Perspective on change from Bill Yanek, CEO, and Jonathan Bauer, Board Chair
PRSM Association is nearly 25 years old. When formed, PRSM filled a need for networking, education, tools and resources for Facility Managers in a retail multi-site setting. PRSM succeeded in becoming the authority on retail and multi-site facilities management.
But beginning in 2017, as PRSM leadership charted its course for the next five+ years, we saw that as retail evolved, the definition of multi-site retail was changing as well.
What is retail today? It’s definitely more than just traditional retail, and it’s more than retail stores.
How would we define facility management (FM)? It’s definitely more than maintenance. Moving forward, it will be a whole lot more. Traditional ‘maintenance’ has evolved, and we need to be experts in:
- Strategic Supplier Management
- Procurement and Sourcing
- Energy Management
- Construction and Real Estate
- Sustainability
- Technology
- Business Intelligence
- Relationship Building
The list goes on, including any future focuses of FM that may not already be defined.
So, if PRSM was going to transform to meet the FM needs of the future, our name and branding needed to follow suit.
As part of the PRSM2023 Strategic Plan, PRSM partnered with Agency Creative, a Dallas-based marketing and advertising agency to create a new brand and a unique selling proposition (USP) to position PRSM for the next five years and beyond (see “The Rebranding Recipe,”
pg. 12). That process bore a refined PRSM USP: The Power of Connection—and a new association name: Connex.
Terms such as ‘retail evolution’ and ‘retail apocalypse,’ while consistently mentioned in the media, are becoming overused. More accurately they are not relevant to the discussion of where retail — or Connex — is going in the next five or 25 years of its existence.
The way we do business is rapidly changing, and so are the environments where Connex members must succeed. Regardless, one truth persists: a need for professionals in the FM industry to connect.
Retail FMs to Retail FMs, Suppliers to Suppliers, and most directly — Retail FMs to FM industry Suppliers. And, just as valuable, is connecting our members to knowledge, experiences, development and careers in an emerging industry.
Connex’s power to facilitate these connections is that USP that, if positioned properly, places Connex at the center of the future of facility management.
Connex2023’s Mission:
Leverage our No. 1 position in the multi-site maintenance association market and continue to grow by increasing our retention of high visibility members while growing members in our identified target markets. We will supplement this with a corresponding supplier base that addresses the market’s trends and needs.
In support of this mission, Connex2023, formerly PRSM2023, embarks on three Strategic Tracks. One of those tracks is the rebrand and repositioning of our association in the marketplace.
1. Connex must undertake a “cultural evolution” with an emphasis on technology (and its use), engagement (including external outreach to members), marketing, positioning a member expertise platform and working to become more resourceful in both responding to and anticipating industry trends.
2. The association must change its name and staff structure to fully exploit the opportunities inherent in this Strategic Plan.
3. Connex must commit to grow. And, grow the vertical markets where Connex plays. In addition to the Retail FM space, Connex will recruit members from new vertical FM markets in: healthcare, lifestyle, entertainment and financial facilities.
We’re excited about these strategic changes, and we look forward to seeing how Connex takes our association into the future.
Bill Yanek, CEO
Jonathan Bauer, Board Chair
