Being Prepared Part 2

3/16/2022 (Permalink)

As I said in an earlier blog, part of being a Commercial Property Manager is being prepared.  Like knowing where the sprinkler riser is located.  But another part is prevention.  Although you can’t always predict trouble, you can take certain precautions.

The building fire that took my ego down a few pegs was investigated by none other than the Fire Chief himself.  (Large commercial structure fire that made the news was a big deal.)  Nice man; very willing to share his knowledge and I learned a lot about fires.  And how to prevent them.

The cause of our fire was a very small desk fan belonging to an employee of a company that leased office space in the building.  (Not unusual, I have one that sits on my desk now.  Summertime in the South.)  But what was unusual was that hers quit running.  When she left for the day, she knew it wasn’t running but just thought she had already turned it off.  But she hadn’t.  It had malfunctioned, was left in the “on” position, and still plugged in.  That miracle we call electricity did the rest.

So talk to your tenants about prevention.  Share this story with them.  Ask them to think about prevention before they turn the lights off and close and lock the door for the night.  Are there any appliances plugged in that shouldn’t be?  Is there any water still running?  One last walk through might be all the prevention you need.  But if not, call SERVPRO, we’re here to help!

First Impressions Matter

3/7/2022 (Permalink)

First impressions matter.  We are told not to judge a book by its cover but we do and we all know we do. Whether it’s a person at the gym, a first date, or when we walk through the door into a business, we all form an immediate opinion.  And this opinion is based on sight, sound, and smell.

So stop and think about your front lobby or reception area.  How does it look? Is it clean and welcoming or could those upholstered chairs use some freshening up? How about the carpet? Do those traffic lanes really look inviting? How about the air? Does the air smell fresh and clean?  Could the ducts stand to be cleaned and deodorized?

If it’s time to give your lobby or reception area a good deep spring cleaning, SERVPRO of Dothan and SERVPRO of Coffee, Dale, Geneva, and Henry Counties can help.  Call us today at 334-699-5961 for a free quote!

Being Prepared

3/1/2022 (Permalink)

Having been a Commercial Property Manager in the past, I understand all too well the challenges that face those underappreciated individuals.  Good Commercial Property Managers are like mayors of small cities; constantly balancing the needs of the many for the good of all.  And they have to know a lot about a lot of different things; a “jack of all trades” so to speak.  But most of all they must plan and prepare for the improbable and the unexpected.

I learned that lesson the hard way when I was a relatively new property manager of a mixed used shopping center in Florida.  I had been working at the property for about 6 months and encouraged the head of maintenance to take a much needed vacation.  I think most of all it was my youth that made me certain I could handle anything.  How little I knew.  So the head of maintenance grinned and went fishing.  Which is why he was unreachable in the middle of a lake in his bass boat while back at the shopping center, the fire alarm was screaming, 5 fire trucks had arrived, and the sprinkler system was running full force. The Fire Chief then asked me the magic question, “Where are the risers for the sprinkler system?” And for those of you who don’t know but have probably guessed, that’s where you turn off the water to a sprinkler system after the fire is out.  Do you have ANY idea how much water those systems can pump out in a minute?

Well SERVPRO does!  So if you’re a Commercial Property Manager and find yourself with a bunch of water where you don’t want water to be, call SERVPRO of Dothan and SERVPRO of Coffee, Dale, Geneva, and Henry Counties and we’ll make it “Like it never even happened.”