CMC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Assistant Manager
- Employee
Andres Vargas is the assistant manager for two collocated Celebration Pointe communities in Gainesville, FL; The Vibe and City Place. The Vibe has 48 units, and City Place-currently in lease-up with 95% occupancy-has 220 units. The past year has been a very demanding time as the team has had to balance managing two properties from one office, construction, and resident needs with constant property tours and lease signing. Andres comes to work each day with a smile on his face and has a positive and contagious attitude that keeps his team's spirits lifted. Heconfidentlycommunicates with employees and residents and is quick to think of creative resolutions to problems. Andres has a very strong technical background in property management and works directly with third-party vendors to set up City Placetomeet the needs of our office team and our residents. He created an extensive master Excel spreadsheet for the team to use, which contains an updated leasing map and leasing percentages and goals. This is extremely helpful when he completes the City Place Monday report each week, which is a very detailed report. The Vibe and City Place currently boasts an impressive 782 reputation score and a 4.5-star rating on Google. Andres is a huge part of why prospects and residents rate us so highly. Andres is bi-lingual and communicates just as well with our Spanish-speaking customers as he does with our English-speaking ones. He is the face you see at the Celebration Pointe events on most weekends, manning our booth and networking with the community. We are so proud to recognize Andres for his diligence and dedication as the CMC Apartments Building Relationships Employee of the fourth quarter of 2021, as he exemplifies our core values of integrity, service, expertise, commitment, and community.
Job Titles:
- Deposit Accounting Specialist
Job Titles:
- Employee
- Leasing Agent of the Courtyards
- Leasing Manager for the Courtyards
Bianca Coll is a leasing agent of The Courtyards, a 375-bed student property in Gainesville, Florida. She is a student at UF working to get her master's degree in business management. She has an undergraduate degree in food and agribusiness and management When she started with CMC in 2018, Bianca was a community assistant and volunteered as a model at photoshoots at Spyglass and The Courtyards, greatly assisting the marketing department with these two properties. Because of her excellent work ethic and positive attitude, Bianca was promoted to leasing agent in 2019. She has contributed to the success of daily operations of The Courtyards and especially during turns, which is their busiest time of the year. This year, she was a vital part of preparing and executing a successful turn by providing residents and parents with a more enjoyable move-in experience due to her positive attitude and excellent customer service skills. The Courtyards has earned a reputation score of 590 (the industry average is 531). Her customers frequently express their appreciation in reviews; "Bianca was great with helping me sign and take advantage of all the great deals they offer," and"Bianca Coll was amazing. I called about the five-bedroom flat, and she invited me to do a tour, as well as provided all the information I needed. I am definitely interested in moving to this complex." Bianca's manager and regional manager agree that she defines the meaning of leadership as by leading by example. Which, in turn, motivates her peers to endure the same challenges and reach for a higher standard. Jamie Davis, regional property manager, said, "Each year, Bianca willingly and enthusiastically takes on new tasks, from helping lease up sister properties to completing complex projects at the property level. During the turning season, you will always find Bianca with a smile on her face, whether she's cleaning out a unit or organizing the keys." Bianca personifies CMC's Core Values of Integrity, Expertise, Commitment, and Community, and we are proud to award her with CMC's Employee of the Month for July 2022.
Job Titles:
- Deposit Accounting Specialist
Job Titles:
- Employee
- Maintenance Supervisor
Chris Hammond is the maintenance supervisor of four student properties near UF as well as a large, conventional property, Huntington Lakes. The total unit count of CMC Student Properties is 63 and Huntington Lakes, has a unit count of 310. While overseeing these five properties, both managers nominated Chris for his dedication and ingenuity. Melissa Cordero, Huntington Lakes property manager said, "Chris is absolutely the best team player I have ever worked with. While balancing his work at his CMS Student Properties , he made time to come over three times each week in October to and help prepare apartments for move in. He was also instrumental in getting our property ready for our annual owners' visit. He helped guide our maintenance staff by example and has a genuine care for his work." Kaylei Koon, property manager at CMC Student Properties said, "Chris goes above and beyond no matter what day of the week it is. He shows up early and stays late if you need him to with no hesitation. His ability to juggle both the student properties and Huntington Lakes has been nothing short of incredibly impressive. He has been such a pleasure to work with." Because of Chris' dedication during the month of October and throughout 2022, it is our pleasure to award Chris Hammond, CMC's Building Relationships Employee of the Month. He epitomizes our core values of integrity, service, expertise, commitment, and community.
