The Visionaries of 2023

We want to congratulate all of the winners of the Vision Awards, who were recognized at the Northern and Southern California Law Seminars earlier this year. In the following pages we highlight some of their accomplishments.

Rising Star

The Rising Star award recognizes a manager with less than two years of experience in the California community management industry who has consistently raised the bar and exceeded a board’s expectations by solving a challenging situation, gaining confidence of a board or exceeding the board’s expectations.

Andrew Crowley, CCAM (NorCal)

Andrew Crowley, CCAM, began his community management career as a portfolio manager in June 2021 after selling his interest in a local tire and automotive business. He was immediately tasked with taking an upscale, developer-controlled board/community that had experienced a lack of communication and action from its prior management and restore the faith of the board members and residents.

Crowley saw a need for a more hands-on approach, and even though he is a portfolio manager, he began working at a make-shift office in the high-end community two days per week to greet community members, answer questions and solve their problems face-to-face.

The turn-around was almost immediate. The developer noted that they were fielding less questions from homeowners, homeowners’ architectural applications were more complete and getting approved more quickly.

Crowley also found that being onsite allowed him to see other areas within the community that needed attention. He took proactive steps to educate the membership and he also helped reduce the liability for the association.

“By challenging the status quo and not working solely from behind his desk, but truly putting his boots to the ground, the nominee has earned the respect of the community and a reputation throughout the area,” said his nominator. “No matter how many communities he manages, Crowley will always remember what he learned – that a manager that is visible in the community and isn’t afraid to get out and meet with homeowners, vendors and board members will ultimately allow him to do what he does best - help make each community he manages a little bit better every day.”

Anthony Garcia, CCAM (SoCal)

When Anthony Garcia, CCAM, received a call from a frantic board over the weekend that a pipe had cracked and flooded two units in the community he manages, he quickly worked to notify the insurance of the leak and kept diligent records of coverage. The leak happened when homeowners were out of town, so the situation went unnoticed and the damage was considerable.

Garcia also had the added difficulties of dealing with an underfunded community and budget-conscious board. The homeowner of the unit in question also provided challenges. Throughout the process, Garcia kept his composure, but remained assertive to ensure the problem was solved.

Garcia sought legal counsel to find out who was responsible and to what extent for the damages, then he communicated constantly with the homeowner about repairs that needed to be made, the expenses, and the process for completing the work. His calm demeanor helped diffuse the tension with the homeowner.

“No one ever wants to face challenges, but the obstacles Garcia overcame revealed his commitment and integrity,” said his nominator. “He worked with diligence and communicated with fairness and understanding. He gained his board’s, vendors’ and the homeowner’s trust and confidence, which will serve him well as he continues in the management industry.”

Innovator

The Innovator award recognizes a manager who uses their unique resources to kick start innovation and solve critical issues or improve association conditions. Managers should show innovative thinking and action in one or several of the following: board management, financial management, community building, out of the box solutions.

Todd Greisen, CCAM (NorCal)

Todd Greisen, CCAM, has faced great challenges in his 15 years as general manager for a high-crime community. Security became a high priority for this HOA early on. The 50-year-old community of over 300 condos has a combination of private and public streets, making it easily accessible for criminal activity.

Greisen immediately implemented many practices common in higher-end communities and newer developments, such as increased lighting, security cameras, and other improvements – all intended to mitigate the criminal element of the surrounding area for residents’ safety. He employed strategic landscaping to enhance the beauty of the property while increasing perimeter security and worked with legal counsel and the board to revise the CC&Rs to convert

carports into garages for better protection and to improve property values. Under his watch, portions of the association’s private streets have been fenced and gated to minimize access and he also worked with the city to block off a public street intersection access point.

Greisen has worked closely with the Chief of Police to reduce drug trafficking and other gang-related activity within the community. Local law enforcement has been given full remote access to the 16 strategically-located cameras in the association. And he’s managed the budget to allow for extended security patrol hours.

