Defense
The Magazine of Military Housing, Lodging & Lifestyles
communities NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011
www.phma.com
PDS XXIV Services Sneak Preview page 14
Foreclosure prevention page 30
Fast recovery from a disaster page 32
Maintenance Strategies THAT WORK
Communication may be the most important element in your maintenance plan
CONTENTS FEATURES 30 Fending Off Foreclosure
National lenders commit to helping military homeowners at Georgia’s Fort Gordon avoid foreclosure. By Megan Purkey
32 Miracle Monday at
Little Rock Air Force Base
After a tornado ripped through Arkansas’ Little Rock Air Force Base, a private housing partner helped to repair housing damage and restore normalcy to the community. By Peggy Eason
34 LEED Pioneer SPECIAL SECTION:
14 PDS XXIV Planning: Services Sneak Peek
From Jan. 30 to Feb. 3, 2012, San Diego will host military housing professionals from across the services and throughout the world. Check out this special preview for PDS XXIV, including updates from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
SPECIAL SECTION:
MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES
22 Strong From the Start Successful community maintenance programs can prevent emergencies and save money. By Joe Donitzen
26 Steps in the Right Direction The partnership between Lend Lease and InterfaceFLOR has provided customers with high-quality after-sale service. By Esther Perman
2 Defense Communities
How one Fort Jackson, South Carolina, employee built his own LEED-certified home. By LaShandra Gray
38 If You Think Training Is Expensive, Try Ignorance
The benefits of providing employees with training and continuing education outweigh the costs. By Vicki Sharp
Defense
The Magazine of Military Housing, Lodging & Lifestyles
November/December 2011 u Volume 22, Number 6 u www.phma.com
communities A Publication of the Professional Housing Management Association
DEPARTMENTS 4
resident’s Message P PHMA President Del Eulberg reflects on doing good.
6 Association News
PHMA announces its Board of Directors candidates; PHMA’s annual golf tournament raises funds for lodging; and PHMA names its 2011 Writing Excellence Award finalists.
53 Military Marketplace
Check out this go-to resource to find companies that provide products and services to the military housing and lodging industry.
42 Better Barracks
Through Teamwork
Solid teamwork was pivotal in implementing a well-managed First Sergeants Barracks Program at U.S. Army Garrison Schweinfurt in Germany. By Cheryl Richardson
55 Advertising Index 56 PHMA Corporate Sustaining Members
44 Defense Communities’ 2011-2012 Buyer’s Guide
Here is your annual go-to resource for product and service providers serving military housing and lodging. Check out the digital edition at PHMA.com!
ABOUT THE COVER Please send your articles for Defense Communities to Birgitt Seymour at phmadefensecommunities@earthlink.net. NEXT EDITORIAL DEADLINES: March/April: February 13 May/June: March 20
Pictured on the cover, Robin Hamm, Facility Manager for Balfour Beatty Communities at Fort Worth, assists a family housing resident. For more on maintenance strategies, see page 22 of Defense Communities.
Publisher Editor Managing Editor Contributing Editor Editorial/Production Asst. Art Director
Debra J. Stratton Birgitt Seymour Lisa Junker Sabrina Hicks Teresa Tobat Janelle Welch
Publishing Offices Stratton Publishing & Marketing Inc. 5285 Shawnee Road, Suite 510 Alexandria, VA 22312-2334 703/914-9200; fax 703/914-6777 defcom@strattonpublishing.com Advertising Sales Manager Alison Bashian Stratton Publishing & Marketing Inc. 800/335-7500; fax 440/232-0398 alisonb@strattonpublishing.com Editorial Office 544 Windspirit Circle, Prescott, AZ 86303 928/771-9826 phmadefensecommunities@ earthlink.net PHMA Office 154 Fort Evans Road, NE, Leesburg, VA 20176 703/771-1888; fax 703/771-0299 phmaoffice@earthlink.net www.phma.com Executive Director Jon R. Moore Defense Communities (ISSN #1088-9000 USPS #004-502) is published bimonthly by Stratton Publishing & Marketing Inc., 5285 Shawnee Road, Suite 510, Alexandria, VA 22312-2334, for the Professional Housing Management Association, 154 Fort Evans Road, NE, Leesburg, VA 20176. PHMA members receive this publication at the annual subscription rate of $30. Nonmembers’ annual subscription rate is $100. Send sub scription requests to Defense Communities at PHMA. Periodi cals postage paid at Leesburg, VA, and additional mailing offices. Defense Communities, ©2011, Professional Housing Management Association. All rights reserved. All contents of this publication are protected by copyright; however, they may be reproduced in whole or in part with prior approval of the publisher. Prior to photocopying items for educational classroom, internal, or personal use, or to request rights to republish an article, please request reprint permission from Editor, Defense Communities, phmadefensecommunities@ earthlink.net. Unless otherwise stated, articles and editorials express the views of their authors and not necessarily those of PHMA, the editors, or the publisher. Announcements and adver tisements in this publication for products and services do not imply the endorsement of PHMA or any of its members or staff. Postmaster: Send subscription/address changes to: Defense Communities, 154 Fort Evans Road, NE, Leesburg, VA 20176 or e-mail: phmaoffice@earthlink.net. Defense Communities magazine is designed to keep those who operate and manage the whole spectrum of military housing and facilities maintenance informed on the industry’s latest technology, products, and services. It provides a forum for members to share lessons learned, news and events, and training opportunities and updates.
