Facilities Management Services

Want to elevate your critical and renewable energy expertise? Check out these upcoming opportunities renewable energy events to discover the latest trends, best practices, and more.

Energy Now Expo
Aug. 23-25, 2022
Miami Airport Convention Center | Miami, Fl.

This tradeshow serves professionals from the United States and Latin America. In addition to networking, attendees can earn education credits at The Energy Expo Education Day. Learn more.

Solar Power International
Sept. 19-22, 2022
Anaheim Convention Center | Anaheim, Calif.

Connect with peers and professionals from across the solar power industry. Find out about the latest solar-based products and services, and explore key updates affecting the industry. Learn more.

Energy Utility Environment Conference
October 5-7, 2022
The Westin La Paloma Resort| Tucson, Ariz.

Facility decision-makers can meet energy suppliers, regulators, and engineers at this event. Renewable energy, storage, and related topics will be presented. Learn more.

Energy Exchange
October 25-27, 2022
Duke Energy Convention Center| Cincinnati, Ohio

This event offers workshops for government employees and federal contractors who specialize in water or energy. Delivered by industry leaders, the sessions can help fulfill legislative training mandates. Learn more.

Energy Transition North America
November 9-10, 2022
TBC| Houston, Texas

Join industry leaders in discussing how to achieve net-zero energy targets. Find out how to assess market risks and select various partners from the energy industry. Learn more.

HYDROVISION International
July 11-13, 2023
Duke Energy Convention Center| Charlotte, N.C.

Water industry professionals take note: This conference offers a certificate of completion that can be applied to Professional Development Hour (PDH) credits. Technical tours will also be offered. Learn more.

Building a high-performing energy conservation model takes long-term commitment. As a federal agency specializing in procurement, General Services Administration (GSA) shows how sustainable progress can be achieved.

Federal agencies must meet or exceed key targets for energy conservation. In terms of overall energy usage, this includes a minimum of 7.5 percent renewable electricity.

GSA, a longtime customer of PRIDE Industries, outperforms in this category and others.

In 2020, GSA achieved an 11.1 percent performance rating for renewable electricity, according to the OMB Scorecard for Efficient Federal Operations and Management.

The scorecard contains the most recent assessment for GSA’s operational efficiency. GSA demonstrated a range of improvements over the prior year. These include energy diversification measures.

Among the highlights:

Petroleum fuel use in covered fleet fell by more than 40 percent
Energy intensity (Btu/GSF) dropped by 4.3 percent
Potable water intensity decreased by 7.9 percent

The scorecard also revealed 2,250 annual British thermal units (Btu) saved per $1 of investment.

Discover more of GSA’s performance ratings from the FY 2020 OMB Scorecard.

Sustainable Maintenance at GSA PBS Sites

In addition to operational sustainability, preservation of historic sites is also key for GSA Public Buildings Service (GSA PBS).

GSA PBS helps other federal agencies access “workspace and furnishings at best value to the American taxpayer,” according to gsa.gov.

In New Orleans, for example, GSA PBS manages four historic sites. These include the:

Hale Boggs Federal Building
U.S. Custom House
John Minor Wisdom U.S. Court of Appeals Building
Edward Hebert Federal Building

These sites equate to more than 1.5 million square feet of office space.

Every day, each location requires comprehensive cleaning. Porcelain and metal surfaces must be polished, trash removed, windows washed, floor surfaces maintained, etc. Even the atrium plants need to be wiped.

The requirements are vast, and the solutions must be sustainable.

To deliver high standards of maintenance, GSA PBS partners with PRIDE Industries. Ensuring best-in-class service delivery, the team provides CIMS-Green Building custodial and grounds services.

The onsite team includes dozens of people. Of this group, 90 percent have a disability and perform their work with excellence within the AbilityOne Program. AbilityOne helps people with disabilities find employment by working for nonprofit agencies that sell products or services to the U.S. government.

