Lincoln Messenger
fourth quarter • issue 15 • january 2017
Make LMH’s Core Values your New Year’s Resolution page 4
Community Service Celebrates 15 Years! page 5
Check Out the 2016 Year End Review Gallery page 7
inspiration
A Letter from Philip “You can not fail, if you resolutely determine that – Abraham Lincoln, July 22 nd, 1860 you will not.” In 2016, Lincoln Military Housing celebrated our 15th year of providing exemplary service to the military families who sacrifice so much for our collective freedoms. We do not have the space in these limited pages to list the countless team members who “resolutely determined” that we would not fail and ensured that Lincoln Military Housing would be, not just a successful partnership, but the Gold Standard amongst military housing PPV companies. Since our Congress passed the legislation in 1996 authorizing the privatization of housing, no one company has been recognized with more Resident Satisfaction awards than LMH. Year after year, Lincoln leads the industry in CEL awards, and now we are one of the leaders in the on-going resident surveys administered by SatisFacts. What often gets lost when looking at the list of awards is that each one is a result of individuals, like you, who work each day to make
an impact on the lives of our residents. Those awards are recognition of the tens of thousands of little interactions that occur in every Housing Office, District Office or out in our communities when you offer a smile and greet our families as they go about their daily routine. It is your understanding and support as families struggle with the separation and strain of deployment and your care as they are reunited. It is the extra time you take to volunteer at Community Service events to ensure that our families feel that they are a welcome part of their neighborhood. Each of you contribute DAILY in the choices you make to be the BEST of who we are, to ensure that we will not fail because of YOUR determination to succeed! Thank You. Here’s to a GREAT 2017! As always if you have feedback, questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly (949.381.7503). – Philip Rizzo Vice President of Operations
Philip Rizzo is the Vice President of Operations for LMH and is responsible for the overall management and daily operations. As a former soldier and son of an officer, Philip is committed to serving the men, women and families LMH is privileged enough to call our residents.
1
department updates
Marketing As we approach the New Year and say goodbye to 2016, we want to express our deep appreciation for the opportunities you have given us to collaborate with your team, collaborations that central to improving Lincoln Military Housing’s marketing program.
in this issue
inspiration
page 1
A Letter from Philip department updates
pages 2, 3 & 4
Marketing Technology and Innovation Call Center Team Development: Make Living LMH’s Core Values, your New Year’s Resolution lincoln news
pages 3, 4, 6 & 8
Lincoln Employee Milestones
All of the photos, videos, ideas, and information you have provided have played a role in the success of our programs.
RED Shirt Fridays Chollas Heights, The History Between the Community and the Battle of Pearl Harbor 2016 Year In Review services and charities
We are fortunate to work with some of the most talented individuals in our industry and look forward to see what 2017 brings with our continued collaboration and teamwork. During this holiday season, our thoughts turn gratefully to each of you that have made our progress possible. Thank you and best wishes for the holidays and Happy New Year!
pages 5
Community Service Celebrates 15 Years of Events Lincoln Charities
Technology and Innovation 2016 has been a busy year for the IT department! With the new year soon approaching we wanted to highlight a few of the major milestones we accomplished this past year. ●• Technical migration, transitioning and onboarding of Lewis-McChord Communities. ●• Testing preparation for Yardi 7S, scheduled to be deployed in 2017. ●• Rolled out Okta, single sign-on for the Knowledge Center, Web HelpDesk, and enabled a more fluid end-user experience. ●• Closed over 5,500 IT service tickets.
2
Lincoln Military Housing’s 15th Anniversary Store! Coming Soon, Lincoln Military Housing’s 15th Anniversary Store. Stay tuned in January for details!
department updates
lincoln news
Fourth Quarter Employee Milestones
Call Center
We are proud to have such dedicated, highly skilled and caring team members, always seeking to improve the quality of life for our military families. Please join us in congratulating the members of the Lincoln Military Housing team listed below who are celebrating their milestone anniversaries.