Through all of his efforts, he strives to provide the best quality of life possible for residents.

Eric Kazakoff, CAMEx, CCAM-LS (SoCal)

Eric Kazakoff, CAMEx, CCAM-LS, has brought his previous experience in construction management to the role as general manager of Canyon Lake Property Owners Association, one of the largest property owners associations in California with nearly 5,000 properties and a $17-million budget. He oversees 150 employees, 37 miles of road and unique amenities.

But it’s his construction management experience that has proven helpful at the 50-plus year old community where he has led the development of custom access control hardware that allows truck and commercial vehicles better visibility upon entering the gated community; helped facilitate more than $100,000 in annual water and energy savings; personally spearheaded the interior redesign and renovation of one of the community’s restaurants; and facilitated more than $400,000 in savings in the development of a new family park. Because of Kazakoff’s oversight, the park was completed within the budget approved by the board.

He also was able to get the board to approve a spending authority policy that frees up staff to make crucial asset repairs. This has helped the association stave off deferred maintenance by allowing it to keep up with asset repairs and modernization. The policy allows staff to make substantial purchases for repair and replacement projects without prior board approval and includes transparent reporting in the immediately following board meeting agendas.

This innovative solution has completely changed the way the association operates. “The community saw the benefits and the culture has slowly changed to recognize and appreciate the value in making improvements to our aging facilities,” said the nominator.

Leadership

The Leadership award recognizes a manager who has fostered another’s professional growth. Nominees are known for mentoring and inspiring others, helping define professional goals and supporting the success of their peers.

Stephanie Ripley, CCAM (NorCal)

Stephanie Ripley, CCAM, joined Eugene Burger Management Corporation, where she manages a large group of professionals and several teams, at the start of 2022. But she has many years in the industry.

As soon as she joined, she began setting up systems to make daily tasks easier, including regular meetings and training sessions, formal and informal, using every opportunity to help her coworkers feel connected and knowledgeable.

She takes any opportunity to teach and empower those around her. No matter how busy she is, when co-workers walk into her office, she stops what she is doing and takes the time to support them and share her extensive knowledge and experience.

“Her impact on the team is clear and regularly acknowledged at our meetings by the team with gratitude for her kind and confident leadership,” said her nominator. “She not only brings extensive knowledge followed by action but also a positive and calming attitude.”

Recently, she stepped in to handle two portfolios for managers who were unexpectedly out on personal leave. This involved attending board meetings and other administrative tasks while still leading her teams. This year brought changes and loss to EBMC and she brought the team together through tough times and change, carefully honoring where the team was for many years while leading the team forward with her positive outlook.

Eric Kazakoff, CAMEx, CCAM-LS (SoCal)

The winner of the Innovator award this year also won for Leadership. Eric Kazakoff, CAMEx, CCAM, sees the value in lifting those around him by cross-training and investing in their continued education. Under his mentorship, six employees have been supported all the way through CACM training to obtain their CCAM certification.

In the office, Kazakoff is known for saying “never ask a barber if you need a haircut.” In an industry where it can be easy to spend money hiring vendors before a creative solution is considered, he reminds his staff of the need to think through a problem and encourages them to find creative ways to meet expectations while also being fiscally conservative with members’ money.

“He leads by example and leaves room for his managers to make their own mistakes to learn and grow from,” said the nominator. But he also teaches staff to manage and operate the association from a business perspective rather than letting politics and emotion drive their decisions.

In a job that requires ground-level attention and a 30,0000-foot view, Kazakoff has guided staff to look at management from all corners of its operation. His approach to mentorship and leadership has resulted in a fiercely loyal staff.

Educational Excellence

The Educational Excellence award is presented to a member for their contributions to continuing education and professional development and growth of managers. Nominees further CACM’s education programs and provide outstanding service to the organization.

