Campus Advantage Summer Advocate 2017
The Campus Advantage Quarterly Newsletter – CAMPUS ADVOCATE SUMMER 2017
Happy summer! I’m finding it hard to believe that we’re already halfway through 2017. However, when I look back at the past quarter and all that we’ve accomplished, it both inspires and energizes me for what’s in store for the remainder of the year.
I have always said that our greatest asset as a company is our people. In my 14 years as your President and CEO, my stance on that remains unwavering. It therefore gives me distinct pleasure when I am able to announce team promotions, such as the recent promotions of Raka Sandell, Josh Greenleaf, and Madison Meier to Vice President. These three leaders are prime examples of our dedication to developing successful people as well as our mission to inspire our employees and residents to achieve their full potential. They are so deserving of this recognition and I, again, congratulate them on their success.
With a strong, established leadership team in place, and with the contributions from each and every one of you, we continue to make strides in our growth and momentum in the industry. In fact, Campus Advantage was recently listed as one of the Top 10 Global Investors in student housing, according to data by Real Capital Analytics. This, combined with the recent successful dispositions of 42North and ON50, further reinforces our solid investment strategy and expertise in the market. In addition, we added 3,164 beds to our owned and managed student housing portfolio in the first half of 2017, alone! We’re not done, either. There is more on the way, and we can’t wait to share these exciting updates with you down the road.
Speaking of market recognition, I would be remiss if I didn’t give a special shout-out to our integrated marketing partner, Catalyst, who recently won big at the 23rd Annual Communicator Awards for work they did on several Campus Advantage properties. We truly are partnering with the best, and we congratulate them on these wins and their success!
As we move into the second half of this calendar year, let’s take a moment to pause and celebrate all of the incredible growth and success that we as a company, and as individuals, have experienced since the beginning of the year. We wouldn’t be where are today without the contributions made by every one of you, and I am confident that, because of the efforts of this phenomenal team of people, the best is yet to come.
Thank you for being part of the Campus Advantage family and for all that you do!
Mike Peter
CEO, Campus Advantage
WELCOME TO CAMPUS ADVANTAGE
CAMPUS ADVANTAGE WELCOMES FOUR NEW PROPERTIES
Four new properties have been added to our management portfolio, all representing new client relationships. We’re excited to introduce our award-winning Students First® program to an expanding student base and demonstrate our proven operations expertise.
Block 36
BLOCK-36.COM
Block 36 is Campus Advantage’s third property in East Lansing, Michigan. The property was built in 2001 and is conveniently located for Michigan State University, Lansing Community College, and WMU-Cooley Law School.
• Michigan State University
• 432 beds
THE LYFE @ MISSOURI
THELYFEATMISSOURI.COM
The Lyfe is a garden-style community built in 2006. The property serves students attending Mizzou and will increase Campus Advantage’s current market presence.
• University of Missouri
• 450 beds
THE ROW @ MISSOURI
THEROWATMISSOURI.COM
The Row is a duplex-style community built in 2007. The property serves students attending Mizzou and will increase Campus Advantage’s current market presence.
• University of Missouri
• 328 beds
THE RESERVE AT WEST AVENUE
Located in San Marcos, Texas, The Reserve is a garden-style community built in 1998 but renovated in 2015. New amenities include a fitness center, a pet park, and volleyball and basketball courts.
• Texas State University
• 488 beds
IN THE NEWS
STUDENT HOUSING IS HOT
Why is student housing so hot, and what type of due diligence is required? Michael Orsak, Senior Vice President of Investments at Campus Advantage, joined Institutional Real Estate, Inc. to elaborate and share his expertise. Listen to the podcast below to learn more.
Also, read what Michael had to say about value-add investments/properties in the May/June issue of Student Housing Business.
THE SUCCESS AMENITY
CAMPUS ADVANTAGE ROLLS OUT A BRAND-NEW CAREER SUCCESS PORTAL FOR RESIDENTS
Campus Advantage residents now have an amenity that continues to change the conversation when it comes to value in student housing. The new Campus Advantage Career Success Portal is a free online resource that provides job search tools, instant job alerts and matches, online career management, resume development, social media development, company research, interview skills, career assessments, document libraries, and online workshops for career success. Users of this resource report finding jobs three times faster than the national average!
Living at a Campus Advantage community not only brings with it an experience that is fun, a great value, and hassle free, but now more than ever is an investment in future career success.
A MOUNTAINTOP EXPERIENCE
CAMPUS ADVANTAGE TEAM MEMBERS ATTEND STUDENTS FIRST® EXPERIENCE CONFERENCE
From June 5–9, 2017, 50 Campus Advantage team members — ranging from Community Assistant to Resident Director to our President and CEO Mike Peter — came together in the mountains of Colorado at Snow Mountain Ranch. The purpose of Experience Conference 2017 was to train participants to build teams and run Students First® programs that deliver unmatched resident experiences at Campus Advantage communities. Participants engaged in leadership development, team building, workshops, and train-the-trainer sessions where they learned how to bring a “mountaintop experience” back to their teams and residents across the country. View a video recap of the week here.
The Experience Conference exceeded my expectations and then some! The knowledge and motivation I left with is more valuable than any other traditional training I have ever received. It was truly an experience that will stand out to me throughout the rest of my career, whether it be with Campus Advantage (which is the plan) or with another company, or even on a totally different path!
— Ginny Merrill, Leasing Manager, Tremont Student Living
BRINGING HOME THE GOLD
CAMPUS ADVANTAGE PROPERTIES HONORED WITH FOUR NEW 2017 COMMUNICATOR AWARDS
Campus Advantage was recently recognized at the 23rd Annual Communicator Awards for their creativity and innovation in reaching millennials. With more than 6,000 entries received from across the United States and around the world, the Communicator Awards is the largest and most competitive awards program honoring creative excellence for communications professionals.
CA, along with their in-house marketing team, Catalyst, was recognized with the highest honor: the 2017 Communicator Award of Excellence for Integrated Campaign for its 2016 Renewal Campaign that directly resulted in 398 leads. In addition, they also won the 2017 Communicator Award of Distinction for Integrated Campaign for its 2016 Spring Campaign – and two 2017 Communicator Awards of Distinction for Real Estate websites for Parker 301 and The Villas at Riverbend.
The award-winning campaigns were designed by Catalyst for Campus Advantage properties across the country. Deliverables included promotional videos, social media graphics, emails, associated landing pages, banners, and signage tailored for each campaign that were scalable and cost-effective at the property level.
The 2016 Spring Campaign was a portfolio-wide integrated marketing campaign conducted across 25 Campus Advantage properties. Each property hosted a major event strategically designed to attract college students before the end of the semester, while simultaneously reminding residents why they love living at a Campus Advantage community. To encourage attendance, CA offered a summer vacation giveaway, which included round-trip airfare, hotel, and transportation/food allowances for the winner.
The 2016 Renewal Campaign was a portfolio-wide integrated marketing campaign conducted across 24 CA properties. The theme — Move-In Fest — was well received by residents and acted as a strong reminder of the brand that a resident was committing to upon renewing their lease. The campaign targeted college students between 18 and 24 years old, and encouraged them to renew their lease as early as possible to take advantage of the best rates available. Some promotions seen throughout the campaign included “Early-Bird Specials” and “Live It Up,” both of which tied back to the Move-In Fest music festival vibe.
Combined, the 2016 Renewal and Spring Campaigns resulted in more than 1,000 students attending leasing events designed to attract new residents and re-sign existing ones.