Allen Masters, Assistant Vice President at Daytona State College, shares his journey from material-handling engineering and distribution-centre operations to managing a seven-location college portfolio spanning roughly two million square feet. Allen discusses the challenges of recruiting skilled trades, maintaining aging facilities, improving asset data, and making smarter decisions about space and capital investment. He also shares how his team is exploring autonomous equipment and using AI as a practical starting point for early project estimates and design concepts.

In this bonus episode, Lalit Agarwal shares his journey from mechanical engineering into leadership roles in higher education facilities, and now as President and CEO of APPA. With a broad view of the industry, he discusses the challenges institutions face today, including workforce shortages, changing enrollment, and the need to use space and infrastructure more effectively. Lalit offers insight into how organizations can shift their thinking and treat facilities as strategic assets that support long-term success.

John Caddy brings a procurement-focused perspective to asset management through his work with Sourcewell. Supporting public agencies across North America, he helps connect procurement strategies with the operational needs of facilities and infrastructure teams. John shares insights on the growing role of cooperative procurement, how organizations can navigate complex purchasing decisions, and why strong processes are essential to turning plans into action.

Russ Katherman reflects on a career in facilities and asset management and the evolution of the field. From reactive maintenance to more strategic, data-driven decision-making, Russ shares lessons learned over time and insights on balancing budgets, priorities, and long-term planning. His perspective highlights how asset management continues to grow as a key driver of smarter, more sustainable decisions.

Jim Stephens brings an engineering and manufacturing background into his work in higher education facilities. Now focused on connecting systems and people, he works to ensure asset data supports better decision-making. Jim shares insights on workforce challenges, integrating CMMS and financial systems, and how automation and emerging technologies can help organizations get more value from their data.

Gregg Clarke leads asset management for a large portfolio of facilities at the University of Florida, where campus infrastructure operates at the scale of a small city. Starting his career in the trades, Gregg has grown into leadership roles focused on long-term planning and renewal. He shares insights on managing facilities at scale, developing the workforce, and using data and technology to shift from reactive maintenance to a more strategic approach.

Ron Drummond’s career in asset management spans contracting, consulting, and leadership roles across healthcare facilities. Working in hospital environments where uptime is critical, he manages infrastructure that must perform around the clock. Ron shares insights on maintaining aging assets in high-risk settings, navigating workforce and energy challenges, and exploring the role of predictive maintenance and AI in improving reliability.

Mary Quintana and Scott Johnstone from Brock University share how they’re tackling complex campus infrastructure challenges through collaboration and innovation. Facing aging facilities, sustainability goals, and constrained budgets, their team has explored solutions like district energy systems and creative financing models. In this episode, they discuss how leadership, alignment, and practical thinking can turn long-term infrastructure challenges into achievable outcomes.

Stephanie MacKenzie’s career in asset management spans public infrastructure, planning, and leadership. Working at the intersection of strategy and operations, she has helped organizations make more informed, long-term decisions about the spaces people depend on every day. Stephanie shares insights on collaboration, the value of thoughtful planning, and why effective asset management is ultimately about aligning people, data, and purpose.

Stacy Watters brings a public sector lens to asset management as the State Engineer for South Dakota. With a background in physics and civil engineering, she now oversees a broad portfolio of government infrastructure projects. Stacy shares insights on managing large programs with limited resources, building a single source of truth for project data, and the role of transparency and leadership in public infrastructure.