Southern Community Services Celebrates 15 Years as Leader in Homeowner Association Management in the Carolinas
December 30, 2015
Columbia, SC – Southern Community Services (SCS), the region’s leader in homeowner association management, is celebrating its 15th anniversary of providing professional business, governance, and community management services to more than 160 communities across the Carolinas, including Lake Carolina and Wildewood in the Midlands, Park West and I’On in Charleston, Port Royal Plantation in Hilton Head, and Ayrsley in Charlotte, N.C.
Founded in 2000, SCS is led by the ownership team of Larry Ridlehoover, CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®, president and co-principal, and Chuck Munn, vice president and co-principal. More than 30 association clients are celebrating their 15th anniversary with the firm, which has commemorated the occasion with a complete brand refresh, a new website at www.TrustSCS.com and an increased investment in the most advanced back office technology in the industry.
Armed with the coveted Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC) designation from the Community Associations Institute (CAI) – one of only six such companies in the state, and the sole designee in the Midlands – SCS provides turnkey solutions, state-of-the-art technology and decades of association management experience to homeowner association boards, with senior-level involvement in every aspect of the business.
The firm employs 37 accredited professionals, managed by Steven Wagner, CMCA®, vice president of operations and finance; Mary Helen Settle, CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®, vice president, Upstate region; and Jessica Turner, CMCA®, AMS®, vice president, Charleston region.
Larry Ridlehoover has led SCS since 2000 and became co-principal with Chuck Munn in 2008. Before taking the helm, the firm’s principals were involved in some of the Carolinas’ most visible and significant communities. Ridlehoover’s career spans over 40 years, and premier properties such as Beech Mountain, Sea Pines, Seabrook Island, Prince George, DeBordieu, Park West and Lake Carolina have thrived under his leadership.
Chuck Munn has been engaged at the senior management level and as a principal in the cradle-to-grave development process of small and mega mixed-use residential communities with such entities as Fripp Island, The Bos Corporation, U.S. Capital Corporation, Tidewater Plantation Resort and Golf Club, and Lake Carolina.
“We’re so appreciative of our clients and our hardworking staff,” says Ridlehoover. “Professional development is extremely important at SCS, and when offered the chance to increase their accreditation levels at CAI, our community managers always leap at the challenge. We know that this is one of the key reasons why communities choose – and stay – with SCS.”
“Our client retention rate has been incredible,” says Munn. “Many of our communities have stayed with SCS since the initial engagement, and we credit those longstanding relationships to the high-tech, high-touch service our managers are able to give to HOA boards.”
“We’ve invested in very sophisticated back-end technology,” notes Ridlehoover. “This really sets us apart from the pack. We’ve integrated multiple software platforms to streamline communications, take document approval online and enable truly customizable management reporting. With our new website at www.TrustSCS.com, we’ve made it even easier and more intuitive for residents to pay assessments online and view crucial documents for their neighborhoods.”
“We have such cool apps for our customers, as well,” Munn adds. “Covenant violations are captured online via tablets; board members can have 24/7 access to association financials on their computers or iPads; owners can pay their assessments online through their smart devices; and we will be rolling out community-wide alerts via text in 2016. It’s a very different era from the old days of stuffing envelopes into the night.”
SCS offers a full range of association management services, including project management; contract negotiation; billing and collections; newsletter publishing; architectural review; financial reporting and accounting; CC&R enforcement; oversight of landscaping, pool and other amenity maintenance vendors; budget preparation and more.
The company has corporate headquarters in the capital city of Columbia, S.C.; a Lowcountry office in Mount Pleasant, S.C.; and an Upstate office in Spartanburg, S.C.; as well as more than 10 staffed, onsite offices in communities throughout the Charleston and Columbia areas.
Other notable communities managed by SCS include Cobblestone Park, Ascot, The Summit, Lake Frances and Crickentree in Columbia; Dunes West, Hamlin Plantation, Belle Hall and Tanner Plantation in Charleston; and The Reserve at Lake Keowee and Foxwood Hills in the Upstate. To learn more about SCS, visit www.TrustSCS.com.
About Southern Community Services (SCS)
Southern Community Services (SCS) has specialized in the management of homeowners associations throughout the Carolinas and beyond since the year 2000. Awarded the prestigious Accredited Association Management (AAMC) designation by the Community Association Institute (CAI), SCS currently serves more than 160 communities, from multi-tiered master-planned communities to small, single family neighborhoods. Staffed with accredited professionals who work diligently to accommodate the unique needs of each community, SCS provides turnkey solutions, state-of-the-art technology and decades of association management experience to boards, with senior-level involvement in every aspect of the business. Learn more at www.TrustSCS.com.
