Meet the Atlanta Facility Manager: Dan Walther of Elavon
While commercial carpet cleaning is our expertise, we really are all about our people. The facility managers we work with are some of the best in the Southeast and we think they deserve to be celebrated!
It’s no small task to fulfill the facility manager role. Facility managers work hard each and every day to ensure the job gets done.
We’re excited to continue our Meet the Manager series with Dan Walther. We’re shining the spotlight on our Atlanta region where Dan is the Director of Facilities for merchant services company, Elavon.
Keep reading to hear more about Dan and what he thinks about being a facility manager.
Meet Atlanta Facility Manager Dan Walther of Elavon
What is your role as Director of Facilities?
I manage the built environment in order to maintain the safety of work staff, to protect our assets, and to deliver on various internal operations. These operations could include internal moves, concierge, printer management, the mailroom, physical security and more.
How did you get involved with facility management?
After nine years with Xerox, I ran and then managed the print shop and soon after that they asked me to manage the mailroom. This internal operation path pointed to the facilities arena, which was as much my career anchor then as it is now.
How big is your facility?
I manage two sites. One is 112,956 square feet and the other 14,417 square feet.
What is your best piece of advice to others in your role?
Leverage the knowledge resources around you – your manager, your team members, your peers, service partners and customers.
What is the biggest challenge you face in your current role?
For my team to support the needs of our internal customer base each day.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
Although I really enjoyed troubleshooting printers in my earlier role, working with people in Facilities has certainly blown open the opportunities of relationships and success. It is very gratifying to strengthen a relationship while accomplishing work.
What’s unique about your role with Elavon that may be different from another facility manager’s role?
That could depend on which two facility managers are in the room when you ask that question. But through my experiences here, there is a Facility Manager role and an Office Manager role – and many times I am both.
What does a typical day look like for you?
There are ten plus items on my to-do list at 8 AM and at 5 PM is when I can start on the list.
How does having a clean building help your business?
Cleanliness is next to Godliness.
How does preventative maintenance create value for you, or your business?
It is extremely important. Just put some numbers to the cost of carpet. For example, if you purchase new carpet for $100,000 and it has a 15 year warranty, treat it as an asset and maintain that asset to realize its full life. A maintenance program will keep it looking cleaner, provide a nicer environment for your work staff, and help your company realize savings by realizing its full life, if not longer. It’s truly a win across the board.
How has DPM Care’s service impacted your business?
We’ve been in our new space for four years now. DPM reached out a few weeks ago to conduct an audit of our carpet. I asked for them to cover the ‘pause points’ and ‘pivot points’ in our high traffic areas and they obliged. DPM assessed all areas and offered sound advice to swap out some carpet tiles in early worn stages with less than worn tiles near by. This effort should keep the area looking uniform and maintain our limited inventory of excess carpet tiles. DPM also offered advice on cleaning and conditioning a rubber like material we have in our smaller break rooms. The team has a depth of knowledge in their industry. They’re a service partner who is proactive in their effort to help me keep the space clean and problem solve as we move forward to realize a long life for our carpet.