A brief monthly chat with a local facility management expert

1. A BRIEF MONTHLY CHAT WITH A
LOCAL FACILITY MANAGEMENT
EXPERT
FACILITYinsider
This Month:
Dan Walsh
Chief Engineer
LEED AP O+M
Able Services
IS SUE
Ju ne 2 0 18
01
CARLOS: Give us a quick overview of your engineering
background and how you got to where you are today.
DAN: I started my apprenticeship at the Ritz Carlton Hotel at
Water Tower Place in 1979. I was promoted to a building
engineer in 1981. In 1986 I moved to the Chicago Tribune
building at the Freedom Center. Eventually I accepted a
position at 515 North State during the construction phase and
worked there until 2003 when I was hired as Chief Engineer at
Greenspoint Office Park in Hoffman Estates, and I’m still here
today. I have been lucky to work for great organizations such
as Four Seasons Hotels, John Buck Company, Hamilton
Patners, Lincoln Property Company and now Abel Services.
CARLOS: How has technology affected your day-to-day
responsibilities over the last 10 years?
DAN: Technology has changed my field in dramatic ways.
From DDC controls, web based operating systems, to smart
phones. I started with radio communication and pagers, now
my buildings can send me an email telling me of an alarm or a
problem with the building and I can log into my computer
from anywhere and make changes. Building operations are
changing fast in this world, new standards and codes as well
as trying to make your buildings green and efficient while
trying to keep cost down can be a challenge.
CARLOS: Did you have any mentors early in your career? If
so, what was the most important lesson you learned from
them?
DAN: I had several early mentors but one thing I learned was
to think a job through and be prepared before you start. Get
all the facts and lock down costs. The last thing the owner of a
building wants is for your to come back for more money after
they’ve committed to a project.
CARLOS: What characteristics do you look for when
hiring a new vendor / contractor?
DAN: I simply look for commitment and support. I want
to know they will complete the job but also that they will
take full responsibility if a problem occurs during the
project. I also need to know I can call them anytime and
that they’ll have the resources available to help me solve
the issue. I need vendors that take ownership of their
work and are willing to honor their work if it does not turn
out as planned.
CARLOS: What are the two biggest challenges building
engineers are currently facing or will face in the coming
years?
DAN: Huge changes are happening and have been
happening in my field. I’ll give you an example; one of the
biggest challenges we’ll face in the coming years relates
to how we regrigerate our buildings. The current common
refrigerant is R22 and it will be phased out on January 1,
2020. After that date, it will no longer be manufactured or
imported into the US. Engineers throughout the country
will have to work with building owners and managers to
convert to an alternative or be prepared to change our
cooling systems to an entirely new system. Another
challenge is the strategic adoption of technology. We
have to be smart about how we do this because
technology is changing so fast that any advancement we
adopt today can be outdated in 5 years.