The Maintenance Sessions You Can't Miss at NAA Apartmentalize 2026

NAA Apartmentalize 2026 | June 17–19 | New Orleans, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

If you're heading to New Orleans for Apartmentalize 2026, the maintenance track is stacked. Whether you're a technician looking to sharpen your skills, a supervisor managing a team, or an ops leader who needs to connect performance to the bottom line, there's a session with your name on it.

We pulled together every maintenance-focused education session on the schedule so you can plan your days before you hit the floor.

Why the Maintenance Track Matters More Than Ever

Maintenance teams are carrying more weight than ever. Resident expectations are higher, skilled labor is harder to find, and the link between service quality and renewal rates is no longer just a gut feeling. It's backed by real data. The sessions at Apartmentalize 2026 reflect that reality, covering everything from preventing burnout to proving maintenance ROI. This year's lineup is heavy on data, real-world case studies, and practical frameworks you can actually use when you get back to your property.

Here's a breakdown of every session worth circling.

Session 1: The Maintenance Effect: How Service Quality Drives Renewals and Revenue

Format: Express Education | Level: Advanced
Track: Maintenance (OPS Managers)

Here's a number worth paying attention to: faster response times, better communication, and higher repair quality can boost renewal rates by 8% to 12%. That's not a guess. It's pulled from a study of 110,048 first-year residents and 256,687 work orders.

This session makes the business case for maintenance in a language executives actually listen to: dollars. You'll walk away with frameworks like "No-Work Order 90," a first-90-day approach designed to reduce churn before it starts, and learn how to set service level agreements (SLAs) that directly improve net operating income (NOI).

What you'll learn:

• How to calculate churn cost and forecast renewal lift using your own portfolio's maintenance key performance indicators (KPIs)
• How to design first-90-day workflows that reduce early resident turnover
• How to implement dynamic dispatching and priority rules to cut cycle times
  

Meet the speakers:

🎤 Ray Hespen, CEO and Co-founder at Property Meld Ray is one of the industry's most data-driven voices on maintenance operations. If you're not already following him on LinkedIn, this session is a great reason to start.

🎤 Paul Rhodes, Sr. Manager of Maintenance Learning at Brookfield Properties Multifamily Paul brings a practitioner's perspective to workforce development and maintenance performance. Find him on LinkedIn.

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Session 2: It's Called Preventive Maintenance... Not "Pretendative" Maintenance

Format: Education Session | Level: Intermediate
Track: Maintenance (OPS Managers)

The title alone earns this one a spot on your schedule. If your team has a preventive maintenance plan that nobody actually follows, this session was built for you.

Using data from a 16,000-lease study, the presenters break down why most teams default to reactive mode. Not because they're lazy, but because they're overwhelmed. And they show you how to build a simple, repeatable preventive maintenance system that actually sticks. The goal isn't just fewer emergency calls. It's less resident turnover, less team burnout, and longer career longevity for the techs doing the work.

What you'll learn:

• The real difference between preventive maintenance and "pretendative" maintenance (and how to tell which one your team is actually doing)
• How to build a repeatable preventive maintenance plan tailored to your specific property
• Proactive strategies that reduce failures, service requests, and turnover at the same time
  

Meet the speakers:

🎤 Paul Rhodes, Sr. Manager of Maintenance Learning at Brookfield Properties Multifamily Paul is presenting twice at Apartmentalize this year. That's not an accident. He's one of the sharpest thinkers in the industry on maintenance systems and team performance. Connect on LinkedIn.\

🎤 Mark Sharp, CEO at The Maintenance Academy

Mark has spent his career building training and operational systems specifically for multifamily maintenance teams. He's a go-to voice in the industry on developing high-performing technicians. Find him on LinkedIn.

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Session 3: Combating Maintenance Fatigue Through Culture, Technology and Data

Format: Education Session | Level: Intermediate
Track: Maintenance (Regional Supervisors)

This one hits differently if you've watched a great tech burn out and walk. Maintenance fatigue is real, it's measurable, and it costs you. This session takes it seriously.

The presenters use field-based data to identify the operational, cultural, and technological factors driving burnout across maintenance teams. This isn't just a feel-good conversation about wellness. It's a strategic discussion about how leadership practices, technology choices, and workload management directly affect retention and team output.

What you'll learn:

• The key operational and cultural factors driving maintenance fatigue, backed by real data
• How to recognize early signs of burnout and apply leadership practices that actually improve morale
• How to use technology to reduce workload and restore energy across your team
  

Meet the speakers:

🎤 Kenny Choat, Director of Maintenance at Thompson Thrift Kenny is a recognized voice on maintenance leadership and team culture. He's also presenting in the workforce training session below. Clearly someone worth connecting with. Find him on LinkedIn.

🎤 Angela Drysdale, Regional Maintenance Director at Willow Bridge Property Company Angela brings regional-scale leadership experience to the burnout conversation. That's exactly the perspective you need when thinking about what fatigue looks like across a large portfolio. Connect on LinkedIn.

🎤 Ben Nowacky, President at HappyCo Ben leads one of the industry's property operations platforms. His perspective on how technology intersects with team health is worth the seat. Connect on LinkedIn.

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Session 4: Maintenance Matters: Training for Tomorrow's Workforce

Format: Education Session | Level: Intermediate
Track: Maintenance (Regional Supervisors)

Workforce development isn't a nice-to-have. It's the difference between a team that grows and one that churns. This case study session draws on data from over 240 maintenance professionals nationwide to reveal what actually works in training and what doesn't.

Full-day, hands-on training is still the gold standard. But microlearning has a real role to play for just-in-time skill building. This session helps you figure out when to use each approach, and how to overcome the biggest barrier most teams face: finding time for training when there's always another work order to close.

What you'll learn:

• The most effective training formats and frequencies for maintenance professionals
• Which skill gaps are most urgent right now (HVAC and leadership top the list)
• How to align your training programs with what your employees actually want, and improve retention in the process
  

Meet the speakers:

🎤 Kenny Choat, Director of Maintenance at Thompson Thrift Kenny's back for his second session of the conference. His presence across both sessions reflects how much he has to say on maintenance team development. Connect on LinkedIn.

🎤 Tiana Heath, Senior Manager of Industry Relations at the National Apartment Association Tiana works at the intersection of industry advocacy and workforce development at the NAA level. Her perspective on where the industry is headed makes this session especially valuable. Find her on LinkedIn.

🎤 Matt O'Neill, Area Maintenance Supervisor at Subtext Matt brings the on-the-ground supervisor perspective. He's the person who actually has to implement training while managing daily operations. That's a voice this conversation needs. Connect on LinkedIn.

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Session 5: From Friction to Function: Uniting Maintenance and Operations for Success

Format: Panel | Level: Intermediate
Track: Maintenance (OPS Managers)

Here's a challenge almost every property faces: maintenance and operations share one mission (resident satisfaction) but too often operate in separate silos. The result is delays, tension, dropped balls, and frustrated residents.

This interactive panel tackles the culture and communication gap head-on. You'll get real-world examples and tools you can take back to your property. Not theoretical frameworks. Practical systems for building shared accountability across your team.

What you'll learn:

• Communication tools and accountability systems that improve maintenance efficiency and operational transparency
• Proactive maintenance and inspection strategies that minimize emergency repairs and extend asset life
• How to build genuine shared ownership between maintenance and management teams

Meet the speakers:

🎤 Nichole Curl, Director of Chadwell University at Chadwell Supply Nichole leads education and training at one of the industry's most recognized maintenance supply partners. She also appears in the renovations session below. Connect on LinkedIn.

🎤 Monica Gracia, SVP Operations at Dayrise Residential Monica brings executive-level operations experience to this conversation. When it comes to understanding the breakdown between maintenance and property management, that perspective matters. Find her on LinkedIn.

