2010 TFM Readers’ Choice Awards

Readers' Choice Logo

By TFM Editors
Published in the February 2010 issue of Today’s Facility Manager

Numerous companies offer products and services to members of the facility management (FM) profession. And each year, Today’s Facility Manager (TFM) asks its readers to vote for their preferred vendors in a variety of categories. For this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards, the survey included 40 categories, and FM professionals were asked to indicate what company they rated highest based on product aesthetics, product reliability, value, and customer service in 2009. The winners are presented here with information about each company. For more information on any of these products, contact Cathy Aste.

Access Control Winner, HID Corporation

Access Control

HID Corporation (photo at right)
The RP40 is a multi-technology card reader for facility managers (fms) upgrading their current physical access card system from HID Prox to iCLASS® credentials. With the RP40 reader, fms can transition to smart cards over time while incorporating the use of multiple card technologies within a single building or across multiple facilities.

ADA Ergonomics Winner Wooster

ADA/Ergonomic Products

Wooster Products, Inc. (photo at left)
Safety stair and walkway experts, Wooster Products, Inc. has been furnishing state-of-the-art anti-slip safety treads and safety surfaces continuously since 1921.

 

Badging Winner Digital Identification Systems

Badging

Digital Identification Solutions (photo at right)
Speed isn’t everything, but consistency is. Choose the system from Digital Identification Solutions that’s built on a solid steel frame with a consistently dependable printer engine. The EDIsecure® XID 8300 Retransfer ID Card Printer is patterned after the renowned 5xxie series and provides increased throughput reliability, superior image quality, greater security, and maximum flexibility over its rivals, plus it comes at a lower price than its predecessors. With the DS-ILM, it also offers simultaneous, dual side lamination.

Building Automation Winner Johnson Controls

Building Automation Systems

Johnson Controls, Inc. (photo at left)
Metasys® version 5.0 is the world’s premier Building Management System. It delivers greater visibility into building operations and energy usage through multiple system enhancements, including Web enabled reports and summaries compatible with the iPhone® and iPod Touch® platforms and wireless controls and sensors.

Carpet Winner Mohawk/Bigelow Commercial

Carpet

The Mohawk Group (photo at right)
Bigelow, a brand of The Mohawk Group, continues to define the next generation of commercial carpeting with its first truly global modular carpet collection, City by City. Taking commercial interiors on a tour of Asia’s legendary locales, this internationally inspired collection proves great designs, like great adventures, don’t have to cost a fortune.

Carpet Fibers/Treatments Winner Antron

Carpet Fibers/Treatments

Antron (photo at left)
INVISTA delivers exceptional value for customers through technology innovations and market insights. The integrated components of Antron® nylon—Type 6,6 polymer, hollow filament fiber shape technology, and DuraTech® soil resistant treatment—are a powerful combination that can keep carpets looking newer longer to meet the needs of the commercial flooring market.

Ceilings Winner Armstrong World Industries

Ceilings/Ceiling Tiles

Armstrong World Industries (photo at right)
Armstrong’s approach to developing a new ceiling product begins with defining customer needs, which is often the result of collaboration between the building owner, architect, and ceiling manufacturer. The company ensures the right mix of portfolio products to meet the demanding needs of today’s building owners and managers—from performance based to aesthetic ceiling solutions.

CCTV Winner, Sony

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)

Sony (photo at left)
Sony Electronics’ SNC-RH164 is a full network HD dome camera which offers 360 degree panning at 400 degrees per second. The weatherized housing, rapid maneuverability, intelligent motion detection, and a 10X optical zoom lens are features that make this the right camera for a variety of outdoor security applications.

Conference Room Furnishings Winner, HON

Conference Room Furnishings And Equipment

The HON Company (photo at right)
The HON Company’s Park Avenue® veneer tables combine an unrivaled blend of elegant design and quality craftsmanship. Park Avenue veneer tables feature the finest wood veneers, an impeccable finish, and attention to detail. Projecting an image of success, they make a strong visual impact in virtually any office environment.

Door Hardware Winner, Schlage Lock

Doors/Door Hardware

Schlage Lock (photo at left)
The Schlage AD-Series is the response to a Voice of the Customer survey. With the switch of a module, users upgrade readers and network modules to go from an offline to networked solution, change the credentials they are using at any time, and use future innovative technologies as they emerge.

Electronic Communications Winner, Motorola

Electronics/Communications Systems

Motorola (photo at right)
Motorola’s diverse array of portable and mobile two-way radios and pagers offers solutions that better enable efficient coordination and communication with an on the go workforce.

