Facilities @ Management

1.6 FM in the Beginning

Christine H. Tobin (formerly Neldon)

In the late 1970s, the business world changed radically. Computers invaded the workplace, and everything exploded. Traditional furniture no longer worked, and phones became complicated. Power and cable requirements placed new demands on building systems and capacities. HVAC became a critical system and new space was needed for mainframes and their support teams.

Engineers, Architects, Building Owners, and Operations personnel were struggling for solutions and understanding. Costs were skyrocketing with no clear business leader within organizations to deal with the crisis. Vendors were struggling to come up with solutions as lead times on construction, products, and services increased dramatically. Board of Directors had no clear understanding of the issues or costs involved.

In the early 1980s, the office lease for the Atlanta office of Arthur Andersen was expiring. A “Big Eight” accounting firm owned by partners, a move was planned to the new (client-owned) Georgia-Pacific Headquarters building. A move coordinator was required, and it was considered a no-win situation. As a young, female, operations manager and the most expendable member of the staff, I was selected for the job.

At about the same time as this assignment, an invitation came in the mail from the Facility Management Institute (a Herman Miller organization). A lecture was being presented by Dave Armstrong on the new field of Facility Management (FM). ...