Time flies when you’re having fun. That’s the saying, and it certainly feels true as this year ALN Apartment Data celebrates 30 years of multifamily research! It is both exciting and gratifying to have arrived at such a meaningful milestone. We have had several iterations of our team and have seen some of the most tumultuous times in our industry during the last three decades.
But if there is one thing that we really celebrate, is that we can honestly say that we have stayed true to our original mission. Our mission has always been, and will continue to be, providing accurate multifamily data with integrity.

Our Beginnings

ALN Apartment Data was formed out of an awareness by Wayne Williams that there was a need for in‐depth, accurate data on multifamily properties in the Dallas area. Apartment Locators needed a consistent and centralized location for this type of information to help people find the perfect place to live. With almost immediate success, it did not take long for our information to also became vital for brokers, lenders, and appraisers.

That also meant growing our research footprint. About six months in the Dallas area was expanded to include the Fort Worth side of the metroplex. Soon afterward Houston, Austin, and San Antonio followed. All of this happened before this “internet” thing really took shape. To say that selling a subscription to a physical book that doesn’t have “digest” in its name is old-school would be an understatement. But that was what the world was like in 1991.

Flashback

Barely anyone in the industry had a computer. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You by Bryan Adams was probably on the radio when you turned it on. The most recent movie you saw in theaters was probably Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves or Terminator 2. When you turned on your TV you likely watched 60 Minutes, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, or Unsolved Mysteries (I’m still haunted by the Unsolved Mysteries theme song and Robert Stack’s voice).

Looking Forward

While we celebrate three decades of growth, of pioneering and thought leadership, three decades of passion for our mission, we also look to the next 30 years. It is already exciting for ALN Apartment Data, with more innovation on the horizon through our platform design. We are creating new reports, new content, and most exciting – an ever-changing version of our team as we learn together and add amazing talent in all our departments.

It is with sincere thanks to our ALN family of employees and clients that we celebrate at all. There was a vision all those years ago and it started so humbly with so few people. Now that vision is shared amongst a growing team of over 75 people in two offices located in two states. It is shared not only by multifamily professionals in Dallas/Fort Worth, but by thousands upon thousands of brokers, owners, operators, locators, appraisers, adjusters, and suppliers across the whole United States.

Ultimately, we want to say thank you. If you’re reading this then you are a part of our success and we thank you. Here’s to the last 30 years, and here’s to the next. If you enjoy a stroll down memory lane, we put together a playlist that includes songs from 1991 and all-time favorite songs of our employees. We invite you to take a listen on Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music. (Obligatory warning: there are songs with explicit content)

Editor’s Note

On a personal note, I have been with the company 14 of our 30 years. I’m still a newbie in many ways, but I genuinely feel like I have grown up in this company. It is not lost on me at all how much of my professional and personal success I owe to ALN Apartment Data.

I cannot thank our company leadership of Wayne and Laura Williams enough for all they do for me, their team, and our industry. I am so blessed to have been any part of the company’s growth since 2007. It feels so trivial to just say it, but thank you, Wayne and Laura. Thank you for helping me become the professional and person I am today. I cannot wait to see where this crazy ride takes us from here!

–Patrick Searcy

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