Kent Knapp, Director of Ghertner Maintenance and Remodeling, spoke at the weekly new manager training session on January 20th. He presented a variety of construction and maintenance topics related to condominium and homeowner associations. The discussion also included identifying possible problems, trouble shooting and solutions to many of the concerns experienced at communities.
Cooperative Playground Effort
Board members, community volunteers and the community association manager of Golf View Estates Home Owners Association worked together to fund and construct a new playground in the common area for all families to enjoy. Nearly $4,000 was saved on the project as the board recruited eager and hard-working volunteers in building this new community amenity.
Ghertner & Company provided lunch for everyone as well as awarding the top volunteers who worked on the project all day with a $25.00 gift certificate each to Home Depot for their efforts.
Investing in Future Leaders
Ghertner & Company associates continue to make a positive impact in the community through some very interesting ways. Damon Morris, Community Association Manager, was recently involved in working with other pilots to help the local American Heritage Girls troop TN2237 from Columbia, TN, earn their Aviation badge. Seventeen girls participated, along with many parents, in learning about the “four forces of flight” followed by actual airplane rides.
Realizing the value of investing in the next generation, Ghertner & Company covered the cost of the fuel for the day’s events on both airplanes. Chad Frey, who helped coordinate the event as a parent shares, “We would like to thank Damon Morris, James Carbine and Ghertner & Company from the bottom of our hearts for their kindness to our community, their time spent educating our girls and hopefully instilling a love for aviation for some future aviators!”
American Heritage girls is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. The girls, ages 5 to 18 earn badges in six different frontiers of skill.
1st Annual 5k Promotes Health
Over 35 associates took the challenge of participating in Ghertner & Company’s inaugural Turkey Wobble 5k to promote better health. Held on Friday afternoon, November 18th, the event was sponsored by the company’s wellness “Champs” to give co-workers an incentive to get active, especially around the holidays. The 3.1 mile loop took walkers and runners along the Cumberland river via the MetroCenter Greenway. Ghertner & Company rewarded all those involved with a paid half day off while Humana insurance, the company’s provider, gave team members the opportunity to earn vitality points through activities such as these to spend in their online store.
Wellness Champs include a representative from many departments throughout the company. They are Stacy Adams, Rusty Baltz, Juan Carey, Steve Ghertner, Kelly Ronan, Bob Wellborn, Erica Willis, and Cassandra Watkins.
5th Annual Trade Show A Success!
Board members from Ghertner & Company managed homeowner associations attended the Fifth Annual Trade Show on Friday, November 11, 2016. Held at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel, this event featured 23 vendor booths sharing about their products and services such as landscaping, legal and financial services, pool maintenance, pest control, insurance, engineering and software. Prizes were awarded from participating vendors to Board representatives from throughout Middle Tennessee.
Many Ghertner & Company Community Association Managers (CAM) and support associates were able to participate and connect with many vendor services they utilize and also meet new vendors to learn of their products. Attendees and vendors were able to visit over a wonderful complimentary meal provided by event sponsors Scott and Steve Ghertner.
Real Time Solutions for Homeowners
Homeowners and association members often have questions or concerns that need to be answered or addressed. The Homeowner Service Center (HSC) provides an immediate contact with a “live person” that can handle their concern in a professional and quick manner instead of trying to contact the Community Association Manager (CAM). The HSC is made up of two groups that work together to provide front line support to all communities. The first consists of Homeowner Service Reps who answer initial inbound calls. The second consists of Administrative Assistants who take property specific calls and provide vital administrative support to the CAMs. Together, their efforts result in the CAMs having more quality time to devote to their associations. Seventy percent of clients’ concerns are resolved during their initial phone call to the HSC. Contacts requiring the CAM’s involvement are logged with detailed comments which allow them to return the call with a solution. Ghertner & Company realizes the value of solving issues and providing timely answers with experienced team members who engage and provide solutions.
Ghertner & Company is an industry leader in offering this service to middle Tennessee Homeowner Associations.
Ridgeport Community Enjoys Holiday Fun!
Children and adults of all ages enjoyed the Halloween Bash organized by the Ridgeport Homeowner’s Association Board of Directors and community leaders. The event included inflatable bounce houses, a variety of games, catering from Moe’s Southwest Grill, raffles and other prizes. A highlight of the celebration is the costume contest where even the pets participate. Ghertner and Company encourages its communities to develop a “sense of belonging” through neighborhood events.