Emergency Lighing Winner Philips

Emergency Lighting

Philips Emergency Lighting (photo at left)
Philips Emergency Lighting provides solution driven products for a broad range of applications. The company’s Philips Bodine branded emergency lighting includes fluorescent emergency ballasts, emergency LED drivers, HID backup ballasts, emergency lighting inverters, and more. Product development is guided not only by industry advancements and customer needs but also by code compliance and a commitment to life safety.

Energy Management Services Winner Johnson Controls

Energy Management/Services

Johnson Controls, Inc. (photo at right)
Johnson Controls Energy and Emissions Management System helps organizations better analyze energy trends and calculate greenhouse gas levels. It measures, manages, and forecasts activities related to energy cost, consumption, energy efficiency projects, fleet emissions, and waste for more than 5,000 buildings in 88 countries.

Exterior Sealants/Coatings Winner 3M

Exterior Sealants/Coatings

3M Industrial Materials (photo at left)
3M™ Scotchkote™ Reinforced Roof Coatings provide architects, contractors, and end users the ability to extend the life of an existing roof substrate while providing optimal weatherproofing and waterproofing.

Fire/Life Safety Winner SimplexGrinnell

Fire/Life Safety

SimplexGrinnell (photo at right)
As a leader in fire and life safety, SimplexGrinnell designs its products with the current and future needs of customers in mind. They build forward/backward compatibility into all of their products, including the Simplex® 4100U Fire Alarm System, their flagship platform. This approach enables the company to provide cost-effective migration solutions. As a result, SimplexGrinnell customers can leverage the most advanced technology and prepare for future growth and expansion—all while maximizing the value of existing fire alarm infrastructure investments. ergy efficiency helps control rising energy costs, reduces environmental footprints, and increases the value of buildings. Johnson Controls technologies and solutions help make environments more energy efficient.

Flooring Winner Armstrong

Flooring

Armstrong World Industries (photo at left)
Armstrong Flooring Products deliver a broad selection of flooring with a winning combination of sustainability attributes, design, and value. As a single-source partner, Armstrong flooring offers an extensive, integrated portfolio of commercial flooring solutions in a variety of visuals, colors, and textures to meet specific design, performance, maintenance, installation, and budget requirements. Armstrong steps outside the 12″ x 12″ box with new 18″ x 18″ VCT. The flooring includes true through pattern, non-directional design, and natural looking, granite-like appearance in 62 colors in exclusive Continuum progression.

FM Services Winner W.W. Grainger

FM Services

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (photo at right)
Grainger is the indispensable partner for those who keep facilities safe, efficient, and functioning. As a leading distributor of maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) supplies, Grainger provides the programs, products, and services customers need—when and where they need them—with exceptional service. Through a highly integrated network including branches, distribution centers, and Web sites, Grainger’s employees help customers get the job done.

Furniture Winner, HON

Furniture

The HON Company (photo at left)
Executive and conference chairs. Work and task chairs. Stools, guest chairs, and lounge seating. With Ignition™, you can have an all-in-one solution that’s right for just about any situation. It’s an easy, affordable way to furnish an entire workplace in style and comfort. Ignition fits every person, job, and space in your office.rainger helps drive efficiency in the operations of organizations ofall sizes by providing access to a broad line of maintenance, repair,and operating (MRO) supplies, when and where they are needed. As aservice business in product distribution, Grainger links manufacturersand end users through a dedicated sales force, a vast logistics system,integrated information technology, and 18,000 employees.

Furniture Refurbishing Winner, Davies Office Refurbishing

Furniture: Refurbishing

Davies Office Refurbishing (photo at right)
The goal of Davies Office Refurbishing is to provide the highest quality, lowest cost furniture solutions by redeploying and utilizing the maximum inherent value of all existing furniture assets in an environmentally responsible way.

Furniture: Seating Winner, Steelcase, Inc.

Furniture: Seating

Steelcase (photo at left)
Steelcase aspires to provide great experiences wherever work happens by helping to create high performance, sustainable work environments. They study how work gets done and how great spaces can help. Those insights are embedded into every product and service the company offers. The interior architecture, furniture, and technology solutions help organizations build their business, reflect their brand, and support their culture. Steelcase’s job is to make the facility manager’s job easier and help “Love how you work.®”

Furniture: Storage Winner HON

Furniture: Storage

The HON Company (photo at right)
The HON Company’s Flagship® Side Access Pedestal is the industry’s first storage pedestal of its kind that’s designed to accommodate the needs of ever evolving office environments. To ensure HON customers understand its one of a kind benefits, HON has introduced a new online animation, available at sideaccessped.hon.com, which illustrates the numerous configurations possible with the Side-Access Pedestal.

