Developments - The Michaels Organization

winter 2015
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Developments
Together We Build Communities
@michaels
Fish Tales & Other Stories for Employees of The Michaels Organization
The Michaels Organization
Educational Foundation Celebrates
25 Years of Supporting Dreams
Save the Date for The Michaels Organization’s First-Ever
VIRTUAL
TOWN HALL MEETING
March 5, 2015
1:00 PM
Eastern
Standard
Time
Employees of all of our companies
are invited to participate in a Town
Hall Meeting with The Michaels
Organization’s President John
O’Donnell. Learn more about The
Michaels Organization and its family of
companies, including Organizational
priorities for 2015.
The Meeting will take place live via
Google Hangouts and will be recorded
and posted to our private YouTube
channel. More information and training
on Google Hangouts will be
forthcoming soon.
We look forward to your participation!
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C o v e r S t o ry
2015 Marks Silver Anniversary for
The Michaels Organization Educational Foundation
The Michaels Organization is kicking
off a year of celebration in recognition
of 25 years of enhancing educational
opportunities for our residents through
our non-profit affiliate, The Michaels
Organization Educational Foundation.
Created by Mike and Pat Levitt in
1991, The Michaels Organization
Educational Foundation was the first
program of its kind in the affordable
housing industry. A quarter of a century
later, the foundation has bestowed
over 1,900 scholarships totaling more
than $4 million.
Students with a wide range of interests, grade point averages, and life
circumstances, including many non-traditional and older students from sites
across Interstate Realty Management’s
portfolio have taken advantage of the
scholarship program to defray the
costs of tuition at colleges, universities
and vocational training programs.
In 2006, the foundation expanded
the scholarship program to include
residents of the military housing communities we own and manage. Since
then, 163 military residents have also
benefited from the scholarships.
The program has grown exponentially
over the last 25 years. In 1991, the
foundation awarded eight scholarships,
totaling $11,000. Last year, the TMO
Educational Foundation bestowed a
record-breaking 184 scholarships totaling $503,000!
The foundation raises funds through its
annual golf tournament, and through
contributions from associates and vendors throughout The Michaels Organization’s business network.
A historical milestone for donations
took place three years ago, when
Torti Gallas and Partners, an architecture and planning firm that had been
Michaels Development Company’s
partner on The Estates at New Desire
in New Orleans, LA, contributed a major gift of $38,000 to specifically benefit
New Orleans resident scholars.
Of course, the most significant support for the Foundation comes from
Mike and Pat Levitt, who match every
private donation two-for-one.
According to Pat Levitt, she and Mike
believe that education is the key to
everything, and they are especially
gratified to see how many nontraditional students take advantage of the program, including single moms juggling
work, school, and raising children.
Talking about the scholarships a few
years ago, Pat told us: “There is a
point in your life when you say, I have
been so blessed, I want to give back.
By investing in these students’ education, we hope to encourage their success and hope they will ‘pay it forward’
to others in the future.”
2015
The foundation is now accepting applications for the 2015/2016 academic
year. Scholarship applications are
posted on Michaels website at www.
themichaelsorg.com. We ask all our
site staff to encourage residents to
apply!
Resident
Scholarship
Application Process
is Now Underway
Please encourage all residents with a
high school diploma or GED to apply
for scholarship funds for the 20152016 school year. The application can
be downloaded from The Michaels
Organizations website at www.TheMichaelsOrg.com
Important Dates and
Deadline for Resident
Scholarship Applicants
March 8, 2015: Suggested
deadline for college students to
request grade transcripts from their
registrars in order to assure that part
of the application will be received by
the Foundation prior to April 17, 2015.
April 17, 2015 FINAL
DEADLINE: to submit completed
application to: Dr. Bruce W. Johnson,
The Michaels Organization, 3 East
Stow Road, Suite 100, P.O. Box 994,
Marlton, New Jersey 08053-0994.
Awards will be
announced in May 2015.
August 3, 2015: Scholarship checks, made payable to
post-secondary institutions, will be
mailed via U.S. mail directly to the
post-secondary institution on behalf
of the scholarship recipient to help
pay for the student’s 2015-16 school
year costs.
2
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Wellness
Keep Those New Year’s Resolutions with
The Michaels Wellness Challenge!
It is time for The Michaels Organization’s 2015 Wellness Challenge! Bought to you in conjunction with Attentive Health, the
challenge is part of Michaels’ “Building Better Lives,” program
and a fun and easy way to earn points for your Passport to
Health. Remember that earning 100 points results in savings
on your Michaels-sponsored Health Insurance.
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M a n a g e m e n t R e p o rt s
IRM Announces Transition from RUMBA to RealPage
IRM President Mark Morgan recently announced that after decades of utilizing a
proprietary software developed in-house affectionately known as “RUMBA,” Interstate will be
transitioning to a third-party property management software solution.
Mark Morgan
Mark said the decision was made after much
discussion and following the completion of a
successful six-month trial across two districts.
The new software solution comes from RealPage, a leading provider of comprehensive
property management software to the multifamily industry.
Their product line covers the full
spectrum of accounting, leasing, compliance,
renters insurance, marketing services, resident
services, utility management, purchasing and
more. They currently service more than 10,000
of the nation’s top management companies,
representing over 9.5 million units, including
Michaels Management Services, which uses
their product for several of our military housing
communities.
RealPage is located in Carrollton, Texas and
currently has over 3,700 employees.
“They clearly have the depth and breadth to
meet our software solution needs now and in
the future,” Mark said, when making the announcement. Mark also said that he is very excited that the new, web-based platform should
allow sites and supervisors to maximize their
effectiveness and efficiency.
Benefits of the software include:
1. S
imple user interface to enter eligibility and
rent determination information.
2. Integrated suitability determination tools
(credit, landlord and criminal checks).

P l a n n i n g f o r R e a l Pa g e T r a i n i n g U n d e rway
With the transition from RUMBA to RealPage underway, plans are
already underway for the training that will be needed as each site
transitions over the next year. The training will be both online and in a
classroom, according to Walt Meremianian, The Michaels Organization’s
Director of Learning and Development, who is arranging the logistics for
the on-site training, which will take place at the corporate headquarters
in Marlton.
Two mobile classrooms are being set up at the Marlton office, fully
equipped with computers and fiber optic Internet Access, that will accommodate 32 students at time. Each student will start the training online via
the RealPage website and then follow that up with one week of hands-on
training time in the mobile classroom.
The training schedule is currently being planned. Ideally, sites will be
trained during the month the migration to the new software is occurring.
Regional property managers will alert students as they are selected
about the schedule and complete details about the training.
The sites that participated in the RealPage pilot program—Julie Ann
Duca’s and Tara Medina’s districts—are now fully “live” on the RealPage
system, along with the staff in the corporate office.
3. S
ingle entry rent payment process that posts
rent payments to resident ledgers and simultaneously prepares deposits to the bank.
asily understood resident ledgers with
4. E
better access and control.
etter cost controls on purchasing with
5. B
purchase approvals completed prior to
purchases instead of post purchase.
6. Resident
information posted live to the
system.
7. Integrated budgeting tools.
8. Creation of customizable reports by any user.
The transition plan calls for 100 percent of IRM
properties to be switched over to RealPage by
12/31/2015. The transition will be done by VP
and PM, and a schedule for the transition will
be shared with all IRM employees.
In making this announcement, Mark noted that
RUMBA has served us well for several decades, through much growth and success. The
change, he said, will be challenging, but he has
no doubt that his team will rise to the challenge.
“I am always buoyed by the spirit and tenacity of our IRM team to face challenges and
succeed. I have no doubt we will see the same
spirit and tenacity lift us to success in this transition,” Mark said.
