Tag: Wow
WOW Story: More Than Family
Gustavo Martinez, Assistant Maintenance Manager
Employee since 2021
The WOW Opportunity
A member of the leasing team was walking a unit with one of our current residents, Greg, when he shared what he had been going through following the recent amputation of his foot. He stated that he had been struggling with daily tasks during his recovery process. Greg shared that most of his family resides in Chicago, leaving him to spend a lot of time alone, other than the time his caretakers are there throughout the day to help him.
The Epiphany
One day, while Greg and the leasing team were discussing repairs, he revealed that Assistant Maintenance Manager, Gustavo, had been stopping by his apartment every day to check on him—even on Gustavo’s day off. The leasing was blown away when they heard about this act of kindness, especially since Gustavo had not mentioned anything about his kind gesture and new friendship with Greg. The fact that this act came from the kindness of Gustavo’s heart, without any intention of receiving recognition, truly is inspiring and what makes this moment so special.
The WOW Moment
Gustavo continued to check on Greg, regardless of his work schedule. Through checking in on Greg, Gustavo gave the gift of time, care and support when a Venterra resident needed it most. Surgery can be scary and healing can be tough; sometimes people need to know they are not alone to find strength through these tough times. Gustavo even gave the gift of a good meal, with him and his wife showing up with breakfast tacos in tow for a visit the previous Saturday, Greg shared.
The Result
As Greg told the team about Gustavo and his wife visiting him, he became emotional.
“They weren’t here for just 15 minutes. They stayed for hours,” Greg stated. He went on to say that Saturday was not the only time day Gustavo showed up. “He actually shows up every day! My own family won’t even do that,” he said. He also mentioned that Gustavo was the only person that ever truly went out of his way to make sure he was okay. These consistent visits serve as a fantastic reminder that you can perform acts of kindness solely around your genuine care for people without seeking recognition from others.
Have you experienced a WOWMatters experience at your property or did we WOW you in some way? Let us know by sharing a Google Review here! Who knows, you just may be featured on our blog one day!
WOW Story: A Window Shade of Opportunity
Eric Benazeraf, Maintenance Manager, Experience Leader
Silverbrooke, Stafford, TX
Employee since 2017
The Opportunity
During a recent call, Eric met Joshua, a very nice young man living at Silverbooke. In conversation, Eric learned that Johsua acts as a server for his company and has a very large computer system in his study which tends to heat up the area. Joshua mentioned that he added a fan system to one of the windows to support with the airflow. While that was a clever setup, residents, unfortunately, aren’t able to have systems like this exposed in the window sills of Venterra apartments – but Eric knew of a way that he could help Joshua with his situation.
The Epiphany
He could understand Joshua’s need for having the fan system and wanted to find a solution that would serve as a win/win for both parties. Rather than telling Joshua that he has to remove the unit altogether, Eric got together with his team and brainstormed some ideas to help keep Joshua’s apartment at a comfortable temperature. The team completed research and found some great shade options on Amazon that could support both Venterra’s community guidelines and Joshua’s need for extra airflow in his unit.
This is when Eric decided to bring up the idea to Joshua. He explained his reasoning about why residents can’t have fans in the window and explained that he understood the resident’s need for increased airflow. Eric then asked if Johsua had ever considered a patio shade to help solve the issue. It turned out he had and just hadn’t purchased it just yet. Eric picked up on the fact that Joshua had been researching this on his own and understood that this truly was an issue that was affecting Joshua’s everyday living experience. Eric told him to be patient for a couple of days and that the leasing office would see what “options” were available!
The Wow Moment
The leasing team purchased a nice brown shade that would compliment Joshua’s outdoor area and provide the needed relief. When the shade arrived, Eric contacted Joshua and told him he needed to speak to him. When he opened the door, Eric said, “Surprise!” with the shade in hand. Joshua was so excited to know that Eric had found a solution to his problem. Eric even made the special touch of taking the time to install the shade for Johsua so he wouldn’t have to worry about any added stress.
The Result
Joshua was very happy and appreciative that we were able to provide such a quick and easy solution. The shades allowed him to keep his fans while serving as a win/win solution for us all. It is the goal of our leasing staff to always want to ensure our residents are happy while maintaining our own standards to provide exceptional living experiences. The team was happy that they could find a way to support Joshua and his need rather than having him continue to deal with excessive heat in his apartment.
Have you experienced a WOWMatters experience at your property or did we WOW you in some way? Let us know by sharing a Google Review here! Who knows, you just may be featured on our blog one day!
How Venterra WOWs Residents
Did you know that Venterra has an entire program dedicated to WOW-ing residents? That’s right, its called our WOW Matters program. This program is a favorite among our team members and for good reason – it is dedicated to improving the lives of our residents! 
If you’re a current Venterra resident or have taken a tour of our communities, you know we only hire caring employees that have big hearts and a passion for creating amazing experiences for the people around them. Through the WOW Matters program, these employees are empowered to find ways to create amazing, personalized moments for the residents they serve.
At Venterra, we’re in the people business. It isn’t about apartments to us, but instead about the people that live and make up our communities. As a people company, our value is human and our goal is to work to make the people who choose us happier. By WOWing, we are able to help increase levels of happiness and life satisfaction.
WOW is a verb at Venterra. “I want to WOW Melissa”, is an example of what you might hear in the back offices of our communities after an interaction with a resident. Equipped with a budget and passion for exceeding the needs of our residents, our teams are able to create WOW moments every day at their respective communities.
