For Immediate Release:

Association Committed to Innovation and Advocacy

Panama City Beach, Fla. (July 15, 2014) – On June 25, 2014, the Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Hotel hosted the first official advisory board meeting of OPMA (Onsite Property Management Association), the national organization focused on short-term rental property management.

The OPMA Advisory Board currently comprises the following council representatives: OPMA’s president, Paul Wohlford of Resort Collection in Panama City Beach, Fla.; Brent Howie of Provident Hotels and Resorts in Clearwater, Fla.; Matthew Brittain of Brittain Resort Management in Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Marco Manzie of Paramount Hospitality Management in Orlando; Jim Olin of C2G Advisors, LLC. in Franklin, Tenn.; Tony Santilli of CSA Travel Protection in San Diego; Steve Zimmerman of Beach House Logos in Pittstown, N.J.; Larry Hall of PARS Springer-Miller in Stowe, Vt.; Rick Fisher, executive director of OPMA; and Keith Wilt, OPMA’s treasurer.

One of the association’s first orders of business was to approve a motion to further add three representatives from the on-site manager community, bringing the total number of advisory board representatives to eleven—seven on-site property managers and four providers of goods and services.

The full-day business agenda generated substantive discussions around a number of exciting growth initiatives. One major priority was to continue dramatically increasing the on-site manager member base, which is especially important for a lodging segment that significantly contributes tourism tax revenue dollars on a local and regional market basis throughout the country.

According to Rick Fisher, executive director of OPMA, this assessment by the advisory board did not fall on deaf ears. “What’s ironic is that OPMA represents what could be defined as one of the largest lodging sectors and yet, until the launch of OPMA back in March of this year, this lodging segment has had no real voice or representation in the hospitality marketplace. Quite frankly, there are a number of leisure destinations where on-site managed rental properties represent the dominant lodging segment for overall rental unit inventory.”

Paul Wohlford, president of OPMA, agrees that the organization remains focused and is on the right course. “OPMA continues to gain momentum and will diligently work to ensure the success of on-site rental management companies while setting the standards for unmatched guest service. We are also pleased to report that since our official launch just four months ago, our on-site manager member base already represents approximately 25,000 rental units of inventory and $8 billion in real estate assets.”

There will be more announcements forthcoming from the OPMA Advisory Board meeting that the council attendees believe will reflect groundbreaking industry news and developments and will further position OPMA as the major voice and advocate for the short-term on-site property management community.