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In 2022, as pandemic-related restrictions fluctuated and extreme weather conditions prevailed, facilities managers had to get comfortable with uncertainty. Moving forward into 2023, facility management trends will be about adapting to and innovating within the new normal. But what, exactly, will that entail? Here’s a look at some key facility management trends that experts expect in 2023:

1. Facility Management Trends: Sustainability is a Must

From ensuring the use of eco-friendly cleaning supplies to reducing a facility’s greenhouse-gas emissions, facilities managers will be on the forefront of the sustainability movement. This means sustainable waste management, cleaning, and facility systems—including HVAC, electrical, and water. Likewise, outdoor spaces will focus on conservation. Customers, employees, contractors, and investors will increasingly expect companies to be stewards of the environment. Sustainability is becoming so important that, to varying degrees, it relates to all of the following trends.

2. Use of Internet of Things Technology (IoT) and Data-Driven Decision Making Will Grow

Already, sensors and smart-connected devices are revolutionizing facilities management. Whether alerting custodial staff when a garbage can needs to be emptied, telling employees what parking spaces are available, monitoring the conditions of machines, to predicting a building’s energy-use patterns, IoT is here to stay. Given the technology’s capacity for gathering huge amounts of data, the International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that there will be over 41.6 billion connected devices by 2025—many related specifically to facilities management.

3. Hybrid Work and Hybrid Patterns of Facility Usage Will Continue

The hybrid work model isn’t going away. When it comes to a facility, this dynamic will continue to inform everything from custodial staffing hours, to space requirements, to energy usage, to security. With dedicated workstations costing about $8,000 per year, it doesn’t make sense to limit them to one employee who may use it once or twice a week. Sharing desk space, hot desking, and office hoteling will continue. So will hybrid schedules for custodians, front desk operators, and security personnel. To manage this new normal, IoT, as mentioned above, will be key. In fact, the use of occupancy sensors alone will grow markedly in 2023—accruing data on everything from desk occupancy, to meeting room utilization rates, to available capacity by floor.

4. Employee Health and Wellness/Enhanced Cleaning Protocols

Before the pandemic, the focus on employee well-being was already shifting. Increased awareness about the body/mind connection saw businesses prioritizing ergonomics, incorporating outdoor workspaces into their facilities, and promoting a work-life balance. Then came COVID, and enhanced cleaning protocols became imperative with regard to employee health and wellness. This new normal will prevail into 2023 and include the use of disinfectants, frequent cleaning of high-touch spaces and surfaces, and implementation of touchless technologies. What else is trending on the health-in-cleaning front? Building’s inhabitants—employees and customers, alike—increasingly expect green, non-toxic cleaning products. This trend will only grow in 2023.

5. Drought Tolerant Landscaping

Facilities include outdoor spaces and, in the West, this means limiting water usage and incorporating drought-tolerant plants. Gravel, mulch, and hardscapes will continue to gain popularity as well. Metering will be crucial and, in many California cities, county governments are offering rebates to customers who opt to improve their irrigation systems and other water-saving technologies.

6. Asset Management/Retro-Commissioning

A facility’s systems don’t last forever. And where there’s wear and tear, there’s inefficiency. When it comes to buildings and facilities, poor operational efficiency usually means negative environmental impact. In fact, buildings are responsible for 40 percent of the world’s annual Co2 emissions. Recommissioning (for previously commissioned buildings) and retro-commissioning (for buildings that have never been commissioned) will gain popularity. Already, energy companies like Pacific Gas and Electric are offering retro-commissioning incentives and rebates to qualified companies. Even our nation’s Capital is making use of retro-commissioning—to the tune of a 48 percent decrease in building-related greenhouse gas on the Capitol campus. Expect this trend to expand in the coming year.

7. Focus on Energy Savings as a Cost-Reduction Measure

While sustainability will drive the need for energy saving at a facilities level, so will soaring inflation. Planned preventative maintenance, data gained through computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), and IoT functions will significantly impact a facility manager’s ability to strategize the best energy-savings measures for the buck.

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PRIDE Industries can help you with facility operations, custodial and maintenance services, job assistance, and other services.
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Moving forward into 2023, facility management trends will be about adapting to and innovating within the new normal.

