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The Growth Project: Generating Resilience, Opportunity, and Wisdom Through Her

Return to the Workplace? I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal titled “The Post-Pandemic Office Should Be a Clubhouse”. The piece breaks down ‘return to work’ and highlights that as a society, we tend to associate ‘work’ with a ‘workplace’. Throughout the pandemic, it has become abundantly clear that people can and do sometimes thrive in work settings outside of the traditional office. For many companies, the office was previously a place to get head-down work done. Now? We’re seeing a shift where office spaces tend to serve as gathering spaces with socialization, interaction and group brainstorming. So, how does this shift impact what you need to do for facility services planning? I’ve highlighted a few areas you want to be sure to address below! Make a Facility Services Forecast If you aren’t doing so already, now is a great time to add in facility services to your annual planning! If your office space is shifting in 2022, or if a transition has already occurred, how does facility services need to shift to support that? For example, maybe individual cubicles no longer need trash emptied and desks sanitized daily, but your conference room that used to get weekly clean-ups now needs a heavy-duty scrub following team meetings twice per week! Thinking ahead for how the company’s needs may evolve allows your facility services plans to adapt along the way! Ask…Don’t Assume! If you offer a flexible work environment, that’s great! We do at Cummins Facility Services (CFS), too. With the start of a new year, it is helpful to use this time to gather feedback on what to expect in the months ahead. This could be accomplished by an email for small teams, or a quick employee survey for larger groups to gauge what is ahead. Determine your team’s plans for in-office vs. remote work for the next three to four months, and repeat that process again later in the year! As we know, pandemic-related challenges can shift people’s comfort levels, so constant communication is key! Your facility services needs in January may be completely different by June. Meet with Your Facility Services Professional(s) You might have regular touch-base meetings with your marketing team, human resources director, and accounting manager, but do you regularly meet with your facility services professional? If not, now is the time to make that change! Oftentimes, our facility services teams are working when others are gone for the day, so they don’t necessarily see the interactions in certain spaces that would warrant a deeper clean. If your building doesn’t have the latest smart technologies (don’t worry, most don’t!), there is no way for them to know how many people are coming in daily, weekly, and monthly and where they should anticipate supply needs. Invest the time in routine touch bases and facility walk-throughs to communicate changes to facility services team members. Like virtually every other facet of our lives, the pandemic has dramatically shifted the workplace. With a little legwork throughout the year, you can save time and resources by auditing where your company needs facility services support. Being mindful of changes will also ensure that your office space continues to be the cleanest and most effective for your company. I’m excited to see what the year ahead brings to the workplace! Jill Frey, President & CEOCummins Facility Services, LLC

Leaders Drive Purpose What a year it has been! December is here with all of its magnificent holiday bustle. While this season is fun for so many reasons, I LOVE the emphasis on purpose and intention. For me, this time of year is the perfect opportunity to reset, align and visualize my true north. Tapping into my love for running, I like to think of it not as the ending of the race, but the long-awaited checkpoint to breathe and refocus. Here are some of my tips of encouragement to help you do just that! Intend to be Intentional As leaders and as individuals, we need to ask ourselves: What are we are knocking out of the park? What can we trim back on so we can focus on where we thrive? For example, I’ve noticed a trend towards menu condensing in the restaurant industry. This is a fantastic way of saying to customers, “We want to serve you our specialty.” How can we take this momentum to every industry? What is YOUR specialty? There are so many incredible people I know who are making monumental strides in leadership with these themes in mind. Several of those rockstars were recently recognized during the 2021 CEO of the Year Awards. If you haven’t already, invest the time to listen to their visions and how they’re staying on path. I promise, it’s some incredible inspiration for the year ahead! Ready, Set, Re-Align! Along with helping our employees develop, leaders are also responsible for making sure our organization is making strides in its own marathon. Our employees are the individual runners, and the organization is the entire