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May 8, 2023
Welcome to People and Properties, the Cohen-Esrey newsletter where we celebrate the successes of our team members and keep you informed about what is happening in the Cohen-Esrey world. If you have something you would like to share or an achievement that you would like to celebrate, please send it to Lee Harris at lharris@cohenesrey.com. If you are on a property, please print and distribute this newsletter to each member of your property team. You can also find People and Properties on KnowledgeNet. Click here to view previous editions.
SPECIAL EDITION
Cohen Esrey Annual Leadership Conference
Cohen-Esrey's 17th Annual Leadership Conference was held on April 18-20 at the Double Tree hotel in Overland Park, Kansas. The event was attended by a significant number of property managers, regional managers, and members of the CEAI and CEDG teams who flew in from various locations. Over the course of three days, attendees participated in several events including the vendor fair, the keynote speech, Ryan Huffman’s opening speech, the Community Impact event, KV breakout training sessions, and a couch discussion hosted by Lee Harris, Bob Esrey and Ryan Huffman. Attendees also enjoyed dinner and cocktail hour; giving many team members the opportunity to personally connect with each other and put “a face to the zoom."
The conference concluded with the annual awards ceremony to recognize the outstanding performance by team members over the past year. Overall, the conference provided attendees with an opportunity to learn from industry experts, recognize outstanding performance, and make a positive impact in their communities.
Vendor Fair
The vendor fair consisted of the 35+ vendors shown below. This was a 3-hour event designed to encourage property managers and regional managers to network and build potential partnerships with the attending sponsors. Attendees made their rounds to all the tables and left with lots of new information and free goodies!
The Keynote Speech
The Keynote speech was the first presentation to kick off the Annual Conference. Toni Blake, a popular industry keynote speaker, delivered an enthusiastic presentation filled with personal anecdotes, insightful videos, and a high energy that left the entire room laughing and fully engaged. Her positivity shined through and was the perfect way to get attendees excited and ready for the remainder of the conference.
Ryan's Opening Remarks
Ryan Huffman delivered opening remarks Wednesday morning at the annual leadership meeting. Huffman shared valuable lessons he learned from participating in three long-distance races over the past weekend including a 5K, 10K, and 10 mile race at Disney World. Drawing parallels between running and the journey of life, he urged attendees to run with their hearts and embrace the opportunities that come their way.
One key take-away was the Three C's: "You must make the choice to take the chance if you want anything in your life to change."
The Community Impact Event
Another highlight of the conference was the Community Impact event, which gave attendees the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of others in a very hands-on and engaging relay race. The event aimed to empower attendees to make a difference in their communities by encouraging them to volunteer, donate, and engage in community service. The room was filled with laughter, determination and a strong competitive energy among all participants to see which team could finish assembling their sack lunches the quickest. All of the sack lunches were donated to Eileen's Place, one of our CE communities. This was a spectacular example of our Community Impact Core Value and proves how working together as a team can positively benefit those in our community.
Training Breakout Sessions
The training sessions were hosted by the Regional Managers and KV teams in 8 unique sessions relevant for both market-rate and affordable properties. These breakout sessions helped provide team members with insightful knowledge, and helped bring more awareness to the many useful tools and resources available to them. These sessions were also a great opportunity for team members to collaborate with other properties as well as with members from corporate. We are hopeful these sessions will help property teams with their continued success and growth.
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Maximizing Customer Fulfillment
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Taking Control of Finances
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Make Your Time Count
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OASYS Deep Dive
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ABC Leasing
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Achieving Team Member Fulfillment
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Renovations- The Way to Excellence
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Understanding Set Asides
Couch Discussion
The couch discussion was hosted by Lee Harris, Bob Esrey, and Ryan Huffman. Attendees were able to learn from the experiences and insights of these seasoned professionals through a timeline of events, industry advice, and a plethora of personal stories. The floor was opened up to questions at the end.
Annual Award Ceremony
The Annual Award Ceremony recognized individual team members in each of the five core value categories for their performance over the past year. These awards winners are selected directly from the Spotlight section on KNET. Any time you witness a team member demonstrating a core value, you can enter a spotlight for them and they will have a chance at winning a core value award. Ace Awards recognizes the Outstanding Property Team of the year in all areas of property management, and the Top NPS Property Awards recognizes the team who achieves the highest NPS score from surveys.
Core Value Awards
Commitment Award
Team Member Fulfillment Award
Customer Fulfillment Award
Integrity Award
Community Impact
Property Awards
Ace Award <50 Units
Ace Award 51-100 Units
Ace Award 101-200 units
Ace Award 201+ Units
Top NPS Score <50 Units
Top NPS Score 51-120 Units
Top NPS Score >120 Units
Commitment Awards
• Takes responsibility for their roles and accountabilities and strives to surpass expectations.
• Do what they say; follow through and take ownership for their actions.
• Contribute constructive input for our company when requested or when needed.
Nominees in black, winners in red:
Alexis Dominguez
Alisha Brooks
Alyssa Garza
Amanda Trew
Barbee Houk
Brent Phillips
Cassie Colston
Chad Jenner
Christopher Smith
Danielle Smith
Deb Van Dyne
Denise Day
Emily Fletcher
Elhassan Elfatine
Heather Sauerwein
James Huss
Jessica Bell
Jim Hays
Kaliyah Parker
Karen Crouch
Kimberly Plumb
Laureen Woods
Levi Cook
Lisa Melgoza
Lisa Moore
Lisa Paszkiewicz
Lisa Sorensen
Lizzy Darby
Lori Jeffries
Megan Lierz
Michael Gioia
Nicolas Hernandez
Noelle Wilson
Richard Williams
Sara Antar
Sarah Cranford
Shannon Page
Stan Phelps
Susan Belisle
Alisha Brooks- Corporate
Megan Kimber accepting for Danielle Smith- Lakes at North Port
Heather Sauerwein- Brookshire Estates
Karen Crouch- Corporate
Kimberly Plumb- Northwoods
Lisa Sorensen- CEDG
Lisa Moore- Corporate
Shannon Page- Lofton Place
Customer Fulfillment Awards
• Treats all customers equally and with respect.
