The National Apartment Association & BGMF = the Industry’s Hottest Power Couple
The National Apartment Association was formed to be a leading voice for rental housing. With 153 affiliates and 82,000 members operating over 10 million apartment units worldwide, the NAA exists to support the growing multifamily industry.
As BG Multifamily supplies top talent to multifamily management companies, either on a temporary or direct hire basis, we work closely with the NAA to support their initiatives and what the multifamily owner-operators are doing. For supplier partners, NAA established the National Suppliers Council (NSC) to continue developing a strong relationship between the rental housing industry and its national service partners. As a longstanding National Supplier Council member, BGMF is proud to be active within the NAA and its many initiatives throughout the calendar year. Employees of BGMF are encouraged to participate in NAA, state, and local associations and engage fully in the top three initiatives of any association: education, advocacy, and networking.
We sat down with Betsy Kirkpatrick, Strategic Accounts Executive of BGMF, to hear more about her involvement with NAA and how it benefits her job role.
Tell me more about the value you find in NAA.
BK: When we support the industry, when we grow the industry through education, advocacy, and networking, our clients reap the benefits. When they grow, they need more candidates, which is better for us and perpetuates a cycle of industry partnership.
What benefits have you found being part of the NAA in your role as Strategic Accounts Executive?
BK: I’ve gotten to know people all across the US and receive national training through conferences. I participate in Advocate (The NAA’s political action committee and an essential arm of the NAA’s advocacy on behalf of the apartment housing industry). and being part of the NAA gives you the exposure that you wouldn’t normally get. It gives you those connections. People I’ve met through NAA, I would never have met otherwise.
A great example is Alexandra Jackiw (current Chief Operating Officer of Hayes Gibson Property Services, industry trainer and speaker, multifamily veteran, and general powerhouse). I attended a training of hers and then I connected with her on social media. Through additional events and networking, she’s now a friend of mine and someone I can just pick up the phone and call if I need a sounding board within the industry.
What’s your biggest piece of advice to multifamily suppliers?
BK: Don’t downplay education and advocacy! So many suppliers only focus on networking, but that’s only a third of what the association is. Education and advocacy control the health of the industry, which controls your company’s bottom line, ultimately. Play the long game, and ALWAYS ask yourself, “What can I do to better support the industry as a whole?”
Connect with Betsy on LinkedIn here.
Learn more about the National Apartment Association here.