Rain Foundation overall. ….
Rain Foundation overall.
She is a team builder with an eye to buttressing customer service for all LW residents.
And she is working to get community management credentialing for top staff to solidify top-down competency and underscore team efficiency.
These strides forward may seem nebulous to the average LW resident, but they are the infrastructure for a stronger community. Sedgwick is working to align companywide priorities so staff can work together to bring accomplishments that will yield value to all residents: Procedures Streamlined
Specifically:
• New Software Systems: Historically, GRF business has been conducted via antiquated and counterintuitive Jenark property management, Click-Pay and Axxerion software. As a result, many critical processes— for example, service request orders and accounting transactions—have been done mostly manually.
Sedgwick, working with the Information Technology Services (ITS) Department, managed by Director Marcelo Mario, has implemented new technologies to cut redundancies for huge productivity gains. With the new Cync software, the GRF now has a robust platform that will ripple efficiency into the community.
Cync can be accessed from anywhere and has a work order component so Service Maintenance staff can use cell phones for processing service repair orders (SROs). The software accommodates electronic invoice processing, approval workflows and vendor management. This will make for faster turnaround times. Plus, Cync can collect and analyze financial data to help pinpoint fiscal projections. That insight will help LW remain financially strong.
Also coming is a program called HomeWise Docs, which will provide reliable, aroundthe- clock online access so Stock Transfer can streamline the sometimes painstakingly slow escrow process.
• Gate Access: Of more immediate value for some is the new gate access system proposed by Sedgwick, Security Services Director Victor Rocha and ITS Director Mario. The program has been reviewed by the Security Bus and Traffic committee, and GRF Board approval is pending. Despite changes in software over several years, visitor management and gate access continue to plague the Security Department.
On Dec. 14, the Security, Bus and Traffic Committee recommended that the GRF Board approve a contract with California Gate & Entry Systems (CG Systems, Inc.).
The company, located in Anaheim since 1981, provides automated gates and entry, access control, CCTV and visitor management solutions. This means guests will have swift access to LW. Security will know what vehicles have entered and left LW, and residents will have RFID access control.
That is a type of key-card system that uses RFID technology to verify a resident’s credentials. RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. At its core, RFID enables wireless communication between a reader and an RFID tag. Ultimately, this technology will allow instant resident access to all GRF amenities, such as the pool and gym.
• Action Request Process: Sedgwick and Administration staffers have instituted new expanded action request forms to provide transparency and comprehensive overviews in GRF Board agenda packets. The forms include project background, fiscal impacts and committee recommendations. This will help residents monitor pending community projects.
Team Building
• Ramped Up Training Protocols: Sedgwick has put a priority on the importance of best practices for community management as designated in the Davis-Stirling Act. (Davis-Stirling governs the operation of community interest developments, such as Leisure World.) To that end, she has hired GRF Learning and Development Manager Acacia Young, who will formalize operating procedures for every GRF department. This will cut down redundancy and help with cross training employees, which will result in a more responsive, less expensive workforce.
Young is also tasked with drafting a 2023 Road Map that will delineate specific changes and improvements to promote efficiency and service communitywide.
• Revamped Safety Meetings: Health and Safety Specialist Eloy Gomez has designed safety meetings to help make LW a more secure place to work and live. New hire orientations will be coming soon to help staff acclimate quickly to the unique GRF workplace, according to Sedgwick. FIRST
180 Days
And what's coming in 2023
by Ruth Osborn
managing editor
It’s been six months since GRF Executive Director Jessica Sedgwick came to Leisure World to take over the helm of this community of about 9,500 residents governed by the GRF Board of Directors and 16 Mutual boards.
She leads with a calm and steady hand, supported by a strong foundation of property management and community association experience.
“It’s been a challenging six months collaborating with staff and GRF directors to identify challenges, determine objectives and review financial and organizational structures,” she said. “I’m looking forward to 2023 as my staff and I work to craft a road map that protects and enhances this special community and the retirement lifestyle that it’s known for.”
Despite her short time here, Sedgwick’s accomplishments can be felt throughout Leisure World. Residents can look forward to seeing her management decisions and guidance to the GRF Board come to full fruition in 2023.
In a nutshell, she has been adept at streamlining procedures, especially in Finance and Stock Transfer, that will lead to new efficiencies for residents and a more effective Golden
ACCOMPLISHMENTS, page 22
