FM Spotlight: Edward Luciano – Endurance

Interviewed by Sonya Verny of Colliers International, IFMA NYC Secretary.

This month’s FM spotlight is Edward Luciano, Real Estate & Facilities AVP for the global specialty provider of insurance and reinsurance, Endurance.

Edward Luciano leads the Facilities staff at Endurance to perform all daily building functions and execute against all capital improvement projects at four major sites; Purchase, Philly, New Hyde Park and Florham Park.

While at Fisher Price, he lead the “Going Green” initiative for the FP division which led to the New York City office being awarded the Silver LEED certification.

“Eddie Luciano is a consummate professional and an amazing facilities expert. His drive to maintain and improve the environments for his clients is his priority and he will go to great lengths to achieve it. I had the privilege of working with him for 2 years and was amazed by his ability to remain calm under pressure and to foster a very positive attitude of all the members of the office. Whether it was HVAC issues, IT installs or PR events, Eddie made sure that they were all handled with the appearance of ease, yet with the attention to detail to make sure everything worked according to plan.” - Vincent D'Alleva - CEO - 18moons, Inc.

What is one thing that no one knows about you?

“At the age of two, I was diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer called Wilms Tumor and had my right kidney removed. Each year after my surgery, I had to go back to the doctors for checkups. Contact sports were no longer an option in my life so I turned to soccer at an early age and became, in my opinion, very good. As I entered high school my checkups changed to every two years. As I was about to step on the field for my first high school soccer game, the school nurse came running on the field to stop me. Soccer is considered a contact sport, which I was not allowed to play.

I had to bring the school to court to grant me permission to play. While that process was proceeding, I attended each and every practice. This taught me perseverance and to dedicate myself no matter what the circumstances are. I won the coaches award that year and eventually won the right to step on the field and play.”

How did you get into the Facilities field?

“I began my career working for the Readers Digest Association in Chappaqua, NY. I started off on the loading dock loading and unloading tractor trailers. From there I was promoted to the mailroom and eventually to the supervisor role. As each opportunity within the organization arose, I became more and more involved with the everyday trades. (HVAC, Electricians, Carpenters etc.) Before leaving Readers Digest as a Facilities Manager, I found that my interest level in Facilities had grown with each passing promotion. Readers Digest really taught me a lot about the workings of a building and all of its intricate moving parts.”

Tell us about a favorite project highlight.

“In my early years working for Fisher Price there always seemed to be a problem with the supplemental air for the MDF room. Each night an alarm would go off sending notifications to my phone. It was a simple fix but it required me going into work, at all hours of the night, to complete the task. With the help of an outside vendor, I was able to implement a procedure that would rectify the problem remotely. In addition, “warm up” feature on the Energy Management system. This feature opened all VAV valves allowing the space to warm up faster over a cold winter weekend. The air in the building is controlled by the landlord so any advantage to warming/cooling off the place was a huge plus.”

What is your greatest success story?

“My greatest success story involves moving the data center for Readers Digest over a weekend. The Data center was a huge space located in the lower level of the Readers Digest facility. We had movers working around the clock. It was a total team effort. We had rotating shifts to take naps. A lot of heavy lifting and exact timing of equipment placement and server shut downs and restarts. The entire project lasted 72 hours and I saved Readers Digest approximately $50,000 in moving fees.”

Tell us about a challenge or obstacle that you face in the Real Estate/Facilities world.

“As a facility manager, you truly have your hands full, and anyone who has worked in the position knows how problems can wear on you over time. In your managerial role, you have so many responsibilities, everything from ensuring the facility and grounds under your domain are safe and functional to meeting an array of federal and state regulations and compliance standards. Keeping all of these potential problems and tasks under control ranks as one of the toughest challenges a facility manager will face.

Whether you are new to the reliability field or a hardened veteran, one way to stay on top of your duties is to incorporate the help of facility management software. Beyond helping you juggle and track the various issues that arise, FM software also helps with asset tracking, reporting, invoicing, document storage, issuing work orders, and inventory management. Computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) really are pivotal for both preventative maintenance and proactive maintenance facility management approaches.”

What learning experience would you pass onto future FM’s?

“Become familiar with the HVAC, electrical, life safety and security systems. Review the maintenance records. Determine how maintenance is performed and decide which approach best suits the facility and corporate culture: planned maintenance programs with specific scheduled dates and activities or work performed on a break-fix basis. If new to the workspace, look at the age, functionality and performance of furniture and equipment and even the decor. Note any possible violations of building or fire codes, security lapses, health and safety hazards or accessibility issues. Address serious problems right away. Note other items that should be changed later.”