Yardi Employee Profile Yardi’s global offices make essential contributions to property management and investors worldwide. Meet Octavio Lizarraga Pescador, associate account manager for the Yardi Breeze CSD team, who hails from the Santa Ana office. Meet Octavio Lizarraga Pescador Octavio Lizarraga Pescador has been working at Yardi for almost two years. His work hours consist primarily of directly assisting clients with Breeze and Breeze Premier implementations. Pescador hosts about four one-hour Zoom meetings with clients daily, in which he assists them with setting up the software or provides training on how to use some of its functionalities. When he is not in meetings, he writes up recaps for clients to summarize what was covered on the previous call or is testing some client inquiries. Along with assisting clients, he also attends internal training, strengthening his understanding of Breeze and Breeze Premier providing better insights for his clients. “I believe the functionality Breeze brings to our clients in terms of being able to manage their properties more efficiently plays a very important aspect for everyone involved,” says Pescador. Pescador believes that the work everyone does at Yardi impacts many individuals. From the delivery of financial reports to critical real estate decision-makers to the urgency of response whenever a tenant submits a new maintenance request through the tenant portals, Yardi’s products provide a solution to many essential property management needs. “This is what I enjoy most about my work at Yardi. I enjoy assisting and playing a very important role in implementing Yardi’s solutions for our clients,” explained Pescador. Positive Vibes Only Ever since Pescador joined Yardi, he has felt a positive and assistive corporate culture from both leadership and colleagues. Everyone is so willing to help with any question needed. If there is a functionality...

Yardi’s global offices make essential contributions to property management and investors worldwide. Today, meet Philip Suh, associate technical account manager with the Residential CSD team. Meet Philip Suh Philip Suh has been working at Yardi for over a year and a half. Suh spends his workdays answering and catching up on emails in the mornings, participates in daily scrum meetings with his team to discuss cases they are working on that day, and finishes up with client meetings in the afternoon hours. Suh currently works on Positive Pay and Interface cases with the client and a third party vendor or bank. “I love helping people set up and implement new things into their Voyager environment,” said Suh. “I also really enjoy being able to help my teammates out and want to try my best to be approachable by my teammates or other people!” Suh feels the reciprocity at Yardi among his teammates, which he is very grateful for. “I love that everyone is so open to lending a hand, especially with unfamiliar topics. I have never felt that I was not welcome to ask a question on my team,” Suh shares. Work-Life Balance Suh appreciates the work environment at Yardi and likes the work-life balance. The direction from his Team Lead and manager has given him more opportunities, which he acknowledges. “I’m really happy with my work-life balance here at Yardi, which allows me to have fun and be my own person when I’m not working. I think ensuring that not letting your job title define you is really important,” Suh expressed. Yardi is hiring globally! Interested prospective employees can explore opportunities on the Careers site. Sweet Love Suh spends his time outside the office with his lovely wife, Camill, eating good food and sweet...

Complex processes with rules left to interpretation can create uncertainty about what a team should do next and fear of making mistakes. That can lead to lost productivity, stagnation and the inability for an organization to grow. That’s a cycle that affects many affordable housing teams. As the complexity of compliance increases, the personnel required exponentially increases. It takes leadership within an organization to recognize the need for change and to seek out solutions. That’s where Babbie Jaco, the latest in Yardi’s series of Affordable Housing Visionaries, comes into the story. In 1984, Babbie joined a newly formed organization called Boyd Management. She was one of the first employees to be hired and as the company grew, became a principal in Boyd Management and their development entity, WWJ, LLC. In 2020, Babbie and her partners sold their interests in both Boyd Management and WWJ, LLC to CAHEC of Raleigh, NC as a strategy to secure the properties, its 475 employees and maintain the legacy of 35 years of excellent work. While her partners are now retired, Babbie continues to lead the team today as Senior Vice President of CAHEC Management, Inc. (CMI) Get to Know CAHEC Management, Inc. CMI is a leading affordable housing property developer, owner and manager based in Columbia, South Carolina. Its sustained growth and successful properties are laudable. Its portfolio includes more than 370+ properties and 16,000 affordable housing units across the southeast. As CMI grew, and as affordable housing reporting requirements became more complex, the team experienced significantly more compliance work particularly given the array of affordable housing programs the organization works under. Jaco recognized the challenge and saw opportunity to resolve them with assistance from Yardi RightSource. CMI Reimagines Compliance RightSource provides CMI with a dedicated team of...