For more than 20 years, PRIDE Industries has maintained a successful business partnership with HP Inc. Since the beginning of the partnership, PRIDE Industries has provided sorting and recycling services for HP’s products. Today, PRIDE Industries provides an expanded suite of supply chain management services to the Fortune 500 company.

 

Currently, PRIDE Industries provides both supply chain management and fulfillment services to HP from its facilities in California. These services include spare part fulfillment, warehousing, and shipping for consumer, commercial, and enterprise printing. PRIDE Industries also handles the kitting and distribution of HP Inc.’s Printer Maintenance Kits.

Customized Supply Chain Management Services

The HP Inc. program at PRIDE Industries is a global, 24-hour operation made possible by PRIDE Industries’ team of supply chain planners, buyers, and business support assistants, who focus on striking the optimal balance between supply chain inventory levels and high customer level-of-fill targets. 

 

PRIDE Industries’ procurement team manages multiple customer service functions, including purchase order management, delivery performance analysis, and troubleshooting.

 

Additionally, the PRIDE Industries supply chain management team performs forecasting and demand planning; creates material purchasing requests; manages part setup and maintenance, lifecycle planning activities, and part roll tasks; and provides overall operational project management support.

A Growing Partnership

In 2018, due to PRIDE Industries’ excellent operational performance in supply chain management and fulfillment, HP Inc. expanded its partnership with the social enterprise. The new responsibilities included:

  • Spare part fulfillment to support HP’s print business, including its Graphic Solutions line of business.
  • The designation of PRIDE Industries as the sole North America regional distribution center for HP’s printing and copier new spare parts needs. This includes managing the defective/credit return processing program for spare parts via the iReturns system, and handling all cross-docking activities.

Beyond the benefits of cost-effectiveness and operational efficiency, partnering with PRIDE Industries also allows HP Inc. to further its ESG efforts.


As HP Program/Supply Chain Manager Ralph Mendez says, “By contracting with us, HP Inc. is actively supporting our mission to create employment for people with disabilities.” 

A Supply Chain Partner You Can Rely On

PRIDE Industries offers supply chain management, kitting and fulfillment, and other business services to emerging and Fortune 500 companies.   
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When most people think about the winter months, they picture warm holiday gatherings and family celebrations. Not facilities managers. You have to worry about threats to buildings from normal winter wear and tear and extreme weather events—and now virus outbreaks. Winter can be a season of stress!

But it doesn’t have to be.

With unpredictable, extreme weather becoming a new normal and the possibility of another COVID-19 surge, preparing facilities for winter is critical for health and safety. While you don’t know what you don’t know about the upcoming winter, you know that anything can happen almost anywhere (and probably will). Preventing failures like leaking roofs or burst pipes is far less expensive and disruptive than repairs in the middle of a crisis. In a worst-case scenario, your building has to close, and business is lost.

Inspect Everything

Fall is a great time to schedule inspections to find any weaknesses or threats to your buildings. Start with rooftops, which often bear the brunt of winter storms. Check for leaks or depressions where snow or rain might accumulate. Next come windows and doors that can be punished by wind, rain, ice, and snow. Check the seals of doors and windows too. Inspect your HVAC service records, and be sure to schedule and change filters, as new filters introduced during the pandemic fill faster. Finally, check the plumbing for leaks, loose connections, and insulation. Test any generators or backup power supplies.

Clear Water Flows

In addition to ensuring your gutters and downspouts are clear of debris, look at where water and snowmelt flow on the ground and clear all drains of obstructions. Also, ensure you have enough deicing, snow, and water removal materials and equipment. Identify where icicles might develop and pose a threat to safety, and add icicle removal to deicing plans. Check sump pumps for performance and review their maintenance schedules to ensure up-to-date service history. For more information about preparing your outdoor spaces for winter, see our hints for landscaping preparation. 

Prevent Slips and Falls

Safety issues shift in the winter. Wet weather can lead to slips, falls, and injuries. Prepare floors, especially in entryways, for the extra water, snow, mud, and salt that people will bring in. Add additional coatings to build a more robust protective layer. Make sure you have mats on hand and check that they are in good repair. Some managers use fans to keep floors dry(ish). Provide a sheltered outdoor space for closing umbrellas before entering the building.

