Posts Tagged ‘Facilities Management’

A New Year Resolution to Create a “Better Tomorrow”

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

Larry Simpson

Call it a random act of kindness, an opportunity to make the world a better place, or simply a way to make a contribution to the world through actions. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what it’s called as long your volunteer work helps improve your community. This is the time of year when people are making resolutions and plans to improve themselves, but I encourage everyone to think about how they can use their professional skills and experience to improve their community.

Two years ago, my wife encouraged me to serve as a member of our town’s Energy Advisory Committee. The group’s goal was to achieve the “Green Communities” designation by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Resources, which calls for a 15% reduction of energy consumption over a five-year period. Reaching the goal would give us the chance to preserve tax dollars by redirecting energy savings into education and enhanced municipal services.

Because of my professional involvement with Sodexo, especially our work improving student well-being and achievement in school districts nationally, combined with personal interest to get involved with my community, it seemed like a perfect fit. I volunteered as chair of the committee and led a two-year collaborative process that allowed us to achieve our goal of becoming a “Green Community.” In addition, the innovation and leadership the committee demonstrated throughout the process earned us the recognition as “2012 People of the Year” by the Standard Times.

Click for more information on the Sodexo Better Tomorrow Plan

It was through this effort and others like it that I learned how behaviors can send direct and indirect ripples through our world…both positive and negative. If we hold a door for someone, offer a comforting word or perform a small (or large) act of benevolence it may cost little or nothing at all. But, the potential impact of our actions may have profound effect if they are compounded by the actions of many.

Sodexo uses its Better Tomorrow Plan as a road map to achieve goals related to sustainability and corporate social responsibility. One of the primary goals is to support local community development.  Although I didn’t set out to advance The Better Tomorrow Plan when I began working on this project, I understand the importance of its goal and I am doing my part by improving the community through this committee.

This year, I challenge you to do what you can to make a difference in your own community. Giving freely of your time and talent to help make the world a better place is one of the greatest and most satisfying gifts you can give. You may just find a resolution worth sticking to.

Larry Simpson is a director of the Sodexo Education segment in Lakeville, Massachusetts.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Tomorrow Looks Bright for All Things FM

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

Brandon McCraney

World FM Day, an annual event by the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), will be celebrated on June 28th. I find it appropriate that the theme for this year is “Celebrating Success.” Indeed. The Facilities Management (FM) industry has much to celebrate; it plays an integral role in every organization’s success. Whether they are behind the scenes, maintaining equipment or engaging building occupants, FM has a major impact on the organization. In fact, this impact is rapidly expanding.  In today’s economic environment executives turn to Facilities Managers to tackle a broad spectrum of issues to help ensure bottom line success.

The Facility Manager is now a key member in the long term strategic planning process for an organization. Cost reduction initiatives, future expansion planning, innovative technologies, increasing revenue, and marketing initiatives are just a few of the items the Facility Manager is weighing in on to ensure organizations remain competitive. From the boiler room to the executive suite, Facilities Managers are leading the charge in creating results.

Increased awareness of sustainability and environmental stewardship has raised the stakes for the Facilities profession in helping organizations address these challenges. Green building design, climate action planning, LEED, Energy Star, carbon footprint inventory, indoor air quality and renewable energy are all topics of conversation I’ve had in working with organizations.  As the experts in operating and maintaining building systems, Executive Leadership is turning to the Facility Manager to develop and implement plans of action that successfully achieve these goals. The fruits of their labor not only reduce the impact on the environment, but better position the organization for continued success in the future.

The future looks bright for Facilities Managers.

In the future, this list of topics will only continue to grow. Why? Well, because FM expertise is critical to every organizations success, their competitiveness, their Better Tomorrow. So on June 28th Facilities Professionals should indeed take a moment to celebrate their success. You’ve earned it.  In fact, join our conversation on Twitter (#worldfmday). Here’s a toast to a job well done and to continued success…

Brandon is a regional director, energy and construction for Sodexo’s North America Solution Center.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

