FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Carolyn McGary
(303) 656-8353
codirector@fmpipeline.org
Minneapolis, MN
February 19, 2021 – The facility management skills gap is widening as experienced Facility
Managers (FMs) retire, taking their valuable knowledge with them. The Professional Facility
Management Institute (ProFMI), governing body of the ProFM credential, and FM Pipeline, publisher of
Facilithon, are joining forces to address this growing trend through education and outreach to those
within the profession and students still considering their career path.
Both organizations recognize that the next generation is critical to solving the FM industry’s increasing talent gap.
“We’ve been watching this knowledge, skills and abilities gap approach the FM industry for years,” said
Stormy Friday, ProFMI Commission Chair. “The ProFM credential is arming the current workforce with a
body of knowledge that could take decades to learn on the job, while Facilithon creates awareness and
excitement in the next generation of FMs. This partnership will go a long way in narrowing the KSA gap
in FM, which is great news for both facility managers and employers.”
The ProFM credential focuses on the current workforce, providing both education and recognition for
facility managers. This program helps facility managers prepare for every career challenge or
opportunity, no matter if they’re new to FM or a seasoned veteran. ProFM’s broad body of knowledge
teaches the 19 functional FM knowledge areas and five cross-functional competencies required of
today’s facility professionals.
Facilithon is a high school-level program that is gaining momentum across the U.S. as it engages,
enlightens and energizes the young talent from high schools and in some instances, middle schools
through their unique FM competition. This three-part competition, recognized by SkillsUSA, helps
students sharpen their career skills through recurrent presentations, adviser mentoring and
competitions, creating FM-driven candidates prior to high school graduation.
“This new partnership between ProFM and the FM Pipeline is invaluable to the facility management
industry because of the vast reach that will be attained between the two organizations,” said Lindsey
Brackett, founder of Legacy FM. “ProFM brings a deep bench of resources for engaging the next
generation of facility managers, building upon the legacy that FM Pipeline has already created with its
Facilithon platform. I’m excited to see the meaningful impact these organizations will have on high
school students and young adults around the world.”
Not only does this partnership develop the skills of current and future FMs, it also supports employers
and the industry as a whole. “I’m honoured and thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the
amazing team at FM Pipeline as we develop of future leaders in FM,” said Jon Benjamin, Regional Vice
President at FSI. “This partnership will certainly help as we recruit, excite and encourage young people
in the US and Canada to consider a career as an FM Professional.”
For more information on efforts to educate the FM workforce, visit www.profmi.org and
fmpipeline.org.
About FM Pipeline Team, Inc. 501(c)(3)
FM Pipeline is committed to engaging, enlightening and energizing the next generation of facility
management through the Facilithon program. Facilithon is a three-part competition in Facility
Management (FM) recognized by SkillsUSA, the nation’s fastest-growing career technical student
association. Facilithon students sharpen their career skills through recurrent presentations, adviser
mentoring and competitions, creating FM-driven candidates prior to high school graduation. Facilithon
industry partners enjoy engaging with their future facility management employees well in advance of
post-secondary decisions. Since inception, Facilithon programs have engaged over 400 competitors and
over 8,000 students know specifically what FM is through regular “1 in 30” presentations. For more
information, visit fmpipeline.org
About Professional Facility Management Institute (ProFMI)
The Professional Facility Management Institute is the founding body behind the ProFM credential, and
serves to gather experts that form the ProFMI commission, as well as administer the ProFM credential.
ProFM defines today’s global FM standards and provides facility professionals with the knowledge and
skills they need to succeed in roles that have evolved far beyond traditional FM responsibilities. The
credential’s body of knowledge is the most current and relevant available with 19 functional knowledge
areas and five cross-functional competencies that address a wide range of topics that FMs must know to
evolve with the industry. To learn more, please visit: www.profmi.org.