Kansas State University

As another great school year gets underway, several students, staff, and faculty will find themselves needing the services provided by our team…..Division of Facilities.

Whether you are picking up a key to a campus facility, need a light bulb changed, or simply need that bat occupying your breakroom to be “relocated”, we are here to serve you! The following individuals are the voices that answer your calls for assistance and help to keep K-State up and running. Here are the ‘Faces of Facilities’ and what they enjoy most about their jobs.

Our Customer Service department is your first point of contact when a request for repair or maintenance is made. Joy Knutson and Janae Jones are your Facilities Services Coordinators. They field your phone calls as well as communicate your need to the appropriate supervisor so you receive the best (and fastest) service possible.

If you need to schedule a campus space for your event, you will work with our Room Scheduling Specialist, Chazs Jackson. In addition to processing your space request, Chazs will also assist in providing you with information and resources to ensure your event is safe and as successful as possible.

If you have ever requested (and picked up) a key to your office or classroom, you have had the pleasure of working with our Facility Key Administrator, Ruth Rowlands! She will process your request and work to ensure the right keys are issued to the right places.

And for those who have ever been locked out of your office, you may recognize Taylor Pearson (left) and Marc Crosby (right). These gentlemen are your Lock Specialists. They make the keys and install the lock systems to ensure proper access to space on campus.

Devin Argo was hired as a Custodial Specialist for Vet Med. He is working for Thomas O’Briant.

Nicky Burton was hired as a Custodial Specialist. She is working for Quentin Rawlins.

Hanna Greenslate was hired as a Custodial Specialist. She is working for Quentin Rawlins.

Debbie Erickson was hired as a Custodial Specialist. She is working for Patrick Lancaster.

Eduard Cespedes was hired as a Landscape Technician. He is working for Joe Myers.

Scott Williams was hired as a Recycling Technician. He is working for Bill Spiegel.

Michael Mongold was hired as an HVAC Technician for Zone 2. He is working for Mike Paph.

David Laster was hired as a Custodial Supervisor. He is working for Patrick Lancaster.

Regina Allen was hired as a Custodial Specialist. She is working for Rod Hodges.

Jeanette Rivera was hired as a Custodial Specialist. She is working for Patrick Lancaster.

Javier Lopez-Rivera was hired as a Custodial Specialist. He is working for Quentin Rawlins.

Billy Dieball was hired as an Electrician for Zone 4. He is working for Galen Hageman.

The 1^st Annual Facilities Car Show was a small, yet fun addition to the employee appreciation Festivities during the Facilities Family Picnic. Three cars and two motorcycles were entered, but rain on the morning of the show prevented the motorcycles from being displayed. A steady crowd passed through the show area.

Everyone enjoyed chatting about the cars, auto parts, past cars, and other tall tales. I want to thank everyone who helped me coordinate this event. Thanks to Lori Hayden, who was invaluable in developing the flyer and entry form, and emailing them out to the Division. Thanks to Jeff Barnes, director of Parking Services, and his staff for reserving a spacious area for the show. And thanks to Ryan Swanson and Ed Heptig for allowing me to try a new event.

I proposed the car show to our administration because I enjoy seeing someone’s unique vehicle in the parking lot and never have the time to talk to the owner about it. We have very diverse automotive interests across Facilities and I wanted to showcase that.

Please contact me next summer about entering your ‘ride’ into the 2nd annual Facilities Car Show!

– Mike Paph, Zone 2 Supervisor

KUDOS!…to our GROUNDS & LANDSCAPING division for the beautiful Purple Oxalis Plants in front of Dykstra Hall. Students and Staff often stop to take pics of our Purple Pride and ask what they are.

KUDOS!…to KERRY McDONALD for organizing such a fantastic Family Day Picnic for all Facilities Employees! Volunteers from Our Building Maintenance department set up the gigantic tent in front of Dykstra Hall so we could enjoy a picnic lunch, games, a car show, and even a bouncy house for the kiddos! Overall, it was a HUGE success! Kerry would also like to thank everyone who helped set up and clean up with special thanks going to Cody Smith and Shelly Hauck.

Janet Schooler has been a K-State employee for more than 29 years! During that time, she has worked in Facilities Payroll, which became a part of the Administrative Services Center in 2017.

We will miss you, Janet!

…about The Big Ten & Friends Utility Conference?

Colleagues from our Power Plant & Utilities division attended the Big Ten & Friends 2018 Utility Conference hosted by the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. As sustainability becomes increasingly important, this annual conference allows Big 10 Schools and their peers to learn the latest about campus utility production, distribution, metering, and efficiency. It also provides a platform where peers from different universities can share successes and failures and help one another improve their operations. Due to the close location of this year’s event, K-State was able to send five members of our Facilities team to gain information and resources for improving efficiency and sustainability within our Utility Operations.

K-State Facilities employees attending the Big 10 Utilities Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska, take a moment to take a picture in UNL’s stadium.

Pictured from left to right: Gary Weishaar (Energy Engineer), Tim Brunner (Power Plant Manager), Chris Falley (Power Plant Supervisor), and Roger Hageman (Power Plant Supervisor).  Troy Bronaugh (Zone 5 Supervisor) also attended the conference.