On the precipice of our 70th year in business, First Realty Management, one of Boston's leading property management firms, is guided by an internal compass that has steered the firm through seven decades. Our guiding vision is clear: To create quality communities together. Our mission to achieve that vision is built upon a solid foundation of four distinct pillars. To create quality communities together, First Realty Management strives to: Provide the best living environment for our residents, the best working environment for our employees, and the best economic return for our owners. Work together as a team. Provide service before it's requested. Create opportunities for personal, professional and financial growth. First Realty Management's corporate vision is the guiding principle behind what is essential to achieve as a company every day. Unless a company drastically changes the nature of its business, the corporate vision doesn't change. It represents both the present and the future. The corporate mission is different. It is a collection of tasks, immediate goals and responsibilities that represent the company's pathway to the future. It is a road map for all of our employees to follow. First Realty Management is committed to providing safe, decent and sanitary housing to all persons regardless of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation, children, disability and source of income. First Realty Management achieves this through an efficient, responsive and effective management and maintenance team recruited and trained in accordance with the highest standards of the industry. This commitment is reflected in achievements First Realty Management has earned on regional and national levels. The company has earned a total of 27 awards in recent years on a regional and national level for the quality of its housing, and the services it provides. Sixteen properties have been named Communities of Quality by either the regional associations such as the New England Affordable Housing Management and the Rental Housing Association, and their respective national affiliates, the National Affordable Housing Management Association and the National Apartment Association. Among those awards was the NAA's Paragon Award. The recognition and verification by entities and organizations that are independent of First Realty Management is confirmation that we not only set a high level of expectation for ourselves, but more importantly, that everyone within our entire organization strives to achieve that high level of service each and every day to our diverse communities and the residents who live there. For example, 14 of First Realty's affordable and market rate apartment communities earned a Superior rating in the overall quality of life in 2014 from an independent rating organization that surveys and measures performance in the housing industry across the country. The 14 First Realty properties that earned a Superior rating are located in such distinct communities as Boston, Cambridge, Worcester, Fall River, Taunton, Providence, R.I., and Derry, N.H. For the second year in a row, First Realty Management earned an overall rating of Superior in a separate category from the same rating organization that measures company performance in addition to regular surveys of managed residential properties. First Realty earned a Top 5 Company National Award in its category. In a national competition involving more than 300 similar sized companies, First Realty was rated to be in top 1 percent nationally. The independent rating system confirms for us that our vision statement remains timely and appropriate and our mission — the daily action plan that we execute to sustain that vision — is on target and working. Many internal factors contribute to our success in executing our mission, but the most critical factor is the quality of our employees. We engage bright, ambitious individuals who are committed daily to improving the lives of others. That genuine enthusiasm is supported on a corporate level through ongoing training, professional development and employee recognition. The level and value of the resources and services a company brings to its clients are the most reliable indicators of future performance and client satisfaction. Well-trained and qualified employees are the infrastructure that supports and defines how well a service-based, or any other company, operates. Among our staff, several senior executives have earned the Certified Property Manager certification, the most stringent certification for overall property management. Several other managers are in the process of completing the CPM certification process. We have staff who have earned Accredited Residential Manager certification including three in the past year; four who have earned Certified Credit Compliance Professional designation this year; and two who have earned certification as Specialist, Housing Credit Management over the past 12 months. Additionally, nine employees have earned their maintenance supervisor certification through the National Affordable Housing Management Association, and another 21 employees recently earned certification as maintenance technicians through NAHMA as well. The company developed minimum training standards decades ago. Those standards continue to evolve as our industry evolves, however, our commitment to our residents will never change. We will always strive to create quality communities together. It is what makes First Realty Management a special company. Jan Brandin is the chief operating officer at First Realty Management Corp., Boston.