November 6, 2020, Columbus, OH…Woda Cooper Companies, Inc. is set to release a special film this Veterans Day to pay tribute to residents and employees who have served in the military. “Honoring Our Veterans” features twenty residents in eight states, including veterans who have served our country from the time of the Korean Conflict up to the present. The featured veterans are representative of the hundreds of veterans the firm houses and employs across 15 states and more than 14,000 residences. Watch and share trailer here:
The service and sacrifice of military veterans and their families does not go unnoticed at Woda Cooper Companies, according to company Principal Jeffrey J. Woda. “We are so grateful to you and the sacrifices you have made to serve our country, and we are so honored to provide a place for you to call home,” said Mr. Woda in the film’s opening.
Principal David Cooper, Jr. adds: “Sometimes we think of affordable housing as a concept and not as individuals. Hopefully this video sheds some light on the individuals who live in our affordable housing units.”
One of the residents featured is Michigan veteran Jason, an Army veteran who shared that finding an affordable home has changed his family’s life. “My wife and I, we actually ended up being homeless, and to have a big corporation like Woda come through and actually pay attention and care…It makes you feel appreciated for what you did in service,” he said.
The film highlights small rural communities where Woda Cooper operates like Virden, IL; medium-sized cities such as Wheeling, WV; and more urban areas including Columbus, OH, where the company is based. It features senior properties and family properties, adaptive reuse and newly-built buildings, as well as buildings that Woda Cooper has acquired and rehabilitated. What the properties have in common is that they provide affordable, high-quality living spaces to more than 27,000 residents who call Woda Cooper communities home.
Four employees who are veterans also appear in the film.
“Knowing that Woda Cooper Companies has these programs in place to support the veterans who are staff at the company, as well as some of the tenants, really makes me feel like I’ve directed my passions toward something that is beneficial to the community,” said Jarod Lucas, a Woda Cooper IT Project Manager and Air Force Veteran.
Woda Cooper Companies prioritizes leasing and
employing military veterans, and the company has recently developed two communities with supportive services and units restricted to disabled or homeless veterans, including Grand View Place in Grand Rapids, MI, and Proctor Place that will break ground this month in Indianapolis, IN.
The 9-minute film “Honoring Our Veterans” was produced by Ramble Pictures of Minneapolis, MN, and will be released November 11, 2020, on Woda Cooper’s website and at YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
About Woda Cooper Companies, Inc.
Woda Cooper Companies, Inc. and its affiliates specialize in the development, design, construction, and management of high-quality affordable multi-family apartments, senior communities, and single-family homes. The company marked 30 years in business May 2, 2020, with operations in 15 states and a portfolio of approximately 350 communities and more than 14,000 units. Green building is standard with certifications including Passive House, Zero Energy Ready Homes, LEED, Enterprise Green, EarthCraft, and ENERGY STAR. In addition to its Columbus headquarters, Woda Cooper has offices in Savannah, GA; Indianapolis, IN; Shelbyville, KY; Annapolis, MD; Mackinaw City, MI; Charlotte, NC; and Norfolk, VA. Affordable Housing Finance magazine ranked Woda Cooper Companies 10th in nation among Developers and 14th among Owners on May 1, 2020.