GigCity Property Management

My vision for this company started in childhood.   My father, a Union Auto Worker and my mother, a housewife and later landlord and administrative assistant bought their first income property when I was a young child growing up in the Hudson Valley north of New York City.   I quickly learned the challenges of being a landlord when my father learned on his way to a closing that one of the properties was on fire.  Being a bold man he purchased the property at a steep discount!   At the time it was hard to conceive why both of my parents worked so hard day and night – at their jobs and managing the properties.

Years later during the economic challenges that nearly destroyed the american auto industry I learned the benefits of my parent’s hard work and risk as landlords.  Though my father would often say we were “house poor” it was obvious their hard work sustained us during difficult times.  I also learned from them how to fix about anything and never to ignore a challenge.   The most vivid example being when my mom wanted a dining room instead of the “music room” as we called it off the kitchen of our tiny house.   With a sledgehammer mom made her dreams come true and much to Dads surprise when he came home from a usual long day on the assembly line (plus 1 hour commute).   As I recall, wires arcing and pipes exposed she started dinner – but that could also be my vivid childhood imagination!  

Fast forward many years later as a successful Telecommunications COO, CEO I used my success to keep the family business alive, buying and selling from time to time and always putting in sweat equity.    We had all moved to the midwest, with Dad retiring and Mom remarried to undoubtably the handiest man ever to walk the earth.    He literally took an old tree out of a lake and made a guitar.   I’m handy, but I can’t even think where to start on than one.    I learned a lot from him and to this day If I can’t fix it, I sure know how to get the best deal to get it fixed!

The next evolution took me to Chattanooga, TN with the sale of my company and a few years transitioning to ultimately retire to spend time back in the Midwest caring for a best friend and mom.   And that finally brings us to the connection to Gig City Property Management.    I had acquired several income properties and with mom expected to have only a few years I wanted to move back to the midwest, but what to do with my properties.  I searched by asking real estate professionals and interviewed potential property managers.   After my search I felt unimpressed. 

Property Managers certainly exist in Chattanooga, but there was no use of technology and given my years in tech I knew we could get efficiencies to free up time and resources to focus on excellence.   I had been priding myself on property maintenance – once buying a property just so I could repair the sinks for a family that hadn’t had to rely on only the kitchen sink for over a year!  The firms I spoke too were reactive to maintenance, and in a vibrant growing city like Chattanooga with a short supply of contractors that’s a recipe for disaster!

I also feel strongly in a balance between landlord and tenant, and in mutual respect.  This is not to say the other companies didn’t believe in those things, but my impression was less personal, less balanced.  I had heard stories of tenants and the arduous one-sided application process.  

Sadly, my mom didn’t last very long and I found myself back in Chattanooga during the Covid lockdown and in need of a challenge.   So, here we are at the start something new and something fun – with a mission to bring excellence to property management in Chattanooga and the surrounding areas!