"My background – born in Texas and grew up in San Francisco Bay Area. Went to college at CSU Chico where I studied accounting. Went back to the Bay Area to work in public accounting for a couple years before deciding to move to Southern California and work in public accounting here. Got my CPA license in 2007, stayed in public accounting until 2013 and found IPG in 2014!
 
Working at IPG has been great! I remember when starting as Controller, Amber wanted 3 things from me – get our tax returns done, find efficiencies / process changes in the Accounting department and keep an eye on things around the office. I am happy to report that I was successful in 2 of the 3! For those who don’t know, besides completing 95% of our tax returns, I also work on 95% of our refinances (excluding Affordable) and review 100% of our checks / disbursements. Besides some of these core tasks I’m charged with, I also work on a variety of projects and that’s my favorite part of the job. Anything from a cost/benefit on solar to California Competes and Employee Retention Credits to NetSuite implementation. I love the challenge of a new project and the rewards of successfully completing a project. Although, it is important to know your limitations! I would not, for example naively take on a Tax Credit REAC Inspection and think I’m the right person for the job. Sometimes you have to know when you need an expert!  
 
Besides the various projects previously mentioned, I also really enjoy working in the Accounting department. Urvi and Yvette are so very helpful – I always say they do such a good job it makes my job easy! I’ve seen very poorly functioning Accounting departments from the inside and outside; they are not pretty. It’s important in our line of work to have rigid guidelines and procedures to ensure the timely and accurate processing of transactions. I’m very comfortable with where we’re at and I think that helps us all focus on new issues as they come up instead of constantly putting out fires resulting from poor procedures.
 
In conclusion, I’d like to mention how important work ethic is for me. It’s really the way I live my life. The harder I work, the more I am rewarded. There is no benefit to being lazy. This goes for health too. I know tasks can seem daunting, and what’s always helped me is to just focus on one piece at a time and not be overwhelmed by something that seems difficult. I just did 100 “man-makers” with 40lb dumbbells yesterday and I did most of them in reps of 1 or 2. Years ago, we did motivational videos where I talk about this, and it still holds true. Despite having a mountain of work in front of me, if I keep my head down and knock out one piece at a time, I am never overwhelmed and always have time for everything."

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"In 2016, while working in an unrelated industry as an Operations Manager, I received call from IPG leadership. They had heard about my history, ability and knowledge of the Washington Manufactured Housing industry and wanted to make me an offer. I was hesitant as I loved my current job and had not been looking to transition back to the MH field. My curiosity got the best of me and I agreed to a meeting with them to hear them out, see what the company was about and hear what they had to offer. After numerous phone calls and lunch meetings going over everything IPG, I decided to take a leap of faith and join this quickly growing company. I can tell you it has been a wild and gratifying ride. IPG as it sits today, is worlds away from where it sat in 2016. In the 7 years I have been here, I have witnessed exponential growth that has taken this company in the right direction. As with all growth, there have been some growing pains but I am always up for the challenge. I truly look forward to what the future holes for all of us at IPG."

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"I started working in property management directly out of high school. I was picked up from a temp agency to be a painter and empty vacant units of belongings. I did this for a year before moving to Canada for two years.  I returned home and went to college for Psychology. I didn't want to live at home and knew that I could return to Property Management to get a "free" apartment. I was part-time and my main responsibilities were cleaning grounds, laundry rooms, taking care of pools and working in the leasing office on Saturdays. After I graduated with my degree, I went searching for a "real" job.  
 
The Senior Vice President of the company I worked for heard I was looking to leave and reached out to me and convinced me to stay.  She became my mentor and helped me develop into the person I am today. I was made a full-time Assistant Manager. I did this for a few years and was eventually offered a position in the corporate office. I accepted and took on several roles over the years in Property Management Maintenance, Compliance and Leadership. Eventually, my mentor and boss retired, and a new leadership was brought in. The company culture changed, and I sought a new "family" to join.  

The Senior Vice President of the company I worked for heard I was looking to leave and reached out to me and convinced me to stay.  She became my mentor and helped me develop into the person I am today. I was made a full-time Assistant Manager. I did this for a few years and was eventually offered a position in the corporate office. I accepted and took on several roles over the years in Property Management Maintenance, Compliance and Leadership. Eventually, my mentor and boss retired, and a new leadership was brought in. The company culture changed, and I sought a new "family" to join.  
 
I knew I wanted a boss that was kind and supportive similar to my retired mentor. I knew I wanted a company that cared as much about the people as they did the bottom line. I preferred a company with only one owner to satisfy and finally a company where I could learn new skills. IPG has been wonderful for me. I was gifted a team of staff that knew their stuff. I am part of a team of Regional Managers that are kind and willing to assist me while I learned. I have a boss that remained patient and kind with me. I love working with kind people and helping make their day better when I can.  
 
I've now worked in property management 18 years and don't plan on stopping anytime soon!"

