Condo Media - January 2015 - 42

Volunteer Spotlight

Beyond the Call of Duty
Honor Surprises Community
Association Manager of the Year

At the CAI-NE banquet in March, a stunned
Elaine Alexis listened to the presenter of the
Community Association Manager of the Year
Award and thought, "He's describing me!"
Seated at the table with her were grinning colleagues from Barrington Management Company of
Arlington, Mass., and also members of the board of
Windsor Green Unit Owner's Association of Framingham, Mass. The board had written a glowing letter
nominating Alexis for the award and detailing many
instances when she had gone beyond the call of duty
to provide exceptional service to the association.
For example, one time she showed up to help the
maintenance manager deal with a snowstorm-only
to find that he had walked off the job, leaving her to
handle the cleanup by herself. Or the time she worked
with the town of Framingham to ensure that the association met the requirements of a stringent new recycling mandate. Or the current capital improvement
project at the property: fixing the roofing-without
a special assessment or increase in condo fees. It's a
complex project that can disrupt daily life for the unit
owners-yet there hasn't been a single complaint, says
Judith Stone Berman, the chair of the association.
"We're lucky to have her." As a former property manager herself, she knows what she's talking about.
It wasn't for Windsor Green alone, however, that
Alexis won the Manager of the Year Award for 2014.
Her responsibilities for Barrington include managing eight properties and co-managing two more, all
while serving as the company's director of property
management. Yet, she manages to treat each property
as though she lived there.
That level of caring and a genuine flair for working
with people is what led her to property management
in the first place. "I got into it by accident," she reveals.
She had begun her career in the auto industry,
where she had handled customer service for more
than 20 years. When she decided to make a change,
she took some time off but was quickly bored, so she
accepted a three-day temp assignment as a receptionist. The company was Barrington. Before she knew
it, Barrington's president, Nicholas Boit, was on the
phone asking her if she'd like a job as a property manager. That was 16 years ago, and Alexis now has the

CONDOMEDIA

ELAINE ALEXIS, CMCA, AMS
Property Manager, Barrington Management Company Inc.

One time she showed up to
help the maintenance manager
deal with a snowstorm-only to
find that he had walked off the
job, leaving her to handle the
cleanup by herself.
nationally recognized Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) and Association Management Specialist (AMS) credentials to her name.
She also has a portfolio of satisfied clients who
praise her for her patience, professionalism, attention
to detail, and ability to work well with all types of
personalities. But, in typical fashion, Alexis shares the
credit. "I attribute my success to the people here at
Barrington," she says. "I can't do it without them."

Condo Media - January 2015

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