I've always liked the color green. My first car was a '69 Cougar XR7, and it was green. Not one of those weak or diluted greens; it was a deep and dark forest green (with a hint of metallic flake). I always received compliments on that car, so I think green is good. And as a former 28-year resident of the Pacific Northwest, I thought I knew something about Green.

The people of Austin proper seem to know something about Green as well. Go to MSN.com and search for "greenest cities." Are you surprised to see that Austin is ranked #1? In a state that had a pro football team named the Oilers?

What gives? Is this just another PR coup by Austin's wildly successful Chamber of Commerce?

I don't think so, although one must admire the success of Austin's insatiable drive to recruit leading-edge companies and people to the area. (Seems like Austin is in every desirable Top 10 list reaching print; I read one of those lists five years ago, and look where I ended up).

I'm putting some stock in this Austin-is-leading-the-universe category. It was written by Jacob Gordon of treehugger.com. Gordon calls Austin Energy "possibly the greenest power grid in the country." Backing Austin as the greenest of the Green are other statements from Gordon:

"Austin leads the country in wind power and biodiesel production (and) has built advanced, plug-in hybrid vehicles into its energy strategy." The recently announced Austin Climate Protection Plan says "all facilities, fleets and operations will be carbon-neutral by 2020, and 100 percent of city facilities will be powered by renewable energy by 2012."

Want more? "The Clean Energy Incubator, sparked by the National Renewable Energy Lab and managed by the University of Texas at Austin, works closely with the power utility and serves as a test bed for budding startup companies to develop green technologies ranging from solar, biofuels and wind to Internet-controlled irrigation systems."

Internet? I suppose Austin knows a little something about that, too…

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Meet the New Boss     Shannon Schiermann As in-coming President of IFMA Austin, I am proud to be associated with such a great organization that supports the largest community of facility management practitioners and service providers in the industry. I have been a professional member of IFMA for 11 years; six of them in Houston and the past five in Austin. IFMA over the years has brought me invaluable opportunities to share knowledge with my peers, and even more so develop close friendships with many wonderful people. As President it is my goal to continue to bring our chapter great educational programs, interesting facility tours, and fun social events. Along with Mark Wendland as 1st VP, I think we have a great team of leaders on the Board as well as a committed group of committee chairs that will make this goal easily obtainable. One of the things the leadership team wants to focus on is providing professional members, who want to take the CFM, a source for study preparation. Joe Latteo, CFM with Williamson County, has agreed to help us develop a CFM.study group. Joe will also be co-chairing the Program committee with 3rd VP Mike Negro, and our past-president Robin Connolly. It is also a goal of our Chapter to grow our professional membership this year. We have created a professional members' recognition event which is planned for our August meeting. This event includes a dinner party boat cruise down Lake Austin and is free to all professional members. With the help of our new Membership co-chairs, Ted Ulmer and Scott Slaughter, I am confident that we can focus on new ideas to recruit and increase the membership of our organization. Personally in my tenure as Chapter President, I would like to have the opportunity to get to know each and every one of you. I encourage each of you to get more involved in IFMA by attending more meetings and social events, or even offering to help out on a committee. The more participation we have, the more successful our chapter will be. If ever during the course of the year you have an idea, or even a concern that you feel will help improve our organization, please contact me directly. I am open to everyone's ideas and suggestions. Lastly, I want to thank Robin Connelly, our past President, for all her hard work and dedicated commitment this past year. Robin was instrumental in getting our chapter back in a strong financial position and her vision offered us the leadership which guided us through a very successful year. I am personally thankful that Robin will continue to be involved on the board and developing great programs for our chapter.

Lunch Break However… August 9th is "Professional Member's Recognition Day" Hosted by Austin Party Cruises, this event is free to our chapter's professional members. $25.00 for associate members $30.00 all others 4:00 to 6:00 PM. Reservations required. RSVPifma@yahoo.com Sponsored by K.I.S.S. Inc. Klean Image Service Specialist www.KissCleaning.com Come for Fajitas, Margaritas & an air conditioned cabin while you cruise Lake Austin and catch up with your friends. Parking available at the Walsh Landing lot on Lake Austin Blvd., just between Enfield Road and Bonnie Road.

