Watching Paint Dry

Michael Kistler is a Senior Facilities Manager with over 15 years of experience in project management and a demonstrated history in facilities services. He began his career with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, where he ​​managed 13 projects valued at $68 million. During his tour of Afghanistan, Michael completed over 33 contingency construction projects, valued at $2.8 million. He graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor's in civil engineering.

How can you build your skills and trade knowledge to market yourself for facilities management programs? What does it take to become a valuable facilities manager?

Michael Kistler is an experienced facilities manager who began his career in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, and he uses his invaluable skillsets to help his clients effectively maintain their facility. He recommends gaining broad experience to equip yourself with more responsibilities and tools so you can leverage your know-how for a competitive industry.

In this episode of Watching Paint Dry, Greg Owens sits down with Michael Kistler, Senior Facilities Manager, to discuss breaking into the realm of facilities management. Michael shares the effects of the pandemic and world events on the industry, navigating the difficulties of recruiting and supply chain disruptions, and educational tools for building a career in facilities management.

Natasha Vinitsky is the Senior Property Manager at R&C Brown Associates, a privately held real estate investment company that specializes in acquisition, redevelopment, leasing, and management in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has years of experience working in the commercial real estate industry as the Property Manager for Longfellow Real Estate Partners, LLC, the Assistant Manager of Operations for Irvine Company, and the Assistant Property Manager for BioMed Realty.

Natasha has a bachelor's in communications from Notre Dame de Namur University. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.

How can you build value in your leased buildings and manage the risks that come with ownership? What does it take to create a comprehensive portfolio for steady growth and scalability?

Natasha Vinitsky has extensive experience working in the commercial real estate industry, which she uses to help cultivate healthy relationships with her tenants. She says it's essential for you to find the right balance and opportunity for development. The result? A place of value that you've helped create.

In this episode of Watching Paint Dry, Greg Owens sits down with Natasha Vinitsky, Senior Property Manager at R&C Brown Associates, to discuss the complexities of managing and creating value in rental properties. Natasha talks about cultivating a sense of merit with tenants and distributors, the financial ecosystem surrounding building maintenance, and how to establish a network of properties for your real estate portfolio.

Jacob Quint is the Senior Facilities Manager at Mission Barns, an innovative company that takes animal fat cells and creates plant-based meat. Growing up on a horse ranch, he is no stranger to animals and uses that knowledge to enhance his management and project skills to build his team.

He has been in operational management roles, working as the Facilities Manager for NewTropic, a cannabis manufacturer, and as a general manager for Gravity Wine House.

When the global demand for meat is rapidly growing, is there a way to cultivate a healthier, more environmentally friendly, and humane option for the meat market?

Jacob Quint is at the frontlines of creating a sustainable solution for meat production — without the animal. Through innovative technology, scientists can isolate fat cells and grow the fat naturally, just as an animal does. The end result is a more scalable and delicious plant-based product.

In this episode of Watching Paint Dry, Greg Owens joins Jacob Quint, Senior Facilities Manager at Mission Barns, to discuss connecting teams and specialized components for breaking into the plant-based food industry. Jacob talks about how supply chain disruptions affect growth, the challenges of setting up a workforce during the pandemic, and the harvest and cultivation process of growing plant-based meat.

Mark Moses is an author and municipal finance consultant. He's a former municipal CFO/Treasurer and industry consultant with 29 years of financial management experience. Throughout his career, he was a Senior Finance Advisor for Regional Government Services Authority, where he provided assessment and consultative services to municipal agencies throughout California. He was also the West Coast Regional Director for Innoprise Software and the Chief Financial Officer for the city of Stockton.

Additionally, Mark recently published a book, The Municipal Financial Crisis: A Framework for Understanding and Fixing Government Budgeting.

It's no secret that most city government financial systems are a mess. Rather than evaluate and change old practices, officials just add on layer after layer of new requirements. Is there any way out of the maze of antiquated systems and traditions?

