As a longtime user of Yardi software in the investment management sector, David Lang understands the importance of strong accounting, operating and reporting systems. Currently serving as Controller for San Diego- based Capstone Advisors, Lang is responsible for all Capstone’s corporate accounting functions, and he also helps out with project and portfolio modeling. “At Capstone, we are owner/operators with shopping centers all over the US,” Lang told us during a recent interview at the Yardi Advanced Solutions conference. “Not long ago, our third party managers were sending us PDF reports and data was being compiled manually. We just thought, with technology these days, we should be able to automate a lot of these manual processes, and end up with a much better ability to data-mine our existing financial information to generate better management and forecasting tools. So we started researching property management systems.” What set Yardi apart? “Investment Manager really took Yardi to the next level,” Lang explained. “We own many properties, each with their own ownership companies for tax and legal purposes. With Investment Manager we can gain oversight into all of them and easily roll up the portfolio for reporting purposes. Finally, someone realized how much more goes on above the primary entity.” The diverse Capstone portfolio, which includes retail centers, office buildings, large residential land tracks, a housing portfolio and an international resort and residential development project, can all be tracked and reported on via Yardi. Since implementing Yardi Investment Manager, Lang has found that he is saving hours in compiling quarterly investor reports and quarterly distributions. “It used to take me two to three days to get everything together. Now I can run a few reports and I have all the information I need. I can do it in a...

Youth Making Change (YMC), a Fund for Santa Barbara program, empowers teens to create positive programs for their communities. A board of teen reviewers evaluates grant proposals submitted by fellow youth in the community. A total of $30,000 in grants is awarded each year to  projects that can help local youth thrive. The innovative organization recently received the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Santa Barbara and Ventura County Youth Philanthropists of the Year award. Yardi caught up with Cristina González, Regional Program Manager and YMC coordinator at the Fund, to celebrate the nonprofit’s success. “To be selected by our philanthropic peers and the community is a wonderful acknowledgment of the impact YMC teens are making throughout Santa Barbara County, both as grant-makers and grant recipients,” González says. The honor is deserved. Since 2008, YMC has awarded $157,500 to 90 youth-led groups throughout Santa Barbara County. The focus of each project varies, from scholarships for AP testing to environmental awareness workshops in low-income neighborhoods. For González, one particular project demonstrates the creativity and heart behind teen-led initiatives. While speaking at a support group for homeless and foster youth, González encouraged a few young attendees to pursue an idea that they had considered. Their plan for a teen-based support group for younger homeless and foster kids seemed like an activity that YMC could support. The teens would create welcome baskets for each new child who arrived at the shelter. With the support of their adviser, the teens would also host regular gatherings with the younger kids. The group could discuss what was happening in their lives, provide support and engage in fun learning activities while at the shelter. “In their interview, they shared that children look up to teens much more than adults sometimes,” begins González....

After the first few questions, I knew this was not going to be an interview like any other. I recently sat down with Denise Hinkle, Director of Development and Communications at Family Services Agency (FSA). We began with basic questions about the organization when one question seemed to stump us both. “What is one of your fastest growing programs, and can you tell me more about it?” I asked. Hinkle paused. “All of them.” She continued with more certainty. “It seems like all of the programs are growing for different reasons.” I soon learned that as Santa Barbara County continues to grow, the need for FSA’s diverse services seems to grow exponentially. For youth, FSA services include Big Brothers, Big Sisters, an international organization that pairs children with mentors. In an academic setting, School Counseling Services offers assistance for students with severe mental health needs, as well as therapists for school staff. Adults and families may participate in Family Support Services, which helps parents build healthy homes by overcoming stressors such as poverty, violence, mental illness and substance abuse. Youth and Family Behavioral Health provides in-home services for an array of familial concerns, including the prevention of out of home placement such as juvenile hall and foster care. For those in their golden years, Senior Services includes the long-term care Ombudsman Program that advocates for seniors’ well-being, and caregiver support resources. Hinkle has observed the growth of FSA for the past two years. “A lot of our family support services tend to grow when the economy is tanking out. Our Senior Services and Caregivers program is definitely going to take off due to the gray tsunami coming our way,” Hinkle laughs. “Big Brothers Big Sisters, is growing. There is such a need in Santa...

