The First Facility Management Blog

Franchise Times has ranked Linc Network, LLC number 130 on its annual list of the country’s Top 200 franchise systems. Inclusion on the list, which is based on worldwide system sales for 2007, signifies Linc’s status as a player in the franchising industry. The magazine compiled the list after months of collecting sales and unit count data from more than 1,000 companies, ranging from multinational household names to lesser known franchisors. Worldwide sales for the Top 200 grew nearly 4.8% from last year’s total of $445 billion. 

To qualify for consideration, at least 20% of a franchise organization’s total units must be operated by franchisees. At number 130, up 13 spots from last year’s ranking of 143, Linc met this criterion with 84% of its franchise locations being operated by independently owned mechanical contractors.  Another important qualification was system wide sales, which consisted of the total sales in 2007 from both Linc’s company and franchisee operated locations.

Linc’s franchise locations, a global group of service providers, comprise the Linc Service Network, a growing, 145-plus member organization spanning the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda.  These locations, known as Linc Service Contractors, follow the disciplines of the Linc System in delivering preventive maintenance—as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) service and bundled energy solutions—to the commercial market. So far this year, Linc has added 12 new franchise locations to its service network.

“We’re very proud to be named one of the Top 200 franchise systems for the second year in a row,” said Linc Network president & CEO Scott Giacobbe. “Despite a challenging economy, the Linc Service Network has expanded into new markets and continues to grow at a steady pace. We look forward to ascending this list with an even stronger ranking in 2009.”

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA and Atlanta, GA, Linc Network, LLC is the franchisor of the Linc System, a business format for operating a commercial heating, ventilation, and HVAC service business. Founded in 1979, the Linc Service Network provides energy solutions to commercial building owners worldwide. Linc Network, LLC, is part of The Linc Group (TLG), single source providers of facilities management and building system services. TLG maintains its corporate office in Irvine, CA. Collectively, TLG companies service more than 20,000 facilities in 45 states and select international markets through a professional workforce totaling more than 2,400 employees.

if you’ve ever walked around Times Square in New York City during the holidays, you’ll know that what’s really weird is that it may not be too difficult to find a restroom to use from now to the end of 2008. For the third year, Charmin has placed 20 deluxe stalls in the heart of this tourist area to make it a little easier for New Yorkers and visitors alike.

This year, the company has stepped it up by adding tuxedo-clad attendants and flat screen televisions. There’s also a second-floor “Power Lodge” where visitors can recharge their portable electronic devices. Additionally, the Charmin Restrooms will be open through the end of the year (except for Christmas Day); the facilities will close up shop at 2am on New Year’s Day–two hours after the New Year’s Eve revelers watch the famed New Year’s Eve Ball drop.

Visitors can even commemorate their visit to the Charmin Restrooms by having their picture taken. Not sure if this is really the type of venue many people would want to have their photos taken at, but if so, the company is offering free downloads of the photos at its Web site.

A recent survey conducted by Kimberly-Clark Professional found that 89% of safety professionals polled have observed workers failing to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when they should have been. This is the third consecutive year that the Kimberly-Clark survey has revealed a high rate of PPE noncompliance. In 2007, 87% of respondents said they had observed PPE noncompliance in the workplace, while 85% answered yes to this question in 2006.

“We find it disheartening that people continue to put themselves at risk by failing to wear PPE when undertaking hazardous tasks,” said Randy Kates, general manager of the safety business for Kimberly-Clark Professional. “Despite the importance of PPE, there is still an unacceptably high rate of noncompliance in the workplace.”

Additionally, when asked to name the top workplace safety issue in their facilities one-third of respondents cited “worker compliance with safety protocols.” Next was “insufficient management support and/or resources for health and safety functions” (27%). Under-reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses was third (14%), followed by training a multilingual, multicultural workforce (7%) and escalating worker compensation costs (5%).

