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2013-2014
Board of Officers |
Kenneth
Bryson, AIA, LEED, AP
Joseph
Geierman, CFM, FMP
VP,
Professional
Development:
Kenneth
Stephenson, CFM, AIA
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Links
to
Sustaining
Patrons
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As
I'm sure everyone has noticed, we spend a fair
amount of time here at IFMA Atlanta promoting the
values embodied in IFMA's Core Competencies. There
are numerous reasons for this, not least being the
importance of being able to demonstrate those
competencies in our professional lives as well as
earning the IFMA credentials. I quote below from
the IFMA International web site the
characteristics of one of those competencies,
namely the one titled "Leadership and
Management."
Plan
and Organize the Facility Function
- Create
a mission for the facility
function.
- Assess
business trends.
- Plan
facility function activities.
- Organize
the facility
function.
Manage
Personnel Assigned to the
facility
- Plan
staffing needs and
requirements.
- Hire,
contract, reassign, retrain,
right-size.
- Coordinate
personnel assignments.
- Coordinate
work performed as contracted
services.
- Evaluate
performance.
- Support
personnel development.
- Provide
leadership.
Administer
the Facility
- Administer
policies, procedures and
practices.
- Administer
the acquisition, distribution and use of
material resources.
- Maintain
documentation systems.
Manage
the Delivery of Facility Service
- Plan
for the delivery of services.
- Assure
that services are delivered.
- Evaluate
service delivery.
You
can see from this list that "Provide leadership"
is included among the elements that fall under
"Manage Personnel Assigned to the Facility." In
what ways do you, as a facility professional or as
a businessperson responsible for managing
personnel in other ways, perceive this element and
its place in the process? I'd like to invite some
constructive comment on this theme - please feel
free to send me an e-mail with your
thoughts.
Sincerely,
Ken
Bryson, AIA, LEED, AP
IFMA
Atlanta Chapter President
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November
20 - The Innovative
Imperative |
Why
Workplace Strategy and Design are More Important
than Ever
Thomas
Friedman's new book That Used to be Us: How
America Lost its Way in the World We
Invented describes the challenges businesses
face today:
- A
hyper-connected, interdependent world that
connects, competes and collaborates across
borders; everything is speeding
up
- Average
is over; the middle-skill/high-wage jobs are
gone overseas; in this new world, work will
consist of service jobs that have to be local,
like hair dressing and auto repair, or creative,
non-routine work
- Startups
know how to start, but not how to scale; legacy
companies know how to scale, but not how to
start
For
many large companies that IFMA members are
involved in, the focus has turned from 'footprint
and finance' to creating innovative brand and
customer experiences. These companies are
discovering that their old ways of thinking about
people and workplace and real estate aren't
aligned with the new emphasis on
innovation.
To
do their jobs more effectively, IFMA members need
to understand the innovation imperative,
particularly the ways that facilities can drive
innovation, through:
- Engagement -
to be innovative, people need to be engaged; the
work environment plays a big role in driving
employee engagement
- Well-being -
to be engaged, people have to feel well; the
work environment is increasingly known to be a
major factor in employee
well-being
- Purpose -
the spark of innovation comes to life when
employees believe that what they're doing has a
purpose beyond just making money. The
workplace can be a powerful medium to express a
company's purpose.
REGISTER
HERE |
December
18th - Annual Awards and Non-Profit
Luncheon |
This
year at the December Luncheon, we are collecting
gifts cards to be distributed among our ten IFMA
Atlanta Nonprofit Partners: A Friend's
House, Atlanta Community Tool Bank, Atlanta
Mission, Clarkston Community Center, Covenant
House, Decatur Cooperative Ministry, The Elaine
Clark Center, Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta,
Project Community Connections, and Safe America
Foundation. Suggestions: Home
Depot/Lowe's, Kroger/Publix, Walmart/Target,
Office Depot/Staples, QT, Amazon.com,
Visa/AmEx. Please bring gift cards to drop
in the collection basket at the registration desk
as you pick up your nametag. Your generosity
in support of our partner organizations is much
appreciated!
Additionally,
our Master of Ceremonies will entertain us with a
live auction of assorted art and decorative
pieces. We will also present our annual
membership awards for 2013. Please come
prepared to have some fun and take care of your
holiday shopping. All proceeds from the
auction will go to the IFMA Foundation in support
of our industry programs and educational
support!
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Active
Shooter in the
Workplace |
We
at IFMA Atlanta hope you enjoyed the briefing of
understanding the Human factors that are present
"before" and during an act of workplace violence.
Thank
you Michael Briant, Founder of the Skydas Group
which is a threat and risk management firm
headquartered in Atlanta.
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Associates
Panel and Discussion
Mixer |
We
hope you enjoyed the panel discussion and learned
a lot more about the IFMA Atlanta Chapter and how
to sell and communicate with your fellow
professional members!
