Preparing for power loss in your facility

Power loss is a real concern for facilities, caused by anything from ice storms or lightning to fallen trees to aging machinery. As a facility manager, being prepared for everything is part of your job, and that includes having a plan for power loss at your facility.

Loss of power can disrupt your business and cause damage to your bottom line. Gain peace of mind, protect yourself from potential damage, and save yourself unexpected costs by making sure your facility is ready well ahead of time.

Being proactive

While the risk of losing power may not come up as part of your fall maintenance checklist, it’s definitely something to consider before winter comes. Power surges caused by lightning can result in burned-out switches or motherboards, so you need to be prepared. Consider adding heavy-duty surge protection as a way to get ahead of a power outage due to lightning striking your building.

Having a backup plan

Do you have a backup plan if your facility loses power? Keep your backup generators well-maintained so you know you have them to rely on if the power goes out for any length of time. If you are looking at buying a generator, be sure to consider the size and needs of your building, as well as the best storage spot for easy access.

As part of your backup plan, test emergency lighting, exits, and fire extinguishers so you know that your staff and visitors will be safe in case of emergency.

Preparing for shutdown

In certain extreme weather conditions, a full shutdown may be necessary. Having a shutdown plan in place can help save time and mitigate losses while production is slowed. Here are a few things to consider:

Make a list you can refer to where duties are prioritized so that nothing gets missed in a panic.
Prepare a map of your property, so visiting contractors have quick access to your equipment.
Ensure that your staff is aware of the policies in place if a shutdown occurs. This will save you the time of briefing everyone if that time comes.

Loss of power seriously compromises your facility’s operations. You need to have a plan so you can recover quickly, address the issue, and get right back to what you do best.

Elton John buys penthouse at upcoming KING Toronto

RAD Marketing, alongside developer Westbank, recently sold a penthouse in KING Toronto to Elton John and David Furnish. The two-storey home in the much anticipated condo complex has four terraces filled with lush landscaping and a two-storey brass staircase. A live tree will stand as an artful centrepiece within the suite.

The building itself, designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), appears like stacked boxes of light and takes inspiration from Maison de Verre in Paris.

West entrance into the courtyard.

“[David] had choices to live in different neighbourhoods in the city but was drawn to KING Toronto because of its iconic design with its four mountain peaks rising out of the heritage buildings in King Street West,” says RAD Marketing President Riz Dhanji. “The Treehouse penthouse sits, what we call, on top of a mountain at King Toronto, surrounded by greenery and allows for privacy amongst the bustle of the city.”.

Mountain peak

Condo amenities take cue from the structure’s mountainous peaks and valleys, such as a mountain-inspired spa and hammam with an indoor-outdoor pool. Plans also call for a mixed-use destination of restaurants and cafes, street celebrations, craft and farmers markets and 180,000 square feet of retail space.

View of the gym looking out at the outdoor terrace.

View inside the East atrium looking into the courtyard.

A linear park will connect the project to Wellington on the south. The East lobby will feature a Fazioli piano designed by Bjarke Ingels as part of Westbank’s piano series.

There are just under 450 suites at King Toronto. Completion is scheduled for fall of 2023.

Broadway Subway tunnel excavation begins

The Broadway Subway Project has reached a critical phase of construction with the start of tunnel excavation to connect six new underground stations on the 5.7-kilometre extension of the Millennium Line.

The two cylindrical tunnel-boring machines (TBM), each six metres in diameter, weigh about one million kilograms apiece. They will be launched separately from the Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station and tunnel five kilometres to reach their destination at Cypress Street, near the future Arbutus Station.

“This is an exciting milestone for a critical infrastructure project that will transform the way people travel and live in and around the Broadway corridor,” said Rob Fleming, B.C. minister of transportation and infrastructure. “The Broadway Subway will provide affordable and efficient transit connections throughout the Lower Mainland, and it’s also going to create new opportunities for affordable housing, community amenities and commercial services along the route.”

Each TBM is expected to take about a year to carve out the subway’s inbound and outbound tunnels. The TBMs have been given the names Elsie and Phyllis, after two influential British Columbian women, Elizabeth (Elsie) MacGill and Phyllis Munday. Elsie is about to start tunnelling. Phyllis is being assembled and is expected to begin operating this winter.

In preparation for the TBMs, tunnel liner rings, manufactured in Nanaimo, were transported to the construction site as crews built the concrete base slab and assembled the conveyor system to transport the excavated material out of the tunnel. At the same time, work is progressing on the elevated guideway and station locations along the line, including relocating utilities, building traffic decks and excavation.

Once tunnel boring finishes, crews will complete construction of the underground stations, and install the train tracks and supporting systems. The final steps include testing and commissioning the new line.

Robust yields ongoing for industrial landlords

Warehouse and logistics space continued to deliver robust yields for industrial landlords through the summer of 2022. CBRE Canada’s third quarter overview reveals a national availability rate of 1.5 per cent along with 9.6 million square feet of positive absorption, while Colliers Canada’s national market snapshot highlights the unprecedented breaching of the $20-per-square-foot threshold for average asking net rents in Vancouver and vacancy rates below 1 per cent in six of the 12 metropolitan areas surveyed.

Market analysts and asset managers express confidence that the industrial sector will be buoyant into the future despite current global economic uncertainty. Speaking during the recent Bloomberg online Canadian finance conference, Kevan Gorrie, president and chief executive officer of Granite REIT, acknowledged a slowing of the e-commerce escalation that supercharged space demands throughout the pandemic interlude, but outlined other factors that bode optimistically for market prospects.

“Just based on where market rent growth is going, we think 2023 and 2024 at least are going to be very strong years,” he said. “Although we’re seeing tenants deal with cost pressures, they’re still looking to take up modern space and really enhance it and modernize their supply chain capabilities.”

In Canada, CBRE pegs the Q3 average net asking lease rate at $12.89 per square foot (psf) across the 10 markets it surveys, up more than 29 per cent from the average in Q3 2021. Drilling down to individual markets, Montreal saw the steepest gains with a 68 per cent year-over-year increase in net asking rates, taking the average up to $14.82 psf. Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa also commanded net lease rates above the national average, with Vancouver posting a chart-topping $20.67 psf.

