Celebrating Thankfulness

- a message from Anthony Luna, Vice President

Shared from LinkedIn

As I reflect on the past eleven months, I can genuinely say I am thankful for more things than I was in 2019 or any year before. My wife and I both continue the fulfilling work that we love, our family members have had limited exposure to the virus, and we all have our health. My wife and I have grown closer while working from home together, even with some new, unexpected challenges. We do not have to worry about our daily commute; we make meals together more often and generally have more time together.

At Coastline Equity, we have been able to retain our entire workforce, and we have been able to grow our team with three new hires. We know we are some of the lucky few, and we are thankful that we can say that this year has been successful for our business.

I am thankful to have a team of consummate professionals whom I have the benefit of working alongside. This year, we have been in the trenches together on issues, both professional and personal. Whether it was my wife (a clinical social worker) coaching our team members through difficult conversations with their children or our operations team navigating our biannual unit inspections safely. I wouldn't want to grow through this experience with any other team or company.

I am thankful to have a business partner, George Mayer, who has lived and worked through multiple real estate cycles. Having successfully entered and exited every major recession since 1974, George brings a wealth of knowledge and experiences that I have the opportunity to learn and benefit from. I am thankful to have a partner who encourages lifelong learning and motivates me to explore innovative options that assist our firm, clients, and tenants. I am grateful that he is my business partner and my mentor, and has grown to be family.

I am thankful for our Controller, Sue, who keeps our firm steering in the right direction. She is the queen of the details, attuned to finding errors before submitting reporting to our clients, and keeps us focused on what is most important. Sue is the executive team member who ensures that we stay in the now and do what is right for all of our stakeholders.

I am thankful for following through with the hire of our new Operations Manager. This was a role we needed for years, had trouble filling, and a position that I was wearing the hat of until we found the right person for the job.

In January, we offered the role to one of my close friends and fraternity brothers. I broke every rule in the book with this hire, I know! Did I mention that he was also a groomsman at my wedding? This was a tough call as the pandemic came into focus. We weren't sure if moving forward with the hire was the fiscally responsible decision. Ultimately, the right decision was hiring Tyler Smith as my Operations Manager, who now oversees our property management and construction management divisions. Tyler coming on board allowed me to focus on our COVID response and, eventually, the firm's growth.

I am thankful that our team has helped our clients successfully navigate the pandemic's first ten months. We know there is more work ahead, but we can all take a moment to congratulate ourselves on the work we've done so far. I am grateful that we have added new clients and properties to our management portfolio. And I am even more thankful that our firm is growing for our team members and their families.

I am thankful for the prospect of a brighter 2021 for my family, my team, and our firm. I understand that I am blessed to share positive reflections while many others struggle with unemployment, food insecurity, medical debt, illness, or the loss of a loved one. I want to wish you all a healthy and safe Thanksgiving. I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating all there is to be thankful for.