Insider Leland

• Stay Safe – Slow

• Barking Up the Wrong

• Imagine Document Imaging

• Spring Time Sod Tips & Tricks

The Florida Communi3es of

Excellence Award represents

the pinnacle of achievement

for community associa3ons

in our state and has recog-

nized dozens of outstanding

communi3es throughout

Florida since its founding in

2008. This year 6 Leland

Management communi3es

were in the finals for the

Communi3es of Excellence

Awards. Congratula3ons to:

Avalon Park, Carriage Pointe,

Courtyards of Suntree, and

Stonecrest on their nomina-

3ons and to Bridgestone at

Legends and The Lakes of

Mount Dora on winning their

categories.

In the first quarter of 2014, the

Leland Management educa3on

team has awarded 594 state-

approved Board Member Cer3-

fica3ons to community board

members throughout the state

of Florida. We are proud of the

impact our educa3on ini3a3ves

have had on our communi3es

and look forward to our next

series of courses in the sum-

mer. Visit our website at

www.LelandManagement.com

for more info. Spring 3me is always a wonderful 3me of year. It is a

3me for growth, ac3vity, and a 3me to look forward to

those summer months. Leland Management has been

working hard on training and systems to help us pro-

vide the highest quality management services for all of

our communi3es. We have been growing as well,

hiring 10 new team members since January and wel-

coming many new communi3es to the Leland family.

Leland has also been ac3ve in working to protect com-

muni3es against legisla3on that will nega3vely affect

homeowners throughout the state of Florida. On a

recent trip to Tallahassee, I met with legislatures re-

garding the passing of Bills: HB 7037 and SB

1466 which are designed to put a stop to efforts by

the Florida Bar to designate many rou3ne du3es per-

formed by CAMs and Boards as the Unlicensed Prac3ce

of Law (UPL). Without these bills, Associa3ons will be

forced to hire high-priced lawyers to do the same

things CAMs and Boards now provide to Associa-

3ons. It was a produc3ve trip, with posi3ve feedback

from all of the legislatures whom I met. Many thanks

to the Board Members and residents who came to Tal-

lahassee to join us, or have sent le7ers in support of

these Bills to their Senators or Representa3ve. Your

input makes a difference! As of April 29th both bills

have passed in the House and Senate by wide margins

and are now being sent to the Governor for his approv-

al. Please share your support of this legisla3on with the

Governor by sending a le7er or email at h7p://

www.flgov.com/contact-gov-sco7/email-the-

governor/.

We have been busy over the winter with our educa-

3on ini3a3ves. Since January Leland has conduct-

ed 13 classes and 2 webinars, cer3fying 594 Board

Members throughout the state. Because these clas-

ses are in such high demand, we have recently added

addi3onal courses scheduled for the summer months.

In the past few months members of Leland’s team and

the communi3es we serve have been honored with

many awards. We are pleased to announce that two

of our Community Associa3on Managers: Chad Peck

and Traci Bradford were selected by the Council of

Community Associa3on Professionals (CCAP) as two of

the top 10 managers in the en3re country. Two other

Leland CAMs, Tracy Durham and Adina Lewis were in

the top 50. This is very impressive considering there

are over 18,000 CAMs in Florida alone. We also had 6

communi3es that were finalists for the Communi3es

of Excellence Awards. Two of those communi3es,

Bridgestone at Legends and The Lakes of Mount Dora

won in their categories. Finally, our Director of CAM

Development, Christy Borden, has been named as a

Business Execu3ve of the Year honoree by the Orlando

Business Journal. Please join me in congratula3ng

these team members and communi3es for their ac-

complishments.

Finally, I would like to thank you for partnering with

Leland Management for your associa3on management

needs. We appreciate the trust you ins3ll in us day

a@er day to keep your associa3ons running smoothly.

• Leland VP named to Florida

Bar UPL Commi7ee

• Leland Director named OBJ

Business Execu3ve 2014

• Things Your Burglar

Won’t Tell You

Rebecca Furlow

approximately 3 weeks a@er

your grass begins to green

up. Do not apply more than

3 pounds of nitrogen per

1,000 sq.@. per year.

Watering

During the spring season St.

Augus3ne seldom needs irri-

ga3on due to the spring

rains. However, if the lawn is

established, apply irriga3on

on an “as-needed” basis. If

leaf blades turn a blue-gray

color, look wilted or curled,

begin to fold over or show

foot prints from walking in

the grass —It’s 3me for irri-

ga3on.

