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This edition of FMA Online is proudly supported byPronto
Issue 19, Nov 2007Since the last issue of FMA Online, I have been fortunate to have traveled to New Orleans toattend IFMA’s World Workplace conference and exhibition. The scale of such an event isenormous, and its organisation almost beyond belief.
I understand some 6000-7000 delegates attended the conference and well over 300 exhibitorspresented a diverse range of products and services to the key decision makers within the facilitiesmanagement industry.
From an organisational perspective, it is interesting to compare ideaction with other internationalFM Associations’ conferences, and in doing so, I believe we are able to learn and to lift thestandard of our conference.
Our next ideaction conference is being held from 7-9 May 2008 on the Gold Coast, and it isshaping up to be one of our best conferences yet.
While in New Orleans, I attended the board meeting of Global FM as well as an internationalworkshop.
The founding FM Associations of Global FM, namely IFMA (USA and chapters worldwide), BIFM(UK) and FMA Australia have now been joined by Arseg (France), HFMS (Hungary), SAFMA (SouthAfrica) and a number of other national FM Associations are currently considering joining.
Global FM has two key goals:
1. to collaborate and share knowledge in order to further the status, understanding andbenefits of those working in facilities management; and
2. to provide a support mechanism that will promote the development and further theunderstanding of facilities management across the world.
It has identified six international hot topics and has resolved to focus on two of these (i.e.sustainability and education) in the immediate future.
Additionally, it has formulated its balanced score card/ strategic plan and is currently finalising abusiness plan covering its activities over the next year or so.
Despite the fact that Global FM was formed in July 2006, it has achieved much in its shortexistence, but acknowledges that there is much yet to be done.
In much the same way that FMA Australia has much to gain from forming strategic partnershipswith like minded organisations in Australia (e.g. TEFMA), our participation with Global FM isexpected to deliver similar benefits.
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Finally, following a number of staff departures at national office, I would like to take theopportunity of introducing new staff members; namely Stacey Vassiliadis (Events andProfessional Development Coordinator), Murray Hirst (Finance Manager) and Rosie Bennett(Marketing and Communications Advisor), who along with my Executive Assistant, Belinda Ralph,have joined the team.
Please make them welcome when you get the opportunity.
Until next month…
Kind regards,
David DuncanCEO
Issue ContentsEdition Supporter
Pronto SoftwareUpcoming Branch Events
Upcoming Branch EventsBranch News
FMA Australia VIC Branch NewsFMA Australia NSW Branch NewsFMA Australia ACT Branch NewsFMA Australia QLD Branch News
General NewsFMA Australia Staff Profile: Stacey VassiliadisChristmas ReminderFMA Australia provides PD technology edge with WebinarsFMA Australia ideaction Conference - Call for PapersNew Member Profile: Michael FerrierSustainability Victoria's VisionNew Member Profile: Louis CiniKey Contacts
Edition SupporterPronto Software
When Norfolk Group Limited needed an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)solution to assist their Fire & Property Services Division company, Resolve FM,to better manage their service delivery, business processes and assets, PRONTOSoftware provided the answers.
FMA Online spoke to Brian Alston, Business Systems Manager, on how technology is helpingNorfolk stay one step ahead of the competition, exceed industry best practices and deliverexceptional customer service.
Norfolk Group Limited Raises the Bar on Customer Service using PRONTO-Xi
Norfolk Group Limited (ASX: NFK) is a leading Australasian provider of integrated electrical,communications, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), passive fire protection andproperty services, and products.
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With an annual revenue of more than $A800 million, Norfolk has more than 19,500 customersacross a diverse range of markets including infrastructure, industrial, commercial, resources,retail, government and communications.
FMA Online spoke to Brian Alston, Business Systems Manager, on how technology is helpingNorfolk stay one step ahead of the competition, exceed industry best practices and deliverexceptional customer service.
FMA Online: Tell us more about the FM business within Norfolk Group Limited. BA: Resolve FM, a specialist in the Facility Management business, forms part of the Fire &Property Services Division of Norfolk Group Limited, an ASX listed company. Resolve FM is adiverse facilities management and asset specialist and maintenance service provider offering acomprehensive service that includes Integrated Facilities Maintenance (soft services), Operations& Maintenance, Asset Management and Workplace Solutions.
FMA Online: The FM service industry is highly competitive, what is your strategy to stayahead of the game?BA: We believe in investing in productivity enabling technology and that has given us a significantcompetitive advantage, improving our service delivery.
We have a longstanding partnership with Pronto Software, who provide us with an integratedplatform to manage our reactive service calls, the project costing of capital works and thepredictive and preventive maintenance of customer assets.
PRONTO-Xi Facility Management enables us to manage the complete life cycle costing forbuildings and individual assets, capital expenditure (capex) spends, and compliance management(Fire Standards & OH&S).
We have extended the Service Call functionalities of PRONTO-Xi to automate email confirmations,SMS notifications to contractors, and critical call escalations to key customers for priority 1 callsvia email/SMS. This has considerably improved our customer service levels.
FMA Online: Can you give a specific example of how you have used technology tostreamline your business?BA: At Resolve FM, we were using several stand alone asset management packages whichcreated inefficiencies and integration problems.
When we saw the power of PRONTO-Xi Maintenance Management and what it could do to help usmaximise planning and continuance control of our plant maintenance activities, we were reallyimpressed.
Today, PRONTO-Xi Maintenance Management acts as our integrated Equipment Register and hashelped us improve our asset utilisation and resource productivity, as well as reducing disruptivebreakdowns and maintenance costs. We are finding it a very useful tool to ensure that the rightparts and manpower are available when required.
FMA Online: What other future projects do you have planned?BA: Due to the prevalent needs of our customers for immediate feedback, technology such asPDA’s and web based customer reporting are areas we want to develop.
We are also keen to optimise our service scheduling efficiency and we are currently evaluatingPRONTO-Xi Engineer Scheduler to offer us more visibility of unallocated service calls and engineeractivity.
Pronto Software is pleased to be able to provide an integrated service and planningsolution designed to meet the sophisticated needs of Resolve FM and their customers.
About Pronto SoftwareWith 30 years experience, Pronto Software is a leading provider of fully integrated EnterpriseResource Planning solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s dynamic FM industry.
PRONTO-Xi FM applications provide the tools to optimise people, process, and assets for FM
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organisations to deliver superior customer service and operational efficiency. With fully integratedEngineer Scheduling and Mobilily functionalities, PRONTO-Xi facilitates resource management andkeeps service teams up-to-date when they on the road.
