The First Facility Management Blog

First there was “Pimp My Cubicle” and now Roto-Rooter, the largest provider of plumbing and drain-cleaning services in the United States and Canada is taking that one step beyond with its “Pimped Out John”–the grand prize in the company’s sweepstakes held from January 24, 2007 (Thomas Crapper Day*), through April 2, 2007. The lucky winner will be crowned on National Plumber’s Day, April 25, 2007.

In recognition of this event, Roto-Rooter has created what it considers to be the ultimate toilet. The companyy has developed a customized, one-of-a-kind throne; a truly “Pimped Out John.” But customers won’t find it in stores. Only one lucky person will win this gleaming monument to personal convenience by entering Roto-Rooter’s online “Pimped Out John,” sweepstakes. Anyone can enter to win at www.rotorooter.com.

Roto-Rooter’s “Pimped Out John” is outfitted with every feature a modern king or queen could want in a bathroom throne, and underneath all of the trappings is a superb Kohler Cimarron’ toilet. This amazing commode is fully loaded with the following “luxury enhancements”:
* Philips 20-inch flat panel LCD TV
* Xbox 360 gaming system
* Philips DVD player with Star Wars DVD
* Gateway” EMachine laptop computer with fully articulated robot arm
* iPod with stereo docking station equipped with toilet paper dispenser
* Roto-Rooter “emergency” button
* Tivo digital video recorder (DVR)
* Avanti refrigerator with beer tap, stocked with drinks and snacks
* Magazine rack
* Bike pedal exercise system
* Electric cup warmer / cooler

“The bathroom is the perfect place for your very own throne. It shouldn’t always be regarded as the room of last resort,” contends Steven Pollyea, Roto-Rooter vice president of marketing. “We hope that with the ‘Pimped out John,’ young people especially, will have a good laugh and think of Roto-Rooter when they need high quality plumbing and drain service.”

Roto-Rooter technicians will even come to your home to install the Pimped Out John!

*About Thomas Crapper Day
Thomas Crapper was a well-known inventor and plumber and a pioneer in the advancement of indoor plumbing. He was most known for inventing the “Disconnecting Trap,” which became essential to indoor plumbing. This was a great leap forward in the campaign against disease. Crapper held nine patents, four for improvements to drains, three for water closets, one for manhole covers and the last for pipe joints. Every patent application for plumbing-related products filed by Crapper made it through the process, and actual patents were granted. Crapper did not invent the toilet but his employee, Albert Giblin, invented the “Silent Valveless Water Waste Preventer” (No. 814), a symphonic discharge system that allowed a toilet to flush effectively when the cistern was only half full. The device was patented in 1898. Crapper bought the patent rights and was the first to market the modern toilet. Crapper died on January 27, 1910.

The self-proclaimed ''Largest Truck Stop In The World" accommodates more than 1,000,000 trucks each year. Amenities at this 60,000 square foot facility in eastern Iowa include showers, a movie theater, and a chapel.

Patrick Bigsby of The Daily Iowan writes:

WALCOTT, Iowa - If you build it, they will come. The maxim, best known to visitors of one of Iowa’s cinematic landmarks, is one Will Moon believes applies to his business as well.

Moon is the president of the Iowa 80 truck stop, which confidently bills itself as “The World’s Largest Truck Stop.”

Though Moon admits there may be several ways of measuring the size of a truck stop, he handles skepticism about his claim with a simple question.

“Have you ever seen a bigger one?” he said.

So far, no one has stepped forward to dispute him. And in the midst of the interstate system’s 50th birthday, it looks as though the Iowa 80 truck stop will continue to reign supreme.

“You might find a place that sells more diesel fuel or has a bigger restaurant, but this truck stop has the largest combination of profit centers, truck parking, and fuel pumps,” Moon said.

Iowa 80 doesn’t skimp on amenities. Professional long-distance drivers can take advantage of showers, a dentist’s office, a barber, a convenience store, a movie theater, a roaring fireplace, washing machines, and a chapel, or they can browse the truck warehouse and showroom while their trucks get washed, weighed, refueled, or repaired. Hungry travelers can fill up at the food court or Iowa 80 Kitchen’s 50-foot buffet. Those wishing to commemorate their visit may peruse the extensive souvenir store awash with, among other things, oversized belt buckles.

Read the rest of the article…

This Web Exclusive comes from Greg Turner, director of global offerings for Honeywell Building Solutions.

Arriving at work to a cold, dark building with employees huddled in the parking lot is the definition of a “bad day” for facility managers. And there are a few bad days on the horizon with the rapidly approaching change in daylight saving time on March 11.

