NOVA NOMINATION GUIDELINES

The Apartment Association of Central Oklahoma (AACO) NOVA Awards were created to recognize outstanding members for their professionalism, hard work and contributions to the Apartment and Rental Housing industry. Award winners represent the best of the best in the Central Oklahoma rental housing and apartment industry. We hope this is an experience that you and your nominees will treasure for a lifetime!

NOMINATE:

If you know individuals, teams or communities that deserve recognition, you can nominate them in the applicable award category. Nominations must be submitted online first through our website, and the deadline to submit the completed nomination form and Letter(s) of Recommendation is October 9, 2017. You will be invoiced for your nomination at the time of your submission.

NOMINATIONS:

  • AACO must receive all nomination forms
  • Nominations must be submitted online first through our website, prior to submitting the completed nomination form and Letter(s) of Recommendation.
  • One nomination form must be completed for each individual, each team, or each community.
  • Nomination fees are designated for each nomination type and will be invoiced upon submission of the online nomination form to the AACO office.
  • Nominations must be paid in full 30 days from the date of invoice or by October 31, 2017, whichever date is earlier. Failure to pay may result in the nomination being withdrawn from consideration for an award.
  • A minimum of 3 nominations are required for each award to be considered for the program. In the event we do not have the minimum nominations for an award, AACO may choose to combine similar awards, remove the award from the program, or come up with another alternative option for the award.

ELIGIBILITY:

  • All Nominees must be a member of the AACO at the time of nomination. Companies should notify the AACO office if they wish to withdraw any nominations for any reason. However, in the case of a nomination withdrawal, no refunds or credits will be issued.
  • Winners must be a current member of the AACO at the time of the awards ceremony.
  • Individual nominees must have been in their respective position for at least six (6) months at the time of nomination, except in the case of the Rookie of the Year nomination.
  • Nominees for the Rookie of the Year awards recognize outstanding individuals who are new to the apartment industry. Nominees will not have worked in the apartment industry prior to August 2016. The Rookie of the Year awards are for Leasing Professionals and Service Technicians.
  • To be considered for the Affordable Community award category, your apartment community must be classified as an affordable apartment community. An affordable apartment community is defined as an apartment community designed & built for the purpose of providing affordable housing.
  • If a nominee changes property before the NOVA Awards, it is the company and/or nominee’s responsibility to contact the AACO office with the change.

CREATE:

Once the nomination submission is made, the AACO will notify individuals, teams and communities of their nomination by e-mail letter and phone call. The notice will let the nominees know about their nomination requirements, the judging process as well as any other items they will be required to provide or need to know. Certain nominees may also be judged by a secret shop and/or an unscheduled site visit.

JUDGING:

Each nomination entry will be judged by a group of industry professionals located outside of the AACO. These are people that are experienced in the rental housing industry but do not necessarily live or work in our area. A few categories will be judged by our Board of Directors.

Each judge will be asked to score nominees on the following criteria, including but not limited to:

Did the nominee answer all the questions required on the nomination form

Did the Letter(s) of Recommendation describe current job responsibilities and accomplishments over the last 12 months. Focus on specific goals, achievements, and performance levels. Include any company awards and contributions to present and past employers as well as specific contributions to the industry.

Once the judging is complete, the Nominating committee will assess the following for each nominee. AACO support and participation by the nominee for each nominee. This may also be used in the case of a tie.

Winners will be announced at the NOVA Awards event on December 9, 2017.

JUDGING:

All nominations will be judged by an unbiased panel of judges.

  • Nominees will be notified they have been nominated and informed of the items they are required to submit to complete the judging process.
  • Judging will take place between October 10th-November 10th.
  • Judging criteria is listed for each award category. These are guidelines for judges.
  • Volunteer of the Year and Supplier of the Year and Hall of Fame categories will be voted on by the AACO Board of Directors.
  • All Judging results will be kept confidential.
  • All winners will be announced during NOVA Awards event on Saturday, December 09, 2017.

JUDGING CRITERIA:

All judging will be performed by a panel of Industry Professionals with the exception of the Volunteer of the Year, Supplier Individual, Supplier Company and Hall of Fame.

Multi-Site Property Supervisor of the Year. Regional supervisors and supervisors who are responsible for multiple properties are eligible for this award.

Judging criteria includes, but is not limited to, philosophy & management ability, human & team resource skills, time management, visionary, resident satisfaction, creativity, integrity, leadership, professionalism, accomplishments, effective financial asset management & profitability, industry involvement, owner-client rapport, demonstrates company mission & vision, increased or maintained occupancy and fair housing knowledge

Multi-site Maintenance Supervisor of the Year

Judging criteria includes, but is not limited to, maintenance skills, knowledge of trade, average service request turn-around, people skills, fair housing knowledge, follow up skills, attitude, resident satisfaction, professionalism, knowledge of maintenance equipment, dependability, leadership, creative budget strategy, compatibility with management goals and management skills.

Property Manager of the Year

Judging criteria includes, but is not limited to leadership, management skills & philosophy, industry knowledge, resident retention, budgeting & asset administration, attitude, professionalism, solution management, creativity, profitability, demonstrates ownership qualities, human resource guidance, knowledge of staff roles and fair housing knowledge

Assistant Manager of the Year

Judging criteria includes, but is not limited to leadership, industry knowledge, attitude, professionalism, solution management, creativity, dependability, demonstrates ownership qualities, human resource guidance, collection management and fair housing knowledge.

