Michael Nacchio was having a regular evening at his apartment by doing normal chores and cleaning out the garbage. The next morning, as Nacchio got ready for work he realized that his wedding ring was not on his finger. He scanned the apartment up and down and realized that he must have thrown it in the trash last night. The only problem was, the garbage was expected to be taken out by the truck that morning.

He rantically ran down to his front desk and explained the situation to Planned’s Concierge, AJ Faeth. AJ quickly took action by contacting the building’s porter, Luis Giraldo, and the two worked together to quickly sift through the building’s trash to find the ring before the garbage truck came. After much digging, the two were able to find the ring and save the day for Michael.

Michael couldn’t be more grateful of the effort AJ and Luis made to make sure his ring was found, and we applud them both for their hard work.

AJ and Luis set an example of what it means to have the Planned difference. They displayed our core values of Never Being Complacent and Exceptional Customer Service by doing whatever it takes to improve the life of our tenants and residents.

What the two also showed was the power of having multiple services working in your building. With AJ and Luis being under the Planned umbrella, they were able to contact each other and work as a team to achieve a common goal together. The familiarity of having Planned associates working multiple services is what allowed them to get in contact with one another and find a fast solution.

We are so proud of this team and thank them for their dedication to service!

PARSIPPANY, NEW JERSEY – March is Women’s History Month – a period to highlight the contributions of women in society. At Planned Companies, Susan Gessler is one of the cornerstones of New Jersey’s fastest-growing real estate services providers. The company operates in 11 states across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, San Francisco and Southern regions.

In an organization with 4,300 associates, Susan keeps things moving smoothly. Gessler’s official title is Executive Assistant, though her contributions, by all accounts, make her one of the most respected and valuable employees at Planned Companies.

“I learned early on, it isn’t enough to be indispensable,” said Susan. “You have to be uniquely indispensable and be the type of teammate that no one can do without having. Along the way, I have learned how to become a well-rounded employee who does whatever is necessary to make things run smoothly.”

“Susan does so much to help so many people at this company,” says Planned Companies CEO Robert Francis. “She is so valuable to our entire team. She knows the inner workings of Planned Companies so well and has a wonderful way with connecting with people, which goes a long way in a customer service industry like ours. Her ability to link our teams to what they need across the company in a quick, logical and effective way is unmatched.”

It Started As a Temp Job

Susan’s career at Planned Companies began in 2005, and in the ensuing 16-year period, the company has grown exponentially through and increase in numbers of clients and an ever expanding list of services – maintenance, concierge/front desk and security as well janitorial, the hallmark service Planned Companies was founded on.

When Susan arrived to work at Planned, the company was much smaller and very much a mom-and-pop company, based in small office space above a bank branch in Essex County.

Susan herself was in a state of transition, having left two different New Jersey universities. “I tried studying elementary education and psychology,” Sue says. “I even thought about cosmetology school. There was something about Planned Companies that just felt right. I liked working here and I did well at the jobs I was assigned.”

Right Place at the Right Time

Though she did not realize it at the time, Sue’s timing worked in her favor.

Robert Francis, the great grandson of the company founder, had taken over as CEO shortly before Sue arrived. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, Francis was implementing formal corporate practices into Planned. Dino Iuliano, now Planned’s Chief Revenue Officer, had joined the company in 2003 as Vice President and added Security and Lifestyle Services to the company’s menu of offerings.

Business was booming – and Sue’s organizational skills helped keep things moving smoothly.

“I worked closely with both Rob and Dino and got to learn the inner workings of the company that way,” Sue says. “It forced me to be on my ‘A’ game.”

Sue also realized that she was one of the few women in a heavily dominated male industry. Fortunately, she found a kindred spirit in Marjorie Francis – Rob’s mother and wife of previous CEO, Michael Francis.

“Marjorie is a real strong woman, who stands up for herself and doesn’t take any guff from the men,” Sue said. “She set an example for me and showed that I could kick butt too, if that was needed to get something done.”

Running Things at ���Ҵ�ý, too

Susan balances her work for Planned Companies with her responsibilities as a mother to her 8-year-old son, Stephen.

“The same skills I employ to help keep things running smoothly at the company are the ones I use at home, too,” said Susan, who lives in Little Falls, New Jersey. “Even when it is a tough day at work, I know I have to stay strong at home. It can seem like a lot at times, but we make it work.”

When other younger women and single moms join Planned Companies, often Susan is the person who provides support and mentorship.