One potential explanation for continuing problems with compliance could be the economy. Thirty-four percent of respondents said the economy had affected worker safety training programs or resources. Fifty-nine percent said it had not. Of those who said the economy had impacted safety training or resources, the survey found that:

• 63% said it had led to less money for education and training.
• 42% said it had resulted in reduced personnel to handle safety training tasks.
• 33% said the faltering economy had led to business concerns taking precedence over safety concerns.

This year’s survey also polled safety professionals about the steps they have taken or intend to take to encourage greater PPE compliance. The top response was “improving existing education and training programs,” followed by “purchasing more comfortable PPE.” Increased monitoring of employees was third, followed by tying compliance to individual performance evaluations and purchasing more stylish PPE.

“Work-related injuries in the U.S. cost more than $50 billion a year(1),” said Kates. “Our research has shown that comfort and style are major drivers for compliance with PPE protocols. In the current economic climate it is more important than ever to invest in PPE that workers will want to wear.”

Survey Methodology
The survey was undertaken at the 2008 National Safety Council (NSC) Congress in Anaheim, CA, on September 23, 2008. The survey questionnaires were filled out by 153 safety professionals who reported being responsible for purchasing, selecting or influencing the purchase or selection of, or compliance with, PPE. The respondents included safety directors and managers, industrial hygienists, environmental managers, and purchasing professionals. Full survey results can be accessed on the Kimberly-Clark Professional Web site.

(1) Source: Liberty Mutual

Corporate Risk International (CRI) and Veritas International Consultants (VIC) have combined offerings to develop an effective security solution to current commercial maritime risks. During the past year, nearly 100 ships have been attacked resulting in nearly 50 hijackings, costing businesses millions in additional costs associated with altering shipping routes, lost revenue and ransom payments.

CRI assists companies in managing risk through the gathering and analysis of business intelligence and risk-related information and developing crisis management and response plans. CRI has successfully resolved more than 450 kidnap, ransom, and extortion matters around the world, and prevented thousands of such incidents, particularly in troubled areas, including Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Far East.

VIC provides maritime security and support that minimizes risk through detailed planning, training, management, and intelligence using specialists with a background from British Special Forces and elite intelligence agencies. Maritime security expertise includes training security teams and ships’ crews, developing and implementing vessel and port security, and rapid deployment of security personnel to high risk areas. VIC’s teams have a thorough understanding of International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations and their binding legal requirements for ports, shipping firms and individual vessels.

Global response teams can be rapidly deployed into hostile regions and situations around the world to provide:

• Communications consulting and support;
• Liaison with in-country law enforcement;
• Critical negotiations expertise;
• Shore-side and vessel-based security teams; and
• Emergency management and evacuation services.

The CRI/VIC network of international consultants and crisis response specialists has the capability to:

• Conduct threat assessments for ports and routes;
• Provide bespoke counter measures and evasive maneuvering training for Ships’ Masters and their crews;
• Provide on-board security teams during transit through high-risk shipping routes;
• Provide a 24/7 Crisis Response service including negotiations, ransom delivery and asset recovery; and
• Screen crew and conduct due diligence on supply chain partners.

LEDtronics, Inc. recently celebrated its first 25 years of solid state lighting design since the enterprise’s founding by Pervaiz and Almas Lodhie. During the anniversary event at their Torrance, CA headquarters, LEDtronics executives thanked employees and customers for making possible the company’s successes to date, and for providing advanced technological opportunities for future achievements.

“My wife and I began this as a cottage industry in a suburban garage in 1983, finding buyers among the local aerospace firms,” Pervaiz Lodhie, the company’s president, explained. “We’ve grown into a multimillion dollar manufacturer with over 300 employees, with a 63,000 square foot facility in California and a second plant in Karachi, Pakistan. We’re a world leading supplier of lamps using up to date light emitting diode [LED] technology with a global network of sales representatives. Most of our customers are composed of Fortune 500 corporations.”