🎤 Roger Remblake, VP of Facilities at Waterton Roger oversees facilities at scale, which means he knows firsthand what cross-functional collaboration actually looks like across a large portfolio. Connect on LinkedIn.

🎤 Heather Sanchez, Moderator

Session 6: Fixing for Profit: Move Your Bottom Line Through Maintenance

Format: Fishbowl Session | Level: Advanced
Track: Maintenance (OPS Managers)

Fishbowl sessions are different. This one pulls data from the industry's largest maintenance technician survey and pairs it with open dialogue, real stories, and audience participation. Think of it less as a lecture and more as a working session where the people in the room help shape the content.

The core question: how do you turn your maintenance operation into a real profit driver? From technology and tools to recognition and retention, this session digs into what's working and what's falling flat, and why the gap between the two usually comes down to communication.

What you'll learn:

• How to equip your maintenance and office teams with the right tools, technology, and training for efficient problem-solving
• How to address communication breakdowns between maintenance, management, and residents
• Creative strategies for retaining and recognizing maintenance technicians (and the well-meaning practices that actually backfire)

Meet the speakers:

🎤 Mark Cukro, President at Plus One Consulting, Inc. Mark is one of the industry's most recognized maintenance educators and consultants, with decades of experience helping multifamily companies build high-performing teams. Connect on LinkedIn.

🎤 Kara Rice, VP of Education at Swift Bunny, LLC Kara focuses on employee engagement and retention. Both are at the core of any maintenance operation that actually lasts. Find her on LinkedIn.

🎤 Lori Snider, Director of People Operations at RedPeak Lori brings a people operations lens to maintenance retention. That combination is increasingly important as the industry works through serious workforce challenges. Connect on LinkedIn.

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Session 7: Revive and Thrive: Mastering Renovations in the Modern Market

Format: Express Education | Level: Intermediate
Track: Industry Trends

This one sits slightly outside the pure maintenance track but it's directly relevant to anyone involved in capital planning, unit turns, or long-term asset strategy. The session tackles renovation ROI: how to make sure the dollars you spend on upgrades actually come back to you as increased income, higher property value, and competitive advantage.

The discussion covers sustainability, energy efficiency, and how to tell the difference between a smart long-term investment and a trend that fades fast.

What you'll learn:

• How to make sure your capital dollars yield the best possible return and maximize long-term profitability
• How to evaluate sustainability and energy efficiency as investments with real staying power
• The relationship between functional obsolescence, ROI, and competitive positioning

Meet the speakers:

🎤 Tabitha Allbert, Director of Property Management at S&S Properties Tabitha brings the property management perspective to renovation strategy, which is critical when aligning capital spend with what your market and your residents actually need. Connect on LinkedIn.

🎤 Nichole Curl, Director of Chadwell University at Chadwell Supply Three sessions across the Apartmentalize agenda. Nichole is a must-follow voice in the maintenance and facilities space. Connect on LinkedIn.

🎤 Jim Kennedy, Sr. Director of Supply Chain at IRT Living Jim's supply chain expertise adds an important lens to renovation planning. Budget overruns rarely happen because of bad design choices. They happen because of procurement and logistics realities. Find him on LinkedIn.

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How to Build Your Maintenance Schedule

Here's a quick-reference guide to help you prioritize:

Check the full Apartmentalize 2026 schedule for confirmed times and room assignments as they're released.

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One More Thing

These sessions represent some of the best maintenance-focused education the industry puts in one place. But Apartmentalize isn't just about the content. It's about the conversations that happen after the session wraps, the connections you make in the hallway, and the ideas you bring back to your team.

If you see a speaker you want to connect with, don't just send a LinkedIn request from your phone. Introduce yourself. Tell them what hit home. That's how the best relationships in this industry get started.

See you in New Orleans.

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NAA Apartmentalize 2026 takes place June 17–19 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. For the full education schedule, visit apartmentalize.naahq.org.