Each month, BH features a different member of our wildly awesome Executive Team. In this Q&A format, they share thoughts on their role, their career, and the direction of the company in their own words. So far, we’ve featured our CFO, Dusty Thomas, and COO, Mel King. Next up, we talk with Travis Sheets, BH’s Chief Legal Officer.
Q: What is the biggest challenge you’re currently facing? How will you overcome it?
A: Raising a soon-to-be teenage daughter won’t be easy. I welcome any advice on how to succeed. At work, as BH continues to grow and take a leadership position in the multifamily industry, that will come with its own set of “challenges.” So, figuring out how to manage the challenges of growth alongside the many benefits will be key. That’s a hard one sometimes. Centralization is a big part of overcoming it—well-trained groups focusing on processes and functions that could create scaled risk of non-compliance or scaled risk of fraud. Constantly looking ahead at what the trends are or what they will be and getting in front of those trends—while not always easy, it’s always necessary.
Q: What is something you are most proud of working for BH?
A: While not always perfect, I believe BH does a great job of handling conflict—especially at the executive team level. Here’s the thing about having a company full of smart, capable people: We’re not always going to agree! But for the most part, we work through differing opinions or approaches effectively.
Q: What is your favorite BH value, and why?
A: I won’t choose “Do business the right way” because given my role, doing business ethically and the right way is table stakes—who’d want to be a lawyer at a company that wasn’t committed to doing business the right way? Therefore, my favorite value is “Have the guts for greatness.” We’re willing to experiment and entertain ideas that would blow many companies’ minds. It’s been fun to have the ability to see brainstorming ideas turn into new programs and approaches. The most successful “crazy” idea was implementing the hard-stop process—basically, requiring a specialized resource to review and approve an application if certain “red flag” warnings were identified by our screening provider. We had to build that with Yardi to do it. It was our precursor to centralized screening.
Q: What “keeps you up at night”?
A: Mostly good books, but I think you’re looking for something work-related! There are a lot of challenging, and in my opinion inaccurate, narratives out there about those who provide and manage housing. What keeps me up at night is the complexity of dealing with how various groups are trying to reshape the regulatory environment for operating our communities—from federal agencies to state legislatures to county boards to plaintiffs’ attorneys. This is an area where it’s hard to shut off the “what ifs” that seems to pop up when trying to fall asleep!
Q: What helps you sleep at night? (In other words, what things help you handle the everyday challenges of your position?).
A: It’s knowing two things: (1) We have amazing people leading the charge to work through all the challenges mentioned above, and it’s really easy to sleep knowing we have the best castle guards (or Gladiators) in the business. (2) Inevitably, something will go wrong or boil over, and when it does, knowing my BH peers and colleagues will work through it productively.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time to relax?
A: Travel, go to movies, and read. Also, annoy my children; I find it very cathartic. Lol. So. Many. Concerts! In December, my wife and I went to Miranda Lambert, U2, and Garth Brooks on back-to-back-to-back nights in Vegas. We saw Bruce Hornsby earlier this year. We’re taking the kids to Elise Goldsberry next month (both our girls love Hamilton). We’re seeing George Strait perform in May, Sarah McLachlan in June (in Kansas City), and we have another Vegas trip planned for December to see Garth (again!) and Shania Twain.