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Join us on May 13 in celebrating facilities managers around the world as these behind-the-scenes heroes continue to drive excellence across the built environment. World FM Day 2026 recognizes and celebrates the vital work that FM professionals contribute to organizations worldwide, and aims to raise the profile of the FM profession. This year’s theme, “FM: Cultivating Belonging Through Built Environments,” highlights how facility management plays a vital role in creating workplaces and built environments that foster belonging, respect and inclusion for all communities.
World FM Day 2026 activities are encouraged around the world. Spearheaded by Global FM, facilities management organizations on six continents celebrate World FM Day by holding public events such as staff luncheons, panel seminars and workshops, social media chats, client networking events, webinars and more. Visit Global FM’s World FM Day or IFMA’s World FM Day website for resources (such as IFMA's video promo above) and links to FM-related events around the world.
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One NeoCon showroom, three voices: Stinson unites its three textile brands
C.F. Stinson will debut a new 2,300-square-foot showroom at The Mart (Suite #355) during NeoCon 2026, bringing Stinson, Arc-Com and Anzea together under one roof for the first time. Designed by Chicago-based firm Kuchar, the space reflects a cohesive yet flexible approach — uniting three distinct textile brands while allowing each to maintain its own point of view.
The showroom experience begins with a striking, large-scale wallcovering installation that sets the tone for a layered, design-driven environment. Inside, five color-blocked vignettes guide visitors through a series of immersive moments that balance individuality and connection across the brands.
Three of these spaces introduce new textile collections debuting at NeoCon: Fine Line by Stinson explores expressive linearity through texture and movement; Flirtation by Anzea delivers a more intimate, atmospheric perspective with rich color and romantic depth; and Perfectly Imperfect by Arc-Com draws on wabi-sabi principles, celebrating natural variation and tactile nuance.
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How smart restroom design can save facilities thousands annually
In an era of rising labor costs and tightening budgets, the commercial restroom is often a facility’s most scrutinized space. For facility managers, the restroom represents a constant battle between maintaining hygiene, accessibility, and design standards while also controlling operational overhead. Soap dispensers and faucets often top the cost-cutting list.
A benchmarking survey by Cleaning & Maintenance Management revealed that facility managers rank restrooms as the most problematic area to maintain by more than double any other location in a building. When a restroom falls short, the effect on tenant satisfaction and the building’s perceived value is immediate and costly.
Traditional under-counter soap refills are a notorious pain point. They require maintenance staff to physically crawl under sinks and often rely on expensive proprietary cartridges that generate significant plastic waste. However, a shift toward high-efficiency, top-fill systems such as those in the Bobrick Fino Collection proves that facility managers can control costs while upgrading the user experience.
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Breathing with confidence: The shift from assumed safety to proven IAQ
For decades, indoor air quality (IAQ) was treated as an implicit promise. If a building met code, occupants were expected to trust that the air was safe. That assumption of occupant acceptance is fading. Across regions and building types, stakeholders evaluate indoor environments not only on compliance, but on whether air quality can be demonstrated clearly and credibly.
Expectations are evolving in the wake of changing attitudes about health and increased climate disruption. Longer periods spent indoors during colder seasons, coupled with air pollution events and public health crises, have made air quality a more visible concern. Occupants want more proof that the air they breathe is being monitored and managed, rather than relying on assurances or technical standards they cannot see.
Recent perception data highlights this shift. The 2025 Indoor Air Quality Perception Survey of adults across multiple demographics found that trust in indoor environments depends heavily on visibility and reassurance. The findings suggest IAQ is becoming a baseline expectation, similar to clean water or reliable power, rather than a behind-the-scenes technical function.
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It’s still healthcare creating the largest job gains in the U.S.
While economists expected only 65,000 jobs to be added in April, U.S. employers actually added 115,000 positions — despite rising energy costs, the on-again off-again war in Iraq, and other political strains. The unemployment rate stayed at 4.3%, and the number of unemployed people changed little at 7.4 million. Both measures changed little over the year, according to the U.S. BLS.
Healthcare continues to carry the U.S. labor market, adding 37,000 jobs in April, slightly above its 12-month average of 32,000. However, hiring is heavily concentrated in residential and home-based care.
