Giving back to BEAR: (Be a Resource) program
by Faith Padgett

Helping the community is central to our company’s mission, and our employees strive to make positive changes through donations and volunteer efforts. To exemplify the C.I.A. Services core values of stewardship, empathy, and community, our Houston region partnered with the BEAR (Be a Resource) program for this year’s holiday toy drive.  

BEAR is a non-profit organization in the Houston area committed to improving the lives of at-risk and CPS-involved children and their caretakers. The BEAR program offers year-round support for households and children facing immense adversity and challenging circumstances. In addition to providing consistent support, the BEAR program helps fulfill Christmas wishes for over 25,000 children yearly. We have the privilege of assisting this program by donating toys, clothing, and other gifts. We are honored to have been able to support this impactful cause and spread holiday cheer.  

Thank you to the employees who contributed to this year’s toy drive. Through your combined efforts, C.I.A. Services presented a total donation valued at approximately $1,000. Your generosity helps foster joy, give hope in the face of hardship, and create warm memories for children in need. Each contribution makes a difference and improves the world around us!

Spreading Joy and Support: C.I.A. Services Celebrates the Spirit of Giving
by Cynthia Strickland

The San Antonio region joined hands with The Silver Sage Hill Country Resources Center and the Boys and Girls Club of Bandera for our annual Food and Angel Tree drive for the 2024 holiday season. Together, we’ve fostered a community spirit that extends far beyond the festive season.

Since 1984, Silver Sage has served as a cornerstone of hope in the Texas Hill Country. Operating as Meals on Wheels, a Senior Center, a Community Center, and a Resource Center, it has consistently demonstrated the power of community care. This year’s partnership with C.I.A. Services highlights the strength of collaboration and our shared commitment to uplifting those around us.

The Boys and Girls Club in Bandera opens its doors to children from all walks of life. This year, we were privileged to support three families, including 11 children, through our Angel Tree initiative. Each of these “Angels” has a unique story that touched our hearts, making it a joy to bring a little extra cheer to their Christmas.

As we celebrate the season of giving, it’s truly inspiring to see our community come together to make a meaningful difference.

Year in Numbers

Happy New Year!

2024 is now behind us, and it was another productive and eventful year at C.I.A. Services. Outstanding management is built on the foundation of excelling in all the small details. Our dedicated team worked tirelessly to handle the countless daily tasks required to manage our communities. Here are some highlights from the past year:

• Our home improvement request coordinators processed 6,857 home improvement and new construction requests for our communities, averaging 27 requests per workday. Of those, 4,471 (65%) were submitted online via our HIR application system, a percentage that continues to grow each year!
• Our maintenance coordinators issued and tracked 3,834 work orders and projects for our communities, averaging 16 per workday. These work orders ranged from sign fabrication and installation to developing specifications and soliciting bids for projects like installing a new clubhouse roof. Each work order required significant communication with contractors, both before and after completion. That’s a remarkable level of effort and coordination.
• Our accounting department processed, verified, and paid 45,728 vendor invoices for our communities, averaging 182 per workday. Managing this volume requires exceptional organizational skills to ensure timely reviews, approvals, and payments while maintaining thorough records that CPA auditors appreciate.
• Our customer service team assisted 1,802 property owners in setting up payment plans for their delinquent assessments.
• Our community managers, administrative assistants, and inspectors handled 61,202 deed restriction violations, issuing 86,953 letters to address these issues. Thanks to our diligent efforts, 84.2% of all violations were resolved before requiring a certified letter.
  
• In December alone, we received and deposited $9,464,986 in assessments across 15,317 individual payments.
  
• We handled 179,791 incoming phone calls in 2024, averaging 716 calls per workday!

These achievements demonstrate how attention to detail contributes to exceptional management. We take pride in delivering outstanding service at every level. A heartfelt thank you to all our dedicated employees for their hard work and perseverance in making 2024 another successful year!

Please help us welcome our newest community that recently joined us!

West Webster Lofts Council of Co-Owners in the Houston Montross\Midtown area joined us on January 1st. The community was originally a condominium complex until it was redeveloped into a mixed-use community in the late 90’s.

We are excited to get to know the owners and work with them!

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:

• January Stable Gate Homeowners Association Houston
• December Twin Oaks Village Community Association Houston
• 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

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 January.

• Hunterwood Village II Association — 39 years    
• Homeowners Association of Timber Forest — 28 years
• Eastpoint Section 4 Homeowners Association — 14 years
• Reserve at Clear Lake Community Association — 10 years
• Hidden Arbor Community Association — 9 years
• Harper Oaks Homeowners Association — 9 years
• BGR Property Owners Association — 8 years
• Southwinds Residential Association — 6 years
• The Agora Palms Property Owners Association — 5 years
• Cloverdale Residential Association — 2 years 

Thank you to all these amazing communities!

Employee Anniversaries

We love to celebrate special milestones with our employees. In the Employee Corner of each eNews issue, we will list all employees celebrating their first anniversary with our company and any stockholders celebrating their work anniversary. 

Congratulations to Charlotte Bulcken on her 29^th anniversary with C.I.A. Services! Charlotte provides accounting and corporate support at our Houston Region and is always there to help us with special projects. Outside of work, Charlotte is an avid theatergoer, trying to catch many of the shows in Houston.  She loves to spend time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and has shared her love of theater with them.  She also loves to travel and visit new places.  This past year, Charlotte traveled to New York City, checking an item off her “bucket list”!

Congratulations, Kimberly Terry, on 12 incredible years! We honor Kim’s dedication as an Administrative Assistant, supporting our San Antonio communities with heart and expertise. She is our go-to person, making things happen effortlessly. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her baby Bo, exploring nature, enjoying warm-weather cruises, and cherishing moments with her family.

Congratulations, LeAnn Bruton, on 7 fantastic years! We’re thrilled to celebrate LeAnn’s amazing contributions to our Financial Team. Known for tackling those “what-the-heck” moments, she is a whiz at accounting.  She’s also well known as a yarn aficionado. From knitting to quilting, sewing to crocheting, she’s a crafting queen who can tell you everything about yarn! At home, she enjoys the company of her beloved doggie roommates.

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. 

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.

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.