Michelle Czysczon joined the team at Latitude Commercial in April of this year, and in just a few short months she has turned into a critical part of the full-service commercial real estate company’s day-to-day operations. She serves as the team’s office manager, keeping her involved in almost everything Latitude does in both major and minor roles.
She also supports Latitude Cofounder and President Aaron McDermott by helping coordinate his schedule, sit-in on meetings, and acting as a liaison that keeps every team at Latitude connected. As an avid learner who is always looking to expand her toolset, it is a dream job.
“I’ve always been like, ‘What else? What’s next?’” she said. “As office manager here, I feel that I have the opportunity to learn the operations of the business, a little about sales, and a little about property management. As Aaron’s right-hand woman, I’m involved in every meeting that we have here. I get to be in the thick of it, in the middle of everything, and I love it.”
Prior to joining Latitude, Czysczon worked as a project manager for a commercial furniture retailer. She watched McDermott give a presentation about sales for the Crossroads Chamber of Commerce and saw an opportunity to establish a business connection, matching furniture with real estate.
“I saw him talk and thought, ‘Wow, Latitude would be a good place to give a talk explaining what the furniture business is all about and what we could offer,’” she said. “That’s how I was able to meet Aaron and the team here. A few months later, I saw that they were looking for an office manager. I loved the people I worked with, but there was no room for growth unless I moved to sales.”
What also helped grow Czysczon’s desire to move was a longstanding interest in real estate – a form of real estate that has hours that work for a mom of two middle school aged children.
“Real estate had always interested me, but residential wasn’t really my jam because I didn’t want to work nights and weekends, and that’s when they’re showing houses,” she said. “Commercial is more focused on regular business hours, so I applied and here I am.”
Czysczon is fully embracing her role and plans to earn her real estate license next year. That will allow her to contribute in even more ways and is something that Latitude encourages everyone on their team to accomplish.
“We have such a fun group of people, and it really stems from Aaron,” she said. “His leadership style is modeled on this book by a Navy captain – ‘It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy’ – where we’re all a part of this. If we all own our piece and all make feedback and give suggestions, we can keep getting better. This is all our ship; it’s all of our company. That’s how Aaron leads, and it’s our culture. We’re all a team.”
So far, Czysczon’s favorite part of the job is helping out in the various ways that directly grow the team. She plays a major role in the hiring process, and even conducts job interviews.
“I love being a part of the growth here, being a part of that conversation about where we’re going and how we get there,” she said. “For example, we’re hiring for a maintenance technician for our property management division, and I posted the ad for that, went through resumes, interviewed people, and will hopefully make a job offer soon. Bringing in successful people and knowing that I had a tiny part in taking us to the next level is exciting.”
Outside of work, family is Czysczon’s focus. Much of her time is spent taking her children to their various activities.
“My hobbies are driving them to activities and enjoying the things they enjoy,” she said. “I’m obsessed with them, they’re so much fun. Outside of that, I enjoy spin classes at the Y and I’m an avid reader.”
To learn more about Latitude Commercial and its team members, visit latitudeco.com.
