Winter 2015 - The Shelter Group
Transcription
Winter 2015 - The Shelter Group
sights In Shelter In this Issue… Each year, we honor exceptional associates who work in our Shelter Properties and Brightview Senior Living communities during award ceremonies and special events. C r e a t i n g Each of Shelter’s communities – Brightview Senior Living’s and Shelter Properties’ – are great places to live and great places to work in large part because of the high quality and dynamic associates. So, we decided to devote this issue of Insights to these “unsung heroes” whose contributions are significant, varied and very critical to the overall success of our company. Without them, our bills wouldn’t get paid, reports wouldn’t be produced, emails wouldn’t go through and paychecks wouldn’t go out. The members of our support departments are absolutely essential to the smooth In this issue, continued on page 2 Marilynn Duker President, The Shelter Group Celebrating Home Office Associates Shelter’s Home Office is also comprised of over 100 associates who are committed to making the communities great places to live and great places to work, and often work ‘behind the scenes’ to ensure the company’s mission is accomplished. While the work of Home Office associates, countless ‘unsung heroes,’ goes largely unnoticed, quietly doing what they do, if they weren’t there doing it, they’d sorely be missed. spotlight In several of our Home Office departments – Information Technology, Human Resources, Accounting and Compliance – we have many outstanding associates, some with very long tenure, who do great work every day to support our communities. Because much of what they do is “behind the scenes,” however, they may not always get the credit and recognition they deserve. C o m m u n i t i e s Committed to creating quality communities by providing excellent service, The Shelter Group has successfully developed, acquired and managed multi-family and senior living communities for more than 30 years. And, we know that the strong reputation we enjoy, and the fact that we were once again selected by the Baltimore Business Journal (BBJ) as the number two Best Place to Work among large companies, is a result of the really outstanding people who make up our company. We are very proud to be the only company to finish in the top two of BBJ’s awards for four consecutive years. Q u a l i t y A sampling of the work of four Home Office departments — and a number of associates — follows: 1 Information Technology IT we help you today? The mission of Shelter’s Information Technology (IT) team is to provide responsive, quality and cost-effective information technology solutions and services to enable associates to be successful in achieving their goals. The IT Department consists of three teams, each responsible for a specific type of technology. Business Information Systems, led by David Land, maintains Yardi Voyager, PayScan, Business Intelligence and other accounting, financial or property management systems used by Shelter. Network Infrastructure, managed by Jeff Elseroad, designs, configures and operates the equipment and connections that comprise data and telephone networks. In addition, Infrastructure maintains email, Shelter Connect and various supporting systems such as databases and web servers. : How can Finally, the IT Help Desk, headed by new associate Ed Boston, serves as the initial contact for the entire department. Help Desk team members address the majority of issues and requests, such as those related to accounts and passwords, desktops and laptops, peripherals, PC software and connectivity. Many tickets are also escalated to the Business Information or Network Infrastructure teams. From requests for password changes to troubleshooting system access to training new associates, IT’s Help Desk fielded over 12,000 tickets in 2014. Recently, IT brought its outsourced Help Desk function back in-house to ensure expectations are met or exceeded. IT, continued on page 2 winter 2015 IT, continued from page 1 In this Issue… continued from page 1 functioning of our businesses. Their accomplishments go well beyond that and you’ll get a sense of the scope of their work in this issue. We are so fortunate that the associates mentioned here and the others in their departments have chosen to make their careers at Shelter, and are grateful for their many contributions. This past month, we also celebrated Charlie Rout’s 30th anniversary – Shelter’s longest serving Maintenance Supervisor. I’ve known Charlie almost as long as I have worked at Shelter. He is an exceptional person and is truly devoted to the seniors he serves in Shelter Properties, routinely going above and beyond to meet their needs, make them feel at home and providing excellent service. Pay attention to those men behind the curtain. Jeff Elseroad and James Sutton have over 25 years of Shelter IT experience between them. They have a long work history