May Asset Ambassador:  Steve Holland, CPPM
by Kim Bowley, CPPM, CF

Congratulations to Steve Holland, our Asset Ambassador for May 2010!  Steve, a CPPM, is the Senior Property Manager for Booz Allen Hamilton in Rosslyn, VA.  He currently supports the Department of Homeland Security by leading and facilitating the National Protection and Programs Directorate’s Asset and Fleet Management Programs.  

Steve’s property career began when a family friend set him up with an interview at Lockheed Martin in California and Steve took it from there.  He worked overseas for 10 years in North Yorkshire, England, and then moved to Fairfax VA.  He spent 26 years with LMC and has been with BAH for the past 5 years.  He has done everything from property administration and accounting to logistics.

Steve believes that a good property manager must be flexible and address issues to make win-win situations for the entire team.  Being a team player is extremely important to him – he even has an acronym for it -– Talent, Enthusiasm, Attitude and Mentoring = TEAM.  He has established a total team concept within the DHS NPPD property community.  If he were to give one piece of knowledge or advice to someone just entering the property management field, it would be to gain an understanding of the big picture of property management and how it inter-relates with the business processes within the organization.  Working in the property profession has taught him how important it is to maintain detailed and accurate records.
Currently serving as the National Director of Professional Development, Steve is an active member of the NPMA.  He has served as Vice President of the NOVA Chapter, assisted the National Membership committee, and since 2006 has worked as the National Director of NES Training, helping to develop the NES Schedule.

Steve is the type of person who likes to give back.  He is most proud of his work helping set up systems and processes overseas to support National Security Programs with LMC Special Programs in defense of our country.

If there was one thing that Steve could change about property management, it would be recognition.  Steve heartily believes that property professionals work hard and don’t get half the recognition they deserve.

The future holds a Consulting Fellow and teaching in store for Steve.  He would like to have some public speaking engagements as well as continue to teach in the property management industry.  Steve feels that property management has been very good to him, given him a great career, allowed him to meet and work with a number of interesting people and now he feels it is time to give back and help the people coming along behind him.  

Steve, we congratulate you on your many accomplishments and we look forward to your continued success.  That is why you are the Asset Ambassador for May 2010!

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NPMA Office Changes

With the departure of Amber Hague last fall, and Felicia Johnson next month, the NPMA office has recently made some staff changes.  We are happy to announce the addition of Christena McGuire and Lesley Fuchs to the NPMA office.

Christena is NPMA’s new Marketing Communications Manager, and will be actively involved in new member recruitment.  She will also manage the NPMA website, as well as NPMA’s social network media sites on Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, etc.  Christena will draw from her experience in marketing research, lead generation and web optimization strategies she managed at her previous jobs in Florida and Minnesota.

Lesley will coordinate NPMA’s various education offerings, assisting members who wish to register for a course or attend a seminar.  She will also assist Maria Maggio in managing on-site logistics for NES and region seminars.  Lesley brings with her several years’ experience in handling educational training programs and meeting planning with previous employers. 

Please welcome Christena and Lesley to NPMA!

Here’s a recap of who to contact at NPMA for assistance:

NPMA National Office
28100 U.S. Highway 19 North
Suite 400
Clearwater, FL  33761
http://www.npma.org
Telephone:  727-736-3788
Fax:  727-736-6707

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Standards for Federal Property Management
by Bob Holcombe, CPPM, CF

I really have to express my appreciation for the work done by folks in the NPMA back a decade or so ago in embracing standards as a way to help us all be better managers and stewards of the property we're responsible for.   This article addresses how these standards affect the federal employee (or contractor) who manages federal property for an agency.

A short background:   Any federal manager who's been around a few years knows the various layers of policy making:  Federal property management starts with the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949.   That law set many policies in place, and further established GSA to develop further policies, specifically the regulations known and loved by so many today!!

In the mid to late 1990s, Congress passed Public Law 104-113 which required agencies to use Voluntary Consensus Standards (standards) in lieu of government-unique processes and methods.  Also, OMB issued a revised Circular A-119 with essentially the same policy for agencies:  Don't make your own rules, follow the rules established by consensus through these publicly-available standards.  

That's a big shift in the empowerment of the people!  For most of the years from 1949 until the late 1990s, the federal property policies have been pretty much dictated from GSA or the White House to the agency managers.   Now, with both the Congress AND the White House directing us to use these standards, property managers have the power to participate in the development of the very rules they're responsible to follow.  How great is that?   Oh, and the OMB Circular also encourages employees to assist in DEVELOPING these standards, so you can see how we're really in charge of our own destiny in many ways.

For contract property managers, you've already been exposed to this to a great extent with the changes made to FAR Part 45.  

For all of us, we're now to follow things like best practices and consensus standards, rather than just follow a cook-book step-by-step instruction into how to do our jobs.   That requires the manager to be more intelligent and experienced in the fundamentals of the profession, in order to understand how all these standards and policies and ideas interact, whereas before, the manager just had to follow the detailed instructions which came with the job.   Not to be putting in a plug for NPMA, but that's kind of how this will read - the folks in our profession have a greater need than ever before to be trained and knowledgeable about the whys and wherefores of our calling.   Organizations such as the NPMA (and there are obviously others) have a critical role in training our people in these areas.  The profession in the next 10 years will have little resemblance to the profession even 20 years ago.   Be prepared!

