Utah Facilities March 2011

IN THIS ISSUE: Healthcare Facilities Go Wireless

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4 I UTAH BUILDINGS FALL 2010

MARCH 2011

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DEPARTMENTS

16 24 25 28 37 40 42 43 46 47

Real Estate Law How to avoid paying subcontractors twice

Pest Control Barn swallows bring ticks, bed bugs, parasites

HVAC Deferring HVAC maintenance has hidden costs

Disaster Preparedness Security Technology impacts contract security service

Healthcare Facilities Wireless vs. Hardwired

The Outstanding Building of the Year Awards

Janitorial Energy Savings

FEATURES

Tune up your boiler

Contracts Improper equipment installation can reduce energy efficiency, cause failures

Briefly New Environshield technology disinfects facilities

30 Modern History

8 14 26 33 38 44

Data Centers Large data centers legitimize Utah for colocation

Vendor Relations Vendors help manage facilities

Mall Makeover Managing Valley Fair during remodel

BOMA Utah Newsletter Construction AGC Utah Convention

Property Manager Renee Schmid, asset/property manager for Roderick Enterprises

On the cover: The Kearns Building received a 2011 TOBY Award.

Photo courtesy of Dana Sohm.

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 5

PUBLISHER’S LETTER In the current economy, partnering with the right vendors is critical to building operations. Building owners and managers don’t have the budget or time to tolerate over-promising, under-delivering vendors. Whether it’s a service agreement or a new project, choosing the right vendor is critical.

Vendors are an extension of your organization and can have a negative or positive impact on your building’s appearance, functionality and bottom line.

As a building owner or manager you must understand what your needs are in order to make the right vendor selection. Knowing if the vendor has a local, regional or national footprint can be an important piece of information in the selection process. Sometimes choosing a local vendor allows for a closer relationship with the crew actually performing the service. If you manage multiple facilities, a regional or national vendor may have more comprehensive services and capabilities, saving you time and money on contracts and billing.

Other considerations when selecting a vendor include: Do they have reporting capabilities that can be shared in order to improve efficiencies?

Can they offer a single point-of-contact that can be reached at any time?

What are their procedures for emergencies, and do they have the ability to respond quickly? Oftentimes, you won’t find a vendor that matches your needs exactly. In that case, the vendor you select should be adaptable and present creative solutions.

The articles and advertising appearing in Utah Facilities are aimed at helping building owners and managers make informed decisions regarding construction, modernization and management of their buildings. If you have comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact us. We want to share your stories about best practices and successful vendor relationships.

CONTACT Publisher Travis Barrington travis@jengomedia.com

Managing Editor Kelly Lux kelly@jengomedia.com

Advertising Thomas Farwell tommy@jengomedia.com

Editorial Assistant Brooklyn Ashy

Art Director Doug Conboy

Contributing Photographer Dana Sohm

Contributing Writers Dean Kashiwagi Wayne Wright Jacquie Brennan Don Aslett Mark T. Woolley Jacob Fullmer Edward Tallerico Jill Rasmussen Rich Thorn Jim Woodard Jason H. Robinson

Utah Facilities Publisher Utah Facilities

The publisher is not responsible for the accuracy of the articles in Utah Facilities. The information contained within has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Neither the publisher nor any other party assumes liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on this material. Appropriate professional advice should be sought before making decisions.

Copyright 2011 Utah Facilities Magazine. Utah Facilities is a Trademark owned by Jengo Media.

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PO Box 970281 Orem, Utah 84097 Office: 801.224.5500 Fax: 801.407.1602 JengoMedia.com

Utah Facilities is a proud BOMA National Associate member.

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ow energy costs, a stable local economy and a low geographic risk of natural disasters make Utah an ideal location for data center facilities. The state’s reputation is helping to bring in large data center facilities from giant brands such as Oracle, eBay and the National Security Agency. The fertile technology environment and wealth of tech start-up companies, as well as Utah’s reputation for skiing and outdoor recreation, has earned the state the moniker of Silicon Slopes.

“Data centers of companies like eBay, Oracle, the NSA and Twitter have chosen Utah because of our stellar workforce, cooperative business environment and a great relationship between the public and private sector,” said Jeff Edwards, president and CEO of Economic Development Corporation of Utah. “I expect we will see future growth in this important segment of the information technology sector in our state.”

C7 Data Centers, with venture capital backing from The Canopy Group, is taking advantage of the benefits of Utah’s low costs and disaster safe demographic to bring even more big brands to Utah.

Capitalizing on its technological innovation and operational experience, C7 manages and owns state-of-the-art, multi-tenant colocation data centers, providing a reliable place for companies from the East and West Coasts to store their computer equipment and data.

“The Oracle, eBay and the NSA data centers make CIO’s all over wonder what is going on here. Utah really isn’t a place that comes to mind when you think of a location where you store your business’s critical data. Usually a company will just try to find a multi-tenant facility close to their corporate headquarters,” said Mike Maughan, director of marketing for C7 Data Centers. “But when eBay builds a data center in Utah and announces that their operating costs for that facility are 50 percent less than any of their other

facilities, companies take notice and realize they should consider a facility in Utah.”

C7’s four Utah facilities provide some 300 companies a safe location for their IT infrastructure with redundant connections to power, internet and cooling. C7’s tier-3 downtown Salt Lake City data center, which opened in 2006, is approximately 16,000 square feet. The company’s tier-3 Bluffdale location opened in fall 2010 with 65,000 square feet as Utah’s newest, stateof-the-art data center facility. In Lindon, C7 operates a tier-3 facility built in 2008 with more than 10,500 square feet. The Orem data center facility is a 4,000 square feet, tier-2 data center.

Emphasizing preventative maintenance, C7 manages its facilities with systematic inspections and detection of potential failures. The company’s dedicated facilities team performs daily checks on all infrastructure systems, weekly tests of failover mechanisms and quarterly integrity inspections that include specialized sensory equipment to view the condition of concealed wiring.

“Ours is the Lamborghini of facilities, compared to what a typical company will do in house,” Maughan said. “Typically a company can cut corners in the design of their own facility in order to reduce costs – but a multi-tenant data center provider has to over-engineer their facilities to ensure uptime guarantees for the most demanding companies.”

continued on page 10

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 9

Photos courtesy of C7 Data Centers

By the Numbers at C7 Data Centers:

4 Locations throughout Utah

96,000 Combined square footage of facilities

300 Customers

120 KW of power delivered to a single cabinet

10 Gigabits of data transferred per second

2 2n redundant power and cooling 10 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

continued from page 9 Disaster Safe C7’s data centers are located in disaster-safe zones along the Wasatch Front, one of the safest places in the United States. During the last 58 years, Utah has had only seven of 1,952 Presidential Disaster Declarations in the United States, according to fema.gov, the least of all the states.

With Utah being in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, there is an implied threat of earthquakes. However, the geology of the fault lines in the Wasatch Front are the type where the tectonic plates pull apart, as opposed to pushing against each other or striking against each other. Therefore, the damage an earthquake would cause in the Wasatch Front would be minimal. Additionally, C7’s facilities are built on solid bedrock and on high ground to further prevent damages caused by earthquakes, floods or other natural events.

The power supplied to C7’s facilities is prioritized with the power company so that in the event of a disaster, C7’s facilities would receive power over residential demands. In addition, the facilities also draw power from two distinct sub-stations and scrubs the power for clean delivery.

Security Each facility is equipped with strategically-placed security cameras, a member of the staff on hand 24/7 and electronic key cards and five-finger scanners for entry into the buildings and data centers.

“Physical security is important.

When a customer moves their IT infrastructure into your data center facility, they entrust you with a valuable part of their business,” Maughan said.

Rigorous controls are used on facility access, and the company’s support staff accompanies all vendors and maintenance contractors that need access onto the data center floor. Most companies place their equipment within the confines of a lockable ‘rack’ or ‘cabinet’. But for convenience, storage space and added security, some companies will lease floor space and put a cage around their equipment.

As an example of the critical nature of the data and IT infrastructure placed within a data center facility, some companies will go so far as to put a metal cage around a lockable cabinet with their own surveillance system installed to record any movement in and around their designated space.

Taking data center security to the extreme, some intelligence related organizations even require a private vault of 3-foot thick, blast resistant, reinforced concrete to place their equipment. Other data center facility providers have converted old Cold War missile silos and bunkers into facilities that were built to survive an indirect hit by an atomic bomb.

Keeping Costs Down By maintaining strict operational procedures and precautions, C7 is able to keep its operating costs at a minimum. This oversight and efficiency also helps the company to build a reputation and grow its organic customer base. “You win the trust and

repeat business with your customers by not going down,” said Dave Jenkins, senior vice president of marketing operations at C7 Data Centers.

“C7 implements high efficiency technologies and controls in its facilities to keep costs down,” Jenkins said. At the company’s Lindon facility, C7 has created and implemented costsaving technologies to make the most use of the computer room air conditioning (CRAC) units. These technologies allow the company to accommodate more and more dense computing platforms, allowing their customers to pack as much as they possibly can into a single cabinet.

“There was enough foresight in the facility design to handle the trend of increasingly dense computing environments,” Maughan said.

The CRAC units in the data centers are connected to variable frequency drives (VFD) which allow for load control management and efficient energy usage. The VFDs adjust automatically based on the under floor pressure sensor data. The cooling systems are redundant, and any failed component can be exchanged quickly and easily due to the modular-based system, reducing service maintenance interruptions.

To reduce power costs, a proprietary cold aisle containment system, a domed system that directs cold air into the servers, is used. The cold aisles also increase the life of the computer equipment it cools by evenly distributing the cold air to all areas of the cabinet. When the hot air exits the servers, it is trapped and then directed to the CRAC intake. Raised floors are used to direct the cold air blowing out from the CRAC units into the cold aisle containment systems.

“The major goal of C7’s cooling system is to cool the equipment, and not the whole room,” Maughan said. “It is just done right. And because we are so efficient, we are able to compete on price and win almost all of the time.”

Utah’s low power costs, almost half of the cost of power in California, are also beneficial to the data center.

NSA Moves Forward on $1.2 Billion Utah Data Center

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he National Security Agency, acting as the executive agent for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers broke ground in January on a $1.2 billion data center at Camp Williams.The one million square-foot facility, 100,000 square feet is data center, is currently the second largest construction project in the nation and will bring between 5,000 and 10,000 new jobs to Utah during the construction and development phase, according to Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

The data center is one of several data centers, including Oracle, eBay, Twitter and Mozy, locating in Utah. Other companies that are not solely data centers but have data center components, including RBS and Adobe, are also moving to Utah. The Economic Development Corporation of Utah is working on at least six other data center projects in the state, said Brigham Mellor, research manager for EDCUtah.

Cheap power is the No. 1 reason these data centers come to Utah, Mellor said.

Designed to support the Intelligence Community’s efforts to strengthen and protect the nation’s cyber security, the data center will be state-of-the-art with a nerve center of 100,000 square feet of climate-controlled computer space.The facility,built on 240 acres of Camp Williams property, will require a large investment in infrastructure to accommodate the 65 megawatts of electricity needed for the computers.

“In an era when our nation and its allies are increasingly dependent on the integrity of information and systems supported, transmitted or stored in cyberspace, it is essential that that space is as resilient and secure as possible,” said NSA Deputy Director John C. Inglis.

Although data centers are an indicator of a state’s economy, these facilities do not bring a large number of jobs to the state, Mellor said. Data centers are beneficial to the economy in other ways. These facilities have a lot of expensive equipment that is taxable by local municipalities. Some new jobs are created and a lot of money is spent during the construction of these facilities, he said. This is apparent with the construction of the data center.

