The Brief
The Brief is the official podcast of the Minnesota Multi Housing Association, delivering quick, insightful episodes that unpack the trends, challenges, and updates shaping the rental housing industry in Minnesota. Whether you’re an owner, manager, maintenance pro, product/service provider, or just curious about the world of multi housing, this podcast offers timely conversations, fresh takes, and zero fluff. From legislative updates and economic reports to leadership strategies and industry events—if it affects your residents, your business, or your bottom line, you’ll hear about it here. Meet the AI Hosts: ➤ Denise Wilson brings the voice of experience with a strategic, executive lens on the industry. ➤ Logan Garcia offers curiosity, energy, and the perspective of a hands-on property management professional. Together, they break down big issues with practical insight—and just the right amount of personality. Tune in biweekly for news you can use, stories you’ll relate to, and the kind of industry clarity you didn’t know you were missing. 📍 Produced by the Minnesota Multi Housing Association 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, mmha.com, and wherever you get your podcasts
Episodes
Content note: This episode discusses fatal shootings and workplace violence.
Home should be a place of safety. So should the workplace of the people who help make it possible.
In this special episode of The Brief, MHA President and CEO Cecil Smith joins Aubrey Albrecht for a candid conversation about the shootings at Davern Park Apartments and Shoreline Plaza and what they have meant for Minnesota’s rental housing community.
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In this episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan revisit the May/June 2024 issue of the Multi Housing Advocate, “Facing Fraud.” They examine how rental application fraud has evolved from fabricated pay stubs and synthetic identities to organized template farms and increasingly sophisticated digital schemes. The conversation looks at the vulnerabilities created by online leasing, the operational and financial consequences ...
In this episode of The Brief, Aubrey Albrecht sits down with Jennifer Spadine, owner of Guardian Property Management and Guardian Property Maintenance, past MHA board chair, longtime instructor, and active member of the MHA community. Their conversation covers Jennifer’s path into property management, the transition to business ownership, lessons learned through growth, and the role property managers play in creating stable, ...
Dashboards can tell you what happened, but not always why. In this episode, we unpack “Metrics That Matter,” the latest issue of the Advocate, and examine how housing leaders can look beyond physical occupancy, NOI, satisfaction scores, and other surface-level results. Learn how leading indicators can expose operational friction sooner and why resident experience, workforce capacity, economic conditions, and daily decis...
In this episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan revisit the July/August 2024 issue of the Multi Housing Advocate, “Above and Beyond,” and examine what turns everyday resident service into a memorable experience.
The conversation explores how thoughtful communication, smoother move-ins, personal connection, and community involvement can build trust and loyalty. It also considers why going above and beyond must be balanced...
In this special one-year anniversary episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan count down the four most downloaded full episodes of the show's first year, from AI's New Frontier and Challenging the Moratorium to What Happened? and Diving into Debt. Then, Troy Weathers from Citizens State Bank, our founding sponsor, joins Aubrey Albrecht to talk about why the bank signed on from day one, what has stood out to him over the past year, an...
In this episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan go back to the January/February 2025 issue of the Multi Housing Advocate, “The Renter of the Future.” Drawing from articles by Matt Teasdale of METIS Development Group, Skylar Olsen of Zillow, Bethe Wright of Apartment Life, and Steven Ladin and Brian Anderson of CoStar Group with MHA’s Cecil Smith, they explore how renter expectations are shifting around flexibility,...
In this episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan explore Leaving a Legacy, the latest issue of The Advocate. Drawing from articles by Jon Keimig of the University of St. Thomas Family Business Center, Matt Hozza of Kleinman, Peter Bailey of The Prouty Project, Angie French of MCMC, and Greg Cerbana of Weidner Apartment Homes, they examine succession planning, leadership development, knowledge transfer, governance, and what it takes t...
In this episode of The Brief, Aubrey Albrecht talks with Erin Fransen, Chief Operating Officer and Principal at Timberland Partners and current Board Chair of MHA. Their conversation covers Erin’s path into multifamily, what it’s like to lead in a family-founded business, how EOS shapes Timberland’s operations, and what she sees ahead for the future of housing.
In this episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan dig into the September/October 2024 issue of The Advocate; The Other Value Add. They explore why professional education may be one of the smartest investments a housing provider can make. From Learning & Development as a business strategy to fair housing, onboarding, maintenance training, and lifelong learning, the conversation connects staff development to retention, performance, ...
In this episode of The Brief, Aubrey Albrecht, the show’s managing producer, talks with Lisa Marvin, CEO and Partner at Essence Property Management, Mayor of St. Stephen, Minnesota, past Board Chair of MHA, and a respected industry leader who teaches across the state and across the country. The conversation offers a candid look at the realities of work in multi-housing right now, with insight on leadership, pressure, perspect...
In this episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan examine research from the Minnesota Housing Stability Coalition on distress in affordable housing. Drawing from quantitative analysis, qualitative interviews, and resident perspectives, they explore what happens when affordable properties face rising costs, staffing strain, safety concerns, and growing service needs. The conversation looks at why this is not just a property-level issue...
In this episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan dig into the latest issue of The Advocate, Minnesota Solutions. They explore how Minnesota’s biggest challenges, housing supply, workforce shortages, education outcomes, demographic shifts, and long-term economic competitiveness, are no longer separate conversations. The episode highlights the key takeaways listeners should know, including why housing production is slowing, what ...
In this episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan revisit the November/December 2024 issue of Multi Housing Advocate, The State of Taxes, and explore what’s changed in 2026. With federal tax cuts extended but Minnesota ranking near the bottom nationally in tax competitiveness according to the 2026 Minnesota Chamber Business Benchmarks Report, the conversation connects state income and corporate tax rates, migration trends, and r...
In this interview-style episode of The Brief, longtime Minnesota housing provider Bill Cullen shares his experience during Minnesota’s COVID-era eviction moratorium and why he ultimately became the sole plaintiff in a federal lawsuit challenging the policy. Bill reflects on the realities housing providers faced during the pandemic, including a disruptive situation at one of his apartment buildings that escalated under the evi...
In this episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan break down the March/April issue of Multi Housing Advocate, Smarter Centralization, highlighting how operators are redesigning roles, leveraging AI and automation, and building more intentional operating models. Featuring insights from leaders at EliseAI, Centerspace, Hornig Companies, SmartRent, Weidner Apartment Homes, and Saturday Properties, the episode explores how centralization ...
In this episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan revisit a 2023 Advocate article by housing provider Laura Russ and researcher Jenny Schuetz that outlined three foundational goals for Minnesota’s housing future: increase supply, preserve existing housing, and directly support residents with the greatest barriers. Now in 2026, they reflect on how those recommendations have aged in light of recent Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapo...
In this episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan spotlight two key opportunities for Minnesota’s multi-housing professionals: the 2026 MADACS Call for Entries and the 2026 Working Together Conference. They break down major MADACS updates — including the new VideoAsk interview format, removal of the one-year time-in-role requirement, and the step-by-step entry guide — and share how members can use mihra to prepare fo...
In this episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan revisit the January/February 2024 issue of The Advocate—Our Other Residents—to explore why the trend of treating pets as family in rental housing isn’t going anywhere. From loneliness and emotional support animals to pet-forward design, policy enforcement, and fair housing compliance, the conversation highlights how animals increasingly shape leasing decisions, reside...
In this episode of The Brief, Denise and Logan unpack the concept of housing filtering—how new market-rate housing sets off a chain of moves that can ease pressure across the entire housing market. Grounded in real research and Minnesota-specific examples, the conversation breaks down why supply matters, how filtering actually works in practice, and what it means for affordability in the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota. Den...
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