NEXT GEN
Rising Stars Series ANDREW KLAHN - Regional Manager, GVA Management Years in the Industry 17 years
Volunteer Positions Currently & Previously Held Currently Co-Chair Membership Committee. Have previously Co-Chaired the NextGen and News & Events committees since serving on the GNAA Board of Directors since 2012. Was Chairman of the Board for the Greater Nashville Apartment Association in 2018. Served on the National Apartment Association Apartment Careers Committee and Affordable Housing Committee in 2019.
What brought you to the apartment industry? A seasonal/part-time job as a groundskeeper in college. I fell in love with taking care of the property, which grew into wanting to run the property. My manager at the time brought me inside to start filing paperwork and auditing resident files as a means to learn the paperwork side of leasing (and because nobody else wanted to do it) before being introduced to interacting with residents and prospects.
Was this career path something that was always on your radar?
the reason I love property management is the people. I began my career shortly after H urricane Katrina and we housed several evacuees from New Orleans. There isn't much greater feeling than being able to help people find a home when they have lost everything.
What is your favorite thing to do on the weekends? If I'm not running around between the kids' activities, I'm probably looking for a new spot in Nashville to eat good food and drink good whiskey.
Do you have any pets?
None at the moment. I've had dogs, cats, and fish, but one of the more memorable pets was a snapping turtle. Picked him up on the side of the road in KY driving to my grandparents for Mother's Day early '90s and he was the size of a quarter. I finally released him (no more pet fish) and he was the size of a serving platter.
Coolest place you've ever traveled? Coolest place? I don't know. Chicago is the greatest city. Riding from MD to Nashville in the pitch black back of a moving van with zero entertainment is a fun story. Savannah is cool because it is an acropolis with an amazing history. But Belize is probably the answer you are looking for.
Do you have a motto you live by?
Never! When I began college my major was chemistry with my plan being to become a pharmacist. After deciding I didn't want to go to school that long, I switched to human performance and
"Anything worth doing is worth doing right." It's a quote from a movie and in the context of the movie it is a satirical comment but it's also great advice.
exercise science so I could be a high school baseball coach.
What upcoming GNAA event are you excited to attend and why?
Did you have any unrelated jobs growing up that unexpectedly prepared you for the apartment industry?
I worked for a landscape company. Their big contract was BNA, but they also maintained several apartment communities. Other than that, I played a PC game as a kid called Caesar 111, where you build cities/empires with limited resources. You have to attract citizens to your city, create jobs and charge enough taxes to keep your government in the black while not overcharging and thus losing citizens, all while combating crime, fires, and the occasional military invasion.
Why is property management an attractive career path? It's not going anywhere and it is everywhere. You want to move across the country? There are going to be property management needs. For me, the
News & Events
The Golf Tournament. It is a great way to meet and build relationships with someone you aren't familiar with when you're riding around on a golf cart together for 4 hours.
If you could get a "do over" for something in your career, what would it be and why? Don't get complacent. Early in my career I had numerous goals and was constantly pushing myself. It was easy to always be working towards improvement and the positive consequences of that improvement. As more and more goals were achieved, I had fewer tangible goals to work towards and I became lazy. Never stop improving. Even if there isn't a promotion to strive for, make every day better than the last.
Any advice you could give to the rising stars of GNAA?
Get involved and build relationships with fellow members. There are a ton of fantastic people in this industry at all levels and on all sides. Don't discount someone because of who2they work for or what their title may be; you never know where life may take you.