Colliers Canada analysts identify the prevailing trends in markets like Calgary, where the availability rate dipped to 2.2 per cent during Q3. Landlords there have pulled back on offering leasing inducements and sitting tenants have been signing renewal agreements earlier than customary. Meanwhile, proximity to the Greater Toronto Area factors into Waterloo’s 0.5 per cent availability rate and related pressure on the region’s agricultural land, prompting forecasts that more zoning change proposals will filed in the coming months.

Supply chain dynamics alter requirements for space and market proximity

Elsewhere in southwest Ontario, Granite REIT has a 1.7-million-square-foot facility in development in Brantford, as part of a major building program that includes seven other projects set for Ohio, Tennessee and Texas. Gorrie confirmed the development program targets “certain markets that we have a lot of conviction in.” That dovetails with evolving supply chain dynamics as world events both impede just-in-time delivery and underpin a more inward perspective for governments and business.

Among the trends flowing through to industrial property demand, he cites expanding inventory footprints in the warehouse/distribution sector and a migration of manufacturing away from cheaper labour sources toward closer proximity to the markets they serve. As well, widening of the Panama Canal to accommodate supertankers has boosted the profile of the port of Houston and associated logistics routes, which are emerging to complement the port of Los Angeles’ conventional dominance.

“We’re seeing tenants like Amazon and others that are taking more space — 5 to 10 per cent more space — that they’re carrying as inventory now to basically guard against future disruptions,” Gorrie advised. “A lot of companies are building resiliency and redundancy into their supply chains, and a lot of them are shifting those transportation corridors to the east coast.”

He also reports an uptick in companies relocating from eastern to western Europe, and predicts that new incentives for electric vehicles in the U.S. will create demand for manufacturing space. As of Q2 2022, Granite REIT had recorded 15 per cent year-over-year rent growth in the United States along with nearly 10 per cent year-over-year increases in the Netherlands and Germany. It also awaits portfolio-wide lease renewals in upwards of 25 per cent of its existing holdings over the next two years.

“We feel we’re probably 20 per cent below market in terms of rents,” Gorrie submitted. “Maybe Amazon takes up less space moving forward over the next couple of years, but that has been replaced in terms of demand by other companies that continue to build out their e-commerce and their omnichannel supply chains.”

New developments reflect evolving facility operation requirements

“The supply of industrial space continues to lag behind demand regardless of a slowing economy and record levels of construction in many Canadian cities,” concurs Paul Morassutti, vice chair, valuation and advisory services, with CBRE Canada. “There is the potential for some moderation of industrial rental rates. However, a deceleration in the rate of rental growth should not be confused with a decline in rental growth.”

Currently, CBRE tallies nearly 43 million square feet of new supply in progress across the 10 markets it surveys. That’s mostly speculative development, which the firm’s analysts attribute to “continued confidence and demand” and characterize as a “healthy” pipeline that remains at less than 5 per cent of the existing inventories in most of those markets. Meanwhile, more than 71 per cent of the space scheduled to be completed this fall has already been pre-leased.

The largest shares of new supply are under construction in Toronto (more than 15 million square feet) and Vancouver (more than 10 million square feet), both of which post Q3 availability rates below 1 per cent. Together, those two markets have already seen 8.7 million square feet of positive absorption thus far this year, including the summertime completion of Amazon’s 700,000-square-foot two-storey distribution centre in Burnaby, B.C.

The latter exemplifies the new direction of development Gorrie foresees. Just as industrial tenants’ transportation costs are often multiple times greater than real estate expenditures, he notes that rent is increasingly getting packaged within larger facilities operating budgets.

“If you look back 20 years ago, you’d have a large warehouse with maybe five people driving forklifts. Today, you could have thousands of workers in there. You have fulfillment centres that are five storeys and three of those levels are robot-only,” he mused. “The amount of investment behind the door that tenants are making in these facilities is worth more than the building itself. That’s great for our sector just to see the level of investment in automation and mechanization behind these buildings.”

Ontario boosts energy efficiency spending

The Ontario government has pledged $342 million in additional energy efficiency spending to be rolled out between the spring of 2023 and the end of 2024 as a part of the current four-year framework for conservation and demand management (CDM) programs. The new injection is a 49 per cent boost to the budget allotted when the framework was launched in 2021, but still falls short of the funding available before the government scaled back offerings for the commercial sector and cancelled most programs for the residential sector in 2019.

“We were quite disappointed when there were cuts to the CDM framework a few years ago at a time when conservation was gaining momentum,” says Bala Gnanam, vice president, sustainability, advocacy and stakeholder relations, with the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada. “So we are pleased to see Ontario is committing additional funds now. Better late than never.”

The government’s rationale is spelled out in a directive that Energy Minister Todd Smith issued to Ontario’s Independent Electric System Operator (IESO) in late September. It’s premised on projected future electricity demand and the economics of curbing consumption to offset the need to produce more supply.

The IESO advises more electricity system capacity will be required as early as 2025 to keep up with provincial growth and the steady switch away from fossil fuels for transportation and building space heating. In sync with escalating demand, aging nuclear generating units are slated to be decommissioned or sidelined for refurbishment.

“Fulfilling this forecasted supply need will require the IESO to procure electricity products and services from both existing and new resources,” Smith’s directive states. “Energy efficiency programs have the potential to generate significant savings for ratepayers, lowering electricity costs. Moreover, they help to reduce our dependence on natural gas electricity generation, which is a priority for the government.”

Along with coordinating the distribution of the additional CDM funds, the IESO is tasked with inducing an extra 285 megawatts (MW) of annual peak demand reduction and 1.1 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of annual energy savings by 2025. That’s expected to translate into a $650 million cost saving and a 3 million tonne reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the lifetime of the energy efficiency measures, providing good payback on the investment.

The new $342 million allocation will flow into four CDM programs, with up to $136 million or nearly 40 per cent of the funds earmarked for incentives for greenhouse operators in southwest Ontario. The remainder is intended to underwrite:

allowance for custom energy-efficiency projects within the IESO’s existing retrofit program for the commercial, industrial and institutional sectors, broadening out from the current focus on prescriptive measures;
“enhancements” of the IESO’s local programs for targeted areas experiencing particular electricity system constraints, which currently encompasses the Richview South district in Toronto, York Region, Ottawa and the Belle River area in Windsor-Essex, including incentives for distributed energy; and
the creation of a new voluntary demand response program for residential customers agreeing to let their local utility adjust their central air-conditioning or heat pump controls via their smart thermostats.

