Steve Wallis 23:01
Yeah, I think the access from where we went was through the food court. It’s all blocked off. Obviously, for security reasons. We went through and to be obviously signed through IDs and pre-approved, then it takes you into it. So you won’t even know it was even there unless you take it because I mean just walking around, it’s not visible. But once it opens, then that’ll connect through. I’d say Google it. It’s amazing.
Greg Owens 23:29
Yeah. I’ll definitely will Google it after this because I’m super curious. I was also blown away by the, I hadn’t been down where the World Trade Center is in a very long time. And seeing all the construction there and there’s a mall right there. I can’t remember the name of the mall. But it’s not very noticeable from above ground, but then you walk down into it. You’re just like, holy cow. This is a cavernous space with all the different subways that lead right into it. Do you know the name of the mall?
Steve Wallis 24:00
Yeah, the World Trade Center.
Greg Owens 24:07
Yeah, I was just blown away because it’s just like this entire indoor massive facility, right? With all the retail and all the subways coming straight into it. It’s really well done.
Steve Wallis 24:19
Yeah. And the pump station comes in. So they bring it all together. But it’s a nice, big open space. So you’re not going to be claustrophobic when everything comes at once. So it’s beautiful. I mean, decorated Well, it’s obviously nice and bright as well.
Greg Owens 24:33
Yeah crazy bright. I was impressed. It’s cool to see those kinds of projects. What else do you have? Like, what do you see coming up in the future here? Like any predictions as far as technology goes or, your thoughts on where we’re headed with COVID right now or is that just not making those kinds of guesses anymore?
Steve Wallis 24:58
I know every time you make a guess it kind of evolves into something else, don’t it. I mean, I thought we were going to get kind of back to normal September. When September came and was still not going away, you’ve got to think, well, here’s winter, there’s going to be another battle with flu and a regular cold kind of mixed in with it, which is what we’re seeing now. And it’s going to be spring before we get any better, I think and then hopefully, come summertime, people who ever need vaccinations, who need boosters, whatever is going on, I think we should be in a better spot for some of that’s my expectation. I think hopefully the virus that binds can be so weak, where if you do get it, then it’s going to be okay, whatever, at this point, let’s, let’s move on, let’s not worry about it. Let’s get back to normal. So hopefully that’s the end, probably the school year will try and get back to normal at that point. That’s my take on it. And I think that’s if everybody works together. Hopefully that is it. Get back to normal. And then I think from a technology standpoint, and innovational people are going to learn a new way of operating, what we don’t need to go to the office, say, there is still a need for interaction. Let’s make it a bit more fun. In terms of how we make them offices, maybe there’s a redesign of of an office to make it feel like it is bit more homely and a bit more friendly. And it’s a better place to be. I think that’s going to be a key piece because people are looking at it from obviously the saving money not traveling, whether it train, car, however the goal and even flights. So I think that’s going to change. I have noticed as well a big change in how people are using the vacations is people staying in the country which has been good for tourism in the US internal? Obviously not so great for external when people fly in, about not any family come and see me from the UK for quite a while.
Greg Owens 26:51
Oh, yeah, they just open that up like back in November too and then kind of like, shut it down again, I think right?
