Happy Retirement Denise Ost!
It is our pleasure to celebrate the voyage of Denise Ost throughout Royal American over the past 44 years. We were honored to have the opportunity to learn her story and we are very excited to share it with you. Buckle your seatbelts and get ready for an interesting read.
Denise Ost began working for Royal American in 1980 as a Property Manager during the construction of Palmetto Apartments, a HUD property in Tallahassee. She worked on the lease up of Palmetto from the office of Mission Hills Apartments, another HUD property managed by Royal American. After five years, once the property was in good standing, Denise decided to make use of her talents at a smaller management company. That same year, she moved back to Panama City, where she was born and raised. Soon after, Denise spread her wings and ventured outside of management to work for Nerving Travel Agency for 5 years, working in the Insurance world with her brother. She then spent 6 months as a stay-at-home mom.
Around that time in 1992, she ran into Frank Johnston and he asked if she had ever thought about coming back to work for RAM. After some discussion, she agreed that she would be interested if something ever came available. Well, as you might have assumed, he soon contacted her and asked her to fill in for the manager at Stanford Pointe Apartments who was going on maternity leave. That was the same day Denise found out she was pregnant with her first child. The property was going to be in lease up and ready for residents to move in while the original manager was out. Denise agreed to look after the property while the manager was out on maternity leave and for a month or so after until she returned. Frank kept Denise on as long as he could but there were no positions available after her temporary fill in at Stanford Pointe. Denise left in August of 1992. Within a few weeks, Lauren Wallace, the Vice President of the Conventional Division (what it was referred to at the time), called and offered her the position of Property Manager at Hunters Run Apartments in Gainesville. Denise and her husband went to check out Gainesville and they decided it was a good move for her to accept the position. She moved there in September and lived in the model unit until an apartment was available. By this time, she was about 7 months pregnant! As some of you may remember, Mr. Frank was nothing short of kind, chivalrous, and caring. Denise fondly recalls Frank calling her almost every day to make sure she was using the golf cart when she was on the property instead of walking because he was worried about her overdoing it while she was pregnant. She welcomed Ashley Ost into her family in November and returned from maternity leave in January 1993.
In February, Lauren and Frank asked Denise if she would consider transferring to Blairstone at Governor’s Square Apartments I & II in Tallahassee. In March 1993 she moved back to Tallahassee and became the Community Manager of Blairstone at Governor’s Square Apartments I & II. At that time, Blairstone I was a bond property and there was not a compliance department in the Royal American Corporate office like there is now. The site staff was responsible for all program reports and making sure files were accurate for each annual Florida Housing inspection. It was a lot of hard work on the entire Blairstone team, but they turned the community around. About that time, the Reserve at Northshore Apartments was being built by Royal American Construction in Lynn Haven, FL. Comfortable with her success in Tallahassee, Denise and her family decided that they would like to move back home to Panama City. When the Reserve at Northshore Apartments were ready to bring on a manager, she would be moved back, settled, and ready to begin the lease-up as the Community Manager. It was not too long after she began her lease-up at Northshore that she was promoted to Area Manager. This meant she was also responsible for keeping up with the other local Royal American properties that were a part of her Regional Manager’s portfolio. Denise joked that “with a lot of help they were able to lease up Northshore, even though her mortal enemy, Kerri Toth at Eagles Landing Apartments, did everything she could to make us look bad! That was a lot of fun; I had never worked at such a beautiful new community before.”
Kerri Toth (now President) who had also worked for Royal American in the past and had eventually came back to RAM had a plan in store for Denise Ost. Denise recalled at that time saying “I just knew she would fire me, but she didn’t, instead she tricked me into “helping” out as a Regional Manager for a short while in 2000, and before I knew it, she had me moved up here at the Corporate Office as a Regional Manager. She is very sneaky!” From the corporate office she became Regional Manager over Tallahassee and Panama City for several years. In 2004, Kerri and Frank approached her yet again with another position. They asked her to take on the role of Regional Vice President for North Carolina. Denise tells us the word “ask” is used loosely here. So as the story goes, she became the Regional Vice President for North Carolina until 2008. One day in 2008, Frank called her into his office. When she arrived, she found both he and Kerri were there. Frank then told Kerri and Denise that he was retiring from Royal American Management and Kerri would succeed him as the President of RAM and Denise would succeed Kerri as the Vice President of the Conventional Division for RAM. This put Denise in charge of operations for all the conventional properties in all six states. “Again, choice was not really an option” she laughed with a smile of contentment and happiness. When the company reorganized in 2011 to merge the HUD, RD, and Conventional Divisions, Denise was recognized as the Vice President of Operations and now oversaw all operations of the Royal American Management apartment portfolio (162 properties at the time), Regional Managers, and regional offices (6 satellite offices at the time). Denise climbed a step higher in recent years becoming the Executive Vice President of RAM.
