From the Front Lines

We’re back with a new season of From the Front Lines. Hear from real estate managers on the critical issues they’re facing. These short, 10-15 minute episodes designed to help property managers run their business amid uncertainty. For new episodes, subscribe to From the Front Lines on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. New episodes can take up to 24 hours to appear.

Season five

12/17/24
In this episode, we talk to Michael Graham, head of the EMPOWER Project, a U.S. Department of Energy-funded program that helps property owners and managers with their EV charging projects. To learn more about the EMPOWER project, visit workplacecharging.com. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

12/3/24
In this episode of From the Front Lines, Dr. Erin Hopkins discusses her research on how Koru Basic Mindfulness curriculum can support property managers. The research was a project funded by an IREM Foundation grant from the J.T. Aveni Center for Research. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

11/19/24
In this episode, IREM Manager of Member Engagement, Brett Voeltz, CPM^®, talks to 2024 IREM Excellence REME Award winner, Joseph Rubay, CPM^®, ARM^®, and his partner, Winnie Tran, CPM^®, about starting his own real estate management company. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

Bonus episode
In this episode, Ted Thurn and Hillary Vrba from the IREM Advocacy team recap the election and its impacts on the real estate management industry. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

11/5/24
In this episode of From the Front Lines, IREM Foundation Program Director Maureen Powers talks to Dustin Reed about his research on Renters’ Perceptions of Residential Property Management. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

10/1/24
In this episode, Brian Thayer from IREM Industry Partner AvidXchange talks about real estate management payment trends. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

9/17/24
In this episode of From the Front Lines, IREM Program Director Maureen Powers talks to Greg Ericksen from Jackson Control about the 2024 Jackson Control Sustainability Awards. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

9/10/24
In this special bonus episode, we welcome Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Richard J. Monocchio from the Office of Public and Indian Housing in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to discuss the Housing Choice Voucher Program and property manager participation. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

9/3/24
In this episode, Adam Baker from Schooley Mitchell joins us to talk about containing telecom expenses, including ways to reduce current costs and how to avoid future costs. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

8/20/24
In this episode, we talk to George Barriere with FirstService Residential, AMO^® and Michael Spurr with ADS-TEC Energy about the ultra-fast EV chargers at the Marina Palms Yacht Club & Residences, a 470-unit condominium complex in North Miami Beach, Florida. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

8/6/24
In this episode we talked to James Hannah with Parity about remote HVAC Optimization in multifamily, condo, and co-op communities. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

7/23/24
Trevor Smith with Ecosystem joins us in this episode to talk about managing large retrofits in occupied buildings. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

7/9/24
In this episode, we talk about the latest in proptech with Maria Aiello, veteran real estate tech leader and proptech enthusiast, and Kimberly Vasseur, ARM®, with FCA Bonaventure. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

6/18/24
In this episode, we talk to Vik Venkatraman with Blueprint Events about Blueprint 2024 in Las Vegas, including who’s speaking and what to expect from this real estate and technology event. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

6/4/24
In this episode we talk with Mina Starziak Hawk, who's speaking at the 2024 IREM Global Summit in Indianapolis in October. Mina's a home renovation expert, real estate agent, co-founder and owner of Two Chicks and a Hammer and star of HGTV hit series, Good Bones. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

5/21/24
In this episode, Stacy Holden with IREM Industry Partner AppFolio discusses practical uses of AI in property management. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

5/7/24
In this episode, we talked to Mary Donovan with ndp | analytics about trends and property insurance costs, including where rates are rising and what's being done to contain them. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/16/24
Amanda Boyd with Link Logistics joins us in this episode to talk about managing final mile industrial properties. Episode transcript. (Spotify , Apple Podcasts )

Bonus episode
In this special bonus episode of From the Front Lines, we talk to RaN'ae Bacon, CPM^®, ARM^®, and Maria Richardson. RaN’ae served as a Diversity and Inclusion Succession Initiative, or DISI, Mentor to Maria, who’s a DISI Leader. Episode transcript. (Spotify , Apple Podcasts )

4/2/24
In this episode, Brett Voeltz, CPM^®, IREM’s Manager, Member Engagement, talks to three of IREM’s student members—Kaitlin Novak, Thomas Letke, and Rihan Ballari. They’ll share what drew them to the profession and talk about their experiences as students in real estate management programs. Episode transcript. (Spotify , Apple Podcasts )

3/19/24
In this episode, we talk to Rebecca O’Brien, CFRE, Associate Executive Director of the IREM Foundation, and Ted Thurn, IREM’s Senior Director, Government Affairs, about the Advocacy Impact Day (AID) + ESG Summit, held in Washington D.C. February 27 and 28. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

3/5/24
In this episode, we hear from Dan Grant, Senior Vice President, Business Development, with OMNIA Partners about optimizing property purchasing to improve NOI. Episode transcript. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

