January Session of Board Training Focuses on Strategic Planning

Over forty board of directors were present for the first Lunch & Learn training session of 2020 held on Tuesday, January 14.  Presenter and industry professional, Kathleen Sutherland, shared about the topic of, “Strategic Planning for Community Leaders” to a full room of interested board members, community association managers and associates.  The highlight was the brainstorming that took place in small groups that allowed for practical application of the topic and real-world issues faced by communities.   Ghertner & Company provided complimentary lunch for all attendees.  Learn more by contacting Theresa.Savich@ghertner.com.

December Lunch & Learn Seminar Concludes Year of Training

Several new and veteran HOA board members took advantage of the final Volunteer Training Lunch & Learn Seminar of 2019.  The topic, Vision and Mission Statements for Board Members, was presented by industry professional Kathleen Sutherland, Director of Development and Training.  Attendees were also able to participate through a Q&A period at the end of the session.

Kloss Installed as CAI President

The Tennessee Chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) held its Annual Holiday Gala on Friday, December 6 at the Thistle Farms Café in Nashville.  Outgoing President Brent Hogue handed the gavel to Jaye Kloss as the incoming 2020 Chapter President.  Jaye Kloss, is the Director of Compliance and Training with Ghertner and Company and has served in many roles with the Chapter.  She shares, “I am looking forward to my year as CAI Tennessee Chapter President and working with my Board to grow our chapter.”

Several other Ghertner & Company associates were on hand to celebrates the chapter’s 2019 accomplishments and to support Jaye Kloss as the incoming president.

Consistent Donation Has an Impact on Young Lives

Since 1987, the Our Kids Center has provided support to sexually abused children and their care givers. This year alone, over 900 patients will be given medical, emotional, legal and practical assistance in their time of need. Since 1998, Ghertner & Company has made an annual donation to provide resources to help the Our Kids Center accomplish their mission.

This year Ghertner & Company associates contributed additional funds through fund raising efforts centered around team building activities and vendor relationships that brought the total gift to $2,252.

On December 6, representatives from Ghertner & Company presented the donation to the Our Kids Center team. Present are Jaye Kloss, Janice Tantaris, Sue Fort White (Our Kids Executive Director), Jill Martindale (Our Kids Communication Coordinator) and Kimberly Maynord.

Associates Shine on Tree Planting Day!

In the continuing effort to lead by example, Ghertner & Company team members participated in the expanding of the arboretum at the corporate offices in MetroCenter with a Tree Planting Day!  Twenty-five associates brought their gloves, shovels and picks and planted twelve trees throughout the grounds.   All of the trees were donated by employees in memory or honor of loved ones or in support of the effort. 

Leadership and volunteers from the Nashville Tree Foundation were on hand to offer guidance and information to participants.  Ghertner & Company presented NTF with a $1,000 donation to assist them in their mission to preserve and enhance Nashville's urban forests by planting trees in urban areas, identifying the oldest and largest trees in Davidson County, and educating the public about the value of trees.  Learn more at www.nashvilletreefoundation.org.

Falls Grove HOA Fall Festival

Residents of all ages and stages of life took part in their HOA Sponsored Fall Festival.  Participants enjoyed a chili cook off, lawn games, photo booth, bounce houses, pumpkin painting and lots of delicious food! 

The Eighth Annual Vendor Trade Show Is a Success!

A record crowd attended the 8th Annual Vendor Trade Show held on Friday, November 1, 2019 at the Millennium Maxwell Hotel.  All Ghertner & Company managed community board members and CAMs (Community Association Managers) were able to network with vendors offering a variety of services like landscaping, pest control, insurance, pool maintenance, legal and financial services. 

A new addition to the agenda this year were two Trade Show Workshops that were well attended.  The first workshop gave an overview of reserve studies.  An update on recent rulings on delinquencies and fines was presented in the next session.

A complimentary lunch was provided as door prizes were awarded throughout the event. 

Halloween Team Building Event Raises Over $2,400

Associates gathered on Halloween 2019 for a Team Building event that featured great food, games, costumes and contests.  Many got into the spirit of the event by dressing up in costume and participating in a variety of games set up in the training room.  The highlights of the day included:  a mummy wrapping contest, grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and the Silent Auction of many items donated by vendors and associates.  All proceeds will go to the Our Kids Center in Nashville. 

