INTERNATIONAL FACILITY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

  • Home
  • 2013 February Newsletter
 
 

          IN THE KNOW News for IMFA Austin Members

 

 

The New Year Edition

I. Presidents Message
II. Tech Corner
III. New Members
IV. Ten Quotes for Live by
V. Cold Call Associate
VI. Sammy's House
VII. Featured Facility
VIII. IFMA International
IX. Building Optimization
X. New Lunch Location
XI. F1 COTA Tour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


We had a very good January and February IFMA meeting, there are great slide decks from the meeting available on our website

http://www.ifma-austin.org/

There are a number of activities that good FM's can do, and there are many good leadership skills and attributes we can all strive for.  JR Howard

 

 

 

 


Monthly luncheons at a great new location in the Domain.  Wonderful food and a great atmosphere awaits you

 

 

 Chapter Community Service

 


Sammy s House was pleased to receive over $500.00 in gift card donations collected during the IFMA holiday party for the needy families that they serve.

We are planning an IFMA work day in April. Sammy s will need volunteers to install a new playground unit that was donated to them. More details on this will be forthcoming.

 

Chapter Survey's


In the last couple of meetings gift cards were awarded in a drawing that included participants who completed the online survey, rating the quality of the meeting venue and food........be sure to take advantage of this opportunity. great practice for the next Powerball Lottery

 

 

Welcome New Members

Cole Adams
Valley Crest Landscape

 

Andrew Bruch
Entech Sales and Service

 

Heather Jimenez
Teknion

 

Camala Jones
Austin Convention Center

 

Katherine Pollock
AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Check here for the latest news at IFMA International

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Another featured article by our own JR Howard


Optimize Your Air Handlers

Read more

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CORT Furniture, our Platinum sponsor, is having a sale on file cabinets that will even beat the price you find on Amazon.
Read more

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


A tour of the new Circuit of the Americas (COTA) track was conducted in January for a limited number of our members, by a first come first serve signup sheet at our last meeting. 

Be sure to check out the track an  upcoming events by clicking on one of these the images 


 
 

The Presidents Message: By Jill Cogburn

Happy February!  By the time you read this, it could be 40 degrees or 80 degrees!  What strange weather we are having.  Hope you & yours survived Cedar Fever and the nasty flu season.

If you missed the January & February luncheons, you missed great food & great programs!  In fact, everyone who attended the January luncheon at the new location got an early invitation to tour the Circuit of the Americas F1 facility.  IFMA Fellow & CFM Glin Jay gave a very informative presentation on Getting Into the C-Suite.   This month, our very own (& future President) Jim Hunley gave us some great information about Safety and Security for Facility Managers.  IFMA provides valuable information, training and tours for all of its members. 

We moved our monthly luncheons to Maggiano s in the Domain & have received many compliments on the new venue and wonderful food.  In fact, our attendance is increasing every month.  We are still revising how we will serve food to everyone in an efficient and timely manner.  We appreciate your patience as we work through the details with the catering staff. 

Our next luncheon is Thursday, March 14th at Maggiano s. 

The 2013 Annual Golf Tournament will be held Tuesday, Oct. 15th at Grey Rock, formerly Circle C.  We will have a shotgun start at 12:30pm and some new surprises planned for the evening activities.  If you would like to be a part of this worthwhile committee, please let me or Kelly Quinney with The Steam Team know. 

Our level sponsorship program is almost sold out!  Almost all of our incredible sponsors from last year have renewed:               

Platinum Level - SOLD

CORT Furniture

Gold Level 1 remaining @ $2,500

Austin Business Furniture

Silver Level 1 remaining @ $1,200

Texas Building Services

 

Herman Miller

 

Gulf Coast Paper

Bronze Level 2 remaining @ $600

Corporate Floors

 

Interface Flor

 

KISS Cleaning

 

JPM

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact Scott Slaughter with Austin Business Furniture. 

Important Dates:

                Facility Fusion, Los Angeles, Apr. 2-4

                World Workplace, Philadelphia, Oct. 2-4

                IFMA Austin Golf Tournament, Oct. 15               

If you need any assistance, please reach out to me, a Board Member or Committee Chair.  Your attendance at the events and active participation in your chapter helps to grow the Facility Management profession.  It s going to be a great year for IFMA!

   
   

Tech Corner: By Tim Geier

In the last issue we provided information on emergency standby generator systems, their maintenance or lack thereof.

As we watched the Super Bowl this year we saw firsthand one of the effects of a power outage on a facility, in this case the facility view from the world stage. 

Once the power was restored and the game resumed, momentum had changed 100% to the other team who launched a major comeback and nearly won the game.  If they had won the game much more emphasis would have been put on this facilities infrastructure problems, then they already had to deal with.

Fortunately in the power event that took place during the Super Bowl, no one was killed or injured.  But as a result of the incident, someone may have to take responsibility for not completing adequate electrical maintenance on their electrical infrastructure.

There are many companies in Austin that have expertise in Electrical Preventative Maintenance, how reliable is your facilities electrical system?

Basic predictive/preventative electrical maintenance begins with an Infrared Scan of all major components while under load. 

Here are a couple of white pages that provide additional detail for Electrical Maintenance.

Standard for an Electrical Preventive
Maintenance (EPM) Program
read more

Implementing Electrical Preventative Maintenance
A Guide for Business and Industry
read more

   
 

Funny Quotes to Live by  

Joey Adams
In life, it's not who you know that's important, it's how your wife found out.

