Voices of Heritage: Q+A with Catey Larochelle

As part of our recurring “Voices of Heritage” Q&A series, we sat down with Catey, who recently celebrated her five-year anniversary at Heritage Properties alongside a well-earned promotion to Community Manager at Waterhead. Over the past five years, Catey has grown from a part-time role into a leadership position, gaining experience across leasing, operations, and team management.

Let’s start by celebrating your new role! What does this change look like for you?

Moving from leasing manager to community manager feels like a really meaningful next step. It’s my first role where I have direct ownership over a single community, and that’s exciting! I’m transitioning from supporting multiple properties and teams across the Lowell portfolio to focusing specifically on Waterhead – which gives me the opportunity to bring everything I’ve learned over the past few years into one spot. As leasing manager, I oversaw a team across nine properties, which I loved. This new role is much more hands-on and focused. I’m responsible for day-to-day operations, resident service, and the overall upkeep of Waterhead – which is a historic building and a really great apartment community.

What will your day-to-day look like at Waterhead?

My time will be split roughly 50/50 between maintenance management and office management. Maintenance has always been my favorite part of property management, so I’m really excited to incorporate that back into my day.

Thinking back to the beginning of your career at Heritage, what do you think helped lead you to this next role? 


The mentorship and support here have made a huge difference. Over the past 5 years, I’ve rotated through different roles, which helped me build a strong foundation for working directly at Waterhead. The team at Heritage Properties really does focus on team growth, and I’ve continually felt supported. Going from a part-time role to a full-time leadership position over five years is something I’m really proud of!

With this new role, how do you keep a focus on Heritage’s motto of ‘putting people first’?

At the end of the day, property management is about people. Our team really cares about the basics, like responsiveness and timeliness, because those things directly impact how our residents feel in our communities. When you interact with residents every day, you

build genuine relationships and you care about each of them. I care about all of my residents, so this is also a little bittersweet. I’m ready for both the professional growth and to meet new people, but I’m also a little sad to not interact with those residents I’ve known for years!

You’re also navigating a big change outside of work! Can you share a little about that?


I’m planning my wedding for this April, so it’s a busy (and exciting!) time both personally and professionally. My fiancé and I are really intentional about scheduling downtime — literally booking time to do nothing, so we can show up for all our responsibilities each week feeling recharged.

Looking ahead, how do you feel about what’s next for you at Heritage?

I feel ready! And optimistic. This new role offers a lot of new opportunity, and I feel prepared through the team’s mentorship. HP has a strong sense of continuity and support, and I’m excited to keep growing here.