{"557361":{"#nid":"557361","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Willa Chatman Goes Beyond Green","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EWhen you have finished reading this paper, please recycle it \u2014 if not for the planet, then for Building Services Operations Manager Willa Chatman.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EChatman is on a personal and professional mission to reduce paper usage \u2014 and that\u2019s above and beyond her dedication to Georgia Tech\u2019s green cleaning program. \u201cI talk green all the time to everybody,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EChatman is quick to stress that she is not a one-person crusade. \u201cThere are some people who are better, and everyone in our group has a hand in preserving the environment \u2014 it\u2019s not just my ideas,\u201d she said. Still, she is on the alert for any lapses.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cThe best way to get in trouble with me is for me to open a closet and find something that is not department-issued,\u201d she said. \u201cThose who were kind enough to bestow awards on us can withdraw them just by somebody doing the wrong thing.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EIn 2016, Tech joined five other higher education institutions in the nation to have earned the Green Seal Standard for Cleaning Services, and the campus has also earned the Grand Award in Green Cleaning for Schools and Universities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EOne of the new cleaning methods Chatman swears by is an \u201cionator,\u201d which electrifies water so that, when applied to a surface, it breaks down dirt and germ molecules and wipes up without leaving a residue.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cThat actually makes the custodian\u2019s job easier,\u201d Chatman said. \u201cWhen you use something that has a soapy residue, it attracts dirt. Also, like on our chrome elevators, all that greasy stuff used to require a lot of rubbing to make it look good.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EChatman had to learn about these new ways of tidying up just like her custodial staff, but no worries \u2014 she is always up for learning new things. In the 11 years she has been at Georgia Tech, she has taken well over 50 classes \u2014 seminars, workshops, Lunch \u0026amp; Learns, etc. \u2014 often on her own time and her own dime.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EShe has a big stack of certificates on topics ranging from crime prevention, to management, to defensive driving, to \u201cSurvival Spanish.\u201d Most of these she keeps in a file folder, but the bookshelf in her office displays one in particular: her paper for CERT \u2014 Campus Emergency Response Team training.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cOnce you become a CERT you can become a student at FEMA,\u201d Chatman pointed out. \u201cI\u2019m currently a student at FEMA online. You never know when there\u2019s going to be a disaster and you\u2019re going to need to help somebody.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EChatman paid her dues for many years, working first the swing shift, then the night shift, but since 2014, her typical day has started at 6:15 a.m. She meets with a supervisor from the previous shift to find out if there are any situations she needs to address, then goes on to manage and schedule staff as well as check on buildings and equipment to make sure \u201cthings are as they should be.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EOf course, not every day is typical. The Georgia Tech Police Department has her number and has used it to summon her after hours for messes that could affect campus safety, such as icy patches and water leaks. She\u2019ll also pitch in when special events call for more hands on deck. After a recent wedding in the Klaus Advanced Computing Building, for instance, she went over and helped clean.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cI\u2019ll do a run in a heartbeat if it\u2019s necessary,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EChatman\u2019s favorite part of her job is quality control. \u201cKnowing it\u2019s done so well that the customer recognizes it \u2014 that\u2019s really when I\u2019m so happy,\u201d she said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EHer least favorite part is having to let someone go, but that\u2019s rare, especially considering she manages around 100 employees. She credits HR for sending over people who share her passion for excellence. \u201cIt\u2019s like they know when they look at the applications that this person has that Tech way,\u201d she said. \u201cOccasionally, someone won\u2019t work out, but they\u2019ll leave here on their own, usually. They don\u2019t want all the dedication and goodness you see at Tech.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThere is one place, apparently, where Chatman will tolerate a mess. When she\u2019s \u003Cbr \/\u003E not working or engaged in lifelong learning, she likes to shop for treasures at yard sales, then turn them for a profit. \u201cI have taken over a room in my house with e-Bay stuff,\u201d she said. \u201cMy husband\u2019s like, don\u2019t bring anything else in here! But it\u2019s only in my possession for a moment.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EChatman is on a personal and professional mission to reduce paper usage \u2014 and that\u2019s above and beyond her dedication to Georgia Tech\u2019s green cleaning program.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Chatman is on a personal and professional mission to reduce paper usage \u2014 and that\u2019s above and beyond her dedication to Georgia Tech\u2019s green cleaning program."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2016-08-01 13:24:42","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:22:12","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"557341":{"id":"557341","type":"image","title":"Willa Chatman","body":null,"created":"1470072186","gmt_created":"2016-08-01 17:23:06","changed":"1475895358","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:58","alt":"Willa Chatman","file":{"fid":"206678","name":"willachatman.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/willachatman.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/willachatman.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1034046,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/willachatman.jpg?itok=3eQyBdcA"}}},"media_ids":["557341"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/facilities.gatech.edu\/","title":"Facilities"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"172222","name":"building services"},{"id":"736","name":"diversity"},{"id":"35921","name":"Facilities Management"},{"id":"3918","name":"profile"},{"id":"167018","name":"staff"},{"id":"4152","name":"whistle"},{"id":"973","name":"women"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:margaret.tate@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMargaret Tate\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}