Steve Wallis 26:59
Yeah. And people are skeptical about going as well as buying because if you get it and you’ve got to quarantine in the country, or you come back you got to get tested and it’s just a lot to make a trip at this point. So I think he’s done well for me, I went to RV campgrounds things like that this year, and I’ve never seen them so busy in my life. So that’s been good people getting out in probably more nature and getting outside of it more. I know people are healthier because they may be going for a run in the morning when ones commute. And so we’ve got to take them positives of what we’ve learned from the kind of lockdown period and continue that going forward. And I think flexibility in the workplace has been a lot better as well. People being a bit more flexible and not looking at what time you clocking in clocking out things and jobs getting done then, I don’t think people have been questioned as they would have been in the past. Even when they come in to the office at say 10 o’clock at night. It’s not oh, why should, well working for a few hours at home first, wanted to beat the rush hour traffic is coming. I got a few things to do and I’m out. That flexibility has changed a lot. I mean, obviously in our industry, there’s a lot of people that don’t have that flexibility because you still need to be on site operating boilers. So you still need the 24/7 people on site to the certain views that’s never going to change and people in these industries that know that and expect that and that’s what we signed up for. So if you do have the opportunity to get a bit better options of traveling around Austin from homes and it’s good for everyone. Hopefully everyone will learn from the environmental reductions where we’re receiving a lot of energy with reducing the carbon footprint. Maybe we take that going forward and try and get back to normal let’s try and minimize unnecessary travel where we don’t need to. I know what is bad on obviously airlines right now but I’m sure they’re rethinking how they operate me but they’re going to use some flights for UPS or Amazon because obviously everything’s Amazon at this point.
Greg Owens 29:00
Yeah no kidding right. Good to be Amazon. I was trying to buy vans at the end of the year, commercial vans and they went up by like 20 grand. The same van that I bought a year ago is $20,000 more but it’s not a better van, it’s not just inflation in there, it’s because Amazon has been just buying them all.
Katrina (Hayes) Stephenson 29:27
And people converting down, having their little home down by the river.
Steve Wallis 29:33
Yeah, I watch on YouTube all the time the van life, all different van lives, everybody’s converting it and kind of living it off grid. I mean that have been wonderful before kids but desperate difficult in that small space. But yeah, I mean, that’s a wonderful way to live at this point in the country working on experience like that for probably a good month or so. That’d be nice.
Katrina (Hayes) Stephenson 29:54
You can retire with the van. There’s not down by the river.
Greg Owens 29:59
Right? Yeah. I saw a meme back, it was a meme that was showed 1986 van life, people felt sorry for you. Like you’re homeless, right? 2022 van life, people are like, oh, man, you’ve got it made.
Steve Wallis 30:16
No mortgage payments, none of that, just the freedom.
Greg Owens 30:21
Stepping out of it all. And so part of this podcast, we’ve been really highlighting facilities managers in the entire industry in a lot of ways in how people got to this place where they’re at in their life and what they find enjoyable about it. What’s your sort of origin story, getting to this point in your life?
Steve Wallis 30:42
Yeah, obviously, it’s been a long ride with GSH, started with them out of high school, went into college, and started apprenticeship with GSH at 17 years old.
Greg Owens 30:55
We don’t really have the apprenticeship model as much in the US anymore. Is there still some here that you see?
Steve Wallis 31:04
Yeah, I mean, obviously, the union-based, so we want to use local 6894. Especially on the West Coast. Local 39, very strong, apprenticeship programs, especially on the West Coast, a local 39 apprentice program is unbelievable. So I mean, there’s still a five year plan. And I think it’s the way forward, I think there’s going to be a lot more people, I hope there’s a lot more people getting involved in it, because we’re seeing on some of our sites, Baltimore, we can’t find people to find jobs because nobody wants to get their hands dirty. So hopefully, there’ll be a bit more upturn in terms of people going for these apprenticeship programs, because it’s great to trade a skill set, and obviously, getting well paid now when they’re coming out of the apprenticeship program. So it’s a good alternative to straightforward college and a lot of people are still going to college first, maybe starting apprenticeship a little bit later, or vice versa go and doing the apprenticeship and then obviously, doing college degrees while they’re at work at night, obviously, the flexibility there as well. So that’s where I started.
