Influential Woman · Multifamily
Chantal Renaud
Area Vice President, The Altman Companies
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Her Story
About Chantal
I've been in property management for 20 years, and my journey into this field was almost serendipitous. I originally started studying hotel management at FIU and worked at the Mandarin Oriental at the front desk and in the spa. I'm originally from New York and relocated to South Florida for college. When I kept getting my vacation requests denied during the holidays, I realized the hospitality industry wasn't for me because I wanted to be with family during those times. I started researching how I could use my front desk and spa experience in another career path, and I came across a leasing professional position. Ironically, at the same time I was getting my own apartment across from the FIU campus, and my leasing agent asked where I was coming from all dressed up. When I told him about my interview, he said they had an opportunity right there. I had my resume with me, interviewed on the spot, and got the position the next day. It was really important to me that while I was studying business management in school, I was also working in the field to get that real-life experience and make sure this was exactly what I wanted to do. From that experience as a leasing agent, I worked my way up through every level - leasing consultant, leasing manager, assistant manager, property manager, regional, and now area vice president. I pride myself in developing people and building the right teams, creating an environment where I can mentor others and grow them into careers as professionals, just as others have done for me. I focus on strong client relationships, really understanding what your client wants, what their pet peeves are, what their goals are, and being ahead of things by giving them information about what's happening in the market ahead of time. I'm not afraid to have those difficult conversations and believe in being proactive.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Chantal
01What do you attribute your success to?
I'd say my parents. My parents were both middle-class, hard-working people. My mom worked every day, and my dad has a trucking company and was a mechanic on the side, so he was always busy working on something. They always told me to work hard and make something of myself, and be independent - don't rely on others. I just always saw how hard my parents worked, and I think that just instilled in me that I had to put in what I wanted to get out. I've always been a go-getter, I've always wanted to be the best at anything that I do, and just succeed and be a good role model.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I'd say to her, follow your gut. It's never wrong. Your intuition is the strongest. Remember your values, your morals, and stay on that path. Nothing in this life comes easy, but if you work hard at it, you will see the fruits of your labor. Trust in yourself. Stay true to yourself. And uphold the most integrity and respect for yourself as a woman.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest opportunity would be AI. It's really about having my team understand that it's a tool, it's not the be-all, end-all. We still want to add that personal touch as we respond to prospects' or residents' emails or text messages. As easy as it may be to just throw it in a chat bot that will create everything for us, it's still important for that personal touch as humans. Sometimes you need to pick up the phone and just be engaged and just listen. I would definitely say technology when it comes to AI. And then I would say in my industry right now, it's become quite challenging to hire on our maintenance side. It's very hard to find people with the correct identification or paperwork. With the changes that have been made in our government's immigration laws, it's really difficult sometimes to find the right candidate, and if they don't have the correct identification or paperwork, we can't hire a really great person due to those circumstances.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I'd say integrity - always doing the right thing, even if no one is watching. Honesty, I think it's just the best policy. It's all about the delivery. And just respect. Always respecting the other person, because we never know what someone is going through. So being respectful, being kind, compassionate. Those are the three pillars that I live by.
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