PROFILE
SNAPSHOTS
Nathan Navratil
Community Director at Centerspace
How Did You First Get Started In Property Management?
I moved to Denver during the pandemic with my sister and we moved into a nightmare of an apartment, and after that lease ended, we made a spreadsheet of what we wanted and needed in an apartment and ended up at Lugano.
During the tour, the manager at the time asked me if I was looking for a job. Since the shutdown postponed my other opportunities, I said " yes!" The idea of being able to connect with people and help them avoid a nightmare scenario really appealed to me.
After I started and really found my footing in this industry, I learned to love more and more aspects about what it means to be in property management.
How Has This Career Shaped You As A Person— Beyond Just Your Professional Life?
This career taught me so many things and forced me to grow in a holistic sense. I had a bit of a whirlwind journey from leasing, to Assistant Director, to a pilot position of virtual Resident Account Specialist and now a Community Director.
I’ ve had to learn how to adapt and grow at a high paced speed to learn and excel at my role. The most challenging position has been my current one since it involves managing people – both the good and the bad. I’ ve learned to trust my gut and go rather than give a plethora of chances to team members who were hurting the team.
This has carried over to my personal life and allowed me not to get decision paralysis with where my life can go and what goals I want to pursue. I’ ve learned there really isn’ t any rule book, I just need to trust my gut and go after what I want.
Who Has Been A Mentor Or Major Influence In Your Career— And What Did You Learn From Them?
When I think of a mentor in my career, three names pop in my mind.
Jami Sison helped me find my footing in this field and really encouraged and pushed me to grow and continue to apply for roles or programs that were a stretch for me. Even though I may not have been the candidate with the most accolades, I could confidently go into the interview or panel discussion knowing that my boss prepared me for these questions and fully had my back.
Amy Mark was a huge part in growing my managing skills and focusing on business above emotions. She taught me that it’ s okay to be empathic and to give second chances to teammates who are trying to change. Following this guidance, I now have a killer team in place with such a positive culture.
Brett Frank really took me under his wing and taught me the day to day of this role. Everything was new and foreign to me, so he pointed out areas that our corporate office really focuses on to make sure I spend the most time to focus in on those KPI’ s. After helping me build my priority list, I was able to allocate my time to tackle all my tasks making sure I gave the most time and attention to items that would help our site run smoothly.
What’ s One Misconception People Often Have About Property Management That You’ d Like To Clear Up?
I think the one thing I would dispel is that we, as property managers, don’ t care about our residents, and just care about the money.
I am in this field because I deeply care about resident experience. After my negative experience renting when I first moved to Denver, I know the direct impact a team can have on making a residents ' experience a dream come true or a living nightmare. When an issue or concern is brought to me, my goal is to always solve it with the resident and to send them away happy.
If you could go back, what advice would you give your younger self when you were first starting out?
Network! Starting out, I could get easily overwhelmed at conferences or even full company events and would stay in my bubble. While that may have helped me to not drain my battery for that day, it hurt me in the long run.
After I started networking and connecting with folks at townhalls and conferences, I learned that these are my people! We have a unique job that only a small amount of people can understand, and they are being gathered all in one place for us to connect!
I have learned so much from other team members and folks from other companies after I started joining NAA programs and mingling at conferences.
If you have an interesting career story and would like to be considered for a future profile, email trends @ aamdhq. org www. aamdhq. org TRENDS APRIL 2026 | 9