Joining some 200 employees and executives in the formal dinner ceremonies on were company friends, partners, longtime customers, and government representatives as well as affiliated organizations. The guests included:

• Frank Scotto, Mayor of Torrance
• Michael A. Gin, Mayor of Redondo Beach
• Raul Luna, District Director to U.S. Congresswoman Linda Sanchez
• Paul Arney, Political Director to U.S. Congresswoman Jane Harman
• Ronnie Guyer, Field Representative to California Assemblyman Van Tran
• Amelia Wong, District Director, State Board of Equalization
• Syed Ibne Abbas, Consulate General of Pakistan in Los Angeles
• Ahsan Wagan, Deputy Consulate General of Pakistan in Los Angeles
• Dr. Nasim Ashraf, Pakistan Human Development Fund
• Salvador Hernandez, Assistant Director in Charge of FBI Los Angeles field office

Technology Advances and Product Innovations
Since its establishment, the company has been a lighting industry leader in developing and manufacturing of LED lamps, clusters and arrays. The last quarter century has seen these milestones:

• LED bulbs using common industry standard bases for the direct replacement of energy wasteful incandescent lamps
• Snap in panel mount lamps that allow easy installation in instrument indicator panels
• Chip mounting technology that dissipates heat in tightly spaced LED chip arrays
• Multi-chip technology for high intensity illumination
• Lamps capable of surviving high shock and vibration environments
• Multicolor, UV and IR discrete LEDs, and complex multi-dimensional arrays of LEDs that can be custom configured to any lighting or energy emission design application

LEDtronics has brought to market their American engineered designs for small and large scale applications. Some patented and patent in process items are LED street and security luminaires, globe and décor LED bulbs, cooler running LED flood lamps that replace parabolic reflector lamps, LED machine status lamps, automotive and rail transit LED lamps affecting the fields of transportation, tube style fluorescent replacement LED lamps, and control devices for dimming LED lights.

The Company Looking Ahead
Adil Gandhi, vice president and general manager, pointed out that the company still designs and partly manufactures its products in the U.S. and stays competitive by adopting lean concepts for both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing departments, using cutting edge technology, encouraging employee ideas, and by focusing on technology and cost of ownership rather than compromising product or service quality. With their strong and defined company values, numerous LEDtronics employees have over 10 years experience within the organization, with a number exceeding 20 years.

LEDtronics is aware of its ecologically beneficial role in the elimination of harmful elements such as mercury and other metals that are used in more traditional lighting industries. They have focused—in accordance with the RoHS initiative (Reduction of Hazardous Substances)—on eliminating all traces of lead from its manufacturing processes and products. With LED technology capable of reducing the consumption of electricity by up to 90% as compared with conventional lighting, the industry finds itself uniquely suited to meeting the needs of solar, wind, and other alternative power sources.

Mr. Lodhie was excited by the prospect of his company contributing to the green revolution so directly and effectively. “We can see great opportunities to conserve our natural resources and reduce energy consumption if we apply our solid state lighting innovations to better serve home and business markets. With the support and global infrastructure of LEDtronics, we look forward to the next 25 years.”

Earlier this month, outdoor clothing manufacturer Patagonia opened its 25th retail store, and first location in Texas. Set in downtown Austin, the 7,000 square foot store is sited in a historic building that originated as the W.B. Smith dry goods store in 1884–four years before the state capitol down the street was completed.

The storefront of Patagonia's newest location

The W.B. Smith Building has housed a series of businesses since the original dry goods store left in 1903, including a wholesale liquor company, a soda manufacturer, a candy maker, barber shop, shoe repair, and the Dallas Morning News and Galveston Daily News. It was also the site of the Vulcan Gas Company psychedelic nightclub from 1967 to 1970, with acts ranging from Steve Ray Vaughn and Johnny Winter to Shiva’s Headband.

The building sat vacant for a decade until real estate developer Trammell Crow remodeled it and moved into the upstairs in 1982. Tenants since then have included office design firm Bommarito Group, video game designer Digital Anvil, and advertising agency Latin Works Marketing, which outgrew the space earlier this year.

The new Patagonia location fits its corporate efforts to promote sustainable development by reusing existing buildings wherever possible. The company has added its own environmentally friendly fixtures and practices, including energy efficient lighting strategies, formaldehyde-free insulation and composite wood products, rapidly renewable bamboo hangers and wall fixtures, and recycled rubber chairs and metal tables.

