VISION AWARDS PRESENTED TO CALIFORNIA’S TOP COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT EXPERTS

Newport Beach Professional Takes Home Lifetime Achievement Award

ANAHEIM, CA – August 2, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Eleven of the top experts in community association management in California were presented with Vision Awards by the California Association of Community Managers (CACM) at last night’s awards ceremony.  The awards were presented to professionals from around the state for their outstanding expertise in homeowner association management.

Held as part of CACM’s annual statewide EXPO and Conference at the Disneyland Hotel and Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., the Vision Awards were given to community managers and legal and financial experts who have exhibited exceptional talent in the field of community management.  The CACM Vision Awards are the only California-specific awards for community management experts.

Jan Hickenbottom, CCAM, vice president of association bank services at First Bank and Trust in Newport Beach, Calif., received CACM’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.”  One of nine founding members of CACM and the owner of Condo Consulting Services in Irvine, Calif., Hickenbottom has provided community association management services as an independent consultant since 1988.  She also serves as an inspector of elections for association annual meetings and provides expert testimony regarding standards of care for the industry.  In addition, Hickenbottom is the banking relationship officer for community association clients for First Bank.

CACM also honored six managers with “Leadership Awards” in the categories of “Communications Management,” “Creative Solutions for Problem-Solving,” and “Physical Management.”  This year’s winners were Michelle Thomson, CCAM, with Professional Community Management of California, Inc., CMF, in Lake Forest, Calif., and Darren Shaw, CCAM, with the Villages Golf and Country Club in San Jose, Calif., for “Communications Management”; Christina M. Rodrigues, CCAM, with Merit Property Management Inc., CMF, in Aliso Viejo, Calif., and Rebecca Groenewold, CCAM, with Professional Community Management of Calif., Inc., CMF/Bernardo Heights in San Diego for “Creative Solutions for Problem-Solving”; and Debbie Stinson, CCAM, Professional Community Management of Calif., Inc., CMF, in Lake Forest and Andy Larkin, CCAM, with Merit Property Management Inc., CMF, in Aliso Viejo for “Physical Management.”

In addition, three professionals were recognized for their work in the categories of Service, Education and Spirit.  Taking home the “Spirit Award” for her commitment to the industry and positive attitude was Mimi Menzies, CCAM, with Kocal Management Group, CMF, a division of The Management Trust in Folsom, Calif.  The “Excellence in Education” Vision Award was presented to Deborah M. Kornheiser, Esq., with Wasserman Kornheiser LLP in San Diego while René Decker, CCAM, with Professional Community Management of Calif., Inc., CMF, in Lake Forest took home the “Excellence in Service” award.

Leslee M. Williams, CCAM, with Monarch Management Group LLC, CMF, a division of The Management Trust in Palm Desert, was named this year’s “Rookie of the Year.”  The rookie award is presented to managers with less than two years of experience who have demonstrated a high level of commitment to their profession.

“The Vision Awards are the only awards presented strictly to California community management experts,” said CACM President Karen Conlon.  “Our membership is composed of more than 2,600 professionals from around the state, so the Vision Awards truly honor the very best of the best in our profession.  We are proud of their efforts – and of the many contributions made by managers and other association experts in the field – to enhance and maintain the value of homeownership in California.”

Established in 1991, Laguna Hills, Calif.-based CACM was the first community association management organization in the nation to establish a state-specific educational program leading to the designation of “Certified Community Association Manager” (CCAM®) for industry professionals.  CACM’s membership is composed of 2,600 California-based professionals from the community association management industry.  For more information on CACM, please call (949) 916-2226 from Southern California, 800-363-9771 from Northern California, or visit CACM’s Web site at www.cacm.org.

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