Forget Yellow Submarine! We Work in an Innovation Lab!

Categories: HVAC, Facilities Maintenance

When Flagship’s CEO, Dave Pasek, envisioned our headquarters in Southlake, Texas (a suburb northwest of Dallas), his architectural team designed the open-plan office space with the highest quality, state-of-the-art components.

Designed to support interaction and collaboration, the space includes touches like sound-deadening acoustic panels, a well-equipped on-site gym (with nearby shower facilities), a nursing mother’s lounge, and a central gathering and kitchen area with a variety of comfortable seating options.

Flagship’s HQ is a model of the connected office. We use Cisco’s Spark Service, an app-centric cloud-based system fully integrated with the tools we use every day like Outlook Calendar and Webex Teams. This technology allows for seamless communication and real-time information sharing with our Northern California service hub in San Jose as well as our smaller Cisco dx80-equipped support locations across the country.

Cisco PanoramaThe Spark system is the foundation of our corporate and support teams’ ability to collaborate with colleagues across the country. Having the system already installed and part of our workflow-enabled our corporate support teams to seamlessly transition to 100% remote work without any disruption during the worst of the pandemic.

Headquarters = Innovation Lab

Flagship's focus on innovation in our own facilities extends to our willingness to be a proving ground for new technologies on behalf of our clients.

This mindset has transformed our HQ into a constantly evolving Innovation Lab, whose infrastructure and systems are always being tested and upgraded – using our facilities and employees in these beta tests prepares us to implement exciting technology and best practices at our client locations.

Indoor Air Quality

In response to heightened awareness about indoor air quality and its importance in protecting a facility’s occupants, we followed ASHRAE's best practices and increased our air changes per hour (ACH) to bring in more outside, fresh air.

At the same time, we installed air filters with higher MERV ratings to trap harmful particulates and implemented Active Pure which complemented our increased ACH and filtration by oxidizing molecules into the circulating air. Those molecules reduce viruses, bacteria, and other volatile organic compounds (VOC) that might be present in the air.

Business intelligence and the Customer Experience

Our partnership with TRAX Analytics and their business intelligence platform has transformed the way we serve our custodial clients, especially our airports that are challenged to maintain cleanliness and order in heavily trafficked areas like restrooms.

TRAX Smart Restroom uses smart dispensers and sensors to capture insights into the real-time status of restrooms and their supplies while developing a base of historical data that supports predictive analysis.

Our Southlake HQ features some of Smart Restroom solutions including:

  • Stall occupancy lighting systems
  • Guest feedback survey data and KPI metrics
  • Real-time alerts for product depletion and restocking needs

We’re continuing to test TRAX Smart Restroom components with the addition of throughput counting, passive staff monitoring, feedback tablets, occupancy data, dispenser data, and their mobile application for task, work order, and inventory management.

The full Smart Restroom suite gives the custodial staff the ability to respond to a cleaning request immediately, taking scheduled cleanings and turning them into demand-based cleanings which improve the customer experience overall.

What's next?

Whatever the next innovation in facilities management - Flagship will be at the forefront. This includes our current project - recreating a Life Sciences lab environment to train our next generation of Life Sciences Technicians, Engineers, and Facility Managers (LSMTTM, LSFTTM, LSFETM, LSFMTM, LSTTM) in our unique Bootcamp program, created by DENS Facility Services (a Flagship Company).

Interested in learning more about how innovation can help your facility? Hit the "Talk to an Expert" button at the top right of this page, submit your request and we'll reach out to start the conversation.

Flagship Facility Services has redefined what it means to be clean with PUREClean – a cleaning methodology developed to protect the health and safety of your employees and guests.

The PUREClean approach requires refocusing your cleaning efforts on high-impact areas of your facilities, disinfecting all surfaces with the right equipment and chemicals, educating both staff and visitors on your cleaning initiatives, and adapting to change as needed.

By deploying smart technology in coordination with PUREClean, Flagship is helping clients in the aviation space meet changing passenger expectations.

Learn more about maintaining a healthy facility here.