OneVoice Newsletter February Issue 002 - 2023

February 2023 

Inside you'll find...and more! 

BLACK HISTORY 

MONTH 

SUMMER 

INTERNSHIP 

ACCOUNTING

CORE 

VALUES 

AIM HIGH 

We are passionate about being the 

best at what we do. By attracting, 

training, and retaining great people, 

we set the standard for service and 

professionalism in our industry. 

BE GENUINELY 

HELPFUL 

We take pride in serving each and 

every one of our communities. Whether 

it’s opening a door with a friendly smile 

or tackling a problem, being genuinely 

helpful is what defines us. 

BUILD GREAT 

RELATIONSHIPS 

Relationships based on respect, 

trust and effective communication 

are the cornerstone of our success. 

DO WHAT'S RIGHT 

Our clients trust us to do what’s best 

for their community. We are guided by 

our ethics and clients’ interests in 

everything we do. 

IMPROVE IT 

OWN IT 

We learn from our experiences. We are 

open-minded, collaborative, and 

continuously looking for ways to 

improve. 

Each of us is accountable. When 

facing any challenge, we see it 

through to resolution with 

perseverance, integrity, and open 

communication. 

fsresidential.com/illinois 

Making a difference. Every day.

Table of Contents 

Asa's Letter 

Culture Champion 

Online Reputation Tap 

Human Resources 

FirstVoice, Social Committee & Social Purpose 

Customer Service & Personal Development 

Accounting 

Connect 

FirstService Project Management 

In Good Company 

FirstService Construction & Maintenance 

FirstService Energy & FirstService Financial 

Business Development & Marketing 

IT 

2 

3 

4 

5-6 

7-9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14-15 

16 

17 

18-19 

20

DEAR ASSOCIATES 

A new year has begun, and I am elated to be 

able to start this new year, this new journey with 

you. As I look around the company, I notice I’m 

surrounded by creative, passionate, 

knowledgeable and dedicated people, I honestly 

couldn’t ask for a better team of people to work 

with. As I think about the year ahead, I see 2023 

as a fresh start in many ways. We’re presented 

with an opportunity to write a beautiful story 

that highlights the challenges we’ll face, the 

relationships we’ll build and the wins we’ll 

celebrate. I know as a team we’re unstoppable. 

We closed out 2022 on a high note, being able to 

gather for our first Holiday Party in the past 

three years. Seeing our team in such a jovial 

place brought happiness to my heart, I for one 

can say I look forward to a host of in-person 

events this year. 

I reflect on our mission statement, “deliver 

exceptional service and solutions that enhance 

the value of every property and the lifestyle of 

every resident in the communities we manage.” I 

want to challenge each of you to think beyond 

what you do as a task and more about how you 

individually deliver on this statement every day. 

As a team we are more than the tasks we 

produce, we are more than the numbers we 

churn; we are caring – devoted individuals 

deeply convicted by our core values. 

Each day you step into your place of work I 

challenge you to question, “how can I 

positively impact the life of a resident or 

fellow associate today.” I believe that with 

some daily focus on our “Blue Chips” and a 

lot of empathy we can deliver on our 

mission statement each and every day. 

I can’t thank you all enough for 

contributing to an extremely 

" 

successful 2022. I’m more 

confident now than ever that we 

absolutely have the best team 

in the business, and I look 

forward to accomplishing great 

things together in 2023. 


2 


CULTURE 

CHAMPION 

Teamwork 

“Create an environment where 

people can take risks. If 

everything has to be brilliant from 

the word go, you’re never gonna 

get off the ground.” Bono 

If we agreed that, “we’re all in this 

together,” then we’re more likely 

to look for ways to win as a whole 

team, and will achieve better 

results both personally and for 

our organization. Ask yourself 

how big is my team? The answer 

is our the whole FirstService 

Illinois team! It’s your immediate 

supervisor, Regional Director, 

Property Accountant, Human 

Resources, IT, CSS/RSS, and the 

Executive Leadership team. 

