Better Living. For Rent.

About Us

Since its formation in 1990, Burkely has been and remains an owner-operator of apartment communities. Our perspective is long-term, reflecting both the nature of the asset-class and the conviction that long-term ownership affords the greatest opportunity to create significant value.

Meet The Team
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Burkely

Better Living. For Rent.

Our Purpose

Our reason for being is to serve our residents — to give them a superior living experience they will highly value and want to recommend to their friends. When we succeed in fulfilling our mission/purpose, we create value — and value is the yardstick that measures performance.

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About Burkely

Who We Are

We are experienced professionals, dedicated to excellence and integrity in our work. We know that building great communities begins with organizational greatness, the essential ingredient in which is great people—who fit, and who are committed to the organization’s purpose, ethos and values. Communities are, above all, comprised of people who are drawn to something they value in common.

The Idea

First, get the right people. Great vision without great people is irrelevant. 1

1. Jim Collins, Good to Great (Harvard Business, 2001).

Related Services Burkely Offers

  • Identify characteristics/qualities of the right people; create hiring system to attract them.
  • Staff-building, organizational development and key leadership development.
  • Set performance standards and evaluation program.
  • Align compensation with the market, staff performance and desired results.

Why We Exist

Our reason for being is to serve our residents — to give them a superior living experience they will highly value and want to recommend to their friends. When we succeed, we create value — and value is the yardstick that measures performance.

The Idea

The entire enterprise must be viewed as a customer-creating and customer-satisfying organism.  Management must think of itself as providing customer-creating value satisfactions. 2
Profit and growth are stimulated primarily by customer loyalty. Loyalty is a direct result of customer satisfaction. 3

2. Theodore Levitt, “Marketing Myopia,” Harvard Business Review, July-August (1960).
3. Heskett, Jones, Loveman, Sasser and Schlesinger, “Putting the Service-Profit Chain to Work,” Harvard Business Review, March-April (1994).

Related Services Burkely Offers

  • Define your ideal resident.
  • Resident relationship management, including communication and feedback loop.
  • Guide development of operating budget; formulate capital allocation strategy.

What We Do

We know our customers and what they want. It is central to the strategic approach we bring to the business of giving residents what they uniquely value in apartment living.

The Idea

A company can outperform rivals only if it can establish a difference it can preserve. Competitive strategy is about being different. It means choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value. Strategy is creating fit among a company’s activities. The success of a strategy depends on doing many things well—not just a few—and integrating them. If there is no fit among activities, there is no distinctive strategy and little sustainability. 4

4. Michael E. Porter, “What Is Strategy?” Harvard Business Review, November-December (1996).

Related Services Burkely Offers

  • Provide comprehensive community management.
  • Formulate value proposition and strategic vision.
  • Develop a strategic plan to accomplish your objectives.
  • Analyze, evaluate and interpret the market and your community’s position in it.
  • Plan and oversee development or renovation.

How We Do It

We build powerful apartment community brands.

The Idea

A brand represents a set of promises. It implies trust, consistency and a defined set of expectations. A brand differentiates products and services that appear similar in features, attributes and possibly even benefits.5 An orange…is an orange…is an orange. Unless, of course, that orange happens to be a Sunkist, a name eighty percent of consumers know and trust. 6

5. Scott M. Davis, Brand Asset Management: Driving Profitable Growth Through Your Brands (Jossey-Bass, 2002).
6. Russell L. Hanlin, quote by the CEO of the Sunkist Growers Association.

Related Services Burkely Offers

  • Evaluate your community’s current brand; formulate the brand your community should have
  • Create a plan to operationalize your brand
  • Align all marketing efforts and materials to support the brand.

Meet The Team

R. Sterling Kelly III - CEO

R. Sterling Kelly III - CEO

Co-founded Burkely in 1990, 40 years in the industry

  • Shapes Burkely as a people-centered, learning organization that strives continually to excel in meeting customers’ needs and to create value.
  • Integrates the best in broad organizational and business solutions into a differentiated model of building great apartment communities
  • Chair, Steering Committee for Building the Best Guilford Initiative
  • Past Chair, Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition (TREBIC)
  • Past President, Piedmont Triad Apartment Association Board of Directors (PTAA)
Jody C. Longwill - VP of Operations

Jody C. Longwill - VP of Operations

24 years with Burkely and 37 years in the industry; CAM,CAPS

  • Knows the organization deeply, having joined Burkely at the genesis of the current Burkely business model, and plays an integral part in its evolution.
  • Instills in team members the principles that constitute the Burkely model, leading and training by example.
  • Proficient in operationalizing the brand—that is, managing and living it.
  • Past President, Apartment Association of North Carolina (AANC).
  • Past President, Piedmont Triad Apartment Association (PTAA).
Stafford Kelly - Vice President of Development & Acquisition

Stafford Kelly - Vice President of Development & Acquisition

Joins Burkely as a New Partner; following 13 years in commercial and real estate lending

  • Leads Burkely’s business development efforts in acquisition and development opportunities
  • Responsible for identifying, underwriting and securing optimal capital for new investments
  • Member of Burkely’s executive leadership team
Paul E. Zechinati - Director- Accounting, HR

Paul E. Zechinati - Director- Accounting, HR

14 years with Burkely and 15 years in the industry

  • Oversees and helps manage financial resources for the company
  • Supports clients through timely, accurate financial reporting and community managers through stewardship of financial resources (i.e., cash flow)
  • Promotes responsible, ethical accounting standards and practices
  • Manages Human Resources administration and payroll
  • Ensures compliance with NC Real Estate Commission rules as Broker-in-Charge
Donna P. Broyhill - Sr. Management

Donna P. Broyhill - Sr. Management

22 years with Burkely and 26 years in the industry; CAM.

  • Has been integral in building the Burkely model from its earliest days and knows the organization deeply.
  • Helps others understand the link between effort and results; analyzes results to identify where improvement is needed.
  • Knows the tools and systems that help an organization understand how to use them to perform at ever-higher levels.
Suzanne Gray - Sr. Management

Suzanne Gray - Sr. Management

12 years with Burkely; 26 years in the industry.

  • Thrives in—and sees clearly where and how to apply basic, solutions-oriented management practices to—varied property management challenges.
  • Perceptively links performance and results and helps others see the connection.
  • Leads Burkely’s rental homes/commercial management division
    Real Estate Broker- (In Charge Eligible).
Tim Litchfield - Director of Innovation/Regional

Tim Litchfield - Director of Innovation/Regional

9 years with Burkely; 17 years in the Industry

  • Thrives when he is generating and executing ideas and takes pride in leading a team that exceeds expectations
  • Believes leadership is best when built upon integrity and in service to the team
  • In his spare time, you’ll find him hanging out with his wife and son at the beach or at a fiddle festival
  • Piedmont Triad Apartment Association Diamond Award winner: 2008 & 2013
Michelle Jordan - Director of Marketing

Michelle Jordan - Director of Marketing

16 years with Burkely and 17 years in the industry; NALP

  • Deep knowledge of the apartment and student rental markets in Boone and the Piedmont Triad NC
  • Comprehensive experience in apartment/rental advertising.
  • Brings a strong understanding of effective apartment marketing (i.e. what works for residents)
  • Piedmont Triad Apartment Association Diamond Award Winner: 2005, 2010, 2018
Brian Williams - Director of Maintenance

Brian Williams - Director of Maintenance

19 years with Burkely; CAMT

  • Sets the Burkely standard in delivering a high-quality, physical environment
  • Serves as the organization’s point-person in engaging vendors, contractors and suppliers who can help extend the brand
  • Piedmont Triad Apartment Association Diamond Award winner: 2004, 2008, 2014
Marshall Campbell - Accounts Payable Manager

Marshall Campbell - Accounts Payable Manager

10 years with Burkely

  • Assists all properties and homes with their accounting needs including in-depth knowledge of the management software, Appfolio and Entrata
  • Responsible for auditing and financial reporting
  • Coordinates and manages IT solutions for Burkely
Mark Everhart - Regional Manager

Mark Everhart - Regional Manager

9 years with Burkely

  • Is an integral and trusted leader in Burkely’s Student Housing division
  • Leads and supports Burkely in areas of Risk Management
  • Has knowledge and expertise in the tools and systems that help Universities manage and oversee their off-campus housing
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Better Living. For Rent.

Want To Work With Us?

At Burkely Communities, we know that an exceptional team is crucial to our success. Creating a positive culture starts with building a foundation of reliable, people-centered professionals. Contact us to learn more about our current open opportunities.

Join Our Team