HVAC/IAQ Winner, Carrier

HVAC/IAQ

Carrier (photo at left)
Carrier’s Centurion Packaged Rooftops with EnergyX (Factory Installed and Certified-Energy Recovery Ventilator) uses an integrated enthalpy wheel that pre-cools, dehumidifies, or preheats required ventilation air prior to entering the unit’s cooling coils. This allows the downsizing of base unit capacities, provides up to 21 EER per ARI Guideline-V standards, expands the unit operating range, and even provides free cooling economizer operation with built-in bypass logic. The Carrier Centurion with EnergyX provides a pre-engineered and certified package that helps support high ventilation air (IAQ) strategies with meaningful payback potential.

Lamps And Bulbs Winner GE Lighting

Lamps And Bulbs

GE Lighting (photo at right)
GE imagines and builds lighting solutions that focus on customers’ key imperatives including: energy savings, reduced maintenance, environmental consciousness, light levels, and more. With so many factors to consider, how do customers know which lamp and ballast system is right? GE’s Linear Fluorescent Retrofit Calculator helps facility managers select which solution maximizes the benefits most important to them.

Lighting Controls Winner Leviton

Lighting Controls

Leviton (photo at left)
Leviton provides high quality, cost-effective, easy to implement energy management and lighting control solutions to answer the problem of rising energy demand and increased energy costs.

Maintenance/Cleaning Winner Rubbermaid Commercial Products

Maintenance/Cleaning Products

Rubbermaid Commercial Products (photo at right)
By listening to customers and looking for opportunities to help them succeed, Rubbermaid Commercial Products provides innovative, durable products that improve worker productivity and enhance worker well-being. Rubbermaid’s DVAC™ 1-Pass Cleaning Solution™ combines vacuuming, cleaning, and waste collection into an efficient, single pass process, saving up to 66% of non-productive travel time.

Paint Winner Sherwin-Williams

Paint (Exterior/Interior)

Sherwin-Williams (photo at left)
Sherwin-Williams is committed to providing facility managers with products and services that get the job done right. Now, its popular zero VOC, low odor Harmony® coating has an enhanced formula that delivers better application, hide, and durability, and features odor reducing properties that provide a fresher, cleaner smelling surface, day after day.

Paper Products Winner Kimberly-Clark Professional

Paper Products

Kimberly-Clark Professional (photo at right)
As the market leader in professional health and hygiene solutions, Kimberly-Clark Professional strives to reduce environmental impact at every stage of a product’s life cycle, from design and raw materials sourcing to manufacturing, use, and final disposal. We look at the bigger picture, an approach we call Reduce Today, Respect Tomorrow.

Pest/Bird Control Winner Bird-X, Inc.

Pest/Bird Control

Bird-X, Inc. (photo at left)
Pest birds pose serious health and safety risks, as well as cause damage and ongoing cleanup costs. Controlling them saves risk to exposure, time, and money. Since 1964, industry leader Bird-X has continued to develop novel and effective humane bird and animal control products that meet facility managers’ needs. The company offers a comprehensive line of bird repelling devices that are eco-friendly (green), environmentally safe, non-toxic, and non harmful—as well as other pest and critter deterrents. All of Bird-X’s pest and bird control products are the result of decades of scientific study and field testing. Company consultants work closely with customers to provide a solution for every situation and budget.

Restroom Accessories Winner Georgia-Pacific

Restroom Accessories

Georgia-Pacific/Restrooms (photo at right)
Georgia-Pacific Professional is proud to be a recipient of the TFM Readers’ Choice Award. Solutions such as their celebrated brand of enMotion® Automated Touchless Towel Dispensers embody the company’s commitment to providing efficient paper solutions for any type of facility. One at a time dispensing, controlled towel lengths, and various towel options help facilities reduce cross contamination and waste accumulation, while maintaining a hygienic and sustainable washroom.

Roofing Winner Firestone

Roofing

Firestone Building Products (photo at left)
Firestone Building Products is a leading manufacturer of single ply, metal and asphalt based roofing systems, polyiso insulation, and accessories for the commercial roofing industry. New to its line of energy efficient, cost-effective polyiso insulation is Resista™, a polyiso insulation board that offers increased fire, wind, and environmental protection with exceptional R-value (resistance to heat flow) and mold resistance.

