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The Best of NeoCon® 2008 Competition yields 72 awards from among 352 competitors
Seventy-two awards were distributed in The Best of NeoCon® 2008 competition of contract furnishing products during NeoCon® at The Merchandise Mart in Chicago in June. .Four Innovation Awards and a Best of Competition Award also were selected.

Creating new energy through portfolio standards
Everyone talks about renewable energy, but how can we make it happen – or, better yet, how can we make it happen more consistently?

How we shake with quakes
In the Northwest, we are shaking more than before – but elsewhere, we seem to have settled down, according to updated versions of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Seismic Hazard Maps. The latest maps indicate that earthquakes remain a serious threat in 46 of the United States. For some areas such as western Oregon and Washington, the new maps contain higher estimates for how hard the ground will shake compared to earlier versions of the maps released in 1996 and 2002.

Need to standardize emergency preparedness
Three-quarters of the 302 senior corporate executives surveyed in mid-2007 said that an emergency preparedness plan exists in their companies. The analysis was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as part of an ongoing research project to assess the effectiveness of security in American companies.

New common floor area measurement definitions
Pinning down area measurements can be a challenge – but a new report outlines standards that can take the guesswork out of the process.

Viewpoint: Facility Management as a New Strategic Initiative
by David A. Henrichon, MS, FMA, CPE, FMP - Having delivered facility management certification training to national and international audiences, I have heard all of the war stories. To no one’s surprise, the situation is the same the world over. Funds are limited.  Projects are due yesterday. Energy expense, indeed all expense line items must be managed down, year after year.  Some of the attendees are looking to gain insight into the world of the facility manager, or to more finely tune their sales pitch when dealing with the FM. 

IFMA renews commitment to Strategic Facility Planning
by Eileen McMorrow - While facilities managers are adept at practicing strategic planning, the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) is revisiting the concept and the condition of Strategic Planning by elevating its importance as a professional undertaking and its impact on the profession and the corporation or organization.

Uniformity is a Key to Sound Masking Systems
by Jodi Jacobs - In business we need to be able to communicate, and this communication creates noise and noisy offices can be distracting and unproductive.  As our office environments must often support both heads down work and interaction simultaneously we must incorporate acoustical and design solutions to make this possible.

Practical Advice for Consolidating Assets in M & A Growth Strategies .
by Ray Summerell - One of the first realities facing companies involved in a merger and acquisition (M&A) growth strategy is that they suddenly have two of everything. Two IT infrastructures, two headquarters campuses, two sets of regional offices—combined with possible redundancy in manpower, this duplication can create an unnecessary drain on finances.

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