The Management Trust expands to Reno

The largest employee-owned community management company in the country is moving into the Biggest Little City.

The Management Trust, which manages more than 1,400 communities in California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado and Nevada, opened an office on Double Diamond Boulevard in South Reno, the company announced in late April.

Launched in 2005 in the Orange County city of Tustin, California, the company specializes in serving condo associations and homeowner associations.

“Reno’s an attractive market for us because of the great growth opportunity,” said Steve Vitali, president of the company’s Nevada division. “It’s a relatively small market, but it’s growing exponentially, with other businesses coming there, and with new builders and our partners bringing in new communities.”

Vitali said Reno has been on The Trust’s radar “for years,” dating back to 2011, when the company first started eying the Northern Nevada market for potential expansion.

The company, however, was in the midst of growing its operations in the Las Vegas area and “didn’t want to go in (to Reno) half-heartedly,” Vitali said.

“We wanted to make sure that when we did get (to Reno), that we service our clients to a level of expectancy that meets our standards,” he added.

Vitali said the Management Trust’s expansion into Northern Nevada began when Toll Brothers awarded management contracts for their Reno-area communities to The Trust. Soon after, community management contracts from D.R. Horton Homes and Bates Homes followed.

“We’ve been growing by leaps and bounds since we’ve done that,” Vitali said.

The company hired Katy Miller to serve as its Reno office manager. Miller had previously worked with Toll Brothers, which recommended her to The Trust.

“A lot of what we do in the industry is relationship-driven, and that’s how we found Katy,” Vitali said.

Last March when the pandemic shut down the country, Vitali said The Trust, like many companies, “braced for the worst.”

“We anticipated that home sales would decrease, and we anticipated growth would slow down,” Vitali continued. “And, in fact, the opposite happened. We were busy the entire time.”

Vitali said the company “didn’t miss a beat” after it sent everyone home to work remotely. In fact, he credits The Trust’s expansion into Reno to being accustomed to operating remotely.

“Having Zoom and a phone system that allows us to talk to each other and software that allows us to message each other really made it a great opportunity for that expansion,” he said.  “Our goal is to be the largest management company there.”

Vitali said the company is looking to hire at least two more employees for its Reno office within the next month and “continue to add employees as we grow.”

In all, the Management Trust has 550 employees across all of its locations and generates $135 million in annual revenue, according to data and insights firm Dun & Bradstreet.