LMH Call Center
Brown Region:
McCay Region:
5 years Khristine Carter Ruth Galvan
5 years Kerry Oden
Browne Region: WOW! 2016 was an AMAZING year! Thank you to all of the district teams for your support and patience! And although this past year was a busy one, the call center team discovered and implemented many ways to keep our service FRESH! With close to 250,000 calls this year, we had LOTS of opportunities to put these ways into practice. From learning more maintenance troubleshooting tips to welcoming our new residents from Joint Base Lewis McChord, the team held true to service that is FRESH and breathes our Vision and Mission Statements! While 2016 was filled with many motivating “Challenges” like the Running Man and Mannequin challenges, 2017 for the call center team will be the year to CHALLENGE YOURSELF! For this next year, each team member (and this includes 12 new associates!) will challenge themselves to grow beyond their current status quo where the service they provide will be extraordinary, memorable and contagious! Stay tuned to our National Call Center page as we’ll share our unique “challenges” and incredible testimonies of success. Challenge Yourself this year too!
5 years Anthony Calderon Ivan Estrada Avila Marites Whitley 10 years LMaria Arriaga Daniel Garcia Patrick Pajela 30 years Anthony Calderon Ivan Estrada Avila George Grantham
Crennan Region: 5 years James Davis Brooke Scarbrough Samantha Stapleton Whitney Venable
10 years Efren Munoz
Miller Region: 5 years David Aston 10 years Christine Davis Robert Diaz Juan Gallegos Curtis Henline Gilberto Moreno Laura Rios 15 years Irma Franco Gary Hancock Robert Johnson Robert Jones Evangelina Sanchez Jamie Sanders
LMH Call Center
3
department updates
Make Living LMH’s Core Values, your New Year’s Resolution As the year 2017 is upon us, make it your New Year’s resolution by living LMH’s Core Values. Here are some best practices that you can put to every day use and help reinforce our Core Values while contributing to your overall personal and professional development.
INTEGRITY Make it a point to be honest with yourself in all that you do, this will help improve a strong sense of self and inner strength. Be upfront with others and do what is right, always, even when it’s not popular, you will be more respected by others in the long run.
RESPECT Be mindful and respectful of others, recognize that we are all unique and come from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Respect those differences by making a point to show genuine interest, and treat others as they themselves would want to be treated. Understand, the more you display a respectful behavior, the more it will be reciprocated and contribute to a healthier and positive work environment.
BALANCE Take the time to appreciate life and take advantage of your personal time off. Preplan for time off, whether it be a vacation, holidays, or your children’s school play, so you can rest at ease, knowing others can help cover for you in your absence. While at work, be focused and dedicated to performing your best work. Remember to take time out of your workday by taking advantage of your daily rest breaks and meal periods, step away, take a “mental break” or a brisk short walk; this will help reenergize and help your productivity levels for the remainder of the work day.
COMMITMENT Be dedicated and genuinely committed to your job by providing the utmost level of service to our residents, military partners and all those we serve. Make it a point to be at work on time, prepare for your day and ensure enough time to complete your tasks. Keep to your word and ensure your commitments are realistic to what is possible.
COMMUNICATION Make it a point to communicate clearly and consistently, with respect and humility. Learn to listen, not only to the words being spoken but how they are spoken with non-verbal messages. Ask for clarification to confirm what the other person has said to avoid confusion. When you communicate with others, be focused on the conversation, try to avoid distractions and give your undivided attention. Seek feedback from others and don’t be afraid to ask others for their opinion as this will make them feel valued. Here is to your success and growth in the New Year!
lincoln news
RED Shirt Fridays Remember Everyone Deployed (RED) Fridays: LMH teams are wearing red on Fridays to support the sacrifices of servicemen and servicewomen overseas. Thank you, LMH, for showing your support and keeping our troops in your thoughts. If your installation participates, please send all photos to LincolnMilitary@lpsi.com.