California-based nonprofit PathPoint specializes in building vital communities that foster independence, dignity and work for all residents. PathPoint equips individuals with disabilities or disadvantages with the tools needed to achieve self-sufficiency and pride. Employment, community access, residential and behavioral health services are just a few routes through which PathPoint fulfills its mission. One of the organization’s main areas of expansion is making technology more accessible for all. Participants in PathPoint’s South Santa Barbara County Community Access Program (CAP) work on goals in relation to socialization, communication, physical development, and many other independence enhancing areas. Since 2006, funding received from Yardi Systems has provided PathPoint’s programs with valuable tools that assist participants in achieving their goals. Currently PathPoint is working towards creating a comprehensive curriculum surrounding Assistive Technology. Lauren Alvarado, Foundation and Community Relations Specialist at PathPoint, explains the new technology program saying: “We are so fortunate to have knowledgeable, dedicated staff that are really passionate about using Assistive Technology to enhance the lives of the individuals we support. Our South Santa Barbara location is piloting and implementing a training program for staff, teaching them how to use the devices and creating individualized plans for each participant to help them reach their personal goals.” The devices used vary by the need of each participant. Stephanie Boumediene, Vice President of Development at PathPoint, has witnessed how seemingly simply devices can make a huge impact on the community. “Many of our clients are non-verbal” says Boumediene. “The equipment not only gives them the ability to communicate with their families and access the Internet, it ultimately opens the possibility to being an active member of the broader community. It also allows the community to meet them as well.” This project within the Community Access Program opens numerous doors...

The heart of the tech industry may beat in Silicon Valley, but for a vivid example of how software can streamline large-scale operations and enhance lives, you don’t need to go all the way to San Jose. In California’s central valley, the Chavez Foundation has created a self-sustaining and economically viable nonprofit organization able to provide housing and community services to farm workers and low-income families throughout the Southwest. Norma Soria has been with the Chavez Foundation for over 20 years, working her way from basic property management to Management Systems Director, and watching as the foundation grew in size and complexity. With her background and training in affordable property management, Norma has helped usher Chavez Foundation into the modern age. “I had previously worked with a well-established company that had many affordable properties,” she begins, “So I started saying ‘you need a manual,’ ‘you need to do this,’ and I began creating certain forms and procedures and that’s how [the current system] evolved.” A Growing Portfolio When the Foundation’s property portfolio expanded to include 4300 rental units and 300 single-family homes spread across three states, Norma was put in charge of compliance and training. She began traveling to other offices to prep employees on procedures and guidelines, and as she bounced from location to location, it became clear the foundation needed a more effective approach to managing its multistate operations. The solution arrived in 2002 when, after reviewing several different software options, the Chavez Foundation chose Yardi’s Voyager 5 software. The initial implementation and training went smoothly, but with little oversight or enforced compliance it wasn’t long before problems began to arise. It all reached a fever pitch when Norma returned from maternity leave. “I spent 90 days going through all the sites...

Doran Companies exploded onto the student-housing scene with an audacious plan to provide luxury housing to students attending the University of Minnesota. Breaking ground at the start of the real estate recession was a bold move that paid off. The company’s current property portfolio at one point included 5 major complexes with 900 units and close to1500 bedrooms: all similarly upscale and all near in or around the University District. As founder and principal, Kelly Doran soon realized the needs and wants of the average college student were shifting as increasing numbers chose to move out and live on or near campus. Doran anticipated the demand for a new type of student housing, and over the years, he has managed to win awards and praise from residents, the University, and industry leaders for his modern, stylish student housing developments. Gone are the wretched studios and bodies packed into small square-footage most of us remember from our college years. These days, many students are cracking books in stylish, modern apartment complexes that often contain game rooms, study lounges, fitness centers and even tanning booths. In what is being called a “university housing renaissance,” the high-end student housing trend has carved a lucrative niche in the hyperlocal and hypercompetitive student rental market. With 25% of college students living on or near campus, there’s plenty of demand to push developers into finding new ways to entice tenants. Leading the charge is Kelly Doran, founder and principal of Doran Companies. This family-owned business manages the development and management of a variety of multi-family residential and commercial properties in its home state of Minnesota. With a focus on aesthetics and quality construction, Doran Companies controls a vast cache of award-winning projects, including its student housing properties located near the...

