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:...

In case you forgot to make a New Year’s Resolution, here are some retroactive resolutions to consider: Get more exercise. Save more money for retirement. Expand your network across the organization. Good ideas, right? And what better way to start...

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...

No one really wants to say this out loud, but the fact is that a LEED design alone won’t give you an energy-efficient building. Architects don’t want to say it because it sounds like they’re not doing their jobs when they design LEED...

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...

What I want to ask all of you, of course, is, “Well, what do you think?” We’ve spent months working to improve Building Operating Management , and now, ta-da, here it is. I imagine you feel much the same way when you renovate a building...

When we developed the FMXcellence program, we decided that we would recognize facility departments rather than individual facility managers. It’s easy to understand why. Achievements in facility management take hard work by a lot of people. Strong...

This isn’t good. Two years in a row I’ve gone to visit a college campus with my son. Both times I’ve come back with disasters on my mind. This year it was shooters. The most attention-grabbing part of the orientation program for parents...

Long before there was LEED , long before Energy Star , there was CBECS . The Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey, as CBECS is formally known, provides a statistical baseline for the energy consumption of U.S. buildings. Never heard of CBECS...

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...

We didn’t plan it this way, but it just so happens that the 2011 FMXcellence honorees provide a pretty good picture of how FM departments are using sustainability to meet organizational goals. The FMXcellence program isn’t limited to green...

President Obama came into office championing energy efficiency. But the biggest energy effort of his first two years — the cap and trade plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — never passed Congress. And the November election results mean...

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...

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 past decade has witnessed a burst of product innovation in the FM arena. LEDs are a good example. After years of development, they’re clearly ready for prime time, with LED products available for a wide range of lighting applications. Another...

My son is a high school senior, and in the past couple of months we’ve received plenty of colorful brochures from colleges hoping to entice students to apply for admission. These pieces are well-produced, filled with pictures of smiling young people...

Should plants be allowed on top of office workstations? Should space heaters be permitted under desks? Just how far should employees be allowed to go to make their workspaces more homey? That’s the question I got from a reader who was asked to develop...

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...

The middle of an economic slump might seem an odd time to run a cover story about getting ahead, as we are doing with the September issue — the more so with an audience that has no expectation of being on the fast track. As the cover story shows...

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...

Some things seem so obvious that it’s hard to believe that other people don’t get it. You almost have to think that they actually do understand the point but for some reason don’t want to admit it. For facility managers, the benefits...

Ten years ago, the idea of winning acceptance for green buildings represented a big challenge. In hindsight, green design seems more like it was an opportunity waiting to be taken advantage of. Green buildings bring real benefits, not just to the environment...

“How many times do I have to tell you to do that?” Whether it was your parents yelling at you, or you scolding one of your own children, chances are you have some very personal experience with that phrase. And not just at home. Although you...

When we launched the FMXcellence program last year, we weren’t sure what kind of response to expect. The idea for the program was to recognize facility management departments that were adding significant value to their organizations. We knew that...

Reports from McKinsey & Company are not on the required-reading list for most facility managers. McKinsey is a consulting group that targets senior management, and they’ve made a name for themselves by analyzing opportunities and challenges...