at Shelter and have gained a great deal of intrinsic knowledge about the company along the way. Jeff and James both started on the Help Desk, and have made impressive progress in their careers. Today, Jeff manages the Network Infrastructure team and James is a Network Administrator. What exactly do they do? Think about the series of highways across the country that cars and trucks drive every day. Imagine the constant maintenance and repairs that must occur to keep the roads free of potholes and vehicles running smoothly. Now think of Shelter’s network as the highway, and the systems and software as the vehicles. Jeff and James ensure the network is open and free of traffic jams and monitor systems and software for proper operation and performance. Yvonne Payne, the newest addition to the team, brings additional compliance and accounting experience and skills. Although Jeff and James spend much of their time behind the scenes at work, they spend time on stage during the weekends. Both are accomplished musicians and play in various bands: Jeff on guitar and James on drums. An old bird…with a wonderful sense of humor. The “Yardi Birds”. LaTonya Lawson-Jones, Roxanne Malozi, and David Meer have been maintaining the company’s accounting and property management systems for a combined 35 years. Among many other responsibilities, LaTonya supports Brightview; Roxanne, PAYscan; and David, Shelter Properties. Everyone on the Yardi team not only maintains Yardi systems and applications, but also provides end-user support for associates. In his long career here, he has also worked with our development team, conducting many punch-out walks in new communities and managed renovations of a number of our Park View communities. In addition, he has been a terrific mentor for many younger associates who aspire to grow and develop in maintenance roles. We are extremely fortunate to have Charlie on our team. We’ve had one of the busiest and most productive years ever at Shelter and Brightview. We are grateful for the strong performance our communities and companies have achieved this year. But most of all, we are grateful for the wonderful associates who share and live out our collective values and mission in our communities every day and for all those in the Home Office who work tirelessly to support the communities so that we remain a great place to work and a great place to live. Human Resources: Team Each member of Shelter’s Human Resources (HR) team plays an important role in the employment life of every Shelter associate throughout the associate’s employment lifecycle.The Career Services team provides support for recruiting, employee relations and risk management. The Associate Services team provides support to current associates with paychecks, benefits and a myriad of other services. Shelter’s Health and Wellness team works across the organization, offering education on a variety of health related topics, promoting healthy lifestyles for a better quality of life and working to control rising health care costs in which we all share. The work of the Associate Services team is personal to all of us as they handle paychecks and benefits. A taste of activity. To support the nearly 3,000 associates across the company, a taste of the activity they processed in November 1 marked David Meer’s 20th anniversary with Shelter— serving in accounting and IT capacities. To this day, he considers himself an accountant working in an IT world. Regardless of team or title name, David continues to amaze with his ability to leap tall technical obstacles in a single bound and at a pace faster than a speeding GL code. Like Jeff and James, David is also a musician. He plays guitar and provides vocals and composition for the Richard Walton Group, a notable contemporary jazz band based in Baltimore, Maryland. 2 HR 2014 included: • 7 0,200 paychecks – of those, 7,280 are paper checks that must be printed, folded, stuffed and mailed • 3 ,700 W-2’s • 1 ,250 inquiries about paychecks, withholdings, taxes and payroll related questions • 1 ,300 new hires to be set up in multiple systems and enrolled in a variety of benefit plans • 1 5,000 payroll data changes to update titles, departments, salaries, addresses, supervisors and a host of other important pieces of information •4 ,800 inquiries about benefit plans, eligibility, coverage, claims and a host of other benefits questions • 2 85 leaves of absence for associates on medical and other personal leaves • 3 3,800 documents electronically filed HR, continued on page 3 2 Editor: Sarah H. Schlenker HR, continued from page 2 • 1 ,320 verifications of employment to help associates qualify for mortgages and apartments, social services and other employment • 2,700 performance reviews processed and filed • 9,000 reports that are sent automatically and 2,100 ad hoc reports that are requested almost daily by a variety of managers across the organization The Associate Services