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Construction and building maintenance are not traditionally friendly to women. The Washington Post reported in late 2022 that the share of construction workers has been increasing since 2016. But at best, women make up about 6.2 percent of the workforce. This is why April Cordova’s career is unusual.
Cordova is the vice president of property maintenance for Spectrum Retirement Communities, which provides retirement, independent, assisted living, and memory care communities in eight states. She says the dearth of women who oversee general maintenance, repairs, and architectural projects reflects—and, in fact, is worse than—the female-to-male ratio in general construction. According to the Zippia career platform, women in maintenance represent only 5.7 percent of this workforce.
How did she land in this position, not only in property maintenance, but as the person overseeing 41 property maintenance crews? It helps to know that Cordova installed a cam shaft in the vintage car she and her husband planned to drive to their wedding a week later. She loves hands-on projects.
It’s part of why she’s qualified to do what it takes to keep the Spectrum communities in good shape. They currently spread across eight states, and she has that many maintenance and housekeeping supervisors—one of each—reporting to her at each location. In addition, she hires and oversees architects, general contractors, plumbers, and other subcontractors who perform special projects at the residences.
That said, if qualifications were all it took, there would be closer to a 50-50 mix of men and women running all the companies of the world. That isn’t where things are at just yet, but Cordova provides a model for anyone who aspires to advance their career and land executive positions.
“My children are grown now. But when they were young, they always came first. We kept a strict calendar, and I built my life around them. But they also understood such things as [work-related] disasters.”
April Cordova
Her secret to winning respect is to have technical knowledge, communicate in a forthright manner, develop rapport with the trade specialists, and listen to people. “Allow time to pause and process what someone is telling you,” Cordova says. “And avoid being overreactive.”
She adds that she always has to earn the respect of the people she works with, one at a time. “Somewhere along the line I have to show them I know that a flux capacitor is mythical and that shows I do know what I am talking about,” she says.
A simple philosophy drives her work life. “The priority is the comfort and safety of our residents,” Cordova says. It’s how she sorts through the gray areas of what to do in emergencies, which is a big part of any multilocation residential organization.
Some examples include a massive winter storm with deep-freeze temperatures around the 2022 Christmas holiday. Two facilities near Chicago had frozen pipes, the bane of homeowners and facilities managers in the upper Midwest.
“We had to move our residents to safer places,” she says. Some residents relocated to available apartments, while in other cases family members were able to take them in. In such incidents—which can involve midnight phone calls—she has an emergency plan in place.
“We have templates for what to do, things like shutting off water valves, notifying ownership and supervisors, working with caretakers, and addressing food and beverage needs,” Cordova explains. “Every scenario has its unusual details. We keep in mind there is always the possibility that something could occur.”
So how does being on call 24/7 mesh with family life, a difficult balance for anyone, and especially for mothers like Cordova?
“I am blessed,” she says. “My children are grown now. But when they were young, they always came first. We kept a strict calendar, and I built my life around them. But they also understood such things as disasters.”
Now that her kids have grown up, she focuses her off-time efforts on two passions: Alzheimer’s disease and vintage cars, the latter of these is a shared hobby with her husband. Family members who’ve had Alzheimer’s bring the condition close to home, even while it’s a big part of what Spectrum Communities work with. Cordova participates in events such as walkathons to support clinical research. Spectrum applies a Montessori-based philosophy for memory care where the abilities, interests, and preferences of residents are nurtured and maximized.
“The priority is the comfort and safety of our residents.”
April Cordova
The same enthusiasm Cordova applies to facilities management goes into her family’s vintage cars. Those range from a ’68 Chevrolet El Camino to a ’71 C-10 Chevy pickup, ’41 Ford, ’84 Capri, and two others, occupying six garage spaces and part of the driveway at the couple’s home. Some of them are show-worthy while others are in the process of cosmetic rejuvenation, which is part of the avocation. “My husband is a muscle car fanatic,” she says, emphasizing this shared interest enhances their relationship.
Given how cars marked the beginning of her marriage, it’s clear Cordova is a geared to keeping things—retirement communities, cars, and relationships—vital over time.
