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What's Happened/Happening

Looking Back

We've just returned from IFMA's World Workplace 2009, where we joined the other authors of the IFMA Foundation's new book Cut It Out! in a series of presentations. Cut It Out! is a practical action guide for facilities managers that will help them "save today while building for tomorrow."

But here's the big news:  At World Workplace 2009 our friend and client Diane Coles, Director of Workplace Services at SCAN Health Plan, received IFMA's highest national award, the George Graves Award for Facilities Management Achievement.

The George Graves award is presented to the individual or team whose facility management program or idea has had a substantial, positive effect on the success of their organization. The award winner demonstrates innovation, and their achievements are used to educate other facility management professionals. The judging panel consisted of the previous winner of the award and six additional IFMA members.

Needless to say, we are thrilled for Diane and pleased to have contributed to the transformation at SCAN over the past three years (known within the company as the AWESOME project, for "Alternate Workplaces Engaging Staff & Office Environment Management Efficiencies.")

Diane has also received the 2009 IFMA Orange County Chapter Award of Excellence in Facility Management for the AWESOME project, the 2007 IFMA Orange County Chapter Professional Member of the Year, and the 2005 IFMA Orange County Chapter Award of Excellence in Facility Management. In addition, Diane was recently named a 2009 Southern California Real Estate Journal "Woman of Influence."

We also did our own presentation, in partnership with Diane. Our session, titled "Workplace Transformation at SCAN Health," described in detail the work that Diane, with our support, has led  to move several hundred SCAN employees into a flexible work program and then to completely transform the workspaces at SCAN's corporate facility.

It's a compelling story of change that will save SCAN over $7 million in the next four years, enhance employee productivity, and increase SCAN's ability to attract and retain talent. And, by the way, Chapter 5 of Cut It Out! features the whole AWESOME story.

It's a genuine pleasure to recognize Diane's achievements, and to have the honor of both working with her at SCAN and counting her among our close professional friends.

Looking Ahead

Jim will be in Long Beach briefly on Wednesday, October 21, and Thursday, October 22.

Charlie is staying close to home the next several weeks, focusing on launching the Prescott Business Community Center described in this month's Special Announcement.

We also continue to travel regularly on private business with individual clients. Stay tuned for last-minute plans that depend completely on our beloved clients and future clients.

If we're in your area and have a few minutes, we'd love to see you for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or "refreshments" any time after 5 PM local time (and you know what that means).

And please follow us on Twitter for more current updates on the future of work and our travel plans:  http://www.twitter.com/thefutureofwork

Give us a shout or send us a note, and if we can squeeze out some time, we'd love to say hello and share some good ideas the old-fashioned way:  face-to-face, glass in hand.

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