“The PRIDE Industries partnership with GSA PBS exemplifies an incredible social mission in action,” says Matt Durkovich, Director of Business Development for Government Services.

“Individuals from all backgrounds can contribute towards our customer’s mission, while realizing their true potential and leading more independent lives. This helps normalize the inclusion of people with disabilities, throughout the workplace.”

As professionals, the team members are highly skilled at providing essential sanitization services. They use sustainable cleaning products manufactured to the standards of the EPA’s Safer Choice program. Created by PRIDE Industries, the ecofriendly products contain no ammonia and no phosphates, and are biodegradable.

When using these products onsite, organizations can earn points towards Green Cleaning Products and Materials Credit, which is required for LEED certification.

Operational Cost Benefits from LEED Certification

GSA PBS has since achieved LEED certification at two more sites: the Potter Federal Courthouse, in Ohio, and the Richard Sheppard Arnold Courthouse, in Arkansas.

Both are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The process of achieving LEED certification plays an important role in reducing operational costs. It also helps minimize the building’s carbon footprint.

“LEED certified buildings save money, improve efficiency, lower carbon emissions and create healthier places for people,” according to the U.S. Green Building Council, which provides the certification.

“(LEED buildings) are a critical part of addressing climate change and meeting ESG (environmental, social, and governance) goals, enhancing resilience, and supporting more equitable communities,” the council says.

“The PRIDE Industries partnership with GSA PBS exemplifies an incredible social mission in action.
Individuals from all backgrounds can contribute towards our customer’s mission, while realizing their true potential and leading more independent lives.”

—Matt Durkovich, Director of Business Development for Government Services, PRIDE Industries

Recycling: Key to a Successful Energy Conservation Model

Alongside sustainable cleaning protocols, recycling has also been instrumental to the energy conservation model of GSA PBS.

In 2016, a federal mandate required all federal properties to recycle at least 50 percent of their waste. GSA PBS leaders at the New Orleans sites had three years to achieve this goal.

As partners, the team from PRIDE Industries designed a new on-site recycling system. They also met in person with building users to deliver education on recycling.

These GSA PBS sites now recycle 90 percent of waste. As a conservation measure, the ability to produce goods from recycled materials helps save critical energy.

“If we’re going to do it, we may as well go as high as we can,” says David McNeese, Regional Operations Manager at PRIDE Industries, who helped lead the project.

Let’s Talk Business

Want to increase the energy efficiency of your organization? Our integrated facility services team can guide you through the process. Contact us today.

“If we’re going to do it, we may as well go as high as we can. ”

—David McNeese, Regional Operations Manager at PRIDE Industries, who helped lead the project.

Since the pandemic, variable occupancy has become a key issue for building optimization. Yet, operations and maintenance leaders recognize that fluid occupancy levels can occur for many reasons.

Some are short-term—for example, when severe weather strikes—while others can last longer.

Let’s consider a range of contexts that can drive variable occupancy.

Unplanned Situations

Business continuity often requires a flexible approach on short notice. If a lightning strike wipes out power, employees may be safer and more productive working from home. Or, if major roadworks or a traffic accident causes delays in getting to work, the organization may suggest remote working.

People Considering Retirement

When employees are considering whether to take retirement or extend their service, a soft approach can help encourage them to continue working. This can be especially beneficial in job markets with large numbers of vacancies and low levels of qualified candidates. A retention-based approach can also help enable access to niche skill sets.

Diversity Retention

Working parents (mothers, in particular) and people of color are among those who say that rigid work policies are likely to drive attrition, according to the Future Forum Pulse Report. Flexible locations and scheduling can benefit the retention of a diverse workforce.

Employees with Disabilities

Employees in this talent pool may need additional support during a health crisis. A flexible work pattern can help people with disabilities—and their families—feel safe about returning to work.

Perhaps your organization has committed to flexible working. Perhaps it plans to explore new policies. Either way, your expertise will help ensure the organization generates maximum value and flexibility from facilities management.

