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Multifamily Motivational Speaker & NAAEI Facilitator

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Kathy Woodard

May 9, 2022 by gamechanger

MEMBER AT LARGE

Kathy Woodard’s career includes twenty-five years experience in the property management industry ,  4 years in the HVAC industry, and 5 years as a motivational speaker.   Kathy is a Property Management  industry icon and motivational speaker otherwise known as mrsgamechanger.fun.  Kathy represents Mandolin HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical, part time as Training Director.  She also enjoys her full time position as Property Manager at Harbor Group Management.

Kathy attended Western Michigan University with a concentration in Business Management and a minor in Marketing.  She  holds National Apartment Association CAPS and CAM Designations.  She serves as an  EPA Proctor, CFC Universal, CPO Certified and  NAAEI Faculty member.  She enjoys teaching HVAC, CALP, and CAM.

Kathy heavily  volunteers at her local  Triangle Apartment Association, ,GAPMA,  Apartment Association of North Carolina,  NAA Suppliers Council, and NAA Education Curriculum Committee.

Kathy Woodard

Filed Under: Property Management

Fair Housing Seminar by GAPMA

April 21, 2022 by gamechanger

FAIR HOUSING SEMINAR
FOR PROPERTY MANAGERS & LANDLORDS
TUESDAY, APRIL 26 • 9:30 AM
HILTON • 207 GREENVILLE BLVD SW
Registration 8:45 AM—9:15 AM; Seminar begins at 9:30 AM Non-GAPMA members cost: S25 (includes lunch and certificate)


Register by April 20, 2022. Register online and learn more at coghrc.GreenvilleNC.gov.

Hosted by the Greenville Human Relations Council in Partnership with The Greenville Area Property Managers Association and Legal Aid of North Carolina.
Attorney F. Todd Whitlow, Partner
Brownlee Whitlow & Praet, PLLC
Kathy Woodard, Mrs.Gamechanger.fun
Mandolin HVAC, Plumbing & Electric
Daniel Worrall, Supervising Attorney
Legal Aid of North Carolina, Greenville

Filed Under: Property Management

HVAC Best Practices with John Riggs

April 21, 2022 by gamechanger

Hosted by GAPMA
HVAC Best Practices with John Riggs

Lunch/Break entertainment
with Kathy Woodard aka Mrsgamechanger.fun


Monday, April 25, 2022 ‭ ‬8:30 am – 4:00 pm

  • Pay attention to HVAC System Designs.
  • Avoid Emergencies with a Preventative Maintenance Program
  • Learn about and Recognize HVAC Emergency Warning Signs.
  • Specific A/C Best Practices.
  • Use Automated Controls.
  • Install a Correctly Sized System.

Cost: 24.95 MEMBERS $29.95 Non-Members
@ Hilton Convention Center 207
Greenville Blvd SE, Greenville, NC 27834
To register email: Leighann@meridianpark.net

Filed Under: Maintenance Training

This Is Us: Angela & Kathy

November 2, 2021 by gamechanger

This Is Us

Angela and Kathy met around 2018 at a TAA networking event, and Angela remembers that first interaction laughing until she cried. From that moment, they’ve developed a great friendship and working relationship over the years. They have enjoyed many TAA functions and served on several committees together. Kathy calls Angela the Thelma to her Louise, her Ride or Die!

Kathy recalls, “Angela and I met when I was a vendor working for an HVAC company. She was so warm and sweet and we decided to partner up and visit properties together. When I went back to PM and started my job at Harbor Group Management I took Angela with me as my primary appliance vendor.” She followed up with, “I only utilize vendors who are members of the TAA.”

Angela adds, “I have met so many wonderful people through my relationship with Kathy and with TAA. I have made friends for life during my networking. TAA has been the link between myself and hundreds of Property Managers.”

Since that first meeting and over time, Angela says that Kathy has become one of her most trusted friends. They have had so much fun together and with the TAA committees and look forward to many more years of friendship and laughter in the future.

