Divine Appointments--Drouin

We were looking for a property management company as the job was too complicated for us for the few rental units we owned.  We didn’t know where to turn as we had heard many horror stories of management companies cheating their clients.  The manager for our Honolulu condo charged us huge fees for repairs when my dad could do it for much less.  We sold the property.

One day I got a call from a young man I didn’t know. 

“I’m calling on behalf of a property management company.  We are offering to manage any property you have."

“Yes,” I said with skepticism.”How will I know your company is ligament and will do a good job?”

“I will have my boss call you so you can discuss the possibilities with him.”

The boss, Wil Drouin, called me a few hours later.  He seemed to offer the services we wanted at a reasonable rate.  Rich and I decided to give him a try for one year then re-evaluate.  That was 30 years ago and Wil still manages property for us and has helped us invest in real estate wisely.  We have come to trust him and his staff completely.

Wil later told me that the young college student who called, wanted a job, so Wil told him to do cold calling to drum up business.  He would be paid by the business he brought in.  He and we hit the jackpot.

          At the nearby mortgage company where I worked, we hired many receptionists on a trial basis. Most candidates were young and inexperienced at managing phones. One morning, as I was the first to arrive, my boss left a note on the front desk for me to “check out” the new receptionist.  The note said, “Hope she isn’t as bad as the last one.  Her name is Susan.” 

Susan Drouin was there early and I think she read the note.  She was a mature person and she would be on a temp-to-hire basis.  After a few successful days at the office, I asked her about her unusual last name.

“Do you know Wil Drouin?” I asked.

“That’s my husband!”  she said laughing.  "How do you know him?"

The world just shrunk.

Susan was hired and we became good friends.  She continued as the receptionist in that office for almost twenty years even, after I retired.  She was the “last-man-standing” when the bank closed all its California offices.  She turned out the lights.

There was such a camaraderie that she has stayed in contact with the “old gang” and still makes plans for us to see each other again over lunch.