NEW MEXICO FACILITY MANAGERS NETWORK

February 2004

2010 Supplier Showcase is Scheduled for Friday, October 29th, at Albuquerque Convention Center

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From The President of NMFMN

Dear Members:

At our Board’s annual planning session in January, we assessed the organization’s work for 2003 and set our course for 2004.  I’d like to share the results of that session with you.   The Board of Directors committed to these priorities for 2004:

1.        Focus on recruiting more facility managers as members.

2.        Ensure that our meeting programs have content that will help facility managers be more effective on their jobs.  Adopting the theme “Increase Your Depth of Knowledge,” we also are working on other formats for educational opportunities for members and their facility staffs.

3.        Develop a Board rotation and succession plan to strengthen the organization and offer more opportunities for service for those who are interested.

We welcome participation from all members in recruiting new facility manager members, in suggestions for programs to increase depth of knowledge in facility management, and your expressions of interest in being of service to the organization.

These 2004 goals are built on our successes in 2003.  Here are the 2003 highlights, in chronological order:

1.        Sponsored the Facilities and Buildings Operations and Maintenance Show for the second year.  Growing in exhibitors, attendees and outreach, the FAB O&M show brings together a vast array of resources to serve the facility manager.

2.        Increased communication with American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), with whom we share the May meeting, and with the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), which shares the September meeting with NMNFM and ASHRAE.

3.        Attracted the second largest turnout in NMFMN history at the 9^th Annual Golf Tournament in August. Always filled with fun, friendly competition, good fellowship, and good contacts, the tournament serves the greater purpose of funding the Engineering Scholarship at the University of New Mexico.

4.        Contributed $5,000.00, raised from the Golf Tournament, to the Scholarship Endowment at UNM for deserving engineering students.  This brought the total for the NMFMN Endowment to over $22,000.00!

All of these successes were possible only because of your support and involvement, the work of our energetic Executive Director, and the dedication of our Board of Directors.  Thank you all

                                                                                                                                Mary Anne Giangola

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Be Part of History in the Making:

Unprecedented New Mexico Water Diversion Project is Now Underway!

Many New Mexico facilities require millions of gallons of water per year to operate their businesses.  However, we live in a high mountain desert.  Where will this water come from?

For the first time in history, the City of Albuquerque will exercise its right to divert water from the San Juan Chama River for non-potable purposes.  This project has been “in the works” for 40 years.

The plan is part of the city’s sustainable water strategy with an emphasis on the cessation of mining the aquifer and transference to the use of surface water.

Water is critical to the growth and sustenance of our economy.  James Chavez, P.E., is the Senior Engineer for Albuquerque’s Public Works Department of Water Resources Division.  He realizes that the economic viability of this city is at stake.

Make your reservations now to find out more about this controversial issue on Wednesday, February 18^th, during the New Mexico Facility Managers Network meeting at 5:30 pm in the Albuquerque Petroleum Club.  Since seating, like our water resources, is limited, call Carolee today at 505-331-2477 or email carolee@nmfmn.com to reserve.

New Mexico Water Diversion Project Site

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Strategic Indirect Warfare Specialist

Draws 90 Concerned Citizens to January Meeting

“The United States is fighting an undeclared guerilla war: it is a war against warfare.  This warfare’s objective is to target our economy, to drive a wedge between people, and to destroy our faith in our own government,” summarized Dr. Richard Burcham, special guest speaker at the January 21^st meeting of the New Mexico Facility Managers Network.

The new battlefield is the national infrastructure.  Terrorists will insidiously attack the three pillars that support our society: finance, power distribution, and communication.  “If we lose one leg, we lose it all,” he said.

In the new war, common daily activities and items become weapons.    These new weapons are extremely powerful, are easily smuggled, and make one person equal to an entire state.  They are weapons of mass destruction.

Terrorist cells are becoming increasingly intertwined to further complicate matters.  “They wage ‘Jihad’:  war at both military and economic levels.” 

With over 40 years in counter- and anti-terrorism experience, the renowned analyst and senior member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M., painted some very chilling and realistic pictures for the crowd of facility managers, their suppliers, and guests.

 “The paradox of Capitalism—which dictates centralization, encourages non-redundancy, and rewards ‘man-out-of-the-loop’ automation—becomes our greatest vulnerability,” he said.  “Technology, which is our lifeblood, can become our downfall.”

“Redundancy is not capitalistic—it raises overheads, but is also balances demand and reduces downtime.”

One proposed course of action?  “Build surety into conventional design practices.  Bring flexibility, security, function, and safety as well as cost, reliability, and environmental concern into the design process.”

