The First Facility Management Blog

Several months before President Obama proposed a Happy Hour Summit to resolve racial issues stemming from the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, a local furniture store in High Point, NC area embraced the concept as a way to drum up business during the down economy. The Red House Furniture Store has developed a marketing campaign that illustrates the company’s philosophy: “Where black people and white people buy furniture.”

Here’s the video:

Yes, I checked. It’s real.

“For a while, we couldn’t do anything but answer the phone. ‘Yes, we’re a real store. Yes, that’s a real ad,’” said Vice President and Manager Steve Patalano.

Martha Waggoner of the AP writes:

The ad, which debuted April 20, 2009 and is only available online, has the grainy feel of a homemade late-night TV spot. Employees and customers haltingly read lines off cue cards, occasionally attempting to gesture as they talk.

The Red House, in business for about 50 years, hooked up with the singers, Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal (owners of a video production company) after a company it uses to extend credit to customers offered to pay for a free Internet ad. Patalano accepted and Neal and McLaughlin showed up.

“We thought the idea was hilarious to use race and racial reconciliation as a marketing angle,” Neal said. “We also knew it would raise eyebrows and spark discussion.”

The way the creators explain it, every edit was made and every line written with the intent of making the ad popular online.

Hill and Pina — who have been asked for their autographs — say the theme didn’t pose a problem.

“The way we did it, it didn’t seem like nothing bad,” said Hill, 43. “We’re just like family around here. And the customers are like family to us. I just didn’t see anything wrong with it.”

Patalano says complaints have been few and far between, and the ad has brought more than page views. A couple from Georgia who bought furniture at the store Saturday told workers they were there because of the ad. Patalano has received e-mails from people as far away as Australia. One woman from Tennessee wrote to say she was thankful once-divisive race relations now can be treated in a lighthearted way.

Pina, 50, said he likes the ad because he “knew it was real.”

“We deal with all characters, a mixture of people,” he said. “We are blessed to have this customer base because some stores are shutting down.”

Hmmm…I wonder what beer they drink?

In October 2008, Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, PA moved into its new location in the city’s renovated Memorial Hall. The move capped a 32 year growth spurt for the museum, which opened in 1976 as a 2,200 square foot exhibit inside Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences.

Memorial Hall was constructed in 1876.

In preparation for the move, an $88 million restoration was undertaken on Memorial Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Built to serve as the Art Gallery for the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 (The World’s Fair), Memorial Hall is the last major building remaining from that late 19th century event. After the fair, Memorial Hall reopened as the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art (later renamed the Philadelphia Museum of Art) until 1928 when that museum moved.

Memorial Hall remained open for smaller exhibits and was used for collections storage until 1956, when it was converted to a recreation center and headquarters for Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park Commission. In 1961, a basketball court was inserted in the west gallery, and locker rooms were built on the ground floor. In 1962, the east gallery was converted into an indoor swimming pool. By 2000, the building’s deteriorating condition led the Park Commission to seek a new tenant to restore Memorial Hall. Please Touch Museum signed an 80-year lease on February 14, 2005.

The newly renovated Memorial Hall

As an attraction for families with young children, Please Touch Museum offers an array of interactive, hands on learning opportunities. New exhibits, some old favorites, a collection of Philadelphia Childhood Treasures, and a century old Dentzel Carousel have been joined together in Memorial Hall to create a family destination resembling a  majestic storybook castle.

The Dentzel Carousel (for which a new Carousel House was built) originally operated at a Philadelphia amusement park. Its animal menagerie, which dates back to 1908, includes 40 horses, four cats, two pigs, two goats, and four rabbits. It is illuminated by 1,296 lightbulbs. It had been in storage for more than 40 years and was once in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. The carousel is on long-term loan from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The carousel is lit with more than 1,200 lightbulbs.

In addition to interior renovations to suit the museum’s needs, the exterior of the 156,000 square foot facility was cleaned and updated to meet aesthetic and operational needs. Part of this process was to replace the structure’s 30 arched windows with a curtainwall product. The self-supporting windows measure 15’ wide and 30’ tall. Arches and other curved mullions were bent by Custom Manufacturing. U.S. Glass & Metal designed and fabricated all the windows in house and performed on-site installation. The firm also fabricated and installed the 20-foot sections of the octagon-shaped Carousel House, which has 20 rectangular windows and 8 arch-top windows, using YKK AP curtain wall.

