At the 2022 World Workplace, the Kansas City Chapter of IFMA awarded one of several SFP Scholarships. While providing scholarships is not unique to Kansas City, the IFMA KC chapter saw the benefits of scholarships many years ago and created an endowment to ensure the sustainability of their program. The chapter’s dedication to the IFMA Foundation scholarship program is as strong today it was 20 years ago. Today this commitment extends to the Eric Teicholz SFP scholarship program.

Kansas City is known for its leading-edge initiatives – not well known because we don’t brag about ourselves all that much (it’s a Midwest thing). What’s also true is that IFMA KC has been a local leader in providing resources that help educate, engage, and energize members, their businesses, and the KC community at large in the implementation of green initiatives and sustainable practices.

Implementing clean energy, water efficiency, and other sustainability policies and programs are the roots of creating a more sustainable, equitable future for the planet. Further, it provides economic opportunities and creates jobs in the clean energy field. A commitment to best practices and professional development can be seen in the chapter’s support of all IFMA Certification programs. The IFMA KC Chapter boasts 3 RCFMs, 15 CFMs, 17 FMPs and 3 SFP certification holders.

Stressing the importance of ensuring a pipeline of future FM professionals is also key. Providing scholarships to members, local students, and global students and supporting the IFMA Foundation annually at WWP has been a successful practice for the KC Chapter. Proof of the chapter’s long-standing focus is the creation of a $35,000 Endowment in 2000. The endowment and other fundraising efforts have enabled the Kansas City Chapter to award more than 20 scholarships.

A commitment to the Kansas City community includes a partnership with the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) and the KC Climate Action Plan (CAP). MARC is a nonprofit dedicated to coordinating many of the region’s infrastructure projects, and CAP is an impressive and bold plan to get the KC region to NET ZERO greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. An upcoming meeting will introduce the climate action plan to KC IMFA members. IFMAKC believes that by connecting with the SFP program, along with supporting the Eric Teicholz scholarship program, we can provide resources and education to help the city and surrounding communities reach the goal of NET ZERO by 2050.

Kansas City Chapter along with all other IFMA chapters are crucial to helping to bring about a cleaner, more livable, equitable, and healthy planet for generations to come.

About the author: Sam Davidson, RCFM is a 29 -year member of IFMA, the current chair of the IFMA KC Scholarship committee, and Past Chair of the IFMA Foundation.