Volume 4 Issue 4
April 2022
SPECIAL FEATURE A Chat with Superintendents
Industry Veterans Share Their Experience
GARY ARTYMIUK FRED Superintendent since 2015
How did you become a superintendent? At 22, I became a carpenter and have been by trade for over 35 years. After being mentored by superintendents at Opus and then Berghammer, I understood what the responsibility of a superintendent meant and moved up the ladder fast. Piers, people I worked for, past superintendents, and owners all really paved the way to being a superintendent. What skills does a great superintendent need? From my experience, leading by example, being a problem solver, enjoying mentoring team members, being open to change, challenging items that are given to me if I don’t agree with them, being willing to learn, holding yourself accountable, being a great listener, and mainly, being a great communicator are all good superintendent skills. What’s the most rewarding part of your job? It’s rewarding to feel motivated every day. Being able to contribute, being a team player, helping people, and making a difference in their day are all things I enjoy and I think people see that. What’s the most challenging part of your job? Learning and understanding the groups (subcontractors, partners, project managers) and their skill levels can be a challenge. I work to demonstrate and show them that things are better when we work in a team environment. If they see your vision, they acknowledge the task more. What path should a future superintendent follow? If you are motivated, that key opens a lot of doors. People want to be around motivated people. Passion comes when you lead. Where do you see the industry going in the future? It’s heading down an exciting path, with new products, different types of building materials, etc. being developed. I think there’s great opportunity for individuals who are motivated to manage projects (in any department).
STEVE FLOWERS
FRED Superintendent since 2006 How did you become a superintendent? I started my Construction Management career in 1997 assisting in the construction of two separate multi-family condominium developments. I spent a while traveling and building in several different parts of the country before settling in with FRED in 2006. What skills does a great superintendent need? Being detail oriented, with the ability to multitask and lead with confidence is essential to be a superintendent. You need to be a Maestro, orchestrating all the parts and players in a sequential rhythmic order. What’s the most rewarding part of your job? Taking the blank canvas of an empty field and developing it into a community that people can enjoy and call home. Turning over projects on time and within budget to a satisfied customer is also very rewarding. What’s the most challenging part of your job? Forecasting the future and being able to see the unforeseen that can throw a project out of order. Remaining fluid and having the ability to work through supply chain and labor issues, especially in recent years. What path should a future superintendent follow? It's important to lean on your veterans in the Industry. Be attentive and retain knowledge from every project and every day. Adapt to the ever-changing industry and technologies that go with it. Where do you see the industry going in the future? The Great Recession of 2008 had a tremendously negative impact on the construction industry and we snapped back. COVID-19 hurt us again, but we continue to recover. The demand for new and re-construction will always be there. Remaining competitive in the market and employing proper workforce will continue to be complex, but rewarding for everyone involved.
DEPARTMENT UPDATE IT
Rolling Out New Resources By Jason Streit, IT Manager
You have probably heard the term “MFA” a few times by now and, because of changes FRED has made internally, you’ve likely even experienced it! Multi Factor Authentication, or MFA, is another step in protecting yourself and FRED. The same way a password helps protect your account from unauthorized access, MFA is a second step that helps ensure that it’s actually YOU logging in. 99% of all compromised accounts did not have MFA enabled, which illustrates why FRED has made it a priority to get it turned on. HOW IT WORKS After you enter your password, MFA occurs by sending a “Verification Request” to a device (like a smartphone) that belongs to you. Once your hit “Accept” on your device, you will be logged into your account. If your password is compromised, cyber-criminals will have a second obstacle to accessing your account. This is why it’s also referred to as “Two Step Authentication”.
MEET the TEAM Jason Streit | IT Manager John Calderone | IT Operations Specialist Vong Lee | IT Operations Specialist Freddy Almonte | Low Voltage Technician
WHEN MFA IS USED The only time you should have to interact with the MFA is when you are logging into O365 resources. This could be the Teams app, Outlook on the web, apps installed on your phone or tablet, or any other resources on the web related to O365. You may occasionally be logged out and prompted to log in again. This is normal and is meant to make sure your account continues to be protected, as MFA will ensure it is still you using your account. This means that if you are getting a prompt from MFA but you are not logging in, hitting “Reject” is the way to go. Even if you learn later that it was a valid prompt, you can always have the request resent. If you receive consecutive prompts for MFA and are not actively logging in, be sure to hit “Reject”, change your password, and contact IT. We appreciate everyone’s willingness to utilize the new resources FRED is rolling out to protect you and the company!
