Irvine, California-based Western National Property Management (WNPM) has scored big with its DucksLiving initiative, a sponsorship campaign with the Anaheim Ducks professional hockey team.
Having long held a suite at Anaheim’s Honda Center for watching the Ducks play, WNPM, which manages 23,000 units primarily in Southern California—half of which it owns as a limited partner and the other half third-party—was approached about a sponsorship. WNPM signed a three-year contract that began in 2023 and recently has entered a new five-year agreement with the team.
Laura Khouri, president of WNPM, says after weighing the proposal, she thought it would be a good fit with benefits to its apartment properties and the surrounding communities. Another positive for Khouri, she adds, are the similarities between the Samueli family, who owns the Ducks, and WNPM, both sharing the same values and philanthropy.
“From their extraordinary contributions to health care and the well-being of fans and the public alike to their ongoing philanthropic and educational impact, their actions consistently align with their value system,” she notes. “Sharing those same values, Western National couldn’t be more excited to team side by side with the Anaheim Ducks, and we look forward to partnering together to shape the next generation to come.”
As part of the sponsorship, the Ducks organization donates $1,500 after every win to charity, and, in the last two years, it has rounded up to $100,000 at the end of the season. The selected charity for this season is Laura’s House, a local domestic violence agency that provides not only emergency shelter and transitional living but also myriad resources for rebuilding lives. For every NHL-commissioned authentic home jersey with WNPM’s patch sold, $10 is also donated to charity.
WNPM created its own campaign, DucksLiving, and has a kiosk as well as digital advertising at the Honda Center to help attendees “score their dream apartment.” At the kiosk, WNPM associates help attendees download the app and look for apartments as well as provide giveaways.
“Many leases come through DucksLiving, and when new residents sign up through the app, they’re welcomed with Ducks-branded swag,” Khouri says. “They’re typically fans already, so it’s incredible to watch their passion for the team spill over into their homes—an energy that keeps going long after the game ends.”
Another perk from the sponsorship is getting to use the venue twice a year. WNPM hosted its annual kickoff meeting there, where all 750 associates got the chance to step out on the ice, have some fun, and then come back the next night to cheer on the Ducks.
“Seeing that pride of partnership within my own team always makes me smile,” Khouri adds.