The Lease-Up

Melanie La Rocca, a former city official now serving as BFC Partners’ COO, dives into what it takes to move the needle to create more housing options for New Yorkers.

Nicole Jones, the senior vice president of marketing at Veris Residential, brings more than 20 years of real estate marketing and branding experience to the table, primarily focused on multifamily communities. She currently oversees marketing for Veris Residential’s entire multifamily, office and retail portfolio.

What initially drew Jones to the Veris Residential brand is the pillars the company stands upon: its ESG, DEI and philanthropic initiatives. It’s not just about what the larger company is doing to contribute towards a better future, it’s about how its properties and residents are included in its mission.

In this podcast, you’ll listen to Jones and Multi-Housing News Associate Editor Jordana Rothberg discuss how Veris Residential’s pillars are brought to life and the way Jones incorporates these initiatives into an authentic marketing strategy.

Follow along as the two explore:

Less than five months ago, Suzy Alford joined ECI Group as Chief Administrative Officer, a newly created role where she is responsible for the company’s HR, risk management and legal functions. Alford spent the past 12 years with a technology and data company, so she’s not only new to ECI Group, but she’s also new to the multifamily industry. However, she’s not at all intimidated by the steep learning curve she has embarked on. If anything, she’s excited to take on a new challenge.

Kelley Shannon, senior vice president of marketing and customer experience at Bozzuto, first joined the company in 2013. Before her marketing career, Kelley worked in accounting having obtained a license as a certified public accountant and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. After making a pivot, her marketing career has taken her from consumer products to online travel sites.

Jordana Rothberg, associate editor at Multi-Housing News,

Together, the two discuss:

-A career transition from accounting to marketing (1:25)

-The evolution of Shannon’s marketing roles (4:00)

- How a background in accounting aids in multifamily marketing (9:00)

-Analytics and data for driving business (10:45)

-Marketing for multifamily versus marketing for other company types (12:25)

-Bozzuto as a ‘love brand’ and what that means (16:00)

-Shaping the brand along the customer journey (17:40)

-Consistency across a love, ingredient and service brand (22:30)

Motivated by all the inequality aspects visible in the multifamily industry, FCP Vice President of Impact Investing Alecia Hill is relentlessly working to make impact investments the standard across real estate. Multi-Housing News Senior Editor Laura Calugar asked Hill to talk about the trends she’s seeing in creating and preserving affordable housing projects, dispel myths about impact investing and share details about FCP’s approach toward impact investing in the current economic landscape.

Sarah Wieman, the Vice President of Marketing at Northland, recently joined the company in October of last year after working as the Senior Manager of Branding and Marketing for PRG Real Estate. She brings seven years of real estate focused marketing experience as well as brand management and social media strategy background to the table.

In a discussion with Multi-Housing News Associate Editor Jordana Rothberg, Wieman talks through her transition from one role to another and the marketing techniques she is focused on deploying at Northland.

Of her many tactics, one of the most empowering is the practice of involving onsite workers in corporate marketing strategies. Wieman and Rothberg discuss what this means and how Northland is going about the process of integrating the onsite team into their everyday marketing methods.

In this Top Marketers episode, here’s what you’ll hear:

·      The transition and similarities from one multifamily marketing role to another (0:45)

·      Northland’s brand (2:25)

·      How to integrate brand into the marketing of individual properties (3:30)

·      Balancing a brand identity through individual property brands and for the overall company (5:00)

·      Empowering onsite teams to participate in marketing efforts (7:50)

·      What Wieman is looking forward to during her tenure at Northland (13:20)

·      A lifestyle perspective on multifamily marketing (14:15)

Launched by the National Apartment Association in 2019 as a recognition program at its core, “20 in Their 20s” is actually more than just a way to acknowledge outstanding results. It is also a way for young professionals at the beginning of their paths in multifamily to create additional connections and build upon their burgeoning careers. Stefani Hurst, NAA's manager of member programs, and Tyler Marker, director of marketing and professional development for Zidan Management Group and one of the recipients of the “20 in Their 20s” awards, talk with Senior Editor Laura Calugar about the young generation’s need for training, mentoring and recognition.

"Employees who have a wider range of skills tend to be more loyal," Laurel Hillocks, Morgan Properties area vice president for Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, told Multi-Housing News Senior Editor Laura Calugar in the May episode of the Mission Success: Women in Multifamily. With today’s shortage of labor, training employees can improve turnover rates as those equipped with different skillsets can easily transition from one department to another, depending on business needs. Tune in to find out more about the importance of coaching and developing future leaders!

Drew Johnson, director of marketing at Gables Residential, is currently in the process of redesigning and redeveloping the company’s website. With that process comes critical decisions about with technologies are best, how to save money, what updates are necessary and maintaining the existing brand.

In a discussion with Multi-Housing News Associate Editor Jordana Rothberg, Johnson explores how his company navigated these decisions. While the process is still underway at Gables, the anticipated outcomes and challenges that have presented themselves along the way are clear.

Here are some of the key discussion points to listen for:

·      Metrics that indicate towards a redesign (0:50)

·      Keeping up with new technology and CMS options (2:10)

·      Finding the right vendor and software provider (4:25)

·      The umbrella versus subpages debate (7:30)

·      New and exciting upcoming website features (9:00)

·      Anticipated redevelopment outcomes (12:20)

·      Brand refresh and digital identity (13:00)

Lisa Yeh is the chief operating officer of Sentral, a property management company that offers any length of stay, and that recently expanded its portfolio to 10,000 units with a combined value of $5 billion. Yeh is convinced that adding flex living to multifamily elevates the experience for both the owner and the resident. On one hand, the owner can attract multiple types of renters, while the renter can enjoy the benefits of shorter lease terms. Tune in now to find out more about the complexities of managing short-term rental inventories.