Campus Management Grouphttp://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/2017-04-10T14:59:17+00:00The Visionary Lady in the Hard Hat2017-04-10T14:59:17+00:00marketinghttp://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/author/marketing/http://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/the-visionary-lady-in-the-hard-hat/<p><img alt="" src="http://campusmgmtgroup.com/static/media/uploads/articles/jeanne_scott_construction_site.jpg" width="300"/></p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://campusmgmtgroup.com/static/media/uploads/articles/nrv_magazine_mar-apr_2017.jpg" width="800"/></p>
<p>Reference: NRV Magazine publication, March/April edition. pages 18, 20</p>Blacksburg Middle School site sold to Fiddler's Green Partners2017-04-10T14:56:57+00:00marketinghttp://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/author/marketing/http://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/blacksburg-middle-school-site-sold-to-fiddlers-green-partners/<p><img alt="" src="http://campusmgmtgroup.com/static/media/uploads/articles/blacksburg_aerial_2.jpg" width="300"/></p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://campusmgmtgroup.com/static/media/uploads/articles/montgomery_county_board_outlines_sale_of_old_blacksburg_middle_school_-_roanoke_times__blacksburg_news.jpg" width="800"/></p>
<p>Reference: <a href="http://m.roanoke.com/news/local/blacksburg/montgomery-county-board-outlines-sale-of-old-blacksburg-middle-school/article_c86f276b-50a5-5a4b-82c7-ca31ac22cf3e.html?mode=jqm">Source</a></p>Smart Information Makes All the Difference2017-03-06T16:37:34+00:00marketinghttp://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/author/marketing/http://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/smart-information-makes-all-the-difference/<p><img alt="" src="http://campusmgmtgroup.com/static/media/uploads/articles/jason_taylor.jpg" width="300"/></p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://campusmgmtgroup.com/static/media/uploads/articles/student_housing_business_90-92-smarteroperations_jason_taylor_1.jpg" width="800"/></p>
<p>Reference: Student Housing Business publication, May/June 2016 edition. pages 90-92</p>Virginia Tech students recognized for aiding heart attack victim2017-03-06T09:40:13+00:00marketinghttp://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/author/marketing/http://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/http://www.roanoke.com/news/local/blacksburg/va-tech-students-recognized-for-aiding-heart-attack-victim/article_260c74b3-2c4c-599d-add2-caadc5f0493c.html/<p><img alt="" src="http://campusmgmtgroup.com/static/media/uploads/articles/cmg_hometown_heros.jpg" width="300"/></p>
<p>CMG Leasing honors Edge Apartments and Townhomes residents for life-saving act</p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://campusmgmtgroup.com/static/media/uploads/articles/virginia_tech_students_recognized_for_aiding_heart_attack_victim_-_roanoke_times__blacksburg_news.jpg" width="800"/></p>
<p>Reference: <a href="http://www.roanoke.com/news/local/blacksburg/va-tech-students-recognized-for-aiding-heart-attack-victim/article_260c74b3-2c4c-599d-add2-caadc5f0493c.html">Source</a></p>Top 5 Ways to Use Social Media in Your Property Management Company2016-02-29T12:00:00+00:00marketinghttp://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/author/marketing/http://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/top-5-ways-to-use-social-media-in-your-property-management-company/<p>Have you noticed lately that your property management company has evolved into a “people management company?”</p>
<p>There’s no doubt that without tenants (past, present and future), there would be no need to manage properties at all. You could easily pay the utility bills, hire someone to cut the grass and be home on the sofa relaxing before noon each day.</p>
<p><img alt="Top 5 Ways to Use Social Media in Your Property Management Company" class="blog-image" height="276" src="http://mfinsiders2.multifamilyinsid.netdna-cdn.com/images/easyblog_images/30905/2e1ax_elegantblue_entry_social.jpg" width="276"/></p>
<p>If you’re going to be successful in this competitive business, you’ll need to stand out. The best way to do that is by engaging with your tenants. And the best way to do that is with social media.</p>
<p>While you might actively post on your personal Facebook page every time you discover another cute puppy picture or you might still struggle to master that #hashtag nonsense on Twitter, but it’s time to get serious about social networking. Your present and potential clients use it as a trusted source for everything. It’s where they go for news, entertainment, communication and advice.</p>