LDCs tapped for larger role

Smith’s directive also hints at potential rate-based energy efficiency funding to supplement the budget the provincial government has provided. That’s to be considered as part of the pending mid-term review of the 2021-24 CDM framework.

“The IESO shall explore opportunities for regulated distributors to build on IESO CDM programs where they can add value to their distribution system. This may include support for distributors’ CDM applications to the Ontario Energy Board for distribution rate funding that are in the best interest of Ontario electricity ratepayers and program customers,” the directive states.

The provincial government effectively purged local distribution companies (LDCs) when it dismantled the previous government’s CDM framework in 2019 and transferred program oversight solely to the IESO, but decarbonization proponents stress that electricity grid capacity is critical to enable fuel-switching and connect new clean power sources. They argue that the managers of the grid should be assigned a role in peak demand reduction.

“As more businesses and municipalities are targeting net-zero, there needs to be a focus on helping achieve smart electrification at an appropriate pace and on using conservation as an offset to the electricity growth. Local distribution companies would be a logical place to look for a coordinated effort between the grid, distribution system, municipality and the distribution customers,” maintains Andrew Pride, an energy management specialist and consultant on conservation planning.

“I read this part of the directive as opening the door for LDCs to apply for rate increases to support the IESO CDM programs and bring incremental value to the distribution and transmission systems,” Gnanam observes. “Our industry would support it if such rate increases were used for grid innovation and to improve grid reliability and resilience.”

As for the deployment of the new CDM funding, he underscores the significant energy savings and emissions reduction returns to be reaped in aging Class B and C buildings. “We would like to see much of the additional funding allocated to support this sector in the way of special incentive programs, education and training and other initiatives to build capacity,” Gnanam urges.

Meanwhile, Jeff Ranson, BOMA Toronto’s senior director, energy, environment and advocacy, characterizes CDM as “good grid citizenship” that frees up more capacity to pursue emissions reductions. “In terms of allocation of funding, we see a real need to support both conservation and zero carbon transition planning,” he says.

Slate of program launches set for 2023

For its part, the Ontario government anticipates a large chunk of the projected peak demand reduction will be achieved in southwest Ontario’s greenhouse sector — 225 MW of the targeted 285 MW — through incentives for LED lighting and behind-the-meter distributed energy resources (DER), such as combined solar generation and battery storage. “This will help to alleviate electricity system constraints in the region and foster economic development,” a government release states.

It also indicates the new CDM programs will be ready for applicants in the spring of 2023. Meanwhile, the IESO had already been scheduled to launch three other new CDM programs in 2023, which have been in development over the past two years. These include:

commissioning incentives for existing buildings;
incentives conveyed through commercial lighting distributors, providing point-of-sale discounts for energy-efficient products; and
the planned transition from subsidizing energy managers’ salaries to instead offering “training, resources and enhanced technical support” for companies with an energy manager on their payroll.

Perhaps illustrative of the challenges of the provincial government’s timeline for launching additional programs, last May, Rob Edwards, the IESO’s business manager for private sector initiatives, told online attendees of BOMA Toronto’s annual global adjustment workshop that commissioning incentives would become available in the fall of 2022. When asked about the program’s eligibility criteria, he noted: “That is still under design and that’s why we’re not able to launch it until the fall.”

Barbara Carss is editor-in-chief of Canadian Property Management.

Does your facility have an EV plan?

As electric vehicle use grows more popular each year for company fleets, delivery, and personal use, an EV plan can help you assess and address your facility’s needs.

Maybe you’ve already implemented upgrades to your smart building, but with Canada’s electric car sales soaring (up a whopping 646 per cent in the last five years), adding an EV component to your outdoor upgrade list could add value – and revenue – for your business.

Electric vehicles and charging stations are not a cheap endeavour, so planning ahead will help ensure that you’re fully informed and you budget accordingly.

What type of chargers do you need?

Not all chargers are created equally. For optimal charging ability, Level 2 or 3 chargers offer the fastest, most efficient service.

Level 2 will fully charge most vehicles in a few hours, making it very convenient for staff and visitors.

If you’re planning to use EVs for delivery, Level 3s charge a 250 km range per hour, so your drivers can quickly get back out there and on their way.

What are the potential costs?

Installing chargers involves getting a permit and hiring a licensed electrical contractor – but that’s not all. Depending on how far from your building your chargers will be located, you may need to dig under your parking lot or relocate some of your existing electrical. All these costs factor into deciding whether it’s worth your while.

There’s good news, though. Provincial and federal incentives may be available for charging stations, as well as for leasing and purchasing EVs for your company’s use. These incentives could help offset some of your initial costs.

Will you try and recoup those costs?

Many businesses are charging visitors and staff who use their EV chargers. You can bill users at a flat fee rate, or based on time used, as a revenue generator while they’re on site. Alternatively, some businesses are offering this service fee of charge as a perk for staff and visitors. This is something to consider as you assess the costs and benefits of these upgrades.

Electric vehicles are here to stay, so use your EV plan to determine if installing charging stations or converting your fleet makes sense for your facility. Plan ahead, get the right equipment, and know the costs and opportunities for revenue so you can budget for these expenses.

Construction underway on UBC recreation centre

Construction is underway on a new recreation centre that will triple the amount of indoor fitness and recreation space at the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus.

Recreation Centre North, located in the heart of campus, will feature an indoor floor area of 101,000 sq. ft. spread over four levels and will include three gymnasium courts, an elevated 200-metre indoor track, and more than 40,000 sq. ft. of state-of-the-start fitness and multipurpose studio space.

The facility demonstrates UBC’s commitment to wellbeing by meeting the growing need from our community members for more recreation and gym space.

“We are thrilled to be breaking ground on the new recreation centre for UBC’s Vancouver campus,” says Kavie Toor, managing director of UBC Athletics and Recreation. “Demand for recreation and fitness access at UBC is at an all-time high. The new facility not only supports students’ fitness and wellbeing goals, but it also provides them with a space to prioritize their mental and physical health while they are pursuing their academic achievements.”

Designed by Shape Architecture, the new building will be located immediately north of the UBC Life Building (formerly the Student Union Building) and at the west end of Student Union Boulevard.

