In this episode of Multifamily Excellence, Steve Boyack, COO of JVM Realty and President of JVM Management, chronicles his fascinating journey from the Peace Corps to real estate, highlighting the pivotal experiences that shaped his leadership style and business acumen.

Steve candidly delves into how his early entrepreneurial endeavors and perilous work in conflict zones ultimately taught him to value community insight, adapt quickly to new environments, and foster strong, capable teams. 

In discussing his role at JVM, Steve offers valuable insight into how the company leverages tech to streamline operations and enhance asset value, emphasizing that a tech-forward approach is essential for growth and efficiency in today's market.

Steve also offers thoughtful advice for aspiring leaders, sharing examples of how he advanced his career by consistently looking for ways to make others' jobs easier, showing a willingness to learn and enthusiastically taking on new challenges. 

In this episode of Multifamily Excellence, Jennifer Staciokas, President of Western Wealth Communities and VP, People and Technology at Western Wealth Capital, recounts how a temporary leasing agent position in college unexpectedly kick-started her illustrious 25-year career in real estate.

Jennifer offers fascinating perspective on how she successfully built Western Wealth Capital’s property management company from scratch in less than 30 days - and in the midst of a global pandemic. From leveraging carefully built supplier relationships to the strategic use of technology, Jennifer shares the tactics that ultimately propelled the company from zero to 17,000 units in less than two years. 

Passionate about fostering a people-first culture, Jennifer also shares important insight on successfully striking a balance between the conveniences offered by emerging technology and the irreplaceable value of the human touch. 

In this episode of Multifamily Excellence, Samuel Mtunga, principal at XFD Real Estate Partners, chronicles his riveting journey from temp laborer in student housing to co-founder of one of its most formidable management companies. 

Samuel candidly reflects on the challenges he faced in XFD’s early years. He describes how limited resources and evolving needs required him to deftly juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, which proved to be crucial for the company's initial growth and success.

He also discusses the critical lessons he learned while scaling the company. He stresses the paramount importance of developing effective processes, emphasizing the need for teams to understand their goals, the reasons behind these goals and the methods to achieve them. 

Samuel also delves into how his leadership style has evolved throughout the years. He reflects on the experiences that prompted him to transition from being a purely results-driven leader to one who fervently believes that personal connections can greatly enhance team performance.

In this episode of Multifamily Excellence, Matt Fiascone, president of The Habitat Company, offers intriguing insight into his illustrious career.  

Starting with his serendipitous foray into the real estate industry, Matt recounts his journey through the evolution of asset management - from manual, paper-based processes to today’s sophisticated digital tools - emphasizing the necessity of adapting, learning and staying current with technological advancements. 

Matt also discusses the transformative impact mentorship has had on his career, both as a mentee and a mentor. He calls on other real estate leaders to guide the next generation and foster a culture of continuous learning and growth.

Throughout the episode, Matt lends insight into his personal leadership philosophies. He offers a powerful and fascinating narrative on crisis leadership, explaining how shared sacrifice, solidarity and foresight successfully kept his team together and prevented layoffs during the pandemic. Additionally, he presents a wealth of effective strategies for preserving culture in vertically integrated companies with highly dispersed teams. 

In this episode of Multifamily Excellence, Girish Gehani, COO of Trilogy Real Estate Group, shares the game-changing strategies that have propelled Trilogy to success.

Girish emphasizes the fundamental importance of cultivating strong relationships — both with clients and third-party organizations — and discusses how the relationships he has built over the course of his career have ultimately shaped Trilogy's innovative approach to property management.

Girish also shares actionable insights on preserving company culture and DNA amid rapid expansion. From developing a robust mentorship program designed to turn employees into brand ambassadors to his commitment to one-on-one connection, Girish explains how he has continuously leveled up his leadership skills and helped Trilogy remain true to its original core values.

In this episode of Multifamily Excellence, you'll hear from David Danish, Senior Vice President of Revenue Management, Marketing, and Strategic Initiatives at LivCor, a Blackstone Company.

David shares insights on his multifamily career progression, from his first role at Nessel Development to the years he spent working his way up to an influential leadership role at RealPage. He emphasizes the importance of creating a people-focused culture and shares his unique approach to leadership that relies heavily on empowerment, inclusivity and authenticity.

He discusses the challenges and opportunities in transitioning roles, the role of data-driven decisions in business strategies and the significance of authenticity in leadership. David also touches on diversity in leadership and the demands of a fast-paced work environment, highlighting the importance of aligning with a company's core values for career fulfillment.