Remember, we’re all #OneTeam 

and here to provide you with the 

support and resources you need 

to be successful. 


3 


HOW ARE WE 

LOOKING 

ONLINE REPUTATION 

Simply Ask Campaign 

Current review status: 

Simply Ask Trailblazers 

Reviews matter. The Simply Ask online 

reputation campaign exists to educate 

associates, particularly resident facing 

associates, on the importance of asking for 

reviews. How the public sees FirstService 

Residential matters. This program helps us 

create the best image of ourselves to the 

general public. If you've satisfied a resident, 

simply ask for a review, one 5-star review goes 

a long way! 

Rhonda Allen - 13, 5-star reviews 

Colleen Negron - 4, 5-star reviews 

Laura Gedzius - 2, 5-star reviews 

Thank you to everyone who participates in 

the Simply Ask campaign. 

To learn more about our Online Reputation 

program please reach out to your direct 

manager. 


4 


HUMAN 

RESOURCES 

SUMMER INTERNSHIP KICKOFF 

Our internship program is designed to provide a 

“fast track” for individuals looking to join the 

community association management industry. 

Lead in partnership with the Operations and HR 

teams, the 11-week internship program delivers a 

carefully curated roadmap that trains, engages, 

and challenges individuals who are the future 

property managers of FirstService Residential 

Illinois. 

Last year we had a number of associates provide 

direct coaching, training, and shadowing in each 

phase of the program, as well as associates who 

led property tours, panel discussions, and served 

as resources to share more about their line of 

work. It is through our team effort that our 

internship program continues to be a success! 

TECH TALK 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT . . . Tech Talk kicked 

off on January 25th hosted by Angel 

Passament, IT Manager. This session 

provided valuable information as well as a 

demonstration on how to encrypt important 

emails and protect sensitive information. 

Angel also provided samples of current 

phishing emails that are being sent to 

FirstService Associates, and provided some 

tips for how to recognize a phishing email. 

If you'd like to view the session, the recording is 

in the FirstService Residential University. 

Our next Tech Talk 

session will be on 

Wednesday, February 

22nd at 2:30p.m. 

where Angel will be 

talking about 

OneDrive. 


5 


What is the Program? 

The internship experience is built as a rotational program providing 

access and firsthand experience to the many facets of our organization. 

The internship program includes two phases: a corporate office training 

phase and a field-facing property manager partnership phase. Interns 

will first shadow the Connect, RSS, and CSS teams which will lend great 

insights to our heart of house functions and how we support our 

property management teams. 

The interns will later spend several weeks partnered with a property 

manager (on-site or with a portfolio manager) to shadow and support 

that manager in “the day in the life” of property management. For more 

details on specific duties and responsibilities of the intern when 

partnering with a property manager, please reach out to the HR team. 

Want to Support this Initiative? 

We are looking for our current associates to take an active role in 

promoting this exciting initiative. In the coming days, we will be 

announcing this program via our social media platforms. Please like, 

share, and comment on these posts to help reach a widespread 

audience of potential candidates. All recruiting will be managed by the 

HR team and a job posting will be added to the FirstService Residential 

career site under “Illinois”. 

GET INVOLVED! 

If you are looking to host an intern at your property this summer – we 

want to hear from you! This is a great opportunity for current team 

members to mentor and develop the future talent of our industry. The 

HR team will be accepting applications from property managers that are 

interested in hosting and partnering in this program. 

If you are unable to host an intern but are interested in providing other 

helpful support – we want to hear from you too! Reach out to a member 

of the HR team at humanresources.il@fsresidential.com. 

Apply today! Host an Intern Application 


6 


FIRSTVOICE 

SOCIAL COMMITTEE 

SOCIAL PURPOSE 

SOCIAL PURPOSE 

Celebrating Black History Month 

The continued engagement with history is vital as it helps give 

context for the present and provides possibilities for the future. 

