When Phil Rapoport found his way into commercial property management in the 1980’s, he brought many of the things he had learned in hotel management with him. At the time, this was considered quite revolutionary, if not a little nonsensical. His bosses were hesitant about a tenant feedback survey, much like the comment cards left in nearly every hotel in America.
Why, his bosses wondered, would we leave ourselves open to criticism in that way?
This “hear no evil” attitude has been exactly what Phil has worked to eliminate from the commercial properties he has managed, including San Francisco’s Pyramid Center, where he currently serves as the General Manager.
After graduating from the University of San Francisco, Phil had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. A trip to Hawaii with his family inspired his career in the hospitality world. Phil could not, however, have imagined that his management of hotels would lead him today to be the GM of one of San Francisco’s most recognizable monuments. He made it this far because he acknowledged the importance of the little things, and continues to imbue his management team with similar values. These little things are what truly distinguish Phil from the stereotypical landlord.
Side note: We received an exclusive tour of the Trans America building, San Francisco’s signature building. We went from the security station to the tippy top of the building. It was sweet, and was capped off with a free hat giveaway.
