Olympic Rentals Makes Downtown Home by Doria Maselli
The interior of Olympic Rental and Landlord Services’ new office space mirrors owner Todd Monohon’s character – warm, inviting and open. There’s a fire crackling in the fireplace of the rehabbed warehouse and beautiful, exposed original wood beams overhead.
M
onohon purchased the building at 115 State Ave downtown about two years ago. And after working in a temporary location on the corner of State and Capitol in the old Olympia Press Building, the team at Olympic Rentals is happy to be settling into their new space.
Monohon started Olympic Rentals about 15 years ago, almost by accident. “I worked in the non-profit world in social services and education for years,” says Monohon. “I began investing in rental properties that were managed by other people and thought: “I could do this.” So, he took control of his own rental properties, started offering his services to others via word of mouth, and his business was a one man show for the first four years. Fifteen years later, Olympic Rentals and Landlord Services has 12 full-time team members and dozens of contractors. They offer residential property
management services, specialize in single family and small multi-family (duplex-type) properties and currently manage over 600 properties in Thurston County. So how does Monohon feel about his new office location downtown? “When I bought this building two years ago, everyone had some reservations about the location downtown. There was the unsanctioned homeless camp
right near the location, and the team members almost staged a rebellion,” jokes Monohon. He counteracted these concerns by encouraging his team to get involved, support local businesses and learn of some of the initiatives taking place in downtown Olympia. “Once we really started rehabbing this building about a year ago, we really poured ourselves into downtown,” says Monohon.
Photo by Poppi Photography
thurstonchamber.com
Thurston County Chamber VOICE
I
March 2020
I
23