The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County does great work every day to assist thousands of locals in need of food, nutrition or health education. Did you know that 1 in 4 Santa Barbara County residents receives aid from a Foodbank program each year? Those assisted include a range of case types, from critical need situations among the homeless, to children who do not have healthy food options at home, to fixed income seniors. Over the holiday season, Yardi’s Santa Barbara office was a major part of the Foodbank’s effort to raise funds, collect donations, harvest fresh fruit, and enhance awareness of the non-profit. Yardi was a top performer in the 2015 Corporate Challenge campaign, which saw 13 local companies participate. Thanks to the efforts of our employees, Yardi contributed 2,776 pounds of food, 127 turkeys, and made a significant financial contribution to the Foodbank. All told, the efforts made possible a total of over 280,958 meals for local families in need. Food collected by Yardi employees comprised over 30 percent of everything collected during the Corporate Challenge event. “Yardi continues to step up every year. The company has been participating in the corporate challenge for a few years now, but this year was by far the largest participation, with a lot of excitement around the event,” said Misha Garrison, The Foodbank’s Development Manager. Employees donated funds and food, rallied others on their teams to join in contributing to the cause, volunteered their time to pick fruit for the Foodbanks’ Backyard Bounty program, raised money at the holiday bake sale, and much more. Year-round need While it is a natural inclination to think of the Foodbank’s mission during the holiday season, the truth is that the non-profit needs volunteers and support all year long. Last year,...

Success came with an unexpected side effect for Lisette Fraser. After ten years in the addiction treatment industry, the small clinic where she worked had blossomed into a conglomeration of outpatient and residential care facilities throughout California. Fraser loved that more people were receiving care, but the immense growth left her feeling detached from herself and others. Fraser explains, “I wanted to get back to my roots. I enjoyed what I did with start-ups, the smaller treatment programs and the individualized attention I was able to give.” In June 2015, Fraser accepted the position of Executive Director at Casa Serena, a small treatment facility in Santa Barbara. With a total capacity of 32 clients, the center specializes in personalized care for women and their families. The position was the perfect fit. What appealed most to Fraser was the center’s emphasis on women. Fraser says, “Casa Serena is unique because it’s specifically targeted towards women and women’s issues that arise when struggling with addiction. I feel this is so important because there aren’t enough treatment programs that are gender specific. That, to me, is a very personal mission in terms of all of the underlying issues that accompany addiction for women.” Casa Serena provides a safe place for women to recover from drug and alcohol addiction. Clients are guided through the first 90 days of recovery in The Main House. They can then transition to The Graduate House or The Oliver House. In the latter, clients are able to live with and rebuild their relationships with their children. “A lot of women suffer the wreckage of the disease through the family and through the children,” observes Fraser. “They’ve either lost custody, have partial custody, or they’re trying to regain custody. So we help facilitate that...

