November 11th is Veteran’s Day, honoring all American veterans, living and deceased.  The day gives special thanks and recognition to veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

The military men and women who serve and protect the U.S. come from all walks of life.  They are parents, children, grandparents, friends, neighbors, and coworkers, and are an important part of the community. 

We are honored to work beside several veterans every day and would like to take this opportunity to recognize them—special thanks to the following coworkers who served in the military.  We appreciate your service!

Todd Miksch, Community Manager, served in the United States Navy for 4 years. Upon joining in 1992, Todd was sent to A School for training and received his designation as an Aircraft Metalsmith (AMS).  He was assigned to work on the structural mechanics and hydraulic systems of F-14D aircraft at NAS Miramar. Todd also served as Training Petty Officer, Collateral Duty Inspector, Plane Captain, and Flight Line Coordinator for the squadron “Grim Reapers - Detachment  West Coast”. Todd left the service with an Honorable Discharge as a 3rd Class Petty Officer.

Eric Somers, Maintenance Coordinator, served in the United States Navy for 8 years. Joining in 2006, Eric served as a Navy Diver (Diving and Salvage Warfare Specialist and Expeditionary Combat Specialist). His overseas tours included Fujairah and Kuwait where he worked alongside E.O.D. (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) conducting Anti-Terrorism Force Protection dives. During his enlistments, Eric accumulated over 500 hours of incident-free dive time resulting in multiple medals and awards. 

Keli Ozuna, Community Manager, joined the Navy in 2011. She attended boot camp and A School in Great Lakes, IL, where she learned engineering, firefighting, and electrical knowledge to become a GSE-Gas Turbine Systems Technician (Electrical). Shortly after she was stationed on the USS Pinckney where she deployed to the U.S. 5^th and 7^th Fleet Area of Operations, in direct support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  Once her sea duty was complete, she was stationed at the Naval Medical Center San Diego where she was awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, for superior performance of her duties which resulted in life saving efforts. After nearly 8 years of honorable service, Keli was medically retired from the Navy.

Patrick Sheffield, Maintenance Coordinator, enlisted in The United States Army as an Infantryman in June of 1980 at the age of 17. He served until October 1983 with the main responsibility of specializing in small arms combat training in all types of weather and terrain. Patrick’s basic training took place in Fort Benning, Georgia and he was assigned a duty station in Fort Stewart, Georgia. He ultimately earned the rank of Private First Class and traveled to some very inhospitable places for training, including Alaska, the Florida Everglades, and countless nights in the woods in Georgia. 

Charles Driskell, Maintenance Coordinator, joined The United States Coast Guard in 1983. He was being trained as a Store Keeper E1 but was released due to medical issues.

Leticia “Letty” Burchard, Access Technician and Insurance Coordinator, served in The United States Coast Guard for four years from 1980 until 1984. Letty attended boot camp in New Jersey and was ultimately stationed in Long Island, New York. As the “police on water,” the Coast Guard would stop boats to inspect for illegal cargo. Letty oversaw the radio, assisted boaters, responded to accidents, and investigated items in the water with her crew. 

We are proud of every one of our communities, so it’s always hard to find just one to spotlight.  However, we are always eager to share!

Here are the most recent selections:

• November Summer Lake Ranch Property Owners Association Houston
• October Retablo Ranch Owners Association San Antonio
• September Atascocita Trails Homeowners Association Houston
• August Community Association of the Highlands Houston
• July Reserve at Clear Lake Community Association Houston

To see the full story on these communities and more, visit the Community Spotlight 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 November.

• Heather Ridge Homeowners Association — 33 years
• Lochshire Maintenance Fund — 31 years
• Community Association of The Highlands — 27 years
• Plantation at Woodforest Community Association — 24 years
• Oak Park Ridge Homeowners Association — 21 years
• The Stable Gate Homeowners Association — 20 years
• Heron Nest Owners Association — 17 years
• Bridlewood Estates Property Owners Association —  14 years
• Dancing Bear Property Owners Association — 14 years
• Riverpark on the Brazos Property Owners Association — 13 years
• Avondale Residential Property Owners Association — 11 years
• Glenmont Estates Property Owners Association — 11 years
• Walker Ranch Homeowners Association — 9 years
• Sunrise Pines Homeowners Association — 7 years
• Telfair Office Park Condominium Association — 5 years
• The Summit Homeowners Association — 5 years
• Villages of Tour 18 Homeowners Association — 3 years

Thank you to all of these amazing communities!

Stockholder Anniversaries

We have two stockholder anniversaries to celebrate this November!

Diane Garcia, Team Lead for Accounts Approvals, has reached 7 years with C.I.A. Services! Diane is good at what she does and is a smart, sweet person. She’s often so focused at work that we accidentally startle her! She met her husband at her previous job and they have been together ever since. Outside of work, she loves to spend time with her grandbabies and raise her chickens.

Congratulations to Mitch Rowe, Maintenance Coordinator, for becoming our newest stockholder as he celebrates his fifth anniversary with the company!  Mitch is a great coworker and dedicated to providing awesome service.  Outside of work, Mitch spends time with his family.  With a daughter in college and boys who play youth sports, he stays busy supporting and coaching!  

Stay Plugged in With Webcasts

We offer each of our seminars in the form of a recorded webcast on demand for you to watch at any time! If you are interested in one of our seminars, they are available on our YouTube channel. The following seminars are now available:

• Corporate Transparency Act *NEW*
• 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

To watch any of the webcasts, simply click on the links above.

Associations in Practice

Our Associations in Practice Series is an offering of short videos with specific topics.  

The 2023 session of the Texas legislature had some impact on property owners’ associations.  The short 17-minute video, Texas 88th Legislative Session, provides a concise review of what passed and what didn’t, and what’s next for POAs based on the Session.

Although the 88th Legislative Session came to a close on May 29th, an extraordinary event unfolded when Governor Abbott opted to veto several bills, including one that had a direct impact on POAs. In light of this development, our Texas Legislative Session Update video, a follow-up to the above, provides crucial insights and an in-depth update regarding this situation.

Also available is Texas 87th Legislative Session.  The 2021 session of the Texas legislature produced significant changes to the Texas Property Code affecting property owners’ associations. This video explores those changes and provides specific follow-up recommendations. 

Super-Budget Concepts is a great introduction (or refresher) to our Super-Budget and a nice refresher or opening to the full webinar offered in our Seminar Series. 

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 is loaded with great information! 

We also provide updates through LinkedIn and Facebook. 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.

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.