For the data center, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the construction agent responsible for handling the acquisition and contracting, design management and review and project management. The main construction contract will be a joint venture between Balfour Beatty, DPR and Big-D Construction.The initial earthwork was done by Kiewit Federal Group, Inc. Kiewit was also awarded the contract on the electrical substations. The Utah Military Installation Development Authority will do the planning, design and construction of utility infrastructure and has subcontracts with Bluffdale City, Stantec, Rocky Mountain Power and Wasatch Electric. UF

continued on page 12 UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 11

continued from page 11 By partnering with Rocky Mountain Power, which generates power locally through coal burning power plants, nuclear energy, natural gas and wind energy, C7 is able to keep its operating costs and its customer’s costs down.

Redundancy C7’s power deliver system has multiple substations providing power to their facilities, generators and battery backup, true A and B components and filtered power for smooth and clean delivery. Data centers typically have several layers of redundancy, ensuring uninterrupted power delivery. UPS batteries and ATS systems are common methods of ensuring uninterrupted power supply. These redundancies ensure that the data centers’ power supply is continuous and uninterrupted.

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The power grid which supplies C7 Data Centers is fed from two substations, located near Provo Canyon and Geneva Steel and powered by Rocky Mountain Power. The fully redundant power delivery network has separate and independent A and B components throughout the system, and in the event of a loss of power, the redundant leg of power ensures uninterrupted power delivery.

The company’s power delivery systems are designed and implemented with wrap-around, bypass functionality to support preventative maintenance.

The batteries, which are latest generation and eliminate problems of voltage drift and out of tolerance conditions, are inspected regularly and replaced according to manufacturer recommendations. Thermal scanning is performed quarterly on all breaker panels and transformers. The generators, which provide additional power back up during possible power failures, are equipped with redundant components and undergo weekly run tests, monthly Automatic Transfer Switch and data center load tests and semi-annual load bank tests.

“Computing platforms are becoming more power intensive as companies depend evermore on their IT infrastructure as part of their

business processes,” according to the C7 website. “Developing a redundant, high density power delivery system becomes increasingly critical for data center growth and sustainability.”

Additionally, and for Internet connectivity redundancy, C7 is carrier neutral, purchasing bandwidth from multiple tier 1 carriers, including Verizon, Cogent Communications, Level 3 Communications, XO Communications, Integra Telecom and Qwest. This redundancy minimizes the possibility of Internet failure, protecting C7 customers against loss of data and revenue.

Growth Efficient and modernized data centers with increased density and cooling capacity are in high demand throughout the United States, Maughan said. Many owners of data centers are building new facilities rather than updating old facilities. C7 is helping to satisfy the industry demand for high-density data center space with its most recent data center in Bluffdale. This facility is equipped with 40,000 square feet of 36-inch raised floor, a high level of security and reliability, unique cold row cooling and a fully monitored, fault-tolerant HVAC system.

“We are growing so fast right now,” Maughan said. “It is a great time to be in the data center business.” UF

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Model Puts Vendors in Charge of Facilities Management

By Dean Kashiwagi

T

he Performance Based Studies Research Group (PBSRG) has been studying the delivery of services to owners/clients/buyers since 1994. The technology is called the best value Performance Information Procurement System (PIPS) and the Performance Information Risk Management System (PIRMS) and is based on the Information Measurement Theory (IMT).

The majority of testing occurred in the construction industry. Since 2007, Arizona State University, under the direction of Ray Jensen and procurement director John Riley, allowed the testing of best value PIPS on non-construction services. From 2007, ASU, proceeded to use PIPS on the delivery of their food services, the sports marketing, their document control, the outsourcing of

Another dominant test has been with the General Services Administration (GSA) in the heartland region (Kansas City). They have a four-year plan ($800,000 grant) to implement the best value PIPS system into the GSA system. Their interest is peaked by the: • Measurement of performance and deviations on every project.

• The ability to accurately measure their entire organization’s performance using vendor risk information.

• The ability to minimize project cost and time deviation.

• The potential to increase their delivery of projects with 10 times the efficiency.

The University of Minnesota has been using best value PIPS for the past five years. As a result of their

Performance Information Procurement System: What makes the technology lucrative to owners/buyers of services?

• 98 percent of more than 700 • Client does not need to know the tests (1994-2010) have high exact product/system/solution customer satisfaction, they are looking for, they just no vendor created cost or time need to know what they think deviation, and are delivered at they want. a low cost.

• Vendors make up to 100 percent • Minimizes up to 90 percent of more profit, but deliver it at a the client project and risk lower cost. management transactions.

• Value and performance increase, and cost and risk decrease. their IT networking services, long distance education and help desk services. From the first three contracts, the vendors identified the value of the new best value processes at $100 million over the next 10 years (difference in the revenues that ASU will receive over the next 10 years that is written into the best value contracts).

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performance, Minnesota changed their law to deliver construction using the best value PIPS methodology. Five other government entities in Minnesota are now testing the process.

A federal organization has been testing best value PIPS for the longest period of time. Without addressing the procurement of the service, it has used

the deductive logic to motivate contractors to do the following: • Pre-plan to manage and minimize risk.

• Assist the government participants in the project to be accountable, doing the right things at the right time.

• Have a plan (in terms of performance and time), help the government to do things in the right order and time and document the source of any cost and time deviations on the project.

• Project cost deviation has been minimized by 50 percent by knowing the 10 riskiest projects weekly, of 300 projects at 26 different sites, with a budget of more than $300 million.

The Western States Contracting Association (WSCA), of which Arizona is a member, has sponsored tests with the states of Idaho, Alaska and Oregon. They include a $200 million ERP system procurement, a $30 million DMV system for the Idaho Department of Transportation (IDT) and a test to purchase a software package for the Oregon facilities group.

PBSRG has also had an international reach as the Dutch national government is running the largest best value PIPS test (delivering one billion Euro value critical highway renovations). Best value PIPS tests in all industries has resulted in huge efficiencies and value for the buyer/clients. PBSRG is also ready to assist the largest and most influential contractor/developer entity in Malaysia, who wants to integrate their entire supply chain, from the development to the maintaining of the properties. PBSRG has also run tests in Gaborone, Botswana, in the southern section of Africa. The next country which will test PIPS/PIRMS is

vendor relations Canada, as the University of Alberta will be implementing and testing PIPS. The PIPS/PIRMS technology (processes, use of performance information and deductive logic) is licensed through AZ Tech, the technology licensing arm of Arizona State University. PIPS and PIRMS is different from all traditional project delivery systems due to the following: • It minimizes the management, direction and control of the buyer’s organization on the vendors.

• It minimizes the communication, documentation and paperwork.

• It proposes that the vendor is the expert and should know what the end product is, why it is required and how it will be delivered.

• It proposes that expert vendors can see the delivery of the service from beginning to the end, regardless of the perceived technical complexity, and can break it down into simple tasks that the client can understand.

• Creates transparency so the client can quickly identify which vendors can perform and which cannot.

PIPS/PIRMS works because it aligns expert resources against requirements. It motivates the vendor to think in the best interest of the client, and at the same time maximizes the vendor’s profits. Lessons learned from 16 years of testing best value PIPS include: buying on price is a “blind man’s game,” a high performer can always deliver a better value and the client is his own worst enemy because they cannot tell the difference between good and bad vendors, and they try to bring the high performing vendors risk by arbitrarily trying to get them to reduce their price.

Dean T. Kashiwagi, professor and director of Performance Based Studies Research Group at Arizona State University, is an expert in optimizing the delivery of construction and other services using performance information. UF

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 15

Payment Bonds, Joint Checks can Help Building Owners Avoid Paying Twice

By Jason H. Robinson

O

ftentimes, contractors or subcontractors get paid and thereafter become insolvent without paying downstream subcontractors. This often leads to mechanics’ liens against the project from unpaid subcontractors who can force the owner to pay twice for labor, services, materials or equipment. The following are proven strategies that can help Utah building owners avoid paying twice for services.

Obtain a Payment Bond Utah law requires an owner to obtain a payment bond from the contractor before entering into a private commercial contract with a price exceeding $50,000 for the construction, alteration, or repair of any building, structure or improvement.

The bond must be in the amount of the original contract price.

The purpose of a bond is to protect subcontractors from nonpayment. If the contractor or a subcontractor fails to pay a downstream subcontractor, the unpaid subcontractor may make a claim against the bond. If the subcontractor is successful, the surety who issued the bond will be required to pay the subcontractor for its work instead of the owner paying twice.

Also, a bond provides at least two less obvious benefits. First, a contractor who provides a bond may be more motivated to ensure that subcontractors are paid so as to avoid claims against its bond. Second, while a bond does not prevent mechanics’ liens from being filed, it is typically easier for an unpaid subcontractor to collect money on a bond claim than a mechanics’ lien claim. So, a bond may reduce mechanics’ lien claims.

Nevertheless, some owners choose not to obtain a bond, concluding that the cost of obtaining one outweighs the 16 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

risk. After all, the cost of a bond is normally passed along to the owner.

The risk for an owner who fails to obtain a bond is direct liability to unpaid subcontractors.

Use the State Construction Registry Utah’s State Construction Registry (SCR) is an online “bulletin board” designed to help keep owners informed of all subcontractors on their projects.

Through the SCR, owners have access to a “list” of all subcontractors who are expecting payment and can take action to make sure they are paid. The following is a general overview of the SCR. (For further details, visit www.scr.utah.gov.)

Within 15 days of the issuance of the building permit or commencement of the work on the project, a Notice of Commencement must be filed on the SCR. The Notice of Commencement starts the “list” for the project. The Notice of Commencement is typically filed by the building department when issuing a permit for the project. It may also be filed by the contractor or owner.

If a Notice of Commencement is not filed in a timely manner, in proper form, it is invalid. This would result in the “list” never getting started for the project.

If a valid Notice of Commencement is filed, subcontractors who desire to preserve a mechanics’ lien and payment bond claim rights must file a Preliminary Notice within 20 days of their first work. The Preliminary Notice gets subcontractors on the “list.”

A late Preliminary Notice may be valid, but may not cover all work. A subcontractor who is required to but fails to file a valid Preliminary Notice is precluded from making a mechanics’ lien or bond claim.

At the conclusion of a project, the

owner, contractor, lender, surety or title company may file a Notice of Completion upon the issuance of a permanent certificate of occupancy. If no permanent certificate of occupancy is issued, then upon final inspection. If no final inspection is required, then upon substantial completion. A Notice of Completion benefits the owner by shortening the time for filing Preliminary Notices and mechanics’ liens. These shortened time periods may reduce claims.

The SCR is a valuable tool. Use it.

Before making payments, the owner should check the “list” to see which subcontractors have filed Preliminary Notices. The owner should make certain that those subcontractors are paid for their work to avoid mechanics’ liens that may result in the owner paying twice.

Issue Joint Checks Joint checks are commonly used in the construction industry. A joint check, sometimes referred to as a “two party” check, is payable to two parties.

The checks are made payable jointly to the contractor and the subcontractor.

For the check to be cashed, both parties must endorse the check. By issuing joint checks, the owner makes sure that all subcontractors are paid for their work to avoid mechanics’ liens which may result in the owner paying twice.

Require Lien Waivers Along with joint checks, an owner should require conditional lien waivers as a precondition to making progress payments and unconditional lien waivers as a precondition to making final payments. Some owners use lien waiver forms. Others use restrictive lien waiver endorsements on their checks.