PRONTO-Xi Facilities Management is easy to use, fast to implement and cost effective to run. It ispowerful tool for total business management that delivers superior customer service and anaccelerated return on your investment.
Pronto Software Pty LtdMelbourne, Sydney, Brisbane1300 77 66 [email protected]
Upcoming Branch EventsUpcoming Branch EventsFMA Australia State Branches provide numerous opportunities for networking and social events,industry presentations and Site Visits. For the latest Branch Events in your State click here.
Branch NewsFMA Australia VIC Branch News
Caption: Flinders Street Station, Melbourne
In September I reported that we have a new committee up and running and now we have hadour first month of settling in and agreeing on the portfolio distribution and mix. As the newcommittee members have been learning the ropes, it’s been a quieter month than most on thecommittee productivity front, but we are now rearing to go with many new initiatives in place – alot of our focus on Education, Sustainability, member retention initiatives and new memberincentives.
Committee Member Profile: Brent Boyd, Operations Manager, Tungsten
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We are pleased to welcome Brent to the Victorian Committee and hisexperience will reflect in his work on our Innovation & Best Practice portfolio.Brent joins Kerry Lodge and Lou la Delfa on this portfolio. Brent joined theTungsten Group in August 2006 as the Operations Manager – Vic/Tas forTungsten Group, responsible for a number of large contracts.
Within this role, Brent is responsible for contract management, clientsatisfaction, staff development and leadership, contract and financialremodelling, risk mitigation strategies, driving compliance and innovation andwork flow management.
His theoretical and practical knowledge has been gained in the industry whilst working in variouspositions across a broad section of the industry over the last 16 years that include petrochemical,commercial, retail, local council, local and national Government, Defence and industrial contractsranging from site based to National and Global contracts.
Brent has also gained extensive experience across the industry prior to joining Tungsten, workingas a tradesperson through to various supervisory positions and then into project management,contract and maintenance planning and auditing roles that encompassed the FM business.
October Lunch Forum170 members and guests attended our October lunch forum to hear Nick Alsop, Project Managerfor Sustainability Victoria, address a very topical issue. Nick works in the Built Environment Teamat Sustainability Victoria, working on the ResourceSmart Commercial Buildings Program. Prior tothis role, Nick worked for four years at the City of Melbourne as the Greenhouse ProgramCoordinator, which involved corporate environmental management, green energy purchasing,energy and water efficiency, and business and community sustainability programs. Nick has alsoworked on green buildings, water efficiency and product stewardship at the Centre for Design atRMIT University. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Masters in Environmental Science. He is amember of the NABERS Steering Committee and BATE (Business and The Environment) SteeringCommittee.
Caption: Nick Alsop fielding questions.
Not surprisingly, question time became quite animated and the passion in the audience wasapparent. Facility Managers obviously have a pivotal role in instigating sustainable solutions andmanaging the change process that goes with any culture shift. The attendance numbers andvocalism at our lunch were testament to the genuine interest and concern our industry membershave. It’s true to say that perhaps, particularly in one instance, there was a little too much
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passion portrayed, but whether appropriate or not, it has to be said that this is a topic that bringsout the green monster in us all! Personally I’d rather see the passion however it comes across –after all, without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility.
If you missed the October lunch, don’t despair, we have will have numerous lunches addressingthis issue including our November panel lunch.
Thank you to our major lunch sponsors, GJK Facility Services, for theirsponsorship and support to make these lunches such a success! For moreinformation on GJK, please check their website on:www.gjkfacilityservices.com.au
Visit to TasmaniaLast month I also had the pleasure of attending the inaugural FMA Australia Tasmania lunch. Thereason for my participation was to meet some members and see if the Victorian branch of theFMA can assist the Tasmanian members in setting up an FMA branch committee and perhapssharing our experiences and speakers. We are still unsure how much involvement the Vic branchwill have, but if the success of the luncheon was testament to the amount of interest in forgingahead, then I should think it will happen sooner rather than later. Interestingly, at my table wasSenator Christine Milne, a woman who defies latent force and far-flung possibility when it comesto sustainability!
Caption: Senator Christine Milne
Congratulations to EcoBright, a Victorian based lighting product and consultancy company, whoorganised and sponsorsed this very successful luncheon! For more information on EcoBright, Iwould suggest you look at the innovative lighting strategies on their website:www.ecobright.com.au
Upcoming Branch FunctionsWe have some outstanding speakers and topics coming up and I encourage you join us! It’s aninteresting thing, but the more members and guests we get to our lunches, the easier it is for usto retain high quality, in demand speakers! In quantity, we are attracting quality!
We are offering you the chance to win a MAGNUM of Bollinger too! Why not? We’re in theChristmas spirit! By registering for both our November panel lunch and our Christmas lunchfunction at the same time, you will go into the draw to win a magnum of Bollinger. Here’s thecarrot…..for every person you register, you will go in the draw again! So, if you register a table,
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you have 10 chances to win! A table at both functions gives you 20 chances to win!!
The winner will be drawn at our Christmas luncheon on Thursday December 6th.
16 November – Vic Branch Luncheon @ RACV ClubModerator: Bryon Price (AG Coombs)Topic: ESD Panel Discussion
At your request, we are bringing back a broad cross section panel of experts on the subject ofSustainability to offer us the latest on ESD and our obligations in the Australian market. Thispanel will be moderated by Bryon Price from AG Coombs and we promise a very impressive panelof sustainability gurus. More details will follow on the panel members, but please register early toavoid disappointment, since we sold out quickly at the last panel forum.
6 December – Vic Branch CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON @ RACV ClubI cannot divulge any details on our speaker at this lunch, but suffice to say it will be a fun filled,relaxing networking event providing you with the perfect forum to wine and dine your colleaguesand clients! Don’t miss out, come and join us for our annual Christmas luncheon! Fabulous raffleprizes will be available and all proceeds will go directly to Challenge – Kids with Cancer. Andremember! BOLLINGER!
8 February – Vic Branch Luncheon @ RACV ClubSpeaker: Laurie Reeves (Hirotec)Topic: Maintenance for Energy Efficiency in Pre-loved Buildings
Laurie Reeves is a well known speaker and trainer on the topic of Maintenance for EnergyEfficiency in pre-loved buildings. Laurie has also written a book on the same topic for EnergyResources of Australia so he is a fountain of knowledge and he has now convinced me hispresentations are amusing as well as informative.
14 March – Vic Branch Luncheon @ RACV ClubSpeaker: Michael Nolan – MaunsellTopic: Climate Change
A different slant on our environment, Michael Nolan is a well known speaker on the topic ofclimate change and how it affects our assets, once again, with relevance to the facilitiesmanagement industry.