Greg Owens 32:13
You started, you went right into the apprentice program and ended college classes at night
Steve Wallis 32:18
Our program in the UK, I was just talking to one of the gentlemen that I did my apprentice program with, he is now gone full circle. And he’s now teaching the course. I won’t mention his name and legend wonderful guy. And so I’m going to be hopefully connecting with him when I next go back to the UK, where we did a day release program. So we do four days on the jobs training. And then one day at school, when different things obviously, if computers, even still educational things outside of just fixing boilers, fix an air conditioning unit. So, kind of did everything. It was originally four year program, and EQ level two, level three. And then I got it finished in three years. So I then went on to another college to specialize for another two years in air conditioning, another college in Manchester. So I was very fortunate to get that additional opportunity. And then I worked for GSH. And obviously, long history from there moving up in different positions throughout the organization. Its my current role working with all the US staff all across the US and they’re still communicating with obviously our UK team. CEO, who I report to, he is based in the US and UK. So we work closely together.
Greg Owens 33:43
How much are you getting your hands dirty now with like air conditioning, heating, actually working on a boiler?
Steve Wallis 33:50
Not all unfortunately, I probably get in a lot of trouble if I did obviously insurance these days. I’m not insured to kind of touch them things. But I still get involved because I’ve got my New Jersey HVAC license. So I have to renew that every two years. So go do some courses to keep up with obviously, still do that at home, making sure my air conditioning heat is working on in the high efficiency equipment to make sure it’s giving my operating costs down as well.
Greg Owens 34:22
Right. And you can talk the lingo for sure, right and be able to talk with contractors and people around that. Must be nice sometimes when you’re walking a facility and you actually get to tap into some of those skills.
Steve Wallis 34:34
Yeah, and to be honest, I mean, the team we have right now there’s no reason for me to be involved in that because we’ve got such an amazing team. They’ve got so much more experience hands on than I ever did as well. So working closely with them. I’ve learned from people like that as well. And one of the contracts in New York that we do on the heating systems. I learn every day every time I speak to half the team on there, it’s wonderful. It’s good to see.
Greg Owens 35:02
Do you see I see this out here. So many of the facilities managers have none of the air conditioning boiler work background at all. Like there seems to be a split happening out there. Are you seeing that too in other parts of the country where it’s becoming so specialized that there’s like the office people, and then you bring in like an HVAC contractor or some, like a boiler specialist, that kind of thing?
Steve Wallis 35:28
Yeah, it’s different in different areas, West Coast, they have a lot of boiler building engineers on site. Obviously, the ones who are the union, they used to do a lot of the work themselves. So they’re managing, say, their HVAC in the boilers, and then only bringing in subcontractors when needed. But from the facility manager standpoint, this is obviously two elements to that. There’s the property management, which does touch upon some of them pieces, which is more commercial real estate. And then the facilities managers where it’s more on obviously the critical facilities, data centers, pharmaceuticals. So we’re typically seeing a lot of them kind of evolving from a building, operating maintenance personnel role, as they step up throughout their career, that’s kind of that progression. Whereas I think more on the profit management is based more through more of an administration kind of role and learning, probably more of the financial side of it, and relying a bit more on the maybe a chief engineer to know the technical side. So it’s kind of a different blend the two ways between kind of the commercial real estate with a property manager and the facility manager on a dedicated site as well, critical facilities.
Greg Owens 36:43
Right. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. I mean, Katrina is in the process of buying a house right now and realizing how much… What were you saying the other day, your mother in law’s really been in banking and that kind of stuff. And she’s just been blown away at how much paperwork exists now, compared to when she used to be here at whole, whole, whole side of things, right? It’s so different than it was 20 years ago, completely different. The amounts of things you have to sign and same thing with leases and all that kind of stuff. It’s become so specialized, that people really need to know that side. And just that side, right?
Katrina (Hayes) Stephenson 37:21
Well, now there was an option to do a hybrid signing on your phone or online, so I don’t have to go in and sign 143 pages. I can just do it on my phone, which is something my mother in law didn’t even know that ever be a possibility.
Greg Owens 37:38
Right? Yeah. And you get cross eyed reading all that stuff. If anybody even really reads it, because a lot of times you just leave it up to your agent and your attorney to say, yeah, it’s all good. Sign it.
