Message from the AVP for Facilities & Construction

President

Culture By Jason Toth, AVP F&C

In the last few months I have tried to get a better handle on the culture and ‘temperature’, if you will, in Facilities & Construction. I have had reports of low morale, discontent with the administration, unhappiness due to the unresolved union contracts, and questions on the future of UT to name a few. This article is not going to solve any of those items, but rather discuss where I look for us to work together as a group to take our organization. At long last, we have come to contractual agreements with the unions representing our staff. This was long overdue and I hope helps to ease some tension. Having been involved with the UT/AFSCME negotiations for a portion of the time, I can say that it took a great deal of effort and collaboration to make these deals happen. We must forget the difficult days spent negotiating and celebrate the outcome. My thank you to staff members on both sides of the table for putting differences aside and getting the deals done. Dr. Nagi Naganathan has put a strong emphasis during the early days of his interim Presidential appointment on building relationships across all facets of the institution, and providing for inclusion and transparency on decision making. I fully agree with and support him in this effort. We need to come together to continue to advance our great University. We are in the midst of a major change here at UT. The interim Administration has taken a different approach than the previous one. It is my hope that the changes at the top of the organization will again show all of us the commitment that this University has to all of us. We in turn, owe it to our University to bring our full effort and commitment to excellence each day to work. We cannot become complacent and except less than our best. Many have told me that morale is low. Again, I am hopeful that the contract resolution for both Unions and the change in the Administration helps correct this. I would challenge all of us to look in the mirror and determine if we are part of the problem or part of the solution. Sometimes all it takes is a smile, a handshake, or a simple thank you to raise a person’s morale. Let’s face it; we do what we do at UT because we love it. We support the mission of improving the human condition and serving our patients and students. But in recent months, many outside of our organization have noted a slip. In polling outsiders, the average grade given to our entire department is a D. We cannot survive at a D level. We need to raise our game, as I have an expectation of an A, and I am confident that with all of your help we will make the grade. Our focus on customer service needs to be dialed up, whether that is towards patients, students, visitors, faculty or staff. Our communication needs to be clear, concise, and consistent. Our culture simply needs to improve. We have many success stories, several of which will be shared throughout this newsletter and many more. This needs to become our new norm. I ask you all to support me and each other as we work to repair our image. It all starts with attitude. Quoting from a recent book that I read by Brian Cain, ‘Remember, the attitude you take is a decision you make. Today, you can control your attitude in every situation you face. Your attitude is contagious and it is your attitude that will determine your altitude.’ What attitude will you bring with you tomorrow and in the days ahead?

Inside This Issue

1 Message from the Jason Toth

2 Employee News

3 Recycling News

4 Employee Spotlight

5 Insight

6 Nancy’s Personal Best

7 Energy Management

8 Campus Events

9 Human Resources

10 Upcoming Events

11 Congratulations & Thank You

12 In Closing

Fall 2014 Volume 5, Issue 6

Trade Line Times

October 2014

Trade Line Times

P a g e | 2

Jason, I wanted to give a big THANK YOU to the entire facilities & construction staff for a successful Res Hall move in. The team was very responsive and super helpful when

A few examples:

- Brad Tansel was a superstar FROG according to our Ottawa Staff, and they would love for Brad to come back and volunteer EVERY year at Ottawa.

- Michael Green was awesome in working with the construction contractors

to clear lot 9 for our Parks Tower move in (and getting Stadium Drive open just in time), as well as keeping me in the loop with potential outages that may have affected the Res Halls.

- Jim Graff for working with the contractors in Lot 9 to help ensure the Parks

Tower move in traffic flow wasn’t severely impacted. - Bob Boyd’s staff was super helpful as always, and took care of the last

minute issues that always seem to crop up in regards to cleaning issues to alleviate complaints.

- The locksmiths were GREAT again this year with the many last minute

requests. - The MRW’s were awesome again this year. Special shout out to Jim Hill

for assisting me and a family with a broken bed in Carter; Brad Davis for handling an A/C issue in a very timely manner; Russ & Steve for always being available and super prepared for opening.

