Carol Sommer Juan Gutierrez, Jr.
THE
Press
Welcome to “The Pyramid Press”
Dear Community Resident/ Tenant:
Pyramid has been busy in 2014. We publish this year-end newsletter to share highlights of how we’ve improved the services we offer you.
Accounting
Promoted Accounts Receivable Manager
In February we Promoted Juan Gutierrez, Jr. to take charge of our Accounts Receivable Department. Juan has been with us 3 years and has proven himself taking charge of our AR systems upgrades.
New Accounts Receivables Coordinator
In March we hired Carol Sommer of Norwalk to help answer common charge and payment questions. She is cheerful and friendly and I’m sure you’ll agree has been a great addition to our team.
Community Web Portal – In 2013 we transitioned to
new software. One of the benefits of the change was to provide an optional web portal for your community. This feature allows
unit owners to view their account balances and pay their bill as well as see newsletters & other info the Board would like to distribute to the
community. The Boards will be able to view proposals they are discussing, board info packages, meeting minutes and retrieve various financial reports. The portal is free for our “Hands On”/full management clients and our “Value” clients can add the service for $35/month by contacting the Assistant Manager Natali at ext 138.
Online Payments – As a reminder we provide the
option for online ACH payments that transfer the same day if done before 1pm. After 1pm, payments will process the next day.
Accepting Credit Cards for Condo Unit Owner Common
Charge Payments - This new
option is to help owners make
payments during harder financial times so they can avoid legal action. There is a convenience fee for this benefit paid by the unit owner.
Emailed Common Charge Statement - If your
association receives monthly statements (as opposed to coupons) you can sign up for emailed statements instead of receiving paper statements. The benefits are: 1) convenience – you don’t have to be home to get your statement, 2) paperless reduces waste and is better for the environment and 3) your community may save money by reducing fees in your annual budget. To sign up follow the instructions on the top right corner of your paper statement. Board Bank Account Viewing Access - In addition to providing a bank statement monthly to Boards with the financial
statements, we also offer access for the Board to view bank accounts online. This is another feature in step with our philosophy of financial transparency. If you are a current Board member and would like to have this access please contact the Pyramid Bookkeeper who provides your financial reports. Currently only 10% of Boards are using this feature.
Board Training
Pyramid hosted CAI’s ABC’s Course on Condo
Operations in Stamford on September 20th. We had 46 board members in attendance to learn about legal, insurance, financial reports, management, maintenance and construction. We want to thank Patty Coleman for chairing the event, Michael McGovern for teaching Management, Kathy Mandel for teaching financials and Mike Trombetta for teaching about maintenance and construction.
If you missed out we are holding this event again March 28th, 2015 at UCONN Stamford. For more information please contact Patty Coleman at 348-8566 ext 137
Kevin Corcoran
Patty Coleman
Joe Coscarelli
Management
Welcoming Back one of our Managers /New Business Manager - We are thrilled to have Patty
Coleman return after a 5 month sabbatical to Italy. Alas Italy was no match compared to working at Pyramid.
Additional Assistant Manager /
Maintenance Coordinator - We hired
Joe Coscarelli of Stamford as an intern and extended him a full time position this year. Joe helps out on any project we need and has IT schooling which is a plus. He is smart and helpful and a great addition to our team.
Added Tools for Managers
During 2014 we have been busy entering property plat maps and if possible floor plans for our “Hands On” clients into our management software.
This allows our staff to visualize your property in a way that is unique to our company.
Manager Training - We believe in training so our staff provides smarter service. We sent Manager Mary Heberger & Mark Liberman to CAI’s M206 Financial Management Training in October to increase their expertise.
Additionally, we conduct in-house training on a monthly basis for our property managers – here are a few of the topics and experts we met with:
Condo Legal Issue Update – Attorney Bill Ward Board Meeting Packages – Best Practices – Staff New Software Training – Caliber Software Office Efficiencies and Software use – Assistant
Manager
Insurance – Practices and condo coverage by Dave Pilon Bouvier Insurance
Maintenance
Maintenance Emergencies - ATTENTION: if you have
an emergency CALL OUR MAIN PHONE NUMBER (203) 348-8566 AND FOLLOW THE PROMPTS – do not email / text our staff or post on our website / webportal. We can only assure service thru our Answering Service.
New Position – Small Projects Manager Due to client demand for completing smaller projects in a quality way in July we promoted Kevin Corcoran from a Sr. field technician to Small Project Manager. He helps clients problem solve, estimate and supervise these projects – from unit renovations to community projects. Kevin has 12 years experience in the carpentry and construction industry. You can reach him at
kevin@pyramidREgroup.com or at ext 362.
Community Maintenance Made Easy - Want to tackle
a service for all unit owners at once? Let Pyramid Maintenance develop, schedule and manage a program for your community. Two of our most popular programs are:
Inspection and hot water heater replacement w/ drip pan & shut off valves
Washing machine hose replacement Water leak testing and
repairing – Shelton Condo
Energy Efficiency Projects
Here are a few ways we are helping communities save money:
Improving insulation can save on average 15% on your heating and cooling bills.
