Hello BPs!
I attended my first APPA-related event when I was at Texas Christian University. It was in San Antonio, and Henry Cisneros was the mayor. The year: 1983. Since that beginning at a very early Facilities Management Institute, I’ve been on the CAPPA board, the RMA board, and the APPA board. I’ve been a CAPPA President, and I ran for APPA Vice President of Professional Development, losing out to Chuck Scott. It’s kind of like the commercial; I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two.
That was just as a member. Since I retired from NMSU in 2019, I’ve kept GHaubold Consulting going and started another firm, a partnership, FM Excel, to complete the larger-scale organizational assessments and staffing analyses. I’m an emeritus-slash-business partner.
As an active member, I worked to make sure that we met the needs of our business partners. Now, I am one. As a rule, CAPPA tries to keep a mix of business partners on the board, but all of us in the APPA family have always sought to provide value to our business partners. CAPPA business partners consist of service firms and those who sell products; there are design professionals, software folks, and golf cart manufacturers. Some business partners sell large pieces of equipment that cost millions of dollars, while others sell supplies that can be purchased under a discretionary procurement threshold.
Each business partner has a different way of selling to the membership, and we try to accommodate all of them. However, whether it’s a vendor fair, lunches, time for dinners, golf events, or speed dating, CAPPA has one significant goal with our business partners: to make the introduction for business partners to a member of CAPPA who can use their services.
Years ago, a business partner who had been coming to CAPPA and RMA for years told me: Glen, I have never sold a job while at CAPPA or RMA, but I have developed relationships and sold millions of dollars in jobs over the years because of the contacts I made. It’s an investment with a significant return.
Business Partner Committee Co-Chair Debra Jones, Sr. Energy Solutions Specialist with Schneider Electric, recently wrote our committee:
Exciting times are ahead as we approach the fall conference in St. Louis, just 150 days away. I urge you to ensure your CAPPA membership is up to date and secure your booth space promptly. This is a prime opportunity to showcase your services and connect with potential clients.
You can go here https://prezi.com/view/Oh7ZvU6msOyVmJQVTtFB/ for ideas on how to make the most of your conference experience. Special recognition will be awarded to the booth that best reflects the conference theme: “Arching Forward – The Future of Facilities.”
You can reach out to us anytime for help and support.
That was two weeks ago, so we are now 135 days out. Be sure to watch Debra’s Prezi – and start planning! We’ll have a great conference. See you in St Louis!!
-Glen Haubold