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IFMA-Austin Ballot for the Election of Officers 2008              

TERM: July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009

Dear Austin Chapter Members:
 

It is time to vote for the 2008-2009 Board of Directors.  Each member of the Austin Chapter whose dues are current is eligible to vote once either by email to ifmaaust@aol.com or at the June Luncheon Meeting this Thursday, June 12, 2008.  Early voting will be collected and tallied in confidence by Jim Coles, CAE, Chapter Administrator, and is due by 11 am on June 10, 2008;  otherwise, voting will need to take place in person at the June 12^th  Meeting.

The Nominating Committee for the coming year’s Board was administered by the past-president of the Austin Chapter, Robin Connolly.  The Slate of Officers is:

Past-President:  Shannon Schierrmann – Symantec Corporation

President - Mark Wendland, Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation

First Vice President Elect – Pete Stein, Amplify Credit Union

Second Vice President – Open

Third Vice President – Open

You may respond to this email and do any of the following:

1)     Vote for all officers for the 2007-2008 Board of Directors

2)     Vote for all officers for the 2007-2008 Board of Directors except (include Write-In Candidate (s) and office)

3)     Withhold your vote for all Officers for the 2007-2008 Board of Directors except (Please include any names of exceptions).

You 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.  Also, address any feedback about the election process to me in confidence.

Thank you, Jim Coles, CAE
 

VP Positions 3 and/or 4

VP Positions 3 and/or 4

Please vote for 2 members.  The two with the highest number of votes will win the Board seats.

Daryl Miller – Southwest Solutions Group, Sales

Kelly Nunn - Dell Global Facilities Systems Manager

Scott Slaughter - Boise Workspace, Account Executive
David Thomas - Operations Manager at the Austin Convention Center    

 
 "Performance Review" A regularly featured interview with one of our chapter's professional members.  
 
Robin Connolly, Project Manager FF&E, University of Texas System                                                         

Robin is a past president whom many of us know; however, this is the first time we've been able to 'corner' her for an interview.

Provide some insight on your Employer/Company's core function/service.
The University of Texas System Office of Facilities Planning and Construction (OFPC) oversees the development and implementation of the System’s Capital Improvement Program as well as maintaining a variety of System-wide facility related databases.  OFPC is also responsible for managing or providing oversight for all major capital projects for the 15 institutions.  The Board of Regents’ Rules and Regulations defines major capital projects as those costing in excess of $1 million for new construction and all renovation projects costing in excess of $2 million.  OFPC provides a full range of project management services to ensure that institutions of the U. T. System have excellent facilities to carry out all aspects of their missions.

Identify Company's total number, sq. ft., types, and locations of offices, e.g., corporate, industrial, owned, leased, downtown, suburban, local, regional.
Ubiquitous.  We are everywhere.

Identify Company's total number of employees.
Well, I can tell you that OFPC has 202 including the contract employees.

What are your primary job functions?
I am a Project Manager for FF&E for the North Texas Region and am responsible for furnishing the CIP projects at UT Arlington, UT Dallas, UT Tyler, UT Tyler Palestine Campus, UT Tyler Health Science Center.  I am involved in a project from the very beginning of the CIP (project charter, program, etc.) and am usually the last one at the project site. 

Before restructuring last year, I worked at any of the campuses.  Some buildings at UT Austin included the Blanton Museum of Art, Connally Law School addition, Benedict Mezes Batts, Nanoscience and Technology.

How many total sq. ft. are you responsible for?
It varies widely from year to year.  This year there are 40+ projects in the North Texas Region and I’ll work on about one-third of them.  My hot projects right now are a dormitory and dining hall at UTD, Math Science and Engineering Building at UTD, Student Services Building at UTD, Engineering Lab Complex at UT Arlington, a University Center Expansion and remodel at UT Tyler, and a new campus building in Palestine for the same campus.

How long have you been in the FM field?
I spent three years as an Interior Designer for a private firm in El Paso before working for the Texas A&M Facility Planning Division for 11 years.  Back then we could do the work ourselves.  Now there’s so much I have to hire other firms to do the design for me.

My degree is from Syracuse University’s College of Design. I am a registered Interior Designer in the State of Texas and am a LEED AP.

Who do you report to?                                                              
ProgramManager, NorthTexasRegion.                                    

Who reports to you? 
No one.

Describe your recycling program, if applicable.
Every campus recycles paper and cans...

Identify some FM challenges you face within your organization.
The amount of travel sometimes makes it difficult to get things done.  My IFMA friends know I’ve not been able to pay as much attention to the organization as I used to.

Identify some challenges the FM industry as a whole must face in the near future.
The cost of energy seems to be the biggest.

What are some of your hobbies and interests outside work?                               
Boating, travel, and music.  If you can’t find me on the lake, then you’ll see me at a concert or in an airport.  And one thing I just added – a class in ham radio operation.  Go figure!

Thank you, Robin! 

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"Cold Call"   with Crystal Green of ISS Facility Services and ISS Grounds Control

"Cold Call" is a regularly featured interview with an associate member.                       

Is your company affiliated with any others?
I work for ISS Facility Services & ISS Grounds Control.  We are affiliated with ISS, an international company that started in 1901.  ISS has locations in over 50 countries and 2007 revenue of $13.4 Billion with 440,000 employees.

Describe your company's core competency.
In Austin we offer Commercial Landscaping and Janitorial Services.  International services also include Security, Event Services, Office Management, and more.

Describe your primary job functions.
Primarily, Sales and Marketing.  I am the only Business Development Manager to sell & market both services (Landscaping & Janitorial) for our company in the U.S.

Describe an average day.
An average day consists of sending out thank you notes, contacting facility managers & property managers to get involved in bid processes with their company, putting together bids, and stopping by to say hello to at least one of my customers.

What type of clients do you work with?
Property managers, Facility managers, and HOA Management companies.  We offer cleaning services and landscaping for a variety of business sizes.

What percentage of your work and clients is local/regional/national?
My focus is local, however we can service on a national or international level as a company.

How long have you been in this field?  Tell us briefly about your career, education, certifications.
I have been in Sales/Marketing for eight years.  I actually come from a telecom background.  However after 5 years in telecom I was ready for a career change.  So, I have only been in the landscaping/janitorial business for a few months.  I have known the GM for ISS Grounds Control for 3 years now, and through networking I have been around the cleaning industry for years as well.  It was a well needed change, and I love the Industries so far.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learned from a client?
The best thing I learned is to take the time to ask what their special needs and expectations are, and then make sure to shut up and listen.  You can learn a lot from your clients if you just ask, and they really enjoy/appreciate someone who cares enough about their account to really want to do everything in their best interest!    

Tell us about an interesting situation(s) you’ve encountered related to your current work.
Well, in the cleaning industry, there’s always the notorious walking in on a man and woman doing things they shouldn’t be doing in an office after hours.  However, we were doing some cleaning in a bank, and one of our employees found a bag filled with $250,000 dollars!  We called the bank manager immediately, and I honestly feel that it was their way of testing us (yes we passed!!).

How's business right now?
Business is great right now.  Our company is growing tremendously, and building managers always need great looking landscaping outside, and a clean building inside.  I am currently working on implementing some processes that are completely new, and unknown to the industry, but that will make dealing with both Landscaping & Janitorial easier for the managers.

Identify some challenges in your industry.
A lot of times price is the driving factor and it becomes a fight to find who will do it with the least profit.  In landscaping, you have contracts, but there is no consequence for the landscaper besides the ability to fire the company if they do not perform all that is in the contract.  It is hard to know when some of the aspects of the contract have been done correctly (like fertilizing the correct amount or at all), and some steps have to be done at a specific time (if they are not done then, there is no going back to fix it).  Not often enough do companies require Landscapers to Bond their contracts, but if they did it would eliminate those people who have no intentions of doing a good job.

Tell us about your personal life, family, hobbies and interests outside work.
I am the mother of 7-month-old and 2 ½ year old boys.  I love to swim, travel, play disc golf, camp, and spend time playing with my husband & little boys.  Family is very important to me!!

Can we quote you on that?
“The man who smiles when things go wrong has thought of someone to blame it on.”

Thanks, Crystal!

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