Fatima "Pammy" Olivares-Vital, the president of Ovialand Inc. (OLI), likes bad news.

While convention tells you to backload the bad news, you can always say it first to Vital. She is, after all, a student of "the school of adversity."

"If there is bad news, we have something to fix. We are improving ourselves," Vital explained. "If you aren't giving me bad news, you are just letting the tide drag you, being safe."

To begin with, adversity got her in the real estate industry in 2006. Her dad, Giovanni Olivares, invited her, then a fresh graduate, to work for the family company—socialized and low-cost builder Malate Construction & Development Corp. (MCDC). At that time, she had to confront a slump in sales with just two years of business management courses that she had taken before shifting to psychology.

At first, she often daydreamed about opting out of the family business to pursue her passion of teaching. But about 10 years ago, she realized that "you can't be working for the now and not imagine yourself there in the next years. The company would fold, and the company is the family."

And so Vital stayed on, eventually becoming the only one of four Olivarez daughters to work at MCDC. She works with her three brothers and her parents from whom she learned about humility. "The most important attitude is humility. If you can't put yourself aside and the company mission at the center, you will do harm," she added.

Vital also got her dad's ability to identify opportunities, take risks and never give up while her mom "taught us, even when times were hard, to not think twice about supporting others."

Emerging market

Such an attitude allowed Vital to be observant when it mattered. In 2013, she observed a change in the market: "That was the peak of the emerging middle class. They wanted more in the age of social media. They were discerning already."

There was a market there, she insisted and eventually, the company "decided to offshoot… to differentiate (to cater to) this (housing) market—P1.8 million to P2.8 million—and to become the best in this category when it comes to house and lot. It was so clear in my imagination how it was gonna look."

So while still with MCDC, Vital became the business unit head of OLI. In 2015, OLI launched Terrazza de Santo Tomas in Santo Tomas, Batangas, with the promise of unprecedented premier family living. It swiftly expanded with Sannera and Savana in San Pablo, Laguna, and Caliya in Candelaria, Quezon.

Premier guaranteeIn building these communities, OLI has three guarantees. First, buyers get premier homes, "durable and masterfully created." Second, they live in premier suburban communities. Finally, they receive premium service from inquiry to move-in, kind staff, streamlined processes and attainable payment terms.

"That's just me summarizing what I've learned," said Vital, now 37. She would talk to clients at the OLI office in San Pablo and monitor feedback from their social media accounts. The mother of four shared she would gain valuable insights from Facebook mommy groups, just one of many she joined to look for trends. Finally, she wants buyers to enjoy the security she experiences in her own home and to avoid the crappy customer service she abhors.

In 2020, she became the president of OLI, masterfully navigating the novel adversities springing from the pandemic, along with her husband Bryan, who is the company's chief finance officer. Come November 2020, Januarius Holdings Inc. of mass housing veteran JJ Atencio acquired a 13-percent stake in OLI. Atencio now guides Vital as the company seeks to reach its most ambitious goal yet.

"He is mentoring me on the science of the business," said Vital. "Because of him, my views are growing by leaps and bounds… Instead of going through 15 years of experience, he just tells me about it."

Vision for 2030

By 2030, OLI wants production to go up to 10,000 housing units a year versus the current 600. It wants to tap the Visayas market soon and eventually become a national player. These goals impact the organization, said Vital.

"Every employee is a future OLI leader. There is no room for immaturity. We are growing so fast; we need to raise mature leaders... We've designed Ovialand to be a learning organization—the people have to constantly learn. We are committed and driven but we learn from each other. We keep an open mind to trends instead of being defensive," she explained.

"After all these years, I've realized that teaching is very much still part of my job every day," Vital said. Her passion and workplace are now one. No bad news there.