Campus Advocate Winter 2023

Posted on February 9, 2000February 9, 2023 | by Catalyst

Mike Peter, founder and CEO of Campus Advantage.

Please allow me to begin by wishing you all a very happy new year. My hope is that 2022 treated you and your loved ones well, and that it was a fruitful year of successful milestones — a year of reflection and momentum to remind you the best is yet to come.

As we move into 2023, Campus Advantage has much anticipation for what this year holds. While the economy looks to be in an uncertain season, we’re proud of the fact student housing is resilient during these times, and we look forward to flourishing partnerships that are forming.

Navigating challenging economic seasons has a tendency to test the values of a company. I’m confident the cornerstones of Campus Advantage — integrity, passion, intelligence, and mojo — will continue to strengthen our fortitude, and we truly wish the same for other members in our industry.

Every January, we like to kick off the year with a significant marker of motivation, learning, and celebration by inviting our general managers from around the country to our annual FOCUS Conference. From planning sessions to educational workshops and, of course, a host of fun activities and team-building events, we gather together to start the year off right with a week of equipping our GMs.

This year’s conference theme was “Elevate Your Future.” As I was sitting in the audience for various sessions, I couldn’t help but to be so proud for a team so committed to ensuring the future of Campus Advantage is promising. This team of exemplary leaders who oversee our dedicated on-site staff is what keeps the engine running day in and day out to deliver a second-to-none experience to the promising group of 18- to 24-year-olds who call our communities home. None of us accomplish anything on our own. From our home office staff to on-site teams across the country, a round of applause goes to all who are part of this organization.

And perhaps the biggest highlight of FOCUS week is capping off with the CAmmy Awards — a special night honoring many wins and accomplishments. I congratulate all of our award recipients, including our 2023 Home Office Employee of the Year, Peter Jbeili.

As Campus Advantage rolls into our 20th anniversary, we look forward to honoring this milestone in a big way. From company-wide celebrations and special events to creating space for reflection and gratitude, this year will be one to remember.

Take care, and I wish you the best for 2023.

Mike Peter, President and CEO

THE 2023 CAMMYS AWARDS

Campus Advantage and Catalyst employees celebrating Thanksgiving

As always, FOCUS conference week was capped off with our annual CAmmys Awards, which celebrated the 2022 achievements and successes of our properties, teams, and individuals.

Congratulations to all our winners! Here are just a few highlights:

Property of the Year (Over 500 Beds): Forum at Denton Station
Property of the Year (Under 500 Beds): Paseo Place
Regional Manager of the Year: Jaclyn Taaffe
General Manager of the Year: Miranda Mejia

This year’s CAmmy Awards also featured the second-annual Goldie Awards presented by Catalyst:

24K: Amber Pasquarelli
18K: Haley Drinkwater
14K: Carmen Erdie
Property: UnionWest
Individual: Dan Oltersdorf

2022 Employee of the Year, Peter Jbeili, had this to say: “I’m just so lucky to have such incredible peers, co-workers, and everyone I work with. We have such a great team here at Campus Advantage… There’s so many people that I can shout-out as being such a tremendous impact on all of our initiatives. I’m so excited for all of the success that we’re going to have this coming year, and I’m just excited to see the growth of Campus Advantage.”

CAMPUS ADVANTAGE AND CATALYST MARKETING ANNOUNCE SCHOLARSHIP

Campus Advantage and Catalyst Marketing are proud to announce the inaugural Future Lives Here Scholarship. This scholarship opportunity captures our combined mission to create successful communities and invest in the futures of our residents for years to come. We believe in providing exceptional living experiences and useful resources to help students achieve your goals; as a result, this year’s scholarship winner will receive $5,000 for the 2023–2024 school year, as well as a commemorative NFT.

To learn more about this exciting, resident-exclusive opportunity — and to view the rules and application — visit https://futureliveshere.com/

PROPERTY SPOTLIGHT: UNIONWEST

Located in the Innovation District of downtown Orlando, UnionWest is a 121-unit, 641-bed student housing community serving the University of Central Florida Downtown and Valencia College Downtown Campuses in Creative Village. UCF, in partnership with Valencia College, opened a full-service shared campus at Creative Village in August 2019, representing a campus for nearly 8,000 students.

Now managed by Campus Advantage, the convenient location offers students a vibrant urban lifestyle complete with contemporary living spaces, Orlando skyline views, restaurant options, student services, classes, and a first-rate amenities package. To stay in line with the demand for student housing in Orlando, the community will be increasing bed count this year to accommodate the enrollment growth of the University of Central Florida and Valencia College.

UnionWest also took home several wins at this year’s CAmmy Awards, including:

Overcoming The Odds
100% Club
Catalyst Goldie – Property Award

“While UnionWest has come with a lot of unforeseen challenges, being able to be here and effectively build a community that the students feel happy and thrive in is such a fulfilling experience,” said Paige McCarthy, Property Manager. “We are able to create relationships with not only the residents but also all the faculty and staff at both the universities we work with that will help us in the future of UW.”

New Hires and Promotions

Welcome to the Team

Kristy Johnson — Director of Brand Strategy, Catalyst

Promotions

Melissa Hinton — Senior Regional Manager
Miranda Mejia — Traveling Operations Specialist

Student Housing Investments

Student housing’s recession-resilience makes it a solid investment to buffer your portfolio during times of economic uncertainty. If you, or someone you know, is interested in participating in our private fund, please inquire. Campus Advantage specializes in all aspects of student housing — operations, marketing, consulting, development, and acquisition — and has delivered excellent returns for over a decade. Learn more about our investment fund opportunity.

We’re Hiring!

Do you know a passionate, motivated individual who wants to be part of a company that encourages, supports, and inspires employees to achieve their full potential? One that is committed to cultivating and developing a diverse and inclusive culture? A culture that also believes in taking our work and our communities, but not ourselves, seriously?

At Campus Advantage, our team is the core of our success. We hire based on experience and character, keeping an eye to diversity, equity, and inclusion for everyone. We seek out new team members who are passionate about making raving fans of our residents and clients — and having fun while doing so!

If you know someone who fits this description and would like to be part of a team who loves what they do, check out our open positions and send them our way!

View Open Positions

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHTS

CHRIS NORDIN LEADS WITH CONSISTENCY AND EFFICIENCY

A lot has happened for Chris Nordin since joining Campus Advantage a year ago as a Controller. His department has experienced some transition, he was promoted to Director of Property Accounting, he’s been an integral part of ensuring employee retention occurs, and he has taken a significant lead on the company’s migration to Entrata. Chris’ role is to support, review, and ensure the timely and accurate preparation of financial statements and account reconciliations for assigned properties, and to assist operating units with analysis and process improvement.

JENNA FOSTER IS ALL ABOUT THE LIV+ LEASES

Since joining Campus Advantage three years ago as a Community Assistant, Jenna Foster has served at a handful of communities within the CA portfolio, but she wouldn’t have it any other way as it’s contributed to her leadership pathway in management. In August 2022, she transitioned to Liv+ Arlington in Texas as Leasing Manager. In this role, Jenna is responsible for monitoring staff, overseeing leasing and marketing performance, fostering university relationships, implementing policy and procedures, and more.