Katana Speed hits the ground running as Point Hope’s new community manager
If her name is any indication, Katana Speed knows how to thrive in a fast-paced work environment.
The Huger, South Carolina, native and Benedict College graduate spent 10 years in “portfolio” property management, often overseeing multiple communities at a time from a central office. But when given an opportunity to work on-site at Point Hope, a master-planned community near her home on the Cainhoy peninsula, Speed jumped at the chance to narrow her focus. She remembers getting a call from a recruiter about the job.
“I was like, Point Hope?” recalled Speed, a mother of two. “She said, ‘Are you familiar with it?’ Am I familiar with the area? I’m like, 'I’m there every day!' I shop at the Publix, my son goes to Philip Simmons Middle School – that’s perfect! I am part of the community.”
Speed interviewed for the position of community manager for the Point Hope Property Owners’ Association and was soon hired. She’s been in the post since Sept. 8.
“I am the liaison between the board and the residents,” Speed explained. “It’s my job to enforce the policies and make sure the board is compliant, and to give them best practices as they make decisions. I then relay that to the residents and the community.”
Her duties include overseeing the POA’s main responsibilities: maintenance of common areas, parks, trails, ponds, and other amenities; enforcing deed restrictions and covenants; administering the design and architectural review process; and fostering community involvement and activities.
“It’s making sure everything runs into this well-maintained, beautiful community,” Speed said. “And that it’s all kind of a well-oiled machine.”
When asked what kind of community manager she hoped to be, Speed smiled.
“I want to be a happy community manager! I don’t want to be burned out or impatient, which can happen in a portfolio-type environment… where you’re doing a million things at once. I want to be a respected friend. I want residents to feel like I am a friend you can check in with when you want an update. That’s the type of relationship I would like to build.”
Speed invited residents to call or visit The Hub, the community’s information center, when they have a question or issue. “I want to make you feel like I am your neighbor as well.”
She encourages Point Hope residents to educate themselves about the community’s governing covenants on the POA's website, and to be patient when they have a concern.
“A simple conversation can alleviate so many things,” Speed said. "When you live in a master-planned community, you’re buying into this. And everybody wants to see their property values increase. So if we all take care of the community, it benefits everyone.”
Point Hope’s first pool and amenity center, Doolittle Park, is slated to be completed in 2026, along with hundreds of new homes. Speed is looking forward to what's ahead.
“Just watching it all and seeing the growth, meeting new residents, seeing new businesses flourish, having more places to shop and patronize – to be part of it all and to see it firsthand – it’s exciting!”