#3 – FM For Athletics With Luke Mashburn

3-fm-for-athletics-with-luke-mashburn

Intro:

Welcome to another episode of the Modern Facilities Management Podcast brought to you by Stratum. I'm your host, Griffin Hamilton. This is the show where I interview industry experts who share their stories, strategies and insights into modern day facilities management. From hospitality to commercial real estate and everything in between, we'll learn what it really takes to succeed as a facilities manager.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Good morning, this is Griffin and I've got today Luke with Atlanta United. Luke, how you doing this morning?

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

I'm doing well, Griffin. How are you doing?

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

I can't complain. How's your week coming along?

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

Oh, everything's going good. You're I mean, it's always interesting when you have a team that trains outside on these cold days but outside of that, things are going well.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

There you go. Well, jumping right into it. Give me a little bit about yourself, your background, who you are professionally and personally.

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

Yeah, all of my experiences come really related to event and facility management in the field of sports. I went to the University of South Carolina and I studied sport entertainment management there, did a couple of internships as a part of my degree and then almost immediately started working at Kennesaw State University doing their offense facilities athletic department, had similar roles at two other smaller Division One schools, Sam Houston State and Texas and then Northwestern State in Louisiana. Also worked at the University of Kentucky that was a little more an event management role but got to work a little with their facilities there. Opened $126 million renovation of Commonwealth Stadium. I know people don't think of Kentucky football school but they made good football investments there and then on the basketball side which of course Kentucky is famous for. I got to run a couple of events in Rupp Arena which was obviously a fantastic experience. 

I then came to Atlanta united. I've been with the club for all four seasons since our training facility open. I've managed the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta training room. It's a $60,000,000 33-acre facility. Obviously, we're very team centric here. We have a locker room, a gym, a cafeteria, all the things that you would expect that world class athletes will need. We have six fields that are facility, three are natural grass, three are artificial turf and then we have office areas and things like that, some event spaces as well. So, my job is really overseeing that and overseeing the events and some of our contractors and then I have a building superintendent and a head groundskeeper who both support to me who they do the real work. Our building superintendent does all of our age back and he's an electrician by trade and he does all the incredible things. And obviously, our grounds boy has worked so hard outside. I mean it frees me up to get to do the fun stuff like events and overseeing things and sort of planning for big picture and renovations and expansions.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Very cool. And I imagine just with everything you listed with Atlanta United between outdoor facilities, and the state-of-the-art facilities that you're dealing with, with the gym, locker rooms, etc. This has got to be the most interesting and diverse portfolio that you've managed throughout your career just with everything you guys have at Atlanta United right now.

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

It certainly is. It's a little different working in college athletic departments, you may manage seven or eight facilities, you might have a baseball stadium and a softball stadium and an arena. But almost all of that is kind of combined in our one complex. It's really interesting to go really deep on one facility and in one sport as opposed to kind of bouncing around and dealing with the different sports and being pulled in so many different directions with so many different buildings.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

And just you growing up were you dedicated to one sport in particular you grew up playing soccer and now and you find yourself managing a soccer facility or were you all over the place. I imagine growing up you'd love sports if you want whether it's career path.

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

You know, I certainly did love sports growing up. When I was seven years old, the Olympics came to Atlanta and that's the reason that I work in sports. My dad will take me to eight different events and we saw track and baseball and we saw random stuff like judo and badminton and I absolutely fell in love with that environment. And as a seven-year-old, I thought it was the greatest thing in the world but all I heard was people volunteering with the Olympics. It took me until I was about 10 to realize you'd get paid to work at this industry because I thought working in sports is so cool. How do you ever get paid to do this for a living? 

And so ever since I realized that I have wanted to work in this field, played a little bit of everything growing up. I ran track in high school and was pretty competitive in that but was never much of a soccer player which is interesting around this building. Our tech director is Carlos Bocanegra who was the captain of the US Men's National Team at a World Cup. We have people who played at Ivy League schools. Some of our former people were all ICC players and we get out and we'll play soccer sometimes and people are talking about where they played. And I played on the blue team when I was five years old. That was the best things I have.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

I hope they have some participation trophies for the staff games.

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

Yeah, no participation trophies. 