Don’t over water! Apply 3/4”

to 1” of water per week if

needed.

Disease Control

During the spring and fall

months you may find brown

grass, in circular patches

called “brown patch” fungus.

Brown patch usually hap-

pens during humid, warm

weather and is fueled by

excessive nitrogen. Fungi-

cides may provide control. A

be7er “method of control” is

to reduce irriga3on and ni-

trogen, improve drainage

and air movement through

the soil.

Insect Control

The number one insect pest

for St. Augus3ne is the

southern chinch bug. If you

no3ce yellow spots or

drought like symptoms in

sunny loca3ons — check for

chinch bugs.

Checking for Chinch Bugs

Take a metal coffee can and

remove the top and bo7om.

Push the can into the area

you think may have chinch

bugs. Fill the can with water.

If chinch bugs are present

they should float. Generally,

it is recommended to hire a

professional to treat your St.

Augus3ne turf for chinch bug

infesta3on.

Renova�on

If your lawn is in need of

some renova3on, the spring

3me is the ideal 3me to re-

sod the area.

with heavy foot traffic, turns

brown once it is dormant in

the winter, weed control can

be difficult, and the worst —

chinch bugs can cause seri-

ous damage. Here are some

maintenance sugges3ons

you may follow during the

spring months.

Mowing

As spring arrives and your St.

Augus3ne begins to turn

green, it’s 3me to start

mowing the grass. Start by

mowing your grass o@en, at

2.5 to 4.0 inches, removing

no more than 1/3” of the

leaf blade. By mowing more

o@en during the growing

season, you will avoid build

up of grass clippings.

Fer�lizing

Before applying fer3lizer to

your lawn, it is a good idea

to get your lawn’s soil tested

every 2-3 years. Apply lime if

the soil test recommends it.

Apply 1 pound of nitrogen

per 1,000 sq.@.

Spring 3me has arrived!

This means that you will

be spending more 3me

outside surveying your

surroundings and com-

ple3ng your annual yard

maintenance. Unfortu-

nately, even the most

beau3ful lawns suffer

from sod damage during

the winter months. Below

are some helpful 3ps re-

garding St. Augus3ne sod.

St. Augus3ne grass is a

fast growing, widely-

adapted, warm season

grass. It grows in a variety

of soils and pH levels. It is

also the most common

turf grass grown and used

throughout the state of

Florida. A properly main-

tained St. Augus3ne lawn

will produce a dense, lush

carpet of medium to dark

green/blue color. It does

best growing in rich, well-

drained soil, in a warm

humid climate. The ad-

vantages of this turf are

the green, dark green or

blue green color. It has

an overall good salt toler-

ance, establishes quickly,

can be started from sod,

sprigs, or plugs and can

handle shade. However,

it does require a lot of

water, doesn’t work well

By: Christy Borden, CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®

community is what social

psychologists call the “auto-

pilot” effect. The streets in

our communi3es are famil-

iar, comfortable path ways

home and drivers o@en

switch into an auto-pilot

mindset and forget to moni-

tor their speeds in neighbor-

hoods. O@en speed limit vio-

lators are unaware they are

doing so. Your community

may discuss urging the local

public works department to

install radar signs that show

drivers how fast they are

going and how to adjust their

speed.

Distribu3ng a friendly re-

minder with some sta3s3cs

may prove effec3ve in your

neighborhood. For example,

when hit by a vehicle travel-

ing at 20 mph 9 out of 10

pedestrians will survive, at

30 mph only 5 of the 10 will

survive, and at 40 mph only

1 of the 10 pedestrians will

survive. A lack of signage

may also lend itself to high

speeds. Discuss pos3ng signs

throughout the community

to remind drivers what the

speed limit is and trigger

awareness in your neighbor-

hood. Another poten3al

cause of speeding in the

With so many precious resi-

dents, ranging from children

and the elderly to beloved

pets, it is no surprise that

one of the most frequent

complaints received by the

Transporta3on Department

is speeding on residen3al

streets. There are a number

of reasons why speeding oc-

curs in residen3al areas in-

cluding: lack of educa3on,

unawareness, auto-pilot

driving, and blatant disre-

gard. Speeding is not viewed

as a serious offense in our

society and many of our

neighbors aren’t educated

on the dangers of speeding.