Firms involved included architectural firm Kise, Straw & Kolodner of Philadelphia; general contractor (a joint venture of three Philadelphia builders) Daniel J. Keating Company, Bittenbender Construction, and McCrae Construction; construction manager Northstar Advisors of Ardmore, PA; window system supplier YKK Architectural Products of Austell, GA; glazing contractor, U.S. Glass & Metal, Inc. of Philadelphia; and metal bending service provider Custom Manufacturing Corp. of Bensalem, PA.

The expansion, renovation, and move were funded through a capital campaign operated by Please Touch Museum. Support was sought from individuals, foundations, and corporations through a number of sponsorship opportunities, including naming rights to the museum’s six exhibit zones, the building’s historic Great Hall, the new Carousel House, and others.

The 2009 Collegiate Athletic Department Sustainability Survey Report shows that while sustainability efforts appear to be growing within collegiate athletics, commitment to sustainability is lower among athletic departments than compared to their institutions as a whole and to professional sports teams.

The survey of collegiate athletic departments, which was released by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), found that almost 75% of respondents expect the emphasis on environmental programs in the Athletic Department to increase in the future. However, while nearly three out of four athletic departments reported that sustainability initiatives are a “very high” or “high” priority for their institution as a whole, less than half (44%) of respondents said sustainability was a very high or high priority for the athletic departments themselves.

Likewise, a similar survey of professional sports teams seems to indicate greater dedication to sustainability across a range of questions. For example, 56% of professional teams said key decision makers have a “strongly positive” perception of implementing environmental initiatives compared to only 33% of collegiate athletic departments. In another example, 47% of professional teams are currently measuring or planning to measure their greenhouse gas emissions while only 9% of collegiate athletic departments are doing so or planning to do so.

Additional findings of the survey include:

• Just under 10% of collegiate athletic departments have developed a formal sustainability plan with short- and long-term objectives. Another 15% are actively considering developing such a plan.
• Energy efficiency/conservation and recycling are receiving the most emphasis within athletic department environmental initiatives. Natural/local food appears to be receiving the least emphasis.
• A majority of athletic departments are not currently measuring the greenhouse gas emissions associated with any aspect of their operations.
• Seven percent of athletic departments have formed a departmental green team and another 15% are planning to do so.
• A representative from the athletics department is serving on an institution wide sustainability committee at over 40% of the institutions covered by the survey.
• Almost 80% of respondents did not know if their institution had signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.

“Through their high visibility and close connection with fans, collegiate athletic departments have an incredible opportunity to move the ball forward on sustainability,” said the author Mark McSherry, who conducted the survey as part of a graduate course offered through the Harvard University Extension. “It’s still early in the game and there are encouraging signs that Athletic Departments are rising to the challenge of tackling sustainability issues.”

The survey was distributed to the 119 athletic departments at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division 1A) universities. 97 institutions (81.5%) responded to the survey.

To request a PDF of the survey, send an e-mail to tfm@groupc.com with the words “College Survey” in the subject line.

Orion Energy Systems Inc. has developed intelligent occupancy sensor technology designed to save energy while enhancing lamp and ballast longevity. Able to be integrated with existing fixtures, InteLite® occupancy sensors collect data regarding the presence of people who routinely move through a space during a 24 hour period. The sensors have the ability to adapt the lighting schedule based on this intelligence and to adjust the settings of each fixture automatically to stay on longer or turn off sooner.

The InteLite occupancy sensor is a round, button-shaped device, seen here mounted on a receiver.

The sensor technology also features an adjustable field of view, allowing users to change the direction the sensor focuses, increasing its reliability to turn on when needed.

The InteLite® occupancy sensor technology is a new addition to Orion’s Phase II InteLite® family of products. When the sensors are used in conjunction with Orion’s InteLite® control system, facility personnel can control, monitor, and adjust the settings of each light fixture remotely. The system also includes technology that measures and verifies energy savings.

The red light on the sensor indicates it is on. Seen here integrated with Orion’s Compact Modular fixture.

In a project completed recently, the actual cost to operate the lighting system was reduced from $285 per high-intensity discharge fixture to $44 per fixture a year when the occupancy sensor was used with Orion’s Compact Modular™ lighting platform and InteLite® control system.

