The site provides information about the company’s various initiatives, including ethics, diversity and the environment, presented in an interactive format.

“On this new website, we are proud to showcase a wide range of sustainability initiatives that not only contribute to our social and environmental goals, but also have a meaningful impact on our economic sustainability,” said Neil Austrian, CEO, Office Depot.

 via Chain Store Age

To learn more about the DLH Foundation, or to donate and help their cause, please visit their website.

From all of us here at Big Sky, thank you!

Lucky for us, Big Sky is on the winning end of that equation. It was no fluke that this was our busiest show ever. By sticking to our guns, and following our plan to develop world class software year after year, we have been able to bring new and unique solutions to our industry’s oldest and toughest problems.

We decided that the best way to demonstrate our product is to put it into the hands of Facility Managers and let them try it out for themselves. If our app isn’t intuitive enough to pick up and use on your first time around, than it doesn’t deserve to be in your hands in the first place. We received amazing feedback from over 100 retailers, and even got some new ideas and inspiration from some RFMP’s and forward thinkers alike.

As busy as we were, I know that we weren’t able to talk to everyone for as long as we would have liked. If you would like to learn more, we invite you to contact us and schedule a demo. We enjoy learning about how you work, and what ideas you have to better Retail Facility Maintenance Management as a whole.

The response received from retailers was overwhelmingly positive, and we look forward to speaking with those of you interested in learning more.

In case you forgot, Big Sky provides a facility management application used by retail managers, facility managers and contractors to manage reactive and scheduled maintenance.

Our new mobile application allows your retail team to access critical information, no matter where they are. From store surveys to GPS check-in, Big Sky is bringing you the best that technology has to offer.

 For our Twitter followers, we will be using the #PRSM2013 tag for all related posts.

Come by and visit us at Booth 318, where we will be giving away an iPad mini™.

About PRSM2013

The PRSM 2013 National Convention is a convention and trade show that focuses on Retail Facility Maintenance. There is a great lineup of speakers and session tracks on team success, sustainability, technical operations, professional development and more.

If you are a retailer and would like to join us at the show, please contact us for complimentary day passes.

Location:

Omni Hotel and Convention Center
555 South Lamar Street
Dallas, TX 75202

Exhibition Hours:

Thursday, April 4th from 9:00am – 12:00pm and 4:30pm – 6:00pm
Friday, April 5th from 10:00am – 1:00pm

About PRSM

The Professional Retail Store Maintenance (PRSM) Association is focused on the needs of retail facilities professionals.  Take a look around  the website and don’t forget to log in to the members-only section to get the most out of your experience!

The level of energy that was on display in the exhibit hall was like no other. We received great feedback and excitement from attendees as we demonstrated our web application suite, and a sneak preview at the new mobile app set to land later this year. More and more restauranteurs are understanding the importance of implementing a CMMS that responds to their needs, and can help them work more effectively and efficiently. It is clear that the time is now to start capturing, tracking, resolving and measuring all facility and asset maintenance issues.

All in all, this was an outstanding show for Big Sky. What made this such a great show? It wasn’t just one thing, but a culmination of several factors and efforts that resulted in an increased awareness of our company, product and services.

1. Last year, we started talking with the RFMA staff and the editor of Facilitator about contributing to their magazine. These talks resulted in an informative article about mobile technologies emerging in the facility management field. This article was featured in the conference issue of the magazine and was an introduction for many to the solutions that we offer.
2. This year’s conference included a session focused on CMMS solutions, and featured a panel of prominent restauranteurs, each using a different CMMS solution. Heidi Barron of Peet’s Coffee and Tea represented Big Sky and she focused on various aspects of the system that her team utilizes on a daily basis, including: ad-hoc reporting, the mobile interface, after hours alerts, and troubleshooting. Since this was only our second year at RFMA, this session served as a great introduction for us, and resulted in noticeable increase in booth visits afterwards.
3. We gave away a free iPad mini™! Congratulations to Abraham Mathew of Panda Restaurant Group. Abraham was selected at random from more than 80 contestants! When we decided to have a contest at our booth, we wanted to make it a little different, so instead of simply collecting business cards, or playing a game, contestants had to use our mobile app and create a work request to enter the contest. The response we received from contestants was overwhelming, and we couldn’t have asked for a better turn out.

Thank you RFMA staff, for planning and executing a wonderful event, and thank you attendees, for your interest, participation and willingness to reach out and connect with vendors like Big Sky.

See you next year in Dallas for RFMA 2014!

BOCA RATON, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE:ODP), a leading global provider of office supplies and services, today announced that it has been recognized with a Climate Leadership Goal Achievement Award for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Center for Corporate Climate Leadership, the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO), the Center for Climate & Energy Solutions (C2ES), and The Climate Registry (The Registry).

Read more on Business Wire

We are truly sorry to those who didn’t win. We wish we had an iPad mini for everyone! Remember, there’s no reason to sulk or be upset. Look on the bright side, you got a sneak peak at the premier facility management software solution! Cloud based facility and asset management software that you can access from your phone, tablet, computer or email, and you saw it first at RFMA 2013! So tell your co-workers, your friends, your spouse, your kids! Big Sky is building exciting new tools, aimed at making the facility management industry more efficient, economic and exciting through ground breaking technologies.