Black History Month is an opportunity to understand Black 

histories – remembering the vitally important stories of racism 

and slavery, and to spotlight Black achievement. 

The Who and Why Behind Black History Month 

Black History Month's first iteration was Negro History Week, 

created in February 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, known as the 

"father of Black history." This historian helped establish the 

field of African American studies and his organization, the 

Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, aimed to 

encourage “people of all ethnic and social backgrounds to 

discuss the Black experience”. 

In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black 

History month. In his speech, President Ford urged Americans 

to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected 

accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor 

throughout our history”. 

Carter G. Woodson 


7 


DID YOU KNOW? 

The meaning behind the colors 

In 1920 the Pan-African Flag was created by 

members of the UNIA in response to a racially 

derogatory song aimed at African Americans. 

The colors speak to the history of the Black 

Experience. Red, represents the blood that 

unites all people of African ancestry, and shed 

for liberation. Black, represents Black 

people's existence as a nation, though not a 

nation-state but are affirmed by the existence 

of the flag. Green represents the abundant 

natural wealth of Africa, the Motherland, of all 

African decedent people. 

TAKING BLACK PRIDE A STEP 

FURTHER 

The African American Flag 

First created by David Hammons in 1990 the 

African American flag combines the colors of 

the Pan African flag with the American flag. 

For many African Americans this flag 

represents visibility as a unique people in 

America, having African origin with American 

culture. African Americans have their own 

cultural practices and beliefs that set them 

apart from Euro American culture. 


8 


SUPPORT 

BLACK 

BUSINESS 

Eat. Shop. Buy. 

Eateries 

Breakfast/Brunch 

Batters & Berry's 

Juice & Berry 

Lizzy J Cafe 

Lunch & Dinner 

The Burger Point 

Soule - Creole inspired 

food 

Majani Restaurant - 

Specializes in vegan 

food 

Sweets & Confections 

Shawn Michelle's 

Brown Sugar Bakery 

Stores 

Eb & Flow Yoga Studio 

Soap Distillery 

Ni'Abri Beauty 

Kpelle Designs 

Semicolon Bookstore 

and Gallery 

Blackstock and Weber 

Fun and Events 

Black Luxe Candle Co. 

South Chicago Dance 

Theatre 

Gallery Guichard 

Services 

Beaux and Paws 

Bettye O Day Spa 

Serenity Nails and Beauty Bar 


9 


CUSTOMER SERVICE PRO TIPS 

Active Listening 

Great customer service takes more than just 

listening to what people are saying and then 

giving them exactly what they requested. CSS 

tries to determine what our client needs and 

see if we can provide more. (Example: If a 

manager wants labels, we don’t just provide 

the labels but ask why they need the labels. 

Occasionally, you can save the manager a lot 

of time by providing pre-addressed envelopes 

or having our team do the mailing versus the 

manager). 

Communicating in the Best Way Possible 

When CSS is sent an email, sometimes the 

best response is not an email in return. Often, 

it is a good idea to call the person or go and 

see the person as a way of providing personal 

service and “hear” what cannot be written in 

an email. 

Friendliness 

CSS wants to make the person asking for 

assistance feel as if their request is 

welcome. Sometimes a client is stressed or 

overwhelmed and our goal is to provide 

support and not be an added burden to the 

client making a request. 

Sharing Feedback 

It is import to have good rapport with your 

clients. CSS tries to provide tips on how our 

clients can be more successful in their 

requests. When you have a good rapport, it is a 

lot easier to discuss the ways CSS can improve 

or the clients can improve. (Example: Timing of 

requests, format of requests, errors). 

Responsiveness 

Most of CSS requests are high turnaround, 

so our awareness of incoming requests is 

crucial. Our clients appreciate our quick and 

accurate processing of requests and we 

truly appreciate their quick response to our 

questions. 

