Yardi client BRG Apartments is the largest owner and operator of rental communities in the region with more than 6,800 apartment homes in 40 communities throughout Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky. The company takes pride in its Midwestern heritage. From the corporate office down to its smallest property, BRG instills the values of hospitality and philanthropy through community service. Jennifer Illanz, Training and Marketing Manager at BRG, believes that community service is integrated into the company’s mission statement. “Volunteerism is important because it helps express our mission statement, ‘and we care,’” she says. “Being locally owned and managed creates a sense of community within the community; we’re setting up in these neighborhoods and we want to show that we don’t just care about the properties, we care about the surrounding communities.” The culture of volunteerism benefits charity recipients as well as BRG employees. “[BRG employees] gain a sense of pride,” explains Illanz. “They see that it’s not just a job that they’re going to everyday. Volunteering with BRG makes them feel like they’re part of a family that is giving back to the community. It’s definitely a positive thing.” BRG begins the philanthropy from within, rallying support amongst its ranks for pressing social issues. In past years, BRG participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies Walk and raised over $20,000. This year, BRG chose to participate in a local event, Walk Ahead for a Brain Tumor Cure. Illanz says, “Three people within our corporate office have been personally affected by a brain tumor. Throughout the preparation for this walk we found out that even more employees were affected. We had over 50 people attend the walk and we raised over $8,000. The walk was a huge success.” BRG also sponsors local...

Yardi client The Presidio Trust has been honored with an award from the National Trust/Advisory Council for Historic Preservation. The Presidio Landmark Apartments, a 154-unit complex, were developed by converting a former hospital on the historic San Francisco military base into multifamily living. The process involved a public-private partnership that not only preserved the historic character of the existing property but created a new sustainable community to help address San Francisco’s dire need for housing. The $71 million, 220,000 square foot renovation project was completed in 2010, according to a report in Multi-Family News. The Presidio Trust worked with Forest City Enterprises and Perkins+Will architects to design and execute the work. According to the Presidio Landmark website, “Nowhere else in San Francisco will you find an historic building that’s been thoughtfully and sustainably renovated, with modern comforts, conveniences and pampering services — all within a National Park.” Preserved features from the original hospital property include sun porches, marble hallways, doors and windows, and the brick exterior. Construction work was completed to LEED Gold certification. Perched along the edge of the Pacific at the mouth of the San Francisco Bay, the Presidio was once home to thousands of military personnel. Other reuses of buildings on the property include conversion of an officer’s quarters to create a boutique hotel. The Presidio Trust uses Yardi Voyager to manage its commercial and residential leases. There are 3,000 residents and 200 leaseholders within the Presidio, which became financially self-sufficient under its unique management set-up in 2013. The U.S. Army turned the property over to the National Park Service in 1994, and the Trust was established to achieve revenue growth and financial stability in 1996. “We pride ourselves on the careful management of the park’s finances. Implementing Voyager to capture...

Once again, Barcelona hosted the GSMA Mobile World Congress, a global showcase where some of the industry’s biggest names displayed their latest toys. This year’s event featured over 1,800 exhibiting companies, more than 85,000 visitors from 201 countries, a new record, reflecting again how pervasive mobile has become. The four-day conference and exhibition became the meeting spot for executives from mobile operators, software companies, equipment providers, internet companies, and automotive, finance, and healthcare industries, topped by government delegations from all over the world. More than 4,500 CEOs, including Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and IMB’s Virginia Rometty held keynotes, followed by CEOs and senior executives from companies like Alcatel-Lucent, América Móvil, Bitcoin Foundation, Cisco, Citigroup, Connecthings, EMC Corporation, Etisalat Group, Ford Motor Company, Isis, Jasper Wireless, Kakao Corp., KDDI, Lookout, Millicom, NTT DOCOMO, Raspberry Pi Foundation, Shazam Entertainment, Shhmooze, SingTel, SK Planet, Tele2 Group, Viacom International Media Networks and WhatsApp. The Connected City attracted over 17,000 visitors over the four days, and presented mobile solutions for services like education, health, retail, transport, smart cities and more. The Internet of Things describes the phenomenon of network-connected sensors incorporated into devices that in the past were standalone appliances. An even broader term, ‘The Internet of Everything’, includes smartphones and other mobile computing devices, as well as Internet-connected appliances. Remember Google’s move earlier this year, the $3 billion acquisition of Nest’s smart thermostat and smoke alarm technology. A wide variety of vendors showed or announced services and products that fit the concept. The automakers announced connectivity technology this week, to meet consumers’ expectation of having the same connected experience with their cars as they have with their mobile phones. Deutsche Telekom announced a deal with PayPal through which it will enable the possibility for the mobile users to purchase...

