Blogs

It certainly wasn’t good news: There was a serious fire in my son’s residence hall, which forced students to evacuate at 4:30 on a Sunday morning. But I can’t consider it bad news that the university emailed parents within hours to let us know what happened. Sending that email was not...

I heard some really good news not too long ago. I was at a presentation for top executives, and the topic was sustainability. One of the speakers started describing tax deductions for energy efficient upgrades in buildings. The takeaway, and I quote: “You can pretty much get a tax deduction for...

When it comes to facilities, there are plenty of opportunities to complain — it’s too hot, it’s too cold, this is leaking, that isn’t working. But if you ever start thinking that no one notices the good things about facilities, consider the following thought from a software engineer...

I received an application for FMXcellence recognition this morning that highlights one of the benefits of the program. As you probably know, FMXcellence honors facility departments that have added value to their organizations. We ask applicants, if possible, to attach a letter from a key manager outside...

Facility managers get handed so many problems that it’s no wonder some adopt a sort of fullback mentality. Take the ball, put your head down and try to plow ahead. That works, up to a point, but you take a lot of pounding along the way — from occupants, other managers, even top executives...

Facility managers have a reputation for being skeptical about new technologies. No surprise there. If a product doesn’t perform as expected, it’s the facility manager who has to deal with the impact, whether that’s premature replacement, high operating costs or just long-term hassle...

Consumers aren’t particularly happy with the current recovery. Unemployment won’t fall and housing prices won’t rise. Still, over the holidays, consumer spending was up. It’s no surprise that consumers — like corporations — cut back when the economy tanks. But when...

I recently heard top executives talk about the facility managers at their companies. One of the FMs took a lead role in the company’s sustainability efforts. In fact, his efforts had produced significant energy savings. About this facility manager, the CEO couldn’t say enough good things...

As part of the Clout cover story in the August 2010 issue of Building Operating Management , the editors interviewed 10 facility managers who used good communications, strategic thinking and other ways to increase their clout. Check out our audio slideshows: How FMs Get Clout .

The cover story of the August 2010 issue of Building Operating Management looked at why clout matters and how facility managers can get clout. Check it out to find out why clout can be useful to facility managers and to learn about specific steps that facility managers can take to build clout.

Facility departments are often the unsung heroes of their organizations. FM departments add value in many ways but their achievements are too often unrecognized. FMXcellence is a way that FM departments can get that well-deserved recognition. The program, sponsored by Building Operating Management, honors...

Of the people I spoke with for the August cover story , Stormy Friday was the most enthusiastic about the benefits of FMs’ aiming to gain clout. But Friday, president of The Friday Group, was also the most clear about reasons that FMs might shy away from that goal. The downside of having clout...

There were two reasons Building Operating Management launched the FMXcellence recognition program about this time last year. One was to share examples of best practices in action. That was the impetus behind this month’s cover story and the expanded coverage that appears online, which includes...