SOFT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT 

Practice Active Listening 

Do you actively listen or is it more important for you 

to get your point across to the other person? Active 

listening is a skill that must constantly be put into 

practice. When we actively listen, we move from 

telling our own story, to seeking to understand what 

the other person's story is. By asking clarifying 

questions, leaning in with your body and giving your 

undivided attention you show another person how 

much you care about what they have to say. How 

can you practice active listening today? 

SELF-CARE TIP 

With more than 90% of our blood being pure 

water it suffices to say that the less water we 

drink the harder our bodies have to work to 

function optimally. If you're experiencing 

headaches, dizziness or tiredness it may be 

linked to lack of water. This is called 

dehydration. 

fsresidential.com/illinois 10 


ACCOUNTING 

SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS 

Accounting has your back! 

Is your association having cash flow issues? 

Or has the term “Special Assessment” been 

brought up with your Board of Directors? 

The first person to talk about both of these 

scenarios is Dave Jandak, 

Vice President of Finance. 

WHO YOU GONNA CALL? 

Dave Jandak 

David.Jandak@fsresidential.com 


11 


CONNECT 

CUSTOMER CARE NOTES 

“Customer Care Notes” is a feature that can be 

used when you have important information 

that needs to be conveyed to the Care Center. 

For example, if the office is closed, or if there 

is a gate that is down, the Care Center can let 

residents know rather than dispatching the 

inquiry to the management support team. 

Where do they live? 

The Customer Care Notes are located on the 

Property Dashboard within Connect in the 

“Summary” widget box. Please see the 

illustration. 

Creating a note 

From your Property Dashboard, click on the 

“View All: next to Customer Care Notes. Then 

Click On “+Add” – enter the details. 

Creating a note 

Expirable events should be in the Customer 

Care Notes. Items such as water shut off, Snow 

Clearing, and active emergency situations. 

Items that can be found in InfoCenter should 

NOT be put into this area such as office hours 

or how to make a payment. The Customer Care 

Reps search the Property’s InfoCenter for 

answers. Also, these notes should be short and 

to the point. Every minute that a resident is on 

the phone with Customer Care costs money! 

Huge paragraphs should not be entered into 

this area. 

Want a step-by-step video 

Connect: Customer Care has a 5-minute 

video on FirstService University that will show 

you the Customer Care view step-by-step. 

FAQ 

Do residents/owners/board members see the 

Customer Care Notes on the Resident Portal? 

No. Customer Care Notes are only visible for 

the associate view of Connect. 


12 


FIRSTSERVICE 

PROJECT MANAGEMENT 

TACKELING FAÇADE REPAIRS 

FSPM was engaged by the Association at 2970 

N Lake Shore Drive to investigate water 

infiltration issues. Investigative openings were 

made after a series of prototype drops to 

determine where the water was entering the 

building and what repairs would be needed to 

prevent that from happening. FSPM then 

managed the project repairs which included: 

RECENT PROJECT 

2970 N Lake Shore Drive 

steel lintel replacement 

flashing installation 

cracked brick/sill replacement 

tuckpointing 

sealant replacement throughout all 

elevations of the building 

FSPM worked with the masonry contractor to 

develop the project schedule and phasing plan 

to complete the project in one year. The 

project started the first week in March 2020 

and was complete by the first week in October 

2020. The building was split into 13 drops and 

had 5 swing stages going at a time. 

With cost savings generated by the project 

management team, $319,000 was returned to 

the Association and rolled over to begin a roof 

replacement project. 

Learn more about FirstService Project Management 


13 


IN GOOD COMPANY 

LEARN ABOUT THE NEW 

IGC MARKETING PLATFORM 

IGC distributes quarterly marketing 

campaigns highlighting projects that our 

vendors have accomplished within our 

portfolio of properties and any seasonal 

promotions, discounts, and 

services they may have. In the past, these 

marketing pieces were distributed via email 

with a static PDF or excel document attached. 

