michaels - The Michaels Organization

summer 2014
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Developments
Together We Build Communities
@michaels
Fish Tales & Other Stories for Employees of The Michaels Organization
Michaels Breaks Ground on Sugar Estates
in the Virgin Islands
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From John’s Desk
THE NEXT BIG IDEA IS PROBABLY YOURS
I NEED YOUR HELP.
Our growing organization, spread
across the country from East to West
and everywhere in-between, has
achieved remarkable success over
the past 40 years, and particularly
rapid growth during the last decade.
We have an outstanding senior
management team in place who are
empowered to grow their businesses
and they have done just that.
But senior managers, including me
as President of The Michaels Organization, do not have all the answers.
Sometimes, we don’t even have the
right questions.
A BIG THANK YOU TO
PAT AND MIKE
I can’t let the start of a new
school year get underway
without expressing our collective
thanks to Michael and Pat Levitt
for their incredible generosity towards all of us who work for this
organization. Once again, The
Levitts have endowed college
scholarships for the children of
our employees, as well as the
employees of our strategic nonprofit partner, Better Tomorrows.
In all, 42 employee’s children
are heading off to college this
fall with their families a little less
worried about the cost because
of Mike and Pat’s funding of the
Michaels Employee Scholarship
Program. What an incredible
testament to their commitment
to our team!
That’s why we’ve recently introduced
a new Employee Suggestion Program designed to actively engage
employees—at all levels throughout
the organization and through every
company—to offer ideas and suggestions for how we can make our
organization, and individual companies, better.
Ideas and solutions received through
this new program that are successfully implemented are a chance for
our teammates to be rewarded —
with either cash, time off, or other
gifts of appreciation. (Please see
more information on page 8 of this
newsletter about the program, the
policy, and how to submit your ideas
through an online form through our
company Intranet.)
This particular incentive program is
very important to me because who
better to tell us how we’re doing, and
what we can do to improve than our
own employees? I especially want to
hear from those in the trenches and
at our sites, who are dealing with our
residents, partners, and vendors on
almost a daily basis.
Our front-line employees and midlevel managers are the absolute
BEST source of the most workable
ideas for cutting red tape, putting
customers first, collaborating across
organizational lines, working with
our vendors, developing creative
solutions to problems, and recommending new approaches to the way
we work.
“Because we’ve always done it that
way,” is not a business strategy.
Our industry faces new challenges
everyday, and to rise to these new
challenges and to continue to grow
and thrive as an organization, we
need to be constantly looking for
ways to improve operations, conserve resources, and increase
profitability. We also want to be sure
that our most valuable asset—our
teammates—appreciates the culture
we are dedicated to fostering here
as a great place to work. It’s critical
to me that you know that I not only
value your input but I am actively
seeking it out.
Please take the time and share your
ideas with the rest of us. I know you
have the next best idea to help our
organization become better than it is
today.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Your teammate,
John
John O’Donnell
President
The Michaels Organization
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F r o m Ava ’ s D e s k
General Contractors Make Developers’ Vision Reality
Readers of this column are now
familiar with my favorite analogyaffordable housing developers are
just like Hollywood movie producers—minus the glamour! My last column focused on the creative team,
in Hollywood, the movie director, in
Marlton and our satellite offices—our
architects and engineers. This one is
dedicated to the crew, not the gaffers
and caterers on a movie set, but to
our general contractors and the men
and women who actually build the
housing that we finance and design.
One of life’s lessons learned the
hard way is to avoid any general
contractor who claims to be “best
friends of the Mayor”. Although there
is an exception or two to the rule,
my less-than-scientific observation is
that proximity to the local political hierarchy and competence in building
on time and within budget are negatively correlated. When faced with
pressure to hire the Mayor’s buddy,
run out of town before being run
over. Tis better to lose a business
opportunity than to deal later with
cost overruns and missed deadlines.
Another useful lesson learned is
to follow the FHA’s MAPS Lender
Guide when assessing the ability of
a general contractor to tackle a particular project. In reviewing a builder’s financial statement consider not
only net worth, but liquid assets, a
measure of the firm’s ability to meet
payroll between requisitions. Deduct
from liquid assets the working capital
needed to meet not only our project,
but other projects in construction.
A Surety Letter is a good test of a
builder’s financial strength and ability
to secure payment and performance
bonds. Per the MAPS Guide, check
Developers may dream and
scheme to bring a project
to a closing table, but it is
the men and women who do
the actual building who take
the most risk, and deserve
our ultimate respect.
not only that the Letter is signed, but
the US Treasury Department’s rating
of the bonding company. The goal is
bonds from a rock solid surety.
To succeed in our world, a general
contractor must have a working
knowledge of affordable housing
requirements. How much successful experience does a prospective
builder have in meeting low income
housing tax credit placed-in-service
deadlines? What is the contractor’s approach to meeting Section
3 goals? If the response from the
builder is, “What’s Section 3?, you
know challenges lie ahead.
One positive lesson learned from
our public housing partners is to
scrutinize construction estimates.
The more closely a general
contractor’s proposal is tied to actual
bids from subcontractors, the more
reliable is that proposal. And it never
hurts to review a set of plans and
specifications page by page with
a prospective builder to check that
the project that estimates are based
on is the one that our architects
and engineers have designed.
Contractors have been known
to omit a whole floor from their
estimates (or add one)!
Just like Einstein, I have my own
Theory of Relativity. The closer one
is to using hammers and nails, the
more the financial vulnerability. Tax
credit syndicators generally face less
risk than developers, who face less
risk than general contractors, who
face less risk than subcontractors.
Conversely, the closer to the building site, the more my respect for
talent grows. Developers may dream
and scheme to bring a project to a
closing table, but it is the men and
women who do the actual building
who take the most risk, and deserve
our ultimate respect.
Ava Goldman
President
Michaels Development
Company
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Groundbreaking
First Phase of O’Donnell Heights
Revitalization Opens to Rave Reviews
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Housing Authority of Baltimore City Executive Director Paul T. Graziano, joined the Michaels
Development Company and our non-profit partner, AHC-Greater
Baltimore, Inc., for a ceremonial ribbon cutting of the new Key’s
Pointe Residences in June.
Formerly known as O’Donnell Heights, this is the first phase of a
comprehensive 62-acre redevelopment, which when fully complete, will offer 900 new affordable and market rate townhomes
and apartments with over six acres of new parks and green space.
Phase 1 features 76 new residential units with16 reserved for
persons with disabilities.
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Kudos
Joe Purcell is CFO
of the Year (Again!)
The Philadelphia Business Journal has honored
Joseph Purcell, The Michaels Organization’s Chief
Financial Officer, as its 2014 CFO of the Year (extra
large company). The award, sponsored by the
Business Journal and Drexel University, recognizes
the region’s top financial officers, whose successful
leadership has been a critical underpinning of their
company’s growth.
Purcell, who serves as the CFO of all eight independent operating companies that comprise The
Michaels Organization, was lauded for both his
financial stewardship--and his unique ability to
evaluate and manage risk—that have allowed The
Michaels Organization to take advantages of new
opportunities while remaining true to its core business principles.
Key’s Pointe (formerly O’Donnell Heights) in Baltimore, MD, has
been approved as an Enterprise Green Communities certified development. The achievement recognizes The Michaels Development Company’s commitment to providing high performance,
healthy homes for low-income families.
W ay to G o
A big shoutout to our team at Spring Garden Community II
for scoring a 93 on their recent REAC inspection!
This is the third time Purcell has been named a CFO
of the Year by leading regional publications. In 2010,
Mr. Purcell was named one of the “Top Ten CFOs”
in the Mid-Atlantic Region by Smart CXO Magazine
and in 2011 was named the “CFO of the Year” by
NJBiz, New Jersey’s leading business publication.
Joe Purcell with his better half, Claire Purcell, at the awards
luncheon in July.
Plaza at Centennial Hill in Montgomery, Alabama, has been
named an Award of Merit winner by the National Association of
Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) and is a finalist
for the group’s 2014 National Award of Excellence.
Congrats Joe!
Great job Joe on w
inning the CFO of
the Year Award from
the Philadelphia
Business Journal.
We know you are
great at what you do
and we are glad
to see all your hard
work recognized.
Love, Claire, Emma
and Joe
C ongratuations T o . . .
