Meet Lisa Westerbeck

At Kissing Tree, we’re proud that our Community Life Team (aka HOA, or Home Owners’ Association) is managed by Cohere, a third-party company that provides strong governance, healthy finances, elevated lifestyle experiences, and lasting market value for communities all over the country. Our Community Life Team takes care of many of the day-to-day tasks that keep the community running smoothly, and they also keep the fun going!

Cohere’s Community Engagement Manager Lisa Westerbeck oversees Kissing Tree’s communication efforts and also manages Kissing Tree’s Trade Partner Program. The program forges a connection between local businesses and the Kissing Tree community and raises additional funds to support community programming. We sat down with Lisa to learn more about the program and the other HOA initiatives that keep her days busy (and exciting).

KT: Hi Lisa! Tell us about the Trade Partner Program here at Kissing Tree.

LW: The Trade Partner Program generates outside revenue that helps offset community engagement programming. Local businesses sign up at different sponsorship levels, and they receive benefits such as ads in the Legendary Times, our monthly resident newsletter, and the ability to get in front of residents for sponsored events.

KT: What kinds of businesses make good partners?

LW: We have a big range; you can see many of our sponsors featured in the Legendary Times. There are companies that do financial and retirement planning, and landscaping. We have one company that focuses on window cleaning. We have two golf cart companies, and one that does closet organization. We have a concierge audiology trade partner who comes to people’s homes and helps them figure out if they need hearing aids. We’re always looking for more Trade Partners, but we do limit the number of partners per industry.

KT: How do the partners get involved?

LW: Most of our partner businesses want to build a long-term relationship with our residents. Depending on the sponsorship level, businesses might be allowed to host a one-off event or put up a table at one of our live music nights to hand out beer and water at The Mix. Or they might get to host seminars in our Activity Room or be a part of one of our vendor fairs. We’re also good at thinking of unusual events. One partner, First Light Home Care in Kyle, brought in an artist and they hosted a workshop in our Art Studio where residents made a fairy garden pot — everyone had a blast.

KT: How does the Trade Partner Program help Kissing Tree residents?

LW: Well, our Kissing Tree residents get preferred pricing with all of our Trade Partners, so that’s a nice benefit. But the biggest benefit is that revenue from our Trade Partners’ sponsorships is used to offset community engagement programming. With sponsorship packages ranging from single event pricing to $8,000 and more each year, it really adds up and generates significant revenue that goes back into activities. At some point in the future as the Kissing Tree community finishes out, our Homeowners Association will lose the subsidy we receive from our developer, Brookfield Residential. Part of the job of the Community Engagement team is figuring out ways to bring money into the community. It not only helps to cover the cost of free events for our residents, but can also help cover other costs such as landscaping, programming, and more.

KT: That’s great! What else do you do as Community Engagement Manager?

LW: I wear a lot of hats! I lead our resident-led Communications Advisory Committee, which serves as our connection with the community. I do a lot with budgeting. Lately I’ve been helping set up systems to help us work more efficiently. We have three different financial systems that go into our engagement budget. We’ve recently changed our invoicing and payment systems to allow our Trade Partners to pay by Square instead of only by check. This not only makes paying easier for our partners, but also makes it easier for us to keep track of payments. Last night I worked on the Highlights newsletter that went out today.

KT: How did you get started in Community Engagement?      

LW: I have a background in real estate as well as in research coordination. Most recently, I worked in sales for a home builder, and before that I was a real estate agent. Previously, I served as a research coordinator at Texas State. That job was actually very applicable, because I helped principal investigators budget and manage their grants so they could focus on their research.

KT: How did you find Kissing Tree?

LW: I first visited Kissing Tree in 2018 when I came for a CE class for Realtors. I thought it was like Disney World, when you come in that grand entrance! I had been living in San Marcos and working at the University, and I had no idea Kissing Tree was here. A few years later, my sister and I came back to check it out. When I saw they had a position open, I jumped at the chance to work here.

KT: What do you love about the Kissing Tree Community?

LW: The residents are just the best. Lately I’ve been helping with the Golf Cart Social Group; they’re putting on a Neighborhood Games competition with lots of crazy events. First I got roped in as a judge, and now I’m going to be the emcee. It’s out of my comfort zone, but we’re going to have a great time! I designed a banner that says KT Champion Neighborhood that we can use over and over, and we got permission to display it outside the winning neighborhood for 7 days. There’s just always something fun going on here.

If you want to live in a community with great events, fun neighbors, and a cool Community Engagement Manager, check out our move-in-ready homes. Or connect with our builders Brookfield Residential and David Weekley Homes about floor plans, available homesites, and special incentives.