ConnexFM exists to give members a competitive advantage in multi-site facilities management.
Every profession has a place where its people come together to learn, grow, and move the industry forward.
Facilities management is no different. The people responsible for keeping multi-site operations running face challenges that require knowledge, specialized resources, and access to a network of professionals committed to keeping their facilities alive.
That’s why facilities management has ConnexFM.
The 90’s were a period of rapid growth for retail chain locations. As retailers like Sears, The Home Depot, Toys ‘R’ Us, Blockbuster, and other companies expanded across the country, the need for professionals dedicated to managing these growing networks of facilities became increasingly important. As the role of the Multi-Site FM continued to grow, so did the need for a place where these professionals could connect, share knowledge, and learn from one another. The resources, education, and industry connections needed to support this evolving profession simply did not exist yet.
That gap led to the creation of PRSM (Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association), the organization that would eventually become ConnexFM. The idea behind PRSM started with a conversation between industry professionals who saw a need that was not being addressed. Bob Barnard, Vice President of National Accounts at Building Air Services, was one of those early voices.
Bob met with another industry leader, Ron Rau, in 1995 during a retail professional tradeshow. The two of them discussed a frustrating conclusion that had dawned on them and many others in facilities management.
“There were no maintenance-related educational tracks. It was all construction and remodeling-related information,” Bob Bernard recalled. “We were both interested in learning about maintenance, the pros and cons of best practices.”
Ron Rau told Bob that he was putting together a group of like-minded individuals who were interested in the maintenance side of the business.
“So, we met at a Blockbuster in Dallas, 30 retailers and 10 vendors, and we decided to organize a nonprofit.”
From that meeting, PRSM was born, and grew into a community built around the unique needs of retail facilities professionals. Over the next 25 years, the organization expanded its education, networking opportunities, and resources to help members navigate the challenges of managing facilities across multiple locations. The industry evolved, and so did PRSM. By 2019, the organization had grown beyond its retail roots and was supporting Multi-Site FMs across industries, including healthcare, food & beverage, finance, education, and more. With this expanded focus, PRSM evolved into ConnexFM: The Multi-Site Facilities Management Network, representing the growing community of professionals responsible for keeping facilities running across North America.
3,200+ individual members active in ConnexFM:
54% are Facilities Management professionals, representing retailers, operators, corporate FM teams, and site-level leaders responsible for managing multi-site portfolios.
43% are supplier partners, providing products, services, and solutions that support the multi-site FM industry.
Dozens of students and educators in our member base, supporting the future pipeline of facilities management talent.
Over 800 member companies
are part of the ConnexFM community, representing a wide range of leading brands, operators, and solution providers across the industry.
Estimated retail footprint represented:
ConnexFM’s retailer members are individuals who have buying power and decision-making authority in their organization. They collectively oversee more than 5,800 store locations in Canada and over 140,000 store locations in the United States, reflecting a significant portion of North America’s multi-site retail environment.
Industries served:
Our membership spans retail, healthcare, food & beverage, finance, education, and other multi-site industries where facilities performance is mission critical.
Supporting communities across the country, Connex Foundation was born as a separate but partnering 501(c)(3) non-profit organization on a mission to provide an avenue to give back to those in need with the help of members and non-members alike. The Connex Foundation raises funds and participates in many of ConnexFM’s events across North America during its IMPACT event in order to assist everyone from endangered children to feeding the less fortunate, and beyond.
