January 4, 2024

CRC Partners With Urban Alliance To Provide Career Opportunities For Underrepresented Population

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BALTIMORE, MD (November 27, 2023) – High school graduate Travis Robertson found a rewarding and stable career, a comfortable place to live and, more importantly, an optimistic view of life and enduring confidence that was all made possible following the completion of a six-week training sequence sponsored by Urban Alliance Baltimore. After learning basic core competency skills that prepared him for training to perform property maintenance functions for a multifamily community, Roberston was awarded a six-month internship position with Continental Realty Corporation (CRC) and, subsequently, earned a full-time position at the company’s Courthouse Square apartment community in Towson. He is one of four Urban Alliance program graduates who have been hired by CRC, a Baltimore-based real estate investment and management company.

“The entire experience has been life-altering,” explained Robertson, who began work as a Maintenance Technician with CRC last summer. “Urban Alliance cared about me as a professional and as a person, and prepared me well for the day-to-day activities I would be expected to perform. CRC, in turn, presented me with an amazing opportunity to work in a career I truly love and am passionate about. My entire perspective about life has changed and I feel so fortunate to be in this position.”

Shortly after completing his internship with CRC, Roberston was offered a full-time position as well as a place to live at the community where he works in Baltimore County. Through its partnership with Urban Alliance, CRC has offered internships to more than 20 graduates and has hired four as full-time employees.

“As the father of a young son, I was interested in pursuing a career where I could provide for my family and achieve financial stability,” Robertson added. “Urban Alliance Baltimore provided the foundation I needed to take the next step and find a long-term career. CRC immediately impressed me with their family-oriented environment and their commitment to promoting from within. I am extremely lucky to have fantastic mentors at Courthouse Square and an affordable apartment in a place where I work every day.”

Hiring trade positions in multifamily industry remains ongoing challenge

With more than 9,000 apartment homes situated throughout 11 states, CRC faces a constant challenge to recruit and retain talent to support its growing portfolio. With more than 300 full-time employees, CRC hires approximately 70 people annually and, according to Crystal Frey, the company’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources/Shared Services, CRC utilizes every tool at its disposal to identify team members, particularly for hard-to-find trade positions.

Frey, who recently joined the Advisory Board for Urban Alliance Baltimore, said, “There remains incredible competition for maintenance and technician professionals, due to the lack of young people interested in these careers, combined with the increased need for these skilled workers to service multifamily communities. So, when we are introduced to an amazing program such as Urban Alliance Baltimore, which vets, trains, and thoroughly prepares people for immediate employment, it provides a significant boost to our employment initiatives.

“Earning a traditional four-year college degree is simply not practical for everyone, nor is it always the right path for many young people. As workforce and talent strategists, we need to introduce them to different career path options including trade and technical careers,” she added. “There are different, faster, and less costly ways to get educated and to achieve a good-paying job, and it is up to companies in every industry sector to educate people about available choices and resources. Tremendous and untapped talent exists in the underrepresented population and alternative talent pools. These groups are a point of emphasis in our recruitment efforts.

“The overarching goals of Urban Alliance Baltimore are to positively impact lives and establish a pipeline of talented workers to companies, and this aligns with our mission to promote an inclusive workplace that reflects the communities around us,” Frey continued. “We believe in constant education and training, because people always need to find ways to better themselves, learn new skills, and obtain different perspectives. CRC intends to continue to partner with Urban Alliance in our search for highly-trained professionals who are immediately employable and provide value to our company. Together, we can address systemic barriers to economic mobility and connect young adults to career opportunities.”

Mission of Urban Alliance is to build a diverse next-generation workforce

Chas Ackley, Executive Director of Urban Alliance Baltimore, said that the organization’s typical six- to eight-week course focuses on essential skills training, core competency, self-management with an emphasis on demonstrating the importance of showing up on time to the job, taking feedback and being counted on and emphasizing dependability. Urban Alliance, which has been operating in Baltimore since 2008 and has presences in Chicago, Detroit, and Washington, D.C., presents employers with graduates who have learned soft and life skills who can then be molded into valued and trusted professionals. Urban Alliance Baltimore graduates approximately 20 students from its Property Management sequence annually.

Using funding from several sources, including Baltimore’s Promise, a city-wide collaborative of public, business, and community leaders through its Grads to Career Program, and its inaugural seed funder, the Pension Real Estate Association Foundation, Urban Alliance Baltimore has provided nearly 1,000 students in the Baltimore area with paid internships, as well as training for an additional 2,000 young people. With a mission to build a “diverse next-generation workforce,” the group connects with youth development counselors and teachers to identify high school students suitable for the training program.

“Urban Alliance partners with talented young people in under-resourced communities to create a continuum of opportunities that holds the promise of making a substantial positive impact on the lives of Maryland’s young citizens and the state’s economic future,” Ackley said.

Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland and founded in 1960, Continental Realty Corporation is a full-service commercial real estate and investment company focused on acquiring and operating retail and multifamily properties. The privately held firm owns and manages a diversified portfolio of retail centers consisting of almost eight million square feet of commercial space and over 9,000 apartment homes across 11 states, with a portfolio value exceeding $3.7 billion. For additional information, visit www.crcrealty.com.