Your Banner Ad HERE. Click here to find out how

Our Sponsors

	Home Page
	Calendar of Events
	Photos/Archives
	Your Career
	Organization Info
	Membership Info
	Index of Services
	IFMAOC Sponsorship
	IFMA Councils

Web Sponsors

For information about placing your logo linked to your web site please Click Here

News

SUCCESS STORIES
&
CURRENT NEWS

Click Here For More Info

The President's Message

Diane Coles, IFMA OC President, 2007-08
April 2008

Welcome to the Orange County Chapter of IFMA website! It is my honor and pleasure to serve in the capacity of President of this award-winning chapter. I encourage you to further navigate through our website so that you can gain a thorough understanding of the association, its services, events, educational programs, and volunteer opportunities offered to members.

It is clear to me that we gather in our association for a reason. We come together throughout the year to share our accomplishments, learn best practices, reflect on experiences, discuss common concerns and define a vision of our intended future. And, we gather because, in the end, we share a common interest in the facilities management profession.

During the past two years, the Board has conducted several strategic visioning sessions that engaged members in a process to identify where the association should concentrate its efforts in the future. These goals, which are tied to the IFMA International headquarters strategic plan, are grouped in four major areas.

Member Networking and Outreach

A major set of priorities is related to member networking and outreach. Robust communications, and especially electronic are not just vital to organizations today, they are essential. In addition, the need for perceived value from our professional association continues to expand, exponentially.

To help address these issues, we are continuing to enhance the IFMA OC website. We plan to launch new networking opportunities and events. We plan to seek innovative methods to better connect members. We plan to create a technology committee to research and implement new tools to engage and assess the needs of our professional members.

Professional Development

The second area is that of professional development. The plans for the future take advantage of tools established by IFMA headquarters along with new technologies to enhance the development of members. We plan to gear our programs to professional IFMA research documents identifying future trends in the industry, CFM certification courses and study guides. We plan to explore various online options to provide robust, engaging and interactive education offerings.

In order to support both new and experienced professionals, we have established various levels of educational programs and special events including the annual WestFac conference at the Anaheim Convention Center, Winter Fair, Green on the Greens, and Career Development meetings. The Industries Forum/Best Practices sessions have proven to be successful information sharing programs geared toward the higher-level executive.

Collaboration with other professional associations is necessary to network and maintain career knowledge. We plan to have at least three joint programs with other associations like BOMA, IREM, CoreNet, IFMA LA, IFMA San Diego, and others to share research and innovative ideas.

Mentoring and Succession Planning

The third area of interest is mentoring and succession planning. As the workforce ages, we are concerned about passing on experience and knowledge to new entrants into the field. Therefore, we have created two new committees that will be working together to solve the aging workforce issue. The new Succession Planning committee has established a mentoring program for those involved in the association. They will be working together with a new Young Professionals group to attract, retain and educate members and students new to the field.

Members of the association also work and teach at the University of California (UCI) Certificate in Facilities Management Program. We plan on increasing promotion of this program, the FMP and CFM certificates.

Chapter Leadership and Involvement

The fourth area is increasing committee involvement and preparing future leaders in the association. In order to attract and retain volunteers, we have initiated several new programs including special professional training for committee members. We plan on developing new training programs for committee and board members and creating co-chair training opportunities.

I encourage you to get involved, join a committee, and attend monthly programs and networking events. Whether you are a seasoned professional or new to the field, participating in IFMA can be beneficial to your career. The best way to learn about new trends in the field is to network with your peers and attend IFMA programs.

The years ahead promise to be very exciting, with many new happenings, all related to the strategic visioning process and the new core goals of OC IFMA.

I urge you to SPEAK UP AND GIVE US YOUR INPUT. We will be updating our strategic plan on an annual basis and you are encouraged to participate.

We want to hear from you. We want to know what types of educational programs interest you. We want to know what you need to help you professionally. I urge you to be an active participant this year. Please feel free to contact the association office or me. We want to hear your ideas!

