“Maintenance teams are the unsung heroes of the multifamily industry” is an industry-wide notion that rings loud and true - and it’s for a good reason. But what does it take to empower them to deliver exceptional results? How do we create a “five-star employee experience” while optimizing asset performance and resident satisfaction with the right tech?
These questions were at the heart of Happy Summit 2025, where multifamily owners/operators, property managers, and maintenance leaders representing 2 -million-plus units gathered in gorgeous La Jolla, CA, alongside our Plugin Partners and sponsors. The universal theme? Everything we do always comes back to people. Key takeaways? TONS.
Whether you’re hoping to hold on to your fondest Happy Summit memory or feeling #FOMO because you missed us, we’ve got you covered—recapping some of the best moments and insights all in one place. Fire up that bookmarks bar and hit save because these takeaways are too valuable to forget.
Knowledge Worth Applying: The Tactical Takeaways Guide
How to Tame Your “Lizard” Brain: Ever catch yourself firing off an email you’ll instantly regret? Join the club. Learn how the most primitive part of your brain hijacks any clear head under pressure and grab simple tricks to hit the mental pause button before that “reply all” disaster. Insights from Training Your Inner Lizard Brain with business therapist Michel Zelnick.
How to Elevate Maintenance Dream Teams: Maintenance pros took center stage to share how the right tech, willingness to learn (even at corporate), and healthy competition can upskill and elevate our industry’s frontline customer service reps who are pivotal to property and portfolio success. Insights from “Maintenance Confidential” with Gingko Residential’s Damian Wilson, Al Angelo’s Nick Hecox, Bell Partners’ Dave Andrews, Thompson Thrift’s Kenny Choat, and HappyCo’s Jindou Lee.
How to Deliver Amazon-Speed Service (Without Amazon’s Budget): Residents want everything fixed at the speed of RIGHT NOW. Uncover the secret sauce for meeting sky-high, on-demand expectations and driving NOI using centralized models and vendor networks—all while keeping teams sane and happy. Insights from “The On-Demand Maintenance Mandate” with Western Wealth Communities ’Jennifer Staciokas, TDC’s John Barr, Thumbtack’s Anna Hou, and HappyCo’s Ben Nowacky.
How to Keep Everyone Happy (Yes, Really): Owners want ROI. Residents want perfection. Staff want respect. Get practical wisdom for navigating this high-wire balancing act, including a formula for identifying which tasks actually move the needle. Insights from “The Great Multifamily Balancing Act” with Franklin Group’s Aaron Ball, Avenue5 Residential’s Duston Larsen, and HappyCo’s Jessica Argyle.
How to Centralize Without the Drama: Thinking of centralizing maintenance operations? Worried your operations are about to take a detour? Take this no-nonsense roadmap - and apply it - to avoid painful pitfalls that’ll instead lead you to the right talent and processes. Insights from “Top Centralization Failures” with Mark-Taylor’s John Carlson, Blanton Turner’s Jesse Anderson, and HappyCo’s Jindou Lee.
How to Make Tech Your Team’s Bestie: One minute maintenance is nodding enthusiastically at new tech. Next, they’re quietly refusing it. Get the field-tested playbook for turning skeptics into advocates and tech investments into real rewards. Insights from “The Human Reality of Tech” with Greystar’s John Birkhofer and HappyCo’s Christina Fox.
How to Actually Use AI as Your Administrative Sidekick: Fear not the bot. Discover how applying smart AI strategies can free your maintenance teams from paperwork purgatory so they can focus on what humans do best—creating meaningful resident connections. Insights from “Humanizing AI” with HappyCo’s Trevor Riley, TSA’s Jeff Derricott, Snappt’s Kyle Nelson, and JVM’s Steve Boyack.
Looking Ahead: Product Updates Galore
While other companies talk about AI and automation that “boost operational efficiencies” or “optimize maintenance operations,” HappyCo continues to deliver solutions driven by real-world demand and customer pain points. Those product teasers during Happy Summit’s product keynote everyone is talking about? Just the beginning (and deserve their own spotlight)! Be sure to sign up for Happy Headlines, follow us on LinkedIn, or check out our Spring Product Release for more details.
A HUGE thank you to everyone who joined us at Happy Summit! Your energy, ideas, and enthusiasm made this our best event yet. To our Plugin Partners and sponsors Thumbtack, AppFolio, Grace Hill, Interplay Learning, Snappt, Source7, Assurant, Beans.ai, IrisCX, Keyway, Real Estate Business Analytics (REBA), Sure, SurfaceAI, Roost, and igloo who shared their solutions in our Learning Lab and on the stage—we couldn't have done it without your support.
To get on the list for Happy Summit for 2026, sign up here.
Next Stop: Fixed Summit
Built for maintenance pros by maintenance pros, this wrench-in-hand troubleshooting conference meets retreat hits the Pacific Northwest May 19-21. Brought to you by the team who brought you Happy Summit, we’re gearing up to deliver the maintenance event the multifamily industry has been asking for. Register to attend to get on the list– spots are going fast!
