Job Description
I own a property management firm; after developers build townhome communities or apartment buildings, we help manage the properties and the community. We also do this with existing properties that are already built. We help to spend money to keep the communities safe and maintain them. We work to ensure that whenever possible, the people who rent or own their homes are happy and get along with their neighbours.
My job as the company owner means that I oversee our team in their daily work tasks; I help them when they feel stressed out, overwhelmed or unsure how to handle a request.
I help them create fun events to bring communities together, such as organizing on-site food trucks or hosting events such as a food donation drive or social events like bowling for the owners and tenants who live in communities, bringing everyone together. This is one of the things that our team and I like to do the most because we often join.
Sometimes when people do not follow the rules of their community, like smoking in their units, our team has to enforce the rules and get them to stop; I provide our team with training and tips on the best way to ask someone to follow the rules.
As the owner of my company, I attend social events and tradeshows to network, where I talk to people and see if they can use our services and introduce them to Onyx Condo Management Inc. I am the main salesperson for our company, and I am not afraid to say I am pretty good at it!
What I enjoy the most about my job is that I oversee all marketing and advertising, where I create advertising and manage all our social media platforms; combined, we have over 22,000 followers on all social media platforms. Isn't that amazing? I am very proud of this accomplishment.
My days are always busy, and I am never bored. I am very blessed to get everyday work on projects and with people that I really enjoy.
Relevant School Subjects
- Business
Areas of Expertise
- undefined
Career Story
In grade 8, the yearbook committee asked all grade 8 students what they wanted to be. My response was that I wanted to be a boss. I can't fathom what I thought it was then to be a "boss"; some would venture to say it was to be in charge, be in control, though from high school to where I am today, it's been to be an inspirational leader, skills which I am still learning but has been developed over my 20-year career journey.
From high school, I went into chemical engineering. I was strong in chemistry and truly enjoyed the subject; I remember thinking it was a natural choice to take in post-secondary education and then into a job in the industry. That did not last long.
One word.
Physics.
I didn't understand then that it would be a major component of my schooling. I was miserable, and after a good conversation with friends, it was suggested I would do well in business or marketing. I applied to Mohawk College, where I took and graduated from their 3-year Business and Advertising program.
After graduating, I wanted to move to the Waterloo Region and figured I would land a quick job as a stepping stone before moving on to something I would be interested in. I landed a customer service role at a local company, then called McCordick Glove and Safety, now Bunzel. It did not take long before I moved out of customer service and began providing sales support to a vice president, a role in which I excelled. However, I wanted to be the person negotiating the sale, not the one providing the administrative support. I was promoted and moved into a marketing role, which I also excelled in before my final promotion to the marketing project manager. What was to be short-term worked out to nearly 4 years. I wanted to grow, though I had hit the ceiling at the time and decided it was time to move on.
From there, I moved into the pre-construction and post-construction product industry, where I held various roles in working with architects on the specification of products and then into marketing and sales selling best-in-class construction materials (vapor/air/waterproofing solutions, structural steel, roofing materials from felt to shingles). My territories were throughout North America, where I focused on big box retail, selling into Home Depot, Lowes, Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, Rona, and Walmart.
My last role before business ownership was with a company that sold climate control products, and I would see them losing the race to keep up with technology. I found that my full-time days were turning into part-time ones, and I began assisting my husband, now a business partner, with his real estate career and the development of low- and mid-rise apartment buildings. I was providing marketing support, and I enjoyed how my background in the sales of construction products complemented this. As my "real job" slowed down, I took on more of our business and decided to provide property management services to the properties we owned and developed. Unfortunately, the company I was working for had to claim bankruptcy, and I decided that I could parlay what I was doing for us into a career. We started Onyx Property Group, where I oversee all property management for residential, commercial, industrial, and medical properties. Then, I branched out on my own, creating Onyx Condo Management Inc., providing property management services for condominiums.
Our book of business is always growing; we have a team of 12 and are based out of downtown Kitchener. I am very passionate about giving back to our younger generation; I am blessed that I have put myself in a position and have the right team in place where I can have the time to pursue mentorship and other opportunities to donate my time to various causes.
I plan to keep growing; we have been making moves into regions outside of the Waterloo Region, which has been exciting but not without its challenges, though, as they say, if it were simple, everyone would do it!