Q3 Department Spotlight: Facilities Department

By Joe Olivieri

As any property manager could tell you, keeping a building running is an ongoing challenge. And what you see isn’t even half of what’s required.

The Facilities Department is responsible for Texas REALTORS® headquarters in downtown Austin. That includes everything from building management and maintenance to assigning parking spaces and assisting with offsite meetings, says Facilities Manager Maurice “Moe” Rodriguez. “Right off the bat, we do access, security, office supplies and purchasing, space management, and tenant services,” he says.

One recent major project was upgrading how employees and tenants access the building. Facilities phased out the old key fobs in favor of a smartphone app and access code. A small change for the end user, but a massive upgrade for Facilities.

One time, Rodriguez got an early morning call asking him to unlock the elevators so the Leadership Team could get in. He opened the doors from his phone while sitting at a red light. Before, he would have had to call in and go through a whole process, he says.

Another recent project was fixing the parking garage gate. Until it worked again, Quincy Jackson, building grounds and maintenance custodian, opened it at 6:15 a.m. every business day.

Did you know that 1115 San Jacinto Boulevard is home to five other commercial tenants besides Texas REALTORS®? Facilities handles their building and maintenance needs as well. One tenant has been here since the building opened in 1989.

Need to make a lot of copies? Ask Facilities. Need to send important information to members through the mail? That’s Facilities, too.

On a typical day, maybe a faucet has stopped working. Perhaps there’s a leak in the ceiling. Someone’s office is too cold or too hot. Someone has parked in the wrong parking space. “If it’s quiet, I get kind of worried,” says Rodriguez, only half kidding.

Facilities interacts with everyone and every department of Texas REALTORS®; Being a people person is an essential part of the job, he says.

“This is probably the best department to work in. I’m a great guy. Quincy’s OK,” Rodriguez jokes, with Jackson sitting next to him. Jackson agrees, calling the department great and having no complaints.

Be sure to say hello to Rodriguez and Jackson when you see them. And even when you don’t—they’re always keeping an eye on things.

Throughout the day, Facilities monitors the camera feeds that watch the parking garage floors. Everyone always looks up at the cameras when they see them. “One time, we happened to go back to the tape, and we see [Professional Development Program Coordinator] David Sotelo walking out for the day,” Jackson says. “And he just looked at the camera and just did a little wave goodbye. Next time I saw him, I said, ‘Did you wave to the camera?’ and he said, ‘You saw that?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah!’”

Off the clock, the members of the Facilities Department enjoy some well-earned relaxation.

Family is everything to Facilities Manager Maurice Rodriguez. He loves to fish, golf, and barbecue. He has three daughters, ages 30, four, and one.

Quincy Jackson, building grounds and maintenance custodian, loves coaching youth football. It brings him balance and peace of mind. Sometimes, when he is frustrated or just not having a good day, one of his players will say something out of nowhere and all he can do is laugh. It makes it fun to go to practice