As PRSM shifts to Connex, past board members share their personal challenges, insights and hopes for the future.
Ron Rau
[Board President] 2001–2004
[Current Position] Operations Support Executive for Phoenix Energy Technology
“There are many things that we accomplished during my three years, but the one thing I’m most proud of is how we brought the entire association together in a very volatile time period, for both our country and retail.”
Q: What was your tenure as PRSM Board Chair?
I was the fifth President, and served as President for three years, from 2001-2004. Then for two years I served on the board as Past President. In total, I’ve been on the board eight years. I was on the advisory board multiple years; I was a part of the nominating committee multiple times, the editorial committee — just about every committee we’ve ever had. I’m still very active and a member of the AIC committee.
Q: You were a member of PRSM right from the beginning back in 1995. Any memories of how you joined the organization and got involved?
I had been working for a division of Macy’s for 19 years and had just taken a job with Limited Stores, a small-box company back in Columbus, Ohio, where I’m from. Back then, the thing with the big-box organizations was they had their own engineers, painters, etc., in-house. When I got to the small-box company, they had nothing going on internally — everything needed to be outsourced. That was something I struggled with early on: Who do I choose as suppliers? I read an article about PRSM getting ready to start, talked to Willie (Wofford) about getting involved, and I jumped on the bandwagon.
Q: What were some of the challenges during your tenure as Board Chair?
During my tenure, there was a lot of turnover on the retailer side. While President, the retail side of the board changed every year. In 2001, when 9/11 hit, that brought on a whole new set of challenges. Travel became an issue, navigating the recession was an issue, what was going on throughout the rest of the world was an issue. It was an interesting time to be on the board, helping guide us through that time.
Q: What was the accomplishment you were most proud of as Board Chair?
I’m proud of the pursuit of the RFMP (Retail Facilities Management Professional) designation. But I’m most proud of how we brought both sides of the organization together, from a retailer standpoint, a supplier standpoint and even a supplier-to-supplier standpoint. With the whole world changing following 9/11, we were still able to grow. The suppliers felt like they had a voice, just like the retailers. I used to walk the floor at every conference, although they were much smaller than they are today, and visit every booth and thank everyone for coming and participating. We changed bylaws, procedures and financial measures to ensure we were staying up with the times and continued running a solid organization.
We also brought Canada in for the first time. We didn’t really know how to integrate them into the organization properly at the beginning, but they stuck around and remained members. It seemed the main difference, at least on the supplier side of things, was that Canadians hadn’t really shared a lot of information with each other in the past. In the United States, people were always talking and sharing information and ideas. So, I think that was very freeing for Canadian suppliers.
Q: What will enable PRSM, now Connex, to lead the retail FM industry into the future?
The Connex website needs to be state of the art. You know, our motto is “24/7, 365 access” — and the way to do that is via our website and the internet. Our technology has to be very strong.
We must ensure retail upper management understands the value of Connex and provide them reasons to get their employees involved. We need to engage companies in new ways instead of just through the maintenance side of things. You have to prove your value to the HR department and senior leadership of these companies.
If we focus on those things, plus what we’ve done the past few years, with the awesome speakers we’ve had and the great educational sessions we provide our members, Connex will be successful.
Q: How can the members best help Connex succeed?
Get involved and reap the benefits of the organization. Take advantage of the network you have available, whether that be blogs, webinars or the website, in order to truly understand the value proposition with Connex. Then, spread the message. The association will sell itself from that standpoint if people fully take advantage of the benefits offered. If you get involved and are enthusiastic, people will have no choice but to take a look at what Connex has to offer.
Bill Pietrykowski
[Board President] 2011–2012
[Current Position] Retired, with experience in construction, facilities and energy management
for Radio Shack, Computer City, Barnes & Noble and GameStop
“The retail world is unpredictable. That’s why it’s always important to allow members to stay educated on the current market trends while providing them ample opportunities to stay in touch with other people in the industry.”
Q: What were some of the challenges during your tenure as Board Chair?
