MF Property Management Ltd.
Year entered the profession: 2011
Year RCM obtained: 2013
Other education: Bachelor of Science, Honours
Mentor(s) in the industry: I have worked at MF Property Management Ltd. since 2009 and have spent the majority of the past 11 years working closely with Carla Guthrie, who is now the CEO. She not only introduced me to the condominium industry and all that it had to offer, but she also taught through example how to be an effective communicator, leader and mentor to others.
I also feel incredibly fortunate to work each day as a part of our company’s all-female corporate/ownership team. These women have shown me that there are no boundaries and continue to teach me new skills, both personally and professionally, day after day.
What path brought you to a career as a condominium manager? How has your membership in ACMO helped you in your career? Like so many others, I stumbled into this career. An undergraduate degree in biology and health studies left me wondering which direction to go. I ended up filling a maternity leave position at MF as an
administrative assistant to pay the bills. I moved into bookkeeping shortly after and decided to start taking my ACMO courses at that time.
I found the ACMO courses extremely valuable and was able to take them consecutively while working full time. Representatives from MF attended the annual ACMO/CCI Conference each year and were able to apply what we learned to real-life scenarios. Once I obtained my RCM, I continued to participate in ACMO education seminars
and have been pleased that ACMO has continued to expand its offerings and education topics outside of the GTA.
What is one must-have skill for a condominium manager? Why? Flexibility! We all know by now that the day (or night!) of a property manager rarely goes as planned. Be prepared for anything and never leave deadline items to the last minute in case something comes up. This is a skill that has served me well over the past several months!
Tell us about a personal success story on the job. At a time when I was working simultaneously in bookkeeping and condominium management, we took over a corporation from another management company that was in rough shape. Although it was not assigned to my portfolio, I worked with the property manager to sort through financial records, collect old receivables, bring payables up to date and account for missed reserve transfers. We successfully produced an accurate financial
statement (among many other things), and the board was thrilled.
What’s your biggest challenge as a manager? What’s your favourite part of the job? My biggest challenge as a manager is the unpredictability of the job. There is a reason that condominium managers need to be flexible – and while the constant change makes the job interesting, it can also be stressful at times.
My favourite part of being a condominium manager is the unpredictability of the job! You never do the same thing two days in a row, which keeps it interesting.
Best business advice you ever received. Don’t take it personally! 99% of the time, the resident is voicing their frustration, and you just happen to be on the receiving end. Being a condominium manager can be thankless, so control what you can and don’t let yourself get caught up in what you can’t.
Answer this statement – I am an RCM because… It adds an extra level of credibility to the licensing system by the CMRAO.
Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself at MF Property Management Ltd., continuing to mentor other staff (managers, bookkeepers, administrative staff ) in all aspects of the industry using my past experiences.
What recent project that you completed can we highlight? This isn’t recent, but almost ten years ago, I assisted in setting up our company to offer status certificates online. This led to integrated accounting and property management software. Soon we had individual corporation websites and e-communications set up. Now, this is
the norm, but at that time, this was all very new! It was a lot of hard work, but it is still so gratifying to see the positive impact that this technology has had on
our boards and residents.
