To earn a spot in this year’s Changemakers class, you have to be a special type of leader. It takes a natural catalyst for change — and someone who’s an exceptional visionary in the senior living industry. That describes Doug Leidig, president and CEO of Asbury Communities.   Since joining the Maryland-based nonprofit over 20 years ago, Doug has dedicated himself to enhancing the lives of seniors. And since becoming president and CEO in 2015, he’s implemented fresh ideas to transform Asbury into a diversified aging services organization. His drive and innovation earned him the Changemaker title for 2021. Brought to you by Yardi and Senior Housing News (SHN), interviews are conducted with Changemakers like Doug. This gives you an inside look at their path to leadership, plus a chance to access their advice and expertise. In the below excerpt from Doug’s SHN interview, you’ll learn how he’s creating a lucrative future for Asbury Communities. Doug also talks about how he’s pushed through obstacles in the face of change.   Can you walk me through the evolution from a CCRC provider to more of an aging services model? Was it strategic or did it come together piece by piece as you diversified the company? It’s been purposeful, but it’s taken us about three or four years. I had been convinced for quite some time that standalone senior living CCRC businesses are at risk. Maybe not tomorrow or five years from now, but moving down the line, I think there are risks. We all know that we have to change our offerings on our campuses, especially to meet the next generation’s demands. I also knew that 98% of our revenue comes from CCRCs, from the resident rates, so you have to think, “How do I...

“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The trouble is, I don’t know which half.” Does this sound familiar? Even though these words were said by retail magnate John Wanamaker more than 100 years ago, they still ring true today to many in real estate. With the broad expansion of the digital marketplace and corresponding rapid shifts in consumer behavior, there are more places than ever to advertise your properties, all at varying costs and success rates. But how do you know which advertising sources are working? The answer is marketing data, something that’s widely available today given the online customer journey. “Marketing analytics give you the information you need to positively impact your company’s bottom line,” said Esther Bonardi, vice president of marketing at Yardi. “Most property marketers look at cost per lease, often attributing the lease to the source that drove the first customer contact, but there is so much more data now that you need to take into consideration.” Keep an eye on these five property marketing metrics and you’ll be better able to drive revenue, reduce wasted advertising spend and plan for the future. 5 Marketing Metrics Every Property Marketer Should Know 1. Total Exposure What: A percentage that tells you how many total units are available for rent, including month-to-month and expiring leases.Why: Before you decide where to market, you need to decide how much marketing to do. If your exposure is low, it might be a good month to cut back. If it’s high, it’s probably time to ramp up spend. 2. Occupancy Trends What: A review of what percentage of units are occupied, examined on a month-by-month basis over a period of time.Why: Reviewing last year’s occupancy trends can give you a good idea of...

Even as pandemic-driven lockdowns and stay-at-home mandates curtailed energy consumption in 2020, organizations in all types of industries remained focused on impactful conservation initiatives. Here’s a look at some of the companies that joined Yardi in receiving a 2021 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy for initiatives that reduce energy consumption and mitigate climate change. BENTALLGREENOAK. Along with achieving ENERGY STAR certification for 81 properties, the Seattle-based global real estate investor continued benchmarking its assets’ sustainability performance against internal best practices and peers. BentallGreenOak also used ENERGY STAR metrics to measure the success of its energy efficiency strategies. FOOD LION INC. The Salisbury, N.C.-based retail grocery store chain expanded its LED lighting retrofit program to 32 stores, saving more than 9.2 billion BTUs annually. It also earned ENERGY STAR certification for 919 stores, which encompass 89% of its portfolio. HEXION INC. The Columbus, Ohio, producer of thermosetting resins, coatings, adhesives and specialty resins executed 52 energy projects that produced $2 million in savings. It also conducted treasure hunts at 23 sites that identified 131 potential projects. The Columbus, Ohio, company’s energy management program has reduced energy intensity by 28% and saved $14 million in costs since 2014. INTERTAPE POLYMERGROUP INC.  The Sarasota, Fla., manufacturer of paper and packaging products achieved a 6.8% reduction in energy intensity over 2019, part of energy savings equivalent to $6.4 million since 2009. The company also participated in several ENERGY STAR certification, Challenge for Industry and Find the Treasure activities. MERCK & CO. INC.  The pharmaceutical and healthcare company issued a letter of intent to purchase 60 MW of solar energy, matching the amount purchased in 2019. The Kenilworth, N.J.-based...

