30 Impressive Things About BH's 30 Years in Business | Live BH

30 Impressive Things About BH’s 30 Years in Business

May 5, 2023 |

About Us: We’re Strong, Reliable, Caring

  1. BH was founded in 1993 with five properties in our portfolio. Today, we have grown to 330 communities spanning 28 states.
  2. BH is the 8th largest Management Company and 22nd largest multifamily owner, according to NMHC’s latest “Top 50 Companies” report.
  3. BH is a unique management company in that our portfolio includes conventional multifamily, student housing, affordable, senior, and single-family rental assets. We also have comprehensive construction and equities arms within the company.
  4. BH has always rallied in the face of adversity such as the 2008 housing bubble during which founder, Harry Bookey, pivoted and grew our third-party management relationships, so we kept growing.
  5. BH has been quick to respond to several devastating hurricanes (Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, and Ian), sending facilities and area teammates to the affected areas for additional support.
  6. To endure the COVID pandemic and the associated eviction moratorium, BH hosted daily/weekly calls to keep teammates in the loop of changing standards and laws.
  7. The world stopped during 9/11, and that year marked the only time (other than during the pandemic) that BH did not hold our annual management conference.

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For the Love of Working Here

  1. As of January 1, women comprised 71% of our management team and 49.4% of our workforce. Additionally, we’re diverse with 57.4% of employees being people of color.
  2. There are seven teammates who have worked for BH for 25 to 30 years.
  3. 97% of BH employees would recommend the company to someone looking for a job.
  4. At BH, we hold our teams accountable to ensure a safe, inclusive, and diverse workplace that supports psychological safety and belonging for all and incorporates new tools into our training programs to address unconscious bias and other barriers to healing.
  5. In 2022, BH introduced several new ways to recognize each other through shout-outs and rewards. Last year, BH employees gave more than 80,000 shout-outs to fellow employees, a 37% increase from the previous year.

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BH Always Giving Back

  1. The BH Gives Back program debuted about 10 years ago, and since then, BH employees have poured countless hours back into communities all over the country, including projects big and small such as Baltimore conference backpacks, Florida tie blankets, the annual Atlanta food drive, Little Libraries, Minnie’s in Dallas, Meals for the Heartland in DSM, and others.
  2. We’re proud to report that BH team members volunteered over 2,200 hours in 2022 through BH Gives Back.
  3. BH donates each year to charitable causes in our backyard, including Central Iowa Shelter, CREW Iowa, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Girl Scouts of Central Iowa.
  4. Our Annual United Way Campaign focuses on donations that directly impact local communities. The 2022 campaign raised $141,000 for local charities, with employees contributing in many ways.
  5. During the pandemic, BH made a positive impact in our communities by providing flexible payment plans and connecting residents with available rent assistance funds, helping families stay in their homes. To date, our teams have assisted more than 20,500 residents to obtain the rental assistance they needed.
  6. During COVID, we have received over $80M in rent assistance for residents.

BH Benefits are Off the Charts

  1. BH’s Sabbatical program was introduced in 2019. For every seven years an employee works at BH, they receive a month of paid time off to do whatever they wish. No questions asked. This year, 47 employees are scheduled to take a sabbatical, bringing the all-time total to 138.
  2. BH has added 7.5 annual days of PTO to over the years. These added dates are based on employee suggestions, such as PTO on your birthday, MLK Jr. Day, Veterans Day, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve; Juneteenth, and 1/2-day for Good Friday. Altogether, BH offers 13 paid holidays.
  3. BH focuses on the entire employee with the intent of being an employer of choice. Among our unique programs is a bereavement leave policy that recognizes that the definition of family has expanded beyond the traditional one.

Sustainability Initiatives: Living Here Means Living More

  1. BH’s task force to oversee our environmental and social initiatives was formed in October 2017 and consists of construction, operations support, and data analysis. These initiatives have positioned us as a leader in the industry for reducing costs and usage. Our industry-renowned Green Initiative deploys water and energy-saving measures including water-efficient fixtures, energy-saving appliances, LED lighting, solar screens, and irrigation systems.
  2. Each year, our water conservation and energy programs save our residents an average of $105 per unit, 18,115 gallons per unit, and 2,631 kWh per unit. This BH Green Initiative has completed 161 projects in 17 states and 81 cities.
  3. With the Pure Air Pledge, BH is committed to making our communities cleaner, healthier, and more comfortable places to live. The communities pledge to not allow smoking anywhere on the property. As of December, 134 communities have taken the Pure Air Pledge.

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Tech Tools We’re Proud Of

  1. BH was one of the earliest adopters of IoT device installation in our apartment homes. This means “smart” homes and “smart living.” Today, we have smart home technology in more than 25,000 units in 67 communities across 11 states.
  2. BH has implemented industry-leading tools and processes to identity fraud during the application and screening process, including ID verification and centralized review of red flags. These tools and processes have led to a 7% increase in fraud prevention.

Other Fun Facts

  1. BH partners with Beanstack by Zoobean to encourage reading amongst employees and their families to reduce stress, improve overall well-being, and build a culture of reading. Team members log their reading minutes, offer book reviews, participate in challenges for prizes, and join book discussions. BH logged over 300,000 minutes of reading in 2022.
  2. The BH Regional Mentor Program is dedicated to leadership development. To date, 62 active mentors (58 of which are women and 14 are BIPOC) have mentored over 720 new team members.
  3. BH partnered with a third-party vendor to provide positive payment information to all three major credit agencies. Through this program, residents can build their credit score by making on-time rent payments. Of those participating in the program, 63% have seen an improvement in their existing credit scores and more than 1,200 have been able to establish credit for the first time.
  4. Torch Fitness is an exclusive benefit for BH residents that includes complimentary virtual lifestyle and wellness events and classes at select communities. It’s available in 78 communities.

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