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"I have been with the company for a little more than a year now and I really like the challenges of Property Management. I am happy to bring my knowledge and experiences to my position to help others succeed. I did not intend to get back into Property Management but I am very glad I did with IPG. It is great to work with such a supportive team. Strange thing is that I went to school to go into Law Enforcement. How I got into this business is quite a journey.

I grew up on a 1500-acre farm in Western Kentucky and learned how to fix just about everything at a very young age to keep the farm going. I moved to Arizona in the 90’s and of course needed to find work. I landed for my first Property Maintenance job in Paradise Valley, Arizona. I spent 10 years in Property Management in Arizona working for ConAM, Camden, Magellan and Mark Taylor Residential. My last four years in Arizona, I was a Licensed General Contractor.

I then moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where I got back into Property Management and worked for Horizon/Cornerstone Management for seven years. I later broke off and started my own Property Management Company, managing 50 HOA communities and almost 500 units. I did this for about four years and then sold the business.

In my personal time, I really enjoy spending time with my family. I like the outdoors, fishing, and camping. I’m also a huge UK basketball Fan and a Green Bay Packers fan. Go Big Blue and Go Pac Go!”

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"I graduated college back in the 80’s. I took my first public accounting job where I stayed for almost three years performing financial engagements and tax return preparation and consulting. I then moved to a worldwide construction company where I spent the next four years. My specialty there was multi-state corporate tax and international taxation. In 1996, I re-entered the public accounting arena where I spent the next 10 years. It was here, where I first met Brian. He was one of my first clients. I prepared both his individual and corporate tax returns. Back then, neither IPG nor Sage existed. Over the next 10 years, I was personally responsible for making Brian happy or sad depending on whether he had to pay taxes or received a tax refund. Fast forward to 2005. I was preparing Brian’s 2004 individual tax return. I was upset because Brian was sending me his tax information piecemeal and I can’t clear him off my “to do” list. I called him and told him that I was going to charge him $25,000 to prepare his return. He in return invites me to come in-house and clean things up. I said no way! In December of 2005, I called him to discuss year-end tax planning and he mentioned that the offer still stands. I decided to take up his offer and in January of 2006 I joined IPG. By then, IPG had become its own corporation in February of 2005.  The office was located on the circle in Fashion Island (Newport Beach, CA). We then moved to 19972 MacArthur upstairs and downstairs and eventually to 18006 Sky Park. When I started it was just me, Amber, Rebecca, Sara, Elizabeth and Nicole. Also, Yvette Maldonado would join later that year. Like Amber and me, Yvette is also considered an “oldy.” Two of the first things I did were set up a retirement plan and health insurance for the employees. Over the past 16 years, I’ve watched the company grow from a handful of properties to two decent size portfolios. I say “watched” because the company’s growth is Amber’s story for another day. I’ve worn a lot of hats in the company. Suffice it to say that my primary duties are keeping the books and preparing tax returns. In 2013, I moved over to Sage to handle the apartment portfolio and LIHTC properties. I’ve been here ever since. It’s been a great sixteen years and counting. Two pieces of advice I give you. First, communication is key! Be or become an effective communicator with your upline and downline. Second, be able to adapt to any type of personality that you are working with."
 

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"In 2021, I welcomed an opportunity with Investment Property Group as an Assistant Human Resources Manager position that sounded like a great opportunity to utilize my 15 years of Human Resources experience and continue to grow and learn the property management industry.

The last year has flown by, coming on board during the pandemic and overcoming all the HR challenges during this time. Our team is the best team I’ve ever worked with; very supportive and we genuinely care about each other both personally and professionally. I also enjoy working closely with all departments and on-site team members at IPG. It’s very refreshing to work for a company that cares greatly about each one of their employees and wants everyone to succeed and love their job!

I enjoy developing relationships and finding new ways to solve existing challenges. HR is very fluid; each workday is different. There is a variety, there is no typical day in HR. I’m looking forward to building a future with IPG!"

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"I moved to United States in 2005 and started my journey in the Property Management industry soon after. In 2011, we decided to relocate from Los Angeles to Orange County, CA. And after one year of commuting, I realized it was time for me to take a break. After a short break in my professional career, I was ready to come back in 2013. I was looking for something not too far from my home and can provide me challenging environment.

I saw an advertisement online and decided to apply for an Accounts Payable position. At that time, Sage Apartment Communities was just formed. The goal was to bring all properties inhouse for management that were being managed by third-party management companies. In my prior work experience, I had seen both types of management and I had personally realized the importance of owner operated management so I was sold on that aspect. However, with Master’s Degree in Accounting, I was not sure if this position would give me enough challenges and satisfy my hunger for more. I was told that there was great potential for growth as more properties are brought in house within next couple years and that sounded promising! I accepted the offer and have never looked back. I started as the first Multi-Family Accounting Department employee with only 5 properties to handle. With my prior experience and expertise, I was promoted to Accounting Manager within the first year. With those added responsibilities, I was able to put together policies and procedures that helped increased efficiency and accuracy both at the site level and at the Home Office. All those efforts and contributions were noticed and there was another opportunity presented to me in 2016. I was offered a promotion as Controller. It was a great honor and another opportunity for me to contribute to success of the company.