November | December 2011 3
SPECIAL SECTION:
MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES
STRONG From the Start Minimizing community maintenance emergencies through prevention and education By Joe Donitzen
I
n the blink of an eye, a drip can become a leak and a leak a flood. Suddenly, that bothersome faucet that won’t shut off has ruined your entire kitchen and forced you out of your home while costly repairs are underway. These everyday maintenance issues—both routine repairs and emergencies—are what keep maintenance staff at military housing busy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So what advice do these fix-it masters have for the rest of us? A little bit of knowledge and simple preventative steps go a long way. Educating residents at our military communities is perhaps the most effective way to make maintenance and facilities upkeep run smoothly and prevent small issues from becoming big problems. In turn, residents’ experience with the maintenance staff often plays a major role in their perception of a community and its overall management. The facilities team interacts with the residents every day, leaving a lasting impression, so establishing 22 Defense Communities
a good relationship from day one is important to the entire community. A successful community maintenance program starts at the very beginning, when the residents first walk in the door, sign a lease, and become official members of the community. At Balfour Beatty Communities across the country, residents are given a warm welcome, which includes providing resident guidelines, maintenance contacts and procedures, and tips for taking care of their homes. Many common household problems are easily preventable when you explain to your residents how to maintain and fix the small things in their home before they become big problems. Area Facility Managers responsible for overseeing maintenance across Balfour Beatty’s largest regions point to several important pieces of the puzzle when it comes to effectively managing facilities at military housing communities. Their advice: Familiarize residents with the various systems and amenities in the home, as well as the unique conditions of the region, and focus on preventative
maintenance. These steps will greatly reduce the number of future maintenance calls, improve the resident-management relationship, and make the community a better place to live.
Learning the ropes Moving into a new home can be daunting as residents adjust to new amenities and systems that they may never have encountered before. Taking the time to show residents around the house when they move in gives the manager a chance to point out its mechanics and nuances. Indicating where the electrical box is located could remind a resident to check for a tripped circuit breaker before contacting the property manager when the oven doesn’t turn on. Explaining what items can and cannot go in the garbage disposal can go a long way in keeping the appliance in working condition. Ensuring that a resident knows where the water shut-off valve is located can head off a flooded kitchen or bathroom floor if a faucet or toilet begins to leak.
“Of course, we never want our residents to hesitate when it comes to calling the facilities crew or submitting a work order.―No problem is too silly or too small, and we encourage them to come to us whenever they have a question,” said Michael Riley, Area Facility Manager, Navy Northeast Region. “On the other hand, we also want to arm residents with the knowledge and tools to be able to solve small problems and help us keep their homes in the best possible condition.” Reinforcing messages through articles in flyers and newsletters can also give residents some needed guidance and helpful reminders. Educating residents about the small fixes they can make to take care of a situation themselves versus when to call in the reinforcements makes a big difference in keeping a large military family housing community running smoothly. Working together and making sure residents are informed from day one helps keep everyone comfortable and ensures that true emergencies get the top priority.