team is highly crosstrained: if one of the members of the team is out of the office, their critical work continues, uninterrupted. With the sampling of the teams’ work, it’s clear the Associate Services team is important to each of us. Meet the team. As the leader of the team, Almanda Steeple, Director of Associate Services, has a background in human resources, operations, systems administration and project management, primarily in the financial services sector. She joined Shelter in 2011. Her unique combination of skills and experience allowed her to quickly master the many tasks for which her team is responsible and the eleven different software solutions they use daily. More importantly, she challenges her team to continuously look for ways to improve systems, automate and streamline processes, implement available enhancements, identify new technology partners and tighten internal controls. In her free time, she enjoys reading and painting. Christal Davis, Senior Benefits Administrator, who has been at Shelter for more than 11 years, manages Shelters benefits and has a strong background in change management and leave administration. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her son. Benefits Administrator, Jessica Green was added to the benefits team last year to help support the growing number of associates. She is responsible for monitoring numerous data transmissions to Shelter’s benefits vendors. In Jessica’s free time, she enjoys attending concerts and spending time with her goddaughter. Part of the team since 2006, Deborah Robinson, Shelter’s Payroll Administrator, handles payroll operations, and previously worked on the tax processing side of payroll. She has a passion for reading when she is not at work. The Mysteries of Accounting Accounting is one of those departments most people realize is important but are unsure exactly what it does. In fact, many people refer to accountants as “bean counters” – those who prepare financial statements to keep track of how much revenue a company earns and how much the company spends. But, at Shelter, the Accounting team is so much more. Shelter’s accountants have formed a strong partnership with the Operations teams at all of the communities managed by Brightview Senior Living and Shelter Properties. Working together, they provide timely and accurate financial statements and provide Operations with detailed Working diligently to keep HR’s data up-to-date since 2006, Margaret Rust, HRIS Administrator, is the subject matter expert on Shelter’s timekeeping systems. She enjoys spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren. With a background in project management and website configuration, DeShon Ray, HR Analyst, joined Shelter seven years ago. She produces volumes of HR related reports and data used daily by managers across the organization. In her free time, DeShon enjoys artistic pursuits, particularly drawing. Kelsey Krause, a student at Towson University and the newest member of the team, is pursuing a Human Resources degree and interning at Shelter. She is responsible for converting Shelter associates’ paper files to an electronic, paperless version. When she is not at work, Kelsey spends her time going to the gym, hiking, fishing, cooking and baking. Splitting her time between payroll and managing the HR data systems, Lynnea Pinder, HRIS monthly variance reports and financial analysis How many times have you heard: “I don’t know; it’s something they do in accounting?” Or, “It’s some GAAP thing accounting asks us to follow.” Payroll Assistant, who joined Shelter in 2011, is the resident guru with FileBound, Shelter’s new paperless filing solution. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities with her daughter. that are used on the monthly financial review calls. In addition, the accountants support Operations by preparing reports for investors, banks and regulatory agencies. They also work with Operations on annual budgets and reforecasts. Behind the scenes. While Shelter’s accountants have very visible jobs, the accounting department also has a group that provides vital accounting infrastructure support to the organization: Senior Financial Analyst, Debbie Mauk and her team of Mark Nevarez, Report Writer, and Charlie Payne, Financial Analyst, provide critical behind the scenes financial support for each of Shelter’s divisions. A 3 For example, the budget forms, or ‘shells,’ on which the annual budgets for Brightview and Shelter Properties are based, have been vastly improved over the years to become an important tool for developing annual budgets. Debbie and Charlie have spent countless hours working with Operations to make these shells more intuitive and easy to use. The pair has also developed a new staffing model which will further help in the financial management of the communities. In addition to the budget shells and other financial tools, Mark is responsible for developing and