Built to Last

Kaiserman Company

By Joel Nelson on Nov 1, 2016 in People

Philadelphia real estate developer and manager Kaiserman Company knows something about stability.  It’s a third-generation family business founded in 1923.  Some residential properties the company built in the 1950s still stand.  Many of its retail and office building tenants have been clients for decades.

Today, Kaiserman seeks another type of permanence: environmental preservation, a goal that has come to define its commercial and residential property management business strategy.  As stated on the company’s home page, “We strive to own, operate, and manage the most carbon-responsible properties possible, and we are proud to serve as a model for green-building operations.” This vision is summarized even more succinctly in another section of the Kaiserman website: “Our logo is blue.  Our mission is green.”

Sustainability Commitment

“We try really hard at every step, starting with purchasing only sustainable products and going all the way to making sure the paper we use, including envelopes, is all post-consumer waste.  We also try to educate our residents and tenants, down to providing bins to separate recyclable materials in our buildings,” Eric Schulz, a property manager for Kaiserman, said during a recent Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference.

Other efforts include converting all incandescent lighting in the Rittenhouse Claridge, Kaiserman’s high-rise apartment building, to LED lights.  “We reduced our carbon footprint by 1,178 tons in 2015 alone, and that number will increase each year.  We use low volatile organic compound paints, and all products we use are ecofriendly. It might cost us a little more to do some of those things, but we try to do our part to help the environment,” Schulz said.  Kaiserman further advances its vision of environmental responsibility vision by participating in a number of local environmental councils and alliances, and by applying ENERGY STAR benchmarking to its commercial properties. Further, Kaiserman anticipates LEED Gold certification for its new 10,000-square-foot resident amenity center at the Rittenhouse Claridge in Philadelphia.

Kaiserman helps offset whatever added costs sustainability might entail with Yardi Procure to Pay, its end-to-end paperless invoice processing and procurement system.  By procuring maintenance, repair and operating supplies through Yardi Procure to Pay, the company wins on multiple fronts: online order processing, and easy access to MRO items, including a range of sustainable offerings, that come at pre-negotiated rates from national vendors.  Invoice processing through vendor payment is paperless too.

Other Yardi online solutions integrated into Kaiserman’s Yardi Voyager property management and accounting platform promote sustainability in other aspects of the company’s business, including resident applications, resident and tenant payments, communication and maintenance management.  “The less paper in the office, the better. That’s really where we aim to be,” Schulz said.

Community Involvement

Kaiserman meets its community obligations in other ways besides sustainability.  For example, the Claridge employs several special needs individuals through Programs Employing People, a local nonprofit organization.  “They are just great people who needed an opportunity and one of our properties was willing to do that for them. They help maintain our hallways, lounge amenity spaces and guest suites.  They’re paid the same as other workers doing the same jobs and are treated just like anybody else,” Schulz said.  In 2016 Kaiserman received an award from the Philadelphia Business Journal for its participation in PEP, “which was a great honor for us,” Schulz said.  Kaiserman also provides volunteers, event sponsorship, holiday drives and financial donations for about two dozen Philadelphia-area organizations.

As Kaiserman progresses through its tenth decade, Yardi solutions play an integral role in helping the company manage its priorities.  “Marketing, mobile payments and text payment solutions are driving us where we need to be, which is user-friendly and online,” Schulz said.