AIM 2026: Bilt Comedy & Rewards Show – Hosted by comedian and Bilt Director of Neighborhood Comedy, Matt Friend, and honoring marketing executives from Avenue5, Bozzuto, RPM, Thrive, and Windsor

Bilt Comedy & Rewards Show

Hosted by Margette Hepfner, President of Housing at Bilt and Matt Friend, Director of Neighborhood Comdey, the session honored leaders from Bozzuto, Thrive, RPM, Windsor Communities, and Avenue5 Residential for transforming marketing and the resident experience.

Kelley Shannon of Bozzuto discussed bringing marketing, customer experience, and revenue management together. The combination connects brand, experience, pricing, and promotion—functions that ultimately influence the same customer journey. Her team's work on fee transparency and a redesigned Bozzuto.com also reflected a willingness to pursue meaningful transformation rather than incremental change.

Paul Edgeman of Thrive emphasized being deliberate about technology. Operators should select solutions based on the experience they want to create rather than implementing technology simply because it is available. His vision is a more unified environment where residents and employees interact through fewer disconnected systems.
Dustin Lovingood of RPM focused on listening and collaboration. Before making changes after joining RPM, he first sought to understand what was already working. He emphasized clear alignment between marketing and operations and collaboration across legal, technology, software, and other departments.

Michelle Moriello of Windsor Communities connected brand loyalty to consistent resident experiences. Small moments—from rent payments and service recovery to neighborhood connections—can compound into trust. She also highlighted the changing discovery journey: Windsor's AI-referred website traffic grew from 0.1% to 0.5% in a year. As she explained, renters increasingly aren't simply searching; they're asking.
Finally, Catherine Jacobson of Avenue5 Residential emphasized delivering a consistent customer experience across a large third-party portfolio while preserving individual property identities. Tools should free onsite teams to focus on high-value resident interactions, while feedback and reputation data help identify opportunities to improve.

Key Takeaways

• Connect marketing, CX, pricing, and operations. The resident experiences these functions as one journey.
• Choose technology around the customer. Technology should reduce friction rather than create another disconnected interaction.
• Listen before transforming. Understand existing strengths and barriers before implementing change.
• Brand loyalty is built through micro-moments. Consistent delivery and thoughtful service recovery build trust over time.
• Prepare for AI discovery. Renters increasingly ask AI questions rather than simply searching websites.
• Optimize what you already have. Better review responses, survey follow-up, lead nurturing, and onsite execution can improve experience without significant additional spending.