Professional Community Association Management Since 1984
customercare@ciaservices.com
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.

September 2015
eNews Monthly
Exciting News in San Antonio
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New Office Location

It is with great pleasure to announce that on September 28, 2015, we will open our doors in more spacious and comfortable surroundings. Our new address for our San Antonio office is 4204 Gardendale Avenue, Suite 305, San Antonio TX 78229. Our new office is located just off Wurzbach Road about 1/2 mile from I-10.

While our address is changing, our phone number (210-490-0000), general email address (CustomerCare@ciaservices.com), office hours (M-F, 8am-6pm), and customer service phone hours (M-F, 8am-8pm) will all stay the same.

We are proud that our remarkable growth in the San Antonio area and the loyalty of our clients has made this move necessary.  The new location is easily accessible and has better parking, more comfortable accommodations for Board meetings and a more professional environment.  C.I.A. Services will continue to give our customers the same outstanding customer service as always.

Please feel free to drop by if you are in the area.  We will have an open house later in the year and hope you can join us.

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Branch Manager Promotion

We are very pleased to announce that Carrie Harmon has been promoted to Branch Manager for our San Antonio Office.  Carrie joined us a few months ago to assume this position.

Carrie joined C.I.A. Services with 15 years of experience in high-end multi-family property management.  Carrie has overseen the start-up of twelve of San Antonio’s newest luxury apartment communities managing them from opening through stable occupancy.  Her dedication to exceptional customer service provides a great fit for our clients.

As Branch Manager, Carrie oversees our overall office operations and works with our Community Managers and Maintenance Coordinators to ensure all association business is handled timely and well.

Executive Vice President Tina Jameson has managed our San Antonio office since our acquisition of Management Professionals of Texas in September 2014.  She will continue to manage our Bandera office which provides accounting and technical support for all of our offices.

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Office Manager Promotion

We are very pleased to announce the promotion of Roseann Ashe to Office Manager for our San Antonio office.  Roseann joined C.I.A. Services when we opened our Bandera office in 2008 and is a company stockholder.  She worked in our accounting department before transitioning to an Assistant Manager and moving to our San Antonio office.

As Office Manager, Roseann is responsible for keeping our administrative and clerical staff focused on providing great customer service to our clients.

Our former Office Manager, Rosie Saenz, will now be able to concentrate on her primary role as a Community Manager for several valuable clients.

Our staff is very excited to have Roseann leading the way!

The World Around Us
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Zip Up Hunger
by Michael Quast

Texas, unfortunately, is number one in our nation for food insecurity for children, according to The Houston Food Bank. In Harris County, there is an estimated poverty rate of 25.7% for children under the age of five.  

C.I.A. Services has partnered with an organization to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged young kids. Zip up Hunger is a special project directly contributing to an organization primarily known as, Kids’ Meals (Meals on Wheels for Pre-school aged Children), which strives to feed hungry children in and around the Houston area. The main goal of the organization is to end hunger among children by delivering nutritious meals to the doors of children in need, free of cost, year-round. As the nation’s only meals-on-wheels service for children, this organization provides healthy, home-delivered lunches to hungry children under the age of five who live in poverty.  

Zip up Hunger mainly focuses on items on the organization’s wish list to help facilitate the ongoing need for sanitary and easy ways to deliver meals to young children. C.I.A. Services is a proud sponsor of this program and has placed donation bins at each of its Houston locations, Humble and Southwest Houston, in an effort to collect as many boxes of re-sealable zip lock sandwich bags as possible.    

It costs less than two dollars to feed a child and by contributing as many zip lock bags as possible to Zip up Hunger, it enables the organization to deliver sandwiches to these needy children. Together we can help make a difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate and can’t feed themselves and to ensure these children do not go to bed hungry. If you would like to help us in this effort, feel free to drop off sandwich sized zip lock bags to any of our Houston locations.  

Let’s all contribute to ZIP UP HUNGER and ensure a fresh lunch for a hungry child! For more information on how you can be involved visit www.kidsmealshouston.org.

Volunteer Spotlight
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Horseshoe Oaks (Woodland Oaks) - Glenn Ratchford
by Ana Rodriguez

Glenn Ratchford has been a resident of the Horseshoe Oaks (Woodland Oaks) community for 19 years. He served in the Air Force for more than 20 years and after retiring, decided to return to San Antonio and has been a volunteer of different committees ever since. In 2015 he was voted to be on the Board and then appointed to serve as President.  Mr. Ratchford always gives 100 % to his community. He also serves as the community website administrator.

Although he is a substitute teacher with a hectic schedule he is always available for any Association emergency that may arise. Mr. Ratchford is instrumental in organizing any community event and tries his best to address homeowner concerns. He is a wonderful Board member to work with and makes my job more enjoyable.

We would all like to thank Mr. Glenn Ratchford for his service to our country and now for making a difference in his community.

