CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY MANAGERS TURNS 20

LAGUNA HILLS, CA – July 18, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — The California Association of Community Managers (CACMSM) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at this year’s Statewide Expo & Conference at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim on July 28-July 29.

In the late 1980s, 25 percent of all new housing built in California was in common interest developments (CIDs), with more on the horizon. At the time, no professional association for community managers that focused strictly on California’s issues existed, and it became increasingly clear that a higher standard of professionalism among community managers was needed.

In response to this dual challenge, industry leaders from around the state worked together to create a new organization that would provide state-specific education as well as a strict code of ethics and standards of practice for managers. The California Association of Community Managers was launched in 1991, wrapping up its first year of existence with nearly 50 members on board.

In 1992, CACM hired Karen Conlon to serve as president and CEO, a position she still holds today. The organization also held its first Statewide Expo & Conference in Irvine to educate members on best practices and to unveil its new certification program for managers, the Certified Community Association Manager (“CCAM”). The event hosted approximately 200 managers from around the state.

This month, CACM will host its 20th Statewide Expo & Conference with more than 1,300 manager and affiliate members expected to attend. Moreover, nearly 200 exhibitors will showcase the latest products and services for community association management.

Today, CACM’s membership is comprised of nearly 3,000 professionals from the community association management industry. An estimated 40 percent of all housing in California is in common interest developments with one out of every three people in California living in a homeowners association. The state is home to approximately 48,590 planned communities with homeowners associations, with roughly 60 percent of those communities located in Southern California (approximately 32,500). Each of California’s estimated 48,590 planned communities collect thousands of dollars every month from consumers in the form of homeowners association dues, making community association management a billion-dollar industry in California alone.

“The growth of this industry over the past two decades in terms of economic impact and the number of people who make their living from common interest developments has been staggering,” Conlon said. “Our ‘front-line’ experience of dealing with homeowners, municipalities, developers and financial entities – especially during this recent downturn – has given our industry a unique perspective on the challenges facing California real estate. We will use that knowledge to further develop educational programs and elevate our standards of practice to adapt to the needs of the next generation of homeowners.”

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Editor’s note: Please see the accompanying “CACM Milestones” backgrounder for more information on CACM and the growth of the industry.

Contact:
Donna Hahn
Hahn Communications
(949) 458-3983
donna (at) hahnmarketing (dot) com