Chrissy graduated from UMBC in Baltimore with a bachelor's degree in Imaging and Digital Art in 2003. After living in Baltimore, Maryland for a short time Chrissy moved to Gainesville in 2007 where she grew her skills in the banking industry. She has been with Contemporary Management Concepts since October of 2015 and says the best part about her job is the family atmosphere. She says that her days at CMC are always busy and that her coworkers are kind and hard-working people.
Christy Wells has been with CMC since 2014 and is currently the property manager of Hunters Crossing, a 300-unit conventional property in northwest Gainesville. This year has been challenging due to manning shortages, but Christie has maintained professionalism with her team members and residents. Christy is a quiet leader. She leads by example, and she is extremely organized, creative, and knowledgeable. She does not ask her team to do anything he would not do. She is clear in her direction and takes ownership of her property. Hunters Crossing has two guest suites and has been without janitorial and maintenance staff on and off since June. Christy never made an excuse for something not being clean. Instead, she reached out to other managers for assistance or would call in the cleaning company as needed. She showed excellent teamwork with team members at other properties over the holidays by sharing her staff calendar and offering her leasing agents to help run other sites when we had fellow employees out sick or on PTO. When fellow northwest managers reached out to her, she was quick to give guidance and make sure they were completing items properly. Christy also managed Hunters Crossing'sturnschedule with her maintenance technicians and reached out for help from her regional manager if there was something they could not do. Because of her exemplary leadershipChristydid not miss a turn, nor have a bad move-in due to a unit not being ready. She was extremely proactive in walking units to ensure apartments were ready to go on move-in day and that her new residents felt welcomed into the community. Despite HuntersCrossing'sbeing one of the busiest offices in our company and being understaffed over the past few months, the property's customer service reputation score has reached 811, the highest score across the CMC portfolio. We are honored to work with Christy and thrilled to award her December employee of the month as she truly embodies the CMC core values of integrity, service, expertise, commitment, and community. Congratulations, Christy!
Job Titles:
- Regional & Acquisition Sales Manager
Corey began working with CMC in 2005 as a leasing agent. Within six months, he earned Leasing Agent of the Quarter, twice and was soon promoted to property manager. He simultaneously owned and operated a multi-family cleaning service for two years.
The properties under Corey's leadership began to show a track record of renewal and retention. His leasing agents also developed their skill set as key sales personnel and went on to further promotions. Corey became CMC's director of training and held this position for four years. In 2017, he was promoted to regional manager and now he expertly oversees many of CMC's Gainesville student housing properties.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Partner
- Real Estate Broker in the State of Florida
Debbie is a licensed real estate broker in the state of Florida and serves on the board of directors for Merchant & Southern Bank and the Loan Committee and board of directors for Gateway Bank. She was also appointed to the Advisory Board for Center State Bank.
Don Myers joined the maintenance department at CMC in 2003. He has worked at several CMC properties in his tenure, supervised condo conversions at our Gainesville properties, and is responsible for managing all on-site maintenance operations and capital improvement projects for our entire portfolio.
He is a certified pool operator, certified universal air conditioning technician, certified green HVAC technician, and certified R-410A air conditioning technician. Don is also mold remediation certified, a certified indoor air quality technician as well as a certified HVAC/R preventative maintenance technician.
Hobbies: Photography, creating movies and websites, chasing my three little girls, watching movies, resident events & social media Favorite Artists: Metallica to Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Enya and even Nelly Heather's background is in finance, mortgages, and banking. She started in property management in 2005 and has been with CMC since 2007 in a myriad of roles. She started as assistant manager of Lakewood Villas before she was quickly promoted to manager at Woodland Villas. Shortly after, she was promoted to property manager at a larger community, Cricket Club II. Within a few months, Heather was promoted to financial assistant and moved to the corporate office in 2010. After giving birth to beautiful triplets in 2010, she returned as interim property manager for Hunters Crossing before landing in accounts payables. In January 2014 Heather was recommended for the accounts receivables position because of her extensive knowledge of Yardi systems. She was then promoted to training director in 2016 and enjoys the opportunity to empower all of CMC's team members in their professional growth and development.