“Enlist everyone in security planning. Form partnerships: security requires communication.  Practice differentiation:  ask what brought an event about, and analyze the response to the event.  Identify the real perpetrator.  Do not go back to ‘business as usual’.  And begin to realize that our infrastructure is only one layer in a global infrastructure.”

Can legislation help protect us?  “Legislation shapes and affects liability.  What is foreseeable risk?  What is sheer negligence? What can we really insure ourselves against?”

Click here for more pictures

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Executive Director’s Column

Get out your pens and pencils and crayons and engrave this date on your calendar—Friday, August 13^th, 2004.  This is the date for the 10^th Annual New Mexico Facility Managers Network Golf Tournament and Scholarship Fundraiser.

I know: it seems a trifle early to be reminding you of this event.  But, I also know that I get lots of competition from other golfing opportunities each summer, and that most of you have only so many “fun-dollars” to spend on such outings each year!  So please, save me a place on your “things to do” list now, while you are thinking of me.

As you can imagine, this being our 10^th Anniversary and all, I have some major surprises in store for you.  How does playing the tournament at the incomparable “Isleta Eagle Championship Golf Course” sound, for a start?   

And you know how we have become legendary for the number of quality door prizes we give away at the end of the festivities?  Wait till you hear what I have in mind for you THIS year!  Put it this way---pack your bags!

Many thanks to Joseph Rodriguez, NMFMN Board Member and Facility Manager at Isleta Casino and Resort, for his help.  I recruited Joe last year at this time, and I have another board opening right now for some dedicated facility manager who wants to be of service to this wonderful community of people.  Are you interested?  Please contact me soon.  I need you!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

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Fab O and M Show Booth Sales

Ahead of Schedule—Are YOU “In”?

If you are a supplier to facility managers, time is running out for you to reserve your space in the 2004 Facility and Building Operations and Maintenance Show, scheduled for Wednesday, April 7, and Thursday, April 8^th, at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds’ Manual Lujan Exhibition Hall.

In it’s third year, reservations are running ahead of schedule, according to the show’s producer, Al Reynolds, of ASR and Associates.

“Here again is the opportunity to expose your company to many many facility folks from across the state, all in a ‘one-stop-shopping’ venue,” commented Reynolds.

To make sure that you are “in” the hottest and only show of its kind targeting facility managers in the area, call now to reserve your space: ASR & Associates at 505-880-0123. 

Facility managers:  Where can you go to preview the latest technologies and services, and see the products that make you more efficient and your job easier?

Suppliers:  Where can you find an eager audience of audacious consumers, walking up to you in an almost endless line?

The 2004 Facility and Building Operations and Maintenance Show has it all!

Coming to the Manual Lujan Exhibition Hall at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds on Wednesday, April 7^th , and Thursday, April 8^th, opportunities abound for both knowledge seekers and information providers, all under one roof.

Need more information?  Call Al Reynolds at ASR & Associates, the show’s producer, at 505-880-0123.  Mark your calendar today for this opportunity to participate in the only show of its kind directed towards facility managers, their employees, and their suppliers!

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Is YOUR Emergency Planning Program Current?

Free Software and Training Materials are Available

Facility managers in Bernalillo County must submit data about emergency contact information, emergency preparedness, and chemical stockpiles, a mandate first issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

These files, which must be submitted electronically, are then shared with various state, city and county agencies whose interest lies in helping protect first responders and the general public.

How up-to-date are YOU in understanding and filing these necessary documents?  The cut-off date for filing is March 1^st, 2004.  Please contact the Local Emergency Planning Committee’s representative Therese Martinez-Loner at 505-768-1970 or email her at tloner@cabq.gov if you are interested in obtaining the software and materials, or have other general questions about these important papers.

Click here for more information.

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Got Questions on Hazardous Waste Issues?

Help is Available to Aid Compliance

The New Mexico Environmental Department is dedicated to promoting a safe, clean, and productive environment in which New Mexico businesses can thrive.  Sometimes, however, questions arise, and the answers are not easily found.

Whether you work for a small “Mom and Pop” business, or a large corporation or governmental entity, your business or agency is expected to adhere to regulations and best management practices to ensure minimizing any threat to human health or the environment.

The good news?  Expert help is available.  Barry Birch is the Manager of the “Compliance and Technical Assistance Program” for the Environmental Department.  He and his staff can help guide you through inspections, consultations, and advice.  Contact him by email at barry.birch@nmenv.state.nm.us, by calling 505-428-2528, or write him at 2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Building 1, Santa Fe, NM, 87505

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