Annual Health Fair Informs and Involves Associates

The Annual Ghertner & Company Health Fair took place on October 23rd to promote Associate wellness. Booths featuring fitness memberships to healthy products to activities provided information and motivation to live more active and healthier lives.  The Humana Go365 program, the company’s health insurance provider participated with activities and give-aways.  Health care professionals were on site to provide blood pressure checks and administer free flu shots. Human Resources and department “Champs” planned, promoted and worked the successful Health Fair event.

Fall Event Builds Community!

The residents at The Villages of Hunters Point HOA in Lebanon, TN, held their 1st Annual Pumpkin Carving Party to celebrate the Fall season.  Kids of all ages enjoyed the fellowship and fun of sharing in this event sponsored by the Social Committee.

Legislative Lunch & Learn Seminar Peaks Interest and Discussion

The 2019 Lunch & Learn Volunteer Training seminar series ended with a packed house to hear about the legislative actions regarding Home-Owner Associations.  Community Associations Institute lobbyists Martha Gentry and Doug Jones shared with Board members and Community Association Managers about the process of how bills are introduced, changed and passed into law.  Emphasis was placed on the need to develop a strategy to protect home-owner values by limiting the number of rental properties, including short term rentals, within a community.  Scott Ghertner, Co-President of Ghertner & Company, appealed for Home-Owner Association members to support the CAI PAC to provide resources for dealing with unfavorable legislation.  You can learn more or give at www.caitenn.org or www.caionline.org/LACDonate.

Students Benefit from Academy Donation

As part of the “Giving Back” to the community effort, Ghertner & Company presented the staff and students at Abundant Life Christian Academy with a $500 check.  This faith-based school, located in Murfreesboro, provides a tuition free education for students in grades K5 through 8th grade.  ALCA’s Mission states that, “ALCA is committed to assist our students to discover and fulfill their God-given purpose in the earth, which will in turn glorify God and enhance the lives of many.”.  Find out more at www.alccministries.com/ALCA. 

Is is Fall yet? How the excessive heat effects landscaping.

We have seen record heat in our area well beyond summer. We’ve all felt its effect on ourselves. But have you ever considered what effect it has on plants and lawns? In our day to day lives we rarely consider how landscape reacts to climate. How we react to excessive shifts in climate is similar to how plants make necessary changes to sustain themselves during these days is vital not only for the community’s beauty but to our budgets.

Here are some signs to look for and tips to nurse our landscaping to sustain thru this season.

• Turf grass will be affected most. Grass will try to jump start their dormancy when a lack of water and prolonged heat radiates. If you have an automatic irrigation system, setting up dual programs to operate will allow the grass to sustain itself until the cooler temps prevail and discontinue any fertilization program. If there is not an irrigation system in place. Also refrain from applying fertilizer and allow the grass to use it’s natural system to protect its health until the cooler weather moves in. There will be some damage to the grass during this period. Once the cooler temps become more regular, have your service provider implement an aeration and over-seed application to fill in these areas affected. So, when Spring arrives new grass will repair the lush appearance of the lawn.

• Trees react to this extreme by shedding leaves in an effort to slow their nutrition process down. If possible, allowing your service provider to install watering bags to help sustain the trees until the Autumn weather arrives and the trees go dormant. Consider an earlier fertilization application to help with the Spring flush of their foliage to combat the early shedding of the leaves. This will help the longevity of the tree’s life.

• Shrubs will show signs of a burnt appearance. Blooming shrubs will be stop the process to focus on enduring thru the extreme heat. They will also be susceptible to insects during this period. Have your service provider make thorough inspections to make sure the shrubs are not being attacked. An additional step is allowing your service provider to spot water if no irrigation system is present will help protect them from damage there is not recovery from. It is better for a budget to allocate for man hours to water than to replace shrubs destroyed during this atypical climate.

• Most of the damage to landscaping will not reveal itself until Spring rolls around. It will be in the best interest to have your service provider complete a site audit to verify if any effects of the extensively long summer heat has taken its toll on plantings. This will help ensure an appealing landscape of our city for the future.

