State-Level 

Last week I shared some of the Higher Education and K-12 industry  facility-related associations that I have participated in at various times  within my career.  This week let’s take a look at the remaining sectors with some of the associations we participate in and recommend you take a look at.

The National Association of State Facility Administrators (NASFA) is the prime association for US teams that provide facilities and asset management at the State-Level.  Members are primarily from the State-Level or key departments (such as transportation).  However, there are some members from state-funded higher education as well.  NASFA does have two regional teams groups as well that have events and engage members (Eastern and Western Regions).  

Healthcare

In the US market, the American Society of Healthcare Engineers (ASHE) seems to be the place for healthcare facilities and physical plant professionals to meet.   We are relatively new to ASHE, but from our early indications it is a large and active association with a huge annual conference and trade show.

In Canada, health care facility professionals are represented by the Canadian Healthcare Engineering Society (CHES). CHES operates nationally across Canada and also has several regional/provincial chapters that provide their members professional development, put on conferences and offer thought leadership.  

Municipal/Local Government

This one is a mystery to me.  I have been looking for a municipally focused industry association for almost 20 years.  There are many state and provincially focused municipal groups, however, in our experience the facilities professionals are few and far between.  Even public works associations tend to have a limited focus on facilities (since Roads, Water and Sewer assets tends to get the most attention).  If anyone knows of a good way to connect with municipal facilities folks at any level, please let me know!

Commercial Real Estate

Although we do not do a lot of work in the commercial real estate sector, there are several industry associations that you might want to check out:

• Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)
• Commercial Real Estate Network (CoreNet)
• International Facilities Managers Association (IFMA)
• National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP – Canada only)

Most of these groups have local and national/international chapters and event.

Did We Miss Any?

If you are a member of or know of another facilities related professional organization, please share it in the comments!!!  

If you are already an active member of one of the associations we mentioned I am sure you appreciate the benefits.  If not, I hope that the last couple of posts will inspire you to get out there and try one out!