Unheated, Uninsulated Spaces

Unheated and uninsulated spaces are harmless in mild conditions. But when temperatures drop, these spaces can be dangerous if water pipes run through them. To ensure a safe space, insulate the room or the pipes, or bring in temporary heaters. As a last resort, you can isolate the water flowing through the space, drain the lines, and shut off the water for the winter.

Prepping for COVID-19

Of course, no one knows if there will be another surge of the COVID-19 virus this winter, but with more people spending more time indoors, an increase in cases is likely. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends routine cleaning when there are no reported virus cases. For most facilities, that means daily cleaning.

The CDC recommends cleaning shared spaces more frequently and disinfecting surfaces if the room:

  • Is a high-traffic area used by a large number of people.
  • Is poorly ventilated.
  • Does not provide access to handwashing stations or hand sanitizer.
  • Is used by people at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Here are some extra steps you can take to prevent the spread of the virus and other germs:

  • Use HEPA-filtered vacuums to clean carpets to contain germs and viruses.
  • Install a UV sanitizer in your HVAC system to eliminate airborne viral particles.
  • Increase ventilation (counterintuitive in winter, but COVID-19 remains airborne longer than thought, and ventilation is proven to reduce viral density).

If someone who has been in your facility in the past 24 hours tests positive for COVID-19, you should clean and disinfect the space.

An Ounce of Prevention

Don’t think of inspections and preventative maintenance as costs—they are investments that save money, save time, and improve health and safety outcomes down the road. As winter storms become more extreme, from atmospheric rivers in the West to bomb cyclones in the East, winter preparation calls for new game plans.

A Partner You Can Rely On

At PRIDE Industries, we help hundreds of customers keep their grounds beautiful and their maintenance costs low. Our broad range of landscaping and groundskeeping services is backed by a 30-year track record of success. And because we know you can’t always predict when you’ll need extra help, our award-winning customer service is available 24/7.
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Fall means football season and Halloween costumes. It also means winter is around the corner. Taking time during the fall to prepare your facilities’ landscaping for winter weather can save time and money. Responding to emergencies is far more costly and disruptive than preventing them. Ensuring plants, lawns, and trees survive the winter avoids expensive springtime replacements.

Start With a Needs Assessment

Inspect your grounds for signs of tree and plant weakness, sickness, or overgrowth, especially for trees near buildings and windows. A sick tree in autumn is more likely to topple in winter winds—risking injury and damage to structures. Trim plants and limbs that are overgrown before winter begins. You may need to remove diseased trees. And be sure to check your hardscapes, sidewalks, and parking lots. You may need to apply a sealant to prevent cracks from widening in freezing temperatures.

Prepare Plants for Freezing

Lawns on land that freezes need extra water in the fall to survive during the winter. Watering can be tricky in parts of the West where drought conditions make water precious and may make overwatering impossible. Trees and bushes may need extra water too. Mulching around trees and shrubs can also help fend off frost damage.

Harness Precipitation

Especially important in the drought-stricken West, saving rainwater for later use can benefit both your lawns and your bottom line. Look for ways to divert stormwater runoff into landscaped areas to avoid tapping into public water supplies. You can also look into rain catchment systems that fill tanks with water for irrigation. Check that storm drains are free of obstructions.

Review Your Plants

If you can replant now or in the spring, review the types of plants that will work best in your environment—especially when looking to conserve water and provide summer shade. The U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes a climate map that can help you find the best plants for winter landscaping based on your geographical zone. You can also see which plants won’t succeed in your zone, so you know what not to plant. Consumers are increasingly concerned about business’ environmental practices. If the public uses your facility, post signs around plants to inform them that you are growing drought-friendly plants to conserve resources.

Keep on Raking and Cutting Grass

Leaves keep sunlight and water from reaching grass, so while it might be tempting to cut back on leaf removal as winter nears, it’s actually more important than ever to keep your grounds clear. Leaves left on your lawn that become wet from snow and ice will smother your turf during the winter, blighting your lawns and damaging plants. This is also the time to cut grass to a shorter length than usual. Keeping grass short during the fall and winter prevents disease growth by keeping blades exposed to oxygen and sunlight.

