Many in our IFMA family have been substantially impacted by Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath. Thank you for your support over the past few days. The water levels in Houston are still rising, but they are no match for the outpouring of support our staff and Houston Chapter have received from the global IFMA community.
Our primary focus is the safety and well-being of staff. Some of our colleagues have evacuated, others have seen their homes flood, and even more are without power or internet. Fortunately, we do not believe any of our colleagues have suffered physical harm, and the bulk of Houston-based staff have, thus far, avoided major damage to their homes. We are working to ensure that all employees have the resources needed to make it through the storm and facilitate a quick recovery.
Our Houston Service Center of Excellence (SCOE) is operating in remote mode. As an international organization, we have made significant investments to ensure our staff can work from anywhere in the world. Our goal is for IFMA team members to return to the office by Tuesday morning, Sept. 5.
As you are aware, IFMA’s World Workplace® Conference and Expo will be held in Houston Oct. 18-20. At this time, we plan to host the event as scheduled. In the coming days, we’ll be in contact with the mayor’s office, visitor’s bureau and host hotels to ensure we deliver the high-caliber event attendees have come to expect. Given the current circumstances, we have extended our early-bird pricing for registrants through Friday, Sept. 8.
Many of you have reached out to ask what you can do to help. This afternoon, leadership of IFMA and the IFMA Foundation established an IFMA Employee Assistance Fund to help raise funds to support the most severely impacted IFMA staff. Donations are tax-deductible, and 100% of funds raised will directly support affected employees.
To support members of Houston and other affected communities at large, we suggest making contributions to:
American Red Cross
Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund (established by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner)
Houston Food Bank
Corpus Christi Food Bank
Please keep Houston and surrounding communities in your thoughts, and plan on visiting our resilient hometown city for World Workplace.
Thank you,
Tony Keane, CAE
President and CEO
International Facility Management Association
