SEPtember 15, 2026 - issue 2 Building Connections Connecting people, ideas, and opportunities across our community. Marcia O'Connor President & Academic Director, CAFAE Founder & President, AMFM Consulting Inc. Inspirational Leader | Educator | Mentor From Marcia's Desk One of the things I’ve always valued about our industry is how much knowledge lives within the people doing the work. Some of the most useful lessons come from a conversation, a question someone asks, or an e

Let’s be honest, not many of us grew up dreaming of becoming a facility or asset manager. You rarely hear a child say, “When I grow up, I want to manage aging infrastructure, negotiate service contracts and explain why the roof cannot wait another year.” Most of us found our way here through another route. We started in the trades, operations, property management, environmental services, engineering, administration or in my case, a chef. Someone noticed that we could solve pr

A building has walls, a roof, mechanical systems, electrical systems, plumbing and people who expect everything to work. On paper, facility management looks transferable. A boiler is still a boiler. A leaking roof still needs to be repaired. Preventive maintenance, capital planning, vendor management and life safety matter everywhere. After working across corporate offices, social housing, retail, hospitality and health care, I have learned that no two buildings operate the s

august 21/2026 - issue 2 Building Connections Connecting people, ideas, and opportunities across our community. Marcia O'Connor President & Academic Director, CAFAE Founder & President, AMFM Consulting Inc. Inspirational Leader | Educator | Mentor From Marcia's Desk Our industry has never been one that stands still. The challenges change, the tools evolve, and expectations continue to grow. What excites me is seeing how professionals across the built environment are respon

No Judgment- But when did you last talk to your night shift about anything other than an issue? It is an uncomfortable question. When did you last visit your building at night without responding to an emergency, investigating a complaint or following up on something that went wrong? For many facility managers, the honest answer is: not recently. That is understandable. Most meetings, projects, inspections and contractor visits happen during the day. By the time the night shif

From our August 12, 2026 webinar, Mental Health in Facilities- Who Takes Care of the Caretakers?, CAFAE brought together industry professionals to discuss the mental health pressures facing facility professionals and how individuals, teams and organizations can better recognize and respond to them. Facility professionals are often the people others turn to when something goes wrong. Emergencies arise, priorities shift, resources are stretched and expectations remain high, all

When you first become a facility manager, it is easy to think that leadership means having all the answers. You want to prove yourself. You answer every call, get involved in every repair and try to solve every problem before it reaches anyone else. You become the person everyone relies on when something goes wrong. That feels like leadership, especially when you have built your career by being dependable and getting things done. However, if every problem needs your involveme

august issue 1 - 2026 Building Connections Connecting people, ideas, and opportunities across our community. Marcia O'Connor Academic Director, CAFAE Founder & President, AMFM Consulting Inc. Inspirational Leader | Educator | Mentor From Marcia's Desk Throughout my career, I've found that some of the most valuable learning has happened through conversations with others. Whether it's exchanging ideas at an industry event, collaborating on a project, or hearing how someone sol

JuLY issue 1 - 2026 | from CAFAE Building Connections Connecting people, ideas, and opportunities across our community. Marcia O'Connor Academic Director, CAFAE Founder & President, AMFM Consulting Inc. Inspirational Leader | Educator | Mentor From Marcia's Desk Can hardly believe it’s already July! As summer gets underway, I’ve been reflecting on how far CAFAE has come, and more importantly, where we’re headed next. This season marks an exciting period of growth for our org

CAFAE Monthly Connection January 2026 | Canadian Association for Facilities & Asset Education (CAFAE) As we welcome the new year, we hope you enjoyed a restful holiday season filled with meaningful time with family, friends, and loved ones. A new year brings fresh energy, renewed focus, and opportunities to reflect on where we’ve been, and where we’re headed. At CAFAE, 2026 marks an exciting chapter as we continue to build momentum around applied education, professional d

CAFAE Monthly Connection December 2025 | Canadian Association for Facilities & Asset Education (CAFAE) As we approach the end of the year, I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to our CAFAE community for your ongoing support. Over the past month, we’ve received thoughtful interest and support from professionals across the country who share our vision for elevating education within the facilities and asset management sector across Canada. CAFAE was created to support pract

CAFAE Monthly Connection November 2025 | Canadian Association for Facilities & Asset Education (CAFAE) Welcome Message I’m excited to share that the Canadian Association for Facilities & Asset Education (CAFAE) has officially launched- a new Canadian initiative created to advance education, certification, and collaboration within Canada’s facilities and asset management sector. Join us for our official launch event introducing CAFAE’s vision, upcoming opportunities, and