For the first time in three years, Yardi teams were able to gather in-person in 2022, both to return to in-office activities, meet with clients at conferences and celebrate the season. Here are highlights from a few of the recent Yardi office gatherings. Our offices in the eastern United States, Waltham, MA, Raleigh, NC & Atlanta, GA, went with a classic holiday party. Yardi Waltham went out to dinner with refreshments and entertainment. Yardi Atlanta had a Hollywood Red Carpet glam theme at a local hotel, a photo booth, a live band, and DJ. And Yardi Raleigh had dinner at the Marriott City Center with a DJ and a 360-degree photo booth. Our Irving, Texas office all got together in the office and played a fun holiday trivia game, had a white elephant gift exchange, and dressed in their best holiday attire. Moving west, our Scottsdale, AZ, and Boise, ID offices put on their competitive shoes. Scottsdale spent the afternoon at TopGolf while Boise rented out Western Proper for a night of dinner, bowling, and arcade games. Globally, in late October Yardi Dubai, UAE celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Lights, a holiday celebrating the triumph of good over evil. Yardi United Kingdom recently celebrated at the London Shuffle Club with shuffleboard games, dinner, and more. And in Singapore, the office got together to watch the end-of-the-year town hall meeting at Happen, then went for dinner at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO site. And at headquarters in Southern California, the Santa Barbara office had a nice, sunny lunch outside. Thanks to all of the offices who shared photos of their festivities, and wishing our global team a productive and happy conclusion to...

Team Yardi Raleigh is a longtime supporter of the Foundation of Hope in Raleigh, founded in 1984. The nonprofit works to conquer mental illness by investing in groundbreaking scientific research and mental health initiatives. The Foundation of Hope strives to eliminate suffering from mental illness in the community. On Oct. 9, the Foundation of Hope held the 34th Annual Walk for Hope to fund mental health research at the University of North Carolina’s Department of Psychiatry. This year a total of over $790,000 was raised. Team Yardi TKO, a title sponsor of the event, raised $6,000 this year. TKO stands for Timothy K Owens. He was a manager with Yardi for many years and lost his life by suicide about 11 years ago. In his memory, the Yardi Raleigh office started the Walk for Hope team and has been walking and raising money ever since. “Tim will never leave our hearts,” shared Kimberly Wood, Captain of the Walk for Hope Foundation.   33 Yardi team members joined the walk this year including Kimberly Wood of the PayScan Implementation Team; Greg Smith, Vice President; Pam Davison, Senior Project Manager; David Fabian, Senior Director; Vera Morris, Consultant; Maggie Corgan, Technical Account Manager; and Sheila Johnson, Technical Account Manager. “Mental health research is so very important,” said Wood. “I can’t imagine there are very many people who are not touched by mental health issues for family or friends,” she continues, “Personally, I volunteer throughout the year at the Foundation of Hope office.” “It feels SO good to give back.” The 5K walk was followed by a family-friendly festival including lunch, music, informational booths from mental health care companies, a small petting zoo and so much more. The weather was beautiful and over 3,200 registered and raised money...

Ready to meet the next senior living Changemaker — or in this case — Changemakers? Up today is Jim Coughlin and Wendy Nowokunski, a duo of senior living leaders from Northbridge Companies. We recently announced the plan to share four final interviews, but as an added bonus, this particular interview features two industry pioneers. And with Northbridge being a Yardi senior living client, we’re ecstatic to share a snapshot from their conversation with Senior Housing News (SHN). Meet Jim Coughlin and Wendy Nowokunski CEO Jim Coughlin and President Wendy Nowokunski founded Northbridge Companies with one purpose in mind: ensuring their residents, families and associates live well and love life. And that purpose has held true for over 15 years, as they’ve built Northbridge into what it is today. Read more about Northbridge Companies.   In their interview with SHN, Coughlin and Nowokunski speak to the lessons learned over the course of their careers, each explaining how they navigate change. Read on for a highlight from their interview. SHN: Talk about a time when you tried to execute a change and things didn’t go according to plan. How did you pivot and what did you learn as a leader? Coughlin: I tend to be the one who focuses on acquisitions and growth. As we’ve alluded to in the past, we have a very engaged and vocal leadership team. One of the most comical experiences I had was when I went to our senior leadership and I said, “I’ve made progress. I think we’re going to move forward with this acquisition.” The leadership team said, “Absolutely not. We’re not doing that deal.” That was a really good sign … despite that we didn’t get to move forward with the acquisition. It really showed the empowerment of...