Allison Wetzel, Site Manager, and her whole team
at Coal Township Elderly for earning a Superior with zero
findings on her community’s latest MOR
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C o v e r S t o ry
Michaels Developing New Housing in the Virgin Islands
for the First Time Since 2003
Four Michaels
Organization
Companies
Come
Together to
Create Sugar
Estates
Sugar Estates, a brand new affordable housing
community for seniors being developed on St. Thomas,
Virgin Islands marks its start with a groundbreaking
on August 27. The beautiful new community, which
will offer 80 apartments for a mixed-income elderly
population, is being accomplished with four Michaelsaffiliated companies in the deal. Michaels Development
is the master developer and private sector partner with
the Virgin Islands Housing Authority. Prestige Building
Company is serving as the general contractor; Interstate
Realty Management will provide property management
and social services, and our independent tax credit
syndication company, Prestige Affordable Housing Equity
Partners raised $26.6 million in equity from federal low
income housing tax credits for the deal.
With the development of Sugar Estates, Michaels
increases its Virgin Islands portfolio to four communities.
We first began working on the islands in the early 1980s,
when we acquired Harborview and then developed
Canebrake on St. Croix. That was followed by the
development of Croixville, which was completed in
October, 2003.
Sugar Estate’s floor plans will consist of 76 one- bedroom units and 4 two-bedroom units, with all of the units
being handicapped adaptable. Each residential unit will
have living, dining and kitchen areas, complete with
energy efficient appliances and ample storage. Additionally Sugar Estates will offer a series of amenities to the
residents of the building, such as on-site parking, laundry
facilities on each floor, large community room with kitchenette, a “living room” which will serve as a quiet reading
and/or visiting room, computer learning center and onsite offices for management and social service functions.
Within the community spaces, social services will be
provided that are centered on the needs of the senior
residents and will emphasize wellness and resident empowerment through independent living.
Prestige Building Company anticipates the construction
on the community will be completed in December 2015.
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Employee Resources
Michaels Learning Center
Now Open for Business
The Michaels Organization is pleased to announce its
brand new oranganizational, online training hub, The Michaels Organization Learning Center is fully operational.
This new Learning Center is now the destination for all
employees to find Michaels’ proprietary instructional
assets, webinars, training videos and course materials. In
addition, the new Learning Center also offers an extensive
library of professional training courses, covering everything
from How to use Microsoft Office to Effective Writing Skills,
to Presentation Skills.
Center, we are investing in the professional development of
all our teammates by providing extensive training opportunities through a powerful, easy-to-use, organization-wide
system.
Create Your Log-in Credentials
The Michaels Organization Learning Center is the evolution
of The Michaels Institute, which for the past five years has
served as a training portal for our organization. This new
portal builds on the Michaels Institute platform by introducing a system that allows both the employee and their
supervisors to track their course completions and by offering
a much wider variety of training courses and materials.
All Training, Education, and Occupational Development
Courses previously housed on The Michaels Institute can
now be found in The Michaels Organization Learning Center. The “Forms Directory” perviously located on Michaels
Institute, along with other job and occupational resources,
such as “Back to Basics” and “Cash Procedures,” are now
on The Michaels Organization’s intranet.
At The Michaels Organization, we believe that our employees are our greatest asset. By introducing this new Learning
Log-In to Our Intranet for News, Information,
Links Exclusively for Employees of The
Michaels Organization’s companies.
The Michaels Learning Center requires that you set up a
username and password to access your profile and to take
courses. Employees can use the same Employee ID number given to them to establish their Intranet user credentials to create a user name and password for the Learning
Center. When registering with the Learning Center for the
first time, use your Employee ID number as your user name
and the word “password” as your password. The system will
then prompt you to create your own unique password. The
Michaels Learning Center is accessible through our intranet,
but the link takes you to an external site, which is why two
log-ins are required at this time.
We are very pleased to take this next strategic step in hosting a learning management system for the entire organization. Please visit the Learning Center as soon as possible to
create your user credentials and to take advantage of all its
offerings.
The Michaels Organization has introduced an Intranet as part of its web
presence at www.TheMichaelsOrg.com. Employees who log-in can access
exclusive news and information about the companies that comprise our organization, our staff members across the country, and gain access to employee
resources, and important links, including the new Michaels Learning Center,
Success Factors, and I-Pay.
Creating a log-in is simple--just follow the instructions to create a user name
and password once you click on the “Employee Login” tab at the top right of
the home page. You will need your employee ID to create your credentials
for the first time. All employees were mailed their employee ID numbers on
a postcard to their home addresses. If you don’t have your postcard handy,
you can get your employee ID number from any member of the corporate
marketing staff, Heather Young, Staci Wixted, or Laura Zaner, or send an
email request to info@themichaelsorg.com
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Employee Resources
Get Rewarded
For a Great Idea
orm
uggestion F
Employee S
/SITE:
LOCATION
NAME:
DATE:
EMAIL:
The Michaels Organization has introduced a new Employee Suggestion
Program that encourages all full- and
part-time employees who do not hold the
position of Vice President or above to
contribute ideas for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of our organization. Employees who propose a solution
to a specific problem or suggest an idea
that results in increased productivity,
reduced costs, improved income, safer
working conditions, better services, or
the conservation of resources can earn
cash rewards, gifts, or additional time off.
You can download the complete program
policy on the Intranet and, then use the
online Employee Suggestion Form to
submit your ideas.
ide a brief su
Please prov
As part of The Michaels Organization’s Building
Better Lives wellness program, we are excited
to announce the start of the new PASSPORT to
HEALTH program year! Michaels, in conjunction with Attentive Health, is proud to work with
you and support your individual efforts to create
healthy habits. For those of you who are new to
the program, we hope you enjoy participating
this year!
THE PASSPORT to HEALTH™ IS NOW
ONLINE!
This year our partners at Attentive Health
are launching the Passport to Health Online!
This new website provides you with a simple
and convenient way to learn more about the
program, check your points at any time, upload
documentation, and schedule a time to meet
with your health coach from Attentive Health.
Program information and other communications
from the Passport to Health program will only be
available online and via email. Unlike in previous years, Attentive Health will not be mailing
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information to our employees’ homes, so please
watch for emails from them in your inbox. If you
do not have an @themichaelsorg.com email address, you can check this Intranet for the latest
updates.
LEARN MORE
Visit Michaels Intranet for links to the registration site and to watch a 20-minute webinar
introducing the new Passport to Health program.
You can also download the passport to health
information sheet for your convenience and
reference.
QUESTIONS?
Please contact Attentive Health with any questions about the new Passport to Health program
year for 2014-2015. They will be happy to assist
you in navigating the program and making your
plan to build a better life! Phone: 877.269.9754
Email: admin@attentivehealth.com
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Employee Resources
Searchable “Forms Directory”
Now On Michaels Intranet
The library of forms, checklists, and
other paperwork required by corporate and site staff members is now
available in a searchable directory
on the Intranet. All organizational
forms, such as check request templates are also in the forms directory. Previously housed on Michaels
Institute, the forms can be searched
by Keyword, IR number, state, and
company. Forms you frequently use
will automatically appear on the left
side of your screen as “forms of
interest.” Remember, just as it was
on Michaels Institute, it’s always
important to download the forms
from the Intranet as you need them,
rather than using copies saved to
your computer, to ensure that you
are using the latest versions.
Operational Instructions, procedures,
and additional job resources that
were part of Michaels Institute have
been moved to the Intranet as well,
under the “Job Resources” tab. This
includes titles like Back to Basics
and the Safety Manual.
All organizational and company-specific forms are now housed on the Intranet, but please note that any form
or resource produced by Human
Resources, including new hire forms,
and the employee handbooks, have
been moved from the forms directory
and can be found under the Human
Resources tab of the new intranet.
All training materials that once were
housed on Michaels Institute are
being moved to the new Michaels
Learning Center. You will find this
important link on the main navigation
menu of the Intranet.
Michaels
Launches E-Store
Interested in some official merchandise with The Michaels Organization
logo? Consider visiting our brand
new e-store, located on the Intranet
at www.themichaelsorg.com to order
water bottles, polo shirts, oxford dress
shirts, and more, so you can show
your “Michaels pride” in the office or
off hours! There is free shipping on
all items, and your order is shipped
directly to you. If you are a manager in
need of “giveaways” for a trade show,
job fair, district meeting, or other official
business-related event, you can also
place an order for bulk items through
the e-store. To see the E-store, you
need to be logged into the Intranet, so
if you haven’t yet created your log-in,
please do so today. You need your
employee ID number to create your
credentials for the first time; if you can’t
find the postcard sent to you with your
ID number, simply contact corporate
marketing at info@themichaelsorg.com
and we can provide it to you. Happy
e-shopping!
