Understanding how to build a successful team starts with learning from those who have worked hard to develop and shape their career to become an integral part of the team. In the #BecomingAnAsset series, we ask Asset Living employees to share advice for those looking to grow personally and professionally – from turning challenges into opportunities for career development to persevering towards a promotion – our team members are full of quality advice that can help to guide anyone towards success. Today we are hearing from Thomas Holston, Director of Migrations
What is your background and experience in and what do you do within Asset Living?
“I began my career in multi-family housing a little over 20 years ago. I was a support agent for RealPage’s self-migration tool. I worked my way up to Sr. Supervisor of their migration teams, including Conventional, Tax Credits, Affordable, and Military housing. In 2012 I was given the opportunity to work with Entrata and help build their migrations team and process. They had not even fully released their resident management software yet, then called Property Solutions and now called Entrata. I helped them build a migration process internally and the SIM tool (Self-Initiated Migration) that allows companies to migrate their own data. After almost nine years with Entrata, I was looking for a change and heard from someone I knew at Asset Living that they were looking for someone with my experience. Stars aligned, and here I am. I have handled the Student Living migrations, API, and ILS setups and assisted in onboarding several new products in the past three years (Leap, Positive Pay, NetVendor, and CorPay/NvoicePay, to name a few). My official title is Director of Migrations, but I strive to do more than just migrations.”
What piece of advice would you give to a new employee who is #BecomingAnAsset?
“The most humbling thing for me has been realizing that no matter how much I thought I knew about our industry, there is much more to learn. Once you understand and accept that, decide to change it. Take every class you can. Watch every training video. Try to become involved in things outside of your normal comfort zone. The more you know, the better asset you will be. Not just with the company but with yourself as well.”
What drives you to be the best team member possible?
“I work with an amazing group of people every day. I see the work that they are doing, and it motivates me to do more. I feel like you get out what you put into a team or project. I live up to the example that the rest of my team has set. Having an awesome leader like Melodie Raab to follow makes this even easier.”
What is your favorite memory from this year or within your career at Asset Living?
“It would definitely be the new NMHC rankings that were released recently. Being part of the migrations team and bringing new sites online, I have a direct connection to the new sites. There are a lot of factors that go into the success of our company. It fills me with pride, knowing I am a part of it.”
Lastly, what do you like to do outside of work in your free time?
“When I'm not at work, I like to focus on my two favorite hobbies: staying healthy and competitive shooting. After the challenges of the pandemic, my wife and I have made it a priority to get back into shape, hitting the gym regularly this year. It's been a great way for us to spend time together and focus on our health and well-being. Additionally, we participate in a pistol shooting league twice a month, a skill that I value and appreciate. Shooting has taught me patience, focus, and discipline, and I enjoy the friendly competition that comes with it. If you know me, you know I might be a little competitive.”
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