Windy City Equipment

Windy City Equipment "Getting the job done right... the FIRST time"

05/26/2026

👉 Facility budgets are real.

But so are expectations.

In this clip from FM Corner, Teresa Phelps, retired VP Business Development at Dentco, talks about one of the biggest lessons she learned in national facilities service: you cannot price the work correctly until you understand what the customer actually wants.

Not every site needs the Cadillac spec. Not every customer wants the bare minimum.

But if the vendor and the facility leader are not aligned on scope, service level, and expectations, the number on the proposal does not mean much.

That is where partnerships matter.

The best facility leaders know how to have the honest conversation upfront. What do we need? What does the budget allow? What tradeoffs are we willing to make? And what standard are we actually asking the vendor to deliver?

Because the cheapest option is not always the best option.

And the best vendor partners are not just quoting work.

They are listening.

Watch the full conversation with Danny Koontz and Teresa Phelps on FM Corner: https://youtu.be/OnIm1xy5o8o

WCE is growing, and we’re hiring technicians in Phoenix and Houston.We’re looking for people who know the work, take pri...
05/22/2026

WCE is growing, and we’re hiring technicians in Phoenix and Houston.

We’re looking for people who know the work, take pride in doing it right, and want to build something with a team that takes service seriously.

Open roles include HVAC/R, kitchen equipment service, PM, and commercial install positions.

Apply today: wcecommercial.com/careers

05/12/2026

Facility Managers need vendors who communicate. Plain and simple. 👇

Kara Salinas, Owner and CEO of Mad Jacks Asphalt and Concrete joins Danny Koontz on this episode of FM Corner!

Kara built Mad Jacks with a clear understanding of what makes vendor relationships last. It is not just the work. It is the trust. It is the honesty. It is the willingness to pick up the phone when something goes wrong and say, “Here’s what happened, and here’s how we’re going to fix it.”

That matters in facilities.

Because projects rarely go exactly according to plan.

Schedules change. Weather hits. Entrances need to close. Drive-thrus need to stay open. Budgets shift. Customers still need to get in the building.

The vendors who survive those moments are the ones who communicate early, stay calm, and bring solutions.

Kara also shares her story of growing Mad Jacks, moving into the Tennessee market, becoming a woman-owned business, learning to lead through change, and building a team that knows she has their back.

This is a great conversation for facility managers, vendors, contractors, and anyone who believes this industry is still built on relationships.

Check out the full episode of FM Corner featuring Kara Salinas of Mad Jacks Asphalt and Concrete right here 👉 https://youtu.be/ubk8JFLrSgg

04/28/2026

Helping people in the trades win is not a side project for Josh. It is the mission behind the book, the Academy, the podcast, the speaking, and the daily content.

👉 The skilled trades have never had an opportunity problem. They’ve had an awareness problem.

In part two of Josh Zolin’s conversation on FM Corner, Danny and Josh dig into the work behind Blue Is The New White, the Academy, Josh’s podcast, his speaking, and the daily messages he shares online.

And all of it points back to one mission: Helping people in the trades see what is possible.

Josh talks about writing Blue Is The New White because there was no clear resource showing young people, parents, educators, and counselors the real opportunity inside these industries.

He talks about why technician development cannot stop at technical skill.

✍️Fixing the equipment absolutely matters. But so does communication, initiative, problem-solving, and even understanding how everyday decisions impact the bottom line.

That matters to technicians. It matters to service companies.

And it matters to facility managers and restaurant operators who rely on skilled tradespeople every single day.

This episode is a strong reminder that the future of the trades will not be built by tools alone.

It will be built by people who are trained, trusted, developed, and given a real path to succeed.

đź”— Watch part two of the conversation right here: https://youtu.be/K-iGDUWnOlE

04/14/2026

👉The best vendor relationships are not built on transactions. They are built on trust, honesty, and the ability to have real conversations when things get tight.

We have a special FM Corner this week, as Danny welcomes our very own Josh Zolin onto the show.