Filed Under: Property Management

The Challenge of Employee Turnover

August 25, 2021 by gamechanger

Employee Turnover

Another great episode with the JuvoHub crew. This time we discuss a pressing issue within our industry, employee turnover.

[Read more…] about The Challenge of Employee Turnover

Filed Under: Property Management

Multifamily Mental Wellness

December 22, 2020 by gamechanger

Presented to the TAA Tour of Two Cities on December 11, 2020 via live zoom

In January 2020 I walked into a leasing office and found a leaser sitting behind her desk, wearing a mask.  I had not yet heard of Covid.  I remember thinking “Is she sick”?  She informed me she was not sick, and then went on to say there is a global wide epidemic coming that had already affected her family abroad.  To me the young lady looked out of sorts with the mask on and the bottles of hand sanitizers on her desk.  I remember thinking she seemed a little “paranoid”.   By March 2020 Covid 19 was at the forefront of all our multifamily minds and Covid 19 was all anyone was talking about.   Life as we knew it was changed indefinitely. We continue to struggle to understand what the new “normal” should be.   Covid 19 has brought us to a state of mind that focus’s on fear and uncertainty.  We are afraid to even touch each other.  And God Forbid someone should cough in the office. 

Twenty+ years of multifamily experience and traveling has awarded me with the benefit of having good friends nationwide.   At the beginning of Covid, I started getting 1-2 contacts a week through my MrsGamechanger.FUN site from multifamily friends and clients under extreme duress onsite.   At first the stories were about the effects of the economic changes.  So many Americans were laid off or slowly losing their jobs.  Residents could not pay their rent.   Kids were no longer going to school and homeschooling became the norm.  The residents are all home.  As the gyms were shut down normal patterns of stress relief were out of the question.  It was longest summer ever with no pool. The leasing office, and the onsite staff, became a target to the residents.  Managers reported that the public was being horribly “mean” to them and their whole staff and they felt like whipping posts.  Within a few months the calls increased to 3-6 per week.   Now…  I get 3-6 calls a day and the subject matter has changed to discussing the struggles onsite teams are having with their employees/coworkers. The stories I am told are at times overwhelming to me, but fact is stranger than fiction!   Managers often state that their office feels like, “a bomb getting ready to explode” and it’s harder and harder to keep their teams motivated.  Have you ever heard a maintenance supervisor cry?  I have.  

2020 has brought us Hurricanes, an unemployment high of 14%, a pandemic, economic uncertainty, and extreme politics as we enter into election season. Oh yeah, and here comes the holidays!  Multifamily employees stress levels and anxiety continues to escalate.

Are we brushing mental health under the rug?  Are companies afraid to tackle this very serious issue and educate their employees how to “Cope with Covid”.  Or do they feel they are stepping into a legal minefield?  Are we being mindful of our mental health and the mental health of those around us? Is it okay to not be okay?   Taking a hard look at our own actions, thoughts, or emotions and self-reflection is an excellent way to begin coping with Covid.  We are in the business of managing people!  Residents, Vendor Partner Relationships, Employees, Prospects.    We do this all day, every day, 9-5 and then we go home and manage our families.   We all have heard the old adage, “You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you respond to it.”  Self-control and coping with Covid, managing yourself through the stress and anxiety of personal and professional life can become overwhelming.  Understanding when you and others need help is key.  Are you able to self-evaluate and resist anxiety driven behaviors?   Can you assist and shepherd your team to do so as well?

If you feel like your cheese might be sliding off the cracker, below are 5 considerations for every multifamily professional to reflect on.