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Book review by Terry Rochelle, CPPM, CF

My Reality Check Bounced!  The Gen-Y Guide to Cashing In on Your Real-World Dreams

by Jason Ryan Dorsey
Copyright 2007
Broadway Books
ISBN-13:978-0-7679-2183-1
Available at Amazon.com
 

Jason is 29 years old. I met him in February this year when he was a speaker at the NPMA Western Region Seminar. He wrote his first book at age 18!  Jason wrote this book for the twenty somethings that are bursting into the corporate world and are trying to find their place - the "Y Generation."  It is kind of a workbook that really gives good ideas for focus on what is important to 20 - 30 year-olds.  He takes the reader through a step by step process that helps them figure out first what it is that they really want out of life, and then how to gain focus and set goals.  He gives real-world examples and gives ideas as to how to realize the dreams of these individuals.
 
I read the book to gain some understanding of how to work with people of this age group.  I found it to be insightful and helpful.  It made me very aware of the role that I (we of the Boomer generation) play in the lives of these young people.  We have so many differences, but I believe we all want to be able to work together; we just have to realize we have different ways to get to the desired results.  What surprised me most was the advice Jason gives about the Gen-Y's asking the Boomers to mentor them, and for the Boomers to really be there to teach. 
 
As a bonus, I found some relevance in the focus and planning ideas for my own life stage.  Obviously different results - ending a career and planning for the rest of our lives as opposed to just getting started in a career.  I would recommend this to anyone interested in bridging a gap between the generations, but also as a usable workbook with relevance for just about anyone. 

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University Property Managers Connect Online Via NPMA SIG

by Ivonne Bachar, CPPM, CF, Jessica Dzara, CPPS & David Routzahn, CPPA

Property Management in an academic and/or non-profit research environment presents never-ending opportunities and challenges.  The newly established Special Interest Groups (SIGs) within NPMA offer a great venue for NPMA members employed in or otherwise associated with a university environment to more actively use each other as resources. 

We work in an environment where a culture of academic excellence blended with the passion for creativity and cutting edge research must effectively balance with business operations and compliance.  That said, we have greater latitude than many corporations in the sharing of ILPs with less restraint as to “proprietary processes” that may affect profits or competitive positions of an organization. Unique property management scenarios are directly affected by the focus of academic programs as well as whether the institution is a public/state or private entity and whether or not they conduct research.  Staff longevity is longer than many other market sectors and assets tend to be used well beyond their financial life.  Systems must balance support for a wide variety of contractual agreements and associated regulatory requirements or sponsor guidelines – grants, contracts, collaborative agreements, fellowships, loans, leases, donations; FAR, OMB Circulars, Agency Supplements, GASB, State Regulations, GAAP, IRS Guidelines, Export Controls, etc.  This, in addition to the financial management and stewardship of University-funded assets, comprise a dynamic “compliance puzzle” for educational institutions.

The University, Colleges and Other Non-Profit SIG Forum (which can be accessed on the NPMA website (http://npma.org/ForumAccess.aspx) addresses the property issues and interests specific to institutions of higher learning.  Since its initial launch late in 2009, the on-line forum has approximately 70 subscribers from universities across the country – research and non-research-based; private and public, large and small.  Combined, we have a plethora of experience and knowledge to help address your challenges “on the fly."  Currently more than a dozen discussion topics have been started including Property Plan, Barcode Labels, University Property Accounting Issues and Property Awareness Strategies.  The subsequent replies to initial postings have helped SIG members address university unique accounting issues, recommend vendors, and share best practices.

On April 8, 2010 members of our SIG participated in our first quarterly conference call to discuss SIG forum activity, plan for NES activities, and identify additional communication opportunities for the group.  The SIG will begin sending out monthly updates with an overview of new topics posted to increase forum activity. Also, the SIG is implementing an emergency response system where an email will go out to all members when a time sensitive question has been posted. All are looking forward to networking with other members and discussing hot topics during the workshop session. In addition to the SIG meeting, members are planning to present on a variety of university-related topics that will ensure members of the SIG are getting a great value out of the conference as a whole.

The value of the SIG is evident….

“If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to join one or more of our SIG Forums!  The University SIG offers a great opportunity for university property newcomers to network with experienced professionals in the industry. Having this body of knowledge at your fingertips greatly increases the overall value of NPMA membership.” --  Jessica Dzara, Sunflower Systems

“Many new opportunities are coming up especially with the new FAR regulations such as the unique identifier.  Being from a university and one of the few property persons in the state, the Special Interest Group website is vital to stay up to date.  Funds are not always available to attend the classes offered to be up to date on the changes.” -- Sandra Kirchoffer, Georgia Tech University

“Once the SIGs, especially the SIG forums, become a true community resource for property answers and opinions, we can say we have moved our NPMA knowledge base and networking opportunities to a new level.  SIG forums definitely make it easier to continue your property dialogue with members you meet at the regional seminars and NES.” -- Bob Mahaney, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

If you’re not yet a member…..sign up today!  Education is an everyday occurrence and this is a great venue for ready access to extensive information and experience with which to expand your knowledge base.  We look forward to the growth of this SIG and the benefits to our members! 

For additional information regarding the NPMA University SIG and how to participate, contact Jessica Dzara at jdzara@sunflowersystems.com or David Routzahn at dxr056000@utdallas.edu.
 

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As a result of SOX, there have been changes to the U.S. Code.  These changes apply equally to all corporate entities, whether private or public.  Which of the following was NOT one of the changes? 

a. Document Retention

b. Compliance
c. Whistleblower Protection
d. Obstruction of Justice Definition

Click here for the correct answer.

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National Education Seminar

June 14 - 17

Myrtle Beach, SC

Early Rate on or before May 14, 2010:
NPMA Member--$675 
Non-member--$800 (includes one year membership)

Hotel Information:  http://www.npmanes.org/Hotel.htm

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The Digest is published bi-monthly for the members of NPMA.  If you have news or information for The Digest, please email your articles/comments/questions to Kim.Bowley@ManTech.com