Associate Members: Sponsorships are now available, but will go fast! Get your sponsorship agreement in right away. Details on the CTAA website
This could be a great opportunity to donate golf items with your company imprint – balls, tees, towels, etc. Email CTAA executive director Valerie Stolfi to make arrangements – valerie@ctcapitolgroup.com
New Members
Apartment Management Members
Welcome Fairfield Residential LLC six new community members to CTAA…
Broadmoor
Rhonda Marlowe
676 Mix Avenue
Hamden
203-287-1546
Cornerstone at Bedford
William Griffin
1425 Bedford Street # 1N
Stamford
203-327-6200
Hillcroft at Danbury
Chris Crampton
10 Clapboard Ridge Road #12E
Danbury
203-748-0870
Middletown Brooke
Heather Wasoka
100 Town Brooke Road
Middletown
860-635-0440
Middletown Ridge
Heather Wasoka
100 Town Ridge Road
Middletown
860-632-7330
The Hawthorne at Gillette Ridge
Jennifer Harrison
2 Francis Way
Bloomfield
860-242-2354
Associate members
Brickman Group
Landscape maintenance and installation/ snow removal
Matt Faherty
769 North Mountain Road
Newington, CT 06111
860-953-0091
Matthew.faherty@brickmangroup.com
www.BrickmanGroup.com
Hercules Corporation
Coin and Smart Card Laundry Equipment
Edward Kwitko
550 West john St
Hicksville, NY 11801
516-822-9300
edk@hercnet.com
www.HercNet.com
Roto-Rooter
Plumbing Services
Scott Weiner
255 Stagg Street
Stratford, CT 06615
203-383-7224
Scott.Weiner@rrsc.com
www.RotoRooter.com
Member News – Promotions, Changes, New Hires …
At Avalon Bay, Cathy Taylor was promoted to Sr. Community Manager at Avalon Danbury also responsible for Avalon Springs, in Wilton, CT. Juan Lent was promoted to General Manager responsible for Avalon Walk in Hamden CT and Avalon Haven in North Haven CT.
CORT is excited to introduce Renee Fontaine as their newest Residential Account Executive. Renee brings 16 years of industry experience to the CORT team. She has worked in both furniture rental and corporate housing as well as property management. Renee brings enthusiasm and energy to CORT and is looking forward to becoming an active member in the CTAA. Renee will service CORT’s Hartford/New Haven market.
Any news at your community or company? Send announcements to dee@videorentalservices.com to have your news included in the CTAA newsletter.
Profiles
Every month, the CTAA eNewsletter will profile two members of the Board of Directors for a glimpse behind the scenes of the workings of the CTAA.
Jay Adams
Legislative Committee Chair
Jay Adams is the property manager of The Mansions at Hockanum Crossing, a Carrollton Properties community. In 1999, Jay began working full time for his stepfather Gardner Chapman, owner of Carrollton Properties.
Inspired by his stepfather, Jay has been a vital part of the CTAA since its inception. Chapman belonged to the Texas Apartment Association and hoped Connecticut could have its own association. Jay eagerly joined in during the formative years of the CTAA, focusing his love of government and politics on the legislative affairs of the association.
According to CTAA Executive Director Valerie Stolfi, “Jay’s been outstanding in covering the legislative aspect of CTAA. He is at the capital 4 or 5 times every legislative session. He’s great at researching the various issues that affect the apartment association and helping to write testimony to be submitted to the general assembly.”
Jay attends the National Apartment Association Capital Conference in Washington, D.C. every year at no expense to the CTAA. His consistent effort on behalf of the CTAA with the state’s federal law-makers has established CTAA’s reputation and presence as the authority on Connecticut multifamily housing at the nation’s capital.
Jay has found his experience in legislative affairs to be exciting and is glad to see the CTAA so firmly established in such a short time.
Jennifer Harrison
2007 CTAA President-Elect
Jennifer Harrison graciously stepped in to offer her time and energy for the 3-year commitment of President-Elect of CTAA as the position remained vacant after recent elections. It is easy to see why the Board of Directors unanimously approved Jennifer’s appointment to the post.
Coming home to her Northland Investments apartment in Tucson, Arizona after a long day at work as a bridal consultant, Jennifer was stopped by the property manager, who suggested she apply for a position with Northland as a leasing agent if she was looking for a career change. Three months later, her career in the apartment industry was launched.