18 April – Vic Branch ANNUAL GOLF DAYThis year our annual golf day will be held at Albert Park golf course. With the entire courseavailable to our members and guests, and with entertainment supplied by Challenge, this will bea very memorable and enjoyable day! A big fund raising day also for our charity, Challenge,please be sure to join us for a fun day of networking and attempting to hit golf balls!
5 June – Vic Branch WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL LUNCH FORUMSpeaker: Rob Gell – Environmental Ambassador for 2006 Commonwealth Games
Need I say more? Rob is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an Inaugural Fellow ofthe Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand. He is a coastal geomorphologist bytraining; he taught Environmental Science and Physical Geography at tertiary level, then fortwenty-five years he presented television weather. In his professional life he works as anenvironmental and communications consultant and is Chairman of Access Environmental Pty Ltd.He is a published author and a photographer.
Locally he is the President of Greening Australia Victoria, Chairman of the Mornington Peninsulaand Westernport Biosphere Reserve Foundation Ltd. and a member of the Victorian Coastal
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Council. Rob Gell is an outstanding communicator who has earned the respect of government,business, and environmental groups for his approach to sustainable development.I don’t think you want to miss this one!
I look forward to seeing you at our next function!
Kristiana GreenwoodVictorian Branch Chair
FMA Australia NSW Branch News
Byron Bay Lighthouse, Northern New South Wales
Over the past few weeks the NSW Branch has welcomed two new members to the committeewith Gavin Lowe from Amity Group and Anthony Williams from Department of Education andTraining. We look forward to their contribution on the committee and commitment along with theother committee members.
On Thursday 15 November we will be holding a strategic focus meeting to identify how best toimplement the NSW Branch initiatives that support the FMA Australia National Strategic Planrecently released by FMA Australia CEO David Duncan, and how the NSW Branch can providevalue to its members.
Due to work commitments our October guest speaker Rodney Timm was unavailable to present atour regular time slot, however he kindly agreed to reschedule for Friday 12 October. This provedto be a very successful event.
Rodney spoke to an audience of over 70 guests with his presentation entitled FM 2020 – What arethe big bets for the Facilities Management industry in 2020 likely to be. Rodney delivered someinteresting points with his views of where FM was 12 years ago and where it is heading for thenext 12 years. At the conclusion of his presentation there were many questions raised, indicatingthe industry is prepared to consider the future of its direction. We thank Rodney Timm fordedicating his time once again to FMA Australia.
We are supremely grateful that the threat of Equine Flu some weeks ago did not cancel theMelbourne Cup, since no less then 200 Sydney facility managers (the largest attendance for thisevent to date) turned out in force on a rain drenched afternoon to the Melbourne Cup Lunch heldat Dockside. The rain did not diminish the enthusiasm of everyone as a great afternoon was hadby all.
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Prizes were given to the best hat, best shoes, worst tie and a dash of red. This year the best hatwent to a male contestant and the worst tie went to a female contestant. This shows that facilitymanagement professionals are with out a doubt truly multidisciplinary individuals!
We acknowledge the efforts of Con Hart, his staff and FDC Construction and Fitout as the majorsupporters for donating the prizes and a number of items for auction, and for organizing thedecorations for the venue.
Dennis Fulham, supported by Movers and Shakers, produced a sterling effort for the Calcutta andgenerated a prize pool of over $10,000. Blue and Brown kindly donated a piece of artwork for oneof the lucky door prizes. The generosity of these organizations is greatly appreciated.
The Calcutta produced some spirited bidding for the more popular horses. In the end one of thetables representing FDC won first prize, the table representing Benchmarq took second prize andthird place was given to representatives from Tenant Representative Services.
The combined efforts of FDC and Movers and Shakers helped raise a whopping $13,000 ($3,000more than last year) for our national charity, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. KristinaAnderson from JDRF was on hand to accept the donation, and she spoke to the audience onefforts and work that JDRF are doing to help the children suffering from Type 1 diabetes. Onbehalf of the FMA Australia NSW Branch I congratulate all who attended and generously donatedto the cause, especially to those who gave back their winnings.
Our next event will be the Christmas Lunch on 12 December at Waters Edge where we anticipateanother fun afternoon with our special guest speaker, former Australian cricketer, TV presenter,Author and Architect, Max Walker. We hope to see you there.
Robert IaconoNSW Chair
FMA Australia ACT Branch News
Caption: Canberra Parliament House
Well, 2007 is nearly over and many of us are probably wondering where all the months havegone. The current construction boom in Canberra has certainly increased the workload of manyFacility Managers, who have been busy juggling the capital works program whilst keeping an eyeon the routine operational tasks as well. It has been a difficult year for attendance at FMAAustralia events as a result.
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Yet, whilst the boom is on, it is even more critical for Facilities Managers to network at Branchevents to find out what has been happening in the industry, share issues and jointly resolve someof the problems. Without having to reinvent the wheel, facility managers may find that they cansolve some of their issues through listening to what their peers have done to address the sameproblems.
Taking a break from the office and enjoying a spot of networking was what many facilitiesmanagers did in Canberra last month at the Pitch and Putt Golf Day!
Recent EventsThe Pitch and Putt Golf Day – 25 October 2007Many of us decided that we all needed to take a break from our work and try to squeeze in a bitof fun with our colleagues in the industry. The FMA Australia ACT Branch Pitch and Putt Golf drewa great crowd of 60 participants from public and the private sector, including plenty of ladiesamong the crowd of keen golfers.
A number of companies also generously decide to support the day, donating the trophy andvarious prizes to make the event even more enjoyable. While the sky opened and thunderstormsarrived along with heavy rain, the sun was kind to us when Peter Mollison welcomed all theparticipants shortly before teeing off exactly at 2.30pm that afternoon. Progressively however,the day became darker and many had difficulties locating their golf balls (although this proved tobe an excuse for sending the ball to the bushland and ponds around the course). It was close to4pm when the 18 hole game had to be cut short as most of the participants had already escapedthe rain for the shelter of the Clubhouse.
The judges accordingly decided that only the first 9holes were to be taken into account, and announcedthe following winners:
Best Individual Gross Score – won by Joe Magroof Haden Engineering (awarded the winnerstrophy donated by the Frontier Group).
Handicap team winner was awarded to GaryWakington of the Australian Sports Commission, andPaul Browne and Neil Gavin of Spotless Services.Each member of the team took home a large hampereach, courtesy of the Frontier Group
Henrik Forsti and Alan Borger of the AustralianSports Commission each won the prize forgetting the nearest to the Pin.