Jamie Davis, a native of the Tampa Bay area, began her career as a leasing professional and has over 28 years of experience in both conventional and student housing. In January of 2000, Jamie moved to Gainesville as a property manager and area manager in student housing where she led her teams in a successful lease-up of a new development and oversaw renovations, acquisitions, and sales. In 2002 Jamie earned her CAM certification, then in 2005, she attained her Florida real estate license. Jamie spent several years volunteering and serving as a board member for the North Central Florida Apartment Association. After spending 15-years in student housing, she joined CMC in 2015 to manage Hunters Crossing, a 300-unit conventional property. Under her leadership, Hunters Crossing won the NCFAA 2016 Conventional Property of the Year. Jamie received the CMC award for employee of the month and was promoted to regional manager in November 2019. As a regional manager, she now oversees both student and conventional properties, as well as lease-ups, and extensive renovations.
Jenny attended Santa Fe College until 2010 and started with CMC in February 2011 as a part-time leasing agent at Lake Crossing apartments. Just two years later she was promoted to assistant manager at Hunters Crossing apartments. In February 2017 she was promoted to the CMC corporate office accounting department. Jenny says the best thing about working at CMC is the professional atmosphere and that the company promotes from within. Jenny says she feels she has found her niche in real estate and hopes to earn her Florida real estate license one day.
Job Titles:
- Employee
- Property Manager for the Collective at Archer
Jeremy Tomlinson is the property manager for The Collective at Archer, a new lease-up in Gainesville, FL. Jeremy started with CMC in December 2019 and was hired as the property manager of a new property, The Gathering at Arbor Greens. At the beginning, of his employment with CMC, he was assigned to work by himself in a small construction trailer. Despite the circumstances, it was clear that Jeremy was a positive addition to the team because of his expertise but also his energy, as he showed genuine enthusiasm and passion for property management. Jeremy's most admirable trait is his ability to work with others. He is honest, hardworking, and consistent, and can make anyone laugh, even on the toughest days. Due to the pandemic in 2020, The Gathering at Arbor Greens team faced extreme construction delays, as well as major work and lifestyle changes. But, none of those challenges negatively affected Jeremy's attitude or diligence. After being sent home for the COVID-19 lockdown, he continued to press on, working leads. Jeremy's excellent customer service and leadership capabilities were the winning factors to a successful lease-up of The Gathering at Arbor Greens. Jeremy's consistent positive impression to investors and residents, as well as his ability to consistently meet or exceed goals, should be celebrated, especially due to all the challenges faced in 2020 and 2021. In February-April 2022, Jeremy transitioned to a new lease-up called The Collective at Archer, a 172-unit cottage community on Archer Road. In April, while he was waiting to move on-site for The Collective, he had a chance to branch out and affect many more properties and team members, lending a hand at several of our properties in Gainesville and Jacksonville. At our Jacksonville communities, he was tasked with improving resident retention, resolving resident relations, and even filling in on-site while there was a property manager vacancy. His hard work in Jacksonville was so impactful and appreciated, that the team wanted him to stay. While still balancing his duties with investors and prospects for The Collective at Archer at the construction trailer during the day, Jeremy volunteered his evening to promote The Collective at the GCM Food Fest on April 28th. Whatever gets thrown Jeremy's way, we know he is more than willing to handle it and do it all with a wonderful attitude. Jeremy truly embodies CMC's core values of Integrity, Service, Expertise, Commitment, and Community, and we are proud to award him CMC's Employee of the Quarter for April to June 2022.
Job Titles:
- Employee
- Maintenance Technician at Willowbrooke at Lakeland
Jerry Luna is a maintenance technician at Willowbrooke at Lakeland, a 300-unit conventional community. He is an excellent team player and has had to fill in for manning shortages over the past months. He has done so with a positive attitude and a sincere desire to serve our residents with urgency and professionalism. Residents appreciate him and mention him by name on surveys. When temps and new employees are hired, he is an excellent trainer. His move-ins are always clean and fast and Jerry has shown great initiative in anticipating what needs to be done and taking care of these tasks before his manager asks him to complete them. Jerry will do anything he is asked to do and even volunteers to work late and, on the weekends when we have move-ins or work orders that need to be completed. His property manager, Stephanie says his good attitude is contagious. "I often hear the office staff talk about how he always comes in with a smile on his face and he is always in a good mood." Jerry has been working nonstop over the last month since he is the only person in the maintenance department, and he never complains. Willowbrooke depends on Jerry heavily, and he always goes above and beyond for his residents and team members. Because of this we are proud to honor Jerry Luna as the December 2022 Contemporary Management Concepts Building Relationships Employee of the Month for embodying our mission statement, "To set the standard for high performance and professionalism in the management of residential properties for the success of our clients, while ensuring our residents have the best quality, most comfortable and affordable living experience available." Thank you, Jerry. We appreciate you!
