Key takeaways
How Triovest manages like an owner
- Manage like an owner because you are one. Triovest owns assets as well as managing them for clients, and brings the same care and foresight to both.
- Hire for fit as much as skill. Culture is one of the best ways to keep people, so Triovest uses multiple interviews and brings in people from other teams before making key hires.
- Build one national platform. A steering committee and subcommittees with members from every region set realistic goals each year and roll out best practices consistently.
- Look past price when choosing vendors. Triovest is building a balanced scorecard that weighs past performance, sustainability, and how well a company takes care of its staff.
- Make sustainability everyone’s job. Every team member, including Denise, has sustainability goals, and building teams run tenant workshops to help reach Triovest’s emissions targets.
About the guest
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Denise Froese
SVP, National Property Management, Triovest
Denise leads national property management at Triovest, which manages about 37 million square feet of office, retail, and industrial space across Canada. She began her career as an economist, then spent almost 18 years at a major Calgary energy company, where she oversaw corporate real estate and facilities. She holds an MA in economics and an associate broker licence.
Episode summary
In this episode
Denise Froese came to property management after careers in economics, energy industry advocacy, and almost 18 years at a major Calgary energy company. There she led corporate real estate and facilities, including moving 2,000 employees into a new head office over 12 weekends.
She credits her service mindset to growing up working in her parents’ small businesses, and explains how she leads a national team, hires for fit, and keeps Triovest consistent across regions. She also walks through Triovest’s progress toward net zero and the role tenants and green leases play.
Denise shares the trends she is watching, from AI to downtown vibrancy, her advice for aspiring property managers, and how Triovest is moving beyond price when it chooses janitorial partners.
Chapters
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:36About Triovest
- 2:22Denise’s career path
- 9:12Qualities behind her success
- 12:44Leadership style
- 16:13What she looks for in new hires
- 18:05Education and the associate broker licence
- 21:15Giving back
- 26:22What sets Triovest apart
- 30:38Sustainability and net zero
- 35:30Trends to watch
- 42:27Advice for property managers
- 44:13How Triovest chooses janitorial partners
- 46:57Dream property
- 49:02Book recommendation
Jump to a chapter (15)
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:36About Triovest
- 2:22Denise’s career path
- 9:12Qualities behind her success
- 12:44Leadership style
- 16:13What she looks for in new hires
- 18:05Education and the associate broker licence
- 21:15Giving back
- 26:22What sets Triovest apart
- 30:38Sustainability and net zero
- 35:30Trends to watch
- 42:27Advice for property managers
- 44:13How Triovest chooses janitorial partners
- 46:57Dream property
- 49:02Book recommendation
From the conversation
Transcript excerpts
We don’t just think and act like an owner but we are owners. So we try and bring that same level of care and diligence and strategic foresight to the assets that we third party manage…
Denise FroesePlay from 0:08
They always do the right thing and they’ve made me believe that my perspective matters.
Denise FroesePlay from 0:39
I really think my parents were… masters at customer service.
Denise FroesePlay from 10:14
Looking for a janitorial partner that keeps its people?
We’ll walk your building with you and send a written cleaning scope and price. Free, no obligation.
Read the conversation
Full episode transcript
Show transcript
Paste the edited transcript here.
FAQ
Questions about this episode
How does Triovest choose janitorial companies?
Cost has traditionally driven the decision, but Triovest is introducing a balanced scorecard for proposals that weighs past performance, sustainability, and other factors. Denise wants stable, consistent staff and is looking at how well a company takes care of its people, with cost as one consideration rather than the only one.
What sets Triovest apart in property management?
Triovest is an owner as well as a third-party manager, so it brings an owner’s care to client assets. It also runs a single national platform, so best practices, training, and workflows are consistent in every region.
What book does Denise recommend?
The Cultural Intelligence Difference by David Livermore. It explains how to understand different perspectives and adjust your behaviour as a leader, and includes an online self-assessment.
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