Caption: The Winner Joe Magro withGeorge Macris of Frontier.
Getting warm around the Bar of the Yamba Club of the Southern Cross Club after the ‘game,participants were also presented with lucky door prizes donated by Culligan and Iken. Networkingand celebrations continued as the promised BBQ meal was served and business cards wereswapped between participants.
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Caption: Culligan lucky door prize presentation.
Caption: Iken presents its lucky door prize.
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Caption: The Winning Team.
Thank you to Culligan Australian P/L for providing the major Corporate Support for the third yearin a row. Thank you also to the Frontier Group Australia, Iken Commercial Interiors, MultiplexFacilities Management, Schiavello ACT, Movers and Shakers Business Relocations, Toll Transitionsfor providing corporate support for this fun day.
Many participants on the day had expressed their wish to return next year and the Committee isconsidering holding the day at an earlier time in 2008, but we will certainly give you all plenty ofnotice so that you can all mark it in your diary! We would also like to thank Peter Mollison, Allan Schmidt and Rebecca Petrass plus her team atthe Frontiers Group, for organising this fantastic day.
Future EventsThe Committee will be developing its calendar for next year at the coming Branch Committeemeeting, due to be held on Tuesday 20 November 2007. If you have any suggestions for topics,venues, or issues, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Committee members, or turn up tothe Branch Committee meeting, to be held at the Facilities meeting room, Australian Institute ofSport Arena, Australian Institute of Sport, Bruce.
FMA Australia QLD Branch News
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Caption: The stunning skyline of Brisbane City
FMA Australia National AGM in BrisbaneThe National Annual General Meeting of the Facility Management Association of Australia will thisyear be held in Brisbane. On behalf of the Queensland committee I would like to extend a specialinvitation to our Queensland members to attend the AGM.
This is an excellent opportunity to meet the Board and other State Chairs and delegates as wellas help to shape the future of the FMA.
The AGM will be held on Wednesday November 28th at 5.30pm, level 3, Green Square SouthTower, 505 St Pauls Terrace, Fortitude Valley.
Past EventsGreen Buildings Forum – The how and why of Green Buildings, 31 October
Our October event was a double header featuring two keynote presenters in the field of greenbuildings. Lee Williams from Davis Langdon, Melbourne, and Robin Mellon from the GreenBuilding Council of Australia (GBCA).
Robin presented first, setting the scene for the green building market in Australia. He explainedthe function of the GBCA and the latest developments in the rating tools with examples of currentbest practice throughout Australia.
Lee then presented on the findings from the leading industry report “the Cost and Benefits ofGreen Buildings”. This report explores the challenges and opportunities that a sustainable designapproach can provide. Lee’s presentation addressed the commonly asked question – how muchmore does it cost to build a green building?
Robin is acting Executive Director at the Green Building Council of Australia. He is currentlysteering the production of new rating tools and teaches the Green Star Accredited ProfessionalCourses.
Lee is a Melbourne based Director of Davis Langdon and leads the Sustainability Sector groupwithin the company. Lee is a Quantity Surveyor and both a Green Star Accredited Professionaland a Green Star Assessor. He has participated in the development of a number of the Green StarTools through his work with the technical working group.
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Caption: from left to right: Lee Williams – Davis Langdon, Lex Dewar – FMA Australia Qld BranchChair, FMA and Robin Mellon - Green Building Council of Australia.
Upcoming Events
Technical workshop – Latest developments in Fire Safety Regulation, 21 November.
The Queensland Branch will be hosting a technical workshop on the latest developments in firesafety regulations and practices. Leading consultants in the field, The Hendry Group will providean overview of recent changes and what they mean for facility owners and managers.
Mark this date in your diary. Registration details will be available soon.
End of Year Christmas Networking Lunch – Friday 7 December
Jojn your FM colleagues and friends for the FMA Australia Qld Branch end-of-year Christmasnetworking lunch. Don’t miss one of the premier events on the Associations calendar with specialguest speaker, raffles, doors prizes and much more. This year proceeds will be going to support anominated charity.
Full details will be available soon.
General NewsFMA Australia Staff Profile: Stacey Vassiliadis
Five minutes with….Stacey Vassiliadis – Events and Professional Development Coordinator,FMA Australia, Victorian Branch Office.
FMA Australia national office staff are chosen for their professionalism and theircommitment to providing the level of membership services that meet or exceedmember expectations. WinterComms Communications Officer Bianca Frostspoke to Stacey Vassiliadis about her role.
My main responsibility at FMA Australia is for the organization of FMAVictorian branch events and the many professional development courses that the FMA runsthroughout Australia.
The main kind of events that I look after are the Monthly networking lunches, golf days and
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occasional breakfast events.
I have been working at the FMA for three months and prior to that spent 12 months workingin London as an Events Planner at a five star hotel and traveling through Europe and the US. Atthe hotel I coordinated everything from large corporate conferences to smaller private functionssuch as weddings.
I didn’t know a lot about facilities management before coming to FMA Australia but I havelearnt a lot more since being here although I was accustomed to liaising with facilities managersin my previous role in London and was also exposed to various maintenance issues when Iworked at the RACV Club in Melbourne where I was employed as a Conference and EventsCoordinator.
The one thing I have really noticed about the FMA membership is that they come from allkinds of backgrounds and have all kinds of different personalities - they can be male or female,young or old, but almost without exception, all the people I have met have been incrediblyfriendly and positive.
I really like working with the members. I like talking with them over the phone, helpingthem out and answering their questions. In my work I get to meet a lot of different kinds ofpeople and this is something I really enjoy about my work at FMA. It’s great to meet someone atan event that I have only spoken to previously on the phone. Everyday is different at FMA whichis a great thing for me.
The thing I enjoy most about my work at FMA Australia is learning more about the facilitiesmanagement industry and its particular challenges. I also really like the team I work with. It’svery fun and there’s lots of laughter. We might like to joke around, but we also work really hardat the same time. The atmosphere at the FMA office is a welcome relief from the pressure thatbuilds in the lead-up to a large event or professional development course. These times canbecome really busy as sometimes I am organizing as many as five different events in differentstates in a single week.
The key to coping with the pressures of my role are good organizational skills, a keen sense ofhumour and excellent customer service skills.
