When we started Core, we had a choice: To focus on our product or our people. We chose the latter because we believe creating the right culture is the best way to continuously innovate our product. Over time, our culture has become our strongest competitive advantage. We're scrappy. Resourceful. Sometimes ingenious. But always empowered to do what's right for our residents and partners.

The Core ecosystem includes student housing, build-to-rent single family homes, and ancillary businesses. We design and build places where people can live in surprising new ways, free from old obstacles and limitations. Where they can find the things that move them. Where they can live their core.

Best-in-class design will always be a big part of our brands. But more than anything else, people represent what we stand for. Connecting with them and caring for them. Inspiring them to become who they want to be. Offering a level of hospitality that makes residents feel like they’ve arrived, and like they belong.

More than properties, our story is about people.

Marc Lifshin, Founder and CEO of Core Spaces, shares his perspective on what drives great UX and how the five senses can be used as a flexible framework to enhance resident experiences.

Our brands are more than a name on a building or a logo on a t-shirt. It’s all the countless details we obsess over. It’s remembering a resident’s name. It’s having their favorite coffee ready to start their day. It’s taking care of that busted chair the minute we see it. It’s the sounds residents hear, the scents they smell, and the things they touch. It’s our people. It’s our culture. It’s everything we do.

Banksy gets it. He notices the little details that most people miss. Then he turns them into something amazing. Authentic to himself. Impossible to ignore. For us that eye for detail means looking for the small things right in front of you that can be fixed, improved or elevated.

It’s a service-oriented, hospitality-driven mindset that’s embodied by jumping on anything that needs attention. It could be straightening up a common area or cleaning the entrance threshold.  Saying hello to a resident or making sure the music is right.

It comes down to keeping your eyes open for ways to make residents feel like they’re living in the best apartment on campus. Like a top hotel experience—think Ritz Carlton, just more hip. By acting on those moments we create experiences that residents love.

Every detail matters, but there are some that have to be perfect.

Getting these experiences right isn’t easy because every property is a unique and dynamic environment. In those conditions, team members have to understand our UX vision and feel empowered to bring it to life in ways that work best for their community.

Think about your last vacation. When you stood outside that Airbnb or resort for the first time, you knew in a split second if you were going to like it or not. And you were probably right.

Residents do the same thing. They walk up to our buildings, take it all in and make up their minds in the blink of an eye. It’s our job to make them believe—before they even step inside—that they’re in for something special.

Landscaping should be on point. Windows should be clean. Litter shouldn’t be a thing. The door threshold should be shining and the carpets spotless. We’re talking immaculately pristine, x100. That’s how we show people that we play on a different level, the second they set eyes on us.

If the approach hooks residents, the lobby lands them. Literally thousands of creative hours go into the design of our lobbies. They are our signature spaces and they set the tone for our brand. Walking into one should be a jaw-dropping moment.

The lobby is also our chance to create relationships and a sense of community. This is where a hospitality-driven mindset really comes into play. Find opportunities to personally connect with residents and learn about their lives. Look for ways to go above and beyond, and surprise them with your thoughtfulness. More than anything else, that’s what they’ll remember.

Dictating what to do or say in every space across our portfolio isn’t going to work. You need to flex and react based on what’s happening at your unique location. The five senses are a great framework to help team members tune in to the right things. They’ll help staff build empathy for what residents are experiencing and find ways to keep our UX top notch.

Ever eaten at a restaurant with bright fluorescent lights beaming down on you? Yeah, it’s not great. Really kills the mood.

The same thing goes for us. If the lighting is even a little off it can impact the feel of an entire space. So keep a sharp eye on the lumens and light temperature of our lightbulbs. When a light goes out, make sure you match the new bulb to the space (instead of mixing dim and bright, or cool and warm) so residents see us at our best.*

When’s the last time you were in a cool space with music playing that just didn’t fit? Yacht rock in the gym? Nope. EDM in the spa? Maybe, but usually nope.

We partnered with DJ Whiteshadow to craft the music our residents hear. It’s curated by area of the building—lobby, gym, spa, etc. If something doesn’t sound on point, we turn to DJWS to help fix it.

