Condo Media - November 2024 - 30

Ask a Busy Person
Always
Learning
MEET WILLIAM MACKEY, CPM, PCAM, RS, EBP
Senior Project Manager,
Becht Engineering BT, Inc.
WHAT PATH LED YOU TO BECOME A SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER?
I'd held several different positions in the field before becoming
a project manager. My father was a developer and property
manager, and I started as teenager working with him on weekends
at 75 State Street [in Boston.] Later, I joined the Air Force,
did my basic training, and ended up at Nellis Air Force Base in
Nevada as an F-16 aircraft mechanic. Afterwards I was in the
Air National Guard, serving 14 years. As an Air Force " weekend
warrior, " I continued to attend classes and work fulltime during the week.
Years later, I was a property manager in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. One day in
March 2015, Russ Fernandes of Becht Engineering came in for a capital reserve
study proposal site meeting. The management team just learned that the bank was
going to foreclose on this property's unsold units, which meant that I'd probably be
out of a job as part of the takeover. I let Russ know to get his proposal to me by the
end of the week so I could leave it on the new manager's desk. But Russ asked if I'd
be interested in working for Becht as a project manager. The rest is history.
WHAT'S THE BEST PART OF YOUR JOB?
Every day is different with new challenges. Fortunately, at Becht, we have great
resources. For example, senior project managers are the eyes and ears of the
company, and we can report on issues we see in the field. But we have access to
more than 60 staff members within the company with different designations
from structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, etc. I can get their input for
any project, or just for my personal edification. At Becht, it's ongoing learning
and research on steroids!
WHAT MADE YOU GET INVOLVED WITH CAI-NE?
I started out going to the Managers' Committee many years ago. This was a great
way to see other property managers and discuss current topics. I moved from the
managers' committee to the ELN (Emerging Leaders Network) nine years ago
when I joined Becht, since technically, I was no longer a property manager.
YOU'VE ATTAINED MANY
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO
PURSUE ONGOING EDUCATION?
I'VE ALWAYS BEEN HANDS-ON, AND AS
A TEENAGER, IT WAS PLAIN AS DAY THAT
COLLEGE WAS NOT IN MY FUTURE.
BUT WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF STARTING
MY MILITARY CAREER, I REALIZED THAT
I'D NEED FURTHER EDUCATION IF I
WANTED TO GROW: NOT JUST TO EARN
MORE MONEY AND GET PROMOTED,
BUT TO LEARN THINGS THAT HELP
YOU IN YOUR DAY-TO-DAY.
THROUGH CAI, I ATTENDED M-100AND
M-200-LEVEL CLASSES TO EARN
MY AMS, CMCA, AND PCAM. CAI HAD
GOOD INSTRUCTORS THAT MADE THE
CLASSES INTERESTING. PLUS, THE ABILITY
TO TALK WITH OTHER STUDENTS OR THE
INSTRUCTOR IN-BETWEEN CLASS BREAKS
WAS VERY HELPFUL. I ALSO RECEIVED MY
CPM (CERTIFIED PROPERTY MANAGER) AND
ARM (ACCREDITED RESIDENTIAL MANAGER)
CERTIFICATIONS THROUGH IREM
(INSTITUTE OF REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT);
AND THROUGH THE GI BILL, I EARNED
MY ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE IN BUSINESS
MANAGEMENT AND A BACHELOR OF
ARTS IN AVIATION MANAGEMENT.
30 CONDOMEDIA November 2024
Condo Media - November 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - November 2024