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) officially launched LEED v4, the newest version of the LEED green building program, at the  Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Philadelphia. Ever since the first LEED Pilot Project Program (also known as LEED Version 1.0) was introduced at the USGBC Membership Summit in August 1998, the LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design program, has revolutionized the way buildings and communities are designed, constructed and operated. Whereas the first series of rating systems were developed to largely address the needs of owner-occupied new construction commercial buildings, the program has grown, evolved and expanded to encompass the different project development and delivery processes that exist in the U.S. building design and construction market, through rating systems for specific building typologies, sectors and project scopes: Core & Shell Development, New Construction and Major Renovations, Schools, Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, Neighborhood Development, Retail, Healthcare, Homes, and Commercial Interiors. Moreover, LEED seeks to accelerate green building demand, delivery and accessibility and optimize the use of natural resources. While still based on the essential principles advocated by its previous versions, LEED v4 brings a plus of coherence and efficiency to the whole process. “LEED v4 is a quantum leap for LEED,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “Over the past 15 years, LEED has fundamentally revolutionized how we design, construct, operate and maintain our buildings and communities. LEED has created a completely new industry of business enterprise committed to energy savings and efficiency. LEED v4 is as much a testament to the achievements of LEED project teams around the world as it is to the green building community’s ambition to create significant global and local change through resource-efficient, cost-effective green buildings.” The program’s goal is to foster...

Yardi® announced today that it has acquired Centershift®, an innovative technology leader focused on the self-storage industry. The Centershift Store™ platform is the first fully cloud-based management system designed specifically for self-storage businesses. Understanding the benefits of a centralized data system, the industry’s largest and most powerful operators have adopted Store as the hub of their storage operations. “We are extremely pleased to be joining the Yardi team,” said James Hafen, president and CEO for Centershift. “We have long recognized that the self-storage industry was under-served when it came to technology. The breadth of services that Yardi brings to the table surpasses everything self-storage operators have come to expect from the technology available to them today. Joining Yardi introduces new possibilities to this increasingly sophisticated market, and that is an exciting prospect for all of us.” Hafen further commented, in a letter to his customers: “While we will continue to support our current software applications for as long as our clients want them, we will also begin working with Yardi to develop a self-storage management suite of products within the Yardi Voyager framework. The Yardi Voyager real estate management application services thousands of customers worldwide and offers a breadth of functionality far beyond what is found in the self-storage industry today. Yardi brings a game-changing platform that will accelerate our ability to achieve our overall goals for Centershift customers and the industry as a whole. The combination of Yardi’s immense resources and Centershift’s self-storage industry expertise will allow us to provide amazing benefits for our customers.” Gordon Morrell, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Yardi, added, “We are delighted to welcome the Centershift team and to get to work leveraging our respective strengths to benefit the self-storage market.” The Centershift team will...

They’re the housing option of choice for millions of Americans, and have gained both development momentum and resident popularity over the last five years. But apartments are not just a roof over our heads at night. They are businesses that provide a major contribution to the U.S. economy. as illustrated by this infographic from the National Apartment Association and National Multifamily Housing Council. WeAreApartments.org offers you the chance to measure the economic impact of an apartment community of any size in any U.S. state. Simply navigate to http://weareapartments.org/calculator/search and enter a few basic points of information, and you can find out how much the apartment community you own or manage contributes to the community – both in operations and thanks to the residents who live there. For a broader view of the Trillion Dollar Apartment Industry, check out this infographic:   Source: http://weareapartments.org/  ...

Yardi clients who have had the pleasure of learning from Guy Brown, a senior consultant in the Professional Services Group, or his wife Deborah, Director of Development, may have caught on that they are interacting with a pretty prestigious power couple. Both Browns have each logged nearly 15 years of service to Yardi, and made notable contributions to the continually improving Voyager reporting process. Deborah currently focuses on the company’s condominium clients and manages the standard Interfaces program, while Guy is involved in writing custom Voyager pages and client training. “We have different styles and different skill sets. But she’s clearly the brains of the operation,” said of his wife, who he met when both happened to be in Israel as teenagers. Deborah, who called California home, was studying at an American high school there, and Guy, a native of England, was visiting a friend whose father was in the British Foreign Service. Fast-forward 44 years, and they’ve made successful lives and careers in Santa Barbara, where they settled in 1980. Their two children, Anna and Shannon, are equally hard-working and innovative. Anna just finished her Ph.D. in chemistry at Portland State University and is involved in nanoparticle research on the chemical element bismuth. Shannon is an environmental scientist who works as a cartographer for a consulting firm in San Diego. “They’re like me – they want to understand the way the world works,” Guy said of the couple’s children. Indeed, his passion and interest in astrophysics, physics, magnetics, materials, geology and more has created diverse opportunities for work and research. Though he studied physics in college, Guy’s first job in Santa Barbara was in computer manufacturing, at a company called InfoMag. He became an engineer, drawing from his magnetics research to develop processes...