This one is a universal, 100% bulletproof, might-as-well-be-math, fact. Touching something dirty is a bad experience.

That’s why we’re obsessive about keeping things clean and neat. We want to give our residents spaces where the 5-second rule could easily be the 5-minute rule. Our staff is always on the lookout for things that can be straightened up or wiped down. It’s a front-and-center way to show residents that they’re living somewhere special.

You don’t need to be told that bad smells are no good for UX. We’ve elevated those tablestakes by actually developing a signature brand scent.

Our common areas have a delightful vanilla-bourbon scent, and our fitness spaces feature a refreshing eucalyptus mint. They’re pleasant enough to be noticed, but not overwhelming. They connect with people on a visceral level and improve the impression we make 24-7.

Ok, most folks aren’t actually going to taste our spaces. Not literally, at least. But we do have plenty of ways to make great tastes part of our UX.

We host WOW fridges in our model units that are filled with cold drinks, fresh food, and frozen snacks. We make sure they’re fully stocked and plenty tempting. Our Lifestyle team hosts meals with awesome food provided by local restaurants. And most importantly, we lean into our hospitality-mindset by looking for ways to surprise residents with a delicious treat.

The final thing to take to heart is how important people are in elevating UX. Cool design will always be a big part of our brands. But more than anything else, our people represent what we stand for. The experiences our teams create every day are what define us and why residents love to live with us.

We bet on our people to think outside the box when it comes to taking care of our residents. If there are different strategies that work better for their unique communities, they’re empowered to go after them. Even if they get it wrong, we’ll never fault them for trying to make us better. We count on them to nail the human moments—day in and day out—that make our communities amazing places to live.

How the five senses shape our UX playbook.

To understand who we are today, you need to understand how we got here. Core started before Core. It was a dream shared by three guys with very different backgrounds. This is the story of how we made it real and created one of the industry’s most pioneering companies.

In the late 90’s Brian Neiswender (Neis for short), Barry Howard and I were loving life at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I was a structural engineering student learning how to build things. Neis was working his way through school in the bars and at Roland Realty—one of the largest family-owned realtors in Champaign. Barry was hitting the books and racking up A’s, no surprise there.

We didn’t know it but we were learning the fundamentals of our business. School taught me how to think and solve problems, and my internship with Keeley Construction in Chicago taught me how the industry works. Neis was managing Roland’s student housing portfolio, learning how to connect with people and get things done. Barry was learning how to lift up the people around him, like by letting me cheat off him in our C+ programming class (not proud, but true). This is also when a college buddy named Brian Goldberg and I began noodling an idea to launch a company building dope homes after we graduated. That idea became the kernel of Core, but I’m getting ahead of the story.

After graduation we all went our own ways. I lived the ski bum dream working at Vail resorts in Colorado. Neis stayed on at Roland, becoming a partner at 23—officially cementing his local legend status. Barry took a consulting gig at Accenture. By 2002, I was back in Chicago slinging copiers for IKON. My brilliant idea was to take this sales job, make a bunch of money, and use it to start the business Goldberg and I had sketched out. That didn’t go as planned—selling copiers is no joke. In 2002, I bit the bullet and left that job to start my own development business.

I hit the pavement to find investors and reconnected with Neis. He introduced me to some capital sources for my first few residential projects. I also reunited with Goldberg, who was developing his own residential projects. In late 2002, Goldberg and I formed LG Development Group to build one-of-a-kind homes. Barry was our first hire and brought on as a partner. We had a blast at LG developing more than 150 custom single-family homes, ranging from $1 million up to $30 million. Over time we expanded the portfolio to include multifamily, condos, and restaurants.

In 2004, Neis went on to co-found a student housing firm called Campus Acquisitions (now called CA Ventures). When CA wanted to move into property development, they brought in LG as their development partner. We delivered our first project together—309 Green—in 2008. The 24-story, amenity-rich student housing property was the tallest building in Champaign. Looking back, we had no right building a project of that scale. But we learned a lot of lessons, and met a lot of people who would go on to shape Core.