Mark Moses has a few ideas about the solution. That's why he's published his new book, The Municipal Financial Crisis: A Framework for Understanding and Fixing Government Budgeting. After years of advising governments throughout California, he knows exactly what works — and what doesn't work — for city government financial services.

In this episode of Watching Paint Dry, Greg Owens is joined by Mark Moses, author and municipal finance consultant, to discuss solutions for city budget planning. Mark explains how many city governments have made a mess of their financial systems, why politics interferes with budgeting, and options for re-evaluating your city's budget.

Steve Wallis is the Vice President of Operations at GSH Group, a premiere provider of global integrated facilities management and building engineering services. With over 20 years of experience in the facilities engineering field, Steve oversees the operations of dedicated professionals as they efficiently accomplish their objectives for the global clientele.

How can you create greater value for your clients by having well-structured, executed facilities management programs? What does it take to be a manager that can deliver outstanding value to their clients?

Steve Wallis has more than 20 years of experience in the facilities engineering field, which he uses to help his clients achieve their goals. He says that people need to understand the industry they are in to be able to tackle any issue that arises and achieve their goals in the long run.

In this episode of Watching Paint Dry, Greg Owens and Katrina Stephenson sit down with Steve Wallis, Vice President of Operations at GSH Group. Together, they talk about facilities management, the impact of the pandemic on the industry, trends in the industry, and predict how the future may look. Steve also shares his journey of how he got to where he is so he can encourage other people to achieve their goals too.

Jack Lau is the Facilities Manager at Perfect World Entertainment, a leading publisher of online games most known for creating titles based on Star Trek,Dungeons & Dragons, and Magic: The Gathering. He has been in managing and coordinating roles, bringing knowledge to connect people through content creation, and fostering an environment that empowers everyone.

Before joining Perfect World Entertainment, Jack worked at Tubular Labs as a Workplace Experience Manager and at Compass Group USA as a Director of Catering and Events for Microsoft and LinkedIn. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in English.

How can you create a space that brings out the best in people? The world turned upside down during the pandemic, so how do you do what is right for your employees?

If you're looking for a better way to connect with your employees, Jack Lau has helped businesses forge and connect their teams during fluid times. Since the pandemic hit, Jack's top priority has been transitioning the workplace into an inclusive and healthy environment to further employee production and engagement. He believes a building is more than four walls — it is the people inside that make it valuable.

In this episode of Watching Paint Dry, Greg Owens is joined by Jack Lau, Facilities Manager at Perfect World Entertainment, to discuss overcoming the challenges of the pandemic in an office space. Jack talks about remaining connected with employees in a hybrid environment, leveraging technology in your favor, and cultivating an environment centered around employee engagement.

Jourdan Murray is the Property Manager for Read Investments, a company that owns and operates over 2 million square feet of retail, multifamily, and industrial real estate throughout Northern California, Oregon, and Washington.

Before her role at Read Investments, Jourdan was a Senior Assistant Community Manager at Essex Property Trust and a Senior Assistant Property Manager at Cushman & Wakefield. Currently, she's a member of BOMA Oakland East Bay and the Cushman & Wakefield Emerging Professional Committee.

How can you successfully transition into a new role, a new company, or even a new industry? What does it take to become an exceptional manager and leader in an entirely different space?

After working various customer service jobs out of high school, Jourdan Murray knew she wanted to do something different. She was craving a career that would bring responsibility, provide her with challenges, and help her grow. Once she landed a job in property management, Jourdan dove headfirst into the industry and began conquering her fears. Now, she's learning something new every day and working to improve properties — and most importantly, communities.

In this episode of Watching Paint Dry, Greg Owens and Katrina Stephenson sit down with Jourdan Murray, Property Manager for Read Investments. Together, they talk about Jourdan's journey into property management, how she continues to overcome industry challenges, and the software that helps her succeed. Plus, Jourdan discusses the power of being kind, connecting with your community, and building strong relationships. Stay tuned!