In eight years at Yardi, Herbie Germain has built a successful career helping the company’s investment management clients and nurturing new talent on his team. The Long Island resident is the Consulting Practices Manager for the Investment Management (IM) suite, a platform that delivers users investment accounting, performance measurement and financial reporting capabilities. Herbie Germain “Yardi’s IM system is extremely capable and presents many opportunities to automate complex processes,” Germain noted. “I love being able to show clients how at the click of a button they can eliminate a huge amount of manual work. Seeing their eyes glow and hearing them say ‘Oh wow. This is great,’ is always a wonderful moment.” Read on to learn more about Germain’s Yardi journey and his favorite parts of his role. A journey of growth and expansion Germain holds a master’s degree in information technology from Capella University and a bachelor’s degree in physics (as well as a minor in mathematics) from Syracuse University. He started his Yardi career in 2014 as a member of the commercial implementation team based in New York. Previously, he worked as an analyst for a small financial services software company. “Yardi is the type of company where you’ll get as far as you want if you’re willing to put in the effort,” Germain noted. “The corporate culture of the company is that we’re all in this together.” Three years after he joined the company, IM expanded its support efforts to an East Coast-based team, which Germain joined as an account manager and then was promoted to consultant. The team continued to evolve, starting as a practice group, and then adding an IM client success team. When founding manager Marina Samothrakis relocated to Yardi’s Toronto office, Germain had the opportunity to step into...

“Often I’ve found that change comes at the most unexpected times, but I believe that’s what makes our work so meaningful.” Those words come from LCS President and CEO Joel Nelson, a member of this year’s Changemakers class. The annual Changemakers series recognizes bold, strategic leadership in senior living. With leaders like Nelson interviewed by Senior Housing News (SHN) throughout the series, you get an inside look at how industry pioneers are sparking change. Yardi is proud to sponsor Changemakers for the fourth consecutive year. Introducing Joel Nelson Joel Nelson’s career at LCS — a Yardi client and one of the nation’s largest senior living organizations — has been full of change. From starting the company’s real estate business to now operating over 130 communities in the LCS Family of Companies, Nelson is skilled at navigating challenges and developing solutions. In his SHN interview, Nelson shares how being prepared for change is critical, and discusses which changes he believes are vital for the industry’s future. Keep reading for a highlight. SHN: Thinking back on your career in senior living, what are some of the changes you’re especially proud of leading? Nelson: I’ve had the good fortune to be in the industry for the last 36 years, and there have been many changes in LCS and the senior living industry during that time. The one I’m most proud of is when I was given the opportunity to start our real estate company back in 2010. It was transformational for the company and who we are, and it has driven even more changes as a result. There’s a lot to be proud of in this industry, which is why I stuck around for so long. I’ve been on multiple association boards, and for the last couple...

Now in its fourth consecutive year, the Changemakers series showcases forward-thinking leadership in senior living. But not just any leaders earn the honor. The Changemakers title is reserved for those who drive positive change across the industry — and who pursue innovative strategies along the way.  It’s empowering to see how each honoree is transforming the industry as we know it. That’s made possible through in-depth interviews conducted by Senior Housing News (SHN) and sponsored by Yardi. And lucky for you, the first batch of interviews is live. That includes one from Tana Gall, president of Merrill Gardens, a family-owned company and Yardi client. Her story is one you don’t want to miss. Meet Tana Gall From decades of experience in senior living, Changemaker Tana Gall is skilled at problem solving. That comes from her initiative to take risks and forge new paths, which Gall has done throughout her career. Now as president of Merrill Gardens, she has an important perspective on what it takes to spearhead change. In her interview, Gall tells SHN about her bold but calculated risk-taking approach, plus she shares lessons learned from her 27 years in the industry. Keep reading for a highlight.   SHN: Thinking back on your career in senior living, what are some of the changes you’re especially proud of leading? Gall: In the early 2000s, I was able to work with a group on changing our industry messaging. For my first few years in the industry, a lot of the same words were used to describe what we did — respect, integrity, independence. They were generic and didn’t capture what the industry represented, so we took a leap. During my time at Leisure Care, I worked with a very creative group of people to roll...