After developing several large-scale projects as partners, we realized that Neis’s background in managing student housing and my expertise in high-end residential development made us a natural fit to form our own student housing venture. In 2010 I left the CA partnership to launch Core Campus with Neiswender. We also convinced Barry to join and help us build an ecosystem in the education market. Our idea was to be the Google of student housing—always progressive, always innovating. Our first project was Hub on Campus Tempe, a 19-story, 637-bed student housing property located next to the football stadium at Arizona State University.

Tempe proved out our strategy to develop Main on Main real estate at top tier state universities. We believed—and still do—that if there’s ever a pullback in enrollment, these universities will be the least impacted. Following completion in 2013 and a successful lease-up during construction, we sold the Tempe property later that year for $103 million—one of the highest-priced transactions for a single, purpose-built student housing project at the time. The success of Tempe energized the company. We did two Hub projects a year from 2013 to 2015, and started scaling up once we stabilized. Today, Core can handle up to eight new developments a year.

As we grew, we saw a big innovation gap in the education sector. We realized that data-driven decision making and a design oriented approach could create tremendous value, not just in new developments but in acquisitions and value adds as well. To capitalize on those opportunities, we rebranded as Core Spaces, launched our acquisitions platform, and expanded into high-end mixed-use projects—hotels, retail, office space. We’re now one of a few firms who can build a diversified portfolio of ground-up developments, value adds, and acquisitions.

That brings us to today. Since inception, Core has delivered ~$5b in real estate with another ~$8b currently in construction or pipeline. We’ve won six of the last seven awards for top development of the year. In 2019, we swept the major awards. We did it again in 2020. We didn’t get there by working in silos and doing things the same way, year after year. We did it by constantly collaborating and innovating.

Our next step is building a true ecosystem, from student housing, build to rent and beyond. The hardest thing is getting residents, so why let them go? Let’s give them the best places to live in college, and the best places to live after college. Hell, let’s move them in and help furnish their new pad. We’ve already started our own internet and cable company to provide the best service, our own app to help residents live better, and F+B partnerships to keep them fed well.

What’s next? That’s up to you. Let’s think of the unattainable goal, and shoot for right below. If we all do that, year after year, there’s no limit to where we can go. No limit to how much our buildings can change a person’s life and the world they go on to shape. I promise, if we take these hard-won history lessons to heart, the future of living is ours to write.

Don’t make assumptions or settle for the status quo. No matter your role or where you are in your career, always ask “Why?” Because brilliant ideas can come from anywhere, and they’re often right in front of you.

DRW (our long-term equity partner), HPA Architects, Evans (our owners rep), BD Construction, and Studio K (our interior design partner)—they’ve all been with us from the start. Our network of brokers, property owners, investors, and countless incredible hires along the way. Our relationships propel us forward. Building them is everything.

We invented the purpose built, urban infill student housing model. When everyone was building miles away, we took an urban planning mindset—density, height, mixed-use—and put up a high rise in the middle of campus. That changed student housing forever. Our job now is to keep innovating that model, and invent better places for people to live after graduation, and beyond.

A lot of vertically integrated companies struggle because their development and management arms aren’t in sync. We make sure those two arms are constantly communicating. There’s just no other way to make a great place to live. It’s got to be built right and it’s got to be run right.

Core Spaces continues to take meaningful steps to strengthen our leadership team and realign our organizational structure to advance our long-term strategic growth plans.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chicago-based Core Spaces (“Core” or the “Company”), a vertically integrated residential real estate developer, owner, and operator, today announced it has taken meaningful steps to strengthen its leadership team and realign its organizational structure to advance its long-term strategic growth plans.

Jennifer Holmes, an industry veteran with 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, has joined Core as its Chief Financial Officer. She was most recently Chief Accounting Officer at Urban Edge Properties, a NYSE-listed real estate investment trust focused on managing, acquiring, developing, and redeveloping retail real estate in urban communities. Jen graduated from the University of Wisconsin — Madison with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance, and is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Dan Goldberg, President at Core, said, “We are so excited to welcome Jen Holmes to the Core Spaces team and are proud to recognize the significant contributions of other key, senior executives across the organization. The addition of Jen is an important step towards building a diverse, world-class leadership team as we transform our business. Equipped with industry specialists, talented experts, and a thriving team culture, Core is well-positioned to continue to deliver next level experiences for our people and communities. Congratulations to our dedicated Core team members on their achievements, and we are thrilled to begin this new chapter.”