4
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Well Done
IRM Staff
Recognized
for Notable
Achievements
in 2014
Congratulations to the
following teammates who
were recognized by their
supervisors for outstanding
service and to all the staff
at communities who received outstanding results
on their REACs, MORs
and Compliance Audits.
Many of these awards
were presented during the
District Meetings or Holiday events held at the end
of last year.
SUPERIOR AND EXCELLENT
MORs
Regency Park Apartments,
Coatesville, PA
Brigantine Homes, Atlantic City
EXCELLENT FILE REVIEWS
(NJHMFA)
Halls Corner, East Brunswick
NIA Apartments, Bridgeton, NJ
Robert Wood
Robert Woods - Maintenance
Super of the Year - Oak Ridge
Manor Apartments in Natchez,
MS
Adrienne Washington - Site
Manager of the Year - Wood Village Apartments in Jackson, MS
Horizons at Clifton 2 & 3, Clifton
Clinton Street Lofts, Clifton, NJ
Senior Horizons, Clifton, NJ
LOU TOMASO ROAD
WARRIOR AWARDS
Stela Cekani, Hall’s Corner
Andy Phillips, Sebastian Villa
Taratha Medina, Baxter Park
Jermaine Letren, Baxter Park
Fred Worley, Rowan Towers
John D’Amico, Pennsville
Towers
PM: Crystal Rayborn
Paul Conroy, Pennsville Towers
Barney Holdiness - Maintenance
Tech of the Year - Pendleton
Square Apartments in Philadelphia, MS
Antoine Sanford, Salem Towers
Lonnie Harris, Terry Apartments
Melvi Villatoro, Atlantic Marina
Arthur Taylor, Atlantic Marina
Adrienne Washington
PMs: Tara Medina, Rob Butler,
Richard White, and Paul
Sassani
EXCELLENT REACS
Salem Towers, Orange, NJ
Garrison Woods, Stafford, VA
NIA Apartments, Bridgeton, NJ
Barney Holdiness and Crystal
Rayborn
Whatcoat Village, Dover, DE
Lincoln Towers, Wilmington, DE
Atlantic Marina, Atlantic City, NJ
Ariel Dominguez, Atlantic Marina
Anderson Guerra, Kennsington
Townhouses
Rodgers White, Haddington
Elderly
Thomas Rodriguez, West Poplar
PM: Vicki Brutto and Maribeth
Scheidig
ABOVE AVERAGE AND
SUPERIOR MORs:
Coal Township Elderly, Coal
Township, PA - Superior
Hazlewood Apartments, Hazle
Township, PA - Superior
Timberland Apartments, Williamsport, PA - Above Average
Bangor Elderly, Bangor, PA Above Average
Rolling Hills, Pottstown, PA Above Average
Park Spring Apartments, Spring
City, PA - Superior
Easton Senior Citizens Housing,
Easton, PA - Superior
EXCELLENT REAC
Orchard Apartments, Camp Hill,
PA - 97B
Mallard Run Apartments, Camp
Hill, PA - 99a
Coal Township Elderly, Coal
Township, PA - 100A
Reading Elderly Housing,
Reading, PA - 96A
Bangor Elderly, Bangor, PA - 99B
Park Spring Apartments, Spring
City, PA - 96C
Rolling Hills Apartments,
Pottstown, PA - 90C
Zephyr Apartments, Whitehall,
PA - 98B
Special Appreciation for Help
with Village Park Apartments:
Shelly Bower, Timberland
Apartments
Janet Shannon, Timberland
Apartments
Michelle Reismiller, Hazlewood
Apartments
Tammy Anthony, Lansford
Townhouses
Amy Boston, Milton Village
Amanda DeWire, Mallard Run
Apartments
Amy Zeigenfuss, Lehighton
Elderly
Alan Gower, Lehighton Elderly
5
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Well Done
Mark Tappan, Lansford Townhouses
Gail Weierbach, Shirley Futch
Plaza
Mark Gonzalez, Shirley Futch
Plaza
Chad Smiley, Shirley Futch
Plaza
Mike Nastasee, Hazlewood
Apartments
Lisa Cameli, Mahanoy Elderly
Keith Tyson, Orchard Apartments
Heather Tare, Mallard/Orchard
Apartments
Nathalie Werst, Assistant to
Victoria Brutto
KIMBERLY STARR
RECOGNITION
Lisa Cameli, Mahanoy Elderly
Lou Tomaso Road
Warriors
Brian Fisher Hazlewood Apts
Luis Valladares - Park Spring
Apts
Michael Rivera - Main Street
Houses
Dean Weeks – Orchard Apts
Mario Torres – Strawberry Patch
Village
Brandon Wilson - Rolling Hills
Apts.
Piedmont Road Highrise,
Atlanta, GA 96a
Glenfield Apartments Score,
Orangeburg, SC 99
Road Warrior
Brian Fisher, Hazlewood
Apartments
PM: Gina Young
EXCELLENT REAC
Cypress Landing, Shreveport,
LA- 92
Yale Village, Houston, TX - 92
Chateau D’Orleans, New
Orleans, LA - 95
Times Square, Fort Worth,
TX - 98
EXCELLENT TAX CREDIT FILE
REVIEW/INSPECTION
Treasure Village, New Orleans,
LA - No Findings
ROAD WARRIORS
MOST IMPROVED
Times Square - Fort Worth, TX
PM: Mario Molano
Woodward Terrace
REAC 98A
Tax Credit HMFA file audit
Physical excellent
Battana Rodriguez
Adriana Lopez
Pacific Court Apartments
REAC 99-B
Battana Rodriguez
Adriana Lopez
Rafael Bernal
Alex Vega
Pacific Court HMFA Physical
inspection excellent
Battana Rodriguez
Adriana Lopez
Rafael Bernal
Alex Vega
Barbara Place
REAC 98-B
Eddie Jackson
Edwin Rodriguez
Eileen Flores
Lafayette Senior
REAC 92-B
Eddie Jackson
Edwin Rodriguez
Noel Castellanos
Glennview Townhomes
REAC 99-C
Eddie Jackson
Edwin Rodriguez
Battana Rodriguez
PM: Tracie A. Clemenz
Ramon Gantier - Times Square,
Fort Worth, TX
Carlos Martinez - Yale Village,
Houston, TX
Manny Caraballo - Yale Village,
Houston, TX
Rene Castro - Kings Row,
Houston, TX
Nesly Segovia - Yale Village,
Houston, TX
EXCELLENT FILE AUDITS/NO
FINDINGS
SPECIAL RECOGNITION REAC PREP
MANAGER OF THE YEAR:
SABRENA DIXON, Moorhead
Arbors at Lakeside, Jackson, MI
Hunters Run, Marion, IN
Hidden Ponds, Gas City, IN
Honey Creek, Haute, IN
Belleville Park, South Bend, IN
Nesly Segovia - Yale Village,
Houston, TX
n Average vacant days went
from 30 (10/1/12-10/1/13) to
14(10/1/13-10/1/14)
PM: Kevin Cook
PROPERTY OF THE YEAR
Chaparral Apartments - Midland,
TX
Excellent REAC
TURN-AROUND TEAM
OF THE YEAR
Peachtree Road Highrise,
Atlanta, GA 98a
Estates at New Desire - New
Orleans, LA
PM: Christy Stuckey
n Tenant Receivables is
$406.00
n Completed a MAJOR office
make-over. The office was never
updated during the previous
Manager’s Tenure.
n A noticeable change in the
Community when I visit. It’s
clean. People are not loitering.
No junk cars. She has a very
good rapport with her residents.
n Corrected certifications and
cleared all Delinquent Certifications.
n Very positive and willing to do
whatever to get the job done.
n Her COS thinks her paper-
work is submitted timely and
accurately and feel that Sabrena
submits any needed corrections
as soon as possible
SUPERINTENDENT OF THE
YEAR: TOMMIE MC CLUNG
n He has been by himself most
of his employment.
n The site had 55 vacancies
during the year which breaks
down to turning at least one unit
a week.
n He is always on time and
rarely misses work.
n NEVER complains about his
work load. His answer is I will
make it happen!!
n Promoted from Tech. to
Super.
TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR:
LISA CHAPMAN
n Always willing to go the extra
mile.
n Jumped right in when she
was placed at a difficult site.
n Continues to try to improve
her skillset daily. Will watch
Super. and Vendors to learn new
skills.
n Shows a genuine interest in
the residents of Crestview.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
ARLECIA BUSH, Terrence
Gardens, and CYNTHIA JAMES,
Beechlane
6
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Well Done
West Coast Division
Property Managers: Stacie
Brach, Mary Keskishian, and
Mike Richards
Assistant PM Kechia Barron’s
District
n Curb Appeal - Whitmore
Oaks - Ramon Jarero
n Go To Person - Colusa
Gardens- Tina Bell
n Helping Others -Pinewood
Manor - Rosalie Tamayo
n Most Improved Community Country Oaks - Terri Aragon
n Teamwork - Cloverdale Garden & Vineyard Manor- Ashley
and Robert DelRosario
Assistant PM Nickie Ross’
District
n Curb Appeal - Garden Apart-
ments
n Go To Person - San Andreas
- Shelly Wood
n Helping Others/Maintenance
- Mesa Grande - Mike Harding
n Helping Others/Office - East
Garden - Mary Atkinson
n Professional Under Fire
- Mesa Grande - Michelle
Shattuck
n Teamwork - East Garden Mary and Mike Atkinson
n Teamwork - Diamond Terrace
- Office Staff
n Most Improved Community -
Blackberry Oaks
Assistant PM Jeff Taft’s
District
n Curb Appeal - Alder Apart-
ments & Parlier Gardens
n Go To Person - Alder Apartments - Mayra Garcia & Woodlake Apts -Brandon Nielsen
n Helping Others/Maintenance
- Alder Apartments -Francisco
Ceballos & Porvenir Estates Robert Enciso Jr.
n Helping Others/Office
- Harvest Garden ApartmentsMiguelina Acantilado & Fowler
Apts - Debi Miller
n Most Improved Community Almond Garden Elderly - Team &
El Solyo Village- Team
Assistant PM Roxanne Cowee’s
District
n Curb Appeal - Newport Village - team
n Go To Person - Red Bluff
Apartments - Kim Williams and
Robert Lapriore
n Helping Others/Maintenance
- Corning Apartments - Jesus
Marin
n Helping Others/Office - Corning Apartments - Tana Bell
n Most Improved Community The Shadows Garden Apartments - Team
n Teamwork - Mountain Senior
Apartments - Linda Mosca and
William Shiperly
n Helping Others/Office Tehachapi Senior ApartmentsLeeAnn Alford
n Most Improved Community Bardsley Garden - Team
n Teamwork - Mulberry Villa
Apartments - Cheryl Belew &
Trent Taylor
Javier Nieves’ District
n Curb Appeal - Elwood Apts
- Roman Guzman & Rumen
Georgiev
n Go To Person - Desert Senior
- Gloria Valle
n Helping Others - Wright
Brothers Court - Scott Young
n Exceptional Community
Award - Lorena Heights -Sylvia
Caldera & Edgar Mancia
n Teamwork - Serrano Apart-
ments- Dora Hernandez & Saul
Jaurequi
California Employee of the
Year: Glenda Smith, Executive
Assistant/Office Manager, IRM
LODI
Michaels
Management
Services
Celebrates
Excellence
FT. BENNING, Kathy
Barry, Community
Director
Jose Figueroa Colon Excellence in Customer
Service Award due to
NUMEROUS positive ICE
comments from residents
Quincy Williams - Excellence in Work Order
Performance - most work
orders completed over all
other employees
East Main Post - Greatest
Reduction in Delinquency
Candy Miles
Maggie Portillo
Melanie Reinert
Jacqueline Mackey
Mike Smith - Most Valuable Player (nominated by
peers)
FT. HUACHUCA, Stacey
Loucks-Spivey, Senior
Community Director
Ivan Valenzuela received
“Employee of the Year”
by unanimous vote by all
his peers
Dawn Nielsen’s District
n Curb Appeal - Hallmark Apts Frankie Pearson
n Go To Person/Office Hallmark/Walnut Apts - Tammy
Puckett
n Go To Person/Maintenance
- The Ridge Apartments - Jerry
Figueroa
Glenda Smith
n Helping Others/Maintenance
- Wasco-Sunset ApartmentsEleazar Alvarado
Ivan Valenzuela
7
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the mike in michaels
By Michael J. Levitt
Chairman & CEO
Year in Review 2014:
Another Year of Growth for The Michaels Organization
Our Founder and CEO, Michael Levitt,
presented his annual “State of The Michaels
Organization” address at the corporate
holiday party on December 12. Here are
excerpts of his remarks.
“
I just love every year when I
can give you this “state of the
company” address.
We have eight different companies,
all run by superstars. We have a
President, John O’Donnell, and a
Chief Financial Officer, Joe Purcell,
who do an incredible job of overseeing it all. Our team now comprises
1,873 teammates across the country.
We manage 45,541 units and house
108,918 residents. Can you imagine
that over 100,000 tenants!
About Our Companies
Michaels Development
Company
At MDC, 2014 was an active year. By the end
of the year, MDC will have started construction or renovations on 10 properties comprising 794 units, with a total value of $194
million. In addition, we will have completed
and closed-out the financing of another 9
properties. MDC’s whole team contributed to
this success.
We are ramping up for a big year in 2015.
With lots of hard work and more than a little
luck, we anticipate taking full advantage of
New Jersey’s Hurricane Sandy and new
state tax credit program with as many as 6
closings; getting 2 new projects in Chicago
underway; closing on deals in Philadelphia
and Washington, DC, two cities we haven’t
worked in a for while; and developing, for the
first time, projects in Atlanta and suburban
Denver, continuing our successful development efforts out of our Lodi office and in
Tennessee.I am sure 2015 is going to be a
very profitable year.
Michaels Military Housing
and Michaels Management
Services
For 2014, our military housing companies led
by Ron Hansen, earned fees for management and development with just under $7
Million in commissions. Gross rents totaled
$197,000,000 and units total 10,569. We
continue to work at 7 locations: Ft. Huachu-
USL continues to
manage a pipeline
of new business
exceeding $1 billion
in value. In less than
three years, USL has
become one of the
premiere developers
of student housing
in the country.
ca, Yuma Proving Grounds, Ft. Belvoir, Ft.
Benning, McDill Air Force Base, Ft. Leavenworth, and Andrews Air Force Base.
In 2014, we finished development at Ft. Huachuca, building 201 new single family homes
and a phenomenal community center with a
cooking class theater with cameras just like
the cooking channel! Military Housing did
$100 Million in development. At Ft. Leavenworth, we are are in the last phase of a $280
Million development plan, the last homes
built in partnership with Prestige Building
Company and local homebuilders.
Heather Plummer, Sherri Farris, Bill Sweeney
and Rand Howes continue doing a great job
keeping all the military bases running like
clockwork despite government budget cuts
and occupancy challenges.
University Student Living
University Student Living, under the
leadership of Joe Coyle, grew from 11 to 18
employees in 2014, while completing four
development projects in four states totaling over $100 million, and starting six new
projects in five states with projected costs
exceeding $300 million. Joe has completed
or has under construction student housing
communities in Mobile, Alabama; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Waco, Texas; three in
Minneapolis, Minnesota. two in Cambridge
Massachusetts; Houston and San Antonio,
Texas, and Boise, Idaho. That adds up to
more than 3,000 student housing beds and
1,500 apartment units!
