Camden Properties leads latest list of investors.

The National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI) is pleased to announce a $250,000 contribution from Camden Property Trust as part of NAAEI's "Investing in Our Profession" campaign.

Other recent apartment owner and management firm contributors include Lincoln Property Co. and SARES-REGIS Group, which each pledged $100,000; Gables Residential invested $75,000; ECI Group invested $50,000; and NAA National Supplier's Council member Auth-Florence invested $25,000.

The contribution brings the campaign's fund-raising total to $4,727,500. NAAEI's initial fund-raising goal is $5 million.

NAAEI is an independent entity created by NAA with a mission to provide broad-based education, training and recruitment programs that attract, nurture and retain top-quality professionals and develop tomorrow's industry leaders.

The Institute will:

* Create awareness of apartment careers;

* Develop a comprehensive managerial development program;

* Work with NAA's national network of affiliates to build a recruitment pipeline for the industry; and

* Identify and promote career ladders and competencies for apartment management.

"Supporting NAAEI is supporting high-quality, comprehensive training programs dedicated to attracting talented professionals to our industry," said Camden's CEO and Chairman Ric Campo. "There's no better way to enrich our talent pool than by helping people learn about our business and by providing the ways and means for them to be successful."

J. Timothy Byrne, President, Lincoln Property Co., said that when his company was called upon to support NAAEI, "Lincoln felt confident in making a strong contribution based on the success that NAA has earned in every facet of industry representation. The opportunity of building college programs for our entry-level personnel and attracting college graduates who see property management as a career is a goal that can be achieved only through the National Apartment Association."

James V. Thomas, President, Multifamily Property Management Division, SARES-REGIS Group, said, "Many people, including myself, 'fell' into this business, as opposed to having selected property management as a career.

"We expect that the Institute will enable people to be better informed as they plot their career paths," Thomas said. "There is a critical need to create a resource for recruiting property management personnel, especially at the entry level. This will enable the industry to reduce its employee turnover rate."

Contributions to NAAEI are investments in the future of the apartment industry, and broad participation is important. Gifts are tax-deductible as charitable contributions; pledges may be paid in three to five years.

"It is exciting that in just 15 months, NAAEI is nearly at its initial fund-raising goal of $5 million," said Deane Dolben, Chairman of the NAAEI Campaign Cabinet and President of The Dolben Company, which is also an investor in NAAEI. "Key apartment players are realizing and embracing the objectives of NAAEI, and these investments demonstrate that they want to take a leadership role on behalf of our industry."