12 minute read
Members In the News
Epsten, APC Moves Its Office
Epsten, APC, attorneys at law since 1986, relocated their offices to the heart of Mission Valley. Formerly located in Scripps Ranch, the firm is now located at 3111 Camino Del Rio North Suite 560, San Diego, CA 92108. Epsten, APC is dedicated to serving community associations with general legal issues. With this move, the firm will be able to better serve its clients in San Diego, Inland Empire, and Coachella Valley.
Heritage Commerce Corp Wins Prestigious Award
Heritage Commerce Corp recently accepted the 11th Annual Raymond James Community Bankers Cup. The prestigious award recognizes the outstanding achievements of community banks across the nation. Heritage Commerce Corp’s dedication to providing exceptional service and support to its customers is a testament to its continued success, and the award is a well-deserved accolade. The bank’s commitment to building strong relationships with its clients, employees, and communities is a cornerstone of its philosophy, and this recognition is a testament to its unwavering commitment to excellence.
Antis Roofing Donates to Boys & Girls Clubs
Antis Roofing & Waterproofing donated its David Chow Humanitarian Award cash prize of $2,500 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast’s Back-to-School Backpack Drive. The donation helped provide about 1,000 new backpacks and supplies to kids who need them most. The Club serves the communities of Costa Mesa, Irvine, Newport Beach, Orange, and Santa Ana.
Jamie Chandler Rejoins Professional Community Management (PCM)
Professional Community Management (PCM) announced that Jamie Chandler has rejoined the company in the role of branch president. In this role she oversees and measures employee performance and the client experience. In addition, she will develop and implement strategic organizational strategies, policies, and practices designed to maximize employee satisfaction, retention, and engagement.
Chandler began her career in community management in 2004. She joined Associa in 2012 serving as regional director of marketing and sales throughout Southern California before leaving to pursue other opportunities. Chandler is an experienced professional with expertise in all facets of strategic planning, new business development, real estate transactions, budgeting, marketing, contract management, and customer service. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of California-Riverside from which she graduated magna cum laude.
Powerstone Property Management, ACMC Promotes Alysia Dale
Powerstone Property Management, ACMC recently promoted Alysia Dale, CCAM, to Senior Community Manager. Dale has proven herself to be a reliable, professional, and exceptionally helpful asset to her clients. She has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to helping them evaluate budgets and save the community money, and she never shies away from a challenge. “The team at Powerstone is incredibly proud of Alysia’s accomplishments and looks forward to seeing what she will achieve in this new role. We are excited to see her continue to thrive in this industry and in her new position. Please join us in congratulating Alysia Dale on her well-deserved promotion,” the company said.
Seabreeze Expands in Orange County with Acquisition
Seabreeze Management Company recently expanded its footprint in the Orange County market with the purchase of Accell Property Management, a full-service property management company based in Laguna Hills. The Seabreeze team now has over 600 team members serving over 650 associations and more than 120,000 residential and commercial properties. “The Accell team was built on an incredible legacy. Even after the pandemic threatened so many companies in our space, they have continued to provide amazing service to their clients and remain dedicated to the communities they serve,” said Isaiah Henry, CEO and President. “We have always respected the Accell team, and I am thrilled that this neighboring firm is now part of the Seabreeze family.”
Antis Roofing Hosts 100th Blood Drive
Antis Roofing was named the American Red Cross Corporate Hero because of its monetary donations, and this year it hit another significant milestone in Orange County’s blood donation efforts. This summer, the company hosted its 100th blood donation drive on behalf of the American Red Cross. It all started in early 2020 when Antis CEO Charles Antis learned that the Red Cross faced a critical blood shortage. Antis opened their unused office space, helping the Red Cross collect over 2,400 units of blood to date, enough to save over 7,000 lives. Antis turned each drive into a party, providing lunch and treats for donors, including CACM members. The 100th drive was a grand event featuring a live DJ, lunch from Wing Liam, the founder of Wahoo’s Fish Taco, and ice cream from Senator Josh Newman’s truck. The Red Cross board also attended the event and donated blood. Thank you to Antis Roofing and all the HOA managers, executives, and service providers that took time out to attend one of their blood donation events.
Harvest Landscape Makes Top 100 List
Harvest Landscape has been recognized as #75 on Lawn & Landscape Magazine’s prestigious Top 100 Landscape Companies in the Nation list. This achievement is a testament to their talented employees’ hard work and dedication. Harvest Landscape is committed to delivering the highest quality and customer satisfaction, which is evident in its inclusion in this exclusive list. According to the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), there are over 604,000 landscape companies in the U.S., which illustrates how stiff the competition was.
Nordberg | DeNichilo, LLP Adds to Legal Team
Nordberg | DeNichilo, LLP (N|D) announced the addition of Doug P. Bickham, Esq. to their legal team. Before joining N|D, Bickham was a partner at Berding | Weil, managing the governing document update department and providing corporate counsel services to community associations throughout California. He has worked with developers, business owners, community associations, and individuals on various legal matters related to real estate and business for over two decades. Bickham’s areas of expertise include advising community associations on resolving issues, drafting and negotiating agreements for property, goods, and services, and preparing easements, CC&Rs, and other land use agreements. He is also a licensed California Real Estate Broker. For more information about Nordberg | DeNichilo, LLP, visit their website at ndhoalaw.com
Vantaca Launches Real-Time Data Solution
Vantaca, a software provider for the community association management industry, recently launched Vantaca IQ, a business intelligence solution built for community association management that provides real-time visibility into a management company’s business.