One of the biggest challenges was the number of retailers versus the number of suppliers involved in the organization. There have always been more suppliers than retailers, which makes competition for face time with retailers a bit strenuous.
Another challenge was the changing retail landscape. Many companies, including some of the ones I used to work for, are downsizing significantly, eliminating stores and dwindling down to nothing. Lastly, it costs time and money to attend and participate in association events and conferences, which a lot of companies just don’t have.
Q: What was the accomplishment you were most proud of as Board Chair?
The thing I was most proud of during my tenure was putting together the first HVAC Benchmarking project. Helping businesses fully understand the costs and problems associated with installing and maintaining a heating and cooling system was extremely important.
Q: What will enable Connex to lead the retail FM industry into the future? How can members best help Connex succeed?
I think education and networking are the two biggest things. Just look at the current market: Who would have thought Walmart would rise this high so quickly while Sears fell off so hard? The retail world is unpredictable. That’s why it’s always important to allow members to stay educated on the current market trends while providing them ample opportunities to stay in touch with other people in the industry.
Another thing to focus on is best practices and keeping a library of that information.
Lastly, educating new members on specific policies and laws that may affect their business is very helpful. Obviously, different states have different regulations, and not all new FMs are up to speed on what is happening in their own state governments. Connex can help these new FMs succeed with proper education and follow-up.
Q: Are you in touch with other past board members?
You know, once you go off the board, it’s tough to keep in touch with everyone you served with. One solution I have for this would be to create an Advisory Committee consisting of former board members and allow them to assist with problems or issues that arise. Maybe we faced similar issues in the past and can be helpful to the current board.
Bryan Walker
[Board President] 2015–2016
[Current Position] Former PRSM President
“A huge personal goal of mine while on the board was to implement a viable PRSM charity initiative, which ultimately became the PRSM Foundation.”
Q: What was the biggest challenge facing PRSM during your tenure?
Continuing to grow the association while simplifying our policies and procedures. Over time, the policies and procedures had become a victim of ‘scope creep,’ with something like 85 pages of policies, unnecessary repetition and contradiction. Over the years, boards had added to those policies, but rarely took anything away. We needed to stop and think about what the future of the association was going to look like, and make the necessary changes.
The year before I was elected President, the board voted to implement a new governance model for the association. We chose policy governance and hired a consultant to help create this new form of governance.
Q: What was going on in the retail world during your tenure?
We had come out of the recession, but we hadn’t come out of the recession mindset. Unlike after past downturns, things like FM headcount and spending were much slower to rebound — if they did at all. Even if you worked for a chain that was aggressively growing — or the few that were doing exceptionally well — there was still a caution about spending money.
When I was on the board, we had to be even more diligent with managing the association’s funds given that many retailers were doing more with less. And that’s where PRSM became even more important to people: the education, solutions networking and access to supplier partners. All the resources PRSM had been providing became even more vital to our members and their businesses.
Q: What accomplishment were you most proud of as Board Chair?
First, the implementation of policy governance, which included hiring our first CEO. We retitled the President of the Board to Board Chair, changed the executive structure within the board, and made major changes to the responsibilities of the board versus the responsibilities of staff. We established a structure that would make the board less tactical and more strategic, and put a system in place to allow that.
Second, which was a huge personal goal of mine, was to implement a viable charity initiative. Before this, we had raised money here and there, but we hadn’t established anything formal. Originally the charity initiative was called PRSM Impact. It has been renamed the PRSM Foundation, and is a full-fledged 501(c)(3) philanthropic entity of the association. It’s up and running wonderfully.
Q: What will enable Connex to lead the retail FM industry into the future?
I know the current board is working on that now. I think it’s clear our industry changed comparatively during the first 20 years of the association. Membership grew and members came in at different points, but those of us in facilities management were becoming more and more educated and gaining more experience. That bell curve was on the rise.
Over the past few years, I see that curve leveling out, with more of the longer-term members retiring or moving on to other industries. There are more young professionals who are entering the industry, which has been long overdue. Education, solutions networking and access to supplier partners are still cornerstones of the association, only with a new and evolving audience.