Ron Hansen, Mike Kruse and Teri Polidora
used their experience successfully building
military housing to assist University Student
Living’s On-Campus Student Housing team
in their selection for an On-Campus deal
at Kean University. Kean has been a long
fight but perseverance has restarted the
project and we are now looking for a 2016
delivery of a 384 bed freshman building at
the university. They have worked alongside
student housing’s Rhonda Johannesen,
Anthony Simeone and Mark Gleason to get
short listed on three other projects, all against
national competition.
Student housing selected Prestige Building
Company as the general contractor on at
least three USL projects totaling nearly $60
million in construction contracts.
8
{
the mike in michaels
Mike Levitt
Before introducing Mike Levitt,
The Michaels Organization President John O’Donnell said
we could all be very proud of our organization’s past and that
we all have a part in shaping its future.
USL continues to manage a pipeline of new
business exceeding $1 billion in value. In
less than three years, USL has become one
of the premiere developers of student housing in the country.
Prestige Building Company
Our general contracting company, led by
Russell Maynard had a great year, completing approximately S50 million in construction
contracts.
Prestige provided ownership representation to University Student Living projects for
the first part of the year to ensure projects
remained on schedule for the successful
completion of projects in Waco, Cambridge,
and Minneapolis. I must tell you that Minneapolis had the worst winter weather in
years, some days 19 below zero, so you can
imagine what that did to construction. Rick
Armstrong was behind the creation and hiring of the successful team that is carrying the
ball for USL’s construction needs. Rick has
been outstanding this year.
Prestige Building has closed and completed
8 projects in 2014 (two in Needles, one in
Oakdale, CA, Shreveport LA, Wilmington
DE, Laurel DE, Ft. Leavenworth renovations,
Brigantine NJ); and started six new projects
in 2014 with billings of $50 million. We were
awarded third party housing authority work
and three renewable Job Order contracts
with the City of Philadelphia with a potential
value of $15 million dollars per year over a
five-year period.
The greatest challenge we faced and met
is in the US Virgin Islands, Prestige has
purchased and shipped in all the heavy
equipment including a 60 ton tower crane
to self-perform the structural building and
site utility work. The logistics of this project
is nothing like we have ever witnessed but
the flow has been seamless by choosing the
right leaders on Island. The current in-house
work staff on the Island is approximately 70
tradesmen and tradeswomen including the
youth build training program we participate
in. Prestige Building Company currently
employs close to 100 full-time employees
when just 8 years ago, we had two.
Prestige Affordable Housing
Equity Partners
When Sebastian Corradino joined us last
year to grow our tax credit syndication business, he started with 4 employees. He now
has 10 and is growing. His profit for the first
full year 2014 is in excess of $1.5 million
and his forecast for 2015 is many times that.
The equity he raised this year is over $120
million and his 2015 projections are $200
million. Wow! His initial investor banks are
Bank of America, TD Bank, Us Bank and
now includes RBS Citizens Bank of the West
and Suntrust.
Interstate Realty
Management
Interstate Realty Management Company,
led by Mark Morgan, now has a portfolio of
32,652 units, gross rents of $262,625,000
and 71,598 tenants!
The biggest event at IRM this year was the
retirement of Jim Bleiler after 32 years. Don
Miller has stepped into those shoes and has
done a terrific job of leading the financial staff
of IRM. He has brought new energy, insight
and knowledge to his new role. We are so
glad to have him back in the family.
Speaking of retirement, Charlie Ramos
recently decided to reduce his work commitments to spend more time with family and
personal projects. We are very pleased that
we could look inside the organization and
promote Diane Wersler to assume leader-
9
{
the mike in michaels
ship of the lease-up team. Based on her
knowledge and experience, we expect great
things from Diane and the terrific team that
Charlie has assembled over the years.
Mark Getson and his staff of Kevin Cook and
Joe Winkler continue to impress the Atlanta
Housing Authority with routine excellent
scores on their audits and inspections. With
the assistance of Darrell Williams he has
also successfully brought into the portfolio
Walnut Park Plaza, a very challenging third
party management opportunity in Philadelphia that came with about $115,000 in
management fees.
Sandy Cipollone has brought aboard two
large fee management properties in North
Jersey: Colt Arms in Patterson and Lincoln
Towers in Newark, totaling over 400 units
and over $200,000 of fees. She also contin-
ued her run of successful golf outings benefiting our scholarship foundation. This year
Sandy and her wonderful team of volunteers,
including Cheryl Hernandez and Melanie
Gilbert, raised $124,000 that will go directly
to scholarships for our deserving residents.
Roger Williams’ portfolio has performed
extremely well and Chuck Durnin continues
to produce results within his portfolio even
while having to deal with some of our most
challenging properties down in New Orleans.
Continental Mortgage Corp
The CMC team, led by Jim Miller, got a boost
late last year by the addition of Ralph Massaro who now has a year under his belt in
this important role. I should also mention that
Corey Tuccillo continues to grow in his role
with Continental and we look forward to big
things from him.
Mike Levitt’s Teammate of the Year
Sasha-Gaye Angus, vice
president of Michaels
Development Company
2014
At the annual holiday party in Marlton,
Mike announced that Sasha-Gaye
Angus, vice president of Michaels Development Company, was his 2014 “Teammate
of the Year.” Mike recognized Sasha for her
amazing work in 2014, including closing
out O’Donnell Heights Phase I in Baltimore
and Reddick Senior in Franklin, TN, and
collecting 100% of our development fees.
She successfully applied for 9% tax credits
for the 2nd phase of Reddick. We’ll close
early next year utilizing HUD’s new Section
8 RAD program. Mike noted that Sasha,
Joel and Brandon did such a great job in
Baltimore that the Mayor announced at
the grand opening that a 2nd phase would
proceed. And, in Washington, DC, Sasha
cultivated the relationships that led to
Michaels being named the co-developer
of South Cap Apartments, a 215-unit affordable rental development for which we
were recently awarded $20 million in gap
funding. That should lead to a 2015 closing.
Congratulations Sasha!
The CMC team routinely reviews the
Michaels portfolio in an effort to both mitigate
problems as well as capitalize on opportunities. Jed Henderson is getting so good at
developing and executing these plans that
we promoted him to Vice President this year
and gave him a private office!
Last year, there was a code change in Illinois
which necessitated capital improvements
at a development that routinely operated at
a deficit. To make matters worse, a second
mortgage was due in 2016. A solution was
developed and a successful application to
participate in HUD’s RAD program led to
quick short-term financing which ultimately
significantly increased revenue. While the
initial plan was to execute long-term
financing to pay off the short-term debt and
undertake the capital additions, the value
created was so significant that the development has been sold.
Kelly Mecca continues to do a great job
executing on the refinance transactions
and Lynda Flink continues to do a great job
servicing our investors and obtaining the
consents necessary to proceed with capital
transactions. During 2014, Continental
oversaw the closings of five loans totaling
over $21.7 million.
During this past year, the sales of several
properties have closed. These sales allowed
the organization to recover nearly $2 million
in advances and take out $2.8 million in
equity.
Continental is currently negotiating agreements of sale for three developments that, if
successful, should bring in over $4 million. In
all, Jim’s team contributed cash flow to The
Michaels Organization of $9 million.
Congratulations to my whole
team on another great year
year!
10
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Site-ings
Winteringham Village Nurtures
Partnership with Toms River Police
Department
Winteringham Apartments in Toms River
New Jersey had a strong partnership with
their local police department, the TRPD.
