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UCH Management Group's Harries

'Expertise is just going to become mandatory.'

By Sule Aygoren Carranza | Updated on March 17, 2009

With the acquisition of a majority and controlling interest by its president, UCH Management Group LLC has uncoupled itself from its parent company and is now free to take on third-party clients. Previously, the Austin-based student housing firm handled only those communities owned by United Campus Holdings Co. LLC.

With the autonomy to bring its management expertise to a wide array of student housing investors, developers, owners and lenders the firm’s leadership hopes to develop relationships with players it would not have done business with before. The firm has already signed on to manage a 1,230-bed class A mixed-use student housing property in Utah, and is in advanced negotiations on contracts for several other communities.

Given the increased attention the student housing sector has been receiving–and the troubles facing some investors in this downturn–the timing of the relaunch is “ideal,” says UCHMG’s president, Mark Harries. Despite the challenges facing the industry, the key to a successful student housing property is in taking a holistic approach to student support and the student experience, rather than touting a fully-loaded amenity package to attract students and their parents, he maintains.

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