Meet the new Building Services Team at Franklin
July 27, 2010 •
The Office of the President has a new Building Services team, but don’t be surprised if some of the faces look familiar.
Building Manager Roman Starno and Work Management Center Assistant Karen Helten, who have both been at OP on a contract basis, are now full-time staff. They are joined by Raymond Hunter, supervisor of the Work Management Center, the mailroom and the copy center. Susie Kwong, business operations manager, and Kamlesh Kumari, senior reprographics technician, continue in their previous roles. Two building engineers will also be coming aboard, probably sometime in August.
There will also be some new faces among the security staff. Happily, Rhoderick Broughton, in his new position as security supervisor, will be staying on.
The changes are all part of an effort to make strategic use of resources and improve service to employees and others. By bringing Building Services in-house and rebidding on custodial and security vendors, OP is saving more than $750,000 per year, according to Michael Reese, associate vice president for business operations.
“For an organization our size, outsourcing building management doesn’t make sense, and you lose a level of service,” Reese said. “Even with the new positions, we expect significant savings, so it’s a good economic move.”
The new security and custodial vendors have committed to keeping as many of the current staff as possible, Reese said.
“People will be seeing some new faces around here but we’re making every effort to retain as many of the current staff as we can. There will inevitably be some change, but we’re looking for it to be as seamless as possible.”
The transition is expected to be complete by Aug 1. Among other changes, the Work Management Center has moved to Room 6314, in the old copy center just off the main elevators.
The switch in security and custodial vendors brings benefits other than just cost. The new vendor for custodial services, Pacific Maintenance Company, is a California-based business with a commitment to sustainable practices.
“They’re green-minded,” Reese said. “Employees may see some change there, such as more custodial services in the daytime to reduce night-time energy costs.”
The new security company, Securitas Security Services USA, is a large organization with the capacity to bring technological improvements to security at OP. In the coming months, staff will begin seeing modifications to the lobby, including upgrades to the security turnstyles and other safety enhancements.
The goal is to improve security while maintaining a welcoming atmosphere, Reese said.
“The lobby and our security staff are often the first face of the University for people who come here, and we need the right balance of openness, good customer service and security,” Reese said. “The new security vendor understands the need for that balance.”
Good to read that OP leadership realized that outsourcing building management is both expensive and not good for business.