Because people are at the core of Stream’s success, we’ve learned to identify the most talented individuals that contribute to our unique culture of service and leadership. As Stream continues to grow its business and people, we are taking this opportunity to spotlight our talented employees from all service lines, cities, and departments. These individuals are selected because they have had a significant impact on Stream, the commercial real estate industry and the local community.
For those that don’t already know her, we would like to shine a spotlight on:
Cyndi Murren, Property Manager at Stream Realty Partners in Denver. Cyndi is the Building Manager at the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center, which houses the State of Colorado Supreme Court, the State Appellate Courts, the State Attorney General, the State Court Administrator – Judicial Branch and several other State Judicial agencies.
Liz Sheff, COO at Stream Realty Partners best described Cyndi’s philosophy, “Cyndi is a best-in-class property management professional. She is service-centric and strives daily to balance the needs of tenants with those of owners. Stream is very fortunate to have her on our Denver team.”
Cyndi, how did you get started in Property Management (PM)?
I started out working as an Office Manager and Tenant Coordinator with Amerimar Realty Management Co. in Colorado and progressed in responsibility to become the Director of Tenant Services. I was with the firm for ten years, overseeing the day-to-day operations of two square blocks of mixed-use property located in downtown Denver. My responsibilities included landscaping and snow removal to janitorial and security.
You are based in Denver now, have you always worked in Colorado?
No, I relocated to California for two years—I loved the weather! I worked with the Trammell Crow Company (TCC now CBRE) on The Alhambra in the San Gabriel Valley and then on a property in Orange. The Alhambra was an interesting development with eleven separate buildings connected by underground tunnels. Some of the University of Southern California’s buildings were located there, a sort of mini campus.
The development’s claim to fame—Buffy the Vampire was filmed there.
So, what brought you back to Denver?
Following 9/11, I reassessed everything and decided to return to Colorado with TCC. My portfolio of properties continued to grow and quickly reached over 1M SF of office and industrial space located in downtown Denver, Golden, Aurora, Boulder and Centennial.
You left Property Management for a while, why was that and what did you do instead?
I got married and my husband said: “I never get to see you,” so I decided to become an Executive Assistant and worked at the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) for four years. After leaving the NWSS, I went to work as an Executive Assistant for Sue Anschutz Rodgers (who was a member of the Stock Show board).
Sue is good friends with Jane Goodall, so she frequently traveled to Africa. One of my job duties became tracking elephants after Sue helped put trackers on a small herd: I then used a program to make sure the elephants were moving around. If they were not, I alerted people on the ground in Africa to check on them. I worked with Sue for four years.
That sounds fun, what led you back to Property Management?
A friend from my PM years reached out to let me know about an exciting role with Stream Realty Partners. The job was to manage the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center—I applied right away, because I love managing unique buildings.
Can you tell us more about the Ralph L. Carr Judicial Center?
The 695,768 SF Ralph L. Carr Judicial Center has a court building with two Colorado State Appellate Courtrooms and one Colorado State Supreme Courtroom. The complex also includes a 12-story office building.
The office building houses state agencies including; the Office of the State Attorney General, Office of the State Public Defender, Attorney Regulation Office, several other State judicial agencies, and the Office of the State Court Administrator (the Owner of the building), as well as shared conference rooms, a Judicial law library, learning center and a fitness facility. The clientele is certainly interesting and the staff is wonderful.
The Center received LEED® Gold certification when it was built. Its sustainable features include efficient lighting and elevators, drought-tolerant landscaping and a green roof on the third level of the courthouse.
What guidance can you offer someone early on in their career?
Always keep the client well-informed. Remember that people expect and deserve great customer service. And, always be aware of what is going on across your projects—so you are prepared for any challenges the day may bring.
The day-to-day life of a PM is so varied. From accounting to customer service, relationship building to leasing, you never know what will come up…and there is no guidebook. Experience has helped me to succeed, to be prepared and to reach this level. You cannot circumvent experience.
Have you had a Mentor in your career?
My boss, Bernie Gottlieb at Amerimar Realty. He was the best mentor I ever had. He demonstrated a great dedication to client service for both tenants and owners, as well as employees, which I’ve carried throughout my career.
What career advice would you give someone just getting into Property Management?
First: Always remember who you receive your paycheck from.
Second: Take care of your fiduciary responsibility and minimizing liability; balance that with customer service and keeping your tenants happy. By doing these two things, you can manage just about any situation.