most people don’t recognize or appreciate. You do your job and make
sure that everything runs smooth, the lights are on, and the
temperature is controlled and comfortable. I would like to think
that sometime, someone stops to say thank you.
FEATURED FACILITY - HARTE HANKS
What is the name of your facility? Harte-Hanks Response Management
What is the total square footage managed? Good Question. My lease says 83,360 SF but the Travis CAD says 83,544 SF. Since my rent is a flat rate, I will worry about the difference another day. I also have facilities in Texarkana and Shawnee, KS that I support.
The average age of your building? The building was built in 1994 and expanded in 1996. In 2010, we performed a complete remodeling of the building while occupying it. We converted over 22,000 SF of warehouse to office space and shuffled our people around to open up new areas to remodel. It was practically a shell-building remodel
In a sentence, define your FM strategy. Something along the lines of the Little Dutch Boy
What sets your facility apart from your competition? Compared to other call centers, we have ample parking and a feeder route off the CapMetro light rail line
What is your greatest FM accomplishment? Probably the recent 2010 remodel, keeping a call center running while remodeling every inch of space made for some long days and weekends
Describe the single biggest challenge within your facilities. Like most people, there is a lack of money dedicated to Facilities. Budgets will get trimmed arbitrarily, which makes delivering consistent service a challenge
What is your corporate view on sustainability? Sustainability is always weighed against dollars. If the sustainable decision is in the neighborhood of a financial decision, the corporation will view sustainability favorably. Sustainability is not something easily paid for.
What impact is sustainability having on your facility and the way you manage? During the 2010 remodel, I was able to incorporate sustainable features into the building (white roof, more efficient lighting and HVAC, occupancy sensors, HVAC management controllers and economizers). Even though we added over 22,000 SF of space, our energy usage has only increased about 2.5% and our bill is lower than the combined bills for our previous locations.
What is the most significant FM lesson learned? You can never know where to set a thermostat. With my new energy management system, we are letting individuals control the temperature within a certain range. While 74 is the norm, there are several areas where the stats are set to 76 degrees.
When a customer enters your facility, describe the experience you want for them. I would like our customers to see a neat, clean and organized facility. Despite the high turnover that can plague call centers, we try to get a bright, open and relaxed facility for people to enjoy.
Evaluating potential impact of Stage 3 water restrictions
Officials with Austin Water say the city is headed for Stage 3 water restrictions.
Sprinklers are still allowed once a week in Austin under the current Stage 2 restrictions, but under Stage 3, residents would only be allowed to water once a week by hand.
The latest forecast from the Lower Colorado River Authority has Austin reaching its steepest restrictions by January.
Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros briefed the city council Tuesday on some of the concerns he has about Stage 3 restrictions.
"I'm concerned that maybe things are worse than we think and the LCRA may be indulging wishful thinking here," Austin City Council Member Bill Spelman said.
Under Stage 3, car washes would only be allowed to operate from noon to 5 p.m., and builders could be forced to scrap landscape plans for more drought-tolerant options.
Meszaros says his department is looking at offering variances for water-wise landscape options.
"We know that we are in a difficult drought and it may be with us for a very long time. We are going to take and plan for steps to manage through this drought," he said.
According to Austin Water, the total amount of water used by its one million customers is only about one-fourth of what rice farmers use downstream.
The LCRA plans to cut off farmers if water levels in the Highland Lakes continue to drop.
Meszaros says the restrictions will not endanger Austin's tree canopy and businesses. Those are considerations he's keeping on the forefront as Stage 3 approaches.
The current drought restrictions were created in 2009 as part of a plan to conserve water use overall.
Austin Water officials hope to return to the council with any changes to the plan in December.
