Building excellence: EFMA

By Jill Schettler

Irene Young, secretary-treasurer of North Vancouver School District No. 44, attended the SPOA/EFMA Conference in June 2011 for the fi rst time and represented BCASBO (B.C. Association of School Business Offi cers) at the conference. An essential ingredient in the recipe for success is communication. And for many organizations, an annual conference proves invaluable in this department. This past June, the newly branded Educational Facility Managers Association (EFMA) hosted their annual conference in Penticton, B.C. It was a gathering of around 300 attendees, all with a common goal – a commitment to the future. Facility professionals, building maintenance personnel, custodial service and grounds personnel, and energy managers, as well as suppliers, organizers and guests attended the summer conference at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre. Attendees were privy to professional development,

David Day ...........604-690-7016 Dave Torrance .....604-690-6511 Verne Dion ..........604-690-7015 Jeff Dean ............604-690-4911 Kinson Chan .......604-690-7063 Jay Blaak ............604-690-7024 Laurie Fehlauer ...604-690-2315 Philip Maxwell ....604-868-0560 Eugene Kim ........604-309-4109 Bob Potts ............604-290-2355 round tables, presentations and a mix of social events like “disco nights,” a fan favourite. For fi rst-time attendee Irene Young, secretary-treasurer of North Vancouver School District No. 44, the conference proved to be of real value. “An invitation was extended to our ASBO executive and I put my hand up fi rst. ‘Pick me, pick me,’” says Young. “I knew it would be a good professional development experience for me, personally, in addition to being a great opportunity for strengthening the connections between our two associations. We have 60 school districts; if we don’t have opportunities to talk to each other, then we are reinventing the wheel. We all grow from learning from each other. It’s for the betterment of the school district, of all school districts.” Young’s experience at the SPOA/ EFMA conference, as a representative of BCASBO (B.C. Association of School Business Offi cers) restored her sense of community, a concept that can sometimes take backseat in a busy schedule. “My favourite part of conferences is the networking,” says Young. “I really enjoyed that because it gave me an opportunity to not only talk to others, but also talk to my own staff – it’s a real bonus because sometimes you get so busy. Maintenance is not a direct report to me, so in this case we actually had an opportunity to talk about work. It was interesting to know their perspectives on issues; I appreciated that.” Over 120 exhibitors were there at the conference to address questions and concerns of each attendee, which delighted the secretary-treasurer, who was somewhat surprised by how encompassing the conference was. Specifi cally, Young and her team were provided an opportunity to talk about

a potential new security system together with the staff and the supplier, and also had a chance to delve fi rst-hand into the ecofriendly interests of District 44. “My team and I went to one of the suppliers and asked to be shown the energy dashboards; how they work, what the benefi ts are. So it was really great to hear these presentations fi rst-hand, together with my team.” The June conference was the fi rst for the newly branded association, EFMA, though the same SPOA ideology remains very much at the wheel. Young is a defi nite supporter of the association’s new updated name, which she insists better refl ects the direction the association wishes to take into the future. Young’s colleague, District 44 custodial manager and EFMA president Ken Janzen, agrees. “We wanted to join the 21st century,” Janzen affi rms. “The School Plant Offi cials Association is something we hold near and dear, but we found that a lot of people have no concept of what a ‘plant offi cial’ is. We wanted a name that really encompassed what we do; that’s why we chose that name.” For Young, the comradeship within the association was evident, and the secretary-treasurer is looking forward to attending in the future. Moreover, the BCAS-

Workshops. President’s Reception.

Opening ceremonies.

Delegates, exhibitors and Partner’s Luncheon.

Exhibitors hosted Evening Disco Nite.

BO rep is sure to recommend the annual EFMA conference to other

secretary treasurers. “It was a great conference, and I had a good time,” refl ects Young. “We need to do more of this – getting secretary-treasurers to facilities conferences and getting facilities people to BCASBO conferences. I just think that networking really helps.”

Banquet head table.