Who are we?

Since 2002, Redside has managed multi-family and commercial buildings in the Seattle area. The firm has grown to be a leading Puget Sound management company, especially for twenty to one hundred unit apartment buildings. Our hands-on approach enables high resident satisfaction, while also increasing building values one month at a time.

Today, Redside manages about 5,000 apartments in the Seattle area with a truly exceptional rapport with vendors as well as in-house maintenance and office staff.

Some people have asked “where did the name Redside come from?” Back in May 2002, the two founders had recently returned from forty mile float and fly-fishing trip on Oregon’s Deschutes River, Craig Swanson had, in many ways, learned to fly fish there. The Deschutes trout are a unique subspecies of rainbow trout and are frequently called “Redsides”…

Redside’s Maintenance Team

Our team has varied and wide-ranging interests, which strengthen their relationships with residents and building owners. The team’s shared interests include sports, food, performing arts and college rivalries.

Some of Redside’s accounting and property operational staff

Our team has varied and wide-ranging interests, strengthing our relationships with residents and building owners. Our team’s shared interests include sports, food, performing arts, and college rivalries.

Some of the unique backgrounds include:

A former collegiate soccer, baseball, cross country runner, and volleyball player.
A part-time raspberry and blueberry farmer.
A few serious Mariner fans.
A couple of hard-core live theatre fans.
Graduates of universities with mascots named Huskies, Wildcats, Cougars, Blues, Broncos, Redbirds, Sun Devils, Maroons, Wildcats, Wolfpack, and Anteaters.

Leadership

Craig Swanson

Redside’s founder and owner, Craig is a Northwest native. Originally from Portland, he graduated from University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and later received his Masters of Business Administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. After graduating from Duke in 1995, he began getting more involved in real estate while also managing various marketing and sales initiatives at Sprint. He founded Redside in 2002 and through a continued focus on building property value, has organically built the firm through its reputation and referrals. He has helped Redside’s clients build property values through multiple residential and commercial building renovations, or more simply, carefully attending to details. Craig is a licensed real estate broker in the state of Washington and lives in Seattle with his wife and three daughters.

Jennifer Schwartz, Controller

Jennifer oversees Redside’s accounting team and focuses on general ledger accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, owner distributions, payroll and several areas of reporting.

Originally from Illinois, she graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in Financial Accounting. Jennifer spent 11 years gaining experience across several accounting positions at AIMCO, a Real Estate Investment Trust headquartered in Denver, before moving to Seattle and joining Redside in 2014. Since then, she has learned the details of property management while managing various accounting and HR needs of a growing company, enabling her to carefully handle the accounting needs for different properties and ownership structures.

Jennifer recently moved to Burien where she has more outdoor space to enjoy free time with her two active children BBQing, playing baseball, swimming and visiting Seattle’s beautiful parks and beaches!

Justin Weeks, Sr. Director of Operations

Originally from Los Angeles, Justin earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Whitman College in 2013 where he also played varsity baseball for 4 years. After graduating from Whitman College, Justin joined AmeriCorps where he taught 4th grade in Seattle.

Prior to joining Redside full-time in 2014, Justin began his property management work as a resident manager. Since then, he has grown into multiple roles and has helped Redside grow significantly. He has managed a wide range of property types and projects, including new construction, rehabilitation, student housing, lease-ups, garden style, and historic buildings. He is also proficient with Appfolio, a variety of apartment marketing platforms, and is a licensed real estate broker.

Justin lives in Columbia City, Seattle with his wife, and their dog. He enjoys playing golf, exploring Seattle/PNW, and traveling.

Quyen Karlsen, Director of Operations

A Washington native, Quyen holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing from Western Washington University. With over 11 years of experience in property management, she brings a wealth of expertise to Redside. Throughout her career, she has held a variety of roles and is well-versed in multiple facets of property management, including new development, concurrent lease-ups, renovations, and acquisitions. She’s most excited about driving growth and optimizing operational processes.

Quyen currently lives in Bothell with her husband and her 9-month-old baby boy! She enjoys traveling, cooking, and exploring new restaurants.

Erica Laporte, HR Manager

Originally from Tucson, Erica graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and moved to Seattle in 2012 to pursue her Master’s Degree in Marriage & Family Therapy. She practiced therapy for 7 years, and shifted to property management work in 2019, and joined Redside Partners in 2024. Erica enjoys working with and for the community and has a particular interest in both supporting employees and providing housing. Over her 5 years in property management, she has had experience leasing, managing intern programs, overseeing Portfolios, and contributing to business development. Erica is excited about her role as Redside’s HR Manager, supporting employees and the company alike, while continuing to learn about the complex world of Property Management.

Erica lives in Wallingford, Seattle with her boyfriend and their dog. She enjoys hiking in WA, going to Mariners games, and spending quality time with friends.