Facilities Manager Spotlight: Interview with Michael Walton

We began this Facilities Manager Spotlight series to get to know the people behind emerald curtains. There’s a reason we call Facilities Managers Wizards. They do everything for company from making sure your air conditioning is turned on, that your access card works, to saving the day when there’s a serious emergency. After all, they manage all of the engineering drawings and that’s no small feat.

FACILITIES MANAGER SPOTLIGHT

Michael Walton is a Director of Facilities, leadership style encourages people learn, grow, develop, reach their potential, so they can satisfy their own personal goals. Safety programs that Michael has developed, have been recognized by insurance companies as model programs.

Tell us a bit about yourself

I am a facilities management professional and enjoy every segment of my work.  My specialties include: maintenance and operations, organizing maintenance departments, safety, emergency preparedness, emergency management, and business continuity.

Hobbies include carpentry projects, herb gardening, vegetable gardening. I am the Training Officer at the local fire department and a life member of the local rescue squad.

How did you get started as a Facilities Manager?

My Facilities Management journey started when I was very young.  My grandfather was a machinist, a neighbor was a carpenter, and a police officer was a handyman on the side.  These men took time to teach me their trades and help me to succeed in whatever I did. They also shared life’s lessons.

When I started working in maintenance, the owner (another great man) encouraged me to keep pushing.  He covered the cost of my classes and stopped by to check on my progress and always provided positive reinforcement.  I was the first person in our company to have a computer and he visited to see how I was using it.

I was very successful in HVAC, appliance servicing, electricity, plumbing, electronics, etc. Always growing and learning new skills.  For 20+ years I completed a class every semester.

I was introduced to emergency services and emergency planning by a wonderful mentor. She pushed me in directions I did not realize I would enjoy, but she saw it in me. I developed an Emergency Response Team, Emergency Response Team Manual, Manager on Duty program, conducted training, managed security efforts and more.  I really enjoyed this work. Completed the Emergency Medical Technician and Firefighter 1 classes to support my programs.

As I developed and expanded into more departments my position changed from supervisor to director.  She pushed me to move into Facilities Management and supported my classes with BOMI. My career continued to develop, always more exciting.

Joined a local Fire Department and Rescue Squad. When I worked at Telos Wireless, the Board of Directors asked me to develop Business Continuity plans for the company.  I jumped at the opportunity and the more I learned about Business Continuity the more I realized this is what I was doing all along.  Business Continuity allowed me to work with all departments, get to know how the departments worked and the inter-dependencies between departments.  I developed programs that were adopted by our insurance carrier.  They wanted to use them as model plans.

My journey towards Facilities Management led me to IFMA and their Core Competencies which includes Safety, Business Continuity, and Emergency Management. 

I continue to work on the IFMA core competencies to perfect my skills and stay up with all the latest trends and technologies.

What are your career goals as a facilities manager?

My goal is to be a complete facilities manager and earn the respect through servant leadership.  When I retire, I want to help people entering the facilities management field or help those struggling to find direction.

I have a great family with two children and three grandchildren.  Enjoy all the time I can get with them. My wife is amazing and has stuck by my crazy lifestyle of teaching, running fire calls and a rescue squad.

What is your favorite food?

We eat very healthy and I do not necessarily have a favorite food, but I do have favorite elements of cooking – great flavor, low sodium, low fat, high fiber, fresh herbs and garlic. 

What is the best place you’ve ever traveled to?     

My wife and I went to Wales to seek her heritage.  I met a Fire Department Battalion Chief online and he met us in Wales.  He kept us very busy for hours.

What is your favorite quote?  

Albert Einstein – Do not keep anything in your head you can find in a book in under 15 minutes.

How would your co-workers describe you?

Based on my past experience: they find me fair, honest, loyal, dedicated, and focused on the employees. 

When people come to you for help, what do they usually want to help with?

Develop a new skill.

We finish the interview and you step outside the office and find a lottery ticket that ends up winning $10 million. What would you do?

I would take care of my family first.  Then secure retirement but continue to help people in facilities management, and emergency services.  

Thank you Michael, for taking the time to be in our Facilities Manager Spotlight series!