| Programs |  |
View Photos of this event - click here
The topics were as varied as the 25 participants who attended the Central Ohio IFMA Chapter's Roundtable Feb. 2 in conjunction with the 21st Annual Ohio Design & Construction Expo at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
The two-hour event opened with a continental breakfast and an opportunity for networking before moderator Miriah Liggett began directing the group through the serious business of facility management.
Topics ranged from recommending vendors for such needs as asphalt paving and treatment, roofing, recycling, wall coverings, to the LEED program and the recent initiative by Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman with regard to renovating the downtown Lazarus Building that is now city property along Green Building guidelines.
LEED--Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design--provides a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability environmental goals. Based on well-founded scientific standards, LEED emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Tom Logston related that the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission is also working with companies with considerable green space around their buildings to help them become more environmental friendly through the use of prairie grasses that don't require mowing and fertilizing yet look nice.
Another topic that generated considerable discussion was the best products to use in preventing or retarding mold. Some felt paint was the answer to this problem, but others said that the vinyl mold retardant and resistant products now on the market seem to be doing a proper job.
While several stated their companies or employers never put vinyl wall coverings on the inside of exterior walls, Mac Ware said he had found no specific type of paint to encapsulate or prevent mold. Poor workmanship rather than design or materials cause a lot of the problems, he said. Wall treatments, as well as renewable resources and a riding tour of a city or county landfill, created particular interest among the participants as topics for future meetings.
Regulating building temperatures also was an issue with Vicki Simons relating that her company in Cincinnati has installed an underfloor air system that brings comfort right to where the people are working and tends to resolve the "I'm to cold, I'm too hot" complaints.
Simons also recommended IFMA members consider joining an IFMA Council for information on solving various facility problems. Membership in each of the 16 councils is $30 per year in addition to regular IFMA membership. Councils, or areas that provide expertise, range from academic facilities to utilities and include such fields as corporate headquarters, call centers, public sector facilities, manufacturing, health care, and information technology.
IFMA established these councils to meet the industry-specific networking and information needs of its members. Councils provide opportunities for interaction that transcend chapter and regional boundaries, enabling members to meet other professionals who share an interest in a specific facility management practice or who work in the same business sector.
Subscribers are able to communicate with colleagues worldwide about issues, concerns and best practices specific to their area of facility management.
And as one participant put it, "It certainly beats Google!"
Next month the chapter returns to the Fawcett Center March 9 at The Ohio State University for its main activity. Ted Janusz, professional speaker, trainer, and author, will discuss Turbostrategy. How to Transform your business and boost your profits. Janusz operates his own speaking and training company.
The event will run from 7:30-9:30 a.m. with a continental breakfast and an opportunity for networking. A resident of Hilliard, Janusz is a member of the National Speakers Association, the National Speakers Association of Ohio, and earned his MBA in marketing from the University of Pittsburgh.
The second of six "regular" roundtables will be conducted at the Grandview Cafe on April 13, and a tour of Worthington Industries has been scheduled for May.