Emily D’Urso

WinnResidential

By Leah Etling on Jul 5, 2012 in People

Anyone who has ever worked in onsite property management probably has a small arsenal of stories to share. But WinnResidential’s Emily D’Urso is the first mom we’ve met whose kids ask her to entertain them with tales of a property manager’s daily life.

“I had so many stories about things I had to fix or crazy residents. They have their favorite stories that they love for me to tell them over and over,” she told us during a recent interview at YASC DC. Her 6 and 8 year old will say: “Tell me the one about how you put the locks on the doors, or tell us the one about when the sewers backed up into people’s closets.”

Now an experienced business systems analyst for WinnResidential, D’Urso describes her first job out of college, working as an assistant property manager for five affordable properties in Boston, as “the most not boring job ever.” Though she took the position simply to be self-sufficient after finishing college, her onsite property management work turned out to be an entry point into the multifamily world, leading her to a fulfilling career doing what she loves. And it gave her a first-hand look at the challenges faced by on-the-ground property staff.

After moving up the property management ladder, her technical problem-solving skills were recognized during implementations of new technology, and she accepted a position in the systems department.  (WinnResidential’s merger with Lend Lease Real Estate, preceded by Lend Lease’s acquisition of Boston  Financial Group, brought D’Urso to the Winn team.)

WinnResidential’s multifamily portfolio includes 94,190 units across the United States, the majority of which are affordable housing. The company is known for its rehabilitation of historic structures, and has received numerous awards for turning decaying old buildings into newly vibrant affordable residences. The company also has commercial and military properties.

D’Urso describes her job as a translator of sorts between people and departments who might not always be successful at communicating clearly with one another.

“What I’m good at is figuring out what to do with stuff and understanding when people say ‘this is what’s happening,’ being able to figure out what that really means. What they say is happening and what they’re describing is seldom the reality. That seems to be where my aptitude is.”

D’Urso is also a problem solver, an essential personality trait for anyone in the IT world.

“I like to fix stuff, and I like to implement stuff. Give me a new piece of a program and let’s see what it does and figure it all out and make it work, or give me a puzzle that no one else can solve.”

She spends any free time in her schedule with her kids, though she admitted to us she has one secret guilty pleasure – left with an hour on her own, she’ll probably fit in a quick episode of “Real Housewives.” Now there’s an idea for a reality show – how about “Real Property Managers,” Bravo? It’s “the most not boring job ever!”