race. Everyone is moving forward, but we’re all running together with the same goal on the horizon. Leaders are the ones who define that vision, establish where the mile markers will be, and are there to cheer everyone along the entire way. As you dedicate time toward 2022 goal setting, it’s incredibly important to remember that your mental health, wellbeing, and family life are, and will continue to be, the top priority. Now more than ever, our society has reached a consensus that it is no longer work or family, rest or success. It is harmony between both. You cannot run the race if you are struggling physically, mentally, or spiritually. It’s a sign of true strength to ask your circle for support when you need to take a breather. Feel empowered to speak up. Just last week, I was feeling under the weather. There were a ton of items on my to-do list, but I knew that it was my responsibility to myself and to my team to pause, rest and recover. I serve as an example to my team on how our organization responds to uncontrollable circumstances in our personal lives. Pre-COVID, I think our entire society viewed ‘working when sick’ so much differently. What an incredible cultural shift that we cannot lose sight of in the future!  Leaders Set the Pace My hope for the new year is that we can all get back on track with a lighter load, feeling a collective foundation of support and an emphasis on wellbeing now more than ever before. I encourage you not to view this season as an end, but a checkpoint to reassess and realign. I also challenge leaders to share your sentiments with your team. Let them know how you are approaching goal setting and be a resource to help them stay on track and keep moving ahead. As the old saying goes, ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint’. How can you reach the next mile marker in the year ahead? Happy Holidays! Jill Frey, President CEO Cummins Facility Services, LLC

Thanksgiving Traditions As I reflect on this year and prepare for Thanksgiving, I am so excited to take part in my favorite holiday traditions! My family always enjoys pizza the night before Thanksgiving. We wake up the next morning at 5am to put the turkey in the oven, and juggle to get all of the food cooked and ready to come out of the oven right at noon. There’s nothing like watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with my 5th cup of coffee for the day, all the delicious smells of the food filling the air, and most of all, being surrounded by the love and laughter of my family. When I reflect back on last year’s holiday season and think about all of the families that couldn’t be together, or who were separated and alone for the holidays, it makes me feel so grateful that we are moving through this pandemic and people are able to enjoy time together again. Before last year, I think a lot of people took the ability to spend time with their families and loved ones for granted. We now know, even though it can be chaotic and stressful, how much we truly cherish these times and memories together. This year’s holiday season is going to be special. With less worry about protecting our loved ones, we will be able to fully appreciate our time together. We can go back to “OMG! Mom is driving me crazy!”. Creativity can Bring Everyone Together As we have persevered through the highs and lows of this year, it seems especially important to share the things that we are grateful for. One of the activities that I am thankful for this year is the ability to be around my colleagues again, networking and meeting face-to-face. This past week I had the opportunity to attend two business conventions, and it was so wonderful to see all of my friends in person again – it truly felt like it had been forever! Both conventions were very diligent in their efforts to keep everyone safe. With COVID vaccine checks, testing, and hand sanitizer readily available, it made me feel very safe and aware during my time at the convention. A creative way they addressed COVID safety concerns was by indicating comfort levels on the attendees’ name tags. This allowed attendees to network while being able to easily see and respect each other’s boundaries. I, of course, had the green sticker on my name tag, indicating that I am open for hugs and handshaking again! My choice to get the vaccine has really allowed me to feel safe attending large events like this again. There are so many things this year to be thankful for, but most importantly, it seems the world is starting to come back to normal and we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. As terrible and difficult as this pandemic has been, we will come out better, faster, and stronger. I encourage you to take a minute and reflect on this past year. Give yourself some credit for pushing through and adapting to the challenges, and really enjoy this season with your families. Take care and be safe my friends. Sending you a big, big hug with my big green sticker!   Jill Frey, President CEO Cummins Facility Services, LLC

