📄 Episode Summary In this episode of the Student Housing Insight Podcast, host Wesley Deese welcomes John Barr for the fourth installment of the Tough Talks series. John interviews Willie Butler, principal at Empower Property Management Consulting, a seasoned expert in the student housing industry known for his book “Releasing” and his work as a "leasing assassin." The conversation dives into the importance of returning to fundamental leasing practices, the pitfalls of over-relying on technolog...
Jul 10, 2025•35 min•Ep. 177
🔍 Summary In this episode of the Student Housing Insight Podcast, hosts Wesley Deese and John Barr welcome Nick Hill, COO of Up Campus, for a candid and insightful conversation as part of the Tough Talks series. With a diverse background in student housing across both U.S. and international markets, Nick shares a unique perspective on development, acquisitions, leadership, and the grit it takes to navigate tough transitions and late deliveries. Listeners will gain a behind-the-scenes look at Ni...
Jun 27, 2025•35 min•Ep. 176
📌 Episode Summary: In this episode of Student Housing Insight, we sit down with Aryne Bailey, EVP of Student Housing at The Dinerstein Companies, as part of the “Tough Talk” series hosted by John Barr. Aryne opens up about her dynamic role, her take on AI and centralization in property operations, and the evolving challenges of acquisitions versus new developments. The conversation blends candid insights, industry trends, and even a hilarious turn-time mishap that perfectly illustrates the lear...
Jun 19, 2025•36 min•Ep. 175
📘 Episode Summary In this premiere episode of the Tough Talk series from Student Housing Insight, host John Barr (Director of Leasing & Innovation, The Dinerstein Companies) sits down with JT Bailey, VP and GM of Student at RealPage. Together, they dive into the nuances of AI integration in student housing, the importance of keeping human interaction at the forefront, and the irreplaceable value of site-level experience. JT reflects on his journey from leasing desks to product development a...
Jun 12, 2025•43 min•Ep. 174
📝 Episode Summary: In this special Lunch and Learn edition of the Student Housing Insight podcast, Wes Deese discusses the growing trend of using short-term rentals (STRs)—such as Airbnb and VRBO—as a strategy to offset vacancy in student housing. Featuring insights from Mickey Kropf of Vector Travel and Pam West of Campus Advantage, this session explores how STRs can be successfully integrated into student properties, the regulatory landscape, operational logistics, safety protocols, insurance...
May 22, 2025•43 min•Ep. 173
Student Housing Insight Podcast – Austin Round-Up 2025 In this engaging episode of Student Housing Insight, recorded live at the 17th Annual Interface Student Housing Conference in Austin, Texas, host Wes Deese brings together industry leaders to discuss the current state and future of the student housing sector. Held in mid-April 2025 at the JW Marriott, the conference attracted over 1,500 attendees, uniting top executives for three days of sessions, roundtables, and networking. The panel, feat...
May 15, 2025•56 min•Ep. 172
🎙️ Episode Title: Profiles in Student Housing: Bill Bayless of Maslow’s Campus Communities 📋 Episode Summary: In this special episode of the Student Housing Insight Podcast, host Wesley Deese sits down with industry legend Bill Bayless, co-founder and former CEO of American Campus Communities and current CEO and founder of Maslow’s Campus Communities. From his humble beginnings in West Virginia to founding one of the largest student housing companies in the world, Bill shares the pivotal momen...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 41 min•Season 10Ep. 171
In this episode, co-host Greta Dare sits down with Alex Wallace, Development Manager at College Housing Northwest (CHNW), to explore how the nonprofit has been delivering affordable housing to Portland-area students since 1969. They discuss CHNW’s origins, current initiatives, and how the organization is partnering with schools and government programs to address rising student housing insecurity and homelessness. With innovative redevelopment strategies and a mission-driven approach, CHNW presen...
Apr 18, 2025•38 min•Season 10Ep. 170
In this milestone episode of Student Housing Insight, host Wesley Deese sits down with founders and co-owners of SouthPark Interiors, Martha Thomley and Lisa Brooks, to commemorate 20 years of excellence in interior design for the student housing industry. From their humble beginnings to establishing one of the most trusted design firms in the market, this episode is a heartfelt and insightful conversation about entrepreneurship, innovation, and the impact of design on student living communities...
Apr 09, 2025•38 min•Ep. 169
In this episode, host Wesley Dease previews the upcoming Interface Student Housing Conference, the largest global event for the student housing industry. Wesley is joined by Rich Kelly from Student Housing Business to discuss the conference’s history, its growth, and what attendees can expect this year in Austin, Texas, from April 9-11. They explore key sessions, networking opportunities, and emerging industry trends. If you work in student housing, this episode provides a must-hear preview of t...