maintaining the back-end Yardi reports used by Shelter’s Management team. In addition to Resident Leases, Mark is also responsible for over 100 custom reports including weekly sales reports, move-in and move-out reports and WAR reports. In fact, as the company continues to grow, Mark continues to modify existing reports and develop new reports to meet the needs of Shelter and Brightview’s management. In their free time, Debbie, Mark and Charlie have a number of interests. Debbie enjoys working on her home, traveling and being outside — specifically hiking, kayaking, skiing, biking and gardening. Accounting, continued on page 4 Insights winter 2015 Shelter 3 Accounting, continued from page 3 Because he works remotely in sunny Fort Myers, Florida, Mark enjoys playing tennis throughout the year. And Charlie, who is working on a Master’s in Applied Information Technology at Towson University, enjoys reading, cooking and being outside – especially camping and hiking. He is also an avid Orioles and Ravens fan. c 4 Compliance Compliance ensures that this will not happen to Shelter. : The art of affordable housing Simply stated, Shelter’s Compliance team ensures the integrity of Shelter’s affordable housing mission. Consisting of 48 properties, including one property undergoing refinancing, as well as 3 new or planned communities at various stages of development, Shelter Properties’ portfolio reflects the creativity and initiative of Shelter’s development group in the wide variety of affordability products deployed. In its over 30 year history, Shelter utilized virtually every major affordable housing program. These programs include the federal Low-income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), tax-exempt private activity bonds, the federal HOME program, Section 8 project-based rental assistance, Section 811 project-based rental assistance and numerous state and local agency programs. Shelter’s Compliance team primarily focuses on two of them – LIHTC and project-based rental subsidies through HUD’s Section 8 program. There isn’t the space here to detail the specifics of LIHTC or Section 8 but it’s sufficient to say that LIHTC is administered by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – the same folks responsible for the long 1040 form. THE SHELTER GROUP PORTFOLIO (as of 01/01/2015) No. of No. of Properties Units Brightview Senior Living 354,583 Shelter Properties Managed 485,580 In Development 141,680 Total 9711,803 Shelter manages properties in 10 states. 4 That LIHTC is complicated and fraught with risk for the unwary property owner is an understatement. Why compliance? Think of LIHTC compliance as a three-legged stool. Knock one of these legs out, and the whole thing collapses. The first leg maintains the rent restrictions required by the IRS and the state agencies that represent the IRS; the second leg ensures residents are qualified as “low-income” and the third leg ensures the properties are properly maintained and continuously available for occupancy. Most essential is the review and approval of all tenant income certifications by a compliance analyst prior to either move-in or lease renewal. This centralized review process is referred to as “Pre-audit.” Rolled out in 2007, pre-audits effectively eliminated non-compliance for tenant eligibility and rent setting. In 2014, the compliance team reviewed and approved certifications for all 5,306 affordable units in the portfolio at least once, calculated allowances for tenant-paid utilities for 47 properties and prepared and submitted over 300 certifications to housing agencies including HUD and the IRS, investors and tax credit syndicators. Seven properties in the affordable portfolio also receive project-based rental subsidies through HUD’s Section 8 program for 893 units. The subsidies, totaling over $9 million for the year, require maintenance of a coordinated reporting and monthly subsidy billing system involving Shelter’s Accounting and Financial Services and the Operations team as well as Compliance. Failure to adequately maintain the requisite Section 8 tenant documentation can be quite costly. In a recent case, HUD cited an owner/ agent in Alabama for inadequate tenant documentation for four Section 8 properties and demanded repayment of over $435,000 in unsubstantiated subsidy billings. At the front line. Tenishia Tillery and Mary Miller, the Compliance Department’s two senior analysts, and Dalkish George, Compliance Analyst, supported by LaWan Rhodes, Administrative Assistant, continue to maintain the compliance program at Shelter. Between them, Tenishia and Mary have over 40 years of experience in affordable housing compliance and management. “Acquired” by Shelter in 1994 when the property she was managing was purchased by a Shelter affiliate, Mary joined the Compliance department as an analyst and was later promoted to Senior Analyst. In her free time, Mary enjoys working on puzzles as well as working on her Eldersburg home with her husband. Tenishia came to Shelter from Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), where she worked in the Section 8 contract administration department. Living in Cambridge, on Maryland’s eastern shore, Tenishia is studying for her bachelor’s in theology and loves to read and travel. Dalkish, or ‘Kish’ as he is called, recently joined the Compliance team. Previously, he served as the Assistant Manager at Park View at Laurel I and II, one of Shelter Properties affordable housing communities for independent seniors in Laurel, Maryland. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons. He also performs in a steel band and works in video production and editing. In her role, LaWan keeps track of over 200 annual monitoring visits by state and local agencies, syndicators or investors and HUD. She also ensures that Shelter’s property records are kept up to date and reports and payment vouchers are filed timely with HUD’s contract administrator. When LaWan isn’t working, she is active in her church and with her extended family. She also works on several house projects. The Shelter Group | 218 North Charles Street, Suite 220 | Baltimore, MD 21201 | Telephone 410-962-0595 | www.thesheltergroup.com Shelter happenings For the fourth consecutive year, the Baltimore Business Journal (BBJ) selected The Shelter Group and Brightview Senior Living as one of Baltimore’s Best Places to Work – the only company to finish in either first or second place for four straight years. The Shelter Group and Brightview Senior Living were awarded second place in the large company category as a result of a confidential, online associate survey that was conducted by the BBJ during the summer. Congratulations to the associates at The Shelter Group and Brightview Senior Living! In Development The excitement in development continues. At the end of 2014, Shelter Development began construction on three new Brightview communities. As Brightview Senior Living’s New York metro-market continues to grow, construction began on Brightview Paramus and Brightview Warren. Brightview Paramus, in Paramus, New Jersey, is conveniently located in a densely populated market known as the shopping center capital of Northern New Jersey and beyond. The community will provide 170 apartment homes of Independent Living, Assisted Living and a Memory Care neighborhood. Brightview Warren is located directly adjacent to the town center of this sought after suburban town in Northern New Jersey and will provide 106 Assisted Living and Memory Care apartments. Construction also began on Brightview Canton. The community will be located in a desirable southern suburb of Boston and will provide 160 Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care apartment homes. On the affordable side, substantial renovations have begun at Park View at Ellicott City, an 81 apartment home community (From top to bottom) Brightview Paramus, Brightview Warren and Brightview Canton for independent seniors in Ellicott City, Maryland, initially developed by Shelter 15 years ago. The renovation will provide a total refreshing of the community as well as an update to all major systems. Shelter Development has also been busy preparing two new construction projects that will begin in 2015 as well as several additional substantial renovations. More to come on these communities soon. Student interns from Cristo Rey Jesuit High School have returned to The Shelter Group for another year. Pictured, from l to r: Gregory Peterson, Sharnajah Byers, Genesis Cisneros and Jennifer Velasquez. Park View at Miramar Landing Awarded Highest Honor in Active Adults Category Management companies from across Maryland gathered in Baltimore for Maryland Multi- Housing Association’s (MMHA) 18th annual Star Awards in fall, 2014. Designed to honor members of the Association who exhibit the most outstanding communities and professionals in the multi-housing industry, MMHA Star Awards are awarded based on comprehensive and competitive scoring from community inspections and associate interviews. MMHA awards STAR Certifications and highly coveted gold, silver or bronze recognition – prestigious honors for the management companies, communities and associates. In 2014, Park View at Miramar Landing won gold and Park View at Randallstown won silver in the Active Adult Community category. Monarch Mills and Park View at Box Hill were designated STAR Certified communities. “Congratulations to the teams at Park View at Miramar, Park View at Randallstown, Monarch Mills and Park View at Box Hill for a job well done,” said Diane Edwards, Senior Vice President of Operations. “Our associates are outstanding, and I am so fortunate to lead this extraordinary team.” Insights winter 2015 Shelter Helping Families in Need…Shelter’s Service Committee Packs to Give Back at the Maryland Food Bank The Shelter Group’s Service Committee participated in