What's Next?  METROCON 07 takes place in Dallas August 16-17. IFMA Dallas has graciously offered to sponsor a bus for IFMA Austin members on the 16th. The bus would depart Austin around 7:00 AM, and leave Dallas at 7:30 PM. Interest is being gauged so, if you'd like to attend, please RSVP to rsvpifma@yahoo.com. Learn about METROCON: http://www.metrocon.info/.

Q & A with Herb Ganz, Senior Facilities Manager at Heliovolt
"Performance Review" is a regularly featured interview with one of our professional members.

Ed.: Heliovolt is an Austin-based company developing new technology capable of bringing solar power to the masses.

Provide some insight on your Employer/Company's core function/service.
Research & Development of Thin Film Photovoltaic product development and first manufacturing
plant development.

Identify Company's total number, sq. ft., types, and locations of offices, e.g., corporate, industrial, owned,
leased, downtown, suburban, local, regional, international.
Austin Product Development Facility; 38,000 sq ft leased, flex-office park near Austin Bergstrom Airport.

Identify Company's total number of employees.
25 and growing

What are your primary job functions?
A- Facility Management; site development, space planning & design, programming, project management,
and contractor relations, scheduling, and budgeting.
B- Engineering team support; tool placement and commissioning, ancillary process tool procurement.
C- Environmental; regulatory compliance, safety, waste management

How many total sq. ft. are you responsible for?
Currently 38,000

How long have you been in the FM field? Education, certifications?
FM 14 years; General Contractor 10 years.
NFPA, IFMA, USGBC, AE Green Building Program

Who do you report to?
VP Operations.

Who reports to you?
Facilities support personnel.

Do you outsource any functions? Which ones?
Yes, housekeeping, recycling, document shredding, plantscaping.

Describe your recycling program, if applicable.
Basic paper, card board, metals, plastics and batteries.

Describe any energy conservation measures you have implemented in your facility.
We conducted an initial survey with Austin Energy. Implementation is pending.
What are some FM challenges you face within your organization?
Operations facility team development, staffing, training, rapid growth and, scheduling.
Identify some challenges the FM industry as a whole must face in the near future.
Bring to light the importance of sensible design, building systems knowledge, and understanding the value of each individual's participation in maintaining healthy and productive work environments.

What are some of your hobbies and interests outside work?
Gardening, wood working, photography and time with family.

To learn more about Heliovolt and its revolutionary products, log on to http://www.heliovolt.net/

Cold Call Q & A with Todd Coleman, Owner, Texas Building Services

"Cold Call" is a regularly featured interview with one of our associate members.

Describe your company's core competency (service-oriented? product driven?).
Texas Building Services (TBS) is currently one of the largest locally owned and
operated janitorial companies doing business in Austin and its surrounding counties.
Our hours of operation are 24 hours per day, seven days per week, and 365 days per year.
We provide a wide variety of services, ranging from daily janitorial to large trash removal, carpet cleaning,
floor refinishing (including stone and vinyl flooring), and emergency services, including water extraction.

In addition to services provided, TBS provides paper supplies, soap
and liners to clients out of our warehouse.

What is your primary job function?
I oversee management of client accounts, as well as all facets of managing a business, including supervising employees, HR, etc.

Describe an average day.
As a small business owner and manager, I handle all aspects of running a company.

What type of clients do you work with (industries you serve? size of companies you work with, etc.)?
All sizes and all industries. From 1,000 S.F. to 1 Million S.F. commercial/industrial/medical properties.

What percentage of your work and clients is local/regional/national?
Local - 98%; Regional - 2%.

How long have you been in this field?
Eight years. Work Career: Conoco (5 Years); RJR Nabisco (7 Years); Leegin Leather (7 Years).
Education: BBA from Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, Texas.

Tell us about an interesting situation(s) you've encountered related to your current work. End result?
Too numerous to mention and not suitable for publication.

How's business right now?
Great! Record year in 2006, and first half of 2007 seems to be heading in the same direction.

Identify some challenges to your industry.
Technology.

Tell us about your personal life, family, hobbies and interests outside work.
Wife, Laura, and two daughters, Kennedy (6) and Mackenzie (4). I had hobbies before the second child,
but not too many now.

Can we quote you on that?
"Will it be beneficial to all concerned?"

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