When Kyndall Lee Young stepped into her role as Community Manager at Clarke Springs at the beginning of the year, she knew she had a lot to prove.
The community’s residents are all renters, but many have called Clarke Springs home for five years or more. They had established relationships with previous management and, after years of living in the community, were understandably cautious about welcoming someone new.
Kyndall could have allowed that skepticism to discourage her.
Instead, she stayed the course.
She showed up. She listened. She followed through. And, most importantly, she made it her mission to demonstrate through her actions that she was there for her residents and committed to the community.
Over time, something began to change.
The residents started to trust her.
For one Clarke Springs resident, that change was especially meaningful.
George has lived at Clarke Springs with his family for seven years. Before Kyndall arrived, he had become frustrated with management and was considering leaving the community. When Kyndall became the new Community Manager, he wasn't convinced things would be any different.
Still, when Kyndall conducted a routine home inspection, George allowed her into his home.
During the inspection, Kyndall discovered soft spots beneath the carpeting along with other maintenance concerns that needed to be addressed quickly.
George wasn't sure what would happen next.
"I didn't know if anything would actually happen," he says.
But Kyndall followed through.
The flooring throughout the home was removed. The underlying floor was repaired, and the carpeting was replaced with beautiful wood-style flooring throughout the home.
"I was so happy and impressed," George says.
The experience changed his perspective, not just about the condition of his home, but about the community and the person leading it.
George had been preparing to move out and find another place to live. Now, he's staying at Clarke Springs.
Seeing Kyndall's dedication and the improvements taking place throughout the community gave him a reason to reconsider.
For Kyndall, the flooring project is just one example of what she believes being a Community Manager is all about.
It's about paying attention.
It's about knowing the residents.
And it's about taking action when something needs to be addressed.
Tishanna Newman, A Senior Vice President at Roots Management Group, has seen Kyndall's commitment firsthand.
"She has done a great job with customer service," Tishanna says. "She is very attentive to her residents and when there is an issue, she addresses it right away."
Tishanna also points to Kyndall's diligence with inspections and her willingness to advocate for residents when she finds problems.
"All the homes in her community are rentals. I do know about the fact that the flooring was deteriorating and needed to be replaced. She did an escalation report and they coordinated with the vendor to get it replaced."
That process, from identifying a problem during an inspection to escalating it and coordinating the necessary work, is an important part of Kyndall's role.
But to the resident living in that home, it means something much bigger.
It means someone noticed.
Someone cared.
And someone followed through.
At Roots Management Group, Community Managers are empowered to take ownership of their communities and make decisions with the residents and property in mind.
Roots supports its Community Managers with mentors, annual training summits, internal training and ongoing support systems designed to give them the tools they need to succeed.
But ultimately, it is the Community Manager who is there every day.
They are Roots' feet on the ground, the people who know the residents, see the homes, identify concerns and help create a community that is safe, clean and welcoming.
Roots encourages Community Managers to manage as if they own the property. That means taking pride in the details and understanding that even a seemingly small improvement can make a significant difference in someone's life.
Kyndall has embraced that responsibility at Clarke Springs.
Building trust doesn't happen overnight, especially in a community where residents have experienced years of different management teams and have learned to be cautious about promises.
Kyndall didn't try to win residents over with promises.
She earned their trust through consistency.
She inspected homes. She listened to concerns. She escalated issues. She followed up with vendors. And she kept showing up.
Now, residents are noticing the difference.
George's story is one example of how a single interaction can change someone's perspective. A resident who was preparing to leave is now choosing to stay because he has seen firsthand the commitment Kyndall brings to her job.
And that is perhaps the greatest measure of success for a Community Manager—not simply maintaining a property, but building relationships with the people who call it home.
At Clarke Springs, Kyndall Lee Young is proving that trust is earned one resident, one inspection and one follow-through at a time.
And the residents are taking notice.