- Doug Collins’ team for making sure the roll off dumpsters were

compacted, and keeping everything looking great around the Res Halls. - Brooke Mason’s team for gathering the extraordinary amounts of

cardboard from the Res Halls. - Nancy, Pat & Ellen for fielding numerous calls and dispatching the trades.

Again, a heartfelt thank you to your entire staff for making Fall Semester move in a big success! Please pass along our appreciation for all of their efforts. Thank you, Mark A. Brooks Assistant Director for Building Services – Residence Life 419-530-8404 office 419-530-2942 fax Mark.brooks@utoledo.edu

Employee News

I would like to take this opportunity to

express my sincere appreciation for

the hard work, dedication and support

that Dan Klett has provided to me

since I have taken on the interim

duties of the University ADA

Compliance Officer while Wendy

Wiitala is on LOA. I thoroughly enjoy

working with Dan and look forward to

collaborating with Dan on future

Institutional ADA compliance projects.

Katrina M. Nottke, MBA

Internal Auditor

Office of Internal Audit & Compliance

T r a d e L i n e T i m e s P a g e | 3

Rocket Re-Cycle!

The SEED Initiative, Rocket ReCycle, and Toledo Bikes! are partnering to make UT a much

greener campus with the Rocket ReCycle: Bike Loan Program. The UT Bike Loan Program

is a way for students to make a positive impact on our environment, just by living their

everyday lives! Thirty students who sign up will get a bike and lock for the entire school year

with a $50 deposit that will be refunded upon return of the bike in decent condition. All a

student needs to do is agree to not bring a car to campus! Students who want to reduce the

carbon footprint of our beautiful campus, can sign up for the Bike Loan Program!

This program has so many benefits for both students and

UT. For students, it gives them a reliable mode of

transportation, gives them a healthy mode of

transportation, and makes their individual lives greener.

For UT, it reduces parking and traffic conditions on

campus, makes UT a more bike-friendly campus, and

reduces UT's greenhouse gas emissions from commuting.

If this year is successful, we hope to double the number of

bikes in the program next year!

We are also working on a partnership to get Toledo Bikes!

To have a community bike shop on campus that our

students can use!

How can you help? You can donate an old personal bike

to the program! To do so, contact Pete Thomas (peter.thomas@utoledo.edu). For more information on the Bike Loan Program, go

to here.

Rocket Recycling

Peter Thomas handling off a bike lock and bike to a UT student.

Trade Line Times

P a g e | 4

Chris, I’m sending this note to acknowledge the tremendous service Amber Sayen provided the Department of Public Safety during recent building renovations. On the heels of several departmental moved within the Transportation Center, Amber painted a number of offices and work spaces. It was clear that Amber was very committed to her work and the result was exceptional. While we still have a few more improvements planned, my staff has never had better work space. The offices and public space looks more professional and the new look has been well received by employees and customers. We are looking forward to working again with Amber. Many thanks for the great service. Jeff Newton, Police Chief The University of Toledo Police Department

