Welcome to February!

From the desk of Leah Calnan, Director of Metro Property Management...

This month is a month of planning for the future and to start it all off we as a team are having a day focused on building each staff member’s skill set, chatting about ideas to build Metro as a trusted brand and ideas for the day to day running of the business as a whole. I am always inspired and driven by what ideas my team have and I always like to have a ‘get together’ to see what we as a team and as individuals can get out of 2012. We learn and grow as a company by putting forth our ideas in meetings like this so I’m really excited about the ideas that will spring forth, so keep your eyes peeled for little changes you might see here and there. Speaking of changes and additions, this month also brings a few exciting staff additions and role changes.

Tamasan Freyer joined us last month as our new receptionist and has a keen interest in the Property Management industry, she loves a challenge and is enjoying being the ‘first point of contact’ for Metro and we feel she is doing a great job so far. Emma Racky has also joined our team this past month as Assistant Property Manager and she is quickly learning the fast pace of the industry as well as enjoying learning the ins and outs that come with Property Management. Emma has a strong retail management background, her customer service skills will assist her in her communications with owners, tenants and tradespeople alike. Welcome aboard Tamasan & Emma! 

In other news our Senior Leasing Specialist, Samantha Taylor has recently been promoted to New Business Manager and is ‘taking the bull by both horns’. Already Samantha has taken to her new role well and I have every confidence that our new owners and investor groups will absolutely appreciate the level of service and experience in leasing that Samantha brings to the table. Well done Samantha. 

Well as always February brings with it Valentine’s Day, like it or loathe it it comes around every February and I myself was interested as to how it came about...so I consulted the wonderfully useful ‘Wikipedia’...

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is a holiday observed on February 14 honouring one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. It was first established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD, and was later deleted from the General Roman Calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.

Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. (Source: www.wikipedia.com )

Isn’t it funny how it has lasted and changed throughout the years.

 Well a Happy Saint Valentine’s and a Happy February to you all.

Until next time....

More about → Welcome to February!

A Happy Valentine’s to All!

From the desk of Leah Calnan, Director of Metro Property Management…

Although many of us think that Valentine’s Day was a holiday made up by the greeting card companies, chocolate companies and florists of this world, the history of Saint Valentine’s Day is quite interesting and dates back to Roman times. There are however quite a few different legends surrounding the day as you will read below but before you get started we thought we’d give you a few interesting facts about the day...

Did You Know …

- 141 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (Hallmark Research)

- Over 50 percent of all Valentine's Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the observance, making Valentine's Day a procrastinator's delight. (Hallmark Research) (Well we understand it can be a hard & very considered decision for some).

Saint Valentine’s Day History (Source www.history.com)

The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

Whatever it is you decide to do to celebrate the day we at Metro hope you have a great day (& get spoilt too).

Until next time…

More about → A Happy Valentine’s to All!