Leasing Professional of the Year and Rookie Leasing Professional of the Year

Judging Criteria includes, but is not limited to, sales skills, closing ratio, marketing proficiency, follow up skills, attitude, appearance, creativity, professionalism, people skills, fair housing knowledge, enthusiasm, solution management, dependability, team player, phone skills and conversion ratios.

Behind the Scenes Professional (IT, Resources, Accounting, & Administrative) Individuals who are IT, Human Resources, Accounting or Administrative professionals are eligible for this award.

Judging criteria includes, but is not limited to, work ethic, time management, attitude, dependability, people skills, professionalism, quality of work and service above & beyond

Lead Service Technician of the Year(Or Single Site Maintenance Supervisor)

Judging criteria includes, but is not limited to, maintenance skills, knowledge of trade, average service request turn-around, people skills, fair housing knowledge, follow up skills, attitude, resident satisfaction, professionalism, communication with manager, knowledge of maintenance equipment, dependability, customer service philosophy, and leadership

Assistant Service Technician of the Year and Rookie Service Technician of the Year

Judging criteria includes, but is not limited to, maintenance skills, knowledge of trade, average service request turn-around, people skills, fair housing knowledge, follow up skills, attitude, resident satisfaction, professionalism, communication with manager, knowledge of maintenance equipment, dependability and customer service philosophy.

MakeReady/Painter of the Year:

Judging criteria includes, but is not limited to, multi-task orientation, efficiency, time management, and follow up skills, attitude, work ethic, attendance, fair housing knowledge, resident relations, dependability and added value contributor.

Groundskeeper/Porter of the Year:

Judging criteria includes but is not limited to, multi-task orientation, efficiency, time management, and follow up skills, attitude, work ethic, attendance, fair housing knowledge, resident relations, dependability and added value contributor.

Housekeeping Professional of the Year:

Judging criteria includes, but is not limited to housekeeping skills, knowledge of trade, average service turn-around, follow up skills, attitude, resident relations, fair housing knowledge, quality of work, attendance, dependability and added value contributor.

Service Team of the Year

Voting by Judging Panel and drive through visit. Judging criteria includes but is not limited to maintenance skills, knowledge of trade, average service request turn-around, people skills, fair housing knowledge, follow-up skills, attitude, resident satisfaction, professionalism, and communication with manager, knowledge of maintenance equipment, dependability and customer service philosophy.

Community of the Year All date ranges

Judged by a panel of Industry Professionals and a drive through visit. Judging criteria includes but it not limited to signage, curb appeal, overall staff presentation, cleanliness, parking areas, office/clubroom, amenities, model, resident activities and involvement in surrounding community.

Affordable Community of the Year

Judged by a panel of Industry Professionals and a drive through visit. Judging criteria includes but is not limited to signage, curb appeal, overall staff presentation, and cleanliness, parking areas, office/clubroom, amenities, model, resident activities and involvement in surrounding community.

Senior Living Community of the Year

Judged by a panel of Industry Professionals and a drive through visit. Judging Criteria includes but is not limited to signage, curb appeal, overall staff presentation, and cleanliness, parking areas, office/clubroom, amenities, model, resident activities and amenities as well as involvement in surrounding community.

Renovation of the Year:

Judged by a panel of Industry Professionals and a drive through visit. Judging Criteria includes, but is not limited to before and after pictures, impact vs. cost, amenities, and overall appeal of the renovation.

Supplier Company of the Year: (COMPANY NOMINATION)

Judged by a panel of Industry Professionals. Judging Criteria includes but is not limited to impact and commitment within the Apartment Association, company culture, quality of product or service, community service, integrity, customer service, client rapport and value-added to client.

Supplier Individual of the Year (INDIVIDUAL SALESPERSON NOMINATION)

Judging Criteria includes but is not limited to sales skills, marketing proficiency, follow-up skills, attitude, professionalism, creativity, people skills, enthusiasm, ethics, industry knowledge, product or service knowledge, and client rapport.

Volunteer of the Year

Judged by the AACO Board of Directors. Judging Criteria: including, but not limited to the individual or company’s dedication, commitment, integrity, work ethic, cooperation, enthusiasm, professionalism, support for AACO, time volunteered for AACO, knowledge of industry, long-term impact to AACO, how the applicant represents his/her company, how the applicant has impacted others in the industry.

AWARD NOMINATION CATEGORIES

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS NOMINATIONS

(Nominations are FREE through 08/31/2017 starting 9-01-17 through 10-09-17 $25 each)

Multi-Site Property Supervisor

Multi-site Maintenance Supervisor

Property Manager

Assistant Manager

Leasing Professional

Rookie Leasing Professional

Behind the Scenes Professional

Lead Service Technician (or Single Site Maintenance Supervisor)

Assistant Service Technician

Rookie Service Tech

Make Ready/Painter

Groundskeeper/Porter

Housekeeping Professional

Owner/Management Company

COMMUNITY AWARDS NOMINATIONS

(NominationsFREE through 08/31/2017 and starting 09-01-2017 through 10-09-17 $50 each)

Community (over 20 years old)

Community (6-20 years old)

Community (up to 5 years old)

Affordable Community

Senior Community

Renovation / Remodel

SERVICE TEAM AWARDS NOMINATIONS

(Nominations FREE through 08-31-17 and starting 09-01-17 $50 each)

Maintenance(Service) Team

SUPPLIER & VOLUNTEER AWARDS NOMINATIONS

(FREE Nominations)

Supplier Individual

Supplier Company

Volunteer of the Year

Hall Of Fame (Barbara Herring)