“In a male-dominated industry, women must support other women,” Susan says. “Glass ceilings are breaking down every day, and we must lift each other up and help each other succeed.”

The Pandemic Made a Tough Job Tougher

Susan Gessler’s job was always busy. Then came the pandemic – and the work at Planned increased immeasurably.

As an essential company, Planned Companies had 4,100 associates who could not work from home. Personal protective equipment needed to be acquired and distributed. Client buildings needed to be cleaned and disinfected. Webinars were scheduled to help industry partners cope with the changes that were happening in the world.

Through it all, Susan has persevered. “We don’t know how Sue Gessler does what she does,” Iuliano says. “But we are really glad she is on our team. She is a Superwoman.”

Part of a Growing Corporation

During her career at Planned Companies, the company has expanded tremendously. No longer are headquarters on the second floor of a bank branch. Planned Companies is now based in a sprawling corporate building in Parsippany.  The current building, in addition to serving as a base of corporate operations, houses a 2,000 square foot training facility to educate new associates on best practices.

The company currently serves more than 1,000 residential and commercial properties – a number that may jump immeasurably as the company expands its territories across the Southeast regions.

Through it all, Susan Gessler has a large hand in almost every area of the company.

“Sue is such a special colleague to so many of us at Planned” Francis said. “I am so proud to call her a coworker and a friend.”

More information about Planned Companies can be found at www.���Ҵ�ý.com.

About Planned Companies

With more than 100 years and four generations of experience, Planned Companies has become one of the fastest growing and most respected real estate service providers within the industry. Planned provides industry leading janitorial, maintenance, concierge/front desk and security services to a wide array of clients across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, San Francisco and the Southern regions to over 1,000+ residential, corporate, commercial and retail properties. For more information on Planned Companies, call 1-888-706-8600 or visit www.���Ҵ�ý.com.

After taking the team through the new hires and promotions from Q3, Rob turned his attention to the lesson of the day “10 Ways to Engage and Empower Your Workforce.” From investing in your employees to recognize a job well done, Rob laid out the ground work for how a successful company, like Planned, can celebrate a growing workforce, ultimately leading to higher rates of employee retention.

In tradition with our Q1 Town Hall, Rob introduced the third lesson from Admiral McRaven’s 10 Life Lessons from SEAL Training: Respect Everyone. In this lesson, the Admiral preaches that it’s not the size of the person that matters, but the size of their heart and determination. “

Next up was Sales and Marketing, and Chief Revenue Officer Dino Iuliano presented the Keys to Success, from the perspective of the Business Development Team. “We wouldn’t be able to here today if it wasn’t for all of you,” he explained. From the Ops/HR/Finance and Admin teams creating a product, to marketing getting the word out, to the sales department building and maintaining relationships, our keys to success are a group effort.

Digital marketing managers Nick Carlson and Vincent Ranieri unveiled Planned TV, a new YouTube-based show designed to educate and entertain property managers. The official launch will be as soon as October 2019 and will include interviews, road trip information and much more.

After a break for lunch, the teams split into groups of seven and eight for the team building portion of Q3 Town Hall. Compromised of different activities including trivia, painting, lego building, branding, and racing, the team spent time getting to know each other while participating in the challenging exercises.

By 3:15pm the event wrapped up with closing statements by Rob Francis thanking our team members for participating and giving their all day in and day out as Planned Companies keeps growing with our core values in mind: Integrity, team work, exceptional customer service and never being complacent.

Below are additional pictures from the event:

One way Planned gives thanks back to their employees is through the annual Spa Day at their corporate offices. This year, Spa Day fell on August 1^st and employees, new and tenured, were looking forward to the event.

“This will be my first Spa Day, and I am excited to see what the event is about as well as getting the time to relax and unwind,” said Vincent Ranieri, digital marketing manager with Planned since February 2019.  In all markets, Spa Day ran from 8:30AM to 12:30PM and consisted of manicures and chair massages.

Our VP of Human Resources, Catherine Bruno, emphasizes the much-needed break the event provides, “Spa Day is a favorite annual tradition at Planned Companies.  It’s a day dedicated to relaxation and fun with the team. It’s a much deserved break and we look forward to it each year!”

Nancy took a misstep while at work in November 2018 and wound up with a broken kneecap, painful surgery and months of recovery and physical therapy. In her role as a concierge, she spends a lot of time on her feet, greeting residents and guests and accepting packages – sometimes up to 100 a day. Being able to walk and stand are essential requirements of her job.

