At the beginning of 2021, CEO Bob Lloyd reviewed focus properties at The Connor Group during a regional head meeting. Area manager Payton Stone was sitting in the conference room, when he received a paper with Southpark Morrison highlighted in red. Bob didn’t believe Southpark could be sold in 2021.
Payton used Bob’s forecast as motivation. Once the SMTs took a break in the meeting, Payton sent a photo of the paper to his team in Charlotte. He told his team, “Let’s prove them wrong.”
“Ever since the meeting, I kept a piece of paper in my planner,” Payton said.
Payton and the Southpark team delivered. As a result of their efforts, on Tuesday we sold Southpark for $69 million – nearly $20 million more than our 2015 acquisition price.
Sales associate Josh Hughes was there to grind through the challenges.
“Jose is the only associate who was there the entire year,” Payton said. “No matter the external issues going on at the property, lack of managers or techs, Jose focused on his sales every day. He never let anything get to him.”
Jose and the rest of the Southpark team exceeded the September revenue target, hitting $389 thousand and increased other income by $600,000 – a 235 percent increase.
Cielo was scheduled for a refinance this year, but the Charlotte team reengineered the property in 12 months, showing yet again our associates can do the impossible.
“(Property manager) Elizabeth Zornow showed grit throughout the year,” Payton said. “Her mentality to always come up with a solution helped tremendously. She just hasn’t given up. There were times she did valet trash for weeks in a row.”
Elizabeth’s can-do attitude kept productivity high, and our people followed her lead. Cielo increased other income by $507,000 (378 percent) and increased the property value by 30 percent.
Congratulations to our Charlotte associates below and the dispositions team on a unique sale of two properties together.
- Elizabeth Zornow – property manager
- Willie Edmonds – lead tech
- Greg Chambers – turn tech
- Lauren Lee – sales associate
- Alex Giles – senior sales associate
- Kelly McDonough – sales associate
- Lindsey Knopf – property manager
- Jose Hughes – lead sales associate
- Neil Jonnakuti – turn tech
- Bryson Dempsey – turn tech
- Carl Williams – partner and regional service trainer
- Payton Stone – area manager