As a facilities manager, you can help the workplace be ready to flex up or down. Read on to discover some of the key areas of consideration for managing variable occupancy in an optimized building.

Schedule Optimization

From an operations perspective, running a building involves a strong budget management component. The cost of running a building becomes higher as occupancy decreases—particularly if all other building systems remain unchanged.

Once you’re able to anticipate and monitor expected usage, you can make cost-saving adjustments to essential building systems. You’ll be in a stronger position to estimate daily occupancy if you use desk-booking technology.

Anticipate how many people will be using the space at any given time by using scheduling software. This allows users to book desks and office space in advance. Based on this information, you can then choose not to energize certain parts of the facilities that won’t be in use.

Energy Management

With a clear understanding of scheduled occupancy, you can then optimize energy usage around the building. This includes heating and cooling—and even irrigation, as well.

Smart technology lets you monitor energy consumption on a local basis.

If your building accommodates 100 people on two floors, but only 50 people will be in the office, you could minimize or turn off energy usage on the second floor. Let your colleagues know this floor will not be in use, in line with the organization’s environmental commitments.

Smart tech systems also let you check whether doors are opened or closed. During a severe weather situation, or other active situation, you should be able to respond quickly and remotely.

Air Quality

Which parts of the building will be in active use today? How you can ensure optimal filtration levels? Facilities managers must plan ahead for the number of staff on site each day and what zones they will occupy. You can then use technology and controls to adjust local airflows. This aspect of building optimization helps ensure a safe environment for all occupants.

Work Order Software

Offering utmost flexibility, smart spaces allow you to monitor local usage and respond to urgent issues from anywhere in the world. Work order software allows users to report issues. The facilities team can then create and triage tickets based on incoming requests.

As an example, thermostats can be managed remotely via work order-based software. You can also respond to reports of faulty equipment.

Variable Occupancy and Building Optimization

Organizations must be flexible enough to support evolving needs. From navigating a pandemic or short-term situation, to planning the next stage of growth, many scenarios can lead to fluid occupancy levels.

With the right planning and communication, a flexible approach to variable occupancy can benefit workers, while helping deliver on wider business objectives.

Well-designed plans for variable occupancy can help:

Retain top talent
Achieve diversity goals
Act on environmental commitments

Give your organization a competitive advantage by optimizing buildings for variable occupancy.

Let’s Talk Business

Want to partner with an organization whose safety record is 30% better than average, compared to OSHA incidence rates? Contact us today.

Acknowledge the role your colleagues play in helping conserve energy. Send a note of thanks via chat, email, or by posting a note on the Intranet. Use your smart tech to measure and communicate how much energy they’ve helped save.

As a facilities leader, you help the organization navigate change. These days, that remit could include returning to the office.

While this may seem straightforward, be prepared. Facilities management post-COVID will likely play a key role in retaining talent.

Hybrid or home-based work models took off with the pandemic, with research showing a sustained preference for flexibility.

Among workers whose jobs can be performed at home, three in five professionals continue to work from home, according to February data from the Pew Research Center.

Yet, in many workplaces, executive leaders want to entice workers back to the office. With your knowledge of facilities management post-COVID, you’ll be an important voice in that conversation.

There’s much at stake. The battle to retain talent, particularly at non-executive level, requires a strategy that recognizes fundamental concerns about health and safety. This is perhaps the most critical value-add you can bring to post-pandemic strategic planning.

According to the Future Forum Pulse Report published in October of 2021:

Only 17% of non-executives, currently working full-time remote, support a full-time return to the office.
In comparison, 44% of executives in the same situation favor a full-time office return.
Nearly 70% of CEOs are leading the return-to-office planning process, compared to just 3% of HR chiefs. This underscores a business-critical context.

So, how can you prepare for these conversations, and what actions should you recommend to the business?

From start to finish, keep the focus on health and safety. With that approach, you can help reassure employees of their safety, while fostering a more enjoyable workplace.