Going into 2015, Jeff Danley did not expect that the multifamily investment firm he co-founded back in 2006 would keep buying properties at a fast clip. With 35 transactions closing this year for Yardi client Peak Capital Partners, however, he’s ready to admit that he was wrong. “Obviously we are pretty far into the cycle at this point. There has been a lot of interest from the market in the multifamily space, and a lot of new investors have gotten into the industry in the last few years. So the competition has increased. But I would say 2016 looks like more of the same,” Danley told us in a recent interview. Based in Salt Lake City, Peak Capital Partners will close 2015 with a mixed portfolio of around 20,000 doors. Assets include Class A & B multifamily housing, tax credit properties, and a few student housing communities. Markets where Peak Capital holds multiple properties include Atlanta, Dallas, Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City, Raleigh, and Nashville/Memphis. We talked to Jeff Danley about his company’s approach to the multifamily investment space. How did you end up in the multifamily investment sector? Danley: My partners Jamie Dunn, Jeff Burningham and I founded Peak Capital Partners in 2007. When the market was getting really overheated, we called each other and said we ought to start a firm that buys distressed multifamily assets. So that was the genesis of Peak. We formed the firm in 2007 and we were a little early to the anticipated downturn. Then 2008 happened and we had a couple of lean years. But in 2009 we bought our first property and we’ve done close to 150 acquisitions since then. How did you get involved in purchasing tax credit investments? Danley: Back in 2009...

At Foster City, Calif. based Legacy Partners, renter’s insurance is a requirement at all multifamily properties. The company has a 15,000 unit portfolio, which includes both conventional and affordable housing product. “We have 100 percent of our residents insured. That way we can reserve our big time liability policy for the big stuff. The little stuff can be handled through either the master policy or the resident’s individual policies,” explains Lisa Dixon, Residential Help Desk Director. To offer residents a quick, easy, and affordable insurance policy option, Legacy Partners chose to use Yardi’s Resident Shield renters insurance product. With full integration into Yardi’s RentCafe offering, Resident Shield is one of the most convenient and reliable renters insurance offerings on the market today. “Because we’ve implemented this at the same time as RentCafe, with the online lease execution residents cannot execute a lease unless they have a current policy. It’s very easy, convenient, and competitively priced for them to choose Resident Shield,” Dixon said. Handling individual policies for Legacy Partners’ mixed-portfolio and affordable properties is slightly more complicated, as affordable housing typically cannot require residents to provide insurance. “We’ve been able to work with the team and have different unit types designated, so our leasing managers can program the correct settings. The affordable units either have a requirement for an individual policy – but we absorb the cost – or we sign them up on the master policy, at our expense,” Dixon explained. Multifamily residents are offered the opportunity to select any insurance provider they wish, but it saves Dixon’s staff time when they choose the Resident Shield policy and information is populated directly into the Voyager 7S database. “A lot of people do get to that point in the application process and go ‘Oh,...

With a longstanding tradition of community building and long term development vision in their home state of Colorado, McWhinney Real Estate Services, Inc. works on real estate ventures that range from commercial to hospitality to multifamily. As Vice President of the company’s Multifamily Operations division, Dori J. Brewer and her capable team are tasked with identifying opportunities for McWhinney to continue to expand its multifamily portfolio, leasing up newly developed properties, and maintaining a strong operations platform. Yardi is a vital part of that platform, providing McWhinney’s core multifamily accounting software via Voyager 7S. The company moved from MRI to Yardi in 2014 and her team has been extremely happy with the change, Brewer said. “I love it, and I’m super glad we have it,” she commented about Voyager 7S. Her team is considering expanding its Yardi product line to include resident screening, renters insurance, business intelligence, revenue management, and Rent Café resident services. With two marquee Class A multifamily properties in Colorado, Brewer and her team are focused on continuing to provide enhanced residential services for their residents. They’d like to implement an online payment, leasing system and work order request portal in the coming year. The “McWhinney Lifestyle” is a unique branding of the company’s apartment communities, which connects them with local regional themes and offers a highly amenitized Class A living experience. The two properties are the 314-unit Trails at Timberline in Fort Collins, and the 394-unit Arbour Commons in Westminster. Trails at Timberline takes its name from Fort Collins’ exceptional regional trail system, and Arbor Commons is named for fruit orchards that were once prevalent in the area. Units are named after trails and apples, respectively. “We build amenities that we think are lifestyle driven and then we program around...

