President's Pen, Spring 2025
I am honored and privileged to serve as your 2025 Triangle Apartment Association President. I am truly grateful to be surrounded by so many esteemed colleagues and friends while on this journey. While I may not often speak about myself, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for the individuals and experiences that have shared and shaped my career.
My journey in property management started 20 years ago. Before property management, there were lots of ups and downs, even while in property management. That’s why you always have to set goals and work toward them for yourself and not let anyone tell you that they aren’t possible. I have always said that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible. In the past 20 years, I have had some amazing colleagues and mentors.
When I was 19 years old, short and skinny, which has not changed much, especially the short part, there was nothing you could teach me; I knew it all. A great man by the name of Dallas Swain and his late brother took a chance on me. I knew absolutely nothing about electrical; however, I did question him on everything. I’m just happy he had a lot of patience. This man took his time with me, teaching me not just electrical but life lessons.
After six years of working for him, I took my talents to property management, and no, it did not take me one hour; it took me three weeks to make that decision. It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. With me, it is about the people you work with. It’s about building relationships and memories. I started in property management, knowing everything I needed to know, maybe even more than the manager. (Well, if you are in property management, you know that is far from the truth!) I knew nothing about property management. I started with Sentinel Real Estate as a maintenance technician, and let me tell you, the experience that you get from working on a 22-year-old property is the best experience a person can receive because it makes you appreciate the next less mature property. Right off the bat, I had the best regional manager and property manager anyone could ask for, and they would not be the last.
After five and a half years with Sentinel Real Estate, I decided to follow Terry Ragland to Blue Ridge Companies. Like I said before, following her to Blue Ridge Companies was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and let me tell you, I quickly learned that Blue Ridge loves investing in education and putting the employees on the path of success. That is what you have done for me for the last 14 ½ years. I would not be here writing this as your TAA president if not for Susan Passmore, Terry Ragland, and Fred Kicsak. The countless conversations and lessons have helped me grow into the person I am today. Thank you, Blue Ridge Companies, for giving me the ability to volunteer so much of your time to help the TAA. The amount of support from each of you reassures me that I made the right decision.
Looking ahead, there are exciting initiatives on the horizon. Whether it’s through continued professional development opportunities, networking events, or advancing our sustainability efforts, we are dedicated to providing valuable resources and support to help you navigate the evolving landscape of the apartment industry.
As always, I encourage you to stay engaged. Your involvement and feedback are crucial to ensuring that we are meeting your needs and advancing our shared mission. Together, we can continue to build a stronger, more resilient community for all our members. Thank you for your continued support. I look forward to all that we will accomplish together in 2025.
Franklyn Rodriguez, CAPS, CAMT
TAA 2025 President
taapresident@triangleaptassn.org