Owners who use restrictive endorsements should use the following

real estate law language required by Utah Code section 38-1-39: “This check is a progress/final payment for property described on this check sufficient for identification. Endorsement of this check is an acknowledgment by the endorser that the waiver and release to which the payment applies is effective to the extent provided in Utah Code Ann. Subsection 38-1-39(4)(b) or (c) respectively.�

An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. By using these strategies, Utah building owners can reduce the risk of paying twice.

Jason H. Robinson is a shareholder at the law firm of Babcock, Scott & Babcock, P.C. in Salt Lake City, where he practices construction law. He may be at 801.531.7000 or jason@babcockscott.com. UF

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 17

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ive commercial buildings were recognized as being the best in Utah’s commercial building industry with The 2011 Outstanding Building of the Year Awards, an annual program sponsored by the Building Owners and Managers Association of Utah. The TOBYs recognize quality in buildings and excellence in building management, according to BOMA International. The TOBY is considered the most prestigious and comprehensive program of its kind in commercial real estate, said BOMA Utah President Jim Derrick.

“The TOBYs really help managers focus on getting everything organized and helps get their building the recognition that it deserves,” said Renee Schmid, 2011 BOMA Utah TOBY chair and property manager at Roderick Enterprises. “Those who enter their buildings into the TOBYs deserve to have their buildings showcased. It separates their buildings from the rest of the buildings in Utah.”

Winners of the TOBYs are determined through a judging process established by BOMA International. “During the competitions, all facets of a building’s operations are thoroughly evaluated. Buildings are judged on everything from community involvement and site management to environmental and ‘green’ policies and procedures,” according to TOBYAwards.org. Judges also consider tenant relations programs, emergency preparedness, security standards and continuing education for building personnel.

BOMA Utah TOBY winners were announced during an award ceremony held on Thursday, Feb. 10, at the Grand America Hotel. Although there are 13 different categories in the TOBY

competition, only five categories were recognized during the 2011 BOMA Utah TOBYs. Each of the five building entrants were deemed winners, scoring 70 percent or greater under the judging criteria set by BOMA International. The outstanding buildings of 2011 are the Renaissance Medical Center, Ninigret X and Ninigret XI, South Towne Corporate Center, Edgewater Corporate Park and the Kearns Building.

Four of the five buildings which received awards are managed

by CB Richard Ellis. The other building, the Kearns Building, is managed by Hines.

All of the buildings are managed by well-organized and efficient property managers, said Schmid. “The managers who enter their buildings are top-notch property managers who manage a top-notch property because of their skills and abilities.”

Although pleased with the participants in the 2011 competition, the BOMA Utah TOBY committee hopes to see more participants in the competition for the 2012 TOBYs, Schmid said.

“I really want to encourage property managers in Utah to get involved in BOMA and get their buildings ready to be entered into the upcoming 2012 competition,” Schmid said. “I think the TOBYs are great publicity for the building and property managers and the owners. And in today’s environment, I think every building owner needs to be doing everything they possibly can to get their building fully marketed and fully leased.”

The winners of the 2011 BOMA Utah TOBYs will advance to the regional competition. Buildings that are recognized on a regional level will be eligible to compete at the international level.

< The Kearns Building 136 136 S. S. Main, Main, Salt Salt Lake Lake City City Category: Historical Building

Building Manager: Lorrie Ostlind, Property Manager

Year Complete: 1911

Team Members: Ginny Kholm, Assistant Manager; Dean Trujillo, Engineering Manager; Brandon Scroggins, Engineer; Dusty Harris, Asset Manager

Owner: Hines Management Company: Hines

Square Feet: 168,000

For the third consecutive year, the Kearns Building has earned the Historical Building Award in the BOMA Utah TOBYs. Twice the building has been recognized on a regional level. The management team’s efforts have also earned the building the BOMA 360 Designation in 2010 as well as the Energy Star Award every year since 2001. Sights are set this year on an International TOBY Award. “We are giving it our all,” said Lorrie Ostlind, the building manager at the Kearns Building.

Built in 1911, the Kearns Building has a concrete, steel, stone, granite and brick veneer foundation. True to its classic Sullivanesque style, its facade is heavy enamel glaze with light cream terra cotta, boldly projecting cornices and arched windows. The lobby is decorated with floor-to-ceiling white marble wainscoting that reaches the second floor via a grandiose stairwell. Restored in 1989, the Kearns Building offers a modernized office space with a historical flare.

“Kearns has the charm and beauty of a treasured old jewel box with the comfort of modern amenities, along with the highest accountability to energy efficiency,” said Ostlind.

Amenities on the property include a tenant break room, restaurant, private club and abundant parking. The building’s location offers easy accessibility to the light rail system, local and national banks, retail stores, art galleries and museums.

The engineers and cleaning staff work continually to ensure the building is operating efficiently and that its cleanliness is maintained, said Ostlind.

“The owners give us the ability to take good care of the tenants and the building,” said Ostlind. “The dedication of the staff is really what makes a difference here. They take a lot of pride in how the building runs and the appearance of the building.”

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 19

1991 1991 S. S. 4650 4650 West West and and 4750 4750 W. W. 2100 2100 South, South, West West Valley Valley City City

<

Ninigret X, Ninigret XI

Ninigret X and XI were built with 12-inch raised floors that house the electrical and communication systems and wiring, allowing for immediate, low-cost and easy access to tenant systems. The twin office buildings, each approximately 93,000 square feet, have four above-ground floors each with every floor equipped with two mechanical rooms and two restrooms. These unique features and others in the building were factors in entering the building into the TOBY Awards.

“They are beautiful, Class A buildings,” said Helen Smith, building manager for the Ninigret buildings. “We felt our buildings were worthy of a TOBY and decided to enter them into the competition.”

The Ninigret buildings each have two passenger elevators, one freight elevator and mechanical and electrical rooms. The buildings have identical exterior facades of insulation finish system, with steel exterior accent columns, pitched standing seam metal roofs and aluminum framed tinted dual-paned insulative vision glass and single pane spandrel glass. The areas around the buildings and the parking lot islands are fully landscaped. Pole lights, wall packs and sidewalk lighting are used outside the buildings for maximum safety and aesthetic appeal.

Ninigret X is leased entirely by one tenant. Ninigret XI is a multi-tenant building that is 99 percent occupied.

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< SouthTowne Corporate Center

150 150 and and 200 200 West West Civic Civic Center Center Drive, Drive, Sandy Sandy

Category: Suburban Office Park (Mid-Rise) Year Complete: 1999, 2006 Owner: KBS Realty Advisors Management Company: CB Richard Ellis Manager: Gary Coker, Managing Director Team Members: Kathy Hubbard, Assistant Real Estate Manager; Scott Winterowd, Chief Building Engineer

The recent physical improvements, remodeled lobbies, repaired parking structure and upgraded tenant spaces, and newly implemented management practices at SouthTowne Corporate Center gave the maintenance and management staff as well as the owner of the building, KBS Realty Advisors, reason to showcase the buildings in the TOBY awards.

“Anyone can tour the buildings and see that they are both beautiful and well-maintained, but the TOBY judging delves far deeper into what is required to truly operate a building as best-in-class,” said Gary Coker, the building manager at SouthTowne Corporate Center. “We were confident that we had met the high standards for property management expected for a TOBY Award and were excited to have the property and our practices evaluated relative to our competition.”

The two, six-story buildings have granite facades, granite floors, highgrade carpet, marble slab walls and natural wood trim. Each building is serviced with a bank of three elevators, with cabs that are finished with high-grade carpet, granite tile trim and natural wood paneling. The restrooms have ceramic tile floors and walls, with granite counters. Urinal flush valves and faucets are hands-free with automatic flush.

Square Feet: 124,000 Each

The sidewalks are equipped with a radiant heat ice control system, with heat supplied through heat exchangers that use the same hot water boiler system that heats the building.

Building 150 is unique in that it was originally leased to a national securities brokerage, housing one of their large data centers, requiring it to have significant, above-standard systems to address the critical nature of the site at the time, Coker said. The facility has two separate electricity feeds from separate substations to two independent transformers, a 16,000 KVA diesel generator (sized to supply power to the entire building and fed by an 8,000 gallon diesel storage tank) plus two independent 600 KVA UPS systems, which were originally tied to the data center. These systems have been maintained and are available to all tenants, Coker said.

South Towne Corporate Center offers several tenant programs, including an annual summer tenant appreciation event, gift card raffles, holiday gift baskets and a Valentine’s Day cookie party. The management staff offers a fire and life safety program and distributes memos and newsletters regarding building repairs, window cleaning, etc. Tenant amenities include on-site management, 24-hour access to tenant suites, ample parking, drop boxes for mail and packages, private shower and locker room and an on-site security officer and day porter.

Category: Suburban Office Park (Low-Rise) Year Complete: 1999, 2000 Owner: A&B Properties, Inc. Management Company: CB Richard Ellis Building Manager: Helen Smith, Real Estate Manager Team Members: Jason Hartley, Engineer; Renee Nordlund, Tenant Services Coordinator Square Feet: 93,000 Each

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 21

5215 5215 and and 5225 5225 Willey Willey Post Post Way, Way, Salt Salt Lake Lake City City

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Edgewater Corporate Park

The two, five-story buildings at Edgewater Corporate Park, constructed in 1982, have undergone significant renovations since 2005 to update the property and increase the occupancy level, which is currently at 97 percent. Lobbies, restrooms and elevator cabs were completely remodeled and modernized. The exterior of the building was upgraded with new signage, drought tolerant landscaping, concrete parking structure reinforcements and repairs, glass replacement, exterior elastromeric paint and a new roof on the south tower.

Justin Farnsworth, the building manager at Edgewater, entered the buildings into the TOBY awards to showcase the management team and the building and its recent improvements.

The Edgewater buildings are 100,000 square feet each with a single story 7,100 square feet building of retail and restaurant space in each building. Designed for high occupancy businesses, the office towers were constructed using post-tension concrete decks, poured-in-place columns and glass curtain walls. Amenities in the building include a backup generator for the north tower, fiber optic connectivity, 1,600 amp electrical services for each building and covered parking.

Additionally, “We have made extensive use of low- and no-cost energy saving solutions to improve the Energy Star rating from an average of 56 to 70, just by optimizing the systems,” Farnsworth said. “You don’t have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to optimize your building.”

The improvements and consistent maintenance to the buildings helped to increase the occupancy level at Edgewater. Tenants now include Sutter Health, Strayer University and C3/CustomerContactChannels.

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Renaissance Medical Centre 1551 1551 Renaissance Renaissance Town Town Drive, Drive, Bountiful Bountiful

22 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

Category: 100,000 – 250,000 Square Feet Year Complete: 1982 Team Members: Richard Blanchard, Chief Building Engineer; Renee Nordlund, Tenant Services Coordinator

Owner: Cawley Partners Management Company: CB Richard Ellis Building Manager: Justin Farnsworth, Real Estate Manager

Square Feet: 100,000

Photo courtesy CB Richard Ellis

Category: Medical Office Building

Building Manager: Emily Koon, Real Estate Manager

Year Complete: 2004 Owner: Healthcare Trust of America (HTA)

Team Members: Chris Broadhead, Building Engineer; Kathleen Kelly, Administrative Assistant

Management Company: CB Richard Ellis

Square Feet: 112,000

The five-story Renaissance Medical Centre, the only facility of its kind in Bountiful that is not directly adjacent to a hospital, was built in 2004 to provide an alternative place for hospital surgery at reduced costs. The planning and development of the building was largely guided by doctors and physicians. Currently, the Centre is just less than 90 percent leased, with 23,000 square feet occupied by MountainWest Surgical Center.