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

That's great. But take it a step back what caught my attention. You mentioned that at 10, you realized that you can get paid to work into sports. That was a moment where you really decided to nail down that you wanted to get into the industry and take it a step further. How did you get to facilities management within athletics?

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

Yeah, so there's so many different ways you can kind of go in sports. You can go into marketing or ticket sales or communication, sports information, compliance at the NCAA level, there are all of these different things that you can do and I kind of thought back on why I love sports. I thought back on the Olympics I just talked about I thought back on great times with high school buddies that I'm still friends with on Friday night. I thought about Saturdays at a Williams Right Stadium in South Carolina. And the Gamecocks didn't win a ton of games but [inaudible 06:20] at least. And all of those experiences really kind of shaped who I was. And all the best things of my life came at events like that. And that's why I wanted to work in event and facility management because I wanted to be able to share those experiences with people. And if that's on the event side sharing guest and doing that, if it's on the facility side, it's sharing that experience and making the best experience possible for our players and our staff. And so, being in this unique role where I'm able to create experiences for people especially experiences that I feel like shaped my life, it's just so powerful and that's what really drew me to this field.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

And specifically, within facilities management, tell me how you got into narrowing it down into the facilities. I know you started out and did some events in a few earlier positions but now specifically around facilities management, how do you make that transition?

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

Yeah, when I did internships, I worked with at smaller schools and was able to do a little bit of everything and kind of get really broad experience and like I say gravitated to this area and then was able to sort of narrow my focus as I went along. At Kennesaw State, it was kind of a combined role. Same at Sam Houston and Northwestern State. The last two were a little more facility oriented and was able to step into this role with Atlanta united. Really, I got lucky. They wanted somebody who knew the sports industry and had worked in facilities and had done events as well that's a big part of my role here is hosting events. Obviously not now in the time of COVID but prior, we did all kinds of events and tours and things and I've a very forward-facing role for facility managers. They wanted someone who had that experience and then someone who knew this area, knew Marietta and I grew up about five miles from this facility and was lucky enough to get to come home and work here. So, it was a combination of hard work and moving on to the next role and then catching a good break.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's part of everybody's story and how they get into the career that they're in. So, with education and specifically going there, what recommendation would you have on someone interested in facilities management. Would be getting a college degree, what kind of programs are available or different certifications that you recommend?

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

Yeah, that's such an interesting question because there are so many different paths you can take there. Obviously, I'm tied in very closely with the sports industry. I'm actually pursuing a PhD in sport management right now and my dissertation topic will be heavily related to facility management and actually how it influences guest experience. So that's not a traditional path for a facility manager but it works for me. And then likewise, there are plenty of degree programs out there. I'm pretty involved with IFMA Atlanta and IFMA has accredited degree programs where they work with universities to establish degrees that kind of meet but IFMA believes facility managers [inaudible 09:37]. So all of those programs are very good. Georgia Tech actually has one, Kennesaw State is involved in that as well through their southern poly College of Engineering. So, there are options there. 

But you know, education isn't always the way as well. A big thing in our industry is obviously tradesmen moving up and gaining experience and if there's a young person who wants to do that, you can come out of college or you can come out of high school making good money in a trade and not pick up college debt and all of that. And as things continue to kind of change in the higher education front, I'll be really interested to see what happens in the next couple years. But the good thing with our industry is you can make it without a degree because there are so many certifications. IFMA has several good ones as BOMA and there are certifications out there to kind of help with that management side. So, there's all kinds of things out there. I mean the biggest thing that I've which is just is said to have a management and a business background. That doesn't mean you need an MBA or even a Bachelors of business but whatever it is, you get this just taking some classes at a community college, make sure you have a little bit of a business background because I do so much with budgeting and finance and all of those things that I know looking back on the classes that those really helped me out a lot.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

It's just the responsibilities you have that aren't necessarily in the front of mind once you think of facilities management but they're huge piece of what you're doing day in and day out.

