Learn how being true to yourself and your culture - being different - can allow you to stand out and truly excel in this industry that can seem to be so much of the same thing.
As the Sales Manager, Cameron is currently focusing on recruiting and developing the most talented sales team in the industry which will support the growth and expansion of Garman Homes.
Learn more about Fresh Paint by Garman Homes and Garman Homes and connect on Instagram.
Many thanks to our partners at the University of Denver for their editing and post-production talents, specifically Lija Miller and Lisette Zamora-Galarza.
The University of Denver Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management, teaches the full life cycle of the built environment. From integrated project leadership skills to a cohesive understanding of the built environment ––experience the only school of its kind!
"Upbeat Party" is brought to you by Scott Holmes, songwriter from Free Music Archive.
Learn how being true to yourself and your culture - being different - can allow you to stand out and truly excel in this industry that can seem to be so much of the same thing.
As the Sales Manager, Cameron is currently focusing on recruiting and developing the most talented sales team in the industry which will support the growth and expansion of Garman Homes.
Learn more about Fresh Paint by Garman Homes and Garman Homes and connect on Instagram.
Many thanks to our partners at the University of Denver for their editing and post-production talents, specifically Lija Miller and Lisette Zamora-Galarza.
The University of Denver Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management, teaches the full life cycle of the built environment. From integrated project leadership skills to a cohesive understanding of the built environment ––experience the only school of its kind!
"Upbeat Party" is brought to you by Scott Holmes, songwriter from Free Music Archive.
Eric Holt (00:05):
You're listening to the housing innovation Alliance podcast in partnership with the university of Denver's Franklin L burns school of real estate and construction management. The housing innovation Alliance is a nationwide community of game changers driving the future of home delivery through crowd accelerated innovation. We represent thought-leaders from dirt to dwellers with a focus on the production builders business environment.
Dennis Steigerwalt (00:34):
Hi, this is Dennis Steigerwalt, president of the housing innovation Alliance. And you're listening to our podcast series. I'm joined today by Cameron Medlin of garment homes. How are you doing today Cameron? Good, how are you? Yeah, fantastic. Really appreciate you joining us today. Thank you for having me. I'm excited. Yeah. Great. So I wanted to, I want to share with our audience a little bit about your role as a division sales manager with Garman. But first I want to touch on our visit last year to your, to your organization. You know, so on one of our road trips we brought a group from our community down to see you in Raleigh and we had a chance to tour some of your projects. We had a chance to see you in action. And, and visit with some of your team. And I have to say one of the most impressive takeaways from that entire entire trip was really the company culture that they've created at Garman. And I was hoping that maybe we could start this by you just telling us a little bit about that culture and, and what excites you the most about it.
Cameron Medlin (01:25):
Sure. I mean, there's so much we could, we could touch on, but it's in an industry like this, it's easy to be, um, a lot like everybody else. And one thing that Garman is able to do is to stay on, stay on our own where we have a culture which is driven by our four Garman differences, which are guaranteed closed date rockstars wanted give back and a G team. So those are our four pillars that really our foundation here at garment. And we also have a manifesto that we wrote as a company almost two years ago now. But in that manifesto, it talks about what it means to be a part of this organization, what it means to be on the team, to be a trade partner of ours. And that that foundation is what connects all of us because we all have similar views. We have like-mindedness, we have openness, we have the ability to work hard, but have fun doing it. So it's a unique place to work. It's a special place to work. Our buyers are able to see that. We want them to feel that from the beginning to the end. So it's an amazing thing to be a part of. I'm very honored to be here and to be able to say that I work for garment homes, it's a cool thing.
Dennis Steigerwalt (02:35):
Yeah. Excellent. So tell us a little bit more about the GE team aspect of the four pillars of that one I'm not familiar with.
Cameron Medlin (02:41):
Okay. So the GE team is talking about like our, our warranty process and warranty team. So GE team in general also encompasses our trade partners. So one thing that we do that is a little bit different, we, we bring our trade partners back with us during our warranty visits so that they are held accountable to their work. So at one of our process from beginning to end is accountability. So we hold ourselves accountable, we hold our buyers accountable, we hold our trade partners accountable. It's not us against them thing. It's all shared. We're in this together. Unity feeling from beginning to end and even pass once you're in your house.
Dennis Steigerwalt (03:16):
Okay. So it seems to me that that transparency in the relationships is probably extremely helpful as we kind of go through the entire public health challenge that we're experiencing right now. It seems that, you know, having that kind of open dialogue with your partners and that shared accountability and risk sharing would be really important.
Cameron Medlin (03:32):
Oh, for sure. Everything that we're navigating right now, it's, it's new to everybody. But the one really amazing thing about garment is, you know, we put our people first, we put safety first, we put everybody's safety first. So we've been navigating this virtually for two months, you know, by appointment only and made that decision very quickly because we want to make sure we're making the right decision for our teams. Are everybody the buyers coming in every single person so that it's not a pressured field. Like, Oh, we have to hit this and we have to that, but it's about everything else that that matters most, which is the person.
