AIM: Apartment Internet Marketing

Kari Warren
AvalonBay

Ben Zimmer
Property Solutions

Donna Rayford
Cirrus AMI

Mike Whaling
30 Lines

Jane Griffith
Pinnacle

Ted Stites
Numeric Analytics

Dr. A.K. Pradeep
NeuroFocus

Dr. Michael Smith
NeuroFocus Consulting

Israel Carunungan
TGM Associates

Lauren McDonald
Bozzuto

Dennis Smillie
Multifamily Solutions

Brooke Temple
The Search Agency

Deanna Kawasaki
CallSource

Casey Van Zandt
Campus Advantage

Steve Gilbert
MIssion Residential

Mark Stange-Tregear
MyNewPlace.com

Gary Angel is President of Semphonic. Bringing over twenty years of experience in decision support, CRM, and software development, Gary co-founded Semphonic and is president and chief technology officer. He’s responsible for leading Semphonic’s development of web analytics and SEM decision making tools for web marketing professionals. In addition, he helps companies like WebMD, Intuit, American Express and Charles Schwab maximize their web channel marketing through intelligent use of Enterprise Web Analytics.

Before Semphonic, Gary created and implemented multi-million dollar CRM systems whose customer-driven use of web analytics increased profitability and customer loyalty for Fortune 500 companies including VISA, Bank of America, and American Express. His pioneering work in web behavioral profiling, neural-network web analysis, web-content success correlation, and point-to-point process analysis has enabled major brands such as American Express, AOL, Morgan Stanley and Hotwire to dramatically improve customer acquisition and satisfaction, shopping-cart conversion and overall web channel performance – often with multi-million dollar bottom-line improvements.

Gary has published articles on Web and SEM Analytics in DM News, American Demographics, CRM Guru, CRM Buyer, IMediaConnection, Business Geographics and Business Insurance. He graduated, with honors, from Duke University and lives in San Francisco with his wife and two young girls.

Paras Bhakta is a Managing Principal of STUHO. Growing up on-site a small family-run motel in San Diego, California, Paras was instilled with a strong work ethic and a foundation for a budding career in real estate. His energy, vision and early experience in the hospitality industry are an instrumental force behind Stuho. STUHO.com (www.stuho.com) is the leading private sector, off-campus student housing provider in the University Park neighborhoods at the University of Southern California.

In 2002, while still in college, Paras partnered with a fellow USC student to syndicate real estate investments. One of their first ventures together was repositioning six floundering apartment buildings on the neglected westside of the USC campus into a vibrant student housing community. The success of this venture spawned a formal partnership today known as Integral Investment Management (IIM). In 2007, Paras co-founded Stuho (www.stuho.com) , a student housing management company which operates a majority of IIM’s holdings.

Paras truly epitomizes out-of-box thinking. His passion and energy are contagious and his management skills proficient. Moreover, he has a profound ability to implement a vision through meticulous execution of a business plan. Paras is a rehab and repositioning expert and as such, is responsible for Stuho’s latest new student housing development projects with a total estimated value of $11 million. Today Paras is focused on the service aspect of real estate by providing quality managerment and leasing offices for both the tenant and landlord.

Paras holds a B.A. degree in Biological Sciences and a minor in Business from the University of Southern California.

Joe Bousquin is a former staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Joe has more than 15 years of writing, editing and publishing experience. As principal of American Editorial Services, a full-service editorial outsourcing firm in Sacramento, Calif., he provides complete content solutions tailored to real estate clients. A contributing editor to both Multifamily Executive and Broadband Properties magazines, Joe is a respected voice on emerging business and technology trends in the apartment industry.

Bousquin earned a master’s degree, with honors, from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia. An avid whitewater kayaker, he spends his free time exploring the rivers of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Donald Davidoff is Group Vice President, Strategic Systems for Archstone, a large privately-held multi-family housing developer and operator. His teams are directly responsible for pricing and revenue management, eCommerce and business process management. This portfolio of responsibilities represent the heart of “where technology and people meet” in the Archstone business model.