If these tac3c are ineffec-

3ve you may have to take

a firmer stance on speed-

ing and install traffic

calming devices such as

speed bumps, rotaries,

raised crosswalks, or bike

lanes. Your Board of Di-

rectors and Leland Man-

agement take the safety

of our residents seriously

and encourage you to

speak up if you see a po-

ten3ally dangerous situa-

3on in your community.

Stay Safe - Slow Down: Speeding in Residen3al Communi3es

Leland Management con3nues to grow to support the needs of our clients.

This quarter we welcomed the following team members:

● Kerry Laughlin ● Paul Daiya ● Kristina Beck ● Harry Polycarpe ● Ash Smith ● Lee Wilson ● Michelle Arditi ● ● Mark Michalek ● Jane Taylor ● Lauren Waite ● Sonja Pedretti ● Victoria Batura ● Lisa Sack ● John Stiles ●

Leland Management proudly announces that Patricia E. DuBuque, CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®, MBA, has

joined the corporate team as a Senior Manager. Her responsibili3es will include business develop-

ment, corporate development and training. She will be a member of the Senior Management

Team. She carries more than 20 years of experience in the community management industry and

holds the community associa3on industry’s highest professional recogni3on available na3onwide to

managers who specialize in community associa3on management, Professional Community Associa-

3on Manager (PCAM®). Pa; is an ac3ve member of Community Associa3ons Ins3tute, published

author and speaker on issues impac3ng community associa3ons. Pa; received a bachelor of science

degree in business administra3on from Elon University and a master in business administra3on from

Salisbury University.

In an ever-changing world filled

with technological advances

that give us access to infor-

ma3on and resources at our

finger3ps, it has become in-

creasingly important to keep up

with the demands of becoming

a more paperless society. To

meet these demands, Leland

Management has developed a

document management system

which allows us to scan and

import associa3on documents

digitally to our main database.

This not only keeps associa3on

records more secure, it also

makes them quickly available

when needed including the abil-

ity to access the records re-

motely.

How it Works

• Our department receives

various documents from

Accoun3ng, Assessments &

Billing and Mailroom on a

daily basis. These docu-

ments are fed though two

high-speed bulk scanners

set to capture double-sided

images.

• The scanned documents

are then saved in pdf for-

mat and stored in folders

where they are electroni-

cally fed through a dedicat-

ed program which relies on

• Organized, reliable, and se-

cure source for all of your

community’s documents.

• Reduced costs associated

with paper, ink and toner.

• Improved customer service

An electronic record keeping sys-

tem has proven to save commu-

nity associa3ons and their man-

agers 3me, money and storage

space. In addi3on to these re-

source benefits comes the addi-

3onal benefit of being environ-

mentally friendly.

To learn more about the benefits

of a paperless system please con-

tact Diane Braswell at

dbraswell@lelandmanagement.com

• op3cal character recogni-

3on, a process of electronic

conversion of scanned text

into machine-encoded/

searchable text, to separate

the pages into individual

files.

• The individual electronic

files are then validated and

imported into our main da-

tabase, Document Locator,

based on file type.

• The original hard copies are

then filed away and placed

into storage securely.

How it Impacts your Community

• CAMs have immediate ac-

cess to relevant files, such as

vendor invoices and pay-

ments, lease agreements,

deeds, gate access forms,

mailing no3ces, homeowner

info updates/ correspond-

ence, and much more, via

the use of their mobile de-

vices. A repository of useful

informa3on at the touch of

a keypad.

• Our Accoun3ng Managers,

who provide accoun3ng

services, also benefit from

the same immediate access

allowing them to instantly

track transac3ons made

with check or online pay-

ments and overall communi-

ty financial histories.

By: Brian Knippenberg

fellow resident onlookers

cheered as par3cipants

passed by their homes.

The first resident to finish

was Daryl “Chief” Xavier

with an impressive 27 mi-

nute 3me. Prizes are being

awarded to par3cipants

for several achievements

including fastest and slow-

est. Residents were wel-

comed by rounds of ap-

plause as they crossed the

finish line as well as music

played by a local dj, re-

freshments and par3cipa-

3on medals. Resident vol-

unteers, Lake Center for

Rehab and the Ac3vi3es

Director all came together

to make this event a great

one. Stonecrest is already

looking forward to the

next 5k event!

