Facilities Unfiltered - The Built Reality

In the finale of our AI Across the Lifecycle series, Josh and Nic sit down with AkitaBox product expert Dan Cooper to cut through the noise around “AI-enabled” facility management software. With AI suddenly everywhere—from IFMA show floors to CMMS feature lists—the team unpacks a crucial reality: not all AI is created equal, and a bolt-on chatbot that summarizes work orders is a very different animal than AI that’s trained for facilities and built directly into your workflows. You’ll hear what “trained” vs. “untrained” AI really means in practice, why most FM data sets degrade the moment they’re delivered, and how AI-native systems can help close the gap by writing data, flagging missing fields, and focusing teams on the few changes that actually matter. They also share a simple set of questions owners should ask any vendor claiming AI capabilities—plus a look at the bigger prize: moving from stale point-in-time assessments to “living data” and predictive signals that can trigger diagnostics before failures happen. Chapters (00:02:56) - Training AI vs Untrained AI(00:10:19) - Maintain Your Data: Will I Die on the Hill?(00:15:46) - Is AI Worth the Investment in Your Data?(00:23:32) - How AI Can Help You Manage the Heat

Capital planning has always asked facilities teams to “predict the future” with tools that weren’t built to be maintained—binders, spreadsheets, PDFs, and one-time assessments that quickly go stale. In this installment of the AI Across the Lifecycle series, Josh Lowe and Nic Guedenet get candid about why traditional lifecycle costing models erode trust (when the model says four panels but the building has 22) and why the real bottleneck isn’t technology—it’s culture, workflow, and how consistently teams capture the right data. They dig into what AI can actually change when the fundamentals are in place: more realistic, variable-aware cost forecasting (labor type, prevailing wage impacts, permitting, rigging, disposal, contingencies), continuously updating ROM estimates that reflect market shifts, and scenario planning that helps leaders understand the true cost of underfunding. Along the way, they unpack practical steps you can take now—even in an “old crappy system”—from tying work to the actual asset, to building a site-specific useful life table, to tapping purchasing history, so you’re not waiting for a “magic button” to start getting better outcomes.

In this AI Across the Lifecycle Series installment, Josh Lowe and Nic Guedenet unpack where AI can genuinely help PM teams right now: accelerating calendar-based schedules by pulling from trusted sources like manufacturer O&M manuals and industry standards, while avoiding the “bad data faster” trap that comes from poorly constrained tools and questionable inputs. From there, the conversation moves into the real-world complexity: how to balance manufacturer-prescriptive recommendations with what’s actually worth the squeeze, how to rethink “preventive vs. reactive” KPIs in a world of sensors and BMS alarms, and why the biggest opportunity may be AI acting as the brain layer—prioritizing work when staffing and time are constrained. They also dig into practical, high-impact possibilities like dynamically adjusting PM plans when staffing changes, bundling tasks when a tech is already on-site, and using AI to reinforce safety procedures and SOPs so efficiency never comes at the expense of people. Chapters (00:00:06) - Unfiltered: The Built Reality(00:00:33) - What Do We Need For AI in Preventative Maintenance?(00:07:18) - Reactive PMs: Is the AI Good for Business?(00:13:53) - Preventative Maintenance: Culture Shift(00:21:19) - Is AI Integrating With BMS Systems?(00:28:14) - A Week in the AI Wars

AI promises to help facilities teams do more with less—but only if the foundation is solid. In this second episode of the AI Across the Lifecycle series, Josh and Nic sit down with AkitaBox Director of Product Geoff Baron to unpack the unglamorous (and absolutely essential) reality behind successful AI in the built environment: data collection, structure, and cleanliness. From “garbage in, garbage out” to why AI will confidently fill gaps when your data model is broken, they break down what facilities leaders should do before they ever “push the go button.” You’ll hear practical perspective on why so many AI projects miss expectations, how to think about AI as an “exoskeleton” rather than a replacement for human judgment, and where early wins can show up once your data is in shape. If you’re curious about AI but wary of hype, privacy concerns, or messy reality on the ground, this episode maps the path from hesitation to readiness—without pretending the hard parts don’t exist. Chapters (00:00:05) - Facilities Unfiltered: The Built Environment(00:08:19) - What's the Next Quagmire for AI in Business?(00:12:45) - What Should FMs Expect From AI?(00:18:22) - What are the Easy Wins for AI in the Data Industry?(00:23:10) - A Week in the Life of AI

AI is everywhere in facility management right now—but hype doesn’t equal reality. In the kickoff of our “AI Across the Lifecycle” series, Josh Lowe and Nic Guedenet cut through the buzzwords to talk about what AI can’t do in FM, and why that matters if you’re trying to adopt it without wasting time, budget, or trust. They unpack the rapid acceleration of AI adoption, why so many AI projects still fall short, and the biggest constraints most teams run into—starting with foundational data. You’ll also hear why AI can’t “walk the floor,” can’t replace relationships and on-the-ground judgment, and struggles with truly novel facility problems. The takeaway: AI isn’t a magic button, but it is a powerful force multiplier—especially for understaffed, underfunded teams—if you start small, pick a use case, prove value, and keep building momentum.