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

Yeah, exactly. And I mean like so many things, it's such an interesting industry because you can't really learn what we do from a book. There are so many things that happen in facility management that me or my staff has never experienced before and we've all been doing this for years. But I always heard that you go to law school not to learn to be a lawyer but to learn to think like a lawyer. And that's kind of really the important thing in facility management is I don't have to think like a Facility Manager. I have that mindset. And so, it may be a problem that I've never seen before but it can be similar to a problem I've seen or the problem-solving process will be similar to something I've been through before and then I can get to the correct answer.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

And that's a good segue here thinking like a facilities manager. Did you have any mentors as you were going up through your progression throughout your career that really helped you out and shape that mentality?

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

Yeah, I definitely did. Katie [inaudible 12:24] at Kennesaw State, she's at Purdue now was fantastic. She had worked at UConn. She's worked with the athletic director there, Vaughn Williams who's now at a smaller school called Bentley and both of those were mentors for me and especially Vaughn. Vaughn had worked his way up from doing events and facilities, he'd overseen all of UConn’s athletic facilities, to an athletic director role. And to kind of see that path was really inspiring for me. Sometimes our area doesn't get the glory that other areas get and so to see somebody move up when generally, in our field, you'll see somebody from fundraising or that external side that revenue producing side move up into an athletic growth role was really inspiring for me. And both of them are fantastic people and really kind of guided me along early in my career.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

I love that and networking is huge. I love it. I think it's one of the things the more people you could add to your network, the further you could go. And with that, do you have any recommendations, you alluded to IFMA here earlier? Give me recommendations as far as different ways to network are different groups to network with?

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

Yeah, IFMA and BOMA which obviously are our standards in our industry. There are several that are specifically related to sports. IAVM is the International Association of Venue Managers so thats stadium arenas and convention centers. That's a good one that for people who are interested in the larger facilities and then the entertainment and sports facilities as well as CEFMA which is the Collegiate Event Facility Managers Association. So those two are really good as well. I believe CEFMA actually does a mentorship program right now. And the thing that I would say is you can reach out to people, find their email address, reach out via LinkedIn. I get messages all the time from students mainly in sports industry but some that are very interested in the facility side as well and I remember what it was like. I graduated during the recession. It was tough and many of us obviously have kind of scratched and clawed to get where we are and we want to bring people along and kind of make that path a little easier. So, my advice to any students would be don't be shy, feel free to reach out to folks because nine times out of 10, they're probably going to respond to you and they're probably going to give you some kind of advice that they can be carried with you at the very least in the best-case scenario. That's somebody who will either mentor you or someone who's added to your network who maybe their company or their buddies’ company is going to have a job and then they're able to make some phone calls on your behalf. So, I would say don't be shy because so many of us remember what it was like to be young and struggling and trying to break into this industry and we're more than willing to help.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah, I've seen that countless times. And, again, go back to my own networking, that's something where if you just kind of humble yourself and you put yourself out there and ask for the help, you will be surprised how often people will take you up on that and on their wing. And that's a good point there where you don't have to have experience to join those networking groups or attend those events post COVID. Reach out to people, it's something where at least from what I've seen anyone that's even interested has that capability to reach out and get that help.

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

100%. And those organizations that I mentioned almost all of them have a student fee and it's relatively low, 20/25 bucks. And of course, I remember what it was like being a student eating pizza and ramen and I know maybe you don't have 25 bucks. But sometimes you hear about these professional organizations and you think I just don't have 150/300/500 bucks to shell out. I encourage anybody to check out those student rates because they are usually really good because these organizations certainly understand that we want next generation to be involved in this industry.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

And that's a good point too speaking of the next generation of facilities managers. Just from your experience and looking ahead, how has the industry changed one, since you got into it and two, where do you see it going in the immediate future and then also long term?

