• Active in industry? I have been in the industry for seven years. About five years on the management side and two years on the vendor side.  
• Who is your customer? Our immediate customer is anyone needing emergency restoration/rebuild services. We partner with Ownership, Asset Managers, Construction Managers, Executive Management, Regional Managers and Property Managers..
• What committee/club are you working on in HAA? Ambassador One Society, Next, Community Outreach, Career and Community Development Committee
• Why do you work in this industry? What keeps you passionate about it? In two simple words “the people”. You could meet someone new every day and would not scratch the surface of the number of contacts and industry connections there are. The industry is intertwined with professional partnerships that are also long lasting relationships that would mirror family ties. We learn together, we support each other and we move forward as ONE.

	832-264-7959
	cbell@greenlightingelectric.com

• Active in the industry? I have been in the industry since 2006 and always been supplier partner. 
• Who is your customer? I currently sell to property managers, regional managers, vice presidents, asset managers and owners.  My target market is an operator that is looking for a way to enhance their resident experience/engagement via amenities such as fitness classes, virtual fitness classes, virtual events, housekeeping, pet services, customized resident programs and package management with an onsite resident experience specialists, and valet trash service.
• What committee/club are you working on in HAA? Ambassador One Society, Expo, Community Outreach
• Why do you work in this industry? What keeps you passionate about it? I enjoy networking with both supplier partners and clients building longtime relationships.  Many of my relationships have turned into friendships.  Things are constantly changing and I enjoy seeing the innovation that has come along over the last few years and look forward to the future.   

	713.806.9830
	marivel.bownds@valetliving.com

• Active in the industry? I have been active in the industry for nearly 20 years. I took a short break while I worked in Austin for a few years. 
• Who do you sell to? Who is your customer? My customers are anyone from the onsite maintenance team all the way up to the owner of the management company/property. No project is too large or small.
• What committee/club are you working on in HAA? PAC, Chili Cook Off, EXPO....
• Why do you work in this industry? What keeps you passionate about it? My whole career has been surrounded by multifamily and the HAA. From my days of selling paint to my days now in construction, this industry has always been here for me and my family. I have built lifelong friendships/relationships that have not only helped me professionally, but personally. Being able to see the difference I can make for my clients is something I take pride in and will continue to do.

	281.636.2214
	nealc@gemstarconstruction.com

• How long have they been active in the industry? Grew up in flooring, started working the apartment industry in 2008, joined HAA in 2017.
• Who do you sell to? Who is your customer? We sell to anyone who needs to buy flooring; residential, commercial, and Multifamily. In the Multifamily industry, we work with everyone from the maintenance to the owner. Anyone who can make the decision to purchase.
• What committee/club are you working on in HAA? Ambassadors, NEXT, Expo, PAC.
• Why do you work in this industry? What keeps you passionate about it? I work in this industry because of the people. Over the years, I have been lucky to form many great friendships. Watching those friends grow in their professional and personal lives keeps my passion for this industry growing.

	512.739.4748
	sean@myflooringwarehouse.com

• Active in the industry?  I’ve been in the industry for 16 years. About 10 years of that time was spent working on the management side. I have a pretty broad perspective of our industry. I’ve worked as a leasing agent, assistant manager and manager on site. I have association experience and I’ve been a supplier for a few years now.
• Who do you sell to? Who is your customer? I sell to managers, regionals, owners.
• What committee/club are you working on in HAA? Co-Captain for Ambassadors, Community Outreach, HAA NEXT, Go Getters, PAC, Chili Cook-Off Committee and Expo Committee
• Why do you work in this industry? What keeps you passionate about it? There are so many opportunities in our industry. There is never a dull moment in multifamily no matter what area you work in. It’s always exciting and there’s always something new to learn. We live in a great city that is booming with opportunity, especially in our industry and that makes it easy to stay passionate. I’ve also met some pretty amazing people along the way! deb.deoruen@biopetlabs.com

	903.277.5451
	deb.derouen@biopetlabs.com

• How long have they been active in the industry? 10 years 
• Who do you sell to? Who is your customer? Greystar, Orion, Francis, Tarantino
• What committee/club are you working on in HAA? Ambassadors, chili committee, community outreach, PAC, Expo committee
• Why do you work in this industry? What keeps you passionate about it? Every day is different from the day before. I come to work and don’t know what may come my way or whom I may meet. It is a never ending adventure.

