Cutting costs in existing buildings By Jim Meacham

CTG is excited to be attending this year’s IFMA (International Facility Management Association) annual conference, the World Workplace 2009 Conference & Expo at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Along with my colleague Natalie Bodenhamer, CTG will be hosting a booth in the exhibitor hall, attending some of the presentations & workshops, and hosting a book signing at our booth.

Find out how industry leaders are cutting costs

One of the areas of focus at this year’s conference that we’re particularly excited about is related to cost cutting in existing buildings, and that it CAN be successfully accomplished - even in today’s challenging environment. In CTG’s practice of working with clients to green their facilities, the concept we emphasize is that sustainable changes can be implemented and significant savings realized at any point in the building lifecycle.

More and more owners and facility managers are embracing this concept. For every client and every building we work with there are always opportunities at any point in a building life-cycle and at a wide budget range to achieve a substantially more sustainable facility and yield significant savings to your organization’s bottom line.

The relationship between greening a facility and the resulting cost savings is an important focus. At CTG we’ve helped scores of clients develop programs that have generated surprising ROI, and part of our goal for attending the IFMA conference this year is to share these stories of savings and get more building owners and facility managers on board with a sustainable facilities program.

Some of the key points are:

• Sustainability can play a surprisingly positive role in scaling back operating costs.
• Choosing portfolio vs. single-building approach depends on your organization’s specific goals.
• Actual results are now available in recent case studies.
• Measures can be implemented at any point in a building lifecycle, and a wide range of budgets.
• Greening a building will prolong a building’s life, increase the asset’s value, and provide for a healthier, more comfortable working environment.

If you happen to be attending this year’s conference, please stop by and visit us - we’d like to hear about the challenges you’re facing. We’re at booth 1025, near the main IFMA booth in aisle 1000.

New book on cutting costs debuts at IFMA

At IFMA an important new handbook on smart cost-cutting makes its debut. Cut It Out, an exciting new approach to overall cost management is being released on October 7 and will make its debut at the IFMA World Workplace. According to the authors, "This handbook is designed for all those who face these management challenges in buildings today, it is the GPS for driving innovative cost reductions and it template for sustainable answers demanded by today’s environmentally minded occupants."

A book signing will be held by the authors at the CTG booth (1025) on Wednesday, 10/7 at 4 pm. Come and hear firsthand how leading organizations have structured, implemented and duplicated successful cost cutting projects and programs. Download a summary for the “Cut It Out” presentation series at: http://www.ctg-net.com

We look forward to seeing you at the conference. And if you’re not at the conference, feel free to give us a call or send an email anytime.

-Jim
Jim Meacham is Director of Advanced Energy Systems at CTG Energetics