With a granite concrete facade, an energy-efficient roof, granite floors, stainless steel elevators banks and drinking fountains and other high-end finishes, Emily Koon, real estate manager at the Renaissance Medical Centre, called the property one of the premier medical facilities in the Bountiful area. Exam rooms feature plumbing and lighting finishes unique to each medical practice. Restrooms have granite counter-tops and tile flooring and Zurn manufactured sensoroperated, battery-powered lavatory faucets and flushometers. Tenants and their patients have access to an adjacent parking garage, with nearly 500 parking spaces.

“It is a beautiful medical building with a very modern feel to it,” Koon said. “It is a great place for doctors to go to work every day.”

Electricity in the building is metered separately for each suite and is tracked using Metasys, an HVAC energy management system. The HVAC distribution system uses three Bryan boilers, two cooling towers and two air handlers. A Quickstart EST fire alarm panel, smoke guard elevator screen protectors on the three elevators, magnetic and sensor sprinklers and a 24-hour alarm monitor are all part of the fire and life safety systems in the building. An emergency generator, owned by the Surgical Center, is also located on the site.

Focusing on sustainability, the use of common area lighting is reduced after-hours, the restroom lighting is on sensors, and common area lighting is recycled through AirCycle.

Air filters on the HVAC system are changed at least quarterly to improve indoor air quality. The janitorial company uses green cleaning products wherever possible. In 2011, management will push to focus on more sustainable recycling practices.

The Renaissance Medical Centre is part of a larger, mixed-use development planned to have retail, entertainment, office, residential and healthcare properties in one location.

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 23

Barn Swallows’ Nesting can be Prevented

By Edward Tallerico

T

he migrating barn or cliff swallows are one of natures most beautiful and graceful fliers.

They are colorful fliers with a rust belly, red breast and throat, blue-black upper parts and pointed wings. Fast flying, the barn or cliff swallow can be found hunting for insects as it swoops and darts over Utah’s lakes, ponds, fields and golf courses. These birds arrive in the spring, usually around mid- to lateApril, and leave in the fall, sometime in early September.

When nature’s insect hunter, the swallow, comes into contact with man problems arise. The barn swallows build their nests out of mud and sometimes build their nests on buildings. It probably wouldn’t be so bad, except the barn swallow doesn’t travel alone. These birds arrive in colonies and use the buddy system to build thousands of mud nests under eves and ledges. They bring with them ticks, bed bugs and parasites.

And the sheer numbers of these birds can be destructive and a nuisance to

24 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

Discrete Stealth Netting attached to the eves and underneath the boat house restaurant to prevent swallows from nesting. tenants, guests and building owners.

Building owners do have options in preventing swallows from nesting in and on their buildings.

The first line of defense against swallows is to install a net. The material best used is 3/4 inch stealth netting in a color that matches the decor of the building. Use a cable system to attach the netting at a 45 percent angle from the outside eve to the building. The protection of the overhang must be excluded to deter the barn swallows from building their nests on the building.

Owners can also use a product called Bird Slide that serves to exclude the protection of the ledge or eve from nest building. Bird Slide is a plastic material with a smooth surface built to keep larger birds off ledges. It can be used upside down under an eve or sign to

exclude the barn swallow.

The best time to place netting or exclusion material is prior to their arrival, in March or early April, or after their departure of the colony, in late September.

Most other products are not effective. Scare devices, sticky substances, traps and electronics have little to no effect on these common pests.

Also, keep in mind, the barn swallow is federally protected. You can not use lethal means to control them, and once their nests are fully built (approximately 48 hours), the nest can not legally be knocked down.

Edward Tallerico is the corporate accounts manager for 5Star Family of Services, Inc. He can be reached at 801.706.7378. AF

hvac

Deferring HVAC Maintenance has Hidden Costs

By Jim Woodard

T

he downturn in the economy has forced many companies and organizations to make some tough choices in spending cutbacks. A common place to cut back is outside vendors who perform maintenance.

This strategy needs to be looked at more closely.

The comfort of tenants, air quality, proper ventilation, cooling for processes and efficient HVAC equipment operation is critical to the success of facilities operations. When things are humming along, it seems prudent to cut back on maintenance.

However, equipment is usually running efficiently due to the investment in maintenance of the equipment.

A new strategy is to run equipment to failure and fix it if it breaks, with the thought that delaying any cash outlays for as long as possible is a good policy.

As with any mechanical system, this is costly and usually untimely. This kind of stress on equipment shortens the life and affects the operation and efficiency.

Although utility costs in Utah are among the nations lowest, it is still a significant expense to hinder the efficiency of equipment. And spending more because of poorly maintained equipment is just one of the hidden costs of curtailed maintenance.

Many organizations have looked at having current, in-house staff personnel take over the maintenance of HVAC equipment. Although nice in

theory, it puts a lot of stress and added responsibility to already thin resources.

Without proper training and experience, asking untrained staff to do additional HVAC tasks is like asking a car mechanic to repair diesel trucks since they are both vehicles.

Another trend has been the entrance of residential contractors into the commercial marketplace. The housing market has been soft for a number of years, and in an effort to survive, many companies have claimed to provide service for commercial equipment but only have residential equipment history.

The low price usually is an indication that they are not familiar with what resources it will take to handle sophisticated equipment. No one wants to be taken advantage of, but having inexperienced or unqualified personnel work on one of your largest investments is like turning the keys of a car over to a small child who has ridden in a car.

A large food and supplement manufacturer cut back on preventative maintenance for several years due to a downturn in sales. When they started to regularly maintain their equipment again, they realized a 10 percent repair savings the first year and a 46 percent savings the second year. They also were able to extend the life of their existing equipment several years, thus delaying capital expenditures.

If cutting back on HVAC preventative maintenance is on your budget agenda, please consider the short- and long-term costs. The sweetness of a low price is soon forgotten with poor performance and increased operating cost.

Jim Woodard is sales manager for CCI Mechanical, Inc., a 50-year-old, locally owned and operated, full-service design build mechanical contractor. Jim can be reached at 801.973.1260. UF UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 25

Valley Fair Mall By the Numbers $30,000 – $60,000:

Valley Fair Mall Increases Revenue, Leasing Space with Renovation

Average annual snow removal cost

126: Tenants 100,000 square feet: New or remodeled square footage

By Jacob Fullmer

1.1 million: Expected total square footage

O

ne Utah mall is celebrating its 40th birthday with a facelift aimed at boosting the area’s economy. The new owner of Valley Fair Mall, Satterfield Helm Management, Inc., is hoping to utilize the mall’s prime location at the corner of I-215 and 3500 South to make the shopping center a gateway to West Valley City. The city’s government seems to agree.

“West Valley City has been wanting this for a long time,” said Satterfield Helm’s Vice President and new General Manager Jonny Arbuckle.

The mall’s expansion has led to conversations about possible housing or retail additions that would benefit from the nearby TRAX station scheduled to open August 2011. “This is something of the catalyst for the rest of the city’s vision to create a recognizable downtown that welcomes people into the city.”

Making the Upgrade When Satterfield Helm took over Valley Fair, they knew the mall would need some upgrades to get people back to the shopping center.

Shopping malls need to offer a new experience to their customers every 10 to 15 years, often times through renovations or additional space, Spencer said. New customers are attracted by 26 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

change and new stores. Remodels and additional stores also increase the property value, in turn justifying management asking more in rent.

Five new buildings, including Costco and four new restaurants, including Olive Garden, were constructed during the first phase of the mall renovation, which began in April 2008. The restaurants have served to retrain customer’s habits, as Arbuckle puts it.

“There was a need for food with the daytime population in the area,” Arbuckle said. Once people started coming for lunch, they began exploring the mall’s other offerings.

The second phase incorporated a facelift for the entrance and the addition of a town center, now popular in mall additions, which includes attractive seating areas and with three interactive fountains. Phase one brought customers into the area; phase two has kept them coming back for more, Arbuckle said.

“Anytime you’re getting people to the site, it’s great. But phase two was definitely a better impact to the mall itself,” Arbuckle said.

Working with Tenants Revitalizing an existing facility offers different challenges than building a new mall from scratch.

General Contractor: R&O Construction Subcontractors: Hawk Electrical Ron J. Peterson Construction Skyline Insulation Keeping existing tenants and their customers happy during the process can be one of the more difficult challenges. The general contractor selected for the task, R&O Construction, wanted to impact tenants as little as possible during the renovation. But it was necessary to block off large sections of the building and the parking lot during construction. The contractor also had to deal with the construction of TRAX across the street. And utilities had to be temporarily shut off at times.

“Any time you’re adding 100,000 feet that’s centered around the front of the mall, people are going to notice,” Arbuckle said.

To minimize the negative impact of construction delays, R&O put one person on site to improve relations with existing tenants. This correspondent was responsible for letting tenants know when their services or access points might be affected.

“Knowing their expectations up

tenants. The now empty Mervyns makes up a large portion of the vacant space. Filling that space with a tenant would bring the building up to 94 percent occupancy. Once the entire project has been completed, Valley Fair Mall will boast around 1.1 million leasable square feet.

front is the main thing,” said R&O marketing director, Barbara Taylor. “It made the tenants feel like they were included in all of the construction.”

Optimizing Space Re-purposing the layout of the storerooms was a major challenge for the contractor. Designed in the 1960s, each store space was deeper than modern design and current space layout needs required. Most stores only used the first 80 feet for display, with large storage rooms in the back. Satterfield Helm moved those walls, which divided the display space from the storage rooms, further in, using the extra space to build out and add additional store fronts on the exterior of the mall.

“Overnight we built a barricade and did the demolition right behind them,” Arbuckle said. The demolition resulted in a little noise. But the walls, along with the electrical panels, were moved accordingly. “They felt it, but I think we handled it very well.”

Working Through the Economy Though the construction was seen, heard and felt at times, mall owners feel the update was necessary for business.

“It’s part of the birthing process. It’s painful while you do it, but people have short memories,” said Arbuckle. With

two phases complete, Arbuckle hopes people will remember the double-digit sales seen during the recent holiday season as the company moves forward on the other phases of the project.

The new Valley Fair Mall totals 850,000 leasable square feet. The mall is currently 84 percent leased with 126

Cost Savings With a lot of money going into the renovation of the mall, Arbuckle and his team are looking for ways to save money on the operations of the facility. They plan to join a savings program with Rocky Mountain Power that rewards businesses for using energy efficient practices. They’re waiting until the construction is complete to make the move since the expected out-of-pocket expense will be $100,000. After the investment, the expense will pay for itself in three years. And for a company that keeps the lights on from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day except New Year’s and Christmas, it’s an investment worth making, Arbuckle said. UF

Photos courtesy of Kevin Conde and Kevin Nash UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 27

disaster preparedness

Prepare for Disaster Now to Avoid a Crisis in the Future

By Jill Rasmussen

P

roperty managers know in crisis contingency planning, the three most important considerations read like this: Preparation, preparation, preparation!

The golden rule of sound crisis management has been proven time and time again. Preparing for the possibility of a natural or man-made property disaster is critical. A crisis only becomes a catastrophe when people are not prepared. Planning thoroughly and effectively for a crisis is, more often than not, surprisingly low on the priority list. A property manager is responsible to have a plan in place before a crisis develops.

Most people don’t realize how often disasters happen. Disaster cleaning companies encounter approximately 1,000 disaster jobs every year. Few companies have diligently prepared for these unexpected crisis. Not being prepared for a disaster is a lesson that only needs to be learned once. In the worst-case scenario, not being prepared could result in a company going out of business in a matter of weeks. In short, an unpredictable crisis can turn into an avoidable catastrophe.

This state of affairs is particularly distressing in light of the fact that thorough planning for a crisis is not difficult or complicated – nor does preparing a plan take a great deal of time.

