CFMS Turns 30 - A Look at Our Founders
May 2022 marks 30 years for CFMS! We are kicking off our celebrations by looking at the dynamic trio that would make CFMS what it is today. Mel James was our original founder in 1992, who added Ed and Wendy to the team in the couple of years that followed, and when Mel retired in 2012 he passed the torch onto them to carry the legacy. Here's a look at the timeline with some background history:
- 1992 Mel James was working for Smith and Andersen and had a vision: to create a company that could help owners and developers organize the building process and give them more control over quality and schedules, and Commissioning and Facilites Management Services (now knows as CFMS) was born. Mel founded the company on one key principle: “Meaningful quality control is only realized through an inclusive team approach.” Our corporate mission statement, “partnering to provide quality control,” comes from that fundamental belief, and it’s a core value every one of our employees focuses on every day.
- 1993 CFMS’ first employee Ed Trueman was hired. Prior to joining CFMS, Ed spent 7 years with Smith and Andersen, involved in all aspects of mechanical consulting, from conceptual to final design, tendering and site supervision, project management and close out. Ed went on to be our leader in LEED, involved in our earliest projects, and a mentor to the CFMS team.
- 1994 Wendy Collins was added to the team, after beginning her career at Tour & Anderson (as a control system engineer, where she was responsible for designing, commissioning and servicing control systems for new construction and retrofit projects) followed by the Toronto District School Board (where she was in charge of programming, troubleshooting and maintaining the building automation systems for over 100 schools). Maybe it’s not surprising with her background school boards have gone on to be some of our biggest clients, and the Simcoe County District School board remains in her portfolio today, as one of our longest standing clients.
Stay tuned for more company highlights as we celebrate 30 years providing independent commissioning services.