Dennis Steigerwalt (04:07):
So how are you actually able to do your job as a sales manager in this current environment? You know, with everything that's going on. Can you tell us a little bit about some of the tips and tricks that you've implemented? How you're managing your team, how you're working with buyers?
Cameron Medlin (04:19):
Sure. So it's been, you know, there's a learning curve at first, but I think that the biggest thing that we've implemented have been obviously zoom calls and as much face to face interaction as we can get without physically being in front of people. For myself, I mean I have zoom calls, phone calls, meetings all day. Like nothing has changed for me. It's just now we're on a computer instead of sitting in front of each other and I get to do one on ones with my team still. And instead of being in front of them in the sales office, I'm doing them virtually, which can be tricky at times. But the fact that I get to see them is, is huge. I, I thrive off of people and energy, so I need that and this and I know that they feel similar. You have to have that sense of connection.
Cameron Medlin (05:01):
So whatever way we can find that connection still we're doing that. And even for, you know, potential buyers, we're still meeting people onsite if they want to and they feel comfortable doing that. We're just making sure that we're saying, you know, six feet apart, we have sanitizer, we're, we're making sure we're doing everything we can to keep it as safe as possible for everybody involved. And if not, then we always have the option to do virtual, which we've welcomed that with open arms and luckily people have as well, which has been pretty cool to see.
Dennis Steigerwalt (05:29):
Alright. Yeah, it's nice when the, when the other side of the transaction is also very much willing to accept these new technologies and learn as quickly as they can. So, so in all of this we've kind of had to find our footing in what the next normal will be. I'm curious as to what's like the new behavior then you have it that you've picked up and all this that you're, you're really excited about. Like you know, the, the, the, the, let's say call it the wind, the gym that you'll Polish up and take with you.
Cameron Medlin (05:51):
It's actually funny because I talked for this on a sales meeting last week just about how when we come out of this being and how important it is to take the things that we've learned in this and the moments that have shaped us throughout this, both the hard times and the better times and what we can use to make ourselves better. What mindset can we take after this that we can utilize to make our processes better? So, I mean for me in general, I think that there's been a lot of process driven things that have changed because of this that I think have become, they're going to Excel past this, which I'm excited about, both in reporting, you know, constant communication, different ways of staying in touch and making sure we have our finger on the pulse in a lot of areas that before we did, but in a different way.
Cameron Medlin (06:37):
And so we've really streamlined things cause we had to, and this, and I think that sometimes that's the beauty of being taken out of your comfort zone. It makes you think about things differently and it makes you process things differently and implement new tactics that before you're like, everything's good. We don't have to fix it. But now it's like, Oh no, we need a few should fix it. Or we should, we should change it a little bit. And now I think it'll make us even better. So, um, there's quite a few things I can take from it, but there's a lot for, I think anybody navigating this, you know, we're all just trying to survive and do the best you can, but there's always something good to take from it. Just about finding what that is and making sure you can make yourself better and other people better because of it.
Dennis Steigerwalt (07:16):
Okay. No, I couldn't agree with you more. I think that we have to find the silver lining in all this, right? How do we become smarter, smarter players, you know, in life and work and you know, how do we become better businesses coming out and emerging with stronger partnerships. So let's talk a little bit about how you got started in the industry. You know, how long you've been with garment homes, you know, how you entered into home building in the first place.
Cameron Medlin (07:36):
Sure. Um, so it's kind of a fun story. I grew up around the industry. I'm born and raised in Raleigh, so I've only ever lived here, but my father actually had his general contractors license and built houses when I was little and has real estate license and sold houses some when he got out of college. And so I've always kind of been around the industry in a different way. He sold building materials. I've, I've always been around it. I love houses, I've loved houses since I was can remember I've been going to open house and since I was like, could have a memory. So I've always had that love there for it. Um, but to get into the industry. So I went to NC state and I graduated with a major in communications, the focus in, um, media. So what that means is I had no idea what I was going to do after, after college, but I knew that I wanted to do something that I could make a difference.
Cameron Medlin (08:23):
And I knew that I wanted to be involved with people and I also knew that I had a passion for the home industry. So trying to get into the home industry, home building industry is a whole different ball game. But I applied to quite a few different builders and one in particular I just felt connected to at the time and I really hounded the lovely sales manager at the time to give me a chance and get me an interview. And that took a few months. But I finally got in for an interview and I started in the industry, uh, over seven and a half years ago for an internet concierge, which I was the first one for the division at the time, which basically meant I handled all the website updates, I handled web leads that came through. So all of my interactions at that time were, you know, phone, web.
Cameron Medlin (09:09):
So I was selling in a whole new way than what I was used to, which previously being in retail I was all in person. So that was, you know, thriving off people's energy. It was a new thing to learn. I got into it when I was just out of college and I've been moving kind of up the ladder since then. In regards to different roles here or just in in the industry. So I worked as an internet concierge for a couple years. I've been moved onsite after getting my real estate license and I was onsite and sold and almost 10 communities across the triangle across the one builder I started with. And then I moved to garment homes and I've been here for almost two years and I sold onsite for a few months. And then I moved into the sales manager position, which I absolutely love.
