INTERNATIONAL FACILITY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

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  • 2012 October Newsletter
 

          IN THE KNOW News for IMFA Austin Members

 

 

The presidents Message

October has brought us some relief for the 100 degree dog-days-of-summer as well as some welcome rainfall. In fact, the first cooler day (94 degrees!) was Sept. 10th, the day of our annual golf tournament.  We had a great time!  About 100 golfers participated at the lovely Twin Creeks course in Cedar Park.  Thanks again to the Golf Committee for such a successful event.

At our last luncheon, we announced the Professional and Associate Members of the Year.  Sharon Henson, CFM and National Instruments Facilities Manager, was named Professional Member of the YearKelly Quinney, Director of Marketing for The Steam Team, was named Associate Member of the Year.  We chose both Sharon and Kelly for their amazing work on the golf tournament.  Kelly picked up the [golf] ball and ran with it, having only 10 weeks to pull the entire tournament together.  Sharon did an amazing job again of securing sponsors for us.  Congratulations to both of them! 

At our Oct. 11th luncheon, JC Shore, Founder & President of Circular Energy, presented the importance of solar design in our buildings.  His presentation included both solar retrofits and integrating solar photovoltaic's during construction.  Thanks to Gulf Coast for sponsoring the October luncheon. 

We are fortunate to have World Workplace in San Antonio this year (Oct. 30 - Nov. 2) and more than 38 of our members have signed up.  You can go for the entire event or just drive down for the day.  If you just want to see the Vendor Expo, it s free but advance registration is still required.  There is a link on the chapter s website and also here:  www.worldworkplace.org.   I ll see you there!   

In addition, we are having a very special event for Professional Members only called, Power Up for World Workplace sponsored by Milliken, Corporate Floors, Teknion & Workspace Solutions.  This is a neat joint event by the San Antonio and Austin IFMA chapters.  Facility managers from each chapter will board a chartered bus to New Braunfels on Oct. 25th (2pm 5pm) for a tour of the Landmark Lofts, built inside the historic Comal Power Plant, the highest structure in New Braunfels.  Come network with your Professional colleagues, learn about WWP events, certification, and membership benefits!  Beer, wine & hors d' oeuvres will be served.  Oh, and it s free to all professional members. 

If you need any assistance, please reach out to me, a Board Member or Committee Chair.  Your attendance at the events and active participation in your chapter helps to grow the Facility Management profession.  It s going to be a great year for IFMA!


 

In This Issue


I. Power Up WWP
II. IFMA Golf 1012
III. 9/11 Memorial
IV. Volunteer Opportunities
V. Flush Valve Recall
VI. Humor Shorts
VII. Cold Call - BungoBox
VIII. Member of the Year Photos
IX. Sammy's House

 

 

Power Up For World Workplace San Antonio/Austin


In a special locally sponsored event, come network with your Professional colleagues, learn about WWP events, certification, and membership benefits at the Historic "Power Plant" in New Braunfels, transportation provided to and from WWP in San Antonio! View Event

World Workplace
San Antonio this year (Oct. 30 - Nov. 2
)
View Event

 

The 2012
Golf Winners


1st Place Team

  • Mark Roth

  • Bryan Zander

  • Armando Mendoza

  • Chris Shive

2nd Place Winners

  • Rob Baugher
  • Bill Farnum
  • Tim Wise
  • B. Sengle

3rd Place Winners

  • B. Robertson

  • Lane Bostick

  • Jeff Spillar

  • Danny Davila 
    
From The Editor: By Tim Geier

Hello fellow IFMA Austin Members.  For those of you that don't know me, I was featured in the performance review section in the August 2012 Newsletter, and I am in this edition and beyond as your "new" newsletter editor.  I want to thank Kelly Quinney for the all of the efforts she has put forth in creating the chapter newsletter for the last three years.  She has done an awesome job who's role will be hard to fill. I am proud to be a member of this association and this team. 

A little bit about me, I have a wide range of operations and management experience in hospital, commercial high rise and hi-tech facilities, with an emphasis on mechanical and electrical systems. 

When I think of facilities management or the operations of a facility, I am always drawn to the infrastructure.  I have realized over the last couple of years, that is where my passion lies.  Not just in a particular area, but how facilities are maintained in all areas from the grounds to the server rooms.  I have seen a great deal of changes in the industry as buildings have become more complex in their equipment and energy saving control systems.

