NEW MEXICO FACILITY MANAGERS NETWORK

May 2004

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

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Building Commissioning - Journey to the Promised Land

In May each year, NMFMN holds a joint meeting with ASHRAE, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers – New Mexico Chapter, to give members chances to network and learn from each other.

NOTE THAT THIS MEETING IS ON TUESDAY, MAY 18!

Building Systems Commissioning has the promise of delivering high performance buildings to owners, and it takes a concerted effort on the part of all the players in the building industry - the owner, the design and construction contractors and the vendors.  This month we will hear from a representative from Sandia National Laboratories on his and his company's experience with implementing elements of commissioning and their current mission to formalize a Facilities commissioning program.

Ralph Wrons, a facilities engineer at Sandia, has been a champion for commissioning at Sandia since 1995.  There have been several efforts to commission building HVAC systems and associated controls of new buildings since 1998 and Sandia is now developing a formalized building commissioning program.

Ralph's presentation will touch on several aspects of commissioning from an owner's perspective, including the roles and responsibilities of the owner, the A/E firm, the Construction contractor and the vendors.  Other topics will be lessons learned, training, meshing with existing testing requirements, and the commissioning prerequisite of the USGBC LEED green building rating criteria.

“Commissioning is a journey and thus far,” Ralph said, “it seems that Sandia still has some way to go.  Increasingly there are more proponents than naysayers, so the chances for success are improving,” he said.

Ralph Wrons, P.E., is an Energy Engineer with the Facilities Management Center at Sandia National Laboratories, and has been with Sandia for 14 years.  His experience includes three years as Team Leader for the HVAC Controls group, seven years as the Site Energy Manager, and the last year and a half as a Team Leader in the Construction Inspection and Acceptance group.  Ralph has a B.S. (1986) in Energy Engineering from the University of Arizona.

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10^th Annual NMFMN Golf Tourney and Scholarship Drive is gearing up.

10^th Annual Benefit Golf Tournament

If you listen closely you can hear it—the satisfying “thwack” as your club makes contact with the ball, sending it 150 yards down the fairway.  What could be better on a warm summer morning than playing a great golf course with a friendly foursome?  And looking forward to lunch and prizes to follow?  All of this while supporting a good cause – the NMFMN Engineering Department Scholarship Endowment at the University of New Mexico.  It doesn’t get any better!

You don’t have to be a seasoned player to join in the fun.  The tournament is a scramble format and the teams are set up to balance experienced and less experienced players.

So sign up now, because the 10^th Annual NMFMN golf Tournament at the ISLETA EAGLE GOLF COURSE will be the best ever!  Use the enclosed form, or go online to www.nmfmn.com. Registrations already are rolling in!

Support from members and their companies make this tournament fun for all.  Your generosity with hole sponsorships and prize donations allows us to make the maximum donation to the Scholarship Endowment. Be ready to pitch in or sign up when one of our “Dialing for Duffers” team calls you.  Those folks are: Victor Rosenthal, Cathy Crismore, Jennifer House, Randy Sweat, Robert Cantrell, Sharon Bauer, Lori Anderson and Brian Werling.

Prizes welcomed:  Tools, electronics, dinner, movie and gift certificates, golf gear, items with your company logo.

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FAB-ulous Again!

“Quality was the by-word at the 2004 FAB,” – Facility and Buildings Operations and Maintenance Show April 7 and 8, said Al Reynolds of ASR Productions, the show’s organizer.  The exhibitors represented “the cream of the crop,” said Reynolds.  “Top notch facilities personnel attended,” he said.

As an added benefit, this year Reynolds supplied all exhibitors with a CD of attendee contact information.

For the first time NMFMN offered training seminars at the show, as part of its commitment to increase educational opportunities for facility personnel.  NMFNM Board member Joseph Rodriguez organized the sessions on ladder safety and personal protective equipment, and provided qualified trainers from his staff, James Lujan and David Lente.  Joseph is Director of Facilities at Isleta Casino and Resort.  Each session attendee received a certificate of completion.

“Joe Rodriguez deserves special thanks.  His efforts made the educational sessions happen,” said NMFMN President, Mary Anne Giangola.  “We appreciate the support of all our members in making the show a success,” she said.

NMFMN has been a prime sponsor for the show in each of the last three years.  By Fall 2004, Reynolds will announce dates for the 4^th Annual FAB show for 2005.  “We’d like to hear members’ ideas on education topics for next year’s show,” said Giangola.  Give her your ideas at a meeting, or by e-mail at maryanne.giangola@transcore.com.

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Board Notes

Carolee Griffin, our Executive Director, who normally writes in this space, was called away on family matters at press time.  To keep members up to date, we offer these “Board Notes.”  Watch for Carolee’s return next month!

Golf – A good group of folks answered the call and our “Golf Gang” is up and running.  Thanks to Victor Rosenthal, Cathy Crismore, Jennifer House, Randy Sweat, Robert Cantrell, Sharon Bauer, Lori Addison and Brian Werling for “stepping up to the tee!”  You may get a call from one of these friendly folks, so practice saying “Yes, we will be a hole sponsor,” or “We’ll donate prizes,” and “I will play.”  Perhaps your company would like to field a team.  Be ready to tell your “Golf Gang” caller all about it.  Mark your calendars now for Friday, August 13, at the beautiful Isleta Eagle Golf Course.  Remember, the purpose of the golf tournament is to support the NMFMN Engineering Scholarship at UNM, and to HAVE FUN.  We welcome golfers at all experience and skill levels.

New Board Members – We are pleased to welcome three new people as Directors on our Board: Tom Bishop, Industrial Large Accounts Manager with PNM; Robert Cantrell, Facility Manager for Dominion Properties, and Rick Johnson, Account Representative with Voss Lighting.  The Board thanks them for their commitment to guide the organization.  We also send our thanks to resigning Board Member, Jerry Neal, of PNM.  We will miss Jerry’s wisdom, experience and humor.

Program – We’re looking for members to participate in a Program Committee.  This will be a select group that will meet a few times a year to develop meeting program ideas and speaker contacts.  NMFMN continually strives to offer programs that advance facility managers’ professional expertise.  Give us the benefit of your experience and your insight.  Our ideal group will be a mix of facility professionals and suppliers.  Want to know more, or volunteer?  Contact Mary Anne Giangola at 856-8090 or maryanne.giangola@transcore.com.

June Meeting – Join us on Wednesday, June 16, starting at 6:00 PM, for our second annual night at the Albuquerque Isotopes Baseball game.  Plans are in the works now, so watch your newsletter and e-mail for details!

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Two Great Opportunities In April

 3^rd Annual FAB O&M Show Features 4 Educational Seminars

Facility and Operations Managers and Engineers, mark your calendars TODAY for Wednesday, April 7^th and Thursday April 8^th to attend the Facility and Building Operations and Maintenance Show at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds’ Manual Lujan Exhibition Hall.

Bring your staffs in full force: four educational seminars will be provided during the two-day period, including ladder safety, personal protective equipment, hand tool safety, and forklift safety.  These are topics where continuous reinforcement is critical for you and your employees.  Attendees who successfully complete a session will receive a certificate.

Beyond the educational element, here is a chance to see the latest and greatest in tools, technologies, and services that help you to run an efficient, safe, cost-conscious, continuously improving building.

Over 100 exhibitors are already signed on, providing you with the best one-stop shopping at the only show if its kind in New Mexico.

Need more information? Call Al Reynolds at ASR and Associates at 505-880-0123. 

PDF Fab 04 Training Flyer

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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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