Following are 10 steps property managers can follow to prepare for a disaster: 1. Ensure that all vendor phone numbers and home numbers of key personnel are kept up to date.

2. Delegate crisis responsibility.

Assign specific duties in areas like public relations, assistance of disabled persons, building 28 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

evacuation, power and other utility shutoff and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Review these responsibilities with appropriate individuals in each department of the organization on a regular basis.

3. Continually update awareness of use of space in terms of hazardous materials and unusual electrical and/or plumbing usage.

4. Diligently monitor the operation of all safety systems, including sprinklers, utilities and security.

5. Keep an accurate copy of all building blueprints. Ensure that blueprints show locations of all mechanical equipment, elevators, stairwells and roof access, land pipes, water and utility shutoffs and emergency generators.

6. Maintain a full set of building keys for police and fire personnel use upon their arrival at the scene.

Make sure each key is clearly tagged or marked.

7. Keep insurance information up to date, including names of insurers and brokers, policy numbers, coverage limits and deductibles. All necessary documentation should be maintained off-site. It simply won’t help if it has gone up in flames.

8. Create and maintain an up-to-date relation plan in the event the company needs to use temporary quarters during the restoration period.

9. Develop a well thought out and workable evacuation plan. Clearly post evacuation routes in the building’s common areas and individual spaces. Hold regularly scheduled fire drills.

10. Keep an updated list of crisis phone numbers for plumbers,

electricians, elevator contractors, security guard services and a reputable disaster restoration contractor. Take particular care in selecting a disaster restoration contractor, ensuring the selected vendor is capable of handling whatever might occur in a crisis.

Be satisfied that one phone call will put you in touch with a fullservice company offering prompt 24-hour emergency response by expert technicians trained in building restoration and the management of hazardous materials, as well as engineers, environmental scientists and geologists.

Taking these steps is akin to preparing for anti-theft or installing alarm systems.

Preventative preparation is highly promoted by the insurance industry and often results in significant reductions in premiums.

Being prepared can significantly reduce the financial impact of any loss as a result of a crisis. Property managers can offer valuable guidance and assistance to tenants in developing their crisis contingency plan. If you take the time to prepare, prepare, prepare, you will be thanked, thanked, thanked.

Jill Rasmussen and her husband, Roger Rasmussen, are co-owners of All Pro Cleaning, a janitorial building service offering water damage and restoration services, carpet and upholstery cleaning, tile and grout cleaning and air duct cleaning. Contact them at 801.330.8585. UF

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 29

Subcontractor Installs Unique Glass Features of O.C. Tanner Building

F

ormerly the Salt Lake City Library and then home of the Hansen Planetarium, the new O.C. Tanner flagship store features an interior circular staircase and exterior wall etchings in glass with a custom finished stainless steel surround depicting the history of the building, a portrait of Obert C. Tanner and a constellation.

Construction Big-D Construction contracted with LCG Facades to assist in the design, engineering and installation of these unique project features, which were developed by the architect, MJSA. The details for the construction of a steel moment frame ladder truss were carefully planned out by MJSA. Then, various suppliers were guided through the process of designing the stainless steel surround that met the demanding architectural criteria set by MJSA. During the early design phase, many changes and alterations were necessary to meet the specific visions of the architect. For instance, no caulking joints were to be exposed on the exterior stainless steel, yet the surround was to manage water, not simply let it run off of the edge. The steel ladder truss could 30 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

not be anchored at the base but needed to span over an expansion joint.

Additionally, the exterior wall ceramic frit was to be applied to the first surface of the glass by a process not well known here in America. The ceramic frit glass is supported by a custom stainless steel point support system.This system uses a series of point supports attached to the inside light only of the insulated etched glass. This system was integrated into a full set of shop drawings showing LCGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entire area of responsibility.The company coordinated and installed the entire structural ladder truss, stainless surround and point supported etched glass wall.

The circular stairs required special engineering, particularly as the stair connected to the top floor where there was an anticipated floor deflection of 1 1/2 inches. LCG searched the North American market looking for a qualified company that could take on the entire circular stairs, including the curved steel steps, curved glass and curved custom finished handrail and balustrade. Enter Soheil Mosun of Toronto, Canada. Soheil Mosun joined the team ready to move quickly under a tight time schedule to design, engineer and install the circular stairs. The skill

and expertise of Soheil Mosun added to the success of the project.

Finally, LCG furnished and installed the interior vestibule portals and glass wall, the interior, all glass doors and sidelights and the custom mirror and stainless steel of the elevators.

Budgeting The cost of the unique features of the building was a concern to the building owner. To resolve these cost concerns, LCG Facades established a budget but offered to work with Big-D Construction on an open book basis.Real costs were provided with supporting invoices from vendors, then labor costs were applied and a profit margin was agreed upon. A simple schedule of values was submitted monthly to Big-D. As the project came to a close, it came in under the initial budget.

The installation of the interior circular staircase and exterior wall etchings at the O.C. Tanner building gave LCG Facades the opportunity to showcase their abilities and expertise in curtain wall and exterior facades. LCG is a unique company with extensive experience in curtain wall and exterior facades. Contact LCG at 801.975.0281. UF

Installation of the curved steel stairs

OC Tanner Project Scope: Moment ladder truss, exterior insulated ceramic frit glass, point supported wall system, stainless steel surround, curved stairs and balustrade, interior vestibule, interior all glass doors and sidelights, custom mirror around the elevator and interior stainless steel accents

Installation of the stainless steel point supported system. The system passed within 1 inch of the floorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge. The red steel is the substructure for the stainless steel entrance portals.

Setting the Glass was a precise exercise.

The boom came within 1 inch of the stainless steel surround and each step had to be slow and determined. In the end, all of the glass was set without a problem.

The completed exterior point support glass wall and stainless steel surround. The custom stainless steel bollards were installed to match the balance of the stainless steel.

OC Tanner Project Team: Owner: OC Tanner Architect: MJSA The stainless steel portal was formed, welded, finished and installed as one piece.

Contractor: Big-D Construction LCG Facades: Earl Linford, CEO Ted Derby, Business Development Gary Dabb, VP Operations Tom Thorum, Project Manager Shane Whiting, Project Superintendent

The curved stairs after completion.

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 31

32 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

Mission BOMA Utah is the standard of excellence, providing best in class industry leading practices, strong education, local advocacy and friendly networking unity.

Contact Info To learn more about BOMA Utah or to join, please visit our website at www.BOMAUtah.org or contact us at Admin@BOMAUtah.org, 801-710-2590 PO Box 13697 Ogden, Utah 84412

Inside Emergency Preparedness New Members Why BOMA Utah is the Standard of Excellence BOMA’s Experience Exchange Report® Calendar of Events

Calendar Thursday, March 17, 2011 Monthly Luncheon Lt. Governor Greg Bell and Cory Lyman, Salt Lake City Emergency Management program director Thursday, April 14, 2011 Monthly Luncheon Tour of Rio Tinto Stadium Thursday-Saturday, May 5-7, 2011 RPA/FMA/SMA Designation Class Environmental Health and Safety Issues Thursday, May 12, 2011 Monthly Luncheon Vendor Expo & Luncheon Sunday-Tuesday, June 26-28, 2011 BOMA International Conference and the Every Building Show, Washington, D.C. Thursday, August 25, 2011 Monthly Luncheon Preparedness Tradeshow and Luncheon

Networking One of Many Benefits of BOMA Utah Membership To our 2011 BOMA Members: As we begin the new year, we would like to take a moment to thank you for your membership in BOMA Utah, commercial real estate’s No. 1 business solutions provider and support network.

We know you have choices when it comes to membership and participation in professional organizations, and we sincerely appreciate you choosing BOMA. Property and facility managers, if you are not a member of BOMA Utah, you are missing out on spectacular networking and information sharing events. Please attend a luncheon on us as a first step in exploring the many opportunities found within BOMA. Please contact BOMA Utah at 801.710.2590 or Admin@BOMAUtah.org with any questions about membership. You may also visit our Website for further details.

Sincerely, BOMA Utah Board of Directors

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 33

BOMA Utah leading the charge in Emergency Preparedness Various agencies from across Salt Lake County know the importance of BOMA Utah and the critical role members can play during an emergency. The Salt Lake County Emergency Office Center (EOC), Salt Lake City Emergency Management and the Utah Department of Public Safety, Homeland Security Division, along with BOMA Utah, have begun implementing a public-private emergency preparedness notification plan and strategy for protecting occupants.

While it’s rational to assume that Salt Lake City and surrounding areas are not a key terrorist target, Utah is vulnerable to other threats, including severe snowstorms, tornadoes, dangerous floods, energy black-outs, fires and earthquakes. To better prepare for such disasters, the Utah ShakeOut Earthquake Exercise is scheduled for April 2012. The ShakeOut is designed to enhance the capabilities of Salt Lake County, local jurisdictions and Salt Lake Valley residents to effectively respond to and recover from a catastrophic earthquake occurring along the Wasatch Front.

BOMA Utah, along with city, state and federal agencies are creating a plan to boost communications and strategic thinking in the midst of an emergency. In doing so, the state is at the forefront of creating an integrated disaster plan. The private-public cooperation has been undertaken to develop strategies for shelter, evacuation and early warning.

Our goal is to strengthen communication between our members who own properties and local emergency response officials.

Knowing and communicating well with our neighbors, especially in coordinating emergency plans and procedures, is also important.

One communication capability that exists within the Salt Lake Valley is the Public Information Emergency Response (PIER) System.

The PIER System is an all-in-one, web-based solution for crisis communications management, mass notification, public and media relations and business continuity. Our members are strongly encouraged to register on PIER, under the BOMA Utah group, at www.utahemergencyinfo.com/go/mailinglist/2515/.

Currently, BOMA Utah has representatives that sit on the Private Sector Homeland Security Coordinating Council as well as the Lt. Governor’s Private Sector Homeland Security Steering Committee. We have been asked to join the newly created Salt Lake Valley Steering Committee and recently participated in the Salt Lake Valley Venue Evacuation workshop and FEMA Region VIII ShakeOut tabletop exercise.

As part of our continued effort, we will begin to update our online member database and will ask every member to provide detailed information regarding buildings owned/managed by members, key tenants, 365-24/7 contact information for every facility, vendor services provided, key personnel, etc. This is critical and necessary information from our members if we are to succeed.

Property/facility managers, if you are not currently a member of BOMA, you will be missing out on some of the most important planning and disaster preparedness programs in the industry, as no other real estate organization in the state of Utah has been asked to participate on any level.

Think it through for a moment. Your building is being evacuated. Your neighbor’s building is evacuating. Are your occupants/tenants all congregating to the same area? How are you accounting for your employees and tenants? Do you have a memorandum of understanding with various buildings? How will you be notified of an after-hours emergency? Do you have a 72-hour kit at your office, and what does it consist of? Do you shelter in place or evacuate? And who makes that call?

It’s not if a disaster will occur and impact businesses, it’s a matter of when. Fire drills and other preparedness drills seem inconsequential when deadlines are pending. However, building a dynamic communications plan, knowing where to go and what to do, is a serious matter in the event of an emergency, and BOMA Utah will be your source for that information.

New Members:

Craig Castle Innovative Waste Solutions

Sheralyn Romrell RBM Services Inc.

Ricardo Fuchs EcoBrite Services

John Barlow NAI Utah

Steve Monson ProClean Windows

Scott Gourley RBM Services, Inc.

Cathie Woods Commerce Real Estate Solutions

David J Thurman Paul Gallegos Wasatch Property Services, Inc Adobe Systems

Bryan Call Simply Right, Inc.

