Hello RFMA members,

As blogged earlier, RFMA is pleased to announce our RFMA Gives 2024 project recipient is the Wells House located in Frederick, MD. We are fortunate to have a few passionate volunteer leaders serving as our RFMA Gives 2024 project managers. They are:

·  Dale Moore, CRFP, of CAVA

·  Michael Hess, from 1-2-3 Equipment Solutions

Wells House's mission is to improve the quality of life of individuals, families and communities by providing effective, compassionate, respectful, and culturally competent substance use disorder services. They aspire to provide a setting where individuals receive care that will empower them to develop hope and healing in a supportive, recovery focused environment while fostering independence and self-sufficiency. Learn more about Wells House by clicking here. 

The following potential projects and items needed for RFMA Gives 2024 are listed below.

Please review and let us know what you can provide for required equipment, labor, and/or financial donation.
Sign-ups are now being accepted for any of these projects.

Please contact me if you are interested in donating any of the above items/services, other donations or with questions at jeff@rfmaonline.com or at (972) 805-0905, x-3.

Also, please note the policy for multiple donors for the same product and/or service:

• Once the potential items and projects have been established and formally communicated to the membership, there will be a two (2) week time period for receiving initial donations of products and services.

• If multiple companies within the same product category submit a request to donate a product or service, there will be a drawing or possibly a splitting of the product or service between the competing vendors.

• The project managers have the right to make exceptions, such as if one product better meets the scope of work than the others, or if one offer exceeds the total commitment of the others such as including installation plus equipment.

• If the same two companies submit to provide a product or service in consecutive years, the company that wasn’t chosen in the prior year will be selected for the subsequent year. If more than those two companies submit and there will be a drawing.

• Any company that is not selected to donate their own product or service, is still invited and encouraged to donate funds to underwrite a different part of the project and participate in the volunteer work day.
  
  
• Once the submission window has closed, all subsequent submissions will be taken on a first come first served basis.

Our RFMA Gives 2024 Volunteer Day is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 16^th and registration is open. Click here or visit RFMA's Event Calendar for details.

Also make sure to keep up to date with RFMA Gives by subscribing to our RFMA Gives Blog. Receive notifications when a new post is made. Login to RFMAonline.com and click "Subscribe."

Thank you so much for your continued support!!

Dover and out

Hello RFMA Members,

There’s still time to study, test, and get certified before our conference in San Antonio. Today’s restaurant facility professional has to understand a vast amount of information in numerous areas to complete their job duties. It can be quite a challenge at times. Going thru the training modules and obtaining a CRFP is a huge step in increasing your facilities management development and elevating yourself within our industry. The prerequisite, in general, for taking the exam for the designation requires 3-5 years of restaurant facility experience, knowledge of all aspects of facility management, and a commitment to advancement of the restaurant facility management industry. To prepare for the exam, take advantage of the CRFP Prep course on the RFMA website consisting of fourteen (14) topic areas (modules) to review. They are:

- Site Work

- Building

- Kitchen Equipment

 - HVAC

- Electrical Systems

- Plumbing Systems

- Preventative Maintenance

- Disaster Management

- Energy Management

- Financial Planning

- Financial Management

- Project Management

- Property Management

- Codes & Guidelines

The modules are free to RFMA members and are online for self-training with no time constraints. Each has a pre-test, the learning material, and a post-test. They take anywhere from 15-45 minutes to complete and will prepare you for the CRFP exam. The modules provide valuable information that will benefit you in your day to day decision making activities. I highly recommend this great learning tool as it will only help in your professional development.

So, are you up for it? Are your ready to elevate yourself in our industry? Challenge yourself. You will be better qualified in restaurant facility maintenance

Dover and out

Jeff Dover, CRFP 
Facilities Resource Manager | Restaurant Facility Management Association 
jeff@rfmaonline.com
972-805-0905 ext. 3

Hello RFMA Members,

It may be cold now in January but it will be warming up before you know it. Bout time to schedule and start the process of spring startups/PM’s on HVAC’s, roofs, parking lots, and irrigation systems. There are several tasks where inspections and actions are needed to prolong the life of equipment and to ensure the restaurants are ready to switch from cold to hot mode. Following are items to consider with your service providers and Operations team:

