Denise Montpetit Ott is a relocation specialist for Leasing Jacksonville.
WHAT DID SHE DO BEFORE LEASING JACKSONVILLE?
She was a hotel sales manager for 15 years at several hotels in Jacksonville, including the Holiday Inn Baymeadows, Marriott Southpoint and the Omni. Prior to the hotel business, she owned a gift shop in St. Augustine, The Brass Ring.
HOW DID SHE GET THE JOB AT LEASING JACKSONVILLE?
While in the hotel business, she used to associate with Leasing Jacksonville and liked their operation. “I was looking for another avenue to pursue. I wanted to leave the hotel business, but I wanted to find something that I would enjoy doing. It was long hours and I was just getting married.”
WHAT DOES SHE DO?
Apartment locating for someone moving to the city. “A lot of times people like to rent an apartment for about seven months to get a feel for the area because Jacksonville is so big and so diverse. We kind of educate them about what their options are and what is available to them.”
LARGE ACCOUNTS?
Currently, her company is handling the rental part of the relocation of Fidelity National. “When it is a full relocation like Fidelity, we can do city tours and things like that as well. We couple a lot with Realtors. For instance, Prudential Network Realty is handling the relocation of Fidelity National, so we have a connection with them and are handling the rental portion for them. We help relocate major companies as well as individuals.”
WHY WOULD SOMEONE USE THE SERVICE?
“First of all, we are the experts. We can save them time and money and a lot of stress. There are so many apartments to choose from now and when someone comes to us, we have a complete computer base and our knowledge of working with apartment communities. We narrow it down to about three or four apartments, give them a map, location and send them on their way. It just expedites the process so much. You can find an apartment in half a day.”
WHO PAYS?
The service is free to the person or company looking for an apartment. “The apartment communities pay us, we represent them. It’s like a travel agency. We send people to them and it’s up to them to complete the sale if they want the person to stay.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“I love helping people. People come to us and they are frequently overwhelmed and stressed that they are leaving their home and moving. I love being able to help them to find a place to go on a temporary basis and eventually a permanent basis. We do get them connected with Realtors to buy homes when they are ready.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“Make sure your bases are covered when you give information to people, whether it be a vendor you work for or someone you are working with on a personal level.”
WHAT HAS HELPED HER GET TO WHERE SHE
IS TODAY?
“My willingness to be involved in any way that I can for the well-being of the company as well as the individuals that I help. I’m willing to go the extra mile for my customers and my vendors. They can call me anytime and I will be there for them.”
HOMETOWN
Lake City.
RESIDES
Intracoastal West.
FAMILY
She has been married to Tom for eight years. She has a stepson, Chris, 17.
CHURCH
Eastpoint Baptist Church.
FAVORITES
Her favorite movie is “Out of Africa” or any movie that stars Robert Redford. Her restaurant of choice is Daruma Japanese Steak House. When traveling, she enjoys visiting Seattle, and when relaxing at home, she watches “Will and Grace.”