The Maryland Department of General Services (DGS) announces its first class of 30 Office of Facilities Management professionals receiving certifications from BOMI International (BOMI) in the fields of building systems maintenance, facilities management, and property administration.
Professional development is key to encouraging staff growth and knowledge in the facilities management industry. Training such as this ensures that our facilities management staff is up to date on the latest trends and developments in the facilities management industry.
Ellington E. Churchill, Jr., DGS Secretary
DGS is responsible for the statewide management, operation, and maintenance of 55 state buildings and grounds totaling 6.3 million square feet. For the first time in the department’s 51-year history, DGS offered operations and maintenance training to its facilities management staff to improve their professionalism and increase their effectiveness to manage the department’s portfolio of state-owned office buildings.
Regional managers, building managers, and maintenance mechanic seniors from DGS Annapolis and Baltimore facility management offices received onsite hands-on training in managing and maintaining energy-efficient buildings. Graduates successfully completed an intensive series of classes and exams focused on a wide variety of building components, such as air handling, plumbing, water treatment systems, system controls, refrigeration systems, and other building systems that work together to provide a comfortable indoor environment.
All training was administered by BOMI, a non-profit organization headquartered in Annapolis. DGS staff worked to achieve one of three industry-standard designations: Property Administrator Certification (PAC), Building Systems Maintenance Certification (SMC) or Facilities Management Certification (FMC). Several employees were successful in earning multiple certifications.