• Don Danos named super-

star for month of March.

• Holly Connell promoted to

Customer Service POD

Leader.

• Christy Borden named

Orlando Business Journal’s

Business Execu3ve of

2014.

• Gary Van der Laan ap-

pointed to Florida Bar Un-

licensed Prac3ce of Law

commi7ee.

• Traci Bradford and Chad

Peck named in top 10 on-

site managers na3on-

wide.

Director, Michelle Wil-

liams, to put on the event.

The entry fee was $5 with

part of that registra3on

fee being donated to the

Wounded Warriors. Chalk

road markers were drawn

along the course poin3ng

residents in the right di-

rec3on, providing encour-

aging words, and marking

each half-mile. A water

sta3on manned by volun-

teers was set up at the

half-way point and

Stonecrest’s first 5k fun

walk/jog was a success!

Fi@y-nine residents hit the

pavement the morning of

March 20th a@er the play-

ing of the Na3onal An-

them and shotgun start

under an archway of green

and gold balloons. Resi-

dents have been training

for the 3.1 mile stretch for

six weeks every Thursday

morning leading up to the

race. Lake Center for Re-

hab partnered with Ac3vi-

Accoun3ng Manager Deb-

bie Pearlman received this

beau3ful plaque of appre-

cia3on from the Harbor

Pointe Board of Directors

for her hard work and

dedica3on.

WELCOME

WAGON

Stonecrest POA Hosts Their First 5K

◊ Sherman Hills ◊ Parkside Place ◊ Mission Oaks

Condo ◊ Cove Cay Villages II ◊ Ashton Woods ◊ Wellington North

at Bay Park ◊ The Lionspaw Community ◊ Arlington Ridge ◊ Venetian Village ◊ Village Drive ◊ Captiva Condos ◊ North Forest Village ◊ Las Colinas ◊ Villas at Laguna

Bay ◊ Summer Chase ◊ Thurston Groves ◊ Misty Oaks Park ◊ Mill Creek at

Kendall Town

11. A loud TV or radio can

be a be7er deterrent

than the best alarm

system. If you’re reluc-

tant to leave your TV

on while you’re out of

town, you can buy a

$35 device that works

on a 3mer and simu-

lates the flickering

glow of a real televi-

sion.

(www.faketv.com)

12. Some3mes I carry a

clipboard. Some3mes I

dress like a lawn guy

and carry a rake. I do

my best to never ever

look like a crook.

13. Two things I hate most

are loud dogs and

nosy neighbors.

14. I’ll break a window to

get in, even if it makes

a li7le noise. If your

neighbor hears one

loud sound, he’ll stop

what he’s doing and

wait to hear it again. If

he doesn’t hear it

again, he’ll just go

back to what he was

doing. It’s human na-

ture.

15. To you, leaving that win-

dow open just a crack

during the day is a way

to let in a li7le fresh air.

To me, it’s an invita3on.

16. I love looking in win-

dows. I’m looking for

signs that you’re home.

I’ll walk or drive through

your neighborhood at

night, before you close

the blinds, just to pick

my targets.

17. Why buy a fancy alarm

system and then leave

your house without

se;ng it?

18. Avoid announcing your

vaca3on on Facebook.

It’s easier than you think

to look up your address.

6. A good security compa-

ny alarms the windows

over the sink. And the

windows which access

the master bedroom . . .

and your jewelry. It’s not

a bad idea to install mo-

3on detectors.

7. It’s raining, you’re fum-

bling with your umbrella

and forgot to lock your

door. But understand

this, I don’t take a day

off because of bad

weather.

8. I always knock first. If

you answer, I’ll ask for

direc3ons somewhere or

offer to clean your

gu7ers. [Don’t take me

up on it.] If you don’t

answer, I’ll try the door.

Occasionally, I hit the

jackpot and walk right in.

9. Do you really think I

won’t look in your sock

drawer? I always check

dresser drawers, the

bedside table, and the

medicine cabinet.

10. You’re right, I won’t

have enough 3me to

break into that safe

where you keep your

valuables. But, if it’s not

bolted down I’ll take it

with me.

Read this! You just might

learn something that will

save your home from be-

ing burglarized.

1. Of course I look famil-

iar. I was here just

last week cleaning

your carpets, pain3ng

your shu7ers, or de-

livering your new re-

frigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for le;ng

me use the bathroom

while I was working in

your yard last week.