- HVAC's: All units need to be professionally PM'd. Coils need to be cleaned for maximum performance and energy efficiency. Depending on the coil condition, chemical cleaning may be necessary as dirty coils will use up to 40% more energy. This is also the time to change the filters. Go with a pleated type or mesh that can handle the local environment and don't need to be changed every month. In harsh climates, these may need to be changed every 2 months. This is not an area to skimp on as it's relatively inexpensive to replace rather than having the a/c run longer and harder. Changing filters regularly provides a great ROI on maintenance costs, saving energy, and prolonging the life of the equipment. Check with your service agency (or internal techs) on filter conditions and possibly adjust the change frequency as needed. Also, if not done already, may want to look into going with the highest rated MERV filters that will potentially remove air borne virus particles. Check with your a/c service provider or manufacturer rep on what type of filter can be used without minimizing the performance of the unit. Refrigeration pressures need to be checked to ensure they was no leakage over the cold months. Have all electrical connections and amps/volt usages checked for the compressors, condenser and blower motors. Check with your contractor on their checklist of PM services. Lastly have the condensate drain lines blown out to be clean and free of debris. For a complete a/c maintenance list inspection report, visit the RFMA website under "Resources" and "Facilities Toolkit".

- Roofs: A thorough inspection needs to take place to clean out roof drains and pick up any items laying around and check all roof penetrations for any gaps. Reseal as necessary. Check all areas where the roofing membrane and flashing meet to ensure there are no splits or gaps. Reseal as required. Due to the importance of a sound roof to protect the restaurant interior, it's recommended an inspection takes place every few months. Again, check out the "Roofing Care & Maintenance" report under Resources on the RFMA website. This is one of the most expensive assets and is commonly overlooked on periodic maintenance.

- Irrigation Systems: Check to correct times and dates and the programmed start/stop times as there may have been a power outage that will require resetting. Turn on operation and check for any broken sprinkler heads. Replace as necessary. Communicate with your irrigation vendor on specifics.

- Parking Lots: In some areas of the country the lots have deteriorated from the long, cold winter. Check for any potholes, cracks, and alligatoring that may cause vehicle damage or pose a safety risk (trip & fall). Repair asap to minimize liability. Check for worn discolored sealer and reseal/restripe as necessary. Having a nice looking lot is one of the first impressions on a potential customer and also reduces liability when the lot is striped properly.

- Other: Check for proper time clock settings for all exterior lighting and ensure all bulbs are working. The long winter months enabled all exterior lights to be on longer periods of time. Check t-stat settings for proper on/off times, temperature, and night setback functions.

These actions will ensure your restaurants will be saving utility dollars and keep your customers and employees safe and comfortable. It also greatly minimizes your Brand liabilities. If I missed anything, feel free to let me know.

Dover and out

Jeff Dover, CRFP 
Facilities Resource Manager | Restaurant Facility Management Association 
jeff@rfmaonline.com
972-805-0905 ext. 3

Hello RFMA Members,

Restaurant facility professionals know they would not be successful if their vendors aren't successful. Vendor relationships is one of the most important responsibilities a FM has. They must have providers available for any emergencies 24/7, 365 days of the year. Costs definitely play a role in choosing the right partners but is not the driving force normally in setting up store service providers. Several times a year communication between FM's and contractor service managers need to take place to discuss what is working and what challenges there may be. A few thoughts on building and maintaining a good relationship are as follows:

- Establishing what a good business relationship means to both parties

- How to find and vet new vendors (RFMA and networking with your peers works best)

- Discussing and establishing fair contracts to both parties and what is included in the document. RFMA has PM service documents in the Resources Library, ‘Facilities Toolkit’ section)

- Proper timing for periodic communications to review relationship

- How store operators communicate with your providers

- Setting achievable expectations

- Formal vendor performance reviews (utilizing operations input)

- Conflict management communications (FM’s, vendors, operators)

These are just a few priority items to consider when talking with your providers. Sometimes Operations does not understand how vital the vendor's role is in the success of the restaurant and FM's. It's your job to teach and instruct them how to handle communications and performance issues and to react swiftly when a problems arise.

Dover and out

Jeff Dover, CRFP 
Facilities Resource Manager | Restaurant Facility Management Association 
jeff@rfmaonline.com
972-805-0905 ext. 3

Hello RFMA Members,

Hope you enjoyed the August/September edition of the Facilitator Magazine which included our yearly Best Practices. We are now accepting article submissions on Best Practices for the late summer, 2023 printing of our magazine. The next set of topics are:

- Supply Chain Issues

- Hiring & Retention

- Engagement

- Remote Work

- Spotting and Developing Talent

- Construction to Facilities Turnover

If you are interested in submitting an article on any of the above topics, feel free to click on the following: http://rfmaonline.site-ym.com/page/BestPractices. Submissions are accepted thru February 24th, 2023. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at (972) 805-0905, x-3.

Thanks for your support!

Dover and out

Jeff Dover, CRFP 
Facilities Resource Manager | Restaurant Facility Management Association 
jeff@rfmaonline.com
972-805-0905 ext. 3