Security Systems/Services Winner Securitas

Security Systems/Services

Securitas Services USA, Inc. (photo at right)
Securitas Security Services USA invests heavily in the screening, selection, and retention of more than 100,000 security personnel throughout North America. For facility managers, Securitas USA officers using “Secure Entry” can help improve visitor and contractor processing time and provide a highly professional appearance for their customers.

Shredders Winner Cummins-Allison

Shredders

Cummins-Allison (photo at left)
Cummins-Allison shredders are designed for ease of use, optimal capacity, and reliability. Series 530 Shredders are a popular choice as they provide a solid combination of capacity, security, and features at a reasonable price. The company’s local sales/service staff can help facility managers choose the best shredder for their needs.

Signage Winner Innerface Architectural Signage, Inc.

Signage

INNERFACE Architectural Signage, Inc. (photo at right)
Founded in 1971, INNERFACE Architectural Signage works with clients to design, plan, and implement effective signage and wayfinding systems. Creative use of materials and fabrication techniques ensure that all of the company’s interior and exterior signage products are modular, practical, and easy to maintain.

Sound Masking Systems Winner Dynasound, Inc.

Sound Masking Systems

Dynasound, Inc. (photo at left)
Dynasound’s Acoustical Programming Software (APS) typifies the company’s commitment to creating cost-effective and acoustically productive work environments. APS analyzes the acoustical interaction of workstation panels, ceilings, and sound masking in order to value engineer the most acoustically productive environment at the lowest overall cost.

Urnials/Toilets Winner Sloan Valve Company

Urinals/Toilets

Sloan Valve Company (photo at right)
Sloan Valve combines water savings and convenience with its Sloan ECOS® dual flush Flusho-meter, which is available separately or paired with an IAPMO-listed dual flush vitreous china toilet. The Sloan ECOS, which delivers a regular or reduced volume flush automatically, demonstrates Sloan’s dedication to manufacturing water efficient plumbing systems.

Wall Coverings/Panel Fabrics/Textiles Winner Designtex

Wall Coverings/Panel Fabrics/Textiles

Designtex, Inc. (photo at left)
Designtex’s vision is to be the global resource for applied surface knowledge, innovation, and sustainability and to be the world’s respected leader for applied surface solutions. The company’s mission is to provide intelligent and innovative surfaces and solutions that enhance environments.

Water Treatment Winner GE Water & Process Technologies

Water Treatment/Purification

GE Water & Process Technologies (photo at right)
GE Water & Process Technologies is a leading global supplier of water treatment, wastewater treatment, and process systems solutions. GE supplies products and services that are used to optimize total water/process system performance, safeguard customer assets from corrosion, fouling and scaling, and protect the environment through water and energy conservation. Among the company’s leading offerings is ZeeWeed® ultra filtration technology, which uses hollow fiber membranes to separate particles from water.

Window Film Winner CPFilms/Vista

Window Film

CPFilms/Vista Window Film (photo at left)
For some of the world’s most recognized buildings, Vista window film has been proven to deliver annual energy savings of up to 15% and to reduce carbon emissions. Vista films improve the performance of existing glazing systems to reduce excessive solar heat gain—elevating the efficiency of air conditioning and lowering energy costs at a fraction of the cost of glass replacement. Facility managers can learn more about the savings Vista can provide by taking the One Minute Challenge on the company’s Web site.

WindowsWindows Winner Allied Window

Allied Window, Inc. (photo at right)
Allied Window’s interior or exterior storm windows are custom designed to adapt to existing field conditions, and their motto is “No Limits”. Large openings, singular designs, special shapes, custom colors, and special glazing are all routine. The Operating Magnetic One Lite (MOL-OP) is designed for energy savings where ventilation is important.

Wiring/Cabling Winner Optical CableWiring & Cabling

Optical Cable Corp. (photo at left)
Founded in 1983, Optical Cable Corporation (OCC) manufactures a comprehensive line of tight buffered fiber optic cable products that address nearly all communications applications including data communications, LANs, telecommunications, video transmission, cable TV, traffic signaling, and military tactical communications. OCC’s tight buffered breakout series fiber optic cables are ideal for installations requiring an extremely rugged and reliable cable design where maximum mechanical and environmental protection are necessary. The company’s B-Series can be directly terminated with connectors and easily spliced lowering fms’ total installed costs.