Fix It Forward - Episode 6

 Everyone. The time is finally here. We're shooting the first docuseries that the multifamily industry has experienced ever. We're gonna highlight the best of the best and the brightest of the maintenance profession, and then we're shooting in Atlanta, so you're going to see 12 episodes back to back of this docuseries right here in my hometown in Atlanta.

This is gonna be an amazing project. I'm super excited. To kick it off. And also I want to thank our friends from the Maintenance Academy for supporting and believing in us, believing in a project, believing in an industry, believing in the maintenance trade that it hasn't been told about enough. See you guys.

I wanna wait to see Taylor now that's gonna be in Canton, Georgia. We have a little bit of a drive, uh, about a 50 minute drive that way, so super excited to see him.

Taylor, thank you for having us today. Absolutely. Tell us where we at. 

We're at the Atlantic Bridge Mill in Canton, Georgia, and I'm the maintenance supervisor. My name's Tyler. How long you been at the property? 10 years. 10 years. 

What did you start? What was your starting position? Did you start as a supervisor 10 years ago?

I, no, so I actually started in the industry as a grounds person, but when I came on with Atlantic Pacific, I started as a maintenance technician and I worked under a guy for a couple of years and then got promoted up from there. And I've been the supervisor ever since. 

And all this time you've been at this property?

Yes, sir. This is a long time. Yes. This is a long time. What, what made you stick around for so long, uh, at this particular property? 

Uh, I love what I do. I love the residents here. Uh, it's a great place to work, great company, and it speaks to, I drive an hour here every day, so if I didn't enjoy it, then. You know, I, I have plenty of reasons to stay between the staff and the people I work with and the resident.

It's made it a, a very enjoyable thing. 

When you first started in the industry, you, uh, you told me off camera that you started as a groundskeeper, right? I did. How long ago was that? 

14 years ago. 

14 years ago. What, what was it like doing, uh, maintenance 14 years ago versus, uh, it 

is definitely different. The industry's changed some, for sure, the standards and some of the things that.

Come with being in maintenance. But when I first originally started in it, I, um, I didn't really do much maintenance, but I was eager to get in there and work with some of my coworkers at the time and get some additional training to, to really get into it. I, it excited me from the day that I started in the field.

Why don't you show us around For sure. Let's go.

How old, uh, is the property? This property is 25 years old. It's built back in the two thousands, early two thousands. And, um, it used to actually be a different company, but I, I, it's always been Atlantic Pacific since I've been 

here. 

Mm-hmm. 

Uh, what would you say are the main challenges here on a 25-year-old property?

Things aging out. Getting to the point where a repair is not necessarily, uh, something that is always able to be done, just getting to the point where it's gotta be replaced. 

What would you say is the main. Attraction here at the property. 

Definitely the pool. It gets hot in Georgia, but up here we have a, a grilling station as well that overlooks the pool area, and they're nice stainless grills.

People love to enjoy this. I don't know about you, but I'm a barbecue guy myself, so I enjoy it, especially in the summertime. But it gives you an overview of. You know, if you have your kids or family out here, you can always grow and kind of keep your eye on things at the same time. 

So tell me the story about you getting promoted from groundskeeper to technician.

How did that happen? How long ago? 

Um, so originally I worked for a separate company. I actually knew a friend that worked in the industry and um, I was doing something completely different. I was just at a point in my life where I didn't really know what I wanted to do, so I was kind of all over the place and I reached out to him and.

He, uh, he brought me into the industry and I started as a grounds person. And, and then I just slowly started working in, in my downtime with him, learning as much as I could and actually left there and had some unfortunate things happen at the time where I had to leave that management company. And, um, I went and did a, a different job for about a year.

And then I came here and I started as a technician and. Like I said, I worked under a really good guy that had a ton of experience in the industry and I worked with him and tried to, um, learn as much as I could and just be a sponge. And, and eventually, uh, once he moved on to a larger property, um, I was given the opportunity to step up here.

How 

long ago was that? Um, I've been the supervisor now for seven years. 

What was the one thing, uh, that you learned when you were first? When you became the supervisor that, uh, it wasn't like you thought it's going to be, 

it was just learning how much more they're responsible for on the property.

Maintenance technicians, you know, not to take away from that job. They have their, their set of responsibilities as well, but from a manager standpoint, all the things that they have their hands in that sometimes you wouldn't pay attention to otherwise, you know. 

Yeah, I don't think you really are. I, I just think that people don't realize there are two completely different jobs.

A hundred 

percent. 