One thing that kept me going was the continuous change. While change can be difficult for many, I get excited with every change that helps us go a step further! I am truly grateful to be part of those changes that we have implemented so far. Also, I am grateful to be able to work closely with all departments. I feel the camaraderie we have is genuine and unique. I feel so blessed to be able to work with great teams!
 
To be very honest – It has been a roller coaster ride for me, and I have gone through some difficult times in past 8 years. However, those challenges served me lessons that has only made me stronger. I am extremely thankful to all who have been with me through this journey and had faith in me!"
 

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"In 2016, I was one semester away from finishing college. My last college course was to intern for a housing company that involved architecture or interior design. I was working for Disneyland as a window display merchandiser cast member at the World of Disney & Hotels, so it was time to turn in my ears and find something towards my degree. I applied at many internships, but none of them seemed to be the right fit. I had lost all hope in finding the right company and took on an internship that was the absolute worst! I knew I could find another company that could utilize my capability. I continued searching for internships then came across the Home Sales & Design Intern opening at IPG and immediately applied for the position. I received a call from the recruiter, and I met with David Bates, the Home Sales Director, the following day. We talked about the 3-month internship and how it would be helpful to the company. After discussing the requirements and expectations, I knew this internship was exactly what I wanted.

During my internship, I had so much to learn in such a brief time. I had proposed innovative ideas to help the department speed up the home ordering process. I noticed the site plans we received where inaccurate and all just drawn on paper (sometimes napkins). I took this time to propose AutoCAD to help speed the process on getting the right home to fit these vacant lots. This became a significant improvement for the home ordering process. As we got closer towards the end of my internship, we had started construction on Copper Creek Estates and ordering homes for this expansion. I was offered a full-time position to continue creating CAD plans and assisting the department.

During my first year, I was working with the Property and Regional Managers to make sure we got the right information needed for new homes. I kept track of all the materials from the factories and displayed them to stay up to date with their current inventory. I created templates for each factory to make the home ordering process easier. This helped tremendously on keeping track of our new home inventory. By the end of my first year, we ordered over 220 new homes! I got to see the photos of the new homes offline, visited factories in Oregon and Idaho, and visited some of our MHC properties. They were so thrilled of what we had coming. This made me feel grateful. I knew my inspiration was to help create a place someone calls home.

Fast forward through the years, I took on more responsibilities while still creating new homes. I was given a new title as a Home Development & CAD Specialist. I took on extra work to assist in expansions, assisting in new home development in California, and assisting my department in any way I can. (There is no I in Team!) I knew this would be challenging to maintain all the work. Luckily, with the support I have, there was never a day I regret. I give my all and I am never afraid to ask questions and own up on my mistakes. I look up to my peers and value their opinions and feedback. I make sure my work is to exceed expectations. Since my first day, we have ordered over 650 homes and counting! I feel so grateful being a part of IPG. I love what I do, I enjoy helping others and making work life a little easier. I collaborate with great people and enjoy having you all as my work family. Thank you for all your help and support."

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"I started with IPG in January of 2020, just before the pandemic hit and the world as we knew it changed, possibly forever. My first day of work was at the Home Office to attend the annual RM Meeting, where I met most of the corporate office and all the MH Regional Managers. I have felt welcomed, supported and part of an amazing team from that moment. I have not stopped learning since that first day and have been blessed with an extraordinary team of Community Managers that have taught me so much.

I had worked in multi-family for over 25 years and was working as a Regional Manager at a great company for 8 years when I started to casually look for a new challenge. At the time, I thought that I had applied for a Manufactured Housing Regional position on accident, now I know there are no accidents. When I first interviewed with Dan Ogden, he asked me the question “why would you want to make a change from multi-family to manufactured housing after all this time?” My answer to his question was a question “I don’t know that I do, can you tell me why I wouldn’t want to?” Dan did a great job explaining to me the differences and nuances of manufactured housing compared to multi-family housing. I thought a lot about what this change in my career would look like and after 5 additional interviews , I decided to take the leap. I now know that nothing can prepare you fully for Property Management in general, let alone a drastic change after a 25+ year career, however I have not regretted my decision to join IPG and the Manufactured Housing Industry for even one day.

The Utah portfolio has grown rapidly during my 2 years with IPG, with a new property onboarded every six months on average as well as a 40-home expansion at an existing property. I have an amazing Area Manager that oversaw the 40-home expansion and the sale of each home. That expansion is 100% sold with 1 more home left to have delivered and set up to complete this large project. We have also grown as a team and each of my managers is there for the other, cheering on each other’s victories and helping each other out in time of need.

With everything that I have learned and continue to learn, some of my biggest take aways so far have been:

IPG cares greatly about their employees and residents safety.
A pandemic cannot stop business or hinder success.
Virtual meetings can be fun and informative.
Zoom filters are awesome.
You can never do it all, all by yourself so surround yourself with amazing Managers (I have the BEST)!"

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The post Employee Spotlight appeared first on Investment Property Group News.