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"Performance Review" Q
& A with Mike Negro of The American Cancer Society
"Performance Review"
is a regularly featured interview with one of our chapter's
professional members. This issue meet Mike Negro, Facilities Manager for
the ACS in Austin. Mike was just
elected to serve as our chapter's 3rd vice president, and is also the
co-chair of our Programs Committee.
 Provide some insight on your Employer/Company's core function/service.
The American
Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health
organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem
by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from
cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.
Identify Company's total number, sq. ft., types, and locations of
offices, e.g., corporate, industrial, owned, leased, downtown, suburban,
local, regional.
American
Cancer Society houses the National Cancer Information Center in Austin,
TX. Building square footage is 76,000. American Cancer Society
provides both nationwide service and international service. Identify Company's total number of employees.
600 and
growing! What are your primary job functions?
Manage the
physical plant and maintenance operations of the NCIC call center.
Draft and coordinate vendor bids/contracts required by building, day to
day operations, and construction needs. Oversight of facilities related
RFP/RFO’s. Oversee building scheduling, scheduling of maintenance,
custodial, safety, security, construction, and grounds maintenance.
Manage all site vendor relationships and contracts. Responsible for
vendor and facilities staff satisfaction metrics. How long have you been in the FM field?
12 years.
Who do you report to?
Operations Director. Who reports to you?
12 staff. Do you outsource any functions? Which ones?
Security and janitorial. Describe your recycling program, if applicable.
Our recycle
program consists of multiple zone locations for staff members to place
aluminum cans, newspapers, cardboards and plastics. Our janitorial
staff places the items in a recycling bin provided by BFI.
Describe any energy conservation measures you have implemented in your
facility.
One of
the items we have done is to install window tinting. The building
exterior window surface comprises almost 50% of the tilt wall surfaces.
Future projects will be to install energy management for the HVAC
system.
Identify some challenges the FM industry as a whole must face in the
near future.
A challenge
in the near future will be to appropriately identify and secure space
for multi function copiers located throughout the facility and to create
a safe area so that the chemicals in those copiers won’t harm employees.
What are some of your hobbies and interests outside work?
Coaching
youth sports, basketball and football.
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"Cold Call"
Q & A with Martha Horlander, AIA, of
Susman Tisdale Gayle
"Cold Call" is a regularly featured interview with one of our
associate members. Describe your company's core competency.
STG is a full
service architecture and interior design firm.
Describe your primary job functions.
As a studio
principal with STG, I head up our interior design studio.
Describe an average day.
My average day consists of studio and client management, project work
including programming, space planning and design, responding to RFP's,
working on contracts and proposals, and marketing.
What type of clients you work with?
STG works with a variety of clients including corporate, financial,
technology, healthcare, institutional, recreational, and retail.
Projects can range in size from one thousand to one million square feet.
What percentage of your work and clients is local/regional/national?
STG has offices in Austin, Houston, and Nashville. Our work is
distributed fairly evenly in each of our offices -- 60 percent local, 30
percent regional, and 10 percent national.
How long have you been in this field?
Tell us briefly about your career, education, certifications.
I graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Architectural
Studies, and have been
in this field
for almost 24 years. I became licensed in both architecture (AIA)
and interior design in the early 1990's, and have been fortunate to be
with STG for 22 years.
Tell us about an interesting situation(s) you’ve encountered related to
your current work.
End result?
STG is very team oriented. I actually drove back to Austin from
vacation on the day of my parent's 50th wedding anniversary to attend an
interview for an important project in which my firm was competing.
We did not get the project, but I made it back in time for the party and
margaritas.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learned from a client?
You cannot take yourself too seriously. Life is too short not to
laugh.
How's business right now?
Business
is currently great, but it's tied to the economy and can change anytime.
Identify some challenges in your industry.
Schedule (it
can never be built quickly enough).
Budget (there is never enough money).
Quality (it can always be done better). Tell us about your personal life, family, hobbies and interests outside
work.
I
am married with
one seven-year-old daughter, three Labrador Retrievers, one cat named
Steve, and a hermit crab that won't die. We love to camp, boat,
fish, cook, watch movies, spend time with family, etc. We recently
purchased 35 acres in the Hill Country and are working on developing
"The Horlander Ranch."
Can we quote you on that?
Work hard, play often.
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You've
probably heard something about the new watering regulations which took
effect October 1. Top comment I received:
"So much for the best lawn in the neighborhood
contest." 