Steve Wallis 37:51
Yeah, sign it, sign it, I think to give you all that paperwork. So obviously, it’s such an expensive investment these days with a house they want to meet you feel valued the spending all this money on some good paperwork.
Greg Owens 38:06
Maybe that is it. Yeah. And your company is hiring right now. What kind of people are you looking for? I saw it on your LinkedIn. And how’s that been going? We’ve also been trying to hire project managers. And it’s been different.
Steve Wallis 38:24
I think the first question we get back for certain roles, obviously not in a technician role. Engineers, we obviously always have them positions available on the West Coast, that’s a constant battle. Keeping people employed maybe, obviously, if it’s a non union position, maybe there’s something where they want to earn an extra dollar somewhere else, or it’s close to commute time. And obviously, on the union side, it’s probably more so on the commute side, because obviously, where in San Francisco with all the different accesses in and out, they want to be close to where maybe they live on the south side on the east side. So them kind of come into it. So there’s a lot of movement, because of them reasons more. So because they’re not happy with the job, because I think a lot of people is just enough to drive two hours and drive 30 minutes as a big piece each day. I think engineer wise, we have positions available for them reasons. But from an administration point, we’ve got an open admin role right now, here not far from our office on one of our sites. And the first question I always get from anybody is, is it remote and thought so you know, it’s a site-based? Could it be done remote, probably? But the clients paying us to have somebody on site. So that’s the expectation as soon as you mentioned that, I only want a remote job. So it’s become a challenge to really recruit right now. And we’ve seen about before with the a lot of the workforce is aging out we’ve seen that in Baltimore a lot like the stationary engineers. We’re struggling to find them because you have to go for a lot of school and take tests to get a license, and then people that have it, then obviously they’re good. But then as they retire, there’s not new people coming in. So we’ve been struggling to find people for positions. So obviously, wages are going up. Because of that, because people want to pay more to them, bring them people. And so some of our contracts are very specific with government where there’s not much increases. So if we’re given increases, then obviously, we’re losing money. So it’s some tough decisions, especially CPI 5.9% last year with a couple of our contracts. So quite a challenge.
Greg Owens 40:41
Yeah, no, no, no easy answers around any of that, like, I know that when it comes to painters, and you mentioned it earlier, there’s a good chunk of the workforce that doesn’t want to get their hands dirty at all. And so we eliminate so many people that are not going to want to like carry ladders around a building or get scraping and sanding and, and the days where they scrape and sand like I did, where you do it for like three or four years, you never touch a sprayer. Those are over because, the young people today, they want to get a sprayer in your hand like day two, right?
Katrina (Hayes) Stephenson 41:23
On TikTok they are spraying.
Greg Owens 41:28
Yeah. And that’s a much more enjoyable part. It’s more satisfying too and it’s understandable. And so I’ve had to rethink how we train people and get them to, so they can actually have more fun on the job and get those sorts of rewards. And I can see the same thing within your guys’ industry, like people not wanting to sign up for like four years of apprenticeship learning and taking tests to be good at that one thing. They’re like, hey, I just want to google it and be able to work on the air conditioner.
Steve Wallis 41:58
Yeah, a lot of people coming in and they’ve done that already. Because they’ve huge YouTube to kind of look at what they should be doing. So they’ve already got the skills and some of the units on the service. So they can test in and they may test in like third year apprenticeship program. So they adopted the first two years because they’ve had some hands on experience themselves. So I like that aspect. Because it’s based upon your skill set, you’re taking tests at the end of each year, to make sure you move up as well. So you know them in the end, a fifth year apprentice, you know what level they’re at. They’re all pretty similar and, and skill. So it’s a good way to do it.
Greg Owens 42:37
That’s all we need to come up with more of, is really identifying, because what you’re pointing to is there’s some people that are more mechanically inclined, from like innately or from a very early age, for whatever reason, they were constantly tinkering and working on things and figuring things out and exploring that and they can learn quickly. And that’s a skill set, right? Being mechanically inclined, they can look at a door lock, take it apart, put it back together again, and that’s sort of fun for them.
