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Yardi Corom
Right after college
, Kris Panks could be spotted in a local car commercial but she knew acting was not her calling. “Oh Gosh,” she sighs. “I think I’m standing near a car, excited, saying ‘I found it!’ I have the tape on VHS somewhere…but I’m no actress.”
After receiving her degree in Marketing Sales Management, Kris worked with a software company that created products for civil engineers, land surveyors, and photogrammetrists. She sought a change in pace, taking on a series of independent consulting jobs. One of them was with CLASSIC Real Estate Systems.
CLASSIC was very successful, specializing in fully integrated software for property management and accounting. Yardi acquired CLASSIC in 2006. After working part-time for a while, Kris joined the Yardi team full-time, becoming the Marketing Campaign specialist for affordable housing, public housing and senior housing with Yardi in 2011.
“The most challenging aspect of my job is staying current with what’s going on in my industries, “says Kris. There is certainly a lot to keep track of, as Kris balances everything from product marketing and rollout to ads, website management, press releases, email campaigns, and beyond. Last year, Beacon Affordable and Beacon Public Housing Authority hit the market. The products were greeted with applause, giving Kris and her team the green light to promote the software more aggressively.
She is also working to rebrand ALMSA, a transition that is slated to take a year. The web-based resident health care management system integrates with Voyager and provides a very powerful solution for the senior living industry. “There is a lot going on and sometimes I’m buried in my day-to-day duties,” Kris says. “Fortunately, I do have many talented people I can reach out to.”
Kris fits well into her fast-paced roll. “I like what I’m doing now, particularly the project management side,” she explains. “I enjoy juggling multiple projects at once. The challenge is to not let one drop! I also enjoy interacting with the clients.”
Yardi’s array of software and services meets the unique needs of property managers and executives. Kris makes sure that these clients have access to the industry’s most innovative tools that facilitate effortless operations on site.
Helping people find solutions is the heart of sales. Kris’s willingness to help extends beyond Yardi and into her personal life as well. She signed up to participate in the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Prevention Study in an effort to help researchers get down to the root causes of cancer.
The 20 year study helps researchers understand how lifestyle, genetics and other factors can influence the presence of the disease. Both parents succumbed to lung cancer, encouraging Kris to do her part in combating the illness.
“It’s a serious study but fortunately it isn’t stressful,” Kris added. “Every 4-5 years they will send me a survey with lots of lifestyle questions. I fill it out and send it back in. There are about 5,000 others participating in the study.” Kris also participates in Relay for Life, a fundraiser for cancer research and awareness. “I believe in giving back to people. That’s just something that we should do.”
Kris relies on a few hobbies to keep her focused on family, pictured at left. When asked about her hobbies, she readily admits that she enjoys long walks on the beach. “Yes, literally, long walks on the beach,” she laughs. “I love the beach. When [my children] were younger, we went to St. George Island on the Gulf Coast. We rented a house on the beach. That was a really great time. We were playing with crabs, building sandcastles, swimming and enjoying our time together. I’d like to retire to a beach community and do more of that.”
Kris also owns an impressive scrapbook collection.
“I scrapbook my kids a lot. I have reams and reams of scrapbooks of my kids. I’m all caught up, though!” she says triumphantly. She recently added photos of her daughter’s club team at the volleyball national championship last year and her first year of college play. Kris’s son plays travel baseball and has started playing basketball.
“I’ve sort of become the team photographer,” she admits. “In addition to the kids, I photograph holidays, vacations, and other fun stuff. The scrapbooks are a good creative outlet. Becoming a better photographer is on my bucket list.”