That’s because HVAC and lighting systems might not start up at the right time to pre-condition buildings for occupancy, and access control systems might still be in secure mode when employees normally start their day. Plus, the surprises could keep coming as building automation systems have the potential to malfunction three more times in 2007 - on the “old” spring forward and fall back dates, and on November 4 when the “new” daylight saving ends.

Like a letter from the IRS, this is the kind of government assistance many of us could do without.

Tax breaks for oil and gas companies stole most of the attention when the President signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. However, neatly tucked into the bill is a section that adjusts the start and end dates of daylight saving time by roughly three weeks.

The change is great for energy conservation. (It is expected to reduce electricity use in the United States by 1% and could save the nation about 100,000 barrels of oil a day.) But it’s not quite the boon for building systems that haven’t been upgraded to reflect the new calendar.

Of course, sounding the technological disaster alarm would be a move only Chicken Little could embrace. This is not a Y2K-scale issue. So there’s no need to close your Web browser and high tail it to the nearest army surplus store to stock up on survival kits and jerky. Regardless, there is one parallel to the turn-of-the-century panic.

The Y2K bug was squashed because of the tremendous amount of time and resources companies spent updating their IT systems. IT departments already are calling attention to the daylight-saving shift. If facility managers ignore the warnings, they may need to stock up on aspirin for the headaches that will result.

The Clock Is Ticking
To avoid an angry CEO or employee mob, facility managers need to determine the clock status of the systems they manage on a device-by-device basis. It seems like a relatively easy concept; find out which pieces of equipment operate on a clock and make sure they are set correctly. However, figuring out the time source can be complex. Most devices have time sources that fall into one of three categories:
1. Manual settings - These devices require someone to physically set the time.
2. Internal settings - These devices automatically update their own internal clocks and adjust for daylight-saving time.
3. External settings - These devices receive time from another device, such as an operating system (OS) or master clock, and depend on that time source to be correct.

Device configurations play a significant role in determining the pieces that need to be updated. For example, an automation platform that uses a Microsoft Windows OS might be ready to go when the operating system is updated. But that platform could be connected to other devices that fall into the manual setting category, requiring maintenance personnel to address each component separately.

If a facility manager determines that none of their systems fall into the internal settings category, their job will be a cinch. If that’s the case, they just have to update devices with manual settings and ensure their OS clock is ready for the change, which IT departments can help with. Devices with internal settings, however, may require special utilities and skills to access and change the daylight-saving parameters. This is where a qualified technician can be helpful.

It takes only a couple of hours for a technician to survey a system and determine if any changes are necessary. Building automation experts should have been working with customers for months addressing these changes, ensuring that no one is left out in the cold or sitting in a cold building when March 11 rolls around

Daylight saving is going to happen twice a year, every year on the second Sunday in March and first Sunday in November, until the lights go out on the Energy Policy Act. So facility managers should take the time to make the necessary updates to their automation systems now. Call it a bad day avoidance strategy.

Turner is responsible for the research and development of technology that makes facilities more safe, secure, comfortable and energy efficient. He has been with the company for more than 20 years, holding a variety of positions from maintenance technician to project engineer. He can be reached at greg.turner@honeywell.com.

It’s interesting to watch as various cities and states across the country adopt new environmentally friendly policies. Here is the latest out of Illinois:

At a press conference held at Chicago’s Jones College Prep, a school that uses only Green cleaning products, Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn and State Rep. Karen May announced that they will introduce the Green Cleaning Schools Act for the state’s legislature to consider.

The legislation—HB 895—requires all elementary and secondary schools in Illinois to purchase environmentally sensitive cleaning supplies that do not expose students to harmful chemicals and ingredients.

“Many of the chemicals found in everyday cleaning supplies are released as toxins into the air,” said Quinn at the press conference. [For the health of our children] it’s time to swap conventional cleaning supplies with supplies that have less impact on our children’s health and the environment.”

Citing why this legislation is needed, both Quinn and May said that children miss more than 14 million school days each year because of asthma in the U.S, “often exacerbated by poor indoor air quality caused by cleaning products,” said May.

Additionally, they said that one state school district has already switched to Green cleaning products. “They reported a 3% increase in daily attendance shortly after the transfer was made,” May added.

Cleaning Industry Represented
At the press conference, ISSA was mentioned as one of the supporters of the legislation.

Additionally, representatives from Kaivac, Inc., developers of the No-Touch Cleaning™ system, as well as Tenant, a leading manufacturer of cleaning equipment, were on hand to demonstrate their products and discuss their company’s commitment to healthier cleaning.

