Even amid the changed economic landscape from the past four months, Stetson Management & Development continues to uphold its benchmark standards of vested interest in its clients with open and transparent negotiation, complete oversight of what will impact a client’s business, and educating a client, all of which is in support of its clients own long-term interests.

To further explain how these standards are consistently shown, the president of Stetson, Barry Familetto, believes, “Each of our client relationships begin with a base of honest negotiation. Negotiation has to be a win-win for everyone, or nobody wins. It’s important to know the customer and you’ve got to have a relationship. Good business starts with good people.” For the business relationship to sustain over time, it starts with that, even before anyone signs on the dotted line, he points out.

As a boutique management company, Stetson is known for maintaining a watchful eye on absolutely everything, under the umbrella of keeping the buildings operating. This includes anticipating issues and bringing these to the attention of building owners, so as to minimize wasted resources or added expense. “It’s up to us to educate our owners to what works in maintaining the property, because it’s critical to strive to be better than the next guy,” Mr.

Familetto has stated. Curb appeal is one example that a client or building owner might not consider, which is typically worth the investment and positively impacts the business.

Additionally, what sets Stetson apart is the relationship developed and maintained with a client, separate and discreet from the relationship with the building owner. The building owner is aware of this value-add offered, and this promotes continuing honest negotiation and good business among everyone involved.

This philosophy, as Mr. Familetto knows, “…is in contrast to old world thinking, where the owner never picked up the phone, because the customers always had problems. My response is, that’s what we get paid to take care of. My philosophy has always been that you have to take more care of your building clients than anything else, because they are paying all the management fees, all of the bills, and fostering your business. If they can’t make it, nobody wins. We have to focus on helping them be efficient and make money. I’ve had multiple conversations with customers and have said that to them, that if they aren’t successful, we are not successful,” Mr. Familetto says.

He comments that clients appreciate that it’s not just about the demands in the fine print of the lease, but that educating clients and building owners on methods of efficiency and profitability are an invaluable resource to their respective businesses.

Ultimately, it’s good business to actively demonstrate these practices, as it supports having a vested interest in the business success of client and building owners, and especially in today’s unprecedented economic environment.