| November 2004 Committee Reports |  |
| Committee Report - | Associate Relations |
| Committee Report - | Programs |
| Committee Report - | World Workplace |
Anne Harrod and Stephanie Segall, Co-chairs
The Associate Relations committee is reporting keen interest in IFMA sponsorships for 2005. With the sponsorship drive to continue through the end of the year, Segall reports that 12 companies already have committed to supporting the chapter next year. “We have about $8,000 in sponsorship money committed for next year, and we are getting a lot of new companies inquiring about sponsorship opportunities with IFMA. We are extremely encouraged by this early response and interest.”
Justin Murphy, Sandy Stayrook, Ken Mulligan, Co-chairs
The Programs/Education Committee is continuing to develop its calendar for 2005, and welcomes suggestions from members in its efforts to build “a well-rounded schedule of events for the facility manager.”
The success of the recent FM Roundtables has prompted to the committee to schedule six such sessions for next year. They will be held bi-monthly with the first set for January with date and location to be determined. Justin Murphy says the committee also has scheduled an educational event at the BX Expo February 2-3 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Founded in 1892 in Columbus, the Builders Exchange has more than 1,100 member firms, representing the entire spectrum of the industry. Members include architects, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers and manufacturers, along with related professionals such as attorneys, insurance and bonding agents, bankers, accountants and computer specialists.
In addition, the committee plans a tour of Worthington Industries facilities in May and will have a speaker for its March program, and “of course, we will continue with the annual golf outing and social events everyone has come to expect,” Murphy said.
Stephanie Segall, chair
The Central Ohio IFMA Chapter was well represented at World Workplace 2004 with 20 members taking part in the annual event held this year in Salt Lake City from Oct. 17-19.
Those attending the seminars, classes, social events, and the Awards of Excellence Banquet and Dinner included Janeen Carson, Jack Higgins, and Steve Holcomb, all of Chemical Abstracts; Mark Haberman, Ohio Building Authority; Eileen Smith, Verizon; Vicki Simons, BHDP Architecture; Dorothy Leachman, The Ohio State University; Lin Smirniotopolous, Continental Office; Barry Widder, NetJets; Angie Pulsfort, Mike Cornett, and Steve McKenzie, all of Ashland Chemical; Craig Ball and Kathy Merkle, both of Discover Financial Services; Daniel Ferguson and Gary Rhodes, both of American Electric Power; Dori Haugberg, America Online; Colin Murray, Nextel Communications; Michael Watts, CB Richard Ellis; and Stephanie Segall of Singer Wallcoverings, the chapter’s chair for the event.
Segall reported that almost everyone flew to Salt Lake City on October 16 “and had a day and a half of fun and relaxing” before the serious business got underway. The first day members of the Columbus contingent visited Gateway, a shopping/entertainment center build for the 2002 Winter Olympic crowds.
“That night,” Segall said, “we went to The Red Iguana, one of the best Mexican restaurants in the region. The restaurant is known nationally for its mole´ sauce and has won awards from Zagat’s. Mole´ is a thick, very flavorful sauce that usually accompanies meat and tortillas. This restaurant had some nine different kinds of mole´, which is really rare since each sauce takes a day to prepare. Most said it was one of the best meals that had had anywhere, and definitely the best Mexican food they had experienced.
“The next day members of the group took a van to Park City, about 30 minutes outside of Salt Lake City. This was one of the major sites of the 2002 Olympics. We saw the ski high jump that was built for the events and went into the little village for shopping. We had lunch at Zoom, a restaurant owned by Robert Redford, who hosts his annual Sundance film festival in downtown Park City. We visited the Egyptian Theatre, which premiers a number of the movies.
“The World Workplace Welcome Reception was held Sunday night. This year’s theme was ‘movies,’ and people were dressed as such celebrities as Jack Nickelson, Frank Sinatra, and Marilyn Monroe. Each wore giant papier-mâché heads that were made to look like the characters.
“Monday was the day of classes and seminars. However, during a break Eileen Smith, Vicki Simons, Lin Smirniotopolous and I visited the Mormon Tabernacle to hear the noon organ music presentation. Lin and I also visited the Family History Library, the largest of its kind in the world. They have numerous documents such as immigration records, ship information, birth records on microfilm from places around the world. We were there for five hours tracking our families’ histories. I found out when my great-grandparents immigrated to the United States (1904), and Lin found relatives that she didn’t know she had.
“That evening we ate at Cucina Toscana, a popular Italian restaurant. It was a wonderful meal, and we were highly entertained by the waiter and owner. The next day it was classes and the annual Awards of Excellence dinner. We returned to Columbus on Tuesday”
Segall said the courses most fond enjoyable and beneficial included:
Next year, the convention will be in Philadelphia from Oct. 23-25.