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Imagine being manager of a homeowner association (HOA), a neighborhood association or an office complex. One day your biggest issue is a homeowner who paints his home an unapproved color. The next, it is a business partner who allows a friend to park his car (with a large "For Sale" sign in the window) in the office parking lot -or a condo owner who refuses to pay increased association dues. Some associations require help in negotiating landscaping or heating and plumbing bids; others need help in budgeting for deferred maintenance on aging properties or require interpretation of new landlord/tenant legislation.
Fortunately, Beth Jones, president and CEO of Management Advantage, the manager of 36 separate residential and commercial associations in the Pikes Peak region, thrives on such challenges. After more than twenty years in the business, she has compiled an impressive client portfolio, has earned her PCAM (Professional Community Association Manager) certification and has developed a knack for steering nervous community boards through the choppy waters of fiscal responsibility.
The former Indiana resident and real estate broker moved to the Pikes Peak region in 1982. Prior to relocating, Jones sold condominiums and town homes-and served as volunteer president for her own condo association board. She immediately joined the Community Association Institute (CAI), a national organization that assists association managers and elected board members in staying abreast of industry trends and providing management training.
"It was the only place you could go as a board member or HOA president to learn about your job," she recalls. Today Jones also sends her entire staff to national training workshops sponsored by CAI and encourages them to pursue professional certification....