2009 Small Business of the Year Finalist: TLC Property Management LLC

The signs of TLC Property Management LLC's growth can be seen all around Springfield.

The company manages more than 2,600 apartment units built by sister company Coryell Enterprises in and around the city, with another 600 under construction.

The growth has been rapid. The company managed only 200 units just nine years ago, and TLC Property Management's full-time employment now totals 50, more than triple its 2002 level.

Properties under TLC's management include Cedar Place in Republic and Coryell Courts, Orchard Park, The Abbey and Battlefield Park in Springfield.

Chief Operating Officer Sam M. Coryell said that, as "hokey" as it may sound, the faith of his family - his parents, Sam E. and Carol Coryell, founded the company in 1988, and brothers Daniel and David also are in management - has been the biggest reason for the company's success.

"We believe that a lot of our success is due to the fact that we pray - pray for success, pray for leadership, pray for direction, pray to find the right locations," Coryell said. "It's served us very well; we've always managed to find locations that have been very successful."

Coryell told Springfield Business Journal in February that TLC's occupancy rate is about 95 percent.

While Coryell said several competitors build high-quality products, he pointed to his company's managers and their emphasis on customer service.

"Whenever a customer is looking at two properties and they're basically the same in amenities and price," Coryell said, "it may come down to which manager they liked better, trusted and were willing to commit a year of their life to."