While I was in there, I

unlatched the back

window to make my

return a li7le easier.

3. Love those flowers.

That tells me you

have taste . . . And

taste means there are

nice things inside.

4. Yes, I really do look

for newspapers piled

up in the driveway.

And I might leave a

pizza flyer in your

front door to see how

long it takes you to

remove it.

5. If decora3ve glass is

part of your front en-

trance, don’t let your

alarm company install

the control pad

where I can see it it’s

set. That makes it too

easy.

“About 30 percent of

all burglaries are

through an open or

unlocked window or

door.”

u3lizing our extensive ac-

coun3ng, management,

technology, and customer

service experience. Leland

Management strives for

excellence in every aspect

of our business; winning an

award solely based on cus-

tomer input is very special

to us.

We look forward to con3n-

uing to serve our communi-

3es and extend a sincere

thank you to all of our

board and community

members that voted.

any associa3on, Leland is

family owned and managed.

We understand that building

solid, long term rela3onships

is very important to the qual-

ity of our services and suc-

cess of our company. Le-

land’s owners are very in-

volved in day-to-day opera-

3ons and are readily accessi-

ble to our clients and other

business partners. Leland

Management maintains an

excellent reputa3on based

on honesty, respect, trust,

teamwork, and customer

service. Our mission is to

provide homeowner and

condo associa3ons with the

highest level of service

Leland Management is proud

to announce that we were

selected by the readers of

the Florida Community Asso-

cia3on Journal as the Dia-

mond recipient of their first

annual Readers Choice

Awards. We are especially

proud of this award because

our communi3es and board

members took the 3me to

cast their vote for us. There

were 155 service providers

and 3,800 votes cast.

We believe what makes Le-

land unique is that although

Leland is large enough to

have all the resources neces-

sary to meet the needs of

Best Management Company:

FLCAJ Reader’s Choice

Leland Management is pleased to announce that Gary van der Laan, Vice President, was

named to the Florida Bar’s Unlicensed Prac3ce of Law (UPL) commi7ee. Gary, who has

worked at Leland Management for over 7 years has been appointed to serve on the

commi7ee for a 2 year term beginning on July 1st. The Unlicensed Prac3ce of Law (UPL)

program was established by the Supreme Court of Florida to protect the public against

harm caused by unlicensed individuals prac3cing law. Being named to the UPL commi7ee is not only an honor

for Gary, but a testament to his professionalism and his commitment to protect the public interest. Please join

us in congratula3ng him on this most recent accomplishment.

McLean & Company found

that disengaged employees

cost an organiza3on approxi-

mately $3,400 for every

$10,000 in annual salary to-

taling a $350 billion loss per

year in the American econo-

my.

L eland Management has

chosen to invest in their

employees and host an

offsite, catered luncheon

annually. Through team

building events mid and

end year, we enjoy low

a7ri3on rates and produc-

3ve employees. We have

seen tremendous growth

this year and look forward

to another successful

year.

The most frequently cited

mo3va3on is to reward and

thank employees for a suc-

cessful year. Boos3ng mo-

rale, networking, and build-

ing camaraderie amongst co-

workers were also forerun-

ners. Ul3mately, corporate

par3es are a strategic tool to

increase employee engage-

ment and boost your bo7om

line. Companies with a highly

engaged workforce experi-

ence a 19.2% growth in op-

era3ng income over a 12

month period and grows

profits as much as 3x faster

than their compe3tors. Hav-

ing high levels of employee

engagement also lowers

a7ri3on rates by 87%.

All of these sta3s3cs are

strong incen3ves for compa-

nies to consider reinsta3ng

the annual picnic in the park;

but if your HR department

needs a bit more convincing,

encourage them to think of

the cost of disengagement.

With the summer months

fast approaching you may

have been invited to,

asked to host, or even

know of a company picnic

or barbeque coming up.

Many 3mes people ques-

3on whether a corporate

party is produc3ve or

simply zapping the com-

pany budget. In its annual

survey on holiday par3es,

global outplacement and

business coaching firm

Challenger, Gray & Christ-

mas Inc. found that 64

percent of companies are

planning corporate par-

3es this year, up slightly

from 62 percent a year

ago. About 4 percent of

those holding par3es this

year are doing so a@er

one or more years with

no party due to the reces-

sion. With the economy

s3ll fragile, what is inspir-

ing companies to take on

the extra expense of a

party?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We Want to Hear from You!