Prior to joining Archstone-Smith, Donald led the team that built the Lease Rent OptionsTM software, the industry’s first automated revenue management system, at Talus Solutions, later acquired by Manugistics. While with Talus/MANU, Donald worked on pricing and revenue management software and business processes in a variety of industries including rental car, hotel and gaming, package services and retail. He has spoken at many conferences and written many trade press articles about pricing and revenue management, eCommerce and other strategic technology initiatives.

Donald’s prior background includes leading a franchise retail travel agency group with an emphasis on marketing strategies and customer service execution and four years in the United States Air Force as a project manager. He is a published book author, co-writing Parenting the Office and writing a textbook on customer service published by Prentice-Hall.

Donald earned a Master’s degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Gail Duke is Senior Vice President, Multifamily Property Management at SARES-REGIS Group. Ms. Duke is a respected leader in the multifamily industry with over 25 years of experience and a solid background in real estate management, asset management, marketing, sales and operations. Ms. Duke has a history of consistently exceeding revenue and margin goals with an innate ability to build, develop and mentor highly motivated and productive teams. Ms. Duke joined SARES•REGIS Group in 2010 and is responsible for overseeing operations for the Northern California region. In addition, she will focus on opening a Seattle office for SRG as well as new business development.

Prior to joining SARES•REGIS Group, Ms. Duke was vice president for Belkorp Holdings, Inc. where she established a Seattle-based office for the international investment firm and implemented $3.5 million in capital projects while overseeing all management activities and approved contracts for 17 multifamily assets.

Ms. Duke started her career as a leasing consultant with Trammell Crow Residential Services (TCRS) and moved up the ranks to the position of chief operating officer and president for the West Coast region. Subsequently, she assumed the senior vice president position with Riverstone Residential Group in 2006 as a result of the TCRS acquisition by its partners. During her tenure, she successfully managed the integration of over 150 properties and implemented strategies to effect change while maintaining property performance and employee motivation.

Ms. Duke holds a Real Estate Broker License in the state of Washington and is affiliated with the following industry groups: Urban Land Institute, National Multi-Housing Council, National Apartment Association, Washington Multi-Family Housing Association and California Apartment Association.

Jules Epstein is President and CEO of Boston-based, Primary Design, Inc, which he founded in 1981. Primary Design is a full-service graphic design firm and advertising agency specializing in brand strategy, design, management and implementation for the residential real estate industry. Since specializing in real estate in 1985, Jules has overseen the branding and advertising campaigns behind the marketing of more than $15B of multifamily, single-family, condominium, assisted living and vacation property throughout the Unites States for clients that have included AvalonBay Communities, Pulte Homes and Trammel Crow Residential. Among recent industry achievements, Primary Design won the 2009 Pillars of the Industry Award for Best Leasing Campaign in the Multi-Family Industry.

Jules holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design from the Pennsylvania State University. He taught graphic design and creative problem solving part-time at the collegiate level for 6 years. He has chaired several civic organizations, fathered two incredible daughters after the age of 45 and has managed to maintain a loving relationship with his wife, Georgia, despite the fact that she will remain back East to schlep their two incredible daughters to school, ballet, and band while he is in Huntington Beach living the good life.

Steve Gilbert is Senior Marketing & Internet Advertising Associate at Mission Residential.  Steve is responsible for integrated online brand communication, including online advertising, website development, search engine optimization, paid search campaigns, social media and cyber-marketing initiatives. Additionally, Steve manages all marketing, communication, branding, signage, collateral and advertising for newly acquired apartment communities. Since joining the Mission team, Steve has greatly contributed to a fully integrated cyber operations platform, most notably through the development of the new Mission Residential website and use of real-time customer relationship management technology and 24/7 call center.

Prior to joining Mission Residential, Steve worked at AvalonBay Communities, Inc. where he contributed to an award winning multifamily focused cyber-marketing campaign. He holds a BSBA degree in Marketing from the Kogod School of Business at American University in Washington, DC.  He currently resides in Arlington, VA with his wife, Katrina, and is slowly making progress converting her to a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jane Griffith is National Director of Marketing at Pinnacle. Jane is responsible for managing the brand and communications strategy for Pinnacle, the nation’s largest multifamily management company. She oversees a national marketing department responsible for producing advertising, print and online collateral, conducting market analysis and research, developing and managing corporate, property and internal web sites and coordinating and supporting field marketing.