Job Titles:
- Employee
- Leasing Consultant at Lake Crossing
Kaitlyn Cordero is a full time leasing consultant at Lake Crossing a 264-unit conventional property in Northwest Gainesville. After Kaitlyn started at Lake Crossing in February of 2021, she enthusiastically took ownership of her leasing consultant position. Her positive attitude and work ethic have created an inspiring environment for prospects, residents, and team members alike. Kaitlyn works diligently to improve her leasing abilities and productivity, and that is most obvious in how well the Lake Crossing leasing office operates. She has made an impact in a big way by helping plan creative and engaging resident appreciation events, such as an Easter Egg Hunt, a Blind Date with a Book, and the HolidayToy Drive. Kaitlyn also has helped grow the Lake Crossing Facebook and Instagram social media platforms. She does not hesitate to go above and beyond for the residents. She has curated move-in bags for new residents and takes extra care to keep track of their interests, birthdays, and hobbies. Her effort with engaging with residents has paid off as Lake Crossing has earned a reputation score across all platforms of 805 (best in class is 920) and a 4.6 star rating on Google. Lake Crossing also recently received the recognition from reputation.com with the prestigious 800 Award. Terri Sager, Property Manager for Lake Crossing says, "Kaitlyn is one of the most caring and hard-working individuals that I have had the pleasure of working with. She is always wanting to learn something new or take her customer service skills to a higher level." Kaitlyn truly exemplifies CMC's core values of Integrity, Service, Expertise, Commitment, and Community with her hard work and dedication to the residents and Lake Crossing team. Congratulations Kaitlyn for being recognized as the March 2022 CMC Building Relationships Employee of the Month.
Katie Castelli, CMC's Human Resources Manager is an accomplished HR professional with six years of hotel operations experience including human resources, event, and recreation management. Katie is responsible for implementing human resource management strategies that enable CMC to recruit, train and retain a high-performing and motivated team. Katie specializes in performance management, employee relations, orientation, talent management, and legal compliance. She has a diverse background in implementing policies and procedures, managing employee conflict resolution and performance management, employee retention, and benefits management. She holds a BS with a concentration in Psychology and Sociology from Flagler College in St. Augustine.
Kayla Turner has been a member of the Contemporary Management Concepts team since 2014. Over the past nine years, she has worked her way up from leasing consultant to property manager at several Gainesville properties, including overseeing new construction lease-up in 2020-2022 as property manager, City Place of Celebration Pointe.InNovember 2022 through February of this year Kayla served our company by managing The Vibe at Celebration Pointe and four other properties out of the CMC Student Properties office with a total unit count of 131. In February of 2023, when she no longer needed to fill in at CMC Student Properties, Kayla accepted an interim property manager role at one of our Jacksonville communities, Coventry Park, working three days a week there. Kayla takes on any challenge with an attitude of service to others and her team members and residents always respond well to her, as is evident by the frequent 5-star reviews she earns for providing excellent customer service to her residents. Kayla has also gained a reputation throughout north central Florida as a consummate professional in property management, winning the NCFAA'sAssistantPropertyManager of the Year in 2019 and, most recently, recognition from the Guide to Greater Gainesville'sas a part of 2023 class of Fearlessly Authentic Fierce Award recipients. Despite any challenge, Kayla has shown her ability to rise to the occasion and do it with grace. She is flexible, empathetic and works well under pressure. Kayla's commitment to excellence epitomizes CMC's Core Values of integrity, Service, Expertise, Commitment, and community and we couldn't be prouder to recognize her as our first honoree of 2023 as Employee of the Month for January.
Job Titles:
- Senior Regional Manager, Gainesville
After attending both Santa Fe College and UF, Kim earned her Florida Real Estate License in 2004. She quickly found success in on-site home sales and began her career with CMC two years later. In her tenure with Contemporary Management Concepts Kim has served as a leasing agent and property manager overseeing several of the largest properties in the corporate portfolio. Kim was promoted to regional manager in the fall of 2014 and says that the people who report to her make her job rewarding and each day rich with new experiences. Being at the regional level has provided her a broader spectrum view of the industry and she is energized by the opportunity to support her team and continue to learn. For her leadership and determination at Contemporary Management Concepts, her commitment to serving her properties' residents and the greater Gainesville community, and for exhibiting excellence and professionalism in the property management industry, Kim was awarded the prestigious accolade as North Central Florida's Apartment Association's 2019 Corporate Support Staff Person of the year.
