Day: May 21, 2018

The 2018-2019 PRSM Board of Directors officially assumed office April 9 during the PRSM2018 National Conference in Nashville, TN. The new officers are:

Chair: Jonathan Bauer, Sr. Director Store Development, Gap Inc.

Vice Chair: Stacy Brown, Director, Strategic Planning & Development, Global Facility Management & Construction

Treasurer: Chris Slocum, Founder, Chief Customer Officer, Cornell Storefront Systems, Inc.

Secretary: Myriah Kingen, Director, Repair & Maintenance, Extra Space Storage

As Senior Director Store Development, Gap Inc., Bauer, PRSM’s Board Chair, leads the construction, store maintenance and minor remodel teams that support the store North American Gap Inc. fleet. This past year Bauer served as Chair. Prior to that, he served as Director on the PRSM Board and on the Board’s Audit & Investment and Nominating Committees. In 2015-2016 he was a Retail Alternate on the Board, and was Board Liaison to the International Committee. In 2014-2015 he served as Co-Chair of the National Conference Task Force.

“I am honored to be selected to lead the PRSM Board for another year, and I want to sincerely thank those Board members who just completed their term,” Bauer said. “We have made significant changes in the last 12 months and as retail continues its evolution, I am excited about the opportunities for PRSM and our members in the years ahead.”

The Association membership also elected two new retail Board members to three-year terms and two retail alternates to a one-year term. Retail directors include:

• Steve Andrews, Sr. Regional Manager Facilities Maintenance, Walmart, Inc.

• Sean Coakley, RFMP, VP/Director of U.S. Facilities, TD Bank

• Neil Butler, LEED Green Associate, VP Store Maintenance, Luxottica Retail – Retail 1st Alternate

• Kirk Beaudoin, RFMP, FMA, LEED Green Associate, Senior Facilities Manager, adidas – Retail 2nd Alternate

Two supplier Board members were elected for a three-year term, and one supplier alternate elected to a one-year term, on the Board include:

• Jaclyn Frenzel, Vice President, AFM, Inc.

• Tom Buiocchi, CEO, ServiceChannel

• Grant Baecker, President, Authority HVAC – Supplier Alternate λ

Left to right: Jordan Campbell, Matthew Whelan, Stacy Brown, Neil Butler, Jaclyn Frenzel, Sean Coakley, Myriah Kingen, Steve Andrews, Bill Yanek, Jonathan Bauer, Chris Slocum, Leigh Pearson, Kirk Beaudoin, Shawn Browning, 
Grant Baecker, Tom Buiocchi

Get an unbiased opinion before deciding to replace your store’s roof

If your car began acting up and you needed an expert opinion on whether to fix or replace it, you wouldn’t seek out a new-car sales associate. In the same vein, FMs who notice a leak or weather damage to their store’s roof shouldn’t immediately turn to roofing companies that focus on selling new roofs. That’s the message from the guys at Sodexo | Roth’s integrated facilities management company based in Youngstown, Ohio.

Sodexo | Roth, which started as a roofing company 95 years ago and now offers a wide range of FM services, does not sell roof replacements but instead focuses on extending the life of clients’ existing roofs through reactive repair and preventative maintenance. If Sodexo | Roth’s roofing consultants determine a building needs a new roof, they will design the roof, bid that project out to construction companies and supervise construction for clients, but the goal is to extend the life of the existing asset and avoid the costly capital investment of installing a new roof.

The typical flat roof on a retail facility can be expected to last 15 to 25 years if properly installed and maintained, according to Robert Swartz, a sales executive in Sodexo | Roth’s roofing division, so FMs shouldn’t assume that a roof showing wear and tear needs to be replaced.

“When people have a leak and begin to have issues with a roof, they immediately think, ‘I’m going to have to replace it.’ But not always,” Swartz said. “Sometimes you can do repairs and stretch out those capital dollars for a number of years. Unless the damage is from a major storm event like a hurricane or a tornado, more than half of the roofs we see that have been neglected for a few years can be repaired and can have some extended life.”

