As of March 2020, Carlos Perez will have spent two decades in the data management industry. Three common themes run throughout his career and personal life: technology, Yardi software and change. Carlos has a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degree with a concentration in Business Analytics from the University of Phoenix. He enjoys collecting music on vinyl, DJ’ing, reading self-motivational books and playing scrabble with his wife and kids. His current position is senior technical analyst for Yardi, specializing in support of public housing agencies and cloud-based technology. The story of how he got here is a bit complicated, to say the least. Carlos was born in Los Angeles, where he spent his first five years before moving to Ensenada, Mexico. Later, he’d move back to Los Angeles, and then back to Ensenada, then San Diego, Tijuana, and ultimately to Santa Barbara. Throughout his moves, Carlos built the foundation of his professional skills on technology and data. He began his career in the PHA industry in 1999, working for the Los Angeles County Development Authority (formerly known as Community Development Commission/Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles). “We were using VisualHOMES software, but were in the process of switching to Yardi. Our VisualHOMES team was understandably disappointed that we were leaving. But then, not long after, Yardi acquired VisualHOMES, and somewhat ironically, we were once again working with our VisualHOMES team to implement Yardi Voyager PHA,” says Carlos. In 2007, Carlos got married, moved to San Diego and began working as a crime data analyst for the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. In that role, he made a professional connection with a Yardi executive who was doing some work with the San Diego Housing Commission. That connection eventually led to another job change...

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a question that kids throughout the nation have considered with light-hearted curiosity. Doctor? Astronaut? Director of an investment management consulting team? That’s is an unlikely response, but Jace Swank has thrived in an unexpected field. Yardi: the right fit Shortly after graduating from UCSB, Swank began his career at Yardi as a technical account manager. About seven years later, he serves as director of consulting practices. He now oversees support and implementations across North America for the Investment Management Suite of products including Investment Manager, Investment Management, and Investor Plus. Though the account manager position interested the recent graduate, he accepted the job offer because of corporate culture at Yardi. “As I asked around and learned more about what Yardi did, I was excited to see the cross hairs between technology and real estate management,” says Swank. “I come from a family of contractors and have always been interested in computers. Using technology to professionally manage properties was of high interest to me.” “Upon further research about the company,” he continues, “I found nothing but great things about the culture and how well Yardi takes care of employees. I can confirm that after nearly eight years here, all my findings were an understatement. Yardi is a great place to be!” Learning investment management firsthand Once he identified the right company, it was time to learn his new role within it. Investment management is new terrain for most entry level new hires. Though the demand for investment management personnel is high, there are surprisingly few programs to prepare young adults for careers in the field. In addition to technical knowledge of the software, discerning clients seek consultants with a firm understanding of their business...

It all started with a baby.  In 1995, Catriona Orosco welcomed a handsome baby boy into the world. She was quickly dissatisfied, however, by the drab and impractical clothing on the market for nursing moms. “I thought I could do better,” she says. She had no idea that her career with Yardi was in the making. Nursing Mamas and Internet Marketing A few years later, while pregnant with her second son, Orosco created Nursing Mamas, a clothing line for breastfeeding mothers. She teamed up with a friend and began making trips to the Los Angeles Garment District. After each trip, they returned to Santa Barbara with cozy, natural fabrics that they’d take to a local pattern maker and producer. Once a few good products were in development, Cat turned her attention to marketing. “I started a website because I really just wanted to sell the clothes online and work from home,” she says. “It was an incredible learning experience.” Orosco witnessed the birth of Google, and quickly saw the marketing opportunities with AdWords. “I used AdWords very early on and figured out how to optimize my website back in the days when there really were only 10 blue links,” Orosco laughs. “I learned a lot about marketing, and it was exciting to participate in everything that was happening online.” At that time, the average jane did not build her own website. There weren’t handy drag-and-drop features or convenient widgets. There certainly weren’t many resources on increasing organic rankings with search engines. Cat explored the terrain of website building and online marketing, talking to as many people as she could find and testing on her own. When she exhausted her available resources, she got the help of a SCORE consultant. “While they were impressed with...