Discover three actions you can take to strengthen your organization’s return-to-office strategy.

1. Incorporate Smart Spaces into the Workplace

In the post-pandemic world, higher standards of health and safety must be seen and experienced. Smart spaces make this possible, and they can be incorporated at many touchpoints.

Let’s start with building controls. Smart technology adds greater levels of flexibility throughout the workplace, helping leaders flex up or down in response to fast-changing business needs.

“Smart technology for building controls is really essential,” says Tim Vanover, a 30-year veteran of the facility service industry and Director of Business Development at PRIDE Industries.

“If we have 40 people coming back to work tomorrow, how do we ramp up quickly, adjust airflows, and make sure their work environment is ready? Similarly, how do we communicate critical information with hundreds or thousands of people in real time?”

To address this challenge, facilities managers can communicate with the entire organization via work-order platforms. These platforms create triggers that send messages at scale.

“For example, you may want to communicate that the first two floors of a building have been sanitized,” says Randy Gregorcyk, Operations Director and Program Development Director at PRIDE Industries. “A work-order platform can send everyone an update via Teams, Slack, or another software stack.”

Timely, frequent communications play a vital role in boosting employee satisfaction.

2. Optimize for a Hybrid Work Model

More than 75% of companies have chosen to adopt a hybrid working model, according to research by Envoy, published in April. As such, facilities managers must be equipped to support the diverse needs of local and virtual workers, with people regularly switching between groups.

Always ensure that employees know what to expect before they get to the office. Providing sufficient information reduces anxiety and fosters a much-needed sense of structure and routine.

Desk-booking software can help. Colleagues can conveniently book space in advance, thanks to simple scheduling software. Known as office hoteling, organizations benefit by maximizing existing space on a day-to-day basis.

“Flexible office designs, paired with below-average occupancy, also allow for extra distance between workstations, as needed,” Gregorcyk says.

“And, with fewer workstations required, organizations can also achieve cost savings to the tune of about $8,000 per workstation, per year.”

You should also ask about how they have updated their methods, policies, or best practices, in light of the pandemic.

“Facility services leaders must always be able to respond quickly, keeping visitors and employees informed and comfortable... particularly when the goal is to entice workers back to the office.”

—Tim Vanover, a 30-year veteran of the facility service industry

3. Select Strategic Partners with Solid Records

Many organizations choose to outsource aspects of facilities management post-COVID. As part of this process, you should request information from possible vendors about their health and safety record.

You should also ask about how they have updated their methods, policies, or best practices, in light of the pandemic.

“All of these details can be used to evaluate potential partners. Shortlist vendors who show the ability to help your business level-up its own practices and procedures,” Vanover says.

Once you’ve identified key partners, communicate positive updates about each milestone that improves your organization’s performance. Work with your internal communications team, or PR department, to spread awareness. Encourage employees to celebrate shared successes.

The Bottom Line: Show Workers You Care, Every Day

As a facilities leader, you can help set a gold standard for trust between employee and employer.

Your ability to engage with and serve employees matters, particularly when designing plans for facility management post-COVID.

Whether it’s how quickly you resolve a complaint, or your ability to identify which parts of the building should be cleaned most frequently, these metrics send strong signals. They underscore that the office is a good place to work. It is consistently reliable, safe, and comfortable.

Now, how good is that?

Keep the message simple. Say it often. And back it up with proactive, reassuring actions.

Let's Talk Business

Want to partner with an organization whose safety record is 30% better than average, compared to OSHA incidence rates? Contact us today.

“By working together to implement new best practices, you can achieve significant improvements for health and safety.”

—Randy Gregorcyk, Operations Director and Program Development Director at PRIDE Industries

Want to elevate your operations and maintenance expertise? Check out these upcoming opportunities to discover the latest trends, best practices, and more.

Applying Strategic Thinking to Operational Management – Online Course
July 13-15, 2022
Learning Tree International - Herndon Education and AnyWare Center | Alexandria, VA

What impact does strategy have on operational activity? How do you differentiate between organizational and operational competencies? This course offers key insights. Learn more.

