Condo Media - April 2020 - 36

VENDOR SPOTLIGHT

Great North Property Management, Inc.
Still Going Strong in its 30th Year
[by Pamela Schweppe]

In 1990, the Soviet Union was dissolved. The Hubble
telescope was launched. The Grunge movement emerged.
Home Alone was the top-grossing movie of the year.
And Great North Property Management, Inc., was born.
"When we started, we had one computer and a rollpaper fax machine," recalls Lou Gargiulo, CMCA, who
co-founded the company and remains its owner and
president. Under his leadership, the company, now in
its 30th year, has thrived, growing every quarter since
its founding. From an initial portfolio of about a dozen
properties, the firm has expanded to manage more than
350 associations totaling roughly 25,000 units and
serves New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, and
Rhode Island from its Exeter, N.H., headquarters and 10
satellite offices in all four states. And it continues to grow.
"We recognized early on that, to be successful in this
industry, you had to make investments in two critical
areas, one being infrastructure and equipment and the
other being employees," says Gargiulo. "As an organization, for the past 30 years we have done that."
STAYING STATE-OF-THE-ART
Back in 1990, that computer and fax machine were pretty
innovative, Gargiulo recalls. He recognized that having
state-of-the-art systems is of paramount importance,
however, and technology has been a major source of investment for Great North ever since. Today, the company
is equipped with hundreds of computers, servers, and online portals that provide instant information to its clients.
The company even has two drones, which have proven
handy for site inspections of roofs and balconies, for
example, and Gargiulo foresees one day augmenting site
inspections with driverless vehicles. "You have to be on
the cutting edge," he says. "We have encompassed and
embraced every new technology that's available."
According to Great North's senior vice president and
director of corporate operations, Justin Gargiulo, CPM-
who also happens to be Lou's son-there is a flip side to
this advanced technology: the danger of burnout. "When
I came aboard 20 years ago, the BlackBerry was the latest device, and everything became mobile," he says. "It's
gotten exponentially crazy over the past 20 years, with

people-including myself-expecting instant access.
We need to strike a balance and set reasonable expectations with the boards and with residents."
THE MORE THINGS CHANGE ...
One thing about Great North that has stayed the same
throughout its history is a commitment to striking the
work/life balance that is essential to retaining staff.
From a staff of two principals and two employees back
at its founding, Great North has grown into a full-service
management company, employing roughly 150 professionals in various disciplines, including not only property
managers, but also accounting, administrative staff, client
services, and construction and maintenance.
"This business isn't for everybody," admits Lou
Gargiulo. "You need to find people who can deal with
multi-faceted situations and work under pressure, and
who understand that there are a lot of challenges." Once
that staff is on board, however, they are given all the
tools they need to be successful, from technology and
staff support to generous benefits and something equally
important: respect. "Our employees are given all of the
respect and all of the protection and all of the benefits
that are required-and then some," he says. In an industry notorious for its turnover rate, that attitude has
been rewarded with a retention rate of about 95 percent,
according to the Gargiulos. "Our investment in people
is significant and clearly our largest expense," Gargiulo
adds. "We view our employees as our greatest asset."
The depth and strength of Great North's office staff
impressed Bob Frotten when a search for a property
management firm brought him to Great North's headquarters. "I loved the backroom operations-their security, the people we met, their skills, and what they could
offer as a company," he says. As treasurer for Red Mill
Village Condo Trust of Norton, Mass., he was on the
board that decided to retain Great North. He says, "I was
impressed by the office operations and by Great North's
willingness to work with us to meet our specific needs,"
including an onsite property manager 25 hours a week.
At this point in its trajectory, Great North can afford to
be selective about which associations it accepts as clients.

http://www.greatnorth.net

Condo Media - April 2020

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