The facility will be seamlessly integrated with the UBC Life and Student Services Hub, and will include an outdoor walkway corridor at ground level to allow foot traffic to readily flow through the area. In addition to fitness space, the building will also include multipurpose rooms, universal and gender-specific change areas, and administrative offices.

Recreation Centre North will also be constructed to a LEED Gold green building standard and is Rick Hansen Foundation Certified.

Construction is expected to finish in late 2024.

Construction costs rattle the condo industry

This past year has proved difficult to complete major building repairs. Construction costs are up — significantly. Contractors are hard to come by. Materials may not be available or may have significant lead time prior to delivery.

Cost increases are a significant concern if a condominium needs to complete work in the next year or so. They may not have sufficient funds available or may deplete their reserve fund to a greater extent than planned for the project. But it’s not just the here and now that condominiums should be worried about.

StatsCan reports that the construction price index for residential buildings, which reflects the cost of new residential construction, has increased by 56 per cent between Q1 2020, the start of COVID, and Q2 2022. While this index is not entirely predictive of cost increases related to repairing existing residential condominiums, it is likely the best available proxy. Over the same period, most condominium reserve fund studies likely incorporated a predicted cost inflation of 5 to 8 per cent, a difference of almost 50 per cent.

Reserve fund providers typically maintain cost databases for the key unit prices that underpin reserve fund studies. These are being updated as soon as possible based on recently tendered work. Fortunately, in some cases, we are finding the actual cost increases to have increased less than this 56 per cent.

However, for some projects, particularly material-heavy projects like window replacement, we have seen very significant price increases. As reserve fund study updates are completed on their three-year schedule, these new prices will be reflected, resulting in large increases in the required annual contribution and the related condo maintenance fees. Making matters worse, the projects with the largest cost increases are generally also the largest projects covered by a reserve fund and, as such, have an overweight impact on the overall contributions.

But what is underpinning the chaos? It seems easy to blame “COVID”, but it is less clear what is really going on. There is a series of unfortunate events combining to contribute to the chaos.

Labour Shortage

There seems to be a shortage of labour in almost every industry. Is this because young people can’t be bothered to work after COVID? Seems unlikely. Ongoing impacts of self-isolation during infection? Probably part of the problem but can’t be the whole thing. Employees changed industries due to layoffs due to COVID? Possibly, but every industry seems to be short people, so probably not. Inefficiencies due to new operating procedures such as physically distancing of workers? Probably a contributor. Fewer immigrants? Net migration was down about 1.5 per cent a year for 2020 and 2021, but has come roaring back in Q1 2022, with the highest immigration numbers into Canada since 1946, so that doesn’t seem to be the cause.

Perhaps, like most trends in the last fifty years, the labour shortage also relates to the baby boomers. The average baby boomer reached age 63 in 2019. And many who were approaching retirement advanced their retirement due to COVID. Now there is pressure to return to the office after two years of working at home, which may trigger further retirements.

Many industries rely heavily on these seasoned workers, from elevator mechanics to carpenters. Their experience makes them efficient. They are knowledgeable and train the next generation. And the next generations are simply smaller. Given the demographics, the labour shortage is likely a trend that will continue to haunt us for many years to come.

Shortage of Construction Materials

Material shortages are also having a significant impact. Sometimes the key components of the construction are not available. Early in COVID, it was a shortage of lumber. More recently, it is sealants, fasteners, sheet metal, aluminum, etc. We have become so used to the world operating efficiently on a just-in-time basis that we are not coping well when minor components become unavailable.

The initial reduction in global demand forced some suppliers to go out of business. As demand returned, there were fewer suppliers globally struggling to meet high demand.

Many construction products require multiple raw materials to manufacture. Some chemical ingredients might make up less than 1 per cent of the overall formula of a given product, such as an elastomeric waterproofing membrane, but might still be essential. Manufacturers typically source ingredients from a global range of suppliers. Closures and delays at international factories dramatically decreased the availability of some products.

Unfortunately, it isn’t necessarily a simple matter of substituting one ingredient for another with similar characteristics. Systems undergo rigorous testing to achieve performance ratings. Changing the chemistry of a product could require new testing to be completed in accordance with CSA and ASTM standards, which can be a long and costly process.

China’s zero-COVID policy, with mandated government lockdowns, has led to long lockdowns in major cities and suspended operations in many factories which are still contributing to challenges related to material availability.

Supply Chain Challenges

North America imports many construction products and raw materials from overseas, particularly from China and India, primarily by container ship. The strict COVID-19 restrictions in Asia also caused widespread closures of port facilities in 2020, 2021 and 2022, resulting in shipping bottlenecks.

Labour shortages at Canadian and U.S. ports continue to delay unloading of the shipping containers. This has been compounded by the increased use of larger shipping vessels, meaning that more volume is being directed to the few ports that can handle these larger ships. Today in the U.S., 40 per cent of all containerized cargo goes through just two ports – Los Angeles and Long Beach. The limited capacity of these ports contributes to the bottleneck.

The rise of e-commerce during COVID has also had an impact. Our global transportation systems were not built for a world where anyone can order anything to be delivered to their door with a couple of taps on their phone. The rapid rise in direct-to-consumer transportation has increased congestion at rail yards and warehouses.

Adding to the chaos, there is a global shortage of truck drivers. According to industry associations, the industry has failed to remain attractive to young employees and is struggling to fill thousands of open positions in every country.

Combined, these factors result in sluggish and expensive movement of goods around the world.

Lack of Availability of Contractors

Lots of construction projects were postponed at the start of the pandemic. Contractors are now working through a large backlog of projects, effectively completing more than one year’s worth of work in a year. This should work itself out over time.

Other Global Impacts

As if COVID were not enough, there has been a confluence of other global impacts that have also contributed to our challenges. These include Brexit, which created major changes in trade rules, the 2021 Suez Canal obstruction, which froze more than $10B in trade a day, the 2021 “Big Freeze” in Texas, which knocked out many chemical manufacturing plants and refining operations for many months, the 2021 Xinjiang Western Hesheng Silicone plant fire which was large enough to impact production of many products globally, the 2021 extreme weather events in B.C. which impacted cross Canada rail and trucking transport, the drought in Europe which has restricted shipping capacity along Europe’s rivers, and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Our systems are holding up remarkably well considering these shocks but are creaking under the load.

