Austin, Texas — The firm began with five employees and one client. Today it employs approximately 600 people and manages $1.5 billion in assets.
Austin, Texas — Campus Advantage celebrated its 10th anniversary with a red carpet party and annual awards ceremony as part of its CA 2013 Conference for general managers and corporate employees in Austin at the end of February. The company opened its doors on March 3, 2003, starting with five employees and one client, a 571-bed property.
It now operates 50 student housing communities across 20 states, employs more than 600 people and manages $1.5 billion in assets. Its more than 12,000 units provide housing to 28,000 students.
Co-founder and CEO Mike Peter said Campus Advantage was founded at a time when many student housing companies were focusing on development and acquisition but neglecting the process of managing the student housing experience. Peter and his business partners started the firm to give student residents a living experience rather than just a roof and four walls. That guiding principle still forms the foundation of the company and its approach to doing business.
Peter’s own experience as a resident assistant while an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin helped form the guiding philosophy of Campus Advantage and shaped the company’s vision of providing services to residents as a way to help “create a world where more people are leading successful and enriched lives.” The company’s residence life program provides residents with several personal, social and academic resources.
The company has evolved to offer a broad range of student housing-related services — from operations and asset management to development, acquisitions and international consulting. For example, over the past 10 years, Campus Advantage’s consulting team has conducted more than 160 projects in nearly every state and eight countries, and the company has been involved in more than 60 new development projects.