World Workplace was held in Houston this year and for those that attended it was another great event to meet other FM’s from around the world through networking events, advance your knowledge by attending educational sessions, and listen to keynote speakers (NASA astronauts) at the awards ceremony. Our Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter was represented well with twenty six Professional and Associate members in attendance. On Tuesday night, we had about 24 people attend our Chapter Dinner and we had a wonderful time getting to know each other. I would like to personally thank Julie Leiferman from Schwickert’s Tecta America for being the major sponsor for this year’s dinner and Chad Stout from FSI and John Haydon from Kraus-Anderson Construction for also helping cover the costs of the dinner.

If you have not been to World Workplace, I would suggest you participate in next year’s event in Charlotte, North Carolina. There are a number of benefits to being able to get away from the office for a week, reflecting on your career and/ or business, getting to know fellow professionals on a more personal level, and participating in some great educational and inspirational presentations. You will come back with a renewed interest in our industry and inspired to look at ways that can make yourself and your business better.

The Annual Awards Celebration will be held in conjunction with a chapter meeting this spring. The IFMA Minneapolis/ St. Paul Chapter’s Awards of Excellence recognizes the outstanding achievements of an individual or teams. Each year, awards are presented honoring those who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of the FM profession and the association. This is a fantastic way to reward the hard work put in by yourself, team or organization and to gain recognition for your efforts.