Echo Memories

Contributed by David Levy

My earliest memory of Echo is a 1970s annual seminar at the Red Lion Hotel in San Jose. There, some 50 years ago, I met a number of professional colleagues, many of whom are still around. It was nice to have a forum with other professionals to discuss developments in the HOA industry and, frankly, to just talk about what’s happening in the industry. This event quickly grew, and Echo became an important part of the Bay Area HOA scene.

As our association grew and developed, there were other opportunities to participate. I enjoyed the camaraderie with fellow accountants and attended many meetings with fellow condo CPAs at the quarterly dinners of the Echo Accountants Committee. It was a great opportunity to discuss important HOA accounting practices and theory. I can remember one of many spirited discussions among committee members over the issue of booking the reserve liability on the balance sheet versus mentioning the number in a footnote disclosure. This professional panel was an outstanding opportunity to connect with friendly competitors for the betterment of the homeowners.

David Levy is a retired CPA now living in Hawaii. He spent 45 years in the condominium industry and was a founder of Levy, Erlanger & Company. He originated the 55,000+ California community association database, which is still being updated and used on occasion by Echo. Mr. Levy is a longterm member of the Echo board of directors and regularly conducts the annual Echo HOA Financial Management and Reserve Studies workshop.