Monthly Team Meeting Ensures Better Service
A significant factor in Ghertner & Company’s success is the supportive team culture promoted from the leadership to all associates.
Once a month, the entire team comes together over lunch, to hear reports from a variety of department heads such as accounting, human resources, training, homeowner service center, IT, and maintenance.
This transparency allows for informed and engaged team members who can better respond to customer concerns with knowledge of how the company is committed to the client.
Good Work Noticed!
Two home owner association board presidents recently took the time
to comment on the quality of services they received from Ghertner & Company
associates.
“I want to express my gratitude for the help
that Angela Perry gave me last week when a large tree fell on one of our units.
Our property manager was on vacation. Angela was wonderful and made sure that I
was connected to an administrative assistant who could help. This is the second
time she has rescued me recently and I cannot compliment her enough. Also,
Dorothy Ratliff has been an invaluable asset to our community. She
has been instrumental in helping us achieve the goals we have set and the board
and owners have been so glad to have her. A board member at River Plantation
has been contacting me because they have noticed our improvements and asked
about our property manager. I recommended Ghertner and Dorothy. Thanks for the
excellent service and your great employees.”
 |
| Angela Perry Dorothy Ratliff |
“The job of a property manager is probably one of the least
thankful and appreciated jobs that I know of. They always see complaints rather than praise. That is why I would
like to tell you how great of a job our
property manager is doing. He works very hard for us and our board appreciates him a lot! I just wanted to let you know
that you have a great manager doing great
work!”
At Ghertner & Company, we work diligently every day to provide
excellence in property management.
Giving Back to the Community through Golf Tourney
In an effort to support the charitable
work done by the John D. Floyd Charitable Foundation in Rutherford County,
Ghertner & Company participated in the annual Invitational Golf Tournament
on September 27-28, 2016 at Indian Hills Golf Club in Murfreesboro. The proceeds benefited nineteen local non-profit
agencies.
Community Association Manager, Reggie
Tullis, coached the Ghertner & Company team that placed third in the
tournament. Representing Ghertner &
Company were Stacy Adams (Ghertner & Company Human Resources Director),
Jimmy Carter (former President of
the Innsbrook Crossing Home Owners Association), Bob Welborn (Community
Association Manager) and Steve James (Fridrich, Pinson & Associates Insurance,
a Ghertner & Company vendor partner).
Lunch & Learn Series Wraps Up Year of Training
The
last of the 2016 Lunch & Learn seminars took place on Wednesday, October 5th
with many HOA board directors present. Kathy Sutherland spoke on the topic of “Vision
and Mission Statements for Your community, with many board members exchanging
good ideas among the attendees.
These complimentary professional seminars are provided
January through October each year as a valuable resource to Ghertner &
Company managed associations’ new and veteran board members who wish to learn
more and improve their communities.
Be Informed about Rental Properties in Your Community
Ghertner & Company has a service designed to provide Homeowner Associations with accurate information about the rental properties in their community titled the Rental Registration program.
It is important to maintain a comprehensive database of renters in your community that establishes communication contacts for emergencies, non-compliance issues and HOA news. Additional benefits include maintaining property values by staying in compliance with mortgage financing rules, which allows prospective and current owners easier access to loans.
Ghertner & Company has team members specialized in developing and maintaining the program who will work hand in hand with the Community Association Manager to introduce, collect, update and consistently maintain the service.
For additional information about the process, please contact your community association manager or Jennifer Gilliam at (615) 255-8531 or jennifer.gilliam@ghertner.com.
Ghertner and Company Team Grows in Third Quarter
In an effort to better serve our clients, Ghertner & Company recently
hired these industry professionals. They
represent a variety of backgrounds and experience to help us fulfill our
mission of providing real estate management excellence.
Aaron Aguilar, Community Association Manager
Aaron Aguilar earned a BS degree in Hotel & Restaurant
Management at Northern Arizona University. He worked for six years in resort
management before joining Ghertner & Company in 2015 in an onsite
management role and recently transferred to the central office.
Megan
Baggett, Accounting
Megan
Baggett, a graduate of Springfield High School, worked in real estate for two
years before joining Ghertner & Company.
Betsy Edgeworth, Controller
Betsy Edgeworth graduated from Lipscomb University with a BS
degree in Accounting with a Minor in Management. She has been the Controller
for DVL Siegenthaler and for Digiscope, and was the Manager of Financial
Analysis at American Color Graphics.