Kelvin Arps braced himself as he steadily dribbled the ball. He was surrounded by his siblings and cousins, some as teammates and others as opponents. Basketball was serious fun in this family, and he knew he’d have to think fast, communicate well, and find creative ways to out-perform his older family members. When those skills combined, he knew he could help bring home victory for his team. In the Office with RentCafe Little did Arps know that he’d grow up to use similar skills in his career. As a RentCafe solutions consultant with Yardi, he applies lessons from the court to his work in the office. “Through basketball, I’ve learned how to overcome adversity and obstacles. I’ve learned to be flexible and accommodating to the clients I work with on an everyday basis. Communication is also key, like explaining our features and the benefits of the RentCafé suite. That way, our clients can choose the solution that’s best for them and optimize their use of the products.” As a consultant, Arps enjoys working with sales representatives across the nation. Each interactive gives him a unique insight into how people handle situations. He then adapts that knowledge to better serve customers in future interactions. “It’s a bit like studying plays and learning about other players,” he reflects. Though Arps excels in his role at Yardi, it’s his coworkers who have made his career most fulfilling—even coworkers those who aren’t Lebron James fans like himself. “Since day one, I have always been myself and been accepted within the Yardi family. I enjoy most how the Yardi culture embraces you and your family with open arms.” Back on the court with his family Arps is no longer a little kid outwitting his siblings on the neighborhood court....

Our latest Yardi leadership series profile comes from Amsterdam, which is home for Richard Gerritsen, Yardi’s regional director for Europe. He gave us an update on Yardi’s presence and progress in the region. Q: Richard, what is Yardi’s presence in Europe? A: We started with offices in London and Amsterdam in 2002 and now serve clients on the European continent who hold properties in 26 countries—from Norway to Spain, and as far east as Poland and Romania. We subsequently added offices in Mainz, Germany, and Cluj, Romania. Q: What are some key characteristics of the European real estate market? A: Property management has a distinct international component here: A portfolio might be owned in one country, operate in another country and report to investors in yet another one, or more. Each party most likely has its own currency and tax requirements. Even many locally focused property managers are increasingly serving clients from the U.S. and Asia. They all need a sophisticated software platform to provide a high level of efficiency, transparency and compliance for their clients, which is why Yardi Investment Management accounts for a sizeable portion of our sales on the continent. Being able to report on multinational holdings from one platform is a huge advantage. Q: So investment management is the primary focus? A: Yardi is heavily focused on asset and fund management in Europe because so many holdings are multinational. Our property management client base is smaller than Yardi’s share in the U.S., but we are well established among European commercial property managers and we anticipate some of our strongest growth to come from the residential market. Q: What has been key to Yardi’s growth and prominence in the market? A: We provide technology and support to meet the international requirements...

Yardi subsidiary PropertyShark was recently featured in the Queens Courier, one of New York City’s prominent real estate publications.  Vince Soriero, Business Development Manager for PropertyShark, has been a passionate advocate for the brand for the last seven years and was interviewed about the company and its valuable services for real estate professionals. Yardi acquired PropertyShark in 2010 and since then the platform has become the go-to destination for comprehensive residential and commercial real estate sales data in the New York City with a National presence. The PropertyShark site helps real estate brokers and agents streamline the information-finding process.  They can research property characteristic, sales comps, contact information, foreclosures, FAR, zoning, property taxes, mailing lists and more, all in one place. “We aggregate our data from hundreds of public resources updating our data and feeds nightly, providing our subscribers with a single definitive source for property information.  Without PropertyShark, users must search multiple websites to find these details,” Soriero explained in the interview. “We’ve done an amazing job at developing the most robust platform on the market,” he added.  “We’ve also worked hard to establish a strong presence in the New York City market.  PropertyShark is very well known here.” More than 15,000 real estate professionals make use of the PropertyShark platform.  In addition to brokers and agents, clients include investors, developers, banks, lenders, insurance companies, appraisers and more. A great new feature that will attract even more users is the recently added Platinum Real Owners. “With this new feature, PropertyShark users can instantly find the true owners names behind LLC’s, other properties they own, and phone numbers. This saves hours, if not days, searching through multiple websites to find such information.  It has an upgraded cost, but our users say it’s absolutely worth...