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

Yeah, I mean technology has obviously just changed so much and you think about IoT and things like that and think about nothing about facilities management, a smart house and how far a smart house is common in the past 10 years and in the past five years. And then imagine that on the commercial side, imagine the things that I can do in a $60 million complex just from my phone. So, the technology side is so incredible and is obviously really helped us and then with that technology, we've kind of been able to together aggregate data and analyze that data and look for trends. In the old days and by old days, I mean even when I started working in 2011, you had your yellow legal pad and you made notes and maybe your notes got lost, maybe somebody spilled coffee on your desk and they got destroyed and then you didn't have them anymore and that's not the case anymore. There's so much out there on the table to attract from a data perspective that has really changed the industry. I kind of liken it to obviously I work in sports to Moneyball and to data analytics in sports. Obviously, we've seen sabermetrics and things like that get really big in the sports field lately and that's sort of where we're going in facilities management is we're using data analytics to make our buildings more efficient, more sustainable and do all of those things and just make our lives and facility managers easier. And make our people whether that's for me players and staff members or if it's someone who runs in apartment building tenants to make their lives easier through technology.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah. And you can see it across the board right where technology is constantly improving. And it's very interesting to see to your point that the transition just last decade in facilities management, going from that manual process to now having technology being able to automate a lot of these processes and to your point, collecting that data and using that data as you move forward. So, I absolutely love hearing that. 

So wrapping up here, as you continue to look forward, obviously, trying to improve your own skill sets. What are you currently doing, what are you reading right now or listening to, to stay on top of your game for facilities management?

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

Yeah, obviously, you get a little busy taking doctorial classes and not as up on my facility management reading as I should be lately. One of the most recent books that I read was Good Company written by Arthur Blank. And if you're on familiar with Arthur, he owns Atlanta united and the Atlanta Falcons and he founded Home Depot. And so, while not a Facility Manager obviously, every facility manager in the world shops at Home Depot and there are so many lessons in that book about management and treating people that really translate into facility management. And Arthur talks about Mercedes Benz stadium in there where Atlanta united and the Atlanta Falcons play at some of the decisions that were made there then maybe weren't the most cost effective but were the most fan friendly and fan effective. And so that that was a really wonderful read and that's a great book on leadership that has a lot of facility management ties into it. 

And then, like I've mentioned a few times, I'm heavily involved with IFMA Atlanta. Things of course, have cooled during the pandemic here but prior to, we were hosting a number of lunch and learns and things like that. I am on a young professional committee and we were really pushing lunch and learns and things like that. So once again, just staying involved and with those things I learned as much from other people in the room as I do from the presenter and building the network and all the things that you have talked about Griffin.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Absolutely and Arthur Blank is a great person to follow right there. He's been quite successful throughout his life I would say. But Luke, I certainly appreciate the time. Before I let you go, any last tidbits or takeaways that our audience could hear.

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

Just that obviously, it’s a tough time for everybody in our fields. I mean it's a tough time for everybody but particularly with what we do, it's difficult and that can be hard. I mean, the toughest thing about facility management and event management is that you don't really have metrics. Of course, I work in sports, I'm talking about stats, you win or you lose. Somebody scores or they don't and in our field, marketing attracts 50,000 people to Mercedes Benz stadium and that's a great day. Ticket sales sell X amount of tickets and that's fantastic. Same thing with corporate partnerships, they can say we sold this much of that. For me and I say this tongue in cheek, a good day is no one got injured in the building didn't burn down because in our field, we're kind of like a referee. Baseball is a great example, did you only notice the umpire when he's having a bad day. And that's sort of what we are is you only see us when we're having a bad day or when things aren't going good. And during the pandemic that can be really difficult because as greatest things are here with Atlanta United, most facility managers are having more bad days and good days because of what's going on right now. 

And so, I would just encourage everybody to keep your head up the best that you can and know that our work is appreciated and I think there's going to be a silver lining of this pandemic. They're going to see that essential workers like facility managers, like people who run events are really appreciated. And I think that we're going to see a big shift coming out of the pandemic in our field as far as appreciation and gratitude goes and I'm really looking forward to that. Not that it's been terrible any place that I've been but I know on the whole, that's kind of the stigma that it's a thankless job. And I've heard from some other facility managers that they're not getting a lot of recognition right now but I really think that this pandemic is going to change that whole stigma for the industry.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah, and I would agree with you there where hopefully here in the near future, that is going to be brought to light and I am excited to see where the industry goes and folks like yourself mentoring people very involved in the community. I love speaking with folks like yourself and certainly appreciate the time today, Luke.

Speaker: Luke Mashburn  

Of course, thank you so much.

Outro:

Thanks for listening to another episode of the modern facilities management podcast. Make sure to subscribe for future episodes.