Condo Media - July 2018 - 36

VENDOR SPOTLIGHT

North Point Management
Aiming for Excellence in Property Management
[by Pamela Schweppe]

According to Tim Arel, founder and
owner of North Point Management,
LLC, AAMC, business is a lot like life:
there are four possible outcomes that can
be achieved. "You can fail at what you do,
you can be mediocre, you can be exceptional and have excellence, or you can have
perfection," he says. "I think perfection is
unrealistic because of human nature." So,
North Point has adopted "aim for excellence" as its guiding philosophy.
A MODEL OF
UPSIDE-DOWN MANAGEMENT
The motto and the philosophy behind it
The entire North Point Management team aims for excellence every day.
were the result of a team effort-as is everything at North Point. "We're a family,"
says Gwynneth MacKenzie, who handles business deny dictates to a board how it should handle the property,
velopment for the firm. "There's never a 'that's not my
there's bound to be resistance. "People aren't going to
job' mentality." Property manager Jane Buck agrees.
succeed unless everyone comes together as a group," he
"We all jump in, we all help. And we have fun!" she says.
says. "You have to say, 'What do we believe in as a team?'
So, when the team sat down to narrow down its goals
and set that up. Then you can be successful."
as a company, the group came up with "aim for excelThat approach is working. Founded in 2008 to speciallence" as its lodestone. "The reason we've gone for excelize exclusively in managing condominium and homelence is because it requires and motivates us to try and
owner associations, North Point now serves 73 associaget better every single day," Arel explains.
tions, totaling roughly 3,500 to 4,000 units. And a newly
That includes coming up with new ways of approachopened office in Meredith, N.H., extends a network that
ing the business of business. To Arel, a better managealso includes the firm's Nashua, N.H., headquarters and
ment model upends the traditional concept of corporate
an office in Andover, Mass.
hierarchy. Instead of setting himself at the top of a
management pyramid, he's placed himself "at the bottom BRINGING A PERSONAL TOUCH
of the food chain," as he puts it. "The president serves
TO PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
the staff rather than the other way around," he says. "My
When North Point was founded in 2008, Arel concenjob is to be there to fill in the gaps, to help out, and to give
trated on providing cutting-edge technology to the comadvice on any ways to improve our customer service, our
pany's clients. Today, however, the focus is on providing
efficiency, and the product that we give. But the people
a personal touch. "We're always up on the latest technolwho actually carry that out are the staff. They're the ones ogy," he says, "but the problem with automation is our
who are out in the field, dealing with the owners, dealing
society has become too impersonal. Technology is great,
with the boards, and providing the customer service."
but it's a tool, and a tool is only as good as the people who
Arel compares this management style to the relationare using it. Now, it comes down to the talent of the team
ships North Point has forged with the boards of its client
that's out there serving our clients. Without them, the
association. He points out that, if a management compatechnology means absolutely nothing."

Condo Media - July 2018

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