IFMA Names 2010 Awards of Excellence Winners

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has announced the winners of its Awards of Excellence, which recognizes groups and individuals who have made significant contributions to the facility management profession and the association. Awards were presented at IFMA’s annual Awards of Excellence banquet on Friday, October 29, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA, in a celebration that capped off IFMA’s World Workplace 2010 Conference Expo.

“The Awards of Excellence program is a great resource in recognizing the accomplishments of IFMA’s volunteer leaders worldwide and in highlighting the importance of advancing the facility management profession,” said Francis J. Kuhn, CFM, CFMJ, chair of IFMA’s board of directors. “Year after year, these leaders continue not only to raise the bar, but also to share their best practices with the FM community at large, so that we can all benefit from their contributions. I am both in awe of — and inspired by — their work.”

Winners were announced in 18 categories, with judging panels comprised of industry experts evaluating nominees individually and scoring them in a number of specific areas. IFMA recognizes companies and individuals for achievements that advance the facility management profession, as well as chapters and councils for outstanding performance in key areas of chapter and council operations.

The George Graves Award for Facility Management Achievement went to Eric Teicholz, IFMA Fellow. Teicholz has been steadfast in his service to the IFMA Foundation, representation of the association as an IFMA Fellow, and role in providing vision and leadership to IFMA’s sustainability committee.

The corporate real estate and facilities department of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., was this year’s recipient of the Sheila Sheridan Award for Sustainable Design and Energy Efficient Products. The facilities department of this major corporation implemented a set of sustainable design and operations processes, standards and guidelines known as “Process Green.” The system has been applied to several facilities throughout the U.S., including three recently constructed LEED® certified training facilities.

The Distinguished Author Award for an Article or Research Paper was presented to Christopher Hodges, P.E., CFM, LEED AP, IFMA Fellow. With his publication “Getting Started,” Hodges laid the groundwork for a series of “How-to Sustainability Guides,” which are distributed through the IFMA Foundation’s website free of charge. “Getting Started” provides realistic sustainability solutions for reducing consumption, increasing efficiency and contributing to an organization’s bottom line.

The Distinguished Author Award for a Book went to David Cotts, P.E., CFM, IFMA Fellow, and Richard Payant, CFM, CPE, CHS, for their work in coauthoring “The Facility Management Handbook.” The third edition of this best-seller is a must for every facility professional’s bookshelf and the textbook of choice for many IFMA Foundation Accredited Degree Program schools.

Paulette Hebert, Ph.D., of Oklahoma State University, won this year’s Distinguished Educator Award. Over the past year, enrollment in her facility management and design course has increased, membership in the university’s IFMA student chapter has increased, and a second facility management course has been added at Oklahoma State University.

This year saw the introduction of the Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes an up-and-coming professional whose accomplishments foretell a bright future in the profession. The inaugural award went to Brian Woolsey, who founded the Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter of IFMA’s emerging leaders committee and, at the age of 27, was sworn in as the chapter’s youngest vice president and president-elect.

The IFMA Associate Member Award went to Chip Rankin, whose employer, MilliCare, supports the Delaware Chapter as a sustaining platinum partner. Rankin has represented MilliCare for 14 years at World Workplace and is a member of the Delaware Chapter’s strategic planning and partner/sponsor committees.

In a tie, the Council of the Year Award was presented to the Banking Institutions Credit Unions Council of IFMA — which recently completed its balanced scorecard and was able to retain members despite the widespread failure of banks and credit unions over the past year — and the Museums and Cultural Institutions Council of IFMA — which was able to meet its strategic initiatives while maintaining its membership in spite of economic challenges.

The Chapter of the Year Award, large chapter, was given to the San Diego Chapter of IFMA, which welcomed 70 new members despite the economic downturn and saw 11 members achieve their FMP® and three earn their CFM®.

The Chapter of the Year Award, small chapter, went to the Madison Chapter of IFMA, which maintained its membership roster, created new venues for professional development and stayed financially solvent.

The Brigham Young University Student Chapter of IFMA was once again honored with the Student Chapter of the Year Award for its efforts in providing scholarships, internships, research, education and employment opportunities to its students.

The Newsletter Publishing Award, large chapter, was a tie between the Atlanta and Denver Chapters of IFMA. The Newsletter Publishing Award, small chapter, was awarded to the Northeast Wisconsin Chapter of IFMA. The Council Award for Newsletter Publishing went to the Academic Facilities Council of IFMA.

The Atlanta Chapter of IFMA, playing host to the association’s World Workplace conference, won the Professional Development Award, large chapter.

The Web Communication Award, large chapter, went to the Silicon Valley Chapter of IFMA.

The Madrid Chapter of IFMA won the Membership Marketing Award, small chapter.