What are the benefits of business intelligence in senior living? How can providers, investors and other leaders choose the right BI solution? These questions were answered in a recent webinar with Yardi and McKnight’s Senior Living — Differentiators in Business Intelligence Technology.   The June webinar gathered Yardi clients Trey Allen of Dominion Senior Living and Michael Bowles of Dial Senior Living, with discussions led by Yardi Marketing Campaigns Specialist Rochelle Throckmorton. The panel also featured Yardi Associate Technical Account Manager Chris Golden. The panel started with an in-depth look at business intelligence, moving into the tools and tips needed to select an effective BI solution. Attendees then heard insights from Allen and Bowles, who explained the challenges their communities faced before adopting BI tools. They continued by sharing their firsthand experience implementing Yardi Senior IQ — a single connected BI solution — describing how it’s transformed their operations for the better. Here’s a highlight: Throckmorton: How does Senior IQ help you and your team? Allen: Yardi Senior IQ has been very helpful to our team here at Dominion Senior Living, mainly in the way of convenience. A lot of business intelligence information can be arranged on a single screen — from community management information to marketing or EHR — and the financial information, too. We no longer have to pull 8 different reports. Rent roll, trial balance, trend activity and incident reports — it can all be arranged on one dashboard. Plus it has graphs, tables and comparisons. It’s very helpful and expedient. Throckmorton: How much time is saved when using business intelligence tools? Allen: The time saving is in the convenience. Our community management and financial team members were having to run 8 different reports each month, all to see the same...

How can you transform the senior housing sector? For Torsten Hirche, president and CEO of Transforming Age, it’s accomplished by forming new partnerships, offering diverse services and building quality communities. Given his creative approach to senior living, Torsten has been recognized as a 2021 Changemaker through the Yardi-sponsored interview series with Senior Housing News (SHN). In leading Transforming Age, a Seattle-based organization that now serves 55 communities, Torsten has learned the ins and outs of leadership, strategy and more. In his Changemaker interview, Torsten explains how he navigates the social, technological and economic changes facing the industry. He also gives an inside look at how he’s helping Transforming Age stay ahead of the curve. Check out this excerpt: What are one or two of the changes that you are most proud of leading at Transforming Age or in the senior living industry at large? First and foremost is the team. It’s been a hell of a ride and the team has stretched, grown, risen to the task and always showed up. I’m proud of them. That includes both legacy team members and the team members we’ve added. The people we serve have gone through a lot of changes with us. Open communication played a major role in our success there. Change is hard for the people we serve, especially when it occurs at high velocity. The repositioning of Parkshore is a change I am proud of. Parkshore is one of our flagship communities, but it was a diamond in the rough. It needed a lot of attention and the residents were extremely accommodating, even at the rapid pace we were moving. We communicated, created a dialogue together and walked through the changes so everyone was on the same page. Our governance model also underwent...

Before coworking became an industry, we had coffee shops. Any café with free internet became a place where students and professionals would settle in for work. In the age of coworking spaces, coffee shops are still formidable competition—and tech innovations make the competition stronger. Coffee shops are cashing in as flexible workspaces We’ve all witnessed the coffee shop scene: with a beverage nearby, individuals and small groups hammer out ideas on their laptops or in hushed conversations. Sometimes, we’re one of them. Other times, we vie with them for table space. Coffee shops are the original flexible workspace, and more shops are converting available square footage to fill climbing demand. Awake Coffee Company opened in metro Atlanta in 2015. It was a small, tight space that wasn’t conducive to working. I went twice before finding a different spot. In 2019, Awake moved just one block away to a larger location, and now you can’t keep me out of it. It offers formal and informal coworking quarters alongside its cozy coffee operation. Awake isn’t the only shop cashing in on flexible workspaces. An increasing number of cafes seek a bump in revenue by offering coworking plans. Even restaurants in major metros are getting their cut of the pie. The New York Times reported on the shift, and it continues to gain momentum. New industries blossomed from the shift. KettleSpace and WorkEatPlay both specialize in turning food-focused locales into coworking spaces. Their clients’ clientele are people who don’t want to pay several hundred dollar or more per month for a coworking space. Additionally, they crave a relaxed, social atmosphere. These are freelancers, contractors and gig workers who love what they do because it doesn’t require a designated space. Yes, you can hold your own with the...