Developing a Leading-Edge Operations Strategy – Online Course
July 27-28, 2022
Online | MIT Sloan School of Management

This course covers “strategic insights into vertical integration, outsourcing, product strategy, supplier management, process technologies, capacity and risk management, and global networks.” Learn more.

Building Operating Management’s NFMT Remix
Nov. 2-3, 2022
Paris Hotel | Las Vegas, NV

This trade show and educational conference welcomes professionals who oversee the management, operations, maintenance, renovation, and construction of non-residential buildings. Learn more.

International Conference on Advanced Operations Management
Sept. 27-28, 2023
TBC| San Francisco, CA

Industry practitioners are invited to join researchers and educators in discussing the most recent innovations, trends, and challenges from advanced operations management. Learn more.

Chris Bunch, Vice President of Commercial Facilities Services with PRIDE Industries, talks with Shawn Black of FM Evolution. The two discuss how private and public organizations can achieve their operational goals while creating jobs for people with disabilities.

Shawn Black (SB): Recruitment is one of the greatest challenges facing managers today. And today we’re talking with Chris Bunch at PRIDE Industries about a virtually untapped workforce.

Over 75% of adults with disabilities are unemployed or underemployed in the United States alone. What are you seeing in the marketplace right now?

Chris Bunch (CB): I would say that’s correct. Not only has this unemployment number changed, it’s gotten more challenging after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, companies are now feeling the incentives to create an inclusive work environment.

SB: Companies right now are struggling. Many workers are retiring, and there’s a lot of competition for talent. Is this a great time to hire people with disabilities?

CB: Absolutely. It really starts with the perspective of the employer. Ultimately, you’re trying to make a person successful in the role. That’s where PRIDE Industries comes in.

We help organizations in different ways. First, we have our Inclusive Talent Solutions line, where we partner with companies to recruit, place, and train people with disabilities. We also provide support and inclusivity training for the hiring organizations to help ensure mutual success of employer and employee.

Second, we have our workplace inclusion programs to place individuals into job positions with a much higher degree of support.

And third, our business services, including our Facilities Management Services, create jobs for people with disabilities while offering solutions at competitive rates.

In the end, for facilities managers, it all comes down to budgets and needs. Ultimately, hiring people with disabilities is not charity. You will achieve your business goals with the added benefits of increasing your social impact.

How Facilities Managers Can Create an Inclusive Work Environment

SB: On average, the cost of an accommodation for people with disabilities is only $500. However, in a hot job market, will gestures like these earn more dedication and morale?

CB: When you create an inclusive environment for a person with disabilities, whether it’s as part of a service or your organization, there’s a higher sense of loyalty. And it transfers all the way down. We have employees with disabilities that have worked on contracts that we serve for over 20 years. They have built careers, become experts in their fields, and create a premier customer experience.

SB: When it comes to hiring and management practices with corporate America right now, are you seeing companies shifting their recruitment focus?

CB: Cultivating an inclusive work environment is good for business. We’re now in a world where social networking and platforms put pressure and awareness on organizations to increase their social impact programs.

SB: What is your outsource versus insource strategy, and how do you approach this inclusion metric?

CB: From a procurement or a human resource perspective, the impact is the same. It comes down to whether your organization has the resources to help coach and mentor people with disabilities, or if you would like to partner with a social enterprise like PRIDE Industries that can help provide these services for you.

SB: What is your advice to people who are struggling right now to fill positions and are looking to increase?

CB: Identify your insource versus outsource strategy, and find partners that can help. PRIDE Industries has solutions for both.

Need help with your facility operations?

PRIDE Industries can help you with facility operations, custodial and maintenance services, job assistance, and other services.

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“Cultivating an inclusive work environment is good for business.”

— Chris Bunch, Vice President of Commercial Facilities for PRIDE Industries