Tobey Nii:
Building of the Year
(100-250 Units)
Tobey
Nii, resident manager of The Windsor, joins a select group of
five resident managers who have won both the Manager of the Year
and Building of the Year awards put out by ARM, the Accredited
Resident Manager section of IREM, the Institute of Real Estate
Management.
“It’s not about the award,” says Nii. “It’s about participating. Putting it together. That’s rewarding.”
The entry format asks managers to document operating procedures, employee rules, disaster plans and much more.
The entry also calls for descriptions of major projects and work done during the year. The Windsor is a recent condo conversion on Hobron Lane. It opened as an upper end 181-unit condo in 2004. Nii won as Manager of the Year in 2005. In 2006, he took Building of the Year for high rises with 100 to 250 units.
Nii’s “book” or entry form was different in one respect. It tried to focus on ideas as well as facts.
Nii had cover pages with some of his favorite sayings:
“Management that manages the least manages the best.” Anonymous.
“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.” Bruce Lee.
Nii smiles. One of his gurus is gung fu hero Bruce Lee.
The secret to Nii’s success is listening.
“A lot of times it’s not my way that counts. Your way might be better. Especially if you’re doing the work. You need to be comfortable. Do it.”
Nii started out as a young man at the Marco Polo cleaning swimming pools, changing light bulbs. He admits he had no vision.
“The first time I saw an inkling was when Jim Poorpaugh was manager, and he pulled me from the maintenance shop and put me in the office. I thought, ‘I can do this.’
“Then Robert Allman became manager, and I started talking to more people, vendors, service people. Then they began whispering in my ear, ‘When are you going to get your own building? You’re ready.’”
It seems they were right.