Sherrie Mares
Stonegate at Towngate Apartments

Since taking over as manager of the Stonegate at Towngate Apartments in April, Sherrie Mares has kicked her marketing strategy into high gear and transformed this 550+ unit community from just another nice place to live into a lifestyle choice. With a focus on resident programs and participation, she’s succeeding at putting Stonegate at Towngate on the map
Stonegate at Towngate offers one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments with a resident demographic consisting of many busy, professional families. Providing the kind of recreational outlets residents want, free of charge and conveniently located, is precisely what Sherrie’s R & R program is about. Twice a week residents can attend culinary classes in the clubhouse that are taught by a trained chef. Three times a week a certified personal trainer is on hand in the fitness center for one-on-one training sessions. Every Tuesday there’s a dance class in the rec room for kids, and arts and crafts projects are offered each weekend. No surprise: the residents love it.
Sherrie explains that these programs are worked into the community’s marketing budget, and are very effective in helping the community stand out from its competitors at leasing time. Families facing the decision to rent or buy often realize that a single-family home won’t offer the lifestyle they can enjoy at Sherrie’s community. Providing out-of-the-ordinary programs also helps with resident retention, as renewal time rolls around and residents realize that they’re not going to find anywhere else offering the lifestyle they enjoy at Stonegate at Towngate Apartments.
Although the R & R program comes out of the marketing budget, Sherrie is often able to secure the services of local professionals by offering rent discounts. Keeping the program’s instructors on-site also helps them become personally invested in the programs and community itself. And because the resident programs are so effective, they have become a priority. Sherrie would rather cancel an underperforming ad source and offer a new class or activity than cut resident programs.
Sherrie credits a lot of her success with the efforts her team makes to promote each amenity. The best program in the world doesn’t do much good if resident’s don’t know to take advantage of it. For example, when Sherrie arrived, none of her residents realized they had an online payment option. By using the complimentary Marketing Kit provided by Property Solutions, and hanging signs everywhere (the fitness center, the clubhouse, the rec room, etc.) as well as educating residents about the service when they visited the leasing office, resident participation in online payments skyrocketed and residents now see online payments and the resident portal as a valuable amenity.
Another winning strategy Sherrie employs is really listening to resident feedback and using that to make improvements. This summer the residents asked for the resident recreation program to include swim instruction in the community pool. Engaging a CPR-certified instructor for two-months of open-age swim classes, Sherrie was able to respond to resident requests and increase safety awareness among community members. Each year she looks forward to the feedback she receives from resident surveys, finding critical residents provide valuable insight into opportunities for improvement.
Property Solutions congratulates Sherrie Mares for her innovative approach to marketing her community. She will receive a gift certificate to a restaurant of her choice. If you know of a manager who is doing an outstanding job, nominate him or her for Property Solutions Manager of the Month by sending the story to tking@propertysolutions.com.