From Car Crash to 15,000 Doors: The Ari Soroka Story | Property Management Secrets Revealed

What does a tractor-trailer accident on the 401, a janitorial background, and a love of magic have in common? They all shaped one of Ontario's most respected property management leaders. 🎩✨ In this episode of CTRL, Miryam Scanga sits down with Ari Soroka, VP of Nadlan-Harris Property Management — managing 15,000+ doors across Toronto, Ottawa, and Niagara — for a raw, insightful, and genuinely fun conversation about what it really takes to thrive in condo management. 💡 What you'll learn: Why Ari says his company isn't a team — they're a family The manager shortage crisis and a bold long-term fix How AI is already changing condo communications The secret communication technique Ari teaches all his managers Why 97.5% of communication is non-verbal (and how to use it) The one piece of advice every growing PM firm needs to hear ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Intro & Ari's background 0:48 – Expanding beyond the GTA to Ottawa & Niagara 1:37 – How Ari got into property management (the tractor-trailer story) 2:35 – Rising from condo manager to VP 3:44 – What the VP role actually looks like day-to-day 4:45 – Creating a fun, happy workplace (yes, Spider-Man is involved) 5:30 – Ari the professional magician 🎩 6:10 – Knowing your staff as individuals — the secret sauce 7:35 – Manager shortage: the door-to-manager ratio problem 8:48 – The two-pronged formula to attract & retain managers 9:08 – Why unit count matters more than corporation count 12:53 – Hand-holding residents vs. managing 400-unit buildings 16:47 – Why young boards are changing the game 18:22 – AI in property management — ChatGPT for AGM notices 20:23 – The 3 classic condo complaints (pets, noise, parking) 22:15 – Communication as a competitive advantage 23:02 – "Ignoring someone says: you don't exist" 25:00 – 97.5% of communication is non-verbal — here's what that means 26:38 – The power of the pause technique (live demo!) 32:39 – Resident & owner expectations — and how to manage them 36:00 – Visual notices in elevators: a smarter approach 39:10 – Revenue streams & Condo Control 40:00 – Chairing 100 AGMs a year (for free) 41:08 – Word-of-mouth growth: from 60 to 115 corporations 44:28 – Advice for growing property management firms 46:55 – Exit interviews: how to learn from losing a client 50:56 – Rapid Fire: coffee, meetings, blood/fire/flood & more 53:36 – The most heartwarming answer to "what do you wish you'd done earlier" 📌 Subscribe for weekly conversations with leaders reshaping condo & community management.