Lauren Chung

Yardi

By Erica Rascón on Mar 13, 2013 in People

Lauren Chung pulls inspiration from multiple facets of her life to help clients find the proper solutions for their business needs. Everything from her background in economics to athletic training has equipped her with the skills needed to serve Yardi as a Senior Sales Executive.

For Lauren, life seems to have come full circle in recent years. “My family emigrated from Korea when I was five. For the first five years or so in the US, we were living in affordable housing. It wasn’t until recently, when I began working in the industry, that I realized that we were living in affordable housing and how that had helped us. Everything has come full circle,” she says. “I’m truly able to see the benefit of having those sorts of programs that help people who are just coming to this country or getting on their feet for other reasons.”

As a child, she had no idea that she would eventually find herself in a position to help families like her own. Lauren obtained her bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Maryland before making her way towards a career in multifamily housing. It was a career path that fell right into place. “I began working in mutual funds but that was short lived. Next, I worked HR and office management for VisualHOMES. The company itself began changing direction, targeting multifamily about 15 years ago, so all of us headed that way.” She joined the Yardi family after the acquisition of VisualHOMES in 2010. “I would like to have joined sooner. I like what I do now and I really enjoy working with Yardi. But everything worked out well and I’m really happy here.” Lauren’s favorite part of the job is getting to know new people, including clients and fellow Yardi employees. “My clients are great. Yardi staff is wonderful and I like interacting with people.”

Lauren’s compassion for people stems from her close-knit family. “I’m very family-oriented. Only my nuclear family immigrated when I was young so we all grew very close. My three sisters are my best friends now.” She dedicates most of her free time to her family, bustling between the activities of her three active, 14-year-old triplets.  “My son has been doing gymnastics since he was little. He’s pretty competitive now so we spend many weekends going to meets. One of my daughters is in track and that keeps us busy. Both girls are into music. They perform in the school band and orchestra. Those are my evenings and weekends!”

When she is not fulfilling the role of super mom and sales extraordinaire, Lauren takes time to support family and friends who take on tough physical challenges on behalf of worthy causes. “I like to support friends and family who are running, doing fundraising that requires some sort of physical exertion. I can really appreciate their work.” Such fundraisers help Lauren reconnect with a passion from her past. She casually explains, “Few people know that I’ve run six marathons.  The first marathon I ran was the Marine Corps Marathon in DC. I ran on behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters.” Big Brothers Big Sisters is a mentorship program for at-risk youth that blends social outreach, academic excellence and career planning. That first marathon sparked a lifetime dedication to giving, particularly to causes where those raising funds back their honorable intentions with a little sweat and perseverance.

Participation in marathons has taught Lauren numerous life lessons. While perseverance, dedication, and goal setting all come with the territory, Lauren fondly remembers the importance of motivation and striving for improvement. “During one of my hardest marathons, I was lagging towards the end, really lagging–and this speed walker passed me! That was funny because she was really trying to be nice. For a while she kept pace with me and then she just sped off,” she laughs.

When the housing industry was at its leanest, Lauren endured by combining her life skills into a targeted whole. She knows what it takes to listen, adapt, and see an objective through to its completion. In the end, her efforts result in equipping firms with the tools necessary to provide families with the housing that they need. “Yes, everything has come full circle,” Lauren says. “It’s really fulfilling work.”