Fertilize Lawns

Make sure your turf has the nutrients it needs to survive the winter by fertilizing lawns two to three weeks before the ground freezes. Roots will grow deeper, ensuring healthy, green lawns come spring. Apply fertilizer after mowing, in the morning or evening, as sunlight and heat degrade essential nutrients.

Wrap Cold-Sensitive Plants

Some plants are more susceptible to cold damage. Young trees and plants with thinner bark are especially vulnerable, and can crack and burn when a sunny winter day is followed by a cold nightfall. Wrap cold-sensitive trees and plants with burlap to protect them from thermal damage. Wrapping also protects weak, newly planted, and dehydrated plants.

Drain and Shut Down Irrigation

In areas with freezing temperatures, irrigation pipes are as prone to bursting as plumbing pipes. Clean out and shut down irrigation systems to avoid system damage during winter. Winterizing irrigation systems includes blowing out any leftover water and turning off the system, so you don’t face any severe breakdowns or costly repairs come springtime.

Protect Landscaping from Deicing Materials

Some deicing chemicals are toxic to plants, as is road salt. Plan where you will and won’t apply these materials to sidewalks, parking lots, and roadways. You’ll need deicers that work at the right temperature, are suitable for your surfaces, and fit your needs—whether that’s allowing cars to drive and park safely or making safe walkways.

Prepare and Save

Winter weather in the form of violent storms or extreme drought can badly damage landscaping. With proper planning, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that your facility is ready for whatever Mother Nature has in store this winter. You can protect your investment and keep your landscape in peak health by assessing and addressing financial, safety, and environmental risks. Planning ahead lets you prevent emergencies, reduce or eliminate springtime repairs, and enjoy the holidays like everyone else.

A Partner You Can Rely On

At PRIDE Industries, we help hundreds of customers keep their grounds beautiful and their maintenance costs low. Our broad range of landscaping and groundskeeping services is backed by a 30-year track record of success. And because we know you can’t always predict when you’ll need extra help, our award-winning customer service is available 24/7.
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In Placer County, California, the local government relies on PRIDE Industries to keep its buildings clean and safe.

Stretching from the town of Roseville (just outside of Sacramento), to Lake Tahoe on the California border, Placer County is home to some 350,000 people. Since 2008, PRIDE Industries has provided Cleaning Industry Management Standard for Green Buildings (CIMS-GB)-certified custodial services throughout the county. Buildings cleaned include libraries, healthcare facilities, and offices. PRIDE Industries also provides LEED Silver-compliant cleaning for the South Placer Adult Correctional Facility.

Situation

When COVID-19 struck, Placer County’s facilities managers implemented new cleaning requirements to keep building occupants healthy. These new requirements included frequent sanitization of high-touch points, using deep cleaning technologies such as electrostatic disinfection.

PRIDE Industries was already providing county-wide janitorial services for a variety of Placer County facilities. Since 2008, the company’s highly trained cleaning teams had provided CIMS-GB certified janitorial services for over 728,500 square feet across 53 county buildings, including Placer County libraries and the adult correctional facility. Janitorial services included general and detail cleaning, kitchen cleaning, carpet care, floor maintenance, restroom cleaning, recycling, trash removal, and window washing.

Now that cleaning needed to be taken to a new level.

Solution

The PRIDE Industries cleaning teams were ready for the challenge. Since 2008, these teams had been cleaning county buildings using a mix of proprietary and commercial green cleaning products, and applying the latest disinfection techniques.

To keep these buildings free of coronavirus and other infectious agents, PRIDE Industries implemented new cleaning protocols that increased the cleaning frequency, and used only cleaning products that were shown to kill coronavirus and other dangerous germs. Electrostatic cleaning, in which an electric charge is used to ionize the disinfectant so that it will cling to surfaces, was more widely used than ever. These deep cleaning techniques were used three times a day at 12 county facilities located across an 85-mile stretch of land from Lake Tahoe to Auburn.

