CAI-NJ June 2017

Business Matters: Are you an INCREDIBLE Business Partner? By Ben Basch,

American Pool Management

B 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

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? n

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,

"My biggest takeaway was how helpful this would have been to me 18 years ago when I was starting out."

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

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