Lovenlund Apartments; #Teamwork
Lovenlund Apartments
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
“I would like to take a moment to show my appreciation to my team and to share their accomplishments with everyone! Lovenlund Apartments has a total of 195 units housed within 20 Buildings. The property is split into two Phases – we call them Lovenlund I and Lovenlund II. In November 2019, Lovenlund I was 79.80% occupied with 20 vacant units and Lovenlund II was 76.04% occupied with 23 vacant units, that is a total of 43 vacant units!
When I acquired the Virgin Island portfolio in November 2019, all I could say was “OMG”! I knew little about the Islands and their culture, even less about Waste Water Treatment Plants & Reverse Osmosis Systems, and I certainly did not know how we would get these 43 units leased up quickly to satisfy the owners!
A little bit of background about the property: In January 2019, Royal American took over management as the property was going thru $14 Million dollars of Hurricane Repairs. Lovenlund Apartments in St. Thomas had been hit by 2 back to back category 5 hurricanes in late 2017. Residents were not displaced, the property was not condemned, the residents continued to live at the property in very badly damaged apartments and the residents who suffered severe damage were moved to any available unit so they would have shelter.
The Islands have A LOT of challenges such as: finding qualified vendors, locating and receiving supplies, receiving employment and bank verifications for applications in a timely manner, working under the microscope of the Senators, working with a Housing Authority that only has one inspector that covers all 3 islands (St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix), power that goes out on a regular basis sometimes for hours at a time, internet that is spotty and often times very slow; a McDonalds that does not sell Iced Coffee, a Kentucky Fried Chicken that runs out of chicken…these are just a few of the struggles we face on every given day.
We all love a success story, so let’s fast forward to today, Lovenlund I is 95.96% occupied with only 4 vacant units and Lovenlund II is 96.88% occupied with only 3 vacant units, that is a total of only 7 vacant units! Lovenlund has maintained this amazing occupancy for 2 months! The Lovenlund Team did this, they turned units, processed applications, and continued to conduct day to day business doing their best to meet the needs of all the residents that had been so traumatized and frustrated for such a long time! The entire staff, inside and out, went above and beyond and did not stop, no matter how hard they were pushed, they kept going and kept working towards the goal of being 95% occupied (often times working on a Saturday just to try to get ahead). Words cannot express how proud I am of each and every one of them! We have all come a long way on this journey and have strengthened as a team; we all celebrate this accomplishment together! #Teamwork”
– Jennifer Belisle, Regional Manager
Team Members:
Jay Miller, Community Manager
Debra Gonzalez, Assistant Community Manager
Lenisha Webbe, Leasing Consultant
Jermaine Riley, VI Area Maintenance Assistant
Ovando “Bobby” Rawlins, Maintenance Supervisor
Grayson Stuart, Waste Water Treatment Plant Expert
Khana “Mr. Smith” Smith, Maintenance Tech
Cedric Anselm, Maintenance Tech
Leshaun Thompson, Porter
Team Lovenlund with Leaders J & J…such an awesome testimony of stick-with-it-ness!!! You both are top notch, hard workers and believe in pressing through to get the job done. Challenges yes, there were many from what you relate, but your team saw it through and that speaks VOLUMES!!! Congrats Jennifer, Jay and team….believing for many happy days ahead.
Job well done! Never was there a doubt in my mind that it would be done. Put someone like Jay on your team, who personifies a positive attitude and get it done grit, and you are bound to succeed! Jay is an asset to your team Jen and RAM in general! Way to go to the entire Lovenlund team on a journey to success, keep up the great work! 🙂
Thank you so much Heather! 🙂
Congratulations to you and your team for all your accomplishment and the ones to come. You all got this!
Thank you so much Griselle!
Congratulations to all at Lovenlund. Together Everyone Achieves More
Thank you so much Becky!
Great job, we are very proud for you guys….
Thank you so much Olivia!
Amazing job Team Lovenlund! A true testament to what is possible when a Team works together and failure is not an option. A huge congratulations to the entire team! Awesome Leadership to both Jennifer and Jay!
Thank you so much Bill! Failure is NEVER an option in my book and I am so very proud of my team.
Congratulations!
Thank you Stephanie!
Congratulations on a job well done, Jay! Your team is following your example…this speaks volumes of your
ability to lead and succeed! WAHOOO!
Thank you so much Laurie!
What an amazing team of hard-working and dedicated people. Great job to all! But someone needs to write a letter about this McDonald’s not having iced coffee! Not sure how I would function…. Jen, Jay and your team… YOU GUYS ROCK!
Thank you so much Natalie! Yes, however there are other fabulous locally owned coffee places that I frequent.