Services Provided

  • Trash removal
  • Recycling
  • Kitchen cleaning
  • Floor maintenance
  • Carpet cleaning
  • Restroom services
  • Policing escalators
  • High dusting with lifts
  • Window washing
  • Metal polishing
  • Hospital-grade, aseptic cleaning

Results

During the pandemic, PRIDE Industries workers not only stepped up their cleaning to combat coronavirus, they also successfully tackled several unexpected cleaning assignments.

  • When COVID-19 protocols arrived, it looked like the county would need 12 additional employees to perform the specified disinfecting services, one for each location, which would have raised costs by 35 percent. PRIDE Industries brought in its supervisory team to review all options and was able to adjust work schedules to implement the protocols without hiring additional personnel, keeping costs within budgeted levels.
  • When the county began to remodel its Finance and Administration building, an enormous amount of debris was left behind. The PRIDE Industries team took it in stride. “They arrived to find a filthy, dusty mess in our downstairs office due to all of the furniture being demoed and removed that afternoon,” Placer County Custodial Services Supervisor Danny Reynolds said. “They stepped right up and cleaned, dusted, and vacuumed the area, which I’m sure took them longer than a regular night’s cleaning. I want to thank them for being so positive and helpful in the situation.”
  • A Health and Human Services Administration building faced a similar scene. “We had filled all three of the large recycle trash cans with paper, filled three large trash cans in the break room, and had broken down several boxes of recycled cardboard, filling every trash can in the building,” Reynolds said. “I came in the next morning, and everything was perfect. And they did it all in the pouring rain.”
  • The county’s buildings include 11,975 square feet of public health facilities that require environmental cleaning of treatment rooms, nursing stations, exam rooms, laboratories, restrooms, and administrative areas. PRIDE Industries provides aseptic cleaning of all surfaces, including walls, ceilings, fixtures, floors, beds, trash containers, doors, light fixtures, curtains, dividers, counters, and cabinets.

Highlights

  • A bonus for Placer County is that PRIDE Industries, which is based in the Placer County town of Roseville, specializes in creating jobs for people with disabilities. Hiring local residents with disabilties allows the county to improve the area’s economic and social health while receiving critically important services at a reasonable cost.
  • PRIDE Industries’ innovations include developing proprietary, eco-friendly PRIDEClean® products designed according to the EPA’s Safer Choice program standards. The company’s custodial services and cleaning protocols are all certified to the Cleaning Industry Management Standards for Green Buildings (CIMS-GB), which supports LEED-compliant buildings.
  • Nationwide, PRIDE Industries provides janitorial services for 26 million square feet of facilities, including 3.6 million square feet of LEED-compliant buildings. The company is a recipient of the DEAL Award for Leadership in Sustainability, is ISO 9001 Quality Management System-certified, CIMS-GB- certified by the International Sanitary Supply Association, and is certified by the International Facility Management Association for its Sustainable Facilities Professionals.
Placer County logo

“I came in the next morning, and everything was perfect. And they did it all in the pouring rain.”

—Danny Reynolds, Placer County Custodial Services Supervisor

Services Provided

  • Trash removal
  • Recycling
  • Kitchen cleaning
  • Floor maintenance
  • Carpet cleaning
  • Restroom services
  • Policing escalators
  • High dusting with lifts
  • Window washing
  • Metal polishing
  • Hospital-grade, aseptic cleaning

Highlights

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Looking for an electric vehicle charging station contractor?

You’re not alone.

Search volume for EV charging station contractors has risen steadily over the last year, with about 1,300 searches taking place monthly in the United States.

trends graphic

This uptick reflects a growing demand for EV infrastructure.

But herein lies the problem: As more drivers opt for electric vehicles, a widespread shortage of EV charging stations persists.

Commercial workplaces, as well as local and state-level governments, now find themselves under pressure to increase the number of EV charging stations. They face tight deadlines for delivery.

Urgency to develop EV charging stations exists because:

  • Government mandates on renewable energy have been passed.
  • High gas prices have spurred drivers to consider switching to electric vehicles.
  • Mass EV adoption has begun, with 5 percent of new car sales powered by electricity.

