Jennifer Bridges
About Me
My name is Jenn. I like short walks towards anything coated in chocolate, bugging my husband, and binge watching my dogs just be awesome. I was an athlete for as long as I can remember, and can still recite too many softball cheers. Outside of that top notch skill, I've found innovative ways to turn being a team player into a team builder. I have an immense passion for all things creative and have been known to problem solve my way through even the most unimaginable wizardry that the student housing industry has thrown at me. On any ordinary day, you could find me taking pictures of college kids doing cool things at cool places, writing punny content for a social media platform, at Sam's club pushing two pallet carts full of event supplies, or talking to a customer about how I could make their experience even more enjoyable. This portfolio is my love letter to my experience, which I'm learning to appreciate more and more each day with an ever growing fondness for what the future holds. It's like that slightly satisfying feeling about turning into your parents the older you get. I did say slightly, right?
Work Experience
2018 - Today
I'm currently an Area Marketing Manager for The Scion Group where I oversee all things Marketing, Advertising, and Sales for four student housing communities in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I love getting creative with our team and acted as the creative director in our area by creating content, managing our area social media efforts, and finding new and invigorating ways to reach the University of Alabama student body. Aside from the creative, I also managed the operational sides of leasing and marketing by instituting guidelines, controlled budget spending, and helping each property reach their full potential and excel at customer experience.
2016 - 2018
After 6 years in other roles, I was promoted and spent two great years as the General Manager for the Woodlands of Tuscaloosa. During which time, I spent countless hours overseeing all operational items for the largest student housing community in the state. This property allowed me the opportunity to supervise a staff of about 35 employees, lead a successful leasing season to reach 100% pre-leased multiple times, provide customer service beyond expectations, manage on-property budget and expenses worth over $3 million dollars, maintain positive business to business relationships with outside vendors, command a quality turn process, and oversee all efforts for leasing, marketing, tenant relations and maintenance.
2010-2016
Back in 2010 I was introduced to the growing Student Housing industry as the Leasing and Marketing Manager for the Woodlands of Tuscaloosa. I spent my time in this role growing our prospective tenant pool through intensive guerilla marketing, managed social media marketing and content, controlled our marketing and advertising budget of approximately $400,000, selected promotional materials, creatively reached the student body without violating strict campus solicitation policies, managed a part-time staff of about 18 employees, maintained the model units and tour path, hit retention rates above industry average each year maxing out at 44%, and successfully leased the property to 100% pre-leased each year.
Education
2008 / 2010
University of Alabama
Master of Science, Marketing
2006 / 2008
University of West Alabama
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology and Sociology
