Professional Community Association Management Since 1984
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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.

August 2014
eNews Monthly
Accomplishments
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Managers Earn International Certification

Community Manager Valerie Lehr and Assistant Manager Jennifer Northington, both of our North office, have been named Certified Managers of Community Associations (CMCA®) by the Community Association Managers International Certification Board (CAMICB).

The board administers the CMCA examination, a rigorous test that measures knowledge of community management best practices. Valeire and Jennifer join more than 11,000 CMCAs worldwide who have demonstrated the skills essential for managing homeowner associations.

The CMCA is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and complies with the NCCA’s stringent international standards for a professional certification program.

CAMICB is an independent board that sets the standards for community association managers worldwide. It is the first and only organization created solely to certify community association managers and enhance the professional practice of community association management.

Valerie and Jennifer are proud to join the list of CMCA’s working diligently for our company and our clients. Congratulations ladies!  

For more information, visit www.camicb.org.

Bandera Riverfest
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Eat, Drink and Float Down the River!
by Roseann Ashe

This year marked our 5th year to participate in the Annual Bandera Riverfest.  We were excited about the addition of a new event – Fiesta Friday!

Fiesta Friday included a Fajita Cook Off, Salsa Contest and Margarita Pour Off.  Many members of our staff were selected as judges for several of the cook off entries.  Megan Lamb and Roseann Ashe of the Bandera office judged the Fajita Cook Off and the Margarita Pour Off contests on Friday evening.  The competition was fierce with over 40 entries for the Margarita Pour Off, including our own Ralph Troiano.  Although Ralph’s special recipe was not selected as one of the winners, anyone who has been privileged enough to drink one of his margaritas knows they are the BEST!

The park was filled with teams camping out for several of the cook offs taking place on Saturday. There were a variety of team campsites with various types of barbecue pits.  One of the tents camped out by our tent had an app on his phone that could control his barbecue pit!  That was amazing!  Sheila Montes, Brandi Brack, Cindy Hatthorn, Kimberly Terry of the Bandera office and Patrick Sheffield of the Southwest office judged a variety of barbecue entries.  Several spouses of Bandera staff members were also named as judges: Walter Montes, Marty Bruton and Jerrett Lamb.

The next event was the Anything That Floats Regatta. Our castle turret from last year was such a success that we decided to float it again.  It was a magical day with the return of the loyal knight Sir Aragon (Ralph Troiano) and his Princess (Brandi Brack).  Sir Aragon and the Princess fired t-shirts at the many onlookers as they cheered.   

Once again, C.I.A. Services took 1st Place in the Anything That Floats Regatta!  Our appreciation to all of our family and friends who made this happen.  We are already looking forward to next year’s Bandera Riverfest.

The Gift of Life
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The local blood drives being hosted at each of our Houston office locations are this month!  Spots are still available and not only can you help save lives by donating, you can earn a Sweet Treat!  Every donor that joins us will receive a FREE PINT of Blue Bell Ice Cream! 

More than 1,000 donations per day are needed by patients in the Texas Gulf Coast region, and your blood donation could help save up to three lives. Individuals who Commit for Life and donate once a quarter can help save lives on an ongoing basis.  Commit for Life donors will also receive Commit for Life points for their donation to redeem in the online store. For 200 additional "Appointment-Kept Points" please click on the links below to view available times and schedule your donation.

Sign up today at either of our locations.

Southwest Office - Friday, August 15, 2014
10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
3000 Wilcrest Dr. Houston TX 77042
REGISTER HERE

North Office - Friday, August 29, 2014
10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
8811 FM 1960 Bypass Road, Humble, TX 77338
REGISTER HERE.

Seminar Series
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The C.I.A. Services Seminar Series is a great resource for community volunteers, both new and those that have been at it for a while.  We are pleased to present seven seminars throughout the year - each at three locations for a total of 21 training sessions.

Click here to read the seminar descriptions and see the schedule.  We have a great lineup:

  • Board Member Orientation
  • Advanced Topics for Board Members
  • Meeting & Records - The Legal Requirements
  • Understanding Collections & Financial Reports
  • The Super Budgeting Process
  • Practical Deed Restriction Management
  • Essentials of Architectural Control

Each two-hour seminar begins at 6:00 pm and we provide a light dinner in case you come straight from work.  You’ll leave with a wealth of practical information and a notebook for future reference.

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Advanced Topics for Board Members

After you’ve been on the Board a few months or a few years, you realize that some things are pretty complicated. This seminar has a heavy legal and legislative orientation. We’ll dissect the lawsuit process, review foreclosures and bankruptcies, and discuss significant portions of the Texas Property Code and federal law. After all the legal stuff, we’ll touch on aspects of “risk management” which includes insurance, reserves and budgeting concepts.

08/13/14 - Wednesday

6 – 8 pm

Bandera

08/14/14 - Thursday

6 – 8 pm

North

08/19/14 - Tuesday

6 – 8 pm

Southwest

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The Super-Budgeting Process

"Super-Budgeting" is our term for preparing a comprehensive long term budget and business plan. This isn’t something you do on the back of an envelope an hour before the budget meeting. We’ll break the process down into understandable components and show you how assets and reserves fit into the picture. We’ll start with a simple question that very few people can answer correctly: "How much money should our Association have in the bank?" By the end of the seminar, you’ll know the correct answer for your Association. This is a critical seminar to take before you start looking at budgets.

09/8/14 - Monday

6 – 8 pm

Bandera

09/9/14 - Tuesday

6 – 8 pm

North

09/11/14 - Thursday

6 – 8 pm

Southwest

Community Spotlight
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Eastpoint Subdivision Homeowners Association

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:

  • August - Eastpoint Subdivision Homeowners Association - North Office - Kim Cowart
  • July - Cinco Ranch Commercial Association II- Southwest Office - Candace Look
  • June - Atascocita Trails Homeowners Association - North Office - Linda Morris
  • May - Colony Grant Homeowners Association - Southwest Office - Amanda Jensen
  • April - Telfair Commercial Association - Southwest Office - Libby Hodges
  • March - Bridlewood Estates Property Owners Association - Southwest Office - Kim Moore

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

New Communities
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Welcome!

We would like to welcome three new communities into our family this month!

Heathlake Community Association - Heathlake consists of 312 single-family homes within Heathwood, Woods of Lakeside, and Lakeview Forest subdivisions.

Woodmark Homeowners Association -  Woodmark is a developing community in Conroe that will be home to 231 homes.

Eli West End Owners Association - Eli West End is a unique, gated community in Houston’s West End, home to 23 urban single family homes.

Welcome to all of you, we look forward to working with you for years to come!

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 August.

  • Country Colony Community Improvement Association — 19 years
  • Telfair Community Council — 8 years
  • Atascocita Trails Homeowners Association — 2 years
  • Lincoln Green East Community Improvement Association— 2 years

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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Anniversaries

Congratulations to Vice President Kim Moore on reaching her 16th anniversary with C.I.A. Services. Kim is a loyal employee and stockholder.  Kim wears many hats, including Southwest Office Branch Manager and Community Manager of several communities.  She wears them well!

Congratulations also to Frances McIntyre on her 9th anniversary with the company.  Frances does a great job as an administrative assistant out of the north office.  

Congratulations to Daniel Harris on his 6th anniversary.  Daniel is a Maintenance Coordinator assigned to the Telfair community out of our southwest office. 

Kim Beaton celebrated her 1 year anniversary with the company in May. Kim works in our accounting department in the Bandera office. Congratulations Kim!

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.