Andrew Owen Career Background
What is your biggest career achievement?
- Five years into my professional career, my biggest achievement is being promoted to Property Manager of Haverkamp Properties’ Ankeny area conventional unit portfolio. At just over 27 years old, I became one of the youngest conventional property managers in Haverkamp Properties’ 29 year history. The promotion came as the result of four and a half years of striving for excellency after starting my career as a leasing consultant with no prior experience in 2016.
I spent just six months as a leasing consultant at a new construction property undergoing lease up prior to earning a promotion to assistant manager before my 24th birthday. For the next three and a half years I immersed myself in the ins and outs of the industry and worked to become the best version of myself while helping those under me to do the same. I earned my CAM certification in 2018, even though it wasn’t necessary for an assistant manager to have, because I knew it would help me become the very best at my current position and prepare me for the next level.
As I sought to expand my ability and capacities, my manager continued to delegate more and more responsibilities to me until January 2020 when I more or less organically grew into the role of Community Manager and was given the title to match my responsibilities. As Community Manager, I achieved record low delinquency numbers despite the pandemic, and record high occupancy at my property, despite it being the oldest property in a submarket filled with new construction undergoing lease ups. During this time I was also able to improve my property’s Google Review rating from 2.5 to 4.4 out of 5 stars. After just 6 months in this official role, it was dissolved and I was handed the reigns of the entire Ankeny Area portfolio as it’s Property Manager.
When I took over as Property Manager in June 2020, our portfolio was in a $59,000 budget deficit. Despite the challenges the COVID pandemic has presented the rental housing industry, I was able erase the budget deficit and finish 2020 with my portfolio $23,000 above its year-end NOI target. I’ve been tremendously blessed over this time by my managers and the company’s executive team, who have spent countless hours equipping me and helping me to grow and excel both as a leader and as a person of exceptional character. My passion now is to create a culture where my employees are mentored and empowered to excel and advance, while also growing in character, integrity, and the ability to equip the generation behind them.
What is your ultimate career goal within the rental housing industry?
- My ultimate career goal within the rental housing industry is to advance to an executive-level position where I can capitalize upon my passions of data analytics and budgeting, culture setting, and employee equipping. Haverkamp Properties is only 29 years old, and its leadership has ambitious goals for growth and expansion. It is an extremely exciting company to work for, and I am really looking forward to growing as the company grows, and in having a hand in determining its trajectory and success.
One thing Haverkamp Properties excels in is creating a culture of internal excellence characterized by top-down servant leadership, equipping the next generation, and instilling its core values to create not just financial success, but individuals of outstanding personal character. I would consider my ultimate career goal met if, at the end of my career, I am able to look back and say that I was able to achieve a top-level position at Haverkamp Properties, help it grow to new heights, and use my influence to better the lives of hundreds of employees by spreading a culture of excellency where individuals are equipped and empowered to become the best version of themselves both at work and in their personal endeavors. I hope to have a direct hand in raising up leaders whose accomplishments will someday dwarf my own.
What's one rental housing trend you have your eye on?
- Over the past several years, one trend that has clearly emerged is the desire of consumers to shop and complete transactions digitally rather than in-person. While this may have previously been a characterization primarily of younger and emerging generations, the COVID pandemic has quickly forced it upon individuals of all ages needing to complete all manner of transactions, including the search for rental housing. Online leasing software is nothing new to most property management companies, but those who will set themselves apart over the next decade are the ones who can continue to innovate in this field and create more and more convenient ways for prospects not just to apply and sign a lease online, but access tours of their actual unit through virtual reality, 3D floorplans, and the ability to have a true on-site experience from the comfort of their homes.