You never know where life will take you. Many of us find ourselves in jobs which may be unexpected. Fate, it could be argued, has as much influence on our professional path as our our conscious decision making. That type of fateful, unexpected turn is what Michael Joiner, manager of Yardi eLearning Client Services, seems to have experienced five years ago. While finishing up a PhD in Musicology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Michael began to teach writing courses. That step in his professional career came with a new appreciation for learning, as well as new options for the future. “Towards the end of my dissertation, I began to weigh options such as becoming a music history professor, a writing instructor or to work in the nonprofit industry with a focus on higher education,” said Michael. Teaching and learning is a common theme to each of those pursuits, so it was natural for Michael to become intrigued when he was referred to apply for a position on the Yardi eLearning team. “I realized I could use my passion for teaching and education in a new way with Yardi. It was also a chance to build on my experience in video and audio multimedia development,” said Michael. The rest, as they say, is history. Michael now manages of team of staff supporting Yardi eLearning, and is heavily involved in product development, creating new courses, implementing new clients and anything else that comes his way. “Working with clients is something that gets me going—I get pumped to create more courses or help them find creative ways to train their staff to help them use Yardi products as best as possible, and to be amazing property management professionals in general,” said Michael. Away from work,...

Said Haider, regional director of Middle East sales for Yardi, spoke to us from his office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) with an update on the region’s rapidly growing real estate market. Q: Said, what are your principal responsibilities and how Yardi is performing in the Middle East? A: I manage our sales and business development efforts in the region. When we started our operations back in 2012, we had handful of clients; now we work with more than 80 clients in the Middle East and North Africa regions, mainly in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Without a doubt, it’s one of our fastest growing markets. Most of our clients have varied real estate portfolios and almost 90% of retail space in the UAE is managed with Yardi software. Q: When did Yardi enter the market and what was the impact? A: We launched Yardi Voyager there in 2012 and almost immediately saw high demand across multiple vertical markets. We were able to replace customized solutions with a Software as a Service platform that fulfills virtually all business operations requirements out of the box. This allowed companies to focus more on their business and worry less about the tools. As we continue to grow, we are introducing the Yardi Elevate Suite, the most comprehensive set of commercial asset management solutions available on the market. Q: What are some key trends in the region? A: The commercial, retail and residential sectors are growing fast. The real estate investment trust and shared office space concepts are also gaining footholds. Q: What’s our approach to the Middle East and Saudi Arabia in particular? A: Customer experience is the key to competing in this market and that’s how Yardi made its mark. We offer a single integrated solution...

Aarty Sonambekar, a director with Yardi’s Global Solutions team, believes the secret to her success is understanding people. Based in Yardi’s Pune office, she focuses on the company mission to “take care of our clients” and “take care of our employees.” Growth naturally follows. Her team of nearly 90 PSG consultants, account managers and technical resources are responsible for supporting clients across Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Each interaction, she said, gives her a better opportunity to understand client needs and how to meet them. “My role helps me to be in touch with clients in the Asia Pacific region,” Aarty told us. “This gives me better insight of how the product is used and how we can actually partner the clients in their growth. Making the same product work for different clients across different countries is both fun and challenging.” “Managing teams also helps me interact with different people on daily basis, study their reactions and understand them,” she added. The human-centric approach has served her well in more than 13 years with the company. That isn’t to say that she has always enjoyed smooth sailing. Aarty has encountered her fair share of challenges. “A major challenge is being able to multi-task and handle multiple projects at the same time,” she said. “I am getting a better hand over it by improving my time management techniques.” Mastering time and task management are lessons that can never be learned too soon, and they can always be improved upon. “My advice to my 20-year-old self would be ‘First thing first.’ This helps one to prioritize things according to importance. It improves focus and brings in the virtue of systematization,” said Aarty. Nourished by Creativity For Aarty, balancing her technical work with creative expression is key...

Christy Cannon, a Yardi Energy account executive and holder of the Certified Energy Manager designation from the Association of Energy Engineers, discusses how integrated systems are streamlining building operations. The exchange below includes excerpts from an interview published in Commercial Property Executive. Q: How do building managers perceive the network of physical objects that can sense, communicate and interact with the external environment, otherwise known as the Internet of Things (IoT)? A: The principal appeal is the opportunity to reduce operating costs, increase NOI and ultimately increase property value for the building owner. Our retail clients also face pressure to provide space that helps their tenants cultivate an image of environmental stewardship. I see people who do the heavy lifting every day being excited about IoT. It’s like giving them a superhero cape. IoT devices help facility managers perform predictive maintenance and optimize heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), which not only reduces the number of comfort calls they have to deal with but also lowers repair and maintenance costs and extends the life of expensive equipment. Energy managers can view utility consumption in real time. They can manage peak electric demand and save 20% or more off their unregulated utility bills, or immediately identify a water leak. Q: What’s the relationship between the IoT and artificial intelligence (AI)?  A: The IoT architecture looks something like a wheel with hundreds or thousands of spokes, with each spoke representing an IoT device. Multiple network structures enable IoT devices to get their data to software that can use it. AI takes all the big data buildings collect from IoT devices, building automation systems and submeters, and learns how to predict future outcomes or make decisions based on the best available options. Consider all the factors that contribute to a building’s...

