Shelby’s what we like to call one of the “lifers” at Walnut Capital. Being in that category is something special…

Over the course of her 21 years at Walnut Capital... over 43,000 working hours to be more specific...Shelby has truly perfected her craft as our Accounts Receivable Supervisor!

Shelby started her career at Walnut Capital wayyy back in 2001! Interestingly enough, it would have been earlier if she didn’t get passed over in her initial interview for the position (thanks a lot, Diana!) Nonetheless, that chick didn’t pan out too well and we should have gone with Shelby from the start #regrets

Prior to working at Walnut Capital, Shelby would get ready for work by slapping on a dress and panty hose every. single. day. YIKES. Her corporate job wasn’t bad…but mannnn, that dress code was daunting. Michael Goldstein would occasionally come by the office during tax season and that’s how those two originally met! She first heard about Walnut Capital through an acquaintance that got a job here and Shelby was on the prowl to make a switch if any positions opened up.

She came in to talk to Michael and the rest is history! Shelby admitted that her first few weeks in her new role, Michael asked her to stop wearing professional attire. She was thrilled to toss the skirts and blazers but had to go buy a whole new wardrobe! When your boss tells you to wear jeans, you happily agree and go on a shopping spree!

Shelby was hired as Accounts Receivable and in charge of collecting all of those rent checks.

At the time, we had several residential properties in Squirrel Hill and Shadyside, commercial properties all over the area and a slew of other buildings we no longer manage today. Things were very different in the early 2000's to say the least. Shelby was the queen of Rent Coupons! These would remind residents to pay their rent on time and acted as a receipt for the landlord to use with each payment. All the coupons would go to the lock box at the bank and the bank would process the funds. Shelby was the only employee that took care of the rent payments. Needless to say, there have been a lotttt of checks that have floated by her desk.

Fast forward to recent history where we have transitioned our rent payment process to be totally paperless and online! Utilizing RentCafe to facilitate remote deposits and online payments was a game changer.

RentCafe is great. It wasn't difficult to learn and took a lot of work off of my plate. Residents can pay through their bank or with credit cards now.

In general, people are more tech-savvy and utilizing RentCafe is pretty easy for most. Years ago when she was working more closely with everyone’s accounts, Shelby would know almost every tenant! Can you imagine? These days, she only knows a handful of people. Usually speaking with them when they run into a problem with the system, have a question about their account or haven’t paid their rent (eek!)

Shelby stopped processing commercial payments over five years ago but is now managing rent payments for over 2,000 units…way more than before!

She is surprised at how much the company has grown and loves that Walnut Capital continues to expand and include more properties in our portfolio. Keeps it interesting, ya know? She also can’t believe there are over 100 employees that work here. In 2001, there couldn’t have been more than 15 people that made up the whole Walnut Capital team and they comfortably occupied the 3rd floor at what is now known as the “main office” on Walnut Street.

She remembers the early days being a blast. The younger employees were close and would go out together all the time. She wouldn’t share all of the stories…so you know they must be pretty good!
 

My favorite part about working here is the friendships I have made over the years. My coworkers who were around in the early days, my current coworkers and also some people who are no longer working at Walnut Capital.

These relationships are some of her best ones and many stood the test of time. Sometimes she misses the frequent potluck lunches, birthday parties and other celebrations with the small, original crew. She even remembers taking Gregg’s youngest daughter to the toy store, to walk the dogs, or to Walnut Street to get some snacks when she was in the office. Speaking of children… She has three of her own and Walnut Capital is all they’ve ever known!

What’s next for Shelby? Hopefully winning the lottery and retiring!

Shelby is the leader of the office lottery pool. Look how happy she looks in this photo holding that wad of cash! Shelby is collecting money left and right, buying tickets, emailing the numbers, and keeping track of winnings… although that hasn’t amounted to much! This is a highly organized operation and heck, the guy at the gas station even knows her name! She has a deal that if she ever wins, Walnut Capital requires 60 day notice before she quits. Fair enough… wish her luck!