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m i l i ta ry m at t e r s
The Mountain Vista Communities staff at
Ft. Huachuca has been keeping busy!
All MVC Management participated
in a 10-hour training sponsored
by the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration that teaches
safety awareness and helps workers
recognize and reduce the risks of
jobsite hazards. The OSHA hazard
recognition course covers general
industry hazards and covers specific
OSHA regulations and requirements
as they apply to the general industry. OSHA workplace safety training
fosters a safe and healthful work
environment. Having successfully
completed the training, the entire
MVC Maintenance staff along with
some housing employees are now
lifetime OSHA card holders
Additionally, every MVC employee
became CPR certified. This was
triggered by experiencing a few
emergencies with the staff over the
last year or so, Jolene Cooper, the
marketing coordinator at MVC tells
us. In the desert environment, staff
often face the risk of heat stroke and
snake bites. Having each employee
trained in emergency first aid and
CPR will hopefully help the staff
respond quickly and confidently in an
emergency situation and help prevent long term damage to a victim.
Jolene also reports that, in January, the maintenance staff began an
in-house training program allowing
technicians who are very experienced and qualified in specific
fields to give demonstrations and
hands on learning to the rest of the
technicians. This monthly training
has prompted better team work and
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allowed repairs to be made faster
and with more confidence from other
team members opposed to always
calling on the highest trained technician for the job.
The Michaels Organization family
sends our congratulates Stephanie
Martin, MVC’s Housing Specialist,
who has just celebrated her 35th
wedding anniversary with her husband; Retired Army Sergeant First
Class Ken Martin. They were stationed at Fort Huachuca in 1991 in
a home that has since been demolished. Everyday Stephanie places
families that are new to the post in
a house that was built just next door
to where she and her husband spent
many of their 21 years of service
before retiring to Fort Huachuca.
The MVC and Michaels family also
offers its very best wishes to Kayleigh Rich, MVC’s Facilities Support
Coordinator, who by the time you
read this has probably welcomed
her ifirst child. Kayleigh’s husband,
Sgt Adrian T. Rich is deployed to
Afghanistan with the 40th Company.
The baby will meet his daddy the
first week of February and Kayleigh
will be reunited with her husband
after nearly a year.
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Achievers Summit
Congratulations to . . .
The Michaels Organization’s 2014 Achievers
The Michaels Organization has announced its 2014 Class of “Achievers,”—those teammates nominated by their peers and supervisors based on their outstanding work over
the past year—who will have the opportunity to come together for two days of intensive
training at the Achiever’s Summit.
The summit focuses on peak performance, leadership skills, and being the “master of
your own story,” and in addition to training, the summit is time of camaraderie with other
high-performing colleagues from across the country and across our companies.
The 5th Annual Achiever’s Summit will take place Oct. 22 and 23. Congratulations to all
the Achievers and the selected alternates.
2014 The Michaels Organization Achievers
Rick Armstrong
Rosalind Smith
Alternates
Tina Gerber
Jacky Dougherty
Crystal Alderman
Tamara Moore
Tim Kelly
Jimmie Frierson
Stacie Brach
Rick Sperle
Angelica Ortega
Karen Gilmore
Sue Faranda
Claudia Alvarado
Mike Richards
Lois Lawrence
Vorricia Harvey
Michael Collins
Joel Tavarez
Crystal Ragsdale
Mark Gleason
Joe Gandara
Lindsay Castagna
Melissa Rivera
Jonathan Lubonski
Courtney Haviland
Jolene Cooper
Jay Wilburn
Deb (Healy) Schweitzer
Bessie Hampton
Ramon Gantier
Laura Dacciaio
Battana Rodriguez
Tara Medina
Bruce Kovalevich
Rose Coreano
Joe Wilson
Brandon Wilson
John Hilliard
Alexis DeLisi
Patricia Sample
Theresa Loehrs
Sue Curry
Kellie Yancey
Donna Jack
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ca m p u s c o r n e r
USL Debuts Newest
Communities
USL announces the opening of two
new student housing communities:
The View on 10th in Waco, Texas
and The 700 on Washington in Minneapolis, MN.
The View on 10th is adjacent to Baylor University and sets new benchmark for off-campus student housing
in Waco. Situated on the south side
of the University, and only a two
block walk to campus, the property’s
242 units can accommodate up to
718 residents. Among The View’s
many amenities are a clubhouse,
swimming pool, fitness center, and
a parking garage. The baton was
passed to Tom George, who joined
University Student Living this year, to
oversee the successful development
of the The View. The property will
open fully occupied this August.
In Minneapolis, University Student
Living has hit the “tri-perfecta” by
developing three distinctive student
housing communities: The 700 on
Washington, Wahu and Radius. The
700 on Washington is the first to
open and will be ready for residents
to move in by late August, before the
start of the academic year. Located
adjacent to the University of Minnesota’s campus, 700 on Washington
features 98 units with 242 beds. The
new light rail has a stop directly in
front of property, making it an ideal
location for access to campus and
downtown Minneapolis. The property is designed with retail space
on the first floor which features
one of the neighborhood’s most
popular restaurants, Sally’s Bar and
Grill. By attracting a strong contin-
THE VIEW
Waco, TX
gent of graduate and international
students, 700 on Washington has
also reached their occupancy goals.
Kristian Vagen is overseeing all three
projects in Minneapolis and is investing heavily in snow boots!
700
WASHINGTON
Minneapolis, MN
Congratulations to the teams at
The View in Waco and The 700 on
Washington.
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M i c h a e l s Sc h o l a r s
Michaels Employee Scholarship
Recipients Announced
The Michaels Organization’s Chairman and CEO, Michael Levitt, and his wife Patricia Levitt have endowed scholarships for
39 children of employees of The Michaels Organization through
the Michaels Employee Scholarship Program. The scholarships
for the 2014/15 academic year range from $1,000 to $3,500 and
total $86,500. The Levitts personally fund all scholarship awards
for children of employees.
Now in its 7th year, the total of MESP awards has reached just
shy of $500,000, benefitting 209 employee’s children.
Scholarship award recipients represent the children of employees from all 8 companies that comprise The Michaels Organization. More than 70 percent of the recipients are from outside the
home office. The scholarships are available to the children of
all employees, with the exception of those who hold the
A gorgeous group of
title of Controller and above. The awards can be used at
Michaels Employee
any college, university, or vocational training school in the
Scholarship Program
country and can be applied for every year of the student’s
recipients who live
education. Scholarship recipients are using the funds for
within driving disboth college and graduate school educations.
tance of the home office came to a lunch
held in their honor
on August 11. They
posed for a photo
with Denny Levitt,
who serves on the
Levitt Family Charitable Foundation, and
who represented the
Levitt family at the
luncheon.
Pat and Mike have also created a scholarship program
for the children of Better Tomorrows employees. Better
Tomorrows is the non-profit organization that now provides
supportive services to affordable housing communities
managed by Interstate Realty Management. In its first
year of awarding scholarships, The Better Tomorrows Employee Scholarship Program awarded $6,000 in scholarships to the children of BT employees.
Congratulations to all the Michaels and Better Tomorrows
Employee Scholars!
2014-2015 Scholars
Abrams, Colin
Adams, Tony
Antoine, Khalifa
Barnes, Kimesha
Boczkowski, Amanda
Bower, Justin
Cabrera, Ana
Capelli, Kelsey
Carrasquillo, Kevin
Conroy, Cristina
D’Alessandro, Jason
Daroshefski, Megan
Daroshefski, Nicholas
Davis, Katelyn
Davis, Nicole
Ginns, Tailonda
Halley, Lauren
Inglis Jr., Dillon
Inglis, Shakeira
Keeter, Sarah
Lee, Kayla
Lugli, Colleen
Madison, Blair
Malusis, Macey
Massaro, Alycia
Merrick, Avery
Mitch, Michael
Paschall, Dolores
Quiles-Boughton, Nicholas
Shipp, Brittany
Sippio, Kiersten
Sperle, Phaydra
Stackhouse, Nicole
Taylor, Briana
Willard, Patrick
Wilson, Danial
Womack, Bethany
Woods, LaTasha
Zimmermann, Jr., John
13
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R e s i d e n t s Sc h o l a r s
The Michaels Organization’s Educational Foundation
Reaches New Milestone
More than $500,000 in scholarships awarded to Residents for 2014/2015 Academic Year
Michelle Tennant, a
resident of Ft. Leavenworth’s Frontier
Heritage Communities was among
184 residents who
received a college
scholarship from
The Michaels Organization Educational
Foundation.
