When did you start at Westwinds? What do you do?
- I’ve worked at Westwinds for my whole life. I started by cleaning the office for my dad when my brother and I were very young. I also worked summers for the maintenance department in high school and college and cleaned apartments during turnover. I started full time in May of 2013 after I graduated from the University of Iowa with a Finance degree. I currently oversee our Investment Management department. I communicate with current investors and work to bring on new investors while trying to improve processes and procedures to improve efficiencies within our department.
How did you end up at Westwinds?
- I’ve always been around Westwinds so I always thought this was what I would end up doing. It was a natural place to start and I’ve been able to help change/grow the company which has kept evolving my job and helped to keep it interesting. Real Estate interests me as a wealth building tool, but also because everybody is impacted by it and needs it.
What does a typical day look like at Westwinds?
- My days vary a lot because I deal with so many different people & scenarios in a day. Every deal/house/interaction is different. There are no two properties that are identical – same for my days. I also like that I can close the door when I need to and work on a project to make future days for me and my co-workers better/easier.
Westwinds does everything when it comes to real estate, what is your favorite part of the business?
- I have a couple of favorite parts:
- Working on the business. I like making processes easier and more streamlined so we can better serve tenants & owners and live up to our promises. I want to come to work knowing that we are doing what we can to be better and that we really are giving thought to what changes need to be made in order to do that.
- Finalizing Deals. I was really excited when I first started full time about filling vacant units & finalizing leases. As I’ve moved more into sales, the same has held true about putting together deals. I really like drawing the connection between one loose end and another to complete a transaction where both parties walk away happy.
What is one word you would use to describe the Westwinds culture?
- I’ve said for a couple of years that we should have a “high-five culture”. I’ll count the hyphenation as 1 word. It just means walk around happy. Give somebody a high-five for no reason. People smile at that.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
- I think the most challenging part is volume. Because we do so much in a day and manage so many properties there is a lot that needs to go perfectly to make the customers’ experience go smoothly. For example, people expect to move into a perfectly clean apartment with no maintenance items, and I understand that because that’s what we want for them also, but there is a lot that goes into it and some of that is out of our control. Living up to people’s expectations for their home is difficult because those expectations vary so widely and it means a lot to them because this is their home!
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
- Working with so many different people in a day, working (having fun?) with my team to make sure it all gets done somehow & seeing the company grow, change and continue to improve.
What do you love about the Iowa City real estate market?
- I think Iowa City has a great sense of community. I’ve also enjoyed watching it change and changing with it.
When not working, where will we find you?
- Playing/watching basketball. Going out to eat, preferably brunch. In a deep Netflix binge.