BU CPO

Keeping Boston University campuses running is no small feat. We are always in awe of the people of CPO! Happy !

Meet Jenn Lloyd, a CAD/CAFM Technician for Boston University Informatics & Strategic Initiatives. Jenn has been at BU for eight years, starting her career at the University as the administrative assistant for Facilities on the Medical Campus. During her time in that position, Facilities brought in a consultant to host an AutoCAD training. When an open seat became available, Jenn jumped at the opportunity to expand her professional skills. Using her new knowledge, Jenn was able to help update space data like floor plans. Once CPO began using a space management system and Informatics & Strategic Initiatives was created, Jenn moved on from her administrative role and became a Space Analyst, before being promoted to a CAD/CAFM Technician last year.

Outside of her space management work, Jenn is part of several working groups both at CPO and University-wide, including the newly-created DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Working Group. As a co-chair of this group, Jenn hopes to enhance the camaraderie within CPO and is excited about the learning, development, and event programming opportunities this working group can create for our department. The group is currently finishing up its website, which will be a hub of resources and information for CPO.

When she isn't co-charing working groups or keeping up with BU's floor plans, Jenn is keeping up with her 17-year-old, three-year-old, and two-year-old daughters! She is also a huge fan of anything horror or sci-fi. She's even narrated a few short stories for horror podcasts!

We're hiring! Join a group of skilled and ambitious professionals who are dedicated to maintaining Boston University. With a variety of open positions, we hope you'll find the perfect fit with us! View our open positions here: http://spr.ly/6181nYjdh

Boston University was chosen for the 2023 award due to our ongoing sustainability efforts and commitment to environmental consciousness!

In a major overhaul of equipment and controls at , we have saved 4 million kWh in electricity and an impressive 33.4% of site energy.

We’ve also extended our commitment to energy efficiency with an HVAC retrofit of StuVi2 student apartments, which resulted in a site energy savings of 635K kWh.

We will continue doing our part to ensure a more sustainable future as we all work toward a net zero campus community by 2040. BU Sustainability

Need a last-minute card for that special someone? Don't worry, we've got you covered 😉

Meet Jason Pina, Director of Analysis & Data Management for Informatics & Strategic Initiatives, who has been at Boston University for nearly 26 years. Jason started his career at the University in IS&T. During his time there, Jason was assigned to help with the investigation and implementation of new space and project management systems, now known as space@BU and projects@BU. It was the relationships he built during those projects and the knowledge he gained about that led to Jason joining our department five years ago.

Jason and his team have recently been working closely with Facilities Management & Operations to launch a new web form that will allow faculty and staff, and eventually students, to submit maintenance service requests. The new system will also give requestors the ability to view the status of their submission in real time. It's projects like these that Jason enjoys most, as it allows him to work with people across CPO and the wider University community. It also aligns with his main goal at BU - to improve the processes and tools that CPO uses while improving the customer experience.

Jason, a 40-year resident of Boston, lives in the South End with his husband and 10-year-old rescue dog, Olive!

Facilities Management & Operations’ Victor Cabral has been highlighted in BU Today! Victor is a 73-year-old custodian who has been with BU for 27 years.

’Some people feel shame, being seen as only a custodian. That doesn’t bother me. I know who I am, what I have done, and what I know how to do.’

Check out his BU Today video feature through the link in our bio!

On this snowy , we want to compliment all the hard work our Boston University Trucking & Grounds and Custodial crews do! ❄️

Meet Chris Leaden, Materials Administrator and Operations & Service Center Manager for Facilities Management & Operations. Chris started his career at Boston University in 2019, working at the Control Center on the Medical Campus as a Control Center Technician. Over the last four years, Chris has moved up the ranks, moving to the Charles River Campus in 2020 to assume the role he is in now, where he oversees CPO's stockrooms and the Operations & Service Center. Prior to his work at BU, Chris spent more than 20 years in the restaurant industry as a chef and manager. Once he began to start a family, the restaurant lifestyle was no longer feasible. Luckily, he had several friends who pointed him toward BU to start a new career. A fast learner, Chris quickly mastered building automation and became an invaluable member of the team.

Lately, Chris has been overseeing the improvement of FMO's Facilities Service Request (FSR) process and the creation of a new web form that will allow members of the BU community to more easily request assistance with their spaces. He is also managing the revamping and reorganizing of the stockroom on the Medical Campus, a major feat that requires all hands on deck.

Outside of his everyday projects, Chris is always looking for ways for both the stockroom teams and service desk teams to better meet the needs and expectations of their customers.

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Before you go home for the holidays, make sure to prepare your Boston University spaces for our New England weather! ☃️

Each year, the Boston University Plumbing Shop spreads holiday cheer by organizing a toy drive for Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. This year, the team raised about $6,000 in cash and $600 in toy donations. We are so proud of our team for keeping up this awesome tradition!

Please join us in congratulating Craig Childress, plumbing lead worker for Boston University, on being crowned the 2023 Plumbing National Championship AND ServiceTitan HVAC National Championship Champion! At the end of October, Craig competed for these titles, both part of the Elite Trades Competition Series, and brought home the top prize. Learn more about Craig, and where you can watch both competitions, here: http://spr.ly/6185RJPmc

Jennifer Bleecker, Energy Efficiency Program Manager for Boston University, was drawn to our department by the opportunity to help a University as large as BU reduce emissions. Although she only has a year and a half under her belt, Jennifer has already made her mark. She has been leading the charge on transitioning our largest building from old fluorescent lighting to LED lighting. In just the last few months, Jennifer and her team have been able to upgrade all of Cummington Mall to LEDs, saving about 200 homes worth of electricity each year.

