Condo Media - November 2016 - 72

Ask a Busy Person
What's your job description?
I carry a small portfolio of larger,
high-end communities and I also oversee
management staff. In the marketing area,
I develop proposals for new clients. I also
spend a considerable amount of time
working on capital projects and on longterm planning for our clients.
What do you like most about your job?
Working with people to help solve their
problems. We say property managers are
the Tylenol of the industry. No one calls
us to say they had a great day; they call
when they have a headache, and our job is
to ease the pain and get the issue resolved.
Nothing is more satisfying at the end of a
day than knowing you were able help five
or 10 people, or even one person get past a
problem and move on.
What do you find most challenging?
I tend to take things too much to heart.
I tell managers to leave work behind at the
end of the day, but I have trouble taking
my own advice.
Are there things you do
differently now than you did at
the beginning of your career?
When I was younger and naïve, I
thought I could solve all the world's
problems in an instant. And that's the
message I conveyed to boards. Now,
I'm more aware of the need to establish
reasonable expectations and set reasonable limits for what boards expect of me
and what I expect of myself. I've learned
to go to board members at the end of a
meeting and say, "I know you want these
15 things done, but what are your priorities?" That way, if I can't accomplish
all 15 tasks before the next meeting, I
can make sure I address the five priority items on which we agreed and they
don't think I've failed. It's extremely
important to have clear expectations
and good communication with clients.
How has your involvement in CAI
helped you as a manager?
When I started in the business, my
dad encouraged me to join CAI, mainly

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to get more education (I earned the
CMCA), but it's grown from there.
Working on the Managers' Committee
(I'm currently the co-chair) has been
especially valuable. I've been able to
see other perspectives on the industry,
learned how other companies are
handling day-to-day operations, and
exchanged ideas about how we can
provide the best service to our clients
and how we can grow together as professionals and as an industry.

RYAN MCGOWAN, CMCA
Vice President,
Mercantile Property Management Corp.
Ryan McGowan, CMCA, grew
up (literally) in Mercantile Property
Management Corp., the association
management company his father,
Craig McGowan, CPM established in
1987. So his decision to join the company after graduating from college
wasn't surprising.
He considered a career in financial
management, "but that wasn't a good
fit. Real estate is my true passion," he
says. Joining the family business was a
logical choice, "because it combined
financial management and real estate."
Some people join their family business because they don't know what
they want to do. Joining Mercantile
"was precisely what I wanted to do,"
McGowan says. The only downside, if
it is one: "I've always felt I had to overproduce to prove I was here because
I wanted to be."
Family members working in the
same business often clash, "because
they don't want to listen to each other,"
but McGowan says that hasn't been a
problem for him or his dad. "Working
together has been a great experience
for both of us. I respect his experience
and he's always willing to listen to my
ideas. We complement each other in
many ways. And we are almost always
on the same page."

What's the biggest challenge
facing the industry?
Finding new blood. We're seeing many
managers leaving, but we aren't seeing
many entering the field. Attracting
qualified managers is a huge problem,
and most companies, if not all of them,
are struggling with it. I think a licensing
requirement for managers would help.
It would attract qualified people to the
industry, and it would help management companies provide quality service
to their clients.
What would it surprise people
to know about you?
I love rugby. I
played for years
and still play
occasionally.
I like football
too, but it's the
quarterback,
the receivers
and running backs
who make all the plays. You don't notice
the linemen who do the blocking that
makes those plays happen. In rugby,
everyone has an opportunity to do
everything. It is the ultimate team
approach.
If you could give an incoming
board member one piece of
advice, what would it be?
To remember that their fiduciary
obligation means they have to make
decisions based on what's best for the
community as a whole, not what's best
for them.
Condo Media - November 2016

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