<p>There are so many popular platforms being used by renters today, so you might be overwhelmed in trying to decide the best places to connect. Let’s look at what the experts say. <strong><a href="http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/social-networking-websites" target="_blank">eBizMBA</a></strong> has ranked all active networking sites by unique monthly visitors and Facebook still sits on top of the list with over 1,100,000,000 – yes, that’s over a “billion” visitors a month. With such a staggering number of potential tenants accessing the site, you don’t want to miss out. Analytics further show that the next four wildly trendy social networking sites are: Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google+ with monthly visitation in the hundreds of thousands.</p>
<p>If the mere volume of traffic isn’t enough to motivate you to join the conversation, take a look at the top 5 ways to use social media in your property management company:</p>
<h4>1. Advertising</h4>
<p>By promoting your property inventory on social media, you’ll be able to reach a greater number of potential renters than any other advertising method. Setting up a Facebook fan page for all your listings or an individual page dedicated to each property will allow you add specific details, photos, and videos and reach a wider audience. A single “like” on your page will expose your properties to hundreds or thousands of potential tenants through their circle of friends.</p>
<p>Marketing strategies using Pinterest can also be successful especially when incorporating neighborhood and city information. Location, location, location – what property manager doesn’t know that’s almost as important as the price? Promote local restaurants and attractions, include photos of area activities, add video testimonials and property tours, and highlight special features such as pet-friendly or close to public transportation. Add a call to action to increase engagement, such as “visit our website” or “lease today.” Keep pins to 200 characters with photo links for the best chance at achieving the most repins.</p>
<p>While online and print directories should still be considered, you can reduce your advertising costs by posting vacancies on social media. Facebook and Twitter ads are highly effective because they’re personal and relevant. Results are easy to measure on desktop and mobile applications and best of all, they’re free. Both Facebook and Twitter have boost/promotion advertising that can also increase your exposure for a minimal monthly charge.</p>
<p><img alt="ID-10069562" border="0" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-87" height="202" src="https://www.propertymatrix.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/ID-10069562.jpg" width="304"/></p>
<h4><strong>2. Networking/Relationship Building</strong></h4>
<p>As the community name suggests, participating in social networking via any platform will provide enhanced relationship building opportunities. Keeping in touch with your residents and employees through a Facebook or Twitter app, Pinterest pinboard, LinkedIn post or Google+ announcement will allow you to interact safely, efficiently and productively.</p>
<p>It’s a great way to introduce your management team to residents, feature on-site events, updates on activities or upcoming work in the area. You’ll want to encourage people to follow you. Consider a giveaway or small incentive for “follows” – offer a rental discount off the first month or a month of free parking. Incentives for submitting a rental application online or providing a referral will generate activity and keep conversations going.</p>
<p>LinkedIn Groups can also be a valuable resource for connecting to real estate agents and other landlords. This professional social media platform will provide access to the latest real estate trends and strategies. Participation in forums is also an excellent resource for sharing information and receiving advice from more experienced landlords.</p>
<p>The Circles feature in Google+ takes networking to a new level. It allows you to categorize followers into groups such as prospective tenants, current residents or even competing landlords. You can use it to filter Gmail so you can target a specific demographic for advertising, activities, incentives, and promotions. Google+ also allows for direct communication with followers to further enhance the relationships. Previous and current tenants can take advantage of the reviewing system by rating their experience in your property. Google searches will pull up these reviews to help you receive more inquiries.</p>
<h4><strong>3. Market Trends</strong></h4>
<p>While you may think you know what renters are looking for in an apartment, condo or home, but following social media posts will help you be sure. You can take the time to read what people are saying, come right out and ask what people need or be a little more stealthy and head to Twitter to check the hashtag search. For example, a search of #apartmenttrends will tell you that prospects are looking for apartments with<a href="https://www.propertymatrix.com/blog/2016/01/5-top-real-estate-technologies-to-adopt-in-your-firm/" target="_blank"> new technology features</a> that enable residents to control things like temperature, security systems and doors locks from their smartphones.</p>
