GBAA Member Letter from Hope Watwood, 2023 GBAA President

Dear Valued GBAA Member,

2022 was an amazing year for the Greater Birmingham Apartment Association because of the support of our members. Thank you for your membership, your participation, and your contributions to improve the apartment industry.

We supported our mission by offering many educational opportunities, advocating for our industry on a federal and local level, and providing networking opportunities to engage our membership. We also recognized industry leaders at our annual Magic City Awards, far surpassed our fair share contribution to the NAAPAC, grew our membership and donated over $8,200 for our 2022 chosen charities: the King’s Home, Hatching Hope and Crime Stoppers.

We look forward to doing even more in the year to come. We have lofty goals, and we need your help to elevate this association in 2023. Some of our main goals for the next 12 months are outlined below, we look forward to our members once again rising to the occasion.

• Increase Membership – Did you know that the GBAA represents 14 counties? Our current membership includes 53,235 units, but we have identified a total of 73,500+ units that are within our coverage area. These additional 20,000 units present a huge opportunity for growth, and we intend to step up our efforts in membership recruitment and retention.

Joining the membership committee is a great place to start your journey of getting involved in the GBAA. Plans are in place to reach out to those potential members in counties that have been underserved and offer them education and support through the GBAA. The membership committee will meet each quarter and will hold recruiting caravans one Wednesday each month to personally visit current members and prospective members to educate them on benefits and invite them to participate. 

• Partner with Local Officials and Municipalities – From a more efficient and timely eviction process in Jefferson County to combating crime within communities, we are taking our members’ needs into account and working to advance the interests of our industry. 

• Promote Multifamily as a Career – We will begin attending job fairs and working with local high schools, technical colleges, and universities to help open a new pool of candidates to the opportunities available within our industry. 

• Increase Communication to our Membership – We want to ensure that all team members from our member companies have access to the opportunities that are offered to network, increase their education, and to get involved with committees. We have created a simple way to send all your team members’ email addresses to us. Click HERE to submit. Please take a few minutes to update this form. We also have text messaging notifications available about events and other important information 844-940-3690. 

The most important take away from this letter is to ensure that you know that you are appreciated and supported. There are several issues affecting our industry right now – rising interest rates and property taxes, rent decline, labor shortages, and many others. Now is the time to invest in yourself. Now is the time to find new and innovative ways to help your company and industry thrive despite these challenges.

As your GBAA President, I pledge to listen to our members and help find solutions to the issues that are affecting us all. My email address is hwatwood@sealyrealty.com. Please feel free to reach out to me about any concerns or ideas that you may have that can keep us moving toward being the best of the best in 2023.

To get involved, reach out to any of the committee chairs and let them know your interest. Mark down the events and education in your calendars and encourage your team members and peers to attend with you.

If you don’t challenge yourself, you will never realize what you can become.

With Appreciation,

Hope Watwood

Hope Watwood, Sealy Management Co

2023 GBAA President