Hello TAPPA,

We are now just over a month away from our annual conference, that will be held in Denton, TX and co-hosted by UNT and TWU.  You have just until the end of this month to take advantage of the early bird registration.

As a reminder of some of the events taking place as part of this year’s conference, we’ll be kicking things off on Sunday, April 23 at Bigshots, where you will get to meet with our business partners for some meaningful connections for anything needed on your campuses. We will quickly transition to education sessions on the afternoon of April 23 followed by the first timer’s and President’s receptions in the late afternoon and evening.  The agenda is outstanding: 2023 TAPPA Agenda | Texas Association of Physical Plant Administrators

I want to take this time to introduce a program that may help with the employment crunch we’ve seen in recent years. The Facilithon, a surprisingly effective career-introductory competition that has grown to 13 states and Washington DC in 2022. The Facilithon’s webpage, www.fmpipeline.org, serves as a springboard for Facilithon students and industry to encourage careers in facility management.  

APPA Members with interest in future talent or who are experiencing critical skills-gap problems are encouraged to volunteer for this innovative program.  TAPPA Members can sign up for the April 13 post-secondary competition taking place at Houston Community College at https://fmpipeline.org/tx-state-facilithon-2023. I highly encourage our Facility Manager and Business Partner members in the Houston area to support this program.

I also want to remind everyone that we have several Board positions that will be open for election this year. These are the Vice President, the Treasurer, two additional Facility Manager Board positions, and a Business Partner Board member. If you are interested in serving on the Board, email info@tappa.net so the Nominating Committee can contact you.  Please include your full name, institution or firm, a statement of interest, and a short bio. Additional info on Board position elections is available on the TAPPA webpage at: https://tappa.net/. I started my TAPPA career after attending my first TAPPA in 2017 in Ft. Worth and it’s one move I haven’t regretted. I’ve had the opportunity to meet some really amazing people in our industry.

I also want to let you know about our awards program. We have three different areas where you can recognize someone within your organization or maybe that special business partner. The three categories are:

• Facility Management Distinguished Service Award
• Business Partner Distinguished Service Award
• Stars Across Texas Award

You can reach out to myself, wls1@txstate.edu or David Reynolds at dreynolds@f-w.com with any awards questions.

Sincerely,

Wm. “Shorty” Schwartz, President, TAPPA

Rob Ramirez is a longstanding TAPPA member and Past President of the Association, and serving as the Chief Facilities Officer at Texas Woman’s University.  Rob came to TWU from the Texas A&M University System where he last served as the Executive Director for Physical Plant at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.  He has over 25 years of experience in operations, planning, and construction.  A true believer in professional development, he has studied, tested, and earned certifications from APPA (CEFP), IFMA (Facilities Management Professional), and the Project Management Institute (PMP). Rob is a frequent contributor at the annual TAPPA Conference and with TWU, one of this year’s two host institutions. He is looking forward to #TAPPA2023.  According to Rob, “The challenges for facility managers and our supporting business partners never get easier.  The opportunity to compare challenges and hear of potential solutions from peers and businesses is an invaluable aspect of TAPPA Conferences.”

Chris Akin leads a privately-owned consulting firm specializing in Geographic Information System (GIS) consultation and implementation solutions. Chris supports asset and facilities management by developing, implementing, and managing GIS services, solutions, and environments for higher education, K-12, healthcare, utility, and municipal markets.

Chris and Paratum Solutions believe in being prepared and driving organizations to be proactive, rather than reactive. (“Paratum” is a derivation of the Latin word for “prepared.”) Paratum truly believes in our vision of “Prepared, Informed, Equipped,” and Chris supports select clients with the same ethos. TAPPA and its members have the same philosophy, which is what originally drew Chris to the organization. TAPPA provides extensive networking opportunities, and the shared collaborations and support across the institutions have led to great connections and projects over the years. Chris firmly believes that strong relationships and trusting partnerships are the best way for Paratum's clients to be successful, and TAPPA provides great opportunities for a collaborative, supportive environment.

Have you or a colleague recently been or are soon to be a presenter, a panelist or serving in an advisory role that may provide beneficial information to TAPPA members? If so, we would love to hear about it! Please share your experiences with us at info@tappa.net, and follow us today!
 
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