[10] The company (originally Central Management) was founded by David Hillman in 1965,[11][12] when he purchased his first multifamily community, Lakeside North, in Prince George's County, Maryland.

In 2016, Southern Management received recognition from the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence for their best practices in the workforce category.

The mission of the Southern Management Leadership Program is to develop strong leaders, who will use their educations and experiences to make positive and lasting impacts in their hometowns.

[25] The Southern Management Leadership Program benefits the students in many ways – providing financial, academic and professional assistance.

The students are also eligible to receive additional funds for books and other required technology and benefit from one-on-one advising and mentoring from dedicated Program Directors at each of the three schools.