What comes to mind when I say Commercial Property Manager?  Probably nothing.  Because we’re the invisible behind the scenes folks who make your day to day lives more comfortable.  Did you enjoy stopping by the coffee shop on the way to work this morning?  It’s likely the shopping center where it’s located is managed by someone like me who keeps it clean and safe for you.  The office building where you work is also probably has a manager who keeps the place running and the lights on.  Or the doctor’s office you visit, the garage where you take your car, the industrial park where you go drop off recyling…every where you go is probably under the care of a Commercial Property Manager.  We oversee the landscapers and cleaning crews, we negotiate the leases to bring in new businesses, we collect the rents, we pay the bills, we handle the construction projects, we fix the roofs, we are on call day and night to deal with whatever fate, the weather or stupidity throws at the properties we care for.  Often we’re not working directly for the owner of the property either.  Our services are contracted just like all of the other workers.  We’re the contracted middle men (and women) between the owner (our client) and the day to day operation of a commercial property.

When I tell people what I do they usually ask “So you get to live at the property for free, right?” – that is the one thing I don’t do.  Thankfully.

I’ve been doing this for over 20 years.  I’ve worked for small real estate companies with a couple of office buildings and I’ve been the VP of Real Estate Operations for a development company with millions of square feet of retail, office and industrial projects.  It’s been a soup to nuts sort of career.  Mostly nuts.

I’ve seen some sad/hysterical/stupid/weird/downright crazy shit over the years.  Now I’m taking off on a new career path.  So I’m going to share those stories with you!

Buckle up buttercup!  Off we go!