At the moment, I am busy organizing November’s panel lunch, “Achieving Energy Efficiency inExisting Buildings: Opportunities and Challenges”. I am also working on our December Christmaslunch which features a well-known Australian comedian plus lots of fun, raffle prizes and manydifferent things that will be happening over the afternoon. Other projects in the pipeline includethe FMA’s 2008 series of panel lunches, a golf day in April and a whole complement of otherevents for members and their non-member guests.
When I am not working I like to unwind by spending time with friends and family, partying itup and dancing, or for more quiet nights, going to the movies or going out to dinner.
The next FMA panel lunch is being held this Friday, November 16 and is called“Achieving Energy Efficiency in Existing Buildings – Opportunities and Challenges”. TheFMA’s annual Christmas lunch will be held on December 6th at the RACV Club. For moredetails, contact Stacey on 8641 6666.
Christmas Reminder
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Just a timely reminder that if you would like to take part in a legendary Facility ManagementChristmas Event in your State, you have to move quickly by clicking here.
FMA Australia provides PD technology edge with WebinarsTo continue delivering first-rate services to our members, FMA Australia is offering you theopportunity to take part in Webinars relating to topical issues in the Facility Management industry.Short for Web-based seminar, Webinars can take the form of a presentation, lecture, workshop orseminar that is transmitted over the Web. A key feature of a Webinar is its interactive elements --the ability to give, receive and discuss information.
FMA Online’s Melanie Drummond spoke to FMA Australia’s Webinar Sponsor, Don Hitchcock ofAdvanced Spatial Technologies (AST) in Perth and Marty Chobot of FM Systems in North Carolinaabout the benefits of this advancing technology.
FMA Online: Tell us a bit more about Webinars.Don Hitchcock: People can register on a webpage, get online and all they really need is theircomputer and some audio to access an informative online session. In this particular instance ASThas offered to sponsor these first Webinars for the FMA and Marty will be the person running theWebinars. AST represents Marty’s company, FM Systems, in this region and both of ourcompanies use this technology everyday for presentations, support and projects but it can also beused for one-to-many type presentations.
FMA Online: How long has the capacity existed for Webinar technology to be enabled?Marty Chobot: WebEx is one of the first companies that started providing these type of servicesabout eleven years ago, so it’s been around for a long time. CITRIX Systems, an Americantechnology company, is the company that provides the GoToWebinar product FM Systems uses(www.gotowebinar.com) and they’re a very well established company as well. IFMA (InternationalFacility Management Association) here in the United States run a number of Webinars. They’vereally pushed the programme a long way, they target their members and offer continuingeducation credits through the Webinars.Don Hitchcock: What we’ve done is focus the FMA Australia Webinars around interesting thingsfor FMA Australia members, such as how to manage your churn better and the integration of realestate and facility management.
FMA Online: Are Webinars pre-recorded, or do you go live at the allocated time?Marty Chobot: Basically Webinars are a screen-sharing technology, what I see on my screen,you’ll see on yours. For example, a current presentation I’m doing is done entrirely in power pointand this is discussed during the session.
FMA Online: How do you apply a voice component to the Webinar?Marty Chobot: Usually I would recommend that we find a conference call service that allows thepanelists and the attendees to dial in, for the FMA Australia Webinars we would look for one witha toll-free number for Australia.
FMA Online: How interactive are Webinars?Marty Chobot: Typically with Webinars we mute the phone lines and the reason we do that is thatthere is always some sort of background noise in the audience. There is however a question andanswer panel, so participants can ask questions which are logged so that you can download those
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questions after the event. There’s also the benefit, from the presenter’s point of view, of beingable to poll the audience. Basically you can survey your audience, so for example, in the MoveManagement Webinar I can ask the audience what their churn rate is. It gives me a good idea asa presenter about how best to speak to my audience. It’s also valuable for the audience to seewhat their peers are saying.
FMA Online: Does it usually follow that the time for the Webinar is posted on a websiteand people all log in at the same time to participate? Marty Chobot: Exactly.
FMA Online: As far as software requirements to participate in Webinars, can people justuse their home or office computer?Don Hitchcock: There’s a little plug-in which you download once you connect to the session andthat only takes a minute or two. Webinar and WebEx are just some of the providers of theservice, we use Webex at AST which is hosted by Telstra. They’re a medium we use to deliverpresentations and offer support, of course some are better than others.
FMA Online: What costs would a company incur to set up a Webinar system for theirstaff and clients?Don Hitchcock: We have a WebEx account with Telstra and we pay something like $500 permonth for that service and that allows us to provide a one-on-one service. With WebEx each timeyou add on a new person in a remote location, it charges you a nominal amount so the way wetend to use the software is to have people at the other end in a meeting room with a projectorviewing the presentation that way.
FMA Online: Who will Webinars benefit? Marty Chobot: Definitely the practitioner, it’s a great way to share knowledge without requiringpeople to travel. They can be used for things such as Best Practice presentations like the onewe’re doing at the moment. Some people also use them for internal training whether it’s for softskills or hard skills. Don Hitchcock: Basically Webinars are the best way to have a conference and learning experiencewithout having to sit around the same table.
FMA Australia is proud to invite you to their first Webinar, ‘Five Keys to ManagingChurn’, designed to help you deliver better organised and more cost-effective moves.Date: Tuesday 4 December 2007Times:
VIC 13.00WA 11.00NSW 13.00SA 12.30QLD 12.00NT 11.30TAS 13.00ACT 13.00
Presenter: Marty ChobotFor more information and to register please click here
FMA Australia ideaction Conference - Call for Papers
Call for PapersPlease contact Carolyn Journeaux on 03 8641 6666 or email [email protected] for information andenquiries on call for papers.
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New Member Profile: Michael Ferrier
Michael Ferrier, Contract Manager (Defence), Spotless Services AustraliaLtd.
Each month new members join FMA Australia, bringing with them a wealth of experience andknowledge of the FM industry. FMA Online provides a personal glimpse of some of theresponsibilities faced by facility managers and the reasons they decided to join.
This month WinterComms Communications Officer Bianca Frost spoke to Michael Ferrier, ContractManager (Defence), Spotless Services Australia Ltd.
FMA Online: When did you join FMA Australia?MF: Two months ago.
FMA Online: Why did you join?MF: I have recently taken up a more senior role in facilities management at Spotless and I wasencouraged by my peers to join. One of the key reasons I then joined FMA Australia was to keepabreast of state and federal government statutory changes to industry standards and regulations.
FMA Online: What is your background in facilities management?MF: I am a trade qualified electrician and have been working in Defence facilities for 16 years.
FMA Online: What can you tell us about Spotless?MF: Spotless manage multiple different tasks as part of our key service offering in facilitiesmanagement which can be anything from capital works projects to cleaning, catering, laundryservice and management.
