What does “ESFM” represent?

Elevating Solutions in Facilities Management.  

What drives ESFM? 

Hospitality is at the foundation of our solutions approach. We are a people-first company, striving always to be a results-driven partner to our clients as well as an employer of choice.   

Our client partnerships empower us to create better workplaces where their employees feel safe, comfortable and can thrive. We’ve had a long track record of working with our clients to create solutions that are good for people and planet, supporting our collective goal of building a better future for all. 

Our success can be attributed to our company culture where associates are valued and given the tools and opportunities to grow within the organization. This includes programs like our Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL), a frontline development opportunity preparing hourly associates for salaried roles, our voluntary English as a Second Language course and our apprenticeships for aspiring tradespeople.  

ESFM is proud to be part of an international firm, Compass Group, consistently recognized for these efforts, heralded among America’s Greatest Workplaces by Newsweek and Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity.  

How does ESFM distinguish itself in the industry?

Self-performance, rooted in hospitality.  

ESFM self-performs 80% of all IFM services we provide to our clients, delivering 20% average savings when compared to a self-op model. 

Our award-winning portfolio of solutions — including engineering, sustainability and energy solutions, CIMS-CB certified janitorial and industrial cleaning, lab support services, workplace solutions and landscaping — are curated for each client location. Serving many Fortune 500 companies as our clients, ESFM operates within several industries, including life sciences, oil & gas, technology, and food and auto manufacturing.  

Because ESFM self-performs most services, it means the people working at client sites are ESFM associates, not subcontractors, which creates a greater level of consistency, quality and oversight of service delivery and execution. In turn, this all leads to operational efficiencies, cost reductions and an elevated workplace experience, reflected in our industry-leading 99% client retention rate. Associates operate under a unified hospitality approach, which is engrained in the ESFM and Compass Group culture.   

Leveraging the power of Compass Group, ESFM invests in client-specific service innovations, formulating a partnership strategy based on their goals and making significant financial investments to support them, a point of distinction in the industry.  

The previous response mentioned “award-winning” solutions: what are some of examples of ESFM’s accolades?

ESFM is the proud recipient of IFMA’s 2023 Sheila Sheridan Award for Sustainable Facility Operations and Management, recognizing the result of energy management solutions that delivered 11% reduction in carbon emissions and nearly $500,000 in annual cost savings to a medical device and equipment manufacturing client. These results surpassed site-level goals and significantly contributed to the international company’s success in meeting its 2024 target to reduce carbon emissions by 20% a year early. ESFM also won Gold for these projects in the Achievement in Sustainability category of the 2024 Globee Awards for American Business. 

Among other recent accolades, ESFM has also been honored with the Distinguished Safety Performance Award from the Puerto Rico Manufacturer’s Association and a Bronze Stevie Award for Achievement in Thought Leadership. In 2020, ESFM received the George Graves Award for Facility Management Achievement from IFMA.  

How does ESFM contribute to the wider FM industry?

It is a point of pride that ESFM has so many subject matter experts who invest in the FM industry as the challenges facilities management professionals face continue to evolve. ESFM thought leaders support the industry through a variety of topics: industry trends and innovations, sustainability and energy management, safety and security, technology, professional development and more.  

Our thought leaders routinely contribute their expertise in a variety of formats, including several of IFMA’s platforms, such as World Workplace, Facility Fusion, IFMA’s FMJ, the Knowledge Library and Connected FM. In fact, ESFM will be participating in two panels during IFMA’s World Workplace 2024. 

In addition to internal programs that develop hourly associates for technical and/or managerial roles, ESFM also sponsors two IFMA Foundation scholarships annually. ESFM President David Hogland serves on the foundation’s Board of Trustees, helping promote FM as a career or choice. 

How is ESFM addressing industry trends?

From technology to service innovation, ESFM understands the importance of remaining agile. ESFM’s self-performance features scalable services that can adapt as our clients’ business needs change. A culture of innovation is inspired from the top and includes a regular Innovations Collaborative workshop hosted by our Senior Vice President, where operators from across the company present the return on investment (ROI) of new solutions deployed in their business.  

ESFM partners with our clients as they address optimizing space utilization. Aging buildings need to run more efficiently and at a reduced cost as inflation continues to impact operational budgets. ESFM outfits facilities with solutions that lead to healthy and sustainable environments.  

To combat these challenges, ESFM has introduced several proprietary solutions that capture and translate data to maximize labor and asset performance and help clients make informed decisions on capital investments that reduce energy usage and improve building reliability.   

ESFM’s energy management solutions leverage a gateway to continuously monitor and collect equipment and building systems data. This data is then analyzed and translated into energy conservation measures, prioritized by ROI in energy and carbon emissions savings. 

As digital transformation revolutionizes the industry, ESFM works to break down operational silos to fully reap the benefits of advancement. ESFM’s proprietary technology solution, ESFMx, consolidates tools, aligns reporting and centralizes data within a single platform, replacing several standalone applications previously used across the IFM portfolio.   

Functions supported by ESFMx include space and asset management, work order tracking, financial reporting, service request management, integrated inspections and audits, data-driven cleaning, and occupant sentiment capturing. Leveraging AI and machine learning, ESFMx can process countless variables to impact higher favorability results.   

Keep up with the latest from ESFM on LinkedIn @ESFM_USA.