	713.859.8799
	derek@epichtx.com

• How long have you been active in the industry? I joined our amazing industry in 2009, I started as a temporary Leasing Professional for The Liberty Group. I worked in the property management side for almost ten years, and switched over to the vendor side at the end of 2018. I’ve been blessed to work for some of the greatest management companies, Earthworks Inc, and now Century AC Supply. 
• Who is your customer? My target customer would be anyone in need of HVAC: equipment, supplies, multifamily services, training, tech support, etc. We do it all!
• What committee/club are you working on in HAA? I’m proudly involved in several organizations within the HAA. I’m an Ambassador ONE Society co-captain, Community Outreach Committee member, Go-Getter Club co-captain, HAA NEXT Committee member, and Political Action Committee voting member.
• Why do you work in this industry? What keeps you passionate about it? I work in this industry because I fell in love with it. I started from the bottom and decided to turn it into my career, and it was easily one of the best decisions of my life. I’m passionate about providing the best customer service, building relationships, and saving my clients’ day! 
• What would you say are your areas of industry knowledge and expertise? I worked in property management for about ten years, starting as a leasing professional, assistant manager and closed this beautiful chapter of my career as a property manager.  I then worked as an account manager for Earthworks, a landscape company for a year where I learned so much about curb appeal, seasonal flowers, irrigation, payroll , project management, and HR.  Last but not least, I joined Century AC Supply at the end of 2019, where I learn something new HVAC related every day.  I love it.  Knowledge is power and I enjoy growing and learning from the best peers in our industry! 

	346.269.2964
	ggone@centuryac.com

• How long have they been active in the industry? 3 years
• Who do you sell to? Who is your customer? All management companies, owners, developers, and general contractors.
• What committee/club are you working on in HAA? Go-getters, Ambassadors team captain, Outreach committee, Chili cookoff committee, NEXT Young Professional group's co-chair, Board of Directors, and Political Action Committee.
• Why do you work in this industry? What keeps you passionate about it? The people.. there are so many hard working, creative, passionate people in this industry and I am proud to just be a part of it. The people in this industry care about each other, inspire each other, and lean on each other, and that makes my career so much more fulfilling. It pushes me to be better and do better for this multi-family community.

	832.921.6690
	akelly@brandtelectrical.com

• Active in the industry? I have been active for about 15 years and only on the vendor side.
• Who do you sell to? Who is your customer? I sell to property managers, supervisors, owners and developers depending on the company.  My customers are managers, supervisors, property owner/developers that are looking to build, design or renovate their fitness facility.
• What committee/club are you working on in HAA? I am a part of the Ambassador Club, Community Outreach and PAC.
• Why do you work in this industry? What keeps you passionate about it? I actually fell into the apartment industry without knowing anything about it and have been impressed constantly with all of the opportunity. I love the camaraderie among everyone in the industry, even competitors, and the opportunity to grow, especially in regards to education. What keeps me passionate is the relationships and friendships I've formed as well as the opportunity to constantly grow and learn.

	281.250.9517
	dknight@comm-fit.com

Stephanie Krop, CASe, Poolsure

• How long have you been active in the industry? I have been active in the industry since fall of 1989, working onsite from 1989-2004 and starting on the vendor path in 1994 with The Apartment Guide. I was with Direct Energy for almost 8 years, Buyers Access and now Poolsure.
• Who do you sell to? Who is your customer?  
• What committee/club are you working on in HAA? Expo Committee, Chili-Cookoff Committee, PSC.
• Why do you work in this industry? What keeps you passionate about it? I've grown up in the industry. My first job was part-time leasing, while going to night school. I was blessed to be surrounded and mentored by industry leaders from the beginning. These contacts enabled me to mature and utilize the knowledge in not only my onsite experience, but also when I joined the vendor side. The multi-family industry is the largest "family" on earth...and is very likely we have shared all aspects of our lives through births, deaths and disasters...and anything in between. I have the privilege of working with people, I care about. This enables me to stay motivated to do my best, thus motivates my team into providing their very best to our clients...our extended family. I think our success comes not so much from what we do in our job, but how well we do it...and who we are taking along for the ride.

