President Rodney Hilburn

 

This week's blog features our current Board President, Rodney Hilburn. Rodney brings his own brand and interpretation to the presidency at the St. Regis and we have all benefited from it. From the outset, Rodney's focus has been on the 'Quality of Life' issues for the building and her residents. When you have an older building in need of restorative work, it is would be easy to search for simple solutions and quick fixes to complex problems. However, Rodney takes the time to listen and consider a situation from all sides and as the Heritage Society stated to us at the grant ceremony, "restoring an older building takes a lot of time and patience". As a "hands on" type of a leader, he leads by example as a 'servant-leader'. He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, and for any job around the St. Regis that can improve the living conditions, he is ready, willing, and present here. Rather than just voicing opinions, he actively "shows up" at the site often, often bringing solutions in the back of his often-sighted El Camino. Listening to all sides, he tries to work using the team approach to solution-finding, vetting different solutions for each problem, one that is sensitive to different interests and points of view. We are a diverse group here, and trying to be sensitive to the needs of all points of view, whether it is the owner/occupants, the residents, or the investors, and to keep things flowing civilly is no small feat.

Accomplishments he (along with the Board including Lisa Chin, Karen McClory, Mercedes Julian, Bruce Peterson) have been instrumental in supporting include:

·         placement and hiring of our terrific new, On-Site Manager, Theresa Madrid

·         instituting a higher degree of maintenance personnel for help with interior/exterior cleaning

·         Ron, the handyman that is beginning the process of oiling and conditioning our interior doors, and help with the garden

·         Installing, along with our own resident, Dave Heitz, a stone-mason, the beautiful, new Retaining Wall on the lower patio to help with the erosion of the hill

·         personally delivering most of the bricks used on the wall

·         picking up countless necessary materials around the building

·         working with Jon and myself on the LB Navy Memorial Heritage Grant and will still involve several pending steps necessary (including getting the 'Certificate of Appropriateness' from the Historical Architect in order to replace and restore our new Front Door(including Appropriate Hardware)/Exterior Entrance Lighting and Concrete Restoration near the Second Place Entrances.

·         replacing all the old, aluminum and scuffed 'Transition Strips' on all floors with a more 'historically appropriate' oiled bronze shade of metal strips (listening to me "bug him" relentlessly about this)

·         helping to install a non-slip grit to the front steps

·         helping with the reduction and sealing of cracking concrete window sills

·         helping to begin the repair to our wrought iron fencing, including working with a welder to replace the missing and broken spikes at the top of fence at the entrance to the back patio

·         running over with his El Camino to pick up tables/furniture at Goodwill or some garage sale, or other far-flung sites, on the 'spur of the moment' because "quick, we found a great deal!"

·         searching for months with us until we found a deal on wrought iron patio sets for the beautiful new upper patio

·         and finally, being 'Johnny on the spot' with pop-up problems around the building including maintenance issues, tenant issues, etc.

Rodney’s focus on quality of life issues has helped to create an environment of greater satisfaction with safety and maintenance concerns. Long-term tenants, in turn, help us all make the St. Regis a safer, cleaner community.

Being the history buff and 'born and bred' Long Beachian that he is, Rodney's care for the preservation and respect for the history of the St. Regis, and the concern for the quality of life issues and the many souls that make their home here, make him an outstanding St. Regis President.

Thank you, Rodney Hilburn