Employee Spotlight

Amber Sayen, UT Painter

T r a d e L i n e T i m e s P a g e | 5

When was the last time?????????? When was the last time that you came into work here at the University of Toledo and said thank you???? Thanks for my job, Thanks for letting me have nice things in my life, health care, money, friends, car, truck and the list goes on. Of course we all have our bad days, but think about this for a second, the good far outweighs the bad. I get mad, upset, don’t like some of the things that goes on out here, but you know what, at the end of the day I’m a very blessed individual, we are all very blessed individuals, I don’t think you heard me, WE ARE ALL VERY, VERY BLESSED. When was the last time you were able to get away from work, stay home, vacation or get away and enjoy yourself. When was the last time you went home from work and told a loved one that you love them? Some of us do have stressful jobs, but then again we have a job. That may sound a little cold, but from the top of the pay scale out here to the bottom of the pay scale, we all should be thankful because these jobs are not promised to us from day to day, life is not promised to us from one moment to the next. When was the last time that you did something for yourself, something that you want to do, but you keep saying you don’t have the time, or something you want to eat or drink or certain clothes to buy, when? Mom would tell us all the time, no matter how bad you think you have it just look around because someone has it worse. I know I’m rambling but that’s the point, we have choices in life, we control more than we think, being upset, mad at the world, ungrateful for what we have. When was the last time you sat down and actually thought about what you do have in life and how it came about. I’m thankful for my job, friends, the ability to come and go as I please, and again the list goes on and on. I have three friends who are fighting cancer, and if you were to see them you would never know it because they try to uplift others when they are having problems. Life is better than what we think and I can only hope that the next time I get down and out that I can remember what my Mom would say to us, and think about others who are in a bad way and keep trying to help people along the way and continue to say THANK YOU,THANK YOU AND THANK YOU. And if you really want to know who I’m saying thank you to, “YOU KNOW” George W. Hayes Jr. University of Toledo Electrician TRANSIT Good Morning Diana: Yesterday went great! The students and their teacher had a great time at UT and being able to take them on UT buses just added that extra touch to the event. The drivers yesterday were fantastic. Please thank them for me for providing such wonderful service. Sincerely, Marcie Marcie L. Ferguson, B.B.A. Director, Corporate Relations Operations & Initiatives Office of Corporate Relations | R1 1020G

Insight

Trade Line Times

P a g e | 6

We often hear the words "team" or "family" when referring to our co-workers. This department is so much more than that. We celebrate. We mourn. We laugh. We frown. We work hard. We find time for play. We EAT and we share. All of us, everyone of us in this building; We are comrades. I haven't specified any particular person lately but I have a few this time. Jeff Johnson gets my personal best for making me laugh myself silly. His radio comentation is always professional but simply hilarious. And not only does he maintain his own buildings, he never hesitates to help us out when no one else is available. We wish him well in his recovery from surgery and will see him soon. Corri Saad, our small but mighty female electrician. Working in a world of men, in traditionally their trade, has probably put her to the test on numerous occasions but she can hang with the best of them and certainly knows her trade. I've seen her work and could truly never do what she does. Steve Krukowski for finally passing the paper work class. We call him my student. Proud to say he has gone from "F" and "D"'s to mostly "A"s except for the occasional glaring error probably because he stayed up too late the night before playing with his grandkids. Ok, that part isn't true. Sara Dibling who is the best person to be the department's first face. She has had to be responsible for much more than me when I worked that position. She has to know a lot about every area and certainly has the personality to deal with the various array of visitors. I hope we have a beautiful fall and we all try to find as much joy in our lives as we can. See you next time. ADOPT A FAMILY Facilities & Construction will be sponsoring a local family this year with the Salvation Army’s Adopt – A – Family program. With this program we will 1. Be assigned a family, 2. Get a list of what they need, 3. Buy what they need using donations from F&C, and 4. Deliver the gifts to the family. Tom Garey, Manager of Facilities Information Systems, will be the contact person for this effort. He can be reached at 419.530.1082 or by email. There will be more information on this in the next few days, but thank you in advance for your support and consideration of this worthwhile cause.

Nancy’s Personal Best

T r a d e L i n e T i m e s P a g e | 7

From left to right: Top row-Michael Green, Bob Huntsman. Bottom row: Rick Marciniak, Sandrine Mubenga, Bill Knappins, Phil Peter.

Building Automation Team saved UT $1.4Million in FY14 In fiscal year 2014 (7/1/13 to 6/30/14), the Building Automation Team saved close to $1.4 Million for the University. Congratulations to all the members of the Building Automation Team! As a team, we work behind the scenes with many others. We want to take this opportunity to thank Work Control, Air Quality Technicians, Building Operators, Electricians, Plumbers, Central Control Engineers, and F&C Managers and Directors for great teamwork. It gives us great pleasure to show the value that we all bring as a team to the University. The Building Automation Team performs skilled automation system installation, repair, calibration on various automation systems and components including electrical/electronic, pneumatic, HVAC/R with the goal of saving energy and providing the proper climate for all areas (academic, clinical, lab, residential) on campus. As the Manager of the Building Automation Team, I am proud to show how we fulfill the mission of the Facilities and Construction team by providing a comfortable environment for UT students, staff, and faculty while saving energy and money through various strategies. As a team, we are always looking for ways to improve our performance. This can be seen from the table below from the “2014 Energy Summary” by Michael Green, PE.

