Lewis, The Pointe Apartments I just moved in and the help and dedication we received from Crysta was beyond amazing. From the first time we took a tour of the property to the day we moved in, she was a big part of us choosing The Pointe. I just wanted to say thanks for all the help, and the great gift basket really means a lot to us. James Swor, The Pointe Apartments While away on business, I realized that I left my laptop behind. The office staff was kind enough to ship it to me. This is the kind of above and beyond service that keeps me at The Park at Waterford! Libby Fujinaka, The Park at Waterford Harbor The amazing staff at Waterford is like a family. They’re always very welcoming with a positive answer to our questions. Rie and Christina handled everything with such

24


professional kindness and courtesy that we quickly became a part of the community. We love our new home! Charmine Ewert, The Park at Waterford Harbor

Foxborough knows how to treat a lady!

Valerie has gone above and beyond her duties to get us in here. She deserves employee of the year at the very least. A raise and all of the “atta” girls she can get. My wife and I salute her and the staff at Regency Park. They are the greatest. Doug Smith, Regency Park Apartments I have worked in the Customer Service Industry for over 10 years and want you to know that the staff at Regency is the best. They are always friendly and willing to listen to us no matter how boring some of us are! They take time out of their busy day to help us or listen to us when we need it the most! They even remember all of our names which would be hard for most people because there are so many people living here! It brightens my day when they call me out by name. I would like to say “hats off!” to the staff for doing an excellent job! Shannon Rodriguez, Regency Park Apartments Since 2002, I have lived at six different apartment complexes. Raintree by far has the best management and maintenance. They are professional, prompt and eager to not only make their incoming residents happy, but also the ones that have lived here for awhile. I will be leaving to purchase a home when my lease is up in June, but I will always recommend this apartment complex to anyone who is looking to rent in Baytown. Thanks Raintree! Tawny Grimmer, Raintree Apartments Kudos to the maintenance staff! They go above and beyond to ensure our needs are taken care of. They are always courteous and friendly and all my maintenance requests have been completed in a timely manner. This past winter, I locked my keys in my car (while running). I wasn't able to unlock it myself, but one of the maintenance guys happened to be walking by and volunteered to help. He had a special tool and in 30 seconds had the door unlocked. Now that is service. Thanks again. Vernon Guyer, Somerset at Spring Creek Apartments My compliments to the office staff, especially Kristen. She has been such a blessing to work with and always offers her assistance with a smile. My wife and I now consider Kristen as one of our children and look forward to seeing her stop by or just say hello in passing. We love living at Somerset and part of that is the courteous staff and maintenance folks. Vernon Guyer, Somerset at Spring Creek Apartments

25


Merrywood turns up the heat on game night

Hello Sunray! I just wanted to let you know that I've been extremely impressed by Marcus and Brie in the office. They are always extremely polite, patient, and quick. They've gone out of their way to answer all of my questions, make my move in and first few months here as comfortable as possible. And they always greet me with a smile whenever I see them. Service like that is scarce to come by, regardless of the business. They both really strive to go above and beyond. Thanks for making me feel so welcome! Andrew Quirin, Sunray Apartments I had an incident with a raccoon in my wall. I e-mailed Veronica and she was very aggressive with trying to determine the problem and find a solution. I felt better knowing that she was listening to me and continuously following up with me to stay on top of the situation. Thank you Veronica and the office team for the outstanding customer service. Christi Wadle, Sandstone Apartments

Breakfast done right at Champions Woods

Just want to say thanks to y'all for taking care of my apartment while I was out of town. Apparently my pipes burst, but our maintenance crew was so quick, thorough, and courteous. I didn't even notice - and wouldn't have noticed - if it weren't for the sticky note left on my door when they realized I'd returned. So, thank you! Dani Jill Ridgway, Shadow Valley Apartments I'm a fairly new resident and I would like to thank everyone at Shadow Valley for caring. Sonya has been amazing and so has the maintenance staff. Each time that I have spoken with Sonya, she's been nothing but polite and professional. The maintenance staff takes care of my work orders very quickly and I am truly thankful. This is an amazing property and the people who make it amazing should be commended. It's hard to find beautiful and affordable apartments. Most importantly,

