Winter 2008 IFMA – Northern Alberta Chapter Newsletter

 

The President’s Message

 

2007 was another strong year for the IFMA NAC.

 

Together with our Sponsors, the Board and each Member we have worked hard to find those few precious hours to support one another...face to face, by phone and by email and simply by maintaining your membership and your commitment to our Chapter.

 

You may not have come out to any local events, volunteered to man the booth at the Buildex trade show or participated in World Workplace or any of the many online opportunities that were sent from IFMA Houston but the way I approach it is that you were only a phone call away from any of the Members if they needed your advice or wanted to bounce an idea off you and the Membership was there to reciprocate.

 

This is the real strength of IFMA, knowing that you are an integral  part of a network of people that openly share and discuss issues, ideas and concerns and develop opportunities and solutions that benefit your personal and professional development.

 

I am grateful to each of you for contributing your time and expertise to the Facility Management profession  and to IFMA's success in 2007.

 

I look forward to working with you in 2008.

 

Brian Stephenson, President

 


 

The Treasurer’s Report

 

As at December 31, 2007 the NAC had a balance of approximately $20,083.00 in the bank.

 

Green Week

 

IFMA celebrated the first ever Green Week from January 28 to February 1, 2008.  During this time, the Northern Alberta Chapter was involved in creating a formal platform for sustainability as it pertains to facility management.

 

The NAC held a Green Advisory Committee, hosted by Omega Business Furnishings on Thursday, January 31, 2008.  The roundtable was a success!  Look for a summary in the next newsletter.

 

Buildex Tradeshow – April 29 – 30, 2008Edmonton

 

The Buildex Tradeshow offers two days of new products, educational seminars and leading industry speakers.  For more information visit www.buildexedmonton.com. 

 

The NAC has reserved a booth at this exciting tradeshow!  If you would like to represent our Chapter by volunteering your time at the Chapter booth, please e-mail the IFMA NAC Office Administrator at vici@telusplanet.net .

 

Young Professional Membership

 

Beginning in January 2008, IFMA will offer a new membership option.  The Young Professional category is open to IFMA members under the age of 30 as well as new or current IFMA members that have graduated from an accredited facility management program within 12 months of the time of application or renewal.  Membership as a Young Professional is limited to two years. 

 

As a member, your benefits include discounted annual dues ($92.00) and access to an online community.

 

New Website

The IFMA NAC website will soon be receiving a new facelift!  If you have any ideas or suggestions on how to improve the quality of our website, please contact Brian Stephenson at (780) 969-2283 or by e-mail at brian.stephenson@stantec.com.

 


 

Programs

 

Here is a list of planned future events. 

 

Information / Records Management – Using technology as an alternative to Real Estate to manage your organization’s information

 

Customer Service – What does customer service mean to your FM organization?  How can a focus on customer service improve performance for the company?

 

Capital Planning – Infrastructure requirements for a growing province and country.  How do organizations plan for and prioritize their infrastructure needs to best manage their assets?

 

Real Estate – Alberta Market – What are experts predicting?

Space Planning / Needs Analysis – Are we planning solutions for problems or are we finding problems to fit our solutions?  The needs analysis approach to space planning

 

P3 Projects – Public, Private Partnerships in Alberta

 

Membership

 

There are 50 current members in the Northern Alberta Chapter. Four of these members have Associate status.

We wish to welcome our new members!

John C. Benson, Facilities Services Supervisor, University of Alberta

Archie Pronger, Director Facilities & Ancillary Service, Northern Lakes College

Brenda E. Regnier, Facilities Supervisor, Convergys Inc

Paul A. Teterenko, Director General Services, St. Michael’s Health Group

 

Editor’s Note

 

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2008!  The newsletters are a way of reporting news and events to the members of the IFMA NAC. 

 

At this time, I would like to mention the importance of sponsorship to our Chapter.  Sponsorship levels include Gold, Silver, and Bronze.  Each level has many rewards that go along with it.  The NAC appreciates those who have sponsored our Chapter in past years and we are now in the process of finalizing new sponsorship.

 

If you have any ideas on improving our Chapter or would like to sponsor, please e-mail  the IFMA NAC Office Administrator at vici@telusplanet.net.

 

Glenn R. Bourke, FMA - Editor