We recently caught up with Australia native Bernie Devine, who leads sales and business development across Asia from Yardi’s Hong Kong office. Bernie, please tell us about your journey from Sydney to Hong Kong. Devine: It was an indirect route! I started out as a CPA and economist. But I’d always had an interest in technology and how it supported the operations of the real estate companies whose assets I was responsible for. My focus has been helping clients scale and grow, create efficiencies and gain better insight into their business.   Several years back, I had an opportunity to lead a team on a project in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. When that role ended, my wanderlust didn’t. I’d known of Yardi for many years, having encountered them through my work leading and supporting property technology start-ups across Australia, the U.S. and Europe. When I learned more about the opportunity to grow Yardi’s presence in Asia, it felt like the right fit for me. The region is very diverse, encompassing mature markets for property management as well as emerging ones, and every day provides a fresh challenge. Q: How is real estate in Asia is changing? A: There are two key areas of change. Firstly, as markets mature, rents surpass many developed countries and wage costs rise, real estate companies are putting greater value on accurate data and robust process. Secondly, coworking has taken off at an amazing growth rate. It is estimated that Asia already has the most coworking sites globally, with about 4,000 and growing.  This is about 800 more than the U.S., according to a report by East West Bank in June 2018. Most of these coworking sites are located in China, which is a hub for shared and flexible...

Our first Yardi employee profile for 2019 highlights Delicia Miller. Delicia works in the Atlanta area and is a senior technical account manager on the VENDORCafé support team. She’s got a down-to-earth look on life and a lot of history with VENDORCafé. How long have you been at Yardi? I have been with Yardi since January of 2017, but I worked in the apartment management industry for 17 years prior to coming on board. In fact, I was on a client team that went live with VENDORCafé on day one in May of 2014. As an early adopter, I was quick to appreciate the value of VENDORCafé and was thrilled to join such a great team when I got my job with Yardi. What hobbies do you enjoy? I absolutely love reading. I have always gotten lost in books. I just started using a Kindle, which I’m beginning to appreciate. I don’t deny the convenience of digital books, but I admit I sometimes miss the feel of the real book pages. I also enjoy spending any free time with my husband, son and our friends. How long have you been supporting VENDORCafé clients? Since my very first day at Yardi! My first client went live three months after I started, which felt like a nice accomplishment. When I joined Yardi, VENDORCafé was growing quickly. Our team worked very well together both in support of current clients and also in implementing the fast-growing list of new clients. It was an exciting time. What are the biggest vendor management challenges? The top challenges I see are document collection and workflow automation. Property managers are required to collect a lot of documentation from vendors. Centralizing those documents with automated, paperless processes makes vendor onboarding and management infinitely...

Lynn Topp, director of residential client services, has been key to the growth of Yardi Canada — and she started out as a Yardi client. A View from the Client Side While she initially thought it would be “just a temporary thing” before completing her CPA, Lynn’s career in the real estate industry began in property management 27 years ago. Lynn worked for a mid-sized company that managed residential, condo, commercial and non-profit assets. During that time, Lynn used Yardi software as a client, and learned firsthand how the right software can transform daily tasks and also businesswide operations. “When I came to Yardi in 2005, I had 14 years of property management experience, working in financial roles including property accountant and controller. I used Yardi software back then and implemented Yardi Voyager to manage 95 properties,” recalls Lynn. When Lynn joined Yardi’s Toronto office, it was a small group of 50 employees. Now she’s part of a thriving team of 200. “I’ve loved watching small teams at Yardi grow, and seeing clients embrace technology,” Lynn said. Known for her magnetic personality and sense of humor, along with being an awesome advocate for clients, Lynn also knows the importance of innovative technology to improve real estate operations. Game-Changing Tech “It’s really satisfying to see our more conservative clients — and Canadians tend to be a bit more conservative in general — become open to technology, to adopt it and develop their businesses with it and actually really like it,” says Lynn. In her role as director of residential client services, Lynn is dedicated to making sure Yardi’s clients enjoy every advantage that technology has to offer. Embracing the daily challenges that come with an evolving industry, Lynn is an expert on positive technology disruption...