Orion is deploying these advanced occupancy sensors at facilities for PepsiAmericas and Sysco Foods as well as other commercial and industrial customers.

Some people just can’t quit. What am I talking about? Smoking, of course. And in the U.S., smoking has pretty much been pushed out of public places and into parking lots, alleys, and other inconvenient locations.

In response to this trend, one European company, SuperSmoker (based in Brussels, Belgium), has released its electronic cigarette, Blue, to North American consumers. Blue is a smokeless nicotine* delivery device which allows users to mimic the act of smoking while eliminating the usage of tobacco, tar, and an open flame.

The device includes a rechargeable battery, nicotine gel vaporizing atomizer, and replaceable cartridge that looks and feels like a real cigarette. The device gives off a vapor that looks like smoke but has none of the risks associated with second hand smoke. In efforts to ensure that Blue is not mistaken for an actual cigarette, the tip of Blue is bedazzled with a crystal gem that shines a bright blue when the user inhales.

After the initial starter kit purchase, Blue customers will be able to reduce smoking costs of up 50% due to the comparatively inexpensive cost of the cartridges. Cartridges come in packs of 24 and last approximately 30 inhalations, the equivalent of about four cigarettes. And since Blue has no tobacco, it is not taxed like traditional cigarettes.

Blue eliminates the need for ashtrays and the trash involved in the habit of smoking. While drastically reducing waste and air pollution, Blue can also save the time required for cigarette breaks. Giving up a 15 minute cigarette break twice a day during the work week will eliminated over five days of wasted time over the course of a year. Cartridges are available in Zero, Light, Normal, and Menthol strengths and have varying levels of nicotine.

“Americans will now have the ability to ’smoke’ where previously not allowed while eliminating the odor and risks associated with the intake of traditional cigarette smoke and the exposing of others to second hand smoke,” said SuperSmoker Commercial Director Dimitri Kyriakopoulos.

* SuperSmoker makes no determination as to the health risks and/or benefits associated with their products. Nicotine is an addictive substance and should be consumed with the consultation of a medical doctor. Electronic cigarettes are not currently regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Last week the United States Green Building Council awarded Hannaford Supermarkets with Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification with the opening of its store in Augusta, ME. Out of approximately 85,000 supermarkets in the U.S., Hannaford is the first supermarket in the country to achieve Platinum level LEED certification.

This Augusta, ME supermarket has earned LEED Platinum certification.

Some of the store’s energy features include a state-of-the-art GreenChill refrigeration system, which uses 50% less refrigerant gas than a traditional system; doors on nearly all freezer and refrigerated cases; and water from two geothermal wells located 750 feet underground, which help regulate the building’s temperature.

The new store is expected to use about half as much energy as a typical supermarket of comparable size and amenities. The new store will offer more than 3,500 natural and organic products and hundreds of local products.

Large environmental cleanups often come with a hidden cost—the environmental impact of the cleanup itself. Getting rid of contamination and preparing affected land for reuse requires substantial energy, water, and other natural resources.

It also may involve excavation and disposal of polluted soil and groundwater, installation and operation of large pumps, treatment vessels and other equipment, and possible discharge of carcinogens, greenhouse gases, and other harmful materials into the environment.

To address these challenges, a group of senior environmental scientists, regulators, and engineers organized the Sustainable Remediation Forum in 2006. Since then, the group has met regularly to advance sustainable cleanup practices and begin developing a vision, tools, and metrics to help move the industry toward greater sustainability.

“SURF’s mission is to make every phase of every cleanup more sustainable,” said Dr. David E. Ellis, a geochemist and the group’s founder. “Regulators, businesses, and the public have become increasingly aware of site remediation, and they’re demanding cleanups with smaller environmental footprints. There are better ways of restoring contaminated sites.”

Technological advances now make it possible to reduce the unwanted effects of remediation, reduce energy consumption, and still provide long-term protection of people and the environment. State and federal agencies are starting to assess and apply sustainable remediation in their regulatory programs.

Earlier this month, SURF issued the first comprehensive, independent assessment of sustainable remediation—a movement to encourage environmental cleanups that minimize carbon emissions, conserve fossil fuels, and still remove potentially dangerous contaminants from soil and water.

Former EPA Administrator and New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman called the report “a watershed event in public policy deliberations about environmental remediation.

