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SPO TLI GHT
SPOTLIGHT

Shining a light on an ACMO 2000 Certified

Management Firm choosing to offer a higher

standard of service to elevate their business.

I can say with 100% certainty that the reason I personally many daily challenges. You plan your day hoping to achieve
chose to work at FirstService Residential (FirstService) is specific goals, but achieving them isn’t always possible. This
that they first chose to become a member of is the nature of our business. Emergencies happen, and we
ACMO and pursue the prestigious ACMO must divert our efforts to manage the crisis. Working with
2000 certification. established procedures guides managers throughout the crisis
FirstService chose to pursue certifica- and allows them to meet the requirements of the position.
tion because it was looking to build upon FirstService achieved its ACMO2000 certification in 2019,
the momentum established with the forma- and it has been a cornerstone of the success of the company
John tion of a new and exciting leadership team ever since. The program is continually reviewed to look for
Damaren the year before. The company already had a ways to improve upon the delivery of our services to our
substantial body of policies and procedures, clients. The exceptional growth and client retention would
and this certification would allow it to formalize those into one not be possible if we did not have buy-in from all employ-
comprehensive, easy-to-access, industry-leading operations ees. They are our cornerstone and without their belief in
system. The program was adopted in 2019, and certification the systems we have, we would not be able to deliver our
was achieved the same year. industry-best services.
It is widely known that both clients and employees are When clients call us interested in moving away from their
attracted to companies with strong systems, policies, and current management provider, it is usually due to poor execu-
processes in place. Employees want to know that they can tion and inconsistent delivery of the services they desire. We
perform their job functions properly and be measured by also find that inaccurate financial reporting is one of the main
criteria that isn’t a moving target. They appreciate knowing reasons why clients are changing their providers. We devel-
that they will receive the training they need to do their job oped many processes to ensure that our financial reporting
correctly and that resources are always available with a few is meaningful to our clients. We have checks and balances
clicks of the mouse. Companies strive to obtain employee in place so that several sets of eyes oversee the final product
satisfaction, and this is one of the easiest ways to achieve before it is delivered to our clients.
that goal. In the future, FirstService will continue to support the
Clients want to know that when they hire a manage- ACMO 2000 program in the future as it has delivered so many
ment company, they aren’t just relying on a few individuals positive benefits to our organization. n
who know how things are done. When all employees at the
company are not following the same set of approved proce- John Damaren, R.C.M.
dures, the service being delivered will not be consistent. Vice-President, Community Development and Governance
Delivering condominium management services presents FirstService Residential

62 I CM Magazine FALL 2024