While Nancy was recuperating from her accident, she committed to using her time away from work to make sure she was up-to-date on medical appointments such as her annual physical and mammogram.  Although Nancy has always tried to prioritize her healthcare, like many busy people, day-to-day life activities including work, family and household duties, consume a lot of time, and routine medical appointments can easily be overlooked in our busy lives.

She was able to complete her appointments shortly before her scheduled return to work in March. When doctors reviewed her mammogram results they saw something suspicious and ordered a biopsy. The biopsy revealed something that Nancy would have never imagined —  she had breast cancer. With a quick turnaround on March 20, Nancy underwent a lumpectomy, returning to work a little more than a week later.

While many people would consider her initial injury that put her off work to be bad luck, Nancy sees it differently. “That fall was a blessing. If I hadn’t been laid up I might not have found the time to take care of my medical needs. I believe everything happens for a reason, and that fall saved my life.”

Nancy is extremely appreciative for the support she received from her Planned family during what she describes as a difficult year emotionally. She’s especially grateful for Planned’s Human Resources team who encouraged her to apply for a FirstService Relief Fund grant to assist with some of her bills related to her cancer diagnosis.

“I couldn’t ask to work for a better company. Everyone was so wonderful to me and helped ensure I was treated by the very best doctors,” said Nancy. “My advice to anyone facing a hardship is to talk to your HR team, they care and are there to help you. It can be hard discussing personal issues with people you work with, but they are able to hook you up with resources to help, such as the FirstService Relief Fund.”

She added, “If you take away one thing from my story, ladies, remember this: Get your mammograms! Nothing is more important than your health and wellbeing and, with breast cancer, early detection is so important.”

We are grateful Nancy agreed to share her story with us and wish her all the best as she continues her cancer treatments.

If you are facing personal hardship we encourage you to consider the FirstService Relief Fund. And if you are able to donate, please consider doing so. Every dollar donated goes to help our people in need, and no amount is too small.

The spread was delicious, featuring hot wraps, French toast, eggs, bacon and orange juice. As associates gathered to enjoy breakfast, our CEO Robert Francis stood amongst the team and said a few words:

“When we take the time to get together as a team, especially to get to know one another at a deeper level in another setting, it is time well spent.  Our Mother’s Day breakfast, just like our upcoming Father’s Day event, allows for our team to recognize that we have families and friends who value us just as much as our business colleagues.”

We are proud to announce that because of the event, we were able to raise over $216 through a 50/50 raffle. $108 dollars was matched by the company and graciously donated to our Employee Relief Fund.

As an immigrant from Ghana and holding tradition and culture dear to his heart, Emmanuel assumed the role as head of the family household when his father passed. Bearing great responsibility to not only provide for his family, it was also his duty to fund a celebration of life ceremony on the one-year anniversary of his father’s death. Not only did he carry the financial burden, Emmanuel also had to coordinate the ceremony in a country 5,000 miles away!

However, fortunately for Emmanuel, Planned’s parent company, FirstService Corporation, was able to step in and provide support through their FirstService Relief Fund, which assists employees  in times of financial struggle.

“Losing my father was a big blow for me and my family. It’s easy to let a hardship get you down, but I want people to know that there is help available, and even when things seem very bad, they will get better,” explained Emmanuel.

100% of money donated to the FirstService Relief Fund goes to help employees, franchisees and employees of franchisees who are facing financial hardship immediately after a natural disaster or an unforeseen personal hardship. And the Fund relies primarily on individual donations from these same individuals, which is why every contribution helps and every dollar makes a difference.

As the saying goes, “your greatness is not what you have, but what you give”- with that said, THANK YOU to all of those that donated and to FirstService for organizing this effort.

Interested in learning more, please visit .

The Living our Core program provides culturally continuous opportunities to recognize and reward our associates that demonstrate the Planned Core Values: Integrity, Exceptional Customer Service, Teamwork, and Never Being Complacent.

We would like to congratulate the employees who have gone above and beyond for our clients, their team, and themselves:

“Good Afternoon Reuel, first let me say what a pleasure it was to meet with you and Freddys this morning.  Thank you for taking the time to stop by and answering my questions regarding the upcoming renewal. I want to let you know what great workers you have to represent your company in Yesenia and Guadalupe.  I have broken down my observations of them in 4 categories: (comments apply to both women)

Integrity:

Both ladies are extremely honest and trustworthy.  Because of these traits I can leave my office door open, purse under the desk and lock box in the drawer and not once worried about its security. They come to me when they have made a mistake and will do whatever it takes to correct it.