Incredibly, the United States is now on track for 25 percent of new car sales to be electric by 2025.

All of these factors point to a growing demand for electric vehicle charging stations. Rapid implementation requires skilled contractors capable of not just managing, but maintaining installations.

So, how do you go about evaluating the skills of electric vehicle charging station contractors?

We spoke with Jim Schafer, Director of Project and Energy Services at PRIDE Industries.

“If a potential client was asking for advice on installing EV charging stations, my first ask would be: What is the outcome or purpose you’re looking to achieve by installing EV chargers?” Schafer says.

“Is it revenue, convenience, or environmental/legislative? The answer would help determine the advice.”

This approach should frame every conversation about installing electric vehicle charging stations.

From that point, follow these tips for selecting an electric vehicle charging station contractor.

Tip 1: Evaluate Depth of Experience

A shortage of EV charging points poses major challenges for workplaces and communities.

“The amount of EVs to charging stations is unbalanced,” Schafer says. “In some areas, there’s more congestion because there’s not enough EV charging stations to keep up with demand. There’s a big push to get the infrastructure, to get the EV charging points installed. There are local colleges teaching classes on it—that’s how much they’re pushing to get this done.”

Colleges and newly trained professionals can certainly help support this drive. But to augment this labor pool—and to be more confident about delivery timeframes and capabilities—organizations should consider outsourcing their requirements to long-established experts.

“This is a large-scale challenge that requires greater scalability,” Schafer says.

“As a facilities manager, you’ll ideally want to find someone with demonstrable experience of installing EV chargers. You should also look for providers who can advise not just on installation costs, but ongoing maintenance.”

Charging station

Tip 2: Request Detailed EV Charger Costs

Cost can be a complicated topic, but case studies can help.

“Insightful case studies reveal the average use of a charging station, based on cars per parking lot, or number of electric vehicles in the area,” Schafer says. “It’s broken down by average use, and it considers the anticipated cost of electricity.”

Depending on organizational requirements, different cost models can be used.

“The cost of an EV charger includes not just the installation, but ongoing use of the charger,” Schafer says. “For many decisionmakers, a lot of hesitation exists around how much the cost is going to be.”

In some settings, an organization may cover all cost points, including installation and usage. Alternatively, the service could be split between users and providers.

“Some organizations operate EV charging stations as pay sites,” Schafer says. “These use card readers that function like parking meters.”

Public EV Charging

Tip 3: Get Advice on Legislative Targets

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration has proposed new regulations for publicly accessible EV chargers.

“Proposed rules will set strong certification standards for the workers installing, operating, and maintaining electric vehicle chargers, ensuring funds support good-paying, high-quality jobs and chargers are installed by a highly-skilled, professional workforce,” according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

These regulations would support the federal goal of networking 500,000 EV chargers by 2030.

Legislative targets for EV charger installation also exist at state level.

In 2018, the California legislature set a goal for installing 250,000 chargers by 2025.

Known as Executive Order B-48-18, this legislation represents a key step in the quest to significantly reduce California’s greenhouse gas emissions. The state seeks to lower emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels.

Unfortunately, the state has not kept pace with its targets for installing EV chargers.

As of January 2021, California had about 70,000 installations.

Despite plans for an additional 123,000 chargers, the state lags on its goal to install approximately 57,000 more by 2025.  

“As far as California goes, the installation process is really behind the pace required to deliver on this goal,” Schafer says.

“With any piece of legislation, not meeting targets could run the risk of additional funding being lost, penalties being imposed, etc. Public and private organizations should take urgent action to ensure they comply with legislative targets. This is even more critical given that competition for electric vehicle charging station contractors continues to rapidly accelerate.”

Legislating EV regulations

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Want to be more energy-efficient? Our team of facilities management experts can take you through the process. We’ve installed EV charging stations for The Judicial Council of California and numerous surrounding counties in Northern California. Contact us today to learn more.
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“If a potential client was asking for advice on installing EV charging stations, my first ask would be: What is the outcome or purpose you’re looking to achieve by installing EV charger?”

—Jim Schafer, Director of Project and Energy Services, PRIDE Industries