From the President
Board of Directors
The Wisdom of Lincoln by
Gene Sullivan | CAI-MN President, New Concepts Management Group, Inc.
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eloved for so many reasons, is there any past president more often quoted for his every-day common sense observations than Abraham Lincoln? Yet here was a man that many could dismiss. Without a formal education, here was someone many called merely a backwards country bumpkin. Yet it was Lincoln — this same man, many found easy to poke fun of — who arose to be the right person at the right time in the darkest hours of our country. In a very prophetic moment while still an Illinois legislator, Lincoln was quoted as saying… “I will prepare and someday my chance will come.” When we think of great people through history who have done extraordinary things, are they great because they are someone special, set apart, with a calling or destiny to greatness? When you look at the success that some people seem to always have in their life, do you find yourself saying, “Some people just have all the luck!” Greatness, success, are these qualities that come by the luck of the draw? While many folks might think so, take a closer look at what Lincoln was really saying — “I will prepare and someday my chance will come.” The key to handling a disaster, when everything seems to be coming apart around you, is simple — be prepared! When you think about our job in property management, what we do is not rocket science, yet it is very profound; we are caretakers of the
lives and well-being of many others. Don’t think so? Think again: property fires, water line breaks, people get snowed in; what we do affects the lives of thousands of people each and every day. What we do does make a difference. If everything ran on autopilot, we wouldn’t be needed, we wouldn’t have a job. What is required of us in our responsibilities — more than anything else — is that we need to be at our very best, when everything is at its worst. This is property management, this means being prepared! Please take time this month to peruse through all of the valuable articles written around the topics of dealing with disaster prevention. When you can’t prevent that terrible thing from happening, learn how to manage the crisis when it comes. Lastly, because we are on the topic of being prepared, I can’t go without giving a huge thanks to the CAI Board of Directors, the Tradeshow Committee, and the Presenters of each breakout session for the preparation and time put into what many are saying was the best Tradeshow they have attended here in Minnesota to date. Everyone involved was so attentive right down to all of the details needed to pull this off, from the topics, to timing, to the food and venue. Many came up to me and commented on how valuable and fun that day truly was. The attendance by Board Members and Homeowners was the highest we have ever seen at this event. This was only made possible by the folks who really were founders of the event — the business partners who took time to come out to exhibit, and really are the ones who funded and made this day happen.
President Gene Sullivan Phone 952.922.2500 gene@ncmgi.com Vice-President Joel Starks, CMCA Phone 952.698.2053 joel@sharpermanagement.com Treasurer Halo Stafford, CMCA, AMS, PCAM Phone 952.944.2237 edenplacemgr@pinnaclefamily.com Secretary Nancy Polomis, Esq. Phone 952.941.4005 npolomis@hjlawfirm.com Directors JoAnn Borden, CMCA, AMS, PCA Phone 763.746.1196 jborden@developcommunity.com Matthew Drewes Phone 952.835.7000 mdrewes@tn-law.com Joseph Fadell Phone 952.392.9208 fadell.joseph@gmail.com Russ Lis, CMCA, AMS Phone 612.805.6111 rlis@reconstructionsolutionsgroup.com Crystal Pingel, CMCA, AMS, PCAM Phone 952.277.2703 Crystal.Pingel@fsresidential.com Jim Rezek Phone 763-424-9984 jimrezek@comcast.net Michelle Stephans, RS Phone 763.754.5500 michelle@reserveadvisors.com
Thanks to all of you. You are making a difference!
Committee Chairs Communications Chair
Carin Rosengren Phone 952.432.3722 CRosengren@kellerpm.com
Charitable Outreach Committee Chair Cliff Kurth Phone 763.248.1047 cliff@aemn.co
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Education Committee Chair Nigel Mendez Phone 651.287.8640 nmendez@carlsonassoc.com
Golf Tournament Chair Kris Birch Phone 651.481.9180 krisbirch@birchlawn.net
Minnesota Communit y Living
Legislative Action Chair John Dorgan Phone 612.721.4116 jrd@jdorganlaw.com
Membership Chair
Paul Lawson FirstService Residential Phone 952.277.2792 paul.lawson@fsresidential.com
Social Committee
Jenna Wright Phone 303.547.7848 jwright@bensonpc.com
Trade Show Committee Chair Michele Ramler Phone 763.231.9809 mramler@cedarmanagement.com
Vision Awards Chair Shaun Zavadsky, CMCA Phone 952.277.2786 shaun.zavadsky@fsresidential.com