Member News
IREM Advocacy Impact Day
March 31, 2023
Yesterday Wrapped Up Our Advocacy Impact Day In Washington D.C., Where We Came Together As A Community To Communicate The Vital Issues Affecting The Real Estate Management Profession To Legislators And Their Staff. Thank You To All Who Were In Attendance; You've Helped Us Elevate The Profession That We Love And Advocated For Change. #AID2023
Scan The QR Code To Learn More About The Issues
Real Estate From My Eyes Series
Featuring a member's experience in real estate management
June 2021
Name: Karrie Brunner, ARM®
Company: Campbell Caron
Occupation: Community Manager
Primary Product Type: Multifamily Apartments
Years in the Industry: 4
Expertise: Customer Satisfaction
Community management was something that I was always intrigued by but hesitant to jump into. Then one day that all changed, I saw a job posting that made me stop and think "Could I really manage apartments?" and "What if I gave it a try?". So, I did it... I took the leap and applied for that job.
Clicking apply on that posting was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I had no leasing or community management experience, however, I had customer service and business management experience with the desire to learn and grow. After receiving the call that I was being offered the position I was nervous and excited at the same time.
I began by striving to learn everything there was to know about the 172-unit community including all the amazing residents that enhanced my life. In time I began to realize I had found the career I had been searching for. It is giving me the opportunity to balance my business knowledge with my customer service skills all while giving my customers the best living experience possible. Not long after I started there were some changes in the company, and I was presented with a unique chance to become an ARM® (Accredited Residential Manager) and I jumped at this chance. Not completely sure what was instore ahead I knew it meant I would have an opportunity to grow. After attending classes, it motivated me to become even more involved. My property is a premier property and I started asking questions of management about what role I could play in the mission. From there, I took responsibility to increase customer satisfaction and execute planned renovations.
I found myself answering calls and emails after hours not because it was required but because I was determined to have all my current and future residents comfortable and satisfied. I used the old saying “do to others what you want done to you” if there was a problem at my home, I would want someone to answer me after hours so I would not worry.
I have been truly honored to be a part of this company, they took a chance on someone with no experience. That chance is allowing me to grow and achieve goals I never knew I had. I will also be forever thankful to my managers who continues to encourage my growth professionally and personally. If I could, I would encourage all managers out there… Always look for that diamond in the rough. Take the chance to polish them up to fulfill their life goals leading to the company accomplishing its goals. I believe you will never regret being “THAT” mentor!
Community management was something that I was always intrigued by but hesitant to jump into. Then one day that all changed, I saw a job posting that made me stop and think "Could I really manage apartments?" and "What if I gave it a try?". So, I did it... I took the leap and applied for that job.
Clicking apply on that posting was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I had no leasing or community management experience, however, I had customer service and business management experience with the desire to learn and grow. After receiving the call that I was being offered the position I was nervous and excited at the same time.
I began by striving to learn everything there was to know about the 172-unit community including all the amazing residents that enhanced my life. In time I began to realize I had found the career I had been searching for. It is giving me the opportunity to balance my business knowledge with my customer service skills all while giving my customers the best living experience possible. Not long after I started there were some changes in the company, and I was presented with a unique chance to become an ARM® (Accredited Residential Manager) and I jumped at this chance. Not completely sure what was instore ahead I knew it meant I would have an opportunity to grow. After attending classes, it motivated me to become even more involved. My property is a premier property and I started asking questions of management about what role I could play in the mission. From there, I took responsibility to increase customer satisfaction and execute planned renovations.
I found myself answering calls and emails after hours not because it was required but because I was determined to have all my current and future residents comfortable and satisfied. I used the old saying “do to others what you want done to you” if there was a problem at my home, I would want someone to answer me after hours so I would not worry.
I have been truly honored to be a part of this company, they took a chance on someone with no experience. That chance is allowing me to grow and achieve goals I never knew I had. I will also be forever thankful to my managers who continues to encourage my growth professionally and personally. If I could, I would encourage all managers out there… Always look for that diamond in the rough. Take the chance to polish them up to fulfill their life goals leading to the company accomplishing its goals. I believe you will never regret being “THAT” mentor!
April 2021
Name: Monica Steimle- App, CPM Candidate
Company: Rockford Construction
Occupation: Executive Vice President, Real Estate and Property Management
Primary Product Type: Office, Retail, Residential
Years in the Industry: 18
Expertise: Property Management/Leadership
My education and early career endeavors began in the field of Hospitality Tourism Management. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for people and travel, making hospitality a solid place to start. Nearly two decades ago, I had an opportunity to change industries and enter the world of commercial property management. Without any idea what I was getting myself into, I jumped ship from hospitality, acquired my real estate license, and began managing office and retail properties.