Last spring, the police department approached Winteringham’s site manager,
Terry D’Amato about sponsoring an
officer to bicycle to Washington, DC in
order to participate in the national Police
Unity Tour, which honors fallen policemen and
policewomen. The Police Unity Tour honors the
fallen, while helping to support their families in
the knowledge that their sacrifices in the line of
duty will not forgotten. In appreciation of IRM’s
Kuhio Park Celebrates Unity Day
2013 MESP S
Name
Adams, Tony
Antoine, Khalifa
support of this important event, the
Toms River
Boczkowski,
Amanda
Bower, Justin
Police Department recently presented
the staff of
Canaday, Steven
Winteringham with a Crystal Statute,
Cline, recognizing
Caitlin
Conners, Lacey
their commitment to the local police
department
Conroy, Cristina
Daroshefski, Nicholas
as well as fallen officers nationwide.
Davis, Katelyn
Davis, Nicole
Eastburn, Jamie
Fida, Giavanna
Fida, Giuseppe
Glenn, Jason
Halley, Lauren
Howard, Jayme
Kony, Resy
Longmire, Tyler
Lugli, Colleen
Malusis, Macey
Merrick, Avery
Mitch, Mike
Ridge, Logan
Rola, Allyson
Rola, Stephen
Scanlon, Dillon
Scholar. School
Amount
Year
$3500
$3500
$1000
$1000
$3000
$3500
$1500
$2500
$3500
$1500
$3000
$1500
$1000
$1000
$2000
$3000
$2000
$2000
$3500
$3500
$3500
$2000
$2200
$3000
$1500
$2500
$2000
Junior
Fresh.
Senior
Junior
Junior
Soph.
Fresh.
Junior
Fresh.
Junior
Fresh.
Senior
Soph.
Fresh.
Fresh.
Fresh.
Soph.
Fresh.
Fresh.
Fresh.
Soph.
Soph.
Fresh.
Junior
Junior
1st Yr.
Soph.
Chesapeake Coll.
Barry Univ.
East Stroudsburg
Lock Haven Univ.
Clemson Univ.
Camden CC
Undecided
Cumberland CC
Drexel Univ.
Burlington CC
Rich. Stock. College
Washburn Univ.
Widener Univ.
Delaware CCC
Penn State-Altoona
Westminster Choir Coll.
Bradley Univ.
Grand Canyon Un.
Camden CC
Wm. Paterson U.
Salem CC
Camden CC
PA Coll. of Tech.
Rutgers
Nyack College
Harvard Law School
Univ. of Kansas
Our community on the big island of Hawaii, The Towers
of Kuhio Park, was the site of a fabulous festival called
A Cultural Celebration of Unity this past October. The
event, organized by Betters Tomorrows’ Director of
Social Services at Kuhio Park, Anni Peterson, honors
Pacific Nation kinship with a day of dance, music, food,
art, crafts, games, and fun had by all! You can check out
a great video of the event on You Tube.
11
{
Site-ings
Cline, Caitlin
Conners, Lacey
Conroy, Cristina
Daroshefski, Nicholas
Davis, Katelyn
Davis, Nicole
Eastburn, Jamie
Fida, Giavanna
Fida, Giuseppe
Glenn, Jason
Halley, Lauren
Howard, Jayme
Kony, Resy
Longmire, Tyler
Lugli, Colleen
Malusis, Macey
Merrick, Avery
Mitch, Mike
Name
Scholar.
Ridge, Logan Amount
Adams, TonyRola, Allyson $3500
Rola, Stephen $3500
Antoine, Khalifa
Scanlon, Dillon $1000
Boczkowski, Amanda
Bower, Justin
$1000
Canaday, Steven
$3000
Cline, Caitlin
$3500
Conners, Lacey
$1500
Conroy, Cristina
$2500
Daroshefski, Nicholas
$3500
Davis, Katelyn
$1500
Davis, Nicole
$3000
Eastburn, Jamie
$1500
Fida, Giavanna
$1000
Fida, Giuseppe
$1000
Glenn, Jason
$2000
Halley, Lauren
$3000
Howard, Jayme
$2000
Kony, Resy
$2000
Longmire, Tyler
$3500
Lugli, Colleen
$3500
Malusis, Macey
$3500
Merrick, Avery
$2000
Mitch, Mike
$2200
Ridge, Logan
$3000
Rola, Allyson
$1500
Rola, Stephen
$2500
Scanlon, Dillon
$2000
A Love Letter from a Grateful
Wood’s Edge Resident
Zariyah Collins, a young resident
of Northbridge Court in Moncks
Corner, SC, has won the 7-­9
grade category for the state
of South Carolina and is the
overall winner in the Poster
Contest sponsored annually by
the National Affordable Housing
Management Association. Zariyah
will be recognized at the SAHMA
state meeting in March. Thank
you Northbridge’s Site Manager
Angela Shelton for sharing this
good news with us.
$3500
Camden CC
$1500
Undecided
$2500
Cumberland CC
$3500
Drexel Univ.
$1500
Burlington CC
$3000
Rich. Stock. Colle
$1500
Washburn Univ.
$1000
Widener Univ.
$1000
Delaware CCC
$2000
Penn State-Altoo
Westminster Choir C
$3000
$2000
Bradley Univ.
$2000
Grand Canyon Un
2013 MESP
S
$3500
Camden
CC
$3500
Wm. Paterson U.
$3500
Salem CC
$2000
Camden CC
$2200
PA Coll. of
Tech.
School
Year
$3000
Rutgers
$1500
Nyack College
Chesapeake
Coll.
Junior
$2500
Sch
Barry
Univ. Harvard Law
Fresh.
$2000
Univ. of Kansas
East
Stroudsburg
Senior
Lock Haven Univ.
Junior
Clemson Univ.
Junior
Camden CC
Soph.
Undecided
Fresh.
Cumberland CC
Junior
Drexel Univ.
Fresh.
Burlington CC
Junior
Rich. Stock. College Fresh.
Washburn Univ.
Senior
Widener Univ.
Soph.
Delaware CCC
Fresh.
Penn State-Altoona Fresh.
Westminster Choir Coll.
Fresh.
Bradley Univ.
Soph.
Grand Canyon Un.
Fresh.
Camden CC
Fresh.
Wm. Paterson U.
Fresh.
Salem CC
Soph.
Camden CC
Soph.
PA Coll. of Tech.
Fresh.
Rutgers
Junior
Nyack College
Junior
Harvard Law School 1st Yr.
Univ. of Kansas
Soph.
Lansford Townhouses Loves Christmas
Tammy Anthony, Community
Manager at Lansford Townhouses in Lansford, PA, shared
these great photos of the property’s Christmas event held on
Dec. 13. The theme was “Love
Your Children.” Property staff
arranged for local organizations
to donate treats and gifts, and
also a visit from the “guest of
honor” Santa. Resident Heather
Gray deserves much credit for
taking took the leadership role
in decorating, wrapping and
baking for this event, where
everyone had a blast!
12
{
Site-ings
A Little Holiday Help
at Brookside
Brookside manager Jenishah
Johnson and Assistant Manager
Daryl McMillan along with HANH
CARES Social Workers distribute
turkeys to families at our New
Haven, Connecticut community.
O’Donnell Heights Resident
Association Recognizes MDC
Eden Ducan Smith (second from left) who stars in the hit
movie Annie, gave this photo to Haddington Elderly to
thank the manager Jacqueline Clay and her staff at the
apartment community for giving her grandmother, Vera
Tegue, “a beautiful place to live.”
Belmont Heights Little League Wins Tournament
Thank you to our Belmont Heights Estates teammates for sharing this news: The youth baseball team
sponsored by our Belmont property won five consecutive games over a weekend last April to win a Little
League Tournament in Clearwater, Florida. Called the
Red Sox of Belmont Heights, the team is coached by
Antoine Henderson and Vernon Pearson and managed by Quentin Moore. Following their championship
win, the team was featured in the local newspaper.