Jane came to Pinnacle in 2007 after 23 years with Alaska Airlines in online marketing and communications, where she was instrumental in helping build alaskaair.com into a $5 million per day revenue conduit and was a recipient of the Alaska Airlines Award of Excellence. Jane has more than 30 years experience in advertising, communications, design, creative project direction and marketing, and nearly 15 years experience in web design and development.

Mark Juleen is Vice President and Director of Marketing & Training at J.C. Hart Company, Inc. Mark has been working in Marketing and Customer Service for more than 9 years. For the last 7 years he has been the V.P., Director of Marketing for the J.C. Hart Company based out of the Indianapolis, IN area. As Director of Marketing for this small development, construction, and management company, Mark wears many hats that touch every department in the business including marketing, IT, customer service, and PR. His experience with Toyota and Lexus prior to J.C. Hart allowed him to develop a passion for kaizen (or continuous improvement) and in providing remarkable customer service. Mark has leveraged this passion to help push his small company into utilizing new technology and online resources for marketing and managing their communities.
Connect with Mark online at:

www.markjuleen.com
www.linkedin.com/in/mjuleen
www.twitter.com/mbj
www.twitter.com/theaptnerd

Deanna Kawasaki is Vice President, Advanced Decision Analytics & Metrics at CallSource. Deanna possesses a unique and exceptional skill set of statistical expertise and strategic business knowledge with over 19 years of experience in tactical, quantitative operations.  She has developed statistical models that quantify a customer’s current and potential value, created customer value tiers based on operational capacity, customer behavior, value, and customer service strategies. She has developed customer profiles and segmentations, demand and capacity forecasts, and new product launch projections. In addition she has designed scorecard metrics, defined various industry benchmarks and performed numerous other statistical analyses on such topics as media impact, campaign effectiveness, price sensitivity, etc. Further, she has helped companies to better understand the driving factors affecting their customer acquisition and retention; including new product releases, multi-channel delivery methods, seasonality, competition and consumer behavior. Deanna has experience in both the B2B and B2C realms. Many companies have benefited from her extraordinary mix of quantitative knowledge, strategic planning and operational experience. Companies she has helped include NCR, Amgen, Mattel Toys, Disney, Match.com, AT&T Wireless, Countrywide Financial, Bank of America, MGM-Mirage, AAA, Bausch-Lomb, and Overture Services (currently Yahoo!). In addition, she served as a subject matter expert for the CRM thought leaders, The Peppers and Rogers Group, with clients such as Ford Automotive Group, E*Trade, and Nordstrom’s.

Deanna graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina with Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Biostatistics.

Jim Kjolhede formed Satteron Enterprises, LLC in 2005 in an effort to assist companies and individuals in the multifamily industry understand the business from a different perspective as well as to help them achieve their goals and aspirations. With more than 28 years of experience in multifamily management, coupled with his college basketball playing and coaching background, the industry experiences and contacts are many. He has worked with “Teams” and organizational structures his entire life and understands the drivers of peak performance, goal setting and attainment.

Jim began is multifamily career in 1982 with the M.D.C. Corporation in Denver, Colorado. He has held positions of increasing responsibility with Beacon Hill Investments, American Development Corporation, Balcor Property Management, Insignia Residential, AIMCO, where he was divisional vice president responsible for a combined portfolio of REIT, fee, and affordable properties totaling 85,000 units. Most recently Jim worked at Archon Residential Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of Goldman Sachs, where he was Chief Operating Officer. Overall, Jim has overseen the operations of more than 250,000 multifamily units throughout his career.

Jim has been a member of the NMHC Board of Directors as well as the Austin Apartment Association Board of Directors. He holds the certified property manager (CPM) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management and certified apartment property supervisor (CAPS) designation from the National Apartment Association.

Jim has a B.S. in business education and sports recreation management from Lake Superior State University. He graduated magna cum laude with an M.S. in business administration from Central Michigan University. In 1999, Jim was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame at Lake Superior State for his accomplishments as a player and student from 1973 to 1978.

Prior to joining Bozzuto, Lauren was with Weber Shandwick Worldwide, a global public relations and communications agency.  During that time, she led accounts for consumer and technology clients including Cisco Systems, Monster.com and Verizon Wireless.

