Yardi’s growth as a top employer is thanks in part to staff members who assist with recruiting around the globe. Meet Ana-Raluca Iliescu, team leader for recruitment in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Meet Ana-Raluca Iliescu Iliescu has been working for Yardi for nine years. She started with the company as a call center agent and transferred to the Human Resources department after two years. Currently, she coordinates the recruitment team and participates in recruitment processes. “My experience at the call center was one of the most valuable that I have ever had and played an important role in preparing me for the recruiter position. I had already acquired most of the skills needed for the job, so transitioning into the new role went smoothly,” shared Iliescu. Her day-to-day work includes close collaboration with the recruitment team and other departments in the Yardi Romania office. She oversees all processes, stays on top of changes, and proposes and applies solutions to improve practices and candidate experiences. “Having been in a recruiter role at Yardi for over six years, I got the chance to work with almost all our teams, thus getting an excellent grasp of the business needs and processes and gaining much diverse experience as a recruiter,” said Iliescu. Growing business The people at Yardi’s worldwide offices are a big part of the effort to create and foster a distinctly welcoming corporate culture. “One of the things I like most about my job is that what our team does helps the people and the business grow. I also enjoy passing on my experience to help others succeed in this field. At the same time, I like the fact that it’s a challenging role, and you never get the chance to get bored – you can learn new...

Meet Lynn Topp of Yardi Canada, who plays a critical role in implementing software and hiring top-tier talent from the Yardi Toronto office. She has watched Yardi grow and thrive in Canada during nearly 18 years at the company. Meet Lynn Topp Topp is the Director of Client Services for Residential in the Toronto office. Even approaching 20 years of service, she is in awe at what she has watched Yardi achieve. “I enjoy the variety and the challenges each day brings. Working at Yardi is never boring, and every day brings something new, even after all my years here,” shared Topp. “Over the years, as the company has grown, it has been amazing to see all the changes and maturity in how it has evolved and improved since I was an account manager. I enjoy seeing others progress in their roles and seeing the results of our implementations, when clients benefit and streamline their businesses, and turning unhappy clients around,” she said. Topp worked for a Yardi client before starting at Yardi. In that role, she used Yardi Voyager to manage 95 properties, and was one of the first clients in Canada to adopt Voyager. “I spent 14 years in the property management industry as a controller before joining Yardi and chose Voyager to support our growth. While it was trying at times, it was also a great experience, eventually leading me to Yardi. Understanding the industry has helped me understand our client’s challenges and allows me to be empathetic and advocate for our clients,” Topp shared. Topp’s day-to-day is involved in some large full-service implementations, which absorbs most of her time serving as project manager. “I am involved with multiple teams and clients, and much of my time is spent dealing with escalated issues and...

Yardi’s global offices make important contributions to property managers and investors worldwide. Meet Megi Cara, who plays a vital role in that process for clients in the UK and Europe. Meet Megi Cara A Solutions Consultant based out of Yardi’s Waterloo office in London, Cara serves prospects and clients across the UK, as well as in Ireland and the European Union. “I am responsible for giving product demonstrations across our residential and coworking solutions,” Cara said. These are two rapidly growing areas of service for Yardi UK. Cara will celebrate her third anniversary at Yardi in February and can hardly believe how fast time has flown by. “I love to learn, and at Yardi I learn something new on a regular basis and the products I demonstrate are accelerating at such a fast pace. It is really exciting to watch them evolve,” she shared. Cara spends her days at Yardi in a role that features much variety. She prepares for demonstrations, including setting up proof-of-concept scenarios, breaking down complex concepts, and making it easier for her audience to understand. She also sets up and tests new functionality within the residential or coworking product stack to ensure it performs as expected and is ready to go live on demonstration environments. “I also work closely with our sales team to deliver webinars or product snapshots to our existing clients, so they get the most out of the solutions they have,” Cara said. She also enjoys attending conferences that feature emerging trends and technologies in real estate and highlight the needs and challenges of regional real estate professionals. “The most recent event I attended was the Student Accommodation conference which touched on some very relevant topics such as the cost-of-living impact on the consumer,” Cara said. Evolving...

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...