PCAM Spotlight: Joe Crawford, Crawford Management by
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oseph Crawford owns his company (Crawford Management), which specializes in association management and residential real estate. He gained his undergraduate degree and certificate from University of Minnesota in Human Resource Development, and his experience bodes well for his current responsibilities. Before Joe ventured out on his own, he worked for two other association management firms in the Twin Cities, and he has thoroughly enjoyed his business with the assistance of his wife. Currently, Joe is the chair of the CAI CAVL Committee and a member of the Legislative Action Committee.
About his family Joe has enjoyed more than nine years of marriage to his lovely wife, Monica, and has son and a daughter. They live, work and play in Lakeville as it’s a great city to build a business, and raise a family. Joe’s path into the profession began as the president of his association; he quickly realized his passion was for association management. He says his hard work and various experiences prior to association management are paying off, and because he’s doing what he enjoys.
Hobbies and interests Joe is doing what he enjoys, so he works a lot! The last time he traveled was to CAI National Conference in 2013. It was refreshing to talk with Joe as he seems to be a laid-back individual, yet he’s very ambitious, and looking to be even more successful. Family is very important to Joe, and with his wife Monica as his partner, they make an excellent team. Joe spoke fondly of Monica as she takes care of the management part of their business, which is at the core of their success.
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Minnesota Communit y Living
Little known personal facts Because Joe is so driven and focused, he accomplished his PCAM, including the additional designations leading up to the PCAM, in only two years, including the case study. Typically, it takes several more years to accomplish what Joe has in two years. He mentioned the added expenses, travel and accommodations in pursuing his PCAM were paid out of his own pocket and not by his employers.
CAI connections Joe joined CAI just before he attended the national conference in Las Vegas in 2007, and was impressed with the level of education and network at the national level, and senses that perhaps the Minnesota market is still developing with regards to CAI and associations. Joe seems to be a quick study of almost anything, and he especially grasps and understands legal jargon, and that has benefitted him in his business world. Joe is cognizant to only offer opinions from his experience, and then refers his clients to their attorney for legal advice.
Janice Pyka, MinuteBids
person-to-person interaction, especially for important conversations.
PCAM experience Joe’s case study was in Alexandria, Virginia, on a 1975 condominium community. It consisted of a 14-acre site with five separate buildings and over 5,000 units. Joe recommended reorganizing their staff, project improvements, governing document amendments, and improving communication through technology in order to successfully complete the project. Typically, PCAM candidates are given a full month to write their responses to the case study, Joe completed his 87 pages of responses in a week because of his extensive experience. Joe has been exposed to several real estate situations, and because of his education and his ability to quickly learn from his experiences and those around him, he’s become an excellent all-around expert when it comes to association management. Congratulations to Joe for earning his PCAM in 2010!
Joe Crawford continued >>
Interesting/challenging aspects of the job Time management. Having enough time to do all he wants to do including staying on top of changes in association management, real estate, association laws, and ultimately serving his clients. Joe listens and is very good at it. He says one has to be prepared for everything, and he gleans it from those specialists and professionals around him. He definitely is a people person, and even though he is of the generation that grew up with computers and cell phones, he does an excellent job of connecting the “old fashioned” way. He believes in all forms of communication (in person, the telephone, emails, and websites) but still prefers
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