Welcome 2025!

by Dave Rauch

As we welcome in the new year and look forward to tremendous success, I want to take a second to reflect on all the good that happened last year. It certainly wasn't without its challenges, but tough times make tough men and women. Here are the Big Wins from 2024:

• Expanded Services: Launched a new Restoration service offering in Orange County.
• Office Consolidation: Successfully merged three offices into one centralized location in Orange County.
• New Roles for Success: Introduced the Client Experience Coordinator role, now implemented across multiple departments. We also introduced our new Chief Happiness Officer, Liz Teposte, who is now checking in with our new hires at 30, 60 and 90 days to ensure their success.
• Leadership Growth: Welcomed new leaders in Department 260, with exciting opportunities for Donald Lopez and Jordyn Perry.
• Department Leadership: Brought aboard Ludwy Bejarano as the new Janitorial Department Manager.
• Executive Team Addition: Cecilia Gonzalez joined the Executive Team, strengthening our leadership.
• Record-Breaking Revenue: Set new revenue records in three departments – 70, 160, and 760.
• Award Recognition: Andy Henley received the Southern California Leadership Vision Award from CACM.
• Industry Involvement: Dave Rauch joined CAI’s Foundation for Community Association Research Board of Directors and its Think Tank.
• Core Value Addition: Added a new core value – Safety First – reinforcing our commitment to protecting our team and clients.

2025 is the Year of “ProTec in a Box”

by Dave Rauch

The new year is going to be about working on the business of ProTec. The term “ProTec in a Box” is an apt title given to this effort by someone last summer in Chicago when we were meeting with a company that was teaching us how improve how we buy other companies. We’ve got to work on making it easy to open a new office or buy a new company in a new market and just turn a switch so that everything is easy to explain to new hires and new clients who have no idea what ProTec does nor how it does it. That’s why we’re going to be focusing in 2025 on three things: 

1. Our Technology Stack (all our software including Sage; Paylocity; ProTec Connect; Trainual; Pipedrive; and VendorTrax)
2. Our Processes (including getting the most important of them onto our new software training platform call Trainual so we can provide the exact same service in each of our markets;
3. Perfecting our CAMP process. 

I’ll keep you posted about our progress.  

Insurance Pain Hit’s HOA’s Hard   

by Dave Rauch

Reflecting on Challenges and Looking Ahead to 2025

Every summer, our Community Manager clients begin the challenging task of creating budgets for their HOA clients, starting for the new year on January 1st. This past summer was particularly difficult as budgets were impacted by several factors, including:

·    A 20%+ average increase in insurance costs, driven by:

·    California wildfires from previous years, Hurricanes and other natural disasters

·    The collapse of Champlain Tower South (Florida HOA)

·    Some clients in “fire zones” faced insurance increases of 100% or more.

·    Additional expenses tied to compliance with California’s new Deck Law (SB 325/AB 5551).

With these pressures, many HOAs cut or slowed down discretionary expenses, including some of our construction work.

The Good News

Our CAMPs were included in operating budgets, so they were less affected. However, construction departments (50, 150, and 250) experienced the biggest impact, followed by departments 360, 660, and 760. We implemented #GiveMe5 to assist in acquiring new contracts for these departments.

To adapt, many of our construction technicians transitioned to maintenance roles, ensuring steady work. The leadership from our department heads and Lead AMs has been incredible, keeping as many of our team members working as possible. Unfortunately, we did have to make some reductions in overhead and workforce to remain competitive.

Looking Forward to 2025

As we begin the new year, we’re optimistic about a return to normalcy. However, the challenges from the LA fires remind us to:

1. Keeping an eye on our costs

2. Work harder to boost revenue

3. We need to be indispensable to our clients - to keep delivering a service that our clients can't live without!

Here’s how you can help:

·    Keep an eye out for additional work opportunities in our clients’ communities.

·    Take pictures of issues you notice and share them with your supervisor.

By working together, we can make 2025 a fantastic year. Thank you for your continued dedication and hard work.

Updated Mileage Reimbursement Form

by Cecilia Gonzalez

Effective January 1st, we have a new mileage reimbursement form with updated rates. Please ensure you’re using this updated form moving forward. You can access it on the PDrive or through the ProTec Portal (password: protec) under "ProTec Forms."

Calendars

by Danyelle Reese

The 2025 calendars are now available on the ProTec Portal and P-Drive!

• Hourly employees, click here
• Salaried employees, click here

These calendars include all paydays and paid holidays for the year. Be sure to print one out to keep track of when you’ll get paid!

Safety First

by Tim Lampman

As we move into 2025, I’m pleased to share that we had a strong finish to 2024 in terms of safety. In December, we experienced only four minor incidents, none of which resulted in lost work time. This is a fantastic accomplishment, and I’m confident we can carry this momentum forward into the new year.

Let’s continue prioritizing safety by completing tasks the right way, using proper methods, and wearing the necessary personal protective equipment. Thank you all for your hard work and commitment. Here’s to a safe and successful start to 2025—let’s make it ProTec’s safest year yet!

A Safe Space is a Happy Place

by Neil Carey

We’d like to recognize Pedro Ortiz (260) for his commitment to staying engaged with our company’s safety communications. As a token of our appreciation, Pedro is receiving a small gift—a new impact tool, which couldn’t have come at a better time since his recently broke. This is just the first of many random Safety Gifts we’ll be handing out, so stay tuned! Click here to see what he got!

You may have noticed our weekly "Safety in Action" text messages every Tuesday. Why Tuesday? Historically, Tuesdays have seen the highest number of accidents and injuries at ProTec. These reminders are meant to reinforce that safety is about you and your coworkers getting home safely every day, so you can continue doing the things you love while staying healthy—it's just better that way, right?

Let’s make safety a priority by starting each day with the question: “What am I safe for?” This simple reminder helps us focus on what truly matters and why staying safe is so important.

Above & Beyond

by Mark Adams

Congratulations to Department 535 for earning the Above & Beyond Award! 🎉 Though small in size, this team is truly mighty, consistently going the extra mile and making a huge impact. Your hard work, dedication, and positive attitude do not go unnoticed, and we’re incredibly grateful for everything you contribute to ProTec each day. 🙌

Take a moment to celebrate this amazing team and click here to check out all the photos!

Dave's Success Tips: Identify what you want.

by Dave Rauch

Tip #56: Identify exactly what it is you want. This takes a lot of thought. Then don't let anything stand in your way of getting it.