{"id":1172,"date":"2012-04-09T05:00:16","date_gmt":"2012-04-09T12:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=1172"},"modified":"2021-02-03T16:31:37","modified_gmt":"2021-02-04T00:31:37","slug":"neal-gemassmer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/neal-gemassmer\/","title":{"rendered":"Neal Gemassmer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"YardiWhen it comes to getting away from his ever-present Blackberry, Neal Gemassmer will go to some extreme measures – like signing up for a 7-day, 250-kilometer trek through the Himalayas with a combined 39,000 feet of elevation gain.<\/p>\n

As Yardi\u2019s Vice President for Asia Pacific & Middle East, Neal is frequently traveling between the company\u2019s four offices in the region. When he takes time off from his busy corporate life, his preference is to really get away from it all \u2013 and simultaneously stretch his limits of physical performance.<\/p>\n

He also goes above and beyond with charitable fundraising efforts that are connected with his endurance challenges, focusing on non-profits that benefit children, women and literacy in underdeveloped countries worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone can give, and everyone can contribute. You don\u2019t have to give a lot to make a difference,\u201d said Neal. His value set is in line with the corporate philanthropy policy embraced by Yardi<\/a>, which donates to multiple national and local charities each year.<\/p>\n

During his 2011 Himalayan Trek, Neal raised $10,000 for a Cambodian children\u2019s hospital, Children\u2019s Surgical Center, which provides rehabilitation surgeries for Cambodian kids that vastly improve their quality of life. He\u2019s also completed extensive fundraising for Room to Read, which provides libraries and reading resources to communities worldwide.<\/p>\n

His efforts to help others have rubbed off on his family (Neal and his wife Kim, who live in Hong Kong, have three young children). For his last birthday, son Luc, 11, asked his dad if he could make a contribution to Room to Read instead of receiving presents.<\/p>\n

Neal said that one of the highlights of running through rural Nepal, often on single-track trail used by goats and villagers for travel between tiny communities, was seeing local children who might walk up to two hours one way to attend school.<\/p>\n

\"School\u201cThe kids dressed in their school uniforms, called out namaste, \u2018what\u2019s your name\u2019, \u2018what is your country\u2019, \u2018give me chocolate\u2019 and the occasional \u2018give me money\u2019,\u201d he recounted in a blog about the trek adventure. You can read all of Neal\u2019s posts<\/a> detailing his journey day by day.<\/p>\n

Professionally, Neal\u2019s enjoyment of his work expanding Yardi\u2019s products and services to the international marketplace comes from helping clients solve problems and bridging communication barriers. His ability to relate and connect with other cultures is a universal standard in his life.<\/p>\n

And you can expect that if he doesn\u2019t respond almost immediately to your email message, he\u2019s out of Internet range \u2013 and probably running all day long. Continuing his adventures, he plans to complete 50K and 100K events in 2012 and gear up for another charity benefit 250K, the Atacama Crossing<\/a>, in 2013.<\/p>\n