Jennifer worked as a leasing consultant in Tucson, Arizona. Then, she headed to Florida to work on a take-over and to California as an assistant manager. A property manager position called her back to Tucson where she met her husband Andrew Harrison, who also serves on the CTAA board of directors.
While visiting Andrew’s family in Connecticut, Andrew applied for the property manager position at Bigelow Commons (a Northland Investments community). The Harrisons packed up their two children and moved to Connecticut when Andrew got the job. Soon after they were settled in, Jennifer was hired by Bozzuto Management as property manager for the lease-up of a new construction project - The Hawthorne at Gillette Ridge. During 2006 under Jennifer’s management, The Hawthorne at Gillette Ridge averaged 98% occupancy.
The Hawthorne at Gillette Ridge was purchased by Fairfield Residential recently. Fairfield offered Jennifer a new project – Middletown Ridge – a 238-unit community undergoing a major rehabilitation. She is very excited to exercise her passions for resident satisfaction and marketing to increase occupancy at her new community.
Jennifer previously served the CTAA as treasurer.
Articles and information you can use….
Market Trends by The Apartment All Stars – Kate Good, Lisa Trosien, Tracey Hopkins and Mindy Williams
Marketing strategies that set you apart from the competition
By Kate Good
One of the silent truths about marketing is the importance of really understanding your target market prior to designing an ad or creating a brochure. So often, marketers jump directly into advertising and skip entire steps in the marketing process.
One important step is to master is the study of various uses and needs for your apartment community. When developing a marketing plan for a new development, this step is a challenge compared to a fully occupied community where you can study your existing demographic to determine the type of marketing focus you will need for continued success. A new construction community creates a great need to answer the question, “Who will live here?”
Assessing your community’s benefits
Once your floorplans have been created, it is time to test their use. If you have an existing sister community, tap into your residents for important feedback. Start by planning a focus group to showcase your new designs and ask the members of the group which apartment they would be interested in and why. Note their demographic information and all their important comments.
Next, process the information to determine what consumer needs your new apartment will meet. This is known as “niche marketing.” You will find this concept to be one of the most difficult steps in a strategic marketing plan, but also one of the most financially rewarding. This concept is on Business Week’s list of what is “in” for the future.
Niche marketing
Niche marketing is the opposite of trying to be all things to all people, a common marketing practice in multifamily housing. Most owners and sales people believe that the key is broad exposure to everyone. In other words, if you let the world know you are here and a new community, the sales will follow. It is important to position and merchandise your community to relate to your target market.
You may also find the need to create a few campaigns focusing on various targets. For example, Coca-Cola had created a marketing campaign to appeal to the woman who buys herself a six-pack of Coke as a treat because it reminds her of her years as a teenager. This approach would be very different than the campaign designed to attract the baby boomers who increasingly choose Coca-Cola as their breakfast of choice. In apartment marketing, you might decide to market to a sophisticated crowd who are interested in the technology enhancements you have to offer, while another campaign features an active lifestyle by utilizing your amenities in your marketing materials.
Apartment customers are becoming increasingly particular about their living needs, and this trend won’t slow down in our lifetime. Generic apartment communities just won’t do. Stand out in the marketplace by creating an image that will appeal to your targeted demographic.
Theme marketing
Many communities adopt this concept through the use of themes in their design, development and positioning. One of my clients in Atlanta decided an “Historic Inn” theme would suit their site located just a short drive from the Georgia mountains. This theme provided the guidance for all of our marketing materials and design concepts. Themes create a living memory of your community, which will help it stand out in your market. Personally, I enjoy theme marketing at a new construction community because it taps into an enormous depth of creative opportunities.
Emerging trends
Be sure to take advantage of emerging trends for your new community. You will find this is the easiest way to establish your community as not just new, but innovative. Here are a few areas to consider:
1. Environmentalism. There has been a huge growth in environmental consciousness in the last decade. In a Louis Harris poll reported in the New York Times, 75 percent of us said we would describe ourselves as environmentalists. This trend reminds us to include innovative recycling solutions, use “tree friendly” paper for collateral pieces and have a “natural” focus in our landscaping. Package the entire concept and you have a great theme going!
