The recent appointment of Mr. Troy Whorms as Facilities Manager (FM) is a milestone for the young Caymanian civil servant, and indicates a new direction for this profession within the civil service.

Mr. Whorms’ agency, the Facilities Management Department, administers and oversees the operations of the Government Administration Building (GOAB). During his time spent as acting department head, he helped his office firmly establish a reputation for providing excellent service, while working to maximize GOAB’s occupancy.

Chief Officer Alan Jones congratulated Mr. Whorms, stating, “His promotion in this very demanding position is well-deserved, and comes after a decade of outstanding work in the civil service.”

During much of this Mr. Whorms was with the Public Works Department, where he gained experience managing the administrative as well as technical aspects of projects, including dealing with contractors, budgets and staff.

He began his career with studies in electrical and construction technology at the University College of the Cayman Islands. Continuing his education at the New England Institute of Technology, he earning an undergraduate degree in Architectural Building Engineering Technology, and then a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management.

Following this, he completed the International Facilities Management Association’s Facilities Management Professional credential programme.

Expressing his commitment to developing the field of facilities management, he comments, “While it’s an honour to be recognised for doing a good job, building a successful team is even more critical to maintaining our success.”

Mr. Whorms says that in the near future his Department will work to centralize Government’s facilities management services and resources, which will enable the sharing of knowledge and experience, while focusing on the retention of key technical staff.

The core group of a dozen workers maintain all operations of the building – which houses over 800 workers: customer service, and the Government telephone system (which supports over 1,800 users).

The government headquarters covers about 240,000 square feet, and is the first structure in the Cayman Islands to become a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver-Certified facility. LEED is the environmental rating system which relates to the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of ‘green’ facilities.

The FM team manages everything from the quality of the air and water, to an in-house geo-thermal energy plant and ‘chiller’, which supplants water from up to 200-feet below the surface, into the building’s energy-transfer apparatus.

The title of “Facilities Manager” is fairly new to Civil Service, but it is a well-established discipline globally. Mr. Whorms is a founding member of the Cayman Islands Facilities Manager Association (CIFMA), which is currently chaired by Mr. Chip Ogilvie. He is also a protégé of Mr. Richard Sanfilippo, who initially led the GOAB management.

With a budget of some $5million, the FM team also oversees other facilities across the Cayman Islands, namely the Cayman Islands Environmental Centre, and the various district civic and community centres.

Other key duties include coordinating related maintenance, renovation projects, managing procurement, tenders, bids, as well as serving on the GOAB Building Management Committee and CIG Continuity of Operations Sub-Committee.