27 Years of MultiFamily Experience

by Chris Smith, Executive Director, Shelters to Shutters

Jeremy Byrd has been in the multi-family housing industry for 27 years, starting as a punch tech and groundskeeper and quickly advancing to maintenance tech. Within two years he had earned CPO, CAMT, and HVAC certifications and become a maintenance supervisor. For five years he was the only maintenance tech on his property and was thankful for the mentoring he received from a supervisor at another property.

Jeremy enjoys the challenge of turning around a troubled property, rebuilding the shop, whatever needs to be done. His favorite part of the job is meeting and exceeding the resident’s expectations and garnering the positive reviews that come because of this. The best review he ever received was when a group of residents collected money and sent him and his wife on a cruise as a way of saying thank you. His least favorite part of the job is a common complaint in the industry now. “It is so hard to find good help,” he says.

In many respects, Jeremy is Mr. GNAA. His involvement goes back some 24 years. Currently he chairs the Maintenance Committee and has served on most of the other committees through the years. He attends most events and helps out when he can. Jeremy’s maintenance shops have won numerous awards throughout the years, and he has won both Maintenance Supervisor and Volunteer of the Year more than once. When asked why he has chosen to be so involved in GNAA, he says, “I believe in karma. What goes around, comes around. Participation in GNAA has allowed me to build numerous relationships that I would have never had.”

Jeremy has always been handy and enjoyed working on things. This has not always turned out well, however. When he was six, his grandfather gave him a tool kit, which he used to disassemble the dining room table and then put it back together. Apparently, the reassembly was not completed according to code since the table came crashing down when the Thanksgiving meal was put on the table. “It is funny now,” Jeremy says, “but not so much then.”

In his spare time, Jeremy enjoys collecting and shooting guns. He shoots most days on the gun range he built on his property. Being outdoors, reloading ammo, bow hunting – he enjoys it all, along with his nine grandchildren, of course. Jeremy laughs and adds, “I like tools.” Of course, you do, Jeremy.

His advice for the person just starting out in the industry: “Don’t turn anything away. Try everything. And ask for help.” As Jeremy says, “Knowledge is power.”

And one last admonition is “lead by example.” This is something Jeremy knows well.