Woman exterminator in work wear spraying pesticide or insecticide with sprayer

Bed bugs at work!

February 13, 2019

Your facility may seem like an unlikely place for a bed bug infestation. After all, the top three places where bed bugs are found are single-family homes, apartments, and hotels. However, these nocturnal critters are master hitchhikers—they attach to luggage, …

Categorized: Buildings, Facilities Management, Maintenance

Back view business woman raising hand for asking speaker for question and answer concept in meeting room for seminar

Wrong thinking may lead to the right solution

February 6, 2019

At Vanguard Resources, we’re just as interested in the “manager” portion of the Facility Manager title as we are in the “facility” part. One thing any manager has to deal with at some point in their job is to come …

Categorized: Facilities Management, Professionalism

View of approaching rain storm, rainy clouds over the city, poor weather forecast. Malaysia, Cyberjaya. Tropical cyclone in asia.

Eco-friendly Roofing Options, Part Two: Blue Roofs

January 29, 2019

Last week we covered the benefits of green roofs; this week we’re going to focus on blue. The idea behind a blue roof is similar to a retention pond—except that the pond in question is on your roof. Also known …

Categorized: Buildings, Energy Efficiency, Environmental, Facilities Management, Maintenance, Sustainaibility

A portion of the new Vancouver Convention Center environmentally friendly, lush, 6 acre green roof.

Eco-friendly Roofing Options, Part One: Green Roofs

January 23, 2019

Vegetative, or green, roofs have been around for years, and have long offered promises of energy savings, reductions in storm-water runoff, beautification, and LEED points. However, many facilities have hesitation going green. This is partially due to fear of the …

Categorized: Buildings, Energy Efficiency, Environmental, Facilities Management

Icicles hanging from a brown pipe. Frozen water and metal surface, winter time concept. selective focus shallow depth of field photo

What should you do if a pipe freezes?

January 16, 2019

Earlier we discussed how to keep your pipes from freezing, but sometimes pipes freeze despite preventative measures. It’s vital to quickly get the water flowing through the pipe again—otherwise, the pipe will burst and damage your facility. Here’s how to …

Categorized: Buildings, Disaster Preparedness, Emergency Preparedeness, Facilities Management, Maintenance

Frozen water shut off handle in snowstorm

Categorized: Buildings, Disaster Preparedness, Emergency Preparedeness, Facilities Management, Maintenance

Multi racial business man and woman working together in modern cafe or restaurant. View from street through window glass.

Tips for workplace holiday decorations

December 26, 2018

Most holiday decoration safety tips deal with potential fire and injuries. For example, decorations hanging from fire sprinklers, or stacking anything closer than 18 inches to them, could stop them from working properly in an emergency. However, some other items …

Categorized: Facilities Management, Maintenance

smart screen with smart home and control center of factory, which lies in hangzhou binjiang district and manufactures mechanical equipment.

The Smart Buildling Revolution

December 19, 2018

Smart buildings are no longer the future in building management.   Swedish research firm Meemoori’s new report on the market for big data in smart building sees “robust growth” worldwide. It predicts growth of $15.6 billion by the end of …

Categorized: Buildings, Energy Efficiency, Environmental, Facilities Management, Sustainaibility

Man pointing his smart watch front of his wife in a park

AI technology’s progress toward senior care

December 12, 2018

People are starting to come to terms with the problems of aging America, and indeed the world, pose. Forbes reports over the first half of this century the percentage of people 60 years of age and older will almost double, …

Categorized: Facilities Management, Health Care Facilities

Emergency exit of the building with fire exit sign and fire alarm

Be prepared for wildfires

December 7, 2018

California’s latest deadly, costly wildfires have increased awareness about them. However, what you might not know is you don’t have to be near a forest to be in danger. Wildfires can just as easily burn their way through urban areas, …

Categorized: Disaster Preparedness, Emergency Preparedeness