13
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m i l i ta ry m at t e r s
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MMS Employee Aaron Vaughn Goes Above and Beyond to
Prepare for Presidential Visit to Harbor Bay Communities
It’s not everyday that the President of The United States shows
up where you work, but that’s
exactly what happened at MacDill
Air Force Base, where Michaels
Management Services manages
the family housing.
Our community manager,
Amanda Bailey, got word that
a “special visitor” was set to arrive and she
set about getting everything ready. Amanda
went to her “go to guy” Aaron Vaughn, who
is Michaels Management Services’ Facilities
Manager at MacDill. Before Aaron even knew
who the special visitor was going to be, he
jumped into action, and he had every part of
our community there looking great, including
the Community Center, in an amazingly short
time. According to Amanda, this was quite an
extraordinatory feat, considering that there
was a major resident event going on that
Aaron Vaugh
same day, and several enhancements were
needed to the Community Center
for security reasons, as a result of
the Presidential visit.
Everyone at Michaels Management Services, from the President, Ron Hansen, to
Heather Plummer, the senior vice president,
and Amanda Bailey credited Aaron for the
ultimate success of the Presidential visit, and
for going the extra mile for us on this very
special occasion.
Our CEO, Michael Levitt, was so impressed
when he heard about it, he sent Aaron a
personal letter of thanks. Mike wrote: “It
is wonderful that we impressed the President and his special guests, but it’s just as
important to me that every day you and your
team exceed expectations to ensure that our
residents love their homes and can take pride
in their community. We are proud to call you
teammate.”
President Barack Obama
poses for a photo with
Michaels Management
Services’ Community
Manager Amanda Bailey
and Assistant Community Manager, Kellie Yancy,
during a visit to the
Harbor Bay Community
Center in Tampa, Florida.
The President was greeting military families
at a military spouse
appreciation reception
held at our Harbor Bay
Community Center at
McDill Air Force Base,
Sept. 16, 2014. (Official
White House Photo by
Pete Souza)
H e r o e s A mo n g U s
Yuma Teammate Honored for Lifesaving Action
Our teammates who work for Michaels
Military Housing and Michaels Management Services “House Heroes and
Serve Families,” at our military housing
communities, but sometimes they are
heroes themselves. Case in Point: Our
warehouse and work order coordinator
at Yuma Proving Grounds, Angel Medel, and his wife Chona were recently
honored by the Yuma Fire Department
for aiding a car crash victim.
Both Angel and his wife, along with two
other Yuma residents, were publicly
recognized by the Mayor of Yuma
and the Yuma Fire Chief at a City Hall
meeting in January for their efforts in
helping a crash victim escape a burning vehicle.
According to a newspaper article in the
Yuma Sun, the Medels were driving
on Giss Parkway on Nov. 1, when they
saw smoke and flames off the side of
the road. The couple realized it was a
vehicle crash and they stopped to see
if they could help. While his wife called
911 to report the crash, Angel went to
see if anyone was inside. He did not
see a driver, but had seen a child safety seat and was concerned there was
a child inside. He found that there was
no child present in the vehicle. Along
with another couple who also stopped
to help, they were able to move the
driver to a safe distance away from
the burning car. Then, the Medels and
the other couple waited with the driver,
talking to him and keeping him calm
until emergency personnel arrived.
Maggie Poffenroth, the Housing
Specialist at Desert Oasis Communities, who shared the story with us said
the team at Yuma has taken to calling
Angel and his wife Chona “batman
and wonder woman” for their amazing
deed!
Our Yuma Proving Ground
colleague Angel Medel (far
rigth) his wife Chona, along
with another couple, were
honored by the Yuma Fire
Department and the Yuma
Mayor for their heroic
actions aiding a car crash
victim.
14
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m i l i ta ry m at t e r s
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New Community Center at Ft. Leavenworth Features State-of-the-Art Television System
Cooking Classes for Residents Now Just Like the ‘Food Network’
The brand new Community Center at
Fort Leavenworth Frontier Heritage
Communities, developed by Michaels
Military Housing and built by Prestige
Building Company, features a gorgeous new multipurpose room with
a fully equipped kitchen. The kitchen
even features strategically placed
cameras over the stovetop that gives
residents enjoying one of the cooking
events sponsored by Michaels Management Services an up close look at
what the instructors are doing on the
big screen TVs in the room.
The community room features two
televisions and a projector screen
with cameras so participants can get
close-up views of the preparation
and instructions during the demonstration. The two cooking classes held so far, including one held in November to
showcase secrets of a successful turkey with all the fixings
have proved extremely popular.
The new community center, which had its grand opening in
September 2014 also features a fully equipped fitness center, a
child’s playroom, a cyber center with free WiFi, a playground, and
a patio area with picnic tables.
Deb Healy, FHC assistant community manager, said the
room provides a casual and intimate environment and the
residents think it’s fabulous.
Residents can “rent” the multipurpose room, which is large
enough to hold up to 72 people, at no charge, and it’s been
very popular for holiday parties, bridal and baby showers,
and a wide variety of other family functions.
15
{
Ku d o s
Fort Huachuca Named Military Development
Project of the Year
Property Manager
of the Year Megan
Hannon
Multi Housing News, a leading online
real estate magazine, presented its
2014 Military Development Project
of the Year Award to Fort Huachuca,
Sierra Vista, Arizona. One of the
last military housing projects to be
privatized, Ft. Huachuca is a $102
million development, where Michaels
Military Housing has completed 201
new homes and 110 renovations of
existing homes. Both the current and
former Army Garrison Commanders who oversee Ft. Huachuca have
said the post now offers “The best
housing in the Army.”
Multi Housing News also recognized
Michaels Management Services’
Megan Hannon, Community Manager of Desert Oasis Communities
at Yuma Proving Grounds, Yuma,
Ariz. as a Property Manager of the
Year. Among Megan’s achievements
are an occupancy rate consistently
above 93 percent, creating new
marketing and resident retention
initiatives, and fostering an open and
productive relationship with Army
partners.
“We are very proud of Megan and
the team at Ft. Huachuaca,” said
Ronald J. Hansen, president of
Michaels Military Housing and Michaels Management Services. “They
are truly deserving of these awards;
they dedicate every day to providing
both wonderful housing and a great
community environment for our service members and their families.”
John O’Donnell, Heather
Plummer, Ron Hansen, Megan Hannon, Joe Gandara,
Stacy Loucks, Heather
Beardon are presented
with the Military Development Project of the Year
award for Ft. Huachuca at a
ceremony in New York City
this past October.
Lincoln Towers Honored for Excellence
Lincoln Towers, an affordable seniors housing community
in Wilmington, DE, developed by Michaels Development
Company in partnership with the Wilmington Housing Authority, was named the “Editor’s Choice” Award winner by
Affordable Housing Finance magazine in its 2014 Readers Choice Awards. The annual Readers’ Choice Awards
honor the nation’s best affordable housing developments.
Lincoln Towers, one of the “greenest” developments in
the city of Wilmington, features a city fire station on the
ground level.
16
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s ta f f d e v e l o p m e n t s
Promotions, Etc.
Walt Meremianin named
Michaels’ Director of
Learning and Development
In September, Walter Meremianin, who
for the the last several years had served
as IRM’s Director of Training and Media
Services, was named Director of Learning
and Development, a newly created position
within The Michaels Organization’s Human
Resources department. In this new role,
Walt is working with
the HR team to assess
job-related learning and
development needs on
an organization-wide
basis and implementing
training and developWalt Meremianin
ment programs and
solutions for employees across all of our
companies. With Walt’s transfer to human
Resources, learning and development becomes a corporate function, supporting the
entire organization. He reports to our Human
Resources Vice President, Donna Jack.
