MILWAUKEE, Wis. – On October 15, Continental Properties hosted its 28th Annual State of the Company (SOC) event in Milwaukee, WI. The event brought together team members from across the country, in person and via live stream, to celebrate achievements, assess performance, and set a strategic vision for the future. This year’s theme, “Evolve: Our Careers, Our Company, Our Future,” highlighted Continental’s commitment to adapting, growing, and leading in a changing market.
State of the Company Meeting
The day opened with remarks from CEO and Co-Founder Jim Schloemer and President & Chief Operating Officer Dan Minahan, who introduced this year’s theme and reminded the team that evolving is a continuous commitment, not a one-time effort.
EVP & Chief Financial Officer Ed Madell followed with one simple question: why must we evolve? He walked team members through the forces reshaping the multifamily industry, including interest rates, new supply, household formation, and artificial intelligence. He also covered the internal factors driving Continental’s own evolution.
Our Careers, Our Company, Our Future
Three sessions followed, one for each part of the theme. EVP & Chief Human Resource Officer Ashley Napoli, joined by team members David Smith and Aaron Konop, shared how team members can own their growth, build new skills, and use AI to rethink how work gets done.
EVP of Operations & Chief Legal Officer Paul Seifert and EVP & Chief Development & Construction Officer Kim Grimm led the Our Company session, joined by Kelsey Shulan, James Crichton, Cade Fontana, Jeremy Swanson, and Melissa Barnes. Together, they traced Continental’s history of reinventing itself and discussed building consistency through shared standards, better use of data and AI, and stronger collaboration across departments.
Kelsey shared, "Continental Properties has always been a company that evolves to stay relevant and profitable. Whether by necessity or foresight, Continental has entered and exited different areas of real estate to capture value for its investors and provide opportunities for its employees. This year, the State of the Company program focused on our next stage as a company and the means by which we can continue to achieve greatness. With a focus on continuous improvement, AI, measuring progress, and cross functional collaboration, we discussed the importance of team member initiative and ideation in Continental's next evolution."
EVP & Chief Customer Experience Officer Garrett Hrncir and Jim Schloemer closed the presentations with a look ahead. They emphasized that great companies keep evolving while they are winning, and that Continental’s next evolution is a deeper focus on the customer, built on knowing residents well enough to anticipate what they need.
Honoring Our People
After the presentations concluded, team members paid tribute to Ron Sabourin, Regional Director of Continental’s Michigan, Indiana, and Iowa communities, who recently passed away. Ron was remembered as a leader who genuinely cared about people, knew his team as individuals, and shared his time and experience generously with colleagues across the company. He will be deeply missed.
The event closed with the presentation of the Rich Bell Award, which celebrates the team member who best embodies the collaborative spirit and values of Rich Bell, one of Continental’s three founders. This year’s recipient was Erik Hahn, Vice President of Acquisitions.
Looking Ahead
At Continental, SOC is more than an annual meeting. It is a strategic forum to reflect on our progress, strengthen connections, and align on the path forward. We extend our appreciation to everyone who helped make this year’s event a success. Together, we look ahead to another year of purposeful growth, innovation, and collaboration.
