Kaitlyn Njoroge/ February 4, 2019/ Board Articles

By: Gerry Guidice, Board of Directors Trustee 

For those who I have not met, my name is Gerry Guidice. To be very clear, I am NOT any relation to Teresa Giudice from the “Housewives of New Jersey” cast (thank goodness).  

 I have now served on the board for six months. I am honored to have been elected, and am excited about this opportunity to serve. I have neither been bored or disappointed with all that has transpired in the last six months. It is a great time to serve given the boards journey, especially with the short time this board has been in control.   

 This board has accomplished many things in its tenure that we should all celebrate and be proud of. We have the expertise and structure to focus on the key strategic and tactical issues of this community. We are activists in our approach and not afraid of dealing with issues or trying new ideas that can be transformational. 

 We crafted a strategic vision for the community to help guide us in our decisions and behaviors called Becoming a Premier Community that Enhances our Real Estate Value.”  This is a concept that we can all rally around and will keep us focused as we make our business decisions.  

 At our last public meeting we approved the extension of contracts to some key vendors. I am proud that we are now including Service Level Agreements in those contracts to hold them accountable to deliver services that help us achieve our vision. 

The Board and Management should be holding all vendors to the highest standards of service for the privilege of working in this community. We should expect them to run our programs, deliver our services and bring the “best of the best” from all they do in the industry.  

 The Golf program is an example of this new approach.  We expect that Applied Golf, given their broad business experience, will enhance our community amenity. In collaboration with the community, they should bring new ideas to our programs.    

Our budget discussion was another example of the board working in unison to build a financial plan that respects our community members as well as builds safety and soundness for the future.    

We are reconstituting our committees with broader scopes and mandates under our guiding vision.   We are asking these volunteers to have more of an impact on our community by creating goals and objectives with measurable outcomes that support our community vision. Working directly with the board, these ideas will be debated, discussed, collaborated on and implemented.    

We will continue to measure, manage, adapt and communicate our progress as the year continues.

No surprise to any, not all things we do or try will be popular. What I believe is important is that as a community we understand that the Board is always focused on trying to make/maintain us as a premier community that enhances real estate values. 

I have had the pleasure to talk and receive feedback from many of you. I have taken many of those comments to heart and have had discussions about these comments with my board colleagues.  Those of you who know me understand that I dislike email communication. I find it too impersonal and easily misinterpreted. I have spoken to many of you over the phone (how old school) and in person.   

Some of the key learnings are worth highlighting: 

 Transparency is a critical focus for me as well as the Board- Successful HOAs function smoothly by basing community strategy and operations on transparency, accountability and communication. This requires exhibiting these values at every level, no matter how big or small the issue is. Transparency is a long-term strategy that helps ensure smooth operation of this HOA. When residents feel involved and informed, we will have higher level of satisfaction. We have taken some concrete actions to achieve this. 

Updating and upgrading our community website: Please contact our Communications Coordinator, Kaitlyn Njoroge, for any questions on how to use the website. Her email address is as follows: Kaitlyn.njoroge@fsresidential.com 

Social Media: check out our Instagram and Facebook accounts for the community with more platforms to come.

Communication platforms (Regency reporter, email, letters to residents)  

Easy access to documents, activities and key information on the web. 

Asking for Resident input (Townhall meetings, public meetings, accessibility to board or committee members)  

We ask for feedback and make our key decisions in open public sessions.

We have created a strategic and future focused as a board- We are one of the very few (if any) communities that have created a future vision and aspirational goals for all of us to rally behind. We will continue to develop this vision, objectives and action plans so that we maintain a long-term view for the future Boards and committee members to understand and drive. There is real value in creating and proclaiming your vision and then working with Board, committees and the residents to identify actions steps to bring about community and system changes. 

Excellence in financial and operational execution is a key focus for the board- We hold ourselves and our service providers accountable for premier level of execution for competitive pricing. We will work with management to embed clear goals, objectives and measurements with all vendors, using tools and reporting to ensure compliance.    

Final Thoughts

As our community grows we are becoming more and more diverse and I am making a pitch for involvement.   

We need and want your diversity of thought and debate. We benefit from a broad set of opinions because they help make informed decisions. We want civil discourse in all forms of communication so we can focus on the issues that trouble us all.    

If you have stopped coming to the public meetings, come back. 

If you have been frustrated that your voice has not been heard, try again.

If you think things can be done better, volunteer and come makes us better. 

If you see that a committee seat or Board position is available, fill that seat.  

 Help us achieve our vision of being a premier community that enhances real estate values.  

Look for the notifications from Stephanie to verify that I will be at the Clubhouse once a month, Monday evenings. I would like to sit with you and discuss the issues that are important to you.   

 Yes, some might say Old School, but I say let’s have a cup of coffee and be neighbors. 

 

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