Influential Woman · Community Association Management

Amanda Manion

Property Manager, Qualified Property Management

Hudson, FL

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Associate's Degree in Business Management (one year completed) Cert Licensed Community Association Manager Cert Notary Public

Her Story

About Amanda

I honestly kind of tripped and fell into this field. I started working in accounts payable for a management company, and once I got my feet wet in the world of HOAs and condos, I went through the process of getting my own license and managing a portfolio of properties. My background includes working in fast food and retail, getting my associate's degree in business management for about a year, working for a company called Brailleworks where I transcribed documents into braille and data files to make documents easily accessible for anybody with disabilities or limits, and serving as an office manager for an air conditioning company and a landscaping company. From there, I jumped into the accounting field, and then I went through the process to get my license and have been managing a portfolio for about 10 plus years now. I'm also a notary, which I've had for about 7 years and comes in handy in this business as well as day-to-day life. Day-to-day, I deal with difficult people and focus on conflict resolution, understanding their point of view on any situation, and reiterating that every association has its own set of documents to be followed by everybody, plus Florida statutes that everybody is obligated to follow. A lot of the experience I had when I first started actually came from conflict resolution from being a mom of 3 kids - you kind of take your duties and roles as mom and turn them into actual benefits in working in the field and dealing with people on a day-to-day basis. I keep in mind that the association I'm managing is also the livelihood of a lot of the homeowners in each association, so you have to have some form of empathy for everything. I have my eye on expanding my licensure to a CMCA and have hopes within the next 5 years to open my own property management company to develop my outlook on how the profession should be done. I feel like there should always be a level of personalism implemented into every situation and every association, because unfortunately in this field, not every manager runs the same way - for some it's just 9 to 5, just a job, but for others it's a huge deal because you're dealing in people's livelihoods, and I feel like that's super important to always have in the back of your mind.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Amanda

01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

Always, always keep an open mind, always be eager to learn. I think that those are the top two, honestly. You know, every day you learn something new. You can't take one experience and transfer it to another and say that the outcome is the same, because it never is.

02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

Dealing with difficult people is definitely a day-to-day challenge, and it's more about your skills with dealing with those people. It involves finding resolutions to any issues that people have, understanding their point of view on any situation that's brought up, and then reiterating that every association has its own set of documents to be followed by everybody. There's also Florida statutes that everybody is obligated to follow - there's just so much that goes into it. You have to keep in mind that the association you're managing is also the livelihood of a lot of the homeowners in each association, so you have to have some form of empathy for everything. Unfortunately, in this field, not every manager runs the same way. Some of us, it's just 9 to 5, just a job. For others, it's a huge deal because you're dealing in people's livelihoods, and I feel like that's super important to always have in the back of your mind. Right now, my portfolio is limited to how many I can do in a day, whereas if I had my own company, I feel I could expand that portfolio and expand that level of professionalism and personalism into every association.

03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

You have to have empathy in every situation, you also have to remain neutral. You have to be the common ground between the board of directors, the homeowners, and even what the state requires of you. Your professionalism is important - yes, you run at the direction of the board, however, your advice also helps to sway that direction so that it's common ground for everybody. So, conflict resolution, empathy, and then a willingness to adapt and be able to facilitate changes as they come. And just developing relationships and being personable with everybody. I feel like there should always be a level of personalism implemented into every situation and every association. I'm committed to my marriage - my husband is a military vet who now works in the union based out of Tampa, so he's constantly traveling. He's not around a whole lot, but just being there in support for him, and still holding a full-time job and raising 3 girls, I still manage to instill a lot of strong morals into my girls and hold my own as well.

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