President’s Corner – Be a part of our family.

By CHRISTY RODRIGUEZ, 2022 HAA President

WE WANT YOU AS A PART OF OUR “FAMILY!”

We will be celebrating Residential Property Management Careers Week from July 18 to 22, and we want you and yours to consider continuing education and promoting careers in our great family – the multiFAMILY!

The word “family” is so appropriate in our industry title, as our past, present and future apartment leadership contains so much family. From my boss, Jerry Winograd and the Winograd family, to the Eileen Subinsky/Jackie Rhone family, over to the Reeds, the Fingers, the Tolletts, the Morgans, the Whitakers and so many more, this industry thrives on family connections and legacy. Nikki Sekunda, The Liberty Group, discusses this in her article about hiring green on Page 38. Working in multifamily is in our blood and it’s important to bring new “family” members into the fold.

As a member of the 2022 Texas Apartment Association Education Foundation Board of Directors, I want to spread the word, both inside and outside our industry family, about career opportunities and formalized training programs. There is so much potential in our industry with “Room to Grow!”

TAAEF is led by a 15-person board composed of current TAA officers, past TAA and TAAEF presidents, members-at-large and TAA’s executive vice president. Houston members include myself, Gary Blumberg, Clay Hicks and Jackie Rhone. TAAEF was created to ensure that Texas’ growing multifamily housing industry has the pipeline of skilled professionals and trained talent it needs for continued growth and success. The apartment industry offers rewarding opportunities for growth and success across a range of skill sets and interests. Our industry is dynamic and recession-resistant, with positions in property management, real estate development, construction and more.

We’re here to help talented Texans find their start, through TAAEF and through the Houston Apartment Foundation’s many local education offerings, including Leasing 101 and an array of certification programs for property management, maintenance and supplier professionals. We want to increase the pipeline of talent through awareness-raising recruitment efforts and supporting education and training opportunities throughout the state. Please, consider joining our cause by becoming a volunteer or through financial support. An investment in TAAEF and HAF is an investment in your community. We have needs locally for volunteers at career fairs, instructors and so much more. Learn more from TAAEF staff at taaef@taa.org and HAF staff at education@haaonline.org.

No matter a person’s interests or background, there is a career to be found in the apartment industry. The apartment industry has job opportunities that are rewarding and challenging and gives prospective talent plenty of room to grow. Join me in finding and supporting our future family members!