Laramar Love 2020 Annual Award Winner + Q4 Award Winners

Our values bind us together and set us apart.  They reflect what we believe, how we act and ways we thrive.  Our values matter because they drive our culture – how we show up, operate, collaborate, and celebrate here at Laramar.

It’s been a year since, we first launched Recognize, #LaramarLOVE (Living Our Values Everyday) and we ended Q4 with almost 9,000 total recognitions sent to date.  Get ready to celebrate Q4 winners as well as the announcement of the first person to earn the Annual Laramar Elevate Everyday Living award and Honorees! Each quarter, the badge winners receive a $50 gift card and mix tile with the badge they won, and the annual Elevate Everyday Living winner will receive $1,000 and a mix tile. We are thrilled to announce and celebrate Q4 2020 Recognize Award Winners!  First, some fun facts:

• In Q4 we saw a slight uptick in recognitions with 2,051 badges sent to Laramar team members!
• Make it Happen embraces the lead as the most popular badge all year.  In Q4, there were 534 Make it Happen Badges sent and we thrive when we Make It Better Together which came in second with 376 badges sent.  Laramar – I write this with immense gratitude for the work that you do each day to Make it Happen and Make it Better Together!

Be What’s Next | Lisa Beal | Compliance

Lisa joined Laramar in the Summer of 2014 and has been keeping us compliant ever since, while also welcoming new ideas and staying curious about everything.  “Lisa, I loved the Affordable Housing article in the Loop. Laramar and Affordable Housing will do great things! You are the epitome of “Be What’s Next.” Thank you for being what’s next, we’re so happy you are here!

Own It | Kenya Bowie | Portfolio Manager | MN Local

Kenya has been leading teams, taking initiative and Owning It in MN since she started in July of 2017!  One of her coworkers describes Kenya’s strengths in owning it perfectly, “Literally owning the Local here in Minneapolis. A great role model to look to. There have been so many improvements and steps taken to elevate the quality of product, service, and stars we produce on the daily here.  You are way too humble about it, but we see you, and residents see and say it too! To infinity and beyond!”

Make It Matter | Kristi Truett | HR

Kristi made it matter in big ways in QTR 4 2020, we are so excited to honor the work she is doing to speak and act from a place of impact!  Here’s what one coworker shared about Kristi, “A midafternoon Starbucks meeting with you was just what I needed yesterday! Thank you for always taking the time to check in with me and see how things are going. You are always going above and beyond to Make It Matter!” Another coworker wrote, “Thank you for working so closely with our Operations team to fill open positions. Your support has been fantastic and has really made it matter!”

Make it Happen | John Padilla | Maintenance Manager | Denver Local

John has been Making it Happen with Laramar since December 2018 and was recently promoted to Maintenance Manager in Denver! “John, you are the calm within the storm! You have stepped up these past two weeks in ways that words cannot describe. You have been on top of leading Glendale to record low work order numbers, consistently helped the DUPS team, and worked through challenges that would have been easy to give up on. Thank you for keeping me grounded with your consistent calm and “we’ve got this” attitude. Denver Local couldn’t do it without you!” Thank you for living this value by having an attitude of making it happen, whatever it takes, there’s always a way!

Make it Better Together | Randi Fesler | Assistant Community Manager | Equinox | MN

Making it better together is vital to the success at Laramar and Randi recognizes that by asking questions and sharing ideas openly.  “Thank you for everything you do here at Equinox and your proactive communication as hurdles arose the last couple of weeks.”  High fives to Randi for living Laramar’s value and Making it Better Together every day!

Go for Wow | Angie Cheek | Software Support Analyst

Angie has been Going for Wow with and for Laramar since October 2017. She pushes the possibilities and drives a bigger impact in her role as Software Support Analyst daily.  Her ability to support the business and Go for Wow is wildly apparent from the compliments received from coworkers, “So excited for the digital affordable application process!!! Thank you for all of your hard work on this!” “Thank you for everything these past few weeks! From helping with scanner trouble at the Rio, to posting the housing rent for me at Eden’s and for getting my Yardi approval access going! Thanks a million!”

Build Trust | Melissa Tutko | Regional Manager

Melissa joined the Laramar team in September 2020 and quickly made a positive impact by building trust and choosing to do what’s right, not what’s easy. One coworker put it well by saying, “Thank you for your support out there over the last few weeks, glad to have you as part of the team!” Another coworker said, “Thank you, Melissa, for letting us know about the new Virginia late fee laws! We had enough time to make adjustments before late fees auto-posted and avoided a lot of messy cleanup!”

Be Humble | Donovan Mowery | Maintenance Supervisor | Axis

Donovan lived the value Be Humble in Q4 by producing real results with no ego or politics.  This coworker expressed his gratitude for him very well, “Donovan has always been there for his team and any other team that contacts him. It doesn’t matter what time of day he is always there to help us thrive. When I get stuck on a work order he is there to help me resolve the problem and then allows me to look like the rock star to the residents. He is just all around amazing.”

Stay Nimble | Kolin Stusse | Leasing Consultant | Equinox | MN

Kolin joined the Laramar team in the August of 2020 and quickly displayed that he is a nimble team player, ready to learn, pivot and grow daily.  “Thank you for all you do! You are eager to learn and ask a lot of good questions! Always ready to help!” #StayNimble

Enjoy the Ride | Penny Priebe | Area Manager

We embraced and looked for the moments to Enjoy the Ride in 2020 and Penny lived this value by celebrating victories and spreading joy! Here’s what one coworker said, “It was so great to see you today, Penny! Thank you so much for visiting us and bringing all the awesome goodies to celebrate holiday week! We are so excited for next week and can’t wait to see you soon!” another coworker said, “I want to give you a huge shoutout for being there for me this year. I can’t say enough of the kindness and love I received from day one. This year has been rough, but you helped make it better.” Penny, Congratulations on your recent promotion to Area Manager and thank you for all that you do to Enjoy the Ride!

2020 Annual Award Winner

Elevate Everyday Living Annual Award | Alanna Maikovich | AM

The moment we have been waiting for, the first ever annual Elevate Everyday Living award goes to someone who truly embodies and lives all Laramar values.  We are elated and honored to celebrate Alanna Maikovich as Laramar’s first person to receive this award.  Alanna you Elevate Everyday Living for anyone who is fortunate enough to work with you and the communities you oversee, you know how to bring people together, lift them up, expect the best, celebrate big and little wins often and we are so thankful for your humble leadership.  A few of your team members said it best, “You exemplify every qualify a leader should have. Lead by example, team building, positive feedback, encouragement, and empathy. I feel so lucky to continue to learn from you. Happy National Boss’s Day to the best. I appreciate you in so many ways!” “You never cease to amaze me with what you will do for us! From posting multiple marketplace Ads, to answering 628 emails, setting up over 25 tours which got Denver Local to secure 18 leases! You even helped the DUPs office and got yourself a 1170 Logan lease. You truly lead by example and help out every team member in every way possible.”  We are so glad you are here, thank you for all that you do to Elevate Everyday Living!

Elevate Everyday Living Badge Honorable Mentions

Natalie Meador | Community Manager | Steeplechase | OK

Walter Grady | Maintenance Technician | Steeplechase | OK

“Such amazingly great news to hear that Steeplechase was awarded 2020’s Affordable Property of the YEAR by the Tulsa Apartment Association and it is all thanks to the hard work and the dedication that you have both put into our property! Natalie, the video you created for the nomination was creative and the residents that got involved were such a great addition! Walter, they already know you by name and have the most positive things to say about you and Natalie and how accommodating and service orientated you are! Great work! You are both truly Elevating Everyday Living!”