The Safeguard Properties team traveled to Dallas, Texas earlier this week to attend the 2022 Five Star EVOLVE Conference. As a star sponsor of the event, the Safeguard team was excited to debut their new, updated exhibit booth right at the entrance to the exhibit hall.
The conference kicked off Monday morning with the Property Management Lab, which featured Safeguard Properties executives on two panels. Safeguard CIO Michael Greenbaum spoke to the current environment of the property preservation industry during a session titled 'No Business like Home Business: Best Practices and Current Prop Pres Challenges". Panelists touched on issues such as the current staffing shortage, both internal and external, the impact of vacant properties within a neighborhood and the importance of working with code enforcement, following and understanding differing investor guidelines, and how new and updated technology power the industry forward. Greenbaum shared research Safeguard has completed based on a comparison of investor guidelines, as well as his thoughts on the difficulties the industry currently faces recruiting vendors.
Elizabeth Squires, AVP, Client Account Management at Safeguard Properties took the stage next during a session titled 'Around the Nation: State and Local Updates'. Panelists covered a plethora of information including the impact of an increasing amount of natural disasters each year, balancing the need for information and the safety of field networks, and legislation that affects the industry, along with the importance of following the implementation of new laws from start to finish. Squires spoke on a piece of legislation she had followed throughout the past year that had the ability to highly impact the industry, highlighting steps she took to ensure clients thoroughly understood what was happening.
Monday wrapped with members of the Safeguard team attending the Keys for Life dinner, where Shynae Murphy, U.S. Navy Airman shared the story of how Operation Homefront and the gift of a mortgage-free home positively impacted her family and changed her life.
Both days were met with numerous meetings with both current and potential clients, as well as collaborative conversations with competitors on how best to tackle some of the property preservation industries most pressing issues. The conference ended with the Women in Housing Awards luncheon, where Carrie Tackett, Business Development, Safeguard Properties was honored as a finalist for the Corporate Social Responsibility Award. The luncheon was highlighted with an appearance by Alanna McCargo who spoke on her journey to becoming the first female president of Ginnie Mae.
Next up, the National Property Preservation Conference (NPPC) in Washington D.C., November 1-3, 2022! We can't wait to see everyone again in DC!