Celebrating the 5-Year Anniversary of Tony Cobbins

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 Tony Cobbins and his dedicated years of service to the growth of our team over the last five years.

Learn more about Tony’s journey below!

What is your role? Community Manager for Florida Polytechnic University Phase 2 and 3. This is an on-campus position with Capstone Management Partners, and my responsibilities include overseeing facilities for the university’s residence halls.

Describe your Cardinal Journey I began my journey with Cardinal as a porter in March 2020, during a challenging time in my career. My previous employment left me feeling defeated, so I made the decision to start anew in an entry-level position within a completely unfamiliar industry. Despite my extensive management experience in fast food and factory work, I had lost my sense of purpose. From my very first day at Cardinal, I was met with genuine care and concern. The opportunity to connect with fellow team members from across the country via video call and the provision of lunch made me feel welcomed and valued. I took immense pride in my role as a porter, maintaining the cleanliness of the grounds and community. Each day, I strived to demonstrate my appreciation for the fresh start that Cardinal had provided me. Rewardingly, my story did not end there.

I brought my best day after day, year after year, and took every opportunity to pursue growth and knowledge. I earned my EPA certification and quickly worked my way from maintenance technician to Maintenance Team Leader. After several years of contributing on the facilities side, I realized that facilities was not really my passion. I was not the MTL that would do DIY projects or side jobs on the weekend or even work on my own car. The value in facilities for me was being able to solve someone’s problem—and do that in a fun, customer-service-oriented way. I enjoyed learning and developing skills, but more than that, I loved the interactions I had with all the residents I was able to serve. It became apparent to me that I loved working with people and only liked working with things.

I realized I wanted more. This was a frustrating time in my career. I hadn’t seen many Maintenance Team Leads transition to the operations side. Time and time again, I observed maintenance team members being overlooked—not only in job positions but also in their contributions to communities. I wanted to be different. I wanted to get into an operational role and work to change the narrative. I reached out to recruiters from Cardinal, and they connected me with others around the company who had made the transition successfully. I began working alongside these individuals as well as on my own. I studied and then successfully passed the Certified Apartment Manager Credential assessment through the National Apartment Association. This, along with help from my mentors, propelled me into my current role as Community Manager in Lakeland, Florida.

Who has been influential in your life, and how have they helped guide you? Sylvester Brandon—I listened to Sly share in BRG. I identified with his story and found many comparisons. We are from the same state, and he started in maintenance just like me. This gave me hope, so much so that I sent him a GCHAT so we could connect. He began working with me one-on-one and really explained more aspects of the business. He also helped me deal with the burnout I was currently feeling. This helped me, alongside reading his book, Crashing Upward: An Exploration of Mental Courage and Clarity. Sly helped me identify the reasoning behind my feelings of burnout and develop healthy habits to cope with them. I would not have lasted this long had I not developed these skills.

Nick Morrison, who was selected as my mentor in the Cardinal Mentorship, has also shaped me. This relationship connected so many dots around the organization. He helped me understand that my facilities background had value, even if I was going to transition to an operations role.

Nick helped me learn the value of persistence—nothing happens to you; you have to make it happen for yourself in this industry. This relationship has been transformational for me and my career. I would not have had the courage to pick up and move 1,100 miles from “home” had it not been for the confidence and esteem Nick helped me discover in myself. I would like to express my deepest gratitude for these two individuals and am grateful they are both still a GChat away.

What is your proudest moment working at Cardinal Group? One of my proudest moments was winning the first-ever “Training Games.” I didn’t even realize how much I knew about the Cardinal Way until winning this game. It was an honor, and I really enjoy reading through our SOPs and sitting on calls to learn to embrace areas of change in the organization.

What are three things you can’t start your day without? Some sort of spiritual reading, strong coffee, and a funny meme in a group chat.

What’s a memorable project or initiative you’ve been part of at Cardinal? For me, it was the June 5, 2020, company blackout. This company-wide blackout was an example of Cardinal “doing the right thing, all the time.” Never had I worked for an employer who gave us paid time to reflect with coworkers, talk authentically, take time for reflection, meditate, and pray. This gesture let me know that I was right where I belonged. When the world was falling apart outside of work, Cardinal was doubling down on its DEI efforts and letting team members of all colors and walks of life know that they are valued.

If you could spend a day in any department at Cardinal, which one would it be and why? I would like to visit the People and Culture Department. I feel they do a great job of making our teams feel appreciated and being a listening ear when team members need support. They are stellar.

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