Professional Community Association Management Since 1984
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Houston 713-981-9000
San Antonio 210-490-0000
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Archived Newsletters

Every month, we issue an electronic newsletter, eNews Monthly, to keep clients informed about Association items, spotlight clients, answer frequently asked questions, and let you know what is happening with the company. Old issues of eNews Monthly are available on our Library page.

February 2019
eNews Monthly
Awards
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C.I.A. Services Named Management Company of the Year

Each year, the Houston Chapter of the Community Associations Institute’s (CAI) holds their Annual Gala to honor exceptional companies and individuals in the community management industry. CAI is a national organization dedicated to building better communities through information, education and resources to the homeowner volunteers who govern communities and the professionals who support them.  

Nominations are open to all CAI members and reviewed by a panel of esteemed judges.  C.I.A. Services was nominated for the Management Company of the Year and our own Lindsay Scholfield, Community Coordinator for the Cinco Ranch Southwest Community Council, was nominated in the Support Staff Member of the Year category.

We had the distinct honor of being named 2018’s “Management Company of the Year”! The Management Company of the Year nominees are companies that exhibit excellence in customer service, management, governance, and finance as well as show dedication to the industry, clients, and CAI.  

A wonderful gala entitled “A Night to Remember” was held in Houston on January 11th to recognize all honorees and announce the 2018 winners. There was music, dinner, and dancing to compliment the awards. Kaila Gattis, Angela Douglas, and Lindsay Scholfield accepted the award on behalf of the company.

It is a true privilege to be awarded such a high honor by our peers and for our company and individual employees to be recognized!

Volunteer Spotlight
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Rich Hutchison of Riverwalk
by Linda Morris

I would like to introduce you to Rich Hutchison – volunteer extraordinaire who has been a property owner in Riverwalk since 1996. Rich was appointed by the Board in 2015 as the Lake Park Committee Chair.  As a matter of fact, he IS the Lake Park Committee! Even before being appointed, Rich was often found at the Lake Park right in the middle of some clean up or repair project (and maybe just doing a little fishing).

When the permanent restroom structures were completed in 2016, the Board realized there was a need for regular cleaning and maintenance. Rich readily took on the task, making sure the facilities stay clean and stocked with soap and paper products. This is just a small part of what Rich does to help maintain the Lake Park as a wonderful amenity for Riverwalk residents!

Every year, Rich and his wife Debbie oversee the planning of the annual Bass Tournament on the lake. This event has grown over the past several years from a few participants to one of the most popular events in the community, with prizes for the Big Bass and kids category awards! Rich monitors the fish population and vegetation growth in the lake to make sure restocking is scheduled when needed, and that the lake environment provides adequate opportunity for the fish to thrive.

In addition to all of his work at the Lake Park, it isn’t unusual to see Rich all around the community, pitching in to help anywhere it’s needed. Recently, he volunteered to assist the Garden Club with a landscape improvement project at the community entrance. New landscaping was added and Rich volunteered his expertise and labor to install the micro sprinkler system for the areas that did not have irrigation in place.

From helping to maintain Riverwalk amenities, to participating in virtually every Riverwalk event in some way, to being there to help with cleaning up a neighbor’s flooded home, Rich is the kind of person we need more of in this world! C.I.A. Services commends Rich Hutchison for his unfailing sense of community pride and the heart he shows with every labor of love for his community, his friends and neighbors. Thank you for being the ultimate example of what makes a true volunteer!

What Makes Us Special
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Our company has always operated under the same philosophy of not only taking care of our communities and the people within them but also our employees and the greater community!  Our mission statement summarizes it quite nicely.

Our passion is to develop outstanding employees, inspire them to support the success of our communities and, together, be responsible stewards of the world around us.

We accomplish our mission by focusing on seven core values. 

  • Stewardship – We understand our duty to diligently care for that which has been entrusted to us by our clients.  We recognize that we impact the environment around us and have a duty to preserve it for future generations.
  • Passion – We strive to approach each day motivated to achieve great things for our clients.  Our success and satisfaction in our work is possible by our passion to make a difference every day.
  • Empathy – To truly help others, we must be able to put ourselves in their place and treat them with the understanding and respect we all deserve.  We must strive to listen, understand and support those persons we touch who are going through difficult times.
  • Community – We strive to help make subdivisions a community where residents know and enjoy their neighbors and live in harmony.  As a business, we want to be a positive influence on the greater community through our volunteer efforts, donations and support.
  • Integrity – We will always perform our duties in an honest and ethical fashion.  Our decisions and pathways will follow the moral compass of who we are.
  • Awesomeness – Our goal will always be to provide the best service to our clients through excellence in everything that we do.  As individuals, we must understand and utilize our strengths and broaden our talents.
  • Loyalty – We are committed to the success of our communities and will help them through all challenges.  Our employees are the foundation of our success and we will be their partner in their personal growth and success.

Our core values are truly what make us SPECIAL!  Thanks to all of our employees, board members, and community members for being a part of our success!

Living Our Core Values
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LeAnn Bruton

We are excited to be launching a new series in our eNews Monthly - Living Our Core Values! Each month, we will share with you real life examples of how we live our core values, either as an entire company or by spotlighting a SPECIAL employee.

