Cristian Galvan Career Background

What is your biggest career achievement?

• My most significant career accomplishment is my recent promotion and being able to see the results of my team’s development. Back in November 2021, I had the opportunity to take on a new role I had never taken on before, but it was something I had been working towards since I first joined the property management industry. I took a new exciting, yet challenging opportunity to become a Regional Property Manager with Greystar. Being in this role I had to fully understand the responsibilities, challenges, and expectations of the position. I had and still have to face the challenge of earning the trust and respect of others that have more experience when it comes to years in the industry. Being only 27, this would make me one of the youngest regionals in our portfolio. I first joined Greystar through the Graduate program. This program consists of college graduates that are carefully selected annually through Greystar’s on-campus recruiting programs to join our on-site Property Management Business. After eight months of training, I was interviewed and was awarded the opportunity to take on and oversee my first community which happened to be a lease up, Central Park apartments. It is located in Ellensburg WA. This was a 288-unit student living property. Working at this lease up enlightened me to the significant impact the rental industry has on people. From educating first time renters to welcoming new team members to the industry. During my time as the Community manager at Central Park, I was able to oversee the development of 19 team members who were all able use their experience to pursue their own goals. Such as starting their own businesses, publishing novels, and even having one land a job as a recruiter for the Denver Broncos. Even after taking the role of regional manager, my team was able to step in and secure 158 leases for the 2021-2022 school year while turning 155 apartments home in an eight-week span while only depending on our in-house team members. Being able to witness my team flourish after my departure was nearly as significant as being able to finally be able to achieve my professional goal.

What is your ultimate career goal within the rental housing industry? 

• My ultimate goal in the rental housing industry is to become Senior Managing Director. I understand being in the property management industry, the sky is the limit. Especially with the different paths one can take. I was the first born into an immigrant family in a small town located in the Yakama reservation; my family came here with no relationships or opportunities. My family was just in search of a chance of a better life. When I was younger, I was raised with the notion that no matter what difficulties or obstacles we may face, hard work and determination will create opportunity. That is what the rental industry has been for me, a chance of a better life and the opportunity I needed as long as I was willing to put in the work. As I continue to further my career in the rental industry, the industry of people, for people, I strive to continue to attract the best talent, to meet any current or future business needs. There are so many talented individuals out there, all they need is someone to give them an opportunity. I would like to be that person. When I first joined Greystar, my mentor told me that her success is measured not only by what she is accomplishes but by what those she leads accomplish. That is what becoming Senior managing Director means to me, the opportunity to reach more individuals and provide the opportunity to develop the necessary skills they need to reach their personal and professional goals. Just like the opportunity I was provided.

What's one rental housing trend you have your eye on? 

• Throughout the time when COVID went rampant, the rental housing industry didn’t miss a beat. The industry continued to develop and grow. That is when the creativity of each property shined. With this creativity, brought around a perspective that not too many were willing to embrace. Technology. Though we have been living in the age of technology, it has never been utilized to its full potential. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. That is how the saying goes and we were never put into a situation where we needed to change the way we operated. With numerous shut downs, shelter in place, the moratorium, and the unemployment rate skyrocketing, typical operations were no longer viable. Much like everyone else dealing with COVID, it was more than difficult to adapt. It didn’t take long till we noticed the positive impact that technology provided for us. We were able to make contact with people at their own convenience without them even having to leave the comfort of their own couch. We were able to accommodate to other people’s schedule. We noticed the ease and comfort provided through everything being virtual. With all the obstacles created because of COVID, creating traffic was no longer an issue. Everyone uses technology, so why not utilize it to reach people? Marketing, leasing, resident events and even meetings. Everything was accessible through the internet. We held virtual tours to keep traffic consistent. We held meetings virtually to ensure everyone's safety without losing productivity. We did virtual resident events to be able to interact with our residents. With this said, now that everything has settled and society is going back to “normal”, we are able to operate in a manner that is a hybrid of the new and old way. This allowed us to open more doors in terms of being able to contact people. Given that we are in the industry of people, technology allows us to be flexible and create an experience that is tailored to each individual. No matter the situation, no matter the person’s location, we are able to operate with no restrictions. This shift in heavily relying on technology allows us to market virtually. Allows us to contact anyone in person or virtually. Much like the property management industry, the possibilities of technology are endless.