If you talked to us at the show about scheduling a demo, we will be in touch soon. If you left our booth wanting to know more, but just didn’t know how to ask, don’t fret. You can call, email, fax, shout or sky write, and we’ll be there to answer.

Technology news and features have focused on mobile devices and their applications for the last few years. The rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets has surpassed even manufacturers’ expectations, and the rapid advancement of mobile technologies far exceeds that of any other computing platform, such as laptop or desktop computers.

Many restaurant chains are providing mobile applications and websites to their customers, and are working with top mobile application developers such as Yelp, Foursquare and Urbanspoon to help promote their brands. Popular features include customer reviews, online menus, ordering and even the ability to pay for your meal using your smartphone.

Mobile devices and applications present some key opportunities for restaurant facility and asset management. Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) generally support the entire maintenance team, including restaurant, district, regional and facility managers as well as their contractors and vendors. Each of these users can benefit by using a mobile device to access their CMMS.

A Natural Fit

Restaurant managers are generally very busy, and when they notice an issue that needs to be reported, having to retreat to the office to create a new work request is a hassle and can add unnecessary delays. A mobile management application reduces the amount of time required to submit
a request, and can assist the manager in providing a more accurate and complete description of the problem.

For example, if a refrigeration unit is not working properly, a store manager can launch
the mobile app and start creating a request by scanning the asset tag barcode on the side of the unit. The app can find the asset record in the CMMS and prefill the request form with the store number, asset number, trade and any additional information. By knowing the type of asset, the application can then present a series of troubleshooting questions related to the refrigerator. After answering a few short questions, the store manager can complete and submit the request, or the problem may even be resolved without the need to create a request.

Some types of requests may require a photograph of the issue. A mobile app can initiate the camera feature on smartphones and tablets and upload the photo during the request creation process.

Additional Perks

Facility managers are usually tasked with visiting restaurants to survey the general condition of the facility and its assets. A site survey feature included in a mobile app could be used to walk the facility manager through that process. If problems are found, new requests are created immediately, and pertinent store information such as floor plans and equipment manuals are readily available. Additionally, any open issues for that location are displayed in the mobile app, and both the facility manager and store manager have all of the information they need to complete the survey.

When a high priority or emergency occurs at a restaurant, it is very important that the manager gets the help he or she needs quickly. Traditionally, companies have used a call center or answering service to handle afterhour emergencies. Mobile technologies are now being employed to automatically inform facility managers quickly using escalating text messaging or even an outbound Interactive
Voice Response (IVR) generated phone call. Facility managers can then use their mobile app to create a new work order and send it to a contractor for immediate action.

Contractors can also make extensive use of a mobile management app while performing scheduled maintenance or making repairs. Checking in and out using the GPS feature built into smartphones and tablets can take the place of IVR applications and provide theaccountability required by many restaurants. In addition, barcodes can be scanned to identify the assets being repaired or maintained, ensuring that all activities and costs associated with the asset are being tracked. Better yet, details about the asset such as warranty information, repair manuals and preventative maintenance schedules can be made available.

The mobile device’s camera can also be used to take before-and-after pictures of repair work. Making use of a mobile app to document contractor visits can greatly reduce the time required by the contractor for documentation, which in turn reduces overall cost. Another trend that is gaining popularity is the replacement of laptop computers with tablets for field users, such as district managers. Although the primary motivation is to save money, this can only be accomplished if these users have the tools they need to complete all of their tasks. This includes fast and reliable access to the company’s CMMS.

As the popularity of mobile devices and apps continues to grow, mobile access to CMMS will not only be a cool feature, but will be a firm requirement.

A Side Note: Mobile Apps vs. Mobile Web Applications

One of the first decisions application developers must make when creating a new mobile application is whether to create a mobile app that is downloaded or a Web application that is accessed through a mobile browser. Although both methodologies can result in a great application, there are pros and cons with each.

Once a mobile app has been downloaded and installed, it can be very easy to use. Just clicking the icon will start the application. Accessing a mobile website can require a bit more work initially, but once the site has been bookmarked, it can also be accessed easily. A shortcut can even be created and added to the device desktop. Some manufacturers, such as Apple, require users to download applications from their app store. Although the development and deployment process is not difficult for software developers, the application does need to be reviewed, and, in some cases, changed before it can be made available to the general public. This can present delays when an application update is necessary.

Mobile Web applications work across mobile devices of all brands, while mobile apps are required for each type of device such as Google Android, Apple iPhones and iPads, Microsoft Mobile Windows or Blackberry. This can result in a significant development effort by application developers.

One clear advantage mobile apps have over mobile Web applications is that all hardware devices within the phone are available to be used in the app. This is not yet the case with mobile browsers, although consistent access to GPS and camera features from within the mobile browser is promised in the future.