Areas:

I Speak Condo

by Lisa Pinder

Most children don't say, "I want to be a condominium manager when I grow up." I grew up on condo, and while I don't manage, I have worked to provide valuable resources and information for those of you who do, including my youngest brother, Geoff, who is an association manager in Palm Beach,. Not enough condo (or maybe too much) rubbed off on my other brother, Ivor, who is a computer expert for a company in California.

We spoke condo at our house. My parents started working at condominiums when we moved from Pennsylvania to Florida, when I was about 11. My Dad started as a maintenance man for an association in Boynton Beach, and my Mom worked in housekeeping. Dad moved on up and became a hands on manager of a condominium in South Palm Beach, Mom joined him there in housekeeping. Dinner time discussions at our house included the terms "special assessment, concrete restoration, rules and regulations, preventive maintenance and budget items."

By the time I was in high school, Dad was managing an upscale oceanfront condominium in Palm Beach, where he was a sharp dressed man in a suit and tie. Mom had also became a manager and was working for a management company. I went to work with Dad as the part time secretary of the condominium in 1985. He also joined the Palm Beach Community Managers Association. Word spread that if you needed information, you could call Dad, and he would point you in the right direction. Many people called requesting the same information over and over again, and in January 1987 Managers Report was born. It was an 8 page newsletter, with a logo designed and drawn by a local manager, and was distributed throughout the Palm Beach County area. At 19 years old, I was so excited to have written the cover article for the first issue, a legislative update from Representative Peter Dunbar.

From the time the first issue began to arrive in mailboxes, readers were appreciative of the helpful articles, and had many ideas for improvements and areas for future growth. It didn't take long to realize that many associations across Florida were experiencing the same types of problems. They felt like they were the only ones having these problems. The magazine became a way for managers and board members to share information through their own experiences. It became our goal to learn what their problems and needs were and how best to address them in each issue. We had writers who were working with the advertisers to produce helpful technical articles on all subjects. Writers were also calling readers to learn about what they were doing at their associations and how they were resolving their problems efficiently and effectively. Readers were calling in with ideas, writing letters with suggestions and submitting articles of their own.

By the time Steve and I were married in April of 1988, Managers Report had grown to 12 pages. It was up to 28 pages when our first daughter, Jessica, was born in October 1989. When Sarah was born in December 1992, the magazine was in color, had exploded to 80 pages and was being distributed at a rate of 20,000 copies per month. Our third daughter, Amy, was born in January 2000, and the magazine was put up for sale shortly after. Advantage Publishing bought Managers Report in February 2001, and I was pleased to be invited to continue to work with them on the magazine. In January 2004, the name of the magazine was changed to Florida Community Association Journal to include board members and more accurately describe our readers. The job service was named CondoJobs Recruiting Service at that time.

When I reflect on the last 20 years, the growth of the magazine and my family, it's fun to remember the beginning, when I typed the subscription labels by hand each month and the job service was free. Over the years, I have worked in all possible positions at the magazine, including office work, writing, job service, typesetting and production, selling ads, managing editor, editor and for the last 3 years I have been working on CondoJobs full time. Our girls are now 17, 13 and 6. Jessie and Sarah help with many of the clerical and administrative functions of CondoJobs after school and on the weekends. We are all looking forward to our next 20 years.