Emergency rental assistance funds are helping Connecticut residents maintain housing thanks to a successful launch of the UniteCT program. UniteCT is administered by the State of Connecticut Department of Housing and runs on technology from Yardi called Rent Relief. UniteCT is funded by $420 million in grants for rent and electricity payments for households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fifteen state, county and city government agencies use Rent Relief to administer more than $1 billion in emergency rental assistance funds. Over 158,000 users are registered on Rent Relief and have completed more than 57,000 applications. With Yardi Rent Relief, UniteCT accepts applications for assistance from residents and landlords using an online portal that is accessible from computers and mobile devices. The flexibility of Rent Relief paired with the efforts of the UniteCT team delivers assistance in areas that would have been otherwise been underserved. ”The UniteCT bus is an exciting new solution to combat the digital divide in communities who need additional support with technology. We are reimagining the rent relief application process by going to the individual and setting the precedent for other programs to come,” said Marina Marmolejo, program manager. (Bus pictured at right.) The success of Rent Relief’s implementation of UniteCT can be measured by how fast Yardi launched the online application portals and how quickly case review team members became trained to begin vetting fully submitted applications. Other signs of success include how many applicants have used Rent Relief thus far without major interruptions in service. Users created more than 10,000 accounts within the first few days of the applicant portal going live. “We continue to do a lot of multi-media outreach including radio, newspaper articles and social media.  We have created sixteen UniteCT Resource Centers throughout the state to...

We continue our discussion of how to create a supportive technology culture in Canadian real estate organizations with industry leaders Sarah Segal, director of real estate for Informa Connect, and Michael Brooks, CEO of REALPAC. Let’s start with Brooks, who itemizes what he considers the most necessary elements for promoting a tech-friendly culture: “I would say attitude, process and leadership,” he says. “Attitude means being receptive to continuous improvement. Process encompasses the search and selection of the best tech fit for the organization. And leadership refers to affirmation from top management that progress and technology adoption are complementary and self-reinforcing virtues.” And what’s the best way to encourage receptiveness to new technology? For Segal, it’s fairly straightforward: “Don’t make it scary. Keep it simple and focused,” she says, because major changes to working processes take time and resources and have the potential to overwhelm. Once the team gets comfortable and realizes how the products benefit their work and the organization as a whole, “you can grow the offerings and technology stack.” “Technology integration is a journey, not a single product,” Segal continues. “Incremental growth leads to higher returns and better adoption as opposed to big, sudden shifts in how a team works.” It’s a good idea to “anticipate concerns and opportunities that may arise and have solutions ready for them. This will lead to increased user acceptance and satisfaction.” One of the biggest uncertainties surrounding real estate and the rest of the economy over the past year is, of course, COVID-19. Did the pandemic have an impact on tech adoption?  Segal and Brooks agree that the pandemic gave rise to a paradigm shift for many commercial tech companies. In Informa Connect’s case, “what had been a 5-10 year plan became a 5-10 month plan,”...

Ready to meet another Changemaker — a one-of-a-kind leader in senior living? Through the 2021 Changemakers series, a collaboration between Yardi and Senior Housing News (SHN), senior living leaders are recognized for their ability to invoke change and create success. With their insights captured through detailed interviews — released in batches — you gain a front row seat to hear their stories and advice. Introducing Jill Vitale-Aussem We’re excited to present another Changemaker, Jill Vitale-Aussem. In addition to being president and CEO of Christian Living Communities (CLC), Jill is the author of “Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living.” Talk about being an expert on driving change in the industry. From her previous work to now leading CLC, a Colorado-based organization serving over 3,000 seniors, Jill has learned to push through challenges, think outside the box and implement new strategies. In this excerpt from the SHN interview, Jill reveals the steps she’s taking to lead CLC toward a bright future. She also sheds light on her core philosophy — to recognize senior living residents as citizens who can, and should, actively contribute to creating vibrant communities.   Describe a change or changes that you’ve led throughout your career in senior living, that you’re most proud of. When I started with CLC back in 2009, it was in the early stages of a huge campus redevelopment project. The community had been there for more than 30 years, and it was time to breathe life into the birthplace of the organization. The goal of this redevelopment was to bring the community together and add life plan apartment homes to the campus. This project brought together people of different socioeconomic backgrounds to create a sense of oneness and community. We also developed a resident leadership group to...

