Facility Rockstars

About Facility Rockstars

This is Facility Rockstars! The podcast that celebrates the unsung heroes of our daily lives – facility professionals! I'm your host, Jay Culbert. Join me as we honor these leaders - sharing stories, insights, and expertise that empower us all to learn and grow together. Facility Rockstars is sponsored by Kaloutas, operating the way you operate in order to make your life easier. Learn more at: https://www.kaloutas.com

Publisher

Kaloutas

Category

business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

6 Feb 2024

Latest episode

1 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

135 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   1 Oct 2026

   You’ll Never Stop Firefighting Without the Right Systems with Dean Vieira

   Facilities teams can spend their entire day putting out fires, but without the right systems in place, that cycle never ends. In this episode of Facility Rockstars, host Jay Culbert sits down with Dean Vieira, Facilities Maintenance Manager at CA Design, to talk about his transition from technician to facilities leader and what he has learned about building more proactive, reliable maintenance operations. Dean shares how one team went from roughly 80% reactive maintenance to 80% proactive and preventive maintenance, why tracking the work was a critical first step, and how consistency helped make the change stick. Dean also explains why technical expertise alone isn't enough when you move into leadership. He discusses learning to view problems through a business lens, earning management's trust by delivering on promises, getting teams to embrace new systems, and protecting yourself from burnout in a career that rarely fits neatly into traditional working hours. Takeaways: Stop accepting firefighting as the norm. Without systems and processes in place, reactive maintenance will continue consuming the team's time. Track before you try to improve. Dean's team used maintenance software to understand what they were actually doing and identify recurring failures that could become preventive tasks. Facilities leaders have to think beyond the repair. Moving from technician to manager required Dean to consider production value, priorities, downtime, and the overall needs of the business. You don't need to use every feature of your CMMS. Dean's team eventually identified the functions that mattered most and focused on consistently using those instead of trying to do everything. Consistency creates lasting change. Dean describes persistence, rather than demanding immediate compliance, as one of his most effective approaches to changing behavior. Trust gives your ideas more runway. When leadership knows you deliver on what you promise, they're more likely to listen when you bring them difficult news or ask for additional resources. Protect yourself from burnout. Facilities work often means weekends, off-hours calls, and interrupted vacations, making the ability to switch off especially important. Quote of the Show: “If you don't put systems in place, you will never stop firefighting.” Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-vieira-cfm-60891abb/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-vieira-cfm-60891abb/) Website: https://c-a-design.com/ (https://c-a-design.com/)

2. 

   24 Sept 2026

   When 70,000 People Show Up, Everything Has to Work with Andrew MacFadyen

   Facilities work often goes unnoticed when everything is running smoothly. In this episode of Facility Rockstars, host Jay Culbert sits down with Andrew MacFadyen, Regional Vice President of Engineering at UG2, to discuss the lessons he’s learned over more than two decades in facilities, including his experience at some of New England’s most recognizable sports and entertainment venues. Andrew shares stories from major projects at Gillette Stadium and TD Garden, along with his approach to leadership built on honesty, empathy, and communication. He also discusses how AI is helping him work more efficiently, why human judgment still matters, and the importance of hands-on experience and strong relationships in facilities. Takeaways: Facilities success often happens behind the scenes. Andrew compares facilities professionals to offensive linemen and a duck swimming across the water: everything may look effortless from the outside, while an incredible amount of work is happening underneath. Trust starts with how you treat people. Andrew’s biggest leadership lesson is simple: treat others the way you want to be treated. Honesty, empathy, and transparency can create a strong foundation for relationships with employees and customers. Emotional intelligence changes how you communicate. Transparency does not mean communicating with everyone in exactly the same way. Strong leaders learn to read the room and understand what to say, when to say it, and who needs to hear it. Preparation needs contingency plans. During a major TD Garden renovation, Andrew’s team balanced construction with an active event schedule. Success required constant communication between stakeholders and backup plans for when materials, schedules, or other variables changed. Facilities can shape the customer experience. Facility teams cannot control what happens on the field, court, or ice, but they can control the environment around it. Cleanliness, comfort, security, food service, and reliable building operations all contribute to the experience. AI works best as a tool, not a replacement for judgment. Andrew has found value in using AI for difficult communications, SOP development, reporting, data analysis, and troubleshooting, while still emphasizing the importance of human oversight. The trades need the next generation. With an aging workforce, Andrew sees significant opportunity for young professionals willing to learn technical skills, ask questions, and gain hands-on experience. Build your network before you need it. Looking back, Andrew wishes he had invested more time earlier in his career attending conferences, continuing his education, and developing industry relationships. In facilities, the person who can help solve your next challenge may only be a phone call away. Quote of the Show: “Stay true to who you are and continue to treat others the way you want to be treated.” Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-macfadyen-391b494/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-macfadyen-391b494/) Email: andrew_macfayden@yahoo.com (mailto:andrew_macfayden@yahoo.com) Website: https://ug2.com/ (https://ug2.com/)