In conjunction with Jen’s hire, Core also announced that Christine Richards has been appointed Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Chris will oversee the operations, revenue optimization, research and strategy, people, technology, and asset management teams. Chris joined Core in April 2021 and most recently served as President, Property Management.

The recent series of leadership changes continue to solidify the path forward for Core, with a laser focus on advancing the firm’s purpose-driven culture, deep connection with residents and partners, and commitment to innovation.

Marc Lifshin, CEO and Founder added: “Core Spaces was founded on the principle that having the right people and culture will inspire our team to do what they love and create spaces where people can lead their best lives. These leadership changes reflect the significant growth and success our company has achieved and will push us to even greater heights as we seek to reimagine how people live and interact with the world around them. Jen and Chris are proven leaders in their respective fields, embody the values we champion at Core, and bring significant expertise, as well as a passion for our brands, that will drive our business forward as we collectively work towards our commitment of inventing the future of living.”

Seasoned Real Estate Finance Executive Jennifer Holmes Joins as Chief Financial Officer;Christine Richards Appointed Chief Operating Officer

Core Spaces Strengthens Executive Team to Advance Long-Term Strategic Growth Plan

Core Spaces is excited to come together alongside 24 student housing leaders to form the first-ever College Student Mental Wellness Advocacy Coalition to bring awareness to mental health and form healthy solutions across college housing in the U.S.

Student Housing Companies Create College Student Mental Wellness Advocacy Coalition to Help Destigmatize Mental Health Issues

Two real estate firms known for developing and managing student housing are teaming up to build single-family rental properties, betting on the demand for suburban homes that was ignited by the pandemic.

Harrison Street and Core Spaces entered into a $1.5 billion joint-venture to build communities of homes in Austin, Denver, Nashville and a handful of other cities. The firms are targeting sites near job centers and designing communities to appeal to young families who aren’t ready to buy, as well as older renters who are looking to downsize.

The partnership comes amid a boom in funding for single-family rentals, as landlords look to invest behind a shift to the suburbs that took off in the early months of the pandemic. Over the last two years, investors have committed more than $30 billion to buy and develop rental houses, according to deal announcements compiled by John Burns Real Estate Consulting.

“It’s hard to ignore the demographic trends,” said Justin Gronlie, a director at Harrison Street. “In our opinion there’s going to be demand for the product in the long term.”

“It’s hard to ignore the demographic trends. In our opinion there’s going to be demand for the product in the long term.”

Harrison Street, which has about $39 billion in assets under management,  is better known for senior housing and student apartments. It has developed roughly 20,000 units of cottage-style student housing, giving the company confidence that rental homes can be effective managed.

A typical community will have as many as 300 houses and sit 20 to 35 minutes from an employment hub, said Core Spaces President Dan Goldberg, who joined from Blackstone Inc. about a year ago. The joint-venture will likely develop about 4,000 homes, with access to amenities like fitness centers and co-working spaces. The idea is to follow a road map from the student housing industry, where purpose-built rentals lured college students away from apartments managed by mom-and-pop landlords.

“Student housing had existed for a really long time, but wasn’t until 15 years ago where there was something built that was meant to be rented by students,” Goldberg said. “There is a lot of untapped demand for this from existing single-family renters.”

Harrison Street Plans $1.5 Billion Single-Family Rental Venture

When you think of real estate, EDM music isn’t generally the first association that pops to mind. But Core Spaces, an award-winning real estate company on the cutting edge of the industry, is partnering with Grammy-award winning DJ White Shadow for a unique new approach. DJ White Shadow, whose real name is Paul Blair, is bringing his singular talent to play and creating a specially-curated, one-of-a-kind experience to Core Spaces customers.