Part of this section in future editions of the newsletter will be called the Tech Corner and will contain information pertaining to Operations and Maintenance of buildings and their internal components. 


  The Golf Tournament:

As our President stated, it was a great time at Twin Creeks on Monday September 10, 2012.  The course was in pristine condition and the golfers were in perfect form, well at least some of them were.

For instance.  Rene Andrepont hit the longest drive on hole 3.  Barry Anderson Placed his ball closest to the pin on hole 9, this one was nearly a "hole in one" and lets not forget that Jeff Solar made the longest put. 

I did however see a couple great puts from David Thomas on a non- competition hole.  He dropped one from at least a distance of 75  feet on his first hole.  I am certain there were many other fantastic shots on the course that day that could have gone down in IFMA history, but it seems that they are most always on the wrong hole.

Shotgun play began promptly at 12:30 and teams drove their assign locations where the fun began.  It was a beautiful fall day in Central Texas, our wonderful Sponsors were positioned at various locations on the course and provided plenty of snacks and beverages, and a few on the spot competitions of their own.  This tournament would not be possible without the support of these sponsorships

Many great photos of the event can be seen here                   


 

   
The 2012 
Golf Challenges 

Longest Drive Rene Andrepont 
Closest to the Pin Barry Anderson  Longest Put Jeff Solar 
  
Our Golf Sponsors 

CORT

White Construction

Alpha Painting

STG Designs

Sodexo Marriott

Allied Barton

GCA Services

Brent Harris

National Instruments

Knight Restoration

Teknion

ISS Facility Services

Spot Cleaning

Greater Texas Landscapes

Kentex Roofing

Armstrong Moving and Storage

Shaw Floors

EDC Moving Systems

$1500.00 in proceeds from the golf tournament  were donated to
Sammy's House


Click Picture for more information about Sammy's House

 

Quiet Day at Austin's 9/11 Memorial


 
Credit Photo by Liang Shi for KUT News

Since the last newsletter was distributed, a very important anniversary, significant in our  country's history was remembered. Below is a great story about our city's 9/11 memorial.

 

A small US flag was placed at the base of Austin's 9/11 memorial. Did you know that Austin has a monument to the Texans who died in the attacks on September 11, 2001 and the Texas soldiers who perished in the war in Afghanistan? It sits on the grounds of the Texas State Cemetery on E. 7th St.

The memorial was commissioned by Governor Rick Perry on the first anniversary of the attacks, and it was unveiled on September 11, 2003, according to

the Texas State Cemetery's website.     Read more

 

 

 

Micro-Volunteering Opportunities

In our organization there are many functions going on behind the scenes that are accomplished by our volunteers.  We are seeking additional volunteers to assist with these functions.  Here is a short list of some of these tasks, this type of activity does not involve a lot of time but us very valuable to the events team.

    • Assist at sign-in table at luncheons
    • Greeters
    • Slide advancer for presenter, if needed
    • Collect business cards for drawing
    • Program surveys + compile survey results
    • Summary of program ( Here is what you missed this month ) + link to FB photos
    • Buddies for visitors/new members
    • Follow up with visitors
    • Photographer (other than JR Howard)


      Contact Melody Williamson
      mw7173@att.com for more information on volunteer opportunities

Subject: Flush Valve Recall

Submitted by Amy Ables, Austin Association of Facility and Maintenance Engineers

 

Shown in the photos below, are pictures of a Sloan power-flush valve tank that can explode.

There is a recall on some of these units and you should contact your plumbing contractor/supplier to determine if your unit is one of the types under recall.

For tanks that are already leaking, they send a new tank. For tanks that are not leaking but on the recall list, they are sending straps and a pressure release.

All this can be retro fitted on the tanks. The parts install usually can be done by a qualified plumber in about 15 minutes. Allow 45 minutes if they have to switch out the tank.

Click on this link to a website for instruction on how you can identify serial numbers affected by this recall: 
http://flushmate.com/recall/


Thanks to Bill Berry of HPI for bringing this to our attention to share with other members.