“It is very important that the cleaning industry get behind initiatives like this,” says Mike Perazzo, sales director for Kaivac. “And it’s easier now because of new cleaning products and technologies that automatically control the dispensing of cleaning chemicals and do a more thorough job of removing indoor pollutants with less impact on the environment.”

Also representing the cleaning industry was Vince Fagen of United Supply, Chicago. “We are working with Jones College as well as schools and colleges throughout the state converting them to Green cleaning products,” he says. “For the most part, they find the products affordable and effective.”

If passed, the Green Cleaning Schools Act will follow New York, Vermont, and several other states requiring that only environmentally preferable products be used in schools. “Eventually, I think we will see most of the states consider and likely pass similar legislation,” says Perazzo.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) US Board of Directors announced the resignation last week of Roger C. Dower, who has been president of the organization since November 2002. Following his resignation, Dower was appointed to the Board of Directors of FSC-US.

On March 1, 2007, Mr. Dower will assume the position of president of the Johnson Foundation, located in Racine, WI.

The Council notes that during Dower’s term, FSC has become the world’s strongest system for linking the marketplace for forest products with superior environmental performance on the ground. Under his direction, FSC-US has experienced tremendous growth in the number of acres certified under the FSC system in the U.S., as well as the number of manufacturers, distributors, and retailers who make and sell FSC-labeled products for sale in the forest products marketplace. In particular, there has been a significant increase in the use of FSC-certified products in the “green building” construction sector, as well in the paper manufacturing and distribution sectors.

Barbara Bramble, Chairperson of the Board of FSC-US, said “that the Board recognizes that losing Mr. Dower at FSC-US is an incredible gain for the Johnson Foundation, but we are pleased that he is leaving behind a strong, viable, and vibrant organization with a diverse and engaged set of members and stakeholders to continue on FSC-US’s work in the forest products market.”

The FSC-US Board of Directors has established a formal search process for a new President. In the interim, Ned Daly has been appointed to the position of Chief Operating Officer.

Those interested in learning more about the position can visit www.fscus.org, or e-mail info@fscus.org with questions or requests. No phone calls. Selection process is open until position is filled.

$9,300 Gift Supports Educational Funding for HVAC&R Students

The International Exposition Company, along with co-sponsors ASHRAE and ARI, presented the 5th Annual AHR Expo Innovation Award Scholarship to Vernon College in Wichita Falls, Texas at the 2007 AHR Expo.

Scott McClure, HVAC Instructor at Vernon College, accepted the award. McClure said after accepting the award, “One of our main challenges for the last three years has been to get the scholarship fund to $10,000.00 so I could start granting awards to students. It has been a struggle. So, when I saw the check amount of $9,373, I was thrilled beyond belief.”

This year’s scholarship award of $9,373 is derived from Innovation Award entry fees and will be used to benefit local HVAC&R students at Vernon College. During the first four years of the Innovation Awards competition, thousands of dollars have been donated to HVAC&R technical school scholarship funds. The award is presented annually to an educational institution in the geographical area where the AHR Expo is being held.

Steve Thomas, Ph.D., President of Vernon College, stated, “This will be placed in the Stanley and Betty Ray Endowed Scholarship fund. This completes the endowment of this scholarship so it will remain in perpetuity and will be used to award scholarships for HVAC students for years to come.”

The AHR Expo Innovation Awards Competition, which is held in conjunction with the International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) every year, is designed to promote and encourage product innovation by recognizing exceptional achievements.

The Innovation Awards are jointly sponsored by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI); and International Exposition Company (IEC), producers and organizers of the AHR Expo. Only one product per company may be submitted in each category and winning products from previous years cannot be re-entered.

“The AHR Expo Innovation Awards program has a positive impact on the HVAC&R industry,” said Clay Stevens, President of IEC, Show Producers and Managers. “In addition to helping young professionals enter the HVAC&R industry, it calls attention to how successful manufacturers have been at turning new technology into useful and highly efficient products.”

The EcoLogoM Program, a leading independent, third-party, Green certification and marketing organization operating in North America, has announced that all of its clients that were audited during its 2006 compliance program have passed.

The unannounced surveillance audit program assures that companies and products certified by the organization continue to comply with the Green criteria to which they were first certified. As implied, investigators from EcoLogo make unannounced visits to manufacturing plants on a randomly selected basis. Last year, the organization announced it was expanding the program to make sure more of its clients stay compliant.

“As part of our agreement with participating companies, they must allow us to perform surveillance audits (as they are officially called) to make sure products bearing the EcoLogo seal remain compliant,” says Susan Herbert, EcoLogo’s director of Programs & Science. “This helps protect consumers, the environment, and the credibility of the EcoLogo seal.”