<p>It may go without saying, but with everyone “connected” to everything via cell phones and the internet, your properties must have access to high-speed internet and reliable cell phone service. Tailor your remodeling projects to incorporate the latest innovations, and your vacancies will be filled in no time.</p>
<h4><strong>4. Generate More Leads</strong></h4>
<p>According to a national survey by<strong> <a href="http://corporate.apartments.com/press-room/apartments-com-national-survey-reveals-renters-are-shying-away-from-social-media-during-their-apartment-search/" target="_blank">Apartments.com</a></strong>, 71% of their users are active on social media. And while many still consult traditional resources for finding a place to live, their search almost always begins online. Social networking websites are used to find community information and recommendations, photos and videos of available apartments, search listings, special incentives, and offers, and sharing apartment information with friends for feedback. By positioning your listings on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and even Craigslist, you’ll have a greater opportunity to capture their attention.</p>
<p>Twitter has a great tool for identifying potential renters. Millennials commonly tweet when they’re searching for a new home or apartment. Simply use the @ message to provide property information for new and upcoming vacancies in their area. Twitter launched “Flight School” training in 2014 to help companies drive sales and engage prospects. This program for property managers will give you access to research tools, informative tutorials, and other resources.</p>
<p>Incorporate your Pinterest accounts with Facebook to generate more leads. Announce contests and discount promotions on your feeds to drive traffic to your sites. Once you make a connection, using LinkedIn search capabilities to confirm a tenant’s employment history may help in prequalifying them. It’s important to always maintain professional etiquette when vetting potential tenants via social media. You’ll want to disclose your identity when securing private details for applicants.</p>
<p><img alt="ID-100332256" border="0" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88" height="278" src="https://www.propertymatrix.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/ID-100332256.jpg" width="278"/></p>
<h4><strong>5. Partners and Financing Opportunities</strong></h4>
<p>Running a successful property management business takes a lot of time, expertise and funding. Social networking is an excellent resource for finding potential partners and financing opportunities. Forbes estimates that <strong><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnrampton/2014/04/29/connecting-with-high-net-worth-individuals-through-social-media/" target="_blank">90% of all high, net-worth individuals are active on social media</a>,</strong> and more than five million of those individuals are using it to make financial decisions. Meet new entrepreneurs, establish relationships and use it as a platform for building trust.</p>
<p>Using social media in your property management company will give you new opportunities to improve communication, find more leads, reduce advertising costs, follow market trends and search out financing opportunities. It’s critical that you stay current on all your sites, but that can take a lot of time. Social media management tools like <strong><a href="https://hootsuite.com/" target="_blank">Hootsuite </a></strong>can help link all your platforms. Create one post, push to all newsfeed streams. You can even schedule posts to run at a future date. It’s time to join the social media age, and get ready to see your business grow.</p>
<p>Reference: <a href="http://www.multifamilyinsiders.com/multifamily-blogs/top-5-ways-to-use-social-media-in-your-property-management-company">Source</a> </p>Empowerment, Vision, Passion: Three Success Drivers Your Employees Need2016-02-01T12:05:28+00:00marketinghttp://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/author/marketing/http://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/empowerment-vision-passion-three-success-drivers-your-employees-need/<p>The multifamily industry continues to struggle with employee retention. The turnover rate has continued to stay in the 30 percent range for quite some time<sup>1</sup>. Every company, regardless of industry, has the task of keeping their employees happy. People want to love where they work, so companies have to compete with other career opportunities, above average pay, affordable benefits, and realistic work-life balance expectations, all while keeping costs at a minimum.</p>
<p><img alt="" height="306" src="http://campusmgmtgroup.com/static/media/uploads/.thumbnails/2e1ax_elegantblue_entry_shutterstock_190905743.jpg/2e1ax_elegantblue_entry_shutterstock_190905743-426x306.jpg" width="426"/></p>
