Ahead of the Curve
“We don’t just have a fitness center that looks nice. We provide fitness instructors, Pilates instructors, and personal trainers. We really make it work.” —Laurie Lyons
BH Management isn’t simply interested in keeping up with the competition. The company strives to always be a step ahead, whether that means implementing the latest amenity or keeping occupancy levels up. “You have to be innovative in knowing what’s going on out there and what the industry trends are,” says Roach. “The challenge is to pick and choose which trends you want to focus on, and then change and adjust.”
Sometimes, it’s the small details that have the biggest impact on a property’s success. Instead of just haphazardly installing a tennis court, BH requires that the court is properly surfaced and offers a seating area with water fountains. “We try to develop innovative ideas to get those extra few percentage points of occupancy by catering to certain subgroups,” says Harry Bookey, BH’s owner. “It only costs a few thousand dollars to get the court in that condition.”
BH Management also draws renters by implementing creative programs, like a “Live in Color” campaign, where residents can select a wall color to customize their unit. The executives are always open to new ideas, says Carey Nelms, a regional vice president at BH. “Harry lives on people coming up with new ideas, instead of just [following] industry standards.”
Lyons is right up there when it comes to inventive proposals. She is exploring the idea of providing a computer or flat-screen television in every unit. “Laurie will look in every nook and cranny and figure out a way [to make an idea work],” says Roach.
Training Day
“A property manager can’t go to work without people supporting them and without being told this is how we treat our residents.” —Laurie Lyons
Consistent with its “back to the basics” management approach, employee training is a top issue at BH Management. The company invests about $1,200 per employee for training courses each year and established a human resources department last year to help boost its training offerings. Currently, BH holds monthly training classes focused on leasing and customer service topics. The teaching style ranges from Web-based training to one-on-one lessons and class sessions.
“We’re continuing to grow every month in what we are doing with training,” says Roach. BH is now adding corporate outreach classes to teach on-site staff how to work with local businesses, as well as a peer tutoring program to take advantage of top performers’ skills.
Of course, BH also taps into its secret weapon: a CEO who is always eager to serve as a resource on property management issues. Lyons conducts training classes at the regional vice president level and leads a special training session at the company’s annual conference. “I let them know all the mistakes I have made [as a property manager], and let them know that it’s not that long ago,” Lyons says.
Lyons values on-site mentoring and makes frequent property appearances. “They [property managers], just want to talk,” she says. “They want to know that somebody cares, especially when it’s somebody at the top of an organization.” And Lyons certainly does care. She recalls how she comforted a manager who was in tears over a budget. “We didn’t even talk about the budget,” Lyons says. “What we talked about was the fact that I could remember when I was crying over a budget. And the tears went away.”