Steve Wallis 43:07
Yeah. And that’s the way I mean, you people are different levels and a lot of things, that’s definitely one of the one mechanical side may come as a car mechanic. We had one of our apprentices come through, even a car mechanic for 10 years. So when he came in, he already had a lot of them skills brought into, he just needed to convert into a refrigeration kind of role. And he did that pretty quickly. So, from third year apprentice or whatever he was, he was a lot better than some of the mechanics we had is journeymen. So I think if you can assess people based on the merit, it works a lot better.
Greg Owens 43:45
Yeah, I think Katrina’s husband, they’re in the plumbing industry, and they’re looking for skilled plumbers. And that’s another whole side of the trades that’s hard to find people that want to be plumbers today.
Katrina (Hayes) Stephenson 44:02
Trades in general too, he’s always going on about trades. And how he didn’t even know it was really an option in school, that you could take that route. So he’s found his real passion in that. And in talking with facility managers with IFMA, same thing, you can take a different route in trade school.
Steve Wallis 44:24
Yeah. And it’ll still get you to the same place. Because that’s typically where facilities managers come from, they learn what’s going on in the building by fixing what’s in the building. And then obviously, being educated on the other sides of it from an administration work order systems, and obviously financials with some of the least management if they’re going to be doing that as well and kind of managing all in pieces. That’s where it starts. But I think you see people getting into the trades that have parents that were in the trades, so they encouraged them to continue in the same line because it’s obviously worked for them long term. Devote to a great career probably paid very well. And typically say if you’re good at your trade, we’re going to be out of work. So I think that’s a good piece for keeping a job for life. And passing that down to your kids is great as well.
Greg Owens 45:16
But you’re not going to work virtually in the trades for a while, that’s for sure. I can see it one day where my painters are sitting in their living room with the virtual reality headset, controlling like a robot that’s doing the painting at some point, like a drone is flying and painting the ceiling behind me, and going up and down. And they just have to make sure there’s enough paint and then nobody’s in the way of the drone, I guess.
Steve Wallis 45:40
You could probably charge them for it as a game. So you don’t have to even pay them.
Greg Owens 45:44
Thats brilliant. And you just get kids doing it too.
Steve Wallis 45:51
You learn a bit of mistakes, but then you get to higher levels, and then send them an SMS to your client jobs and charge them to play the game and then you get in.
Greg Owens 46:02
I know I’ve seen It makes a lot of sense, like a bulldozer with sprayers on it, or the bulldozers remote where it gets the bucket is going up and down doing all the spraying. It’s just programmed to paint like 200,000 square foot of tilled up building with nothing around it, though there’s no dogs or cats, or kids or cars or things like that. I can see those days, especially for new construction, and that kind of stuff more and more remote. And I know we’ve even interviewed a person on this podcast, the super exciting area of the 3d mapping of spaces, and getting really exact blueprints, plans, walkthroughs, all of that by this guy wearing this whole headset, virtual reality thing walking through the building, and everything gets measured, everything gets mapped, everything gets logged in, including like how many chairs are in the space, and all of that kind of stuff. So anything that you’re seeing, or that you’re excited about in the future of facilities management?