What Can a Condominium Board Do?

Plan ahead. Secure contracts and have the contractor order construction materials immediately afterward because there are long lead times that can easily consume our short construction season.

Take possession of materials as soon as possible. This approach helps manage a schedule, but also helps mitigate the risk of costs rising further between the time of the contractor bidding the project and securing the materials. Contractors can typically store these materials in their facilities or onsite to ensure they have them available when needed.

Deferral of projects may not be the best plan because there are no guarantees that inflation won’t continue to race ahead of a condominium’s ability to earn interest on their fund balances.

Manufacturers are optimistic that many of the bottlenecks will clear in the near term. There are some underlying demographic trends and climate change- induced weather phenomena that will continue to drive prices upward. Condominiums must prepare themselves to face significant reserve fund contribution increases at the time of their next update.

Sally Thompson is a managing principal at Synergy Partners, past-president of CCI Toronto and director of CAI Canada. Patrick Cutten is a project manager at Synergy Partners.

Emil Anderson donates 71 acres for conservation

Emil Anderson Group has donated 71 acres of land along the Englishman River to The Nature Trust of BC, valued at more than $5 million, to ensure the protection of forest including some old growth forest and species at risk on Vancouver Island.

The donation builds on Emil’s legacy of supporting impactful projects and ensuring the conservation of the Englishman River- Kw’a’luxw – Emil Anderson Legacy Forest in perpetuity.

“Emil Anderson Group has shown great corporate leadership by donating the entire value of the land, the transaction costs, and establishing a land management endowment. Their generous donation will help us take care of this land far into the future. Today is a wonderful day for the fish, wildlife, and people who live in and around the Englishman River,” said The Nature Trust’s CEO, Dr. Jasper Lament.

The Englishman River- Kw’a’luxw – Emil Anderson Legacy Forest will be added to the Englishman River- Kw’a’luxw Conservation Complex – this means the property will be protected from development and will never be sold.

“If something makes sense, you have to do it. Keeping a significant portion of our floodplain and hillside land near the Englishman River in a natural state has been a goal of mine and my family’s for many years. It is proof that resource extraction, land development, and habitat preservation can be balanced through thoughtful land use planning. We are proud to donate this property to The Nature Trust of BC, an organization with a long history of conservation excellence in this area,” said Mike Jacobs, chair of Emil Anderson Group, who donated the land.

The Nature Trust of BC has been conserving land on the Englishman River since 1978 and this is their eleventh conservation property in the area. They now protect 847 acres (343 hectares) in this important community watershed.

Labour shortage expected to impact housing construction

A new report from CMHC looks at the skilled labour shortage and how it may impact Canada’s 2030 housing objectives. Using the housing supply targets outlined in ESG 2030, the report examines the skilled labour capacity in Ontario, Quebec, BC, and Alberta, and assesses each one’s ability to deliver on their level of housing need.

In the best-case scenario, CMHC projects that housing starts will fall well below the 2030 affordable supply targets in three of the four provinces. While Alberta is expected to be successful, Ontario, Quebec, and BC will all need to double their best-case labour capacity in order to adequately reach their targets.

“To solve the issue of housing affordability in Canada, an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach will be needed,” the report contends. “This will include building on innovative ideas and initiatives being utilized in the current housing industry and through the federal government’s National Housing Strategy.”

Proposed solutions include shifting the focus towards converting existing commercial structures into residential units; increasing the construction of multi-unit housing vs. single-detached homes; creating more incentives to develop a new generation of skilled construction workers; and developing more targeted immigration programs to encourage skilled, temporary and/or permanent foreign workers to bridge the labour shortage, particularly in Ontario and BC.

Report Key Findings:

At this current pace, there is insufficient labour capacity to address the significant housing supply gaps, mainly in Ontario and British Columbia.
Under a best-case scenario, labour capacity exists only to increase housing starts activity across all four major provinces between 2022-2030 by an annual average of 30% to 50% above CMHC’s baseline housing starts forecasts:
- Ontario by 36%
- Quebec by 29%
- British Columbia by 41%, and
- Alberta by 54%
Labour capacity issues are most critical in Ontario, which has the largest population and the highest price pressures.
While the pandemic has shown that the workplace can pivot and manage greater construction volumes with fewer workers, this may still cause construction backlogs, which will create delays and postpone supplying new units to markets in need of more supply.

For more on the labour shortage and how it may impact Canada’s housing needs, click here: Labour Capacity Constraints and Supply Across Large Provinces in Canada

Global worktech venture responds to hybrid shift

Two workplace software firms have partnered on a new global venture that responds to the dynamic needs of the hybrid workplace.

Backed by software investment firm Thoma Bravo, the merger involves Condeco, a global provider of workspace scheduling software, and iOffice + SpaceIQ, a global workplace and asset management company. The duo created Eptura to power the modern workplace and help companies adapt to the shift that is happening quite rapidly.

Brandon Holden, CEO of iOffice + SpaceIQ, will serve as CEO of Eptura. Paul Statham, Founder & CEO of Condeco, joins Eptura’s board of directors and will continue working with Thoma Bravo. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and with large regional offices in London, UK, and Melbourne, Australia, Eptura has over 1,000 employees across the globe, 16.3 million users and a customer base spanning more than 16,000 of the world’s leading companies.

“With the proliferation of hybrid work, there is an unmet need for technology solutions that enable businesses to adapt to the changing needs of the workplace,” said Holden. “By combining the power of our expertise and products, Eptura provides a comprehensive solution for business leaders who recognise the importance of keeping people at the centre of the workplace of the future.”

With a total addressable market of $25 billion, the new venture brings together a portfolio of more than nine products. “This combination ushers in the next generation of workplace technology by unifying the best of breed software across asset management, integrated workplace management systems and workplace experience solutions,” said Statham.

Eptura stands for ‘the epicentre of the future at work’, underscoring the company’s ability to accelerate the development of new worktech solutions and enhance the user experience.

“We have been lucky enough to be partners to both iOffice + SpaceIQ and Condeco for over a year now, and combining these two great companies creates the clear category leader for the modern workplace,” said A.J. Rohde, a senior partner at Thoma Bravo.