Lauren received a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising & Public Relations from Texas Christian University and currently resides in Washington DC.

Donna Rayford currently oversees the Marketing and Training department for Cirrus Asset Management, Inc. Cirrus was founded by Steve Heimler to own, reposition and operate multifamily and hospitality assets in California, Arizona and Hawaii. Prior to Cirrus, Donna was Director of Education for Stratus Real Estate which was purchased by Riverstone Residential in 2007. Her tenure with Riverstone Residential included a role as Director of Education for the West which included coordination of the mystery shop program, curriculum development and facilitation of over 15 courses for approximately 60,000 units in seven states. As Regional Trainer for Riverstone Residential, Donna was responsible for the Learning and Development of approximately 700 associates in Southern California and Las Vegas totaling more than 20,000 units.

Donna’s property management career started almost fifteen years ago in Chicago as Property Manager for a 632-unit luxury townhome community and later for one of Chicago’s premiere luxury high rise buildings, featuring 410 residential units and commercial real estate. She later supported CMS management in a corporate marketing and takeover capacity. Donna’s journey continued, as she relocated to sunny California, to raise her children. She currently resides in Redondo Beach with her son Paris and daughter Brandy.

Donna has also served a Leasing Director, Property Manager and Assistant Director of Property Management. She has represented many reputable and a few nationally recognized real estate firms. She is an Accredited Residential Manager ARM and has earned the Riverstone Residential Achiever’s Circle Award in 2007.

Donna is a member of American Society of Training and Development and Americans for the Arts member. She also offers Philanthropic and Marketing support to the Eddie “Rochester” Anderson House Foundation, a Vocational & Rehab Center which provides a multitude of guest amenities, housing and services to the underserved populations throughout Los Angeles.

Donna’s passion is to educate, inspire and fascinate her audiences! Her favorite platforms are one-on-one coaching, motivational speaking and conference-style facilitation. She is truly doing what she was designed to do!

Sam Sebastian is Director, Local & B2B Markets, Google, Inc. For the past 4 years, Sam Sebastian has been responsible for leading Google’s Local and B2B Markets direct sales and service organizations in North America. Sam’s Local Markets team helps locally-driven marketers — such as real estate, classifieds, directories, government, education and franchise companies — utilize Google’s ad platform to realize greater efficiencies and returns from local advertising. Sam’s Business to Business team is responsible for helping B2B manufacturers, distributors, service providers and publishers connect with their target audience across the globe to generate leads, drive sales and build brands.

Sam joined Google from Classified Ventures, LLC, an online joint venture of major U.S. newspaper companies, where he was the General Manager at Homescape.com and SVP, Sales & Marketing at HomeGain. Sam worked with the newspaper and real estate communities for over 7 years while at Classified Ventures to grow the usage and effectiveness of online real estate products on newspaper and local websites. Prior to Classified Ventures, Sam was a consultant with Arthur Andersen in Chicago, IL.

In addition to numerous interviews in national industry publications, Sam is a regularly featured speaker at many Local & B2B Advertising trade events. In 2009, Sam was honored as one of Crain’s Chicago “40 Under 40″ professionals. He was also recognized as one of B2B Magazine’s “Who’s Who in B2B” in 2009 and as the real estate industry’s “Top 100 Most Influential Leaders” by Inman News. Sam serves on the Boards of the Business Marketing Association and the American Business Media Association. Sebastian earned a BA in Accounting from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Goli Sheikholeslami is The Washington Post’s Vice President & General Manager of Digital Operations, and was first named to the position in July 2008 while overseeing Washington Post Digital. In this role she leads the day-to-day operations of The Washington Post’s digital business, which includes its award-winning Web site, mobile site, mobile applications and e-reader products. Ms. Sheikholeslami is also is in charge of product development functions and innovation across all of The Washington Post’s digital platforms.

Prior to becoming General Manager, she served as the vice president of classifieds and local products for washingtonpost.com where she was responsible for directing the company’s classifieds and local businesses. In this capacity, she oversaw the expansion of washingtonpost.com’s local marketplaces, including the site’s job board, real estate and rentals section, entertainment guide (Going Out Guide), cars section and shopping section.