A brother and sister whose parents fled the Afghan
civil war in 1992, a disabled Vietnam Veteran, and an
honor student athlete whose career ambition is to be a
doctor in the U.S. Army are among 184 residents who
have been awarded scholarships from The Michaels
Organization Educational Foundation. The foundation, a
non-profit affiliate of The Michaels Organization, presents college scholarships each year to aspiring students
who live in the affordable and military housing communities owned or managed by companies of The Michaels
Organization.
Created by The Michaels Organization’s founder and
CEO, Michael Levitt, The Michaels Organization Educational Foundation has been helping many high achieving
but often economically disadvantaged students achieve
their dreams of higher education for more than two
decades. In 2014, the program reached a milestone—
awarding for the first time ever more than $500,000 in
grants. The previous record of $450,000 was reached in
2013. The grants can be used by recipients to pay tuition
costs at any accredited college, university, or vocational
training program in the country, and students can reapply
for grants each year of their education.
Michael and Pat Levitt match two-for-one
every private donation raised through the
Michaels’ business network. Since it was
founded in 1991, The Michaels Organization
Educational Foundation has given away in
excess of $3.5 million in scholarships, benefitting more than 1,800 students.
Chicago celebrates 19 scholarship recipients
Scholarships are awarded to residents across
Michaels’ nationwide portfolio, which consists
of 360 properties across 34 states, the District
of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Residents of the seven military bases where
Michaels owns or manages the family housing
are also eligible to apply. This year, 48 residents of Michaels Military Housing received
scholarships.
14
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M i c h a e l s Sc h o l a r s
As an organization, we have spent
40 years creating housing opportunities, but with
this scholarship program, Mike and Pat Levitt
have also created a legacy of
empowering educational opportunity.
John O’Donnell
New Orleans Celebrates Their Scholars
Executives of The Michaels Organization, along with the Housing
Authority of New Orleans (HANO)
Executive Director Gregg Fortner
and LaVerne Saulny of Senator Mary
Landrieu’s office, gathered August
19 to celebrate the achievements of
six residents of The Estates community in New Orleans who have
been awarded college scholarships
from The Michaels Organization
Educational Foundation. Among the
recipients are several “first in their
families” to attend college, an honor
roll student pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, and an enterprising young woman with her sights
set on opening her own restaurant.
Scholarship students from Michaels’
New Orleans communities benefit
from a special gift made to the Foundation by Torti Gallas and Partners, a
nationally renowned architecture firm
that served as the master planner for
the redevelopment of The Estates,
a multi-phase, 425-unit HOPE VI
community located in the Ninth Ward
neighborhood of New Orleans. In
2012, Torti donated $38,000 to the
educational foundation, earmarked
for future Estates resident scholars.
Torti’s CEO, Tom Gallas, was among
the VIPs who attended the celebration.
The Foundation awarded more than
$17,000 in educational grants to local students in New Orleans for the
2014-2015 academic year.
Virgin Islands Celebrates their Scholars
Our communities in the Virgin Islands—Canebrake,
Croixville, and Harborview—are celebrating the
achievements of nine of their residents who were
awarded scholarships this year, totalling $27,000. Two
of the scholars will be attending the prestigious Howard University in Washington, DC., and several others
will attend the University of the Virgin Islands. We wish
them all well in their educational pursuits!
Resident Scholar Nneka Boyd lives at Croixville Apartments.
15
{
R e s i d e n t s Sc h o l a r s
Mary Jette, Community Manager at Liberty Park at
Andrews Air Force Base shared with us that they recently
held a luncheon for their scholarship recipients and it
was a great event. Their recipients included Franklyn
Abedi, who is a four time scholarship winner.
I would like to take the
time out to sincerely
Thank The Michael Organization and Kings Ferry Square for continuing
to help me further my
education at Gwynedd
Mercy University and
my Law degree. Within
my time at College I have
struggled, succeeded,
fought, rejoiced, cried
but with the help of people like you I also keep
my determination to be
successful and graduate.
Knowing I have support
from you has helped me
to look ahead and keep
pushing on.
Thank You, Thank You,
Thank You!
I truly appreciate
everything you have
done for me.
Sincerely,
More than $17,500 in scholarships went to
residents of our Philadelphia communities and
the scholars joined Philadelphia City Council
President Darrell Clarke for a celebration in their
honor at City Hall on August 13.
Tonishia F. Sheed
Kings Ferry
16
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Site-ings
At Heritage Place at Magnolia, 70 is the New 30
Danielle Thomas, the Site Manager for
Heritage Place at Magnolia in Detroit,
MI, tells us we won’t find a lot of seniors
baking cookies and knitting at her community. But, she says, you will find that
her seniors are always on the go and that
they like events that keep them busy, active and young.
From weekly trips to Walmart for a day
of shopping, Zumba classes, working
in the community garden, monthly book
club meetings and charity drives with
local shelters, Heritage Place residents
continue to show community spirit and pride.
Danielle also says that the seniors are big jazz music fans.
For the past four years, Hertiage Place has hosted an annual “Jazz on the Grass,” a community picnic where local
jazz bands, like “The Blue Pigs” come to the site to perform.
One former resident, Paul Wright could often be heard saying “Here at Magnolia, we would rather get worn out, than
rusted out!”
At Heritage Place at Magnolia, our seniors love their homes
and their busy lifestyles, and occasionally… baking the staff
pound cakes.
At Park Douglas, We Love Our Residents!
Jason Hill, Community Manager of Park Douglas Apartments, in
Chicago, shared these great photos with us of the 2nd Annual
Resident Appreciation Block Party held in the community the last
weekend in July. Jason reports that there was a terrific turnout
and great fun had by all—and thanks to the generosity of the wider
community—an overwhelming amount of school supplies were
distributed to the young residents.
17
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Site-ings
Diamond Terrace Celebrates Theater
Grand Opening with the “Stars”
Thank you to Ellen Diamond, the administrator at Diamond Terrace in Clayton,
California, who let us know about how
she and her staff brought a little Hollywood magic into the daily lives of their
residents when they held a Grand Opening for the new Theatre Room at their
community recently.
Once a lowly “multi-use” room burdened with mismatched furniture and
an out-of-date television, the room has
been transformed into something even
Tinsel Town could be proud of. The staff
put their heads together and worked
diligently to paint the walls, mount a
new flat-screen to the wall, and glam it
up with movie posters, Hollywood stars,
and a delicious popcorn machine. The
residents are using the “new room” as a
great setting for special celebrations for
such events as the Superbowl, Oscar
Night, and the Kentucky Derby.
“With a Theatre as inviting as this one,
every night can be movie night,” says
Elizabeth Sanches, Diamond Terrace’s
Activity Director.
It just goes to show you that with a little
creativity and a lot of elbow grease,
staff at any community can make their
residents feel like a star who’s ready for
“Lights; Camera; Action!
Pictured in the Ribbon
Cutting ceremony are the
staff from Left to Right:
Gwin Lewis, Tammy Demler,
Elizabeth Sanches, Scott
McWhood, Ellen Diamond,
Suzette Wong.
Coal Township Draws Big Crowd
for National Night Out
National Night Out was held on the grounds
of the High Rise on August 5, 2014. The Coal
Township Police spoke and answered questions. Entertainment was provided by local
entertainers “Billie D and Rosie.” The Staff
(and their families) grilled hot dogs for the
event. Over 65 residents, family, and friends
were in attendance.
18
{
Site-ings
Three Cups of Kindness
at Lincoln Towers
Summertime Learning
Thanks to Cruselda Roberts, the Social Services Coordinator /Facilitator for Canebrake Apartments and Croixville
Apartments in the Virgin Islands for sharing these photos
of their summer youth programs with us. This year, they
focused on learning about agriculture, robotics, and safety.
Mary McKillip, the new Site Manager at Lincoln Towers in Wilmington, DE, shared this
wonderful “recipe” for the perfect neighbor
created by one of her senior residents.
19
{
Site-ings
Music and Inspiration at
Kershaw Commons in Freehold, NJ
A big thank you to Maureen Krenz,
Site Manager at Kershaw Commons,
in Freehold, NJ, for telling us about the
community’s music festival held, Sunday July 20th, when Kershaw Residents, friends and neighbors gathered
together for a relaxing afternoon filled
with inspiration, music and fun. Set in
the community’s gardens, the afternoon flowed with a variety of music for
everyone’s musical palette.
This activity sponsored by the MS Society, New Jersey Metro Chapter and
the Resident’s Association of Kershaw
Commons, included entertainment by
“Sound Minds,” an original rock and
roll band, “The Java String Quartet,”
“Sugarfoot DJ,” and Students from
the OCVTS Performing Arts Academy.