<p>Employee turnover costs companies millions of dollars. According to Ere Media<sup>2</sup>, replacement costs for entry level employees are between 30-50 percent of their annual salary, mid-level employees cost 150 percent of their annual salary, and for high-level or highly specialized employees, it can cost up to 400 percent of their annual salary. So how does this translate if a business loses 12 employees in one year (averaging one per month)? It translates into $1.5 million in employee turnover costs. That’s assuming six of those employees were entry-level with a $40,000 salary, four were mid-level with an average salary of $80,000, and two were senior-level employees with a $120,000 salary.</p>
<p>According to the same source, the conservative end of these numbers is also bad. Companies are looking at $250,000—the lowest amount you could imagine for losing 12 employees.</p>
<p>Multifamily has all these challenges, plus more. Multifamily employs people to not only <a href="https://www.entrata.com/leasing/lease-execution/?utm_source=Social&utm_medium=MFIblog&utm_campaign=Be%2BExcellent">fill units</a> with new, qualified residents, they are employing people to handle the most sensitive aspect of a person’s life—their home. The resident experience is crucial to a property’s success and if something goes wrong, chances are your staff is going to hear about it and feel that problem’s stress. That makes turnover an even larger problem because if you multiply one problem by 300 units, you get a <em>lot</em> of stress.</p>
<p>This complex issue does not have one solution. Every company operates differently. Every company has specific budget restrictions. Every company is unique. This requires each retention strategy to be catered specifically to a company’s goal for success both internally and externally. But specific principles can be in place to help lower that 31.5% multifamily continues to see year over year.</p>
<p><strong>1. Empower Employees for Success</strong></p>
<p>If you want your company to be successful, you need to set your employees up for success. There is nothing more frustrating than feeling like you can’t accomplish something because of external inefficiencies. Combat these frustrations for your employees by giving them systems that work and make life easier. This could be something as simple as going paperless. This eliminates a number of stresses: losing checks, stolen money, accounting issues, time constraints... Find what is causing stress and combat it with the right processes.</p>
<p><strong>2. Create a Career Path</strong></p>
<p>Another excellent way to decrease turnover is to give your employees a career, rather than a job. If someone views their role as a means to an end, they won’t be as dedicated or loyal to your company. When another opportunity pops up, they will more than likely abandon ship. And if this person has specialized skills or real talent, you are missing out on making money. Every person you employ should feel like there is room to grow. Give your talent opportunities to showcase their skills. Train employees on areas they may not have otherwise explored. Discuss career paths during performance reviews and give each of your employees a vision for their future.</p>
<p><strong>3. Give Your People Passion</strong></p>
<p>When I think of my career, I think of what I am passionate about. Something I always look for in a company is their passion and if that passion is something to inspire change, then I want to work there. Discover what your employees are passionate about and align your strategy to match that passion. If your staff is passionate about serving people, give them the chance to fill that passion at work. People with passion work harder, work more effectively, and work with conviction. This passion will only lead to better experiences for your residents, because your employees will be doing everything possible to make your apartment community a success.</p>
<p><br><strong>Invest in your talent and you will see a significant return. If turnover is high in a specific department, assess what is happening and realign your strategy accordingly. And remember the three significant drivers for loyalty and dedication: empowerment, vision, and passion.</strong></br></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Posted <span class="blog-author">by <a href="http://www.multifamilyinsiders.com/u/15244-rentsauce">RentSauce</a> </span><span class="blog-created">on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 </span><span class="blog-category">in <a href="http://www.multifamilyinsiders.com/multifamily-blogs/categories/multifamily-training-and-career-development">Multifamily Training and Career Development</a></span></p>Habitat shifts gears to unbuild housing2015-12-15T03:57:50+00:00marketinghttp://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/author/marketing/http://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/habitat-shifts-gears-to-unbuild-housing/<p>BLACKSBURG — Volunteers were unbuilding the OakBridge apartments as fast as they could Thursday. </p>
<p>The Unbuild Blast, a weeklong, first-of-its-kind effort by Habitat for Humanity of the New River Valley, brought crews to salvage what they could from OakBridge’s empty apartments ahead of the coming razing of the 197-unit, 354-bedroom complex. Appliances were being hauled to the Habitat ReStore in Christiansburg to be sold to raise money for Habitat’s next home-construction project. Scrap metal was being gathered to sell to raise more money.</p>