Yardi’s global offices make essential contributions to property management and investors worldwide. Today, we introduce Amol Jammu, the West Residential Leasing Solutions 1’s assistant technical account manager. Meet Amol Jammu Amol Jammu has worked with Yardi for almost two years and looks forward to being promoted soon. Jammu spends his work hours talking and engaging with clients he oversees. Meeting with clients daily, Jammu discusses ongoing company initiatives, workflows and where they need help with their Yardi products. When Jammu is not in client meetings, he works in the Site Manager program and CRM, where he can fix clients’ issues or set up workflows to achieve their end goals. Jammu is constantly researching and reading into different Yardi products and testing in practice environments. Jammu enjoys connecting with clients face-to-face and helping them with any issues they might encounter. “It’s really rewarding when I can solve issues for clients and see the impact on their day-to-day operations,” said Jammu. Office Synergy Jammu appreciates Yardi’s commitment to providing employees with all the tools to do the job effectively. Everyone in the company is willing to lend a helping hand, which makes giving support to customers much more accessible. “The approach to teamwork is truly gratifying because I always feel reassured and supported when my workload gets heavy. I never feel like I’m alone with my problems or that I can’t ask for help,” Jammu explained. Jammu describes Yardi as the perfect place to start a career. “I’ve heard so many horror stories about how people’s first jobs were, and it really puts a smile on my face that I can’t relate to that. Yardi really feels like being a part of a family that cares about your work, your life outside of it, and most...

Yardi’s global offices make essential contributions to property management and investors worldwide. Today, we introduce Sarah Kermon, associate technical manager with the Raleigh office’s Commercial NC Practice 3 Team. Meet Sarah Kermon Sarah Kermon has been working at Yardi for a little of a year. She assists with incoming support requests from Yardi clients. She also helps her team members with cases for their clients as needed and provides peer support to other colleagues. When she is not working on cases, Kermon betters her knowledge of Voyager and various software components. One emphasis is deepening her technical understanding of reports in Voyager. “I enjoy the opportunities to pursue areas of interest, which include building up my technical skills with things like SSMS, Profiler and learning more about the backend structure that makes our products work,” said Kermon. Kermon has grown exponentially at Yardi due to her colleague’s willingness to help her. She always feels comfortable asking questions and reaching out in areas of uncertainty. Yardi prioritizes its employees in a way that provides comfort as new hires adjust to their positions and creates an environment that welcomes challenges and curiosity. “Everyone around you is invested in your success and wants to give you opportunities to learn and excel,” shares Kermon. She continued, “I am super excited to be working in my new role with the Commercial NC Practice 3 group and love getting to know all the amazing people who have guided me along the way!” Yardi is hiring globally! Interested prospective employees can explore opportunities on the Careers site. Rubix Cube Extraordinaire While Kermon is not working at Yardi, she enjoys cooking and trying new restaurants. She recently learned to make chicken piccata, which is her new favorite. She also enjoys collecting puzzles and...

Yardi’s global offices make essential contributions to property management and investors worldwide. Meet Biswakam Mishra, a programming manager based in Dubai. Meet Biswakam Mishra Biswakam Mishra has been working at Yardi for 17 years. He worked in the Pune office for ten years, and for the last seven years, he’s been working in the Dubai office. Before starting his role with Yardi’s latest product, Voyager 8, Mishra was previously part of the technical service team for CSD and PSG. In addition to development tasks, Mishra assists the CSD and PSG teams in troubleshooting Elevate issues in the Middle East region. He also supports the CSD team in addressing performance or TA-related issues and organizing training programs for new hires. “I have a keen enthusiasm for learning and am always curious about my assigned tasks. I find great satisfaction in helping team members and fostering collaboration,” shared Mishra. After many years at Yardi, Mishra says Yardi has become like a family, “The culture is characterized by collaboration, innovation, friendliness, and fun, providing a healthy work-life balance.” Mishra advises new hires to bring fresh ideas, highlighting Yardi’s comprehensive training and easy onboarding processes, ensuring that team members feel comfortable and can contribute effectively. “Yardi’s strong motto sets a foundation for success, emphasizing employee well-being and teamwork,” said Mishra. Yardi is hiring globally! Interested prospective employees can explore opportunities on the Careers site. Taking Care of Our Community Mishra aligns with Yardi’s motto, inspiring him to join a nonprofit organization, Bandhu, in his native state in India. Bandhu works to support children in completing school education successfully. “We organize various activities for village kids, including outreach programs, career counseling, and yoga. I contribute to the group both technically and financially,” Mishra explained. Early Bird Gets the Worm Mishra...