I quickly realized that managing hotels and office buildings offered me the chance to take care of people while valuing and utilizing the physical space around them. As my career progressed, I shifted to managing a multi-family property in downtown Grand Rapids in 2009. At a time when the real estate industry was struggling mightily, I helped a significant number of people who desired to make downtown Grand Rapids their home. This mass movement to the core of our city fascinated me.
Witnessing this phenomenon got me excited about development and community revitalization, and I spent the next several years working alongside the city and area stakeholders focused on revitalization, development and community building. During this time, I joined several boards that allowed me to be a part of important conversations centered on community building. I absolutely loved having the opportunity to bring our growing downtown community to residents and tenants that lived and worked in our buildings – it was an amazing chance to build community in the spaces that we created and managed.
Over the years, I also developed a passion for leading and growing both people and business. In 2016, I joined Rockford Construction and did both. At Rockford, I leveraged my hospitality background to develop a hospitality-driven culture around property management, and now build and nurture a team that can bring these same opportunities to their properties and teams. I also love being able to build our business and look for new opportunities and better ways to operate.
Real estate management wasn’t an industry I thought about as I grew up. However, I believe I was meant for it. It’s an industry that provides me a canvas of space and access to people where I can be creative and innovative while building community and experiences for others. I am grateful to be a part of IREM and all the resources offered to help me continue to create engaged communities.
My education and early career endeavors began in the field of Hospitality Tourism Management. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for people and travel, making hospitality a solid place to start. Nearly two decades ago, I had an opportunity to change industries and enter the world of commercial property management. Without any idea what I was getting myself into, I jumped ship from hospitality, acquired my real estate license, and began managing office and retail properties.
I quickly realized that managing hotels and office buildings offered me the chance to take care of people while valuing and utilizing the physical space around them. As my career progressed, I shifted to managing a multi-family property in downtown Grand Rapids in 2009. At a time when the real estate industry was struggling mightily, I helped a significant number of people who desired to make downtown Grand Rapids their home. This mass movement to the core of our city fascinated me.
Witnessing this phenomenon got me excited about development and community revitalization, and I spent the next several years working alongside the city and area stakeholders focused on revitalization, development and community building. During this time, I joined several boards that allowed me to be a part of important conversations centered on community building. I absolutely loved having the opportunity to bring our growing downtown community to residents and tenants that lived and worked in our buildings – it was an amazing chance to build community in the spaces that we created and managed.
Over the years, I also developed a passion for leading and growing both people and business. In 2016, I joined Rockford Construction and did both. At Rockford, I leveraged my hospitality background to develop a hospitality-driven culture around property management, and now build and nurture a team that can bring these same opportunities to their properties and teams. I also love being able to build our business and look for new opportunities and better ways to operate.
Real estate management wasn’t an industry I thought about as I grew up. However, I believe I was meant for it. It’s an industry that provides me a canvas of space and access to people where I can be creative and innovative while building community and experiences for others. I am grateful to be a part of IREM and all the resources offered to help me continue to create engaged communities.
February 2021
Name: John McGraw, CPM
Company: River Caddis Development
Occupation: Director of Development - Real Estate Development
Primary Product Type: Master Development: Commercial, Multifamily, Office, Retail, Municipal
Years in the Industry: 10
Expertise: Developing and cultivating long term relationships and partnerships.
In my beginning, or how I established my foundation in Real Estate began with my family. My father was a litigator for a law firm in Lansing, Michigan and he represented municipalities and set up various brownfields and land use policies. After 14 years of this he left and started his own real estate development company with his first focus on developing student housing communities across the nation. After about 4 years of doing this alone, he asked me to join his company knowing I did not have the experience needed, but I was someone he could trust. At that time, I was working for a commercial brokerage firm handling all the firms Landlord representations, from management to brokerage. Joining my father’s company was a rude awakening into all I did not know or understand about the development world. It was an overwhelmingly humbling experience and continues to be.
Integral to my foundational learning was listening to my father speak to municipalities. His approach was different from how I heard others explain prototypical development. He would say “my sole focus is to get people to like me, and not let them down”. I sat in on his meetings, for years, witnessing the cultivation of a relationship based off honesty, genuineness and the exploration of solutions to their issues. After years of being a fly on the wall and managing numerous projects through the acquisition to lease up and though the long-term management stages, I requested to venture off and build our pipeline. This journey began looking to build a pipeline; but turned into a journey of self-discovery. Besides the anxiety of looking for a project with no direction or idea of location in mind, I was amazed at the muscle memory that had been created through osmosis. I had my own flare; but the idea was the same, get people to like me and do not let them down.
