A Good Neighbor Being a good neighbor is part of the Cities Management Inc. (CMI) philosophy. The employees of this property management firm all take part in volunteer efforts. From mentoring programs at a local school, to cleaning up the neighborhood, this is a company that practices what it preaches. It stems from the CEO, Kim Carlson. “She takes a new, fresh look at things that tend to be fairly standardized and form-oriented,” says Bill Masche, president of Under Construction Services Inc., CMI’s construction-service sister company. Giving employees time off to volunteer is just one aspect of Carlson’s philosophy. Her firm specializes in environmentally friendly management techniques and its corporate office has embraced the programs.
Almost everything in the office is made of recycled materials. Before CMI moved in, the 5,100-square-foot building was gutted and the company reused as much material as possible, including doors and windows. New walls were constructed to fit the existing windows and doors, explains Tim Broms, president of CMI. “What we couldn’t use, we donated to The ReUse Center, a nonprofit business specializing in second-hand building materials,” he says.
CMI went further than just reusing material. Instead of purchasing standard carpet, CMI installed carpet made of recycled soft drink bottles. In high traffic areas, CMI installed rubber walkways that were glued to the concrete with non-toxic glue. The rubber has a 50-year warranty, says Broms.
Office lighting is all energy-efficient iridescent lighting. CMI sold the original lighting to an electrician. Everything from the filing cabinets to the paneling was reused. In addition, CMI opened up the office so every workspace gets natural light.
The company also installed a shower in the office to encourage employees to bike, walk or inline skate to work, or even to exercise during lunch. The entire office only has one garbage can for about 30 employees, and that is for things that can’t be recycled.
But the most unusual office tool is the worm bin. In this recycling method, food scraps are fed to the worms and they turn the waste into compost.
Carlson gives back to the community in additional ways. She has been a board member of the Minnesota Environmental Initiative for three years. She worked with the organization to develop guides for facility managers that give them options for environmentally sensitive management tools, says Mike Harley, executive director.
Carlson also is a chairperson for the Minnesota Multi Housing Association. “She has taken the lead to set up a technology conference for the association,” says Mary Rippe, president of the Minnesota Multi Housing Association, “so all owners and mangers have the latest information about the technology impacting the industry and what will work best for them.”
In addition, Carlson has helped published pamphlets on environmentally safe ways to manage a property and has spoken at several seminars on that topic, says Rippe.
“She is never satisfied with the status quo,” says Rippe. “Carlson is striving to make things operate better and run more efficiently.”