The PHA industry is special. There’s a level of caring and personal commitment to helping others that rises a notch in comparison with other real estate verticals. Exhibit A: Grant Burnham. Grant joined Yardi a few years ago. He not only brought with him decades’ of PHA and affordable housing finance experience but also a positive attitude and a genuine appreciation for the work PHAs do for their communities Let’s find out more about Grant, Yardi’s PHA clients and the company’s solutions. Grant, where do you call home? GB: Hello! I am a Colorado native, and my home base is Yardi’s Denver office. What hobbies do you enjoy in your free time? GB: I am an avid pool player. I have been playing in leagues for almost 15 years and even got to participate in team world championship tournaments three separate times in Las Vegas. I’m always up for a game or two (or more) whenever I get a chance! How long have you been with Yardi? What is your current position? GB: I’ve been with Yardi since February 2020. My role is a team leader and solutions consultant. That means I work with a great group of sales professionals dedicated to helping housing agencies solve challenges and serve their residents, landlords and participants with innovative Yardi technology. How did you get started in the PHA/affordable housing industry? GB: My journey in the housing industry began in 2008 when I joined a local PHA in the Denver area. I was there for about three years before I accepted a position with the Colorado Housing and Finance Agency in 2011. I remained with CHFA until 2020 when I began working at Yardi. Throughout my career, my roles in the housing industry have included Occupancy Specialist,...

Yardi’s global offices make essential contributions to property management and investors worldwide. Today, meet Sy Pham, associate technical manager on the Voyager Client success team out of the Santa Ana office. Meet Sy Pham Sy Pham just marked his first anniversary at Yardi in August. He has a passion for problem-solving and working with clients, so he’s greatly enjoyed this role. Pham wanted to work for a company where he could tackle complex problems but work with clients using Yardi’s products so he could see the impact he was making. “The last year with Yardi has been everything I’ve been looking for in a company,” says Pham. Pham spends his hours on client calls and training. When not on calls, he is researching questions that came up or preparing for the next call. He also regularly meets with his team to strategize on problems or do team-building exercises, making his experience at Yardi remarkable. Problem-solving Skills Working with commercial clients has been a challenge for Pham yet rewarding. He enjoys the people at Yardi, both internally and client-facing. He finds Yardi as a workplace that challenges him with tough problems, but the people he has met along the way make it all worth it. “I have never experienced a work culture so dedicated to helping clients and each other. It’s been fun collaborating with individuals from different teams and being able to solve problems together. I love how I can introduce myself to anyone and ask if they can lend a second opinion on a difficult case. The overwhelming support I always receive is inspiring. I hope one day I can lend a hand to the new folks that join like others has done for me,” said Pham. In his personal and work life,...

#TeamYardi had a wicked good time celebrating Fall and spooky season this year. The Atlanta office festivities started with a costume contest. The winners of the contest were as follows: Best: Static Shock costume, Amber Brown Funniest: Burger costume, Jonathan Singleton Scariest: Dr. Facilier costume, Gerald Valentine Most Creative: Frida Kahlo costume, RheaAnn Koppelman Best Group: Mario Party costume, Ciro Vellino, Tyler Edwards and Spencer Hardiman Those who participated brought some fun to the office and turned a typical Wednesday into an enchanted Wednesday. For lunch, three food trucks were provided with various foods for the office—Yaardie Eats, The Mad Greek and The Loaded Taco. Games were provided, and even a special guest was in attendance after making his rounds at the Atlanta HBCU scholarship programs Yardi supports. Jay Shobe, senior vice president, was impressed with Georgia’s southern hospitality. At headquarters in Santa Barbara, the office had a Fall Fest for Yardi employees and their families. The afternoon consisted of a pumpkin carving contest with pizza and gelato. The kids got dressed up and enjoyed a corn maze with trick or treating. What fun office collaborations for the end of...

Yardi’s global offices make essential contributions to property management and investors worldwide. Today, we introduce John Napolitano, a part of the Residential Practice Team 3 of the Long Island, NY office. Meet John Napolitano John Napolitano has worked as an associate technical account manager for just over a year. Napolitano spends his days assisting in client cases and helping teammates however much he can. “I love the atmosphere of being a Yardi employee. Everyone is always welcoming and helpful,” says Napolitano. “I have an amazing team!” Napolitano appreciates how Yardi does a great job incorporating teamwork into the day-to-day work. There are many resources and different individuals with different skill sets. Everyone is helpful and knowledgeable in their field. “We are encouraged to expand our Yardi Network and reach out to people from different teams. I love being able to reach out to people from all over the country and build those lasting relationships,” said Napolitano. In addition to teamwork, Napolitano describes Yardi as a second home after building lasting relationships with coworkers almost immediately. “Everyone wants to see you succeed and lend a helping hand when needed. I know how intimidating it can be for new hires, and I would like to be able to help however much I can in their transition with us,” shares Napolitano. Napolitano and his team recently volunteered and hosted a charity event for Yardi-supported nonprofit Island Harvest. They packed hundreds of boxes of food for people in need. “I love that we could organize an event like this and do our part for our community. It inspired me to do these events on my own time and more frequently,” says Napolitano. Yardi is hiring globally! Interested prospective employees can explore opportunities on the Careers site. Animal Enthusiast Outside...