Partner Post provided by Scott Oldham with LSI

Landscape Services Inc

Timely Budget Lunch and Learn Seminar

Every HOA has to plan for it this time of year…the annual Budget!  Ghertner & Company resources its Board of Director members and Community Association Managers (CAM) with practical training and information as the focus of two September Volunteer Leadership Lunch and Learn Workshops.  Led by industry professional, Kathleen Sutherland, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, this seminar led attendees through the process of developing a budget and how to communicate it to homeowners.  As a convenience for board members, this seminar was presented at both the corporate office conference center in MetroCenter and the Hampton Inn in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Monthly Lunch and Learn seminars are presented free of charge to HOA Board of Directors for associations managed by Ghertner & Company.  Contact theresa.savich@ghertner.com for more information.

CAM Leadership Team Expands

To meet the demands of training and resourcing our Community Association Managers (CAM), Ghertner & Company has promoted Angela Stone to CAM Team Leader.  With a background in education and hospitality, Angela will develop the entry level online resources for all new to Ghertner & Company Community Association Managers and will assist in mentoring them through the other processes involved in joining the Ghertner and Company team.  Angela shares, “I am so excited to have the opportunity to serve in the position of CAM Team Leader! It allows me the opportunity to indulge my true passion as an educator and help build the next wave of great Ghertner & Company Community Association Managers!”

Angela joins the existing CAM leadership team of Kathleen Sutherland, Deborah Wallace, Jaye Kloss and Henry Puckett to provide professional development to our growing number of Community Association Managers. 

Teaming Up for CAI Golf Tournament

Several Ghertner & Company associates participated as golfers and volunteers at the Community Associations Institute (CAI) Annual Charity Golf Tournament on August 28th at the Hermitage Golf Course.  Operation Homefront, a service providing valuable resources to military families, was the organization that received significant funding from this chapter effort.  Ghertner and Company participated as a tournament sponsor and entered a team.  Each team was joined by a local celebrity and the Ghertner player included (left to right, top left picture): celebrity T. Graham Brown, Stacy Adams, Bob Welborn, Jeff Campbell and Catherine Davis-Sales.

State Representative Bob Freeman Speaks at CAI Luncheon

The August Community Associations Institute (CAI) luncheon on Friday, August 30th featured State Representative Bob Freeman.  He challenged HOA board members, management companies and managers to take an active role in state politics by being knowledgeable about bills being presented and developing relationships with government officials.  Mr. Freeman was key in opposition to SB 1429 – HB 1290 in recent legislative sessions.

Ghertner & Company pays for its Community Association managers to attend and participate in CAI meetings and events to encourage professional development. Learn more at caitenn.org.

Photos compliments of Chuck Negas, Northwest Exterminating.

Murfreesboro and Metrocenter Lunch & Learn Seminars

Two Volunteer Training Workshops were provided in August to allow board members the opportunity to participate at a more convenient location.  The first Lunch & Learn took place on Tuesday, August 6, at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Murfreesboro.  The regular monthly Lunch & Learn was held on Tuesday, August 13, at the company training center in the Metrocenter area.  The pertinent topic of “The Role of the Board and Business Judgment Rule” gave attendees helpful information and resources on the subject and the discussion time allowed for board members to ask relevant questions to challenges faced in their community. 

Monthly training seminars are complimentary for board members of Homeowner Associations managed by Ghertner and Company.  Contact your Community Association Manager for more information. 

Professional Development for Associates

Over fifty associates participated in the monthly Human Resources Lunch and Learn presentation in the training facility on campus.  Led by Human Resources Director, Stacy Adams, team members were challenged on the topic of trust in the professional and personal areas.  Group discussion and small group exercises helped reinforce the value of building trust in all relationships throughout life.  Complimentary breakfast or lunch was provided according to which of the two seminars one chose to join.  Ghertner & Company believes in the investment of personal and professional development skills of every team member throughout the organization and makes these training opportunities available on a regular basis.

Encouraging Community Youth Through the Arts

Borderless Arts Tennessee is an eighteen year old statewide nonprofit organization committed to inclusive and accessible arts programs for people with disabilities to enhance educational curriculum, enrich creative expression, empower career development, and encourage community engagement. 

Programs include residencies in the schools using the arts to enhance math and science skills, a weekly music program, a weekly dance program, a theater program, a visual arts program, exhibitions, the Young Soloist music competition, and numerous special projects.  We work with individuals of all ages and all forms of disabilities. Learn more at www.borderlessartstn.org. 

Ghertner & Company believes in “Giving Back” to the middle Tennessee community.  Each quarter a $500 donation is made to a local nonprofit agency that is making a positive impact in individuals’ quality of life.