Prior to joining washingtonpost.com, Sheikholeslami spent three years as a member of the management team of The Washington Post newspaper’s classified advertising department.

Sheikholeslami came to the Washington Post from publishing powerhouse Conde Nast. As senior vice president and managing director of Style.com, Sheikholeslami was responsible for overall development, creative direction and day-to-day operations of Style.com, the online home of Conde Nast’s premiere fashion publications: “Vogue” and “W.” During her tenure from 1997 to 2002, Sheikholeslami also served as general manager of Conde Nast’s online division, CondeNet. In this capacity, she was responsible for the daily operations of CondeNet and all strategic and developmental initiatives for the portfolio of web properties: Epicurious.com, Concierge.com, Swoon.com, Phys.com and Style.com.

Sheikholeslami started her Internet career in 1994 as manager of planning and finance for Time Warner’s digital marketing group where she helped define the cable division’s web strategy. Before embarking on a business career at major media companies, Sheikholeslami worked in the entertainment industry; first producing documentary films and then for the cable network Court TV.

She holds an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia and is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a BS in international economics.

Dennis Smillie is the President of Multifamily Solutions, Inc., a consulting firm that provides strategic planning services to property owners and technology related product companies seeking a market in the multifamily sector. Multifamily Solutions Inc. assists property management organizations in selecting and culturally adopting new technology products and services, and helps technology related product companies develop and execute business, sales and marketing strategies. Additionally, Dennis works with property management organizations in the area of organizational dynamics and development.

Dennis has more than 27 years of senior level experience in the multifamily industry. From 1982 to 1991 he was a senior management executive with R&B Realty (Oakwood Worldwide), Village Green and Oxford Development Corporation. Moving to the supplier side of the multifamily business in 1991, Dennis served as a senior sales/marketing/operations executive focused on building start up businesses for RentGrow, GE Capital and GMAC Commercial Mortgage before starting Multifamily Solutions, Inc. in 1999.

Dennis is a nationally recognized speaker whose unique perspectives on the multifamily industry have been heard at the NAA, Multi-Housing World, Multifamily Executive Conference, NMHC conferences and numerous state/local apartment associations and private seminars. Dennis served as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Apartment Association from 1988-1993. Dennis is regularly interviewed by industry trade journals on technology initiatives and is also the author of “The Think Tank”; a monthly column focused on technology trends and related issues within the multifamily industry.

Dr. Michael E. Smith is a Partner in the NeuroFocus Consulting Practice. His distinguished career has spanned critical contributions in the academic, government, and corporate sectors. Dr. Smith’s research has led to key discoveries about human brain physiology related to memory and attention, and he directed the first research projects ever conducted that applied high-resolution EEG methods to the analysis of higher order cognitive functions. Immediately prior to joining NeuroFocus he served as President of CorTechs Labs Inc, the leading developer of automated brain imaging analysis methods, where he guided the market launch of the first FDA approved software product for quantitative analysis of magnetic resonance images for the assessment of brain atrophy in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

He has also served as Director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Program at the U.S. National Science Foundation, and as Principal Neuroscientist at SAM Technology, a boutique research firm where he spearheaded early efforts to develop neural metrics of engagement with advertising and interactive media. He has authored dozens of related scientific journal publications and is an inventor on several patents for advanced applications of EEG methods.

Dr. Smith holds graduate degrees in cognitive psychology from UCLA and in marketing from UC Berkeley.

Vivek Sodera is a co-founder of Rapleaf, a social media data company with insight on over 400MM consumers. With information on consumersí demographics, social footprint, affinities, social graphs, and influence, Rapleaf enables other brands and organizations to better understand their existing consumers or audience through social. Prior to Rapleaf, Vivek served as a consultant for companies in the environmental services and defense industries.

Vivek is currently an advisor to multiple tech startups in the ad targeting, social media, and identity management spaces. Additional he also serves on the board of Music For Tomorrow, a nonprofit dedicated to providing aid to the city of New Orleans through its outreach to musicians. He received a Double BS in Chemical and Nuclear Engineering from UC Berkeley.

