One of his objectives is to touch the untouched potential of future property managers. While a lot of high school and college students may know what they’d like to do professionally, many don’t, and are assessing different career paths. “Property management as a career choice isn’t well known,” he says. “Once you’re into it and see the awesome careers available and the great responsibilities you can have, it’s a great choice. A lot of people would make the jump to property management - they just never heard of it.”
Those who are figuring out their next steps are exactly the kind of audience Benson works with best, presenting all the opportunities available in this profession. “As property managers, we dip our toes into so many different disciplines – accounting, development, mechanical systems, technology, marketing, leasing, customer service,” says Benson. “The number of responsibilities we have is so vast, which makes the job exciting. There’s so much potential in all those areas that most people aren’t aware of.”
Building an interest in buildings
Coming from a small town in Idaho, Benson grew up with limited exposure to big buildings. The number of office buildings, multifamily structures and even shopping malls was limited. Always fascinated by architecture, his interest grew over the years with family trips to Seattle, where great design meets great natural beauty, and in Salt Lake City, where the old meets the new against a Rocky Mountain backdrop.
Like so many in real estate management, Benson didn’t seek out this career choice - the career found him. In between high school and college, he had the good fortune to work for a local appraiser in the residential sector - an experience that opened his mind to a career in real estate. Benson could see there was opportunity in the real estate industry, and he wanted to explore them.
When college met IREM
While in college at Brigham Young University, Benson again found opportunity with a local real estate appraisal firm that focused on commercial properties. It was during this time he discovered his true passion – commercial real estate. And not just the knowledge of how commercial properties work, but the ability to manage their facilities and operations. Still fresh in his college experience, his work led him to the Facility and Property Management program at BYU, and a free student membership with the local IREM chapter.
Leveraging IREM’s network while in college catapulted Benson’s post-graduation career options. In his words, “There’s so much opportunity in property management and IREM is here to help build that career – whether it’s through networking, taking courses and earning skill badges – there’s so much available and so much potential. IREM gives members like me so much influence over helping build the base of future property managers here in Utah.” And since Benson’s been leading the chapter’s academic outreach efforts, student membership has grown from 4 at the beginning of this year, to 35 student members today!
Building the future of property management in Utah
Making an impact on the future of property management in Utah is not Benson’s only goal as a real estate professional. He’d like to increase his knowledge and skills in the commercial office space. Building and maintaining a comfortable place for people to work is his objective, along with working with building owners to maximize efficiency. While it’s been only three years since he joined the professional world, he’s driven by the opportunities he sees in real estate management, and his vision of how he can shape the future of this dynamic profession.