What does the future hold for public transit – bus, light rail and subway – after the pandemic’s disruptions? Nationally, public transit ridership dropped by nearly 80% in April 2020 and remained more than 60% below 2019 levels through the rest of the year, with systems in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, New York City, Seattle and Atlanta all losing more than half their ridership. “The fallout for public systems like transit has been nothing less than monumental,” says Government Technology, which covers information technology’s role in state and local governments. Public transit filled a vital need as COVID-19 raged, delivering workers to essential jobs at hospitals, pharmacies, grocery stores, fire and police stations and utility companies, and transporting medical patients, medicines, meals and critical supplies. Crews stepped up efforts to clean, disinfect and ventilate vehicles and facilities. Some agencies adopted new technology to better monitor system use during the pandemic and be more responsive to changing needs afterward. More recently, an infusion of federal emergency assistance has helped stabilize transit organization finances. Proposed infrastructure legislation includes several measures to expand bus routes and rail lines and convert gas and diesel vehicles to zero-emission electric vehicles. As of May, about 50% of transit riders nationwide had returned compared to pre-pandemic times, according to the American Public Transportation Assn. Roads & Bridges, a trade publication for the transportation construction and maintenance marketplace, notes that the pandemic “has elevated public awareness and appreciation for the vital role transit plays in our communities.” New challenges arise But even as the pandemic wanes in some regions, new challenges arise for public transit, which less than 6% of Americans used to commute to work before the pandemic. Work-from-home arrangements appear to be a durable trend with little or...

On June 7 of this year, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first novel therapy for Alzheimer’s disease in nearly two decades. With over 6 million Americans currently living with the disease, the approval certainly made history. Alzheimer’s today As a disease that decelerates memory and cognitive function over time, Alzheimer’s — a devastating form of dementia — has become the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. And with the disease primarily effecting older adults, including roughly 42% of assisted living residents in the U.S., the topic of treatment has long been relevant in the senior living industry. “The need for treatment is urgent,” said Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. FDA approves novel therapy   What exactly is the latest treatment for Alzheimer’s, and what does the approval mean? As the decision generated significant attention, the FDA announcement aimed to answer such questions. Let’s take a look: The therapy, Aduhelm (aducanumab), has been authorized to treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease using the accelerated approval pathway. Under this, the FDA approves a drug for a serious or life-threatening illness — if it may provide meaningful therapeutic benefit over existing treatments. While the treatment doesn’t cure or reverse Alzheimer’s disease, the FDA announcement emphasized that “the approval is significant in many ways.” To name a few: Aduhelm is the first novel therapy approved for Alzheimer’s since 2003It’s the first treatment directed at the underlying pathophysiology of the disease, which is the presence of amyloid beta plaques in the brainThe clinical trials were the first to show that a reduction in plaques is expected to reduce the clinical decline of Alzheimer’s  For some, these findings were seen as a positive breakthrough. For others,...