Gary Johnson Richards Brandt Miller Nelson

Brian Horrocks Hamilton Partners

Chad Timms Siemens Industry

Paul Limburg CertaPro Painters

Ken Shields Hamilton Partners

Rudy Larsen The Lawn Butler, Inc.

Steve Bryant ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance

Keith T. Geisel CB Richard Ellis, Inc.

Dario Benitez The Lawn Butler Inc.

Darren Child Mountain States Property Management

Duff Ellsworth Robert I. Merrill

34 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

Greg Kyte Utah Valley Physicians Plaza Rob Lingard Deseret Mutual Benefits Admin Scott Snow AMPCO System Parking Helen R. Smith CB Richard Ellis Justin Earl Student

www.BOMAUtah.org Admin@BOMAUtah.org, 801-710-2590 PO Box 13697 Ogden, Utah 84412

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 35

More reasons why BOMA Utah is the Standard of Excellence The Building Owners and Managers Association of Utah is one of 92 local associations throughout the United States and 12 affiliates around the world. BOMA Utah, since its 1977 incorporation, has continued to promote the highest standards in property management.

BOMA unites those dedicated individuals in our industry who want to see their businesses prosper and who want to see commercial real estate, as a whole, reach new heights. BOMA brings people together to share ideas, discuss important topics, study the latest tools, build new programs, and simply to get to know each other a little better. By working together, there is no limit to what we can accomplish for our industry and the communities in which we serve.

Membership in BOMA Utah is all about opportunity — to learn, to grow and to effect positive change in the building ownership and commercial management industry. Through professional and personal contacts, we share resources, learn new information and procedures and tap into the collective knowledge and experience of leaders in Utah’s commercial real estate industry.

Members of BOMA Utah own or manage approximately 25 million square feet of downtown and suburban commercial properties. BOMA is the information source with an established track record of providing tools to make its members successful in the industry. As a member, you are automatically affiliated with BOMA International. And more high-level commercial real estate professionals turn to BOMA for the latest products and industry information than any other source.

We encourage those of you who own or manage commercial properties, such as office buildings, industrial parks, corporate facilities, educational, governmental, retail, high-rise residential, medical buildings and other real estate properties, to look to BOMA as your next step into the future and the many opportunities available for you to experience.

Remember, there is no stronger force in commercial real estate than those of us who make up the industry. We drive its success. We guide its future. We make things happen. That is why BOMA Utah is such a powerful tool here in the Beehive State.

For further information on BOMA Utah, please contact our office at 801.710.2590, visit our Website at www.BOMAUtah.org or email us at Admin@BOMAUtah.org.

Connect with BOMA Utah – Join us on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter 36 I UTAH FACILITIES BUILDINGS MARCH SUMMER 2011 2010

security

Technology Impacts Contract Security Services

By Wayne Wright

A

dvances in technology have had a dramatic impact on today’s business world.

Business would be conducted much differently if it weren’t for newly developed technologies, especially in the contract security officer services industry. Cell phones and email technologies have improved overall communication in security.

Another key component to security is accountability. When using contract security officer services, many decision makers may ask, “How do you monitor your officers?” as well as, “How do I know I am getting what I pay for?” By using technology, those questions can be easily answered.

By implementing emerging technologies, many companies have increased their efficiency, effectiveness and accountability with a security workforce management system. This technology, along with a few other cutting-edge products, can allow for real-time employee scheduling, attendance and payroll for complete control of the workforce.

An employee scheduling software system will prevent time conflict while tracking actual hours worked. With these features, a company can reduce unnecessary overtime and non-billable hours. Most importantly, the right employee with the right training, licensing and certifications for the right job site will be on time every time.

Actual time worked may be monitored by an easy-to-use interactive voice response system. By calling from a designated phone with a specific identifying code, an officer’s time and attendance can be accurately collected.

This technology eliminates time theft and unauthorized overtime and immediately identifies unstaffed

positions. Additionally, time scheduling and attendance automated payroll processes can be easily managed from one central employee database.

While the real-time workplace management technology monitors the scheduling and attendance of employees, other technologies allow performance tracking with multiple safety features. These technologies are typically web-based, allowing complete visibility of the workforce with satellite imagery mapping applications for real-time security officer accountability.

Other applications incorporated may include a tracking or tour system with incident identifying codes, No motion sensors, GPS tracking and Geo-Fencing. All of which are used to communicate and create alerts for particular situations generating critical operational reports.

These capabilities enhance visibility and provide more accurate information that will be useful in decision making.

Evolving technology will continue to have a great impact on the security officer industry, helping to improve accountability, efficiency and creating a safer work environment. While some technologies enhance management, other resources are available to improve a security officer’s natural

ability to observe, report and notify, but do not replace the human element or natural intuition of a well-trained, professional security officer who is intimately familiar with the property, tenants and security threats common to the local area.

A professional security officer should know when and how to use technology to multiply their presence, expedite emergency and appropriate notification processes. An officer should support this activity with quantifiable data and incident reports that represent outstanding value to those who support the overall safety and security of the tenants, visitors and corporate assets.

Wayne Wright is the Salt Lake City area manager for Diamond Security.

He brings to Diamond leadership and experience in operations, personnel management, training/teaching, community outreach and emergency management. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Southwest Command College. UF

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 37

construction

Population Growth, Large Construction Projects Set Utah Apart AGC’s Chief Economist gives Economic Forecast at Annual Convention

By Rich Thorn

W

hile Utah continues to fare better than the rest of the nation in the commercial construction industry, the state is still suffering from a loss of construction jobs and a stagnant building market, said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America.

“You would think that construction would be doing better by now, but there are still a lot of headwinds. We have near record-high vacancy rates for office and retail and warehouse space,” Simonson said at the 89th Annual 2011 Convention of The Associated General Contractors of Utah. And “developers still can’t make the case to their bankers that it is time to lend more money for new development projects.”

National, nonresidential construction will increase by no more than 5 percent during 2011, Simonson predicted. Since much of the stimulus money has already been awarded in the public sector, most of the work will come from private development, especially in the hospital, higher education, warehouse and hotel sectors. The cost of materials will continue to rise, most likely by 5 to 8 percent. Labor costs will also increase, but by no more than 2 percent. The price of new office, warehouse, industrial and school construction will stay flat, despite the increasing costs of labor and materials.

Utah’s forecast differs slightly from the rest of the nation, with a few key factors setting it apart, said Simonson.

Utah is one of the few states that has maintained its population growth, particularly school-age population, and has not lost as much revenue as nearby states. The in-state population growth in Utah has helped to keep construction projects going in the K-12 sector, while other states are seeing a decline in 38 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

spending in the same area, he said.

“I am optimistic about Utah because your budgets are in better shape,” Simonson told his audience. “And your in-state population growth, which has never depended on in-migration, at least not in the last 120 years, keeps the demand for school construction growing here to an extent that is not being seen elsewhere.”

The state of Utah will also benefit from the construction of the $1.2 billion National Security Association’s Data Center to be built at Camp Williams.

“That will keep some firms busy for quite some time,” Simonson said. “But in general, the federal money will plateau this year and contract next year.”

Other large projects, like the City Creek development, are helping to keep local construction firms busy, said Simonson. And, like the rest of the nation, the state will see growth in new power, healthcare, higher education and warehouse facilities, although most of that construction will be in remodels and expansions, he said. Utah will also see some growth in manufacturing facilities, with some major projects done on a smaller scale, including modernizations, expansions and some groundbreakings during 2011.

“I think the picture is somewhat better here,” he said. “But clearly there are challenges to construction here.”

Sectors that will see little construction during 2011 include retail and private office, Simonson said.

Many companies have been hanging on to empty spaces and will need to fill that before signing a new lease or building a new office, he said.

Construction employment in Utah is still sluggish, Simonson added. St. George has suffered the most with a 16 percent loss in construction employment. Ogden follows closely

behind with an 11 percent loss during the last 12 months, ranking it 312 out of 337 metro areas in the United States for unemployment.

Rich Thorn is president and CEO of Associated General Contractors of Utah. He can be reached at 801.363.2753. The AGC of Utah is the state’s oldest and largest non-residential construction trade association with more than 500 members who perform the majority of all non-residential construction in Utah. UF

The Economic Impact of Construction in Utah Source: Ken Simonson • Private nonresidential spending in Utah totaled $3.4 billion in 2009.

• Nonresidential starts in Utah totaled $1.6 billion in 2009.

• Construction employment in Utah in December totaled 67,200, a decrease of 2 percent from December 2009 and a decrease of 36 percent from the state’s peak in April 2007.

• Construction workers’ pay in Utah averaged $40,874, 8 percent more than all private sector employees in the state.

• Utah had 10,800 construction firms in 2008, of which 92 percent were small.

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 39

Wireless vs. Hardwired New Technologies in Emergency Call and Life Safety Make Installation Easier

By Jacquie Brennan

W

ireless technology is not new. Starting with the earliest commercial radios in the 1920s to the introduction of cell phones in the early 1980s, wireless technologies have been used for years in our homes, cars and work places.

Now, advancements in wireless technologies have made installing emergency call and life safety systems an easier undertaking.

At its basic level, an emergency call system uses a button to alert the appropriate people that a user needs help. For years, alerts were simply a light switch with a hole drilled for a string that, when pulled, turned on a light and a siren to notify that assistance was needed. Today, computer-based systems can track a person’s movement and send an email to an iPhone.

Before wireless became the “must have” technology, the introduction of computers was the biggest thing to hit the emergency call market. Now, the computer is the most common link between monitoring devices and the pagers or telephones used for notification. Computers allow data recording and reporting, provide more flexibility in changing settings, enable tracking of login and personnel and offer some types of redundancy. However, they also have limitations, requiring security updates, patches, being subject to failure and having a limited lifespan.

Computers greatly enhanced functionality but also made choosing the right system more complex.

Similarly, the advent of wireless has added another layer of complexity.

Wireless has become the hot product, offering many benefits. Some things should be explored before purchasing a wireless system for your building. This may be as simple as checking with state regulations. While regulations are catching up with the available technology, hardwired systems are still required in some states due to limitations of some of the earlier

40 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

wireless technology.

There are three main advantages to wireless: 1. It is hard to beat both in terms of actual cost and time to install; 2. It provides flexibility by allowing you to move devices more easily; and 3. It offers greater expandability, enabling you to add on to your current system with greater ease.

These features have resulted in the widespread popularity of wireless but should be weighed against some of the constraints of the technology. While installation is almost always cheaper, operating costs can be higher. In comparison to their hardwired counterparts, the wireless devices themselves are more expensive and tend to have a shorter lifespan, reflecting the more rapidly changing technology.

Once installed, a wireless system will require more maintenance and incur greater recurring expense. Without a hardwired power source, devices will use batteries, and batteries need to be changed. Wireless systems tend to offer a lower level of supervision than the hardwired alternatives, since battery constraints limit the ability to constantly monitor the devices.

When it comes to reliability, the nature of wireless makes it susceptible to interference. Cell phones drop calls.

Radios make a squawking sound when cell phones are next to them. Wireless might not be an appropriate choice if

your facility’s physical structure or location is such that interference is always going to be an issue. Concrete and steel buildings will find wireless signals are more limited and may require additional infrastructure to ensure reliability.

Commercial kitchens, microwaves, elevators, mirrors and large fishtanks are also known to interfere with wireless signals.

If you do choose a wireless system, a number of frequencies are available and the best for your facility will depend on your requirements and preferences. Lower frequency bands have been around the longest and are more established. This equates to lower costs and a greater availability of parts. The bandwidth dictates how fast data can be transmitted, but typically, the higher the bandwidth the more power is needed, requiring more battery maintenance.