FMA Online: What does your role at Spotless involve?MF: My role is to manage the Defence contract in South Australia and also in parts of theNorthern Territory and New South Wales.
FMA Online: What services do you provide?MF: We manage the maintenance of the Defence forces plant equipment and other generaloperational requirements including their high voltage and water treatment systems. We alsodeliver capital works projects covering routine reactive maintenance and minor corrective workson Defence estates throughout the year – things like burst water mains, broken door handles,windows and the like.
FMA Online: What are the main challenges you and your department face?MF: At the moment, our biggest challenge is to find reliable sub-contractors. We operate mostlyin remote regional areas such as Alice Springs and Broken Hill where we are competing with themining industry, who are much better resourced in terms of wages to recruit and retainemployees. We have a lot of work on offer, but it is difficult to find good contractors who arewilling to work within our budget parameters.
The other significant issue we face is making sure that our small to medium size contractors areup-to-date with current OH&S laws and considerations. Their lack of knowledge in these areasmeans we need to spend more time assisting these contractors to ensure that they are incompliance with the legislation which can sometimes be quite complicated – particularly as wenot only need to be in compliance with state legislation, but the terms of the Defence contractmeans we also need to meet the requirements of federal laws as well. Some of our smallercontractors struggle with this, so we need to work with them to ensure that they comply.
FMA Online: What do you do to assist them with OH&S issues?MF: Embedded in our contracts we have health and safety professionals who are there to supportour delivery of OH&S best practice and to support contractors improve their compliance regime.
FMA Online: Currently, sustainability is a major issue for business. Can you tell mewhat your company is doing to address sustainability issues?MF: Clients drive where businesses head, and working for the department of Defence is no
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different. There’s a big push at the moment to reduce waste, improve energy consumption,monitor ground water levels and to find cleaner, “greener” initiatives and ways of doing things. Aspart of our Defence contract we also need to address certain heritage issues and we areresponsible for the revitalization of environments that have eroded due to a lack of previousenvironmental management. We measure our performance in these areas against a number ofkey performance indicators related to sustainability that are linked to financial incentives, whichembed the importance of sustainable practice within these contracts.
FMA Online: What do you think government could or should be doing to ensure that thefacilities management industry continues to advance?MF: They probably need to better inform the industry about regulatory changes and where theysee further changes occurring. At the moment, we often only find out about changes to legislationfrom non-government industry bodies like FMA Australia. I don’t think the industry always comesto grips with these changes quickly enough and sometimes does not clearly understand thereasons behind these changes. It would also help if the industry were consulted and could providemore input into the development of regulation.
FMA Online: What changes would you like to see occur in the facilities managementindustry?MF: Over the last ten years or so, facilities management has increasingly become a recognisedprofession. Before that, the industry was comprised of a whole series of different people fromdifferent backgrounds who just happened to manage facilities. Now, tertiary qualifications arerequired to undertake many roles in the industry. I think it is a good thing that people in theindustry are becoming better educated and more highly qualified as this will further thedevelopment of the industry, but it also needs to encompass the needs of the clients that we areactually delivering to. Clients need to fully understand the increasing maturity of the industry andthe benefits of where it is heading. For example, compliance regimes and best practice policy isnot always pushed because of client-driven financial restrictions
FMA Online: What specific issues do you think your business will be dealing with in thenext five years?MF: There is a lot of competition in the market, so we will continue to face very strongcompetition from our competitors. This drives our need to become more efficient in what we dowhile at the same time we want to be seen in the market as a leader in the area of sustainability,as well as the more traditional areas of facilities management. We need to continually strive tomaintain our reputation as one of the top companies in the facilities management industry.
FMA Online: Have you attended any professional development courses presented byFMA Australia, and what kind of professional development courses would you like tosee FMA Australia develop for members?MF: I have previously attended forums and seminars and am also looking at some current oneson offer which also look quite good. I am particularly interested in the areas of Customermanagement and service, OH&S and sustainability as these areas relate immediately and directlyto the future of facilities management in Australia.
Sustainability Victoria's Vision170 members and guests attended the FMA Australia VicBranch October lunch forum to hear NickAlsop from Sustainability Victoria present on the topic of Sustainability Victoria’s Vision forthe Built Environment- Driving Innovation and the Greening of Existing Buildings.
For the benefit of those who could not attend, FMA Online’s Max Winter caught up with Nick Alsopto ask him about Sustainability Victoria’s plans.
FMA Online: Tell me about your presentation at the Victorian Branch Luncheon,ResourceSmart Buildings Program.
NA: My talk was about the environmental challenges that buildings are facing, how that relates toFacility Managers, owners and operators of those buildings. I also spoke about Sustainability
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Victoria’s ResourceSmart Buildings program, and how facility managers can grow their businessby positioning themselves as solution providers for sustainability.
To illustrate the global climate change problem, I used the example of lessons from the ArcticSummer 2007, which highlighted the changes in summer Arctic ice cover over the last thirty or soyears, particularly 2007 when there was a significant drop in summer ice cover of the Arctic.
By 2013 there will be no summer arctic ice cover at all, which is quite shocking, and hasramifications for the ecology, and the European and global climate. This is an example of animpact of climate change that is happening right now. I think climate change is not only an issuefor future generations or our own kids – we’re actually starting to see the changes - right now1.
We were talking in terms of the limiting climate change impactsfor future generations.
Now we are also talking about limiting climate change thatimpacts on us – right now.
We’re really in a pivotal time now. Ever since the Stern1 Report last year, and Al Gore’s movie AnInconvenient Truth, the publics’ awareness of climate change has been a driving force in the verypublic debate on the need for sustainable practice and reform.
Business is starting to recognise that sustainability and addressing climate change is part of coreoperations. It’s about reducing risk, increasing profits, business growth and futurecompetitiveness. No longer is it peripheral, or done just for public relations or philanthropy. Thatis very relevant to the built environment. And we are starting to see that green buildings are areality, particularly commercial buildings., , Sustainability Victoria and the State of Victoria haveplayed a huge role in assisting with the development of landmark buildings such as 40 AlbertRoad, CH2, Bendigo Bank Headquarters, 500 Collins Street, Kangan Batman TAFE’s Centre ofAutomotive Excellence and others. These are the market’s leading examples of green buildings inaction.2
Tenants are starting to demand at least 4.5 ABGR stars, and 4 Green Stars. A lot of that is beingdriven by State and Federal Government, which occupy 40% of the national office floor space. Asmajor tenants, they are exercising their purchasing power through green property and tenancyrequirements. Any developer, investor or owner of a new building who does not want to shutthemselves out of that stable, long term government tenancy market will realise they need to atleast meet, if not exceed, their environmental requirements. And increasingly the private sectorare demanding it too. If a building isn’t built to achieve at least 4.5 Stars ABGR, it becomesobsolete from the day it opens.
