Scott joined IFMA in 1999 in hopes of networking and furthering his FM skills. He is very proud of earning the CFM designation in 2009, and what the means regarding his development as a FM. He has now worked in the facility management field for over 25 years. Scott has served as a member of the bagels and business committee, the membership committee, and as a member of the awarding winning Insite newsletter. He became a board member of the chapter for about 15 years, serving as the treasurer, vie president, the government affairs, and national headquarters liaison, and then sponsorship chair, which is the position he currently holds. Over the years one thing he has loved about being a member of the local chapter was the opportunity to talk to college students and young professionals about the FM profession, as they bring so much energy with them. Scott lives with his wife, 2 sons and dog just outside Philadelphia in South Jersey.
How did you get into Facility Management?
Several years ago, I was working for a Philadelphia area hospital until the hospital filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors, overnight. I had never considered a position in facility management until the bankruptcy gave me the opportunity to reevaluate my career progression and take stock of my education and work experience. I possessed knowledge and skills in areas such as management, hospitality, purchasing, inventory, maintenance and janitorial. I realized that my experience to date made me perfectly suited for the facility management field. Fortunately for me, I found a company that was just finding its feet and beginning to grow, and the rest is history.
Tell us about a favorite project.
There have been a few projects over the years that I have been proud to be a part of, and projects that were a lot of fun to work on. One favorite was relocating the corporate offices of my company from space that was a converted warehouse and former manufacturing plant in East Falls, to a more traditional office building in Center City, Philadelphia. My employer requested the project to be fast tracked. We successfully finished the buildout, including systems furniture, and were able to move the company into new office space over one weekend with no downtime, thanks to my dedicated team. Hats off to Schnoll painting too. There were sections of the office that were painted in the dark (the electricity had not yet been completed) and still came out looking great!
What is your greatest success story?
I am guessing most people would assume I would say earning the CFM designation and that means in regards to what I have experienced and learned over time. They are right to think so, as I am extremely proud of earning that certification. However, nothing is as important as the relationships cultivated over time, and for me that begins with the staff I helped develop, teach, then provide the resources (such as IFMA) so they could continue to grow. There is also a significant number of colleagues, managers, IFMA members, IFMA board members, vendors, and contractors who I owe quite a bit to as well.
Tell us about a challenge or obstacle that you faced in the Facilities field and how you overcame it.
Was placed as the team lead on a company project, outside the scope of FM and my comfort zone. The end result was a successful plan, completed under budget and ahead of schedule. The challenge was getting there and getting buy in from numerous department heads, who all had frustrations regarding the issue. We succeeded because the first thing I did was promise our goal was to resolve without overwhelming and department, then offering any training needed. The next part was really challenging, I had to shut up and listen to their concerns and ideas. From this point we created a plan that was workable and agreed to by all.
What is something that most people do not know about you?
Once drove across the country in an RV. In my senior year at Penn State University the football team was good, good enough to get scheduled to play the much more favored Miami Hurricanes it the Fiesta Bowl, which was played in Sun Devil stadium on the campus of Arizona State. I was in a fraternity (not one that would ever let anyone be harmed!) and someone came up with the idea to rent an RV and drive across country to the game, so 10 of us did just that. It was a great experience, made even better when Penn State won the game.
What learning experience would you pass onto future FMs?
You are going to make mistakes along the way and run in to emergencies, often. Own your mistakes and learn from them. Put together a team, provide the training and resources to help them become great at what they do, then trust them, and yourself to be there for each other. And use that training to get the job done!
Scott joined IFMA in 1999 in hopes of networking and furthering his FM skills. He is very proud of earning the CFM designation in 2009, and what the means regarding his development as a FM. He has now worked in the facility management field for over 25 years. Scott has served as a member of the bagels and business committee, the membership committee, and as a member of the awarding winning Insite newsletter. He became a board member of the chapter for about 15 years, serving as the treasurer, vie president, the government affairs, and national headquarters liaison, and then sponsorship chair, which is the position he currently holds. Over the years one thing he has loved about being a member of the local chapter was the opportunity to talk to college students and young professionals about the FM profession, as they bring so much energy with them. Scott lives with his wife, 2 sons and dog just outside Philadelphia in South Jersey.
How did you get into Facility Management?
Several years ago, I was working for a Philadelphia area hospital until the hospital filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors, overnight. I had never considered a position in facility management until the bankruptcy gave me the opportunity to reevaluate my career progression and take stock of my education and work experience. I possessed knowledge and skills in areas such as management, hospitality, purchasing, inventory, maintenance and janitorial. I realized that my experience to date made me perfectly suited for the facility management field. Fortunately for me, I found a company that was just finding its feet and beginning to grow, and the rest is history.
Tell us about a favorite project.
There have been a few projects over the years that I have been proud to be a part of, and projects that were a lot of fun to work on. One favorite was relocating the corporate offices of my company from space that was a converted warehouse and former manufacturing plant in East Falls, to a more traditional office building in Center City, Philadelphia. My employer requested the project to be fast tracked. We successfully finished the buildout, including systems furniture, and were able to move the company into new office space over one weekend with no downtime, thanks to my dedicated team. Hats off to Schnoll painting too. There were sections of the office that were painted in the dark (the electricity had not yet been completed) and still came out looking great!
What is your greatest success story?
I am guessing most people would assume I would say earning the CFM designation and that means in regards to what I have experienced and learned over time. They are right to think so, as I am extremely proud of earning that certification. However, nothing is as important as the relationships cultivated over time, and for me that begins with the staff I helped develop, teach, then provide the resources (such as IFMA) so they could continue to grow. There is also a significant number of colleagues, managers, IFMA members, IFMA board members, vendors, and contractors who I owe quite a bit to as well.
Tell us about a challenge or obstacle that you faced in the Facilities field and how you overcame it.
Was placed as the team lead on a company project, outside the scope of FM and my comfort zone. The end result was a successful plan, completed under budget and ahead of schedule. The challenge was getting there and getting buy in from numerous department heads, who all had frustrations regarding the issue. We succeeded because the first thing I did was promise our goal was to resolve without overwhelming and department, then offering any training needed. The next part was really challenging, I had to shut up and listen to their concerns and ideas. From this point we created a plan that was workable and agreed to by all.
What is something that most people do not know about you?
Once drove across the country in an RV. In my senior year at Penn State University the football team was good, good enough to get scheduled to play the much more favored Miami Hurricanes it the Fiesta Bowl, which was played in Sun Devil stadium on the campus of Arizona State. I was in a fraternity (not one that would ever let anyone be harmed!) and someone came up with the idea to rent an RV and drive across country to the game, so 10 of us did just that. It was a great experience, made even better when Penn State won the game.
What learning experience would you pass onto future FMs?
You are going to make mistakes along the way and run in to emergencies, often. Own your mistakes and learn from them. Put together a team, provide the training and resources to help them become great at what they do, then trust them, and yourself to be there for each other. And use that training to get the job done!
IFMA Philly Newsletter Winter 2025 Upcoming Events, Past Event Highlights, New Members, and much, much more! Click on the image below to view newsletter.
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IFMA Philly Newsletter Summer 2024 Past Event Highlights, Upcoming Events, Learning Opportunities, FM Spotlight Highlights, and much, much more! Click on image to view newsletter!
