The 1st Annual IFMA Carolinas’ Summit and Gala was a success! We had a great turnout of 115 FM Professionals and Associate Members at the Foundation for the Carolinas in Charlotte, NC for an afternoon of educational sessions followed by a cocktail reception and awards dinner. The educational sessions were very informative, kicked off by John Rimer who discussed Capital Replacement Programs. John provided a plethora of information about how to sell and justify a Capital Replacement Program to upper management, as well as some options for getting it done on the cheap. Following John was a panel discussion on Women in FM moderated by Ursula Foxworthy. She was joined by Cindy Clayton from The Mint Museum (retired), Corrina Knight from Red Hat, Jennifer Honaker from SPX Flow, and Elizabeth Valente from Macys. The panel discussed how they got started in FM, the challenges they have faced with being women in a male dominated industry and how they succeeded, as well as what needs to be done to encourage more young women to choose FM as a career path. Our last presentation of the afternoon was by Mike Petrusky of the Workplace Innovator podcast who discussed the paradoxes in today’s workplaces. Depending on who you talk to, the workplace is either completely different than 10 years ago, or just the same. Obviously there is more technology in the workplace, but attitudes are polarized on the effect of this technology to our occupants. The bottom line is twofold: we need to use technology to better engage our workforce to attract and retain the top talent; and we could all use a little more Baby Yoda in our daily lives.

After the educational sessions, the attendees relaxed and networked during the cocktail hour, then it was time for the Awards Dinner. The IFMA Carolinas’ Chapters presented three awards this year. Dallas Schwerin, the current President of the Charlotte Chapter, was awarded the Young Member of the Year Award. Dallas has been a force in the Charlotte Chapter and his passion for the Charlotte Chapter and the industry is unmatched. Danny Havens from the Upstate South Carolina Chapter was awarded the Associate Member of the Year Award for his selfless dedication to both the industry and his clients. Danny reminded the Associate Members in the audience that the benefits of being an active member far outweigh the commitment of time and money. And finally, Justin Barber from the Greater Triangle Chapter was awarded FM Professional of the Year. Justin is the current President of the Triangle Chapter and was recognized for his leadership within the Chapter and his company and for ensuring that his Chapter vision of “We Are Family” is continuously demonstrated throughout every Greater Triangle event.

Thank you to all of our sponsors and speakers, and congratulations to Dallas, Danny and Justin.  We’ll see you next year!

Sponsors

Title Sponsor: Kellermeyer Bergensons Services (KBS)

Cocktail Sponsor: The BUDD Group

Dinner Sponsors: RedLee/SCS & Spangler

Music Sponsor: Greater Triangle Chapter

Wine Sponsor: EDS

Ticket Booth: RedLee/SCS & Spangler

Dessert Sponsor: CertaPro Painters

Educational Session 1: McVeigh & Mangum Engineering

Educational Session 2: Dude Solutions

Educational Session 3: Bravo Services

Awards Winners

Innovation of the Year Award: Little Diversified Architectural Consulting

Young Member of the Year Award: CertaPro Painters

Associate Member of the Year Award: WellBeing Hygiene

FM Professional of the Year Award: RedLee/SCS