This week’s healthcare FM jobs on the FMLink Job Board represent the need for technical talent:
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Engineering Specialist-Facilities, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
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Director Facility Management, CommonSpirit Health, Oildale, CA
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Facilities Management Director, Health South, Sunrise, FL
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Facilities Management Director, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital, Bangor, ME
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Facility Manager, Healthcare Services Group, Ambler, PA
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Hospital Facilities Manager via JLL, Beckley, WV
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Facilities Medical Center Maintenance/Operations Manager, Univ. of KY, Lexington, KY
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Facilities & Equipment Manager, Thrive Pet Healthcare, Baton Rouge, LA
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Mothers' rooms, healthcare workplaces, flooring and the emotional experience are education topics at NeoCon
By Eileen McMorrow — The McMorrow Reports & FMLink editors will be attending NeoCon’s educational programming (both on-site and virtual) featuring experts sharing the latest strategies, emerging technologies, sustainable practices, and forward-thinking concepts.
NeoCon offers more than 60 AIA- and IDCEC-approved CEU sessions, featuring 150+ thought leaders and industry experts across a wide range of timely topics. Here are sessions of interest to Healthcare FMs and designers:
• Beyond Compliance: Guide to Creating Elevated Mothers’ Rooms
• Designing Healthcare Workplaces Where Staff Thrive
• Got Healthcare Flooring? Let’s Talk Dirt!
• Return on Emotion: Reframing Value in Healthcare Experience
Registration is open, and content for the virtual CEUs becomes available on June 7 and will be available on-demand through December 31. Show registration is free for all attendees, but advance registration is required. Keynotes will be delivered live on-site and will also be available for streaming on NeoCon.com.
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Refrigerated food lockers at Harris Health help patients with food insecurity battle diabetes
New refrigerated food lockers at Harris Health are designed to increase access to healthy food to help patients like Della Harris manage chronic conditions like diabetes. Della, a stroke survivor of three years, has made great strides in her recovery and is now eager to manage her diabetes — a condition she’s had for more than 15 years. In February, she enrolled in the Food Rx program at Harris Health Casa de Amigos Health Center.
Food Rx, a food program designed for people with unmanaged diabetes and food insecurity, combines personalized nutrition education with access to healthy nutritious foods every two weeks — participants receive 30 pounds of fruits, vegetables and proteins. The program includes seven Food Farmacies and three community redemption sites. A team of dietitians and community health workers teach patients about food selection, portion control and food preparation for healthy eating.
A collaboration with the Houston Food Bank and a $500,000 sponsorship grant from Cigna Healthcare covered the cost and operation of the refrigerated food lockers, providing 24-hour access to patients.
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June 8-10: The contract market is Chicago-wide between NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Days
Design Days Chicago, officially Fulton Market Design Days, is set for June 8–10, 2026, with some preview events beginning on Sunday, June 7. The historic warehouses of the West Loop have been transformed into a hub of immersive design across the neighborhood.
The 2026 event is centered on the theme “Where Design Connects,” a collaborative focus shared with NeoCon at The Mart.
Key industry shifts being addressed include:
• The AI Integration in furniture design
• Adaptive and Multi-Generational Spaces
• The “Human Touch” in Industry
The dominant contract brands are Allsteel; Allseating; Carolina, an OFS company; Global; Gunlocke; HermanMiller; HON; Interface; J&J Flooring; KI; Knoll; Kimball; Mohawk Group; OFS; Steelcase; Tarkett; Teknion and more. Registration is required for shuttle access, showroom parties, and official event materials.
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Oct. 17-20: Future-proof strategies for medical campus construction featured at IFHE World Congress
Seven years ago, a mega project might be any multi-facility medical development project over $300 million. “Now,” says Joey Khaled, Vice President of Design Phase Services for McCarthy Building Companies, “$300 million is normal.” Khaled, who is watching $1+ billion construction projects appear more regularly, adds that these projects make sound sense for growing health systems.
Mega-campuses provide valuable insight into how health systems of all sizes can future-proof facilities to meet the needs of changing populations and evolving technology solutions – insight that health systems can apply to projects around the world. McCarthy is among the firms that will bring lessons learned from recent mega-campus projects to the upcoming International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE) World Congress, co-located with the Healthcare Design (HCD) Conference + Expo.
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