Using your resources Maintenance crews at privatized military housing communities have an invaluable tool at their disposal in the form of resident specialists and the community management staff. The community staff members are an “awesome first line of information for residents when they call in a work order,” said Brian Morris, Area Facility Manager, Navy Gulf Coast Region. “If you provide training and education regarding basic maintenance issues, they can ask the right questions of the residents and see if they can walk the resident through an easy solution.” Community managers also have a library of information at their fingertips. They provide residents and future residents with an array of newsletters, tip sheets, and resident guides (which are also available online) that cover all community policies. Quarterly newsletters developed by the community management staff at every base include maintenance tips or a “facilities corner,” which is often tailored to give helpful hints about the season or about recent problems. Working closely with
A warm welcome lets residents know that a professional, caring, and supportive staff is there to help them with maintenance concerns.
all arms of the community management team is essential to a successful maintenance and facilities operation. Information isn’t the only resource to share with residents, however. Having physical tools available is also a big help when it comes to maintaining homes and property. The facilities crew at many installations maintains and loans out a variety of different items for residents to use, such as lawnmowers, weed whackers, garden tools, grass seed, sprinklers, and hoses. Residents go through a short safety training program when borrowing power tools. With frequent moves around the country, it’s difficult for service members to cart around everything they may need to maintain their home. Making extra tools available lets them do things around the house that make it feel more like home. Most installations also have a light bulb exchange program that allows residents to receive free fluorescent bulbs when they return burntout ones, as well as an HVAC filter exchange program, both one-for-one exchanges.
Braving the elements Military communities are unique in
that they bring together neighbors from all parts of the country who are accustomed to experiencing all sorts of climates and natural disasters. Tornadoes, hurricanes, snowstorms, sandstorms, flooding, earthquakes— the list goes on. What is normal for a resident who grew up in Vermont may be completely foreign to someone who was born and raised in Texas, Montana, or California. Climate and natural disasters have a great impact on the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of a home. For that reason, community management teams need to make sure their residents are given a thorough introduction on what to expect from the climate and terrain of their new community. In hot, damp, tropical climates, for example, pests are driving the welcome wagon. People who have lived in colder climates where seasons change may never have had a pest-control issue before. Letting residents know up front that they’re likely going to see a whole variety of creepy-crawly critters helps prepare them for how to handle pests, not live in fear of them. Morris speaks from experience. November | December 2011 23
“From Charleston to Key West, we have a lot of reports about bugs—not just any bugs, things like palmetto bugs,” he said. “If you’ve never seen one it can be scary, which is why it is so important to educate our residents about what to expect. There’s no snow here, but you will see pests, even if you have the cleanest house in the world.” Tips provided to residents include simple steps such as how to ant-proof your pet food bowls or reminders to clean up after every spill, because that splash of apple juice from your toddler will lure those pests out of the woodwork. Of course, Mother Nature can also deliver maintenance headaches in the form of natural disasters. While the safety of residents is always the number one priority, preparation and education are essential to limiting structural damage to homes and property. When Hurricane Irene was set to travel up the East Coast in August
24 Defense Communities
2011, Balfour Beatty Communities found itself with 15 installations in Irene’s path. With a standard Emergency Response Plan in place, the community management and facilities teams immediately mobilized to prepare for the storm. Communication with residents was essential. Balfour Beatty educated residents on what to do and how to stay safe both during and after the hurricane, spreading the word through email messages, voice broadcasts, Facebook and website postings, and door-to-door flyers. The preparation and education greatly minimized damage.
Welcoming residents home A great deal of stress comes with a move and a military transfer. The maintenance and facilities team at privatized military housing installations can help ease that transition by providing resources, information, and tips that will helps residents feel more at home when they arrive in
their new community. Educating residents prepares them to expect the unexpected and empowers them to make small fixes and maintain their homes for their comfort. A warm welcome and access to information will let residents know a professional, caring, and supportive staff is there to help them with maintenance concerns. Day in, day out, it is the facilities staff that works in the homes and interacts with residents. These staff members are key to creating the goodwill of the community. Developing good working and professional relationships with your residents will play an influential role in their overall living experience and make your community a great place that they will be proud to call home. n Joe Donitzen is the Area Facility Manager, Army Mid-Atlantic Region. Reach him at jdonitzen@bbcgrp.com.
