Robert Podlesnik

Yardi

By Leah Etling on Jul 31, 2012 in People | 2 Comments

There probably aren’t too many people out there who can say they met their significant other at a Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference. Robert and Deidre Podlesnik are among them.

The Podlesniks happened to be in the same line for dinner at the Doubletree in Santa Barbara, Calif. back in 2001. He was a consultant, and she worked for a Yardi client.  Fast forward 11 years, and they have two kids, ages 6 and 3, and live and both work for Yardi in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Robert is the Director of Canadian Operations for the Professional Services Group, which handles software implementations for Voyager International clients. With a background in on-site property management, he finds his work to be a little less dramatic than condo operations, where he literally put out fires (in a condominium building hallway) and was twice threatened with fisticuffs by residents.

“People get emotional with their homes. With that, you have to be able to manage those emotions and keep these people in check. I think I was able to carry those experiences into the Yardi world, where you’re dealing with clients who get emotional about their software implementations. I’ve learned over the years – no matter what situation you’re in, you can brainstorm a solution. Keep an open mind, be calm about it, and work toward the end goal.”

Robert heads up a team of 10 consultants and project managers in the Canadian office, who handle standard service and full service implementations. Yardi’s software has been customized to meet the specific needs of specific Canadian market niches, including Canadian social housing, which is similar to the affordable vertical in the U.S. market. Yardi Voyager International makes multifamily property management easier for companies around the world.

He loves the variety of his day-to-day job responsibilities and the Yardi employees and clients he works with.

“It’s fast-paced, I really enjoy dealing with client projects and the big picture of getting clients implemented on the Voyager system and dealing with some of the challenges that come with that. I like being part of the face and voice of Yardi and being on the front line with clients. The people at Yardi are awesome to work with.”

His out-of-office passion is baseball. A fan of the game over any particular teams – though he’s partial to the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers – Robert has visited 16 of the 30 ballparks in the U.S. and Canada and plays slow-pitch. A former youth coach volunteer for Ontario provincial teams, he looks forward to coaching his own children if they take up the sport someday.

Road trips to the many ballparks around the U.S. have been one of his lifetime travel priorities. Favorite stadiums include Fenway Park in Boston, for its historic value, Wrigley Field in Chicago, for its cool atmosphere, and for the new and modern experience: Jacobs Field in Cleveland and Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas.

On his next baseball vacation, he’d like to visit the new Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009. But really, he’d be happy seeing any game.

“I could watch two random teams just play. If it’s a great atmosphere, I just get caught up into that,” Robert told us.