Halloween is right around the corner! While I know that many of us are excited to be spending Halloween out of quarantine this year, I would be remiss if I didn’t use this as an opportunity to remind everyone that we must continue taking precautions to help keep ourselves and those around us safe. Here are some fun tips and tricks to avoid spooky germs this Halloween. Make candy easy to grab for kids This Halloween, avoid throwing candy into a bowl for kids to grab themselves during trick-or-treat. Try creating something that will be easy for kids to grab without allowing them to touch or sift through candy. Encourage trick-or-treaters to touch one piece of candy by creating a sucker tree! Sucker trees are simple to create and prevent you from creating a multitouch surface. All you need is a Styrofoam circle, a pot (both can be found at the Dollar Tree), and of course – suckers! Kids will stay safe from germs and will love getting to pick their sucker flavor from the tree. Another easy candy solution to avoid germs this Halloween is to create individual candy bags for trick-or-treaters. Create goodie bags with several pieces of Halloween candy to pass out to children instead of allowing them to pick from a big bowl. Another fun solution to avoiding germs! Incorporate masks into your Halloween costumes Masks are the perfect addition to any Halloween costume! Encourage your child(ren) and family members to incorporate a fun mask into their costumes this year. Whether you’re a superhero or a princess, there’s sure to be a mask to fit your costume. Masks not only prevent the spread of germs; they will also keep your face warm during trick-or-treat! Photo from USA Today, Sartoria TataDrama / Hannah Anderson Be mindful of multi-touch surfaces Now more than ever, we are aware of germs on multi-touch or high-touch areas. As we approach holiday season, it’s important to recognize the multi-touch surfaces at our celebrations. For example, if you are serving food during your Halloween party, try to avoid multi-touch surfaces by having a designated person serving everyone that comes through the potluck line. It’s always a good idea to have hand sanitizer set up before and after potluck lines during the holidays. During trick or treat, carry hand sanitizer for your child to use throughout the night. Bonus points if it’s Halloween-themed! Stay outside for Halloween gatherings If the weather allows, take your Halloween gathering outside this year! As the weather starts to cool down, it’s a great opportunity to have a bonfire and outdoor games such as spooky cornhole or minute-to-win-it activities. Staying outdoors helps keep the spread of germs to a minimum and allows for better social distancing! I know that we are all excited to be celebrating the holidays this year – Halloween included! To be able to continue celebrating, it’s important that we do our part in helping stop the spread of germs. What are some ways that you plan to celebrate Halloween safely this year? Jill Frey, President & CEO Cummins Facility Services, LLC

As CEO of Cummins Facility Services and a voice for female business owners, I was travelling all over the world before the pandemic hit. It felt like I was always going – visiting client facilities, attending conferences, speaking at events, and meeting with fellow entrepreneurs – perpetually busy, with no end in sight! Then, with the snap of a finger, that consistent movement stopped. The noise was turned down, replaced with fear and so many unknowns. My team was looking to me for leadership, and I was just as uncertain as they were. Not only did I have to learn how to adapt to this monumental life change and prepare our business to respond to this now critical increase in demand for our services, but I had to remain poised and positive for my team. Fast forward a year and a half, and the pandemic continues to create disruptions in everyday life and in business operations – creating both challenges and opportunities. 2020 was a record year for the industry, with demand for our services soaring and the need to respond and support our customers in a safe way consuming all of our focus. 2021 is proving to be equally difficult…with labor challenges, occupancy rates decreasing and technology transforming the way we will do business forever. How do you continue to adapt your leadership style to address these shifts, while also really leaning into and recognizing the needs of your employees who have brought you through this once-in-a-lifetime challenge?  