Five-Year Anniversary of Carla Conover’s Contribution to Cardinal Group

At Cardinal, our culture embodies many different elements: it’s about improving as a team while having fun growing together both personally and professionally. Our team members are the heart and soul of our culture! We are so grateful for the efforts our team members put in daily to go the extra mile to help change the industry and challenge the status quo.

Today we’re celebrating Carla Conover and her dedicated years of service to the growth of our team over the last five years.

Learn more about Carla’s journey below!

What is your role?

IT Project Manager

Describe your Cardinal Journey (roles you previously worked in before your current position)

I started as an Executive Assistant working for the partners, planning events (like Boondoggle), and overseeing projects (like the renovation of the 7th floor). When Covid hit, I took on implementing safety precautions at the office (implementing Robin, researching, and setting up the temperature kiosks, etc.). Soon thereafter, I began project managing the Salesforce and TaskRat implementation with the IT and Data team. I moved onto that team fully in December of 2020 as an IT Project Manager. The following spring, the PMO was formed when Brent came on board, and I’ve been on the PMO team ever since.

 

How did you decide to join the Cardinal team?

I decided to join Cardinal in early 2019 after my previous employer passed away. I’d felt pretty lost at the time as I’d worked for him for 16 years.  A coworker of mine knew one of the old Cardinal principals and made the introduction between us in January 2019.  I’d had job offers from 2 other organizations at the time, but something about Cardinal stood out to me.  I was taken with the fact that the company had, and more importantly abided by, strong core values, the “people first” mindset, and was a young, hard-working, growth-mindset organization. Cardinal felt more like “me” in a time that I was looking to find a new “me.”

What’s the most significant lesson you’ve learned in your time at Cardinal? 

The most significant lesson I’ve learned at Cardinal is to always be open to change. No two days are alike- being flexible and prepared will always go a long way.

What do you find most exciting about your job? Most challenging?

I love working with so many different departments at Cardinal. Interacting with lots of different people, soaking up knowledge from those I admire, and showing up as a mentor for others- I really enjoy all the relationships I get to build day to day with each of my project teams. The most challenging part of my job is I have a hard time separating project success from personal success. When a project falls behind, or encounters obstacles, I really take those downfalls to heart. I truly believe in the value of projects I get to PM and the people on my project teams- and really pour all of myself into seeing success.

If you could choose one word to describe your time at Cardinal, what would it be and why? 

Inspired. As I mentioned, I feel lucky to get to work with some of the most inspiring women. I’ve seen these women grow into new roles, handle tough roadblocks, and still manage to show up to calls being cool and collected. I’ve watched these women closely to map what I want to see in myself, and deeply value their feedback and encouragement.

 

Who has been influential in your life (professionally or personally), and how have they helped guide you?

My son has been the most influential person to me most recently. He has shown more grit and resilience than I’d ever thought possible for a 15-year-old. He finds silver linings in dark times and keeps his eyes focused on his goals. His fight has allowed me to reframe my own challenges and reminds me to be grateful every single day.

 

What’s something people may not know about you?  

Some people may not know about my No Doubt tribute band (aka my midlife crisis band). I love to perform and sing.

 

What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry?

It may feel like drinking from a firehose- there’s so many acronyms, SOPs, figuring out how the cells work, who to go to for help… but eventually you will find your groove!  Then take that experience, and how you found grit to get to a place of confidence and knowledge, and pass that on to the next new TM at Cardinal!

 

What is your proudest moment working at Cardinal Group? 

I’m most proud of myself when I get a compliment from any of the people I admire. Whether it’s an email, a chat, a shout out on a call- it feels good to have my efforts noticed.

 

What is your biggest motivator?

My family is my biggest motivator. I want to set a good example for my kids and step kids. When I’m having a hard day, I think about the kids and know they are looking to me to understand how to navigate life’s ups and downs.  That reminds me to really try to do my best…and if I simply can’t that day, then I want to show them that it’s ok to have grace, exhale, and try again tomorrow.

What has been the most interesting change you’ve seen in the industry, and why?

There are so many new tools available now!  I love vetting new vendors and learning what new technology is available. Between Spekit’s ever expanding capacity to layer over our new and existing software, Tour 24 allowing residents to have 24-hour access to tour our communities, and Leonardo’s capability to track and report out on any number of inspections…so much has changed to make our lives, and our residents’ lives better. I’m excited for all the new technologies to come!

 

What is your favorite college town in America, and why?

Lewisburg, PA as that is where Bucknell University is- ‘Ray Bucknell’!

 

Are you ready to start your Cardinal Journey?

See our open opportunities.