September 2022
How did you get into FM/ Accidental FM?
The non-profit I was working for opened a second facility. I was burning out as a program manager; leadership recognized this, and offered me the newly created role of Facilities and Partnerships Manager. A lot of my time was spent working with other non-profits and the City of Gresham to share our facility, which has a gym, with other programs that serve kids, as we did. I thought the facility management part of my job would be easy. The building was brand new after all. That was not the case; there was always something needing attention and planning.
One day at our HQ, I met Wendy Weaver, who enthusiastically told me about IFMA and the certification and membership opportunities. We had coffee and I learned more. For years, I asked the non-profit to pay for FM certification classes. They finally said yes, and I am now a proud Facilities Management Professional.
One Weird Experience in the industry
At the grand opening of the new facility, with 200 guests and donors and executives there to celebrate, the floor drains all over the building started to back up, right in the middle of the festivities. At first we thought it had something to do with the art project in the maker space, since the orange-colored water flooding the building was the same as their project. But we soon discovered it was the main sewer line, backing up in the bathrooms, and the kitchen. I shut down the restrooms and had to direct guests to the port-a-potty in the parking lot, still there from construction. Without panicking (too much) as we cleaned, we managed so that few people knew what was going on, and the event continued. Long story short, it ended up that the main line was never connected back up to the city sewer line during construction. Bickering between the City of Gresham and the construction company ensued. But it got sorted eventually. That was a crazy night!
Highlight of your facility or operation
I work at a different non-profit now, and our mission and our staff are amazing. I am a sitebased Facility Manager for a seven-story office building, new to us this year. We are in the midst of an on-going process of moving staff and departments into the building. The work is very dynamic, as any FM knows! Since we’ve only been in the building since December, we inherited a lot of deferred maintenance. This keeps me busy with projects, but we have a great team.
P.S. Thank you Wendy Weaver! I am an IFMA member and so enjoy attending events and meeting people.