Yardi Canada introduces Louise Steeves, product manager for Canadian development (and the residential modules in the Canadian market).  Louise was Yardi Canada’s first Voyager account manager and has been key to the company’s success — and it all started with an unusual interview. Jumping In Adaptable by nature with a desire to keep learning, Steeves has an intimate understanding of the needs of the social housing market. “In my past role over 16 years ago, I helped implement software for a large social housing provider in Toronto. I quickly became a subject matter expert, which led to a project management role,” says Steeves.   Software, however, was an entirely new realm for Steeves. “When I was working with the social housing provider, I recall one meeting that I had with Peter, where he mentioned that they had just signed a large deal which would mean that they would be implementing 40 clients all at once.”  That exciting news led her to make the impulsive decision to apply for a position at Yardi. Her interview with Peter Altobelli, vice president and general manager for Yardi Canada and Tom Kearns, senior director for global solutions, was not at all what she expected. “When I arrived at Yardi to meet Peter for my interview it was really early in the morning, around 7:00 a.m., and I was the first one there. Peter came rushing in. He had just gotten off a red eye flight. He grabbed some coffee and we sat down to start talking. I hadn’t had an interview in about 17 years at that point, and I thought to myself, I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Steeves recalls with a big laugh. “Peter asked me some accounting questions, which I stumbled through and then he...

Yardi Canada celebrates 20 years with a spotlight on leaders who have helped the company grow. Today, we introduce Rob Podlesnik, director of Global Solutions  and PSG for Yardi Canada. Podlesnik has been integral to the development of Yardi Canada—and it all started over a cardboard box. Humble Beginnings Podlesnik, a York University graduate, began his career in property management. He joined Yardi Canada in 1998. At that time, Yardi Canada consisted of eight people in a brand new office space with absolutely no furniture. “When I went in for the interview, it was literally an empty office with a cardboard box for a desk,” recalls Podlesnik with a laugh. “They positioned it well, like ‘Yardi Canada is expanding. This is going to be the first office.’ I decided to give it a year. It sounded very entrepreneurial and the atmosphere was completely foreign to me but I loved the startup culture.” He contributed to that culture, helping to form a tight-knit group that operated as a family. Everyone wore multiple hats, helped one another, and maintained close relationships. They worked together to fulfill a grand vision, one where Yardi led the Canadian property management software industry. Podlesnik began as an implementation specialist, where he worked on training and consulting, which suited him since he once considered becoming a teacher. The opportunity to visit clients, share his knowledge, and learn ways to improve the products through client feedback excited Podlesnik. But it wasn’t always easy. As a young road warrior, Podlesnik found it difficult to maintain personal relationships but his passion for the work he did and the growth kept him going. He soon assumed a role on the client services team, which allowed him to put down roots personally and professionally. He was...

Peter Altobelli is the Vice President of Sales and General Manager at Yardi Canada Ltd., a passionate mentor for many employees, as well as a husband and father. Arriving at this point in his career has entailed 30 years of dedication, innovation and focus on the company’s clients. He began his career in the 1980s with a background in software development in the healthcare sector. “You all have it so easy these days,” chuckles Altobelli. “Back then everything was in DOS. Shortcut keys were a major breakthrough for users. These days, people don’t think that that could even be a feature worth mentioning given that everything is done with a mouse, even intuitive touch screen or by voice activation.” In the 1990s, Altobelli became an entrepreneur, developing software products for the home building, property management and real estate brokerage industries. Through software design, development, sales and implementation, the company created a strong presence in the market and was instrumental in promoting technology to support new ways of doing business. It was during this period that Yardi began collaborating with Altobelli and his company to establish a footprint in Canada. By 2000, Altobelli became an integral part of the staff at Yardi. His thorough understanding of the Canadian market and industry standards have been crucial elements for the growth of Yardi Canada as it offers comprehensive support, implementation, sales and marketing for real estate businesses. Innovation + Growth with Yardi Altobelli was responsible for establishing the first Yardi office in Canada and has grown Yardi’s market penetration to be the leading software supplier in the country. “I was excited to work with Yardi because it’s such an innovative company,” says Altobelli. “I also appreciate that the culture is very inclusive. There is diversity of experience...

