PAISBOA is committed to the professional development of the Plant Managers, who either are the Business Managers or report to them. The Association operates a listserv specifically for plant and facility issues and hosts a bi- monthly lunch and Consortium meeting from October - June.

In 2006 PAISBOA signed an Agreement SchoolDude to obtain a discount on all of their products. School Dude offers a variety of web based software packages that support a wide range of information needs for Plant Managers and Tech Directors. In support of this agreement, for the last two years, PAISBOA has offered scholarships for the tuition to School Dude University , an annual development conference attended by over 800 facility people working in education. In the Spring of 2007, PAISBOA announced an arrangement that will provide a year's free subscription to SchoolDude's Community Direct Program, which makes available a variety of resources to all enrolled members.

For more information about SchoolDude, visit their website www.schooldude.com, or contact our representative Scott Hair at 877-868-3833 or shair@schooldude.com.

Also in 2006 PAISBOA formalized an arrangement with The Stone House Group to provide a range of services to member schools at a discounted rates. Because of their experience in working in and with the facilitiy departments of educational institutions, Stone House has been a valuable partner in our educational efforts, particularly with regard to LEED and Green Building opportunities.

For more information about The Stone House Group, visit their website at www.stonehousegroup.net or contact Larry Eighmy at 610-868-9600 or eighmy@stonehousegroup.net.

PAISBOA is in the early stages of developing a referral directory for Vendors who support the routine and emergency needs of Member schools. The ultimate goal is to provide members with the ability to access both the referral form and the directory/index on the web site and to peruse various contractors based on their trade, name, union status, organization, location, etc.

Initially, information and referrals are being culled from recommendations made on the Plant Manager's listserv and through members of the Steering Committee. Once the system goes onto the web, participation will be expanded, and the listing will be moved to a "Members Only" section of the website.

Upon receiving a referral form, Stone House Group will begin the vetting process for each vendor. The process will include financial information provided by the vendor, a NCAIS and/or DUNS Number, site survey and interview, as needed, and three (3) reference checks. Any restrictions, such as service area or size of job and after-hour emergency repairs will be noted. When the information is converted to a web based database, we will incorporate the ability to capture ongoing feedback about vendor performance by vendors.

To view the PAISBOA Referred Vendor Listing, please log in.

Link to PAISBOA Referral Form

Link to PAISBOA Initial Process Outline