Many paging systems fall into the 456-460MHz land mobile category.

902-928MHz is reserved for radiolocation, which is what many call systems fall into. Cordless phones are now available in the 2.4 GHz and 5.0GHz range. Does it make them better because they are on a higher frequency? Not necessarily, part of it is just that the band may be less crowded because it was recently released and fewer manufacturers produce in that range. Higher frequency are generally faster but have a shorter range, while the lower frequency, as a rule, have the best range.

For many facilities a hybrid option, including hardwired call stations and a wireless backbone that enables you to add devices and pendants, might be the best choice. This does increase installation costs but provides the reliability and lower operating costs with the flexibility and expandability of a wireless system.

Prior to selecting a system, an analysis of the needs and infrastructure

healthcare facilities of your building in comparison to the pros and cons of the technology needs to be completed. The location, structure and purpose of your facility, your capital budget and operating budget constraints, your tolerances on reliability versus flexibility or expandability and how long you expect your system to last will all influence your decision when choosing between hybrid, wireless or hardwired options.

When choosing an emergency call system remember not all technologies are created equal, and just as important, no two facilitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; requirements are the same.

Jacquie Brennan has been active in the design, implementation and operation of hardwired and wireless nurse call and emergency call systems during the last 13 years. Brennan is currently vice president of operations for Vigil Health Solutions, Inc., which specializes in providing call and monitoring solutions for long-term care facilities. UF

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 41

janitorial

Cleaning Objectives Should be Guided by Health, Asset Preservation, Appearance

By Don Aslett

M

ake the floors look shiny.

Make the restrooms smell good. Take out the trash.

Clean the fingerprints off the glass.

Get that spot out of the carpet.

These are the objectives of most cleaning companies. However, when the question is, “Is your building clean?” the answer is, “These objectives are important, but not the most important thing.” For most, cleaning is driven by three factors: appearance, complaints and budgets.

Appearance cleaning is like the old adage, “If it looks clean, it is clean.”

This may or may not be true. A building’s appearance is important.

People are happier in a clean-looking environment, and they perform better.

The problem is determining what appearance level we want and whose responsibility it is to make that determination. Is it up to each cleaning worker? The supervisor? The building administration? In most cases, all of the above.

The appearance cleaning objective is usually driven by the second factor, complaints. Complaint cleaning boils down to determining how many complaints you are willing to accept about your cleaning programs and attempting to clean to this level. As long as you aren’t getting too many complaints, you must be doing OK. As you’re reading this, you might be thinking, “That’s not a very smart way to manage an important process like cleaning!” Well, you are right. The problem is that is exactly how your organization is doing it. A more acceptable way of defining your cleaning program is, “We use the budget we have available to clean to a manageable level of complaints.”

42 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

Budget-based cleaning is a fact of life. There will always be financial constraints on cleaning programs. Your job is to show the financial department the impact of budget decisions. Over the past several years, cleaning budgets have been reduced, often dramatically, raising a number of questions. What are the consequences of this decision?

Is it the right decision? How do we know?

In order to answer these questions, redefine cleaning priorities and replace current driving factors of appearance, complaints and budget with health, asset preservation and appearance. You will also need data to measure and support these new objectives.

Health seems like an obvious criterion. Cleaning for the well-being of the people who use the facilities should be first priority.

People touch things, they breathe the air and they walk on the floors in buildings. You need to be sure you are meeting your responsibility to provide a safe environment for each of these actions. High on your list — and in the advent of swine flu — are human touch points. Recent testing data shows more than 60 percent of the common touch points in facilities fail to meet safe levels, even right after cleaning. This level of failure should not be acceptable.

Air quality is also a problem. Most vacuums emit dangerous levels of dust.

Those are your cleaning tools — tools that are not cleaning, but actually polluting. Plus, you’re paying somebody to do this.

What about floors? Slips and falls are a major problem in the United States. Again, testing data shows the majority of floors are not safe. They are

shiny, but not safe.

Asset preservation means making sure cleaning processes are not shortening the useful life of capital assets — buildings and their furnishings. The use of harsh chemicals and abrasives can do tremendous damage to these assets.

Premature replacement and the voiding of manufacturers’ warranties are just two of the direct ways this shows up in budgets.

Appearance is important. As mentioned earlier, a clean environment produces a greater sense of well-being and proven increased production. The important thing to remember is that appearance should be the third factor in evaluations after health and asset preservation.

For each of these new standards, health, asset preservation and appearance, you need a way to measure our results. From internal inspections to third-party cleaning audits, there are ways to generate clear and objective data needed to track each of these cleaning objectives. If you don’t measure, you can’t manage.

Don Aslett, founder of Varsity Contractors, Inc., is an author, speaker, consultant, trainer and radio and TV presence in the building care industry. He has written more than 30 books relating to building maintenance.

For additional information about cleaning process management, call the Clean Green World at 888.748.3535.

UF

energy savings

Tune Up Your Boiler and Receive Substantial Energy Savings

B

oilers generally account for more than 40 percent of the heating energy in commercial buildings, according to ENERGY STAR®. For these facilities, regular HVAC maintenance is essential to capturing energy and cash savings. Often overlooked, performing a boiler tune up for your commercial facility is perhaps one of the most important HVAC improvements that can be made in a commercial building.

Overall, it is a good idea to ensure that commercial building owners and facility personnel have a regular maintenance program for the building’s heating equipment as part of a comprehensive building energy plan. As a rule of thumb, oil-fired systems should be tuned up and cleaned every year, whereas gas-fired systems should be cleaned every two years and heat pumps every two or three years. Boiler tune-ups are relatively inexpensive and can pay dividends in energy savings, increased equipment life and lower maintenance costs.

Because no two facilities are the same, it is imperative that building owners use a trusted contractor to perform HVAC maintenance. A contractor who has experience in highefficiency systems will help the building owner determine what services will be the most appropriate, efficient and cost-effective.

Through the use of a trusted contractor or in-house staff, a boiler tune-up usually entails the following services:

• Checking safety controls • Checking barometric damper operation • Checking thermostat operation and location • Checking thermocouple • Adjustments of the pilot and burner (if applicable) • Inspection and replacement of filters • Lubrication of all motors • Performing a combustion efficiency test Any reduction of boiler efficiency due to poor draft/gas control, dirty burner tips or fouled heat exchanger surfaces is wasting natural gas. A boiler tune up may improve the combustion efficiency by as much as 2-3 percent and return the boiler to the optimum efficiency specified by the manufacturer.

To garner additional savings, a tune up usually also involves the investigation and suggestion of additional control options that can help reduce the amount of heat lost through pipes during off-cycle periods or warmer days. There are many technologies available that help modulate the boiler water temperature to reduce off-peak losses.

For boilers 20 years and older,

chances are it is a good investment to replace it with a high-efficiency model.

According to ACEEE, The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, older heating equipment can have annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) of as little as 50 percent, whereas new energy efficient condensing and pulse furnaces can achieve AFUEs as high as 97 percent.

However, for owners considering replacing HVAC systems, equipment and fuel costs must be considered to determine if equipment replacement is a cost-effective measure.

Implementing boiler tune ups as part of your energy management plan, in a commercial property is a sure way to garner energy savings and increase your bottom line. Fortunately, unlike a car, when it comes to boiler tune ups, when fuel prices increase, so will your savings.

For more information about energy efficiency, technical assistance and how to take advantage of rebates for natural gas equipment, contact Questar Gas Company about their ThermWise Business Program at ThermWise.com or 800.323.5517. Additional resources and incentives may be available for electric equipment by visiting rockymountainpower.net/utsave. UF

• Cleaning of the burner, combustion chamber, and heat exchange surfaces • Checking the color of the flame: the proper color is blue; a yellow or orange flame indicates that the gas is not burning properly • Checking fan belts and blowers UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 43

Tenants are Greatest Reward and Challenge of Property Management, says Schmid

By Kelly Lux

R

enee Schmid came into the property management business quite by chance. After graduating from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in finance, Schmid had little idea as to what she was going to do with her future. A friend helped Schmid line up an interview with Wallace Associates, a local real estate development and management and company, in 1983, where she landed a job doing accounting, organizing, rent rolls and other property management tasks. She learned a lot about the property management industry, climbing the ladder until in 1987 she became a full-fledged property manager.

“I really didn’t ever know what I was going to do,” Schmid said. “I thought I would work for a bank or an investment firm. But this job opened up and I fell into something that I thought would be great, and now I am still involved in it.”

Schmid now works for Roderick Enterprises as an asset/property manager.

She has been with Roderick since October 2004, managing their portfolio of office, industrial and retail properties, which total approximately 1.2 million square feet between the 23 buildings located on 15 different properties, mostly in Salt Lake County. Schmid is in charge of approving bills, producing monthly financial reports, setting up contracts for services for all of the properties and scheduling regular maintenance and repairs. She works closely with the full-time maintenance engineer who oversees the day-to-day needs of the properties. She also works with vendors who provide such services as snow removal, fire protection services and landscaping.

Working with tenants, however, is one of the most rewarding and challenging parts of Schmid’s job.

44 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

property manager “I enjoy the changing scope of work.

From day to day, there is always something new that I have to handle or take care of,” Schmid said. “The tenants have new problems and new challenges that need to be solved.”

With 150 different tenants in the retail, industrial and office spaces, Schmid said it can be a challenge to keep everyone happy. Most tenants have high expectations of the responsibilities of the property owner, and Schmid walks a fine line between following the terms of the lease agreement and meeting the needs and wants of the tenants.

“It is a real challenge to balance that, to keep the tenant happy and within the confines of the lease,” Schmid said. She approaches this challenge by maintaining the properties to the best of her abilities, ensuring the buildings are neat, clean and well-maintained. “That, in the long-run, goes a long way with the tenants.They see the pride we take in the property they lease, and it makes them happy and makes them want to maintain

their space to the highest degree that they can.”

Schmid also works to ensure the CAM costs are within check. She said she is sensitive to the needs of the tenants and is quick to follow-up with their questions and concerns.

However, when a crisis occurs, either with tenants or with maintenance, Schmid believes the best approach is to take step away from the problem, give it some time to settle and then come up with a valid solution.

“Sometimes things work themselves out over time,” Schmid said. “If you rush right in and try to start making decisions and solving all the world’s problems right at once, you don’t have enough information about the whole situation to resolve it. During times like these, it is better to kick back and get a better grip of everything that is going on. Things work out better if you take them one step at a time.”

Roderick Enterprises, as a whole, has been taking a similar approach to the

current state of the economy. Schmid has been working with tenants who have been impacted by the economic downturn to ensure they can stay in their buildings. Roderick has granted some tenants a break on the front end of their leases, extending their agreements to make up for the concessions, Schmid said. This approach has aided the company in maintaining 95 percent occupancy in its building portfolio.

Additionally, the company has been holding off on further development, waiting out the crisis. Roderick, however, is ready to break ground on its 11th building in the Pheasant Hollow Business Park with the building 98 percent leased and just one vacant space. The company is also looking for other investment properties to expand its portfolio.

“The economy has slowed down development. Getting funding and working with our lenders has been quite a challenge,” said Schmid. “But things are looking better now.” UF

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 45

contracts

The Anatomy of Construction Defects Improper Equipment Installation can Reduce Energy Efficiency and Cause Failures

By Mark T. Woolley

I

n Part I of this article, which you would have read in the January 2011 issue of Utah Facilities Magazine, the cost benefits and risk reduction of applying the four principles of construction defect avoidance were discussed. The first two elements covered were that of contracts and design. In review, the four elements of construction defects are contracts, design, product defects and installation or labor defects.

