Leadership in Action: Maintenance Hero Brenston McMahan

Shared by Carrie Langley, Operations Coordinator, Burkely Communities

Brenston McMahan's story is not much different from all Maintenance Heros in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. His story is a tribute to both Brenston and ALL the Maintenance Heroes during times of crisis.

Brenston’s story is unique in that he is fully responsible for a 48-unit property in Asheville, NC, as both the Community and Maintenance Manager. When Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, his property was left with no power or water, in addition to many other losses. Brenston managed to coordinate “real time” resident communication and addressed all maintenance needs associated with the lack of water and electricity. Immediately after the hurricane, Brenston was praised by his residents for grilling hot dogs, emptying out all residents’ refrigerators of spoiled food, providing water to be used for commodes, and locating a well water source and filling truckloads of jugs with water safe to drink on a daily basis for weeks. Brenston has been the epitome of resilience, service oriented, and perseverance to his community and residents during this unexpected disaster. Hands down, he raised the bar.

Burkely Communities entered Brenston's story from the Haywood Village Apartment Community in Asheville into the NAA Maintenance Legends contest. He was one of three chosen winners for November! NAA will announce winners in the coming weeks, at which point they can be voted on to win additional prizes. Be on the lookout for an opportunity to vote for Brenston!