SPECIAL SECTION:
MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES
STEPS in the Right Direction The Lend Lease-InterfaceFLOR partnership takes after-sale service on floor maintenance beyond the norm By Esther Perman
N
atalie Hansen knowingly broke rank from conventionality. But it was a move that has brought significant savings to hundreds of military families and reduced the overall operational costs of her employer, Lend Lease, a property solutions provider responsible for about 40,000 U.S. military homes. This enviable bottom-line effectiveness is the result of what’s now afoot in flooring for Lend Lease properties, plus Hansen’s decision to eschew conventional wall-to-wall carpet for modular carpet tile. As Director of Strategic Procurement and Supply Chain Management at Lend Lease, Hansen partnered with InterfaceFLOR, LLC. She projected there would be payoffs for working together,
26 Defense Communities
and those payoffs have, indeed, been realized.
Positive impacts “One of our top goals in switching to modular carpet tile was to help alleviate the financial burden incurred by young military families when they moved from home to home, bearing responsibility for the replacement of damaged carpeting. With flooring a part of the home particularly vulnerable to damage, these costs could average from $1,200 upward,” said Hansen. “But, with carpet tiles, if there’s a stain that cannot be removed, it’s far less costly—about $9—to replace a single tile, and it doesn’t require a professional installer,” she said. “In fact, in many instances, the resident
can clean and replace the tile with no help needed. So we’ve already seen the positive impact carpet tiles have had in this situation.” The second key benefit Hansen was seeking was to help Lend Lease lower its own costs. She admits there’s a higher initial capital cost of about $250 to $400 more per home with carpet tiles, but the long-run savings are impressive—especially when it comes to speeding up the turnaround of a home as one resident leaves and another moves in. There’s now less maintenance downtime between occupants,” she said, “because there’s less need to take time out to remove carpet or reinstall. We’ve saved about a day and a half by switching to carpet tile, again because there’s no need to pull out the whole thing or
bring in installers. Our own maintenance team can handle any tile replacement needed in a matter of hours. The reduced downtime is a gain in rent, and even that one extra day adds up when you have about 17,000 move-ins per year.” So, for all the right reasons, and many more, Hansen’s decision to switch to her supplier’s carpet tile is proving to be a smart one. As partnerships go, though, there’s always a learning curve in working with one another. For Lend Lease and InterfaceFLOR, that curve is now arching across maintenance strategies.
Owner’s manual and more Not long after Lend Lease began stocking and installing carpet tile, both companies realized they needed to communicate better to maintenance crews and tenants alike how to care for the new flooring solution.
“We were fielding calls and queries about spills, cleaning issues, and pet accidents—the typical and expected kinds of situations,” said Mike Hutton, Director of InterfaceSERVICES, Inc., an affiliate of InterfaceFLOR. “We certainly prepared and fully trained the maintenance crews at Fort Drum, Camp Lejeune, and Fort Campbell, where most of our product is installed, on how to troubleshoot and resolve cleaning problems,” Hutton said. “But then it dawned on us that we needed to take a few easy steps beyond the training.” InterfaceSERVICES created a ninepage Comprehensive Maintenance Plan document for the Lend Lease maintenance staff. It’s a veritable bible of dos and don’ts when it comes to the upkeep of the carpet tile. And its message is that effective maintenance includes five key elements: • Preventing soiling. The soil enter-
ing the building can be contained by using walk-off mats at entrances. This includes outside matting, inside matting, and mats at certain other hightraffic interior areas. • Vacuuming. Regular vacuuming is the single most important part of a maintenance program. Vacuuming is designed to remove dry soil matter. • Spot and spill removal. Quick response to spills is crucial. The faster spills are dealt with, the less chance they will leave a stain. • Interim cleaning. Primarily for commercial applications, interim cleaning can also be effective in a residential setting. Several different methods are available. If done regularly, interim cleaning can prolong the need for restorative cleaning. • Restorative cleaning. This is deep cleaning designed to remove trapped soils. Hot water extraction is the most effective method and the only restorNovember | December 2011 27
ative method recommended by the supplier. The plan elaborates thoroughly on each of these integral steps, offering tips and recommendations. It concludes with advice on removing a lengthy list of specific stains, from butter to chocolate, ink, lipstick, and tar. While the plan was the perfect helpmate for maintenance personnel, an
abridged edition was created for individual Lend Lease tenants. This maintenance guide is now included in all new-tenant Welcome Home Packets. It’s as if cleaning guru Heloise herself had penned the piece, with easy-to-follow cleaning steps, including the same stain-solution chart that staff members have and use. “The beauty of the carpet tile is, after
©2010 ista North America. All rights reserved.
all, that the homeowner can remove the stained tile and clean it. But most people don’t know how to do that, so we simply had to take that extra step to educate them,” said Hutton. The carpet tile is now sold to 1,500 Lend Lease units. According to Hansen, her company has installed 183,000 square yards of the product so far. “It’s adding up to be a great relationship,” she said, “the kind you don’t ordinarily see between vendor and customer.”
