Boat Cruise 2008

 
  "Performance Review" A regularly featured interview with one of our chapter's professional members.  
 
    Meet Sharon Henson, CFM, Facilities Manager for National Instruments                                                         

Provide some insight on your Employer/Company's core function/service.            
Through virtual instrumentation – a concept NI pioneered that uses the computer and its related technologies to replace stand-alone, costly instruments – we continue to revolutionize and challenge the measurement and automation industry to do things better, faster, and cheaper.

Our employees share a vision where software leads the way to increased productivity for engineers and scientists around the world. With National Instruments LabVIEW, software itself becomes the "virtual" measurement instrument and opens doors to help engineers and scientists build their applications on a flexible platform that is fast, highly connected to the world around us, and scalable to their changing needs. Our vision is that NI LabVIEW runs anywhere and takes measurements everywhere to extend software to the outer limits of computer technology, on the chip or even a sensor itself. Through constant innovation, we are making our vision a reality.

Identify Company's total number, sq. ft., types, and locations of offices, e.g., corporate, industrial, owned, leased, downtown, suburban, local, regional.
National Instruments owns and leases a total of 1,714,321 SF worldwide, with a headcount of 4,842 globally.  The Corporate headquarters located in Austin has a campus of 753,805 SF, with acreage for future buildings.   Most of the office space on campus is for R&D, Marketing and Sales, with 70,000 SF of Manufacturing.  Another Manufacturing plant with 110,000 SF was built in Debrechen, Hungary, and opened its doors in 2001, with another 100,000 SF of offices for Procurement and Sales.  Plans are being developed to add another 40,000 SF office building in Hungary by Q1 of 2010.  National Instruments owns the Austin campus and the Hungary plant and buildings.  Other global offices are primarily for Sales and Training, and are leased.  The largest International offices are in Germany, China, Japan, India, and France.  The majority of the North American offices are Sales, with the recent  exception of two new R&D offices opened in Santa Rosa and Berkeley, California.  There is something about trying to make people from California move to Austin.  “It ain’t happening.”   Someone who doesn’t want to move to Austin?  Go figure!

What are your primary job functions?
The hat I wear the most is Corporate Real Estate Manager for North America.  I manage 13 out of state leases, in addition to acting as Property Manager for a 136,000 SF building still owned by National Instruments, located on Bridge Point Parkway, overlooking Lake Austin. 

Who do you report to?
Mike Walker, Director of Worldwide Facilities.

Who reports to you? 
Fourteen people.  Two designers, two admin specialists, move coordinator, one furniture tech, mailroom and copy center personnel.

What functions do you outsource?
Securitas for security, Transwestern Commercial Services for the maintenance team, Sodexo provides our on-site food and coffee services, and Spotless Cleaning has our janitorial contract.  Southwest Installation manages our furniture inventory, reconfigurations, and installations.  All of these partnerships have worked so well for us that I wonder why anyone would bring them in house.

Describe your recycling program, if applicable.
National Instruments was “Green” long before it came into style.   Paper, cans, and cardboard are recycled.  Batteries are taken to recycling sites. 

Effective Monday, July 16, 2008, National Instruments eliminated use of Styrofoam cups, plates and containers in all three cafes.  An investment was made to purchase china plates and bowls, stainless steel eating utensils, and plastic washable glasses.  The only time disposal cups and plates will be used are for outdoor functions, but these will be bio-degradable.   Concerned employees have formed an internal “Green Team” and actively search for other eco friendly ways that can be incorporated into the National Instruments way of life.  Big promotions have been launched encouraging managers not to print hand outs for meetings, or printing a few copies for employees to share and, naturally, asking people to print on both sides of the paper, if they do print.

Describe any energy conservation measure you have implemented in your facilities.
Quite a few!  Here's a sampling:

• Installed water-saving aerators on all restroom lavatory faucets, break rooms and Café Kitchens.

• Installed water-saving flush valves in toilets and urinals in Bldg. A, and water-saving shower heads in the Fitness Center.  These measures will save approximately 2,822 gallons of water per year!

• Replaced the metal, halide light fixtures in Bldg. A warehouse with energy efficient fluorescent bulbs

• Energy misers were added to the Drink and Snack machines, and motion sensors in the restrooms.  These measures save approximately 55 kWh of electricity per year!

• Subscribed to Austin Energy Green Choice (wind power) for 10% of our electric load for a 15-year term in March 2008.