If the name Catherine Remak seems familiar to you, you aren’t alone. She has been the voice of the KLITE 101.7 morning show for 23 years. The show allows her to relish in her passion for light rock while promoting many of the great organizations that serve Santa Barbara residents. It was through the radio show that Remak discovered the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (CADA). The organization strives to prevent alcoholism and drug abuse through education and public awareness. With CADA, community members gain access to intervention services, treatment, and support. More than 15 years after serving as a volunteer with CADA, Remak accepted her role as Director of Corporate Development and Communications. She is passionate about the numerous programs offered through CADA and has a difficult time deciding which program initially sparked her interest in the organization. “All of them,” Remak laughs. “But I’m really fond of our youth services, especially our Daniel Bryant Youth and Family Center which treats area youth with drug and alcohol issues with services to their families. A terrific program called Teen Court also operates out of the Center. It’s got a great success rate, with 85 percent of teens not reoffending. I’m also a fan of CADA Youth Service Specialists, our trained counselors who are on school campuses dealing with kids in a preventative way.” It is vital to present kids with education and preventative tactics. If they grow into teens or adults struggling with addition, they face one daunting obstacle to their wellbeing– themselves. “It’s tough,” says Remak. “When they’re in the throes of addiction, they don’t think that they need any help. Sometimes it requires an intervention.” Yet when a third party is involved, the likelihood of success may decrease. Remak says, “We...

Moving to a cloud-based commercial property management and accounting platform typically sounds like a daunting transition. Kim Mann, CPA/property controller for Kansas City-based Block Real Estate Services LLC, makes it sound more like a walk in the park. “Going from self-hosted to hosted was the easiest conversion that I have ever done,” Mann said. “When you have change, people tend to get cranky about it. But I didn’t have any push back.” And when it came time to flip the switch to the Yardi cloud, the transition was fast and easy. “I simply sent out the new URL, gave everyone a half day off, and said, do not enter Yardi until tomorrow, and we went back live within 24 hours,” Mann said. Block Real Estate Services LLC converted to Voyager 7S in June of 2015, and Mann anticipated that the customizations and intricate property structure set-up would complicate the transition. That turned out not to be the case, an impressive feat considering that her team tracks 700 financial entities using Yardi software. Preparing for the change with extensive testing, Mann also enlisted 12 of the company’s Yardi users to become “champions of the change.” Testing took four weeks, with the entire conversion time frame lasted two months total. Both of the transitions – a cloud-based platform and use of the new Yardi Commercial Suite, have created enhanced efficiencies and time and cost savings for Block Real Estate Services LLC. “Going to the cloud freed up a massive server and saved us from having to buy another server, so we did not have to incur that expense. Our IT department loved that,” Mann said. Use of the Yardi Commercial Suite has changed the way Block Real Estate Services LLC processes invoices, and while the switch...

The fifth in Yardi’s series of thought leadership Think Tanks, held in association with Property Week, brought together retail centre owners and managers to discuss their experience and opinions on how to remain successful in a competitive retail environment. London’s retail scene is arguably the best in the world, with billions of pounds spent annually in the capital’s designer stores, boutiques and big-brand outlets. But as fashions in real estate strategy change, today’s retail landlords and property managers must move with the times to keep on attracting consumers. In a series of real estate think tanks, Yardi brought together a panel of retail experts to discuss the burning issues. Jace Tyrrell, deputy chief executive, New West End Company Jordan Jeffery, head of retail management, JLL Robin Dobson, director of retail development, Hammerson Clare Harris, head of group marketing & communications, Shaftesbury Chair: Claer Barrett, Financial Times CB: Let’s start by talking about online retail – have retailers and landlords passed ‘peak disruption’? RD: If you look back 10 years, the property industry was scared; now, I think we’ve come through the eclipse. The opportunity to create the best physical stores is complimentary to the drive to online. ICSC research showed that 90% of transactions still happen in a physical location – customers may have seen the product in a store, then ordered it at home or on a screen, or they might have ordered it at home and gone into the store to collect it. John Lewis recently reported that 50% of its in-store sales are coming from ‘click and collect’. As landlords, we create the platform for others to create the theatre. JJ: Everyone has had to adapt to online changes. Today’s consumers are much more informed and do a lot more research...