 

Josh Billings
My advice to those who are about to begin, in earnest, the journey of life, is to take their heart in one hand and a club in the other.

 

Samuel Butler
Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.

 

Elbert Hubbard
Do not take life too seriously; you will never get out of it alive.

 

George Carlin
The day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life.

 

Robert Brault
All my life I've wanted, just once, to say something clever without losing my train of thought.

 

Djuna Barnes
Life is painful, nasty and short... in my case it has only been painful and nasty.

 

Robert Bloch
The man who smiles when things go wrong has thought of someone to blame it on.

 

Margaret Thatcher
If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.

 

Bill Cosby
I don t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.

 

Sir Winston Churchill
Men occasionally stumble on the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.

   
       
 
 

Cold Call Associate:  Heather Jimenez, Teknion

Title: District Manager

Name of your Employer: 

Teknion          

Describe your company s core competency:   

 

Teknion is a global designer and manufacturer of office solutions. Our integrated product portfolio encompasses systems furniture, mobile and lounge furniture, architectural wall systems, seating, storage, case goods and accessories.

Describe your primary job functions:

As District Manager, I support Teknion s local network of distributors as well as end users, facility managers, and the architecture/design communities. I provide assistance with space planning, furniture specification, product introduction and updates, continuing education and marketing efforts.

Describe an average day: 

An average day varies and never gets boring with my position. I wear many hats and can go from a project planning meeting in the morning to a CEU presentation at lunch, to a construction site where I may have to measure spaces or move furniture, and then to a networking event in the evening. It s part of what makes every day fun and challenging.

What type of clients do you work with: 

I mostly work with clients who are involved in the corporate, high-tech and higher education industries, as well as some healthcare clients.

Percentage of your work and clients that are local/regional/national: 

Most  of my clients are either directly in Austin or in other parts of Texas, along with a few who have an international presence. Teknion has global manufacturing and distribution capabilities which enable our clients to have standardized workplace solutions just about anywhere they are located.

How long have you been in this field: 

I have worked in the furniture industry for most of my career since I graduated from Texas State University in 1998.

Tell us about an interesting situation you ve encountered related to your current work, end result: 

One thing that makes my job really exciting is the opportunity to show Clients first-hand what makes Teknion such a great company. I get to do this by hosting groups of clients at our manufacturing facilities in Canada. In addition to our green manufacturing practices, Teknion owns the first LEED certified winery in the world which is a main attraction when traveling with clients to Canada. Seeing our all-encompassing dedication to sustainability is very inspirational for our clients. These client experiences typically result in closer relationships and more project opportunities.

What s the best lesson you ve learned from a client: 

Clients appreciate honesty. They want you to meet their expectations, but being realistic is key with deadlines and timelines. Over-promising typically results in under-delivering.

How s business right now: 

Based on the rate of new opportunities that have popped up just since the beginning of 2013, I project it will be a great year!

Identify some challenges to your industry: 

I think the biggest challenge is keeping up with the latest design trends and staying on top of constantly changing technology in order to remain competitive in the furniture industry.

Tell us about your personal life, family, hobbies and interests outside work: 

I have an insatiable appetite for reading fiction books anything based on horror or suspense and I also enjoy landscaping/gardening. My family and I love to go camping as well, which we typically do in the spring and fall. I have two amazing daughters and a supportive husband who lets me be just who I am.

Can we quote you on that:

One thing I always tell my kids (and constantly have to tell myself) is that no one has ever done anything perfect the first time they tried it.

   
       
 
  • Fea Featured Facility: AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center
  • F         Chief Engineer - Katherine Pollock

What is the name of your facility?


  • AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center
     

What is the total square footage managed? 

375,000 square feet with 40,000 square feet of meeting space 

What sets your facility apart from the competition?

Our facility offers a unique combination of Conf
erence Center space including the Grand Ballroom, Amphitheater, thirteen class rooms both tiered and flat, McCombs School of Business Center, three restaurants, eight private dining rooms, gift shop, coffee bar and  our 297 room Hotel. We are located in conjunction with the University of Texas Campus two blocks south of the historic UT Tower. 

Describe the single biggest challenge within your facilities? 

Being a multi-purpose venue means catering to thousands of customers and utilizing many spaces simultaneously. Each event must be planned and choreographed so as not to interfere with other events. This is accomplished through the efforts of over a hundred staff members in maintenance, banquet, conference services, food and beverage, AV, IT, security, valet, and managers working as a team.  

What is your corporate view on sustainability? 

The AT&T Center is a LEED Gold certified hotel and conference center. We divert 40% of our waste from the landfill by composting and recycling. We recently started offering battery recycling as well. Our culinary team has partnered with local farmers in support of our sustainable food philosophy. All of our guest rooms offer low flow fixtures as well as our public restrooms. When the building was built in 2008 we used recycled concrete, repurposed the site trees into lobby furniture and finishes and implemented an energy management system including motion censored thermostats and lights. We make every effort to protect our environment. 

When a customer enters your facility, describe the experience you want for them. 

We greet all of our guests with a warm welcome. We anticipate their needs and respond quickly to any requests. Our goal is to provide platinum service in all of our outlets. We want our guests to feel taken care of so they can relax and enjoy themselves whether that be in our four star restaurant The Carillon, enjoying a coffee from our OneTwenty 5 Cafe in the courtyard, at their event in our Grand Ballroom or in one of our sophisticatedly appointed guests rooms. Our guests are our first priority and we want them to feel that upon their arrival. 

 

   
         
Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software