Every year, Yardi honors outstanding members of the customer service department during the CSD Week Awards ceremony. Cody Costello, consultant, consulting practices, received the VP Award at our most recent event. Tamara J. Berndt, vice president, residential, consulting practices at Yardi, works closely with Costello. She has seen him assist many of the company’s complex clients. During customer service week, the team received an extraordinary kudos from a client stating that “Cody was the best account manager [she has] ever had.” “That is high praise from a client that has been using the Yardi suite of products for more than 15 years,” reflect Berndt. “I never have to worry about Cody’s clients. He just takes care of business. He does it with a calm and professional manner that instills confidence and gets the job done!” Berndt continues, “Cody does a great job taking care of his clients. He is helpful towards his colleagues. Cody embodies the ‘whatever it takes’ attitude of the services department.” We caught up with Costello to learn more about the man behind the VP Award honor. TBS: What does it mean to you to receive the VP award? Costello: I think this means I might actually be kind of good at this job! I think it’s easy to get caught up in the now without looking back to see how far I’ve really come since I first started here. TBS: What do you enjoy most about working at Yardi? Costello: There are so many things I enjoy, from the challenging and diverse work to the wonderful employees. If I absolutely had to pick one thing, I think it would be the freedom that is given on how to best complete my work and accomplish my goals. I’m given all of the tools...

Yardi CSD Week is an opportunity for customer service specialists to receive recognition for their hard work, creativity, and innovation. These everyday heroes work directly with clients to solve problems and return business software to optimal operation. Peers and managers recently honored Richard Runswick with the Creative Problem Solver award. We caught up with Runswick recently to learn more about his problem solving ingenuity. Runswick has been encouraged to think critically and creatively all of his life, beginning in grade school. “My parents always encouraged me to excel in school, and I made education a priority,” he said. “I was lucky to grow up in a great school district, where I had teachers that cared about my education and pushed me to succeed.” Runswick joined Yardi after graduating from UCSB in 2012. As an adult, Runswick draws inspiration from his wife Tina Runswick, a Systems Analyst at Yardi. “Her artistic and creative nature have always left me in awe,” he said. Around the Yardi office, Runswick puts those influences to work. He and his teammates must often tackle complex tasks that require unconventional solutions. Whether working solo or as part of an interdepartmental team, Runswick enjoys the challenge. During a Genesis 2 upgrade, for example, several clients experienced intermittent errors that logged them out of the system. Runswick quickly coordinated efforts with the System Reliability Engineers, Systems Analysts, and Development to find a solution. After diving into a series of seemingly unrelated factors, the team identified the error and promptly deployed the solution to Yardi clients. James Austin, Senior Team Lead with CSD, has seen Runswick work through several challenging assignments. “There are many things that help make Richard Runswick an excellent problem solver. It isn’t enough for Richard to simply solve a problem. He also wants to know why...

Jeff Bischoff and Michael Grimaud were classmates and friends at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. But that’s not all they have in common. After graduation, both built rewarding careers on the Yardi sales team. Sales at Yardi, an industry-leading real estate technology company with offices around the world, offers many exciting opportunities for professionals of wide-ranging skill and experience. Bischoff and Grimaud entered the company out of college and quickly ascended. Other positions are suitable for experienced sales executives and customer care professionals. Both Bischoff and Grimaud began their careers in Yardi’s client services division and then moved to sales. You can learn more about available Yardi sales roles on yardi.com/careers. We recently caught up with Bischoff and Grimaud to learn more about their experience. Both have been with Yardi for about five years. Bischoff currently works as Regional Manager for Public and Affordable Housing sales, while Grimaud is a Senior Account Executive focusing on the multifamily sector. Both employees say that Yardi’s prestigious position in the real estate industry, as well as the chance to truly make an impact for the clients they work with, are among the most rewarding parts of the job. “I truly enjoy visiting clients face to face on a regular basis. To build strong relationships, it is important the client trusts you and there is no better way to do so than by sitting down and interacting, whether it be through a meeting, a presentation, or a meal.  I also enjoy providing clients with a real solution to solve their business issues. When you show a new product to a client for the first time and you can see their eyes light up – that is a great moment,” said Grimaud, who works out of the Yardi Santa...