EMPOWERMENT Take responsibility for your job, give it your best effort and be genuinely enthusiastic and passionate in all you do. Be willing to take on challenges that will help you to develop your personal and professional skills. In decision-making, make a sound judgment when it is appropriate and seek guidance or permission when necessary. If you have a great suggestion or an idea on how we can improve, don’t be afraid to speak up. Your suggestions and ideas can help contribute to LMH’s overall success. 4
Valley Forge Team
services and charities
Community Service Celebrates 15 years of Events Lincoln Military Housing’s Community Services is celebrating 15 years of events and programs dedicated to serving our military families who live in housing! Our amazing teams plan over 1,500 events annually plus attends marketing events and homecomings. Our mission: “To improve the quality of life for our military residents through programs designed to strengthen personal connections between neighbors, and to partner with likeminded local organizations to support this goal.” This dedicated group of event planning professionals are focused on creating opportunities our families can enjoy, meet new friends at, gain a new experience, and create memories. Each month we continue to receive wonderful messages for our families, these event make a difference in their lives.
Lincoln Military Events “Our family has made some of the sweetest memories at Lincoln Military events in San Diego the past four years. When you’re at a Lincoln event you see families passing around a phone to talk to a deployed service member; you see moms playing double duty, with their hands full but are getting a break from cooking and clean up for a night; you see dads dancing with their daughters as if they’ve recently returned from deployment; you see parents embracing their children, perhaps with worries of impending goodbyes as they gear up for another move or deployment. Military families face a lot of difficulties and struggles, but when we’re at Lincoln Military events, we feel lucky to be surrounded by joyful, caring staff working hard to make a special event that our family will always remember. Thank you for all you do for us!”
Lincoln Charities Lincoln Charities broke an outstanding record of providing assistance of over $250,000 to Lincoln families during 2016 to over 30 families. We have also surpassed a lifetime assistance amount of over $1 Million Dollars since our inception in 2008- wow! We have had many awesome fundraising events including The Village Barbeque in Dallas and the amazing Golf Tournament sponsored by the Camp Pendleton team. Don’t forget! We are having a video contest that conveys our love for Lincoln Charities and/or our Lincoln Family (employees, not residents this time) with the deadline being at the end of January. Need more details? Please email lincolncharitiesinc@lpsi.com.
5
department updates room for Navy Housing, now our community Chollas Heights. Although these towers are gone, they have not been forgotten. In fact, the community of Chollas Heights is now home to the Naval Radio Tower Museum. If you drive through our community, you will see pieces of the 600ft tall tower. The top of one of the transmitters, which is over 100ft long sits on the corner of College Grove Way and Transmitter Road. Throughout the community, you will find markers that tell the rich history behind the Chollas Heights Transmitting Facility.
Chollas Heights, The History Between the Community and the Battle of Pearl Harbor Throughout the 100+ year history of Chollas Heights, no single event was more important than those that transpired on December 7, 1941. The Battle of Pearl Harbor is one of the most significant days in world history, and it should be recognized that Chollas Heights played a pivotal role in communicating the transmissions of those events as they unfolded that unfortunate day. The Chollas Heights Naval Radio Transmitting Facility (NRTF) was one of the first of its kind. Established as early as 1906, the site was designed to be a transmitting facility, processing communication from ship to shore sites. The site was chosen due to the rural farm area that was available to expand upon the site and the fact that the nearby natural waters offered security. The site hosted one of the most powerful transmitters in the region; it is estimated that in 1917 when the first transmitter was completed that it had a range of 12,000 miles. It’s defining moment would come on December 7, 1941, when it just so happened that the transmitters at Pearl Harbor were down for routine maintenance. This is when the Chollas Heights NRTF would be the first to broadcast the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Transmitting this critical news, no doubt played a part in our Nation’s quick response to the attacks and informing the world of the tragic news. In November 1995, they demolished the three transmitter towers to make 6
