From military precision to market leadership, American Facilities Professionals (AMFAC) is changing the face of facilities management
Thanks to a combination of hard work and innovative vision, AMFAC has established itself as one of the US’ foremost providers of preventative and reactive property maintenance services. In just six years, the company has made waves across the industry, and expanded its offering with innovative, eco-friendly advances. Company President, Jameka Spencer, joins CT to discuss the company’s fascinating evolution, and she begins with some more background on how it came to be. “AMFAC was founded in November 2018, by Chief Executive Officer, Chris Bright. Before building his own business, Chris was a veteran in our military, as well as a West Point graduate.
“It was while working with a private equity firm that he first encountered the world of facilities management, via a landscaping business. As he became more familiar with the industry, he realized that it had not seen much innovation. Facilities management was often overlooked as a career, and the sector lacked fresh ideas, effective marketing, and efficient systems. He saw an opportunity to build something different – a company that would offer a new perspective and transform the way services were provided.
“He started out with nothing but a vision. His previous experience had allowed him to work in a variety of different industries, and many of his skills were applicable to the facilities management space.”
Make Mission
On November 26th, 2018, AMFAC was born and Chris’ determination pushed him to work tirelessly to grow the company. The core ethic of AMFAC is simple: get the job done, no matter the boundary or obstacle. This approach led to the creation of the company’s mission statement: ‘Make Mission.’
“We live and die by ‘Make Mission’,” Jameka confirms. “AMFAC was founded with the objective to change the industry, and we’ve done just that. Chris’ original focus on clear communication, ethics, and transparency are still at the very core of the business. Our ethos is about getting the job done, regardless of boundaries or obstacles.
“From large remodels and facility upgrades to small reactive and preventative maintenance jobs, we cover everything. We have contract-based work, project-based work, and a variety of smaller day-to-day tasks, all of which are managed with the same level of energy, enthusiasm, and professionalism. We’re beginning to institute a nationwide footprint for the business, and that really speaks to our varied capabilities as an organization.
“In 2021, we came across the opportunity to start working with electric vehicle infrastructures and technology. We worked with some industry partners to upskill our team, and we now provide nationwide electric vehicle charger installation across the US, alongside our existing range of services. It’s been a real success story for us – and it just goes to show that you should always be open to new opportunities. As it turns out, we were more than equipped to provide these kinds of construction services, many of our team members already had the foundational skills required to get the job done. Everything overlapped and fit together well, and it took us no time at all to get that side of the business up and running.
“With each element of the business working synergistically, we’ve been able to grow both our commercial and government customer portfolios. We now undertake a variety of contract and project-based work, across a variety of industries nationwide.”
Continuous innovation
The work of a facility project manager takes many forms, as Jameka goes on to explain: “We offer a wide range of services. On the facilities management side of things, we take a whole-building approach. We look at the entire structure and consider all its requirements. That could include exterior services such as landscaping, snow services, weatherproofing, and similar services. There’s also internal maintenance to consider, common spaces need to be risk assessed and managed appropriately. In addition, we provide flexible options for preventative maintenance or even a full-time facilities tech on-site.
“Everything’s in-house, which gives us greater control and clearer avenues for communication – all of which helps us get the job done that much more quickly. We employ fully integrated project managers, and they manage a team of staff proportionate to the size of the building. This way, we can take all facilities management concerns off the client’s hands. We take care of everything, and they don’t need to worry about anything.”
During the pandemic, AMFAC remained a dedicated partner to its customer base, as Jameka affirms: “We wanted to protect people’s safety, and that meant making some adjustments to the way we worked. We used technology and project management tools to ensure we could carry out our work safely, protecting both ourselves and the occupiers.
“The world didn’t stop because of the pandemic. People still needed protection from the snow, and landscaping still needed to be managed. On top of that, it became even more important to keep everything clean and sanitized. We continued to adapt and innovate, finding new ways to provide our services to the people who needed it, and I think that’s been a huge factor driving our success ever since.”
Future vision
Having already made its mark on the industry, the company and its team look forward to an exciting few years ahead. As Jameka enthuses: “I see AMFAC becoming a leader in the facilities management and electric vehicle installation space. Not just in terms of revenue, but in terms of culture and practice. We want to lead by example and show the rest of the industry that there are more modern, more effective ways of managing properties. I believe we could one day provide managerial training programs for other facilities managers – we have a very talented team behind us, and they have a lot of knowledge to share. Nothing would be more rewarding than to see them get the recognition they deserve,” she concludes.