Page 6 - New England Condominium January 2021

6 NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM -JANUARY 2021 NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM Pandemonium “I’m no longer managing an apartment aging the same problem. There’s a protocol for door handle every time someone touches it. In building,” says Daniel Wollman, CEO of in-house maintenance with masks, shoe boo- Gumley Haft, a residential property manage- ment firm located in New York City. “Instead, every time someone enters a unit. Time man- I’m managing a pandemic. Once it hit, con- struction projects ceased. We closed service home, so they’re calling me more.” He also ex- entrances. We required new elevator proce- dures: one family or two individuals in the “Board cab at a time. We severely limited access for deliveries, guests, domestic help, etc. It was a month at night, now stark contrast to day-to-day functions before they’re during the the pandemic when so much was happen- ing all the time—deliveries, renovations, etc. curring sometimes Building ops severely changed.” What Wollman and his staff did in their a month. We are offices and with their time when not on site cramming at client properties changed, too. “We needed PPE, constantly,” he says. “It was hard to get result of Zoom.” initially. We had to convert our office confer- ence room into a storage area. We also had to Building Group located in Chicago, reports that most employees did an outstanding job ing to do? In the end, we didn’t hire guards, send many of our office employees to work a similar experience. “This is unprecedented despite the circumstances.” from home, which took time to get used to as in its effects,” he says of the pandemic. “From well. In addition, we needed to make sure that staffing, to money, to psychology. You would business,” says Marsha Nolan, director of as- everyone on our various building staffs was learn something about the virus, and then sociations for Advocate Property Manage- as safe as possible. What if someone tested two days later it’s updated and changed. These ment, also located in Chicago. “We’ve been positive, resident or staff? We had to develop dangerous unknowns required management able to continue our day-to-day operations, a procedure.” Scott Wolf, a managing partner at Brigs we do in management is managing people. home from mid-March through May. We had Management in New England, says, “For us Building systems are easy—but all of a sud- it’s been about managing expectations of the den, we are dealing with emotional issues, possible. I did hear from several vendors early clients for vendors, workers, residents, etc. health issues, with both residents and staff be- You can’t get a building permit in Massachu- setts right now. Processes take much longer safety is not as important as their own. That we do have COVID protocols in place, we are for everything. You’re not getting something was shocking for me. One person said they conducting business as usual and have been fixed quickly. Vendors and suppliers are man- ties, other PPE, and questions to be answered pool open, with staff to clean it constantly.” Of protests spread in the late spring over the po- agement has become difficult. Everyone is once state and local authorities ordered these This added another layer of complexity and plains that the cadence of his day has changed. meetings used to be once a day, and they are oc- two or three times much more into a day as a Jim Stoller, president and CEO of The as if nothing had changed. It should be stated were locked. What was the armed guard go- to be on full alert all the time. A lot of what though the entire company did work from ing affected. Many residents have felt that staff want someone wiping the building’s front throughout the pandemic.” some properties, residents wanted the spa and course, that type of request became untenable lice killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. facilities closed. “We stopped all construction and re- modeling,” adds Stoller. we had anticipation with respect to the \[presi- “Service providers and dential\] election. We told our buildings we building staff were un- der a lot of stress, both up the front doors. We couldn’t put out the personally and profes- sionally. Many ride public transportation to fire extinguishers as well as other items during get to their jobs, which the protests. Some residents were nervous and is scary, and then when even asked for armed guards. I didn’t think we they got to work were needed anyone to shoot someone, and I said expected to do their jobs so; it was not always well taken. Our buildings “In Illinois we are considered an essential worked out.” the proper technology in place to make that on that we were the only company that con- tinued to pay our invoices on time. Although National Protests Complicate Things In addition to the pandemic, nationwide concern to the existing crisis. “We had loot- ing on Madison Avenue,” says Wollman, “and would double up staff in the lobby and lock garbage till the morning due to the protests in some neighborhoods, and we needed extra but did have them on standby. Happily, it all Expanding Skills Managers frequently found themselves in uncharted territory during the first months of the pandemic, adrift in rough seas with- out a map. “The majority of issues we dealt with were people’s emotions,” says Stoller. “A friend of mine who is a psychiatrist told me this is very common. People are under much “Time management has become difficult. Everyone is home, so they’re calling me more.” — Scott Wolf O FFICE OCATIONS N L I B OSTON A ND N ORTH A NDOVER MANAGEMENT... continued from page 1