Tomorrow Looks Bright for All Things FM

World FM Day, an annual event by the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), will be celebrated on June 28^th. 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.

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 28^th 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…