“For the first time, scientists, regulators, and responsible parties are questioning whether a cleanup that releases tons of carbon emissions into the air in order to remove a few pounds of contaminants from the soil provides a net environmental benefit to the public,” Whitman said. “It’s crucial that 21st century environmental cleanups burn less fuel, emit less greenhouse gas, and still protect human health and the environment.”

The MUTAFLEX 6066 SYSTEM from Figueras International Seating is a movable seating system for private and public assembly spaces.

Room is empty. Floor has rails, which the seats roll out on when needed.

The need to make the best use of the space available for public events means that seating arrangements and layouts must be flexible. This is the idea behind the development of the MUTAFLEX SYSTEM.

It is based on the possibility of moving entire rows of seats along rails integrated into the floor. Each row can take up to 12 seats. The system makes it possible to completely or partially empty the hall of seats by moving entire rows and stowing them away—usually under the stage that is specially prepared to accommodate them.

Seating has been rolled out on the rails for an event.

Two columns that incorporate the rolling mechanism support each row of seats. The seats travel along engineered profiles rails that ensure smooth movement. They are fitted with specially grooved wheels and devices to prevent them from swiveling or tipping over. The rails, or guides, are designed to make storing away the rows of seats or setting them up again easy. When not in use, the guides are hidden by covers adapted to the given distance between the rows and the layout of the hall.

The sequence for converting a full hall into an empty one is as follows:

• Remove the covers separating the rows.
• Move the rows of seats and store them (usually under the stage).
• Put the covers back on the guides to leave the floor surface completely even.

The need to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings was highlighted at the ASHRAE 2009 Annual Conference held in Louisville. At the meeting, ASHRAE launched the prototype of its Building Energy Quotient building energy labeling program and introduced a year-long focus on existing buildings.

“In these economic times, dollars for new construction have dwindled,” said Gordon Holness, ASHRAE president. “Given that more people are renovating than building new, now is the perfect time to focus on reducing energy consumption in existing buildings to save money and reduce carbon emissions.

“The vast majority of buildings that will exist in the year 2030 exist today,” Holness said. “If we are to have a material impact on overall energy use, it is through renovation of existing building stock. While existing buildings present greater challenges, they offer us a greater opportunity to impact our overall national energy demand, reduce our dependence upon imported oil and gas and minimize our carbon footprint.”

The Society launched its Building Energy Quotient program, known as Building EQ, which will include both asset and operational ratings for all building types, except residential. ASHRAE is working with major real estate developers to implement the label prototype this fall with a widespread launch of the full program in 2010.

To help employers that are facing the challenges of retaining top employees and maintaining productivity and morale, Sodexo, Inc., now offers a Quality of Life Services Program: ToLive. Last week, the company announced its launch of this program designed to impact employee health, morale, attendance, retention and organizational effectiveness.

Sodexo's ToLive program includes an integrated approach to services that impact health and wellness.

Sodexo, a service company with a core business of integrated food and facilities management, stated that it has created ToLive to address the fact that 75% of chronic diseases are lifestyle related and avoidable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If ignored, they can also impact the bottom line of companies.

“Employers understand that during these difficult economic times, their employees might not be as focused on taking care of their health and well being. At the same time, companies can no longer afford to absorb the economic consequences associated with employees’ poor health,” said Aster Angagaw, senior vice president of market development, Sodexo Corporate Services. “Sodexo can help companies manage this dilemma by offering a unique set of solutions designed to manage the needs of employees while allowing the employer to focus more on their core business. This unique holistic approach is what makes Sodexo a valuable business partner to our clients.”

ToLive includes the delivery of an integrated approach to services that impact health and wellness, work-life balance, workforce diversity, sustainability, and workplace services. Examples of the program’s components include:

• Health and wellness tools and resources to create a culture that supports healthier lifestyle behaviors, leading to higher employee productivity and more importantly lower heath insurance costs
• Worklife effectiveness resources like a virtual concierge to improve productivity through offerings ranging from multiple errand elimination services, a personal resource center and other stress reducing amenities.
• Best practice sharing and expert consultation for other workplace services, diversity and sustainability initiatives

Combining online and on-site tools and strategies address both the on-site and virtual workforces. Angagaw added, “ToLive is comprehensive, incentive driven, and trackable, therefore sustainable for long-term company use.”