Apple’s highly-anticipated sapphire glass will not only offer super-protection to our favorite electronic devices, but will also improve battery life by the addition of solar-powered charging cells. Sapphire is one of the three gem-varieties of corundum, the other two being ruby – corundum in a shade of red – and padparadscha – a pinkish-orange. Although blue is the most common color, corundum can also be colorless or pink, green, and shades of gray and black. It can be mined or artificially produced. Sapphire is more than a beautiful and extremely expensive gem. Because of its remarkable hardness – 9 on the Mohs scale, right after the diamond which scores the maximum 10 – sapphires are used in non-ornamental tasks such as infrared optical components (red ruby sapphires are utilized to create new-infrared lasers due to their capacity to be turned to the appropriate wavelengths, because of the titanium and chromium impurities that form them), high durability windows for high pressure diagnostic and scientific equipment, including bullet proof glass, wristwatch crystals and movement bearings, and scratch-resistant coverings for lenses and high-end watch faces (Rolex, Citizen, etc.) It is important to note that Corning Gorilla Glass scores ~7 on the Mohs scale. Very high-end smartphones are already using sapphire crystal screens. The handmade Vertu Ti has a 3.7-inch crystal-covered screen, but thus far the technology has been too expensive for mass produced smartphone screens. Apple started using it to protect the cameras on the iPhone and, more recently, on the home button for the 5S model. But things are not about to stop here. In a post on the Seeking Alpha investor blog, Matt Margolis concludes that the $578m deal Apple struck with GT Advanced Technologies has more than just the sapphire glass growth initiative behind...

Today’s smartphones hold more private data than a credit card. A credit card comes with a “kill switch” but your smartphone does not. If your credit card is stolen, you can have it disabled. Any access to your account using the old card number will be forbidden. Yet if your smartphone is stolen, you and your company are more vulnerable than ever. A few developers have created software that disables mobile devices. All that would be required to activate the kill switch is a verification  process, much like what is undergone when you’re canceling credit card. Companies and individuals can potentially save a lot of money and effort when kill switch technology hits the market. A kill switch can provide improved security for businesses by keeping private data out of the wrong hands. The 2013 Cost of Data Breach Study issued by Ponemon suggests that US companies have the most costly data breaches at $199 per record. This brings total costs to about $5.4 million annually. Cybercrime that may come as a result of compromised data leads to $300 billion to $1 trillion in damages. Companies could greatly decrease the cleanup costs of data breaches with a kill switch on corporate smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Companies can also protect themselves against disgruntled and negligent employees. Cisco reports that: 20 percent of IT professionals said disgruntled employees were their biggest concern in the insider threat arena 39 percent of IT professionals were more concerned about the threat from their own employees than the threat from outside hackers. 11 percent of employees reported that they or fellow employees accessed unauthorized information and sold it for profit, or stole computers. If a company is able to disarm its issued devices when needed, the company will be better...

The MHN Excellence Awards recognize the multifamily industry’s most noteworthy people, companies and properties. The 2014 winners will be selected by a panel of judges representing expertise across all multifamily disciplines. Submissions will be due by Monday, June 16. Here’s how to enter. 1) Select the categories you’d like to enter and click to download those entry forms for rules and instructions; •    Executive of the Year •    Property Manager of the Year •    Leasing Agent of the Year •    Development Company of the Year •    Property Management Company of the Year •    Best Brokerage Office •    Transaction of the Year •    Best Apartment Community •    Most Tech-Savvy Community •    Best Marketing Program •    Best Value-Add Renovation •    Best New Development and Design •    Best New Development: Unbuilt 2) After completing the entry form(s), click here to upload form and submit payment online (You still have the option of mailing us your entry as hard copy in a binder and/or paying by check; follow those instructions after you download the entry form from the list above.) If you have questions, contact Diana Mosher, Editorial Director at [email protected] Finalists will be announced in August at www.multi-housingnews.com and winners will be announced in September at a special event in New York and published in the October issue of the magazine. All winners will receive a personalized award for display in their office or multifamily...

A “selfie” is a photo that you’ve taken of yourself.  Most of us admit that we’ve taken one or two in our lifetime. We also admit that we secretly loathe our buddies who post #POTH. (If you don’t know what that means, you’ve been spared.) Selfies can teach businesses a few fun yet practical do’s and don’ts for marketing via social media. The Selfie Mantra: If you’ve got it, flaunt it! No one is going to be drawn to your product or service if they haven’t heard of it. Spread the word generously and don’t be afraid to try new platforms. There’s no such thing as too much exposure. Secondly, selfies focus on positive attributes: perfect hair days, pouty lips, ripped muscles. Likewise, focus on your brand’s strong points. Don’t make reference to the competition. Besides, talking about the competition just confirms that they are the industry standard. And you’ll look like a hater. Too many selfies sends a bad message. What would you think of a profile dominated by selfies? Chronic selfie taking is linked to alienation. Use social media to engage with fans and accept feedback rather than endlessly posting positive company updates. Granted, a decent profile may have a few selfies. But they’re buried amongst images of the person engaging with friends or traveling with family. Use media to show your brand amid the big picture: your staff participating in community outreach, your product solving common problems, or behind the scenes with executives and developers. Selfies in the restroom and disheveled in the AM are are a bit much, right? Right. Make sure that your employees aren’t oversharing on social media. While transparency has its place, it’s best to keep your public face professional, relevant and customer-appropriate. This means creating and...