<p>“It’s been a huge endeavor with high impact,” ReStore general manager Kimberly Snider said between steering some volunteers toward lunch and others toward new rounds of tasks.</p>
<p>OakBridge is being torn down by its owner, Blacksburg-based Campus Management Group, which is working with CampusWorks of Charlotte, N.C., to use the site for a new, more densely built, student-oriented apartment complex called The Edge. Named for its proximity to Virginia Tech’s campus, The Edge will have 254 furnished apartments with 911 bedrooms.</p>
<p>Blacksburg Mayor Ron Rordam praised The Edge last week as an ideal infill project that increases student housing within walking and bicycling distance of classes. It was a distinctly more upbeat reaction than town officials have so far given to another venture of Campus Management Group head Jeanne Stosser: the Midtown Village proposal for the old Blacksburg Middle School site. That proposal, now under review by the town, is a project of Stosser’s Fiddler’s Green Partners, not Campus Management Group.</p>
<p>Stosser said last week that she was glad to let Habitat have older appliances and other items that could be carried away before demolition begins. Shelley Fortier, executive director of the Habitat chapter, said it was the largest donation ever made to the Christiansburg ReStore.</p>
<p>On Thursday, Habitat volunteers dragged refrigerators and air conditioners, stoves and dishwashers out of apartments that had been occupied up until student tenants finished exams and moved away — some as recently as Monday.</p>
<p>In one apartment, the outline of a refrigerator on the floor was traced by a scattering of pens and hairbands, along with a fork and darts from a child’s Nerf gun. In another apartment, a line of mismatched socks trailed out from what had been a utility room. Scraps of insulation hung from a hole in the wall where an air conditioner had been removed.</p>
<p>“I think it’s great they’re giving the Habitat store the option to come in,” said Dan Maderic, a volunteer from Christiansburg who’d spent the morning disconnecting dishwashers and moving heavy appliances. “We need to save our natural resources, not throw everything in the Dumpster and start over.”</p>
<p>Annie Pearce, an associate professor in Tech’s building construction program, said she’d also been drawn to the volunteer effort by its re-use aspect.</p>
<p>“I’m a green-building person, so this deconstruction appeals to me,” Pearce said.</p>
<p>Helping with the appliance-moving on Thursday, Pearce had several weeks ago assigned students from a sustainability and ethics class to study how to safely remove items from OakBridge. Their work helped in the planning of the effort, Pearce and Fortier said.</p>
<p>“The logistics are staggering,” Pearce said Thursday. Windows can’t be removed until asbestos-abatement crews are finished, and solid lumber and other materials from the walls probably won’t be salvaged because of the deadlines of impending demolition and construction.</p>
<p>“You wish you had all the time in the world to pull all this stuff out,” Pearce said.</p>
<p>David Lloyd, who lives just outside Blacksburg, was tying down a pickup truck-load of electric baseboard heaters to take to a scrap yard. He’d joined the Unbuild effort as part of the volunteer requirement for a master gardening program, and was soon going to turn his attention to digging up plants from around the apartment complex, he said.</p>
<p>The plants were bound for one of two newly built Habitat homes on Blacksburg’s Nellie’s Cave Road, the first homes the New River Valley chapter has constructed since emerging from a financial and organizational crisis.</p>
<p>Lloyd said that one of the new homes will be occupied by the family of a man he works with at Tech’s dining services. Lloyd said that his co-worker recently left on a trip to his native Nepal after the death of a relative there.d</p>
<p>“Hopefully, he’ll have a landscaped place when he gets back,” Lloyd said.</p>
<p>Fortier said the Unbuild is expected to recover more than 400 appliances from OakBridge. With scrap sales and other salvaged items, the effort will probably raise about $25,000, or a third or more of the cost of building a new home, Fortier said.</p>
<p>To raise the money, of course, the appliances and other goods have to be sold. On Thursday, with about half the appliances somewhere in the transportation process, Snider said the ReStore in the Northgate Village Shopping Center was already getting crowded.</p>
<p>Prices were being set low to help clear space, Snider said. Air conditioner prices start at $50, and ranges and refrigerators at $45, she said.</p>
<p>“It’s become critical that everyone who has a need for a refrigerator — now or in the future — come buy one,” Snider said.</p>
