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Morgan Wilson
Chief Operating Officer
Overview
North York Capital is a privately held real estate investment company that focuses on acquiring and managing multifamily assets throughout the United States. However, in 2023, its CEO, Dovi Kutner, made the pivotal decision to self-manage their portfolio. As a result, North York Residential was formed, becoming North York Capital’s in-house property management firm.
Before North York Residential was formed, North York Capital contracted the management of their seven Ohio properties to an outside firm. However, the poor performance of that third-party property management company drove Kutner’s decision to take everything in-house.
Yet, to do so, he needed a seasoned property management professional to execute his vision, and Morgan Wilson was the perfect fit. As North York Residential’s Chief Operating Officer, she not only brought over 20 years of industry experience to the role but also had prior expertise in creating an in-house management company.
With over 1,700 units now under management, North York Residential constantly seeks new ways to improve property performance and resident experience. And while their team is skilled and experienced in all facets of multifamily property management, Morgan consistently seeks cost-effective and innovative methods to improve each asset’s performance while enriching residents’ lives.
They pride themselves on their meticulous approach and believe their employees are critical to their success. And because of that, they invest in recruiting and training the best talent for their team. So, challenge #1 was getting these seven Ohio properties back on track and up to par with their corporate philosophy and expectations.
Company Profile
Industry: Multifamily and Senior Housing
Unit Count: 1,661
Headquarters: New York, New York
Years in Business: 2+
Number of Team Members: 29
Challenge
After taking over the management of these seven properties, North York Residential found themselves in “triage” mode, with the most significant challenge stemming from the previous management company's neglect. Performance at each property was in decline, with little attention paid to resident retention.
“The management of those properties was so poor,” said Morgan, “we needed to form our own management company simply to get them all back on track.”
None of the staff, including their maintenance teams, had received any training. So, not only did the newly formed North York Residential face struggling properties, but they also inherited employees who lacked crucial training in sales and customer service. These factors combined delivered a negative resident experience and an overall decline in property value.
The lack of training, coupled with the sheer number of properties needing immediate attention, compounded the problem. North York Residential needed a solution — and fast — to effectively manage these struggling assets and turn performance around.
Although previous management had done little to equip their employees with the skills needed to succeed, Morgan knew precisely how to change that; her solution was just one phone call away.
Solution
For her solution, Morgan looked no further than Grace Hill. In her many years of multifamily experience, Morgan had used Grace Hill's Training solution in prior positions and knew it would be the right fit for North York Residential.
In fact, they wasted no time getting Grace Hill’s training platform up and running, going live company-wide in December 2023 for all properties, onsite employees, and regional managers.
Transitioning employees to anything new can present challenges, particularly if team members feel you’re adding “busy work” to their schedules. However, Morgan’s personal experience with the Grace Hill training and LMS platform proved invaluable in this case, helping her combat some of the initial grumbling.
But overall, the implementation and training process was seamless. “We had long meetings in the beginning about the necessary course schedules,” said Morgan. “Grace Hill provided an email template to roll it out to employees, and I still use it today for new employees!”
Morgan shared, “Grace Hill adds so much value because their employees come from the industry. They understand the challenges and needs our teams face. And for elevating employees who are just getting started in their careers, their training can’t be beat.”
By adopting Grace Hill's Training, North York Residential took a crucial step toward addressing inherited challenges from their new properties and began empowering their teams for success.
“I highly recommend Grace Hill; it's a great platform for compliance, education, and fine-tuning the leasing process. Employees can work at their own pace and fit training into their schedules as needed. But most importantly, it helps mitigate risk!"
- Morgan Wilson, Chief Operating Officer
Results
Incorporating Grace Hill’s Training has brought North York Residential peace of mind. More importantly, they are on the road to improved property performance because their property teams are getting critical sales training and developing techniques that help drive resident satisfaction and retention.
Additionally, employee feedback has been positive. While the changes made at these acquired properties have not been singular, North York’s leadership has been pleased with the progress and expects positive results in the following areas, just to name a few:
• Operations
• Pre-leasing
• Retention
• Number of work order closeouts
• Delinquency
• Turn rate
Training matters, and when North York Residential needed a trusted partner, they knew to call Grace Hill. Their investment in training was more than just a necessary add-on; it was an investment in their people and performance — all working together to strengthen their bottom line.
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