SIOUX FALLS, SD, UNITED STATES, June 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Combining Financial Discipline, Customer Service Expertise, and Leadership Excellence to Enhance Tenant and Owner Experiences
Mara Day is an experienced property management professional based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, whose career reflects a steady progression built on discipline, education, and hands-on experience. With a background that spans healthcare, customer service, and business administration, she brings a well-rounded and people-focused approach to property management at Van Buskirk Companies.
Mara began her professional journey early, working in customer-facing roles during high school at Burger King and a local daycare. These early experiences helped her develop foundational skills in communication, multitasking, and problem-solving. She later earned her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification while working at Avera Health, where she gained valuable experience in patient care, responsibility under pressure, and interpersonal communication. These formative years in healthcare and service industries shaped her ability to stay organized, calm, and solution-oriented in fast-paced environments.
In 2022, Mara earned her Associate of Applied Science Degree in Business Administration and Management from Southeast Tech, where she maintained a 3.8 GPA and was named to the Dean’s List all four semesters. Her academic success reflected her strong work ethic and commitment to professional growth.
Shortly after graduating, Mara joined Van Buskirk Companies, beginning as an administrative assistant in property management. Through dedication and consistent performance, she quickly advanced into roles as Property Manager and Leasing Agent before stepping into her current management position. In her current role, she oversees rent and invoice processing, tenant relations, lease renewals, property walk-throughs, and ensures the timely completion of maintenance work orders.
Mara is a Certified Apartment Leasing Professional and an active member of both the South Dakota Multi-Housing Association and the National Apartment Association. In 2024, she was recognized with a Core Value Award for Teamwork, highlighting her collaborative mindset and ability to support both colleagues and clients in achieving shared goals. She credits mentorship from former supervisor Lori Meier as an important influence in her career development, particularly in learning to embrace challenges and grow through experience.
A core influence on Mara’s success has been her upbringing. She attributes much of her financial discipline to her parents, who instilled in her a strong understanding of responsibility from an early age. As soon as she began working, she was expected to contribute to personal expenses such as phone bills, car insurance, gas, and other costs. This structure taught her the importance of distinguishing between needs and wants and helped her build lifelong budgeting and financial management skills.
Her mother’s experience working at Wells Fargo further reinforced this foundation, providing both Mara and her brother with early exposure to financial literacy. These lessons continue to influence her professional and personal decision-making today.
In her professional work, Mara emphasizes the importance of emotional control and perspective. The best career advice she has ever received is not to take things personally. In property management, she regularly interacts with individuals who may be frustrated or stressed, and she has learned to remain calm, de-escalate situations, and focus on finding solutions.
She believes that professionalism and emotional balance are essential to building trust and achieving positive outcomes. By maintaining a solution-oriented mindset rather than reacting emotionally, she can navigate difficult interactions effectively and consistently deliver strong results for both tenants and property owners.
Mara also encourages young women entering the property management industry to embrace the learning process and remain patient with themselves. She stresses that mistakes are a natural and necessary part of growth and should not discourage continued progress. Even experienced professionals, she notes, continue to learn and refine their skills over time.
Her message to aspiring professionals is centered on resilience, self-compassion, and persistence. She encourages individuals to view challenges as opportunities for improvement and to trust that each experience contributes to long-term success and confidence in the field.
In her current role, Mara identifies rising apartment costs as one of the biggest challenges in property management. Increasing rental prices have made it more competitive to fill vacancies, often requiring careful matching of tenants with available units. In some cases, tenants must be referred to other properties when no suitable option exists.
Another key challenge involves ensuring accurate landlord references. Her work requires close collaboration with other property management companies to verify tenant histories and ensure that information is fair, accurate, and not influenced by incomplete reporting. Despite these challenges, she remains committed to maintaining fairness, transparency, and integrity in all tenant placement decisions.
Mara’s professional philosophy is grounded in communication, trust, and teamwork. She believes that clear communication helps prevent misunderstandings, while trust allows colleagues, tenants, and partners to rely on one another effectively. Teamwork, she explains, is essential to solving problems collaboratively rather than in isolation.
She believes that when these values are consistently upheld, both professional environments and personal relationships become stronger, more stable, and more successful.
Outside of her professional responsibilities, Mara enjoys reading, playing volleyball—where she previously served as team captain—participating in her church community, and spending time with her dogs. Her balanced approach to work and life reflects the same discipline and care that define her career in property management.
Learn More about Mara Day:
Through her Influential Women profile, https://influentialwomen.com/connect/Mara-Day
Influential Women
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