Canadians scrutinize reality of workplace culture claims

The culture that companies claim to promote in their workplace far from the reality for 38 per cent of Canadian employees who see significant gaps.

Many workers are facing increased mental strain from being around a negative workplace culture. LifeWorks Mental Health Index, supported by TELUS Health, released its latest monthly findings that reveal poor mental health scores. For August, the score amounts to 65.1 points out of one hundred, a slight increase from July’s score of 65.0 points and essentially the same as in August 2021—failing to improve over one year.

Full-time post-secondary students had the lowest mental health score for the third consecutive month. Respondents employed in mining and oil and gas extraction, professional, scientific and technical services and transportation and warehousing had the highest mental health scores.

Paula Allen, LifeWorks global leader and senior vice president of research and total wellbeing, said previous Mental Health Index reports show that employees who work for organizations that support employee mental health have better scores.

“The support includes the provision and promotion of mental health services, but the current data clearly shows that workplace culture also plays a strong role,” she said. “The good news is that we have identified nine clear indicators that make a difference and each can be improved with specific actions that start with awareness and leader training.”

Some of these indicators include: hard driving and relaxed; cliquish and inclusive; stagnant and innovative; demotivating and motivating; and uncaring and supportive. Canadians were asked to rate their workplace culture across these nine indicators on a scale from one to five, with opposite connotations.

Those employees who reported a negative workplace culture had productivity scores 23 per cent below full productivity—nearly three times higher than those reporting a more positive culture. While fourteen per cent attributed lower productivity to workplace culture, managers were 40 per cent more likely than non-managers to indicate their workplace culture increases their productivity.

Employees who rated their workplace culture as demotivating have a mental health score of 50.0, more than 15 points below the national average. Nine per cent of respondents report their workplace culture does not promote inclusiveness. This group also has a below average mental health score of 56.8.

Working when sick

With productivity in mind, Canadians were asked how much energy they give to their work on a typical day. The average came out at 87 per cent in August compared to the pre-2020 benchmark of 89 per cent. When feeling unwell, whether physical or psychologically, 53 per cent said they are still doing their job at least one day per week. Those Canadians who ditch work when sick are much more mentally healthy than the 42.8 per cent who work through being sick five days a week.

Workplace supports

Nearly 24 per cent of respondents indicated that better support for their wellbeing is more important than a 10 per cent salary increase, a preference favoured by nearly two-thirds of Canadians. Both parents and managers place higher importance on wellbeing supports.

“Long-term business success is dependent on creating a strong, inclusive culture where all team members can bring their whole selves to work, while feeling supported and appreciated,” said TELUS Health Chief Operating Officer Michael Dingle. “The data is clear that when organizations prioritize a culture that supports total wellbeing, they will see stronger business results.”

The full Canadian LifeWorks Mental Health Index report can be found here.

Indigenous Business Award recipients announced

The BC Achievement Foundation has announced the recipients of the 2022 Indigenous Business Award (IBA). Presented annually, the IBA recognizes the contributions of extraordinary Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs across BC, while helping to elevate connections between the province’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous economies.

This year’s award theme is “Thuyshaynum: preparing the path, directing the feet,” which addresses the tireless work being done to correct perceptions of Indigenous history and build respectful, meaningful relationships.

A total of eight Indigenous businesses, entrepreneurs, partnership entities and community-owned enterprises have been selected by a jury panel that includes Jessie Ramsay, Métis, a partner with Baker Newby Law; Jeff Ward, Ojibwe and Métis, founder and CEO of Animikii; and Leah George-Wilson, past Chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation who practices Indigenous law with Miller Titerle + Company.

“When we come together to celebrate Indigenous business achievement, we are also blazing a path for today’s youth and for the generations that will follow. The Indigenous Business Award program recognizes business achievement, honouring innovative ideas and new ways of making our economy more robust and more inclusive,” said foundation chair, Anne Giardini. “Every year, the enterprises recognized with an Indigenous Business Award highlight ways we all benefit from an ongoing reconciliation of the practices of the past with the economies of the future.”

The Indigenous Business winners are:

Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Dustin & Ashley Kucher – Dark Arc Welding Inc., Dawson Creek
Business of the Year – one-to-two person enterprise: dk Architecture, North Vancouver
Business of the Year – three-to-ten person enterprise: Culture Shock Interactive Gallery, Alert Bay
Business of the Year – 11+ person enterprise: Warrior Plumbing, North Vancouver
Community-owned Business of the Year – one entity: M’i nuw’ilum Marina Inc., Sooke
Community-owned Business of the Year – two or more entities: Sasuchan Development Corporation, Takla Lake
Business Partnership of the Year: Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd., Williams Lake
Award of Distinction for Lifetime Achievement: Chief David Jimmie, Chilliwack.

The awardees will be celebrated at the IBA Gala on November 29 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

Building operator awarded 2022 BOMI scholarship

Paolo Cordovado, a senior building operator with Avison Young, is the 2022 recipient of the Vyetta Sunderland scholarship from BOMI Education Canada. The annual award for a Canadian student pursuing career advancement in property or facilities management was bestowed during the national awards gala at the recent BOMEX annual conference and exposition of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada.

In his current role, Cordovado is responsible for building operations and oversight of cleaning staff for three buildings totalling more than 420,000 square feet of office space. He has worked in the commercial building sector since 2010 and holds Building Environmental Systems Operators Class I and II credentials through Sheridan College and a Systems Maintenance Technician (SMT) designation from BOMI. He is also actively involved in professional development and team building within his company, participating Avison Young’s global engineering task force, emerging leaders program and social committee.

“I always aim to achieve the highest satisfaction with my tenants, clients and co-workers,” Cordovado says. “I’m very excited to get started on my Systems Maintenance Administrator (SMA) designation thanks to BOMI Education Canada.”

“Paolo’s commitment to enhancing his learning makes him the ideal recipient of the Vyetta Sunderland Scholarship,” affirms Laurie Ell, chair of BOMI Education Canada and general manager of real estate management services with Colliers Canada.

Surrey plans dyke network upgrades

Surrey is in the first phase of upgrading the dyke network to protect against flooding from increasingly more common high magnitude storm events. As a next step in enhancing the network, the city will be applying for $10 million in funding to upgrade the Nicomekl River Dyke.

