HOMESTEAD HAPPENINGS
Champ Chain Winner: Eve Detter
Please join us in congratulating the June Champ Chain Winner, the team member who went above and beyond to deliver on our mission statement of providing the best resident life experience possible: Eve Detter, our graphic designer for Homestead Companies!
"Eve supports all of our properties so well and is always going above and beyond! She is incredibly prompt, kind, and creative in managing any last-minute requests and changes when we need them most. Her talent goes well beyond flashy graphics and catchy copy; she truly understands our residents, and how we can best serve them with clear messaging and relevant content. She serves the site level teams with attention to detail and sincere care, despite the challenge of so many different personalities and property needs." - Kara Lackman, The Valley
Thank you, Eve, for truly bringing the resident experience to life with your amazing design skills and creativity! The work you do brings our unique brands to life, and the support you provide our team is a true example of the HU culture in action; we are one team, committed to each other and our mission statement of providing the best experience for residents AND employees! We appreciate all you do.
Employee Spotlight: Rae McKenney
Job Title: Community Manager
Community: Olde Towne Apartments
How long have you been with Homestead? 15 years
What were you doing before Homestead? Real Estate
Where are you originally from? Columbus, Ohio
What are your hobbies? Gardening, swimming and hiking
What would you most likely tell your 13 year old self? Enjoy life, family and friends
If you could have coffee with three people, dead or alive, who would it be? Cheryl Davis, Minnie Pearl and my beloved grandfather.
Who is the most famous person you have ever met? Loretta Lynn
What's your dream vacation? I would love to visit Italy.
What is one THING you can't live without? Laughter
What is your proudest moment at Homestead? Winning the Property of the Year for our sound wall construction at Olde Towne Apartments.
HEALTH TIP: BENEFITS OF MEDITATION
1. Better focus and concentration
Mindfulness meditation helps you focus on the present, which can improve your concentration on other tasks in daily life.
A 2011 study from the Harvard Medical School examined the effects of mindfulness meditation on the brain and found a connection between mindfulness and processing new information.
2. Improve self-esteem and self-awareness
Mindfulness meditation encourages you to slow down, allows for deeper self-reflection, and can help you discover positive attributes about yourself.
3. Reduce stress
Mindfulness meditation can also lower the levels of cortisol — the stress hormone —which helps you feel more relaxed.
In a 2013 review, researchers analyzed more than 200 studies of mindfulness meditation among healthy people and found meditation to be an effective way to reduce stress.
4. Manage anxiety or depression
Mindfulness meditation helps train your mind to focus on the present, making you less likely to ruminate on anxious thoughts that can fuel depression.
A 2014 research analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that mindful meditation can help ease anxiety and depression, and could be part of a comprehensive mental health treatment plan.
5. Fight addiction
Meditation can alter the brain receptors associated with drug and alcohol addiction, which may reduce cravings for these substances, Davidson says. Additionally, mindfulness meditation can increase your awareness of cravings and allow you to better manage them.
6. Control pain
Many doctors recommend mindful meditation practices as part of a comprehensive pain management plan, Davidson says.
For example, a 2020 study of more than 6,400 participants across 60 trials found that meditation could reduce pain in those who suffered from post-surgical, acute, or chronic pain.
7. Make you more kind or loving
Loving kindness meditation can foster compassion for yourself and others. It strengthens circuits in the brain that pick up on other people's emotions, promotes altruistic behavior, and decreases the implicit or unconscious bias responsible for perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
To start a loving kindness meditation, you might envision a loved one in your mind and wish them happiness. You can then extend that love to yourself and other people in your life.
Try mediation out yourself and download one of the following free apps:
HEADSPACE
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/headspace-meditation-sleep/id493145008
CALM
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/calm/id571800810
AURA
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/aura-meditation-sleep/id1114223104
Learn more about the benefits of meditation:
Jerry Taylor, University Village, 18 years
Ashley Gall, River Park, 9 years
Debra Sanborn, River Park, 9 years
Chad Hudnall, River Park, 9 years
Angela Slay, River Annex, 9 years
Vanessa Marcum, River Park, 9 years
Cecil Stage Jr, University Village, 9 years
Ryan McGahan, Home Office, 8 years
Charles Heller, River Annex, 7 years
Scott Mcmahan, Parkway, 4 years
Priscilla Robles, College Station, 3 years
Riley Kelly, The View, 1 year
Jose (Rey) Orellana, University Village, 1 year
Steve Turner, Worthington Commons, 1 year
Keara Lynn, College Station, 1 year
Stephen Wille, Pavilion, 1 year
Brett Smith, Pavilion, 1 year
WELCOME TO THE TEAM! JEREMY BECKS
Columbus, OH 5/25/21 – Homestead U hires Jeremy Becks as Regional Manager over Texas portfolio.