2. Quality of life. Sociologists are starting to see a growth in “psychic income.” In other words, people are willing to trade in our incomes and material possessions for meaning in our lives. If your new community is “off the beaten path” but in the middle of recreational opportunities, you will find a greater geographical area to market to based on the fact that people are willing to drive a few more miles if it means they will be in an area where they can have a better quality of life. Often this is offered for less money because it is outside a high-density area.
3. Computer/office space at home. Home offices are not just for people who work at home. In fact many Internet subscribers want a designated computer area that is equipped with electrical outlets, high-speed access, desk space and good lighting for their late-night web searching or for their children to email grandma. Many apartment communities that have invested in this state-of-the-art technology are finding that it is a real influence in the decision- making process.
4. Virtual visits. The first visit to your community will be virtual. Until you have the first building ready, you will need a medium to show the features and benefits of your community. I recommend investing in a website and then linking it to larger apartment search sites. This will give people the opportunity to see a rendering of the community and download floorplans.
Another impactful step in marketing is to create memory points. This is when the customer remembers a specific vision of your apartment community. Perhaps it was a fun theme in your model, a welcome sign in your leasing office, your golf cart dressed up for a holiday.
Marketing should drive traffic to your site and creating memory points will help you stand out in a sea of competition.
20 Questions You Should Ask Yourself
By Tracey Hopkins
If you are successful in your personal and professional life, you most likely have asked these questions of yourself already. Did you have the answers? If not, it's time to give a good self appraisal.
Take time out. Find a quiet place. Get out some paper and a pencil. Try to be objective. Be brutally honest. Now, answer the following questions:
1. What are your value and beliefs both personally and professionally? What are your priorities?
2. What are your goals in life?
3. What is your goal for 10 years from now? Five years? One year? Six months? One month? One week? Tomorrow? Do they all lead toward your goals in life? If not, you might want to rethink your priorities.
4. What is the first step you need to take to achieve your life goal? When can you begin?
5. What do you respect most about yourself?
6. What are your greatest strengths and your greatest weaknesses?
7. What has been one of your proudest moments?
8. Name one fear you would like to overcome. How can you overcome it?
9. How do you feel about your work?
10. What is your favorite thing about your work? Your least favorite thing?
11. Do you feel you are competent to do the work you do? If not, what makes you feel incompetent? What steps can you take to correct it? (Take a course, get some training, read some professional growth books or find a mentor)
12. Is the amount of work required of you reasonable? Is there too much to do or not enough? Studies show that boredom causes workers to be more tired at the end of the day than hard work does.
13. How do you feel about your coworkers? Management? Administration? Do you work as a team? How do you feel about your residents and other customers?
14. Are most of your days pleasant? Do you look forward to going to work? Why/ Why not?
15. What would you most like to change about your work? Can you realistically do anything about it?
16. What are the real reasons you work? Many people automatically answer money. Are there other reasons for you?
17. Are you easy to get along with and willing to help others with their work when they need it?
18. Do you believe in your product or property? Your company?
19. What is one extra step you can take to better serve your internal and external customers? It will not only please and surprise your customer; it will give you more satisfaction at the end of the day.
20. Name one of the happiest experiences you have had in both your personal and professional life.
Getting to know yourself better is the first step to achieving success!
Gimmicks Work
By Mindy Williams
Corny but true, if your sales message is gimmicky, you are going to attract more attention to your product.
Ideas To Try: We go the Extra Mile (Extra gum.) Enjoy the Carefree lifestyle (Carefree gum.) SCORE! This home is a winner! (With a Score candy bar.) Any way you slice it, you are #1! (Pizza box or pizza coupon.) What would you do for a Klondike Bar? (Klondike bar.) You are the key to our success (key-shaped cookies.) Here’s the key to First Class Living (key-shaped cookies or candy.) You are worth your weight in gold (gold coin candy.) Our maintenance response times are swifter! (With Swifter mop.) Time for a new home! (Time Magazine, a watch, clock, or plastic stop watch.) You’re worth a mint to us. (Any type of mint.) You’re worth a hundred grand to us! (100 Grand candy bar.) Join our Concession Obsession! (With Ben & Jerry’s Concession Obsession-flavored ice cream.)
For Maintenance: M&M’s: Our Maintenance & Manager: The key to our success (M&M’s). Sorry we blew it! (With bubbles -- this is for after a service request mistake.) Ooops! Please accept our apologies! (With Ouch gum.)
Moral of the Story: Walk around the grocery store and let your imagination run wild!
Back to Top