While my focus has always been on taking care of my employees, the pandemic has caused me to slow down a bit and shift to a more empathetic leadership style that is more focused on the human element and the unique needs of today, versus what comes next. Always treat others with dignity and kindness Now more than ever, we are intentional about creating a welcoming and supportive environment for our employees where they know that they will be treated with kindness and respect, no matter the struggles they face. The fact is, people don’t have the capacity to deal with as much external stress as they did pre-pandemic. There are simply too many things pulling on them on any given day. One way that we are supporting employees through this challenging time is by allowing flexibility in their work from home schedule. We are no longer requiring that all home office employees work from the office every day. For some, this allows them the space and time that they need to make sure their own mental health is stable and address the needs of their families. Meeting people where they are, and offering support and creative solutions to address unique challenges is what is necessary at this time and I’m grateful to be in a position to support my employees in this way. Never waste a crisis COVID-19 has created plenty of crises for us, but I truly believe that every crisis provides MANY opportunities for learning and improvement. While the pandemic has been full of challenges, I believe we will emerge stronger and smarter, with better strategies and tools for operating our business, and more importantly, a renewed focus on taking care of each other! Find your inspiration One of the few things that hasn’t changed since I began leading this company – and if possible, has grown even stronger as a result of the pandemic – is my why. I’m truly inspired by the incredible people that I have the opportunity to work with every single day – first and foremost, my employees, as well as my customers, my peers, and fellow female business owners. I pray that my work always makes others feel uplifted, reminding them of how awesome they truly are! While every day presents a new challenge, I’m thankful for those who take the time to check in and show up. We are in this together! Jill Frey, President & CEO Cummins Facility Services, LLC

One of my favorite traditions at Cummins Facility Services is our annual all-employee safety meeting. This meeting has grown and changed along with us over the years, but continues to be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate all of our CFS employees while also emphasizing the importance of the work we do and how to do it safely. My dad, founder of CFS, Ron Cummins, started this yearly gathering as a safety meeting to educate our staff on safe workplace practices as well as new equipment. It’s been my honor to carry on this tradition every year while adding my own flare! While we still emphasize safety in everything that we do here at CFS, we also use this time to educate our staff members on topics that are imperative to the foundation of our business. It gives us the time to celebrate victories as well as generate momentum and capacity for our team as we continue to adapt and grow as experts within our field! Another way that we continue to uphold our title as the best in facility management is through various certificates and trainings. Recently at Cummins, we achieved the ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and CIMS-Green Building (GB) with honors for the fifth time! ISSA is the worldwide cleaning association, and their CIMS and CIMS-GB certification indicates that our organization goes above and beyond to not only provide the best service for our customers, but for our staff as well. I am proud to be part of a company and team that always strives to do their best in everything they do. As we reflect on this month and what we were able to achieve, I am always in awe of our ability to push the limits in facility management. None of it would be possible without our incredible customers and our rockstar employees! I am always thankful for the hard work that each and every one of our employees puts into what they do. They are what make us the experts in our field. THANK YOU to our CFS family! Jill Frey, President & CEO Cummins Facility Services, LLC

What does it mean to be champion? The Oxford dictionary defines the word “champion” as “a person who has defeated or surpassed all rivals in a competition.” At Cummins, we are proud to encourage our employees to be champions within the workplace and in their personal lives. Each year, I look forward to invigorating my inspiration to be a champion, and encourage my employees to be champions at the Catch the Wave Conference (CTWC), hosted by the Women’s Business Enterprise Council. It’s that time of year again, and I am so excited to be participating in this one-of-a-kind conference where I get to encourage female business owners to be the champions that I know they are! While the conference is virtual this year, Cummins is going to be hosting a socially distanced, in-person watch party so all attendees can absorb and embrace the phenomenal messages that come from this event. Following are some of the topics we are most excited about. Celebrating women and diversity within the workplace Ladies, this is our time to show who we are, to celebrate our differences, and to roar! This conference is about bringing out the best version of ourselves as unique individuals. We all bring something different to the table, through our different backgrounds, industries and passions, with our collective strength truly