What does a Navy public works officer’s toolkit—whiteboards, logbooks, and mission-first decision making—teach us about the future of facility management? In this episode of Facilities Unfiltered - The Built Reality, Josh and Nic sit down with Kris Stoddard, CEO of GoldenWolf, to trace her path from military installations to global operations and unpack how FM has evolved from institutional knowledge and reactive “firefighting” into a data-driven discipline. Kris shares hard-earned lessons on why technology alone won’t fix a reactive maintenance culture (it only amplifies what’s already there), how to define and defend “mission critical” in the face of competing priorities, and why owners keep “admiring the backlog” instead of building a sustainable program. They also look ahead to what’s next—interoperability, resiliency and climate frameworks, human-centric operations, smarter buildings, and the promise (and data overwhelm) of sensors and digital twins—ending with practical career advice for the next generation. Chapters (00:00:05) - Facilities Unfiltered(00:00:53) - Golden Wolf CEO on the Need for Predictive Maintenance(00:07:41) - What Is the Military Facility Management Different Than Private Sector Facilities?(00:10:31) - Planning for the Future: The Role of Technology in Organizations(00:16:33) - Facility Management Standards for the Future(00:21:33) - Facilities Management Lecture

You want an FCA. But have you asked yourself why? Josh and Nic are joined by Brian Carlin from Partner Engineering — a mechanical engineer with 20 years and 10 million square feet of building assessments behind him. Together, they dig into the gap between what owners think they're buying and what they actually need, why chasing blanket accuracy misses the point, and what really determines whether an FCA delivers value or just another binder for the shelf. Plus: the awkward reality of being escorted through a building by someone who'd rather be doing literally anything else — and how to change that dynamic. Facilities Unfiltered is sponsored by AkitaBox.

Ever wonder why a building that hasn't been touched in five years suddenly looks better on paper in a new assessment? Spoiler: it's not magic—it's a strategy problem. In this episode of Facilities Unfiltered the Built Reality, hosts Josh Lowe and Nic Guedenet dig into the messy reality of facility condition assessments and why having data isn't the same as having a plan. They break down what happens when different firms use different methodologies, why owners shouldn't just hand the keys to the professionals and hope for the best, and the uncomfortable truth that even your data needs maintenance. From scoring inconsistencies to the chaos of competitive bidding, Josh and Nic explore the gap between expectations and reality—and why establishing your own prioritization standards might be the smartest move you make. Whether you're preparing for a referendum, managing a portfolio, or just trying to make sense of conflicting reports, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone who wants their facility data to actually mean something. Stop fighting the fires and start managing the heat. Chapters (00:00:00) - Facilities Unfiltered: Data, Strategy and Condition Assessment(00:05:00) - The Need for a Standardization of Infrastructure Priorities(00:12:08) - On Maintenance & Budgeting

When your irrigation system turns an athletic field into a mud pit, your janitorial team becomes collateral damage. In this episode of Facilities Unfiltered, hosts Josh Lowe and Nic Guedenet sit down with Dave Scroggins, a 15-year facilities veteran who manages 250,000 square feet across two San Francisco Bay Area sites for Cushman and Wakefield. Dave shares war stories about chasing leaks with 20-year-old as-builts (spoiler: it's not fun), explains why clean is both subjective AND objective, and makes a compelling case for being a soft services person in a hard services world. Plus, the team tackles AI's role in facilities—from tracking occupancy to writing better surveys that people might actually fill out. Because let's be honest, nobody wants another open complaint box. Don't Miss These Key Moments: How poor data management creates cascading problems across hard and soft services The art of communicating with everyone from the C-suite to the custodial crew Making the case for prioritizing conference room AV upgrades with usage data Why Dave wipes down the sink every single time (and why you should too) Stop fighting fires and start managing the heat.

Capital planning sounds great on paper—data-driven forecasts, estimated useful life calculations, and impressive spreadsheets for the board. But what happens when theory meets reality? In this episode, Josh and Nic dig into the messy truth behind facility condition assessments and why that 20-year EUL on your chiller might be more fiction than forecast. From a 45-year-old furnace that literally caught fire during operations to a zombie chiller that finally died the day after the budget was spent elsewhere, they share real-world horror stories that illustrate why blind faith in estimated useful life can backfire spectacularly. They explore why older equipment was often over-engineered to last forever (and still running in some cases), while newer systems are precisely engineered to the point of being almost under-engineered. The takeaway? Capital forecasting isn't about predicting the future—it's about being prepared for the inevitable. You can't control when that chiller dies, but you can control whether you're surprised by it. Stop fighting fires and start managing the heat. Facilities Unfiltered is sponsored by AkitaBox. Chapters (00:00:00) - Facilities Unfiltered: When Will a Chiller Die?(00:06:32) - Uplead Life Cycle Certification(00:09:28) - Common Cost-benefit calculations in capital planning(00:14:03) - Capital Forecasting: The Process

Run to Fail: Oversight or Strategy? Is Run-to-fail a failure of planning or a smart, resource-driven choice? Nic and Josh debate the controversial practice of letting equipment run until it breaks, tackling how to strike the right balance by focusing on asset criticality, staffing realities, and the power of data. 

Why 'Value Engineering' is Creating Your Future Maintenance Nightmare In this episode, we dive into the dirty secret of value engineering—how cutting corners in capital expenditure creates future operational debt—and why facility managers are constantly left holding the work orders. More importantly, we outline the FM's Survival Guide to fighting back: how to demand a seat at the table, calculate the true total cost of ownership, build your own specifications playbook, and weaponize your maintenance data to prevent maintenance nightmares before they're ever installed. Chapters (00:00:06) - Unfiltered: The Built Reality Podcast(00:00:31) - The VE Hangover...(00:08:26) - Teak

Meet Facilities Unfiltered - The Built Reality What does "best practice" facility management actually look like—and why does it rarely match reality? In this podcast, meet Josh Lowe and Nic Guedenet as they introduce the theme of this podcast. We'll give you a hint: there's a gap between the FM lifecycle as it's taught in textbooks and how it actually plays out on the ground. Join us for candid discussions about how emerging technologies and smarter practices can help bridge the gap between FM theory and FM reality—before it's too late.