The past year illuminated shortcomings that can no longer be ignored within the affordable housing industry.     “The United States needs more than 7 million additional affordable housing units to meet the current demand. Yet the housing gap continues to widen, due to the triple-whammy of all-time high levels of unemployment, a severe lack of housing and a global pandemic,” explained executive vice president of Merchants Capital Chicago, Lee Oller. In a discussion with Multi-Housing News she continued, “We must collectively work to solve this crisis before COVID-19 adds the housing market to its growing list of victims.” As the nation approaches recovery, builders and developers tackle projects that were queued due to shutdowns, labor and supply shortages. Until supply catches up with demand, affordable housing providers can benefit from greater efficiency around the office to ease strain on staff and residents. How to achieve a more efficient leasing process One way to alleviate the burden on staff and residents is to expedite and streamline the application process. Software that combines compliance data management and leasing can simplify both processes. Select a compliance data management platform that processes applications for multiple affordable programs such as Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), HOME, rural development, HUD (50059) and local programs. Staff can save time if the platform also accommodates popular forms including waitlists, move-ins, annual recertifications, interim and market rate applications for combination properties. Next, streamline the workflow for front end and backend users. Applicants benefit from online leasing with a simple workflow: intuitive data collection uses applicants’ answers to provide relevant follow-up questions. Applicants use the same program to upload required documentation and submit fees. Where permitted, applicants may submit electronic signatures for a completely digital experience—no leasing office appointments or data entry necessary for office staff....

In the early 1930s, the title of world’s tallest building was claimed three times in rapid succession – by the Bank of Manhattan, the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building, all in New York City. Since then, the designation has changed hands many times, with Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the current champion at 2,717 feet, followed by the 2,073-foot-tall Shanghai Tower and the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which tops out at 1,971 feet. The tallest building from 2004 to 2010 – Taipei 101 in Taiwan, which Burj Khalifa usurped – now occupies the No. 10 spot. The Willis (formerly Sears) Tower in Chicago reigned for 24 years until 1998 and now sits at No. 22. And Bank of Manhattan, now known as 40 Wall Street, doesn’t even crack New York’s top 20. Although construction declined in 2020, the year still saw 106 completions of buildings 656 feet and taller, including the 1,500-foot-plus Central Park Tower and 1,400-footer One Vanderbilt, both in New York. Industry observers predict that up to 150 buildings 656 feet or taller will be completed in 2021, with between 14 and 30 being at least 984 feet tall. Will it stop? Won’t physics impose limits to the upward trend? Structural engineer William Baker doesn’t think so. The buttressed core design used for Burj Khalifa could allow structures to “conceivably go higher than the highest mountain, as long as you kept spreading a wider and wider base.” In fact, he says, “We could easily do a kilometer. We could easily do a mile. We could do at least a mile and probably quite a bit more.” The next generation of behemoths includes the partially constructed Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, designed to reach 3,281...

As the U.S. economy continues to show recovery gains, multifamily housing follows suite. Several factors including prevalent industries, vaccination rates and employment create a distinction between markets with rapid growth and lagging gains. Need-to-know data, quick and easy Multifamily rents increased by 2.5% year-over-year (YoY) in May. This nearly reflects rent growth rates of March 2020, before the development of pandemic trends.  For the second consecutive month, all top 30 metros showed positive month-over-month (MoM) rent growth. An impressive 90% had MoM gains of 0.5% or more.Rents grew $12 in May to $1,428. That’s the largest one-month increase in Matrix history. The 0.8% MoM growth rate was the largest since June 2015.Rents increased nationally by 0.8% in May. Of our top 30 metros, 22 demonstrated positive YoY rent growth this month. Run, walk, and crawl: metros demonstrate growth at different rates Some rents grow at a sprint. YoY rent growth reached double digits in the Inland Empire for the first time in recorded history. Rent growth in the Inland Empire clocked in at 10.2% followed by at Phoenix 9.6% and Sacramento at 8.3%. Gateway markets have found a comfortable stride. Miami reports a respectable 6.0% growth, the strongest in the region. Others are crawling or have yet to budge, though all signs point to improvements soon. Chicago with 0.0% growth and Los Angeles at -0.1% are still better positioned than San Jose (-9.0%), New York (-8.8%) and San Francisco (-6.7%). Introducing single family rental data Matrix reporting now includes single-family rents within built-to-rent communities. Data is compiled from more than 90,000 units in 700 communities nationwide. Single-family rentals (SFR) thrived during the pandemic. The industry recorded a powerful 7.3% YoY rent growth as of May. This reflects an overall rent increase of about $14...

