Dear Colleagues,

It’s time to cast our ballots once again to elect the 2008-2009 San Francisco Chapter of IFMA Board!

I thought it would be a good idea to let you know a little bit about my background and qualifications since I am the one “running” for President. More importantly I want to share my beliefs, ideas and core values along with the strategic direction that I will help drive if you elect me your Chapter President.

The local Facility Management (FM) profession continues to change and evolve and I believe that the future of FM as a profession should be firmly in the hands of facility management professionals, associates and students. As FM professionals we need to be trained, educated and prepared to address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for us. The San Francisco Chapter of IFMA can contribute significantly to shaping the future of FM only if we as local FM professionals, associates and students are willing to play a lead role in future of the Chapter.

I work at Genentech as Associate Director of Maintenance Systems. Prior to this I worked for Lam Research in Fremont in charge of Facility Engineering and Construction Management.

I studied Industrial Engineering at North Carolina State University and received a BS degree from there in 1983. I completed a Master in Business Administration at Pepperdine University in 1996.

As Adjunct Professor of Engineering at the California State University East Bay I taught Facility Planning & Design, Engineering Economic Analysis and Industrial Cost Controls.

I am a Certified Facility Manager and have served on the IFMA San Francisco Chapter Board as Treasurer in 2006 and Vice President in 2007 and when time permits, I enjoy volunteering at the Second Harvest Food Bank in San Mateo and doing local projects with Rebuilding Together Peninsula.

If I you elect me as your Chapter President I will push steadfastly to ensure the Chapter adds real value to the FM profession primarily by mobilizing the membership to take action in shaping the future of the local FM profession.

I will work closely with the Board and member volunteers to improve membership marketing, professional development and chapter communications. Additionally, I will help ensure that we communicate to our membership a clear strategic vision with clear goals for the chapter along with a realistic set of plans to achieve them.

I also will ensure that we raise the funds that are necessary to fulfill our mission and that we are fiscally responsible with all our resources.

I believe we can continue to grow the Chapter, but I rather us focus on increasing the percentage of existing members attending and participating in chapter events. I want us to reach out more to the community and leverage our facility management expertise in creative ways to help those in need.

Finally, I want to ask for your vote and let you know that it would be an honor for me to serve as your Chapter President next year. No one else should or does care more about the future of our profession than we do, so lets join forces this coming year to ensure a brighter future for ourselves and the FM profession.

Cheers,
Oscar Gomez, CFM