BOARD PERSPECTIVE
BY PARKE PETTEGREW , AAMD PRESIDENT
Navigating Turbulence & Cruising Towards Friendlier Skies
Someone called me the “ Ryan Seacrest ” of Property Management the other day and I had to chuckle and agree with them . I have worked in so many different roles with so many different companies over my now 25-year career in the multifamily industry . Roles in Operations , Training , Marketing , HR , Recruiting , Risk Management , Maintenance & Compliance and Event Management .
I have also been so fortunate to have been apart of the AAMD for 17 years and held multiple roles during that time . I can remember moving to Denver and hoping I could get involved after being a part of the Apartment Association of Orange County in California . I started on the Education Advisory Council and soon after someone resigned and low and behold I had my first chance at leadership as a Chair and never looked back .
I would like to mention some people that were so critical to me as mentors in those early days as a “ newbie ” and they are Lyn Jacobs , Megan Dyk , Jon Butters , Melinda Covington , Courtney Bowlin , Dan Flanagan , Vickie Jacobs and Joel Sandoval to name a few . My experience with all of them is a reminder to all of us on the leadership team and all of us who are leaders to be sure we are mentoring & spending time with the “ newbies ” we have now .
As I think back on the past of what I am most proud of in my multi-family career and involvement with the AAMD it would be a legacy of helping people grow in their careers and as teammates . I was able to work with and manage some great teams .
After all these years the secret sauce and , in my opinion , the most important key to success is recruiting , training and retaining a great team of employees around you . Yes , residents , owners and assets are important as well but the main driver of success is your people . Mark Williams has done a great job of this with his staff at the AAMD and I have also tried to recruit and build the best leadership team for my tenure as President with lots of proven talent and new industry contributors . This is so vitally important because my priority for this fiscal year is “ Navigating ”.
Navigating through legislative , market , economic , staffing , affordable housing , regulatory and political challenges . This theme began at last month ' s June Awards and will continue throughout many events and meetings in the next year . Headwinds are everywhere so it will be important for all of us to rally to protect , advocate and celebrate our industry which ads so many important dollars , jobs and homes to our economy and neighborhoods .
My “ call to action ” is for all of you to join me in this effort ! We have to convince a lot of people that we are not the bad guys . We are here to learn , react
GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT PARKE ON PAGE 18
accordingly and help find solutions . We need our elected officials to not “ penalize ” us but to “ incentivize ” us , we need them to not “ legislate ” us to death but “ collaborate ” with us and finally to allow us the opportunity to conduct critical conversations about our industry and really listen .
You can join me by getting involved one way or another to make a difference to fight for your livelihoods and those of your co-workers . You can start by reaching out to your personal State Senator and Representative ( do you know who they are … if not find out ), then let them know who you are and what you want their help with in representing you and your industry . If we all do this our voices will be heard , and our livelihoods and industry will be better protected and respected !
Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity to represent all of you as President and I am very blessed to have this opportunity along with so many wonderful friends and supporters out there ! Let ’ s make it a great year !!
Parke Pettegrew is a Regional Manager at Cushman & Wakefield
6 | TRENDS JULY 2024 www . aamdhq . org