This month, we would like to share with you how LeAnn Bruton, Bookkeeper, Bandera Office, executes our core values on her personal time. LeAnn is very active in her local community. She demonstrates Community, Passion, Empathy, and of course, Awesomeness through her many volunteer efforts.

LeAnn is a member of the Bandera Committee for Young Life.  Young Life is an organization that mentors adolescents and teenagers and provides a positive, safe environment. Her committee oversees local activities and organizes fundraisers to fund these activities, including summer camps.  Resources for counseling and crisis intervention are also available through this organization.

Hill Country Chapel is another positive outreach to the youth of our community and offers a “homecooked” meal at least one night a week for youth who may not have access to such. LeAnn cooks a meal for the youth and the volunteers one Wednesday evening each month.

Ms. Bruton is also involved in Experiencing Grief, a group that offers grief counseling. They conduct monthly sessions which offer group discussions as well as practical advice and encouragement. She speaks to various groups to share knowledge and understanding of the grieving process for not only those who are experiencing the grief or loss but also for friends and family members to better understand how to relate to those who are grieving.

Stitches from the Heart, is a new group in their beginning stages with which LeAnn is involved. This organization crafts and delivers handmade items needed for several charitable organizations. One of the organizations to which they plan to contribute items is Knitted Knockers, an organization which provides knitted or crocheted prostheses to breast cancer survivors. Other projects include Chemo Caps, blankets for law enforcement to carry to give to children rescued in crisis situations and blankets and caps for preemies in NICU units at area hospitals.

Giving back and showing love to others is important to LeAnn and she proves it every day! She has a strong desire to share what she can where she can and to leave a positive footprint on this earth.

Seminar Series
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Stay Plugged in with Webcasts

We now offer each of our seminars in the form of a recorded webcast on demand for you to watch at any time! If you have missed a seminar, our seminars are available on our YouTube channel. The following seminars are now available:

Just go to our website, www.ciaservices.com, and click on the Resources tab. From there, select our Library and you will see the links to each webcast and other training materials or you can simply click on the links above.

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Associations in Practice Series

If you missed it, our first video in the Associations in Practice Series covered Super-Budget ConceptsThis is a great introduction (or refresher) to The Super-Budgeting Process webinar offered in our Seminar Series. We hope you will find these videos useful, particularly as we are now in the midst of budget season.
 
Recently, we released the second video of our Associations in Practice Series: Short Term Rentals. In this video, we offer insight about short-term rental properties. We have an expert panel on board discussing everything from what a short-term rental is, to potential problems and possible solutions.
 
All of our Association in Practice Series videos will be available on our YouTube channel. We will send updates when new material is added. You can also subscribe to our channel for the news on the latest additions.
Community Spotlight
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Bowling Green Garden Homes

We are proud of every one of our communities, so it is always hard to find just one to highlight. We start by having each of our Community Managers write a nomination for one of their communities. We then read them and take a vote. Here are our most recent selections:

  • February - Bowling Green Garden Homes Association - Humble Office - Valerie Lehr
  • January - Artesian Lakes Community Association - Humble Office - Jennifer Northington
  • December - Kendall Pointe Homeowners Association - San Antonio Office - Brittany Ashe
  • November - Treasure Island Homes Association - San Antonio Office - Brandi Brack
  • October - S.A. Remington Heights Homeowners Association, Inc. - San Antonio Office - Sebby Regalado
  • September - Aliana Community Council - Southwest Houston Office - Deniece Reyes
  • August - Redland Ranch Estates Homeowners Association - San Antonio Office - Sebby Regalado

To see the full story on these communities and to see all of the past winners, visit the Community of the Month page on our site.

Community Anniversaries
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Every month we appreciate the communities that are celebrating their anniversaries with us. Here are the clients that started with us in February.

  • Oak Hollow Homeowners Association — 18 years
  • Eastpoint Subdivision Homeowners Association — 16 years
  • Greensbrook Community Association — 13 years
  • Eilan Property Owners Association — 5 years
  • Eilan Condominium Association — 5 years
  • Colonial Lakes Office Park Owners Association — 3 years
  • Quiet Creek Homeowners Association - 2 years
  • The Mesas and Ridge at Cayon Springs Homeowners Association - 1 year

Our goal has always been to create a positive, long term relationship with all of our client communities. We are very proud to be managing all of these communities.

Employee Corner
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Employee Anniversaries

We love to celebrate special milestones with our employees. In the Employee Corner of each eNews issue, we will list all employees that have reached their first anniversary with our company. Additionally, once employees reach five years, we recognize them each year on their anniversary month.

Evan Ducote is celebrating his 5 year anniversary which is a milestone for our employees as it is when they become a stockholder!  Evan is a Maintenance Coordinator at our Humble office.  He is a very outgoing and friendly person that never meets a stranger! He’s not only a huge music fan that enjoys concerts, he is an avid bass guitar player.  

Read Past Issues of eNews Monthly

Every month, we issue an electronic newsletter, eNews Monthly, to keep clients informed about Association items, spotlight clients, answer frequently asked questions, and let you know what is happening with the company. Old issues of eNews Monthly are available on our Library page.