FM Spotlight

Armani Rodriguez - American Jewish World Service

Pubished on: July 19, 2021 

Armani Rodriguez has been at American Jewish World Service (AJWS) for two and a half years as the operations assistant but has been in the field for nearly eight years, managing all aspects of office and building services. He adapted as a hybrid employee during the COVID-19 pandemic, playing a major role in managing vendor contracts and keeping the office operational.

"Armani has exemplified resiliency, flexibility, innovation and passion through his work. During the pandemic, Armani has selflessly gone to the office as an essential worker. He has also taken on non-facilities-related work like Contracts Management. He has helped to automate paper-heavy tasks and has also leveraged an online registration tool for our eventual return to the office. Through these contributions, Armani kept AJWS organizationally agile and able to maintain its mission to realize human rights and end poverty in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean." — Hector Echevarria, Senior Facilities Manager at American Jewish World Service

What is one thing no one knows about you?

“I’m very big into art and all things creative; whether it’s actual art pieces, fashion, music, I’m really passionate about it. Over the last few years, I’ve created logos for my family and friends’ businesses. It’s a hobby I pick up on and off, but it’s something I’ve been working to get better at.”

How did you get into the Facilities/Workplace field?

“I started as a part-time mail clerk at The Conference Board and worked my way up to running the show in the mailroom alongside my manager and gained a lot of the foundation of my operations experience. I then moved on to MSD Capital as the facilities assistant for a year and soaked up more knowledge than I could imagine. It was an overwhelming experience, but I was able to bounce back at AJWS, where I started at the reception desk and moved on to the Operations Assistant role after a year and I’ve been here ever since.”

Tell us about a favorite project highlight.

“Just recently we began to automate our internal process for managing vendor contracts, and after months of meeting and troubleshooting, we’re almost there. It’s an exciting project for me because I’m a problem solver and tech savvy, so it allowed me to shine in the last few months. It’s also been pretty cool to have creative control over such a major function for the organization. Also, automating anything is exciting to me because the technology we have access to these days allows for metrics and other data to be captured that we had to track manually before.”

What is your greatest success story?

“There was an instance where the hot water heater in the office gym at MSD Capital broke down and it was a chaotic scene, as you can imagine. I was standing in about an inch or two of water. There were towels, wet vacs and fans everywhere. We ended up finding a replacement heater online and had it sitting in a spare office while we coordinated with our vendors for the installation. I was never more relieved than when the hot water came back on in that gym.”

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

“The most common challenge I notice is spacing. Whether it’s actual office space configurations or storage space, it’s hard to gauge how much or how little you need. You aim to make people comfortable while giving yourself flexibility to store supplies, equipment and furniture in the best places possible. Also, given the type of office space you have, you may be very limited as to how modern your approach can be.”

What learning experience would you pass onto future FMs?

“Mental health is key, first and foremost. Jobs in the field can be very demanding and fast paced, so it’s hard to wind down; but finding the time to do so and to clear your mind during and after work will help you in the long run. After that, the sooner you get comfortable with asking questions and asserting yourself, you can learn a lot and be successful.”

Interviewed by Sonya Verny, MCR, Operations Director of Business Development in the Americas at Mace Group, IFMA NYC Secretary & Executive Committee Oversight for the Communications Committee