Yardi has announced the acquisition of We Are Forge Ltd (Forge), a Bristol, UK based software company that specializes in visitor management and smart access control for real estate assets including, office, retail, industrial, flexible workspace and the education sector. Founded in 2013, Forge is based in Bristol, UK. Forge designs and develops software that connects people and buildings. Forge Bluepoint Visitor Management, is currently used across 22 million sq ft of property in the UK by high profile companies including Landsec, HB Reavis, John Lewis and Partners, CBRE and Savills. The company’s Forge Bluepoint product is a cloud-based visitor management solution that connects to access control for many of London’s premier office buildings and allows companies to manage visitors flexibly and securely. From arrival and contactless smart access, Forge Bluepoint also integrates with other building technology such as meeting room access, lifts and car parking. “We are delighted to become part of the Yardi family. Working together, we will ensure Forge Bluepoint is the leading visitor management solution across the sectors we work in,” said Paul Speariett, co-founder and director of Forge. “This is an exciting phase for Forge and our team and we are greatly looking forward to the future and being part of Yardi’s end-to-end technology offering.” “We are excited to welcome the whole team at Forge to the Yardi family,” said Neal Gemassmer, vice president of international for Yardi. “This further demonstrates our commitment to invest in innovative teams and technology to better serve the industry.” To learn more, please visit:...

How can states build an age-friendly environment for seniors? For California, the roadmap is outlined in a Master Plan for Aging — which received a significant revision this May in light of the pandemic.   California’s Master Plan for Aging Did you know that California’s over-60 population is projected to grow faster than any other age group in the next 9 years? Looking at the numbers, 10.8 million Californians will be older adults by 2030 — meaning seniors will make up one quarter of the state’s population. Crafted in response and released in January of this year, California’s Master Plan for Aging works to prioritize the health and well-being of older adults. The plan is a blueprint for the state’s communities to create environments where people of all ages and abilities are engaged, valued and afforded opportunities. With 5 bold goals and 23 intricate strategies, the plan aims to build a California for all ages by 2030.  The plan’s latest revision and pandemic response Given the devastating losses and serious risks faced by older adults during COVID-19, the Master Plan for Aging underwent an urgent revision in May 2021. The new-and-improved plan seeks to address pressing needs for pandemic recovery — all while investing in the resilience of California’s seniors. The revision includes $3.8 billion in new funding with goals centered around housing, health, isolation prevention, caregiving and affordable aging. Here’s a breakdown of what the budget increase covers: Workforce development investments to help support aging healthcareA comprehensive approach to Alzheimer’s disease, with funding dedicated to public awareness, care standards and geriatric workforce developmentFunding for the Department of Social Services to preserve and expand housing for low-income seniors, ensuring housing stability in the tail-end of the pandemic Looking to learn more? Explore the Master...

Stay-at-home orders, occupancy limitations and business closure orders during the pandemic took a big toll on fashion merchants. Renowned retail brands such as Neiman Marcus Group, J. Crew Group Inc., Brooks Brothers, Ascena Retail Group (operator of Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant and others) all filed for bankruptcy protection last year as sales plummeted 86% in the first months of the pandemic. Others, like LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Macy’s, H&M and Burberry, closed outlets or trimmed payroll amid drastic sales slumps. The Washington Post reported in April that nearly 200 U.S. department stores have disappeared in the past year alone, with another 800, about half the country’s remaining mall-based locations, potentially being shuttered by the end of 2025. While U.S. consumers shelled out $192 billion more for online purchases in 2020 than they did a year earlier, online clothing sales rose far less than did food and beverages, consumer electronics, personal care and home furnishings. In February, U.S. spending at clothing and accessories stores was down 11% from a year earlier, according to the Commerce Department; overall retail sales grew 6.3% in that period. Purchasing perks up One reason for depressed store sales, of course, is e-commerce. Mark Cohen, director of retail studies at Columbia Business School and former chief executive of Sears Canada, notes, “The customer who used to be handcuffed to their local department store is no longer tethered because they have an online alternative that’s become even more attractive in the last year.” But things could be looking up for retail. The U.S. Commerce Department reported that overall retail spending rebounded sharply in March, rising 9.8% after the dip in February. Department store sales rose 13% from a month earlier, boosted by stimulus checks and pent-up demand. “What we’re seeing emerging...