The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) is the premier professional association for facility management. Representing the largest community of FM professionals on the planet, IFMA has reached a significant milestone, three decades in the making: IFMA’s worldwide membership now exceeds 20,000!
So what do these 20,000 FM industry experts look like? Representing 78 countries, they manage more than 37 billion s.f. of property and annually purchase more than $100 billion in products and services. Our members are facility managers, architects, engineers, interior designers, property managers and real estate professionals. They represent organizations including CB Richard Ellis, Deutsche Bank, Jones Lang LaSalle, Lockheed Martin, the Minnesota Vikings, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Rolls Royce, the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Department of Energy and more. They hold titles ranging from account executive to CEO, owner and president.
Nearly 850 professionals joined IFMA over the past two months, helping the association cross the 20,000 member threshold. They include practicing FM professionals, educators, service providers, students and retirees. Nearly one-third are in their 40s and nearly one-quarter in their 30s. They are majority male, with nearly 40 percent working for an organization with more than 1,000 employees. Thirty percent of these new IFMA members have been in the profession for 10 to 20 years, illustrating how even experienced facility professionals turn to the association for continuing education and career resources.
IFMA was formed in 1980 by George Graves, IFMA Fellow, of Texas Eastern Transmission Corp.; Charles Hitch of Manufacturer’s Bank; and David Armstrong, IFMA Fellow, of Michigan State University. “Twenty thousand members. I cannot believe it after all these years,” said Graves. “It’s been great to see all the advances that IFMA has made since the founding back in 1980. I would not be able to keep abreast of all the things going on in this organization now. I’m very happy that we’ve reached the 20,000 mark and look forward to going beyond it. I would advise the next generation of facility managers to keep on persevering and building the reputation that FMs are go-to professionals and problem solvers.”
Globally, IFMA spots trends, conducts research, provides educational programs, and assists corporate and organizational facility managers in developing strategies to manage human, facility and real estate resources. IFMA exists for those who practice, service or outsource facility management by universally representing, leading and sustaining, strengthening and advancing the knowledge base of the facility management profession.
IFMA provides the industry’s practitioners and suppliers with professional and leadership development, chapters and councils, online job referrals, FM degree programs and more, and supports these members through competency-based courses, an annual leadership conference, publications, certification exams and much more.