Core Homepage v2.mp4

The new collaboration crosses all of Core Spaces national brands, including Hub on Campus, oLiv, State on Campus, and Heritage Collection properties nationwide. Blair crafted playlists for Core Spaces residents to access at home, and while out and about. All of the playlists will be accessed through the company’s Lifestyle resident mobile app. The Core team describes the exciting way they’re integrating Blair’s talent with their top-of-the-class programming; “Core’s hospitality-driven programming, and his playlists will be activating many of the amenity areas within each property. In addition, Core Spaces and DJ White Shadow plan to focus on resident events and exclusive content centered around personal development and creativity.”

“Core’s hospitality-driven programming, and his playlists will be activating many of the amenity areas within each property. In addition, Core Spaces and DJ White Shadow plan to focus on resident events and exclusive content centered around personal development and creativity.”

In a statement, Marc Lifshin, Founder and CEO of Core Spaces, had this to say about the exciting team-up: “We’re excited about our new partnership with Paul. Music has a powerful influence on emotional well-being, including improving mood, decreasing anxiety, and managing stress. This partnership further illustrates our philosophy of creating the best possible resident experiences.”

And Blair adds, “I, like most creatives, had a difficult journey coming into my own and because of that, I am always looking for ways to give back. I am excited to share my experiences and insight, and how to create a balanced life with those that are just beginning, or curious how to begin a career in music or the arts.”

It’s the kind of collaboration that makes residents feel like they’re being cared for and thought of, and it sets Core Spaces head and shoulders above their industry peers.

Core Spaces Real Estate Creates Partnership With DJ White Shadow

Real Estate Company Continues Mission to Promote Wellness, Creativity, and Community through Music

CHICAGO and AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Core Spaces, an award-winning real estate company, launched an exclusive partnership with DJ White Shadow (Paul Blair), music producer, musician, songwriter, and DJ. Based in Chicago, Illinois, he is best known as the producer for Lady Gaga's albums, Born This Way and Artpop, as well as his recent single with Pitbull.

DJ White Shadow's collaboration with Core will span across the company's national brands, including Hub on Campus, oLiv, State on Campus, and Heritage Collection properties nationwide. He has curated music playlists specifically for Core Spaces' residents at home and on-the-go through the Lifestyle resident mobile app, Core's hospitality-driven programming, and his playlists will be activating many of the amenity areas within each property. In addition, Core Spaces and DJ White Shadow plan to focus on resident events and exclusive content centered around personal development and creativity.

"I, like most creatives, had a difficult journey coming into my own and because of that, I am always looking for ways to give back," says Blair. "I am excited to share my experiences and insight, and how to create a balanced life with those that are just beginning, or curious how to begin a career in music or the arts."

"We're excited about our new partnership with Paul. Music has a powerful influence on emotional well-being, including improving mood, decreasing anxiety, and managing stress. This partnership further illustrates our philosophy of creating the best possible resident experiences," said Marc Lifshin, founder and CEO of Core Spaces.

Core Spaces continues exploring ways to innovate and create long-term relationships with brand partners, such as American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and CHRISCROSS Foundation. Core Spaces is committed to supporting its residents across the country through its Community and Wellness initiatives - two of the five brand pillars.

"As a people company, this is another way we care for our residents to help them grow and thrive," Lifshin stated.

About Core Spaces
Core Spaces is a vertically integrated company focused on acquiring, developing, and managing residential properties that create a better life for everyone under our roof. From world-class amenities and progressive design to client service with a hospitality-driven approach, Core Spaces provides living spaces and services that create a better daily life for its residents. Its projects are thoughtfully designed, customized, developed, and managed to create extraordinary lifestyle experiences that are as unique as their respective cities. Since its founding in 2010, Core has consistently delivered award-winning developments in top markets across the country. It currently owns and/or manages 37 properties nationwide – totaling over 16,000 units and beds – and has a pipeline of over 33,000 units and beds in various stages of development and acquisition. For more information, visit www.corespaces.com.

