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How did you get into running Peoples Management Group?

Peoples Co. has been around for over 40 years. The management side of it was something that has been long talked about, but just beginning this year, they decided to actually move forward with it. I’ve been involved the last few months just on a part-time basis and then recently made it a full-time endeavor. I was actually working with Principal (Financial Group Inc.) as an IT applications developer and I was let go from there, so this was a great fit and something I was already working on.

How was the transition?

Not bad. I’ve been doing property management for a number of years just for personal assets and family assets, so it was a natural transition.

What excites you about the job?

I’m really excited about just the potential for Peoples Management Group (PMG). Peoples Co. is such a great organization; there’s a lot of energy, a lot of vibrancy in the organization. We’re dealing with a large number of different fronts. We’re doing foreclosure management and we’re doing some receiverships for some of the larger banks on commercial and multifamily properties. We’ve got regular property management accounts as well. It’s just so fluid; every day is a little different.

Do you have an image for this company?

I see two sides to the business. We’ve got the foreclosure side of things. Ultimately, we hope that doesn’t continue. From a business perspective, there are tremendous opportunities, but from a cultural perspective, obviously those aren’t opportunities that you want for society. The regular property management side of things, that’s a long-term ongoing goal and that’s really where I see my focus as time goes on. That’s truly what I enjoy doing, working with the tenants. There are a lot of similarities between what I do today and what I did in the IT world. Both positions require you to be a troubleshooter.

Is the market pretty competitive right now?

There is a lot of real estate out there and there are a lot of property management companies in town. I think one of the things we can offer is we’ve got the experience and the resources of Peoples Co. … So many property management companies today really focus on a lot of the larger properties, the larger multifamily units or large commercial developments. We’re not afraid to take on a portfolio from one of your regular investors who may have a couple of duplexes and a strip mall and some apartments, and that’s a niche that’s not being served well in Des Moines today.

What is the hardest part about this job?

First and foremost is probably the fact that it’s not an 8-to-5 job. It’s truly 24 hours a day seven days a week. Especially in a small company like this, I’m the primary contact for tenants if they have a big problem in the middle of the night.

How do you escape it all?

My wife is just extraordinarily understanding, and really I just enjoy spending time with her and my son.

How did you end up in Des Moines?

I grew up on a ranch in Montana and wanted to get away from home. I’d been to, I think, 32 states in the country and Iowa was not one of them. I thought I wanted to be an engineer, picked it out of a college book and came to Iowa State (University). It took me about a month to realize I didn’t want to be an engineer, but I met my future wife – she’s from Ames – and ultimately gave up the mountains for the girl.

How would you describe your leadership style?

I’m a very easygoing person. But I also have very high standards for myself and the people that I surround myself with. I’m not one for barking out orders and giving someone a list of tasks to do. I really look for self-starters that can come in and help.

How did you make your first dollar?

As a teenager, I started mowing my neighbors’ lawns and turned that into a great business while I was in high school, and that really was responsible for a lot of my first few years in college helping to pay for that. The entrepreneurial thing, I’ve just always really liked that and I think I missed that a great deal when I was working for the corporate entities in the IT world.