From a PMC to PERQ: A Tale of Multifamily Expertise Moved to Tech Sector
After spending 13 years in the multifamily industry on the PMC side, last year I made a big-time career move. After a lot of consideration, I decided to make the leap out of operations and into tech. Here’s my story of how I took my newly found passion of PropTech and transitioned from a die-hard property management professional to a Product Manager rookie. I hope my story can inspire other multifamily professionals as they look to develop their careers.
It all started straight out of college. I had the choice between selling shoes at Nordstrom (as an intern, I might add) or working as an assistant manager with Mercy Housing. We joke in multifamily that “no one chooses this career path intentionally,” but once you’re in, you’re in. I quickly climbed the ranks to a Senior Community Manager over a multi-program affordable community in Denver, Colorado and fell in love with property operations. I loved connecting with residents and creating efficiencies at the properties. I loved learning about maintenance and the creativity around doing more with fewer resources. I loved cleaning things up, and since I had a hard time sitting still, it was a perfect fit. Long hours and late nights from emergency calls were frequent, but it kept things exciting.
Through some networking, I found a mentor who not only taught me the inner workings of financial statements but helped me find a new gig at Forum Real Estate Group. We were a small group, so I wore many hats including transitioning properties, managing CRM tickets, and streamlining operational practices. I had the chance to travel and build great relationships along the way. Eventually, Forum made the decision to hire Cardinal Group Management to take over managing their communities. This transition included most of us, including me, joining the CGM team. One thing is for certain – not a single day went by where I didn’t learn something new. I traveled. A lot. It was equal parts exhausting and awesome and I am so grateful for my time at Cardinal.
I owe much of my multifamily career to influential figures who recognized my potential. It was a pivotal call from Stacy Valentine, former SVP of Operations at Laramar Group, that prompted my next transition. While saying goodbye to Cardinal was bittersweet, I knew it was the right move and the timing couldn’t have been better. I was newly married and wanted to travel less to create a more stable life at home.
During my time at Laramar, I was recognized as an innovative operator, constantly looking at ways to improve operational efficiencies by utilizing technology. I moved into a role as Director of Technology and Innovation, spearheading tech initiatives and bringing new ideas to create efficiencies onsite. One of my big wins was collaborating with PERQ. The PERQ platform yielded remarkable results for us, prompting portfolio-wide adoption that boosted conversion rates and drove considerable efficiencies and cost savings.
This was an exciting time for me because I wanted to be part of how things were changing and influencing the industry’s tech evolution. As luck would have it, PERQ extended an invitation for me to join their team as a Product Manager. I knew it was meant to be, but with any career change, I took myself through a mental process. Here is some of what I thought about:
- Am I okay going from being the expert to the novice?
- Will I miss interacting with the onsite team?
- Will I miss the opportunity to go to properties?
- What are the financial implications of this kind of transition?
- What happens if I’m not a good fit?
I have been with PERQ for just under a year now and I’ve learned so much already. Being in tech is a lot different than multifamily but I’m so happy I made the move. The skills I honed working for PMCs have brought real value to my job at PERQ. One of the things that working in tech has, that’s different than multifamily, is the focus on the product. In my role, I match known multifamily ideas to potential solutions that PERQ can build to offer the best product possible. My multifamily experience makes me a great fit for that, but I still need to stay on the pulse of what’s happening today. I’d love to hear from you on anything that you think is a multifamily challenge that PERQ might be able to help solve. You can reach me on LinkedIn or here. I would love to chat.
Overall, I’m so glad I made the move. I’m proud of what this company has built and continues to build upon. I can’t wait to see the impact that PERQ makes for multifamily and I’m happy to be part of this amazing team!