I am writing to bring your attention to two opportunities coming up early this year.
First – There are two chances to support the SkillsUSA Georgia Conference that will be occurring on Feb. 19-20 at the GWCC and Omni Hotel.
- The FACILITHON: Leadership in Facility Management Competition that is run through SkillsUSA will be held on Feb. 20 at the Omni Hotel starting with orientation at 7:30 AM. We need judges and other supporters to make this a success. A few things have changed since last year. Virtual judges training will be held on Feb. 1 from 7:00 – 8:00 PM. Let me know by email if you would like to participate in this training and I will make sure that you receive a calendar invitation.
Information on how to sign up as a judge is in this note from SkillsUSA below:
“Our goal is to ensure every competitor is evaluated by outstanding professionals, and we consider you to be among the best Georgia has to offer. It would be our honor if you would serve as a Leadership Competition judge and help provide students the opportunity to demonstrate their skills at this exceptional event. A brief description of each competition is available in the SkillsUSA Georgia Leadership Competitions document.
If you are able to assist, please click here, complete all required fields, and submit the form by January 30, 2026, if possible. Upon submission, you will receive a confirmation email summarizing your responses and competition selections for your records. You will be contacted by February 11, 2026, with your final schedule and all necessary judging details.”
- IFMA Atlanta is presenting a panel discussion to talk about some of the varied career paths that can lead to Facility Management on February 19 from 10:00 AM – 12:45 PM. If you’re interested in participating you can find general information and the sign-up form here: https://forms.gle/AS98heb8B3aHB5Uw8
Second – We have an opportunity to support the Gwinnett Science, Engineering + Innovation Fair that is coming up on Feb 27. This is where young innovators showcase projects that shape tomorrow’s world.
The theme of the event this year is “Building the Future One Project at a Time” and there are 2 ways that you can help.
- As a speaker or part of our panel discussion – We are looking for S.T.E.M. professionals who can share their experiences in the field of Facility Management and how you got into this exciting and challenging career.
We will be speaking in the afternoon from 12:55- 2:50 PM. See the Gwinnett Science, Engineering + Innovation Fair Website and go to the “Speakers” dropdown for more information about this opportunity and the application to become a speaker. Please let me know if you sign up to participate to help track our involvement.
- As a Judge – Judges review student project presentations and interview students. Judges will be assigned projects based on their area of expertise.
Judging for High School will be in the morning from 7:30 AM -12:15 PM
See the Gwinnett Science, Engineering + Innovation Fair Website and go to the “Judging” dropdown, then click on “Become a Judge” for the judges application or see this link:
https://gwinnettsciencefair.com/judging. Please let me know if you sign up to participate to help track our involvement.
Thank you for all that you do to promote the Facility Management Profession and to bring on the next generation of Facility Managers.
Ken Stephenson – RCFM
