{"id":804,"date":"2012-03-22T05:00:47","date_gmt":"2012-03-22T12:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=804"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:29:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:29:53","slug":"jody-bankston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/jody-bankston\/","title":{"rendered":"Jody Bankston"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JodyIf you told a teenage Jody Bankston that he\u2019d grow up to be an expert in business intelligence for a commercial real estate company, and spend free time doing intense CrossFit workouts that would make even a top athlete cringe, he probably wouldn\u2019t have believed you.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy life has been a little bit strange,\u201d says CBL & Associates\u2019 Manager of Strategic Transformation. Jody tells us that his cool title is really just an alternative to \u201cspecial projects,\u201d but that he essentially works at the intersection of accounting, IT and property management.<\/p>\n

His experience working as a controller, business consultant and at several start-ups, as well as a MBA from Emory University, gives Jody a diverse background that makes him a perfect fit for his role at CBL. He\u2019s based at the company\u2019s headquarters in Chattanooga, Tenn., which also happens to be where he grew up.<\/p>\n

One of Jody\u2019s first projects at the company was to develop a data warehousing system that now provides easy access to transaction records and property data. It also makes report writing a breeze. The next step? Taking access to that data warehouse mobile.<\/p>\n

Using the BusinessObjects platform and an app called Explorer, Jody told us about how he could easily access information about a Payables check or invoice or a tenants AR balance \u2013 while out of the office at lunch and using his iPad. A big fan of Apple\u2019s popular tablet computing device, which he has beta tested extensively for CBL use, Jody says the device has been a good solution for a large company with a small IT department.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to pick a platform that\u2019s as standardized as possible. The nice thing with the iPad is you don\u2019t have to worry about \u2018which model, which carrier, which OS,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A people person who gets along great with everyone, Jody also leads a totally separate life away from the office \u2013 as a reality TV star. He\u2019s part of a group of men who train with Tom Rowland, producer of the TV show Saltwater Experience, and Rowland is also putting together a show about his CrossFit fitness training group.<\/p>\n

Rowland lives just down the street from the Bankstons\u2019 and last year, Jody was invited to join the CrossFit group by a friend who participates in the uber-intense running, weight training, swimming, rowing, and strength-building workouts. You can see several videos of the activities the men do each morning at the end of this article. Be prepared to feel like a lazy bum, no matter how fit you are.<\/p>\n

Jody\u2019s goal, though, is not to participate in one of the popular CrossFit competitions or compete in a Tough Mudder race \u2013 a half-marathon that\u2019s combined with a battlefield-style obstacle course. He has a simpler goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe guys I work out with are truly insane. I\u2019m only partially insane,\u201d he said. \u201cFor me, this is about staying healthy for my kids.\u201d Since he started the program 8 months ago, he\u2019s lost 20 pounds and lowered his cholesterol.<\/p>\n

\"CrossFit<\/p>\n

\u201cI shuffle at the back of the pack, and (the other guys) are usually heading to their cars when I come in,\u201d he told us. \u201cIt does get a little zany. My wife thinks that we age regress and we go back to being 16-17 year old kids.. and it\u2019s kind of true.\u201d<\/p>\n

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