Jennifer grew up on a large dairy farm in the Midwest and took notice when environmental agencies would contact her family with ways to reduce their carbon footprint. She became fascinated with the idea of finding a way to improve a company’s environmental impact while taking into consideration their needs and means of making a living. Jennifer knew solving problems like this was what she wanted to do professionally.

While she is at BU, Jennifer hopes to continue developing projects on our campus that will help us achieve net 0 carbon emissions by 2040, a goal set forth in the BU Climate Action Plan.

As one of the largest groups at Boston University, we've got a LOT to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving, Terriers! 🧡

Fun Fact: Boston University has a telescope facility in Arizona!

The Perkins Telescope Observatory reopened this September after some big upgrades! Learn more about the renovations, and how discarded materials were upcycled for battle-robot competitions, here: http://spr.ly/6185u4iST

Nothing like a shiny new Boston University lab to start your weekend! In this recently renovated space, researchers from Boston University College of Arts & Sciences investigate how smell motivates mosquitos' behavior. 📸 Wise Construction

Meet Craig Childress, Plumbing Lead Worker for Boston University Facilities Management & Operations! He has been with CPO for over six years. After working with CPO as an outside contractor, he decided to join the team full-time. Craig enjoys the diversity of projects he gets to work on at BU, ranging from 100-year-old brownstones to commercial kitchens, as well as the talented team of plumbers he works with.

"Every day brings something new to our department. It is great to see all of the plumbers step up when needed to do their part for the University."

Craig’s skills have landed him a spot in the 2023 U.S. Plumbing National Championship and ServiceTitan HVAC National Championship. These competitions, part of the Elite Trades Championship Series, search across the country for the most skilled workers in a few select trades. Craig heard about the competition from his former apprentice Mack Shwert, who just so happened to be last year's HVAC champion. After making it through several rounds of challenges, Craig headed to Tampa, Florida last month to compete in the nationally televised finals for both the plumbing and HVAC competitions. Craig is one of just 15 people selected to compete for the HVAC title and one of just five selected for plumbing. The HVAC championship will air on December 15 and the plumbing championship will air on December 28, both on CBS Sports at 8 p.m.

Outside of his everyday duties, Craig helps organize an annual Toys for Tots drive hosted by FMO’s Plumbing Shop. Until December 4, they will be accepting new toys or cash donations. Anyone who wishes to donate should bring their gifts to the stockroom or room 125, both at 120 Ashford Street.

Last week, we hosted our first-ever Coffee & Connections. Over 750 people stopped by to chat with us, win prizes, and learn more about CPO. We loved spending time with the Boston University community and can't wait to do it again!

Happy Monday, Boston University! Don't forget to join us tomorrow and Thursday to connect with our team, share ideas, and get your questions answered about all things CPO!

📢☕🤝Join us at the GSU (10/17) & Talbot Green (10/19) to connect with our team, share ideas, and get your questions answered about all things CPO. Don't miss out on the chance to sip, chat, and connect!

Boston University is honored to be recognized by Mass Save as one of its 2023
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We will continue doing our part to ensure a more sustainable future as we all work toward a net zero campus community by 2040.

Happy to our fabulous custodial team! Their hard work and dedication to serving the Boston University community never ceases to amaze us, especially at the beginning and end of each academic year. 🫶

We dare you to find someone more connected to Boston University (and CPO) than Lauren Alzate, Director of Communications for CPO. Lauren received her undergraduate and graduate degrees at BU and met her husband at the University. During her second semester at BU, Lauren began working as a Student Administrative Assistant in Construction Services (now Planning, Design & Construction). Upon graduation, the team hired her on a temporary basis while she looked for a full-time job. However, she just couldn't give up BU (or CPO), eventually taking a communications position in Facilities Management & Planning (now CPO). Over the next 10 years, she worked her way up to Director of Communications.

Currently, Lauren is working with others around CPO to organize a meet-and-greet event in the fall. The goal of this event is to give the BU community the opportunity to meet CPO staff in person, ask questions, and learn more about what CPO does to keep our campuses running.

When she isn't shining a light on the hardworking people of CPO, Lauren is traveling, listening to music, or having a dance party with her husband and three-year-old daughter (who she hopes will be a Terrier)!

Terriers, did you notice anything different about Boston University when you returned this fall? BU Today has the scoop on the projects we completed over the break and what to expect this semester! Read the article here: http://spr.ly/6180Ph7Hg

📸 Jackie Ricciardi, Cydney Scott

Introducing SAFE, a new online course from Boston University that empowers Terriers to keep themselves and others safe in the event of an active threat. Learn how to make a plan, recognize the signs, and stay ! Take the course now: http://spr.ly/6180P44gE

Welcome back, Terriers! We're happy to see you're already settling into the newly renovated Boston University Dining Services space in Boston University Claflin Hall. Bon appétit 👨‍🍳