We recently hosted our 2022 REdirect Summit. At this annual gathering, we brought the entire REdirect team together to discuss our challenges, successes, and goals for the future. This year’s theme was “Synergy Drives Success,” and the sessions and discussions of the summit centered around this focus. Each year, we are amazed by how much we have grown since our beginnings in 1999. 

As a principal, I had the privilege of delivering a State of the Union talk to the team. This gave us an opportunity to celebrate how far we have come and look forward to what the future has in store for our clients and us. 

The Past

We like to get a little nostalgic at the beginning of each year’s State of the Union, reflecting on how we got to where we are today. 

Who We Are

Several years ago, we went through the process of setting out our mission, vision, and values. It was surprisingly difficult to get a consensus, but ultimately we were able to define what is most important to us as a business and as individuals.

Our mission is “To bring an unparalleled combination of business acumen, technical know-how, and creative thinking to bear on real-world challenges facing our clients and the real estate community.”

We differentiate ourselves from our competitors thanks to our experienced and professional team members who are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get to work on the various software solutions we offer. Our approach is never cookie-cutter, and we offer creative, bespoke solutions based on client needs. 

REdirect is the most trusted real estate technology consultancy for companies of all sizes. Our energy, creativity, passion, people skills, and personal touch set us apart from the crowd. We see ourselves as a trusted advisor, standing beside our clients and helping them grow and scale effectively. 

Our values are fairness, accomplishment, trust, creativity, adaptability, and teamwork. Every aspect of our business practices, from our outbound marketing to our performance management strategies, ties back to these values. 

How We Got Here

REdirect started in 1999 as a tiny firm with three partners. For the first seven years, the three founders ran the business alone. The focus was initially on MRI’s software platform, and new business came entirely through word of mouth. 

I was working for MRI Software at the time, and REdirect was a partner of ours. I got to know the team, and one day I asked one of the partners why REdirect wasn’t expanding since there was clearly such a demand for their services. An interesting opportunity arose when I approached the partners and said, “I think I can help.” It turned out to be the perfect match. 

Between 2007 and 2009, we recognized there was another industry-leading software solution we weren’t yet working with: Yardi. We made contact, and our relationship with Yardi began. During this time, we landed our first major project, a large owner/operator embarking on a Yardi implementation, and brought some key talent with Yardi experience on board. 

Then, in 2010, MRI changed their company’s strategy, including restructuring their help-desk offerings. This opened up a great opportunity for us, and we were able to bring on some great talent from the MRI team and launch our help-desk solution, REdirect Assist, which, over time, has become a critical part of our business. 

We launched our first partnership with Spreadsheet Server via insightsoftware. We were selected as their exclusive North American partner to sell, implement, and support Spreadsheet Server to the real estate market. This opened the door for us to introduce this powerful Excel-based reporting tool to Yardi and MRI users. 

From 2014 to 2016, we developed and launched our Investment Management practice, which remains one of our main differentiators in the market. Yardi was growing its investment accounting and investment management solutions, and only a few firms had extensive experience with this powerful and complex product. Therefore, we built a practice to service this need and remain the leading consultancy focusing on Yardi and MRI’s Investment Management suite of solutions.

Going Global

Before 2014, we were a New York City-based firm. However, we kept getting requests for our services from clients outside the NYC Metro area. We began flying consultants along the East Coast and Midwest, but it was when we started to get requests from the West Coast that we realized we needed a more sustainable solution and launched our western region consulting team. Today, we have people all over the country, and we are able to holistically serve the entire United States. 

From 2017 to 2020, we doubled the size of our firm. During this period, we brought Jason Schedler on board to launch our Automation practice, focusing on automating manual processes using Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Over the following year, Jason revolutionized RPA at REdirect, integrating our systems from the full lifecycle of lead generation to client billing in a way we had never before achieved. 

2019 brought our first international expansion into the UK, which was an exciting time that brought some unexpected challenges, as pandemic-related travel restrictions made it increasingly difficult to travel to the UK. We have since onboarded a London-based senior business development leader to expand our services to the UK and European markets.

We also expanded our India team during this time. Initially focused on technical consulting, report customizations, data conversions, and system integrations, the team has since grown to encompass areas such as RPA and functional consulting. 

In 2021, we expanded into Australia, where our Sydney-based team remains busy servicing investment and property management firms in the region. We plan to cover the full Asia-Pacific region, as we can see a strong need for our services.

Currently, we are working on expanding into Canada. We have a great relationship with our regional partners and look forward to having local consultants available to our Canadian clients.

In early 2022, we launched our Affordable and Public Housing practice, offering a full suite of services, including Property Onboarding, Waitlist Setup, HAP Ledger Clean-Up, Certification & Voucher Corrections, Repayment Agreements & Special Claims, and User Training and Support. We are proud to be able to serve this vital area of the real estate market. 

The Present

As we went to market with RPA, we found the marketing and sales aspect challenging, as many prospective users did not know where to begin with the technology. In the past year, we have identified some common use cases, such as bank reconciliation automation, that can greatly benefit many of our clients. Since taking this step, our automation practice has taken off, and we have seen some incredible results. 

Our REdirect Assist help desk has further grown this year. We currently support over 70 help-desk clients in addition to supporting our Spreadsheet Server clients, with a large group of consultants helping with ad hoc support tickets as they arise. Our help-desk clients view us as a critical part of their organizations. When our helpdesk began, we might see 2,000 tickets a year. Last month alone, we reached 2,700 tickets. 

We have worked on 380 projects so far this year, ranging from small to large, and around 135 clients are receiving assistance from us in any given month. 

The Future 

We are two years into our 2023 Vision, which encapsulates where we are headed, what we will be doing in 2023, and why. Our team has helped us figure out how to get there and propel us forward. In our Vision, we set out the goals for each area of our business. 

Some of our particular areas of success so far have included showcasing thought leadership, growing our regional expansions, optimizing our existing services, and locking down our key differentiators, such as investment management and RPA. In 2023, we will focus on improving our methodologies, developing a client portal, and expanding our system optimization offerings. 

There are many great things in store for the upcoming year, and we don’t want you to miss out on the excitement. Contact us to see how REdirect can help you reach your business goals for 2023 and beyond. We look forward to working with you!