LED light bulb and fixture replacement program – can lower electricity consumption for lighting up to 60% and reduce your cost of bulb replacement (bulb life of 5-7 years vs. 1-1.5 years)
Heating & AC unit and boiler upgrades and/ or converting from oil to gas have produced savings as high as 40%!
Unit Owner Services
All the services we provide to communities are also available to unit owners – we have helped with “honey do” lists, fixing broken items and renovating units for owners.
Condo Unit Remodeling – If you are interested in improving your unit’s flooring, kitchen or bathroom give us a call for a price quote.
Mike Trombetta
Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning - Along with our capability to repair and replace heating & air conditioning as well as plumbing systems we also offer:
Discount & Preventative Maintenance Service
Agreements. Why should you invest in a planned
Service Agreement? 1) Save on monthly heat & air conditioning bills. = In many cases the savings will more than pay for the agreement; 2) Extend the equipment life by as much as seven years with proper ongoing
maintenance; 3) Reduce repair costs with a well maintained comfort system and 4) Additional savings on parts and labor as an agreement customer.
For more information about our Discount Club call extension 133.
Flat Rate Plumbing & HVAC Pricing
New for 2015 we have added the ability to provide an upfront price quote for heating & air conditioning as well as plumbing issues. After a diagnostic visit we are able to give unit owners a price quote right away. This takes the guessing out of the repair cost and allows you to make a decision and repair quickly.
Construction
Most of our clients with properties built more than 25 years ago and many building components are reaching the end of their useful lives and need replacement. We wanted to upgrade our capabilities to help you face these challenges so in August we hired an additional expert to focus on doing capital projects in a high quality way.
Michael Trombetta – Senior Construction Manager
Michael Trombetta brings to Pyramid over 30 years of experience in the construction industry. Mike has built from the ground up: condominium communities, commercial properties and single family homes which gives him a complete understanding of the field.
Mike’s philosophy on a good construction job is to listen to the client, discuss it in layman’s terms, provide options and communicate often. He holds his contractors accountable to keep a clean job site, stay on budget and stay on schedule.
Got a tough problem or upcoming project? Ask Mike for his opinion and a price quote.
You can reach him at MikeT@pyramidREgroup.com or ext. 118.
Areas of Expertise:
Unit Remodeling
Replacement of Siding and Windows Shingle and Flat Roof Replacements Deck Replacement
Construction Administration & Project Supervision
Construction Project Examples
Here are three projects that showcase Pyramid’s expanded capabilities:
Example: Flat Roof Replacement Client: Greenwich Property
Problem: Flat roof leaks in multiple areas
Solution: We provided a solution at 30% less than traditional roof replacement plus a 50 year warranty Example: Siding Replacement
Client: Westport Condo Property Problems: Water penetrating into units
Solution: Remove siding, repair substrate, add building wrap, add flashing, replace siding & trim and paint.
Example: Deck Replacement Project Client: Shelton Condominium
Problem Deteriorated and potential safety issues due to age
Solution: Replace all decking with treated lumber and painted.
Example: Repaint Community in Phases Client: Norwalk property
Problem: Paint system failing caused siding rot Solution: Replace extensive siding damage and repaint community over 3 years.
No Bank Loan Project Financing - To help
communities get things done in 2015 we are offering NO COST project financing – If you choose Pyramid as the contractor for your project we will spread your payments over several months during a calendar year. This allows you to pay out of common charges or special
assessments without having to get a bank loan. Don’t waste money on repairs, fix the problem permanently – call our Team to discuss your project at extension 133.
Accepting Credit Cards for Owner Maintenance&
Construction - Did you know we
offer credit card payment for work performed for unit owners?
Nate Swetland
Residential Realtors
Residential Rentals & Sales – During 2014 we helped unit owners sell 4 condominiums for a total of $1,777,000 We also helped unit owners lease 13 unitsNo one is better at explaining your property than your management company
Residential Realtors Include
Mary Heberger, Kathryn Mandel,
Mark Liberman, Craig Leppla & Casey Schroeder
DISCOUNTED SALES
COMMISSION – did you know we charge a reduced 4.5% commission for our clients – this puts more money in your
pocket. SOLD IN STAMFORD
Commercial Brokerage - We added
Broker Nate Swetland who works with business owners to help them take advantage of the good deals in commercial real estate now (better locations at lower prices). Nate lives in Weston and can be reached at ext. 117.
Pyramid Cares
In 2014 Pyramid and its employees donated time and money to these causes:
Bennett Cancer Walk – Hope In Motion – Pyramid had a team of 12 people who walked 3.1 miles to raise money – the June 1 event raised a total of over $650.00.
Trinity Catholic High School & St. Joseph’s Parenting Center of Stamford
Boys and Girls Club City Harvest
Darien Rotary Club High School Scholarship Fund American Veterans Organization (AM VETS) Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters
Connecticut Fraternal Order of Police
Holiday Adopt-a-Family thru Stamford Salvation Army
Stamford Fire Fighters
Sisters of Mercy, Mother of God Academy, Stamford
More Improvements in 2015
We’ll be adding more tablet computers in the field for our managers and maintenance staff to have easy access to your community’s information in the field.
Board meetings Video Teleconferencing – Want easier scheduling of board meetings? One solution is to use video teleconference with up to 8 people.