Does you community have a story or photos of an event you would like to share? Send us

your photos and stories to hclement@lelandmanagement.com and check us out on our

Facebook, Twi7er, LinkedIn, and WordPress.

Leland Director Named OBJ

Business Execu3ve of the Year

Congratula3ons to Traci Bradford (onsite at Villanova at Hunter’s Creek) and

Chad Peck (onsite at StoneCrest) on being named among the top 10 on-site

managers na3onwide in the Council of Community Associa3on Professional’s

2014 Manager of the Year Awards. The purpose of the contest is to inspire ex-

cellence and professionalism by recognizing and rewarding the best managers in

the na3on. Also noteworthy are Adina Lewis and Tracy Durham who placed in

the top 50. All of these placements are very impressive considering there are

over 18,000 CAMs in Florida alone!

marke3ng, presenta3ons,

and networking as well as

being instrumental in lending

her knowledge towards de-

veloping and implemen3ng

company process improve-

ments. While she spends the

majority of her 3me at the

Leland main corporate office,

she is also tasked as the

Volusia Division Director. In

this role she is responsible

for the sales development,

networking, opera3ons and

staff management for the

en3re Volusia Division. In her

professional career Christy

has obtained the

Christy who has been in the

management industry since

2001 was granted this honor

based on the impact she has

had not only at Leland, but

on the community and her

personal connec3ons as well.

At Leland, Christy is responsi-

ble for the training, manag-

ing and supervising of six-

teen licensed associa3on

managers that oversee ap-

proximately seventy four

associa3ons located

throughout Orange, Semi-

nole and Volusia coun3es.

Christy is thoroughly in-

volved in client rela3ons and

reten3on, sales,

Leland Management is proud

to announce that we had

four nominees for the Orlan-

do Business Journal’s 2014

Women Who Mean Business

awards. Rebecca Furlow,

Tracey Clement, Stacey

Peach and Christy Borden

were all nominated for their

extreme professionalism and

business, personal, and com-

munity accomplishments.

Christy Borden, Director of

Management Development,

has been named an honoree

among the Orlando Business

Journal’s Business Execu3ve

of the Year for 2014.

CMCA®, AMS® and

PCAM® designa3ons.

She is also an ac3ve

member in several

local chamber of

commerce and the

CAI mid-Florida chap-

ter. We look forward

to celebra3ng with

her and ask you to

join us in congratu-

la3ng her on this ac-

complishment.

Assessments & billing

does their best to support

our clients along with the

rest of the Leland staff.

Customer service is a part

of our company philoso-

phy and is reinforced from

the top down. This con-

sistency has allowed ex-

cellent customer service

to become second nature

to all members of our

team and has posi3vely

influenced how we com-

municate with everyone

we come in contact with.

How can this be done? Le-

land Management manages

over 400 communi3es with

approximately 100,000

homeowners. We take hun-

dreds of calls, emails, and

fax a day from people who

need assistance or have con-

cerns. Over 3me, we have

come up with some im-

portant customer service

guidelines that have proven

to be successful in dealing

with even the most challeng-

ing situa3ons.

One of these tools is the vir-

tual call center ins3tuted in

our Assessments & Billing

department. Every call that

is placed to the department,

which handles the majority

of homeowner calls, is put

into a queue and answered

on a next available basis. In

the month of March, the call

center team consis3ng of six

people answered 4,165 calls.

The wait 3mes and dura3on

are tracked and the sta3s3cs

are monitored weekly to

ensure the highest level of

service is being provided. In

March, 3,089 calls were

answered immediately or

under 1 minute, and only

43 calls waited longer than

five.