FMA Online: For the benefit of the readers, can you explain the difference between theGreen Star scheme, the Australian Buildings Greenhouse Rating (ABGR) and theNABERS scheme?
NA: Green Star is a national scheme operated by the Green Building Council of Australia3. It is atool that assesses the environmental design and features of a building, scoring it up to six stars. .It is important people understand that Green Star is a useful tool for designing new buildings,fitouts and major refurbishments. It sets out a framework across a number of differentenvironmental criteria including energy management, water management, energy efficiency,transportation, material selection, indoor environment quality and others—right from the verybeginning. The smart thing to do is use this framework from an early stage of your project, toguide your decision making and capture innovative thinking and solutions along the way.
ABGR4 (Australian Building Greenhouse Rating) is also national, and administered by the NSWGovernment. It’s about measuring the actual greenhouse impact of existing buildings, bycollecting data from the energy bills. It’s the kilograms of greenhouse emissions per square metreof office space, per year. This is translated into a star rating between 0 and 5 stars,benchmarking the performance against the rest of the market, with 2.5 stars the average market
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performance... NABERS5, the National Australian Built Environment Rating System, is theumbrella scheme under which ABGR is the rating tool for greenhouse performance. There is alsoa tool for water which measures litres per square metre per year, and others in development.
FMA Online: How significant do you think 500 Collins is in terms of retrofitting existingbuildings?
NA: Very significant. It’s a great example of a building that has undergone an impressive greenrefurbishment, but done it in a commercially viable way. It has also retained a very normal officespace look, but it has an invigorating feel to it.
The refurbishment was a staged process where 2 or 3 floors at a time were being refurbished andtenants being moved around to vacate those floors while it was being done. They managed tokeep an 80% occupancy rate all the way through the refurbishment, so rental incomes didn’t dryup in the process.
It is also very significant from a workplace productivity point of view. The vast majority of atenant’s costs are related to staff salaries. So if green buildings are able to improve productivitythrough reductions in sick leave, it becomes a very strong business case for green buildings,
Along with the owners, the Kador Group, Sustainability Victoria undertook a study to look atbusiness performance indicators for two of the tenants in 500 Collins. We looked at performancebefore and after refurbishment, using metrics such as billable hours (for a law firm) and thenumber of sick days per employee..
We discovered a 39% fall in sick leave which translated to a 44% reduction in the cost of sickleave, and a 9% improvement in chargeable fees. The study of the building can be downloadedoff our website.
A lot of those improvements are due to the superior indoor environment quality. A lot of work wasdone on lighting, air conditioning, and reducing off-gassing from materials in the building—glues,paints and carpets.
One of the chief outcomes of green buildings is higher indoor environment quality, which if doneproperly goes hand in hand with energy efficient lighting and air conditioning systems.
FMA Online: You’re talking about Chilled Beam Technology?
NA: Yes, among other things. A lot of the problems in traditional commercial buildings have to dowith the way air is forced through and mixes with stale air in the office space. If someonesneezes in the building and they have the flu, those particles very quickly spread across the floorand other people breathe it in get the flu. A lot of the new technology reduces mixing through theoffice, and increases levels of fresh air. This reduces sick leave
FMA Online: What where the workplace productivity findings from Melbourne CityCouncil House 2 (CH2)?
NA: There are studies underway. What’s interesting is that productivity improvements formed akey part of the initial business case, with a conservative estimate of 2% productivity gain. It wasa critical part of getting the project off the ground. I suspect the studies will show the buildinghas exceeded those estimates.
FMA Online: Describe the broad thrust of the ResourceSmart Building Program?
NA: The aim of the ResourceSmart Building Program over the next three years is to achieve largegreenhouse and water reductions from existing commercial buildings in Victoria. The challenge ishuge, and requires a very different approach to our previous programs which focussed more onnew building design.
The first initiative is benchmarking environmental performance. If we are going to reduce thebuilt environment’s impacts we need to start with everyone understanding what their annualimpacts are. That’s ‘Sustainability 101’ – you can’t manage what you don’t measure!
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So we offer a $1,500 rebate for use of AGBR and NABERS Office Water ratings (each), as a wayof establishing baselines of performance from which targets can be set and improvements made.
Secondly, we are partnering with large property owners, and working with them to establishstrategic goals; benchmark their portfolio; and investigate where they can make big energy andwater savings. We will see which opportunities can be implemented immediately, and of course,bring the facility managers into that picture as champions for energy and water efficiency. We willalso identify other larger, more costly works that integrate into longer term building strategies. .We hope to move their buildings from an average performance of 2.5 Stars ABGR up to anaverage of 4.5 Stars ABGR, and we hope these partnerships will influence the rest of the marketto follow suit.
Finally, we will continue to drive innovation in new buildings, by providing financial support toprojects that achieve Six Green Stars. These projects are an important breeding ground for newtechnologies and design, which the rest of the market can take up over time.
FMA Online: What is your opinion of the state of the skills sets in the industry at themoment to support partnerships with owners and property groups?
NA: It is a great opportunity for the facilities management industry to skill up and showleadership. Building owners and investors are expecting their buildings to be moreenvironmentally sustainable. Facility managers need to recognise that there is a businessopportunity by positioning themselves in the market as solution providers on sustainability.
We have been working with FMA Australia, AIRAH and other organisations to develop sometraining courses for the industry such as the Graduate Certificate in Facilities Management EnergyEfficiency which will be ready in 2009. That will also have an accreditation process so it will bequite easy for facility managers to demonstrate they have these skills within their organisation, toprovide these solutions.
FMA Online: Finally Nick, a word on Mandatory Energy Reporting for large companies.
NA: A very important and significant step; and it will be interesting to see what percentage of theproperty market is affected. I think it is a good thing, if done right.
There are more pressures on some owners to report on carbon impacts of their buildings, eitherdue to Federal and State requirements or voluntary schemes like the Carbon Disclosure Project.But an Emission Trading Scheme will also have an impact, where accurately measuring thecarbon impact of the business is going to be absolutely fundamental, and there will be evengreater incentive to reduce energy use due to emissions liabilities, or increasing electricity costs,.