Chris Brown from Imperial Healthcare,
donated both her time, and the very
popular flavored snow cones. Imperial Heathcare also donated a beach
tote full of beach accessories that was
raffled off at the end of the event.
“Sound Minds” playing their own original
compositions. Drummer Michael Klein is a
resident of Kershaw Commons.
Kershaw Commons is the East Coast’s
first accessible, affordable housing for
people with disabilities. The building
meets or exceeds ADA Standards and
features an activity-based community
library, tech center, an accessible
garden, 2 community rooms and a
wellness room for physical therapy.
Section 8 rental assistance is available
for those who qualify.
Residents and
guests meandering
about and enjoying
the music in their
garden.
The “Java String Quartet”
playing classical favorites.
Students, Josie
Janssen, Robin Purtell
and Brielle Parrey
rounding out the
musical spectrum with
dynamic harmonies.
Pennsville Residents Get “Crabby”
Kim Messier Malusis, Site Manager, at Pennsville Towers,
shared this photo of her residents enjoying their second
annual crab feast recently. Resident John Wiggins takes
the lead on this event, which draws a great turnout. Kim
says five bushels have already been ordered for next
year’s feast!
20
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Good Works
Get Ready to Golf!
The Michaels Organization is pleased
to announce that we will be hosting
our annual Golf Tournament to benefit
The Michaels Organization Educational
Foundation on Wednesday, September
10, 2014, at the Little Mill Country Club in
Marlton, NJ.
The tournament is a wonderful opportunity to join friends and colleagues on the
greens, while supporting a great cause.
All proceeds benefit the foundation’s
scholarship program, which each year
awards hundreds of thousands of dollars
in educational grants to worthy students
living in affordable and military housing
owned or managed by The Michaels
Organization’s companies.
The tuition grants can be used for postsecondary education at any accredited
college, University or vocational training
school in the country. The golf tournament is our major fundraiser each year.
All private donations to the Foundation, as well as the funds raised at the
tournament, are matched two-for-one by
Michaels founder and CEO, Michael J.
Levitt and his wife Patricia Levitt.
The golf tournament, which is organized
by Sandy Cippollone, is also a chance
to participate in a silent auction for gift
baskets generously donated by Michaels
teammates from throughout our organization as well as fabulous prizes like
big-screen TVs.
Young IRM Residents Win NAHMA
Poster Contest
Each year, for the past 28 years, The National Affordable
Housing Management Association (NAHMA) has held a
“AHMA Drug-Free Kid” poster art and calendar contest,
part of the organization’s fundraising efforts in support of its
Educational Foundation. This year, nearly 5,000 children,
elderly/disabled and special needs residents of NAHMA- and
AHMA-member affordable housing communities nationwide
participated in the contest, and three young IRM residents
were among the winners!
Kenneth Camacho, who lives at Winterham Village, in Toms
River, NJ, Zudarious Glass, from North Hills in Meridian, MS, and Allina
Mohammad Nadir from Village Park Apartments, in Scranton, PA, will all
have their winning artwork featured in the 2015 calendar available for sale
through NAHMA and the AHMAs (Affordable Housing Management Associations). Winners also receive scholarships from the NAHMA Foundation.
This year’s contest theme was one of celebration: “Join the Dance of Life:
Celebrate Music, Arts and Crafts.”
Allina Mohammad Nadir of
Village Park
Apartments in
Scranton, PA
with her winning artwork.
McIntosh Homes Mentor Up Program Helps Seniors Learn Computers
(Left) Darlene Campbell, Laurel Sones
(4-H-er) and Donna Banks are discussing
helpful tips on using cell phones and computers to keep up to date with the technology available. Residents of McIntosh have
gained useful tech skills in these sessions
thanks to 4-H’ers.
(RIGHT) 4-H’er Laurel Sones, Preston
Stonhouse, and MSU-Extension Agent Lisa
Landon have been presenting a Mentor
Up tech training on April 23 and some
prior Wednesdays at the McIntosh Homes
computer room. This project has been help-
ing residents of McIntosh Homes who may
have never used a computer or have limited
computer skills. The Mentor Up program
is providing basic computer skills to the
residents so they will be able to access and
use computers available to them. Some of
the skills learned could assist with individuals banking, budget, online purchasing, job
searching and many more online and computer processes. Laurel and Preston will
continue working with residents at McIntosh
Homes on the Mentor Up program.
Site Manager/Soccer Coach is a
Win-Win For Skyline Gardens
Skyline Gardens in Albany, NY, sponsored a Recreation Youth 6 Soccer team for the Spring 2014
season. Two children who are residents of the community played on the team, which was coached by
Skyline Gardens Site Manager Alexis Blake!
21
{
s taff d e v e l o p m e n t s
Welcomes, Promotions, and more!
Nancy Thomas Promoted to
Community Manager
IRM Welcomes Back
Paul Sassani
Michaels Management Services has
announced that Nancy Thomas has
accepted the position of Community
Manager at Fort Leavenworth Frontier
Heritage Communities. Nancy had
served as the Operations Manager for
MMS for the past six years, working
directly with Senior Vice President
Heather Plumer. In announcing Nancy’s promotion, MMS President Ron
Hansen said she has been a crucial
person to the overall success that both
MMS and Michaels Military Housing
has enjoyed.
Interstate Realty Management has
announced that Paul Sassani has
returned to Interstate Realty Management Company as Regional Property
Manager. Paul brings back to us many
years of experience in accounting,
management and construction all
within the affordable housing arena.
Please join us in welcoming Paul back
to the family and wishing him well in
his new adventure.
“It is a wonderful thing to see Nancy
continue to emerge as a key team
member,” Ron said.
The Michaels Organization family also
congratulates the following teammates
on their recent promotions:
Nancy began her career at Fort Leavenworth in 2005 working for the Fort
Leavenworth Housing Services Offices
as a housing placement specialist.
With the privatization of the military
housing and RCI transitioning in 2006,
she was hired as the student housing counselor for the newly formed
Frontier Heritage Communities under
Michaels Military Housing, and has
held numerous positions with increasing responsibility since then.
A Big Job Well Done to: Kelli Staten,
who has been promoted from Assistant
Community Manager at Atlantic Marina
to Community Manager at Harvest
House;. Dionne Williford, who has
been promoted from Community Manager at Lincoln Towers to Assistant to
the Regional Property Manager of the
Chester District Office; Mario Molano,
who has been promoted from Community Manager of Brookside Apartment
to Regional Property Manger working
from the New Haven CT office; and
Susana Rodriguez, who has been
promoted from Community Manager
of Key’s Pointe to the Assistant to the
Regional Manager ofthe Tampa FL
District Office.
Nancy was a member of The Michaels
Organization’s Achiever’s Summit
Class of 2013.
Congrats to these
Teammates!
Congratulations to Skyline Garden’s Lou
Esparra who celebrated 20 years with IRM
in July 2014!
Charlie
Ramos Set to
Semi-Retire
Charlie Ramos,
who has been
with The Michaels
Organization for
32 years, announced recently Charlie Ramos
that he plans
to scale back his time in the office to
spend more time with his family and
enjoy his many hobbies, which include
filmmaking and gardening. Charlie
started with IRM as a property manager and has served as IRM’s Vice
President of Marketing since 1999.
His amazing career with us includes
overseeing the marketing and leasing
of more than 8,000 units in 65 communities across the country. He will be
working closely with Diane Wersler to
assist her in the transition to her new
position as Assistant VP of Marketing
for IRM. Congratulations to Charlie!
Diane Wersler
Named
Assistant
VP for IRM
Marketing
IRM’s President
Mark Morgan recently announced
Diane Wersler
that Diane Wersler has accepted
the position of Assistant Vice President
of Marketing for IRM. Diane will be
responsible for the marketing team as
they prepare for a number of lease-ups
scheduled in the next 18 months. Diane, who most recently was a regional
Property Manager, has been with IRM
for 25 years and brings a wealth of
experience in leasing, marketing and
operations to her new role.
22
{
s taff d e v e l o p m e n t s
Welcomes, Promotions, and more!
New Developers at MDC
Michaels Development Company has
named three new Vice Presidents to its
team. Joseph Weatherly (pictured) will
be based in Washington, DC, and will be
focusing on cultivating
new business opportunities. Jorge Aguiree
is a new Vice President of Development
who will be based in
Orlando, Florida, and
working in both the
Florida and Georgia
Joseph Weatherly
markets. Gorden
Sprewell is a new VP
of Construction for MDC, who will be based
in Altanta. Welcome all!
Welcome back,
Don
Welcome Back to Don
Miller, who was with
IRM for more than 20
years before leaving
for a year-long turn as
Chief Financial Officer
with Pennrose Proper- Don Miller
ties. Don has returned
to Interstate Realty Management as a
Senior Vice President. Miller is working
closely with IRM Executive VP Jim Blieler,
whose duties he will officially assume after
Jim’s retirement this fall.
Congratulations also to USL’s Jim Malesich, who was recently promoted from Vice
President to Senior Vice President.
Park Plaza’s
Dan Renzulli
Celebrates 30 Years
Dan Renzulli began his affiliation with Interstate Realty
Management in April 1984. He
had been superintendent at
Brighton Towers in Atlantic City
when his neighbor and friend
Karen Somers told him about
a new apartment building in
Mystic Island where her mother
Dottie Somers was site manager. She said
they were looking for a super--would he be
interested? He was.
beneficial as it taught them to be respectful to their elders and it was like having
50 grandparents as the residents really
enjoyed the young ones.
Dottie set up an interview with Charlie
Ramos, the property manager at the time.
All went well and he was hired as the live in
superintendent at Park Plaza Apartments,
a Section 8 elderly community. Dan moved
in with his wife and three-year-old son
Danny. Park Plaza was to be his home for
the next thirty years and still is. Soon they
had a daughter Skylar, born in June 1985.
Dan says raising his children here was very
Over the years Dan has seen some very
interesting residents come and sadly go.
Dan’s children grew up and moved out and
he and his wife parted ways. Dan met his
current wife Barbara in 2007 and they were
married in May 2010 in the community room
at Park Plaza! Dan finds his job very rewarding, especially now, he can relate to his
residents as his age grows ever closer to
theirs. When he was hired he was only 27.
The companies of The
Michaels Organization
welcomed the following new
employees between May 2014
and Aug 2014
Monalynn Atumata, Receptionist,
Kuhio Park Terrace, Hi
Norman Park, Project Manager,
Prestige Bldg Corp, Ca
Hector Malave, Maintenance Technician, Reading Elderly, Pa
Donald Joseph, Maintenance
Superintendent, Brookside Apartments, Ct
Luis Saavedra, Landscaper, Ft.
Huachuca , Az
Yashida Bliss, Social Services
Coordinator, Skyline Gardens, Ny
Carlina Bejarano, On Call Kitchen
Help, Park Kingsburg , Ca
Don Johnson, Maintenance Technician, St. Thomas Square, Ok
Asia Randolph, Leasing, Villages at
Belvoir, Va
John Pollard, Janitor, Rostraver
Apts., Pa
Jonathan Wagner, Grounds Part
Time, Arbors Belleville I, In
Heather Straub, Leasing Specialist,
Arbors Lakeside, Mi
Daniel Wells, Maintenance Superintendent, Tuolumne Apartments, Ca
Enrique Vega, Maintenance Technician, La Mirage Apts, Ca
Lavina Calderon, Resident Services Specialist, Andrews Afb , Md
Bryan Otto, , Prestige Bldg Co, St.
Thomas, VI
Lourita Jones, Leasing Agent,
Pedestal Gardens, Md
Lenford Newell, Maintenance Technician, Skyline Gardens, Ny
Mary McKillip, Community Manager, Lincoln Towers, De
Kimberly Powell, Collection Specialist, Rowan Towers, Nj
Tracy Osborne, Community Manager, Terrace View Apts., Ms
Selina Mercado, Assistant Community Manager, Charleston Place, Ca
23
{
s taff d e v e l o p m e n t s
Welcome New Teammates!
Deedrick Weekly, Groundsman,
Pine Ridge Gardens, Ms
Kim Berry, Assistant Community
Manager, Mahalia Place Legends,
Il
Mondean Harris, Administrative
Assistant, Hansberry Sq. Legends,
Il
Melissa Castaneda, Assistant
Community Manager, Country
Club Gardens, Ok
Mindy Smith, Assistant Community
Manager, Pennsville Towers, Nj
Blayne Williams, Maintenance
Technician, Skyline Gardens, Ny
Japhet Casiano-Torres, Maintenance Technician, Vineland
Gardens, Nj
Craig Handke, Roads And
Grounds Technician, Ft. Leavenworth Maint., Ks
Kimberly Osborne, Certified Occupancy Specialist, Irm Hourly, Nj
Jose Cordero-Nieves, Maintenance Superintendent, Horizons At
Monticello, Ny
Charles Stanley, Maintenance
Technician, River Bank Plaza
Apts., Ok
Billy Valle, Community Manager,
Jkp Apartments, Ca
Gary Fredo, Community Manager,
Bluffside Drive Apartments, Ca
Amber Dunfield, Receptionist,
Villages At Benning, Ga
Ria Hammond, Resident Specialist, Villages At Belvoir, Va
Fy Ichokwan, Grounds Maintenance, Kuhio Park Terrace, Hi
Ricardo Salinas, Groundskeeper,
Yuma Proving Grds , Az
John Coleman, Maintenance Superintendent, Cypress Landing, La
Michae Williams, Maintenance
Technician, Willow Wood, Ms
Darryl Green, Maintenance Superintendent, 8 Diamonds/Raymond
Rosen, Pa
Tracy Kaahanui, Office Assistant,
Kuhio Park Terrace, Hi
Matthew Brown, Maintenance Technician, Villages At Benning, Ga
Faith Catindig, Accounts Payable
Specialist, Irm Hourly, Nj
Verranda Caldwell-Franklin,
Assistant Community Manager,
Regency Park, Pa
Tara Capelli, Receptionist, Villages
at Belvoir, Va
Mark Middleton, Groundskeeper,
Villages At Belvoir, Va
Jason Brown, Maintenance Technician, Walnut Park Plaza, Pa
Arnetta McKoy, Community Manager, Salem Towers, Nj
Scott Haga, Maintenance Technician, Rolling Hills Apts., Pa
David Ocasio, Webb Apartments,
Nj
Jose Vidal, Maintenance Superintendent, Horizons Wurtsboro, Ny
Stephen Sinnott, Maintenance
Manager, Harborview Apts., Vi
Cynethia Hunter, Community
Manager, Barge Road, Ga
Melanie Davidson, Assistant Community Manager, Arbors Belleville
I, In
Donald Neeland, Maintenance
Technician, Ft. Leavenworth
Maint., Ks
David Presley, Maintenance Technician, Villages At Benning, Ga
Michael Jones, Roads And
Grounds Technician, Villages at
Benning, Ga
Kenneth Deloach, Maintenance
Technician, Chanticleer Apts., Al
Darrell Hughes, Maintenance
Technician, Whatcoat Community,
De
Racquel Mack, Lead Leasing
Agent, Andrews AFB , Md
Luis Ruiz, Maintenance Technician, Atlantic Marina, Nj
Carl Holloway, Maintenance Superintendent, Wood Village, Ms
Brandon Wilson, Groundskeeper,
Chateau D’orleans , La
Lateisha Jones, Recertification
Clerk, Westhaven Park Phase
Ii-A, Il
Joey Brown, Roads And Grounds
Technician, Villages At Benning, Ga
Heather McCall, Resident Specialist, Villages at Belvoir, Va
Ariell Martin, Assistant Community
Manager, Abundance Square, La
Pamela Solomon, Leasing Specialist, Savoy Square, Il
Lynn Lewandowski, Housekeeper,
Wall Street Towers, Nh
Isaac Wanganga, Maintenance
Technician, Wall Street Towers, Nh
Stacy Richardson, Resident Relations, Villages At Benning, Ga
Damien Oliver, Roads And
Grounds Technician, Villages at
Benning, Ga
Mixas Tichenor, Villages at Benning, Ga
Natalie Gervasio, A/P Specialist,
Irm Hourly, Nj
Luis Rueda, Horizon Heights, Nj
Jeffrey Gullion, Pool Monitor,
Macdill Afb, Fl
John Channell, Night Janitor, Park
Kingsburg , Ca
Maria Martinez, On Call Kitchen/
Housekeeping, Park Kingsburg,
Ca
Eloise Richards, Activity Director,
Park Kingsburg , Ca
Tashira Sellers, Assistant Community Manager, Chester Apts., Pa
Tamar Bush, Assistant Community
Manager, Horizons Wawayanda,
Ny
Shonda Hollis, Assistant Community Manager, Atlantic Marina, Nj
Rolesha Anderson, Recertification
Specialist, Abundance Square, La
Salvador Negrette, Maintenance
Technician, Tulare Apartments, Ca
Michael Gomez, Maintenance
Manager, Country Oaks, Ca
John Martinez, Maintenance
Technician, MacDill Afb , Fl
James Gill, Groundskeeper, Yuma
Proving Grds , Az
Maximinio Ramos, Montvale Commons, Nj
Derwin Hayden, Assistant Community Manager, Frank Berry
Courts, Ms
Eduardo Torres, CustodianGrounds, Centennial Village Ii, Nj
Julia Dawson, Community Manager, London Square, Ok
Amy Cruz, Leasing Agent, London
Square, Ok
Gordon Sprewell, Vice President
Of Construction, Mdc Milton Pratt,
Nj
Jorge Aguirre, Vice President of
Development, Mdc Milton Pratt, Nj
Michael Peterson, Roosevelt
Gardens, Fl
Jeffrey Lewis, Maintenance Technician, Wardman Ct (Clifton Ter.), Dc
Nikeema Green, Leasing Manager,
Villages At Belvoir, Va
Murphy Carlmai, Grounds Maintenance, Kuhio Park Terrace, Hi
