Facilities @ Management

1.1 When and How “Facility Management” Became an Identified and Needed Profession

David L. Armstrong

Introduction

In 1968, while Associate Dean of Agriculture of Resident Instruction in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University (MSU), an unusual and career-changing situation occurred. The College was growing very rapidly and was running out of office space. The MSU architect mentioned that Herman Miller, Inc was doing something very interesting new things and that I should contact Bob Propst, President of the Herman Miller Research Corporation (HMRC). Michigan State University (MSU) became the first government contract for Herman Action Office Systems (AO2). It became a research site and a publication by HMRC titled “Facility Influence on Productivity.”

The MSU experience set Bob Propst on a mission. He wanted to visit office facilities in as many companies as possible. He wanted to see firsthand what equipment and furnishings were present, how they were used, determine if a plan existed and how facilities were managed. The observations were all over the place. Since Bob Propst was running a research corporation, he wanted answers. For the next eight years, Bob Propst and I visited dozens of companies. During this same period, we were invited lecturers at Architectural Colleges, corporations and were sought after for American Management Association (AMA) Lectures. Office environments were growing at exponential speed, and the nagging questions ...