“It is important that the city expand and enhance our dyke network to protect against the increasing effects of rising sea levels and storm events,” said Mayor Doug McCallum. “Upgrading and maintaining Surrey’s dykes are important because it provides effective protection against flooding from increasingly more common high magnitude storm events as was experienced in November of 2021. For these reasons, the city is applying for grant funding to significantly upgrade our dyke network.”

Surrey Council endorsed an application for grant funding for the Nicomekl River Dyke Upgrade Project, from 168 Street to 188 Street for a total of $10 million through B.C.’s Green Adaptation, Resilience & Disaster Mitigation Program (ARDM) as part of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The city’s drainage utility has sufficient funding in its capital project reserve for the city’s financial portion (27 per cent) of the project’s eligible costs.

Implementing the upgrades to the Nicomekl Dyke through the ARDM fund supports the objectives of the city’s Sustainability Charter 2.0. The city anticipates changing weather patterns and sea level rise as a result of climate change, and implements appropriate infrastructure, land use planning and emergency response solutions that will be resilient over the long term. The community’s critical infrastructure and systems are designed to withstand climate change impacts and natural events and disasters and include emergency response and reconstruction plans.

Surrey has approximately 100 kilometres of dykes throughout the city.

Killing germs & UVC light disinfection

Microbiological and epidemiological evidence shows that contaminated surfaces can contribute to the transmission of infectious disease-causing germs and allergens. Hospital studies show that staff and new patients have been infected if a prior room occupant had methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), Clostridium difficile, Acinetobacter baumannii, and other pathogens.

Naturally, an effective way to overcome or minimize the spread of disease is to inactivate and reduce the number of germs in the environment. Improved surface cleaning and disinfection are key methods, but studies provide critical information on improving air quality and decreasing risk on surfaces that people touch such as in hospitals and care homes as well as hotels, restaurants, airports, convention centres, schools, and public washrooms.

Manual processes for cleaning and disinfection are frequently sub-optimal, suggesting that automated disinfection processes might offer an opportunity to improve cleaning efficacy and consistency.

Light that is visible to humans is part of the light spectrum from 380 to 740 nanometres. Ultraviolet-C (UVC) light, between about 200 and 280 nm, is known to be harmful to microorganisms and can be used as a disinfection method. Using UVC light against microorganisms is not a new idea, but the COVID-19 pandemic increased the development and deployment of UVC light and violet-blue light disinfection technologies that are available and used as commercial systems.

ISSA receives many questions about the use of these lamps for disinfection; education and training should be provided on any technologies to incorporate them into existing cleaning processes. The Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) team provides guidance on the adoption and implementation of technologies by ensuring that efficacy, as well as logistical and safety issues, are established in real-world indoor spaces.

Are UVC light disinfection systems currently in use?

UVC radiation is a known disinfectant for air, water, and nonporous surfaces. UVC radiation has effectively been used for decades to reduce the spread of bacteria, such as tuberculosis, and has been shown to destroy the outer protein coating of bacteria and viruses. This destruction ultimately leads to inactivation of the microorganism. For this reason, UVC lamps are often called “germicidal” lamps.

In addition to understanding whether UVC light is effective as a disinfectant, its efficacy is dependent upon the organic load and microorganisms, the intensity and time of exposure, the distance from the surface, and whether the surface is within direct line of sight.

Direct exposure: UVC light can only inactivate a germ if the germ is directly exposed to the light. Therefore, the inactivation of bacteria and viruses on surfaces may not be effective due to blocking of the UV radiation by soil, shadow, or obstruction by other contaminants such as body fluids.
Dose and duration: UVC light requires sufficient duration of exposure to be effective and this can vary for different microorganisms.

What are the different types of lamps for UV light disinfection systems?

Not all UVC lamps are the same. Lamps may emit specific wavelengths or a broad range, and some also emit visible and infrared radiation. The wavelengths emitted by the lamp may affect the lamp’s effectiveness at inactivating microorganisms and may impact the health and safety risks associated with the lamp.

UV light disinfection systems both commercially available and being researched include:

Ultraviolet-C (UVC) light (254 nm), the most common type of lamp used, is a low-pressure mercury lamp that continuously delivers wavelengths of UV light with a peak emission around 254 nm.
Pulsed-xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) light (200-1100 nm) systems use xenon gas bulbs that emit a broader spectrum of light (including UV, visible, and infrared) in short pulses ranging from 200 to 1100 nm. This range covers the germicidal spectrum of 200 to 280 nm.
Far-UVC light (222 nm), such as Krypton Chloride (KrCl) excimer lamps, has been shown to inactivate bacteria and viruses and are much less likely to induce adverse reactions on skin and eyes and have the potential to be safer for humans.
High-Intensity Narrow Spectrum (HINS) light (380 to 420 nm) devices use LEDs that emit a very narrow wavelength of visible violet-blue light with at least one peak wavelength of 380 to 420 nm. This narrow bandwidth with peak output usually of 405 nm induces inactivation of a range of bacterial pathogens.

What are the safety considerations?

UVC for surface and air decontamination must consider health and safety issues as well as the risk of incomplete inactivation of bacteria and viruses. Risk depends on the UVC wavelength, dose, and duration of exposure. The risk may increase if the unit is used by untrained individuals.

Direct exposure of skin and eyes to UVC radiation from some UVC lamps may cause painful eye injury and burn-like skin reactions. Never look directly at a UVC lamp source, even briefly. There are no immediate warning symptoms to indicate overexposure to UVC radiation.
Some UVC lamps generate ozone, which can be irritating to the airway when inhaled.
UVC can degrade certain materials, such as plastic, polymers, and dyed textile.
Some UVC lamps contain mercury. Because mercury is toxic even in small amounts, extreme caution is needed in cleaning a lamp that has broken and in disposing of the lamp.

Personnel must not enter a room while the UV light system is operating. If there is a risk of exposure, the appropriate PPE must be worn that protects the eyes and skin and includes gloves, clothing with no skin showing, and a UV-resistant face shield.

There is no Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard from the U.S. Department of Labor regarding exposure to UVC light, but the OSHA general duty clause states the employer must provide a workplace free of recognized hazards that may cause death or serious physical harm.

Are there any practical or logistical considerations?