About Paul Blair, DJ White Shadow
Grammy Award winning producer, songwriter and artist, Paul Blair (AKA DJ White Shadow) is one of the most sought-after talents in the music industry. His music catalogue of singles and albums have tallied over 50 million streams and sales worldwide. Blair has produced three #1 Billboard Albums and five Top 40 singles. His extraordinary credits include writing and producing for artists of all genres including, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Common, Rachel Platten, Julia Michaels and Pitbull. He collaborated with Gaga on her acclaimed Art Pop album which entered the chart at #1 and has been described as "a celebration and a poetic musical journey." In 2012, he was nominated for a Grammy for his work on Gaga's Born this Way album. He co-wrote and produced six songs for the box office hit, A Star is Born. The album entered the charts at #1 album around the world and he was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Compilation

Soundtrack in 2020. The soundtrack became one of the biggest albums of the 2020s on the US Billboard 200. For more information, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_White_Shadow.

Media Contact:
Jackie Dadas-Kraper
(248) 842-0597
320613@email4pr.com

Core Spaces and Grammy-Award Winning DJ White Shadow Launch Exclusive Partnership

It’s making decisions with integrity so that 
you can lay your head down at night and know that 
you’ve done the right thing.

Christine Richards is an esteemed real estate professional with over 30 years of operational experience. Prior to joining the Core Spaces team, Richards served as the executive director for Greystar Real Estate Partners where she oversaw their domestic-owned and managed student platform. From 2001 to 2018, she was at EdR (Education Realty Trust) with her final role as Chief Operating Officer. Chris got her start in the industry as a leasing consultant at Trammell Crow/Gables Residential.

Currently, Richards is an advisory board member for College House, a student housing market research platform, and holds a seat on the New Memphis Board of Governors, an organization that recruits and retains top talent for the local Memphis community. Additionally, she is a past member of numerous student housing boards and committees within the National Apartment Association (NAA) Student Housing Committee; Institute of Real Estate Management; and the New Memphis Organization. She is a certified property manager (CPM) and previous held chair positions with the NAA. Aside from real estate, Richards also co-founded Richards Heating & Air, LLC specializing in mechanical contracting services for residential communities.

Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

Ifound myself working in real estate management while in college studying for my education degree. I moved from Iowa to Memphis for the summer and found a temporary position answering the telephone for an apartment complex. While finishing up my education degree, I continued to work part time at the company as the activity director for three different properties and would lease apartments on Sundays. In my last semester at college, they offered me a full-time assistant manager’s job. I took the position and the rest is history. Now, I’m the senior managing director and president for Core Spaces management company.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

It’s just having a voice and using it both at work and in general. For a recent example, I spoke on a panel at the Student Housing Business Interface Conference that was about women in leadership. Within that group there was a 22-year-old male who was listening intently. A day later, he came up to me with a little card that had a long ‘thank you’ note about how much he appreciated what I had to say. It made him reflect on how he interacts with his female coworkers and how he never really paid attention to this before. That’s the true disruption — it is directly going to change the experiences of the women that work with him, and as a leader, will stay with him for the rest of his career.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I’ve only gotten in trouble twice over my 30-year career. When I was 21 and just getting started in real estate management, I had one resident who wasn’t the nicest woman. She called the front office about something broken in her apartment and instead of filling out the proper paperwork for the maintenance tech, I wrote not-so-nice commentary about the resident on it and handed it to the maintenance worker. The worker — who is my husband now — always followed policy and used that same piece of paper to write the resident a note. So, one side said ‘thank you for letting me fix the issue’ and the other side said ‘she’s not a very nice person.’ Looking back now, while it was a funny mistake, I was mortified. It taught me that most policies are put in place to protect employees and the company. Since then, writing procedures and policies has become my passion, they are there for a reason.

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

When I was a community manager, I had an asset manager from our ownership group, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance, named Mike. I was only 23, just graduated from college and was still learning my way through the industry. Mike, who is about 20 years older than me, became my mentor and it was beneficial to have someone who was both approachable and had more experience than me, but made sure to treat me with respect. His approach made me feel comfortable enough to ask him questions and I learned a lot about the bigger picture of the business. We keep in touch to this day. I also had another mentor, a female executive in real estate and development, and she was an incredible mentor because she really forged the path for the rest of us to come and move forward into the executive level.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

There was a group in our industry that took this whole approach to marketing and resident events and being the ‘cool spot,’ but they did it with sexuality and alcohol. That group of folks came in and sort of disrupted the industry because now residents are saying, ‘I can go to your competitor and get alcohol.’ Meanwhile, over at our property, I’m doing resume writing workshops. That type of marketing was a disruption, but not necessarily a good one. They have one incident that goes wrong and the bad PR kills them forever.

