Innovation on Purpose: Erin Mahone on Standardization, Hospitality, and the Future of Multifamily (Boss 133)
Host Evan Happel (Community Boss) sits down with Erin Mahone, SVP of Innovation and Implementation at CLS Living, to discuss the company's bold push into technology, hospitality, and standardization as it expands beyond student housing into multifamily real estate. Erin shares her 18-year journey in the industry — from leasing professional at her own college apartment complex to her current role — and digs into how CLS Living is tackling three core pillars: hospitality, standardization, and efficiency. She describes the company's unique partnership with Forbes Travel Guide to develop a 55-point hospitality standard, their methodical approach to piloting tech solutions (especially in maintenance), and the challenges of getting employee buy-in for new tools. The conversation also covers CLS Living's expansion plans beyond student housing, internal AI tools, and the realities of navigating turn season.
Boss Talks | Elevating ALL the Bosses of the Multifamily Industry · Erin Mahone, Evan Happel
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Show Notes
Guest: Erin Mahone, SVP of Innovation and Implementation, CLS Living
Host: Evan Happel, Community Boss
Topics Covered:
- Erin's career path: from leasing agent at her own college apartment to SVP
- CLS Living's rebrand and expansion into multifamily, on-campus, and future international markets
- How CLS partnered with Forbes Travel Guide to create a 55-point hospitality standard (inspired by Forbes' 500+ hotel service standards)
- The "4 S's" (Stop, Stand, Speak, Smile) and CLS "curse words" (phrases employees avoid)
- Building an internal AI tool (like a company-specific ChatGPT) for instant policy lookups
- Piloting 3 competing maintenance inspection solutions simultaneously
- How to get tech buy-in from maintenance teams — pain points as the gateway to adoption
- Focus groups by role (leasing managers, account managers, general managers) to identify process gaps
- The challenge of "shadow solutions" — employees creating their own Excel trackers on top of existing systems
- Turn season strategy: tracking KPIs, budget visibility via custom turn boards, and early problem detection
- The importance of phone etiquette and mystery shopping
- Why student housing tech adoption often leads the broader multifamily industry
- Evan's parking software and Erin's college parking horror story (UGA, football Saturdays, repeat towing)
|
Time |
Chapter |
| 0:10 | Intro & Guest Introduction — Evan introduces Erin Mahone, SVP of Innovation and Implementation at CLS Living |
| 1:36 | Erin's New Role at CLS Living — Erin describes her transition from VP of Training & Hospitality to SVP of Innovation and Implementation |
| 1:47 | Technology in Real Estate — The challenge of tech adoption in the industry and CLS's focus on maintenance solutions |
| 3:11 | AI & Moore's Law — Discussion on accelerating AI change, ChatGPT search, and why businesses must adapt or disappear |
| 7:30 | Parking Stories — Evan introduces Community Boss's parking software; Erin shares her college parking horror story at UGA |
| 10:00 | Erin's Background & Career Journey — From accidental leasing agent at her own college apartment to 18 years in the industry |
| 13:41 | The CLS Hospitality Philosophy — How a hotel visit inspired CLS's hospitality-first approach |
| 14:33 | Forbes Travel Guide Partnership — Building CLS's 55 hospitality standards modeled after Forbes' 500+ hotel service criteria |
| 22:12 | Phone Etiquette & Mystery Shopping — How CLS trains staff on phone calls and conducts quality control |
| 26:21 | CLS Expanding Beyond Student Housing — The rebrand to CLS Living and expansion into multifamily, on-campus, and beyond |
| 27:35 | Standardization & Tech Stack — Building uniform policies, processes, and a consistent tech stack across all properties |
| 35:41 | Getting Buy-In for New Technology — Steve's question answered: how to win over tech-averse maintenance teams through pain points and pilots |
| 39:18 | Turn Season Challenges — The biggest difficulties during move-in months: logistics, staffing, KPI tracking, and budget control |
| 44:24 | Wrap-Up & Closing Thoughts — Erin's invitation to return, Boss Brunch, and Evan's call for future guests |
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*The views and opinions expressed on Boss Talks are those of the host and their guest(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Community Boss.