There are multiple variables that affect the amount of UVC delivered to surfaces and the resulting reduction of infectious agent achieved; these include the amount of irradiance generated by the UVC device, the distance from the device to the exposed surface, the angle at which the UVC strikes the surface, and whether the surface is in direct line of sight of the device or receives light that has been reflected off other objects (i.e. surfaces in shaded areas). These factors must be taken into consideration when assessing the potential effectiveness of a UVC device.

Use of UVC light systems for surface disinfection should only be undertaken following completion of a manual clean as residual dirt can reduce efficacy.
Prior to a UVC light system being considered, an assessment of the area to be disinfected must be undertaken to ensure the area can be sealed and the use of UVC light made safe.
Manufacturers’ instructions for use must be followed to ensure all surfaces are adequately disinfected to reduce the risk of sub-optimal UV light dosage on microorganisms. This could result in mutation of the remaining microbes.
UV light systems in use must be maintained in good working order and a system of programmed maintenance in place with documented evidence.
A quality assurance mechanism should be in place to monitor the functionality of the UV light system using samples before and after cleaning.
Risk assessments should be in place for possible exposure of people and animals to UVC light.
Ensure appropriate time is given to the UVC light disinfection process.

To learn more about UV light disinfection devices, you should:

Ask for education and training opportunities.
Ask the manufacturer about the device’s health and safety risks.
Ensure you understand the instructions for installation, use, cleaning, and maintenance.
Test the lamp to determine whether the lamp emits other wavelengths and if so, how much.
Ask what kind of material is compatible with UVC disinfection.
Ask whether the device generates ozone.
Ask whether the lamp contains mercury.

Studies have concluded that using a UVC light system in combination with standard cleaning was more effective at reducing infectious disease-causing germs and decreasing risk of infection than standard cleaning alone. But many of these studies do not define the standard cleaning performed. Recommendations have included that UVC light systems should be utilized by dedicated cleaning personnel who have been educated and trained on their use. It is important to consider that creating a safe and healthy indoor space requires a combination of multiple interventions.

Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner is a senior director of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™ (GBAC), a division of ISSA. As an infection prevention expert and epidemiologist, he works to develop protocols and education for the global cleaning industry.

How flooring can spark student learning

Designers and facility managers seeking to create the ideal educational space for students face no small undertaking. Educational environments must meet tough demands. Striking the perfect balance between a welcoming space and an environment that supports academic success is key.

Education projects present unique challenges. Teachers, professors and school administrators may have different ideas for how classrooms, media centres or study areas should be designed to best meet the needs of the students. Likewise, the students themselves may have different preferences for how they study, collaborate, or work best individually.

One important factor that must be considered to meet these various needs is careful consideration of the flooring type. While there are many different surfaces and materials to choose, flooring is an expansive surface extending into rooms, hallways, common areas and other spaces. Whether it’s for a K-12 building or higher education setting, the right flooring foundation can foster learning and creativity, and even help keep students inspired. But, to ensure the right flooring choice is selected, it’s important to ask several important questions.

Who will use the space and what is the intended educational focus?

K-12 students have different needs than college students. As a result, there are different functions and educational activities. Kindergarten teachers may want their students to gather on the floor. Naturally, a soft surface carpet flooring might be a good choice. College students, conversely, might need to collaborate and group up with each other for team projects, so a hard surface where chairs and desks can be easily moved without damaging the flooring would make that easier. When planning and designing for an educational space, it’s critical to know the end user’s activities, the type of experience desired for that space and what kind of flooring choice can best support that.

What are the performance characteristics and/or maintenance needs? And how do those needs lend themselves to a cohesive design?

Carpet in either a modular or broadloom format can be a viable choice. Carpet is softer and offers better sound absorption than other flooring options, which brings acoustical benefits and can provide a nice warm ambience for the room. Because of its softness, it can also be better at preventing injuries that might occur with trips, slips for falls. Broadloom carpet with welded seams and a moisture barrier backing provides excellent stain protection, while carpet tiles offer an easy opportunity to repair small sections of the area without having to replace the entire flooring. Modular carpet also allows flexibility in design for just the right look. When selecting carpet, look for a Texture Appearance Retention Rating (TARR) of at least 3.5 for an education facility.

Another flooring option is Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT). This flooring type is engineered to withstand extreme foot traffic, is easy to maintain, is often waterproof and can be cost effective, an important consideration for many schools. LVT can often provide a range of design aesthetics, including the ability to create custom looks that can contribute to school branding. To help with sound absorption, some LVT providers offer a specialized underlayment. It’s also important to select a wear layer with 20 mil or higher to assist with the performance needed for the space.

A rubber flooring choice is quiet, durable and comfortable underfoot, an important attribute, especially for teachers or instructors who spend most of their time standing. Additionally, rubber provides an extra level of safety when it comes to falls – for people or manipulatives. Whether it’s a kindergartner tripping over an untied shoe, a teacher falling in the hallway or a biology major dropping an old beaker, rubber flooring allows for better outcomes when people or things hit the ground. Plus, rubber is easy to clean and maintain. It has self-migrating waxes that come to the surface when the floor is cleaned and/or buffed over the life of the product, so there is never a need to wax the floor, thus a lower maintenance cost.

What are the design capabilities of the flooring?

Many schools at the K-12 and college and university levels recognize the power that comes when they connect their brand to their physical spaces. Incorporating school colours in the hallways, the dining areas, or the student union, reinforces a school’s brand with students, faculty, staff and visitors. A flooring solution can support a school’s branding, but it may require a custom carpet with custom colours to match to the school’s logo.

Of course, branding is just one consideration when it comes to design. Many schools will want to use the flooring to assist with wayfinding to direct people from one area to another or to signal to people they’ve entered a new space.

Design should incorporate the intent of the space. For example, does the space need bright colours to foster energy and excitement, such as what might be needed in a K-5 building? Or does the design need to be more “muted” with toned-down colours to help students with focus or concentration. The best floor covering manufacturers should be able to assist with wayfinding, custom design, and other design services to meet a facility’s various design needs.

Today’s educational spaces are dynamic and can present challenges when trying to align design, functionality, maintenance, and budget requirements. But asking the right questions, especially when it comes to the flooring, can mitigate those challenges. Moreover, the right flooring for a space can be a major driver towards safe and comfortable spaces that can also spark student learning, creativity, and inspiration.

Amanda Darley is Mannington Commercial’s Vice President of Marketing.