Leadership

As President, Mark Gittleman his responsible for overseeing the leadership team for community association management operations and FirstService Residential Minnesota’s affiliated business, Gittleman Construction & Maintenance. Prior to his role as President, Mark was an Association Manager serving clients in the condominium segment of the company’s account portfolio for more than ten years.

Gittleman fosters a culture of outstanding leadership around FirstService Residential’s mission and values. He has driven the implementation of technology solutions, and focused on enhancing the quality of services to clients. Gittleman has worked on the launch of a number of successful new developments and worked in partnership with many longstanding accounts in partnership with Boards of Directors and on-site associates. Gittleman has sought throughout his career to sustain the company’s commitment to excellence and close working relationships with clients, which are hallmarks of FirstService Residential Minnesota’s service offerings.
 
Before working at FirstService Residential, Gittleman was a Legislative Affairs Associate for the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) from 1993-1995.  Prior to working at ASTD Gittleman held a similar position at the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). He started his professional career working as a legislative assistant to a Member of Congress where he worked on a range of public policy issues.
 
Gittleman served on the CAI-MN Board of Directors from 2007-2009, was President in 2010, served on its Legislative Action Committee (LAC) from 2011 - 2015, and was Treasurer of the LAC from 2013 - 2014.

Gittleman holds a Minnesota Real Estate Broker’s License, a General Contractor’s License, and his Association Manager Specialist certification from the Community Association Institute,
 
Gittleman holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan, which he earned in 1985.  Gittleman serves on the Board of the Adath Jeshurun Cemetery, and previously served as Treasurer of the Barry Family Campus, where the Jewish Community Center is located.  He and his wife Deb live in Edina, Minnesota and have two teenage boys

As Executive Vice President and Principal of FirstService Residential Minnesota, Andrew (Andy) Gittleman’s primary responsibilities focus on the company’s urban portfolio, company operations, client retention and leadership development.

Gittleman has been in the association management business for 33 years. In 1983, Andy and his father Melvin started a third party association management company called Diversified Management Company. In 1992, the name of the company was changed to Gittleman Management Corporation and over the next two decades the company experienced rapid growth and became the largest residential property management company in Minnesota. In 2012, Gittleman Management Corporation became part of FirstService Residential, the largest property management company in North America.

Gittleman graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Economics and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University Of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management.  Gittleman is a Minnesota licensed Real Estate Broker and holds several industry designations including his Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) certification from CAMICB and his Association Management Specialist (AMS) designation from the Community Association Institute.  Gittleman is very active in the local real estate community and is a frequent speaker and moderator at real estate conferences.

Gittleman lives in Downtown Minneapolis and has two grown children.

Mike Laukka has a proven track record of starting and building successful companies that provide appreciable returns on investment to company shareholders.  Of particular note, he co-founded Laukka Management, Inc., a Minneapolis, Minnesota, based community association management firm that he presided over for 22 years, until 2014 when the company was acquired by FirstService Residential.  

In 2010, Laukka co-founded a Minneapolis based niche entity, Contractor Support Services, LLC, that provided general contractors with consulting services and back office support services via a team of construction professionals, insurance restoration specialists and building code experts.  That same year, he co-founded Bulldog Contractors, LLC, a general contracting firm that specialized in building envelope construction and restoration.  Laukka served as the President of both firms, until selling his equity in each company in 2013.

With the 2014 acquisition of Laukka Management by FirstService Residential, Laukka was appointed to Senior Vice President of FirstService Residential and Senior Vice President of Gittleman Construction & Maintenance, where his knowledge of community association management is combined with his experience in construction management.

Laukka believes in the value and power of volunteerism.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Edina Country Club in Edina, MN, and for the past 23 years, has served as the President of Parkers Lake North Properties Association, Inc., a master association consisting of over 1,000 units of living in the Parkers Lake planned unit community in Plymouth, Minnesota. Additionally, Laukka has been a member of several committees at the Minnesota Community Association Institute, was elected to the Alumni Board of Directors, and co-chaired the Alumni Annual Fund at Breck School, a college preparatory school located in Golden Valley, MN.  

A long-time advocate of community manager education and ethics, Mr. Laukka holds the PCAM® (Professional Community Association Manager) designation from the Community Associations Institute.  Laukka graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, with Bachelor of Arts Degree, and a double major in Religion and Asian Studies. While there, he spent a semester at East China Normal University in Shanghai. He also attended Washington University in St. Louis, MO, where he earned credits toward a Master’s degree in Asian Studies.

Shaun Zavadsky, Vice President, Community Management, supports a team of directors and managers focused on FirstService Residential suburban clients. Shaun is also responsible for development of standard operating procedures, coleading the organization’s cross-functional client experience team, and conducting Board training sessions.

Shaun joined FirstService Residential in 2012 as an Association Manager after seven years managing apartments for a mix of urban and suburban communities. In 2014 Shaun was promoted to Regional Director and in 2018 to Vice President. Shaun is an excellent problem solver and communicator with a systems mindset in addressing a range of complicated issues including service platforms, governance, capital replacements, and insurance claims.

Shaun has served on various local industry-related committees and Boards including chair of the CAI-MN Vision Awards Committee and treasurer for the Citizens for Loring Park Community Board. He has earned the CAI designation of Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM), the highest professional designation in the property management industry.

As Manager of Business Development, Laura oversees sales for FirstService Residential working with homeowners associations to understand community needs and assist in the design of effective management solutions.

Before joining FirstService Residential in 2018, Laura spent over seven years in sales and marketing with some of the Midwest’s most prolific multifamily real estate developers allowing her to gain valuable insight on the needs of Twin Cities’ residents.

In 2017, Laura was nominated as a Twin Cities Finest Honoree by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation recognizing her professional accomplishments and commitment to giving back to the community.

Sally Andrist joined the FirstService Residential team in September, 2018, as the Director of Human Resources.  Primary responsibilities include overall direction of the HR function including creation and implementation of strategic initiatives to support the business, talent management, associate experience, change management and organizational leadership.
 
Sally has over 30 years of experience in Human Resources and has worked in multiple industries including 13 years at Guaranty Bank in Milwaukee, WI, 4 years at Smiths Medical – Patient Monitoring in Milwaukee and Minneapolis, and 14 years with the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club.  She has worked with cross-functional teams and multi-employer teams at both Smiths Medical and as part of MLB in areas of compliance, talent management initiatives and employee engagement projects.  

Sally graduated from Minnesota State University-Mankato, majoring in Human Resources and Business Management, and minoring in Accounting and Economics.  She obtained an MBA from Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI in 2013.  Sally acquired her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designation and is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management and member of the Twin Cities Human Resources Association (TCHRA).