[Scottsdale, AZ – March 17, 2015] — Terrance Smith, General Manager for Desert Ridge Community Association, Scottsdale, recently joined an elite group of community association managers who have earned the Large-Scale Manager (LSM®) credential from Community Associations Institute (CAI). Smith is one of fewer than 90 managers worldwide who have earned this prestigious designation and the first to hold this designation with FirstService Residential Arizona.
 
To earn the specialized LSM credential, managers must have 10 years of experience in community association management and complete more than 100 hours of course work. They must also have earned the industry’s highest credential, the Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM®) designation. Continuing education and adherence to a code of ethics are also required.
 
“Professionals who earn CAI credentials maximize the value they can provide to their community association clients,” said CAI Chief Executive Officer Thomas M. Skiba, CAE. “Not only have these professionals demonstrated a personal commitment to self-improvement, but they have also elevated their practical knowledge and expertise. That’s what all community associations need, and what board members and residents deserve.”
 
Professional managers provide administrative, operational and managerial counsel to the boards that govern homeowners and condominium associations. Managers typically are responsible for managing budgets and contractors, directing association personnel and overseeing compliance with association covenants and restrictions.
 
CAI is an international organization dedicated to building better communities. More than 60 million Americans live in an estimated 315,000 association-governed communities. CAI and its 60 chapters work on behalf of the professionals and volunteers engaged in the management and governance of homeowner and condominium associations, cooperatives and other planned communities. CAI’s nearly 32,000 members include community association volunteer leaders, managers, management companies and businesses that provide products and services to these communities.
 
Smith has extensive experience in the fields of Commercial Insurance as Regional Vice President with CNA Insurance Companies and later as both an independent commercial insurance and real estate licensed broker.   Smith joined FirstService Residential and began his career as a Portfolio Community Manager in 2001, earning his California Association of Community Manager (CACM) designation that same year.  In 2002, Smith was promoted to a large-scale master planned community and became the first Executive Director, Director of Operations and Director of New Accounts for Playa Vista Parks and Landscape (PVPAL), obtaining both his CMCA and AMS national designations that year through the Community Associations Institute (CAI).  In March 2012, Smith joined FirstService Residential as the Community General Manager for Desert Ridge Community Association.  He successfully completed and was awarded his Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM) designation from CAI at National Conference and Expo in April 2012.  In January 2015, Smith also received his Large-Scale Manager (LSM) designation from CAI. 

About FirstService Residential

FirstService Residential is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, a global leader in the rapidly growing real estate services sector, one of the largest markets in the world.  As the leading property management company in North America, FirstService Residential oversees more than 6,500 residential and commercial associations including 1.5 million residential units and over 50 million square feet of commercial space across 21 U.S. states and three provinces in Canada. The company has more than 12,000 employees driving local market expertise and manages in excess of $6 billion in annual budgets. For more information, visit www.fsresidential.com.
 
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Mar 16, 2015