Annual Meeting 2019: Creating A Better Living

GOLDMARK team members, from our 5 different regions, gathered in Fargo for 2 days to celebrate our Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting is a great time for all team members to come together to meet face to face and celebrate another successful year at GOLDMARK Property Management. The days are full of inspiration, excitement, learning, and connecting.

Out of town team members from Grand Forks, Bismarck, Minneapolis, and Omaha arrived in Fargo on Monday evening and were welcomed with a warm reception with food and games.

 

TUESDAY

 

OPENING

With a new leadership team in place, GOLDMARK team members were eager to hear from our new CEO, Joel Thomsen about his vision and goals for the company in 2019 and beyond. With a fun and impactful opening video, Joel greeted team members with enthusiasm, passion, and a clear vision for years to come.

Joel introduced our new vision statement: Creating a Better Living. Tying it all together to encompass all aspects of our industry, Joel made a point to include, our residents and tenants, GOLDMARK’s property owners, and team members. Each group seeks a better living whether that is in their apartment home, a team member’s way to make a living, or the property owner’s desire to enjoy living by passing management and day to day operations to Goldmark.

Joel went on to outline his 2019 initiatives which will permeate through every site office, every department, and each team member in our company.

Initiative: Training Our People

The purpose of this initiative is to ensure that we have our team trained to be the best in our industry.  We want our team to feel invested in from day one with the intention that if we invest in our people, it will make all of us more valuable. Several ways to do this were voted as a top priority from over 200 team member responses. The top 2 ideas were as follows:

• Have an environment where training new team members has a dedicated focus and can be done without distractions or too many interruptions (“GOLD Certified” training site offices).
• Ensure we deliver “hands on training” as a primary method

 

Initiative: Running Our Properties

The purpose of this initiative is to ensure that we have aligned goals with the property owners on how to operate the properties.  This “handshake” will allow us to operate with clear goals so that our teams can determine their specific tasks and execute the plan with confidence. The top 3 ideas voted on during the annual meeting were as follows:

• Develop a resident loyalty program and rewards
• Be diligent and consistent in following up with residents after work orders and move-ins
• Ensure top-notch curb appeal

 

Initiative: Maintaining our Properties

The purpose of this initiative is to improve communication and efficiency for maintaining our buildings.  This will include how we develop our people as well as how we improve our processes.  The top 2 ideas voted on during the annual meeting were as follows:

• Develop technology for communicating with residents (direct placing of work orders, updating on status and completion, satisfaction follow up, etc)
• Build a more effective and timely communication between maintenance and site office team members

 

AWARDS

 

Several awards were given throughout the 2 days the team spent together. Service awards were given to team members who celebrated a milestone anniversary in 2018.

You can see a full list of Years of Service Award Recipients here.

Awards were also given to highlight outstanding customer service from all different positions within GOLDMARK. Excellence in leasing, renewals, and other performance indicators were also given to individuals, teams, and managers.

After 3 years of utilizing a third party resident survey program, Vice Presidents Jay Duden and Amanda Welk were excited to share our growth in resident satisfaction throughout the years. They also highlighted areas for improvement and set out expectations for the coming year. Awards were given to 13 apartment offices who exceeded the industry standard in customer service.

You can see a full list of award recipients here.

 

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

After lunch, team members were given the opportunity to learn about various topics from both fellow employees and community leaders. Topics ranged from communication tools, planning resident events, to analytics, retirement information, and maintenance training. Each team member visited 3 different breakout sessions throughout the afternoon.

Tuesday concluded with a delicious dinner together, and entertainment from various team competing in Goldmark’s “Minute to Win It” games.

 

WEDNESDAY

 

GRAND PRIX RACE

Wednesday started with a Grand Prix race. Maintenance team members competed by racing their handmade cars down a track. Cars were made from all sorts of materials as contestants were only given wheels and a small frame. It was exciting to see the creativity, engineering skills, and the overall enthusiasm surrounding the races.

 

STRATEGIC BRAINSTORMING

Team members were then asked to put on their strategic thinking hats and discuss the company’s new initiatives. Everyone was empowered to understand the initiatives and the impact they will make on everyone on the Goldmark team and beyond to our residents, property owners, and even the communities in which we serve. Teams brainstormed ways in which we can kick start the planning process and determine priorities within each initiative. The entire ballroom came alive with suggestions, plans, and an overwhelming excitement to make a positive impact in the coming years.

 

CLOSING

After lunch, employees were sent off with a heart felt message from Joel. He closed his vision for the next 10 years with a reminder that each of us has a story, and so do each of the customers we serve. He inspired the group to remember how greatly our team can affect someone else’s story just by how we serve them.

The buzz of another successful meeting continues in each Site Office, Regional Office, and Home Office as we all collaborate on new initiatives and goals for our future.