The association must adapt to what a new generation of FM professionals expects from a support association, communicate with them in the manner they require and offer the services and amenities that they need to be successful.
Q: How can these new, younger members best help Connex succeed?
Ensure the younger professionals are encouraged to get involved in Connex with committees, developing and presenting educational sessions, facilitating webinars and running the board. In FM as well as other industries, when we first enter the business world we adapt to the older generation’s way of doing things. As the generational scale tips, the younger generation eventually dictates a new paradigm. They will direct where the association is headed. They should feel, in every sense, that Connex is their association.
Leigh Pearson
[Board President] 2016-2017
[Current Position] Director of Facility, Environmental & Procurement with Staples Canada
“We need to continue to see things through a multi-site lens instead of a retail-specific lens. PRSM is about multi-site facilities management. We need to make sure to position ourselves that way in order to demonstrate our value proposition to a broader, yet connected community of industry professionals.”
Q: What were some of the challenges during your tenure as Board Chair?
I was chair when we were just starting to implement policy governance, so it was certainly a time of transition from how we operated and conducted ourselves as a board and as an association. We needed to redefine the expectations, rules and responsibilities between the board and the staff of the association. We determined the need to elevate the leadership role within PRSM to that of a CEO, and I was fortunate to be on the CEO Task Force. We were charged with recruitment, interviewing, hiring and the onboarding of our current CEO, Bill Yanek. I was also providing guidance and support to the PRSM office staff during the interim until Bill came on board. There were a number of competing, yet compelling priorities, and it helped shape the path for Connex today.
In terms of what was going on in the industry at the time, there was a heightened conversation about the future of brick and mortar and the shift to online versus the physical stores. I think that conversation is still taking place today, albeit the tone in some regard has shifted, as has the direction of change.
Q: What was the accomplishment you were most proud of as Board Chair?
I would say it was the implementation of policy governance. It was a time when we had to take a hard look at how we operated and what was necessary to change to allow us to grow and evolve. No detail could be overlooked, including a revision of all the bylaws, policies and procedures. It’s a fairly large exercise, and then you’re also onboarding a new CEO and you really are working to clearly define the deliverables and define the role of the staff versus the role of the board. It really was a transition from being a very tactical, hands-on board to becoming a more strategic board.
Q: What will enable Connex to lead the retail FM industry into the future?
I think it’s about the ability to evolve and to offer a world-class experience in a multifaceted way, from our national conference to dynamic local events and opportunities. We must see things through a multi-site lens instead of a retail-specific lens. Connex is about the multi-site facilities management industry and the power to connect, empower and educate our industry in a more holistic way, providing members more opportunity to grow both personally and professionally. This is a differentiator, and enables us to attract and retain talent and leadership while providing members a comprehensive opportunity to develop, learn and network in their own way.
How do we continue to change the way people see us — while offering a world-class experience — not only through an event perspective, which we’ve always done well, but by becoming a 24/7 association that delivers everything to your target customer the way they want to get it?
Q: How can members best help Connex succeed?
I think by being able to share their experiences and how they prefer to learn. To be engaged and vocal, about what they’re doing, how they’re doing it and why they’re doing it. We are starting to see the generations coming together, and next-gen FMs have a great opportunity to take the baton and start to lead. There’s a lot of knowledge in the membership already, and we need to continue to gather diverse perspectives to get a genuine sense of where we need to continue to evolve.
Q: How important are the relationships within the board? Do you still keep in touch with past board members?
I think it’s extremely important. The reality is that in some ways we’re the brand ambassadors for the association, so it’s important that we’re in tune with what’s going on not only in our own world but with the industry at large. While we’re not necessarily tactical, we provide strategic direction and/or support direction for the association, which can steer the ship appropriately.
I am absolutely in touch with past board members. It’s a community. I think that if we’re going to be successful as an association, we have to stay connected. You don’t just have one transition meeting and then everyone is fully up to speed. New directors are going to start in April and may find themselves in a discussion we may have been having for three years. I think continuity is important for providing guidance to the staff, for continuing momentum with our members and for nurturing the pipeline of future board members.
