Scott Davis is a Facility Supervisor for Michigan’s State Facilities Administration (SFA) Building Operations Division. He is responsible for multiple large facilities located at the State Secondary Complex in Dimondale, Michigan. The complex consists of 13 facilities totaling approximately 2.5 million square feet and includes diverse building types for the state police academy, research laboratories, office buildings, warehouses and maintenance garages.

Scott and his facility management team completed the BOC program in Lansing in 2013 and have subsequently reviewed O&M procedures and implemented large-scale energy efficiency improvement projects. Read on for a brief interview with Scott to learn about his background, responsibilities and recent experience.

Please share a little about your work background. How long have you worked with your current facility?

I have been working the State of Michigan Building Operations Division since 2002. I have been involved with facility maintenance and operations for 20 years with a prior construction background. I have a well-rounded background with strength in mechanical and electrical trade. I had the opportunity to work within the State of Michigan Energy Center being at the heart of a centralized campus utility productions facility, providing steam, chilled water and electrical for the complex.

Tell us about managing facilities for the State of Michigan. What is your favorite part of the job, and what is challenging about managing these facilities efficiently?

My favorite part of the position is to be able to utilize the talents of the team to provide solutions for our department and our customers (state facilities). Our team is a two-part system in which one group takes raw materials and produces usable energy that is distributed to the facilities. The second group interacts with our customers daily to maintain safe and efficient environments. We find that the most challenging aspect is being fluid enough to meet the rapidly changing needs of our customers. That may be in operational hours/building schedules, staffing re-assignments, workspace organization, etc.

What energy-saving actions have you completed since the BOC training?

We have reviewed facility schedules and try to keep them up-to-date with customer occupancy. Additionally, we have taken notice of the facility envelopes replacing door seals, thresholds, caulking, window seals, etc. The largest recent upgrade is a 3,500-count LED smart lighting system with daylight harvesting and motion-sensing capabilities by individual zones.

Did your employer encourage BOC training?

Yes, several Building Operation Division personnel have completed BOC.

How did your BOC training help?

The BOC training was helpful for providing our entire Building Operation Division team with a baseline of knowledge and understanding, regardless of individual background.

How did the BOC training influence the decision to do the energy efficiency project?

We were able to calculate return-on-investment on the lighting project based on an improved understanding of utility billing and lighting electrical consumption.

 

MEEA wishes to thank Sarah Goodrich with the State of Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget for facilitating this BOC graduate highlight.