Some employers are hard to leave. When Kelly Thomson first got hired at Action Property Management, she had no idea the pull the company would have on her. After leaving on good terms twice before, she is now back again for a third term, this time as the Manager of Community Services in San Diego.
A full-ride track scholarship originally brought Kelly to Southern California. As a native of the Northern California city of Santa Cruz, this was a big move in her young life. After competing on the track team and earning a degree in kinesiology from California State University, Fullerton, Kelly stayed connected to the track and field world for several more years.
One of her first jobs out of college was coaching a high school track team in La Verne. While she enjoyed the position, it wasn’t full-time, so additional income was needed. That’s what led her to Action for the first time. She started by working at the front desk at Canyon Estates in Mission Viejo. Given her sports background, she was also a good fit as the life guard at the association’s pool. She quickly proved herself beyond that and became the compliance administrator, handling all the violations within the community.
After two years on the job, Kelly had an opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime — backpacking through Australia and New Zealand with a friend. While on that trip, she went skydiving and even woke up very early on a Monday morning in February to watch the Super Bowl live.
At the conclusion of the six-week trip, she returned to Santa Cruz and took a job with Keller-Williams Real Estate. For the next four years, Kelly worked as the office manager, making everything work behind the scenes for all the agents in the office. Eventually, she got the itch to return to property management and sought out openings at Action.
Kelly Thomson
”An adventurous spirit and competitive personality have driven Kelly to succeed in all she does.
At that time, the San Diego office was just starting to develop, so she took advantage of the opportunity to move there and join the team. In this role, she served as an assistant for both the San Diego and San Francisco teams, but she still wanted to manage her own portfolio. With a clear gift for administrative duties, Kelly had already made a name for herself in the office. Unfortunately, there were no openings for managers, so she once again left Action to take a management position with another company.
When Kim Nguyen was promoted in San Diego, she wanted to ensure the properties she managed were handed off to someone competent and trustworthy. Kelly came to mind as the perfect replacement, so Kim made a call and, once again, lured Kelly back to Action for a third round.
Not only does Kelly excel on the job, but she maintains her competitive nature after hours by participating in a weekly bowling league and bowling competitions. As a transplant to San Diego, she found that bowling is a great way to meet new people and get plugged into the community. She’s still perfecting her game, but enjoys the local competitions as well as traveling to places like Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada for national championships.
During the football season, you can find her on a plane heading back up north to watch her beloved San Francisco 49ers. With season tickets, she is sure to make every home game, but her traveling exploits don’t end there. Kelly has made it a goal to travel internationally at least once a year. She’s been to places like Dubai, Italy, and Jamaica where she even earned her scuba diving certification. This year, she joined other fans for the 49ers Faithful Cruise to the Bahamas in March to celebrate her fortieth birthday.
Nicole Miranda, another Action employee who lives in the Las Vegas area, has cheered Kelly on as she bowls, exemplifying Action’s value of celebrating one another. On New Year’s Day 2023, the two watched the Las Vegas Raiders take on the 49ers where, fortunately for Kelly, the 49ers pulled off the victory.
An adventurous spirit and competitive personality have driven Kelly to succeed in all she does. Action is proud to have her on the team as she uses this drive to improve the lives of people around her each day.
