CAI-NJ June 2017

J U N E , 2 0 1 7

usiness Partners that truly understand how commu-

nities are governed and their role in delivering an

amazing experience to residents are indispens-

able to community managers and boards. If you’re run-

ning a business in this market then you probably appre-

ciate that it takes a little while to get up to speed with

all the workings of a multifamily community, and when

hiring staff, it’s important that they also “get it”! If only

there was training available to help shorten the learning

curve! ENTER the Educated Business Partner Program.

When I first opened American Pool, NJ I got some

great advice from my partner

in Philadelphia. “If you want

to grow your business you

must get involved with CAI,”

he said. And so I did! For

several years, being involved

with CAI meant exhibiting at

the annual expo. However,

I really didn’t take the time to use the organization to

further my knowledge of associations and networking.

Participating at the level I did is great, but will only get

you so far. I did a lot of things the hard way, not fully

understanding the market and opportunities that were

available to me and my organization through the chap-

ter. I learned about associations and their workings by

Business Matters:

Are you an

INCREDIBLE

Business Partner?

By Ben Basch,

American Pool Management

sitting through countless board meetings, waiting for my

turn to present, asking a lot of questions and trial and

error. This is all valuable stuff and I wouldn’t trade it for

anything.

I finally got around to taking the Business Partner

Essentials Program this past Fall. I can tell you that even

after 18 years of experience in this market, I still learned

a lot. My biggest takeaway was how helpful this would

have been to me 18 years ago when I was starting out.

I intend to send some of our key players through the pro-

gram because I can’t think of a more efficient way to help

them understand association governance. Additionally, the

program can help them be that much more effective, if not

incredible, in their work!

As a former Chair and current member of the CAI‑NJ

Business Partner Committee, we are working to raise

awareness among business partners and associations

about this invaluable course. The training is always

available online at the CAI website and occasionally in

person. Participants will be schooled in Industry Lingo,

Market Facts, Professionalism, RFP processes and Ethics.

An individual earning the Educated Business Partner

Distinction has demonstrated a commitment to raising

the bar for professionalism in serving community asso-

ciations. Isn’t this the kind of INCREDIBLE vendor that

managers and boards are looking for?

"My biggest takeaway

was how helpful this

would have been to me

18 years ago when I

was starting out."