Annual Awards Recognize People and Companies That Make a Positive Impact in Their Communities
Irving, TX - Grace Hill, an innovator of talent and customer management solutions for commercial and multifamily real estate, announced the winners of the 2024 Impact Hero Awards. This annual awards program, now in its third year, recognizes people and organizations for helping others in need and making a positive impact in their communities, an important core value of Grace Hill.
The grand prize was presented to Mindi Kissling, assistant vice president of Learning Program Management at Windsor Communities in Houston, for her role in launching GIVE, Windsor’s community engagement program. GIVE was founded in 2022, and Kissling has been critical to the program’s mission to create communities where people feel cared for. Kissling explained that GIVE seeks to deliver comfort and stability following six guiding pillars — housing, environment, hunger relief, healthcare, animal welfare and OneTeamGives, where Windsor employees come together to help colleagues in need.
Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.
Kissling, who currently lives in Texas with her fiance, was inspired to give more after participating in a 60-mile walk for breast cancer in Washington, D.C., in 2022. She was humbled by the stories she heard from survivors and it provided her fuel for the walk and beyond.
“Not only did I walk every step of those 60 miles, it fueled the fire for me to use my creativity and leadership skills to make a difference on a larger scale. Start small; think big,” Kissling said. “One person can make a difference. Use your influence for good. Find something you are passionate about, create a plan and engage others to bring the vision to life.”
Judges reviewed 113 nominations for 85 individuals and companies, the largest submission rate to date, to choose three finalists that are deeply committed to making a difference in their communities.
"Grace Hill is deeply honored to present this Impact Hero Award to Mindi for the exceptional work of her and her team in guiding Windsor’s efforts in making lives better in so many ways for their community," said Kendall Pretzer, CEO of Grace Hill. "Our mission is to help people love where they live and work. Programs like this reinforce that mission and highlight the extraordinary efforts and tireless contributions of professionals and management companies in this industry. We are consistently in awe of all the amazing stories of the ways our customers impact their communities.”
Nancy Gaudet, senior vice president at John M. Corcoran & Co. in Braintree, Mass., was awarded first runner-up for establishing Type One Families, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides support, education and empowerment to children with Type 1 diabetes and their families. Guadet began the organization after her son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at nine years old, realizing that support systems aren’t always available for overwhelmed and concerned parents.
The award for second runner-up was presented to Kelly Marben, multifamily compliance and performance manager at JVM Realty in Kansas City, for her contributions to Team Gleason, an ALS fundraising and advocacy group founded by Steve Gleason, a former NFL special teams player for the New Orleans Saints, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. Marben became a fundraiser and advocate after her husband passed away from ALS in 2019. She also participates in the Fundamentals Committee, JVM Realty’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) resource group, and has other personal philanthropic efforts.
The winners of the 2024 Grace Hill Impact Hero Awards were recognized at a ceremony on October 3, 2024, via a live Facebook stream in Dallas and hosted by the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas. Each of the winners was awarded a donation to their cause. The grand prize winner was given $3,500, the first runner-up received $2,000 and the second-runner up was presented with $1,000.