Beth Dudley Promoted to
Director of Compliance
Congratulations to Beth Dudley who in
November was named IRM’s new Director of
Compliance. Beth has been with Interstate
for more than 25 years and has capably
served in the role of Billing Supervisor for
the last 10 years. Prior to that Beth was the
Assistant Billing Supervisor for more than 14
years. During the course of that time, she
has been instrumental in developing policies
and procedures to
ensure our compliance
with HUD rules and
regulations, while also
ensuring our ability to
collect subsidies from
HUD and other agencies in a timely fashion.
In her new role, Beth’s
assumes
global corpoBeth Dudley
rate responsibility for our tax credit, mixed
finance, and Section 8 billing functions.
on the new policy and procedures coordinator position.
Jed Henderson Now a Vice
President with CMC
Tara Medina Named Regional
Property Manager, Bessie
Hampton Takes on New
Portfolio
Congratulations to
Jed Henderson, who
recently accepted
the position of
Vice President of
Asset Management
with Continental
Mortgage Corp. Jed
has been a valuable
Jed Henderson
member of the
Asset Management team since its’ inception
and most recently served as CMC’s asset
manager. For nearly 15 years Jed’s efforts
have been instrumental in shaping the portfolio of properties comprising The Michaels
Organization.
Robin Madison Takes
on New Role
In October, IRM President Mark Morgan
announced that long-time regional property
manager Robin Madison, had agreed to
step away from that role for the next several
months to a year, in order to take charge of
updating and finalizing a new Policies and
Procedures Manual for Interstate Realty
Management. This massive undertaking
requires Robin to look at all of IRM’s current
policies, identify gaps, standardize procedures, and draft new policies.
Debby Kiselich Steps Up
to Property Manager
Debby Kiselich
Congratulations and
thanks to Debby
Kiselich, who had
been serving ably as
Robin Madison’s assistant, for stepping
into the regional
property manager
role as Robin takes
IRM has announced
that Tara Medina,
previously the site
manager of Baxter
Park in Newark, NJ,
has been named a
regional property
manager responsible for more than
Bessie Hampton
1200 units in 10
properties throughout New Jersey. She takes
over Bessie Hampton’s former portfolio.
Meanwhile, we wish Bessie Hampton well
following her recent transfer to the sunshine
state, where she is now responsible for
IRM’s Florida portfolio.
Rebecca Gabel Now
Managing Rolling Hills
Apartments
Rebecca Gabel
Our best wishes and
warm congratulations to Rebecca
Gabel who has
been promoted
from Leasing Agent
to Community
Manager of Rolling
Hills Apartments in
Pottstown, PA.
Kelvin Hilario Promoted to
Community Manager
Congratulations to Kelvin Hilario who was recently promoted
to Community Manager of Little
Lehigh Manor in Allentown, PA.
Kelvin was previously an assistant at Bethlehem Townhouse I
in Bethlehem, PA.
Kelvin Hilario
17
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Developing Stories
Governor Visits Jazz Court in Delaware
Currently in the final stages of lease-up, Michaels Development Company’s Jazz Court, an affordable housing community just about completed in Wilmington,
Delaware, was a stop on the Governor’s agenda in
October, when the state was hosting its annual Governor’s Conference on Housing. Governor Jack Markell
and Delaware State Housing Authority Executive Director Anas Ben Addi enjoyed a “hard hat” tour of Jazz
Court, and were duly impressed! Prestige Building
Company is the general contractor for this community,
which when fully complete, will offer 16 three-bedroom
and 28 two-bedroom units, affordable to families earning between 30% and 50% of the Area Median Income
in Wilmington’s Walnut Street neighborhood.
Michaels, JCHA Break Ground on
Catherine Todd
In December, The Michaels Organization hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for Catherine Todd Apartments, an
outdated public housing community in Jersey City, NJ, that
is being completely modernized as part of the Jersey City
Housing Authority’s revitalization plan for the McGinley
Square-Montgomery Street Corridor. An important affordable
housing resource in Jersey City for decades, Catherine Todd
Apartments is a 10-story high-rise serving seniors with lowincomes. When the substantial rehabilitation of the interior
and exterior of the apartments as well as the building’s
major systems is complete, Catherine Todd will offer 68 new,
modern apartments for those aged 62 and over who earn
less than 60 percent of the area’s median income. Five of
the apartments will be reserved for senior citizens who are
currently homeless.
Additionally, newly created spaces will facilitate a wide
range of social services, emphasizing wellness and resident
empowerment, that are focused on allowing residents to live
independently as long as possible.
Financing for the $22.5 million renovation includes $11
million in private equity generated from the sale of federal
low income housing tax credits, which were syndicated by
Prestige Affordable Housing Equity Partners. The General
Contractor is Prestige Building Company. Construction is
expected to be complete by April 2016.
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C a m p us C o r n e r
University Student Living Opens Two New Housing Communities
The View on 10th
700 on Washington, Minnepolis, MN
USL’s The View on 10th, located in Waco, Texas, is
now open. The development is a 257-unit, 718-bed
student housing community serving the students of
Baylor University. The apartments are fully furnished, each unit with a balcony or patio, private
bedrooms and bathrooms, and full-size washer and
dryer. Amenities include a clubhouse, spa pool,
fitness center, tanning, pet park, and a controlledaccess garage parking.
The 700 on Washington is located in the Stadium
Village Neighborhood of downtown Minneapolis,
across the street from the University of Minnesota’s
Alumni Center and a block away from the University’s new TCF Bank Stadium. This 98-unit, 265-bed
student housing complex is supplemented with 49
garage parking spaces and approximately 11,660
SF of ground floor retail space.
USL on the Fast Track
to Success
This photo, taken at the corporate holiday party, gives a vivid picture of how much University Student Living has grown since The Michaels Organization launched its student housing
company in April 2011. We’ve now got the best team in the business overseeing a growing
pipeline of both off-campus and on-campus housing developments. Shown from left to
right: Gerry Coyle, Tom George, Rand Schaper, Wade Tutt, Anthony Simeone, Joe Coyle,
Mark Gleason, Steve Hillebrand, Dale McCullough and George Dudo. Sitting left armrest
to right armrest Jim Malesich, Barb Hansen, Alexa Wylie, Patti Reed, Rhonda Johannesen,
Anne Burns, Kristina Vagen and Roger Black. [Mike Cassarino is not pictured]
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good works
IRM’s 2014 Toy Drive
Brightens Christmas for
Hundreds of Children
More than 200 children who live in
IRM properties across the country had their holidays brightened
thanks to the annual IRM Toy Drive.
For more than 20 years, employees
at the home office and from sites
have “adopted a family,” at the holidays and donate toys, clothes, and
other goodies to be shared with that
family from “Santa.” This year, site
managers from 92 of our properties
recommended a family who would
benefit from this extra help.
Annual Golf Tournament Raises
$124,000 for The Michaels
Organization’s Education Foundation
The event, organized by IRM SVP
Sandy Cipollone with her wonderful
team of volunteers, led by Cheryl
Hernandez and Melanie Gilbert, put on
a dazzling event and raised significant
funds that will go directly to scholarships
benefitting our residents.
Not sure what their final scores were,
but they look like pros! from Left: Jay
Stewart, Parkcrest Builders, MDC Vice
Presidents Greg Carroll and Greg Olson,
and MDC’s Asset Manager John Griffith.
Many thanks to all those who
helped make the 2014 Toy Drive a
big success by sponsoring a family,
helping in the shipping process,
and donating boxes. Thanks also
to Lindsay Castagna, Jodie
Abrams and Melissa Rivera
for their excellent work coordinating
the Toy Drive.
Holidays were
spent in the
spirit of giving at
Winteringham
Village with the
help of our new
Social Services
Coordinator from
Better tomorrows,
Shakila Woltz.
Levitts Help
Animals
in Need
Thank you to Anna Lujan, Assistant Manager at
The Chaparral Apartments, in Midland TX, for
sharing this photo of her resident who was so
happy after being presented with gifts for her
family from IRM’s Toy Drive
Our volunteers are always a
bright spot at the golf tournament.