2/20/24
We hear from Dr. Erin Hopkins, Associate Professor of Property Management in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, and Dr. Dustin Read, Professor and Director of the Master of Real Estate Development Program at Clemson University, recipients of grants from the IREM Foundation J.T. Aveni Center for Research. Episode transcript.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

2/6/24
In this episode, David Franklin from IREM Industry Partner Yardi discusses how to streamline purchasing and payables through automation. Episode transcript.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

1/30/24
Welcome to a special episode of From the Front Lines, where we bring you an insightful conversation between Libby Ekre, CPM^®, 2024 IREM President, and Renee Savage, CPM^®, CCIM, IREM's Immediate Past President. Join us as Renee interviews Libby, who shares her experiences, insights, and visions for the future. Tune in and discover the dynamic exchange between two leaders shaping the past, present, and future of our organization. Episode transcript.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

1/23/24
In this episode, we talk to Craig Gosselin from BlueStreak about IoT, or Internet of Things, solutions for commercial real estate. Episode transcript.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

Season four

12/19/23
In this episode, Kerri Davis from Fortress discusses sustaining growth in your management business through the effective deployment of proptech.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

12/5/23
In this episode, we talk to Rebecca O’Brien, Associate Executive Director of the IREM Foundation, and Ted Thurn, Senior Director, Government Affairs with IREM about the Advocacy Impact Day + ESG Summit February 27-28 in Washington, D.C. Register now at this link.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

11/21/23
In this episode, Karen Burns from Fyma joins us to talk about using your existing security, or CCTV, cameras to get real-time occupancy, footfall, and many other insights that help real estate managers maximize leased space and lower operating expenses.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

11/7/23
Greg Olerich from IREM Industry Partner PropertyManagerAssistant.com discusses how virtual assistants can relieve staffing bottlenecks, boost productivity, and increase profits.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

10/17/23
In this episode, Rikki Hemsley, CPM^®, ARM^®, CAM, VP of Learning and Talent Development for Wasatch Property Management, talks about the latest trends in training and development for real estate managers and their teams.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

10/3/23
Brandi Herdzina, CPM^® joins us to discuss rediscovering balance in life at a time when extreme messages are at the forefront and steadiness is particularly difficult to find. Brandi’s speaking at the 2023 IREM Global Summit in Toronto.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

9/19/23
In this episode, we talk to Brian Thayer from IREM Industry Partner AvidXchange about the impact of automation on property management staff, including how to manage the change brought about by technology to create success stories for your teams.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

9/5/23
Kyle Scheele is known for his crazy ideas – from a cardboard Viking ship and a centaur bike to viral videos and a children’s book. He’s also worked with companies like KFC and Urban Outfitters, and he’s speaking at the 2023 IREM Global Summit in Toronto. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

8/22/23
In this episode, IREM CEO/EVP Linda Caradine-Poinsett, PhD, MJ, MBA talks to Suzi Craig, VP of Workplace Mental Health with Mental Health America, about what organizations, leaders, and managers can do to support good mental health in the workplace. To access the screening tools referenced in this episode, visit screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

8/8/23
In this episode, IREM Manager of Member Engagement Brett Voeltz, CPM^® talks to Jatonne Trianna, RPA, Senior Real Estate Manager with CBRE, Inc., AMO^®, about property management as a career path. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

7/25/23
IREM Foundation Director Rebecca O’Brien talks to Greg Ericksen from Jackson Control about why ESG matters for investment real estate. Jackson Control is the IREM Foundation sponsor of the Jackson Control Sustainability Awards. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

7/11/23
In this episode, we talk to Taylor Hou from APM Help about solving pain points with your property management and accounting software. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

6/20/23
Tyler Christiansen from Funnel Leasing shares how customer relationship management (CRM) software can advance marketing and leasing goals by delivering an exceptional renter experience, creating efficiencies for management and leasing teams in the process. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

6/06/23
In this episode, we talk to Dan Simpkins from Dwellwell about how predictive maintenance can transform residential maintenance operations into a planned and proactive process and give property managers better insights into property performance. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

5/16/23
Jae Roe, CPM^®, ACoM^® from SOVA Real Estate Solutions shares insights into optimizing ancillary income, including new sources of ancillary income and best practices for maximizing revenue. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

5/02/23
We talk to Molly Simpson, Manager, Green Financing Business with Fannie Mae Multifamily, about their effort to collect and analyze energy and water consumption data for multifamily properties, as well as their Green Financing options. To take the survey, go here. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/18/23
In this episode, Ted Thurn, Sr. Director of Government Affairs at IREM, talks to Kevin Logue, CPM^®, and David Barrett, CPM^®, ARM^®, chair and vice chair of the Advocacy Committee, about the key issues that IREM members discussed with lawmakers and their staff at Advocacy Impact Day in Washington, D.C., in March.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/04/23
IREM CEO Linda Caradine-Poinsett, PhD, MJ, MBA talks to Kent Elliott, Principal of RETS Associates, an executive search firm focused on the real estate industry, about the current state of hiring and retention in real estate management.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