A
HUGE thank you to all the panel
members:
- Shannon
Karasiewicz, Earthlink , " Dragnet-Facts,
Nothin' but the Facts, Ma'am" -Vendor
Reporting
- Anthony
Maddox, Southern Polytechnic
U. "Bend me, Shape me, anyway you
want me!" - Flexibility and
Responsiveness
- Dan
Walther, Elavon , "Murder Mystery"
It's a mystery"
- Gean
Leyba, Blackberry "Star
Trek" -Using Technology with a
Facilities Flair
- Stewart
Smith, Flooring Solutions, "I've looked at
things from both sides, Baby!" - A Past
Professional, Current Associate, and Past
President shares insights from both sides of the
desk
Special
thanks to Bobby White of Anchor Heating and Air
for sponsoring the event and Professional,
Darrell Gray, Georgia Tech Wardlaw Facilities
Manager for hosting.
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Thank
you all for attending the New Member/Guest
Breakfast on Friday, October 25 at Maggiano's
Cumberland. We have a very active chapter and we
are glad that you have either made the decision to
join or are thinking about joining. As you
know, the best way to utilize your membership is
to get involved! Please don't hesitate to
reach out to Dawn Abraham at membership@ifmaatlanta.org
if you have any questions regarding membership or
the different committees you can be involved
with.
New
members shown with Dawn Abraham, Membership, and
Ken Bryson, President |
Congratulations
IFMA Atlanta for winning Large Chapter of the
Year!
Congratulations
to the Atlanta Chapter of the International
Facility Management Association for winning the
IFMA Awards of Excellence 2013 Large Chapter of
the Year Award! The awards committee cited
the chapter's innovation in a number of areas,
including:
- Exceptional
use of a Balanced Scorecard to track goals and
keep the chapter aligned with its parent
organization
- An
excellent 1-day educational event called Atlanta
Workplace, which the chapter held in partnership
with the USGBC of Georgia and IIDA of
Georgia
- The
chapter's recent accreditation by the
International Association of Continuing
Education and Training (IACET), allowing it to
award CEUs for its educational
events.
The
award was accepted on October 4th, 2013 by Annette
Gorelick, Immediate Past President of the chapter,
at IFMA's World Workplace Conference and Expo in
Philadelphia.
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Winners
were announced in 15 categories, with judging
panels comprised of industry experts evaluating
nominees individually and scoring them in a number
of specific areas. IFMA recognizes local chapters
and individuals for their achievements that
advance the facility management profession, as
well as chapters and councils for their
outstanding performance in key
areas. |
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Atlanta
Chapter of IFMA Funds
Scholarship for Facility Management
Education
For
over a decade, the Atlanta chapter of the
International Facility Management Association
(IFMA) has been a strong supporter of educational
programs in the field. Over 10 years ago, it
helped get a master's degree program in Facility
Management started at Georgia Tech, and in the
past year assisted in starting an undergraduate
degree program at Southern Polytechnic State
University.
Besides
its strong support of these two educational
programs, the chapter has also regularly
contributed to the IFMA Foundation scholarship
fund, which awards scholarships to students of FM
based on their exceptional educational work and
activities.
On
October 3, 2013, Joseph Geierman (IFMA Atlanta
VP/President Elect) presented a $5,000 scholarship
to Yeongchul Lee - a PhD student at Georgia Tech
who is specializing in Building Information
Modeling and Facility Management. Lee is an
outstanding student enrolled at Georgia
Tech. His scores were based on GPA, personal
achievement and leadership, his involvement in FM
related activities, letter of professional intent,
resume and letters of recommendations. He
was chosen for a group of seventy-five applicants
from the United States and abroad.
Mr.
Lee, a South Korean native, is extremely
passionate about his research - and the Atlanta
chapter is thrilled to be able to help support
it.
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Sustainability How
to Guide
US
Government Policy Impacts and Opportunities for
Facility Management
In
the interest of promoting sustainability, the U.S.
federal government has declared that it will take
a leadership role in energy efficiency, renewable
energy and environmental stewardship. In
particular, various government agencies will
develop supporting resources that cover
sustainable buildings and campuses, operations and
maintenance, greenhouse gases, water efficiency,
data center efficiency, industrial facilities and
federal fleet management. The "U.S. Government
Policy Impact and Opportunities for Facility
Management" guide examines the government's
initiatives and describes the opportunities which
they afford to facility managers who implement
sustainability plans. The materials provide a
significant body of knowledge, including best
in-class tools, resources, benchmarking
information and further
support.
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Thank
you to IFMA Atlanta Chapter
I
was so glad that I could be one of the folks
representing Atlanta IFMA in Philadelphia for
World Workplace 2013. So, I was hoping that
you could forward / pass-on my thank you to the
"scholarship selection committee". Before
leaving for the conference and expo, a few folks
had received a direct thanks from
me.
I
generally focused on the "workplace track" in
selecting and attending particular sessions. Thus,
the educational part was helpful and of course
interesting to me.
Michael
Rice, LEED AP, IFMA, IIDA,
NCIDQ
Thank
you the Atlanta Chapter for the scholarship I
received to attend WWP 2013. I did my best
to attend sessions and events that would provide
some sort of added value to our chapter. I
plan to make sure you get a return on this
investment!
