Walnut Creek, CA (July 23, 2020) — Shelter-in-place orders throughout California, Oregon, and Washington created a logistical challenge for PTLA Real Estate Group’s team. From their scattered make-shift home offices, the operations team had to adapt to remote internal communication, as well as client and resident communications, while following the ever-changing guidelines meant to combat COVID-19. “The whole team had to shift focus overnight,” said Page Roberson, Chief Operating Officer. “From their tireless rent collection efforts to meeting new standards of sanitation and communication, everyone stepped up to continue serving our residents and clients.”
In June, PTLA asked employees to nominate fellow team members who had gone above and beyond what was asked of them during shelter-in-place.
Of the nominees, the following six team members received the most nominations and have received the Work-From-Home Warrior Award. Their stories are below.
- Angela Lopez, Community Manager of Cedar Apartments stepped in to help the team. When another property in the CWP portfolio lost its community manager in May, Angela jumped in without hesitation. She managed not only her own property in Fremont but 63 units in Hayward as well.
- Damien Gaston, Maintenance Manager at University Park & Place, went above and beyond expectations as well. Damien came in on his days off to disinfect facilities, he opened units and posted notices for the Community Manager, and he navigated a major property incident with professionalism.
- Graycee Hanna, Community Manager at University Park & Place made a strong impression on her team. While working from home, Graycee had a significant property incident occur on top of shelter-in-place challenges. These events put Graycee’s leadership to the test, but she supported her team, handled resident relations, and kept pre-leasing on par with last year despite the challenges.
- Misty Ocheltree, Accounting Manager for the Apex Portfolio proved to be a leader. With shelter-in-place guidelines taking effect shortly after PTLA took ownership of Apex Property Management, the Apex team faced a lot of changes all at once, but Misty adapted to new systems, procedures, and responsibilities effortlessly.
- Seleni DeJesus-Ponce, Leasing Associate for the Apex Portfolio maintained a positive attitude through difficult circumstances. Shelter-in-place began during the busiest season for leasing in Bellingham, and Seleni rose to the challenge, helping process on average 15 applications per day.
- Theresa Augenthaler, Portfolio Manager for PTLA’s Northwest Portfolio, took on additional responsibility to get her communities through numerous challenges. Theresa took over summer leasing of the property she manages directly and disinfected its common areas on her own, all while leading her Washington teams through their pre-leasing season. She also contended with sensitive property matters caused by rioting in Portland.
The nominations are a perfect snapshot of what the team faced and how they rallied to meet it. “In many ways, everyone deserved this award. Everyone had to adapt to new challenges, new circumstances, and new environments. We’re really proud of how the team handled the last few months,” Gary Guarisco, Chief Executive Officer of PTLA remarked. The stories behind these awards are just part of all the additional work done by the team throughout shelter-in-place, but PTLA’s leadership believes it is important to recognize these special efforts as their team prepares for the road ahead. “Their peers saw their hard work and wanted to recognize them for it. It was supposed to be a fun way to celebrate coming back to the office, but it’s actually a very special award to receive.”
ABOUT PTLA REAL ESTATE GROUP
PTLA Real Estate Group is an independent company that acquires and manages residential and commercial real estate with a specific focus in the West Coast market. In our 50 year history, we have built a team and company centered around the goal of achieving a higher standard of excellence. For more information, please visit our website at www.ptlareg.com.