Over the years our development company has grown into many different industries of real estate from ground-up Multifamily (student, market, mixed income, affordable, workforce), office, retail, industrial to establishing public private partnerships involving municipalities, universities and school systems. Our growth into and across industries is not from the single focus on one core mission of real estate specialization; but one core mission of specializing in relationships with people. Our development approach is about, with, and for people. We eagerly seek and extract issues and determinedly search for solutions. We believe, truly successful real estate, and its management, is less about the box and more about the people who inhabit it; because without people, there is no management, there is no box. Real estate through my eyes is not about development at all cost and growing our portfolio; but about creating a home, a sense of place, a familial emotion where people can be at peace and focus in on their core mission, whatever that may be.
In my beginning, or how I established my foundation in Real Estate began with my family. My father was a litigator for a law firm in Lansing, Michigan and he represented municipalities and set up various brownfields and land use policies. After 14 years of this he left and started his own real estate development company with his first focus on developing student housing communities across the nation. After about 4 years of doing this alone, he asked me to join his company knowing I did not have the experience needed, but I was someone he could trust. At that time, I was working for a commercial brokerage firm handling all the firms Landlord representations, from management to brokerage. Joining my father’s company was a rude awakening into all I did not know or understand about the development world. It was an overwhelmingly humbling experience and continues to be.
Integral to my foundational learning was listening to my father speak to municipalities. His approach was different from how I heard others explain prototypical development. He would say “my sole focus is to get people to like me, and not let them down”. I sat in on his meetings, for years, witnessing the cultivation of a relationship based off honesty, genuineness and the exploration of solutions to their issues. After years of being a fly on the wall and managing numerous projects through the acquisition to lease up and though the long-term management stages, I requested to venture off and build our pipeline. This journey began looking to build a pipeline; but turned into a journey of self-discovery. Besides the anxiety of looking for a project with no direction or idea of location in mind, I was amazed at the muscle memory that had been created through osmosis. I had my own flare; but the idea was the same, get people to like me and do not let them down.
Over the years our development company has grown into many different industries of real estate from ground-up Multifamily (student, market, mixed income, affordable, workforce), office, retail, industrial to establishing public private partnerships involving municipalities, universities and school systems. Our growth into and across industries is not from the single focus on one core mission of real estate specialization; but one core mission of specializing in relationships with people. Our development approach is about, with, and for people. We eagerly seek and extract issues and determinedly search for solutions. We believe, truly successful real estate, and its management, is less about the box and more about the people who inhabit it; because without people, there is no management, there is no box. Real estate through my eyes is not about development at all cost and growing our portfolio; but about creating a home, a sense of place, a familial emotion where people can be at peace and focus in on their core mission, whatever that may be.
January 2021
Name: Tom Bowers, ACoM, CPM Candidate
Company: Farmers Insurance
Occupation: Campus Facilities Manager
Primary Product Type: Office / Industrial
Years in the Industry: 14
Expertise: Facilities / Project Management
Like so many of you reading this right now, commercial real estate was not on my radar when I set out to build a career. School had not been my thing, so I never imagined I would transition into an office setting. Since I had an interest in construction, I headed into the skilled trades as an apprentice electrician.
And I absolutely hated it…
At 21, I found myself managing a car wash and taking on odd jobs while trying to figure out what my next steps would be. One of those odd jobs was painting an office suite, where I met the property manager for the building. Shortly after, she offered me a maintenance position which was the starting point of a career that now spans 14 years and several disciplines within property management.
Like so many of you reading this right now, commercial real estate was not on my radar when I set out to build a career. School had not been my thing, so I never imagined I would transition into an office setting. Since I had an interest in construction, I headed into the skilled trades as an apprentice electrician.
And I absolutely hated it…
At 21, I found myself managing a car wash and taking on odd jobs while trying to figure out what my next steps would be. One of those odd jobs was painting an office suite, where I met the property manager for the building. Shortly after, she offered me a maintenance position which was the starting point of a career that now spans 14 years and several disciplines within property management.
Jumping into Grand Rapids commercial real estate in 2007 was an interesting time. The Grand Rapids skyline was changing (both literally and metaphorically). Building owners were feeling the pinch of the Great Recession and property was beginning to change hands. I was able to learn quickly what it took to physically maintain, transition, and reposition properties quickly and effectively.
It was exciting to watch Downtown transition from a place people had to go for work to a place that people wanted to go. The life that embodied the urban core was enthralling and I’m thankful for having had my time there. The last year and a half of my career has also shown me that the suburbs are an exciting place for commercial real estate and lend a whole new perspective to what we do.
Commercial real estate is a fantastic career and I am thankful for having landed here. I would highly encourage my peers to mentor those around them. Keep an eye out to those around you who are eager to take on something outside of their daily work and encourage them. I’ll always be thankful for those that were willing to take a chance and build on the foundations that I had.
Encourage your team members to participate in industry groups as well. IREM has been critical to my career and I’m thankful for the time spent with my fellow board members and the opportunities that the organization has afforded me.
I wish all of you a happy and prosperous new year!
