Michael Bottos, CPM®, and Gina Manns, CPA, are a dynamic pair. Both are co-owners of 1st American Management Co., Inc having started at the ground level more than two decades ago – Manns as an accountant and Bottos as a lifeguard – and grew into their current roles as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Chief Operating Officer (COO), respectively. Under their reign, 1st American Management has grown to managing property for owners and renters of commercial real estate, and more than 170 homeowner associations representing over 16,000 residents around the Region.
1st American Management Company was a young company when they joined, with Manns having started in 1997, just four years after it was officially formed by then owner John R. Marshall. It took her just one month to get promoted to Accounting Manager, a role she spent the next 20 years developing and refining. Things were not quite as straightforward for Bottos, who initially worked as a summer lifeguard at a neighborhood managed by 1st American Management Company.
Bottos eventually started managing the pool and its staff before Marshall offered him a job as a property manager. He bounced around a bit, working as a property manager, maintenance supervisor, and even spent a short time away from the company before becoming COO and purchasing 1st American Management Company with Manns in 2021.
“John came to us and said he was ready to move forward with retirement and let us take over the day-to-day stuff on a permanent basis,” Bottos said. “He sold us the company and from there, Gina and I began working closely together to figure things out.”
Bottos, with his broad experience, leads day-to-day operations – particularly those of the maintenance team who work around the Region doing repairs, landscaping, and any other jobs that call for a handyman’s set of skills.
“Our maintenance team does a lot of small things like changing lightbulbs, minor plumbing repairs, groundskeeping, drywall repairs and painting.” he said. “If you need a light bulb changed, an outside electrician might charge you for a couple hours of labor, add a truck charge, and all of a sudden changing that bulb is $200. Our maintenance team can come out and do that for you instead at a much more affordable rate.”
Manns, meanwhile, handles anything that has to do with money and numbers while also working with Bottos to craft a positive company culture.
“The people here are what I enjoy most,” she said. “I have friends here and a lot of our employees are friends outside of the office. I’ve enjoyed overseeing the accounting department; I like to see that team get along and learn new things.”
Collaboration is key for the pair, who likened their working dynamic to a marriage.
“It’s a lot like running a household,” Manns said. “We spend the majority of our days making decisions. We’re even in contact almost every weekend when something comes up. It’s a lot like running an idea past a spouse. ‘What do you think of this? Do you think this would work?’ Our offices are right next to each other, so it makes it easy to collaborate.”
Leading operations means that Bottos is more of a spender, while Manns, as the accountant, is the saver.
“I’m heading the maintenance department and we need tools, equipment, vehicles and things like that,” Bottos said. “I have to talk to Gina and say ‘I need to spend some money on something! This is what it’s going to cost, this is our return on investment.’ She watches over everything and makes sure I don’t spend money we don’t have so that we can keep the lights on.”
Since they purchased the company, the pair have adapted to each other’s leadership styles.
“I think that we’ve learned to work together very well,” she said. “We’ve learned a lot about each other over the last few years. There’s a mutual respect there that’s very important to a partnership like ours.”
That respect is given to every member of the team, they said. They take great pride in being a healthy, friendly, and successful workplace for the dozens and dozens of families that rely on them.
“It’s important to me that we’re not only providing a service to our clients but offering a way to make a living for families,” Bottos said. “As a part of this community, that is such a big thing for me. The decisions that we make affect 50 to 60 families; that’s always on our minds.”
Manns echoed Bottos’ thoughts, noting that one of their biggest motivators is meeting the expectations of the employees that have placed trust in them – with many of those employees even recommending their sons, daughters, and spouses join the team as well.
“We provide a livelihood for so many people,” Manns said. “It’s a lot of pressure, but it’s a really good feeling that they want to be here. We help them put food on their tables; we’re helping them live their lives. That means a lot.”
To learn more about 1st American Management Company, visit 1stpropertymanagers.com.