Dion Walker, Leasing Agent, Times
Square Apts., Tx
David Mayberry, Maintenance
Technician, Adagio Apartments, Ca
Elisha Gornto, Facility Support
Coordinator, MacDill Afb , Fl
Samuel Ray, Maintenance Technician, Wood Village, Ms
Olivia Hobson, Assistant Community Manager, Park Douglas, Il
Adalberto Toralto, Kitchen Manager, Diamond Terrace, Ca
Cassie Alvarado, Leasing Agent,
Yale Village, Tx
Lelaunda Cooper, Assistant
Community Manager, Willow Glen
Townhs, Mo
Amalia Douglas, Night Janitor/
Housekeeping, Diamond Terrace,
Ca
Robert Flemings, Night Janitor/
Housekeeping, Diamond Terrace,
Ca
Magdalena Asis, Kitchen/Waitstaff,
Diamond Terrace, Ca
Brenda Carter, Server, Diamond
Terrace, Ca
Maricel Evangelista, Kitchen/Waitstaff, Diamond Terrace, Ca
Jessica Hernandez Vega, Kitchen/
Waitstaff, Diamond Terrace, Ca
Charlotte Magno, Kitchen/
Waitstaff/Dishwasher, Diamond
Terrace, Ca
Irma Rodriguez, Waitstaff/Server,
Diamond Terrace, Ca
Normita Romero, Prep Cook/
Dishwasher/Server, Diamond
Terrace, Ca
Alberto Salas, Cook, Diamond
Terrace, Ca
Makeda Gizaw, Resident Services
Coordinator, Villages at Belvoir, Va
24
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Milestones
Jim Blieler To Take Final Bow
September Retirement planned after 32 years
with The Michaels Organization
The Michaels Organization’s President
John O’Donnell talks often about how
he and many other long-time staffers on
our team “practically grew up together.”
Certainly among those who have been
with our Michaels family for as long as we
can remember is Jim Blieler, executive
vice president of Interstate Realty
Management.
Jim recently announced that after 32
years with IRM, he will be retiring come September. Over his long career with The Michaels
Organization, Jim has witnessed many changes—from new companies being created to the
spin-off of supportive services into the independent non-profit Better Tomorrows.
His memories go back
to at least three headquarter offices ago and
to the very first IRM
softball team, which
included Pat Levitt, who
was our Vice President
of Administration at the
time. Over the years, Jim
has earned the respect, admiration, and affection of his colleagues through his dedication,
commitment, leadership and financial stewardship of IRM’s always growing portfolio—and of
course his easy-going and fun personality. We
wish Jim all the best and many happy days to
come with his family in retirement.
Q: What was your first position when you JB: When I started with IRM, we had
about 55 properties and maybe 25 emjoined Interstate in 1982?
JB: I was first hired as controller, and I
was promoted to Treasurer about four
months later.
Q: When you joined IRM, what did you
know about property management?
JB: Nothing.
Q: When did you become executive vice
president?
JB: Almost 23 years ago.
Q: What is one of your favorite memories
from your time with the organization?
JB: One of my favorite memories is
when we moved into our new building
at 1 Stow Rd. [The headquarters office
before the current one at 3 Stow Rd].
We had outgrown our previous building
at the old Race Track Circle in Cherry
Hill and we all had input into the design
of the new building.
Q: Can you describe how much The
Michaels Organization has grown and
changed over the three decades you’ve
been with us?
ployees. We had a president, treasurer,
controller, three or four employees in
accounts payable and billing, two in payroll, plus other support employees in the
office and several property managers.
Nelson Morgan was an active Chairman.
We had an outside service bureau that
ran our financial system.
Since then, we have built our own financial system and grown the company
through development and acquisitions
- including the Carnes portfolio in Oklahoma, the Molpus portfolio in Mississippi, the Century Pacific portfolio which
was spread out throughout the country,
and most recently, the Pam portfolio in
California.
Q: What will you miss most once you
retire?
JB: The camaraderie of working together to solve problems and grow the
company.
Q: What would you like people to know
about our founder and CEO Michael
Levitt?
JB: Mike Levitt is truly a great owner
to work for. He sets goals and lets you
accomplish them your way. All you have
to do is work hard and do the job right
and don’t be afraid to make a mistake,
because he will help you fix it.
Q: What do you think is most
unique about IRM, and The Michaels
Organization.
JB: The people who work for us and
Mike Levitt. The employees are dedicated to the company, hard working—and
they play hard too—and they are all very
intelligent. And, Mike truly respects his
employees and is always willing to lend
a helping hand when needed. In my
case, when I had to have major surgery,
Mike made sure I got the best surgeon
available. You couldn’t ask for more.
Q: What are your plans for after you
retire?
JB: I have no major hobby at this time,
but I do have several trips planned for
the remainder of this year and plan to
travel regularly. I have kids who live in
Albuquerque, Atlanta and north Jersey.
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live, work, play, michaels
Employee Appreciation Day
at the Home Office
The IRM Marketing
Team: All Together!
A rare photo of our powerhouse IRM marketing team
all together at the company
picnic at the headquarters
August 8. From right: Angela
Hegna, Laura “Yoli” Teran,
Shaila Jimenez, Ana Sarante
and Rose Coreano
What a Poser!
IRM VP Roger Williams draws laughs from his
colleagues by wearing Donna Jack’s nametag at the
home office picnic. Donna is our organization’s VP of
Human Resources—we’re not sure whose nametag
she was sporting.
“Look Ma, I made the
company newsletter”
Ladies Man
Chris Bakey, who retired from IRM after 30 years of
service, returned for the company picnic at the home
office and found himself the center of attention! Chris is
flanked by these lovely ladies: Lynda Flink, Donna Krier,
Beth Dudley and Dianne Young-Johnson (seated).
It’s a Hole in One for
Jennifer Humes
In June, The Michaels Organization served as
a sponsor for the Newark Housing Authority’s
Annual Golf Tournament, which raises money
for their resident scholarship program. We
sent an experienced foursome to represent us
on the greens, including MDC’s Development
Officer Jennifer Humes, who did us proud by
scoring a Hole in One. This feat of golf excellence was witnessed by her three teammates
Sandy Cipolone, John Hilliard and Mike Pilla.
Construction Manual Revised and Updated
We’re not saying you have to be big and strong to be a
construction manager, but you do have to be in pretty good
shape to lift the latest version of The Michaels Organization’s Construction Guidelines. Weighing in just shy of 5
pounds, the guidelines were compiled by Daniel Passarelli
and included input from construction managers from every
Michaels Organization company.
A brave Sue Langley is the first
one down the Fire & Ice Water Slide
at the company picnic held at the
home office on August 8.
Keeping Up with Bob Greer
Our favorite retired president,
Bob Greer, was spotted back in
the Marlton headquarters office
recently, poring through resident
scholarship applications with the
Scholarship Application Selection
Committee. Despite retiring from
MDC almost two years ago now,
Bob continues his commitment
to the The Michaels Organization
Educational Foundation and says he really enjoys being
part of Michaels’ efforts to “give back” to our residents and
the communities where we work.
Meanwhile, we are wondering how Bob ever found time
to work! His retirement activities include being a featured
speaker at local civic organizations, serving on several
of the committees for his homeowner’s association, and
planting a vegetable garden so impressive that it will be
featured in the community’s August newsletter. Bob and
his wife Diane also recently celebrated the marriage of
their granddaughter in June. Next stop for the Greers: a
fall getaway to Hilton Head Island.
