BOMA San Diego

Leadership Spotlight featuring Renato Vazquez

Friday, February 23, 2024
by: Melanie Bamba Milinkevich, President of BOMA San Diego + Chief Operating Officer of RSI Roofing

Section: Leadership Spotlight

Send

Renato Vazquez currently serves as BOMA San Diego’s Vice President and Chair of the Government Affairs Committee, in addition to his day job as an Asset Manager for Kilroy Realty.

Renato’s real estate property management experience includes the management of Class A high-rise and mid-rise office, Industrial, and Retail properties in San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles Counties. He is a graduate of the Chapman University, Argyros School of Business and Economics, with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration with an Emphasis in Marketing, Finance, and Entrepreneurship.

Read below to learn more about Renato:

BOMA San Diego: You have had one of the quickest ascents to the BOMA Executive Board since your transfer down to San Diego! What advice would you give to property managers on why they should be involved with BOMA?

Renato: BOMA is a great opportunity to meet like minded people in the industry who have a passion for what we do. I think I can speak for a lot of the BOMA members when I say that our respective jobs are more than just a 9-5, and we all have a higher level of passion and commitment for what we do. The great thing about BOMA is that depending on your current career situation, there are several reasons to get involved.

If you are newer in the industry, or work for a smaller company where you do not have a lot of local resources, BOMA can be a great opportunity to network and meet other managers or vendors that can help you along your career path. If you have more tenure, BOMA is a great opportunity to help teach others about our industry and help guide the next generations of leaders in our industry. There truly is something for everyone.

BOMA San Diego: In that same token, how do you justify your volunteer involvement to your employer?

Renato: I justify my BOMA membership to my employer by taking advantage of my membership as much as possible. I am mindful of attending as many educational events as possible, and when I do I go back to my employer and provide notes on topics discussed and items learned. I am also strategic in involving my employer in my gameplan for the year, and walking though how I plan to ensure that my job duties are always the top priority, and that my involvement does not impact those priorities negatively.

BOMA San Diego: We always joke that you have “Emerged” from being an Emerging Professional due to your tenure in the industry – what advice do you have for today’s generation of Emerging Professionals on how to succeed in their careers?

Renato: The biggest advice I can give to the current generation of Emerging Professionals is to be open to learning as much as possible from their peers and people that have experience in the industry. I always like to tell people that you can learn from both the good and bad that you see in others. One of the best things about our jobs is that we get to be mini entrepreneurs when running our properties. For most of the things that we do on a daily basis there are no right or wrong answers, but instead different solutions to any given problem. And the best way to improve is by learning from other people’s points of view and experiences and using what you learn to become the best version of yourself that you want to be.

BOMA San Diego: Renato, I know you to be incredibly hard working, patient, and levelheaded – have you always been this way in your career or have you learned anything over the years that helped you become the leader that you are?

Renato: I don’t know if I have always been this way, but it is something that I have always strived hard to be. In our roles, when there are problems that arise people look at us for answers, and I believe that if your team sees you panic, then they will begin to panic as well. When faced with any situation I try to look at all of our options and work together with my team to problem solve the best solution possible. Even if a mistake is made, as long as there was a thought process and logic to the solution, we can always go back and figure out how we could have done things better.

I read a leadership book once which spoke about always trying to keep your emotions middle of the road regardless of a situation. To never to get yourself too high when something good happens, or too low when something bad happens. Others will mirror your emotions, so staying grounded will teach them to do the same. Don’t get me wrong, it is good to celebrate big wins, and to learn from mistakes, but in my opinion, you can’t dwell too long on those wins or loses. It is ok to go though those emotions at the moment, but then try and figure out how that experience is going to make you a better leader.

BOMA San Diego: When I look at the Executive Board, it is probably the most diverse that I have ever seen in the decade that I have been involved with not just BOMA San Diego, but also in the last few years of attending BOMA International events. What do you think we can do to keep that trend going?

Renato: I think the best we can do is capitalize on this renewed energy by asking people what they want to get out of BOMA. The more that we are discussing topics that speak to the general population the more they will want to be involved. I think we need to continue to engage our members and ensure that their input is always what is driving our events.

BOMA San Diego: You are also a family man, husband to Lupe, father to Olivia, Natalia, Emilia, with a baby boy on the way! What do you do to balance work life and family life?

Renato: I am a big Kobe Bryant fan, and there was something that Stu Lantz recently said that really stuck with me as he was introducing Vanessa Bryant at Kobe’s recent statue unveiling ceremony.

“I guess there still is a saying: Behind every great man, there’s a great woman. No. Beside every great man, there’s a great woman.”

I honestly would not be where I am in my career without Lupe. I don’t consider myself being great by any measure, but if I hope to be there someday, I will not be able to do it unless I have Lupe by my side. I am able to balance work life and family life because of her, and words can not describe how grateful I am for her.