To Infinity and Beyond: Karla Villegas

Growing up in suburban Orange County, California, Karla Villegas had never lived in the big city, but in the Fall of 2009, she packed a few belongings and headed up the coast to San Francisco to study hospitality and tourism at San Francisco State University.

Upon arrival, her first impression was one of awe and wonder. Given her dislike of driving, a big city with public transportation seemed like the perfect fit. To get to know the city, Karla would wait at random bus stops, then take the first bus that came along to see where it took her. It didn’t take long to figure out the patterns and soon she was an expert at navigating the famous BART system.  

After four years of school, Karla had not only earned a degree, but she had fallen in love with a city. Determined to stay in her new hometown, Karla scoured Craigslist looking for jobs. Although her plan was to pursue hospitality in the hotel industry, in July of 2014 she responded to an ad for a position at The Infinity high-rise building with Action Property Management.

Given her jovial personality and strong work ethic, Karla proved to be a great fit for the part time front desk position. It wasn’t the full time career she wanted, but it was a step in the right direction.

Weekends at The Infinity are busy. With much of the weekday staff off, she had to be a quick learner in order to provide the top-tier luxury service that the building required.

By January of the next year, she had moved to a new position on Sundays in the management office. Although this position was out of the public eye, Karla still managed to connect with the residents. She thrived in this new environment and determined that she would remain in the HOA industry instead of pursuing a hotel job in the future.

“I realized that I got to know the residents and their needs,” she said. It was that connection that solidified her mindset and kept her at The Infinity. In September of 2105, Karla was named Lead Concierge Associate while also maintaining her role in the management office one day a week. Since she had one foot on the public side of the operation and one foot behind the scenes, she gained expertise as a problem solver.

Then came Covid. With onset of the world-wide pandemic, face-to-face service was greatly reduced. As a result, Karla was moved into the management office full time. From there, she became the eyes and ears of other team members who were working from home. Her job description had to be fluid as the world changed. Officially promoted to office manager in October of 2020, Karla became an expert on rapidly changing Covid protocols. Each afternoon, she tuned in to press conferences with the mayor of San Francisco in order to keep up.

Today she enjoys supporting a team of 24 people. With four lobbies in the building complex and 24-hour staffing, Karla has a lot to manage. Her duties includes hiring, scheduling, and training of employees. Although she is in the office, she maintains an open door policy, always willing to set aside her tasks to help her team.

As an advocate of the Action value “We are a Team,” Karla sums up her management style by saying, “Give people an opportunity to learn and take the time to teach.” Her primary goal as a leader is to stay in the background so the people on her team can succeed.

After hours, Karla loves to soak up the city life. For relaxation she takes walks by the water, simply enjoying the city’s version of the great outdoors. For excitement, she’s a baseball fan and will often take the short walk from the Infinity to Oracle Park to watch the Giants in action.

While life in the big city may seem chaotic and rushed to some, for Karla, it’s a place of beauty. All too often negative publicity overshadows the amazingly vibrant lifestyle that is San Francisco and there’s no other place she wants to call home.