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INSIDE
by Michelle Z. Askeland
Property managers are struggling
to keep property engineers and
facility maintenance teams staffed
with qualified, enthusiastic employ-
ees.
“It is definitely hard to find build-
ing engineers,” said Kim Lewis, the
Building Operators Association of
Colorado state chair and executive
vice president with Hot/Shot Infra-
red Inspections. “It has been dif-
ficult for, at least, the last five years
and seems to be increasingly more
difficult because there’s been a lot of
growth in Denver and a lot of retire-
ment – so there’s a lot of positions
– and not as many young people to
take the jobs.”
With increasing job position avail-
ability, there seems to be an appar-
ent lack of interest in the trades as
well as a lack of general awareness
in the line of work.
“I think it’s a big problem because
a lot of the kids are not focused
on the vocations or introduced to
the vocations,” said Jackie Herbst, a
Denver Engineers and Facilities Con-
versation member and an account
manager with Team K Services.
Bryan Wilske has seen the prob-
lem firsthand – spending the past
two years significantly understaffed
with technical people – as a director
of property operations with Double-
tree Hilton. Finally fully staffed,
Wilske stresses the importance
of investing in the staff you have.
If you find a good individual and
you’ve captured his attention, invest
time and effort into his education
in order to make him an even more
valuable asset to the company, he
said.
It’s imperative that the engineer
staff and the management staff
work together. Property managers
understand the value in maintain-
ing their buildings to avoid costly,
last-minute repairs when something
goes wrong. The same approach
should be taken with staffing.
If there isn’t someone within the
staff who can be trained and pro-
moted, there are limited options.
Lewis believes relocations are on the
rise, thanks to the state’s desirabil-
ity. Aside from that, it requires some
creativity.
“You have to do a little of this and
a little of that,” she said. “You have
to put your hands into a lot of pots
until you find the person you’re
looking for.”
Reaching out to your vendors can
be a powerful tool. Vendors tend
to know if somebody is unhappy
with his job or if somebody is mov-
ing, making them a great source for
finding engineers who are looking
for positions, Lewis said.
She regularly receives emails from
property managers who are looking
With a booming real estate market and many senior engineers nearing retirement, there’s high demand for building engineers but fewer qualified individual to fill these positions.