2020 is now behind us and despite the extra difficulties we were all presented with, our dedicated staff kept up with the thousands of daily details whether they were working from home or in an office. Here are a few statistics from this crazy year.

• Our home improvement request coordinators processed 11,912 home improvement and new construction requests for our communities. That is an average of 47 per workday. Due to many homeowners utilizing extra time at home during the pandemic for home improvement projects, our HIR team received even more requests than usual, with a 40% increase from 2019! That number includes 8,243 online submissions (69%) through our online HIR application system, the percentage of which continues to increase every year!
• Our maintenance coordinators issued and tracked 5,344 work orders and projects for our communities. That is an average of 21 per workday. A work order can be anything from having a sign fabricated & installed to developing specifications & soliciting bids for a contract to having a new roof installed on a clubhouse. Each work order includes a large amount of communication with contractors in advance as well as follow-up. That is an impressive amount of work.
• Our accounting department processed, verified, and paid 65,887 invoices for vendors in our communities. That is an average of 261 per workday. It takes great organizational skills to coordinate that many bills, obtain reviews and approvals, meet the due dates, and keep the vendors happy. All that while keeping impeccable records that CPA auditors love to see.
• Our customer service staff helped 1,925 owners set up payment plans for their delinquent assessments. Throughout the year, our accounting staff monitored each payment plan and issued 1,096 follow-up letters to owners.
• Our community managers, administrative assistants, and inspectors tracked and resolved 94,502 deed restriction violations by issuing 98,201 letters. Our deed restriction management efforts continued to be successful with 89% of all violations getting resolved before a certified letter was needed.
• In December alone, our accounting and administrative staff received and deposited $15,780,413 in assessments in 22,879 individual payments.
• We received 142,960 incoming phone calls in 2020! This averages out to about 567 per day!

All of these tasks and little details equal up to great management. We pride ourselves on providing excellent service at every level. Thank you to all of our committed employees for pushing through and maintaining our success during the madness of 2020!

Topping Off the New Office Before the New Year

C.I.A. Services’ first “office” was in a spare bedroom of the home of our President, Ralph Troiano, for the two months after we formed 37 years ago. Our humble beginnings are part of what has made our company successful.  In 2008, built an office building for our Accounting Office in Bandera County. And now construction is underway on our new office building for our Houston Regional Headquarters. 

On December 22nd, C.I.A. Services held a socially distanced “Topping Off” Ceremony.  A “Topping Off” ceremony is a long-standing tradition of construction workers, particularly steelworkers, to commemorate the completion of a building’s structure. The weather was picture perfect as we celebrated with employees, family members, and representatives from our general contractor O’Donnell/Snider.  

Thanks to the careful planning of our dedicated leadership, everyone was able to tour the property and sign steel beams of the building’s structure.  Messages of gratitude and love were left behind for our past, present, and future C.I.A. Services members. 

Like many companies, we have a long-held tradition to hold a Christmas party every December.  COVID-19 put a damper on that plan, but we were able to put a twist on our celebration this year by combining our “Topping Off” Ceremony with our Annual Christmas Celebration.  After touring the new property and signing a beam, employees were treated to a grab-and-go lunch, provided by local business Smitty’s Sweets & BBQ, and received a holiday bag filled with goodies and cheer.

We were thrilled to celebrate the momentous occasion with our friends and colleagues and are excited about the future of our property!

The Committees of Cross Creek Ranch Community Association
by Kristen Craig

The success of any community lies within its selfless volunteers. Cross Creek Ranch has a variety of dedicated, volunteer-based committees that have allowed the community to operate to its fullest and look its best!

The Resident Advisory Committee serves as a liaison between the residents of Cross Creek Ranch and the Board of Directors.  The Committee provides suggestions and/or concerns on behalf of the residents of the community.

The Grounds Committee helps identify maintenance needs and enhancement projects for Association property and facilities. The Committee has assisted in monitoring existing landscaping, natural areas, and reporting issues to the Board.  In addition to monitoring Association facilities, they also make recommendations for improvements and additional beautification projects.

The Tennis Committee helps monitor the Association tennis courts by reporting issues and recommending actions and improvements.

The Foundation Committee is an appointed group of community members who work in concert with the Cross Creek Ranch Community Association.  Together, they review requests for projects believed to best reflect the needs and interests of the Cross Creek Ranch community. 

C.I.A. Services and the Cross Creek Ranch Community Association would like to thank the Cross Creek Ranch Resident Committees for all of their hard work, time, and dedication. It is individuals like them who make communities shine!

C.I.A. Services, Inc. has a long and proud history of providing up-to-date news on our company happenings, industry news, and association governance.  Each month, we are pleased to share with you our eNews Monthly.  Each issue loaded with great information! 

We have broadened our social media presence to include Facebook and LinkedIn. With these additional layers of communication, you can always find the latest information about our company, employees, association management, and other related news.  

If you are not already following us, please ”Like” us on Facebook and “Follow” us on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on all things C.I.A. Services and beyond. 

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.

In the new year, we’re altering our Community of the Month format slightly to include both a Houston and San Antonio area community each month. 

Houston

• January - Plantation at Woodforest Community Association - Jennifer Northington

Here are our most recent selections:

• December - Telfair Commercial Association - Humble Office - Deniece Reyes
• October - Artesian Lakes Community Association - Humble Office - Linda Morris

San Antonio

• January - Bridlegate Ranch Property Owners Association - Tina Jameson

Here are our most recent selections:

• November - Deer Hollow Homeowners Association - San Antonio Office - Abbey Autry

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.

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

• Hunterwood Village II Association — 35 years
• Homeowners Association of Timber Forest — 24 years
• Eastpoint Section 4 Homeowners Association — 10 years
• Reserve at Clear Lake Community Association — 6 years
• Hidden Arbor Community Association, Inc. — 5 years
• Harper Oaks Homeowners Association, Inc. — 5 years
• BGR Property Owners Association, Inc. — 4 years
• Katy Pointe Community Association — 3 years
• Southwinds Residential 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.

We 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:

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

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.

Associations in Practice Series

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.

Congratulations to Charlotte Bulcken for reaching the 25-year milestone with C.I.A. Services! Charlotte is the "momma" of our Humble Office and is always there to help us with special projects. Outside of work, Charlotte loves to spend time with her 6 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also enjoys going to the theater and traveling.

Kimberly Terry is celebrating 8 years this January! Kimberly is an excellent team leader for our Accounting Office in Bandera thanks to her detail-oriented mind. Kimberly values community in our office and always helps to organize company social events. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time in the great outdoors.

Congratulations to both of these lovely ladies!

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.