MERIT Property Management Meets Green Goals with New Office

30 Communities, 9,000 Homes Now Managed from Environmentally Friendly Facility

Over the past 30 years MERIT Property Management has grown to become one of the foremost providers of professional community and business park association services in the western United States. The company specializes in the forward planning and management of master-planned, single-family home/condominiums, active adult and urban high- and mid-rise communities, and business parks as well as investor-owned rental property management.

MERIT has a proven track record of efficiently managing diverse mixed-use commercial associations and business parks, including retail, office, and large manufacturing sites, Tony Woltman, MERIT Senior Vice President, Northern California, points out. "We partner with individual business owners as well as commercial developers providing services to maintain a consistent look throughout their business associations, particularly with architecture, signage, and common amenities.

"We're here to support and manage communities and business parks which require more than just landscaping maintenance," relates Woltman. "We oversee the association assets and amenities, staff and board training, keep abreast of legislative updates, and we assist with elections, newsletters, and events.

"Our job as a property management company is to keep up with the trends, including a responsibility toward more efficient 'green living' and respond to the changing needs of residents so that they have satisfaction in where they live," he continues.

A staunch supporter of green practices in its client communities, MERIT follows the same goals in the facilities where its own staff works. The company spent eight months on the planning and design of its new offices at 4637 Chabot Drive in September 2010.

"Our facilities director from MERIT's corporate headquarters worked with our staff to achieve our green goals," says Woltman. "We selected low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) materials for construction and the furniture. We installed an energy-efficient LCD flat screen in the conference room for team meetings and association presentations. The building was already equipped with sensors that shut off the lights at 6:00 pm unless they are physically reset."

MERIT's new 3,600 square foot Hacienda office is the home base for 15 employees who manage 30 communities encompassing more than 9,000 homes throughout the East Bay. Because the employees are often on-site tending to the communities they serve, they appreciate the quick and easy access to freeways and the BART afforded by the new location.

Woltman comments that the open configuration of their new quarters makes communication easier. "It's all a team effort, and this is much more conducive to the way we operate," he says.

"Throughout California, some of our communities have close to 3,000 homes and some of the business parks/associations offer several thousand square feet of commercial and retail space, so there is a lot of infrastructure involved. It's like managing a small city. We have to have flawless communication all the way around," he emphasizes.

For more information, visit www.meritpm.com.

Photo: (Left to right) Stacey Moro, Courtney Fanello, and Jennifer Gomez of MERIT Property Management.

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