Denise continues to reside in Panama City, FL where she enjoys cooking, reading historical, crime, and mystery novels, playing with her new puppy and sitting on her dock watching the mullet jump. We asked her a few more questions that she answered for us below. We hope you enjoyed her story as much as we have! Congratulations Denise on a fabulous career. We are all very proud of the job you have done for Royal American. We wish you all the best in your retirement and this next chapter in your life.
A Few Questions:
What is your favorite memory working for RA? That is a difficult one, but I guess I would have to say I had the most fun at Blairstone. We had a good team, we worked hard and played hard, and I really learned what being a property manager was all about. Except for the time Pauline threw me off the new golf cart and I busted my chin and had to pick gravel from the parking lot out of my chin and knees, needless to say she didn’t even realize I had fallen off the cart until she was at the other end of the building! The other favorite memory was taking a business trip with Kerri and she ran out of gas when she was my Regional Manager and she thought something was wrong with her car, I thought she was a dumb blonde! Look at her now!
What was your greatest achievement? I do not think I have accomplished that yet!
What is the most rewarding thing that has happened to you while working for this company? On a professional level, I think seeing people who worked under me at some point in time rise up through the ranks and become outstanding RAM employees in different capacities and feeling I had some small part in helping them achieve their goals. On a personal level, helping my husband raise our family, seeing both our daughters marry and blessing us with four beautiful grandchildren who I hope to spend more time with upon retirement.
Thank you for being part of the decision that brought me in as part of the RAM family. I have enjoyed the 2 years that we have worked together. Appreciated your mentorship, conversations and guidance. Enjoy this next phase, hope you keep us up to date with all your new adventures.
Congratulations on your retirement! It was a pleasure meeting you in the VI!
Enjoy your retirement! Wishing you many more years of happiness and health
We will miss you, Denise!!!!! I hope you enjoy this to the fullest!
Denise, I pray you have a blessed and wonderful retirement, you deserve it you have worked hard, and I am thankful that God sent me and opened the door for me to work at RAM, such a blessing and pleasure to work with you. Always enjoyed talking with you every time we got to have our meetings. You will be missed.
Denise, you are an icon to many and will be greatly missed! Enjoy your retirement.
Denise, have a wonderful retirement. It has been a pleasure to work with you. You will be missed.
Congratulations Denise!!!!! <3
Denise, it has been an honor to have worked with you all these years and to have you as a friend. The video was beautiful, it was exciting to see so many familiar faces that have been with RAM. I wish you all the best in your next endeavor.
Janice
You’ve had such a long and successful career. Well done! Enjoy your retirement.
Congratulations Denise. It’s so heartwarming to read stories like this learning how our RAM family members grow and excel within the company over the years. Best wishes for a long and happy retirement. Rob
Congratulations hope you enjoy your free time, it was a pleasure to know you 🙂
Denise, wishing you all the best and an amazing retirement.
Beautiful Story!!! Congratulations on your retirement and your wonderful career Mrs. Denise.
Allow me to add my greatest highlight of you; I was too inspired by your Interior Decorating skills that took place at Suwannee Pointe. Not to mention how you “Wow’d” me when you grabbed your cute Pink Tool bag!!! I watched you put together this office so beautifully. That part will always remain with me. It has been a true pleasure to have worked for you. I hope I too have made you proud. Go enjoy this new journey that awaits.
With Love,
Desiree M.
Denise, I wish you so much happiness in your retirement. I enjoyed working for you those five years and would not trade that for anything! I gained so much knowledge from you. Things will not seem the same without you, but I hope that we will all make you proud. If you get up my way, be sure to let me know!
Congratulations! Many wonderful blessings in your new chapter! <3