A Texan who now makes her home in Toronto, Brittney Dolinger has an exceptional outlook on life – and a great perspective on her Yardi journey. Currently working as a team lead supporting Yardi’s Genesis2 clients, Dolinger started with Yardi more than seven years ago, when the company had an office in Dallas. “I was just in one year remission from cervical cancer,” said Dolinger, who learned about Yardi from her sister, Laci Ortiz, a 10-year Yardi employee. “My sister told me about a new vision Yardi had and was looking for exceptional customer service oriented people to help build their new call center.” After diving into her new job, she began learning the ropes of a new industry and was part of the team who helped build the Yardi Call Center in Irving, Texas. “When we moved from the Dallas office to the Irving office, I took the opportunity to step up my game. We started to have more and more clients and that comes with more responsibility. We were making a name for ourselves and working on delivering top quality customer service to the industry,” she recalled. The call center team, known among Yardi’s global offices for its camaraderie and rapport, quickly expanded and became a valued part of the Yardi Marketing Suite, where multifamily clients use RentCafe Connect to meet their after-hours customer service needs. While use of the product grew, so did the families of many of the call center employees, including Dolinger’s. “Nine of us were pregnant at the same time in the call center. We like to call them our Yardi babies,” she laughed. Her son Finn is now three and a half. After he was born, she went back to college to finish her bachelor’s degree, which...

Yardi employees Tom and Larissa Napoli are parents of a two-year-old daughter and work full time in Yardi’s San Diego office, and also manage to find the time to fundraise for worthy causes. Both Tom and Larissa work in support of Yardi’s Smart Energy Suite. Larissa is a team lead and Tom is a senior technical account manager. Outside of work, Tom is the founder of the Free Art Foundation, a San Diego 501(c)3 organization that puts on art-focused events on behalf of organizations in need. Larissa, a talented artist herself, assists him with graphics and marketing. “I had always wanted to start a charity focused on helping artists create art to sell for charitable causes,” Tom said. “When our daughter was born, she had complications and was in the NICU for 10 days. That experience did something to me that pushed me to focus on helping kids out any way that I can.” Born with a hole in her lung, their little girl is now healthy and happy. But the passion for helping children in need remains. With a strong ability to connect with people and companies and create relationships, Tom decided to put those skills and energy to good use in his free time. Previous beneficiaries have included Mama’s Kitchen of San Diego, which provides free food to patients living with AIDS and cancer, and the Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego. This year, the Free Art Foundation is working to benefit StandUp for Kids, an established organization with San Diego roots that assists homeless youth. With the support of San Diego Harley Davidson, Tom arranged for donation of a motorcycle that will be raffled in support of the charity. “Our organization was founded in 1990 by a group of volunteers in...

Two Yardi colleagues on opposite sides of the country are participating in the YSC Tour de Pink cycling stage race this year to raise funds for breast cancer patients. The ride benefits Young Survival Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to providing information, resources and support to young women affected by breast cancer. Both are part of the Global Solutions Investment Management Team, but are at very different stages in their Yardi journey. Susan Freehauf is an 18-year employee of Yardi and a Senior Director in Global Solutions. Marlyn (pronounced Marlene) Amoguis is a new Consultant in the same department who has been with Yardi just one month. Freehauf works remotely from Florida, while Amoguis is based out of the Yardi San Diego office. Both women have similar stories – they joined Yardi after previously working for a real estate company that was a Yardi client, and each has a strong background in fund/financial accounting, database management and software implementation. But one thing they didn’t have in common, until recently, was cycling. Marlyn is an experienced rider, who has been mountain and road cycling for years and participated in last year’s Tour de Pink in California with a group from her San Diego cycling club. But Susan had never bicycled for fitness until Marlyn told her about the Tour de Pink and what a rewarding and fun experience the ride had been when she took part in 2016. Each rider must raise $2500 for the non-profit in order to participate in the 200 mile ride over three days. Shorter distance options are also offered. “Last year I did not know what to expect, and I had a very positive experience. Many of my fellow riders were from the health care industry and were very genuine, caring people....