Lewis Apartment Communities Receives Elite 1% ORA Power Ranking Award — Santa Barbara Chino Hills

What sets Santa Barbara apart would definitely be the landscape, location, and the amenities. Also, we offer several different floorplans that are all townhomes with nobody above or below. I have visited our competitors in the area, and they are nowhere near as beautiful as SBCH. Several of our residents have shared how this community feels like they are living at a resort and how beautiful our landscape is. My proudest moments are when we receive those 5-star raving reviews about how our grounds are so well maintained and how our team provides excellent customer service. These are just a few reasons we earned our ELITE award for 2022. At Santa Barbara Chino Hills we are surrounded by restaurants, breweries, cafes and within 1 mile from the freeway entrance. This makes us a prime location for our future residents.

Our team here at SBCH has been very successful primarily due to the managers that we have in place. Our managers have a good bond and great communication. We each share the same growth mindset that we instill in our team members. Our goal as managers is to train and teach our teams everything to prepare them for their next step. I get to know each person on my team personally and know what it is that motivates them. As a team we make our workplace fun and celebrate birthdays monthly with lunch and cake, have team potlucks/BBQ’s, pumpkin decorating contests and so much more. Our team is also very competitive. We had an online Review contest last month and received a total of 40 five-star online reviews in just one month! A team is only as strong as their leader and our Regional Director here at SBCH has set expectations that we all strive to exceed. The strength of a team is each individual member; the strength of each member is the team!

Eric: I started with Lewis in 2014 as a groundskeeper at TV550. While at TV550 I began to gain exposure in the maintenance field, which gave me the confidence and knowledge to be accepted into the apprenticeship program at Homecoming Terra Vista in 2016. I completed the apprentice program and within three months I was promoted to Maintenance Technician at Jamboree Apartments. While at Jamboree I became highly skilled as a Maintenance Technician, and with the help and support of management there, I was promoted to the Grounds Supervisor at Homecoming at the Preserve in early 2018. This is where I began to expand my leadership and management skills as a supervisor. In 2019, I was again promoted to Maintenance Supervisor at Green Valley Apartments. As of 2021, I earned the position of Maintenance Supervisor at Santa Barbara Chino Hills Apartments. I have consistently strived to take on new challenges, new projects and opportunities. This has been the primary reason for my professional growth. My Supervisors and Regional Directors have also been a part of my growth within Lewis. My current career goal is to become a Maintenance Supervisor at a larger property or lease up property.

Eric: The most satisfying part of my job and what I enjoy the most is having the opportunity to interact directly with the residents, vendors, and our staff on a day-to-day basis. It is very rewarding to build and establish long-lasting relationships with my team, our vendors, and our residents. What I especially enjoy is taking on extra challenges from our upper management specifically when these projects allow me to be a part of the company’s growth and success. Being a Maintenance Supervisor at SBCH has allowed me to grow drastically in my leadership, management and communication skills.

Melissa: One of the reasons our residents continue to renew is due to the community itself and the resort-style living that we offer here at Santa Barbara Chino Hills. Residents are always sharing how they feel like they are on vacation here at the community. The primary reason our residents renew is because of the service that the team offers. Our ORA score speaks for itself. Residents are always sharing with us and online how helpful, caring and wonderful our team is here at SBCH. Location is also another big reason people renew, residents love the surrounding areas since there are multiple options for shopping, entertainment and hiking all within a few minutes from our community. I also live on-site and absolutely love living here. What I enjoy the most is the community’s cleanliness, the amenities and how quickly our Maintenance team respond to work orders.

Melissa: One of my favorite resident experiences is when we had our Jazz and Brunch event at the pool area. Several residents attended and really enjoyed the event. Quite a few residents stopped by the office to thank us for such a great event. Most residents shared how nice it was to meet and mingle with other residents. Another one of my favorite experiences is our move in process. Our residents are always so excited and happy to be moving into the community and it’s our time to shine. Our leasing team and Maintenance Team get to build a relationship with them from the very beginning and the first impression that we are giving is what will make a difference in the relationship with our residents.

Mercedes: The best advice I was given was to learn on someone else’s dime. Since starting here at Lewis every position I’ve had I made sure I cross trained for the position I wanted next. As a Receptionist I would sit with the Community Administrators and learned about invoicing and coding. While a Community Administrator, I would get with the Business Manager and process reports that were due. Now as a Business Manager, I take time weekly and sit with my Community Director and conversate on scrubbing GLs and budgeting. It is important when growing your career to surround yourself with individuals that also want to teach and mentor you to improve your work skills. Having such amazing people around me who want to teach and help me expand my knowledge has shifted my views about myself and my career. Lastly, the tutorials that are provided and the employee handbook offers all the steps needed to complete reports and tasks but not the ‘why’. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and look for answers. Being a leader is about always learning and creating a team dynamic where you grow your team as leaders as well.

Mercedes: I am currently a Business Manager at Santa Barbara in Chino Hills. When starting my workday, the first thing I do is check my emails and pull reports to check in on my weekly task that need to get scheduled. I tend to complete things ahead of time in case I get called to assist with leasing and take tours whenever it is needed. I typically save coding invoices for a Wednesday & Saturday to make sure I complete all of them on time and to confirm that invoices are not late. Also, I must always make myself available for any resident concerns or questions throughout the day. Since there can be many different types of interruptions throughout the day, I never save things for another day. Procrastination cannot exist as a Business Manager: I just make sure I get it done right away. Multiple times per day, I check in with my team to assure everybody is on task and with my Community Director to see if there is anything I can assist her with also. I save the last 30 minutes of my day preparing my schedule for the next day, to avoid feeling overwhelmed the moment I clock it.