February 2013 • Vol. 50 No. 2
The Official PublicaTiOn Of The arizOna MulTihOusing assOciaTiOn
Getting to Work with the 2013 Executive Committee
By Tom Simplot, President and CEO, Arizona Multihousing Association
The start of a new year brings with it a new wave of energy at the AMA. Our newly inducted board members and executive committee are eager to get to work and this year we have leaders from around the state serving our association. Their market expertise, diverse backgrounds and commitment to the industry will translation in to more innovation and impact within our industry. 2012 marked a tipping point for the Arizona real estate market and its recovery. Major indicators foretell a positive outlook for the rental market and new development. New companies continue to choose Arizona for their investments in real estate in the
apartment industry and many leading companies here are beginning work on new developments, with a variety of lifestyle choices. More than ever, our industry is poised for smart growth. The Board of Directors that leads this organization make an important investment of their time, and their expertise to keeping our association and our industry strong through our advocacy and business development efforts. And in this time in our history, this has been no easy feat. I want to thank immediate past chair Lesley Brice for her tireless efforts throughout the year. Early on, Lesley challenged our AMA team to continue expanding our career development programs including the career fairs. As the multifamily industry continues to grow in Arizona, she understands the critical role that we can play in recruiting the right talent to our industry. Supporting our
Building a Workforce in Our Industry By Lesley Brice, MC Residential Communities It’s a challenge we all share – the recruiting, hiring and development of great people. And in the multifamily industry, that challenge continues to grow, fortunately. We are continuing to evolve our recruitment and training programs. There’s no greater expense than talent for our companies and we are all working to avoid turnover. As we grow our portfolios and add new units, we need to be on the front end of this hiring wave. The winds have really changed and now we know that most of our future workforce. Many of them won’t have lease up experience or management training. But we can find the right people and train them. Professional Publishing, Inc PO Box 30327 Portland, OR 97294-3327
Looking for the Right People, Not Just the Right Resumes I have always believed that if we focus on willingness and attitude, we can hire great people and train them to be top performers. I’ve learned that we can’t teach attitude and motivation. As we move in to 2013 and beyond, the market continues to improve, slowly but at a good pace. Our association, on behalf of its members, needs to stay focused on these career initiatives. The more education we can do in the employment marketplace, the better talent we can attract. Over the past two years, our CEO and President has challenged our AMA staff to develop programs and partnerships that can help us address this issue as an industry. Leveraging Tom’s unique relationships with the state and county, schools and government agencies, we are on a positive path. The results, our award-winning results, have been phenomenal. Continued on page 5
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members with their job recruitment, we can demonstrate industry leadership and provide value to members and to the community. Her legacy will continue on as we grow these programs. The AMA board officers continue to work with our staff and members to create meaningful opportunities for networking, professional development and education. Working with the AMA advocacy team, our association is also focused on ensuring that regulation of our businesses, apartment operators and service providers, is fair and doesn’t hinder our ability to do business. By tracking potential unfair regulations and educating lawmakers, we protect our businesses’ bottom lines. We proudly represent business owners who are responsible operators. Over-regulation of industries as a response to bad operators unfairly burdens good employers and hurts our sector. We will continue to
protect our industry at the legislature and with local jurisdictions. We are committed to supporting your businesses and I urge you to leverage your investment in the AMA. This is the year every member should take advantage of our cost savings programs, our community relations initiatives that improve your communities and stay educated about the industry and operations. We have refreshed our membership options and the Patron Recognition Program offers several exclusive benefits. A big welcome to all of the new board members and the Executive Committee. In this month’s Apartment News, we have profiled each of our Executive Committee members so our members can learn more about their backgrounds and their vision for the Arizona Multihousing Association. Continued on page 8
AMA Maintenance Mania Sets Association Record By AMA Take 225 apartment maintenance professionals, add in a series of skilled competitions and timers, and what do you have? The annual Maintenance Mania competition! Maintenance pros representing 17 member management companies showcased their skills at the 2012 program on November 15th at the Phoenix Convention Center. Organized by the Arizona Multihousing Association (AMA), the program—developed by the National Apartment Association (NAA) and presented by HD Sup-
ply Facilities Maintenance—offers a contest of events based on frequent maintenance issues, including: faucet installation; blind installation, toilet repair; ice maker installation; smoke and CO alarm installation; lockset rekey; and lamp & ballast retrofit. The AMA timed each participant in completing the event requirements and awarded winners based on their completion times. In addition to the above events, individuals competing in the national competition participated in a racecar event with a “soapbox” model car they designed Continued on page 9