Her Story
About Cindy
My career in property management started in an unexpected way back in 1977 when I moved to St. Pete from Buffalo. I was just hanging out at the pool at my apartment community when the manager came out and asked if I wanted to work there part-time for $100 a week plus a free apartment. I liked the personal aspect of relating to people and the sales side of it, so I said yes. From there, I got my real estate license and worked for a developer leasing out condos, and then landed a manager position at a brand new apartment community in the Clearwater area. I officially started in property management in 1984, and I was probably one of the first managers in apartments in that area because they were just starting to build in St. Pete and Tampa at that time. Throughout my career, I became known as a troubleshooter - companies would send me to properties that were struggling with occupancy or spending too much money, and I would go in and turn things around. I worked for one company for 10 years doing this, moving to different properties every few years. I even lived in Miami Gardens working on a huge tax credit property where I was the only white person on staff, and my Caribbean and Hispanic team members would push me out the door before dark to keep me safe. I always believed in relationship selling and managing through relationships rather than being authoritarian. My staff members weren't just employees, they were like family, and many of them are still my friends on Facebook today. I was named Manager of the Year by the Bay Area Apartment Association, which was a really big deal, and I won numerous other Manager of the Year awards throughout my career. I retired after almost 50 years in the business, and while I really loved working and sometimes think about going back, I'm enjoying life in Ocala now.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Cindy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I was a single mom at the time, and basically I was divorced when my son was young, so I always had the need to be successful just because I had responsibilities. I think that motivated me a lot, that I had to be successful, and I was always looking to advance in my career. Having that responsibility and needing to provide for my family really drove me to keep pushing forward and seeking opportunities for growth.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've gathered from people I've worked with is don't take yourself as being so important or authoritarian just because you're in a position of authority. A lot of people make the mistake of becoming authoritarians when they get into positions of power. You have to keep a level head when you're dealing with people and residents, keep your door open all the time so they know they're welcome to come in. Just be like a real human being and be bendable in your career as far as decisions you make. Don't try to be one-up on people - that's really important.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell them to be an ideas person. Come up with ideas and share them with your bosses so they realize your value. Also, don't steal anybody else's ideas - base it on your own ideas and creativity. Just be a good friend and coworker to your entire staff. Building those relationships and showing your value through your own original thinking is really important for success in this industry.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the challenges are that there's so much coming up and so much advancement happening, especially with advertising and technology. There's been a lot of advancement in technology and different ways of doing things that are different than they used to be. I think it's important that you keep up with all these modern changes and advancements, but at the same time, I think you have to keep your base - your beliefs and your principles. You can't lose sight of those fundamental values even as everything around you changes with new technology and methods.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think just being honest is the most important thing, and just don't lie and treat people with respect. Those are the values that matter most to me in both my work and personal life.
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