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June 22, 2005
Celebrating 25 Years
Last year was a big one for us: It marked the 25th anniversary of Association Management Inc. (AMI), and we were pleased to have many reasons to celebrate. With around 170 association clients, we believe we’re the largest community management firm in Houston. We also employ around a dozen onsite managers and 24 portfolio managers.
But just as important as our growth in numbers has been our consistent success in promoting community spirit in the associations we manage. (Perhaps that’s one reason we still manage our very first client, who signed with us in July 1979.) To our way of thinking, there’s no reason for an annual meeting to be a dreaded event, or for residents to be unhappy with management. We have the power to create positive experiences, and we’ve tried to do that by embracing the concept of community.
Although we try to give back to the community year-round, we decided to use our anniversary an opportunity to create some large-scale projects. Here are four examples of what we accomplished:
- Through a local charity organization, 112 employees and vendor volunteers built 25 wheelchair ramps for 25 older and disabled residents throughout the Houston area.
- We organized two blood drives giving the “Gift of Life” to the greater Houston community.
- In August, we launched the AMI Scholarship Fund to benefit the communities we manage, and we awarded six scholarships to local community colleges (one of the six we reserved for an AMI employee or relative).
- Each of our 168 residential and commercial communities received a tree along with a plaque to commemorate the plantings.
For any CEO coming up on a company anniversary, we would advise that you do something for your communities to mark the occasion. The personal rewards are incredible. It was a great thrill to see a homeowner—who hadn’t left her home in more than two years because she couldn’t get her wheelchair down the front steps—sit on her porch, starting at her new wheelchair ramp with gratitude and disbelief. And that’s just one of dozens of inspiring moments brought on by our anniversary initiatives.
Here are some tips for preparing your anniversary celebration:
- Widen your circle of input. We brainstormed at the top level, but we also called a company meeting with all employees to discuss our options. You never know who might bring a great idea to the table.
- Incorporate your company vision. Since we started, our goal has been to have a positive impact on the communities we manage, specifically by encouraging community spirit. We felt this would best be reflected by hosting charity-related events.
- Avoid commercialism. Anniversaries are the perfect time to assess where you’ve been and where you’d like to go, as well as to celebrate and give back. Don’t complicate matters by trying to publicize your company or generate more business.
- Hire a consultant. To pull off our projects, we used employees and vendors with whom we have longstanding relationships, but we also found it beneficial to work with an outside consultant who guided us through the events.
Glenda and David Regenbaum are co-founders of Association Management Inc., in Houston, Texas.
Posted by David Regenbaum at June 22, 2005 5:30 PM