<h5>Reference: <a href="http://www.roanoke.com/news/local/christiansburg/habitat-shifts-gears-to-unbuild-housing/article_ca86cf41-5525-52e7-8068-326183e2efc8.html">Source</a></h5>Construction from destruction2015-12-15T03:53:03+00:00marketinghttp://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/author/marketing/http://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/construction-from-destruction/<h5>New River Valley Habitat for Humanity director Shelly Fortier stands in one of the units in the Oak Bridge apartment complex in Blacksburg. Habitat hopes to salvage as much of the materials and appliances as they can from the units during their “Unbuild” which will begin next week. Photo by Christina O’Connor special to The Roanoke Times</h5>
<h5>BLACKSBURG – In just more than a week the walls will start coming down at OakBridge apartments.</h5>
<p><img alt="" height="200" src="http://campusmgmtgroup.com/static/media/uploads/.thumbnails/open-uri20130521-13117-6ziah2.jpg/open-uri20130521-13117-6ziah2-300x200.jpg" width="300"/></p>
<h5>The razing of all 197 units is another step toward replacing the half-century-old complex with a more densely built student-oriented development called The Edge. Named for its proximity to Virginia Tech’s campus just across Prices Fork Road The Edge is a new project of developer Jeanne Stosser whose Campus Management Group has run OakBridge since the 1990s.</h5>
<h5>But OakBridge will be the site of an unusual project before demolition or construction crews move in. A swarm of Habitat for Humanity volunteers plans to race through an “Unbuild Blast” – basically the reverse of the blitz builds where Habitat crews put up a house in a day or a weekend.</h5>
<h5>In the Unbuild Blast scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday and last a week volunteers will strip appliances windows and other usable bits and pieces from as many of OakBridge’s apartments as they can get to. Everything will be carted off to the Habitat ReStore in Christiansburg to be sold as a fundraiser.</h5>
<h5>The salvage effort is the first such project attempted by the New River Valley Habitat chapter said Shelley Fortier the chapter’s new executive director.</h5>
<h5>And with an expected haul of more than 100 refrigerators more than 100 stoves and similar quantities of ceiling fans air conditioners and more it’s “definitely the greatest single ReStore donation we’ve ever had” Fortier said last week.</h5>
<h5>“I see it as a real full-cycle gift” that raises money for Habitat gives ReStore customers a bonanza of new wares and assists Campus Management Group with clearing the site Fortier said.</h5>
<h5>Campus Management Group is happy to help the Habitat chapter – and to have help preparing for the new construction Stosser said as she and Fortier looked over the apartment neighborhood Thursday.</h5>
<h5>“There’s no sense putting this stuff in a landfill” Stosser said.</h5>
<h5>Habitat workers have already started moving appliances out as student renters leave for the summer. The final leases at OakBridge end on Monday. The Unbuild begins the next morning and runs through May 27. After that workers will start leveling OakBridge. Continued salvage in some parts of the complex may or may not be possible beyond that point Stosser and Fortier said.</h5>
<h5>The Edge is designed to have 254 furnished apartments with 911 bedrooms – up from OakBridge’s present 354 bedrooms – grouped in suites. Campus Management Group and development partner CampusWorks a company based near Charlotte N.C. plan to have new apartments ready in July 2014.</h5>
<h5>Stosser said that the $40 million construction of The Edge feels like a milestone. Acquiring and renovating OakBridge was her first big development project she said. Stosser and her sons now her business partners lived in OakBridge at various times.</h5>
<h5>Some of Stosser’s projects like the Midtown Village proposal for the old Blacksburg Middle School that is now under a town review have met skeptical receptions from Blacksburg Town Council members. But Blacksburg Mayor Ron Rordam applauded The Edge Friday.</h5>
<h5>“The Edge is right across from campus and already a student housing area” Rordam wrote in an email. “It is ideal from an infill perspective. Students can walk and bike as opposed to ride. This is a place where the density seems right.”</h5>
<h5>For the Unbuild Blast the plan is to carry off appliances first then start on doors and windows Fortier said. A Tech group may turn the windows into cold frame kits that the ReStore can sell to gardeners she said.</h5>
<h5>Fortier said she has her eye on numerous other items around OakBridge like bulbs and plantings that she hopes gardening groups will help her retrieve. And she’d like a vinyl-coated chain-link fence that’s around the swimming pool.</h5>
<h5>And picnic tables. And electrical breakers.</h5>
<h5>Of the breakers “I’m a little nervous about getting them” Fortier confessed.</h5>
<h5>Habitat has about 75 people a tractor-trailer two flatbed trucks and an array of pickups signed up. Fortier said she hopes to find more volunteers – like an electrician.</h5>
<h5>For the less-specialized work Stosser had an idea for finding helpers.</h5>
<h5>“Any of the students who are staying around” she said and grinned “and want to really tear up an apartment…” </h5>
