But her accomplishments to date may well be overshadowed by the contributions she hopes to make. “I want to change the world in terms of how people see each other,” she says. “Thankfully, the world has already changed a lot over the past 10 years, and as this next generation comes into property management, it would be my hope that they can all be themselves.”
As an active, volunteering member of the LGBTQ community, Butcher has encountered her share of bias, so severe at times it forced her to leave one organization for another. “I don’t want anyone to ever feel the way I felt.”
Through her advocacy and volunteerism, she’s working hard to make that happen. For instance, as a member of IREM’s national Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Board, she’s on a team of people working to create an award, be it at the company, chapter, or individual level, for people who’ve moved the needle in terms of DEI progress.
“A lot of people have had DEI initiatives, but over the past few years a lot more are stepping up and supporting others who don’t fit traditional expectations,” she says. But we have to draw a line here between “traditional” and “old-line.” It’s the freedom and encouragement she’s felt at Draper and Kramer that has allowed her the room to grow, both personally and professionally. Not bad for a 129-year-old organization.
Kurstie leveraged her two associates degrees (general studies and real estate) and began her property management journey in 2013, while living in Texas. In 2018, however, she answered an ad and discovered an opportunity with DK, after moving to Chicago for her spouse’s job.
Clearly, it’s a fertile environment for Butcher’s growth. Since joining the firm she’s earned the ARM® certification and recognition as an IREM ARM of the Year last year. At her firm, Butcher was named to the DK Elevate program, designed to forward the advancement of high performers.
As part of the program, “You have to develop a blueprint for your career, so I created a job description for myself, and management said, basically, ‘We need that.’”
The “that” was the management and operations specialist title she currently holds, with a broad range of responsibilities, ranging from training and mentorship to operations oversight and serving as a “floating” property manager wherever there’s a staff shortage.
Her ability to move in and move forward was underscored through the summer months of last year, when she was asked to perform an operational overhaul on a 374-unit apartment property in Texas. “One of the big problems was a lack of communication with the residents,” she says, as well as a staffing situation that was reduced to a leasing agent and, when she arrived on the scene, herself.
A lot of hiring and “a lot of listening to tenants” ensued, she says. “We made it clear that we were here to listen and help solve their problems.” As a result, Satisfacts survey scores skyrocketed, as did the apartment’s renewal/retention rate.
Her ARM of the Year recognition notes that, while in Texas, Butcher “served as a mentor and leader to the on-site team by preparing them for future successes.” This included the creation and implementation of “checklists for operations based on the ‘DK way’ and ensuring staff was fully trained on all policies and procedures. This exemplifies the type of mentorship Kurstie regularly provides to coworkers.”
All of this speaks to employee retention as well, and an improvement to the team’s work/life balance. “Plus, they know they can always reach out to me as needed,” she explains.
For her success to date, she says, dual credit belongs (in no particular order) to IREM and Draper and Kramer, the first for the wealth of information available through various educational opportunities. Admittedly not someone who enjoys classwork (“You couldn’t pay me to get a PhD”), Butcher nevertheless says she’s motivated to “absorb all the knowledge I can, and IREM classes make it all very palatable.” The second is for her company’s culture of support, “and wanting me to do my best.”
There’s another important aspect to working at such a progressive company as Draper and Kramer. “There are a lot of women here in positions of power,” Butcher says. “It says to me that there are opportunities I can look forward to, that I can shoot for the stars.”
Bringing others along with her, no matter traditional biases, will make the journey all the sweeter.