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BALTIMORE - Thousands of facilities managers and others in the buildings operations space are here this week learning about the latest in integrated solutions and AI-assisted applications, but the opening general session at NFMT 2025 was about people.
It's the technicians and others on facilities managers' teams who make or break operations, Andrew Gager, president and CEO of AMG International Consulting, said Tuesday.
"Trust is what motivates people," said Gager, whose firm helps managers develop operations and maintenance training for facilities professionals.
Facilities managers often start their career as technicians and it's not uncommon for them to get promoted because of their success at operating and maintaining equipment, Gager said. But managing people is a different task and it's something new managers must learn if they want to leverage their most important asset - their people, he said. His career followed that path: before he started his firm, Gager went from the shop floor to overseeing 270 people.
Some 300 exhibitors are showcasing their latest offerings at the NFMT Expo, which opened Tuesday afternoon. UVDI is here to demonstrate how it uses ultraviolet light to eliminate airborne microorganisms before they travel from room to room through ventilation systems.
Eptura is here to talk about its worktech platform for integrating data from mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems with occupancy data to help managers optimize their systems based on when, where and how people are using the space in a building.
Avetta is sharing what's new on its contractor risk management platform.
Carrier, United Rentals, Siemens, Willscot, Johnson Controls and Ecolab are among the big companies that have information on their latest products and services to the show floor.
Expo attendees got a chance to learn some best practices from Alicia Hart, chief operating officer at Alexandria City, Va., Public Schools. She talked about the way the school system builds energy efficiency and indoor air quality into its new schools and retrofits its older schools to make them more efficient. One side benefit of improving schools' ventilation systems, she said: fewer infestations. That means less need for exterminators.