Board Training Opportunity – July 24th
The next session in the quarterly series of Board Training opportunities will be held on Wednesday, July 24th, 6 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Plaza, 2nd Floor Training Room at 7900 Xerces Avenue in Bloomington, MN 55431. The 90-minute session will be led by director of business development and education, Josh Reams, CMCA, AMS, PCAM – and will focus on Governing Documents If you are interested in reserving your spot, please email: clientcare@sharpermanagement.com
Sharper Scramble Golf Tournament – July 26th
Mark your calendar for the 8th Annual Sharper Scramble Golf Tournament, to be held Friday, July 26th at Boulder Pointe Golf Club in Elko. This FREE day of food, fun, fellowship and golf is Sharper’s way of showing our appreciation to you – our valued client – to our Sharper staff and to our trusted vendors. Registration begins at 10 a.m. Shotgun start to the scramble/best-ball format starts at 11a.m. Dinner and an awards banquette to follow the round. If you are interested in securing your spot for the Sharper Scramble, we recommend youdo so soon. Space is limited and tends to fill up fast! To register, email:clientcare@sharpermanagement.com
Board Training Opportunity – April 24th
The second in the quarterly series of Board Training opportunities will be held on Wednesday, April 24th, 6 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Plaza, 2nd Floor Training Room at 7900 Xerces Avenue in Bloomington, MN 55431. The 90-minute session will be led by director of business development and education, Josh Reams, CMCA, AMS, PCAM. This session will focus on defining the roles and responsibilities of the Board, and property management practices. Topics include: · Roles & Responsibilities of the Board· Officer Positions & Duties· Legal Obligations & Protections· Committees· Property Management Practices· Organizational Tools & Tips If you are interested in reserving your spot, please email:clientcare@sharpermanagement.com
Sharper Gives Back
Each year Sharper chooses a cause or organization that will be the benefactor of this annual event. MMRF is a wonderful organization that is “commitment to advancing health equity so that all myeloma patients can benefit from the scientific and clinical advances we pursue. Since our inception, the MMRF has committed over $500 million for research, opened nearly 100 clinical trials, and helped bring 15+ FDA-approved therapies to market, which have tripled the life expectancy of myeloma patients.” Check them out at https://themmrf.org/ “Giving back to our community is one of our core values at Sharper Management,” said Dan Cunningham, owner and CEO. “As with any cancer type, Multiple Myeloma is a devastating condition. Unfortunately, it has affected the family of one of our staff in a significant way. They have found a great resource in the MMRF, though. It means a great deal to us to be able to support them and all of the families affected by Multiple Myeloma.”
A Look Ahead to 2024 & Back at 2023
2023 has been another great year for Sharper Management! To name just a few successes— Continued growth in welcoming 31-new clients. In doing so, we passed a milestone of 200 associations managed. We also continue a strong retention rate of existing clients. We opened a satellite office in Maple Grove. This summer we rolled out significant upgrades to our software platform and web portal offering – perhaps most notably, a wonderful architectural request tracking and approving feature. This winter we will be integrating new software to help streamline the scheduling and management of our maintenance team. We continue our passion for training. We offered four sessions attended by nearly 200 Board members, representing over 60 different associations This spring we also rolled out our Educational Video Library, featuring 90 videos on dozens of different topics. We had another successful Sharper Scramble Golf Tournament and for the first time ever we topped $10,000 in proceeds, which were donated to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Sharper was also a feature of our industry’s trade organization (Community Association Institute) annual Vision Awards – receiving nine nominations. See Vision Awards article for details. The achievements of 2023 are many. What we continue to be most proud of, however, is the cohesion and growth of our talented team. We welcomed five new managers this year, each of them a seasoned veteran, uniquely talented, with years of industry experience. We also added positions in our Accounting, Maintenance and Client Care departments. And in an industry plagued by retention issues, we continue to excel in our staff retention. As we look to 2024, we have lots of exciting things on the horizon. See the 2024 Event Calendar article below. We look forward to sharing updates with you through these quarterly newsletters. All of us at Sharper would like to thank you for being a valued client. We thank you for being a part of a great 2023 and look forward to an exciting 2024. And, finally, we wish you and your family a safe, healthy and happy Holiday Season! Legislative Changes Effecting HOAs The 2023 legislative session in Minnesota was an active one. There were a number of significant bills that will, and have, impacted community associations in the state. Some legislative items went into effect this year. See our July newsletter for a detailed listing. As we approach 2024, there is one significant bill that effects some standard day-to-day operations and governance of your association. Violations & Rule Enforcement – in effort to create more uniformity in how rule violations are notified, fines assessed and appeals processed, the Minnesota Common Interest Ownership Act (MCIOA) was amended to create further standards. What it Says – any fine associated with a rule violation has to meet seven specific criteria or it could be challenged in a court. Homeowners are also entitled to a more consistent processes for an appeal and hearing of said fine. Who it Affects – all associations that are currently under MCIOA, which is any association built after June 1, 1994 – and any condominium association regardless of when it was established. What it Means – Any fine and certain assessments must be accompanied by a dated, written notice to the Owner that includes seven specific pieces of information. (1) states the amount and reason