Page 37 - BusinessWest July 25, 2022

o n a S o Ml i d
Building
Foundation
Matt Flink Takes the Helm at Appleton Corp.
Matt Flink was recently By George O’Brien
the country, and that’s just one of many issues and challenges Flink is facing as he takes the helm at Appleton Corp., the division of Holyoke- based O’Connell Companies that provides prop- erty-, facility-, and asset-management services, along with accounting and financial services, to managers and owners of commercial and resi- dential properties across a wide swath of New England.
He now presides over a portfolio of managed properties that includes everything from several transportation centers, including Springfield’s Union Station, to the Springfield Technology Park, retail shopping centers, medical offices, and industrial properties. It also includes a num- ber of residential properties, including senior- living facilities.
The broad goal moving forward, said Flink, who was named successor to the now-retired Paul Stelzer last month, is to maintain and grow that portfolio and specific niches within it, such as those transportation centers. There are now several in the portfolio, including 12 in Connecti- cut, he noted, and the company will aggressively
named president and CEO of Appleton Corp.,
property-management arm of the O’Connell Companies. He brings with him considerable experience in this field — and the football field, as a coach. He intends to lean on both as he takes the helm of the company with a solid foundation and opportunities for growth in a number of established niches.
att Flink enjoys going to the
office every day.
the real-estate and But he especially likes Thurs-
days. That’s the one day of the
week when all employees at the O’Connell Companies are asked to be in the
office, with most of them working remotely at least a few of the other four days.
“I love Thursdays — all my friends are there, my colleagues are there — there’s a sense of energy and a liveliness and a vitality that I don’t necessarily get the other days of the week,” he explained, before adding a large-sized ‘but.’
“It’s not about me and what I want, it’s about what’s in the best interest of the company and the best interest our employees,” he went on, adding that remote work is popular, it has become a benefit — and an expectation — at O’Connell, and, as he put it, “the work gets done.”
This same dynamic is playing out in business- es large and small across the region and across
Commercial Real Estate
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