Future projects in the works include:

• Relamp Bldg. C with lower wattage bulbs;

• Install motion activated lavatory faucets;

• Install low water use flush valves at urinals in remainder of restrooms; and,

• Replace 16,115 square yards of carpet in Bldg. B in 2009.  All of the old carpet will be recycled, saving 145,000 pounds of material that would otherwise be going to the landfill.

Identify some FM challenges you face within your organization.
As the company continues to grow, station sizes have shrunk to accommodate new hires.  Meeting space has become a premium.  Events that have always been held on campus, are now having to be sent off-site.  Room setups have taken on a life of their own.   These challenges are part of our growing pains.

Identify some challenges the FM industry as a whole must face in the near future.
Utility costs will continue to spiral.  As an industry, we must continue the search for solutions to control the escalating costs, so that it does not eat into other areas of our budgets.

What are some of your hobbies and interests outside work?                               
Funny how your life takes on new dimensions, and the things you once enjoyed suddenly take a back seat.  I find my weekends centered around my family and grandchildren.  The days of shopping and carousing with my friends have been replaced by trips to the zoo, Austin Children’s Museum, or afternoons spent in the park.  Friday nights are spent with Gran, and we party like Rock Stars (or at least until 10 p.m.).  Immersed in a major house remodel, I found that life does go on, even if there is an inch of dust on every surface in the house and you have to wash dishes in the bathroom sink.  I think 10 years ago I would have be ranting and raving about it.  But in the new stage of my life I don’t sweat the small stuff -- and have found that it’s all small stuff.  I have become a crossword puzzle junkie, to the point my son says I have a problem.

Thank you, Sharon! 

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"Cold Call"   with Amy Weldon of CleanScapes                     

"Cold Call" is a regularly featured interview with an associate member.   Amy is newly appointed as both the chair of our Community Service committee, and co-chair of our Programs Committee. 

Describe your company's core competency.
We provide landscape construction, outstanding maintenance, renovation, enhancement, and irrigation services for commercial properties.

Describe your primary job functions.
I am director of marketing and sales for the company, but also handle customer relations, major accounts, and advertising.

Describe an average day.
Never the same day twice…but every day includes lots of phone calls, proposal preparation, job site surveys, e-mails, and of course, work in professional organizations.

What type of clients do you work with?
Commercial properties with exterior landscaping.  We work with all types and sizes of commercial companies from small restaurants to major shopping centers, institutions, homeowners associations, and of course, the state capitol.

What percentage of your work and clients is local/regional/national?
All of our customers are in Central Texas, namely Austin and San Antonio.

How long have you been in this field?  Tell us briefly about your career, education, certifications.
After three “interesting” years in New Mexico, I returned to Texas (yippee!) last year. I joined CleanScapes in March 2008.  Prior to then, I was a regional business development manager for a major elevator company (10 years); director of sales/marketing for regional building exterior care (high rise window cleaning) company (4 years); and in ancient times, I was a property manager (9 years), which is so uncanny, because I’m only 25.  I have also worked in advertising, public affairs, municipal government, and project management.

I hold a BA with double majors in Journalism and Marketing from the University of Houston.   I have taken several classes towards my RPA, and hope to achieve my designation as a Texas Master Gardener in 2009.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learned from a client?
Several ones come to mind immediately:  1) Keep your sense of humor; 2) Do what you love; success will follow; 3) The worst of days has but 24 hours.

Tell us about an interesting situation(s) you’ve encountered related to your current work.
Business is very good, but we continue to work diligently in making it better.  This often results in very long days with work well into the evening.  I left my office one evening around 9:00 only to be greeted by a large skunk at the driver’s door of my vehicle.  Realizing that he was better equipped than I was to greet an “intruder” I backed away slowly, returned to my office and waited until the stinker was long gone.   And to think, my husband thought I was at the mall.

How's business right now?
Booming  (Growing!!!)

Identify some challenges in your industry.
Fuel costs, Austin’s extended drought, native wildlife (Bambi and friends)

Tell us about your personal life, family, hobbies and interests outside work.
I married my best friend, Gary, and we have two daughters (one in Dallas, the other in NYC).  When I’m not selling landscape services, I enjoy interior and exterior gardening, reading, water sports, travel, cooking, and films.  I thoroughly enjoy service work, particularly working with the underprivileged.

Can we quote you on that?
I am full of interesting quotations and mantras:

“No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care”

“People support what they help create.”

                                                                        “The more you give, the more you have.”
   Thanks, Amy!

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