After-sale service
We outrank our competition, not only in the field of managing your residents' utility bills, but in teaching them how to conserve energy, too.
Our integrated approach to energy management adds value beyond the submetering bill. At ista, we help military housing property managers oversee many aspects of residents' energy usage and billing, including installation and even conservation. Our advanced submetering technology, for example, can increase utility conservation by 30%. And when you need service, our US-based call center can mobilize the largest force of field technicians in the industry from any region of the country. To learn more about how ista can help you, email us at phsales@ista-na.com or call an ista representative today. At ease. You can't have a better ally than ista. ista North America
1.800.569.3014
28 Defense Communities
www.ista-direct.com
Talk about breaking rank from conventionality and companies working in tandem: According to John Wells, President and CEO of parent company Interface Americas, the InterfaceSERVICES division was a natural outgrowth of managing constant installation challenges presented by a major national account for 14 years, CVS drugstores. “We want to be not just a vendor but a valued partner to our customers,” said Wells, “and I think we’ve created that with Lend Lease on so many levels, beginning with the extraordinary degree of after-sale service we’re providing and including what’s critically important to the U.S. military in offering a highly sustainable product.” In fact, according to Wells, Lend Lease and InterfaceFLOR are currently partnering on a pilot program with the Department of Energy, an initiative that’s intended to reduce energy consumption in more than 750 military base homes. “Because Lend Lease is committed to the supplier’s reclamation and recycling package through our own ReEntry recycling process, over time we’ll eliminate the amount of carpet removed from military housing going to the landfill,” Wells said. “To date, we’ve helped them divert over 1.5 million pounds, and this effort will continue to grow.” n For more information on InterfaceFLOR or InterfaceSERVICES, contact Steve Arbaugh at steve.arbaugh@FLOR.com.
Advertising Index Company, Contact
Phone
Web Site
Page
A-1 Hospitality, LLC, Linen Expert
800/351-1819
www.a1textiles.com
63
Balfour Beatty Communities, Kathy Grim
610/355-8206
www.bbcgrp.com
1
BedBug Central, Robert DiJoseph
877/411-1142
www.BedBugCentral.com
33
Belfor Property Restoration, Gina Dolezal
214/683-4242
www.belforusa.com
11
Coit Worldwide, Shawn Aghababian
800/367-2648
www.coit.com
63
Davey Commercial Grounds, George Gaumer
800/447-1667 x 225
www.davey.com
24
Dwyer, Toni Pahl
630/741-7900
www.dwyerproducts.com
13
HD Supply Facilities Maintenance
877/610-6912
www.hdsupplysolutions.com
C2
Ista-North American, Bill Kirk
352/895-8839
www.eso-global.com
28
Kaba Multihousing & Institutional, LaShawnda Robinson
248/837-3700
www.kabamultihousing.com
29
Microfridge Inc., Benjamin Otte
508/660-9200
www.microfridge.com
7
MilitaryByOwner Advertising, Dave Gran
540/446-4676
www.MilitaryByOwner.com
62
Mincey Marble Manufacturing, Inc., Donna Mincey
770/532-0451
www.minceymarble.com
36
Norix Group, Inc., Randy Duffer
800/234-4900
www.norix.com
12
Picerne Military Housing, Bill Mulvey
401/228-2800
www.picernemilitaryhousing.com
39
Protect-a-Bed, Brian Hirsch
414/731-1663
www.protectabed.com
52
R.J. Thomas Manufacturing Co., Inc., Bob Simonsen
800/762-5002
www.pilotrock.com
18
Salsbury Industries, Ricardo Alva
323/846-6700
www.mailboxes.com
43
The Refinishing Touch, Mario Insenga
770/642-4169
www.therefinishingtouch.com
41
University Loft Company, James Jannetides
317/631-5433
www.universityloft.com
C4
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Customer Service
800/644-8083
www.wellsfargo.com
C3
Yardi, Spencer Stewart
800/866-1144
www.yardi.com
5