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Association’s first student housing conference attracts more than 700 professionals and 94 exhibitors


RALEIGH, NC – February 26, 2008 – Susan Folckemer, CPM, Vice President of Sales & Development for The Preiss Company, presented at this year’s National Apartment Association’s Student Housing Conference. The event was entitled “The Life Cycle of Student Living” and was held from February 19-20 at the Fairmont Dallas Hotel in Dallas, Texas. 

Folckemer, and co-presenter Stephen Klee of Medallion Properties, presented “Development 101: What Were They Thinking?”, which discussed the pre-development process for student housing projects. Topics included market research, supply/demand, capital/equity, the role of developers, getting a site under contract, due diligence, design, and financing specifics. Folckemer said that the pre-development process can be overwhelming, and the goal of her presentation was to help deconstruct the process. 

“The idea is to provide Property Management professionals with knowledge and tools that will allow them to better understand the fundamentals of student housing pre-development,” explains Folckemer. “The Preiss Company is a leader in the student housing industry, and I was pleased at the opportunity to share my experience and insight with other real estate professionals.”

Over the past four years, Folckemer has overseen the development and acquisition of more than 8,000 beds and secured lending for more than $310 million in development and investment property. She heads TPCO’s Acquisition and Development Team, which recently acquired University Estates at Austin, a 1,548-bed apartment property located with three miles of the University of Texas. It was the company’s first student housing acquisition with HSBC Capital (USA) Inc. 

The Preiss Company is the largest provider of off-campus student housing for North Carolina State University, Clemson University, UNC Charlotte, and the University of Texas in Austin. The company recently acquired their first property in Alabama—University Village at Auburn. 

About The Preiss Company
Founded by Donna Preiss, TPCO employs over 130 team members and provides a wide range of services including acquisition, property management, disposition, development, and consulting for multi-family real estate investments. Beginning its 21st year, TPCO has formed over 50 partnerships and has been the developer or co-developer of over 20 projects stretching from Texas to Maryland. For more information, visit www.tpco.com. 

About the National Apartment Association
The NAA is America’s leading advocate for quality rental housing. NAA’s mission is to serve the interests of multifamily owners, managers, developers and suppliers and maintain a high level of professionalism in the multifamily industry to better serve the rental housing needs of the public. Our purpose is to support an industry that offers safe, affordable multifamily housing to the public, equitably compensates its workforce, and provides investors with a fair and reasonable rate of return. For more information, visit www.naahqorg.