the Maryland Food Bank’s Pack to Give Back event in November, joining hundreds of volunteers from area businesses to back holiday meals. United Way Campaign With ongoing renovations at The Shelter Group’s Home Office during the late summer and early fall, the United Way Campaign Team creatively executed a successful 2014 campaign. Home Office associates Colleen Wheat, David Meer, Mary Hueg, Sarah Schlenker, Tiffany Nicolette and Walter Neighoff helped pack boxes of traditional holiday foods for Marylanders in need. Volunteers packed 23,400 holiday boxes – the equivalent of more than 90,000 meals – during the event. The spirit of giving and the enthusiasm for raising awareness of the United Way, and the organization’s health and human service programs, led to tremendous engagement from Home Office associates. The overall contribution made to the United Way was the highest contribution yet. Thank you for another successful campaign. Your efforts continue to help make a difference in the lives of others each day! pr om ot i ons Home Office Alyssa Hodgson Administrative Assistant to Development Assistant LaTonya Lawson-Jones System Software Specialist to Senior System Software Specialist Brightview Senior Living Alyssa Humphreys Brightview Westminster Ridge Resident Assistant, Wellspring Village to Resident Assistant, Assisted Living Deserae Robinson Brightview Towson Resident Assistant to Senior Resident Assistant Diane Culpepper Brightview Great Falls Concierge to Senior Concierge Diane Vance Brightview Fallsgrove Resident Services Director to Wellspring Village Director Georgia Togba Brightview Mt LaurelDining Server to Resident Assistant Giovanni Faudale Brightview Westminster Ridge Cook to Executive Chef Loretta Broxton Brightview Greentree Wellness Nurse to Assisted Living Manager Mark Norris Brightview Perry Hall Executive Chef to Dining Service Director Mary Clower Brightview Fallsgrove Housekeeper to Senior Housekeeper Monica Lewis Brightview Baldwin Park Resident Assistant to Wellness Nurse Naresh Bala Brightview Greentree Resident Assistant to Senior Resident Assistant Shirley Younger Brightview Rolling Hills Senior Concierge at Brightview Westminster Ridge to Vibrant Living Director Stacey O'Brien Brightview Concord River Wellness Nurse to Assisted Living Manager Susan Lewis Brightview South River Wellness Nurse to Health Services Director Susie Kim Brightview Towson Community Sales Associate to Senior Vibrant Living Assistant Tovonya Watts Brightview Greentree Resident Assistant, Assisted Living to Resident Assistant, Wellspring Village Viviene Taylor Brightview Fallsgrove Resident Assistant to Senior Resident Assistant Shelter Properties Benjamin Jorden Cambridge Commons Porter to Maintenance Technician Gloria Kieffer Tanya Chipman Westbrook Commons Brightview Commons Property Manager to Resident Services Coordinator Senior Property Manager Jade Jackson to Assisted Living Manager Brightview East Norriton Amber Johnson John Ferrara Concierge to Senior Concierge Nicole Harrod Brightview North Andover Tatiana Waller Park View at Dundalk Brightview South River Wellness Nurse to John Agniadis Brightview Fallsgrove Maintenance Technician to Resident Services Coordinator Health Services Director Brightview Westminster Ridge to Wellspring Village Director Resident Services Coordinator Maintenance Supervisor Resident Assistant to Christine Stevens to Assisted Living Manager Louis Marist Pereze Hylton Senior Resident Assistant Manor at Yorktown Tiara Eggleston Monarch Mills Brightview Severna Park Dining Room Manager to Chef Joshua Graf Brightview Towson Maintenance Technician to Resident Assistant to Brightview Great Falls Cynthia Mcmullin Vibrant Living Assistant to Maintenance Supervisor Assisted Living Manager Vibrant Living Assistant to Brightview GreentreeDining Senior Vibrant Living Assistant Vibrant Living Director Raymond Haigis Rebecca Ritter Server to Timothy Germuth Park View at Severna Park Brightview White Marsh Senior Dining Server Julia Friend Brightview Severna Park Maintenance Supervisor to Cook to Chef Brightview North Andover Daniel Gonce Dining Server to Senior Maintenance Supervisor Resident Assistant to Brightview Towson Sarah Morrison Senior Dining Server Senior Resident Assistant Sheri Pardon Maintenance Supervisor at Brightview Westminster Ridge Timothy Zielinski Park View at Severna Park Park View at Dundalk to Justin Morris Resident Assistant to Brightview Rolling Hills Property Manager to Maintenance Director Brightview GreentreeDining Senior Resident Assistant Driver at Brightview Catonsville Senior Property Manager Server to Deborah Syring Sarah Wingate to Maintenance Director Senior Dining Server Brightview Country Club Brightview Greentree Kiera Delaney Heights Dining Server to Resident Services Coordinator Brightview Greentree Senior Dining Server Dining Server to to Assisted Living Manager Senior Dining Server Shelter Insights winter 2015