Barry Wardle, Sodexo | Roth’s Vice President of Sales and Business Development, said retail FMs should be wary of roofing contractors whose first impulse is to sell them a new roof.

“It’s definitely important to have a third party involved to guide the process of deciding the right time to have a roof replaced.”

Swartz said retail FMs seeking reputable roofing consultants should turn to professional organizations such as PRSM, the RCI Inc. roofing trade association and the National Roofing Contractors Association.

Roofing companies that are members and attend these events are much more likely to get the continuing-education and training opportunities necessary to keep up with changes in roofing materials and maintenance and repair practices, Swartz said. The 2019 IRE, for example, will offer 122 hours of education at 44 sessions spread over three days next February in Nashville, Tenn. For roofing contractors, these training sessions help ensure that the repair work they do is consistent with the warranty requirements for stores’ roofs.

Swartz said a good place for retail FMs to start is to have a roofing consultant perform an initial inspection, which might include taking high-resolution digital photos so changes in the roof can be monitored over time. Prior roof maintenance and repair work can be evaluated, and a maintenance program can be developed.

“If you have a game plan of how your roof is going to be maintained over a five- or 10-year period, you’re probably going to add to the life of the roof,” Swartz said.

By: Nick Fortuna

Renee Prager, President and CEO, Brinco Mechanical Management Services, Inc.

How long have you worked in FM?

Ron: 25+ years as a single trade vendor.

Renee: 20+ years.

Why were you interested in FM?

Ron: Brinco began as a local NY Commercial HVAC/R service company and at the behest of our retail clients, expanded into a National HVAC/R Management Company servicing multisite accounts. HVAC has always been a pain-point for managers of all types of facilities. As a mechanical engineer, and a certified HVAC technician, I understand the impact mechanical systems have on the overall client experience.

Renee: I became interested in FM and joined PRSM 20 years ago when recognition of the FM industry as a profession was at its start. At that time, facility managers were being challenged to expand their skill sets to include knowledge of risk management, budgeting and finance, and software applications. I felt my background as an attorney would be useful to the organization during its formative years. I have served two terms on PRSM’s Board of Directors, and have seen the continued expansion of the facilities management industry.

What is the most interesting FM task you have been asked to do?

Ron: Finding solutions for long-term HVAC issues where others have tried and failed is most rewarding to me, on both the service and the design side of the business.

Renee: I find dealing with clients’ budgetary constraints, reporting requirements and development of strategic programs to preserve their HVAC assets exciting. HVAC is a high-profile area within facilities management requiring specialized trade expertise. We all know that facilities management is considered a cost center, not a profit center for our clients.

Ron Prager, Vice President and COO, Brinco Mechanical Management Services, Inc.

What are the main benefits you get from being a PRSM member?

Renee: PRSM provides us with opportunities to visit with our clients and our peers, exchange new ideas and discuss changes in the FM space.

Ron: We also benefit from retailers being able to network with each other.

What advice would you give to someone entering the FM industry?

Renee: Listen to everyone but always draw your own conclusions, and never stop learning.

Ron: Ask questions. That drives the increased professional knowledge and allows you to learn from the experience of others.

What do you see as the biggest challenges to the FM industry and why?

Renee: Repurposing overbuilt space. My definition of retail is any space where a consumer visits to purchase goods or services, whether it be a restaurant, healthcare center, or financial center. Retail space has been overbuilt by approximately 20 percent. How will those areas be repurposed based on the changing economic climate, and the shift of consumers to experiential based consumerism vs. goods based consumerism? Which industry disrupters and leaders will take advantage of those properties?

Ron: I agree, and I think that dealing with the fallout due to the repurposing is the major challenge for FMs. How does a retail facility manager make a business case for investing in and replacing an HVAC system that should have been replaced years ago if they don’t know how long they’ll be occupying the space due to a short lease term or the unknown viability of that retail center?