Steve Wallis 47:08
I think we just call it there really. Using technology to obviously try and make things a bit easier to get things accurate. So when you bid in, maybe on a painting of a wall, you’ve got all that already in place, you’ve got the exact amount that needs painting, and the quantity of what’s going to be doing it. So I think technology will help him with pricing jobs out as well, obviously, and then executing on them in terms of labor loading, because it seems to be the biggest cost these days is obviously labor. So if you can be a bit more efficient without you biding these jobs, with headcount that’s required to maintain equipment, say and run the facilities, then that’s going to help. So using them systems to be in a better place. And we’ve done a lot of condition assessments lately. And it’s basic, is currently not what assets are on a site, because people just pass an asset lips through contracts, and we find like 30% of them are not accurate. So just really baseline in what’s on site, what’s being PM. And when we did the airport where we came into a contract, he kept checking after a PM was being done. The equipment has not been there for five years. Things like that. I mean, you’ve got to reset sometimes and really relock away doing this really need to PM that exhaust fun every month. No there’s not, obviously, technology for that, but looking what’s going on with the more readings, if there’s a spike, if it’s getting out of the normalcy, then you need to do predictive maintenance. So you’re going to look at the equipment because it’s out of the parameters set forth. And obviously the amps it’s been pulled. So these things out there, he’s just obviously got to invest into him which will come into new buildings, it’ll be implemented directly as things are being built. And then obviously the buildings again, smile as we go forward.
Greg Owens 49:09
Yeah. That’s for sure. I can see that. We’ve interviewed a few people in that sort of some of those categories where they’re machine learning and really sort of finding out more about what’s being used what’s not being used when its maintenance cycles are coming up. So somebody doesn’t actually have to go hands on and physically inspect it every single time.
Steve Wallis 49:29
Yeah, definitely a way forward, it needs to be done and it will come. It’s just obviously it’s a big train to move around in it so it’s going to take time or if it can get on the front end when we’re building these buildings and that’s going to be helpful part.
Greg Owens 49:44
Steve, as we wrap up here, what are some of the things you’re looking for in people you mentioned I think an assistant but that’s on like a building based person. What other areas if people are out there looking for work and want to find out more about you and the company you work for?
Steve Wallis 50:05
Yeah, I mean, check us out on the website at GSHgroup.com. I mean, we were always posting new positions there, jump on LinkedIn. Probably see me on there as well. And shoot me a note, don’t be scared to send me a note on there. We’re always looking for positions for the right people. Because obviously, it’s a people business. Our growth has come through our people, and the success of their of their careers as well, such as Kenny, obviously had a very successful career and clients follow him because he do it. So I think people like that we want to invest in. Obviously, I posted yesterday just to say thank you to our existing employees, because I think loyalty right now is huge. And this is money being thrown around. But I think that always about the money, it’s about the work life balance, if you can get that and be happy in your day to day and go home happy, then I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. So just staying within that kind of parameters has been successful for myself. And a lot of people that work around me in our teams have had a long career with GSH. I think loyalty goes a long way. And we appreciate everybody that works for us, obviously it clients as well, if we can bring in talent, and we find positions for people to do well. And we’re always trying to redo things with clients as well, where we can expand relationships and keep people on board, because obviously contracts expire, right? Reallocate people and keep them on board. So another opportunity comes and by then obviously, we’re going to try and do that because it’s hard to get the people and getting in the way of how we operate. We’re a family owned business still, and running, we keep them core values close to heart, and that comes to our people as well.
Greg Owens 51:51
Yeah, so true. So true in our organization, too. It’s all about the people. It’s such a bay aspect, and we’ll be, like I said, there’s no replacing that element for a long time and maybe not my lifetime. Maybe in Katrina’s lifetime will be a lot more drones and VR and that kind of thing happening. But yeah. What’s that Katrina?
Katrina (Hayes) Stephenson 52:16
Or our kids’ future.
Greg Owens 52:17
Your kids? Our kids’ future. Yeah. Well, thank you so much, Steve. It was a pleasure to have you on the Watching Paint Dry podcast, and good start to the new year. And hopefully all things are good for you and your family and everybody back there and East Coast.
Steve Wallis 52:33
Thanks, Greg. Thanks, Katrina. Pleasure to meet you both and happy new year.
Katrina (Hayes) Stephenson 52:37
Yeah. Thanks, Steve.
Intro 52:37
Thanks for listening to the Watching Paint Dry podcast. We’ll see you again next time and be sure to click subscribe to get future episodes.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]