The table illustrates that despite the harsh weather, we saved about 12% energy in FY14. This can be found by comparing the actual FY14 Energy Utilization Index (EUI) versus the Weather Adjusted EUI. Indeed, we saved 0.0191MMBtu/GSF over 7,168,784 GSF (GSF stands for Gross Square Feet). This translates to saving 137,000 MMBtu in energy, or 1.4Million dollars in building utility cost. What do these savings really mean? Per the EPA Green House Gas Equivalencies Calculator, saving 137,000 MMBtu is equivalent to avoiding the CO2 emission of 1,100,000 Gallons of gasoline. It is also equivalent to removing 2,059 cars off the road, or avoiding the electricity use of 1,345 homes for a year. We have just saved 8,016 acres of US forest! The major projects that helped achieve these savings were:

1- Campus Energy Cost Reduction project which consisted of upgrading lighting and occupancy sensors in over 30 buildings across campuses.

2- VFD Replacement Project which consisted of replacing about 30 failed variable frequency drives (VFD). A VFD is a motor controller that starts an electric motor and varies the frequency and voltage supplied to the motor based on the load, thus saving energy. The motors controlled by the VFD are used for building heating and cooling. This project also allowed the standardization of drives across campuses and the expansion of the preventative maintenance program.

3- VFD Control Strategy which consisted of programming VFDs to setback the static pressure for few hours per day.

4- Chiller plant upgrades which consisted of upgrading the chiller plants on the Health Science campus.

Thank you to all those who helped achieve or exceed our goal. Email us at seed@utoledo.edu if you have ideas on ways to further save energy for the University of Toledo. Below is a picture of the Building Automation Team.

Sandrine Mubenga, PE, MSEE, Manager, Electrical Engineering

Energy Management

Trade Line Times

P a g e | 8

Subject: Eberly Center for Women (ECW) Event Success

Good morning ECW Advisory Board members and supporters of the ECW.

This note is with great appreciation to all those who contributed to the success of the ribbon cutting, dedication and open house.

We could not have shined without the help of our friends in UT Facilities and their work with the contractors. Thank you Nick Hogrefe, Doug Collins, and AVP Jason Toth for all your support..

Personally, it was especially exciting to have new students come in to learn how we can support them and gratifying to hear from past ECW participants who came back to see all the wonderful improvements and expansions.

The ECW will continue to focus on our mission to engage, educate, and empower women both on and off campus and your supports makes that all possible.

Best Regards and Go Rockets!

Shanda Gore, Ed.D. Associate Vice President for Equity, Diversity and Community Engagement Chief Diversity Officer

Mr. Toth, I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you allowing Gary Buczko to make the necessary repairs to our HVAC system. The area I work in was most affected and since the repairs it is like night and day; the temperature has been constant and the humidity is within a normal range. I also wanted to let you know that Gary was phenomenal during all of the repairs and troubleshooting. During the repair process, Gary was meticulous in troubleshooting the issues and continually asked for our input as the repairs were being made; just yesterday I saw him in our building checking to make sure things were running as they should. If I can ever assist you with anything, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you, James

Campus Community

T r a d e L i n e T i m e s P a g e | 9

OPEN ENROLLMENT

Take action now! Open Enrollment is held this year from October 1st through November 14th. This is the time during the year that

you can:

Enroll or make changes to your healthcare plan

Enroll or re-enroll in the Flexible Spending Accounts or Health Savings Account

The effective date for your choices will be January 1, 2015.

Things to do by November 14, 2014:

Visit the 2015 Open Enrollment website and review your current choices

Complete online enrollment process no later than 11:59 pm and successfully “Submit to HR”

Return required documentation to HRTD Benefits

What must be turned in?

