by Lisa Whitson, Director of FCAP Operations / Published October 2014
SAVE THE DATE… AND PLAN FOR SUCCESS!
The Show: West Palm Beach
Condominium termination, UPL, safe harbor, cell towers, Wi-Fi, stand your ground, service animals, concrete restoration, management company versus self-manage; with all that community associations are facing today, I encourage board members from across the state to meet us in West Palm Beach on January 15, 2015, for FCAP’s second annual statewide expo. The Show: West Palm Beach is open for industry experts to reserve a booth and meet with FCAP staff to coordinate details of continuing education.
I’ve had the pleasure over the last few months to be able to speak personally with board members from HOAs to CDDs to condominium associations. It has truly been a pleasure to listen to board members like Lynn at Deland Oaks or Carol at Lake Ashton. Whether over the phone or in person, I’ve noticed a few, very common traits of successful board members. Those traits are humility, transparency, willingness to lead, and a desire to succeed. Board members who take the time to volunteer to serve their neighbors, subscribe to and read this magazine, go to board meetings after a long day at the office, attend trade shows after hours and on weekends, and join professional organizations like FCAP are the leaders of community associations who are successful.
When registration for The Show: West Palm Beach opens in the next few days, successful leaders of successful communities will be the first to register and the first to attend. Save the date… and plan for success!
WELCOME NEW FCAP MEMBERS
• Dr. Steven Weil, Manager
• John Hagerty, Manager
• Gary Hiltz, Service Provider, The Setai Hotel
• Melonie Rice, Manager
• Debra Mattingly, Board Member
• Debra Edan Petruzelli, Manager
• Laura Matijak, Manager
• Vladimir Beronja, Board Member
AND WE DID IT, AGAIN!
Many of us are just returning from The Show: Orlando, the second FCAP trade show of 2014. This amazing, second event celebrated the many accomplishments FCAP has made during just the third year of being a membership organization.Sponsors from all over the state came to interact and network with industry peers.
CEU classes were offered while others enjoyed free food and beverages in our hospitality lounge with live entertainment. No matter where you were physically, The Show excitement was in the air!
The experts from the pages of the Florida Community Asso-ciation Journal were present along with the FCAP team enjoying face-to-face conversations, demonstrations, and training. Friendships were both created and renewed.
FCAP’s Positive Change Expansions were thoroughly discussed, and the excitement of what’s to come in 2015 gave all that attended a new sense of purpose in their commitment to our wonderful, statewide organization.
What 2015 promises for FCAP members is more of what you have asked for:
More educational experiences: Lisa Whitson has truly done it again with her brilliant work on the new online courses. I’ve had the privilege to review the “experience-driven material,” and I’m excited about what FCAP will be offering CAMs in the future.
More power-packed articles and profiles from industry leaders: Our industry is truly amazing, and the professionalism of the “best in their class” will be showcased each month in the FCAP Alive pages.
More celebrations of our accomplishments: Roundtables, luncheons, you name it; we are going to have more fellowship opportunities open up.
More opportunity for growth: Growth in your chosen field. The community association industry offers many opportunities for managers, board members, or service providers to excel. FCAP has several new programs to assist in your growth, and we are excited about sharing each of them with our members.
More legislative interaction: Legislative issues that affect our industry will be one of the main focus points in 2015. FCAP is working toward becoming the information hub on what’s happening around the state in legislation.
FCAP truly has it all, and we know you don’t want to miss out on any of these amazing new programs! So once again, our greatest appreciation goes out to everyone that attended The Show: Orlando. You are responsible for the great success!
If you were unable to make it to Orlando, then we hope to see you in West Palm Beach on January 15, 2015, where we will roll out the red carpet on the new 2015 programs!
See you in January!
Sincerely,
Patricia Naldrett-Bilodeau
PERFECT FORMULA FOR A CAM
When Hurricane Charley washed ashore in 2004, a young college student preparing for graduation watched as the only place he had ever called home was damaged beyond recognition and left in pieces for families to put back together as best they could. The University of North Florida chemistry major and resident assistant did not look back as he began to lead his community out of the grips of the storm’s destruction and into a healthy and restored community. For Tyler Brown and the Halifax Villas Condominium Association, the road to a restored community did not begin immediately and had many roadblocks and detours along the way. Brown now looks back and realizes the journey healed a community and provided the perfect formula for a career as a community association manager.
When did you get your CAM license?
I got my CAM license in June of 2007.
What did you do before you got your license?
Prior to starting my career as an association manager, I was a resident assistant at UNF for two years while majoring in Chemistry.
What brought you to the CAM industry?
The fall before my graduation from college in 2004, the condominium association I had lived in my entire life suffered a great deal of damage from Hurricane Charley. By May of 2005, the board had done very little to initiate repairs of the building and grounds. Because of this inactivity, a new board was elected and given the task of launching repairs of Halifax Villas Condominium Association. I offered to help the new board review information and oversee some of the repairs. I spent the next two-and-a-half years working with the board and accomplished more than we ever imagined. We were able to obtain three times the amount of the original insurance settlement. That is a lot of work by a young college student and a volunteer board, but this was our home.
Personally, I gained a lot of experience, which led to my decision to obtain my CAM license. While working with the board during this rebuilding phase, I oversaw the repairs on 50 percent of the units in the complex, and I was able to bid and complete a paint project, pool resurfacing, reroofing, landscaping upgrades, interior common element upgrades, and updating office operations. This proved to be a valuable and life-altering experience for me.
What communities or management companies have you served since you got your license?
I worked for Halifax Villas Condominium Association thosefirst few years as a volunteer and then eventually as a CAM. I have now moved to Errol by theSea Condominium Association.
How did you hear about FCAP’s CFCAM program?
I heard about the CFCAM program through the Florida Community Association Journal. It was time for me to complete some continuing education for license renewal. I am always looking for a better way to get education than the correspondence course. After reading the information and speaking with Betsy Barbieux, I decided to take the leap and complete the Florida Advanced CAM Studies course.
What advice would you give a new CAM interested in the CFCAM program?
The breadth of material covered in this program is unmatched by anything I have seen. This program covers the functional nuts and bolts of management, whereas the required 18-hour pre-licensing course focuses on the statutes. Going through the CFCAM program, gave me a glimpse of actual hands-on, day-to-day application of pest control, elevators, HR, maintenance, painting, concrete restoration, meetings, roofing, pools, asphalt repairs, etc.
What advice would you give a seasoned CAM interested in the CFCAM program?
I cannot imagine a CAM thatwould not benefit from a Florida-specific professional designation. Even if you have been in the business 20 years, the material in this program, written by in-dustry experts, will benefit somearea of your management career. This is not another boring, slow-paced education course. It is an information-packed, course through every aspect of the daily life of a CAM that complements other high-level association management programs such as CAI’s M-200 courses.
It will most certainly increase your knowledge base and im-prove your ability to help your association on a daily basis.