Meet Blake Cole, a team lead for RightSource auditors in Yardi’s Minneapolis office. Blake started at Yardi in November 2020 as an auditor and was promoted to team lead within six months. Blake Cole Recently, he had the opportunity to be part of longtime Yardi affordable housing client ALCO’s very first internal podcast. We caught up with Blake to learn more about how he proactively tackles client challenges. Read on to learn more. TBS: How do you spend your work hours? BC: As Team Lead, I oversee the compliance and review of certifications for numerous affordable housing programs (e.g. HUD, LIHTC, HOME) across 11 states. My work hours are spent developing and cultivating strong relationships with our clients, responding to compliance questions and inquiries, supporting auditors in their review of complex certifications, as well as problem solving and troubleshooting software issues that may arise. I began my career in affordable housing 14 years ago as a Leasing Consultant for a 175-unit elderly property in Atlantic City, NJ where I utilized Yardi Affordable software daily to process rental payments and complete certifications on site. This experience of overcoming the day-to-day challenges of compliance in affordable housing ironically are some of the same challenges that my clients presently endure. Having walked in their shoes for more than a decade of my career has unquestionably positioned me to better meet their needs today. TBS: What do you most enjoy about your work at Yardi? BC: I enjoy being able to pursue my passion of problem solving and providing exceptional customer service all while working remotely. I enjoy having easy access to continued education and online training. I believe Yardi attracts the best of the best; and doing so gives me the opportunity to learn from professionals who...

Sometimes it takes a challenge to jumpstart simplicity. It’s a lesson that the Senior Living Consulting Practices and Implementations team relearns each day. Ellen Lins is the senior team lead. She and her team help Yardi Electronic Health Record (EHR) clients optimize software usage to facilitate easier day-to-day operations at their sites. Training when every second counts The senior living industry poses unique challenges. Elevated security is necessary to guard residents’ protected health information. Additionally, the industry’s 24/7/365 business model necessitates constant access to and frequent changes of said data. No one can miss a beat. “Clinical staff are administering medications and providing care at all hours of the day and night. Outages and performance issues can have a critical impact, and impact their regulatory compliance, even if it occurs in the middle of the night,” explains Lins. Factor in the industry’s high turnover rates and the team is constantly engaged in client training. “To overcome those challenges, Yardi offers a free EHR Lite version of Yardi Aspire, an online learning management tool,” says Lins. “EHR Lite is a crucial part of the program that allows our team members to provide up-to-date training to multiple clients and their extensive user groups.” The team also offers 24/7 support through Senior Frontline. An EHR specialist is always available to provide training and emergency support when necessary. For the Consulting Practices and Implementations team, it’s always all hands on deck. But the benefits of their hard work are clients who can provide quality care for their customers. Improved understanding of EHR contributes into a higher standard of care of seniors throughout the nation. Offering results that improve lives With high stakes and responsibilities come great rewards. Technical account managers Mason Marshall and Rhonda Wenzel, along with senior...