Organizations throughout Santa Barbara strive to make the community an even better place to live. Easy Lift is one such organization that has provided affordable transportation for seniors, children, and the disabled since 1979. Transportatio n is a vital yet often overlooked need in our community. Yet for 363 days each year, it is Easy Lift’s top priority. When it comes to the lifestyle of a public servant, few foresee their future in private transportation. Ernesto Paredes, Executive Director of Easy Lift, was no exception. In 1991, as a recent USC School of Gerontology graduate, Paredes accepted a job in the transportation industry. He figured that he could use the experience before moving on to the next opportunity. Paredes recalls, “I thought, ‘Transportation isn’t the sexiest field out there but I’ll start with that, get a couple of years of experience and then move on.’ I’m still figuring out where my ‘move on’ position is!” he laughs. “I’m inching up on 24 years with the organization. I love what I do and I love who I do it for.” For Paredes, the who and why of public service has always been more important than the how. “It’s not the tires and oil changes that fire me up about being a part of this organization, though that is part of what we do,” he says. “I really like improving [clients’] quality of life. People want to be independent for all long as they can. They have an alternative where they can look to our Dial-A-Ride program and be as independent as possible.” Dial-A-Ride is an Easy Lift service that provides transportation to seniors who are unable to take advantage of Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District services. Fares are only $3.50 one way, offering seniors with...

The Yardi Professional Services Group (PSG) is available to help clients get the most out of their new software as quickly as possible. PSG assists clients with project management, implementation services, needs analysis, data conversion, training and technical support. With the backing of PSG, clients can experience timely, seamless product implementation. JBG Companies is a management firm that supervises 24 million square feet of multifamily, retail, and hospitality assets. After using Yardi Voyager 6 for six years, JBG upgraded to Yardi Voyager 7S earlier this summer. Before conversion, PSG established a testing environment in which JBG managers could execute their daily protocols, edit menus and option settings. Adi Englander, Vice President of Financial Systems at JBG, explains how PSG supported her team during the tests. “We compiled everyone’s issues after each testing period and worked with Yardi to address and manage those processes,” begins Englander. “PSG originally sent a few process experts of their own to sit down with users and give them an overview of some of the changes that might affect their groups so that they knew what to look out for. [The users] were more prepared than just me telling them what I think those things may change.” PSG experts provided onsite, customized tutorials for personnel at JBG. Englander says, “We had the residential group sit with somebody from PSG, the management people, the construction guys, the commercial side, the lease admin– everyone sat with somebody from PSG for a few hours in the beginning.” The thorough testing and individualized attention made conversion a more efficient process for JBG. “We did not have a lot of problems in that area. I expected we’d have a lot of problems, that reports would just not run, but they continued to run,” Englander laughs....

Steve Moore endeavors to be an apartment owner who does much more than collect rents from his properties every month – and he wants other owners and investors to do the same. The Houston, Texas resident is a hands-on kind of guy who can not only fix an air conditioner or confront a problem resident, but has a determined vision for how to create change in some of Houston’s crime ridden neighborhoods. His company controller calls him the “MacGuyver of property management.” True to that label, Moore has some ideas that are daring and different. Villa Serena Communities, the company that he co-owns with two partners, manages over 5,000 multi-family units serving more than 12,000 Houston residents. One of those properties is Biscayne Apartments in Greenspoint, where Steve has lived on site for the last three years. We talked to him about his unique approach to providing a safe environment for residents. Why are you living in one of your communities, which is in a neighborhood known for high crime? Moore: Three years ago, we bought 2,600 units in one of the pockets of high crime in Houston. These units are right in the middle of the worst of it. I’m a widower, and I can do things that I couldn’t do if I had a wife. So I moved into Biscayne Apartments, which is the worst community we purchased. I said to my partners, if we’re willing to rent it to people, I should be willing to live in it. What has the experience been like? Moore: While I’ve lived there, I’ve had my car broken into, I’ve had my apartment broken into, and I’ve had a guy put a gun to my head and say give me your money. This is for...