coming from our individual talents! Now, more than ever, I love that there are so many opportunities to embrace and celebrate diversity within the workplace. In my eyes, a champion is someone who goes after what they want, and at the same time, encouraging, uplifting and supporting those around them. Networking and Relationship Building One of my favorite parts about the Catch the Wave conference is the opportunity for networking and relationship building with amazing female business owners and corporate partners. During the pandemic, networking and relationship building opportunities have been few and far between, so it’s so exciting to have this opportunity to pounce and really pursue interactions with so many inspiring leaders! Personally, this conference gives me time and resources to think about how I can strengthen relationships within my business. One of the unique things about the CTWC is that it lets more experienced business owners pour into new and upcoming entrepreneurs. Everyone I have met over the years is so willing and open to sharing their tips and tricks of the trade, and they want to see new business owners succeed. Catch the Wave is the perfect setting to reinvest in not only your business, but also yourself. Not only does CTW open networking opportunities in the moment, but it also opens the door for future possibilities as well. Maybe you’re a new business owner and you are working to see the impact of business relationships pay off. How can you take this time to invest (or reinvest!) in your business and yourself to help your business succeed? Attend the Catch the Wave conference – you won’t regret it! Learn more about the event at www.wbenc.org/calendar/2021-catch-the-wave-virtual-conference-embrace-a-new-global-economy/. Jill Frey, President & CEO Cummins Facility Services, LLC

With a new school year just around the corner, children, parents, and teachers alike are wondering what this new normal will look like for them. The COVID-19 variants are adding to the confusion and uncertainty leaving many of us wondering, “What does this look like for children going back to school?” Here are some great reminders that I recommend sharing with your children before they leave for the classroom and when they come home from the school day!   Wear Your Mask Talk with your children about the importance of wearing a mask, even when it’s hard to do so! As adults, it can be difficult to remember to wear our masks (even more than a year into the pandemic). It’s important to model good behavior for our children so that they can set good examples, especially in the classroom! Make sure to talk with your kids about wearing a mask properly while in school so that they can protect themselves and their fellow classmates. Disinfecting – Make It Fun! At Cummins, we believe that disinfecting has been, and continues to be, a vital component of managing the pandemic. For children, this added effort needs to be fun! Try finding hand sanitizer and wipes that have fun patterns, scents, and packaging. Personally, I would be much more excited to use hand sanitizer if it smelled like a day on the beach, can you relate? Make sure that you are also helping your child disinfect their lunch boxes and supplies when they come home from school. This will prevent any germs from making it further into your home. Do Check-ins Often I don’t know about you, but I would be thrilled to see my friends after as much as a year apart! Your child is excited to be back in the classroom where they can play and chat with their classmates. Odds are, they aren’t thinking about disinfecting or the new COVID-19 variants as much as they are about catching up with friends. With this in mind, here is a quick list to go over with your child before their first day of classes: Encourage children to not share things such as pencils, lunch, or other school supplies. Instead, maybe pack a pencil box specifically for giving away. This way, your child can still “share” without risking their health. Send your child to school with a scented, themed or sparkly hand sanitizer. This makes disinfecting their hands more fun – and will encourage them to give some to their friends, too! Remind them of the importance of continuing good hygiene. While schools are working hard to make the environment as safe as possible, it’s vital that we do our part and continue to practice good hygiene. Create a safe space for them where they don’t feel scared to share their feelings. If they’re feeling unsure about how to handle a situation, or they catch a clip on the news that makes them feel scared, let them know you are available to help problem solve together. If you’re among the many parents sending children back to school this year, I wish you and your family a successful, safe year. It is certainly a challenging time for parents and children alike, but by maintaining open communication, empowering our young people with tips to stay safe, and supporting them in their various comfort levels, we can all help our kids have a happy, healthy school year ahead.  