26


it's hard to find property owners that take pride in a 27 year old property. This is home for now and I am happy! Sakiena Smith, Shadow Valley Apartments To the Staff of the Enclave at 1550, I have been here for two and a half months now. I must commend all of you on creating such a safe, friendly and elegant place to live. I deeply appreciate all your kindness since I have been ill. All my friends who have come by have been really impressed with the property. Running and keeping a property of this age is a huge challenge and each of you, rise to that challenge incredibly well. Please accept my thanks for a job well done! Roy Stewart, The Enclave at 1550 Apartments Though I've only lived in The Enclave for four months, I'm already planning on renewing my lease at the end of its term. In addition to the amenities I enjoy, I am impressed by the positive attitude of the office and maintenance staff (usually, a rarity on rental properties). The maintenance staff is knowledgeable and appear dedicated to their jobs. They have helped me with a number of things and are always quick to respond to maintenance requests. The office staff does a good job of maintaining a balance of friendliness and professionalism. My dog is especially fond of the office staff because they are constantly giving him treats! The Enclave is a really nice place to live. Dustin O`Quinn, The Enclave at 1550 Apartments This Office Staff is the Best in Class! They are always professional yet friendly, providing a warm and family orientated atmosphere. I love the way they make sure that this community is beautiful and safe, in addition to making sure that all my concerns are addressed. For these reasons I appreciate you all greatly. Thank you Vanderbilt staff for making me feel at home. Levera Davis, The Vanderbilt Apartments All I can say is WOW! The space is amazing for the price! I don't even have enough stuff for all this closet space! They answer calls quickly and the staff is very friendly. I love, love, love that they paint your apartment to warm it up. One accent wall is free and minimal cost for each additional one. It’s very cozy here. Wendy Rowady, The Vanderbilt Apartments I have been leasing with the Vanderbilt for almost a year now. I must say, the office employees really care about me and my stay here. I know that I can count on the Vanderbilt to take care of my apartment needs, without a doubt. What a wonderful living experience here at the Vanderbilt. Maureen Smith, The Vanderbilt Apartments

Munching at Standstone

27


I would like to say thank you all for your professionalism and prompt response to our maintenance requests and pest control concerns. Maintenance was here last week to address a list of maintenance issues that I had submitted only a day before. They were very professional and friendly. They even fixed a drawer in my kitchen, even though it was not on the list. Thank you again for your great customer service! Warm regards Bryant Jamerson, Vista Del Rey Apartments A member of the staff noticed I had a flat tire and flagged me down to tell me. I went ahead and parked my vehicle and he was kind enough to help change my tire even though, he was well dressed with a tie and all. He is always kind and helpful and will help anybody in need whether it's hot, cold, or raining. I would like to thank him very much for his assistance and friendliness. Colleen Castro, Wilshire Place Apartments I've been living at Willow Springs for seven months now and I love these apartments! The office staff is very thoughtful and is always leaving notes or reminders of how much they appreciate us. Well I appreciate you guys! I love that the office hosts great parties with lots of free snacks and gifts. I also love that they put a little toy mouse for my cat and note on my door, just because. I just wanted to say how much I enjoy you all! Thanks! Lauren Gromaski, Willow Springs Apartments I have to say that the all three ladies working the leasing office are fabulous! They work efficiently, with courtesy and respect. The maintenance is great too! Gary White, Somerset at Spring Creek Apartments I would like to compliment the maintenance staff on a job well done. The complex looks wonderful and I always see work being done to keep it looking neat. Whenever I have a request it is done with a nice note left behind. I also wanted to add that the renewal process is very painless...thanks for being so kind and taking the time to assist me quickly. Thanks for all you do! Shirley Kellem, The Vanderbilt Apartments

28


29





Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.