Performance:

These ladies clean all common areas of two buildings, several trash rooms, at least four common area rest rooms and do it all with a smile, professionalism and humility.  The result is extremely clean areas that smell wonderful!!

Complacency:

There is absolutely no complacency with these two dynamos; they continuously make suggestion on how my staff and I can improve.  As a matter of fact, both have been trying to teach me Spanish, so I can communicate with them better.  A person that is willing to share their knowledge is one of the best to be around, they are eager to learn from me as I am from them.

Going the extra mile:

I can’t say enough about these ladies; going the extra mile doesn’t even express what they truly do every day.  Yesinia will even start the coffee for me and the staff in morning, and she is not required to do that.  That speaks volumes to her feeling apart of the team, as she and Guadalupe are not just a part of the team they are Watson Place family!

If these ladies are an example of the staff, you have developed at Planned Building then you have been successful in fulfilling your company’s mission and vision.”

Marsha Owens, FMP

General Manager

3900 Watson Place Cooperative

Here’s what her Operations Manager, Stephen Simpkins had to share:

“Earlier this summer, while Rasheeda was on duty at 125 S. 9th St., there was an explosion in the sub-basement that caused the building to lose power.  As Rasheeda was attempting to call the on-duty maintenance employee via handheld radio for assistance, he (the maintenance employee) entered the main lobby of the building with his clothes and skin on fire from the explosion.  Rasheeda, with the help of a building tenant, extinguished the fire, rendered first aid and called the ambulance.  Once the EMTs arrived, Rasheeda assisted with the building evacuation.  Her actions were in keeping with the highest standards of Planned Security Services and Planned Companies.”

We’re proud to have Rasheeda on our team. Her bravery, quick thinking skills and ability to work under pressure has raised the bar for exceptional customer service!

The Dunk Tank

During the highlighted part of the day, we had a dunk tank set up in which a few of our team members (including Rob Francis, our CEO, Dino Iuliano, our CRO and Danny Reilly, Director of Business Development for NJ/PA, and more!) volunteered to sit and get dunked in water for 30 minutes each. We collected 1.00 dollar per baseball thrown from any associates. Overall, we collected over $260.00 to put toward our Employee Relief Fund!

Big thanks to everyone in our culture committee as they planned an outstanding event. Thanks to everyone who came out and joined in on the fun.  Also, our biggest thanks go to all of our employees for all of your hard work on a day-to-day basis and for always showing up and making a difference!

July’s Winner

This month, we’d like to share our LOC winner, Talisha Wynn. Here’s what her Operations Manager, Todd Geoghan, had to say about her:

“I would like to bring to your attention the outstanding service Talisha Wynn delivered on Tuesday, July 3, 2018 at 301 Carnegie Center. A motor vehicle accident occurred mid-morning at the Carnegie Center/Route 1 traffic light that propelled one of the vehicles onto the property and nearly into the fountain. Talisha, without hesitation, responded immediately to the vehicle and found the driver unconscious. Knowing her duty and understanding that “safety first” is a priority, Talisha put the driver’s vehicle in park and turned the still running engine off. She then waited with the driver, in the oppressive heat that day, until the police department arrived on scene. Needless to say, Talisha exceeded Hilton’s expectations that day, and that driver was extremely fortunate Talisha was on duty that day! We are grateful for Talisha’s exemplary service on July 3rd, and every day at 301 Carnegie Center!”

Talisha’s courage and fast response to this local incident may have saved the lives of those involved. It’s selfless acts like this that show how Planned Companies associates can and will go above and beyond their duties.

Big thanks to Talisha and all who were nominated for their hard work and efforts towards enhancing the quality of life of the clients and residents that we service. You’ve raised the bar by continuously delivering on our service promise and our Core Values. We know that your efforts will inspire those around you, both guests and colleagues. Keep up the great work!

“Very few people have the work ethic Karen Collado has. She is the ultimate team player. She has shown true leadership within a short amount of time. From call-outs to training new team members, Karen is always willing to lend a helping hand. She has helped cultivate the winning attitude at the Valley and Bloom site and ushered in a culture of team work throughout the property. She has earned the respect of her co-workers and management. She truly cares about her job and has strong work ethics. She is a good role model, on how every Planned employee should carry themselves on a day to day basis.”