<h5><br>Reference: <a href="http://vts.cs.vt.edu/stories/291801">Source</a></br></h5>Old Fashioned Customer Service2015-12-14T13:03:30+00:00marketinghttp://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/author/marketing/http://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/old-fashioned-customer-service-for-jeanne-stosser-grayson-is-a-reminder-of-how-things-used-to-be/<p><strong>Old Fashion Customer Service: For Jeanne Stosser, Grayson Is A Reminder Of How Things Used To Be</strong></p>
<h2><img alt="Jonathan Kruckow, New River Valley Area Executive, left, and Jeanne Stosser, right." height="295" src="http://campusmgmtgroup.com/static/media/uploads/.thumbnails/jpic.png/jpic-350x295.png" width="350"/></h2>
<p>Grayson National Bank hasn’t been in Blacksburg very long, but Jeanne Stosser has. Her company, CMG Leasing, has been managing housing for Virginia Tech students since the 1970s. Then in the 1990s she and her sons Scott and Jeffrey began SAS Builders, which has done millions of dollars in residential and light commercial construction in the Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Radford areas over the last two decades. Needless to say, Jeanne is well known to the local banks. “Over the years we’ve done business with all the banks,” she says. But until recently she had never done business with Grayson National Bank, even though she was well aware of them.</p>
<p>“I grew up in Wythe County, so I was very familiar with Grayson County and I was familiar with GNB, but I had just never had an occasion to deal with them,” she says. However in 2012 the bank hired Jonathan Kruckow as their New River Valley Area Executive, with the objective of expanding the Grayson National Bank community banking philosophy to Blacksburg. Jeanne saw this as “a golden opportunity” to work with Grayson. “So we made an inquiry about financing a project through Grayson and it was just the most pleasant experience</p>
<p>I’ve ever had in dealing with a bank,” she says. “They were responsive, they were pleasant to work with, and it got handled in record time. So that’s where my relationship with the bank started – through one of their new representatives. They’ve been delightful to deal with.”</p>
<p>For Jeanne, her experience with Grayson reminds her of a time when community banks were the norm. “Working with Grayson takes me back many years to dealing with the original First National Bank, which was our lead bank. When I started they were all what I would call community banks, where it was like a neighborhood bank, and the people knew everybody and they knew who was there and what they were doing, and it was more of a comfortable, less institutional type relationship.” With the bigger banks, she finds that isn’t always the case. “I was with a larger lender, and you get lost in the shuffle sometimes in that arena,” she says.</p>
<p>Now that she and Grayson have begun working together, Jeanne plans to do more with the bank. “We would certainly like to expand the relationship,” she says. “We’ll use them as much as we can, and look forward to that.”</p>
<p>Customers like Jeanne represent the future of Grayson National Bank – new relationships in new and growing market areas, reminding people that good banking is really about good customer service. It’s an old fashioned idea, but it’s one that has worked for us for a long time, and these days we believe it makes more of a difference than ever.</p>
<p>Reference: Annual Report 2013 - <a href="http://www.graysonnationalbank.com">GraysonNationalBank.com</a></p>Berkadia Arranges $48M Loan for Student Housing Property Near Virginia Tech2015-12-11T16:23:55+00:00marketinghttp://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/author/marketing/http://campusmgmtgroup.com/press/berkadia-arranges-48m-loan-for-student-housing-property-near-virginia-tech/<p><img alt="The Edge Apartment Homes Blacksburg" height="195" src="http://rebusinessonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/918_TheEdge.jpg" width="260"/></p>
<h5>BLACKSBURG, VA. — Berkadia has arranged a $48 million loan for The Edge Apartment Homes, a newly constructed student housing property near Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. John M.R. Reed of Berkadia secured the 20-year, fixed-rate loan on behalf of the borrower, Related Properties I LLC, an affiliate of SAS Builders Inc., through a life insurance company. The fully occupied, 252-unit property features two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments and townhomes. Units are fully furnished and contain a washer and dryer. Amenities at the student housing community include high-speed internet, a fitness center, yoga room, student center, heated swimming pool, picnic area and a two-story clubhouse.</h5>
<h5>Berkadia, a joint venture of Berkshire Hathaway and Leucadia National Corp., provides capital solutions and investment sales advisory and research services for multifamily and commercial properties.</h5>
<h5>Reference: <a href="http://rebusinessonline.com/berkadia-arranges-48m-loan-for-student-housing-property-near-virginia-tech/">Source</a></h5>