The owners of Compass Property Management, both mechanical engineers by training, call small jobs their forte. When John Brophy and Mark Troy bought out a previous owner in 2007, Compass did repair work for 70 properties. It now performs maintenance on “north of ten times “ that number, Brophy says, synchronizing its maintenance jobs with a separate firm that sells real estate and another that contracts for small-scale remodels ranging from $2,500 to $20,000.
Compass once was 100% subcontractor based. Now it has skilled seven tradesmen on staff for plumbing and other essential tasks and relies on subs for the other 20% of the work. Technicians prioritize their own jobs using iPads and a software program written in-house. Compass also uses video conferencing so techs can share skills when confronting an unfamiliar situation.
Takeaways
- Compass employs skilled seven tradesmen as employees rather than subbing out plumbing and other essential maintenance tasks, going from 100% subcontractor to 20% in eight years. That ensures workers are available on short notice.
- The firm attracts and retains tradesmen in an increasingly competitive labor market by letting technicians prioritize their own jobs.
- It manages the traffic in its several thousand jobs yearly using iPads and a software program written in-house for TrackVia online database.