3. 

   17 Sept 2026

   When Things Go Wrong: How Facility Leaders Rise to the Challenge

   Every facilities professional has a story about the moment when things didn't go according to plan. In this special compilation episode of Facility Rockstars, we're revisiting conversations with Robert “Bob” Mack, Director of Facilities and Laboratory Operations at Korro Bio; Andrew DelPrete, Senior Facility Manager at Liberty Mutual Insurance and former President of IFMA Boston; Mark Netherton, Maintenance Manager at Grower Direct Farms; Carrie Battafarano, formerly Maintenance Manager at Nouria and now Business Development Manager at A-PRIME; Jeff Chierepko, Vice President of Global Facilities Management, Construction, CRE & EHS at SIG Sauer; Derek Earp, formerly Facilities Manager at UG2; and Jeff Beaudry, Regional Facilities Director at Appleton Corporation. Together, they share some of the toughest challenges they've faced throughout their careers and what it took to work through them. From a devastating facility fire and high-stakes safety incidents to troubled construction projects, vendor communication breakdowns, transitioning into management, and developing the next generation of leaders, these stories show just how much can land on the shoulders of a facilities professional. More importantly, they reveal what happens next. You'll hear how preparation can make the difference when an emergency strikes, why communication and trusted relationships matter when solving problems, and why sometimes the biggest leadership challenge is resisting the urge to do everything yourself. Takeaways: Preparation shows its value when something goes wrong. Training, procedures, and strong safety programs give teams something to fall back on when they're faced with an unexpected incident. A strong team can make an enormous difference during a crisis. One facilities team went from losing power, water, technology, and major portions of its operation in a fire to restoring essential systems within days. Direct communication can prevent small problems from becoming recurring ones. When information has to pass through multiple vendors, the original expectations can easily get lost. Get the right people in the room. Construction, design, facilities, and project teams working in separate "pods" can create unnecessary meetings and slow down decision-making. Not every meeting needs to be an hour. Focused conversations with the people who can actually make decisions can keep projects moving. Doing it yourself isn't always good leadership. Taking the time to teach, delegate, and let others take ownership is essential for developing a team that can operate without relying on one person. Developing leaders requires continued support. Promoting talented people is only the beginning. Leaders need to stay engaged, check in, and help the people around them grow. Challenges become experience you can use later. The lessons learned from past mistakes and difficult situations can make teams better prepared for whatever comes next. Quote of the Show: “It’s the best way to learn is making mistakes, and I’ve made, like, all of them.” — Jeff Chierepko Links: Mark Netherton LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marknetherton2/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/marknetherton2/) Email: manetherton@gmail.com (mailto:manetherton@gmail.com) Derek Earp LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekearp/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekearp/) Carrie Battafarano LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-battafarano-82ab3a59/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-battafarano-82ab3a59/) Email: cbattafarano@nouria.com (mailto:cbattafarano@nouria.com) Jeff Chierepko LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-chierepko-2126964b/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-chierepko-2126964b/) Bob Mack LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmack9/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmack9/) Andrew DelPrete LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-delprete-a2b5807a/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-delprete-a2b5807a/) Jeff Beaudry LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-beaudry-a132b311a/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-beaudry-a132b311a/) Email: jbeaudry@oconnells.com (mailto:jbeaudry@oconnells.com)

Who has been a guest on Facility Rockstars

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Agata Gojzewska
• Tim Roddick
• Emily Giannola
• Eric Beissner
• Frank Rhodes II

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

13 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 63 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

98

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

71

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.