Yardi’s global offices make essential contributions to property management and investors worldwide. Today, meet Alondra Valenzuela, Yardi technical analyst from the Dallas office. Meeting Alondra Valenzuela Alondra Valenzuela has been at Yardi for just over two years. While each day differs from the previous, every day brings an exciting new challenge that requires her to think outside the box. From utilizing data to digging into other applications to locate the cause of a client’s deteriorating performance, Valenzuela assists with getting many clients access back into the systems. “I love the challenge of learning something new every day and having the opportunity to utilize new tools that I can bring to my team. I also love the occasional rush of adrenaline when getting a critical item thrown my way and having the opportunity to relieve our clients,” says Valenzuela. Valenzuela enjoys the openness of everyone she works beside. In her two years of working at Yardi, she’s never felt alone, and the willingness of everyone who helps brings great relief, knowing she is not alone and someone is always there to help get a solution to our clients. “Yardi is a place that will allow you to grow in whichever direction you feel best. There is such a wide range of opportunities to explore at Yardi that you can always find something new to learn and do,” Valenzuela said. Yardi is hiring globally! Interested prospective employees can explore opportunities on the Careers site. Climbing Mountains When Valenzuela is not working, she enjoys spending time in nature. When she cannot get to the mountains in Colorado, she enjoys health and fitness in other areas. She cycles through either the gym, muay Thai or rock climbing. “I like adrenaline-packed adventures, which is why I love dealing with high-pressure...

Yardi’s global offices make essential contributions to property management and investors worldwide. Meet Ben Smith, senior bill pay specialist with the Yardi Bill Pay Express team. Meet Ben Smith Ben Smith started his career at Yardi just after graduating from college a little over a year ago. Smith spends his days working payment exceptions and making payments online for utilities. He also researches to determine the eligibility of vendors to go live on the BPX service as well as bring vendors live to it. He collaborates with other teams to resolve payment issues they might discover and continues to build a stronger foundation for this service. “I enjoy that this service is something uncommon in the industry currently. It feels that we are doing our best to improve the overall flow of payment processing for both Yardi and clients. There is so much to learn about what Yardi does, and I love that it’s easy to reach out and learn about products and services totally unrelated to mine,” says Smith. Wealth of Knowledge Smith finds the work culture at Yardi to have a good balance between teamwork and independence. “Our team probably works more independently than most others in the division, but that doesn’t prevent us from collaborating with each other or other teams,” Smith shares. The work environment has always been opening and welcoming for Smith. Yardi is a company that continues to take care of its employees while being a leading force in the industry. “There are plenty of opportunities for all walks of life, and there is a wealth of knowledge to learn. I can feel at ease knowing I’ll be able to provide for my family and see myself spending a long time with the company,” shared Smith. Yardi is...

What’s the best way for a real estate investment management firm to give clients the information they want when they want it? We asked Joe Biddle, director of information technology for Yardi client ABR Capital Partners, about ABR’s experience with the Yardi Investment Suite. Joe, can you tell us a little about ABR? We’re based in Baltimore and co-invest with clients and joint venture partners in properties across the U.S. Our portfolio consists of 7 million square feet of commercial space and 557 million square feet of multifamily units that comprise $1 billion of assets under management. What issues did you encounter with your previous accounting systems? We used a basic accounting package for property management and a homegrown investment management system. A major problem was the repeated manual data entry needed to transfer information between them. This labor became a drag on our limited staff resources. And clients seeking information on their investments had to request it from us via phone or email and wait for a response. Our clients and team needed, and deserved, a new software solution for accessing information. So, you adopted the Yardi Investment Suite. How did it remedy these problems? The Yardi Investment Suite replaced multiple manually executed operations – performance return calculations, joint venture partner reports, capital tracking, and information delivery to clients and employees – with a single connected automation solution that saves us substantial staff time and effort. Please explain how integrating accounting and investment management within the Yardi Investment Suite improves your customer service. With accounting data seamlessly flowing to the investment system, we can immediately communicate new opportunities to investors and prospects, customize investor reporting, and automate capital calls and distributions. This process is much faster and more accurate than using spreadsheets or...