• Carefully listens to customers and goes out of the way to provide excellent service.
• Seeks out feedback from customers and responds in a timely manner.
Nominees in black, winners in red:
Amanda Ashley
Amber Rodriguez
Anthoni Alexander
Anthony Terry
Bennie Gates
Brent Hastings
Brian Weber
Cassie Colston
Cedric Schine
Christopher Smith
Craig Jobson
Cynthia Johnson
Danielle Smith
Desiree Hamilton
George Andreu
Gilberto Pedraza
Heather Sauerwein
Jacklyn Espinoza
Karen Crouch
Kristy Rogers
Laureen Woods
Macaria Gonzales
Mark Denk
Noelle Wilson
Trisha Dillon
Troy Dugger
Cynthia Johnson- Justin Place
Gilberto Pedraza- Astoria Park
Cassie Colston accepting for Macaria Gonzales- Eileen's Place
Amario Velazquez accepting for Mark Denk- Andover Park
Noelle Wilson- Corporate
Integrity Awards
• Is open, honest and timely in all communication.
• Speaks directly with people to resolve issues as they arise.
• Embraces our company’s Core Values and walks the talk so that associates can count on them.
Nominees in black, winners in red:
Alexander Valdez
Buel McDonald
Cassie Colston
Gary Thurman- Nexus 5 Group
Gary Thurman
Kimberly Plumb
Trisha Dillon
Kimberly Plumb- Northwoods
Team Member Fulfillment Awards
• Always looks for the good in others and speaks well of them.
• Treats others with respect and help others succeed.
• Uses training opportunities and resources to their fullest in order to grow.
Nominees in black, winners in red:
Alanna Johnson
Alisha Brooks
Alyssa Garza
Anthoni Alexander
Barbee Houk
Brian Williams
Brytney Morris
Cassie Colston
Chad Jenner
Craig Jobson
Deb Van Dyne
Elhassan Elfatine
Emily Fletcher
Emma Draper-Green
Garrett Cook
George Andreu
Gilberto Pedraza
Gina Long
James Huss
Jessica Bell
Josh Green
Karen Crouch
Alanna Johnson- Rankin Mills
Emily Fletcher- Corporate
Laureen Woods- Brighton Creek
Karen Hildebrand
Kimberly Plumb
Kristina Viera
Kristy Rogers
Laureen Woods
Lauren Cano
Leslie Whitney
Lisa Moore
Lisa Paszkiewicz
Lizzy Darby
Megan Lierz
Michael Gioia
Michael Petentler
Noelle Wilson
Rebecca Grimm
Richard Craft
Rodney Chmidling
Sarah Cranford
Shannon Page
Suzanne Perez
Whitney Fulwood
Zachary Stanton
Cynthia Johnson accepting for Anthoni Alexander- Justin Place
Jessica Bell- Nexus 5 Group
Mark Fletcher accepting for Lizzy Darby- Corporate
Community Impact Awards
• Is aware of and relays the needs of the community to colleagues in order to identify opportunities for impact.
• Makes an impact by participating and making decisions to enhance the community.
• Takes advantage of opportunities provided to serve in the community.
Nominees in black, winners in red:
Brian Weber
Cassie Colston
Jessica Bell
Val Price
Nicholas Hense
Jessica Bell- Nexus 5 Group
Lydia Kinkade accepting for Nicholas Hense- Corporate
Ace Awards
Achieving Cohen-Esrey Excellence
< 50 Units
Brookshire Estates
Lexington Farms
Rankin Mill
The Summit at Osage
Rankin Mill Property Manager, Alanna Johnson
50-100 Units
Bluejacket Lodge
Justin Place
Justin Place Property Manager, Cynthia Johnson
101-200 Units
Hamptons at East Cobb
Old Orchard Estates
The Boulevard
Hamptons at East Cobb Property Manager, Kaliyah Parker
Old Orchard Estates Property Manager, Kathleen Cogdill
201+ Units
Brighton Creek
Loretto at Creekside
Loretto at Creekside Property Manager, Rosalina Arce
Top NPS Property Awards
< 50 Units
#1 Top NPS
Clay Hall- 95.12
1st Runner up
Summit at Osage- 89.66
2nd Runner up
Eastwood- 81.48
Clay Hall Property Manager, Adrian Rosewicz
> 51-120 Units
#1 Top NPS
Eileen's Place- 79.31
1st Runner up
Freedom Place- 77.78
2nd Runner up
Colony Woods- 66.67
Eileen's Place Regional Manager, Cassie Colston
> 120 Units
#1 Top NPS
Boulevard Townhomes- 92.37
1st Runner up
Old Orchard Estates- 71.78
2nd Runner up
Big Chair Lofts- 67.35
Boulevard Townhomes Property Manager, Trisha Dillon
Core Value MVP
Big Congratulations to Cassie Colston on receiving the first ever Core Value MVP award at the annual conference.
The Core Value MVP award was newly created by the ELT for this year. The award is given to a team member who embodies all of the core values, lives them routinely and shows them to everyone. The award may not be given every year. Way to go, Cassie!
More Pictures
A Big Thank You
A special thank you to everyone who was involved in making the annual conference a success, including all of the regional managers and KV teams, and Tammi Jordan and Debbie Van Dyne for their hard work and dedication in planning the event!