Right. You know, the overlap is very minimal and so much overlap. As much time as you have to do, like, hands on work in a day. But you know, your main job is not to do hands on work, is to manage your property, to manage your staff, to manage your inventory, to manage your vendors. Yes.

Manage, manage, manage. And that's the part that, uh. I think we as a industry have, uh, still have a, a way to go into like, you know, building the processes to get those that are very talented to show the drive and get 'em to like a more of a formal process to become like Right. Specific training to how to become a service manager.

Absolutely 

ho hopefully a certification too. 

Going into a supervisor's role was definitely a, a transition for me to get used to. Managing multiple people, other employees and, and things of that nature. But once I get it, I, I like a system in place. I'm very organized when it comes to those type of things.

So once I put my process in place, it made it much easier to transition into that role 

when you became a service technician. Right. Can you recall your first breakthrough? The first situation where you said, man, I can really do this. Right. You know, just something that was not easy as, you know, changing a light bulb or something very routine, like a, a troubleshooting situation.

Do you recall that, you know, breakthrough moment or what that was? 

Yeah, it was actually, um, learning how to really service acs. I had always kind of worked and trained with others and it was one of those things until I put my hands on it. I'm more of a hands-on learner for sure. I, um, would watch them, but once I was kind of cut loose and able to.

Really put my hands on it myself. I had a, an issue where we had to troubleshoot power and the unit wasn't working on the outside, but was on the inside. And once I was able to trace all that back and, and fix that on my own without anyone's help, is something that kind of gave me a sigh of relief. 'cause I think AC in this industry is something that's a pretty large part of our job, especially in the summertime.

So I wanted to feel comfortable in that and once I was able to attain that without. Seeking help and figuring it out on my own. It gave me a sense of security that I was gonna be okay. 

You mentioned when you first started in the industry, tell me about what you did before. Multi family. 

I, I was all over a place, all over the place.

Um, my family actually, um, are all mechanics. And shockingly enough, I hate working on cars. So, um, but I did that for a little while, uh, just by nature, um, by, you know, my family doing it. So I kind of started in that field and I did that for the better part of, you know, my youth. And then, um, I actually worked with my grandfather and wiring houses.

Learning how to be an electrician, and that's what kind of gave me a little bit of a background for working in this industry. Um, and then I dabbled in other things, obviously when you're young, um, until I really found my footing and what I really wanted to do. I, I've done things from landscape to, um, you know, like I said, working in electrician.

I've worked in restaurants, but I really found my niche once I started maintenance.

So this is where our residents can come and. Work out and they, um, they utilize this space a lot. Um, it's just an amenity that we offer. It's obviously something that's, you know, no cost to them and that's always a plus. 

Who's maintaining the fitness center area? 

So we have a groundskeeper. It's, so, it's myself, a technician in a grounds position.

And, um, he is the one that's responsible for coming in here, checking everything, making sure everything's operational, clean. Um, and supplied. 

When does a groundskeeper start? Uh, summertime. What time does he start? 

Uh, so we, we stay on the same schedule year round. He works nine to six and, uh, myself and the maintenance tech work.

Eight to five. 

Yeah. Very well maintained. 

Yes. I appreciate it. It's, it's a nice area. You, you want it to be. Have that clean feel. Uh, we're gonna head over towards the leasing office and I'll, uh, show you around in here. It's, um, pretty big. They actually just remodeled this.

I,

yeah. So back here is the. All of our, this is our assistance office here. These are the restrooms for the new prospects. And then this area here, this is actually my office. Hello. My, this is my, 

how many, 

my right, my right hand man here. My maintenance tech. Um, yeah, he's, he's been with me now almost, what, five years going on?

Four or five close. I don't know. 

Nowhere near 

long enough. Long enough. I was gonna say that's probably what it is. I, I've actually been friends with him a long time, but this is our office and where I do all of our ordering and scheduling, uh, for our units and terms and things like that. And, um, we also have an area in here that's also in a, another amenity that we, it's the pool table is and the foosball table set up.

The residents are prospects that come in. When they're waiting on an apartment or looking at one, uh, they can come in here and enjoy this as well as their kids. Just gives a nice little area for them to, you know, hang out and, you know, kill some time while they wait on their, uh, their application or, you know, any, any reports that's gotta come back for them.

Tell me about, uh, a day in the life of, 

and 

so. 

It's, it just varies. I don't think, you know, I think everyone tries to have a plan. There's never usually a solid plan in place. I can start my day with a plan, but with maintenance it's always the unexpected. But if I try to prepare for that as best I can, um, but you know, a typical day is we, you know, we come in and assess the day, see what work we have going on, what needs to be scheduled and things like that.