  1. You must manage your own stress.  Simple things such as hobbies, cooking, exercise and meditation can often be simple and immediate forms of intervention. 
  2. Changes in sleep patterns or difficulty sleeping?  Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep nightly to rejuvenate their minds.  Turn off your cell phones and charge them in another room to resist reading your emails. Turn off the t.v’s.   Unplug yourself. Consider melatonin supplements to support your immune system. Melatonin also improves energy, immunity and mental sharpness.
  3. Changes in eating patterns?  Feelings of confinement, depression, and isolation during quarantine are a recipe for bad eating habits causing rapid weight gain.  Avoid shaming yourself.  Instead, reflect on the habits that have led to the weight gain.  Comfort foods, alcohol consumption, grazing are the top causes of gaining the “Corona 15 pounds”.
  4. Many companies offer wellness programs that may/may not offer mental health helplines.    I recommend multifamily fitness coach and guru Laura Ryan of 4 Wellness.  Go to www.mrsgamechanger.fun and link onto the blog to jump start your wellness journey.   This site also offers FREE motivation power hours and ½ hours for 6&Fix Heating and Cooling clients to lift your multifamily teams and offer support.
  5. Stop avoiding the elephant in the room. Above all else, it is important to know when to seek help for yourself or someone around you.  It’s okay to talk about “Corona Crazy”.  A sympathetic ear is always a positive step towards grounding someone.  Know when to encourage friends it is important to seek a higher level of treatment.  Mental health professionals can assist in diagnoses and treatment.  Do not be afraid to speak with someone.  These professionals identify causes of mental health disorders and will help you set goals for treatment.
  6. Be Kind to EVERYONE!  Don’t villainize your boss, the PM, RPM, Management company, etc.   We are all in this together and everyone is doing the best that they can to maneuver through unprecedented times.

There are several mental health resources online and contact information.  Below are a few that I like to share:

  • www.7cups.com
  • www.nami.org
  • www.betterhelp.com
  • www.mrsgamechanger.fun
  • Laura4yan@outlook.com  (Multifamily 4 Wellness in the workplace)

Commit yourself to coming out of 2020 a healthier, stronger, motivated Property Management professional.  You work in a profession that requires empathy, understanding, resilience, strength and so much more.  Above all else – take care of yourself.  If you don’t, you won’t be able to take care of the people that rely on you and your leadership.  

Filed Under: Corporate Wellness Programs

Reasonably priced Corporate Wellness Programs for Property Management Professionals!

December 15, 2020 by Jonathan

Are you taking the right steps towards a healthy team???
If you had the opportunity to change not only the health of your team but also your bottom line. Would you take it? What if that opportunity had a resource that understood what your teams go through daily, from all positions and operational vantage points? I’m Laura, founder of 4 Wellness and a 27-year veteran of the multi family industry. I recently stepped away to pursue a passion and fill a need within
our industry. Wellness. Employee wellness has a huge impact on the employee as well as the companies bottom line. I’m not talking getting the flu or even trying to tackle what has happened in 2020, I’m talking simple nutrition and fitness, plus good sleep and hydration. The 4 main elements or the 4 to Score as we like to call them at 4 Wellness.
Presenteeism, according to a GCC Insights report by Global Corporate Challenge (GCC), costs employers the equivalent to 3 months per employee each year. Positive and consistent changes to improve any of the 4 elements has a positive effect on memory and focus, reduces fatigue and stress. I created 4 Wellness to give managers and their companies the tools, resources, and support to build a healthier happier workforce. I welcome the opportunity to demonstrate how 4 Wellness can bring you a wellness plan for less than 16% of what the average employer spends per employee on coffee each year. Want more information about our programs? Email us at four.wellness@outlook.com or call Coach Laura at (919) 610-7656.

Filed Under: Corporate Wellness Programs

Maintaining Mental Health; Taking Care of Yourself and Others in Multifamily

October 28, 2020 by gamechanger

mental health

This article was contributed by John Sons, Director of Training & Marketing Strategies at Burlington Capital, Properties. Thank you, John!

What a year 2020 has been.  Natural disasters, a pandemic, economic uncertainties, politics and so much more have increased the levels of stress and anxiety in our environment.  With the challenges that life throws at us, it is important that we be mindful of our mental health and the mental health of those around us.  It is important that we are able to understand and appreciate fact that it is okay to not be okay.  Equally as important is knowing what resources are available to help someone through difficult and challenging times.

[Read more…] about Maintaining Mental Health; Taking Care of Yourself and Others in Multifamily

Filed Under: Corporate Wellness Programs

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