Peter Bubel+ by | Jun 3, 2018 | Blog, Pennsylvania, Peter Bubel, Reading
A role in leadership can appear daunting. However, a skilled leader knows how to navigate the pitfalls and stay the course with the best strategy. Individuals bring different strengths to a team. A good leader knows how to coax team members into collaboration rather than competition. A capable leader unites the team around a shared vision or goal.
Leadership skills are useful in all walks of life. Some leaders are high up on the corporate ladder, leading teams of world-wide game-changers. Others are leading a team for an assigned group project. And still others are leading the family team. These principals work in different types of settings with different types of teams.
Cast vision. While each team’s situation will be slightly different, chances are there is an end goal in mind, a final outcome that will signify completion and success or failure of the project. An experienced leader directs the team and facilitates forward momentum. A singular sense of purpose emerges as people get on the same page.
Seek input. As cohesiveness grows, collaboration increases. Team members begin to cooperate with each other. Creativity flows freely. People open up and share their ideas. They learn to trust that another team member’s idea might be better than their own. An experienced leader takes part in the collaborative process and makes room for different points of view. He or she maximizes this time as an opportunity to keep the team on task, and yet make adjustment based on input from the team.
Transfer ownership. Gradually, and almost imperceivably, the team takes ownership of the project. They develop laser sharp focus and a drive to achieve the goal. Leaders know when to let go of the reigns to allow the team to run. Leading a team is like a dance requiring a balance of supervision and control with plenty of freedom for the team members to perform at their best.
A seasoned leader is able to rally a group of Individuals with unique personalities and experiences around a common goal. That same leader knows how to connect people in a joint effort, utilizing the strengths of each member and considering different plausible team suggestions. Leadership necessitates allowing the team members to shine; after all, they are the reflection of a truly great leader.
Peter Bubel+ by | Nov 16, 2017 | Blog, Peter Bubel, Reading
Every community has a unique connection to its people. Some towns rise up because of a local business supporting the workers, such as the aerospace industry. Other locations have rivers and tourist attractions that draw people in. Regardless of your community’s characteristics, being a local means that you should participate at the ground level. Getting involved in your community is simple with these basic tips.
Think About Your Passions
Getting involved in your community isn’t attractive unless you have a good reason to do so. Consider your passions before you volunteer for a group or task. If you love music, volunteer with the high school’s marching band. Help out the elderly at a local, nursing home. Volunteer at the library when you’re passionate about knowledge. Use your passion as a guiding force toward a volunteer position that puts the town first.
Give Time, Not Money
When you want to get involved, there may be worries about financial constraints. Being there for your neighbors isn’t a matter of giving out money. For the most part, local philanthropies and nonprofit businesses are lacking volunteers instead of funds. Help out with an event that includes booths at a nearby park. You might have a lot of time on your hands, which only improves the town through your efforts.
Support Local Businesses
Between volunteer activities, bring your shopping needs to the local businesses. Avoid chain stores and restaurants. Support those so-called “mom-and-pop” stores that have unique items for sale. You’re investing in the community when you buy from these businesses. They often have better customer-service skills than chain stores too. The generated revenues allow the businesses to expand and improve the community even more so than before.
Be a Board Member
Once you get involved in your community, you want to see that group or institution flourish. You no longer want to volunteer. Being a board member at the volunteer facility is your goal. Become a volunteer member so that you can improve the group’s functions within the community. Being in charge takes some time out of your schedule, but the results are incredibly satisfying.
Don’t be shy about your talents either. If you can sew, weld or perform other useful tasks, let your community leaders know. Your skills may come in handy during an upcoming project or town improvement. Lending a hand makes you feel good while lifting up your neighbors with regional pride.
Peter Bubel+ by | Aug 14, 2017 | Blog, PA, Pennsylvania, Peter Bubel, Reading, Sports, Travel
Reading, Pennsylvania (pronounced with a short E, for non-locals) is a destination for cyclists, pretzel lovers, and visitors to the Reading Pagoda. But it’s also a good town for sports fans. The two biggest teams in town are the Fightin’ Phils, a minor league baseball team, and the Reading Royals, a professional hockey team.
Fightin’ Phils
The Fightin’ Phils were established in 1967 in Reading under the team name Reading Phillies. They retained this team name until 2012, at which point they officially adopted the team name Fightin’ Phils.
The Fightin’ Phils hold four league titles (from 1968, 1973, 1995, 2001) and four division titles (from 1995, 2000, 2015, and 2016.) Their current manager is Greg Legg and their general manager is Scott Hunsicker. In 2007, the stadium saw its ten-millionth fan arrive for a game.