Providing good customer

service can prove a chal-

lenge in almost any busi-

ness. In Associa3on Man-

agement, where we deal

with such issues as cove-

nant enforcement and

collec3ons, it can be es-

pecially tricky. No ma7er

how challenging the situ-

a3on the bo7om line

is: good Associa3on

Management companies

should provide great cus-

tomer service. Unfortu-

nately, this is not always

an easy task. Associa3on

management companies

are faced with the chal-

lenge of having mul3ple

customers to support in-

cluding: board members,

homeowners, vendors

and employees. To add to

the challenge, homeown-

er’s complaints/concerns

are o@en emo3onally

driven as they

are concerning their larg-

est and most sen3mental

investment, their

home. To maintain excel-

lence, it is important that

all of their concerns are

validated and handled in

a professional manner.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Giving Back to Your Home Owner’s

Association: Organize a Social Event

As I was driving out of my community this morning, I no3ced a

sign posted at the entrance that said, Volunteers Needed

ASAP, Easter Egg Hunt may be canceled. In our last issue we

touched on the benefits of volunteering for your Homeowners Associa3on by serving on the Board of Directors. To-

day it occurred to me to touch on the fact that while serving on the Board is an extremely important job, there are

other ways in which one can help out the community. People o@en complain that their community offers minimal

social opportuni3es to get to know your neighbors. Perhaps, this is due to the lack of volunteers to organize these

events. It is the old adage that you get out what you put in. If you are a social person who loves to organize par3es,

why not use your skills to get the community together and organize a Community BBQ or Fes3val. By organizing

an event for the community you will help foster community spirit, promote goodwill among your neighbors, and get

to know the people who share your HOA. Your work will certainly be repaid when you see the smiling face of your

new friends and neighbors. If you are interested in helping out your community and volunteering for your commu-

nity associa3on, contact your HOA Board of Directors or the HOA Management Company.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Summit Greens Security Office

Awarded Ci�zens Service Award

Summit Greens’ Security Officer, Ronnie Baldeo was awarded the Ci3zens

Service Award by the Clermont Police Department on April 8th, 2014. The

award recognized Ronnie for responding to an emergency involving an unre-

sponsive male resident who was floa3ng face down in a swimming pool. Security Officer Baldeo successfully

kept the resident’s head above water un3l assistance arrived to li@ him from the pool. Assis3ng police offic-

ers and EMS personnel successfully administered CPR allowing the man to reach the hospital alive. Although

the resident passed away, his family expressed apprecia3on for everyone’s efforts having allowed the family

to have valuable 3me with him before passing. Ronnie was recognized in a brief ceremony and awarded the

cer3ficate signed by the Clermont Chief of Police.

Summit Greens’ residents and staff all know Ronnie as a friendly and informed member of our team. She

was also awarded a cer3ficate of thanks by the Board of Directors at Summit Greens and was presented the

award by Board President, Tom Sadecki at the last board mee3ng. It is truly an honor to know and work with

Ronnie. Congrats!

6972 Lake Gloria Blvd

Orlando, FL 32809

407.447.9955 ph

407-447-9899 fax

www.LelandManagement.com

Barking Up the Wrong Tree Did you know 15% of pet owners have had a neighbor complain about their fluffy friends? Here at Leland

Management we receive consistent complaints about neighborhood dogs from residents. Ranging from bark-

ing to bathroom choices, we have heard them all with one resident distribu3ng flyers throughout his commu-

nity and another star3ng a pe33on. While it's true some owners might be inconsiderate and not care how

the noise affects others, most are simply not aware of the barking or that their neighbors are annoyed. Hurt

feelings, anger and frustra3on -- on both sides -- make for a very stressful situa3on. Here are a few 3ps that

we have found are helpful for both par3es.

• A common trigger for consistent barking is boredom. Before you leave the house plan a walk or play

session with your dog to s3mulate his a7en3on.

• Leave treat filled toys around the house that present a challenge for your dog. The 3me and energy

spent with the toys will distract him/her from any outside s3mulus.

• Buy an an3-barking collar. This may seem harsh for an act that comes naturally to dogs but there are

non-pain collars that produce desired results by emi;ng a vibra3on when he/she barks.

• Finally, take an olive branch to your neighbor and explain that you are working on the

problem and would appreciate his or her feedback. Your neighbor can be a great help in

solving the problem, since he or she is home during the day and might be able to help you iden3fy

when your dog is barking. Ask your neighbor to keep a log of when and how

long your dog is barking, and if he no3ced anything that might have triggered the barking in the first

place. This might be the detec3ve work you need to get to the bo7om of the barking, as well as a way

for your neighbor to be part of the solu3on.

Leland and your community associa3on manager are not able to step-in in this area. If

you feel the complaint needs to be addressed by someone other than your neighbors

the best thing to do is call city hall.

For more informa3on about ways to curb consistent barking visit h7p://

www.pe?inder.com/dogs/dog-problems/dog-barks-le@-

alone/

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