Cameron Medlin (09:50):
I've been doing this for over a year now and it's, I mean, I'm honored to be, to be able to be in this role and to be a part of an industry that genuinely, every day I wake up and I'm excited to be a part of because I know every day is going to be different. So that's what my path has looked like. It's been a little bit different than most, but I'm, I'm thankful for it. It's definitely brought different, I've learned a lot on myself over the last seven and a half years because of it.
Dennis Steigerwalt (10:14):
Okay. So, so taking all that and given the journey that you've been on, can you share one of your most inspiring stories that you've experienced at work or in the field?
Cameron Medlin (10:23):
I think that my biggest inspiring moments have been my connection with buyers and being a part of that process. And then now seeing it from the side of being in the sales manager role and getting that feeling through my team. So it's a, it's a whole different Avenue and a part of the story in a different way. There's literally nothing that can feel better than aligning somebody with one of the biggest decisions that they'll ever make and making them feel connected to a home and knowing that you can be a part of that. You can both be a part of that chapter of their life that they'll never forget. They'll never forget you and they'll never forget their house and they'll never forget that process that you're able to give to them. So inspiring wise, I mean that's, to me, every day that's a, that gives you that fulfillment in your heart. It makes your cup fill up. It's no matter what the bad days can bring, the good days are 100 times more important than the ones that you should really focus on because you're a part of someone's story. It doesn't get much more inspiring than that. So it's cool.
Dennis Steigerwalt (11:21):
Yeah. Interesting. So I really liked the idea of, of how you get to engage with those that you're building homes for in your community. Now I know one of the things you touched on a little earlier related to the culture and one of the things that I had a chance to experience when we visited your offices, we learned a bit about how you give back to the community and I think that's really important. You know, we heard that across the team, the leadership team from Elena to Rebecca, and they really spoke to, it's one thing to be building in a community, it's another thing to help build a community. So I was wondering if you could just elaborate a little bit on some of the, those types of programs that you're involved in.
Cameron Medlin (11:53):
Sure. So proceed from all our houses. Go back to like our giveback fund. So basically that can look like a lot of different things we give back in all different ways. Whether that's volunteering our time, you know, it's actually doing donations. Basically. We have a whole entire committee that we have committed to the giveback and what we can do in our community to continue to make an impact, whether that be in Raleigh or be in a different area that we're not even building in. We're always looking for ways to give back so that it could be coached for children. It could be bags for the homeless, it could be just genuinely some money funds for an organization like a nonprofit that just needs some ways to get things that they need for their people. It's all different areas, but we, a lot of the stuff we do together as a team and that's what's, it creates a whole different type of unity because it creates a whole different type of connection and you know that you're doing something that's bigger than yourself and the fact that you can be a part of something that's bigger than just your organization is the best feeling in the whole world.
Cameron Medlin (12:53):
And it, it's a huge pillar. So what makes us who we are and it also makes the people that work here unique cause they all want to be a part of that too. So that's great.
Dennis Steigerwalt (13:02):
Wow. Fantastic. It sounds like you really, you have truly found your calling here in the industry and with this organization or with garment homes. So that's, that's fantastic. So I want to be respectful of the fact that you're busy, you got a lot of these calls to make and, and teams to manage. So just want to thank you for your time today. And before we close out, are there any specific words to live by that you'd like to share with our community or mottos that you have that drive you personally?
Cameron Medlin (13:25):
I'm a big quote person, so I love that you asked this. Um, in general, I have quotes literally all over my desk. I have them everywhere. My favorite quote of just in my entire life, I've kept it since I was a kid has stayed with me. And I think what's really driven me is be the change you wish to see in the world. And that's just a very generic, you can do what you want to with that. But I think because that's been a focus of mine my whole entire life, there's no shortage of like alignment to the fact that I now are for an organization that they believe that home owning company can change the world. I didn't even know that about Garvin before coming here, but that's, that is something that we stand by and we live by and it's on our walls in our office, which is an open space. And so I think that when you have words to live by, you have words to hold onto, they can really drive you and put you in a situations that align with you in every way. So that's, that's my favorite.
Dennis Steigerwalt (14:17):
Well, thank you for sharing that. And I can, I can certainly say after having visited your offices and seeing the manifesto up on the wall, that it's very impactful and I can see that the stars have certainly aligned with you and the garment homes organization and excited to see the energy you bring to the industry and look forward to getting the chance to reconnect with you once we're able to host live events again in the future.
Cameron Medlin (14:38):
Yes, I will also look forward to that. I mean, nice to get some hugs and high fives and all the good stuff. I miss that.
Dennis Steigerwalt (14:44):
All right, awesome. Well, we'll certainly, you get an invitation out to you as soon as they're ready and with that, thanks a lot, Cameron, appreciate you joining us today and we'll be in touch.
Eric Holt (14:52):
On behalf of the housing innovation lions and the university of Denver, this is Dr. Eric Holt. Thank you for being part of our journey. This is where innovation calls home.