The challenge facing many community association management companies is the lack of accessible and actionable data, which leads to slow and reactive decisionmaking. Vantaca IQ provides performance tools to optimize staffing allocations, identify trends, make improvements, and drive better performance across the entire organization. The core of Vantaca IQ includes three key data views that provide up-to-date insights into business performance, including Business IQ, which provides executive-level leaders with real-time data from all associations they manage. The platform also includes a customizable personal view called My Dashboard, allowing users to choose the performance tools and specific views they find most important.
“Accelerating proactive decision-making is a competitive advantage for community management companies. Vantaca IQ provides easy-to-use tools to provide that advantage,” said Vantaca’s Chief Product Officer, Adam McCombs.
HOA Repay and United Trustee Services Join Forces
United Trustee Services (UTS) recently acquired HOA Repay, a common interest development collection and Trustee service provider in Oakland and Carlsbad, California. This acquisition, effective as of July 14, 2023, is expected to enhance UTS’s capabilities in providing efficient and reliable services to homeowners associations and property management companies throughout California.
HOA Repay has a reputation for delivering personalized and effective collection and Trustee services to its clients. By joining forces with UTS, HOA Repay will expand its reach and continue providing high-quality services to its existing clients while gaining access to UTS’s extensive resources and expertise.
UTS, with offices in Danville, Sacramento, and San Jose, California, is a Trustee and foreclosure services provider in the state. The company has built a reputation for providing exceptional services to its clients, including HOAs, mortgage servicers, lenders, and attorneys. The acquisition of HOA Repay will further strengthen UTS’s position in the market and enable the company to offer its clients a wider range of services.
CACM Members Recognized as “Best Lawyers in America”
Jon H. Epsten, Esq. , Shareholder and Founder of Epsten, APC , and Mary M. Howell, Esq. , of Counsel, have been recognized in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America within the category of Community Association Law. This prestigious recognition is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and expertise. Their inclusion in this prestigious list is a well-deserved honor. At CACM, we take great pride in our members’ achievements. We congratulate them both on this incredible accomplishment and look forward to their continued success.
Optimum Professional Property Management Acquires Encore
Irvine-based Optimum Professional Property Management , Inc recently acquired Encore Property Management in Corona. Encore has been in business since 1992. Optimum chose to add this company to its portfolio to expand its presence in the Inland Empire. With this merger, Optimum now serves over 200 community associations in addition to the 35,000-plus properties it manages in California.
“The addition of Encore to our portfolio brings exciting opportunities for expansion and innovation. We are committed to preserving the unique qualities implemented by Encore founder Susan Beaver, as well as the brand identity that has made them a success. At the same time, we plan to leverage our resources and expertise to even better serve evolving community needs of the Inland Empire. We warmly welcome the talented team and look forward to a prosperous journey together, creating enhanced value for our clients,” said Debra Kovach, CEO.
CM Squared Becomes Employee-Owned
CM Squared announced its transition into an employeeowned company. As part of this change, CEO Dirksen Rogers is stepping down from day to day operations. Rogers said several other changes are on the horizon as the company works to expand its service offerings to cater to its HOA customers and address present and future needs. Moving forward, Chief Operating Officer Shahrzad Mansouri and President Tad Black will continue to oversee operations, while Rogers will serve in an advisory capacity. “This strategic move is a testament to our unwavering dedication to empowering our employees and further strengthening our organization’s foundation for long-term success,” said Rogers. “Together, we will continue to flourish and make a positive impact on the industry we serve.”
Insurance Veterans Launch New Company
Cory Neubauer and Summer Blaser, who bring decades of experience in the HOA insurance realm, have founded a new company called NEXTIER Insurance Services, Inc. to address the needs of struggling HOAs, especially in the face of insurance market upheavals. Their goal is to help HOA managers to concentrate on their communities rather than grappling with complex insurance intricacies.
When asked about their goals, Blaser said, “In an era of uncertainty and challenge with the current turmoil of insurance in California, NEXTIER stands as a beacon of innovation, dedication, and compassion. We are on a mission to transform the way insurance serves HOAs - standing in partnership and service to provide solutions that make sense and arming HOAs with the tools they need to navigate uncharted waters and emerge stronger together.”
Before launching their company based in Aliso Viejo, Neubauer and Blaser spent many years at Roy Palacios Insurance Agency, Inc.
Desert Region Feels Brunt of Tropical Storm Hilary
On Sunday, August 20, managers all over California hunkered down and prepared for the worst as Tropical Storm Hilary traveled northeast from Baja California. Surprisingly though, it was not the low-lying coastal communities that had to worry. Instead, the storm passed over the eastern deserts, causing severe flooding, downed power lines, interruptions to 911 telephone lines, and fallen trees in areas like Indio, Cathedral City, and Palm Springs.
Caren Oliva from Personalized Property Management in Cathedral City said, “My HOAs have a lot of trees down. My heart aches for the homes that have been affected by this storm. It was the craziest storm I’ve ever seen in the 26 years I have lived in the desert.”
Genney Groesbeck, CCAM, with Associa Desert Resort Management out of Palm Desert, provided the included photos and reported, “The entire area was hit badly. Businesses had three to four feet of water and mud to clean up. Roads washed away, and a 10-mile stretch of freeway closed due to flooding. Railway tracks were destroyed, and all our emergency service lines went down. It was, and still is, chaos.”
Lorena Sterling, CAFM and CACM Vision Magazine committee member of Community Association Financial Services in Palm Springs, reported damages such as sinkholes, roads collapsing, mudslides, ripped-off roof tiles, downed trees, power outages, 911 lines down, and trapped elder care facility patients.
“The calm after the storm is the time to assess and get to work,” she said. “The first step in storm recovery is assessing the damage and planning for reconstruction.”
CACM extends its thoughts to all the managers with properties affected and wishes them the best of luck with assessing the damage and facilitating repairs. Managers who need to find service providers for repairs, can access the CACM Service Provider Directory here.
