From leasing agent to CIO, what does it take to climb every rung of the multifamily ladder?

In this episode of Getting to Hell Yes, host sits down with Jess Tierney, CIO of Verifast, for one of the most wide-ranging, eye-opening conversations the show has ever had. Jess didn't just work in multifamily, she lived it across 14 markets, every asset type, and every operational pain point imaginable. From lease-ups to renovations to fraud prevention, she's seen it all.

But this isn't just a career story. It's a masterclass in what happens when an operator's mind meets a technology leader's role. In under two years at Verifast, Jess went from Director of Integrations to VP of Product to CIO and she's brought that same relentless "touch everything, question everything" energy to tackling one of multifamily's fastest-escalating challenges: fraud.

With fraud detection becoming an arms race between operators and bad actors, Jess unpacks how Verifast is using biometric identity verification to fight back and why the answer to smarter leasing starts with cleaner data, better integrations, and getting out of the "that's just how we do it" mindset.

💡 Whether you're in operations, tech, or leadership if you're trying to close gaps, kill manual processes, and future-proof your portfolio, this conversation is essential listening.

🎙️ Topics covered:

• Jess's journey: leasing agent → regional → Chadwell Supply → CIO at Verifast
• The fraud escalation battle — why it's only getting harder
• Biometric identity verification and the future of leasing
• Tool adoption: going from 9% to 50% at Chadwell Supply
• Managing up: how to sell ideas, budget & capital internally
• The black box of AI — what operators actually need to know
• The balance sheet gap between renovations, vendors & banks
• "Touch everything, question everything" career advice from 20+ years in the trenches

#IrisCX #GTHY #MultifamilyRealEstate #FraudPrevention #PropTech #BiometricTechnology #PropertyManagement #ApartmentLeasing #AIinRealEstate #RealEstateTech #MultifamilyInvesting #Verifast #IdentityVerification #DataIntegration #OperatorMindset #WomenInTech #WomenInRealEstate #PropertyManagerLife #RealEstatePodcast #TechAdoption #FutureOfLeasing