Having worked at Setlementtiasunnot since the completion of our first building, Stefan Piesnack retired in the spring. Stefan Piesnack, known as Stefu, has held various positions within the company, including building manager and property manager. His proactive and positive demeanor has become familiar to many residents over the years.
– In recent years, I have shown apartments to new residents and handled archiving, he says.
– I can say that the content of this work has kept me employed and made me enjoy this job. There must be some ideology behind the work.
Building Manager for the First Building in Malmi
In 2003, Setlementtiasunnot’s first building was completed, constructed in Malmi. At this stage, the company’s name was S-asunnot.
– Setlementtiliitto was looking for a building manager for S-asunnot. I went for an interview. The job interested me because I had been the chairman of the resident committee in the building where I lived, Piesnack recalls.
– My work as a manager immediately included 300 interviews, as all prospective residents were interviewed personally. Back then, I knew every resident, he smiles.
The job description of the building manager was very broad at this stage.
– In addition to resident interviews, I made resident selections, initiated resident activities at the building, oversaw property maintenance, conducted property tours, monitored rents, and created payment plans, he lists.
The employment contract also stipulated that Piesnack lived in the same building where he worked.
– It was like, when you went to take out your own trash, a resident would say, ‘Hey Stefan, there’s this thing.’ It was a way of life, he nods.
Soon, a second building was completed in Haaga, and Piesnack transferred to work there. However, he continued to live in the Malmi building, where he stayed for 12 years.
– It is my child’s childhood home, he states.
Ahead of its time: shared cultivation boxes
Between 2007 and 2009, Setlementtiasunnot built properties in Muurala, Espoo, Viikki, Helsinki, and Hervanta, Tampere. Piesnack had completed a professional property management qualification alongside his work and moved to the Muurala building as its manager. Concurrently, he served as the company’s property manager.
– It was a very hectic time, he recalls.
Over the years, new ways of communal activity were developed for residents in the buildings.
– The cultivation boxes were an innovation at the time. I built our first cultivation boxes in Havukoski. And they are still there. After that, other buildings also got boxes. For example, the Jousenpuisto building is really cool with its rooftop garden.
Community as the Core of Operations
Community spaces have been developed significantly over the years, both among Setlementtiasunnot residents and with neighbors in residential areas.
A building was completed in Saunalahti, Espoo in 2011. Piesnack came up with the idea of introducing the building to other residents in the area by inviting them to a festival. This led to the creation of the Setlemettirock event, which has since been organized in many other locations, such as Alppikylä and Havukoski.
– We set up a stage in the building’s parking lot. We invited local Espoo rappers and my old acquaintances Pelle Miljoona and Tumppi Varonen to perform, he says.
At the same time, the building’s facilities were presented to the participants.
– Suddenly, people came to see, ‘Wow, you have such fine resident facilities.’ And the next day, someone from the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare asked if they could meet there. They had a music group and a mother-and-child group.
– So our building radiated community spirit and offered its facilities to other parties. The atmosphere was really good.
In Retirement, There’s Time for Music and Resident Association Activities
What plans does Piesnack have for his retirement?
– When I turned 30, I thought I had no script for this. Well, I still don’t have a script for this now that I’m 68 and retiring, he laughs.
Before Setlementtiasunnot, when he was under 30, he worked full-time as a musician, guitarist, and composer. He played in bands such as Pelle Miljoona’s and Problems?, and was a founding member of Hanoi Rocks.
– I need to think for a while about what I’ll do. I’m involved in resident association activities. And I have music projects, a band, writing, composing, and things like that, he says.