The store also has shower facilities and bike accommodations for employees to encourage alternative commuting strategies and healthier lifestyles.

The wide array of career opportunities in real estate management are detailed in new, generously illustrated, 25-page brochure published by the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®).

In a 2007 survey conducted by CNN and Careerbuilder.com, property/real estate management was listed among America’s top 40 careers. A year earlier, in a survey of the top 50 careers in America conducted by Money magazine and Salary.com, the position of property manager was ranked number 23. Both surveys considered job growth, average salary, education need, and working conditions in the rankings.

According to IREM President Pamela W. Monroe, many real estate management professionals are reaching retirement age in the near future, so real estate owners and investors must increasingly seek replacements for them. “This demographic reality,” said Monroe, “combined with a management function that has become more complex and sophisticated, has created an almost perfect storm that is boosting demand as never before.”

The brochure provides answers to key questions that students and others seeking a rewarding career path may have including:
—–What a real estate manager does
—–The kinds of positions available in the field
—–Categories of employers who hire real estate managers
—–How to prepare for positions in the field
—–Scholarships and internships available
—–How to actually find employment
—–How much one can expect to earn

To request a free copy of this brochure, send an e-mail to tfm@groupc.com with the words “CAREER BROCHURE” in the subject line.

The recently launched EMerge Alliance™ aims to lead the creation and deployment of a new power, control, and device-level technology standard for commercial interiors. This standard is being developed around the use of safe, low-voltage direct-current (DC) power. As the Alliance describes it, today’s workplaces are populated by fixed overhead lighting and a wide variety of electrical devices that are typically wired for a building’s lifetime rather than occupants’ changing needs. Building designers and owners increasingly have been seeking systems to make buildings more adaptable and integration of infrastructure, equipment, and furnishings that can improve energy efficiency.

Addressing these widespread needs for greater flexibility, efficiency, and sustainability is the focus of the EMerge Alliance, according to Alliance Chairman Brian Patterson of Armstrong World Industries. “While the ways in which we use electricity have changed dramatically, the manner in which electricity is distributed for interior devices and control purposes remains largely unchanged since the beginning of the 20th century,” says Patterson. “The EMerge Alliance is drawing from a broad and deep pool of leaders involved in the design, construction, and management of commercial buildings to create an enabling infrastructure that future proofs the workplace through the use of DC power. The standard is a revolutionary approach to the layout and re-use of interior space.”

Founding Members of the Alliance at the Governing level include Armstrong World Industries, Johnson Controls, Nextek Power Systems, OSRAM SYLVANIA, and WAVE.

Participating Members include Crestron Electronics, Delta Power, Finelite, Kanepi Innovations, Lighting Science Group, Steelcase, WattStopper,and Zumtobel.  Eden Park Illumination is a General Member, and Supporting Members include AVP, Brinjac Engineering, CleanTech Commercialization, EdCampus, Green Plug, Houston Advanced Research Center, JB Electrical, Los Angeles Community College District, Paladino and Company, Sensor Switch, Southern California Edison and Webcor Builders.

The central feature of the proposed EMerge standard is the selective and scaleable distribution of low-voltage DC power within common infrastructures already present in commercial interiors. For example, DC power is ideally suited for integration into the ceiling plane, providing facility managers with the ability to arrange and rearrange lighting, sensors, actuators, and other devices without the need for rewiring.

The EMerge standard also embraces the trend toward using on-site alternative energy, by providing a means of direct and more efficient connection between these new energy sources and interior electrical loads, like lighting and controls.

Patterson sees the development of this new commercial technology standard as providing a platform for innovation to create even more energy efficient and individually controllable devices for the future, such as Light-Emitting Diode (LED) or other solid-state general lighting devices.