3/21/23
What’s happening in single family home management? Hear Alexandra Goldthwaite, CPM^® from HomeRiver Group give an update on the latest trends with this asset type, including current renter preferences and management challenges.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

3/7/23
Jose Giraldo from Zeitview talks about remote-controlled aerial vehicles, more commonly known as drones, and how they’re making everything from marketing to property inspections more dynamic and efficient, providing greater insight into a property’s operations. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

2/14/23
IREM CEO/EVP Linda Caradine-Poinsett, PhD, MJ, MBA sits down with 2023 IREM President Renee Savage, CPM®, CCIM, who shares her vision for advancing IREM’s strategic plan and discusses the year ahead. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

Season three

12/13/22
Jessica Warrior, CPM® and Director of Property Management at Granite Properties shares how to cultivate the natural gifts found in both ourselves and our teams. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

11/10/22
Ted Thurn, Sr. Director of Government Affairs and Amadi McPherson, Government Affairs Liaison at IREM discuss the recent midterm elections and their impact on the industry and preview next year’s Advocacy Impact Day.(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

10/17/22
Charles Kellom, Sr. Director, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at IREM, shares three best practices that organizations can use to keep DEI at their forefront. Find out about the noteworthy DEI initiatives happening at IREM, both now and in the works for the future of the Institute(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

10/04/22
Kim Becking, change and leadership expert, previews her upcoming Global Summit session in a discussion on how to maintain a momentum mindset, set boundaries, and manage stress(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

09/20/22
Brett Heising, Accessibility Champion, previews his upcoming Global Summit session on achieving true accessibility at your buildings and in your workplace culture(Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

09/06/22
Tenant screening is a complicated process. Sipho Simela, CEO and Founder of My Matrix Rent discusses how a unique scoring model can facilitate not just a more efficient screening process, but a more inclusive one (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

08/23/22
B-Line CEO Aaron Short shares how it took a global pandemic for tech to boom in the real estate field and ways in which this Proptech can enhance several areas of the tenant experience (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

07/05/22
Rowland Hobbs, CEO and co-Founder of Stake discusses the benefits of applying a customer loyalty mindset to the property management industry in order to drive resident satisfaction and retention and improve overall property performance (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

6/21/22
Ofo Ezeugwu, CEO and Founder of Whose Your Landlord shares how in-depth resident feedback can be turned into actionable operational insights that improve a property’s brand and success factors (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

6/7/22
Tech and Energy Optimization with Drew Foulkes of Mesa (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

5/17/22
CAM Reconciliation with Jeri Frank, CEO of Stratafolio (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

5/3/22
AI and Water with Uri Solokov, CEO and Co-Founder of Watrix (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/19/22
Property Manager Hiring and Retention Report with Stacy Holden, Industry Principal, AppFolio (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/5/22
Certified Sustainable Property (CSP) Insights with Erin Hopkins, PhD, Associate Professor of Property Management, Virginia Tech (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

3/15/22
Proptech and Senior Housing with Keith Stewart, Chief Growth Officer of K4 Connect (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

3/1/22
Advocacy Impact Day with IREM Government Affairs Staff (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

2/15/22
Scaling Up Operations with Bob Assoian, CPM^®, and EVP of NAI Hiffman (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

Season two

12/14/21
Rural Housing with Babbie Jaco, CPM^®, VP of CAHEC Management and Ted Thurn, Senior Director, Government Affairs, IREM^® (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

11/16/21
Modern Tenant Experience with Adam Segal, Co-Founder and CEO, cove.is (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

11/02/21
Evolution of Multifamily Marketing with Erina Malarkey, CEO of Remarkably.io (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

10/19/21
Data Standardization with Rob Finlay, CPM^®, Founder and President of Lobby CRE (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

10/05/21
Insurance Cost Report with Mary Donovan, Principal and Economist, NDP Analytics (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

09/21/21
Leadership: Times of Scarcity with IREM CEO Denise Froemming and Ben Underwood, CPM^® (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

09/09/21
Real Estate Tech Tracker with James Scott, IREM Innovator in Residence, MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

08/24/21
Riser Management with Kasara Smith, CPM^®, Director of Asset Services, Cushman & Wakefield (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

08/10/21
CRE Momentum Index with Brian Bailey, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

07/06/21
Lease Securitization with Marissa Limsiaco, President and Co-Founder of Otso (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

