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.
Many seasoned facilities management pros retired during the COVID-19 pandemic or plan to soon, causing experts to warn that the industry may be facing a skills gap and worker shortage. Therefore, it’s encouraging to hear that relative newcomers like Liz Bishop enjoy being part of the FM space and are eager to learn. Bishop has […]
If you’re looking for a mundane career of predictability, facilities management probably isn’t for you. In fact, one of Amber Gratkowski’s favorite things about the FM industry is that every day on the job is different. Gratkowski works as the Facilities Manager of the Central Campus at the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC). The commission is […]
“By working as a team, you can overcome any challenge over time,” said Lesley Groff. Groff is the Senior Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds for UGI Utilities Inc., a natural gas and electric utility serving more than 730,000 customers in 45 Pennsylvania counties and one county in Maryland. Over her 25-plus-year career, Groff also held […]
Nelson Peña, Facilities Manager for the Southeast Region at Sam’s Club, is passionate about maintenance and proud of the work his team and employers are doing for sustainability. A membership-only retail warehouse club owned and operated by Walmart Inc., Sam’s Club has over 600 locations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. In his role, Peña […]
As an educator and qualified instructor, Alana F. Dunoff is helping train the facilities management professionals of the future. As for Dunoff, herself, she has been a practicing FM pro for 30 years (“Yikes!” she joked) and wears many proverbial hats. She’s an Adjunct Professor teaching the B.S. Facility Management Program at Temple University; Principal […]
Prince Reed is a humble leader, both at his job and in his community. He is a man of faith, dedication, and hard work. With 20 years of experience in the facilities industry, Reed currently serves as the Senior Director of Asset and Facilities Management for DaVita Kidney Care, which operates over 3,500 outpatient dialysis […]
For facilities management professionals, the pandemic is not only a major challenge, but also a rare opportunity—a chance to prove just how important their work is. That’s according to Dave Irvin, Associate Vice President of Facilities at Florida State University (FSU). As the latest participant in our “Faces of Facilities” profile series, Irvin explained he […]
Welcome to the inaugural installment of “Faces of Facilities,” a new Q&A series profiling facilities management experts. Stan Robinson, Director of Facilities at Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS), joins us as our first interview guest. In his role at the K-12 school district in Roanoke, Va., Stan manages 36 facilities and dozens of team members. […]