The Fightin’ Phils are not represented by one clear mascot. Their logo features either a P with a fist coming out of it or an ostrich with its wings held in fists. However, on the field they are represented by the Fightin’ Phils band, which is comprised of Screwball, a baseball-headed creature that plays the drums, Change-Up the Turtle, who plays the bongos, Blooper the Hound Dog, who formerly played tambourine but has since taken up the guitar, Quack the Duck, the singer, and Bucky the Beaver, who plays the electric bass.
Royals
The Reading Royals began in 1991 in Columbus, Ohio, under the team name Columbus Chill under the leadership of president David Paitson and coach Terry Ruskowski, formerly of the Chicago Black Hawks, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Minnesota North Stars. Before moving out Reading, they paved the way for professional hockey in Columbus, which now hosts the NHL team the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Well-known former players for the Royals include Yataka Fukufuji, ryan Finn, James Reimer, and George Parros. The Royals have held a past rivalry with the former Johnstown Chiefs (currently the Greenville Swamp Rabbits), the Elmira Jackals, and the Trenton Titans. Currently and are currently rivals with the Penguins-affiliated Wheeling Nailers.
The Royals made it into the 2017 playoffs, but were eliminated in the first round. The team was destabilized going into the playoffs, due to the unexpected firing of head coach Courville the day before qualifying.
The Royals are represented by a roaring lion in the team colors of purple, silver, and black.
Peter Bubel+ by | Jun 10, 2017 | Blog, Pennsylvania, Peter Bubel, Property, Property Management, Reading
There are a number of job opportunities out there, but what’s important is that when you do find a job, you like where you are. Property management is one such career that you could consider. It includes maintenance of buildings, overseeing the collection of rent, managing statistics for the properties which are under management, helping tenants move out, and essentially everything related to the rental of property.
Now, if you’re wondering whether this is the job for you, here are a few reasons why you should consider it:
1. You will be working with a variety of people
You will be working with clients, tenants, subordinates, supervisors, contractors and a number of other people. Here, you’ll be responsible for resolving conflicts, negotiating contracts and a number of other things. This will help you develop your people skills and give an edge to your professionalism. Also, by working alongside different people, there are great chances that you could run into someone who might have a major impact on your career.
2. Opportunities for growth
If you are a person who wants to take their business to the next level and keep advancing, property management is the right job for you. The property management field is growing with numerous opportunities in corporate sectors and field management. It is a great way to take your career to a higher position and keep progressing.
3. Rewarding income
Are you looking to make some good money? This is totally the industry for you! You’d be pleased to hear that property managers are paid really well. The average annual salary of a property manager ranges between $45,000 to $65,000. It can increase as you gain experience in the field and get more number of properties in your portfolio.
4. You won’t have to sit in your cubicle the whole day
This is the exciting part of the job. Who wants to sit at a desk for a whole 8 hours? Also, consider the health conditions that you’ll be exposing yourself to by doing so. You don’t have to worry about that anymore. In property management, you’ll be making visits to the sites in your portfolio, while also managing administrative tasks.
5. You don’t need any particular degree
You are probably worried whether you have a qualified degree for the job. Well, you don’t need a specific one as such. If you have good communication skills, morals and a good amount of motivation, you’re set to go! The company will be training you anyway.
Peter Bubel+ by | Apr 6, 2017 | Blog, Peter Bubel, Property, Property Management, Reading, Real Estate
Contrary to popular belief, the life of a property manager isn’t as glamorous as you think it would be.
In fact, the daily tasks of a property manager change so often and are spread across so many areas that it’s hard to pin down the exact definition of what a property manager does. For simplicity’s sake, it’s best to just think this: property managers do it all.
Pick a hat, any hat.
There are several aspects of a property manager’s day that are very typical. These include the simple office tasks that anyone within the real estate and management spectrum would do: responding to emails, answering phone calls, putting out any fires (hopefully only figuratively speaking), and meeting the needs of clients. Essentially, however, a property manager is responsible for the daily operations of a real estate investment. This investment could be a single home, an apartment complex, or several complexes.
Property managers are expected to handle everything from setting or adjusting rent costs, to calming an angry tenant. A successful property manager must be able to multitask and handle many different climates of conversation, including the difficult task of evicting tenants. While it may seem very cut and dry, a manager’s day is always full of the unexpected, and they must be able to tactfully handle every situation thrown their way.
Aside from collecting rent checks and maintaining a friendly atmosphere for tenants, property managers have quotas to fill. There are always goals in any management level of a company. Filing taxes and managing a building’s budget costs are large parts of the job that often go unnoticed as they don’t directly deal with tenants. Managers also often have pressures to secure a certain number of tenants for any given building. This will require the set-up of many showings, the review of many applications, and running all of the credit and background checks on tenants to secure their approval for residency.
All in a day’s work.
What many may not realize is that there are an infinite number of reasons that someone would call, email and need their property manager. This requires managers to act professionally but also to have a good sense of humor in order to get through the day.