Invoice processing services also help property managers monitor costs in several ways, says Brad Chandler, industry principal with Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Tech Choice Award winner Yardi Procure to Pay. Since invoices are digital, Chandler says, property managers can view them at any time without needing to search across various desks to assess property budget impact. This is key to financial decision-making throughout the month, and it also saves money, as there are no invoices to consume scarce office space. “The workflows that guide each invoice to the correct approvers eliminate the need to mail invoices to regional managers or headquarters for eventual payment,” he adds. According to Chandler, “Property managers are also able to view budgetary impacts prior to payable creation, to support future purchase decisions and also track service contract invoices against defined budgets as they are processed. “[This] provides insight of actuals against contract terms to ensure the budget continues to support the execution,” says Chandler. In addition, invoice processing can identify potential problems before they become actual problems, Chandler reports. Linking invoices to service contracts provides insight into execution actuals versus planned budgets, with each invoice eliminating reactionary steps when the budget is exhausted and the contract is not completed. Invoice processing systems can also identify duplicate invoices to prevent potential duplicate payments, which can impact cash availability. “Further, invoice workflows can be reported on when delays occur that could impact timely payment and payment discounts,” adds Chandler. “Property managers can assess the timing of payments to available cash and avoid insufficient funds and/or late fees. With electronic invoices, property managers can easily research vendor or client questions, no matter what workflow status the invoice is in.” According to Chandler, they can also expediently provide an invoice image and data, approval...

The social media engine seems to be losing steam these days. Twitter’s revenue more than doubled in the fourth quarter yet the tech giant said it hit a roadblock in terms of user growth; in the fourth quarter, the site added just 9 million, or 3.8% more, new monthly active users to 241 million, down from 6.4% growth in the previous period. It was the fourth straight quarter of slowing growth, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. Facebook Inc. on the other hand boasts about 1.2 billion registered users worldwide, though it also reported lower sequential user growth, set at 3.4% in the fourth quarter. This slowdown in user growth indicates that it might be time for a change and Twitter knows how to take a hint. In an effort to transform itself into a mainstream product, the company announced a design makeover that will make Twitter more approachable to users. Twitter is very fond of experimentation as a product improvement technique and many of their strategies have proven successful. “A common thread across recent releases has been experimentation,” commented Alex Roetter, VP, Engineering, in a Twitter blog post. “We’ve tested various features with small groups of our 200 million users before determining what we’ll release. These tests are essential to delivering the best possible user experience.” “We also experiment with features that may never be released to everyone who uses Twitter. Those experiments are perhaps even more valuable because they help us decide what not to do – which is important as we work to keep Twitter simple while improving the user experience. Ultimately, our goal is to learn and keep making the product better; we aren’t necessarily looking to launch all of the experiments we roll out”, he added. The Tweet...

If your property was developed before 2000, it wasn’t built with cellphone and Wi-Fi reception in mind. The location, building materials, and sometimes the building’s design can hinder signals. Today’s renters won’t tolerate glacial-speed connectivity and inconsistent service. Beacons could help improve resident satisfaction, retention, and give you new ways to communicate with tenants. Beacons are the latest technology for any property that wants to improve cellphone reception and Wi-Fi availability. The small devices can be plugged into a wall or set on any surface. Their low-energy usage and low-cost makes them easy to add to any unit. Beacons use Bluetooth connection to send signals to devices such as smartphones and tablets, so there are no wires or tedious setup required. Basically, beacons can be used to amplify your wireless services.  Offering them with your units could be a huge selling point for renters, particularly Millennial. There is a growing trend of Americans and Canadians who are ditching cable in exchange for Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming video services; some switch to save hundreds of dollars on their bills each year. Residents won’t be pleased if they feel coerced into a cable contract because they can’t stream shows at home. Tenants of all ages will appreciate faster speeds and more consistent service. It’s vital to their life’s work, in many cases. An increasing number of professionals work from home at least one day a week or more. Even those who aren’t remote employees are expected to have always-on connectivity, staying on top of their game by working evenings and weekends. If the internet is down or slow, their work will suffer and they’re likely to look elsewhere when it’s time to renew the lease. Owners may also toy with the idea of using beacons...