If you're hiring out the management to a large professional hosting company, who are responsible for the maintenance on the property, wouldn't that place the majority of liability claims against them rather than the property owner?

If you just hire the cheapest or first PMC you speak with and it turns into a bad experience, please don’t assume ALL PMC’s are bad and start trashing PMC’s in general.

He hired a property management company to manage it, but he also has a close friend who lives nearby. 

Just need someone to do running around in odd case when cleaners are late/guest complaintsIf I have 5-6 properties, it might be cheaper to hire a student/recent grad as full time employee of my LLCThoughts?

Also need some recommendation on what to look for before hiring property management.

Lastly, if you want to be involved as little as possible, consider hiring property management and bookkeeping.

I'd hire a competent carpentry crew and stay in close communication with them, have them video call you daily if possible, maybe even travel to KCMO to supervise.

Since you already own the building, it is your responsibility now to be the landlord, (or hire a good property manager to do for you) and take care of your building. 

Hire out what you cannot do for a flip since its a time constraint.

And if you hire someone to do it for you the first time but it gets you into a property, seems worth it to me.