According to Herbert, the 2006 audits covered 11 distinct product categories, including the cleaning and paper industries, 92 different manufacturers, and 243 products. Examination during the surveillance program includes:
* A review of manufacturing records and processes
* Samplings of certified products analyzed to make sure restricted and prohibited ingredients have not been added
* Product performance and effectiveness testing
* Biodegradation of products

Among those jansan companies that were audited and passed the 2006 surveillance program are:
* Rochester Midland Corporation for its Tough Job Cleaner (EnviroChem)
* Enviro-Solutions Limited for its Cream Cleanser ES 53, No Zinc Floor Finish ES 97, and Stain and Spot Remover ES 88
* Lord & Partners Limited for its Transit Clean Bus Floor and Vinyl Seat Cleaner and BK1 Brake Parts Cleaner

A listing of ECP certified products and services is located at: http://www.environmentalchoice.com/English/ECP%20Home/Products%20&%20Criteria

For more information, visit www.ecologo.org or e-mail Susan Herbert at sherbert@ecologo.org.

About The EcoLogo Program
The EcoLogo Program M, formerly known as the Environmental ChoiceM Program (ECP), is Environment Canada’s ecolabelling program, established in 1988 to help provide a market incentive to manufacturers and suppliers of environmentally preferable products and services, as well as to help consumers identify products and services that are less harmful to the environment.

Following the Census Bureau report indicating that January housing starts fell to their lowest level since 1997, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI), a leading economic indicator of construction activity, showed positive conditions across all geographic regions and market sectors in January. With an approximate nine to 12 month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending, the forecast remains favorable for the nonresidential construction market throughout 2007. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the January ABI rating was 57.9 (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings), compared to a score of 57.6 in December.

“You have to go back 26 months for the last negative score for the index,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “While the index was positive in 2006, it hovered around the break even mark for much of the year. So far, the last three months have seen much higher levels of demand for design services and is likely to translate into sustained levels of high activity in the construction industry.”

Key January ABI highlights:
Regional averages: Northeast (76.0), South (55.6), Midwest (54.4), West (53.0)
Sector index breakdown: mixed (59.6), institutional (58.8), commercial/industrial (57.2), residential (52.1)
Inquiries index: 66.8

Peter Lisnic, vice president, senior research analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. added, “Continuing the momentum established in the fourth quarter of 2006, January’s ABI clearly supports the outlook for healthy growth in nonresidential construction markets in 2007. The strength of the ABI readings could even portend market growth above current consensus expectations, which may bolster investor appetite for stocks with nonresidential exposure. One question from January’s readings might be whether demand in the residential sector has indeed reached an inflection point.”

* Every January, the AIA research department uses a formula from the Department of Commerce that re-estimates ABI data based on seasonal factors resulting in a recalibration of recent figures.

Haworth, Inc. recently joined Meadows Office Furniture, the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), and the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization (WPEO) to celebrate women in business at a reception in Haworth’s New York showroom. Haworth also announced that the company will continue corporate membership in the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

“Most women in business have an inspirational story – someone has encouraged them or given them a hand up,” said Mabel Casey, Vice President of Marketing and Sales Support. “Haworth is proud to support the WPO, WPEO and WBENC in continuing opportunities for inspiration.”

WBENC is a coalition of corporations, regionally focused women’s business organizations, and representatives of the women’s business community working towards equal access to procurement opportunities in both the public and private sectors. The organization is also the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the United States, serving as a link between qualified businesses and purchasing managers nationwide. The WPEO is a regional affiliate of the WBENC, providing educational programming and third-party certification for women-owned businesses (51% ownership).

The WPO is a membership organization whose members are a diverse group of entrepreneurial women presidents who have guided their businesses to generate at least $2 million in gross annual sales or $1 million for a service-based business.

Haworth Inc. designs and manufactures adaptable workspaces, including raised access floors, moveable walls, systems furniture, seating, storage, and wood casegoods. Family owned and privately held, Haworth is headquartered in Holland, Michigan, and serves markets in more than 120 countries though a global network of 600 dealers.

Founded in 1997, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is the nation’s leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, and the leading advocate of women’s business enterprises (WBEs) as suppliers to corporate America.

The Women Presidents’ Educational Organization (WPEO) provides full-service, third-party certification to women entrepreneurs in the New York, northern New Jersey (including Princeton and points north), southern Connecticut, and the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia areas. WPEO also holds educational programs to connect women entrepreneurs with corporations and supports and advocates increased opportunities for women in business. WPEO is a regional affiliate of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation’s premier third-party certification organization for women-owned businesses. WPEO is incorporated in the state of New York and is recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization.

The Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO) locally and internationally connects top women entrepreneurs at the million and multimillion-dollar level ($2 million in gross annual sales or $1 million for service-based business) for greater personal and professional success. In monthly meetings across the US and Canada, chapters composed of 20 accomplished women presidents from diverse industries and backgrounds invest time and energy in themselves and their businesses to drive their corporations to the next level.

Looking for a bunch of beams? Have a couple dozen doors? Look no further than the new online marketplace for Portland-area builders called BoneyardNW.

Created in the tradition of wildly successful online marketplaces such as eBay and Craig’s List, BoneyardNW is a first-of-its-kind Web site that provides a place for the purchase and sale of usable commercial construction materials that have been taken out of a building during renovation or demolition. Currently, many of those materials — including valuable items such as windows, doors, flooring, and even soil — end up in the landfill. About 20% of all waste created in the Portland area is construction waste.

Given the high percentage of construction waste in the waste stream, Metro created BoneYardNW to help the construction and demolition industry increase the quantity of building materials that are recycled and reused. Metro is responsible for helping the region achieve a state-mandated recycling rate of 64% by 2009. Currently, the regional recycling rate stands at 59%.

Metro Councilor Kathryn Harrington says making efficient use of land and conserving natural resources are among the Metro Council’s top priorities. “When old buildings are deconstructed and building materials are reused in new or renovated commercial properties, there are several benefits,” says Harrington.

“First, we’re preventing the disposal of thousands of tons of waste that could be recycled. In addition, green house gas emissions are reduced because raw materials don’t have to be extracted from the Earth and processed. We’re also making the best use of our valuable urban land.”

The rise of green building in the Northwest has spurred a further interest in “deconstruction” and “salvage” as opposed to demolition and disposal of construction material. Deconstruction allows the building to be taken down in much the same way it was built, piece by piece, preserving the usable materials that can then be sold. The preservation and reuse of building materials is called “salvage.” One of the benefits of using salvaged materials is that it can help projects earn a certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED system.

Metro hopes to divert 10,000 tons of usable building materials from being thrown away through the use of BoneyardNW and other services available to building contractors, developers and others in the commercial building industry.

A recent study by Metro of recycling among construction and demolition contractors showed that some of them were recycling materials such as wood, metal and cardboard, but that construction companies often lacked current information about the opportunities for reuse, recycling and the sale and purchase of salvaged materials. Metro hopes to jumpstart more reuse of usable building materials with BoneyardNW.

Here are some additional quick facts about the program:
Recycling, salvaging and reusing construction materials saves money. Contractors have three types of choices when getting rid of materials:
1. Disposal, costs about $70 per ton
2. Sort and recycle costs about $30/ton
3. Remove salvageable materials and sell them, making money while turning what would have been debris into a product.

On a typical 50,000-square foot commercial office renovation project, contractors could make $10,000-$20,000 off the resale of used building materials, avoiding another $5,000 in disposal costs.

The top 10 commercial materials that are easiest to reuse, according to a 2004 Metro survey of building professionals:
1. Finish wood (such as flooring, moldings, sidings and trim)
2. Doors, windows and storefronts
3. Structural wood
4. Masonry (brick, concrete, glass and stone)
5. Cabinets and casework
6. Lighting and electrical fixtures (lights, switches, wiring)
7. Door and window hardware
8. Plumbing fixtures (sinks, toilets and other fixtures)
9. Special interior items, such as cubicles, partitions, lockers and postal equipment
10. Concrete formwork

Every three tons of wood that is reused avoids the creation of 180 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions that would have been created to harvest and mill new lumber. Using Metro’s projections for the quantity of material salvaged and reused due to BoneYardNW and other Metro tools, the greenhouse gas savings is equivalent to taking more than 1,000 passenger cars off the road annually.

While Metro region contractors are recycling more than they ever have before, of the 250,000 tons (65,000 full drop boxes) that contractors are still throwing away, Metro estimates that about 60 percent of that material could have been recycled or reused.

The White Stag Block rehabilitation project is being showcased as part of the BoneYardNW launch because nearly all of the three buildings undergoing renovation are being salvage or recycled. White Stag Block, LLC, is managed by Venerable Group, Inc. The 142,000-sq.-ft. project will house the University of Oregon Portland campus, and will open in 2008.

The Metro Construction Industry Recycling Toolkit is another Metro tool that makes it easy for contractors find recycling locations. This directory is available at www.Metro-region.org/toolkit.