Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Faces of Facilities profiles members of the facilities management community, sharing their personal experiences, successes, challenges, current practices, aspirations, and opinions on topics impacting the industry and its workforce.
“Always learn, practice, and apply. Find experts and ask them everything. Never be afraid to not know. Face the fear of not knowing and ask anyway.” Those are the wise, humble words of Maria Ruiz, a life-long learner who serves as the facilities and operations manager at UNICEF USA. Headquartered in New York City’s Financial […]
The University of Connecticut (UConn) recently made headlines after its Huskies basketball teams fought their way to the March Madness Final Four games for both men and women. Ultimately, the men’s team won their NCAA tournament and became rare back-to-back champions. There’s no wonder UConn is known as the “Basketball Capital of the World.” However, […]
Which clean energy technologies will help fuel a more sustainable future? Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are hard at work to answer that question. Meanwhile, Caroline Kelley, a senior facilities manager at NREL, is dedicated to providing the scientists with a safe and well-maintained work environment. Based in […]
Diversity, equality, and representation are essential across all industries, including facilities management. In honor of Black History Month, Erna Perkins-Jones shares her FM success story, discusses what the annual observance means to her, and offers advice for future facility leaders, no matter their skin color. Perkins-Jones is the director of facilities at Johnson C. Smith […]
Linda Besetzny oversees facilities management on a global scale, which poses unique challenges but offers rewarding opportunities. And with over 25 years of industry experience, she has a long list of achievements and interesting stories to share. Besetzny is the director of global facilities at R.J. O’Brien & Associates (RJO), the oldest and largest independent […]
In Part 1 of this two-parter on industry predictions, former “Faces of Facilities” guests forecast the top challenges of 2024. That was the bad news. Now here’s the good news: Opportunities abound! For Part 2, industry insiders were asked to identify the No. 1 opportunity for facilities managers in the new year and offer advice […]
Editor’s note: This is the first article in a two-part series on 2024 predictions. A link to Part 2, covering the industry’s biggest opportunities, can be found below. With such a diverse and demanding job, facilities managers are constantly facing challenges old and new. Case in point: Consistent budget constraints and a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime global […]
When people think of facilities management, they often picture a person working inside a building, fixing some piece of equipment with a wrench. However, facilities management is so much more than that. In fact, FM doesn’t even have to be inside at all. Landscaping, snow removal, and other forms of grounds management play a pivotal […]
George Alvarado is the quality assurance and training director at C&W Services, an integrated facility services provider to more than 600 customers in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. He is responsible for developing, researching, reviewing, and validating training content and quality assurance tools. He also collaborates with account leaders to evaluate adherence to […]
As the immediate past chair of the International Facility Management Association’s (IFMA) Americas Advisory Board, Bobby R. LaRon remains passionate about advancing the FM industry. He calls for collaboration, encourages high-tech solutions, and promotes the invaluable role of facilities managers. LaRon has about 14 years of industry experience and currently serves as senior commercial property […]