for the fine or assessment (2) for fines levied under section 515B.3-102(a)(11) [VIOLATION OF GOVERNING DOCUMENTS], specifies: (i) the violation for which a fine is being levied and the date of the levy; and (ii) the specific section of the declaration, bylaws, rules, or regulations allegedly violated; (3) for assessments levied under section 515B.3-115(g) or 515B.3-1151(g) [DAMAGE TO COMMON ELEMENTS OR A UNIT], identifies: (i) the damage caused; and (ii) the act or omission alleged to have caused the damage; (4) states that all unpaid fines and assessments are liens which, if not satisfied, could lead to foreclosure of the lien against the owner’s unit; (5) describes the unit owner’s right to be heard by the board or a committee appointed by the board; (6) states that if the assessment, fine, late fees, and other allowable charges are not paid, the amount may increase as a result of the imposition of attorney fees and other collection costs; and (7) informs the unit owner that homeownership assistance is available from the Minnesota Homeownership Center When it Goes into Effect – January 1, 2024
2024 Sharper Event Calendar
Mark your calendars for the following Sharper events, which are all free to you as a valued client and Board member. Board Training Opportunity – January 24 The first in our quarterly Board Training sessions will be Wednesday, January 24, 2024, 6 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Plaza, 2nd Floor Training Room at 7900 Xerces Avenue in Bloomington, MN 55431. The 90-minute session will be led by director of business development and education, Josh Reams, CMCA, AMS, PCAM. This session will focus on defining associations and association meetings. Topics include: If you are interested in reserving your spot, please email clientcare@sharpermanagement.com 2024 Save-the-Dates Board Training Schedule: January 24 – Board Training: Associations Defined & Association Meetings February 21 – New Client Orientation April 24 – Board Training: Roles & Responsibilities of the Board & Property Management Practices July 24 – Board Training: Associations Defined & Governing Documents July 26 – July Sharper Scramble Golf Tournament August 22 – New Client Orientation & Board Member Appreciation BBQ October 23 – Board Training: Insurance & Financials
Sharper Management – Why Choose Sharper Video
The video for HOA Members Are you an HOA board member looking for a new property manager, or in an association that needs just a little bit better care? If so, perfect! I’m here to help. I’m Grant Peterson, the Director of Client Care here at Sharper Management, and I’m here to tell you why you should choose Sharper as your property manager. At Sharper, we’re large enough to handle any problem in a specialized fashion, but small enough to have great customer service. Our support structure is a large reason that we’re the best at what we do. When you call with an issue, you’ll talk directly to one of our client care specialists, not a robotic answering machine. Depending on the issue, our client care specialist will coordinate with different Sharper staff members to get it resolved. If the issue is related to something breaking down, then maintenance will be called to take care of it. Additionally, accounting will take care of any questions or issues involving billing. Similarly, resale is on hand to answer questions about selling your property within your HOA. Beyond that, we have a partnership with some of the highest quality vendors in the industry. Speaking of quality service, we are very proud of our best Industry member portals. They are set up as an easy, online, one -stop shop for all your needs. If you’d like more information, reach out to Sharper Management at 952 -224 -4777 today. Want more information about sharper? Visit the Why Choose Us Page here: https://sharpermanagement.com/why-choose-us/
Successful Sharper Scramble
Another successful Sharper Scramble Golf Tournament is in the books! On Friday, July 14th, Sharper hosted over 150 people for a day of fun, food, fellowship, and golf at Boulder Pointe Golf Club in Elko. We had 104 golfers, equally made up of our loyal and trusted business partners, Sharper staff members, and valued Board members from our client base. It was a wonderful day designed for these three groups to come together to celebrate Sharper Management. Thanks to our generous sponsors and people who donated throughout the day, we raised an impressive $10,000 to go towards this year’s benefit – the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. We look forward to delivering the big check to them next month. We hope you can join us when we host our 8th annual golf tournament next year. It is free to you as a Board member. Watch for a date to be announced in the winter newsletter, and secure your spot early. To those that attended this year, thank you for joining us, and we hope to see you next year!
Sharper Scramble Golf Tournament
Last chance to register for the 7th Annual Sharper Scramble Golf Tournament, held Friday, July 14th, at Boulder Pointe Golf Club in Elko. This FREE day of food, fun, fellowship, and golf is Sharper’s way of showing appreciation to you – our valued client – to our Sharper staff, and to our trusted vendors. Registration begins at 10 a.m. The shotgun start to the scramble/best ball format golf round starts at 11 a.m. Dinner and an awards banquet to follow the round. If you want to secure your spot for the Sharper Scramble, do it now! Only a few spots remain. To register, email clientcare@sharpermanagement.com
Sharper Management Welcomes Ravinia Neighborhood Association
Sharper Management is pleased to welcome the Ravinia Neighborhood Association as a full-service client. Effective April 1st. This expansive Lennar-built masterplan community consists of 445-single family homes resting on the east end of Corcoran, bordering Plymouth. The community features winding walking trails, a lovely community pool, and a Club/Pool House available for private rentals to association members. “Ravinia is a wonderful example of a modern-day ‘masterplan’ community,” said Dan Cunningham, owner and CEO of Sharper Management. “We are pleased to step in and help them navigate the transition from a Declarant controlled development to a Board controlled community association. We are excited about this partnership and the opportunity to be a part of this expansive and beautiful community.”