About Nick AlsopNick works in the Built Environment Team at Sustainability Victoria, working on theResourceSmart Commercial Buildings Program. Prior to this role, Nick worked for four years atthe City of Melbourne as the Greenhouse Program Coordinator, which involved corporateenvironmental management, green energy purchasing, energy and water efficiency, and businessand community sustainability programs. Nick has also worked on green buildings, water efficiencyand product stewardship at the Centre for Design at RMIT University. He holds a Bachelor ofScience and a Masters in Environmental Science. He is a member of the NABERS SteeringCommittee and BATE (Business and The Environment) Steering Committee.
1 http://www.carbonequity.info/PDFs/Arctic.pdf2 See case studies of some leading green buildings on the Sustainability Victoria website:http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/1474-case-studies-.asp3 www.gbcaus.org4 http://www.abgr.com.au/
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5 www.nabers.com.au
New Member Profile: Louis Cini
Louis Cini, NSW Portfolio Manager for Knight FrankEach month new members join FMA Australia, bringing with them a wealth of experience andknowledge of the FM industry. FMA Online provides a personal glimpse of some of theresponsibilities faced by facility managers and the reasons they decided to join.
This month FMA Online’s Melanie Drummond spoke to Louis Cini, NSW Portfolio Manager forKnight Frank.
FMA Online: When did you join FMA Australia?LC: A couple of months ago.
FMA Online: What was your main reason for joining?LC: Well when you’re working in the industry it’s good to be part of an association like FMAAustralia, it gives you the opportunity to network with your peers as well.
FMA Online: What has been your background in Facilities Management?LC: I’ve been involved in the management of properties for about 20 years. I started out workingwith different owners then with agencies. My current focus is working for a variety of clients,institutional and some private owners.
FMA Online: Tell us a bit about Knight Frank?LC: Knight Frank is a private property consultancy firm, it’s been around for about 120 years. It’san English-based company and has offices located in 29 countries.
FMA Online: What does your role involve?LC: My portfolio currently consists of 32 properties in NSW. I look after one of our major clientsand that involves providing facilities management support to a team of onsite facilities managersfor this particular client, which has 12 properties nationally. The other properties in my portfolioconsists of a mixture of commercial high rise buildings in the Sydney and Parramatta CBD, smalland large industrial estates, some smaller office buildings around the Sydney metropolitan areaand some strata office buildings in the Sydney CBD for a variety of institutional and privateowners.
FMA Online: What does that involve on a daily basis?LC: We manage the day-to-day operational aspect of the properties ensuring that the buildingsengineering services are maintained and run smoothly, liaising with tenants on day to day issues,carrying out repairs and maintenance works, ensuring contractors are inducted properly,managing OH&S and risk management, managing tenant fitout works, preparing FM monthlyreports to clients, carrying out various audits for sustainability and ABGR ratings and so forth. Wealso manage the process for tendering of different services within the buildings.
FMA Online: What problems might you face in a working week?LC: Anything from risk issues and occupational health and safety matters, to dealing with tenantsthat vacate premises. Also in the high rise buildings we often have to manage a lot of theproblematic issues surrounding fit-out/construction work that takes place.
FMA Online: Obviously having good contractors is an essential part of meeting yourown requirements, how do you go about ensuring you have the right people for thejob?LC: Over time we’ve weeded out the contractors that don’t do a good job or don’t have theappropriate skills, so what we have now is lists of our preferred contractors. We’ve also minimisedthe number of contractors we have, as the more contractors we have, the bigger the risk. Wenow also have all of our contractors on the International Compliance Information Exchange(ICIX). It’s where all contractors register and pay a small nominal fee each year, and they thenpost all their compliance documentation (insurances, work method statements, risk assessments
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etc) on the database. ICIX manage this web-based system and ensures that the contractors haveup-to-date compliance documentation posted on it which takes a lot of pressure off us. We canthen access that database and if the contractors don’t have current compliance, the system willflag them, and they won’t work on our properties. Essentially it minimises our risk - it’s all aboutrisk.
FMA Online: Do you liaise with contractors?LC: Mostly it’s the on-site facilities managers that do that, they in turn report to me and I providethem with technical support if required.
FMA Online: What sustainability initiatives has your company implemented?LC: All our clients are trying to promote green buildings and trying to obtain good ABGR ratings,so wherever we can see that we can save on energy and water and things like that or run ourbuildings more efficiently, we highlight those things and present them to the owners. A lot of ourclients have already gone down the road of trying to see where they can be green-friendly.
FMA Online: What do you think Government should be doing to ensure the facilitiesmanagement industry continues to advance?LC: Government is quite out there at the moment with green initiatives, it’s definitely on thepolitical agenda. Facilities Management is becoming more valued because all of these differentissues with properties, is our area of expertise. It’s also getting a lot more media attention.
FMA Online: What issues do you think your business will be facing in the next 5 years?LC: Our role is expanding all the time, we’re constantly recruiting – the amount of business we’regetting is really good. We’re also delving into a lot of other areas, a lot more project managementwork - capital expenditure work, traditionally the owners would have organised that, but now wecan put up our hand and say that we can do it.
FMA Online: Have you had to upskill in order to meet changing demands?LC: I do project management on a small scale but for the bigger jobs we have in-houseprofessional project managers who have joined our team for the projects.
FMA Online: Have you been to any of the FMA Australia professional developmentcourses?LC: Not as yet, no.
FMA Online: What professional development courses would you like to see FMA run?LC: Current topical issues that are being voiced by government, our industry or associations.
FMA Online: Do you feel there’s enough out there regarding legislative changesrelevant to the facilities industry? LC: I think a lot more information needs to be broadcast,and I think FMA Australia is the right organisation to do that.
Key ContactsIf you would like to submit an article for FMA Online mark this to the attention of The Editor –FMA Online at [email protected]
For queries re:
Marketing & Communications Advisor Rosie Bennettt: 03 8641 6606 e: [email protected]
Events Coordinator for networking events outside Victoria Racheal Beggst: 03 8641 6603 e: [email protected]
Events & Professional Development Coordinator Stacey Vassiliadist: 03 8641 6610 e: [email protected]
Membership Coordintor Tim Farrellyt: 03 8641 6600 e: [email protected]
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Senior Policy Advisor Charlie Simsont: 03 8641 6601 e: [email protected]
Professional Development Manager Ann Maree Bullardt: 03 8641 6612 e: [email protected]
Finance Manager Murray Hirstt: 03 8641 6604 e: [email protected]
Operations Manager Carolyn Journeauxt: 03 8641 6609 e: [email protected]
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