Close to the tenant

What qualities should the manager of a warehouse facility possess in the current market conditions?

They should be fast. The work of a manager is mostly about solving problems reported by tenants as quickly as possible. All the rest is quite obvious for managers.

Is this really the whole secret of success?

Apart from that they should be emphatic and available. So they have to be on the spot. We have had our own manager in our facility for many years and we do not outsource such services. Our manager is in direct contact with tenants. They are local people who are present in the facility every day. Tenants can talk to them every day. So we think that only in such a way can a manager create added value for all their projects.

What gives you the most satisfaction in this work?

A facility manager has to be a person who likes people, so I think that this is where they derive the most satisfaction from. Close relations with tenants are built thanks to their work. A facility manager must like the job.

How does the best manager of a warehouse in Poland chosen by tenants feel?

I think it is an even more significant prize because it was awarded not by a jury or specialists but by our tenants. This is great recognition. We really feel much appreciated.

I was under the impression that you were surprised when receiving the award?

Yes, we were – because we are not a large developer that builds 20 parks all over the country. We are not a developer who receives an award at every gala. We are a company that has been operating on a much smaller scale and is here competing with really large developers. So it was a surprise for us in this respect.

So you are first of all surprised?

Yes, we are. We are aware of the fact that we have good relations with tenants. However, we did not know that we are so good to deserve this kind of recognition.

You are the only company that decided to present the award to the entire team. Before this, the prize had always gone to one particular manager specified by name. What is the reason for this?

As a company we strongly identify with a project. Our philosophy is to be close to the tenant, not just to focus on signing one contract, selling the project and moving on to the next one. We only extend our projects, we keep them for a longer period of time, and the manager who is on the spot plays the most important role in the award. Furthermore, I believe that a facility manager who is employed by us in-house and who is also available non-stop has an influence on the success. I also believe that the success partly involves contact with the bookkeeping people, who are in direct touch with tenants. To sum up: the manager is the one who reacts to tenants’ needs first, but he or she has at least two or three people behind them, as well as an owner who identifies with the park and visits it often. This is the philosophy of our company, even though I do not claim that this differentiates us from large players because they might be doing the same. However, due to the fact that we operate on a smaller scale, we pay more attention to our project.

What are the most significant problems that a manager of a warehouse park has to face nowadays?

There is no such thing. We do not feel that there any major difficulties. I would have to rack my brains to answer this question in any way.