Kim Flickner, CAMEx, CCAM-PM (NorCal)

Kim Flickner, CAMEx, CCAM-PM.LS regularly volunteers as an educator and teaches a wide number of CACM courses. She can often be relied on to fill in at the last minute.

Students note that her teaching style is very interactive and engaging. She is able to take the CACM course material and enhance it with real-life scenarios. When not teaching, Flickner can be found taking courses and has achieved several specialty certifications. Flickner also serves on educational panels at CACM’s Law Seminars and Regional Forums.

“Her commitment to education and our industry has inspired many others to further their educational opportunities with CACM as she encourages others to pursue opportunities offered by CACM,” said her nominator. “I recently had the opportunity to take her class .. this was the first time in a long time that I enjoyed the class,” said another nominator. “Before I knew it, class was over.”

Fred Whitney, Esq. (SoCal)

Whether it’s speaking at CACM’s annual Law Seminars or serving as chief editor of CACM’s Law Journals, Fred Whitney, Esq., volunteers enthusiastically to expand on the education of community managers. He helps develop topics for the Law Journal quarterly publications and also presents on topics at the Northern and Southern California Law Seminars. He’s spoken on topics including management of large-scale developments, Civil Code 5200 document inspection requests and election issues.

Whitney’s goal when presenting is to ensure that managers have information they can immediately put to use and that the material is presented in a way that allows them to educate others including board members, homeowners and fellow staff members.

Through his law firm, Whitney also works with many management companies every year to explain the requirements of new laws and help adapt each company’s procedures and written materials. He works with colleagues in his field to achieve consistent interpretation of new laws and create a group of advocates who speak with one voice on behalf of all homeowner associations when the state legislature is considering new legislation.

Company Culture

The Company Culture award recognizes businesses that work hard to create a culture and identity that helps retain staff and positively impacts the actions and attitudes of their team while fueling growth. It also recognizes community service and social responsibility.

Gordian Staffing (NorCal)

Gordian Staffing’s growth took off in 2020 as the industry’s hiring crisis put a strain on many companies. Company founder Rob Buffington visited companies to offer free consulting to help them learn how to navigate the ins and outs of working with remote employees to relieve their turnover and hiring problems. The need was so great, that Gordian Staffing grew exponentially.

“What I love most about [Gordian Staffing] is that the company uses that growth and success to give back to others,” said the company’s nominator.

The company’s philanthropic work includes donating 900 pairs of shoes to children in need; donating funds to pay for cleft palate repairs in underserved countries; donating to a human trafficking education and prevention program for over 10,000 children in the U.S.; supporting an orphanage in Guadalajara, Mexico; donating $5,000 to local Bay Area charities; and donating 127 hours of free services to nonprofits.

Gordian has also hired more than 100 employees to work at California companies in the last 12 months at a wage 20 percent above the local average wage, but saving those companies $2.8 million annually. It has given $44,000 back to its employees in profit sharing and also designed a private training platform for employees so they continue to grow.

“The company promotes good careers, good employees and ambitious charitable goals,” said the company’s nominator. “It’s been quite an experience to watch such a special place grow and to be a part of that growth.”

Murrish Maintenance Construction Services Inc. (SoCal)

Small companies can make a big difference. Murrish Maintenance is a small family owned business started six years ago by a husband and wife team. From the onset, Suzie Murrish said she wanted to start a business where employees wanted to come to work, feel welcome and share the same vision.

But in addition to creating a culture of retention, Murrish Maintenance has made community involvement and philanthropy a key part of its operation. When the city of Ontario where it is located was hit with a firework explosion that damaged many homes, the company along with other local small businesses collected and distributed clothing, food and personal hygiene items to those affected by the fire.

The company also gives back to its local community through involvement in nonprofits including The Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Pug Rescue of Los Angeles.

“As a small family owned business, we don’t have as much money as larger corporations but we try our hardest to do our part to help make this world a better place,” Murrish said.