Meet Zach Scott. As vice president of programming for Yardi in Canada, Scott leads a team of engineers conducting research and development. This diverse group, primarily located in the Saskatoon and Vancouver offices, works diligently on designing and coding features for some of our leading edge solutions such as Yardi Matrix, Pulse, and IoT.  Read on to learn from Scott about some of the fascinating work they do to improve Yardi’s proptech platforms on a daily basis. Are these solutions used primarily in the U.S. or throughout North America? Scott: Over the last two years these products have gained in popularity within the Canadian real estate industry and leadership at Yardi Canada is ready to support the need. Tell us about your team’s involvement in Yardi’s early development of the Internet of Things (IoT) platform? Scott: In 2018, as part of a one-month moonshot challenge, we designed a hub and built the software that now serves as the core of Yardi’s IoT platform. The hub sits in an apartment unit and bridges communication between the various smart devices in the unit and Yardi’s cloud-hosted software. We can’t reveal much about how the hub works or what exactly went into making it but what I can share is that in addition to building software solutions, Yardi has now entered the era of building hardware that connects our clients’ buildings to their business workflows. What do those efforts look like today? Scott: Every month, Yardi ships IoT hubs to be installed at client properties. With hundreds of hubs operating 24/7 today, the team has successfully turned an idea into reality. We continue to add features guided by client feedback. We also have a list of enhancements we’d like to add to the hub, features like Wi-Fi...

Did you know that companies in the top 25% for gender diversity are 15% more likely to have financial returns above their industry medians? Or that innovation is six times higher at companies with the most equal workplace cultures? Commercial real estate is among the many industries making gains towards equity, and it’s not coincidental. Heather Brady is one of thousands of women actively promoting change from within. Meet Heather Brady As the regional director of sales for Yardi Canada, Heather is accountable for the success of both the Voyager and the Breeze Premier sales teams. In total, there are 13 sales executives in Canada engaging with clients from coast to coast.   That’s a lot of terrain to cover. “There is never enough time in the day,” she laughs. “We have a large market share so that’s a lot of clients and still lots of opportunities. Teamwork and prioritization are key.” Heather handles each day in stride, guiding her team to foster relationships with existing and new clients while achieving corporate performance targets. “At Yardi, we bring a lot of new products to market every year and all products are developed with clients’ input or their benefit in mind,” says Heather. “It’s a key to our success.” She continues, “I love getting feedback from clients about how much our products have helped their organizations. During COVID, our products allowed clients to automate their AR, AP and leasing functions. That is so valuable, and we received such great feedback. It feels wonderful to know we’re valuable to their organizations, and of course it makes us feel energized to get more clients using these products!” Foundations for success Game-changing products are only part of the reason that Heather has forged a career with Yardi. She...

In a one-of-a-kind series sponsored by Yardi, Senior Housing News (SHN) is recognizing pioneers driving the future of senior living. Deemed 2021 Changemakers, these leaders have taken unique steps to transform their organizations — tackling unforeseen challenges along the way. Say hello to Adam Kaplan Adam Kaplan is an accomplished Yardi client and the founder and CEO of Solera Senior Living. Selected as a member of this year’s Changemakers class, Adam has shown that taking an innovative approach to senior living is key to evoking positive change. Since founding Solera in 2016, he’s pursed a focused strategy to take on complex projects — helping Solera grow into an organization with a hospitality-driven culture, empowered teams and a commitment to resident care. With insights captured in his Changemaker interview, Adam shares where Solera is headed next, how he’s driven change and what he’s learned during his years in senior living. Here’s a highlight: As you think back on your career in senior living, what changes have you driven that you’re especially proud of? Many of the changemakers [in this series] are the pioneers who paved the way for people like myself. I don’t see myself as a changemaker, I see myself as somebody who has been fortunate enough to build on a foundation that was put in place by the incredible senior living entrepreneurs who came before me. That said, the industry today is still led by many of those pioneers. While we’ve attracted a lot of talent to the industry, I think we’ve done a pretty poor job of attracting talent into operations as the industry matures. Many entrepreneurs have come into the industry through startups in technology, services and media, but the same cannot be said for operating companies. When I left Senior...