Jennifer Staciokas is the Vice President of Marketing and Training for Lincoln Property Company – Residential Management. She is responsible for supporting and overseeing Marketing and Training programs nationwide for the conventional and military divisions. Jennifer began her career with LPC over 10 years ago in Washington, DC. Since that time, Ms. Staciokas has served the company in numerous capacities applying her flexibility, insight and wisdom to lead this integral aspect of the organization into the future.

Ms. Staciokas holds a B.A. in French from West Chester University and an M.A. in International Commerce & Policy from George Mason University.

Mark Stange-Tregear is the corporate analyst with MyNewPlace.com, specializing in data manipulation and the analysis of very large data sets. Mark’s work involves tracking data through every step of the tenant acquisition process, from web searches to leases, with a focus on data integrity issues. Ultimately, Mark derives actionable business conclusions from the very large data sets available within the multifamily marketplace.

Before joining MyNewPlace.com, Mark worked for GSN Digital, analyzing consumer behavior in the “pay-to-play” business space. Prior to GSN Digital, Mark was the director of marketing for a non-profit that specialized in the production of educational materials for lawyers. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in Natural Sciences from The University of Cambridge, and an M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Leeds.

Greg Sterling is the founding principal of Sterling Market Intelligence (SMI), a consulting and research firm focused on the Internet’s influence on offline consumer purchase behavior. He also is a Senior Analyst for Internet2Go, an advisory service from Opus Research tracking the evolution of the mobile Internet.

Before SMI, Sterling ran The Kelsey Group’s Interactive Local Media program. Prior to The Kelsey Group, Sterling was at TechTV where he helped produce “Working the Web,” a national television show on e-business and the Internet. Before that he was a founding editor and executive producer at AllBusiness.com. And prior to joining AllBusiness, Sterling was a practicing attorney in San Francisco.

Ted Stites is Vice President of Consulting at Numeric Analytics. Ted has over 12 years of experience in online optimization, business consulting, and technology management. Prior to joining Numeric Ted held positions such as V.P. of Customer Service, Director of Product Engineering with several successful companies taking part in all aspects of the business while overseeing online marketing, measurement, development, training, and support. At Numeric Ted is responsible for all services and has hands-on involvement in many of their enterprise engagements.

Ted is active with many professional associations and speaks frequently at industry conferences.

Danny Sullivan is Editor in Chief of Search Engine Land. Widely considered a leading search engine guru, Danny Sullivan has been helping webmasters, marketers and everyday web users understand how search engines work for over a decade.

Danny’s expertise about search engines is often sought by the media, and he has been quoted in places like The Wall St. Journal, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, Forbes, The New Yorker and Newsweek and ABC’s Nightline.

Danny began covering search engines in late 1995, when he undertook a study of how they indexed web pages. The results were published online as ìA Webmaster’s Guide To Search Engines,î a pioneering effort to answer the many questions site designers and Internet publicists had about search engines.

The positive reaction from both marketers and general search engine users caused Danny to expand the guide into Search Engine Watch, where he served as editor-in-chief through November 2006. Now he heads up Search Engine Land as editor-in-chief, taking it into the next generation of search coverage. Danny also serves as Third Door Media’s chief content officer.

Steve Taraborelli, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, UDR, Inc. With over 20 years of automotive and Internet technology sales & marketing experience, Steve joined UDR in June, 2003 to oversee the company’s strategic sales and marketing initiatives. Steve brings UDR extensive knowledge in sales, internet marketing and customer satisfaction initiatives. He formerly served as the International eBusiness manager at Sun Microsystems serving as the lead role in defining Sun’s global web presence to conduct online sales transactions and market Sun training products and services using mobile technologies and internet marketing tactics. Steve has a web marketing U.S. Patent Pending invention filed by Sun Microsystems.

Prior to that, he held various sales and marketing executive positions with the Ford Motor Company in areas of sales, marketing, franchising, business development, ERP sales, customer satisfaction, and branding. He received his master’s degree in business administration from Hofstra University. In his spare time, Steve trains in karate and mentors local high school seniors since 2006 conducting clean technology research in order build a clean technology business incubator in Highlands Ranch, CO and to amend the Colorado constitution to allow energy city incorporation.