REinventing Leadership in Sustainability

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Wayne Dyer

With our global population rapidly approaching nine billion by the middle of this century, many experts are questioning how we can feed, clothe, house, and otherwise meet the needs of so many more people with the finite resources our planet has to offer.  Rapidly increasing population is already influencing the health and wellbeing of people and communities around the world, and it is certain to have an impact on the political, economic, social, and technological realities within which businesses operate.  CoreNet Global has identified sustainability leadership as a critical issue for its 2012 agenda, and Sodexo is excited to contribute to the conversation. It is a discussion that includes everything from Sodexo engineers contributing to the more than 2 billion square feet of commercial, LEED certified projects* to designing culinary programs that address sustainably sourced food and equipment. The ability to address these changing needs also creates the opportunity to thrive, through innovations that address shifts in the environment, support local communities, and enhance health and wellness.  This, in essence, is what sustainability in the workplace is all about.  

 

Click here for a direct link to the CoreNet Global Website

THE SUSTAINABILITY AND ENGAGEMENT LINK

It turns out that the benefits for a company that embraces sustainability go beyond energy efficiency, risk mitigation, opportunity for innovation, and Corporate Social Responsibility.  Sustainability directly affects your employees.  According to Ante Glavas, Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business; “People who work for green companies have a pride-in-ownership mentality and are happier and more productive.” Higher productivity is certainly a no-brainer for any CEO, no matter what the industry.  Based on its own findings, Gallop calls employee engagement “a leading indicator of financial performance.”  The same research demonstrated that “engaged organizations have 3.9 times the earnings per share (EPS) growth rate compared to organizations with lower engagement in the same industry.”

SOLUTIONS REINVENTED – AN EYE TO THE FUTURE

Recognizing sustainability as core to its business, Sodexo holds a leadership role in its sector by leveraging its Better Tomorrow Plan to meet the company’s CSR objectives, while also facilitating those of its clients.  One way it accomplishes this is through an industry leading tool, SMART, which benchmarks sites, and provides opportunity assessments in four key areas: carbon and energy, waste, water, and healthy/sustainable food and environments.  Operations teams enact change through both infrastructure renewal and behavioral transformation.  SMART allows units to document and report progress throughout the year.  REinvent your leadership in sustainability by stopping by to see us at the CoreNet Global Summit in San Diego (Booth 225).

Wayne Dyer is a vice president of Facilities Solutions for Sodexo.

* USGBC About LEED PowerPoint Presentation, February 2012

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Does Mother Nature care that it’s World FM Day?

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

When stepping into an office building have you ever stopped and noted how the building was immaculately clean, or that the lights were on, and the elevators were all fully operational? Most likely have not, but all of us in facilities have. In honor of World FM Day, pay homage to the oft-thankless job of FM (facilities management) across the globe and highlight how we silently make our day a better day (inside and outside the building), especially my colleagues in Sodexo Facilities Management Solutions.

One aspect of World FM Day, created by IFMA (International Facility Management Association), is to increase ideals and technologies worldwide to FM professionals and the general public.

A trending objective among facility managers today is to make daily building operations as efficient and environmentally sound as possible. From new LEED certifications being placed on more buildings to colleges broadcasting their energy consumption on Twitter, it is apparent that being environmentally aware is integral to the FM industry.

 Recent advancements in building automation systems (BAS) have allowed facilities around the globe to decrease their daily carbon footprint. It is reported that the new BAS systems can conserve as much as 30% energy consumption in older buildings, and newer building can save up to 10% on their energy usage. Sodexo Facilities Management Solutions is committed energy reduction strategies as part of the company’s Better Tomorrow Plan global sustainability platform, but the beauty of these new BAS systems cannot only be found in how energy efficient they are, but the ease of installation is similarly impressive. The use of wireless technologies has enabled millions of older buildings to make the switch to more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly automation systems.

Additionally, the new BAS systems give employees access to virtual thermometers for their work space, which may finally put to rest the continuous complaints of a building being too hot or cold. IFMA has actually confirmed that temperature related complaints are number one among building occupants.

Although these technologies will make buildings more ecologically sound and accommodating for occupants, this can only be done if the technologies are implemented correctly with experienced technicians. It’s funny when you think about it—at Sodexo, we know that if the best facility manager can do his/her job right and practically no one will notice it, the good thing now is that hopefully Mother Nature won’t notice it either.

Wayne Dyer is a vice president of operations for Sodexo Facilities Management Solutions

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »