Tech Talk with 20for20

In this year's 20for20 Annual Survey, we once again asked six leading companies to share a viewpoint about some important aspect of operations and technology. This year, we released a video in which leadership from each company advocates for their viewpoint.

This is a GREAT way to get an explanation of six powerful new insights from companies at the cutting edge of multifamily technology. The viewpoints are:

1. Donald Davidoff, ...

To wrap up this series on maintenance centralization, we review several of the ideas that came out of the previous eight interviews. The panelists are: Brandon Winter, Director of Operational Strategy at Equity Residential,  Mylisa Rostel, CEO of Anchor NW and David Perez, former head of multifamily at RMR group.

Key topics include:

• How companies are flexing maintenance teams across properties, allowing operators to better alloca...

In this episode, Elik Jaeger, founder and CEO of SuiteSpot, shares how technology is transforming unit turnover and maintenance operations in multifamily. 

Key topics include:

• SuiteSpot's evolution from a construction services company specializing in unit turns before evolving into a purpose-built platform for multifamily operations.
• How unit turns are complex projects happening at scale, requiring coordination across multiple sta...

In this episode, Dom sits down with Jay McKee, founder and CEO of Lessen, to discuss that draws on Jay's extensive background in property management and services. Jay shares insights into the lessons learned from building large-scale maintenance networks and the technology driving the next phase of operational efficiency.

Key topics include:

• The creation of Lessen, driven by a need to streamline maintenance operations, leveraging...

S3 E07: Mike Travalini, Co-Founder and CEO of Mezo

In this episode, Dom speaks with Mike Travalini, CEO and co-founder of Mezzo, about how AI-driven maintenance solutions are transforming rental housing operations. Mike shares his journey from real estate investment to founding Mezzo, which was recently acquired by Property Meld (interviewed earlier in this series).

Key topics include:

• How Mike’s experience as an operator led him ...

In this episode, Dom speaks with Daniel Cunningham, CEO ofLeonardo247, about the evolving role of AI in maintenance and the realities of centralization. Daniel shares his experiences from both the operator and technology side, offering insights into how automation and data-driven decision-making are reshaping the industry.

Key topics include:

• Daniel’s experience as an asset manager led to the creation of Leonardo247, a task-based...

In this episode, Dom sits down with Ray Hespen, CEO and co-founder ofProperty Meld, to discuss how his industrial engineering background shaped his approach to multifamily maintenance. They dive into strategies for centralizing maintenance, leveraging data, and integrating AI to improve operations and resident experiences. 

Key topics include:

• How Ray’s background in manufacturing and process engineering informed Property Meld’s ...

In this episode, Dom sits down with Sean Landsberg, co-founder and CEO of AppWork, to explore innovative approaches to multifamily maintenance. From gamification to centralization, Sean shares insights gained from his dual perspective as an operator and a technology founder. 

Key topics include:

• The Origins of AppWork: How Sean’s frustration as an operator led to the creation of a maintenance platform designed specifically for te...

In this episode, Dom chats with Ken Murai, founder of Facilgo, about his journey from creating OpsTechnology to innovating with Facilgo, and how centralized maintenance is transforming multifamily operations. They dive into the evolution of maintenance technology and how adopting techniques from single-family and scattered-site portfolios can unlock efficiencies in multifamily. Key topics include:

• OpsTechnology’s Legacy:...

In this episode, Dom sits down with Jindou Lee, CEO and founder of HappyCo, to discuss how centralized maintenance is reshaping multifamily operations. They explore how innovative technology, like AI and advanced inventory management, can enhance efficiency and cut costs in a challenging labor environment. Key topics include:

• HappyCo’s Origin Story: How frustration with traditional inspection methods led to the creation ...

This new season explores an area that multifamily has been struggling with for some time: Maintenance Centralization.In particular, it will explore a big idea: for maintenance to be centralized, it needs to become more like the single-family rental model.

The season will feature deep-dive interviews with the founders of the leading maintenance technology platforms. as well as a round table with some operators.We recommend listening...

This episode explores the impact of the RM lawsuits on the business environment. The conversation with a leading competitor data provider (Blerim Zeqiri, CEO of RADIX), RM service provider (Stacy Westbay, CEO Revenue Edge) and RM software vendor (Tim McInerney, CRO of REBA) attacks this complicated matter from multiple angles, including:

• How the industry has reacted to the ongoing legal situation, and how they have changed th...

In this episode Dom is the guest and the Digible Dudes (Reid Wicoff and David Staley) ask the questions about the ongoing antitrust lawsuits surrounding multifamily revenue management and the potential impacts on the industry. It was a great way to provide a high-level summary of some of the main themes of this season, including:

• The origins and motivations behind the lawsuits: how the ProPublica article sparked a wave of pri...

In this conversation, Ethan Glass, a partner with Cooley Law Firm, discusses the complexities of antitrust in the housing market. As an antitrust expert and litigator with about eight years of experience with the Department of Justice (DOJ), Ethan was able to give a broad perspective on legal actions against multifamily revenue management, including:

• The stages of litigation, the role of discovery, and the differences between...

The multifamily industry needs innovation, and tech innovation needs DATA. This conversation with Remen Okoruwa, CEO of Propexo, takes a tech ecosystem perspective on the revenue management lawsuits.

Propexo is making it easy for companies to address the thing that keeps so many of us up at night...integrations. That gives Remen a unique perspective on some of the unintended consequences of the RM lawsuits, including:

• The ...

There’s a time and a place for competitor data, and a multifamily pricing algorithm is not it! In this latest episode in our Revenue Management deep-dive series Dom geeks out with OG multifamily RM guru Donald Davidoff, using examples from multiple different industries to explain how RM algorithms work. We talk about where comp data is helpful and where it isn’t. If you’re trying to make sense of the current focus on comp data you ...

This episode is a conversation with Jay Ezrielev, a legal consultant and lecturer in antitrust law, who previously worked in the FTC. Jay has written eloquently about the Department of Justice’s legal action relating to revenue management, and his concerns for the broader implications for the industry, including:

• The unusually broad application of antitrust doctrine and the potential impact on technology and data sharing acr...

This episode is a conversation with Jesse Strauss, a GC with deep experience of technology and rental housing. The discussion lays out the landscape of lawsuits and legislation affecting revenue management and explores the legal and business ideas at play, including:

• The current anti-landlord lawsuits and legal challenges in algorithmic pricing and data sharing in real estate.

• Key differences between private lawsuits and th...

Welcome back to Tech Talk with 20for20! This is the preview episode for a new series of conversations that will dive deep into the issues currently surrounding revenue management in the multifamily industry.

For more details, read the Season Overview Blog

Background Reading for this Season:

20for20 white paper on multifamily revenue management and competition:

https://lp.20for20.com/23-wp-multifamily-revenue-management

Other r...