AMPressions

AMP Interviews with the biggest movers and shakers in the Apartment Management Industry

When I worked for AMLI (way back in the day), Dan was one of those people that immediately made an impression on me!  He has a very calming demeanor that makes you feel like you can ask him anything.  Fast forward 17 years, I still “work” with him as a fellow Chicagoland Apartment Association board member and he is still the same as he was when I first met him.

I love dissecting words and looking for greater meaning like the word Apartment.  What sets you “Apart” and why are you “Meant” for the multifamily industry?

What set’s me ‘apart’? I believe that I have been lucky to be surrounded by great leaders and smart, competitive peers that have provided me with the opportunity, resources, and support to achieve.   I have always been drawn to real estate, and primarily residential, since I was a child.  I remember touring model homes with my mom when I was about 8 years old and being drawn towards the idea of real estate as a career ever since….perhaps I was always ‘meant’ to do this. 

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How and when did you get your start in the industry? 

Real estate?  While in college I got my start by working for a bank in their real estate appraisal department and spent 12 years appraising single family home and apartment buildings.   Multi-Family?  1999 when AMLI provided me and opportunity in their Asset Management group.  

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What is one song that always puts you in a good mood?  

Roll Me Away – Bob Seger

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What are 3 tips you would give someone considering a career in multifamily?

I only have two, but believe it is the same for any career, multi-family or otherwise…..1. Do your best….Which entails education, hard work, dedication, preparation, challenging yourself, taking advantage of opportunities, among many other things; and 2. Have fun.....Find enjoyment in what you do, have a positive attitude, be a positive influence for your team….if you don’t enjoy what you do, you are unlikely to be able to ‘do your best’.  

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What is your proudest moment in multifamily?   

To many to cull it down to one….but they all involve being part of a team achieving a goal that felt unattainable or particularly challenging.  

Who is your mentor and why?   I can’t say I have ever had one specific mentor.  I think everyone has a bias, thus I like to cast a wider net.  I greatly enjoy talking to a variety of people about their experiences and lessons learned.   I speak with people older and younger, those with more experience and less, various backgrounds, and often find unique perspectives different from my own that help to expand my thinking.  

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What book has left the biggest impression on your life?

Again, hard here for me to give you just one, but I will since you asked.  ‘The Essential Wooden:  A Lifetime of Lessons on Leaders and Leadership’ by John Wooden…..I have great respect for Coach Wooden, the way he lived his life, his Pyramid of Success, his leadership.   I was positively influenced by him early in my life, had the opportunity to meet him several times, and have always looked at him as a role model.  As a result, perhaps I was pre-disposed to like his book(s), but found the book to expand on what I had learned about him when I was a child.  

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If you ever owned an apartment community, where would it be and what would you name it?

I would want a nice community in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California…a place with great views…..AMLI Sierra Vista.   I love the mountains, thus if I am going to own my own place I should make it somewhere that I would like to be.   

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What is your most memorable vacation?  

I will narrow it down to two:   A week my family spent at a beach house in North Carolina several years ago or a week long backpacking trip my son and I enjoyed together two years ago.   Both included my favorite things – being with my family and being outdoors.  

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If our country went to 4-day work weeks, how would you spend your 5th day?  

It’s not nice to tease about these types of things….probably spend most of my time on projects around the house (I like to keep busy) or take a few more weekend trips (my wife and I enjoy exploring new places).