When it comes to mastering the art and science of customer service, some people have that gene and others don’t; Crystal Deley has it in spades. For more than 30 years, she has focused on providing incredible service in the condominium management market by always going the extra mile for clients. In 2000, Deley bought into Accredited Condominium Management Services (ACMS) Ltd. and within six years she had bought her partner out to become the sole owner of the business. Since taking over the company, ACMS has grown the portfolio by 600 per cent within Calgary and the surrounding area, with corporations ranging in size from small to large. The management company expertly handles the needs of approximately 7,000 doors.
“I can’t believe this is our 30th year in business,” says Deley, president and owner of ACMS. “My old partner opened the doors in 1994 and I’ve been with the company just over 24 years now. It has really flown by. I think what I love most about it is you’re always learning, there’s always something new to keep you plugged in.”
And Deley is completely plugged in to all aspects of her business as she works tirelessly on behalf of both the condominium owners and the industry as a whole, all while supporting the community through charity initiatives like ACMS’s annual golf tournament. Over the last five years ACMS has raised more than $91,000 for various local charities.
Community is important at ACMS and Deley is involved in the greater community and the business community alike. She is a founding member of one of the two Calgary chapters of the Women’s Presidents Organization, an international peer advisory membership organization of female CEOs, presidents and managing directors of privately held companies that aims to promote the advancement of female entrepreneurs across various sectors and industries. These dynamic and diverse women business leaders from around the world meet monthly to tap into collective insight with exclusive access to entrepreneurial equals, innovative ideas and executive education.
Within her industry, she is just as high-powered. Deley is the co-founder and vice president of the new National Association of Condominium Managers which was established to educate, standardize and certify specialists in the field across the country. On top of that, Deley has been the chair or board member of a number of organizations including the Association of Condominium Managers of Alberta, the Institute of Real Estate Management and she is a past president of the Real Estate Institute of Canada.
Additionally, she has served on the Condominium Advisory Board to Service Alberta to stay abreast of changes to the Alberta Condominium Property Act. She also served on the Steering Committee to help establish the criteria for the governing committee for condominium managers and is one of the founding members for the Alberta Condominium and Real Estate conference. This conference offers education to condo owners to make them more informed and engaged board members, and this year marks the 10th annual convention that features six educational seminars to help board members understand what is required to manage their property. Over the years, her passion for and dedication to elevating the industry and the people working within it has earned her numerous awards and accolades.
“I’m really invested in the industry,” Deley says. “I put in a lot of volunteer time and I really keep myself connected to my industry so I know what is changing, what’s coming, and what’s good and what’s bad.”
This level of involvement is critical to the company’s success. With the industry becoming increasingly layered in different laws, the various Acts and legislation don’t always dovetail and it’s ACMS’s job to ensure clients are always operating on the right side of regulations. At times, new requirements have presented additional challenges to condominium managers as the provincial government’s licensing requirements for managers did a few years ago. It flipped the industry upside down and many companies folded while a number of long-time managers left the business.
“We suffered one heck of a staff turnover in the industry with the licensing in 2022 and it has taken me a while to stabilize the staff. I’m finally growing again,” she says, and she has a dedicated team of incredible employees who are as passionate as she is to move the company forward.
To provide the best advice and service to clients, Deley stays on top of developments that affect them and she advocates for the industry to ensure everyone’s interests are considered. Having a strong industry around them has made it possible for the ACMS team to do their jobs well, and that job is simple yet powerful: to shoulder the responsibilities attached to a condominium’s shared spaces. Clients know that if they contact ACMS, the team will have them covered.
When a property comes into the ACMS family, Deley assigns them a bookkeeper, an administrative professional and a property manager, and these three people are the condominium Board’s points of contact. The continuity of long-time clients dealing with the same long-tenured ACMS staff has helped foster strong relationships and turned the team into valued partners integral to achieving the efficient operation of the condominium properties.
With support from the whole team, ACMS is able to check every box for the condominium corporation, whether they are representing commercial condominium properties or residential high-rises or townhome condominiums. The team works on behalf of each individual owner in the condominium corporation through the elected Board of Directors to negotiate comprehensive insurance for the property, prepare legal and financial documents, advise the Board and assist with Board meetings and the Annual General Meeting, collect condominium fees and act as a go-between for the Board and individual owners. When there’s daily maintenance and upkeep or significant repairs to be done, ACMS gathers quotes from myriad vetted contractors and tradespeople to ensure it is done by quality companies for a good price. Deley has developed a very involved process of vetting the vendors to protect the corporations using the services. She insists that all vendors have workman’s compensation coverage and liability insurance to protect the condominium corporation and she asks for and thoroughly interviews three condo references to ensure the vendor is a good fit.
“We go to the board and say ‘yes, this vendor passed the pre-screening test and they are now vetted,’ and if they didn’t measure up to our standards but the board still wants to use them, they are listed as a vendor that can only work on that one site,” she says. “It’s a living, breathing list.”
She maintains a sophisticated database of vetted vendors that manages the 30 pages of service providers eligible to work for her clients who help make their properties run smoothly including plumbers, electricians, snow removal and landscapers, roofers, lawyers, investment and banking professionals, general handymen, insurance brokers and janitorial specialists. And in the case of an after-hours emergency, the ACMS team is always available to mobilize these vetted contractors to help handle whatever issues arise, day or night.
Clients trust in ACMS’s professionalism and experience to take care of the details so many opt to sign on to the Comprehensive Service package that covers the majority of management duties at the condominium. That way they don’t have to worry about what is and isn’t covered in the contract or rack up á la carte fees for uncovered add-ons. With this package, the team handles daily requirements like janitorial and grounds keeping as well as important occasional ones like developing clients’ annual budgets, assisting with board bylaws and policies, hosting meetings and presenting seminars to educate the Board and its members on important issues. This provides clients with incredible value and cost effectiveness while offering peace of mind that their property is in good hands.
“Imagine that you move into a condo unit and you have to take care of nothing. We can take care of everything so you have pretty much a carefree lifestyle,” she says.
Accredited Condominium Management Services takes pride in delivering that worry-free, carefree lifestyle for condominium owners and their Boards, and the team works hard to not only earn the trust and business of clients but to keep it for the long term. With 30 years under its belt and a staff of dedicated professionals continually going above and beyond for its growing clientele, it’s clear that ACMS’s reputation for integrity, cost-efficiency and service is setting the standard in the condominium management industry.
8, 11010 – 46 Street SE
Calgary, AB T2C 1G4
crystal@acms.ca | 403.253.7525
acms.ca