                        

 


 

1.        Only you can prevent socks with sandals.
2.        Your ASAP is not another person's ASAP.
3.        100% of people who use statistics in casual conversations are annoying.

4.        NEVER SHAKE AN INTERN.
5.        Stop telling people how busy you are and get to work.
6.        Just say no to meetings on Monday morning.
7.        Schedule your HRA for BEFORE your 3:00 cookie. (Health Risk Assessment)
8.        Cell phone ringtones can damage careers.
9.        Leaving the office for lunch is the new vacation day.
10.      Afternoon naps increase stock price.  
 


Cold Call with Don Alexander of BungoBox

 

Name:  Don Alexander        

 

Name of your Employer: BungoBox  

Describe your company s core competency:

BungoBox was launched from a very simple concept. We rent reusable plastic bins as an alternative to the traditional disposable cardboard box and packing tape. Basically, we are rethinking the way Americans move.  

BungoBoxes stack up just like giant lego pieces. You can stack up to four at a time on a dolly and easily wheel them around. And they are so durable that they help protect your belongings. The best part is, you don t need any packing tape. The boxes actually snap together. 

Describe your primary job functions

Starting any business from the ground floor requires a lot of attention in many different areas; I feel as though I am finally to the point that I can focus on introducing our product to residential and commercial clients on the move in and around Austin.

Describe an average day

I usually try and get to the office around 8 am.  I will catch up on any emails first thing in the morning and then take care of any deliveries before noon.  The afternoons are usually spent calling on potential customers and spreading the word about BungoBox.

What type of clients do you work with

We work with residential and commercial clients directly but also with anyone who assists people during a transitional period.  We hope to provide Facilities Managers, Commercial Movers, Real Estate Agents, Property Managers, etc. with a product to help make the stressful time of moving easier. 

Percentage of your work and clients that are local/regional/national

We are local to Austin and will service the Austin Metro Area and its surrounding locations.

How long have you been in this field

Not long!  I have only been in this field for about 3 months.

Tell us about an interesting situation you ve encountered related to your current work.  End result?

The BungoBox name is unique to say the least.  Where the name came from and what it means is usually the first thing asked even before any interest in the product has been shown. 

What s the best lesson you ve learned from a client?

I ve been reminded to enjoy the startup process of the business and to continually put one foot in front of the other and not get ahead of yourself.  

How s business right now?

Business has steadily been heading in the right direction.  We have a long way to go but the feedback we have received so far has been great and we are excited about our future in Austin.

Identify some challenges to your industry.

People are working harder than ever in their respected fields and time is extremely valuable.  Obtaining a small piece of that time to introduce a new product offers its challenges.  

Tell us about your personal life, family, hobbies and interests outside work.

I have been married for three years to my wife, Lauren.  I like to spend my free time outside, usually working in the yard or playing golf.  I m a big NFL fan and my Sunday afternoons this time of year are spent pondering over my fantasy football team.

Can we quote you on that?

Absolutely


 

 

 

 

 

There is a couple of volunteer workday opportunities coming up for Sammy's House

1. Thursday November 8th
     immediately following our luncheon
    
2. Saturday November 17

More details to come
 

  
New / Renewal Members 

Don Alexander

Jason Andruk

Derek Boriack

Rick Burleson

Ronald Gallagher

Bryan Helford

Dan Kelly

Sandra Mccowan

Israel Ortiz

Marta Perez-Guerra

Paul Riley

Robin Ross

Brenda Tuma


Sharon Henson, CFM

National Instruments Facilities Manager, was named Professional Member of the Year.

 

Kelly Quinney,

Director of Marketing for The Steam Team, was named Associate Member of the Year

 

 


 

 

Building Operations Are First Place to Look to Improve Energy Performance

Fluorescents, Induction Lighting and LEPs Continue to Expand and Improve

 

 

Newsletter Contribution


Be sure to send any news or items you would like to see in the newsletter. 

Content can be facility news, articles, pictures, awards you or your team has won.  Send these items to:

timothy.geier@oracle.com

 

 

One last bit of news


Austin raised Drew Brees breaks NFL record.

Drew Brees set an NFL record Sunday night with touchdown passes in 48 straight games, breaking the mark set by Johnny Unitas a half-century ago.

Read more

 

 

     
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