Apartment Trends Magazine September 2014 | Page 18

S K I L L S VS
EXPERIENCE
Seeking New Talent from Outside the
Industry has Low Risk, High Reward
BY ALEX O’BRIEN, CARDINAL GROUP MANAGEMENT

The apartment industry has become somewhat
incestuous and there seems to be a growing belief
that there is a limited pool of talent to choose from.
As if we are the NFL and have a finite number of
professional players, we trade amongst management
companies trying to steal talent from one another
to build a championship team.
Thus, when a construction boom begins (like

we are seeing here in Denver and nationally in
student housing), it becomes a seller’s market and
management companies act like there are not
enough people to fill the roles.
On the contrary, there are in fact plenty of
qualified people that would be great additions to
the multifamily management talent pool. They
often need to be mentored and “taught the ropes”

but they can easily be paired with a colleague who
knows the blocking and tackling of our business.
As management companies, it is our job to
attract these people to our industry and show them
how rewarding a career in property management
can be. People from outside our industry bring
fresh ideas, fresh energy and are usually open to
trying new things.

Will Work f
16 | TRENDS • SEPTEMBER 2014

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