Mashona Marsh is the Facility Manager for Subsea 7, a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the energy industry. Mashona has been in the facilities management industry for over 28 years, building his strengths in strategic planning, communication, facility and human resource modeling, and resource coordination.

Before joining Subsea 7 in 2001, Mashona worked in facility services at Mercer and was a Site Manager for Alliance Strategic Business Services. He attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha and won the gold medal for 110m high hurdles at the 1975 Nebraska State High School Track and Field Championships, setting the record at 13.8 seconds.

How do the best facilities managers solve the most difficult problems?

As a record-breaking athlete-turned-facilities manager, Mashona Marsh has lived through some challenging obstacles. His biggest piece of advice for working through them? Look beyond the hurdles. There's often a fear of failure when you come face-to-face with a big task, but when you keep your goals at the forefront, you'll push through whatever comes your way.

In this episode of Watching Paint Dry, Greg Owens is joined by Mashona Marsh, Facility Manager for Subsea 7, to discuss the challenges of the industry and how to overcome them. Mashona shares how the pandemic affected his work, advice for achieving your loftiest goals, and how being thoughtful and composed can help you become the facilities manager you've always dreamed of. Stay tuned!

Rick Boyce is the Multifamily Sales Lead at Villa Homes, California's #1 builder of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Rick and his team help multifamily property owners add ADUs to their parcels to increase revenue, NOI, cash flow, and property value.

Before Villa Homes, Rick held executive sales positions at companies including Quantcast, Monster Worldwide, IGN Entertainment, and Lycos. Rick has also been a guest lecturer at Washington State University, his alma mater, where he taught a course that provided foundational tools and training to help students land jobs after graduation.

What is an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), and why are they becoming so popular?

As someone who's leading ADU sales, Rick Boyce is here to share all of the details on these secondary, on-lot homes. According to Rick, the state of California wanted to engineer a breakthrough solution to the current housing crisis. In 2020, laws went into effect stating that any property owner in California can add an ADU to their backyard under specific guidelines and regulations. Now, people across the state are building these units to shape multi-generational homes and generate affordable housing options.

In this episode of Watching Paint Dry, Greg Owens and Katrina Stephenson talk with Rick Boyce, Multifamily Sales Lead at Villa Homes, about the process of building and owning an ADU. Rick discusses the benefits of creating these affordable living spaces, the #1 reason why people want an ADU, and how ADUs minimize waste and maximize property value. Rick also shares tips to determine if an ADU is right for your property. Stay tuned!

Ben Landers is the President and CEO of Blue Corona, a data-driven marketing and analytics company. Ben has been building, growing, and leading the Blue Corona team for over 10 years, landing them on the Inc. 5000 list nine times. Blue Corona is an industry leader, helping home service companies grow through measurable marketing solutions that increase sales, reduce costs, and differentiate brands online.

Ben is a Houzz Certified Marketing Consultant. Before Blue Corona, he was the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for DrinkMore Water, the Regional Sales Manager for Windy City Publishing, and an Account Executive for WorldCom/MCI and HotJobs.com.

How can your business take advantage of the many resources available in your industry? When should you keep your services in-house, and when should you outsource?

According to Ben Landers, small businesses often need to outsource work; that way, the team can stay in their zone of genius. In Ben's field, most small business owners don't accurately track their advertising and marketing campaigns. It can be difficult to afford in-house marketing — especially when your employees already wear many hats. That's why it's Ben's mission to provide service companies with cost-effective, outsourced marketing efforts.

In this episode of Watching Paint Dry, Greg Owens and Katrina Stephenson sit down with Ben Landers, President and CEO of Blue Corona, to talk about hiring and learning from other companies. Ben discusses Blue Corona's services, outsourcing versus in-house work, and the lessons he learned from mentors along his journey. Ben and Greg also talk about the organizations they're a part of and how they support industry leaders and business owners. Stay tuned!