This year, we’ve designed a new platform with 

you in mind! Each campaign will be structured 

in a succinct and interactive newsletter format 

with vendor branding, marketing summary and 

access link for their marketing piece. Our goal 

is to enhance your user experience, vendor 

brand awareness and IGC engagement within 

our organization. The new platform will also 

allow us to collect click data metrics to better 

understand the efficacy of each campaign and 

areas where we can improve. Keep your eyes 

open for our first campaign launch in March 

2023. We encourage you to explore the new 

platform and the numerous value add 

opportunities our IGC vendors can provide for 

our clients. 

A sample clip of what the campaigns will look 

like and how to navigate them is to the right. 

Should you have any questions, please feel free to 

reach out to Jen Yang, jen.yang@fsresidential.com 

or 847-777-7025. 


14 


IN GOOD COMPANY 

Vendor highlight: 

Inflation and Reserves: 

The Implications on Capital Planning 

Inflation has moved into our lives and isn’t 

estimated to move out for a while. However, 

with years of experience conducting reserve 

studies during previous periods of inflation 

and financial uncertainty, Reserve Advisors 

is able to take current inflationary 

circumstances into account when creating 

our studies and capital plans. 

Periods of inflation require associations to 

re-evaluate their current funding plans, 

specifically near-term. With the guidance of 

a reserve study consultant, some questions 

associations will work through are: 

1. If we are facing significant increases in 

contributions, can the increases be 

phased in over a number of years? 

2. Could a loan scenario be used to 

minimize reserve contributions nearterm? 

3. Which near-term projects, specifically 

those coming up in the next five years, 

must be prioritized as to not defer 

critical maintenance and repairs? 

These questions allow associations to 

consider not only their current and future 

financial situation, but to consider the 

financial situation of their residents. While 

it’s important for boards to consider how 

inflation is affecting their community as a 

whole, it’s also important to consider the 

financial status of those who make the 

community what it is. 

If an association is running low on funds and 

project timelines are being disrupted, it’s 

inevitable that residents may be individually 

suffering financially as well. If you can 

expand the number of phases or stepped 

increases in the reserve contributions, 

residents will not experience as dramatic a 

financial burden. Additionally, minimizing 

contributions near-term through a loan can 

help associations complete crucial projects 

on time, while also giving residents time to 

recoup from any financial strain they are 

experiencing before having to comply with 

higher dues. 

When it comes to short-term adjustments 

due to inflation, particularly current-year 

expenditures, it’s important to bring in an 

expert to create a stable path to weather the 

storm, and reserve studies do just that! 


15 


FIRSTSERVICE 

CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE 

Handling Ice Dams: A Quick Guide for 

Property Managers 

One of the most common roofing issues that a 

property manager hears in wintertime is about 

leaking inside the home. Sometimes this 

indicates there’s a problem with the roof, but 

frequently the roof itself is sound but a buildup of 

ice, called an ice dam, is causing water to back up 

inside the home. Persistent leaks can cause the 

insulation to be damaged, mold to form in the 

house and walls to buckle. The manager will need 

to work with a contractor like FirstService 

Construction and Maintenance (FSCM) to 

diagnose how the ice dam was created, how to 

treat it and how to prevent it from occurring next 

time. 

What causes an ice dam? 

Poor insulation 

Freeze/thaw cycles 

Uneven roof temperatures 

How can ice dams be prevented? 

The first step is to diagnose how the dam was 

created. A contractor will look for hot spots on the 

roof that are not naturally occurring. If you need 

help with this process FSCM is here to help solve 

this common yet dangerous occurrence. Contact 

a member of our team today! 

Read the full article here! 


16 

NEED EVICTION HELP? 