Let’s talk about expectations! I challenge you to think back to pre-pandemic, what may seem like decades ago. Chances are, you went about your trips to the doctor’s office, grocery store, restaurants and beyond without putting much extra thought into the facility’s cleaning teams and schedule. As a society, we have ALWAYS valued facilities that are well-kept, sanitary and enjoyable. But, we likely didn’t dedicate much thought to WHO was doing the cleaning, HOW they were doing it, and WHEN it was taking place. The faces of facility services were often like incognito superheroes, making the magic happen in the hours when customers or employees were away from the business. Flash forward to present day, and our mindset and cultural norms surrounding facility services have undergone a tremendous shift. Not So Secret Superheroes Now, we expect to SEE the superheroes of facility services swoop in and save the day, sometimes around the clock! From a mental health perspective, there are still many individuals and families facing varying levels of anxiety about public settings. The friendly faces cleaning high-touch surfaces, restrooms, floors and more bring about a reassuring experience and peace of mind for customers and employees under their watch. The concept of ‘daytime cleaning’, or intentionally conducting key facility services during times when people will see them take place, is a cultural norm that I anticipate is here to stay for the foreseeable future. As business leaders, it’s incredibly important to take notice of this change from both an employee standpoint and a public standpoint. At Cummins Facility Services (CFS), our employees were on the frontlines throughout the entire pandemic. We’ve experienced firsthand this cultural shift and we’ve been working hard to empower our amazing champions out there saving the day, every day! These phenomenal folks I’m so proud to call part of our team have risen to every challenge along the way. With the transition in their jobs from being behind-the-scenes to center stage, I have outlined some tips for how other business owners can be mindful of these adjustments and help their facility services teams, other employees, and customers successfully navigate this new way of cleaning. Being a Strong Sidekick First, business owners must help their facility services employees, or those who may be part of an extended team, through the adjustments. These folks are likely going from a very ‘behind the scenes’ role, to one that is constantly under watch by fellow employees and the public. Even the most outgoing of facility services professionals will likely feel added pressure from this tremendous change. If your facility services staff are going through this adjustment, be sure to invest the time in training your team, making them feel empowered to do their work, and reminding them of their value to the company. It’s no secret that I love employee appreciation measures! Now is the time to kick those up a notch to make these superheroes know how incredibly impactful and appreciated they are. Employer and Employee Responsibility For your employees who may not be directly involved with facility services, there are additional company culture and responsibility initiatives to discuss. It’s important to note that employees who can SEE their employer values a clean workplace creates a tremendous morale booster. ‘My employer cares about my health and safety, and I can see it in action.’ Your additional efforts make your employees feel more mentally healthy at work, which no doubt trickles into every element of your company’s success. It’s likely that all employees have had some level of involvement and role in keeping your facility clean during the pandemic. So, now is an important time to redefine, or reiterate expectations. Facility service team members need to feel supported by all, as they will be weaving into virtually every employee department in some capacity. Making sure everyone knows one another and that expectations are clearly defined will ensure a successful adjustment period. Perhaps this is a great time for some fun team-building activities! From the Customer Point of View And last, but not least, consider your customers. High visibility cleaning and continued communication are the keys to success. Ask yourself how you can communicate to your customers the changes that are here to stay. Reassure them with information about the cleaning practices in place, the schedule in which they occur, and the measures you encourage customers to take to help ensure positive, safe experience for everyone. Do guests need to take personal responsibility in wiping down their shopping carts, food menus, or airplane seatbelts and trays, or is your team taking care of that? The more communication and transparency, the better! Embracing Visibility As we look at this cultural shift to public expectation of frequent, visible, evidence-based cleaning, let’s cheer on the incredible people who have for so long worked behind the scenes and are now taking on new roles as the resilient, reliable cleaning heroes who keep everyone safe. As businesses, let’s support these team members with clear, regular communications and consistent documentation. And, as consumers, let’s take personal responsibility for helping these folks keep their facilities safe and doing our part to reduce the spread of germs. What an incredibly inspiring, exciting time for our industry and our world! Jill Frey, President & CEO Cummins Facility Services, LLC