Melissa Harris has worked in our corporate office as an administrative specialist in accounts payable since 2019. Originally from Puerto Rico, Melissa has lived in South Carolina, Maryland, West Virginia, and Florida. Melissa spent several years working in the Washington DC area for federal government organizations, and then made her way to the private sector. She has done a wide variety of jobs using her bilingual, financial, and government expertise to fulfill many duties over the years, from writing obituaries, to developing variable print for medical devices. In 2008 she moved to Gainesville to be closer to family. She worked for Shands Homecare for nine years before joining CMC.
Pat is responsible for planning and developing the fiscal financial function and performance of Contemporary Management Concepts. He also develops, directs, and evaluates the financial performance of properties and associations that are managed by CMC. This includes overseeing all aspects of the financial reporting for both the company and its clients. He provides strategic, financial input and leadership on issues affecting the company and their clients to optimize return. Pat serves as the critical liaison with outside entities such as mortgage lenders, banks, and insurance companies. He also oversees correspondence with auditors, insurance adjusters, government officials, tax authorities, and appraisers. Pat has worked in the resident multi-family industry, for over 20 years and has over 17 years of experience in financial management as well as extensive experience as a comptroller. He earned his BS in Accounting from The University of Florida, a Master of Accountancy Degree from the University of North Florida, and served active duty in the United States Marine Corps. He is a Licensed Real Estate Broker and a licensed CAM in the state of Florida.
Job Titles:
- Talent Acquisition Specialist
Job Titles:
- Regional Manager South
- Senior Regional Manager, South
Regina joined Contemporary Management Concepts in 2003. She brings with her over 13 years of professional property management experience. She is a member of the Apartment Association of Greater Orlando and serves on their legislative committee. Regina has been involved in extensive renovations, new development, and lease-ups, repositioning of properties, and acquisitions. She is experienced in the execution and development of marketing and strategic planning.
As Regional Manager South, Regina is responsible for more than 1,500 units located in Orlando, Lakeland, and Jacksonville. She supervises a team of over 30 employees and five on-site property managers.
Samantha is a cum laude graduate of the University of South Florida, majoring in public health with a minor in humanities. She started as a part-time leasing agent with CMC in 2014 and was quickly promoted to assistant manager and then property manager in 2015. Having worked at over ten CMC communities, Samantha has a vast knowledge of the CMC portfolio, especially student housing where she managed as many as seven properties from one office. At the corporate level, she works with on-site teams by troubleshooting and helping in any way needed. Samantha was awarded 2017 Assistant Manager of the Year by the North Central Florida Apartment Association.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Partner
- CEO and Partner of Contemporary Management
- Member of the Gainesville Apartment Association
Sonia Fox is CEO and partner of Contemporary Management. She is a second-generation property manager who grew up in the business. As a respected businesswoman in property management since 1990, a licensed real estate broker and founder and co-owner of Sonia Jo's Interior Designs, Sonia has over thirty years of property management experience with a bachelor's degree in Business Management from Valdosta State University.
Sonia is responsible for property operations and the company's strategic initiatives in managing the CMC portfolio. She works closely with the property owners and operational teams to achieve strategic revenue goals and to ensure that clients and residents experience the best customer service.
Sonia started working with the company as an administrative assistant in the 90s and was promoted to vice president in 1994. She became a partner of the corporation in 2000 and was later promoted to president of Contemporary Management Concepts.
Sonia is a member of the Gainesville Apartment Association, the National Apartment Association, and the Urban Land Institute. She sits on the staff parish board of Trinity United Methodist Church and Dans company of Gainesville board. She passionately works with philanthropy groups such as Haven Hospice of Florida, Tyler's Hope, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Terry graduated from Wor-Wic Community College in Salisbury Maryland with an AA in Accounting. Her career began in the banking industry where she worked in a variety of roles for six years. In 1996 she decided to relocate her family to Florida so her middle son could attend Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. At that time, she worked for Tower Hill Insurance and helped the company to quadruple in size over six years. In 2002 Terry started her property management career and had the benefit of working for three separate corporations over 13 years. For Terry, the best part about being at the property management level was resident interaction and getting to know the staff at each community. While working in property management, Terry says she learned to what extent accounting affects the overall function of property management. Since 2014 Terry has been with Contemporary Management Concepts and serves as accounts payable manager. She enjoys the family environment at the corporate office that she gets to be a part of every day.