06/22/21
Leadership: Overcoming Obstacles with IREM CEO Denise Froemming and Waddell Wright, CPM^®, Founder of W. Wright & Co (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

06/08/21
Managing Data Centers with Rob Fuller, CPM^®, Senior Facilities Manager at CBRE (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

06/01/21
Leadership: Being Mindful with Jessica Warrior, CPM^® and IREM CEO Denise Froemming (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

05/18/21
Rental Assistance Programs with Taryn Lewis, Director of Compliance, BH Management Services (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

05/11/21
Overcoming Adversity with Byrdy Kelley, CPM®, ARM®, Founder, Melan Property Management (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

05/04/21
Leadership: Value of Trust with IREM CEO Denise Froemming and Sidney Ingelson, CPM^® (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

04/27/21
Talent Management with Dave Sayers, Sr. Director of Talent Development at Cortland (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

04/13/21
Business Intelligence with Rob Finlay from Lobby CRE (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

03/30/21
DIY Landlords with Nate Smoyer of Avail (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

03/17/21
Advocacy Impact Day with Ted Thurn, Director of Government Affairs, IREM (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

03/02/21
Fleet Management with Chris Wetmore from ICE Robotics (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

02/16/21
Tech and the Asset Life Cycle with Kylash Ramesh, Management Analyst at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

02/02/21
Federally-Assisted Housing and COVID-19 with Shannon Longino, CPM® and Ted Thurn, IREM Director of Government Affairs (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

01/19/21
Prop Tech with Dave Garland and Ash Zandieh of Second Century Ventures (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

01/05/21
COVID Relief with Ted Thurn, Director, IREM Government Affairs (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

12/08/20
Residential Cooking Fires with Kelli Esposito, Auto-Out (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

11/24/20
Internet of Things with Adam Care from HSB (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

11/10/20
Repurposing Retail Space with Kaci Hancock, CPM^®, ACoM^® (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

10/27/20
Gender and Diversity in Commercial Real Estate with Wendy Mann, CEO, CREW Network (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

10/13/20
Resident retention with Barret Newberry, CEO, Leasera (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

9/29/20
Eviction moratorium with Ted Thurn (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

Season one

6/30/20
Touchless Access Systems with James Scott, MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

6/23/20
HVAC Operations with Wade Conlan, ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

6/16/20
Single Family Homes with Deb Newell, MPM® and Sidney Ingelson, CPM^® (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

6/9/20
Multifamily Operations with Nathan Miller, Rentec Direct (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

6/2/20
Reopening in China with Alan Yeung, CPM^®, Xia Chen, CPM^®, and Jianong Su, CPM^® (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

5/26/20
Commercial Lease Negotiation with Randy Airst, Exceedant (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

5/19/20
The Pulse of Multifamily with Stacy Holden, Appfolio** (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

5/14/20
Reopening for Business with Sheila Matuscak of Coeo Space (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

5/12/20
Unconscious Bias in a Pandemic with Kelly Charles-Collins, Esq., MBA and CEO of HR Legally Speaking (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

5/7/20
Medical Office Buildings with Dave Domres, CPM^® (Spotify , Apple Podcasts)

5/5/20
COVID at your Property and Legal Considerations with Shannon Lawless and Jonathan Mahoney from Ryan Swanson law firm (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/30/20
Standard Operating Procedures with Leo Turley, CEO, H Two National* (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/28/20
Senior Housing with Pam Monroe, CPM^® (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/23/2020
Small Business Relief with Ted Thurn (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/23/2020
Maintaining Productivity with Donna Brighton, Chief Ideas Officer of Brighton Leadership Group (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/21/2020
Commercial Cleaning and Hygiene with Ben Kollmeyer, MPH and Certified Industrial Hygienist at FACS* (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/16/2020
Application of the CARES Act with Dawn Carpenter, CPM® and Eileen Wirth, CPM® (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/14/2020
Earning Trust in Extraordinary Times with Shannon Alter, CPM® (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/9/2020
Force Majeure Lease Provisions with Ralph Amicucci, Esq., CPM® (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/7/2020
Business Interruption Insurance with Michael Perlmuter (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

4/2/2020
Exceptional Customer Service with Barry Blanton, CPM® (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

3/31/2020
Virtual Tours and Rent Collection with Cammie Allie, CPM®, ARM® (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

3/27/2020
CARES Act with Ted Thurn (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

3/26/2020
Employee Morale with Debbie Phillips, PhD, CPM® (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

3/24/2020
Rent Abatement and Concessions with Mindy Gronbeck, CPM®, CSM, CSX and Chip Watts, IV, CPM®, CCIM (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

3/18/2020
Legislation for Emergency Coronavirus Aid with Ted Thurn (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

* Denotes IREM Executive Level Industry Partner

** Denotes IREM Chairman Executive Level Partner