March 2007

Fellow Orange County Chapter Members,

As I sit on a crowded jet to finish this letter I started a few months ago, I realized we have completed the first half of the chapter year. There have been a number of changes this year: three new executive board members and a new association management service (Gail Stewart & Associates) being the most significant. There has already been a number of successes we can be proud of: The annual golf tournament headed up by Tony Soriano and his fabulous committee, the CFM Exam Review Class coordinated by Betty Friedrichs and instructed by Bill Conley, and we continue to have outstanding monthly programs put together by Trish Secor, Helen Vesperman and their hard working committee. I would like to thank our past president Herb Chatterton for leading us through another successful year and two former executive board members Trish Secor and Bill Leas, who, over the past few years, have helped make this chapter strong and positively positioned for the future. And last but certainly not least, to an outstanding group of associate members who continue to donate their time and sponsorship dollars to ensure the success of this chapter.

Why is our chapter successful? One of the main reasons is participation and we need continued participation to keep things going. IFMA is a volunteer organization and it relies on its members to run the chapter. How do you get the most out of IFMA membership? Participation, get involved to whatever level your life can accommodate. Join a committee: from a leadership position to just making a few phone calls a month, every volunteer is important and needed. When was the last time you attended a chapter function? Attend a chapter meeting, study group or event, or sponsor a monthly meeting. You will find it fun and enlightening. Invest in your career. Things are changing constantly in our field and if you don�t want to be the one �let go� when there is a merger or downsizing, or you want to be promoted when there is an opportunity, you need to invest in yourself throughout your career. IFMA provides these opportunities specifically for the facility management field and the contacts you make and the things you learn can provide you career success as well as future opportunities.

Facility Managers, how many IFMA-Orange County members do you contract with? They are a great source of knowledge and they have a vested interest in seeing you succeed. They also have a lot to lose, since most chapter FM�s talk to check references or ask for recommendations. Associate members who aren�t reliable, competitive, and honest don�t last long in this chapter. Support your associate members by giving them an opportunity when you have a project or service out to bid. I encourage you to attend events like the Winterfaire and WESTFAC to see what these companies offer without the high pressure sales environment.

A membership survey was recently e-mailed to all members with a low response rate. We need to get your input on the chapter. We will be basing our strategic planning session on this survey, so we can plan to provide what our membership wants for programs, education, tours, ect. Please take this opportunity to help shape the direction of our chapter, it only takes 10 minutes. Please click on the link included with this communication to be directed to the survey site. If you did take the time to complete the survey already, thank you, your responses have been documented and you don�t need to take the survey again.

In closing, I look forward to a successful second half of the chapter year as there are a strong list of program events planned to entice you to come out and see what is going on and at the same time have some fun with us. We would love for you to join us for a tour, good food, great people and a little education and knowledge to make you grow in your field.

Sincerely,

Mike Darger, CFM

IFMA OC Chapter President

Director, Corporate & Restaurant Facilities

CKE Restaurants, Inc.

June 10, 2005

Dear Fellow IFMA Members,

Thank you for the honor and privilege of serving as your chapter president. It has been a successful year of growth and new experiences for our chapter. Due to the dedication and volunteerism of almost one third of our membership, we have welcomed 66 new members, continued offerings in quality educational programs, the Winter Faire, and two fun golf tournaments. Significant milestones were achieved this term. UCI became one of the first officially IFMA recognized Certificate Programs in Facility Management, due to the efforts of our local chapter members. This recognition qualifies the program for IFMA scholarship funds. In the spring, our chapter sponsored the first West Coast Facility Management Conference and Trade Show, (WESTFAC) which brought a new enthusiasm to our chapter. It is our hope that the momentum and interest continue as we venture into the time of annual leadership transition. Thank you for all of your support and involvement.

Our chapter is known for being �friendly� and approachable. We pride ourselves in fostering a spirit of teamwork and partnership within our organization. For many of us, the relationships we have built over the years are invaluable. I encourage you to continue your involvement, or try something new. I challenge you, in the coming year; reach out to a member you may not know or invite a prospective member to a meeting. Keep the faith!