Marriage certificate if enrolling a spouse

Domestic Partner Registration if enrolling a domestic partner

Birth certificate, court documentation or adoption paperwork if enrolling a dependent

Spouse/Domestic Partner Healthcare Eligibility Affidavit if enrolling a spouse/domestic partner in OBA/FrontPath or

Paramount and they work for another employer other than UT or UTP. This form is not required for the MMO CDHP plan.

Benefit representatives will be around at various times across all shifts and campuses. A list of dates and locations are provided on

the following link: http://www.utoledo.edu/depts/hr/benefits/Open_Enrollment/pdf/Calendar-%20October.pdf

Employees with questions about online enrollment are advised to email benefits@utoledo.edu. All employees are encouraged to go online to review their current choices whether they plan to make a change or not.

GROUNDS Doug, Drew, and Everybody: I know you were not the only ones involved with our little project, but you were probably the guys who turned the corner and accelerated us out at a very high rate of speed. We've gotten many great comments about our new look, and I equally have been very happy with how everything came out. Very, very impressive work! When we started talking about this in the spring, I knew it was a good idea and nobody could convince me otherwise. However as July came and went, I developed some doubt as to whether it could come to completion. But then when you came out and saw our vision, it all started to roll--fast I know we're still not Georgia or Stanford, but your action helped us create a much nicer impression for tennis fans, players, alumni, and recruits ... and maybe even more importantly: for students and campus visitors - since this is such a high traffic area. You promised to get it moving, get it done right, and add all the extra touches. You under-promised and you over-delivered... and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you cutting through any potential muck and taking charge of our project. Thank you again for all your effort and commitment Coach Al

Human Resources

Trade Line Times

P a g e | 10

HOMECOMING

Facilities & Construction will once again participate in the Edward C. Schmakel Homecoming Parade, Saturday, October 25th, from 8:00 – 12:00 in the morning. Anyone wishing to participate, either riding in a vehicle, walking or handing out candy to children, contact Tom Garey at 419-530-1082 or by email. Donations of candy or funds to buy candy are needed. Please drop off to Tom in PO 1040A or by Campus Mail to 216. Thank you GO ROCKETS! WORK CONTROL Steve,

I having been thinking of email you for the last couple of months. Here the college of engineering we have had our share of issues this summer with the AC, roof leaks and other major maintenance problems. More often than not I don’t have the time to go to the computer and fine the work request page and go through filling out the form. I pick up the phone and call x1000. Nancy, Pat and Ellen have been amazingly helpful and I know that when I call they listen to the problem and dispatch help to us as soon as someone is available.

I have worked in a service industry for many years and I try to make it a point to thank those who help me and to let their supervisors know that these employees are doing a nice job. I know we don’t have enough maintenance personal to handle this big campus and it gets frustrating, those who do come to help are good at keeping us informed and trying to get things repaired.

Sincerely, Sandy Stewart Assoc. Resource Manager The University of Toledo College of Engineering

Upcoming Events

Benefits open enrollment Oct - Nov 15

UT Homecoming Parade & Game Oct 25

Chili Cook-Off Nov 7

Veteran’s Holiday Nov 11

Thanksgiving Holiday Nov 27 – 28

Annual Pancake Breakfast Dec 12

Christmas Holiday Dec 25 – 26

New Year’s Day Holiday Jan 1

T r a d e L i n e T i m e s P a g e | 11

Congratulations Jim Rose on your recent completion of the Ohio State Apprentice Program.

I want to personally thank you for your commitment to your trade and more importantly to yourself for completing the university sponsored apprenticeship program. This is a monumental task for Jim who has dedicated over 576 hours to class instruction. The requirements also include 8000 OJT hours working and training with fellow journeymen in the field to achieve the skills needed to fulfill the journeymen requirements. Michael Nowicki Manager Mechanical Maintenance

Fun Bowling leagues for Adults and a League for Kids

League #1 – Adults - Guys and Dolls II - Every other Sunday at noon at Jugs, 5111 Jackman Rd, Toledo, Ohio 419-472-8260 - $20.00 USBC sanction fee good for all leagues and tournaments for the season - $14.00 dues per week - 4 on a team mixed

