I’ve taken advantage of every opportunity, beginning with my first position at Sequent Computer Systems. If they needed something done, even if it wasn’t my job, I said, “Yes, I can do that.” Over the years, it lead to more experience, which brought me to my first maintenance supervisor position, managing the IBM campus.
Kirk Beaudoin: Career Highlights
1993: Starts at Sequent Computer Systems in his first facilities role as a move coordinator
2001: Becomes maintenance supervisor for Grubb & Ellis, his first position in facilities management
2004: Joins Nike as territory facilities manager, his first job in retail facilities management
2007: Earns his RFMP (retail facility maintenance professional) designation through the Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association
2008: Earns his FMA (facility management administrator) designation through BOMI International
2011: Earns his LEED GA designation from the USGBC
2012: Joins adidas as its facilities manager for retail development
2013: Is elected to the Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association’s board of directors
I was a facilities manager at Nike for seven years and a contractor for J.Crew, which gave me valuable retail experience. When the opportunity to work for adidas came along, it was the perfect storm; it was the right time in my career, and I had the right experience to run the retail facilities department.
I feel I’ve gotten to where I am in my career because of people in my past. I had some great mentors, including Hugh Donnelly, my first manager at Sequent Computer Systems. I have tried to model my management style after the lessons I learned from him; I credit Donnelly for my insights on team building and synergy. Every opportunity I have to share my learnings, experiences, or mentor someone, I embrace the chance to pay it forward.
My day-to-day work is driven by the work orders that come in—the basic break/fix. The stores will have needs, whether it’s too hot or cold, the lights have gone out, or there are plumbing issues. Layered onto that is the management side of facilities, where I implement programs and focus on preventative maintenance. Relationships are developed with vendors so [that] in the case of emergencies, they are responsive; expectations are set and rates are negotiated.
My advice for people interested in getting into the facilities industry is: keep an open mind and absorb everything you can. Facilities isn’t a nine-to-five job; it’s 24/7, and generally when something goes wrong it’s after hours. I have a passion for facilities and a passion for sports, so working at adidas is a win-win. Just like in sports, if you want to succeed, you have to continually work hard and practice, so I’ve developed a “never stop learning” mantra. Even though I’ve been doing this for a long time, I can still learn something new from anyone. If you get complacent or think you know everything, that’s when you start falling behind. I stay current by taking classes, sitting in on webinars, networking with peers, and trying to fine-tune my facilities model.
As the sole employee in the facilities-management department at adidas, I’ve developed my own self-coined facilities management mission statement: to provide exceptional facilities-management support and efficiently maintain the built environment to ensure a premium consumer experience. I feel you have to be aware of what your role is and how you can best contribute to the team and to the company. I’m certainly not creating or designing the cool product we sell, but if I can make sure our stores are comfortable, well lit, inviting, and safe, it gives the other employees here a blank slate to work their magic. ABQ