Capital partners don’t want to be a part of that. I’ve watched it happen a couple of times within the student housing industry. They also don’t get to hire the quality people because they built a reputation on what was trendy. There’s no long-term value. I think if there’s anything that can stand the test of time, it’s going to be kindness and good customer service. It’s making decisions with integrity so that you can lay your head down at night and know that you’ve done the right thing.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

A CFO once said to me, before my first earnings report presentation as Chief Operating Officer, ‘you know more about your business than they do; act like it.’ That was probably the best advice I’ve ever gotten because it flipped a switch in my brain. I’ve been to every property, I’ve run them, and I know everything about those deals, and no one is going to make me feel like I don’t. I really do know my business so it’s all about reminding yourself and having confidence in it.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

I came away from the Interface Conference with a different perspective. I’ve always used my voice but maybe it’s a little bit louder now because it has made a substantial impact. I got a lot of comments after the presentation. Walking away from there, I thought, alright, I’m at a stage in my career now where I can really coach, advocate, and educate, and hopefully inspire some other folks. I think that’s the most important thing for me, using my voice to help shape our next generation of leaders and the environment in which they lead.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? (Within student housing industry)

The challenges for women, in general, surround confidence. Men aren’t confident either, they just hide it better than we do. We all have the same inadequacies. Men have the same emotional gamut that we have. It’s just that most can be more stoic. One definite disparity that I’ve seen is that if a woman is speaking more confidently, then she gets a label, whereas a man who speaks and says the same thing, maybe even with arrogance, it’s much more acceptable.

Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?

About 25 years ago, I took a leadership class and we read Walk the Talk by Eric Harvey and Steve Ventura. It’s been 25 years and I still say, ‘but are we walking the talk?’ If you’re going to say it, do it. If you’re not actually doing what you say you’re going to do, words become worthless. I’ve read so many professional development books, I always have one that I’m reading at some point or another, but I want to say that Walk the Talk was probably the most powerful because it’s just that simple.

You are a person of great influence [within your industry]. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

That’s a tough question. If I could inspire a movement, it would allow everybody to just quit their jobs, volunteer for a living and help people but we can’t do that. Maybe it’s to make sure to fit your passions into your life somehow and allow your passion to inspire what you do in your work.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

When I was just starting out in my management career, a colleague told me, ‘You’re not responsible for anybody’s job but your own. If you don’t manage this issue, you’re not managing your own job.’ This was said to me after lamenting over an associate and has always stuck with me. Despite my efforts to mentor and coach said associate, they were underperforming and weren’t meeting their responsibilities. I had to realize that it is no longer my duty to mold them into a better employee and that if they wouldn’t make the changes, I’d have to let them go. At work, I’m only responsible for myself, not anyone else.

They can follow my LinkedIn page — Christine Richards | LinkedIn.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Meet The Disruptors: Christine Richards Of Core Spaces On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

Inventing the Future of Living - At Core Spaces, it’s our mission to build a hospitality-minded ecosystem that drives growth for all stakeholders—our team, residents, and communities.

Core Spaces

Since Core's inception, the creativity, dedication, and culture of our team drive our success. We’re researchers and architects, engineers and designers, financiers and builders. We’re the first there and the last to leave. We bet smart and swing big. We embrace mistakes and learn from them. And we have a blast building the coolest stuff we can.

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We’re inventing the future of living.

More than properties, our story is about people.

Our superpower? A culture of innovation.

Top performance takes a top team.

Awards + Recognition

Live your core

LIVEYOURCORE

We’re inventing the future of living.

More than properties, our story is about people.

Our superpower? A culture of innovation.

Top performance takes a top team.

Awards + RecognitionAwards + Recognition

Awards + Recognition