In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d write about some of the aspects of the facility assessment field that I love…

I love that every building is different and we get to learn something new at nearly every property we visit.

I love working with less experienced, bright eyed and bushy tailed staff that ask questions and don’t pretend to know everything.

I love spontaneously encountering an unusual building deficiency that I’ve already seen at a previous property and then can just copy and paste from a previous report.

I love the unfolding process of arriving at the site knowing virtually nothing about the building systems and then leaving the site a few hours later and knowing virtually everything about how the building works. 

I love magnificently profitable portfolios with their huge economies of scale in which the client is amazed at our velocity and many field staff members get to make a lot of money in a short amount of time.

I love creatively finding more efficient ways to complete the site visit and report preparation process.

I love conducting a rush site visit in another state and completing the report by the time my flight arrives back home.

I love working with friends who are professionals that keep their promises, turn in reports before deadline and don’t complain.

I love returning home to my remarkable and loving wife, son and dogs after a trip.

I love beautifully written reports succinctly discussing comprehensive systems and complex deficiencies.

I love doing a stellar job for appreciative clients. 

I love simplicity and effectiveness of global copy and replace commands.

I love that my wife humors me and doesn’t burst out laughing when I discuss my fascination with roofing or some other technical system that bores her to tears.

I love that I’m able to efficiently receive and send emails while traveling.

I love small town building departments where one helpful local can tell you everything you need to know about building, fire and zoning issues for your property.

I love sailing through airport security in less than five minutes.

I love sleeping in my own comfortable bed after having been away on a business trip.

I love depositing checks from our clients into our business checking account.

I love that PCAs deal in grey areas, not black and whites, and that they are as much an art as a science. 

Sometimes it is easy to get worked up about the unrealistic deadlines, low-balling competitors or outlandish client requests, but today I have nothing but love for the facility assessment.