And then we just kind of go in that order and, you know, handle anything that comes in that's not. Planned per se, and you know, and we just handle it and go from there.

When it comes to training technology, I want to get your thoughts on that. What do you think we, as a industry could do better when it comes to maintenance training? What are some areas that you wish there, there would be more? There'll be more resources provided. 

Um, so I don't, I think hands-on training is a big thing.

Mm-hmm. Um, everybody learns differently, so you have some that, you know, can sit in a class and we can watch videos and, you know, speak with other individuals from our industry. But I think that if they had some type of hands-on training for different things. Whether it be HVAC or water heaters, just because everybody learns differently.

So I think that's something, but I also think technology's a great tool. Um, you know, it's came a long way even since I started, so, you know, it's definitely has its benefit to, you know, having technology and letting it assist in what we do. What do you use for work order management? So we have an app called AppWorks.

Okay. Um, so everything's controlled by our phone and our models right here. Um, everything's controlled through our phones now. We're used to, it was an old, uh, an old system software where they printed, you know, the paperwork orders and you had two copies and we're gonna go in right here. And they, uh, they updated that.

So we actually just started using this app just back last year. And, uh, it's been. It is been great. Um, of course you have bumps along the way, but outside of that it's, it's pretty beneficial to have everything on your phone. So this is the kitchen area. This is actually one of our two bedrooms. Um, this is called the Randolph model.

So it's two bedroom, two bath with a sunroom. Um, we have other two bedrooms with patios, but this is one that has the extra room for some people use it for offices or. Um, study space, things like that. This is our, one of the bedrooms in the bathroom. So obviously this is the model. We, they, um, pretty spacious though.

Uh, this unit's actually 1100, almost 1200 square foot. So not, not bad for a two bedroom space. Um. And it's got the plank flooring, which is obviously a nice addition. It, it gives a, a nice accent and a nice spill to the apartment. So this, the other bathroom, this is actually the master area, um, has the linen closet for, you know, your towel storage and stuff, and then the actual walk-in closet.

Tell you about a situation, a, a very, a very difficult situation. You had a very difficult day because of a particular thing that happened at work, you know, while, while you were working. And at the end of the day you went home and you just kind of look behind and said, man, today was tough. Like, it really, really hard for me.

But you know what? I made it. Yeah. What is that situation that, uh, comes to mind? 

So a couple years ago. We had a, um, deep freeze and um, it was actually, uh, after our situation, but it's was still a pretty crazy day. Um, we ended up coming out on just a normal call and we had sprinkler lines start busting.

When you're here by yourself, it's way different than having your technician to call and say, Hey, can you run here, or can you run there? So when you're here by yourself and. Again, we have nine buildings, which again, in the grand scheme of things isn't a lot. However, you have one building, you're shutting the water down.

Then this building is going off, and then on my phone's ringing and people are calling, Hey, we have water in our apartment. And we ended up having seven of the nine buildings have sprinkler lines bust and flood from fourth floors down. Um, some of our buildings here only have three stories. Some have four.

But as you can imagine, um, over. I think it was 80 plus units were affected, sheet rock damage, water damage. And again, it started as just a normal day and it turned into, I wasn't prepared for that. It's days like that, that are tough to get through 'cause it's, you're being pulled in a million different directions and uh, and I'm like, I'm one person.

But once I got through that and the day was settled and the leaks were stopped and we got the companies in place and people lined up where they needed to be. Yeah, I was able to take a deep breath and reset and, um, it, that was a tough day, but it's days like that they don't come around often, so I just kind of bite down and face what I gotta do and know that I'll get through it.

And tomorrow's a new day. 

If you were to have your corporate, uh, officer's ear for a day, what are some things that. Uh, you think they should know that maybe they don't really know where they're looking at 'em differently than they should? 

It's a dangerous question I felt like, but I, I think if I had to look at it or something, I wish they would have a little bit more of an open mindset to is, I don't think they work in our field enough to know, okay, it's not as easy as just let's.

Fix this part, or why are you guys replacing it? And the, just the intricate workings of what we do from a financial standpoint, it's, they don't want us to spend a lot of money, but sometimes it takes money to make money. Right. Um, and I want to be firm in the product that I give these people. Uh, I've never been the type that likes to bandaid things, so I may spend more than the average person or supervisor.

However, when I leave. It's fixed and it's fixed, right? And that goes a long way. Um, it builds trust within residents and things like that. So I think the older something gets, it doesn't take less money to maintain it. It takes more so year over year, if you trim that back, how can I be effective as a supervisor if I'm not allotted the proper tools for the job?

