Corey Sargeant, RCM
G3 Property Solutions Inc.
Year entered the profession: 2013
Year RCM obtained: 2017
Other education: Business & Accounting courses at Lambton Community College
Industry Mentor(s): Gayle Sargeant, BA, RCM / President of G3 Property Solutions Inc. has been actively involved in condominium management and ACMO for the past twenty years. Her enthusiasm for the industry at large was contagious and when looking for a career change, the opportuntiy to serve owners and promote condominium living appealed to me. Her willingness to share her knowledge, along with the insistence for all staff to become involved in the ACMO continuing education program, made it possible to facilitate a career transition and enabled me to meet the needs of my corporations with confidence.
On November 1, 2017, licensing for condominium managers became a reality. How will a licence benefit your career as a condo manager? What impact might this have for condo managers in Ontario? Ultimatley licensing will put all condominium managers in Ontario on an equal playing field with mandatory education and testing. Currently in outlying markets the RCM designation does not hold the same recognition as it does in the major GTA markets and the licensing will force all managers to perform to a higher standard. This, in turn, will increase the level of acknowledged professionalism in the condominium management industry. Condo managers will be held to a higher standard, which should significantly increase the consistency in management with everyone having to invest in training. The perception of an improved, more professional industry should increase the level of recognition of a manager’s skills and susequently improve not only remuneration but a manager’s abilty to effectively meet the contractual obligations of the boards.
This year ACMO is celebrating its 40th anniversary. What does ACMO mean to you?ACMO has been highly instrumental in fostering the effective management of condominiums in Ontario. Without their ongoing guidance and dedication to providing eduational resources to condominium managers in Ontario, the industry would not have reached the level of professionalism that currently exists.
Tell us about a personal success story on the job. In early 2017, we brought on a corporation that had been through three boards of directors, and two other management companies in a year and a half time span. This group brought many challenges, including but not limited to performance audit deficiencies, that were unresolved and in litigation, an annual budget that was underfunded, extreme discord between the board and the owners at large, due to the previous boards being removed via requisition, only to mention a few of the concerns. We just held our first Annual General Meeting together and both the board of directors and the G3 management team received positive feedback from the owners and a mandate to renew the current contract, the first-ever positive decision relative to ongoing management for this particular corporation.
What’s your biggest challenge as a manager? What’s your favourite part of the job? Prioritizing one’s time is the biggest challenge as every issue is important to someone and critical to the effective management of their corporation. My favourite part of the job is the time spent onsite liaising with owners, board members and staff while addressing the day-to-day management of corporations.
Best business advice you ever received. Listen to your customers and ask meaningful questions.
