"Creating Relationships & meaningful Moments with all who walk through our Doors."
Focus on People
First Communities believes in investing in people within our organization through employee engagement and providing a work environment that enhances their lives.
Our goal is for our associates to feel welcome, accepted and part of a greater purpose. The High Five Initiative is the First Communities way of doing this. The High Five Initiative brings our associates together for team building activities and to work together on charitable projects.
Our investment in people further extends to the residents that call our communities home. The ongoing engagement of our residents and enrichment to their resident experiences is critical to the support of the FCM mission statement, and an integral part of the financial success of our communities.
Focus on Wellness
We encourage our associates to further their careers through personal and professional development. First Communities learning and development programs are designed to promote safety, educate on ethics, drive operational excellence, deliver customer service, improve sales skills and build camaraderie across the organization. We offer in-house learning opportunities in both virtual and in person environments to meet the needs of all of our associates at every level.
Our mentorship program, the First Responder Program, allows our teams to receive one-on-one development with a peer. This mentorship experience guides each associate on their journey through First Communities and often develops into life-long friendships.
First Communities is proud to partner with national and local apartment associations to bring in new talent to our industry and organization through programs like the Service Training Academy, where people can receive hands on maintenance training and begin to build a career in Multifamily.
Focus on Relationships
First Communities works closely with each client on ways to ‘connect’ with their residents through property-specific programs, events and communication. As an example, we have worked closely with Apartment Life over the last several years and our COO serves on its Board of Directors for the Atlanta region. Various First Communities clients have adopted this impactful program at their properties and benefited from the community that the Apartment Life teams help foster. Apartment Life helps properties care for residents by connecting them in relationships.
First Communities also helped found the Atlanta Apartment Association Annual Food Drive. In 1978, First Communities’ founder, Rob Johnston, had a desire to help feed hungry residents at Thanksgiving that soon led to a door-to-door campaign at a single community for canned goods to share with those in need. In the 1990’s, the Atlanta Apartment Association (AAA) adopted this idea and created the annual AAA Food-A-Thon, benefiting the Atlanta Community Food Bank Charities, which is now the largest private Food Drive in the Nation. First Communities’ involvement with the food bank has exceeded $5 million dollars in the last decade with a commitment to achieving even higher contributions over the next decade.
Focus on Energy Conservation
First Communities seeks to partnership with ownership group that are motivated to install energy saving programs. These may be identified during the due diligence period to identify opportunities to reduce consumption and actively price solutions. These may include and not limited to:
High-efficiency furnaces
ENERGY STAR® boilers
Energy efficient windows and doors
Air sealing and insulation
Installation of roofing material the lessens the heat absorbed.
Energy audit
Installation of R410A energy saving HVAC units
Preventative maintenance to enhance efficiency in current systems
Outdoor lighting retrofits
Tenant/Common area energy efficient lighting
ENERGY STAR® refrigerators
Programmable thermostats
Focus on Water Conservation
First Communities works closely with its owners on ways to conserve energy and water at each property. This can come in the form of water saving toilets, shower heads and aerators. Each owners’ goals are unique but First Communities is always suggesting ways to help protect the planet and environment.
With each acquisition comes a Utility Conservation Opportunity. First Communities utilizes a unique energy management program that helps owners evaluate their monthly and annual trends. First Communities has successfully installed numerous:
Low-flow faucets
High-efficiency toilets
Timers on irrigation systems
ENERGY STAR® dish washers
Repair of underground water leaks
Utilized automated leak detection devices installed on the main meter.
First Communities is committed to seek opportunities and educate ownership groups to maximize efficiency, and educate ourselves with annual conferences for technology and NAA to be aware of new approaches.