Living and working in a neighborhood with 100 years’ worth of history and glamor is not something Negri takes for granted. She has long been a cornerstone in the community, serving for several years as the Toluca Lake Homeowners Association (TLHOA) president. She also recently received a community service award from Toluca Lake Beautification Partners at the Celebration of Excellence Gala.
“All of us can help make Toluca Lake a better place to live by making a decision to contribute even in the smallest of ways,” Negri said in her acceptance speech. “Building a community like Toluca Lake is great, but community takes thought and effort to maintain after the structures are built. Community does not necessarily mean the buildings — it means the people. The people I have surrounded myself with have a mutual love of the places we live and work at here in Toluca Lake.”
Negri added that making a difference in the community could include picking up trash, cleaning in front of your house or business, or sponsoring a block party to get to know your neighbors.
“I hope you will join me in just doing one of these things that will make it a better place,” Negri says. “If we all do that, then we become a true community. The point is that we need to work together and inspire each other. TLHOA has a longstanding history of giving and contributions to our community.”
Like Toluca Lake, Negri’s SKY Properties started from modest beginnings. The company has evolved from “a one-office suite inside the Toluca Lake Tennis and Fitness Club” to an award-winning “boutique property management company with an emphasis on being a flexible and creative company that is able to think outside the box and get things done based on specific needs of our clients.”
Sky Properties’ clients range from local investors to Fortune 100 companies. Many of these close relationships have led to key referrals that have helped grow the company from managing 286 units to more than 5,000 units and 1.3 million square feet of commercial real estate.
“Through the years, SKY has successfully navigated the entire gamut of buildings and owners, and through these experiences, has refined our technique and identified what works best for us as a company and what best serves our clients,” Negri says.
One of the best strategies Negri has found in her business is staying humble and putting as much into the community as she and her business receive. “I think it is so important for management companies to engage in the conversation around where we live and work,” she says. “Our buildings and the communities they are in can dramatically affect finances. Also, so many things, from the neighborhood watch to the reporting of things happening in and around the community, need to be taken into account. Our community is the foundation of everything we do and see when we arrive at home or work.”