Kahn Chace, Building Maintenance Manager at Milton Academy, shares his incredible journey from starting as a custodian to becoming a facilities leader. He details how his hands-on experience at every level shaped his management philosophy, which is built on two core pillars: communication and teamwork. Kahn emphasizes that clear, honest communication—both up and down the chain—is the key to motivating a team, building morale, and solving problems effectively before they become catastrophes.
Kahn also dives into the practical side of modernizing a facilities department. He discusses the massive project of replacing an outdated, paper-based work order system with a dynamic digital platform. This move revolutionized his team's preventive maintenance program by highlighting critical gaps and dramatically improving transparency with the campus community. He also shares his team's systematic approach to Facility Condition Assessments (FCAs) and the unexpected challenge of rebuilding a department's "brain trust" after losing several key, long-term staff members in a short period.
Takeaways:
- Communication is Your #1 Tool: Foster an environment where your team feels comfortable bringing you problems. Open, honest, and consistent communication prevents small issues from becoming catastrophes and is the foundation of good morale.
- Invest in Your Team's Growth: Actively identify team members you want to invest in and provide them with clear paths for professional development. This can range from baseline safety certs (like OSHA 10) to advanced credentials (like the CFM).
- Modernize Your Work Order System: Moving from a reactive, paper-based system to an asset-based digital platform is critical. It can reveal gaps in your PM schedules and dramatically improve communication and transparency with your end-users.
- Use FCAs to Secure Funding: A systematic Facility Condition Assessment (FCA), even if done in phases (e.g., building envelopes, then mechanicals), provides the hard data needed to make your case for capital funding to leadership and the board.
- Build Your Peer Network: Actively participate in peer groups (like Kahn's APPO). The creative solutions and shared understanding from colleagues who face the exact same challenges are invaluable.
- Find Your "Why": Facilities is often a negative-focused job. Anchor yourself in your core purpose—whether it's serving students, supporting patients, or taking pride in your work—to maintain a positive, problem-solving attitude.
- The Community Members are Your "Eyes and Ears": Your facilities team can't be everywhere. Making it easy for staff, faculty, or residents to report issues (like with a new work order system) turns the entire community into an extension of your team, helping you catch problems early.
Quote of the Show
No one's calling facilities 'cause everything's going great. So just have the mindset of whether you're the person mopping up the mess or you're the person putting a new controller in HVAC equipment. Understand why you're there and why you like to do that, and understand the why of how important that is to you."
Links
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kahn-chace-cfm-698abb38a/
- Website: https://www.milton.edu/
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