FRED IN REVIEW What Our Residents are Saying I like how cozy my apartment is. Quiet, recently renovated, new carpet, new appliances, new windows and sliding door, new paint... love it. The people I work with at the main office are excellent. – Trevor J.
I've lived here for 5 years now and we love living here. Great management, nice environment... Great apartments for peaceful life. – Madhuri M.
We moved to Seasons at Randall Road in June 2021. The apartments are so quiet. The neighbors are friendly. The Seasons Team cares about the property. It is well maintained. As a dog owner, we love the new Poo Prints dog DNA program. We live on the second floor. We can’t hear our neighbors on either side or below. Maintenance issues are fixed promptly. Plenty of parking. I highly recommend living here. – Katie S.
If you are a professional looking for a quiet, quality built apartment that has great amenities including a club room, heated salt water pool, great gym, is very pet friendly, and a management team that are personable and host fun events, Forté is absolutely for you. The maintenance staff are also extremely courteous and thorough. You can be as involved as you want here, while knowing that your privacy and concerns are always upheld to the highest regard. – Gabrielle W.
WE'VE GOT SPIRIT, YES, WE DO! Each year, select FRED Property Management employees attend the IREM Spring Seminar. This year, the theme was Back in the Game! For the 2nd consecutive year, FRED won the event's spirit award as the loudest and proudest team.
PROPERTY SPOTLIGHT
What Makes Them Shine The 50Twenty team made it a goal last year to hold more resident events. They have since planned and executed multiple and consistent events to include: holiday themed parties, paint night, pizza party, summer cookout, doggy swim day, Wine Down Wednesdays, football parties, Pi Day party, and more! They have increasingly had high resident participation and engagement which really promotes that sense of community. Most of these events are outside of normal business hours. The team works together to plan and attend these events which shows a lot of dedication and plays a huge part in positive resident relations.
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
DUNE LUSSE
Groundskeeper Arbor Lakes I've lived at Arbor Lakes at Middleton since 2014. I first started working as a pool monitor, then became a full-time utility team member since January 2015. I love the location of this property. It's very close to Mendota Lake and multiple parks, including Governor Nelson State Park, Mendota County Park, and Pheasant Branch Conservancy. My wife and I are looking forward to E-biking on the new bike path coming to the property in the near future. I enjoy staying active and busy, so groundskeeping/cleaning is a great job for me. It's been nice seeing this company and property grow and improve over the years. I'm excited to see where FRED will go in the future. This job has provided me with a nice work/life balance and I'm happy to be part of this team. The past seven years have been great, looking forward to many more!
SPOTLIGHT! February Winner
KELSEY FITTS
Property Manager | Seasons at Randall Road Seasons at Randall Road had an awesome event recently that's been in planning for quite a few weeks. Kelsey, Vince, and her team decided to do a 'resident's choice' event in February, so they called it your 'heart's desire' event, picked by voting on their Instagram page. All three choices were really creative and fun, it was a close race and there was a ton of response on the voting post (which led to new residents following the page). The winner was Resident Bingo! I think, since they took the time to do this, they had a great turnout and people were excited to share the prizes they won on social media as well. It was a really cool way to engage residents in an otherwise dull time of year.
Nominated By: Shannon McInnis
NEW QUARTER, NEW MERCH! It might not feel like it, but spring is here! Let the Spirit Store help prepare you for those sunny AND rainy days with added goods from Nike, OGIO,
Welcome to the Team February 16 - March 15, 2022 BRYAN BURROWS
DAVIA FENTON
MELISSA MATSON
NICOLE KLEIST
VALQUIRIA BERTON
DEJA RASBERRY
KATRINA TAULMAN
EMILY CHADWICK
Leasing Professional | Barrington Place Leasing Professional | 50Twenty Housekeeping | Saddle Brook
Property Manager | Saddle Brook
Leasing Professional | The Bevy Groundskeeper/Housekeeping | Arbor Lakes Leasing Professional | The Junction Leasing Professional | Saddle Brook
Promotions
February 16 - March 15, 2022 JUSTIN LORD
Property Manager | Seasons at Mount Pleasant
JILLIAN SHOTOLA
Assistant Property Manager | Manchester Oaks
CRYSTAL HUG
Tech II | Ridge View
Good News? WE WANT TO HEAR IT! Follow the QR Code to submit your good news for a chance to be featured in an upcoming newsletter!
Port Authority, Sport-Tek, TravisMathew, and introducing, MERCER+METTLE! Visit myfredway.com/online-store to shop! COVER PHOTO: FRED Property Management Team at IREM Spring Seminar
789 N WATER STREET SUITE 200 | MILWAUKEE, WI 53202 | 414-226-4535 | FRED-INC.COM