“In creating a long-reaching, ‘plug and play’ standard for integrated management and control of lighting and the many digital devices found in commercial buildings, the Alliance is focused on the nexus of today’s top priorities for building owners–energy savings and adaptability. One of the most intriguing aspects is the ability to seamlessly connect a low voltage DC infrastructure to on-site generated alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind power,” said Patterson.  “This provides sustainability-minded building owners on the leading edge of power technologies with a faster return on their investment in clean energy.“

The EMerge Alliance is accepting new members interested in developing or supporting the EMerge standard.  Membership is open and available at a variety of levels, from those interested in contributing to or making products compatible with the new standard, to companies and organizations supporting the overall development of this new platform.  The Alliance is professionally managed by Global Inventures.

About the EMerge Alliance
The EMerge Alliance is an open industry association promoting the rapid adoption of safe, low-voltage DC power distribution and use in commercial building interiors. EMerge is focused on developing a global standard that integrates interior infrastructures, power, controls and a wide variety of peripheral devices, such as lighting, in a common platform.  Building owners can gain unprecedented design and space flexibility along with reduced energy usage and improved sustainability. Alliance membership is broad-based in nature, comprised of entities such as architects, interior designers, consultants, engineering firms, government and code groups, academic and industry groups, product manufacturers, and building owners.

Carrier Corp., the world’s largest provider of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration solutions, and a unit of United Technologies Corp. has acquired Noresco, a leading independent energy services company. The acquisition was completed last week. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Established in 1984, Noresco has implemented thousands of efficiency and infrastructure upgrade projects that reduced energy and water consumption and lowered operating expenses for a wide range of customers including federal, state, and municipal agencies; educational institutions; hospitals; utilities; and commercial and industrial facilities. Noresco is headquartered in Westborough, MA and has 20 offices in the U.S. 

“Noresco complements the depth and breadth of Carrier’s portfolio and is an integral part of our strategy to offer sustainable, comprehensive, end to end building solutions,” said Kelly Romano, president, Carrier Building Systems and Services. “We are able to offer our customers sustainable products, services, and solutions that lower total cost of ownership and deliver high performance buildings.” The acquisition of Noresco adds to Carrier’s environmental efforts and further reinforces a reason why Carrier has been previously recognized as an Environmental Protection Agency climate leader.

“Carrier greatly admires Noresco,” said Erv Lauterbach, president, Carrier Building Systems and Services North America field operations. “As a founding company in the energy solutions sector with strong customer relationships, we are pleased to have the employees of Noresco become part of the Carrier team, and look forward to serving customers with a more comprehensive solutions offering.”

Neil Petchers, president and CEO, Noresco, said, “Carrier’s acquisition of Noresco will allow us to expand our customer base as well as deliver increased value to our customers.” 

The holiday shopping season will kick into gear in just one week, but with such a gloomy economic picture looming, many people are wondering just how much–or how little–goodwill and cheer they can muster by the time Christmas rolls around. Extravagant office parties are being scaled down or even canceled, and Secret Santas may go on hiatus as co-workers struggle to prioritize their holiday spending practices.

But have no fear, FacilityBlog fans. There are several affordable and humorous gift items out there, just waiting to be added anonymously to the pile under the corporate Christmas tree. Here’s one suggestion, for those of you unfortunate enough to have a boss who insists on getting into everything; it’s the Micro Manager book and gift kit, by Davis J. Freedlander and offered by Running Press Mini Kits (the same people who brought you the Scapegoat Mega Mini Kit by Alison Trulock).

What do you get with this little goodie? Here’s the description from the Running Press Web site:

We’ve all had one-the rude, wrong, idiotic, and despotic boss. They steal your thunder and rain on your parade. Well, if the cretin in the corner office has got you down, here’s your chance to hold him up to a little ridicule of your own. With a comical Micro Manager figurine and 10 scarily hilarious expression cards for him to hold, your coworkers will be in on the joke. Also includes an uproarious mini book that deviously describes the ways and means of the Micro Manager.

Available for only $6.95 (+ shipping) from Amazon.com, the Micro Manager book and gift set may be the perfect thing for the co-worker or boss who just can’t seem to take a subtle hint.