In this episode, Kerri Davis, CEO and Founder of Fortress, sits down with Julie Runyan, Compliance Director at AdWest, and Alex Westad, President of AdWest, for an inspiring conversation about modernizing affordable housing management while preserving heart, legacy, and community. Listen in to hear Julie and Alex:

• Share their origin stories—from Alex literally growing up in rural development housing and eventually purchasing his family’s company, to Julie discovering affordable housing by chance and building a career rooted in education, compliance, and deep care for residents and site teams
• Break down how AdWest is transforming a legacy company into a forward-thinking organization through clearer leadership structures, Notion-powered knowledge bases, ChatGPT-assisted operational tools, and weekly training programs designed to support and strengthen onsite teams
• Reflect on balancing family-founded values with modern innovation, investing intentionally in people, reshaping roles to match strengths, and building a culture where team members are encouraged to collaborate, problem-solve, and continually improve the resident experience