Since the space in this article will not allow for review of those elements, please refer you to the previous article for the information shared there and move directly to the last two principles or elements, that of product and installation defects.

Interestingly enough, product defects make up a small portion of the number of defects. All products have an intended life cycle. Regularly scheduled maintenance and repairs will prolong the life of these products and are always a part of the manufacturers specifications and recommendations.

The typical defect, with regard to a product defect, is for new products, which simply have not had the exposure of time and of the elements to test it. Sometimes the product is simply not used for its intended purpose and fails as a result of this misuse.

Because products cannot speak for themselves, they are blamed for most failures. When, in fact, those responsible for creating the specifications and those responsible for the maintenance of the products are to blame. For instance, you cannot ask an internal combustion engine to run for any length of time and to generate its maximum power if you fail to change the oil on a regular basis, let alone, neglect to place oil in it in the first place.

Not surprisingly, the greatest source of defects comes from the improper 46 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

installation and or application of a product. Improper installation can cause failures of the installed product and in turn, can affect other products. The life cycle of the product, its energy efficiency, as well as the cost/benefit equation can be drastically reduced. Anytime a failure occurs, there is a cost to repair it, with the worse-case scenario causing a temporary loss of use and income or even litigation in order for the needed repairs or modifications to take place.

On a recent project, a particular product was installed incorrectly and as a result, caused water damage to the structure. The trade partner responsible for the installation said they used the method of installation they had because they had always done it that way. This trade partner had never received any formal training from the manufacturer or distributor in the proper installation of the subject product. The product had changed over time, as well, requiring a slightly different installation method to be completed properly. Due to the method they had used, which incidentally came from a competing manufacturer of a similar type of product, they had failed to meet code with their installation. (Meeting code is an entirely different discussion.)

This occurrence is not all that uncommon within the construction industry. On this and other occasions, this particular trade partner and their company had been more “lucky” than “good.”

During the design phase, as products are spec’d and detailed out, consideration must be given to make certain the correct products are being used for any given application and that any manufacturers specifications are noted. During the bidding and construction phases, all

personnel involved with the installation need to understand the relationship between proper installation techniques, the proper sequencing of the installation and the guidelines that will ensure the proper installation of the product to achieve its maximum cost/benefit performance.

Remember, along with any cost of litigation, the rising costs of energy, the need to conserve and be environmentally conscious, along with the cost/benefit of any real property improvement, it is paramount to have an understanding of these construction defect elements and then to apply them to your portfolio of projects. This proactive approach provides tremendous long-term cost benefits and should be an integral component of your operations and risk management. You will sleep better and experience less aggravation in your life.

It really is as simple as assembling the right team at the onset, creating the appropriate governing contracts, having adequate design documents with specifications and ensuring the trade partners are qualified to make the installations properly and to code.

Doing so will save resources, add value and reduce risk.

Mark T. Woolley is the founder and president of Buildtec Solutions, an industry consultant, specializing in construction related issues, including defect avoidance. Mark represents owners, contractors and insurance firms as well as their legal advocates in resolving defect issues and claims. He can be reached at mark@buildtecsolutions.com or 801.550.9996. UF

BRIEFLY part of this project,” Clegg Mabey, senior vice president of Sahara, Inc. said. “We have really enjoyed working with the Aviary and GSBS to help begin the revitalization of the Aviary.”

Based in Davis County since 1985, Sahara has provided professional design/build and construction management services utilizing a unique client-oriented, collaborative management approach for the design and construction of commercial, industrial, institutional, retail and residential projects throughout the western United States.

The Building Star Energy Efficiency Act, legislation that

Tracy Aviary’s Wilson Pavilion photo courtesy of Benjamin Lowry.

Tracy Aviary’s Wilson Pavilion Project, constructed by Sahara Inc., received Gold LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Some of the project’s many sustainable elements include natural lighting, using native plantings, low flow sinks and hose reels, and incorporating a high percentage of recycled materials in the construction.

Features of the Wilson Pavilion include cutting-edge indoor/outdoor exhibits, dedicated spaces for egg incubation and hand-rearing of chicks, and lush tropical settings totaling nearly 3,500 square feet of new exterior exhibits and over 4,300 square feet of interior space.

GSBS Architects of Salt Lake City designed the project. Jonathan Bradshaw was the principle in charge.

“Sahara is proud to have been a

would establish an energy efficiency rebate program, is likely to be introduced in the 112th Session of Congress by Rep. Peter Welch (DVT). The Building Star legislation would benefit building owners and managers by offsetting a portion of the cost of purchasing and installing qualifying equipment or materials or for undertaking qualifying services to enhance the energy efficiency of existing commercial buildings and multifamily residential buildings. The act would also establish a federal loan guarantee program to help stimulate lending for energy efficiency retrofits.

continued on page 48

UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 47

BRIEFLY continued from page 47 The Building Star legislation was originally introduced in the Senate on March 4, 2010, by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and in the House on May 28, 2010 by Rep. Welch. But time expired in the 111th Session of Congress before any action could be taken.

The Building Owners and Managers Association International supported the original Building Star legislation, said Karen Penafiel, vice president of advocacy for BOMA International. However, before introducing the House companion Bill, Rep. Welch added prevailing wage rate requirements (Davis-Bacon) for work conducted using rebates or financial assistance.

“Although prevailing wages are the norm in many parts of the country, BOMA felt that in other markets, this would negate any of the benefits a building owner received,” said Penafiel. “Also, the paperwork requirements that are part of DavisBacon are very cumbersome. BOMA and other real estate associations withdrew support for the legislation.”

Representatives of BOMA International recently met with Rep. Welch, who plans to reintroduce the bill early in the 112th Session with some key differences. He plans to exclude the Davis-Bacon language.

Welch also plans to explore options

48 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

for other types of incentives, such as a tax credit or deduction, since a rebate program will not be wellreceived with the new makeup of Congress, Penafiel said.

“BOMA believes that incentive programs work and are necessary to help building owners retrofit our nation's existing building stock,” said Penafiel. “We look forward to working with Congress on legislation to help provide the tools — incentives and other voluntary programs — we need for widespread market transformation.”

Jan-Pro International, Inc., signed an agreement with EnvironSystems, Inc., to offer the EnviroShield Spray Disinfecting System, a high performance, safe and efficacious disinfectant with an electrostatic sprayer. The sprayer nozzle adds an electrostatic negative

charge to the disinfecting solution as it is applied, so it surrounds and clings to the surface it touches.

Today, fighting infection has become a huge issue worldwide. In fact, more Americans die annually from invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Infections than from HIV/AIDS, H1N1 influenza and Parkinson's disease, according to MRSA Survivors Network. MRSA is a serious, harmful infection caused by contact with common, everyday, high-use surfaces like bathroom fixtures and doorknobs.

The disinfecting agent used in the EnviroShield system is a product called EnviroTru®, a multipurpose disinfectant and deodorizing cleaner that meets all EPA requirements for Toxicity Category IV (no harmful dermal, ocular, inhalation or ingestion effects). Environmentally safe, EnviroTru requires no special handling, does not require protective clothing, gloves or special ventilation or bio hazard disposal, is nonflammable, poses no health risks or side effects and leaves no residue. It can safely be sprayed on keyboards and electronics as EnviroTru has passed AMS 1452A, AMS 1453 and Boeing D6-7127 specifications for

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UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011 I 49

BRIEFLY continued from page 48 non-corrosion and materials compatibility.

The EnviroShield sprayer achieves 100 percent disinfection coverage (four to 10 more than conventional sprayers) because the electrically charged spray droplets have a force of attraction of 75 times that of gravity. Droplets move upwards, against gravity, to coat hidden areas.

“Jan-Pro has taken pride in being first to bring the latest technology to the commercial cleaning industry,” said Tom Richter, president and CEO of Jan-Pro of Utah. “Jan-Pro differentiates ourselves from competitors through measurable cleaning and guaranteed results. We feel there is no better solution than the EnviroShield system.”

For more information, visit www.jan-pro.com/utah.

The building at Foothill Village formerly occupied

by TGI Friday’s will have three new tenants beginning the second quarter of 2011. Spring Communications, Simply Mac and Toscano Italian Bistro will conduct retail operations from the 7,100square-foot building.

Spring Communications, which sells cellular telephones, will occupy 1,316-square feet. Simply Mac, an authorized Apple and Mac computer dealer, will occupy 2,166 square feet.

Toscano Italian Bistro, which offers authentic Italian dining, will occupy 3,618 square feet.

Spring and Simply Mac were represented in the transaction by Jake Fairclough and Tom Cook of Commerce Real Estate Solutions.

Joseph Mills and Chris Hatch of Mountain West Retail & Investment worked with Toscano Italian Bistro on the deal. Mills and Hatch also represented the ownership group of Foothill Village on the transaction.

Jim Gaddis of Gaddis Investments and managing partner of Foothill Village said, “Each of these companies will be great additions to Foothill Village. If Simply Mac is

50 I UTAH FACILITIES MARCH 2011

anything like the other Apple stores, it should generate a lot of traffic to Foothill Village. Toscano Italian Bistro and Spring Communications will also be great additions since we currently don't have an Italian restaurant or wireless store in the village.”

Mills said, “In today’s challenging real estate world, it is good to be reminded that high-caliber tenants are still willing to pursue the best real estate locations and are not afraid of the economics that it takes to make those deals happen. We continue to see retail vacancy across the board in Salt Lake County in the 9 percent range. For first-class projects like Foothill Village, the vacancy rate seems to hover around a lower number of 4 to 5 percent.”

The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) launched the CMP Wizard, an interactive online tool to help LEED Professionals understand their Credential Maintenance Program (CMP) requirements and explore continuing education options.

The maintenance requirements for the LEED AP and LEED Green Associate credentials ensure that credential holders stay current with the quickly evolving body of knowledge around green building.

Credential maintenance also enables professionals to grow their skills and show clients and employers that their expertise is meaningful in a rapidly transforming marketplace. The CMP Wizard helps LEED credential holders select from among the wide variety of options they have for earning credential maintenance credit.

“We created the CMP Wizard to answer questions from current LEED APs with the goal of making the GBCI credential maintenance process clear and easier to understand,” said Peter Templeton, president, Green Building Certification Institute. “The CMP Wizard navigates directly to the key requirements each credential holder needs to know.”

GBCI’s credential maintenance program is unique among other

continuing education programs in that it offers eight flexible options for earning hours that range from working on LEED projects to reading case studies to taking professional development courses. LEED Professionals can often earn hours while performing activities they are already doing for their jobs.

LEED APs looking to take advantage of the limited-time opportunity to enroll into the specialty credential will find relevant information on prescriptive CMP requirements and testing options in the CMP Wizard. The enrollment windows for LEED APs without specialty close this year beginning in August.

Maintaining LEED Professional Credentials is especially relevant in today’s economic climate. The practice of green building is currently in high demand, with more than one million square feet of construction space certifying to the LEED rating system every day. Earlier this month, President Obama introduced the Better Buildings Initiative, which provides incentives for green building.

Green building demand is expected to rise greatly as building owners take advantage of the momentum afforded by the President’s new policy, which catalyzes private-sector investment through a series of incentives to upgrade offices, stores, schools and universities, hospitals and other commercial and municipal buildings.

“Green building is a critical element to a jobs creation program,” added Templeton. “Professionals who are knowledgeable about green building and the LEED process are today, more than ever, being sought after by employers, clients and project teams.”

For more information about the CMP Wizard, visit www.gbci.org/cmpwizard.

To share information about your company or product in Utah Facilities Briefly, please submit items to Kelly Lux at kelly@jengomedia.com.

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Utah Facilities P.O. Box 970281 Orem, UT 84097-0281