News from the Chicago Chapter

What Do I Stand For? IREM 2018 Midwest Regional Meeting Recap

By Stephen Schimmel CPM®
McLennan Property Management
2018 Secretary IREM Chicago

IREM held one of its four 2018 Regional meetings the first week of May in Indianapolis.  As the Secretary of the Chicago Chapter, I was privileged to attend this meeting with other members of the Executive Council.  The first question posed by our speakers throughout the meeting was: “What do I stand for?”  Each speaker would spend a few moments of their time to talk about what they stood for.  For some it was professional management, excellence or customer service.  For others it was leadership, professional development, ethics, education, and managing to make a difference.

 We have heard a lot about IREM’s new branding -- but what does IREM actually stand for? What do we as an organization strive for?  IREM believes that management matters and that good management drives value while improving the interaction of people and the facilities they visit.  IREM has believed in professional ethics from the day of its founding to today.  This practice was, and remains, a constant.  Lastly, IREM believes in the power of knowledge and the importance of sharing that knowledge.

Sometimes it can be easy to forget what something represents and why it exists.  After the regional meetings, I was challenged to not only live out what IREM stands for as a member and Executive Council, but also as an individual and business owner.  It can be all too easy to get bogged down in the minutia of property management.  However, when we shift our perspective to looking to what we value and what we stand for, then everything can change.

When the simplest act of property management, such as fielding a tenant phone call, is viewed though then lens of “good management matters,” it can change how you handle that phone call, the effort you put in, the way you respond and the way in which a tenant feels cared for. The same goes for how we approach budgeting or managing expenses at a building.  Good management matters because even a small increase in income -- or small reduction in expenses -- can boost the value of a building substantially.  So, when a manager embraces the importance of his or her role, their value can truly stand out.

As for me, I stand for professionalism and excellence in service to my clients, their tenants, and to all who I work and interact with each day. That’s because I manage to make a difference.