A recent article on the subject recounts the busyness of a manager, stating, “We are busy, even when the residents don’t see it.” This says a lot about a property manager’s responsibilities and about how much work goes on behind the scenes.
If you think about it, your property manager is your sole point of contact for when you lose your keys or get locked out of your building, discover a leaky pipe or broken air conditioner, and when you have to make a formal complaint about a neighbor. It’s important to be kind to your property managers, as they have a ton of tenants that are likely calling or emailing about the same things.
Most importantly, property managers have a passion for people. While they may be up to their eyeballs in paperwork and applications, a good manager will always carve out time to take care of a tenant’s needs. The next time you see your property manager running around, give them a wave and a smile – it’s very likely that they are headed to handle something unpredictable and unexpected.
Peter Bubel+ by | Apr 1, 2017 | Blog, PA, Pennsylvania, Peter Bubel, Reading, Travel
The Pennsylvanian Pagoda: A History
In the early 1900’s, a businessman by the name of William Abbott Witman Sr., hired a father and son contracting team to design and construct a 5-story luxury hotel in the likeness of a pagoda. The location for this pagoda wasn’t in Japan or China, nor was it in a predominantly Asian country. This large pagoda structure was actually to be built in the United States, atop the beautiful mountains of Pennsylvania, in a small town named Reading.
Curious and charming, this Pennsylvanian pagoda still stands today, and has brought joy and tourism to Reading, PA for over 100 years. Even with its true history shrouded in rumors and legend, the Pagoda is one of Reading’s most recognizable buildings, rising 886 feet above the city. Although residents are now incredibly fond of the unique structure, its journey to popularity is what makes the Pagoda so intriguing and worth exploring.
Origins of a Landmark Uncovered
On August 10, 1906, a simple headline gracing the Reading Eagle started it all: “Reading to Have Japanese Pagoda,” the paper read. As mentioned above, William Abbot Witman, Sr. was the man behind this construction. Amidst outcries that Witman’s stone quarry business was defacing portions of Mt. Penn, Witman decided to construct the Pagoda atop his quarry and restore the faith of the locals. The project wasn’t completely founded in a pure-of-heart fashion, however. Witman was actually a mayoral candidate, and with his quarry business closing due to the amount of complaints surrounding it, he also saw the Pagoda as a way to win favor with voters.
The inspiration for the design still remains a bit of a mystery. James and Charles Matz, the father and son team Witman hired to take on the Pagoda project, are said to have played a big part in the design of the Pagoda. Rumor has it that Charles Matz used a photograph he acquired while on a tour of duty in the far east as inspiration. With no real proof on record, others have claimed the building was designed from an image in a book about the Shogun dynasty. In fact, records obtained from the Historical Society of Berks County reference a postcard, only perpetuating rumors of the true inspiration.
A Change of Hands and a Change of Plans
Sadly, Witman’s hopes of a mountaintop resort were crushed when he was denied a liquor license, seemingly in a political move by the local Judge. With the absence of a liquor license, Witman was unable to successfully open the resort, and the Pagoda suffered a foreclosure by the Farmer’s National Bank.
It’s at this point of the story that things start to get even more interesting.
The director of that same bank, Jonathon Mould, was facing difficult circumstances as the bank was on the brink of severe losses. Mould decided to purchase the failed Pagoda and its 10 acres of land to help save the bank. A year later, Mould and his wife sold the property to the city of Reading for $1. The sale was seen as a gift to the city and as an opportunity to improve Reading’s parks and boulevards initiative.
The Pagoda was immediately put under construction with many of the improvement projects, including the planting of 10,000 trees and the addition of running water and electricity, lasting for the next several decades.
Wartime Speculation
With the country in the midst of World War II in the early 1940’s, all of the improvements came to an end. The Pagoda was neglected for some time and was under threat of demolition as many, biased against the Japanese from the war, wanted nothing to do with Japanese culture. A debate on the design origins began, and although parts of the Pagoda were considered a safety hazard because of neglect, the Pagoda was saved by a team of Berks Countians that wanted to see the Pagoda repaired.
To save the reputation and future of the Pagoda, rumors began surfacing that the design was of Korean origin. This helped to cloud the truth behind the Pagoda’s design, inherently keeping the building safe from demolition.
The Fate of the Reading Pagoda
To this day, the city of Reading continues to care for the Pagoda; equipping it with a gift shop and restoring the facade of the building. There are many mysterious things about the Pagoda that still go unanswered, including the apparent Buddhist origins of its massive bell. Only adding the appeal, these mysteries are what make Reading’s Pagoda one of a kind. Full of interesting history and placed upon a beautiful plot of acreage, the Pagoda of Reading, PA is a landmark that can still be enjoyed today and is certainly one not to be missed.
