Letter from the President, October 28, 2014
It is so refreshing to be a part of an industry that is really moving and shaking.
Facility Managers are no longer considered “maintenance personnel” since companies are realizing the true value derived by the FM professional who is now responsible for optimally and sustainably managing buildings, as well as developing and nurturing the human element of an organization’s culture.
Over the last year, our Chapter has grown significantly, and we are very excited about this trend, especially with the boom of student interest. I am very proud to introduce two new board members, Miguel Martinez, and Zahra Khaku who are Temple students with majors in Facility Management and who now sit on the Chapter’s board providing valuable input from a younger perspective. Additionally, Mike Makofsky from Tech Reps signed on this year as the new co-chair of the Program Committee joining returning co-chair, Barb Celia, FM at Catholic Health East.
With strong leadership on the board including Steve Sable from Haworth as Vice President, Jeffrey Thomas from Vanguard as Treasurer and we cannot forget Alana Dunoff as Education Task Force co-chair and who was recently selected as 2014’s IFMA Fellow Class. We are ready to lead and serve our membership staying the course on education, expanding youth mentorship, and creating a networking pipeline to promote careers and businesses for the entire Chapter membership. This is a really exciting time to be involved with IFMA as we lead the way to a more sustainable and greener world.
This year, our Chapter has also created another committee focused on sponsorship. We are looking for volunteers interested in taking our Chapter to the next level in making our programs world class. Our mini-world workplace scheduled on November 20 will be held at Harrah’s in Chester, PA. You will want to be sure to sign up early this year as there will be continuing education credits with speaker panels sharing best practices. Plus, you don’t want to miss an opportunity to win some big prizes.
All said, please enjoy the remainder of the summer, and I hope to see all of you at our events this year. You will be really glad you came. If you don’t learn something new, you are sure to meet someone new who may end up changing your life for the better. After all most people look up, and admire the stars, but champions climb mountains, and seize them.
See you at the top,
Marcella Garwood
President
Greater Philadelphia Chapter of IFMA