	281. 914.0274
	skrop@poolsure.com

• How long have they been active in the industry? 17 years
• Who is your customer within multifamily? The manager? supervisor, maintenance staff? The Manager, Supervisor, Maintenance, Owner, Regional (all of the above) 
• What committee/club do you volunteer for in HAA? EXPO, Chili Cook Off, PAC, NEXT, Ambassadors, Product Service Council, Community Outreach
• Why do you work in this industry? What keeps you passionate about it? I love this industry! The people I meet and the friends I make are endless as well as the professional career enhancements. To be able to service someone with the product(s) they need and deliver with excellence is of high importance to me both personally and professionally. It's the feeling I get when assisting someone for the greater good that makes my soul feel full which is what this industry allows me to do on a daily. It is an awesome industry to be involved in and I take much pride in being apart of it.

	832.453.1718
	liz@gemstarconstruction.com

Arely Pena, CAS, The Liberty Group

• Active in industry?  I have been active in the industry since 2012 with The Liberty Group and prior to that I was a Leasing temp for 2 years.

• Who is your customer? My customer is anyone onsite! I provide temporary assistance so I have talked to all roles from maintenance to office staff.
• What committee/club are you working on in HAA? NEXT, Ambassadors, Community Outreach, Education Committee, and now PSC. 
• Why do you work in this industry? I work in this industry because there are so many opportunities and I love that I get to be a part of helping people find their work home. I also love all the education and career development we can obtain with this industry along with creating long lasting friendships!

	713-357-8378
	arelyp@thelibertygroup.com

• How long have they been active in the industry? Since 2003 - originally as an asset manager. 
• Have you ever worked on the mgmt side? Since then I’ve been Director of Training, Regional Manager, Asset Manager and now a Supplier.
• Who do you sell to? Who is your customer? Everyone. ALN has a product for the owner/management companies as well as supplier members. We collect accurate data nationwide on occupancy, pricing, floorplans and updated contacts at the properties.
• What committee/club are you working on in HAA? Education Committee, Career & Community Development, Ambassadors, Political Action Committee 
• Why do you work in this industry? What keeps you passionate about it? I fell into the industry after the Enron collapse and have loved it since. There are so many great people to work with – both on the management side and the supplier side. Since my original career was education, it’s education that keeps me going. For many years it was on the management side – keeping our associates up to date on everything from leasing, touring, managing, legal issues, technology, etc. Now as a supplier, I love to do the same thing – and translate needs & concepts into strategies that support business growth.

	832.647.8637
	knelsen@alndata.com

• How long have they been active in the industry? I have been active since 2015 
• Who do you sell to? Who is your customer? Everyone needs flooring but we work with upper management, ownership and property management companies.
• What committee/club are you working on in HAA? I am actively involved with Ambassador One as well as HAA Next and Community Outreach. 
• Why do you work in this industry? Because I wanted to join a competitive environment where I could make a difference. Our goal is to push the envelope from a product and service perspective. There's limitless technology and service enhancements that can be done in the flooring industry. We're focused on developing and bringing those enhancements to our multifamily clients to help them become more efficient and profitable. 
• What keeps you passionate about it? Being able to look at problems clients have been experiencing for years and being able to deliver solutions with immediate impact.

	832.721-3200
	doug@myflooringwarehouse.com

• How long have they been active in the industry? Combined about 6 years and I’ve also worked on the management side.    
• Who is your customer within multifamily? The manager? supervisor, maintenance staff? Everyone. I help on site teams, regionals, VP’s, Owners, and even vendors.
• What committee/club do you volunteer for in HAA? NEXT, Ambassadors, Community Outreach, and Career Development. 
• Why do you work in this industry? What keeps you passionate about it? I’ve never met a group of people that are so passionate to help you. It’s genuine and incredible. The opportunities are endless and the sense of family makes you want to give right back to them. We are a community of people that are constantly trying to improve ourselves and those around us. You can’t find that anywhere else. 

	832.243.8888
	nikkis@thelibertygroup.com