Mar 17, 2025•23 min•Season 10Ep. 168
In this episode, Wesley Deese and co-host Alexis Krissay dive into the world of social media marketing for student housing. They discuss the importance of creating engaging, two-way conversations online rather than just posting content for the sake of it. The episode covers strategies for making social media content relevant to students, the role of leasing agents as social media ambassadors, and best practices for leveraging automation tools to maintain instant communication with prospects and ...
Mar 10, 2025•31 min•Season 10Ep. 167
In this episode of the Student Housing Insight podcast, host Wesley Deese sits down with Andrew Marshall and Rob Collins of Campus Technologies, Inc. to discuss the critical role of internet infrastructure in student housing. As expectations for fast, reliable Wi-Fi continue to rise, student housing operators must navigate the challenges of upgrading aging networks, optimizing connectivity, and future-proofing their properties. Andrew and Rob share insights from their decades of experience, trac...
Feb 27, 2025•40 min•Season 10Ep. 166
In this insightful episode of the Student Housing Insight Podcast, host Wesley Deese and guest Alexis Krisay, founder of Serendipit Consulting, tackle a critical topic: how leasing teams can better engage with prospects. Drawing from experiences that student residents described at the recent LeaseCon+TurnCon event, Wesley and Alexis discuss why strong interpersonal connections are crucial to creating memorable leasing experiences and how the industry can overcome challenges in training staff for...
Jan 23, 2025•44 min•Ep. 165
In this episode of the Student Housing Insight Podcast, host Wesley dives into a critical topic for student housing professionals as the winter months approach: preparing properties for freezing temperatures and mitigating the risks associated with winter weather. Joined by experts Lance Lemoine from Lemoine Disaster Services and Jonathan Epstein from Salamander Reservoir, this episode offers a comprehensive guide to both proactive and reactive strategies for winter preparedness. Key topics incl...
Dec 13, 2024•49 min•Season 9Ep. 164
In this episode, we dive into the student housing crisis in California, exploring the challenges faced by developers and students alike. Wesley speaks with Riaz Taplin, founder of Riaz Capital, about his innovative solutions to address affordability while leveraging art and thoughtful design. From regulatory hurdles to creative development strategies, this episode offers insights for anyone interested in student housing or California's real estate landscape. 💡 What You'll Learn: The current sta...
Dec 09, 2024•43 min•Season 9Ep. 163
In this episode, we’re diving into a crucial and timely conversation about the current political landscape and what it means for the student housing industry. With a new administration on the horizon and the balance of power in Congress shifting, the regulatory and legislative landscape is poised for change. Joining us is Dave Borzos from NMHC, who provides a deep dive into the potential impacts on student housing—from capital markets and agency appointments to deregulation, immigration, and fed...
Nov 22, 2024•33 min•Season 9Ep. 162
In this episode, host Wesley Deese welcomes special co-host Alex Rippy , VP of Leasing and Systems at GMH Communities, to discuss to discuss how the kick-off of the '25 Pre-leasing season is going for the U.S. student housing industry. They also review October's ShopTalk panel on pre-leasing and what the early data is showing. Topics include market insights on leasing velocity, and rent growth expectations. Rippy shares strategies for optimizing rate achievement in diverse markets, and the impac...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 9Ep. 161
In this special "Behind the Biz" episode of the Student Housing Insight podcast, host Wesley Deese chats with Danny Soule from Zego to explore how the company is bringing innovation to utility management in student housing. From their origins in payment processing to their recent work with American Campus Communities (ACC), Zego has developed a robust platform that helps operators reduce utility costs and improve efficiency. Learn how Zego’s utility management services streamline the move-in/mov...
Oct 23, 2024•28 min•Season 9Ep. 160
In this episode, Wes sits down with Whitney Kidd of Iris Technologies , and SHI Ambassador, Mike Kivitz from The Preiss Co ., to have a frank discussion on what's ahead for the student housing industry as it relates to prop-tech. We cover everything from property management systems and smart locks to AI. This episode is sponsored by TheGuarantors. To find out more about how they can help your property approve more prospect and help eliminate bad debt, visit their website at: https://bit.ly/3WmNs...
Sep 15, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 9Ep. 159
In this podcast episode, Wes lays out all of the student housing conferences that are being hosted this fall and provides insights from a few of the organizers. This episode is sponsored by TheGuarantors. To find out more about how they can help your property approve more prospect and help eliminate bad debt, visit their website at: https://bit.ly/3WmNsqa Links: Student Housing Insight: www.StudentHousingInsight.com ShopTalk Webinar: www.ShopTalk.info IMN Student Housing 360: https://events.imn....
