Journal of Property Management

INSIDEIREM AMO SPOTlIGhT

lylA gAmbow, cPm, is senior vice PresiDent of mAnAgement services for trAnswestern’s Denver office. Transwestern is an AMO firm that offers fully integrated real estate services for a broad range of property types, including office, industrial, retail, healthcare and multifamily.

Gambow directs Transwestern’s Mountain region property management operations, overseeing more than 8 million square feet of Transwestern’s property management portfolio and developing new business in Metropolitan Denver and Salt Lake City.

JPM talked to Gambow about Transwestern.

To earn the ACCREDITED MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION® (AMO) designation from IREM, a company must demonstrate a high level of performance, experience and financial stability, and have a CPM® in an executive position. AMO firms must meet high ethical standards and other stringent requirements, proving their value to the industry.

put and use 12 percent of our water. Given the impact of those statistics, Transwestern is taking action to reduce its environmental footprint by educating our team members and providing our clients with sustainable, energy-efficient solutions. Since 2002, our energy-management practices— including low-to no-cost operational adjustments, capital improvements and energy procurement—have consistently reduced operating costs by 20 to 30 percent.

how DiD you come to work for trAnswestern? In 1998, I was looking for a firm that truly believed in its people and had a strong corporate culture. I signed up with Transwestern over 10 years ago and I am still very proud of that decision to join.

whAt Are the benefits of being AssociAteD with irem? The benefits of belonging to IREM and being an AMO accredited firm are very important to Transwestern. Our philosophy has always been to participate in our community and the best way to participate in the real estate community is by belonging to organizations like IREM.

whAt Are the strengths of your comPAny? Transwestern’s corporate culture is a huge strength and is one of teamwork, honesty and integrity. We have a mission, a purpose and goals that are readily defined and achievable. Transwestern’s concept of “team” is evident throughout the entire company. Another strength is that Transwestern is, and will remain, a privately held company. This empowers our team members to freely focus on clients and goals.

trAnswestern is committeD to green efforts. why is sustAinAbility imPortAnt? Transwestern is a very proactive company and has been involved in energy management and efficiency efforts since the late 1990s. Office buildings use 70 percent of the nation’s electricity, generate 65 percent of our waste out-

how Do you think the economic Downturn will Affect your comPAny in 2009?

The year ahead will indeed be a challenging one as we face a national recession and try to head off challenges within our own industry; however, Transwestern has weathered difficult national economies throughout our 30-year history. We have found that strong client relationships, a team of seasoned professionals, an ability to act quickly and a great track record are the tools needed to survive any economic climate.

Transwestern is debt-free and that is very important given today’s economy. We realize the way we did business yesterday will not be the way we do business today. We need to understand our clients’ needs and be proactive to the changes that they are experiencing. We need to partner with them more than ever as we work on continually lowering operating expenses and discovering new ways to increase revenues.