Thanks
again,
Joseph
Geierman |
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CM
Chair/Faculty Awarded Grants for Major Development
Partnerships
Dr.
Khalid Siddiqi, Chair-Construction Management, and
Dr. Hussein Abaza have collaborated on the
successful award of two grants, funded through the
U.S. State Department, totaling $2 million.
The
first grant was awarded to establish an academic
partnership in Communication Design with Indus
Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi,
Pakistan.The partnership between Southern
Polytechnic State University (SPSU) and Indus
Valley University (IVU) is particularly
interesting because it involves New Media Arts,
Architecture, IT, and Game
Design.
The
second grant awarded will lead to the
establishment of a Center for Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) with Georgia Tech, Kabul
Polytechnic University (KPU), Afghanistan, and
SPSU. The GIS Center will collaborate to address
the needs of the faculty of Geology and Mining at
KPU to renovate and equip two GIS classrooms,
develop four GIS courses tailored to the Afghan
context, and to organize ArcGIS (a mapping and
analysis software) training for KPU faculty and
technicians.
Congratulations
to Dr. Siddiqi and Dr. Abaza on their result in
pursuing these grants. We are looking forward to
future updates.
Construction
Management Annual Fundraiser
The
Construction Management Department's 12th Annual
Construction Industry Advisory Board Fundraiser
took place at the Cobb Energy Center of Performing
Arts this year on September 26,
2013.
The
festivities began at 6:00 p.m. with a cocktail
reception and silent auction. After a very nice
dinner, Mr. Anirban Basu, Chairman and CEO of Sage
Policy Group spoke on the economics of education
and economic development, including the
contribution of the construction industry to the
U.S. economy.
An
additional highlight of the evening followed
dinner. With great appreciation and pride,
$10,000 dollars in student scholarships were
awarded that evening. Heartfelt thanks from SPSU
and the students to CIAB and Atlanta Electrical
Contractors Association for their generosity and
support of our students success.
SPSU
2013 Scholarship Celebration
The
annual Celebration of Scholarship 2013 dinner was
held on October 22nd at the Marietta Hilton
Conference Center. Scholarships funded by
companies, friends and professional associations
affiliated with the Construction Management
department were presented to 16 very happy and
deserving Construction Management students.
Many
thanks and great appreciation to Golden Hammer,
Flagler Foundation, the Construction Management
Industry Advisory Board, Grainger, Juneau, AECA,
Dr. John Mench and friends for their generous
contributions to the success of our students. We
are confident in saying these gifts will be put to
very good use.
Dr.
Siddiqi, 2013 ALA Scholar
Award
Dr.
Khalid Siddiqi, Chair-Construction Management, has
been selected as the Accelerated Leadership
Academy (ALA) Scholar for 2013. The ALA is
sponsored by the University System of Georgia. ALA
provides a high level of structured, continuous,
executive leadership development that builds upon
the ELI (Executive Leadership Institute)
experience. Dr. Siddiqi was selected by the SPSU
leadership, in 2009-10, to participate in the USG
ELI Scholar Program, where he committed 100 hours
to group learning, completed 360 assessments,
participated in cross mentoring, alumni
activities, and performed job shadowing and
evaluations. Dr. Siddiqi also completed a personal
project focused on identifying the tools needed
for better coordination and improved efficiency
amongst university services including admissions,
financial aid, the registrar's office and the
university's academic department. Dr. Siddiqi, we
are proud to work with you!
Dr.
John Mench Receives Legend in Energy
Award
Construction
Management senior lecturer, Dr. John Mench, has
been recognized by the Association of Energy
Engineers (AEE) as a distinguished energy
professional and winner of the Legend in Energy
Award. Dr. Mench is the founding professor of the
specialty and facility management concentrations
in the CM department. Congratulations, Dr.
Mench!
TCM
Matching Grant Campaign
Dean
Richard Cole and Dr. Khalid Siddiqi recently met
with members of the SPSU Advancement Office to
discuss strategies for designing means of matching
contributions given by friends of CM in the
professional community. The idea is that money
gifted by CM supporters will be matched by the
Construction Management Department. The
Construction Management Industry Advisory Board,
along with the CM department, will be the face of
the campaign and Advancement will provide the
overall organization and strategy and drive the
effort.
ACM
Tech Lab Opening
Drs.
Siddiqi, Abaza, and other CM faculty hosted an
open house in the soon to open Architecture
Construction Management Tech Lab. CM student and
Lab Technician, Brian Hogue, lead the event by
serving as MC, providing equipment demonstrations
and tours to a packed house of interested
students, staff and faculty members.
Terrific job, Brian!
Many
thanks to Dr. Hussein Abaza and Dr. Pavan Meadati
for their tireless work to make the ACM Tech Lab a
reality.
IFMA
National Convention
Dr.
Khalid Siddiqi, Chair-Construction Management, and
Professor Brandi Williams, represented Southern
Polytechnic at the International Facilities
Management Association convention in Philadelphia
in October. Many thanks to the Atlanta IFMA
Chapter for their support of our participation. We
look forward to sending a competition team to the
conference in New Orleans next
year!
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