Media Coverage

The term ‘diversity’ encompasses an expansive range of demographics within a population, from ethnicity, age, gender and orientation, ability, religion, and socioeconomic status to culture, language, and personal lived experience. In Cooperator News, Keith Werny, CityLine Division president, discusses how FirstService adapts to meet the specific needs of the boards and residents in their managed properties.

"Our endgame is to be a trusted advisor to the boards we serve. That goes beyond building budgets and compliance."

— Keith Werny, CityLine Division President 

 

Starting October 6, 2024, curbside composting became mandatory for multifamily properties across New York City, which created challenges for some boards and building owners. In an article by New York Post, Stephanie Cardello, vice president of compliance, shares how some buildings have grown to embrace and support this new requirement.

"We manage a 16-floor condo building in Gramercy. In four days, the composting bin was full. People were really into it. Once mandatory composting kicked in, they asked for a bin in every compactor room. So now there are 16 bins, and we have to make sure the staff has time to empty those bins."

— Stephanie Cardello, Vice President, Compliance 

 

Compliance with local laws is a crucial part of a board’s duty to maintain safety and avoid costly fines from New York City agencies. In an article by Habitat Magazine, Keith Werny, CityLine Division president, and Stephanie Cardello, vice president of compliance, share how FirstService helps boards and building owners stay ahead of compliance deadlines, education programs for property managers, and the value of automated compliance platforms.

"SiteCompli collects our compliance data and puts it into a nice, neat web portal. Then we adapt it into Excel spreadsheets and Smartsheets, and from that we manipulate the data to create a digital dashboard. Each manager can access their properties and easily toggle through the dashboard for each of their addresses."

— Stephanie Cardello, Vice President, Compliance 

 

"If there’s something that’s required by a lot of our buildings, we can use our size as leverage. For example, with Local Law 157, which requires the installation of natural gas detectors near all gas appliances in residential buildings, we can see what products are out there and try to get the best pricing available. Then, we give those options to our managers and boards."

— Keith Werny, CityLine Division President 

 

Condominium and cooperative boards must comply with the Corporate Transparency Act by filing beneficial ownership information with the Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network by January 1, 2025, or face penalties. Ben Kirschenbaum, Vice President and General Counsel for FirstService Residential New York, discussed how our legal and compliance teams are helping boards satisfy their requirements.
 

"This is something that FirstService is doing nationally, because this is not just a New York issue. It affects homeowners associations, co-ops, and some condos across the country."

— Ben Kirschenbaum, Vice President and General Counsel 

 

Holiday decorations can be dazzling and dividing, especially in New York City where resident populations are extremely diverse. FirstService Residential helps boards and building owners thoughtfully decorate their common spaces and enforce building policies that keep residents safe during the holidays. 

In Connect CRE, Ashlee Friedmann, a managing director of our Multifamily Rental Division, shared how her team helps keep the peace during the holiday season and works to minimize fire hazards and building violations.
 

"It’s important to find a balance between the owner’s vision for the property and the sense of community among the residents. Some residents have different views on how the building should be decorated. It’s management’s responsibility to ensure everyone is pleased with the look of their homes while keeping safety at the top of their minds."

— Ashlee Friedmann | Managing Director, Multifamily Rental Division 

 

We partner with boards to create exciting event calendars for residents that help foster a sense of community and enhance curb appeal. Maria Hurst, a vice president in our New Development Group, spoke with CooperatorNews to share her insights on maximizing available resources for tailored programming in the buildings we manage.
 

"Success is largely measured through direct feedback from residents. That’s one reason we believe in fostering a personal connection between the board, building staff, and residents. These conversations help us fine-tune our work to elevate the lifestyle of each resident."

— Maria Hurst, Vice President | New Development Group 

 

For the third consecutive year, FirstService Residential has been ranked New York’s top property management company by The Real Deal. To rank the city’s top property managers, The Real Deal analyzed the number of units under management using building data from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development from all five boroughs.

In recent years, boards and building owners have seen steep increases in their annual insurance premium costs. Sean Kent, senior vice president of insurance at FirstService Financial, spoke with THE CITY to explain why premiums are rising and how this affects our clients.
 

"Outside influences are coming together and forcing insurance carriers to be much more selective on who they’re going to insure. We manage a handful of buildings that have really struggled to make ends meet because of the premiums that they’re being forced to pay just to insure their buildings."

— Sean Kent, Senior Vice President, Insurance | FirstService Financial 

 
 

Jaime Sanmiguel, vice president of FirstService Residential's Multifamily Rental Division, recently spoke at Bisnow’s 2024 Multifamily Development, Asset Management, & Operations conference. For his panel, “Technologies & Amenities Defining Class-A Residential Buildings,” Jaime was joined by industry thought leaders to discuss how emergent prop-tech and amenities are redefining the meaning of luxury for multifamily rental developments.
 

"There’s often a ‘push and pull’ between tenants who love the convenience of new technology — think virtual doormen and amenity reservations — versus tenants who prefer more traditional services — the in-person doorman, the package attendant, or the concierge staff. It’s important to consider everyone’s needs and strike a balance for who you’re catering to."

— Jaime Sanmiguel, Vice President | Multifamily Rental Division 

 
 
 
 

FirstService Residential helped Seminole Owners Corp., a 349-unit co-op complex in Queens, save an anticipated $42,000 in annual energy costs by integrating Runwise technology throughout the property. This low-cost solution has improved the efficiency of the gas-fired boiler by automatically adjusting its output based on real-time indoor temperature data.

Get the full story in Habitat Magazine.
 

"I just saw the dollars being thrown out of the window and I knew we had to do something about it."

— Amanda Mercado, Senior Property Manager | FirstService Residential

 
 

"The system makes predictions about what the optimal indoor temperature should be every 15 minutes, and then runs the heating system precisely to deliver that temperature. When the weather is mild you can see 60–⁠70% reductions in energy use."

— Lee Hoffman, President | Runwise