Seminar Series
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Our 2015 edition of the C.I.A. Services Seminar Series is wrapping up with three more sets of seminars as descibed below.  Click here to read the seminar descriptions and see the full schedule.  The 2016 schedule will be announced in January.  

Each seminar concentrates on the practical aspects of the topic and provides board members with background knowledge to help them in their decision making. We consistently receive positive feedback on the content and presentation.

  • 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
  • Community Website Administrator

Each two-hour seminar begins at 6:00 pm and we provide deli sandwiches in case you come straight from work.  You’ll leave with a wealth of practical information and a handbook for future reference.  You can attend our one-hour webinar right from home! 

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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. 

09/14/15 – Monday

6 – 8 pm

North

09/17/15 – Thursday

6 – 8 pm

Southwest

09/22/15 – Tuesday

6 – 8 pm

San Antonio

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Board Member Orientation

This seminar is a must for all new Board members and a great refresher for seasoned veterans. It will help you get up to speed quickly by understanding your responsibilities and authorities. We’ll review the documents and laws that govern the way you do business. We’ll give you an overview of the governing documents, basis of authority, organizational roles, responsibilities & authorities, conduct of meetings, and we’ll cover insurance and taxes.

Space is limited and advance registration is required. To register, please send an email to seminars@ciaservices.com.

10/08/15 – Thursday

6 – 8 pm

San Antonio

10/22/15 – Thursday

6 – 8 pm

Southwest Houston

10/29/15 – Thursday

6 – 8 pm

Humble

Community Spotlight
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Eldridge Park Village

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:

  • September - Eldridge Park Village - Southwest Office - Susan Bratton
  • August - Cinco Ranch Residential Association II - North Office - Laura Tate
  • July - Cypresswood Green Property Owners Association - North Office - Brenda Ellington
  • June - Fairway Pointe Community Association - Southwest Office - Libby Hodges
  • May - Eilan Condominium Association, Inc. - San Antonio Office - Ralph Troiano
  • April - Summerwood Community Association - North Office - Jennifer Northington
  • March - Diamond Ridge Property Owners Association - San Antonio Office - Rosie Saenz
  • February - Riverwalk Propery Owners Association - North Office - Linda Morris
  • January - The Lakefront Association - Southwest Office - Gina Victor

To see the full story on these communities and to see 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 August and September.

  • Valley Lodge Property Owners Association — 22 years
  • Westfield Glen Property Owners Association — 15 years
  • Eldridge Park Village Community Association — 13 years
  • Woodforest North II Homeowners Association — 13 years
  • Clear Lake City Boulevard Association — 10 years
  • Telfair Community Council — 9 years
  • Fairway Place Homeowners Association — 8 years
  • New Forest Homeowners Association — 8 years
  • Westfield Forest Homeowners Association — 8 years
  • Lakeridge Homeowners Association — 3 years
  • Treasure Island Homeowners Association — 3 years
  • Aliana Commercial Association — 1 year
  • Rancho Verde Community 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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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 1 year anniversary with our company.  Additionally, once an employee becomes a stockholder at their 5th year, we will acknowledge them on their anniversary each year.  

It’s another milestone for President Ralph Troiano and Executive Vice President Tina Jameson who are celebrating 31 years since creating C.I.A. Services on September 29, 1984.

Ralph and Tina are based in our Bandera Office. Ralph is our visionary who keeps us moving on the leading edge of the industry while keeping us grounded in our core values. With his technical background, Ralph is the creator of our RedDog management software which allows us to do outstanding work for our clients. Many of our Board members know Ralph from our Seminar Series that provides practical training opportunities for community volunteers.

Tina is the branch manager of our accounting office in Bandera and oversees all of our accounting staff. She is also our technical guru who keeps our networks and communications systems operating smoothly and securely.

As this month marks 1 year since the San Antonio office acquisition, we are pleased to announce many 1 year anniversaries as result! Congratulations Administrative Assistants: Melissa ArredondoDiana McKenzie, and Mary Schwope! Congratulations to Community Managers Lia ArnoldAna Rodriguez, and Rosie Saenz! And where would the office be without their wonderful Clerical Assistant Sandra Tovar, also with us for 1 year.  It’s been an action packed year and all of these ladies took on the new challenges like champs!

Also included in those 1 year "San Antonio" anniversaries is Briana Meredith. Briana transferred to our Accounting Department out of Bandera Office shortly after the acquisition.  Briana blended in with the Bandera staff quickly and has proven to be an asset.

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Welcome Baby Benjamin

Dannielle ’Danni’ Gibson, one of the HIR Coordinators in our North Office and husband Brent welcomed their new bundle of joy on May 26th.

Benjamin Anthony arrived at 9:58 pm. He weighed 8lbs. 7 oz. and was 21 in. long.

Mom Danni says "he is a great addition to our rapidly growing family! My husband and I adopted twin girls (Izabella & Serenity, now 3 yrs. old) 3 months before we found out we were going to have a baby, and we couldn’t be happier!"

Baby and Mom are doing well and the family is busy getting to know each other!  Congratulations Danni!

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.