Scaling Up Magazine Scaling Up Magazine Summer 2018 | Page 16

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SPOTLIGHT: JEFF KITTLE
Scaling Up
To Support A
Worthy Cause
WHEN JEFF Kittle’s longtime partner
and mentor at Herman & Kittle
Properties (HKP) retired in 2010, the
company—along with the rest of the
business world—was still rebounding
from one of the worst recessions the
country had ever seen. As president of
the company, however, Kittle knew he
had to act swiftly to keep the business
on an accelerating growth path and
instill confidence in his 200 employees.
While HKP—which develops and
operates affordable housing—had
formulated and adopted many strategic
plans over the years, Kittle found that the
plans were often too complex for people
who had little time to fully implement
them. By teaming up with professional
coach Dr. Craig Overmyer, cofounder
of Cultures That Work, Kittle sought
a simpler and more effective approach
to growing his company. Using the
teachings of “Scaling Up” guru Verne
Harnish, Overmyer coaches companies on
developing and implementing a one-page
strategic plan that provides a blueprint
for growth for the next ten years.
With Overmyer’s help, the company held
a kickoff retreat for its top executives,
where they began developing a plan
that established objectives around
growth, cash flow, giving back to the
community, and employee engagement.
Eventually, the planning group
consisted of thirty company leaders.
“Our goal was to grow our portfolio
of properties under management to
300–500 units [each unit contains
approximately 200 apartments], with
$30 million to $50 million of global cash
flow,” says Kittle. “The plan provided
a way to connect the dots and show our
employees where we were trying to
go. We were then able to divide it into
quarters, years, and three- and five-year
increments, ultimately assigning goals
to individuals to own and report on.”
As a provider of affordable housing,
Kittle knew the company’s mission was
meaningful to employees—particularly
the Millennial generation of young
adults. Incorporated into its one-page
plan, therefore, was the new “HKP
Cares” initiative, which allocated
donations to qualified nonprofits aligned
with the company’s core mission.
“Many of our employees have
friends or family members that have
experienced substandard housing
or even homelessness,” says Kittle.
“We try to communicate to them how
ecstatic our residents are to find housing
that is clean, safe, and affordable.”
Now, seven years into the scaling up
process, HKP has literally built itself
into a major player in the affordable
housing market, with 150 properties
in 18 states and 500 employees.
“We have made it very clear that
employees interested in growth will
get that opportunity,” says Kittle,
referencing the 80 leadership positions
currently available at the company.
Despite its success, HKP continues to
work with Overmyer, who still assists
with the company’s planning sessions and
often coaches staff on new insights that
can help forestall problems. “It’s valuable
having a coach,” says Kittle. “His
experience provides the guardrails that
keep us on the straight and narrow.”
MEET JEFF KITTLE
Jeffrey L. Kittle is responsible for
directing the senior management
team, strategic initiatives, new
opportunities, and financial results
for Herman & Kittle Properties, Inc.
and its 500 employees. Jeff has been
in the housing field for 20+ years,
and is responsible for the ownership
and management of 150 properties
in 18 states. These developments,
which include over 15,000 apartment
homes and over 6,000 self-storage
units, have utilized some form of
conventional or government financing
including housing tax credits and/
or
tax-exempt
bond
financing,
the United States Department of
Agriculture, HUD, and the Federal
Home Loan Bank. All totaled, HKP's
portfolio represents more than $1.5
billion in investments.
IT'S ONLY A DRY
PIECE OF BREAD
YET TO SOME IT
MEANS SO MUCH.
Herman & Kittle Properties is the
successor to companies that have
been around since 1948 and has
developed and managed multi-
family homes for over 60 years. HKP
develops, builds, owns, and manages
rental housing and self-storage
facilities in 18 states. HKP places
great emphasis on human capital
development, which is represented
by an excellent team of highly
experienced senior and mid-level
leaders. With Jeff's help, HKP was
recognized as Affordable Housing
Finance's 11th largest development
firm, and the 14th largest owner.
www.hermankittle.com