Apartment Trends Magazine March 2018 | Page 8

FROM THE PRESIDENT BRANDON RICH | GREYSTAR REAL ESTATE PARTNERS Valuing Maintenance Professionals A pril is fast approaching, and so is the month of rain (if we are lucky), the foolery of April Fool’s day, as well as AAMD’s Maintenance Mania. As an industry professional, I value our maintenance team members as significant importance to our business as they are the backbone and heart and soul of our customer service and reputation strategies. While our company offers numerous training and certification programs that allow for continued growth and advancement, AAMD offers maintenance education throughout the year, including the national Certified Apartment Maintenance Technician (CAMT) certification, which for the first time this month, is being held at a hands-on facility to enhance the quality of the course. Your participation in AAMD’s Maintenance Mania helps demonstrate the commitment we all have to this valuable role and allows a day of fun for our hard working team members. For nearly 20 years, AAMD has offered an event that truly celebrates maintenance teams through education and friendly competition. This event has grown to over 1,500 people since 2000, and I’m proud of the team from Greystar for bringing home the We Hammered ‘Em award last year! Have some fun with your maintenance teams with fun events throughout the year, such as Rockies games, paint ball with the boss, and more. Remember that while your leasing and management team are crucial in the overall operations of your communities, the maintenance team sets the tone for service, team work, and commitment and is often the reason our residents renew year over year. But don’t let it stop with Maintenance Olympics. Your teams should constantly be recognized, rewarded and appreciated, and one of the best ways is through training. 6 | TRENDS MARCH 2018 Our CAMT program is one of the strongest in the country, but beyond the National Certification, AAMD puts together excellent classes for the members and their Maintenance personnel, including: Certified Pool Operator, EPA 608 Certification and R410a Certification. In addition to all this, the Education Department is starting to wrap up its first year of the Maintenance Apprenticeship Program (MAP). We’ve had