With the recent acquisition of 2818 and Parkway Place, Homestead U's total owned and managed bed count in the College Station market exceeds 2,400 beds. Sister community The Cottages, acquired in 2014, rounds out the portfolio, which provides three distinct levels of living to TAMU and Blinn College Students.
"Bringing Jeremy on board to oversee our College Station assets will provide the operational support and oversight needed to execute on our business plan, which includes $5M in capital improvements," says Laura Formica, Executive Vice President of Operations for Homestead Companies. "Jeremy's industry experience and drive have made for a great addition to the team and smooth transition of management. We're very excited about the continued growth in Texas under his leadership."
HOMESTEAD U EXPANDS!
Homestead U acquires a new community, SkyGarden, a recently built, 309-bed mid-rise building located on the historic Charleston peninsula, serving students at College of Charleston, Medical University of South Carolina Charleston School of Law. The property offers residents unparalleled, luxury building amenities and benefits from its premier location between Meeting and King Streets along the booming Upper King Street corridor. SkyGarden is 100% pre-leased for the 2021/2022 academic year.
"Recent acquisition of these three properties reflects our confidence in student housing, and the collective team remains committed to further growth," commented Seamus Brennan, Director of Capital Markets for Homestead U. "Further, we are optimistic that our student residents' academic year experiences will soon look and feel more 'normal' than those of recent, mitigating consumer uncertainty. We expect to achieve strong performance in this sector over the long term," he concluded.
Champ Chain Winner: Ashley Gall
Please join us in congratulating the May Champ Chain Winner, the team member who went above and beyond to deliver on our mission statement of providing the best resident life experience possible: Ashley Gall, our Business Administrator over the Live South Green portfolio in beautiful Athens OH!
"Ashley has been instrumental in my ability to travel for due diligence and onboarding of new sites. She has handled her BA role and has adapted very well to interim Community Manager when I am gone. She has executed training sessions with other BAs and has become an important support person for other teammates across the portfolio. She even traveled to Arizona to support NorthPointe during the transition and sale. Of all my team members, she has shown the most growth; I would love to see her recognized for her contributions to our team in Athens and across our portfolio." - Nominated by Donna Stage, Community Manager.
Thank you, Ashley, for your commitment to the company and how you support your teammates across the organization! Our mission statement is also to provide the best employee experience, and it's leaders like you that make this happen and bring our culture to life. I echo Donna in saying we are all so proud of your growth and appreciative of all you do!
Employee Spotlight: Kaitlyn Key
Name: Kaitlyn Key aka The Boog aka Stacey Boone
Job Title: Leasing and Marketing Director
Community: 2818 and Parkway
How long have you been with Homestead? Accumulatively 7 years
What were you doing before Homestead? Probably nothing good haha. I was a farm hand and in college.
Where are you originally from? Lubbock, Texas
What are your hobbies? Hunting, tailgating, cycling, skiing and music.
What would you most likely tell your 13 year old self? You cant tip cows.
If you could have coffee with three people, dead or alive, who would it be?
Mike Leach, Bob Knight and Guy Purington (And no talking about Entrata)
Who is the most famous person you have ever met? Barack Obama or Neal McCoy
What's your dream vacation? Heliskiing in Switzerland
What is one THING you can't live without? My dog, JuJu on that Beat
What is your proudest moment at Homestead? Hitting 100% pre lease 3 years in a row at The Ranch.
CAPTAIN JOHN’S HEALTH TIP: TAKE CARE OF YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
When stress got to be too much for TED Fellow Sangu Delle, he had to confront his own deep prejudice: that men shouldn't take care of their mental health. In a personal talk, Delle shares how he learned to handle anxiety in a society that's uncomfortable with emotions. As he says: "Being honest about how we feel doesn't make us weak — it makes us human."