Felicite Moorman remembers receiving a call from a multifamily property manager whose building was struggling with its thermostat system. “For one thing, the system wasn’t designed for multifamily; for another thing, the system had very little property management control capability,” she recalls.
The year was 2013, and Moorman was CEO of BuLogics, which specializes in providing wireless solutions for the Internet of Things. Her company had just launched StratIS, a wireless access, energy, and automation control, whose app gives property owners and managers the ability to create setbacks on thermostats and heating systems.
In short order, StratIS has made an imprint on the market. In 2014, it established a partnership with Jonathan Rose Companies, a green real estate policy, development, project management and investment firm, through which StratIS installed its pilot systems. Last year, StratIS struck a partnership with the door hardware manufacturer Schlage, which had introduced its Schlage Control Smart Locks that are designed for multifamily property owners, and whose ENGAGE technology enables lock control from the cloud via mobile applications that are compatible with StratIS’s access platform.
By late November 2015, StratIS had at least one of its products in 72,000 multifamily and hotel units in between 250 and 300 buildings. Moorman tells BD+C that between 14,000 and 20,000 of those units are student housing built by American Campus Communities. StratIS’s products also found their way into student housing developed and managed by Campus Apartments.
StratIS markets its software through distributors, integrators, and installers. “We give them something extra to sell,” says Moorman. She adds that StratIS’s products are relatively easy to install in new builds or renovations, with minimal resident disruption. “We precommission everything, which cuts down on the [complexity] of installation. I also test everything on my seven-year-old, and if she can’t use it, we try to figure out what happened.”
Property managers have the option of allowing renters to download StratIS’s thermostat-control app as part of their lease agreement.
Moorman says the next horizon for StratIS could be key cards, although she concedes there is far greater potential liability using this kind of technology for access into multifamily homes than in hotels. Longer term, Moorman sees opportunities for StratIS developing access- and HVAC-control products for the single-family housing market, which she acknowledges will be more competitive.
Related Stories
Hotel Facilities | Mar 6, 2018
A New Hampshire college offers student housing as hotel rooms during the summer
The opening of a new residence hall could help with Plymouth State University’s hospitality marketing.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 4, 2018
Katerra, a tech-driven GC, plots ambitious expansion
Investors flock to this vertically integrated startup, which automates its design and construction processes.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 28, 2018
Transwestern data points to demand for larger rental units among baby boomers
As baby boomers seek to downsize from large homes, developers are increasingly designing apartments specifically for this demographic.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 27, 2018
Victorian era gasholders become modern residences in London
The new residences are part of the King’s Cross redevelopment scheme.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 22, 2018
Multifamily building with 25,000 sf of amenities rises on the shore of the Potomac River
The building is part of the National Gateway mixed-use development at Potomac yard.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 15, 2018
United States ranks fourth for renter growth
Renters are on the rise in 21 of the 30 countries examined in RentCafé’s recent study.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 31, 2018
4 ways multifamily developers can attract Baby Boomer, Millennial buyers
As Baby Boomers downsize and Millennials begin buying homes, multifamily developments in dynamic urban areas are meeting the demand.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jan 25, 2018
Virginia Beach: A surf town with a wave problem no more
A world-class surf park will highlight Virginia Beach’s new live-work-play development.
Market Data | Jan 25, 2018
Renters are the majority in 42 U.S. cities
Over the past 10 years, the number of renters has increased by 23 million.
Resiliency | Jan 24, 2018
A luxury community in Florida mandates resilience in new-home construction
Alys Beach’s in-house GC builds to standards set by the FORTIFIED program.