FSCM is familiar with the eviction process in many 

surrounding counties. We meet the Sheriff at the 

residence at a designated date/time. Move all items 

to the driveway and change the locks. We return the 

following day to remove and dispose of items that 

have been left. In the event the HO wants to pay, we 

remain in contact with the PM/attorney and the 

sheriff will let us know when the attorney's office 

has received the payment, at which point we stop 

the eviction process. We also winterize when 

necessary. In addition, we can usually make the unit 

rental ready. We also send a Summary Report with 

pictures and invoice to the property manager. 

Contact 

Elise Mallon 

elise.mallon@fsresidential.com 

Shannon Skeekls 

shannon.skeels@fsresidential.com 


FIRSTSERVICE ENERGY 

FIRSTSERVICE INSURANCE 

To enhance our property management 

business by leading our clients to 

reduce energy consumption, cost, and 

emissions. 

FirstService Energy (FSE) was 

established to help our clients 

significantly enhance their building’s 

efficiency by providing data and support 

to boards and managers to drive 

informed decision making. 

Below are some services we provide: 

Energy procurement 

Education and training 

Utility bill auditing 

Energy assessment & advisory 

FirstService Financial (FFI) offers 

comprehensive financial services 

exclusively to properties managed by 

FirstService Residential. Our goal is to 

provide exceptional financial value to 

the associations we serve. 

Below is a list of our services. 

Banking Programs 

Reserve Program 

Lockbox Program 

Cash Reserve Program 

Lending Services for Associations 

Insurance Programs 

Commercial Insurance Products 

Premium Financing 

Learn more about FirstService Energy 

Contact Information: 

killeen.mcdonald@firstserviceenergy.com 

212 .324.9627 

Learn more about FirstService Financial 

Contact Information: 

sean.gaynor@firstservicefinancial.com 

312.231.9447 


17 


BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 

NEW PROPERTIES! 

Film Exchange Lofts, Chicago 

73 Units 

New Century Town 

Condominium Association No. 3 

228 Units 

MEET OUR NEW BUSINESS 

DEVELOPMENT COORIDNATOR 

Marlena was welcomed to the Business 

Development team in January 2023 after 

transitioning from H.R.! She is responsible for 

driving efficient sales processes by optimizing 

sales activities and assisting John Santoro and 

Charles Perry with creating new opportunities 

and growing the business. In connection with 

marketing, Marlena will be a key point person 

in helping to facilitate campaigns and events 

related to Business Development. 

WELCOME TO 

THE TEAM 

MARLENA! 

Marlena White 

marlena.white@fsresidential.com 


18 


MARKETING 

SNAP, THAT'S A WRAP! 

Just a few photos from the recent photoshoot 


19 


IT 

ARE YOU ONEDRIVE SAVVY? 

Many of us have heard of OneDrive but 

don’t know the amazing features it has to 

offer. OneDrive allows you to backup all 

your files. Anything that is stored on the 

OneDrive can be accessed from your 

computer, tablet, mobile device or basically 

anything that allows you to connect to the 

internet. You can share those documents 

with internal and external user. As a team 

you can edit the documents. You can also 

decide who gets what access to the file and 

remove that access at any time. OneDrive is 

a great tool to keep your important 

information safe and secure in the cloud. 

Signing into OneDrive on your computer 

Click on Start and search for OneDrive 

Once you click on OneDrive it might ask you to 

sign in. If it signs you in automatically you can 

skip these steps. 

For the rest of this step-by-step guide click 

here to view and/or download the helpsheet. 

IT HOUSEKEEPING 

SPAM HAPPENS... 

If you receive a suspicious email IT is here to 

help. All suspicious emails can be forwarded to 

spambox@fsresidential.com for review. 

IT TICKET SUBMISSIONS 

For all IT related issue please submit tickets to 

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus 

(fsresidential.com) or Call our National 

Helpdesk at (844) 722-6898 


20 


@FirstServiceResidentialIllinois 

@FirstServiceResidentialIllinois

OneVoice Newsletter February Issue 002 - 2023

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?