You are in front of the young generation. Some that don't even know what multifamily is, they never heard of it. Right. What's your message to convince them that multifamily, it's a great place to call your career? 

Um, I would tell them that, I mean, maintenance has opened a lot of doors for me and it's not just one thing that we do.

Right. Um, so there's always gonna be work in the trade industry. Um. It's job security and, and there's beauty in it. You, and you can learn an array of different things from plumbing, electrical, HVAC pools, customer service. I mean, there's a lot of things that we do that are, um, it's a benefit and just build you as a person that can help build your, your resume for other things, whether you got into it and didn't like it.

You learn, you can always get something from what we do and take it with you or you know, or stay in it. And it's, it's got its benefits. Um, you, you can make a really good living and you know, I, I love what I do and if you find that's just always been my thing, find your passion, whatever that may be. But maintenance has always been mine and I think it's a great career for people to get into.

'cause they're, things are always gonna tear up and they're always building new ones right next to it. So, you know, I look at it that way too. It's, it's a revolving door, so

the magnet shop where we work out of every day. Yeah, 

I like the sign out there. 

Yeah. Yeah. It's one of those, uh, you get the mechanic vibe, right? They feel like they always have random signs up, but. Yeah, this is, um, this is the spot. It's where everything happens, where we, all of our tools and stuff are supplied and the things we gotta have to make things work around here.

I can really understand why, uh, this is the award winning shop. 

Yeah. The floor needs some work, man. I actually, it's funny, I, I added that on my own. Uh, this is our company logo. Is it our company mascot? Um. And I will take pride in that. I don't think anyone else in the 

you, you're pretty crafted. Small company I should say, 

has the, um, has that on their floor, but, uh, that's not, you know, the floor is just a, a small piece of it.

But yeah, I, um, I take pride in it. And organized shop goes a long way. And what we do, I've worked in many of places that, um, it's been kind of a crazy mess and it's hard to work in a mess. 

Oh yeah. Well. It's not efficient, that's for sure. Yes. If you spend, you know, always extra time digging in the shop, digging, digging through the mess to find what you need.

Yes. It's not the best situation.

I think people keep saying this, but they don't realize like how true this is. 'cause it's a small world. It is, yeah. It's why, uh, small. 

Yeah. That's why they say don't burn bridges. You never know who you might work for or interview for next. 

Yeah. It's, uh, I could tell you some crazy stories about, you know, I'm sure people like previously burning bridges and Yeah.

You know, not, not too long ago, like this was weeks ago, I, uh, I had opportunity to, uh, help a client and part of helping them was to, you know, interview for very high. Senior position or minor side. And the candidate, one of the candidates that I talked to, it's a previous boss. 

Ah, yeah. Yeah. See that's how it happens.

It's, it's how it happens. I, uh, seen that where, you know, you maybe didn't have a good, you know, situation with 'em last time and then two years down the road you interview and they're the one interviewing you. 

Yeah. This, uh, this, yeah, exactly. But this, this time was the other way around really. Oh, okay. It was, uh, yeah, it was a very pleasant experience.

I was actually excited that he applied. So I look forward to the conversation. Let's, uh, yes, 

so this is the new amenity area that they just added. Um, like I said, it used to be the tennis courts, um, but this whole area was the tennis courts, but they just added the fire pit, the new grilling area, corn hole boards, and uh, just the new outdoor space.

And then the pickleball courts, um. A lot of people that play pickleball, but yeah, they resurfaced it. And one thing I never really got into, I wouldn't mind trying to learn how to play, but pickleball. Yeah. 

Yeah. It seems to be big now. It's huge all over the world, really. 

Yeah, it is. It is. Yeah. But yeah, it's just a new space they added and, um, another, you know, selling point for the property and especially in the summertime, this is where people like to hang out.

Listen, uh, it was amazing, uh, just. Being a, uh, being guests of yours today. We appreciate the time that you took with us, showing us around, welcoming us into your home, absolutely into your work home. I appreciate this. It is been a great experience. I like to give you the opportunity to maybe share some final thoughts with, uh, us here and with the audience as well.

Just 

thank you guys for giving me this opportunity as well. Uh, it's not something that, uh, I've ever done before, but. It, it's been a pleasure to work with you guys and show you around and kind of what we do in our side of the world. Sometimes, you know, for anyone else that's out there, if you get in maintenance, it's a great job and you, you can go far places and meet a lot of cool people, so.

It's a great thing to do. 

Hey, thanks again. 

Thanks again.