Why I Often Begin with IAA Supplier Members When Choosing Vendors

A Message from IAA Board Chair, Sandy Carmin

In multifamily housing, vendor decisions have real consequences. They affect resident satisfaction, compliance, property performance, and ultimately our reputations as operators. Over time, our company has developed a straightforward approach to vendor selection that has served us well: when we have a need, we often start by looking at supplier members of the Indiana Apartment Association (IAA).

Not because we are required to.
Not because anyone directs us to.
But because, in our experience, it is an efficient and practical place to begin.

The perspective shared here reflects my personal experience in the Indiana multifamily industry. Every apartment company should — and must — make its own independent, competitive decisions based on its specific needs.

Why Supplier Members Are a Useful Starting Point

Supplier membership in IAA often signals something important: a commitment to the multifamily industry in Indiana.

Supplier members choose to invest in understanding our business. They attend events, engage in education, and stay connected to the operational and regulatory realities apartment professionals navigate every day. Over time, I’ve found that suppliers who are active in the association tend to better understand the pace, expectations, and pressures unique to multifamily operations.

That engagement does not guarantee performance, but it often provides valuable context at the beginning stage of a vendor search.

Access to Information and Transparency

Another benefit is accessibility. IAA provides directories, publications, and events that make it easier to identify supplier members who are already working within the multifamily housing space. Tools like IAA’s Buyer’s Guide organize supplier members by specialty, making it easier to find potential partners who are well suited to address a specific need or respond quickly in an emergency.

This doesn’t replace due diligence — nor should it — but it can streamline the early stages of evaluation and help apartment teams make more informed, efficient decisions.

Levels of Engagement Matter

Within IAA, some suppliers choose to deepen their involvement through enhanced membership options or the Preferred Supplier program. These programs are transparent, limited in number, and designed around visibility and engagement.

From an apartment operator or owner’s perspective, that additional involvement can be valuable. It often signals long term intent, accountability, and a desire to build relationships rather than focus solely on transactional sales. That context can be helpful when evaluating potential partners — though, again, it does not replace competitive analysis or independent judgment.

Supplier Members as Industry Partners

One of the most overlooked aspects of supplier membership is the role these companies play as partners in our industry, not just service providers.

Supplier members help sustain the programs, education, advocacy, and networking opportunities that benefit apartment owners and operators statewide. In doing so, these supplier members contribute directly to the strength and professionalism of Indiana’s multifamily housing industry. When suppliers are engaged alongside apartment members, the result is better communication, clearer expectations, and stronger working relationships.

Final Thought

This is not about exclusion. It’s about awareness.

Supplier members of IAA have chosen to actively participate and engage in the industry community — not just sell to it. For our company, that makes IAA supplier members a smart and natural place to start.


This article reflects the personal views and experiences of the author. The Indiana Apartment Association does not direct, endorse, or require any member’s vendor selection decisions. All members are expected to make independent purchasing decisions based on their own competitive business judgment. Nothing in this article is intended to encourage or imply any agreement among members regarding the selection or exclusion of vendors.