April-May 2006 Newsletter By Mary Duke April 13, 2006 Lunch Meeting President Anita Landwehr opened the meeting by announcing guests and new members. A round of applause was given to Glenda Stubbs for her work on organizing the Golf Tournament. A grand total of $12,300 was collected and $6,156 was donated to the Austin Childrens Center. A basket of goodies was donated by Kimbra Herring with Jani-King and placed for bid by meeting attendees. The basket held a value of $45. The winner of the basket was Shannon Schiermann and the final bid amount was $20. COMMITTEE CHAIRS NEEDED!!!
April 13 Meeting Highlights Dell's Facility Management Information System Kelly Nunn with Dell provided an overview of this system on April 13, 2006. What Problems is Dell Trying to Solve? · Inconsistent facility processes globally What are Dell's Goals? · Standardize processes across the global footprint How does this play in Dell's Overall Strategy? · Customer experience, globalization Why is Dell Doing This? · To become "Best of Breed" Achievements to Date · 2005 CBA for CAFM = NPV $1.8M Survey Objectives · Customer satisfaction (metric = 85% favorable score). MAY 11 MEETING HIGHLIGHTS BUILD / BUY / OR LEASE Gaines Bagby, Vice President W. Gaines Bagby has been with CB Richard Ellis, Inc. for twenty years and has been a licensed commercial real estate professional in Austin since 1983. The scope of his business is both consultational and transactional, depending on the needs of his clients. He provides his clients with the strategic, and often difficult to find, information they need to make important real estate decisions. His focus is on facilitating the real estate process in ways that deliver value added results to the bottom line in a timely manner. He brings over twenty-three years of office purchase and leasing experience, as well as seven years of industrial, retail and land experience to the table. Objectives Challenges Transition Team - External Resources Corporate Advisory Process Gaines provided several vignettes, comparisons and ratings along with Lease comparisons versus Build and Buy and Case Studies of Campus Disposition and Leasing, IBM Building Disposition, TV Station Acquisition and Disposition. The full presentation can be viewed at \\FMG-AUS\APPS\Users\MaryDu\IFMA Newsletter\April-May 2006\GAINES - BUILD BUY LEASE.pdf ANNUAL ELECTION FOR 2006-2007 BOARD MEMBERS Jim Coles has published an e-mail for those who would like to Vote early for the new IFMA-Austin board members. The Nominating Committee for the coming year's Board was administered by the past-president of the Austin Chapter, Charles Carpenter, CFM. The Slate of Officers is: Ballot:
Members are free to vote for any number of Write-In candidates, one per office. Please confirm that your Write-In candidate is willing to serve the term of office. Elections will be held at the June 15 meeting. The new Board will be announced at the end of the meeting. Also, address any feedback about the election process to Jim Coles in confidence at ifmaaust@aol.com. JUNE MEETING INFO June 8, 2006, 11:30 am, Cost $20 members, $25 non-members Embassy Suites Hotel The Top Ten Things to Know about the International Building code Speaker: Fred Peebles, AIA with STG Architects Presentation Highlights Lunch will be provided. RSVP at rsvpifma@yahoo.com
Simplified VoIP for Business PR Contact: Rachel V. Berry, VOXUS, Inc., 253-853-5151, X-223, rberry@voxuspr.com
There are two ways for a facilities manager to approach VoIP. One is to purchase, install and manage VoIP-enabling phone equipment on site. The second, and far easier approach, is to use a hosted services company so that you don't need to buy, install, manage or upgrade any equipment. For a small business without an IT support staff, the hosted alternative can be both cheaper, easier, and cause less disruption to your business or your tenants. Here are several items to consider when evaluating VoIP alternatives: 1) Current phone system. If you are happy with your present phone system, look for a VoIP provider that offers a "phone line replacement" service. This service allows you to keep your existing phone system and replace a high cost phone line with a more economical VoIP equivalent. 2) 911 service. Being able to dial 911 and connect to the local emergency dispatch is standard with traditional phone companies, but not all VoIP services provide this capability yet. 3) Mobile employees and teleworkers. If mobility is important, ask if your VoIP service provider can connect with offsite employees. 4) The right features. Many VoIP service providers offer a wide range of new and useful features, such as FindMe/FollowMe call roaming and simultaneous ring on your office and wireless phone. Make sure your new provider doesn't overlook the features you would find most beneficial. 5) Ease of use. Many services offer a long list of impressive features, but they are too complicated for the average employee. Purchase only what you can use. (Kent Hellebust is CMO of AccessLine Communications, a hosted VoIP service provider specializing in the small business market. For more information, contact AccessLine's local authorized sales agent, AnyWARE, Inc., at 512-377-6605.) May 24 The group toured the War room and the 911 Operations Center. The 911 Operations Center was impressive at several stories tall and approximately 19,000 square feet. The entire facility has been reinforced to resist blast damage and tornado and hurricane damage. The Office of Emergency Management maintains the City/County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). During area-wide emergencies, the EOC serves as the command center for the City of Austin and Travis County response and recovery operations.
The building has received LEED silver certification. All of the building systems, finishes, and departments worked together to achieve this. The room photographed is the "war" room that brings departments and organizations together during an emergency. We were asked not to photograph the other areas of the building, especially the 911 center. For
additional questions you may contact Scott at scott.swearengin@ci.austin.tx.us. PRESENTATIONS BY OUR OWN DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS! Charles Carpenter, CFM, recently spoke at the Institute for Supply Management's 91st Annual International Supply Management Conference in Minneapolis. His presentation discussed location considerations that purchasing professionals should evaluate as part of their supplier criteria. Since "Disaster Awareness" is the first step for true Disaster Preparedness, Charles pointed out that by avoiding harm's way, a business will have to prepare for fewer disasters and can avoid the costs of both preparation and interruption. His paper from the conference can be accessed at: http://www.ism.ws/files/Pubs/Proceedings/CICarpenter.pdf. Membership Drive "Now's the time . . ." We all have friends and associates that are looking for just the right industry group to have as a resource for networking and brainstorming. IFMA's Austin Chapter is it and now is the time. Mention to your friends and business associates that by joining before the July meeting, they will get to attend a tour of the renovations of the University of Texas Stadium. Of course, this is just the icing on the cake of great camaraderie and learning that they will experience at our monthly meetings and the beginning of the knowledge they can acquire through IFMA's certification training and education. Now is the time for you, too, because the person to sponsor the most new memberships between the May and July meetings will receive a one year free membership to IFMA.
Kelly Nunn's FMIS Slide Presentation from a
previous meeting.
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· It is time to update our directory and there is no chief and no crew. 
You're wondering if migrating to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) to
reduce phone call expenditures is right for your facility…but even if you're
technologically savvy, the choices are confusing. There are dozens of service
providers ranging from well-known phone companies to new start-ups, and hundreds
of equipment combinations to choose from. So how do you sift through all of the
options and make a decision that's right for you?
A variety of communication tools
and backup systems were installed in the EOC to aid in the receipt and release
of vital information. The Watershed Protection & Development Review
Department houses the Flood Early Warning System here as well. The EOC brings
together decision-makers from many disciplines to coordinate the flow of
information and strategy development. A variety of organizations and government
agencies send representatives during an EOC activation, depending on the type
and severity of emergency.
