ARLINGTON, VA - In her role as senior community manager at Harbor Village Apartments in Richmond, Va., Stephanie Anderson, CAM, has led her team of eight staff members to success using intense sales training, creative marketing strategies and unparalleled customer service, earning her recognition as the National Apartment Association Education Institute’s (NAAEI) Certified Apartment Manager of the Year for 2013.
“Stephanie embodies all that this award was designed to recognize,” said NAAEI President William Wollinger, CAPS, SHCM. “She not only serves as a leader and mentor to her staff, but she also moves skillfully among all of the different components that go into managing a successful apartment community. That’s not easy, but she does it superbly.”
At Harbor Village Apartments, which is operated by Management Services Corporation, Anderson launched new programs to increase resident retention and streamline budgets. These included reducing turnaround times for screening potential residents, implementing green initiatives, shifting marketing dollars to more effective activities and maximizing revenue by charging full market rents and initiating an aggressive lease renewal campaign, called the “Extra Mile Program.” She also invests in her team by encouraging them to take advantage of industry education, organizing team-building activities and by serving as a training mentor to new employees.
As a result of her efforts, Harbor Village achieved a 71 percent renewal average for the past 12 months and saw fourth quarter occupancy rates increase from 95 percent in 2011 to 99 percent in 2012. It also saw eviction rates drop because of better resident screening. For her effort, Anderson was named as the Central Virginia Apartment Association’s (CVAA) Assistant Manager of the Year in 2012. CVAA also named Harbor Village Apartments as its 2013 Community of the Year ($851-$950).
“I find myself living, breathing and sleeping all things involving multifamily housing,” Anderson said in her nomination letter. “It is not often that you come across someone who enjoys going to work each day. I find excitement in challenging the status quo and in improving my community and my company in every possible way.”
Anderson also is active in her community. In August 2012, she launched the Share and Care Food Drive, which collected 196 pounds of food for the Central Virginia Food Bank in Richmond. Meanwhile, she and her team volunteer their time at the Morningside Assisted Living Facility and help raise awareness about issues such as domestic violence and breast cancer. They also regularly participate in community service projects organized by CVAA.
Anderson was recently elected to serve on CVAA’s board of directors. She also serves on the Virginia Apartment Management Association’s (VAMA) public relations committee and has played key roles in creating its digital newsletter and in updating its website. She is host of the VAMA Snapshot monthly video series that features interviews with leading apartment industry professionals and other industry topics.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Virginia Commonwealth University, and she recently earned her Virginia real estate license. She has held her CAM designation since 2011.
Anderson will be recognized as part of the PARAGON Awards Ceremony that will be held at the 2013 National Apartment Association Education Conference and Exposition on June 22 at the San Diego Convention Center. The NAA PARAGON Awards recognize excellence and leadership in the rental housing industry. These national awards celebrate the unique contributions made to the industry by builders/developers, industry professionals and affiliated apartment associations.
About the National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI)
The National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI) is the education arm of the National Apartment Association. The mission of the NAAEI is to provide broad-based education, training and recruitment programs that attract, nurture and retain high-quality professionals and develop tomorrow’s apartment industry leaders. For more information, please visit www.naahq.org/education or www.apartmentcareerhq.org