John Knouff, CMCA, AMS, LEED
GA, Community Association Manager
John Knouff attended Wright State University, and has almost
20 years of customer service experience in the restaurant, hotel, and real
estate/property management industries.
Michelle Mubarak, Community Association Manager
Michelle Mubarak is a graduate of the University of
Tennessee, where she earned a degree in Hospitality and Tourism. She has over
six years of experience in guest services management of timeshare resorts.
Angela
Stone, Community Association Manager
Angela
Stone earned a Master's Degree in Chemistry from Tennessee State
University. She has over ten years of experience in accounting and four
years of experience in the hotel industry.
Investing in Employee Wellness
Encouraging team members to make healthy living choices, Ghertner and
Company recently started a Vitality Champs team through the Humana Vitality
wellness and rewards program. These
volunteers use custom apps and the Humana website to develop better health
habits and record their accomplishments.
These “champs” will also help promote the program with their coworkers,
organize fun activity-based events and answer questions.
Safety Training a Priority with Managers
Ghertner & Company
sponsored training for all its community association managers in Fire
Protection and other Life Safety inspections. Bill Wamsley, a specialist
in this subject, told managers what to look for when conducting routine visual
safety inspections; how often the various levels of inspections and tests
should occur; and when a licensed contractor must perform the safety inspection
or test.
Whitehall Driveway Entrance Restored
Over time, water had washed away pieces of the aggregate
concrete driveway at the Whitehall Condominiums resulting in a significant
pothole and series of cracks and smaller damaged areas. Under the supervision of Ghertner Maintenance
& Remodeling, several sections were removed and replaced with new
concrete. This improvement gave
residents a smoother driving surface for vehicles and enhanced the visual
appearance of the community entrance as well.
Ghertner & Company Awarded Again!
Ghertner & Company was once again recognized as one of
Nashville’s “Top Workplaces” in Middle Tennessee by The Tennessean based solely
on surveys about the workplace completed by their employees. Co-Presidents Scott Ghertner and Steve
Ghertner received the award along with Stacy Adams, Director of Human
Resources. Ghertner & Company was also honored as a
“Hall of Fame” member for receiving the award four or more years in a row.
Creekstone Celebrates Summer with Neighbors
The Creekstone community in Franklin celebrated the July 4th
weekend with a cookout sponsored by the home owners’ association. This event featured plenty of good food,
family games and activities along with a live concert performed by the musical
duo, Jack & Dave. Jack Grant,
Community Association Manager for the Creekstone HOA, proves that he’s more
than just a skilled manager, he sings and plays guitar as part of the
concert. The cookout promoted community
spirit by giving neighbors and families a time to visit and get to know each
other better.
Good food and fellowship highlight the
cookout. Community Association Manager
Jack Grant plays guitar at the free concert.
Community Board Members Take Advantage of Free Seminar
“Creating a Code of Conduct” was the topic of the August Lunch & Learn seminar for
interested Board members. Led by
industry professional Kathy Sutherland, this presentation shares information
about what the Code of Conduct should include and how it can help the Board
function. The fiduciary duty of the Board
was also reviewed. Questions and comments
from those in attendance led to good discussion that benefited everyone in
attendance.
This monthly seminar is provided as a complimentary service
to Board members of communities managed by Ghertner & Company. Lunch is provided along with the opportunity
to meet some of the Ghertner & Company Team members in a casual atmosphere.
The next Lunch &
Learn will be Wednesday, September 7 from 11:30 – 1:00. Board members can make reservations by emailing Theresa
Savich at Theresa.Savich@ghertner.com
or calling 615.277.0346.
Comment from Board member:
The Lunch and Learn Wednesday was really helpful. We want to adapt the Handout that starts, "WHEREAS..." for our community. We do not have such a document and we think it is important.
The Lunch and Learn Wednesday was really helpful. We want to adapt the Handout that starts, "WHEREAS..." for our community. We do not have such a document and we think it is important.
Common Area Improvements Create Safer Atmosphere
Security issues arose in the land around the pool at Cobblestone Landing and it was decided
to add lighting to reduce these concerns.
Under the supervision of the Ghertner Maintenance and
Remodeling team additional wiring was run for three strategically placed light
poles. Not only did the lighting source
provide illumination for the common area, decorative light poles were installed
to enhance the appearance of these community improvements.
