Latitude Commercial is always growing their business and finding new ways to help property owners around the Region – and that’s thanks to their team of driven, talented individuals such as Director of Finance, Meghan Delacruz. Bookkeeping, office management, and many of the administrative tasks that keep things running smoothly all fall under her daily tasks.
A veteran of administrative work, Delacruz spent 15 years working in the offices of the residential and commercial construction industry. In 2017 her friend Aaron McDermott, co-founder and president of Latitude Commercial, was looking for a new office manager. With her wealth of experience, things fell into place and she joined the team. Things started off fairly simple, but she quickly found her role expanding as Latitude Commercial expanded their property management division.
“When I started out here, I was the office manager, but that included doing the bookkeeping,” she said. “At the time, we had three different property management clients. Since then, that’s grown to 15. That made my role transition, as I handle the financial things for those clients like bookkeeping and rent collection.”
It was a quick transition, and she is still responsible for many of the office management tasks as well, but Delacruz rose to the occasion.
“It’s been good, it’s interesting work,” she said. “I have to understand all of our client’s needs, how their companies are structured, and how individual properties differ. Every week, I feel like I’m learning something new. It’s challenging for sure because it’s not something I’ve really done before, but it’s great to always have something new to learn.”
After so many years in a rhythm for her previous role, she has embraced the challenge as one of her favorite parts of working at Latitude Commercial.
“I really do like the fact that it’s challenging,” she said. “I came here from a job that wasn’t like that. You’d come in and maybe you’d have to do something, or maybe not. That can make for some long days, so it’s good that I always have something new to tackle.”
Delacruz credits her mother’s example with helping her understand the importance of being able to adapt quickly.
“She started out working at a manufacturing company in my hometown, Logansport,” she said. “She began in an administrative role, and hadn’t gone to college or earned a specific degree. Eventually, she worked her way through the company and became their Director of IT.”
Another special aspect of Latitude Commercial is the unique work environment. Many of the team members knew each other for years before joining the team, and they all challenge each other to strive for excellence while being supportive.
“We work really hard here, but we also have a good time doing it,” Delacruz said. “It’s a fun place to work that’s also team-oriented. If you need some support, there’s always someone there ready to help out. When you have that kind of environment, it makes it really easy to come into work.”
Delacruz lives in Highland with her husband. They enjoy travel and caring for their cat and dog.