Kevin played an integral role in the development and implementation of a long-term strategic marketing platform that positioned AvalonBay as the first “national brand” in the luxury segment of the apartment industry. The branding platform created a unified image and message throughout their communities from naming and collateral materials, to advertising campaigns, web sites, and merchandising. Additionally, Kevin’s pioneering focus on interactive marketing has produced a spiked increase in the quantity and quality of prospect leads, with initiatives including SEO, SEM, Social Media, and Online Reputation Management. The company’s website, AvalonCommunities.com has won several awards for both design and functionality, including the Pillars of Industry award for “Best Corporate Website”.

In 2005, MultiFamily Executive magazine profiled Kevin, citing him as one the industry’s “up and comers”. He has written several articles on marketing strategies, and has been quoted in Forbes, New York Times, Multifamily Professional, and other industry publications. Kevin resides in historic Fredericksburg, VA, with his wife and two children, and enjoys flyfishing and kayaking on the Rappahannock River.

Doug Tulmaris is Vice President of Marketing at Champion, a premiere manufacturer of windows, siding and patio rooms. He is a results-driven marketing executive proficient in formulating comprehensive and dynamic initiatives that provide strategic advantages, build brand awareness and dramatically increase sales.

Doug has expertise in direct and interactive consumer marketing with special emphasis on traditional and e-marketing initiatives that drives customer traffic, conversions, customer acquisition and retention resulting in increased market share and profitability. Prior to Champion, Doug was Vice President of Marketing at AMS Direct where he controlled a $153MM operating budget and was accountable for setting the business’ strategic direction, annual budget and operating plans. At AMS he oversaw branding, marketing communication, customer acquisition and retention, e-commerce and on-line promotions, offline advertising and promotions, product management, product development, production and creative services.

Doug is passionate about executing innovative consumer marketing and communication programs that significantly grow market share and drive revenue. He has a demonstrated track record of constructing product and brand positioning strategies and leading the end-to-end product development and commercialization process.

He is a graduate of the University of Arizona.

Casey Van Zandt.  As Vice President of Leasing and Marketing for Campus Advantage, Casey Van Zandt oversees corporate-level leasing and marketing efforts for more than 50 student housing properties across 20 states. With over twelve years of industry experience, Casey’s passionate approach and attention to detail ensure that all Campus Advantage clients receive the finest marketing support in the industry.

Casey is responsible for developing and executing customized strategies for a wide variety of property types and styles across the county. Prior to joining Campus Advantage, Casey served as a Regional Leasing Specialist for GMH Communities Trust. She has also held a property manager position in multiple states for First Worthing Company. Casey earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing degree from Louisiana State University.

Kari Warren is Director of Marketing at AvalonBay Communities, Inc. As a eleven-year veteran of AvalonBay Communities, Kari is considered to be one of the leading innovators in the multifamily industry. Prior to joining AvalonBay, she was the Regional Operations Manager with First Worthing Company, a builder and manager of student housing in the Dallas metro.

As Director of Marketing, Kari is not only responsible for overseeing all day-to-day marketing and advertising initiatives for +170 communities, but has also been pivotal in exploring and pioneering the latest in cybermarketing opportunities, including Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Optimization. These cutting-edge strategies have contributed to substantial cost savings in advertising, increased lead conversion rates, and a cohesive branding message for consumers. Furthermore, her industry peers have recently recognized AvalonBay’s marketing efforts with the 2009 NAHB Pillars of the Industry award for “Best Overall Leasing Campaign” (Avalon Morningside Park, NYC), and the 2008 NJAA award for “Best Company Website” (AvalonCommunities.com).

Kari is a proud native of Texas, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Texas A&M University. She currently resides in Virginia, with her husband and two sons.

Mike Whaling advises businesses and organizations on online brand development, digital marketing and communicating through social media. His work as a brand builder was recognized by BusinessWeek when a client – Urbane Apartments – was named as one of four Innovators in Social Media, next to companies like Ford and the Sharing Foundation.

Mike co-moderates the weekly #AptChat on Twitter to discuss the apartment industry, and he is a co-founder of social toolbar TurnSocial.com. He has been named a Young Business Leader by Florida Trend and the Volusia Business Report. Mike manages various other discussion groups around the web, serves as a technology advisor to Men’s Health Living magazine, and has been featured in numerous publications including Urban Land, UNITS, Multifamily Executive, Multi-Housing News and Entrepreneur.