Key takeaways
How Concert Properties builds community
- Work with development from day one. Asking early how tenants reacted to past designs and processes leads to better buildings when the first tenant moves in.
- Trust is everything. Being personable, genuine, and approachable makes hard conversations easier because people know you are there to support them.
- Listen before you act. Rhiannon’s years in early childhood education taught her patience and how to understand what is really being asked.
- Let site teams make each property unique. On-site managers run events and workshops that turn buildings into communities, with support from partner organizations.
- Stay curious and keep learning. Property management offers many paths, so master one area and then try another.
About the guest
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Rhiannon Thomas-Uyarer
Director of Property Management, West, Concert Properties
Rhiannon leads property management in Western Canada for Concert Properties, a Canadian developer and manager with about 13 million square feet of commercial space and more than 4,800 residential units. She started her career in early childhood education, moved into strata management at Rancho Realty, then commercial management at Triovest before joining Concert in Vancouver.
Episode summary
In this episode
Rhiannon Thomas-Uyarer started in early childhood education before taking a role in strata management. She moved into commercial property management, then relocated to Vancouver to join Concert Properties, where she now leads property management for Western Canada.
She explains how Concert brings its vision of resilient, inclusive communities to life through early collaboration with its development team, on-site teams that make each property unique, and partnerships that support residents. She also shares what her days look like and how she supports a team of about 12 managers.
Rhiannon talks about technology, the mentors who shaped her career, her advice for aspiring property managers, what she expects from tenant-facing vendors, and the leadership book she found most relatable.
Chapters
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:46About Concert Properties
- 2:39Rhiannon’s path into property management
- 5:16From residential to commercial
- 5:57What makes her successful
- 6:53Lessons from early childhood education
- 8:55A day as a director
- 11:00Building resilient, inclusive communities
- 14:50Technology and innovation
- 16:16Advice for property managers
- 18:14The value of mentors
- 19:19What she looks for in janitorial
- 20:23Book recommendation
Jump to a chapter (13)
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:46About Concert Properties
- 2:39Rhiannon’s path into property management
- 5:16From residential to commercial
- 5:57What makes her successful
- 6:53Lessons from early childhood education
- 8:55A day as a director
- 11:00Building resilient, inclusive communities
- 14:50Technology and innovation
- 16:16Advice for property managers
- 18:14The value of mentors
- 19:19What she looks for in janitorial
- 20:23Book recommendation
From the conversation
Transcript excerpts
We have a very collaborative approach with our development team from day one…
Rhiannon Thomas-UyarerPlay from 0:08
Creating meaningful relationships is again my number one thing and being patient and asking questions. Nothing is going to happen overnight…
Rhiannon Thomas-UyarerPlay from 0:48
Being personable plays a big role as well as being genuine… those to me I think are the foundation to building trust and to me trust is everything.
Rhiannon Thomas-UyarerPlay from 6:04
Want a cleaning team that keeps your site staff in the loop?
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Read the conversation
Full episode transcript
Show transcript
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FAQ
Questions about this episode
What does Rhiannon look for in a janitorial company?
Any tenant-facing vendor must have internal processes to share information with site teams and property managers in real time. Hearing about a major issue a week later is the worst outcome.
How does Concert Properties build community in its buildings?
It starts with collaboration between property management and development from the earliest stages. On-site teams then run events and workshops, and Concert partners with organizations that offer programs like support for aging in place.
What book does Rhiannon recommend?
Impact Players by Liz Wiseman. She calls it the most relatable leadership book she has read, because it shows that anyone at any level can make an impact.
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