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Catskills - Sullivan County - Ulster County Real Estate -- Catskill Farms Journal

Old School Real estate blog in the Catskills. Journeys, trial, tribulations, observations and projects of Catskill Farms Founder Chuck Petersheim. Since 2002, Catskill Farms has designed, built, and sold over 250 homes in the Hills, investing over $100m and introducing thousands to the areas we serve. Farms, Barns, Moderns, Cottages and Minis - a design portfolio which has something for everyone.

January 27, 2023

When employees depart

Business is heart-break. It happens when you invest in an employee and it doesn’t work out even though it should and it costs time and money and opportunity.  It also happens on the other end when you meet and mentor and see them successfully leave the nest for the next thing.

I’m experiencing that now, with my long-time right hand woman Amanda departing after 8 years and a hundred plus homes.  She’s my project manager, sounding board, assistant, supporter, crutch and cheerleader. She saw me hit it big, and fall right back to earth.

We are a small company and it came out of the blue so not only do I have the need to process the personal loss, I have to get busy and in 2 weeks forge a new path in a way I had never really considered.  I sort of thought, as my friend Bryan said at the bank, that she was part of the succession plan.  So much for best laid plans.

So I now think, wake early, first in the office last to leave old skool work hours - turning on the skills energy and brains that have powered me thus far, and as I hit the gas this time and navigate the curves, I reflect and notice my skills aren’t what they used to be - my skills are on a whole new level of expertise, and while setbacks and disappointments are sure to lurk in all the shadows of all our bright rays of success, the experience I now have as part of my professional fabric is like teflon - or that of the newest jeans out there - durable, flexible and ready for a whole host of life eventualities.

My experience with Amanda, who I fished right out of college reminds me of the singer/songwriter Albert Hammond (as many of you know whose son we built a compound for), he sings in what I believe to be his most famous song - It never rains in southern California - he writes , and makes me remember how Amanda ‘found me’ in 2014 -

  • Out of work, I'm out of my head
  • Out of self respect, I'm out of bread
  • I'm underloved, I'm underfed
  • I wanna go home
  • Will you tell the folks back home I nearly made it?
  • Please don't tell 'em how you found me
  • Don't tell 'em how you found me
  • Gimme a break, give me a break

I feel she was my first big break, after 12 years in business. I feel blessed and cursed for the exact same reason - having such a wonderful person cross my path.

Busy day last Monday wrapping up a big project in The Fields, our anchor project at the Crest.

Of course it snowed big time when we had everyone and their mom scheduled for their punch list day. No where to hide on that big mountainside.



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