Surfside Building Collapse Hits Close to Home
The collapse of the Champlain Tower in Surfside, Florida, weighs heavily on all of our minds. This was an unimaginable tragedy, and our hearts are heavy thinking about the victims and their families.
The building collapse struck close to home, as one of the victims, David Epstein, was a long-time member of our FirstService Residential family. David and his wife Bonnie were in their 9th floor condo when the building collapsed. After extensive search efforts, first responders confirmed that David and Bonnie were among the 96 lives recorded lost at this time.
David began his career in property management in 1984 as cofounder of the Wentworth Group where he served as CFO before assuming the CEO position. In 1997 David, his partners, and the Wentworth organization joined FirstService as the platform acquisition for FirstService Residential in the Northeast. Over the next 20 years David was instrumental in helping grow the FirstService Residential footprint in the Northeast. He held various roles including President of the Northeast Region and President of Multifamily/Rental. David retired several years ago and was living life to the fullest with Bonnie prior to this tragedy.
Everyone who knew him would describe David as a brilliant visionary who was funny and kind. He pioneered many of the banking and insurance programs that distinguish FirstService Residential from its competitors in the industry, and continue to deliver tremendous value to its client communities.
David and Bonnie are survived by their son Jonathan. David was loved and we are all deeply saddened by this tremendous loss.
