Tricks Of The Trade: National Specialty Service Providers

By James C. Elledge, IFMA Fellow, CFM, FMA, RPA, RIAQM
Published in the August 2009 issue of Today’s Facility Manager

Q I am looking for servicing companies that handle certification of fire extinguishers, consolidation of trash refuse, and energy consolidation rate servicing on energy consumption reporting for retail stores. We are primarily an east of Mississippi retailer, but we have a number of stores in Texas.

Matthew Schmuhl
Construction Project Manager
Dots, LLC
Solon, OH

A It sounds like you are looking for companies with a national presence. That way, they would be capable of servicing your numerous locations.

Fire extinguishers. I found National Fire Services, a company that services the United States and Puerto Rico. (A coverage map is available from this link.) According to the company’s Web site, “NFS services fire extinguishers in accordance with the guidelines of the manufacturer, NFPA 10 codes, and any local requirements.

Consolidation of trash refuse. You may want to contact National Waste Associates for assistance in this area. NWA is a trash management company dedicated to reducing costs for companies with multiple locations. Complete details on their range of services can be reviewed here; or else you can call 888-NWA-5005.

Energy consolidation. One resource to consider for this task is NUS Consulting, a professional cost management consulting firm specializing in solutions to reduce energy (electricity, gas, oil, petroleum, water/sewer, and steam) and telecommunications expenses.

Services offered include audit, rate optimization, procurement, conservation, online utility data management services, and market pricing research. More details are available online.

Additional resources are available from the Today’s Facility Manager Quick Product Search/Buyers’ Guide.

Elledge,facility/office services manager for Dallas, TX-based Summit AllianceCompanies, is the recipient of the Distinguished Author Award from theInternational Facility Management Association (IFMA), is an IFMA Fellow, and isa member of TFM’sEditorial Advisory Board. All questions have been submitted via the “Ask TheExpert” portion of the magazine’s Web site. To pose a question, visit this link.