From left: Sherri Spicer from
Michaels’ payroll department, IRM
COS Sabrina Gompert, TMO Executive Assistant Cathy Freas &
MDC Bookkeeper Kerri Pokuska.
Most know that our
Chairman and CEO
Michael Levitt and his
wife Patricia Levitt, who
serves as Chair of the
Dolly Parton Levitt
Levitt Family Charities,
have helped more than 1900 of our residents pursue their dreams of a college
education by creating and significantly
endowing The Michaels Organization
Educational Foundation. Each year, the
Levitts match all private donations to the
Educational Foundation, two to one.
But did you know they also are big
supporters of animal charities? One of
the organizations the Levitts support
is The National Disaster Search Dog
Foundation­—and the wonderful work
they do, rescuing dogs, training them,
and then partnering them up with firefighters and other first responders who
work on search and rescue missions.
A recent issue of the group’s magazine,
The Quest, features an article on Pat
Levitt, who is pictured along with Dolly
Parton, the dog she and Mike rescued in
St. Croix and adopted.
To learn more visit, http://www.searchdogfoundation.org/
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live, work, play, michaels
PAHEP Photo Op
Our independent tax credit syndication company, Prestige Affordable Housing Equity Partners
has ramped up its operations, resources, and its
staff of professionals! Here the team gathers at
the corporate holiday party for a photo op: From
left, top row: Darryl Austin, Skandar Zaouali,
Donna Carrasquillo, Rick Slagle, Andrew Anania
Bottom Row: Sebastian Corradino, Chaz Ramos,
Brant Fensin, and Zenzi Reeves. Not Pictured:
Alex Santos, Mark Furey
Get Saving!
The Michaels Organization is a participating partner in the 2015 “America
Saves Week”, a national campaign
sponsored by America Saves, the
American Savings Education Council,
and the American Consumer Federation of America to promote good savings behavior. If getting “financially fit,”
is one of your resolutions for the new
year, you are not alone. A 2014 Survey
conducted by the American Savings
Education Council found that only about one-third of Americans feel prepared
for their long-term financial future.
If you need information, resources, or just more encouragement, take a
minute to visit ChooseToSave.org, a helpful website where you will find
everything from financial calculators to savings strategies. Topics include How
to Prepare for Retirement, How to Manage Debts, How to Effectively Budget,
and How to Talk with Your Kids About Money.
If you’ve already started saving, you can post a photo of yourself on social
media using the Hashtag #I’mSavingFor for a chance to win $500.
A Bundle of Joy for the Levitt Family
Congratulations to our founder and CEO Michael
Levitt and his wife Pat on the birth of their newest
grandchild, Mika, who joined big sister Irie this
past August. The proud parents of this gorgeous
baby are AJ Bocchino and Phoebe Washburn.
Michaels Family Mourns the Loss of Doug Smith
The Michaels Organization is mourning the passing of our good friend
and long-time colleague, Doug Smith, on January 13. A senior programmer in our IT Department, Doug had been with IRM for 21 years and
worked in the corporate office in Marlton. As an expert in “RUMBA,”
Doug’s work was also very important to our sites and properties. He will
be remembered for his kindness, hard work, dedication, and his great
sense of humor and will be missed by all. We send our condolences to
his wife, Lee Smith, and his children, Chad Smith and his wife, Dienna,
Chris Smith and Blair Smith and his wife, Laura. Doug also had four
beloved grandkids, Christiaan, Lishah, Jessica, Shannon and Brandon.
Donations may be made in Doug’s memory to the Woodbury Forest
School/Amici Fund 402, Woodberry Station Woodberry Forest, VA 22989
or www.woodbury.org.
21
{
live, work, play, michaels
Holiday Fun at the
Corporate Office
Christmas Party
Bob Bolton, Ellen Kondrath,
Sue Langley, and Melissa Rivera
Mikki Anderson, Joe Purcell,
and Greg Olson
Jim Willard, Jim Bleiler,
Stacie Brach, and
Sherri Spicer
All the way from California: Stacie Brach, Aaron Richards,
Mary Keshishian, and Kimberlee Schreiber
Mike and
Pat Levitt
This is What
Happens to
Giants Fans...
Corey Tuccillo, an Asset
Manager Analyst for Continental Mortage Courts,
sports some Eagles swag
after losing two bets that
his favorite team, the New
York Giants would best the
Eagles. Better luck next
year Corey!
Teammates from the Virgin Islands: Jerry Otto, Dustin
Gremmels, Vince Lumsden, and Kim Lumsden
Time Flies When
You’re Having Fun
Property Manager Maribeth
Scheidig presents Melanio
Dezzi, maintenance tech
at Bethlehem Townhouse
I, with his service award in
recognition of his first year
anniversary with IRM.
22
{
Milestones
Working at The Michaels Organization Apparently
the ‘Fountain of Youth’
Melanie Sassani, payroll supervisor,
and Terri Buckley, TRACS coordinator
in IT, recently celebrated 35 and 25
years, respectively with The Michaels
Organization. They look fantastic and both
are still going strong. Congratulations to
both for reaching these milestones with
our organization.
Terri Buckley gets the first piece of her cake
Melanie Sassani enjoys
her milestone celebration
Bruce Kovalevich Retires After 31 Years of Dedicated Service
to IRM
Bruce Kovalevich, Financial
Analyst for Interstate Realty
Management Company for the
past 31 years, retired at the
end of December. Bruce was
a truly great asset to IRM and
The Michaels Organization for
all those years, contributing his
vast knowledge of the contracting and rental processes with
multi-government agencies. He
was expert at developing rent
comparisons and documentation
involved with the many aspects of
our subsidized properties. In fact,
Mike Levitt, specifically called out
Bruce in his year-end “State of the
Organization” address, saying that
he calculated that Bruce brought
in more than $70 million in rent
increases doing his tenure. Bruce
received a standing ovation from
his colleagues at the corporate
Christmas party. Bruce will be
missed, not only for his expertise
and dedicated service, but also for
always having a smile on his face
and a positive attitude despite his
heavy workload. We wish him all
the best in his retirement.
Mark Morgan and Bruce Kovalevich
23
[
BT’s Director of Family Services Karen Grindel Retires
IRM’s non-profit provider of supporter services, Better Tomorrows, has announced that Karen Grindel, their director of Family
and Youth Programs, retired at the end of 2014. Karen, who was
part of the current Better Tomorrows Leadership Team, was also
an essential member of Olivette Beaton’s transition team when
Better Tomorrows was being established as a non-profit organization. She had been with IRM for nine years by that time, her last
position as a Social Services Supervisor for IRM properties in the
Midwest and Southeast.
Karen, who has a Masters of Social Work from the University of
Kansas, first came to Interstate Realty Management as a community manager at Cardinal Ridge. She was in that role for three
years, until being “discovered” by Olivette and asked to join the
social services staff.
According to Better Tomorrows President and CEO Rebecca
Tone, Karen’s skills as a manager, her knowledge of social services and her compassion for staff and residents propelled her into
her role as Director of Family Services, leading a team of 80 staff.
“Karen has been instrumental in leading her team through the
transition from IRM to Better Tomorrows, as well as paying a strategic role on the leadership team, all the while being a voice of our
staff,” said Rebecca. “She is caring, thoughtful, intelligent and she
Better Tomorrows is a nonprofit organization that provides
supportive services to affordable
and mixed income communities
managed by IRM. For more
information visit BT’s website at:
www.BetterTomorrows.org
is someone we will all dearly miss.”
Karen plans to enjoy her retirement, spending time with her family
including five grandchildren.
The Michaels Organization joins Better Tomorrows in thanking
Karen for her inspired work on behalf of our residents and wishing
Karen a very happy retirement.
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