Sep 09, 2024•49 min•Season 9Ep. 158
In this episode of the Student Housing Insight podcast, Wes interviews two operators who manage large portfolios in a single or regional market to hear their perspective on what it is like to manage a scattered site portfolio that covers everything from modern purpose-built student housing to single-family homes. Aaron Harris Kirby is the Market President at Point West Management by Granite in Blacksburg VA and Cole Oraham is the Director of Operations at Tiger Properties in Clemson SC. Their co...
Jul 26, 2024•57 min•Ep. 157
In this episode of the Student Housing Insight podcast, SHI Ambassador, Terrence Jackson shares tips for site staff on how to finish out the summer without losing focus on leasing and operations. 00:00 - Teaser 00:21 - Sponsor's Ad 01:55 - Intro 08:27 - Summer Slide 17:20 - Outro This episode is sponsored by TheGuarantors. For more information on how TheGuarantors can help approve more student renters and help eliminate bad debt, visit them at https://bit.ly/3WmNsqa Links mentioned in this podca...
Jul 06, 2024•22 min•Season 9Ep. 156
There are only a couple of events each year in the off-campus student housing industry that bring all of the industry leaders together. The premiere event for the industry is the Interface Student Housing Conference in Austin, TX. Student Housing Insight took the opportunity to sit down with several industry executives to discuss their thoughts on the future of the industry and the challenges that lay ahead. So buckle up for some amazing insight. This is Student Housing Insight’s “Future of Stud...
Jun 16, 2024•42 min•Season 9Ep. 155
In this episode, Wes & Gretta dissect what may be behind the recent dip in YOY preleasing velocity in the US market. Is it related to the FAFSA delays? Is it pushback on recent rental rate increases? Is there an enrollment decline ahead? Included in this episode is a recorded session from April 11th's ShopTalk that also dove into the questions around negative YOY preleasing velocity. The session panelists included Charlie Matthews from College House, Stacey Lecocke of Asset Management, Ben M...
May 01, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Season 9Ep. 154
In this episode, Wes shares a conversation from March's ShopTalk regarding the current status of P3 student housing. Joining the conversation is Jason Taylor of The Annex Group, Brad Shaw from Greystar, and Jeremy Doss of Rise. This episode is sponsored by The Guarantors. For more information on how The Guarantors can minimize bad debt for your property or portfolio, go to https://bit.ly/3WmNsqa Register to receive calendar invites for ShopTalk, go to www.ShopTalk.info Questions, job posts, or w...
Apr 15, 2024•36 min•Season 5Ep. 153
Imagine a world in which student housing properties don't have to rely on parental guarantors to approve an application or have to go after a parent if their student defaults. That is exactly the type of world The Guarantors are creating for their student housing clients. In this episode, Wes sits down with Aaron Victorson & Micah Hollingsworth to discuss how The Guarantors are making life easier for student housing operators while making the assets they manage more profitable through their ...
Apr 08, 2024•40 min•Season 9Ep. 152
Are your student housing properties ready for Turn 2024? Is this your first Turn as a manager or supervisor? Then this is the perfect episode to get you and your team ready for this summer. Mat Windsor from The Turn Company joins Wes as a special guest co-host to talk about some of the external influences that may impact Turn this summer and then Wes sits down with Piper Schlink , portfolio director at Cardinal Group, to discuss tips (and maybe a few tricks) to help you have a successful turn. T...
Apr 02, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 9Ep. 151
In this Behind the Biz episode, Wes sits down in the studio with Don Flick, principal of BSB Design , to talk about their unique process for bringing student housing projects from idea to reality. If you are looking for an architecture firm for your next student housing development or rehab, get in touch with Don today: dflick@BSBDesign.com For more information on Student Housing Insight, email us at contact@StudentHousingInsight.com or visit our website at www.StudentHousingInsight.com...
Mar 26, 2024•47 min•Season 9Ep. 150
The largest annual event in the off-campus student housing industry is the Interface Student Housing Conference in Austin, TX. 2024 marks the 16th year of this conference and is being teed up to break its previous attendee records. This year's conference will be held at the JW Marriott in downtown Austin on April 24-26th. In this episode, Wes sits down with Rich Kelley from Interface Conference Group to discuss what's on tap for the event. Click here for information and to register for the Inter...
Mar 20, 2024•21 min•Season 9Ep. 149
In this special episode, student housing veteran Whitney Kidd of The Preiss Co . joins Wes to discuss her recent return to work from maternity leave and how the industry is responding to the challenge she gave at the Interface Student Housing Conference in 2022 along with founders of the W. Collective . Whitney and Wes also offer some advice to expecting parents (and the co-workers of expecting parents) on how to prepare for leave as well as the return to work. This isn't the normal SHI episode,...
Mar 15, 2024•47 min•Season 9Ep. 148
