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| Southern California Mountain Communities |
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by Brian Welch
askMANDO.com
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In this edition of our Resort Profile, we spoke with those who manage the Homeowner Associations in the Southern California Mountain Communities of Snow Summit Town Homes, Bear Meadows, Comstock, Eagle Point Estates, Forest Shores and Viking Estates in Big Bear Lake, California.
Q. How would you describe your properties to someone who has never been there?
A. “The Big Bear Valley is located at 7,000 feet above sea level primarily on the southern shore of its namesake Big Bear Lake. It is a mountain resort community offering typical four-season adventures and activities. Our properties are a mix of town home-style and single family residences. Common areas include tennis courts, docks, decking, pools and spas, and our owners are mainly second home owners and primary users of their properties.”
Q. What is your general operating philosophy?
A. “We believe in partnership with our Associations, Board Members and owners and offering services that fit our clients rather than the other way around. We distinguish ourselves as operating ethically and professionally with transparency as important as delivering exception customer service. We are small and dynamic by design and customize our services to match the exact needs of our client associations,” said Tom Johnson, President and CEO, The Alderwood Group.
Q. Can you tell us a little about your staff?
A. “The Alderwood Group is a member of the California Association of Community Managers, Inc. (CACM) and our Association Services Manager, Kelsey Evans, is a Certified Community Association Manager (CCAM). Ms. Evans is one of two professionals Certified with CACM in the mountain communities and one of nine in San Bernardino County. Additionally, Joanna Cockrell, Association Services Coordinator, is beginning the certification process with CACM and expects to receive her CCAM in mid-2010.”
Q. What seasonal challenges do you face?
A. “The community of Big Bear Lake sits at a high elevation and experiences four seasons. It is imperative for us to provide each of our properties with guidance on maintaining assets and property values, coordinating with seasonal vendors and providing education and information to ensure our community is aware of what is happening in the community and the region,” Kelsey Evans, Association Services Manager, Alderwood Resort Management.
Q. What about your properties set you apart from others?
A. “Alderwood is proud to say we have never lost a management contract. I think this speaks volumes on what distinguishes us from other management firms. Additionally, because our history is rooted in the hospitality industry, we bring the breadth of experience and understanding of mountain and resort communities. With this in mind, our properties are traditionally second-homeowners who are the primary users of the property. They choose Big Bear because of what the region has to offer and they choose Alderwood to manage because of our accessibility and know-how. Our newest client, Forest Shores Homeowner Association (a 13 unit, lakeside town home-style facility), had never worked with a management company and had self-managed since inception. They were initially drawn to us based on our professionalism and timely response and sold on our reputation,” said Stephanie Lawrence, Director of Administration, Alderwood Resort Management.
Q. Has the economy changed the way you operate?
A. “Not to the extent of other business models have had to alter their practices. We believe this economy is an opportunity for us. We are confident in our ability to service our clients and have actually invested in advanced technology to make it easier for our communities to reach us and for us to interact with them. Mid-2009 we rolled out a new online tool offering our homeowners the ability to have constant, round-the-clock access to their Association announcements, governing documents, minutes, Association financials and individual accounts. Called MyHOA™, we provided easy and intuitive navigation for our owners, enabling them to make a maintenance request or interact with their community via the Association discussion board. We have an in-house wellness program, MyLife™ and are looking to bring this to our associations offering them health content and extending corporate discounts at local fitness facilities. We are also looking at other services that cross-over from our Interval Owner Associations such as providing vacation club-style travel services and planning for our homeowners and are branding it as AlderwoodAdvantage™. We believe in adding value to our management services,” said Tom Johnson, President and CEO, The Alderwood Group.
Q. Has the public’s interest in social media had an impact on your operations?
A. “Yes. We are working to utilize forms of social media that make sense to our communities as well as looking at more traditional media to keep in contact with our associations. We utilize CRM (customer relationship management) strategies to get an idea of who our owners are, what they think of us and what they need as we move forward. We provide e-newsletters that let them know what is going on with their association and deliver information on what’s going on in the region, hopefully to inspire them to visit Big Bear and stay involved. We utilize our product MyHOA™ as a means to interact with each of our owners and as a venue for them to interact with us. Of course, we still believe in old-fashioned accessibility and have a local office conveniently located in town.”
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