This year, Senior Housing News (SHN) has honored a variety of senior living leaders through their Changemakers series. And without fail, each member of the Changemakers class is inspirational, unwavering and transformative in their approach to industry obstacles. That certainly describes Yardi client Fee Stubblefield, founder and CEO of The Springs Living. Headquartered in McMinnville, Oregon, The Springs Living owns and operates multiple senior living communities across Oregon and Montana. Fee started the company in 1996 with a mission to create communities that felt like home and since then, he’s elected positive change in the company’s design and operations. That’s exactly why he was chosen as a 2021 Changemaker and interviewed in this special series, sponsored by Yardi. In this excerpt from his SHN interview, you’ll learn how Fee has led The Springs Living through a period of change — and how he’s preparing for the future. Plus, you’ll get an inside look at Fee’s approach to innovation, his dedication to senior living and his tolerance for risk. Do you agree that change-makers are risk-takers, and secondly, how do you describe your own personal tolerance for risk? I would say that we’re probably categorized as both innovators and risk-takers, but I don’t see it that way. I don’t see it as risky. This is what we’ve learned. This is what we believe the market wants and we have hedged it in ways that we think makes sense — that eliminates risk. It’s been really fascinating to see how different people look at the mountain from a different side. When you go on a hike, you look up the hill and you think, okay, I’ll remember that spot when I get there, and then when you get up there, it looks completely different. Our view...

When do you know you’ve found the right job? Many employers offer competitive compensation. Stand out companies encourage, support and celebrate the personal and professional development of their team. Add in a company culture that nurtures clients and community relationships and you’ve got the Yardi Breeze sales department. Staying connected The team consists of about 140 members servicing both Breeze and Breeze Premiere. They are responsible for positioning and selling the software to companies that specialize in managing real estate assets within targeted markets. Yardi Breeze sales team members represent at an in-person trade show event. Team members reside throughout the U.S. including Santa Barbara and Oxnard, Calif., Salt Lake City, Dallas, Irving, Texas, Long Island, N.Y., Raleigh, S.C. and Atlanta. Though far apart, team members share common goals and support one another’s progress. What prompts a 14-year career with Yardi? Mark Coverdale, director of Sales, began with Yardi 14 years ago. “I was excited to start a career in software sales. Once I was at Yardi, I knew this was a place I could be for many years.” The collaborative culture appealed to Coverdale. “In addition to collaborating with other departments, our sales teams meet regularly to give each other advice and guidance regarding sales opportunities, how best to take care of clients, and sharing success stories that we can all benefit from.” He was also drawn to the relationships that Yardi fosters with its clients. “In our industry, we cannot ‘sell and run,’ nor do we want to,” says Coverdale. “We take great pride in building partnerships with our clients. Sometimes the sale is just the start as we continue to build and nurture relationships that last for years.” Client feedback prompts product development, which in turn creates better products and happier...

Access to affordable housing can be a life-changing experience for residents, especially when residential units are paired with social services. HUD’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program is a perfect example. The goal of FSS is to transform individuals and families by stabilizing housing and providing services like childcare, education, physical and mental health, food and other tools to overcome barriers to increasing income. New Directions is a mission-based affordable housing provider based in Louisville, Kentucky. HUD recently approved New Directions to administer FSS for residents living in seven of its properties. New Directions calls its FSS program “I Rise,” a title inspired by the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. New Directions is led by Bridgette Johnson, its chief operating officer. Bridgett studied the success that public housing agencies (PHAs) were having with FSS and found that most of the FSS graduates she spoke with had moved on to home ownership, started their own business, or both, within a few years of graduating from the program. Inspired by those success stories, Bridgette created I Rise for New Directions, and conducted extensive fund raising to pay for staffing. FSS does not pay administrative fees for affordable housing providers, a significant difference from PHAs’ ability to pay staff with a portion of FSS funds. Solving the “Benefit Cliff” Affordable housing and social services workers often refer to the “benefit cliff” as a metaphor to describe how access to programs can suddenly be taken away when participants’ incomes rise. That can cause households to lose access to support before they are entirely self-sufficient. Under FSS, participants can maintain enrollment in social services even as their income increases. FSS prevents participants from falling off the benefit cliff by requiring households to save a portion of their increasing wages...