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live, work, play, michaels
Samantha Freas Big Catch
This is a fish story that would make
our CEO Michael Levitt very proud:
Our own Samantha Freas, mailroom
supervisor at our Marlton headquarters, participated in the annual Ocean
City, NJ Tuna Tournament held in
July, and fished her way to 2nd place
with a 64 pound Yellowfin Catch! With
this latest catch, Sam continues her
winning streak. Last year, she earned
first place with her catch of a 154
pound Big Eye Tuna.
We Are Bowled Over By this News
Carla Hansen, the 14-year old
daughter of Barbara Hansen, executive assistant for
University Student Living, was
recently named Female Bowler
of the Year by South Jersey
Times, which also named her to
its High School All Stars Team
of the Year for 2013/14. With
a high game score of 237 and
high series score of 616 (!),
we are not surprised to hear
Carla set a school record at the
Gloucester County Institute of
Technology, where she was a
freshman at the time. She made
school history by being the first
female student ever to qualify
for the NJ State Tournament, as
well as the school’s second “all
star” in its 13-year history.
Having a Bowler of the Year
on your team sure is good for
the team record too. Her team
placed 3rd in the NJ State
Sectionals and the NJ Tech Tournament, and were
the Olympic Conference Champions--bringing home
the first Girls Bowling Title in her school’s history.
The team won the conference championship on the
last game of the season by 1 pin. Those of us in the
home office can only imagine her mom’s reaction
from the sidelines!
Lisa Capelli shared this photo of her with her brother Marc
Pinsky her dad Marty Pinsky taking in a Phillies game in
Michaels’s suite at Citizens Bank Park. Lisa works in accounts
payable for Michaels Management Services.
Congratulations to Michaels Management Services’ Tim Ryan and his
wife Jillian Ryan on the birth of this
beautiful little “man of the house,”
Luke Joseph Ryan, born July 17,
2014. He weighed in at 7lb 10 oz and
was 21 3/4 inches long.
Follow Us on
FACEBOOK
For more news from
our sites around the country
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Safer Trips to School
for students at
The Towers of Kuhio Park
Anni Petersen, Better Tomorrows’
Social Services Director at the
Towers of Kuhio Park in Hawaii,
tells us that Better Tomorrows is
helping the community create safer
pedestrian routes to school, thanks
to a recently awarded $48,000
Safe Routes to School Initiatives Grant.
The grant is helping support the Walking School
Bus from the Towers of Kuhio Park to Fern Elementary with the purchase of vests and signage,
provide pedestrian education to Fern’s students,
and will also purchase radio airtime for students’
messages about traffic safety. The students at
Fern will write and record their radio spots—to be
aired during peak commute times—with the hopes
that commuters throughout the whole island of
Oahu will become more aware of students safety
needs as they walk to and from school.
This great news was exceeded when the City
and County of Honolulu recently designated the
walking school bus route as one of their first five
initiatives to become a “Complete Street.” The C
& C’s Complete Streets law was passed last year
to create transportation corridors that serve all
Warm
Hearts—
and
Heads—
at Leighton
Elderly
modes of use; including pedestrian, wheelchair,
and bicyclists. They plan to transform 20 streets
with low-cost redesigns in the next year.
A walk audit was completed in July with national
walkability expert Dan Burden, co-founder of
the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute.
Pedestrian advocates, school administrators,
councilmember aides and Better Tomorrows staff
met with engineers, walked along the school
route, and came up with a draft of potential improvements that included a narrowing of vehicular
lanes, a reduction in turn radiuses at intersections,
and a redesign of crosswalks. These remedies
will help slow traffic and reduce the number of
times students need to cross the street. Next year,
the partners will submit another Safe Routes to
School proposal to create a paved pathway along
this route.
Congratuations
To these children of three Better Tomorrows
employees who received scholarships
from the Michaels & Patricia Levitt Family
Charitable Foundation:
Kerrigan Buck of Mississippi, Kelcey Goines of
Florida, and Briana McCloud of Philadelphia.
Thank you to Katie Hydo, Better Tomorrows Social Services Coordinator and
Amy Zeigenfuss, the site manager at Leighton Elderly for sharing the news with
us about a new program that has the residents their hatting local newborns!
The Better Tomorrows Knitting-for-Newborns program promotes community
engagement, while encouraging residents to be active and creative. Thus far,
over 25 handmade hats have been distributed to local maternity wards.
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Impressive Student Performance At Spelling Bee Finals
On Friday, August 15th the Eighth Annual Interstate Realty Management Company/ Better
Tomorrows Spelling Bee Finals were held at 8 Diamond in Philadelphia. Apartment communities in
the Philadelphia metropolitan area were invited to
participate and the winner from each local spelling
bee qualified to participate in the Finals. Students
competed in either the 8 to 10 year old category
or the 11 to 14 age group. The event was conducted by the “Voice of the IRM/BT Spelling Bee”,
Mr. Frederick Stroud. A round by round format is
utilized and each age group went through several
rigorous rounds before the first and second place
winners in each group were determined.
The older bracket featured many fine spellers
including two time defending defending champion,
14 year old, Antoine Allen from McGuire Gardens.
He is the only participant to ever capture the title
in both age groups and won the 11 to 14 title in
2012 & 2013. Competing in his last opportunity
(due to age) he bested second place winner Nirvana Rodriguez from West Poplar Apartments and
several other strong participants to win his third
consecutive title. First Place in the younger age
category went to Jordan Jeffers from Jameson
Court and second place to Aniea O’Neal from
McGuire Gardens.
All finalists received a certificate of participation, a
reference book of their choice, the second place
recipients received $50 gift cards and the first
place finishers received $100 gift cards. Everyone
in attendance was treated to a hoagie luncheon
in the community room following the event. Since
each participant had already won their local spelling bee this truly was a Day of Champions and a
good time was held by all!
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Better Tomorrows Coordinator at Village Park
Helps Resident in Quest for Citizenship
On Friday, May 23, 2014 a Village Park resident, My Nhan Thi, gained
citizenship during a naturalization ceremony in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
My Nhan worked very hard throughout
the past years to achieve her goals. She
attended English as a Second Language
(ESL) classes for 3 years through Marywood University’s ABLE grant. The classes
were held right on site right at Village Park
Apartments. She quickly began to excel
in her class and achieved smaller goals
along the way, like passing her drivers’
license test. She was determined to get
her citizenship and she approached Better
Tomorrow’s Nicole Barrasse for help.
Village Park Apartments
Nicole had been My Nhan’s ESL teacher
Social Services Coordibefore take the job as Social Service Coornator Nicole Barrasse
dinator at Village Park. Nicole helped work
with our resident, My
on the interview part of the naturalization
Nhan Ti, who became a
test as well as some of the historical and
US citizen in May.
political questions. Nicole referred her also
to a SCHOLA program that offers short
classes focusing on citizenship. After two months of the class, My Nhan
was confident in her ability and took the test. She passed it on the first
try and was able to be inducted a few weeks after.
Summer Learning for
Belmont Heights Youth
Better Tomorrows’ A.J. Mckinney shared these
photos of the youth at Belmont Heights Estates in
Tampa, Florida, taking advantage of the community’s summer learning program, which must
be really fun from the looks of the big crowd
participating!
My Nhan is now interested in finding work and being able to take a bigger part in her community.
Shirley Futch Celebrates Computer Learning Center Grads
Sharlotte Giberson, Betters Tomorrows Social Services Coordinator at Shirley
Futch Plaza in East Stroudsburg, PA, sends us this good news about a four-week
Beginners Course the community hosted in its Computer Learning Center.
Students were taught common computer words/terms, reviewed basic hardware,
learned how the desktop works, and learned how to maneuver the mouse. The
second class focuses heavily on the using the mouse, with students doing exercises that require double-clicking and drag-and-drop.
In Week 3, student participants learn about the Internet: how it works, what it does,
what it can do for you. By the last class, students are accomplishing a a list of tasks
to do on the computer and/or Internet.
Shirley Futch Plaza residents Ruth Ann
Rumbold, Linda Lennox, Mary Lou Heller,
and Billy Bartosh celebrate graduation.
This most recent class, like the others held at the community, celebrated the students’ successful completion of the course, with a graduation ceremony complete
with pomp, circumstances, and of course refreshments!
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The last word
“Green Building” at its Best
Residents and city leaders
gathered at Legends
South recently to celebrate
the grand opening of
this absolutely fabulous
urban farm that is now a
centerpiece at our Chicago
community.
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