When Andy Ashwal launched KW Property Management & Consulting (KWPMC) in New York, he had a plan for steady growth in a competitive New York metro market. Reflecting on the company's early successes, they have hit all of their key growth milestones. In just three years, the award-winning property management firm, which is based in New York and South Florida, now manages thousands of residential and commercial units spread across more than a dozen buildings with a steadily growing pipeline of new development projects throughout the tri-state area.
"I saw the opportunity to bring something unique to the New York City marketplace with KWPMC," said Ashwal, executive director and co-founder of the company's regional office in New York, with Damien Stein. "Our platform is better than any other management company I had worked with in New York City and that is what initially inspired the idea to launch a regional office in the New York area."
KWPMC sets itself apart by prioritizing and building successful action plans, job descriptions, curb appeal check lists and maintenance plans for each individual building it manages, while its operational team provides support to the on-site staff. The company's specialty is its ability to leverage technology in order to communicate with residents, owners and co-op and condo boards to create building-focused websites with secure access to all building records, which allows owners and KWPMC team members to report and track maintenance requests.
The company has secured management contracts with both established communities and several high-profile developments across the Tri-State area including institutional players such as Fortis Property Group LLC, HFZ Capital Group, Greystone Property Development, HIG Capital and Wonder Works Construction adding to household names like Lennar, Toll Brothers and Terra Group, which are longstanding clients. Some of the properties it represents include the Vere in Long Island City, Queens, and the Newswalk Condominium in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
"We are continuing to grow in markets across the eastern seaboard," Ashwal said. "Considering our expertise in everything from mixed use luxury high-rise condominiums to suburban home owners associations to commercial buildings, anything is possible. Our growth in the past two years alone has been tremendous and we're excited to build on that even further in the coming months and years."
Ashwal has first-hand experience as a developer and owner's representative, supervising a range of local property management firms, which gives KWPMC a significant edge over their competition. He oversaw conversions of the former New York Times building and several trophy luxury residential high-rise condominiums throughout the city. He also serves on the board of his own condominium, which has more than 250 units.
"In my role as a developer I had the opportunity to see first-hand how different property management companies operated and it was fascinating to see what worked well and what could be improved," Ashwal said. "It was those early years that motivated me to go into property management and deliver a superior product based on sound accounting principals, standardized processes and newer technology platforms."
KWPMC is a privately-owned company founded in 2004 by Paul Kaplan and Robert White. The firm continues to service all different kinds of properties from residential high-rises and homeowner associations to commercial institutions including local banks and large lending institutions.
"At the outset, it was very appealing to me that KWPMC was privately owned with heavy partner involvement on all accounts - large and small," Ashwal said. "There is a fundamental cultural difference at KWPMC that you don't see at a lot of property management companies, which is a commitment to customer service, hospitality and independence from affiliated vendor networks."
But beyond the typical management services, KWPMC is also a real estate consultancy, doling out advice on everything from operational budgets for pre-development and offering plan preparation to reserve planning and employment harmony. "Every day brings new challenges, but our organization lives to bring solutions head on with patience and experience," said Ashwal. The company's expert accountants, for example, not only service condominium association and residential and commercial properties, but are frequently appointed as receivers to oversee the successful turnaround of properties looking to stabilize their income.
Nationally, KWPMC manages over 50,000 residential units in condominiums, cooperatives and homeowner associations and oversees more than 750 employees at regional offices across the east coast and in the Bahamas. Tags: