Celebrating Five Years of Jordan Wells at 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 Jordan Wells and his dedicated years of service to the growth of our team over the last five years.

Learn more about Jordan’s journey below!

What is your role? 

Community Manager at Frontgate

Describe your Cardinal Journey.

I started in December 2019 as a leasing team member at Avoca, a conventional lease-up. I was eventually promoted to leasing & marketing team lead, then area LMTL before my current role. In my time there, Avoca was nominated twice for Cardinal Community of the Year.

Who has been influential in your life, and how have they helped guide you? 

In my journalism career at Notre Dame and Indiana, I worked with countless individuals who guided me on leadership, work ethic, the desire to be great, etc. Being a part of projects of that magnitude leaves anyone with strong memories that last a lifetime and lessons that I still utilize today. 

At Cardinal, I’ve worked all five years under Amanda Givan, our portfolio’s Senior Regional Manager. She’s always been my North Star — she’s taught me so much about the industry and worked with me through several natural ups and downs (personally and professionally). I’ll forever be grateful for her, and she deserves so much credit for my and our team’s development.

I’d be remiss not to mention Emily Baucom and Jeff Telehany, whom I’ve also worked under or with for 4-5 years. They are fantastic and some of our strongest teammates, and I always try to learn from them.

What is your proudest moment working at Cardinal Group? 

This year was my first as a community manager, and this property has faced challenges at times in our portfolio. I’ve been blessed with a fantastic team who bought in to our goals, with too many accomplishments to list. My favorites are improving NOI by nine percent and ORA score by 14, both year-over-year marks. Our full resume earned us “Overall Property Team of the Year” from the Louisville Apartment Association for 2024.

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

Several, but probably the most interesting observation for me is just how much actually doesn’t change. As operations constantly evolve, keeping in mind a “back to basics” approach can often still win out. In sports, they call that “fundamentals.”

What is your favorite college town in America and why? 

I graduated from Western Kentucky, so Bowling Green, Kentucky will always have fond memories. I did live in Bloomington, Indiana for three years covering Indiana, and really enjoyed my time there. It was close enough to home that my family could visit often, and when school is in session, the town is bustling with terrific energy.

How do you like to unwind after a long day? 

Anyone who knows me knows I’m stuck horribly in routines (it has its pro’s and con’s) — so I like to unwind with comfort food and a comfort TV show. Every day is different in this industry, so that continuity and feeling of safety helps me relax after arriving home.

If you were to live at any Cardinal property outside of your own city for a year, where would you go and why? 

I’ve done the northern swing, but never lived down south, and as a huge beach fan I’ve always contemplated it. Give me any of them near the beach in Florida or South Carolina!

 

Message from Ebony Dunmore, Area Manager:

VIDEO: Ebony Dunmore Congratulates Jordan Wells on Five Years with Cardinal Group

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