Yardi’s global offices make essential contributions to property management and investors worldwide. Today, we introduce Zaria Lane, technical account manager for Yardi Breeze Premier, out of the Dallas office. Meet Zaria Lane Zaria Lane marked her sixth anniversary with Yardi this past July. She started her career at Yardi in the call center, then moved to various departments before working with Breeze Premier in 2019, working from associate technical manager to implementation technical account manager. Lane ensures she is organized and prepared to accomplish her daily goals. “Organizing helps me stay on my toes and feel more confident when presenting information to my clients. I also love to prepare for every scenario before I meet with clients,” said Lane. Welcoming Work Environment Lane enjoys the inclusion of Yardi and having a welcoming feeling from all she has worked with. “I enjoy how the company creates events where employees from different teams and departments can join to socialize. To me, it creates an even more comfortable workspace as our workers don’t have to feel that they are working with strangers and allows us to be more willing to work with others,” shared Lane. Lane graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Psychology and never expected to work as a technical manager. Still, she learned the system quickly, making her feel more comfortable learning new information. Between the welcoming work environment and increased productivity, Lane thinks hard work pays off and is based on work efficiency, not tenure. “I am excited to see the company grow even more, and I love that I will be a part of that growth,” Lane shares. Yardi is hiring globally! Interested prospective employees can explore opportunities on the Careers site. Dallas Cowboys Fan Lane spends time outside the office...

Meet another sensational Yardi employee, Jonathan Gonzalez, team lead for the commercial Voyager Client Success TX 1 team who began his journey as an intern.   Yardi’s offices have many internship opportunities for those interested in learning about exciting and expansive world of real estate technology.  Meet Jonathan Gonzalez Jonathan Gonzalez has been at Yardi for nearly five years and became a team lead for commercial in July 2022. He works with clients to achieve success with the products they are licensed for and finds new ways to improve their work lives with Yardi’s complete product line. He also works with his team to ensure they succeed in providing an excellent customer service experience and developing their careers. “I put a heavy emphasis on being available for my team, especially since we have transitioned to a hybrid work structure. My goal is to be available as much as possible to build relationships with my team members while also providing them with the mentoring they need to grow,” says Gonzalez. In addition to his team, Gonzalez assists his clients in achieving the maximum results with their licensed products. He spends his days reaching out to perform health check calls with clients to review their system usage and assist with critical escalations to ensure they are well taken care of. Gonzalez takes pride in having satisfied clients with support and confidence within his team that is more willing to utilize Yardi’s full product load. “Helping my clients achieve success in all their Yardi products is what I most enjoy about working at Yardi. Seeing my clients fully functioning and happy with their software gives me a sense of purpose for my work,” shares Gonzalez. Confident Colleagues Gonzalez enjoys the welcoming environment of Yardi, where everyone is eager to see success...

Yardi staff make essential contributions to property management clients worldwide. Today, meet Tamm Sharper, a Voyager Client Success residential TX 2 team consultant for special projects in the Dallas office. Meet Tamm Sharper Tamm Sharper has been working for Yardi since December 2014. Sharper works on projects from the Voyager Client Success and RentCafe Client Success Texas teams for existing clients. From complex and sometimes expedited implementations to At-risk client specialty projects, she has a variety of opportunities to build relationships with clients during their Yardi journey. She works with clients to analyze pain points and devise a course of action, whether goal-based or time-specific, to alleviate the issues they experience daily. Sharper conducts on-site training sessions and business process reviews to optimize Voyager/CRM to give the client the most value. She also mentors colleagues and newer Yardi employees going through the N.E.S.T program by showcasing the culture of Yardi, conducting trainings and assisting with cases. Strategizing Stellar Results Sharper says, “I like to call myself ‘the fixer!’” Sharper enjoys having a client come to her at their breaking point and her being able to strategize and develop a plan to get them back on track. At the project’s close, she feels there’s nothing more satisfying than having a client smile and express gratitude for all the hard work they’ve accomplished. “There’s just something special about reviewing all the objectives we set out to accomplish and getting that confirmation of satisfaction from the client! Also, it’s heartwarming to know that I’ve made a difference in client retention when we see the numbers during corporate updates,” shares Sharper. Sharper appreciates Yardi’s transparency since the early days of the pandemic and that Yardi is always there to contribute when help is needed. “It’s amazing to hear...