In the apartment industry, you have to expect the unexpected. Sometimes our property managers and service techs have to pivot at a moment’s notice. And on Saturday, August 14, that’s exactly what transpired at McCauly Crossing in Cincinnati.
A car drove right into the side of a resident’s apartment, coming to a stop inside a first-floor bathroom. Wellington Place property manager Amy Hoffard rushed over to assess the damage, and McCauly’s manager Melissa Demoulin was on the phone helping from a distance.
“I thought, ‘This should be interesting.’ The first thing I had to do was make sure no one was hurt. The resident was upset and shook up, but she was ok. She said angels were watching over her, and I agreed,” Amy said. “I told her our regional service trainer was en route along with two other techs, assuring her we’d have a solution in no time.”
Service associate Josh Lloyd was handling an emergency AC call at Arbors of Anderson nearby and quickly made his way to McCauly.
“When I first got there, there was just confusion on how someone can drive that far down and eventually hit the building. Thankfully, no one got hurt, so we were good to take it from there,” Josh said.
Turn technician Evan Pence, who’s normally at Wellington place, also drove over to help.
“I was kind of blind-sided that someone crashed into the building. I wasn’t expecting to get that e-call. Once I got there, everyone was ready to lend a helping hand,” Evan said.
Partner and senior regional service trainer Dave Peacock has dealt with similar problems before and knew exactly what to do. He started by going to Lowes to pick up materials. When he arrived, Dave looked for structural damage.
“It was an All In situation,” Amy said. “Dave started pulling parts of the car out of the apartment. Josh and Evan followed suit and jumped in. It was a team effort. They had an assembly line moving in no time.”
Our people paid close attention to the details too.
“We went through the grass to make sure there wasn’t any glass. We wanted to make it safe for any pets on the property,” Josh said.
Meanwhile, Amy and Melissa were working together to come up with a solution for the resident. Melissa reached out to executive assistant Stacy Agarwal to book a hotel.
“Stacy was in Atlanta enjoying a show with her husband but took the time to go to her car and help. Within five minutes, Stacy finished booking a hotel for the resident. It was amazing,” Melissa said.
Dave led from the front, going into the apartment to help the resident pack a suitcase and made sure it was safe to do so.
The problem was clear – a car crashed through the bathroom of an apartment, and our associates immediately focused on the solution. “We saw the damage and immediately cleared the debris,” Josh said. “We just jumped in, so the resident could focus on taking care of herself.”
Our customer service on-site speaks volumes about our people and showcased our core values.
“We are a family on our property, and we care about our residents,” Amy said. “People count.”