When new team members begin their journey with Lincoln Military Housing in San Diego, they tour the Naval Radio Tower Museum to help them understand our connection to history, the significance of who we serve, and the mission we share. “All team members are taken back that we have such history on our property. I think it really hits home and shows that we are more than just a housing company renting homes to our service members. I know it is an honor for my staff at Chollas Heights, and myself to oversee and be the curator of the Naval Radio Tower museum and site that it has been a part of San Diego for over 100 years.”, Dan Murphy, Regional Property Manager and Curator of the Naval Radio Tower Museum. As we celebrate our 15th anniversary, we also reflect on our country’s history and the significance of who we serve and the communities we create and maintain. On this day 75 years ago, just before 8 am, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The crossfire lasted just two hours but was devastating. The very first communication was sent to Chollas Heights NRTF transmitter towers that are now our Chollas Heights community located in San Diego. Reference & more information can be found here: http://www.virhistory.com/navy/commsta/chollas.htm
lincoln news
7
lincoln news
San Diego Team
Maintenance Mania 2016
Crennan Region Team
Fort Sam Houston Team
San Diego Team
Crennan Region
San Diego Team
Joint Base Anacostia - Bolling Team
Annapolis Team
8
lincoln news
Lewis McChord Communities Team
Call Center Team
Browne Region
Browne Region District Managers
Brown Region
Trees For Troops
Camp Lejeune Team
Mission Moments
9
lincoln news
Cindy Sheridan, 15 Years of Dedication to our Military Families Since Lincoln Military Housing first opened our doors in August 2001, Cindy Sheridan, along with over 30 team members, have been with LMH. This was an exciting time but, also very crucial time as many new systems, procedures, and policies had to be put in place that did not already exist. Cindy’s primary role was to help order materials and supplies and communicate with the new maintenance technicians on maintenance requests. She soon became a valuable resource for residents, District Managers, and Staff throughout the installation. One of the many challenges the team faced early on was developing a system to keep records of service requests and responses. Cindy played an essential role in implementing a system long before there was an operating system to automate this process. She single-handedly changed the way the maintenance department communicated and maintained records. While she was helping her team become organized and efficient, her true unique skills began to shine. She has a way of communicating that makes everyone feel they are the most important person in her day.
She would spend time listening to residents and team members alike to ensure problems both small and large were fixed. Cindy’s patience, compassion, and dedication have helped LMH bring it’s mission to life. In 2003 Cindy spearheaded the opening of the Call Center. Now after 13 years, Cindy oversees the 24hour Call Center with over 40 team members. She has fostered a work environment that has aided in the development of an amazing team; she cares, and they care, and it shows. She continues to be a leader in our industry and has established a model that others would like to replicate. In October 2014, Cindy joined the Toastmaster organization, a leader in communication and development internationally, with over 332,000 members in 15,400 clubs in 135 countries. This organization empowers its members to become effective communicator and leaders. She recently completed the Competent Communicator manual, totaling ten speech projects, earning the designation as a Competent Communicator. On July 1, 2016, she began her term as the new President of the IREM San Diego Toastmasters! Cindy has not only grown with Lincoln Military Housing; she continues to make an impact on our families and team each and every day. Thank you, Cindy, for your continued dedication to our mission.
join the conversation We would love to hear your thoughts and opinions about the content covered in this newsletter! Please visit LMHFeedback.com to share your comments or suggestions on what you would like to see featured in the next issue. 10
LMH Mission Statement At Lincoln Military Housing, our mission is to provide military families with exemplary service in a quality home environment, employees with unparalleled opportunities for personal and professional development, and military partners with quality homes and vibrant neighborhoods.
Core Values Balance: We all take responsibility for creating and maintaining a healthy work-life balance for ourselves and each other.
Commitment: We passionately strive each day to deliver on our mission to serve our residents, our partners and each other.
Integrity: We are honest and truthful, we do what is right–ALWAYS.
Respect: We strive to treat others as we would like to be treated.
Empowerment: Each of us is encouraged to take initiative, ownership and make good business decisions in the best interest of those we serve.
Communication: Our interactions with each other are respectful, we listen with an open mind, provide honest feedback and we are receptive to new ideas.