League #2 – Adults - The Chosen Few Trio - Every Tues. @ 6:20 Toledo Sports Center, 1516 Starr Av. 419-693-0687 - $20.00 USBC sanction card good for all leagues and tournaments - $16.00 dues per week - 3 on a team any combo

League #3 – Youth - Toledo Bowling Senate Youth League - Every Sat. @ 9:15 am at Interstate Lanes, 819 Lime City Rd., Rossford, Ohio 419-666-2695 – 2 exits pass the casino - $10.00 for a TNBA sanction card - $12.00 for a USBC card - $6.00 dues every week - Ages 4-17

Our largest tournament of the year is our TNBA Central Regional tournament Easter weekend within our 8 state region. According to how they place in the tournaments they can accumulate scholarship money This league is 61 years old with a lot of history, and I have been involved for the past 31 years from September to Easter weekend. For more information please contact: George W. Hayes Jr. ghayes@utoledo.edu

Congratulations

Trade Line Times

P a g e | 12

Recently I was in a meeting with my new supervisor and he provided his cabinet with a clear set of expectations and guidelines. As I continue to ‘brand’ my version of UT F&C, I felt compelled to do the same and with his permission have adopted several of his principles which you will see below. My vision can only become reality through the ongoing development of a strong team and buy in from all of it’s’ players.

Leadership Style

1. Having fun is very important to me. I don’t take myself all that seriously, nor should you.

2. I believe leadership is a privilege and I must earn your respect.

3. I will do what is best for UT versus what is best for me, the department or for the individual.

4. I believe we are all members of the same team and should treat each other as equals. I am not superior to anyone at UT. I

just have different responsibilities.

5. As a leader it is my responsibility to provide the vision, provide the resources, remove the barriers, and then get out of your

way.

6. When I am perfect, I will criticize you for not being perfect, until such time don’t worry about making mistakes, but don’t

continue to make the same mistake.

7. I am not an expert, so don’t treat me like one. I will make mistakes and develop some not so brilliant ideas. I expect all

members to push back on me when I am doing something that is not so brilliant.

8. I encourage disagreement, but will not tolerate someone being disagreeable. There is a major difference.

9. I expect honest but professional conversations with each other.

10. I expect full communication both within and outside of our organization. Break down any remaining silos and do not work in a

vacuum. I should never here from someone in our group that they were not consulted by a co-worker when the decision made

will directly or indirectly affect them.

11. Be inclusive. Leverage our trades & management staff for guidance in decision making. If we trust them to fix it we should

trust them to give good advice on how to fix it.

12. I don’t believe in firing anyone however I do believe in releasing people to their own destiny.

What makes me “tick”

1. Having fun at work is very important to me. We spend more time at work than we do at home. We might as well have fun

while we are here. However, having fun at the expense of someone else is not what I consider fun.

2. My family is my priority as it should be yours. Take good care of yourself and your family and you will have plenty of time and

energy to take care of your career and community.

3. Being prompt and on time is important to me. I expect people to be on time. On time means ready to go at the meeting start

time. Admittedly I can use some work in this area and will be focusing my efforts to improve here.

4. It is OK to disagree, but it is never OK to be disagreeable.

5. If you are going to have a meeting, you need to have an agenda sent out a head of time.

6. Our time is our most precious commodity. Don’t waste it.

7. I expect people to greet me with a hello or good morning before you start telling me something. If I don’t greet you properly,

feel free to call me out on it.

8. Don’t debate issues over email. If it is that important call the person or go see them. I have been guilty of this in the past and

would like all of us to focus on this.

9. I expect telephone messages and emails to be responded to by the next business day. If I can do it, so can you. Response

may be that you will work on it and get back to the requestor in a specific time period.

10. When I see a problem, I try to fix it. If something is dirty, make sure it gets cleaned. If a piece of paper is on the floor, pick it up.

11. Don’t tell me the day before something is due that you are not going to make our agreed upon deadline. And don’t let me follow

up with you on something that is due today to find out you are not going to make the deadline. Once you know you are not

going to make a deadline, tell me then. Don’t put it off. I can usually adjust if I know a head of time.

12. Be honest at all times. There is no excuse for anything else.

In Closing