It Is Good To Be Back

It is deja vu all over again.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Have we not met before?

Like a bounced check, I have returned.

Call it whatever tired cliché you wish, but for me I will just say that it is good to be home once again as the senior editor of Facility Manager magazine. As your venues and your businesses are your babies, I always considered the caretaking of Facility Manager to be my baby when I worked at IAVM from 2000-2013.

I wanted to use this space to say thank you to everyone for your kind words of welcome. I have missed you but have been fortunate to have stayed connected to the industry through the kindness of Linda Deckard, who gave me the opportunity to write for her outstanding magazine for the last few years. Linda is a friend and I look forward to remaining in touch with her as we both serve this wonderful and unique industry.

You may have received an email from IAVM (What! An email from IAVM!) asking for you to place me on your media list and to help us with your contributions for an upcoming cover feature in the January 2017 Facility Manager, but I will be redundant in this space and again urge you to share your news with us so that we in return can share with the industry.

I thank so many of you for helping me navigate through the most difficult period of my life last year when my beautiful wife, Tanya, passed away at age 48 during a day surgery procedure. This was unexpected by me but was God’s plan. As I read recently in a devotional book, how can you lose someone when you know where they are at? I take that comfort in knowing where Tanya is and that one day I will be with her once more. But your prayers, calls, and emails really helped pull me through this void in my life, and I am forever grateful. This is just what this beautiful industry and its people do.

It is a new day at IAVM and a new day with Facility Manager, one that I am incredibly excited about. I look forward to the fun journey with you!