Facilities Five and Dime: The Podcast on Church Facility Stewardship

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! In this episode of Facilities Five & Dime , we take a step back and challenge one of the most common assumptions in facility management—that the best solution is always the one that’s worked before. Through familiar stories—from the accidental invention of Post-it Notes at 3M to the 39 failed attempts behind WD-40 and e...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! In this episode of Facilities Five & Dime , we step away from tools and techniques and focus on something deeper—the difference between maintaining a facility and truly leading it. On paper, everything can look right. Staffing levels are adequate. Budgets are in line. There are no obvious red flags. And yet, when you wa...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! In this episode of Facilities Five & Dime , we take a closer look at something most people associate with stage effects and shipping coolers—dry ice—and uncover its surprising role as one of the most effective and environmentally responsible cleaning methods available today. What begins as a simple look at frozen carbon...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! For decades, cleaning meant one thing: work harder, scrub longer, and reach for stronger chemicals. But some messes always fought back—returning stains, lingering odors, and irritated hands that told the real story. In this episode of Facilities Five and Dime , we dig into one of the quiet revolutions in custodial care: enz...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! For most of history, the secrets of our buildings were scattered everywhere. Property lines in filing cabinets. Utility maps rolled up in tubes. Old blueprints fading, outdated, or missing altogether. When something broke—or a project started—facility teams often had to guess what was underground and behind the walls. In th...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! For centuries, walls have been quietly losing battles. Mildew, mold, soot, staining, and graffiti slowly break down surfaces—and the solution has always been the same: scrub it, wash it, repaint it… then do it all again next year. In this episode of Facilities Five and Dime , we explore how wall maintenance evolved from wir...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! The barcode represents "stewardship through visibility". When you can see and track what you have, you can care for it. Barcodes, QR codes, and asset tags are "descendants of Woodland's line in the sand". These tools help facilities move from chaos and memory to order and accountability, turning an...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! The ultimate goal of facility stewardship, in maintenance, is to provide as much information as possible to be effective and efficient, and to set up the next generations for success rather than continuing the reactionary maintenance paradigm. It is time to "get out of the paper and pen" and into the computer age....

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! It didn’t come from a janitor’s closet — it came from a lab. In this episode of Facilities Five and Dime , we pull back the curtain on how microfiber technology jumped from high-tech textiles to everyday mops and cloths, quietly rewriting the playbook for custodial care. What started as a quest for lighter, stronger fibers...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! Who would’ve thought the same technology that once sealed the decks of warships would later seal the hallways of your local church or school? In this episode of Facilities Five and Dime , we trace the unlikely journey of epoxy flooring—from battlefield innovation to maintenance mainstay. We’ll unpack how a chemical born fro...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! “You never know what you might find in aisle five—a bargain, a surprise, or in this case, a hidden danger lurking in plain sight. Join us as we open Season 3 with a story of mystery, science, and stewardship.” Full Episode Description Season 3 of Facilities Five and Dime opens with a mystery that changed the way the world t...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! " Most of us aren't defeated in one decisive battle. We are defeated one tiny, seemingly insignificant surrender at a time that chips away at who we should really be." Jocko Willink This weeks episode is a story of war. One that some of you may relate to. We hope you enjoy what it brings. Be sure to check out...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! Hold on to your masks this week, we gotta talk about something that has always put a burr in my saddle. IT may stink to some folks, but we gotta flush this issue out and deal. We also are going to look at how welcoming you are...to those that have mobility issues. Is your facility equipped to allow someone to park, enter, a...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! We took a little break, and now we are back! Ok really just a week off. This week we are looking at what is going on, and how we directly influence he mood and the emotions of those around us. As a facility steward, you can impact the mood of the facility more than you may realize. Sit back and relax as we go through some e...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! This week we talk a bit about change...and how we engage with it. We hope you enjoy this little bit laid-back presentation. We would love to hear from you regarding topics, guests, and anything else you would like to share. Email us at info@smartchurchsolutions.com. We also want to make sure you check out the newest book by...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! Join us this week as we chat with Donovan Loomis. Donovan has several years experience working with church facility stewards in incorporating Computer Maintenance Management Systems into their facility. Currently Donovan is working with an internationally known networking hardware company helping companies with their high t...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! This week we have a conversation with Mr. Troy Pollock, who serves as Chief Ambassador for Pushpay. He has championed strategic initiatives such as Summit Conference, Pushpay University, and most recently Church Disrupt. We are honored that he joined us for some conversation surrounding how virtual generosity has seen a jum...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! Welcome to this week's episode! We know cleaning is on your mind, so we are here to drop some knowledge on you. This week we introduce some fun facts about cleaning, especially what it means to clean properly. With Covid-19 on everyone's mind, and areas starting to open back up, keeping everything clean and tidy i...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! This episode we focus on two areas that are intimately intertwined for the facility steward - data collection for bench-marking and honest facility condition assessments. This comes as we release our free Church Facility Bench-marking report, available here . We hope you take a look at the information and consider how you c...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! Well, we did it. We finally tracked our own Mr. Tim Cool down and had a conversation. Join us as we talk about our facilities,stewardship, and what we may see in the future. Whether you have heard Tim before, or this is your first introduction, you will learn and hear something new. For additional information regarding ways...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! This is a little different. This episode I am just sharing some of the thoughts that have crashed around in my head over the past week. There is a great deal going on in the world, and whether we want to or not, we all have a part to play. If you are needing encouragement or someone to connect with, please reach out to us a...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! This week we are happy to share our conversation with William Vanderbloemen regarding churches, staffing and life in general. Join us as we explore this new chapter we all will be writing as we begin to emerge post-COVID-19. In addition to the great conversation, there are a myriad of great resources for you to check out an...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! As promised from last week, we have a great resource for you. This week we connect with Glenn Burnside, Executive Vice-President: Operations and Strategy, of Headspring . They developed a tool to assist in their intentional return to the workplace. Fortunately for us,  Headspring decided to make it available to everyone. In...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! Lucky episode 13! Woo hoo! Join us this week as we touch on what we do know regarding prepping for the return to operations in light of Covid-19 concerns, and how to be ready for the time down the road when the pressure to act (on this) reduces. It is about making the best decisions for your situation, and reality is that t...

We would love to hear your thoughts and requests for topics, text us here! This week we focus on being intentional with connecting with those around us. If you find yourself needing to reach out and talk, we are here for you. We can be reached at nathan@smartchurchsolutions.com or info@smartchurchsolutions.com. You are not alone. We hope you check out two of our most recent resources: Our Post Cov...