Category: Faces of Facilities

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.

Faces of Facilities: FMs Predict Top Challenges of 2024

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 […]

Faces of Facilities: Joe Arias from ONE Grounds Management

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 […]

Faces of Facilities: George Alvarado from C&W Services

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 […]

Faces of Facilities: Bobby R. LaRon from CBRE

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 […]

Faces of Facilities: Carolyn McGary from FM Pipeline Team Inc.

More than half of today’s facilities management workforce is expected to retire within the next 5 to 15 years, leaving a major talent gap to fill. Carolyn McGary, the national director of FM Pipeline Team Inc. and self-proclaimed Wonder Woman of FM, to the rescue! Here’s her superhero origin story. With nearly 20 years of […]

Faces of Facilities: Nick Straka from Heartland Dental

With six years of industry experience, Nick Straka is already making waves and has a promising career ahead of him. Straka was recently named the 2023 Young Professional of the Year by ConnexFM, the multi-site FM group formerly known as the Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association. He also won his employer’s Discretionary Presidential Award for […]

Faces of Facilities: Jose Rosas Roque from HungerRush

In honor of Pride Month this June, it’s important for the facilities management industry to recognize and celebrate members of the LGBTQ+ community. As a gay male in FM, Jose Rosas Roque offered to share his story and provide insights on equality, pride, and general industry issues. The young professional urged the industry to embrace […]

Faces of Facilities: Carla Gonzalez from ESFM

With two years of experience in facilities management, Carla Gonzalez is relatively new to the industry. But she is already a strong leader, loves her job, and plays a major role in sustainability. Gonzalez is an operations manager at ESFM, the corporate integrated facilities management division of Compass Group USA. The company provides FM services […]

Faces of Facilities: Darin Rose from the Credit Union of Colorado

Darin Rose, a 30-year facilities management veteran and esteemed IFMA Fellow, has a lot of advice to offer industry professionals. Like many leaders, he has overcome career challenges and found success. And like any great leader, he wants to help others succeed. Rose currently serves as the director of facility services for the Credit Union […]

Faces of Facilities: Jessica Fumo from Visionworks of America

Jessica Fumo, an award-winning facilities management leader, women’s advocate, and proud mother of three, said, “I strive to empower women to be fearless.” It’s a mission she inherited from her own mother and now carries out in the FM industry. It also likely helped Fumo win her brand-new board seat at the ConnexFM association. Fumo […]