Attention to detail is truly where the WOW Matters program shines. Since we do value our residents, we know when something is wrong or if they’ve had a bad day. This is when our employees are trained to kick into their ‘WOW’ mindset and find a way to bring a smile to that resident. We notice the small things, like if our residents are wearing shoes that are too small, if their health is declining, we’re always listening in for small hints to bring joy.
“Each WOWMatters story shares a moment that Venterra anticipated the unspoken needs of our residents. The culture created within Venterra provides us with the intuition to take the kind and caring courage of action. Because We Care More Here, it’s in our nature to look for opportunities to go above and beyond to create memorable experiences (WOW moments) as often as possible,” – Johnna Bacak, Experience Leader, Online Reputation Specialist, Venterra Corporate Office Employee since 2008.
Here are what our residents have to say about the WOW culture at Venterra:
“I have lived here since February and love it. I currently live in a 2 bedroom in building 17 (new construction). The office staff is super nice and helpful. When my daughter was born they got us some stuff for the baby which I would have never expected an apartment complex to do.”
“The leasing staff made us feel so loved and the kind gesture is so wonderful. We are overwhelmed by this. We are luckier to be part of your community. Bless that day we first met you. Thank you so much for your love and affection.”
“I am so humbled by the generosity of the team at Carlyle Place Apartments in San Antonio! After a hard few weeks of no AC and a washing machine flood, the maintenance team responded quickly and got my apartment back into working order. On top of that, they dropped by today with a BRAND NEW AREA RUG (as mine was soaked and damaged), AND a bag of bird seed for the feeder! Words cannot express my gratitude for their generosity and kindness. Thank you, truly.”
You can find out more about the WOW Matters program here, and, for a closer look at how the program impacts those we serve, take a minute to check out some of our recent favorite resident and employee WOW moments in our most recent WOW Matters Venterra Experience publication! We even have a whole section of our blog dedicated to highlighting specific WOW stories, check it out here!
OUR EMPLOYEES LOVE THE WOW MATTERS PROGRAM SO MUCH THEY CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT IT! HEAR WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY IN THE VIDEO BELOW:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xc1ErmhSu0
WOW Story: The Gift of Time
Terry Luckett, Assistant Maintenance Manager, Experience Maker
Villas at Newnan Crossing, Atlanta, GA
Employee since 2015
This past year has reminded us all that nothing in life is certain or guaranteed. Fortunately, the silver lining of this lesson is to make the most of the time we are all given! That also includes never losing our sense of gratitude. When a beloved resident’s health took a turn for the worse, Terry Luckett stepped up for a WOW moment and gave the gift of his personal time, and ended up learning a valuable life lesson in the process.
The Opportunity
Morris Tolbert, age 56, was a retired military veteran from California who chose 
the Villas at Newnan Crossing three years ago to be his forever home. He lived alone and his family lived out of state. This past summer, Morris was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He expressed to the Villas staff that his condition was worsening and that he was beginning to get a bit scared. Everyday activities that we take for granted like breathing, walking, doing errands became more and more difficult. This was the moment Terry knew he had to do something for Mr.Tolbert to bring a smile to his face and decided to WOW him!
The Epiphany
In his final days, the Villas staff had asked Morris if he wanted them to contact any friends or family for him. He stipulated that under no uncertain terms that he wanted anyone to know he was dying. It was disheartening to the Venterra team that he was alone. He gave Terry permission to visit him at the hospital multiple times. During Terry’s last visit to the VA Hospital, Morris, hooked up to heart monitors and multiple tubes, managed to express how truly grateful he was to Terry and our staff at Venterra. He was so appreciative that he requested that Terry make a video of him with his cell phone so that others could see how he really felt about our staff and how wonderful the Villas had been to him. At first, Terry felt uneasy recording his testament, but he insisted. During his final days, Morris was persistent in showing his gratitude. After filming the video, Terry could barely contain himself with my emotions, he held Morris’ hand and played his favorite music. It was at this moment that Morris found peace. He was no longer scared.
The Wow Moment
As Morris’s health quickly deteriorated, he was in and out of hospitals until he finally was under hospice care. In the waning days of his life and one of his many hospitalizations, Terry delivered flowers, a card and a balloon for his WOW gift, a token to express his Venterra family’s care and concern. Terry wanted to let him know that the Villas staff and himself were here for him and would assist him with any needs that he may have. The true gift though, was the “Gift of Time”. Knowing the physical hardship that Morris was enduring, Terry was trying to help him out any way he could. There were days Terry would take Morris’ trash out, help him with his groceries, push him in his wheelchair so that he could enjoy the great outdoors and pick up his packages. In Terry’s services to help Morris, he truly began to form a deep friendship with him. In a way, Terry views this friendship as a WOW to himself! Morris thanked the Villas team for the flowers, balloon and card, but was even more appreciative of the time and fellowship that was given. In the end, it was Morris that WOWed us! This dying man gave Terry and the Villas his parting gift: the “Gift of Gratitude.” Terry paid my final respects by attending his funeral and visiting his gravesite. Morris will forever be in Terry’s memories not only as being a resident from our property, but as an endearing friend who taught him that in the end gratitude is one of our greatest gifts!
Have you experienced a WOWMatters experience at your property or did we WOW you in some way? Let us know by sharing a Google Review here! Who knows, you just may be featured on our blog one day!