The value of true client-vendor partnerships is something that matters more than ever right now. Restaurants and facilities teams are under pressure. Budgets are tighter. R&M spend is under a microscope. In that kind of environment, the wrong vendors make life harder.

The right partners help you think, solve problems, and find a path forward.

That is what this conversation gets into.

Josh talks about why WCE has always believed in long-term relationships over transactional service, why human connection still matters in a world full of automation, and why the best business relationships are the ones where both sides can have honest, respectful conversations and work toward a win-win outcome.

That theme runs through the full episode too.

Part 1 of the conversation covers Josh’s path into Windy City Equipment, how his leadership evolved over time, what accountability really looks like, and why growth inside a company starts with growth inside the leader. He talks about learning the business from the ground up, focusing on internal growth, balancing candor with compassion, and building a company around relationships that actually last.

đź”— This is part one of two. Check it out right here: https://youtu.be/bJuR5hocAYk

Part two will pick up the conversation and go deeper into Josh’s personal brand work, Everything They Don’t Tell You Podcast, Blue is the New White, and so much more. Stay tuned!

03/31/2026

👉 Too many facility teams treat vendors like interchangeable parts.

That mindset usually gets expensive.

In this episode of FM Corner, Danny talks with Mike Whitten from PMR about what actually makes facility managers effective over the long haul.

This conversation gets into:

🔸 Why trust matters more than most people realize
🔸 How poor warranty awareness quietly wastes money
🔸 Why good reps and vendor partners can save time, frustration, and bad decisions
🔸 What follow-through really looks like in this business

One of the strongest points in the episode is simple: your reputation is built on consistency and follow-through.

Mike also talks about the importance of honesty, transparency, and why the best customer relationships are never one-way streets. For anyone leading facilities, service, or operations in foodservice, this one is full of practical perspective.

đź”— Check out the full conversation with Mike, live now: https://youtu.be/EmvRViY1uKM

03/18/2026

The best vendor relationships are not built on perfection. They are built on truth.

That is one of the biggest themes from this conversation with Danny Koontz and Krystal Vasquez from Branded Group.

She brought a sharp perspective on what makes great facility managers and great vendor partners. Not perfection. Not polished talk. Trust. Honesty. Adaptability. Follow-through.

A few things that stood out from this episode:

🔸 the best people in this industry are solution-oriented

🔸 strong partnerships are built when both sides tell the truth, especially when something goes wrong

🔸 leadership gets better when you stop trying to hire people just like you

🔸 kindness still matters in business, maybe more than ever

There was also a great discussion around how vendors can help operators think upstream, especially during store design and planning, before maintenance problems show up later.

This episode is a strong reminder that facilities is a people business just as much as it is an operations business.

Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/9qlzuCII8U8

02/24/2026

Facilities is one of the few functions that can protect the brand and protect the bottom line at the same time.

In this episode of FM Corner with Danny Koontz, Michael Zografos from Darden Restaurants breaks down how they approach the job like a business. Not a help desk.

Here are 3 moments that stood out:

🔸Audits are not paperwork. They are the budget engine. Michael lays out how restaurant audits turn into smarter capital planning and fewer bad projects because the data forces the right decisions.

🔸Trust is a performance metric. If managers have to chase you for updates, you lose credibility. Consistent follow-up is what makes the relationship work.

🔸Vendors do not wear their company’s name in the restaurant. They wear yours. That’s why the “start with one location” test is non-negotiable.

If you lead facilities, you'll understand the value in this. If you sell into facilities, take notes.

Watch the full conversation right here 👉 https://youtu.be/R4nhjYcvhSM

02/10/2026

Most facilities problems aren’t “surprises.” They’re warnings that got ignored.

Rowland Adamoli has worked across retail, restaurants, healthcare, higher ed, and multi-site HVAC/R. Today, he joins Danny Koontz on FM Corner and his biggest point is simple: The best operators don’t wait for equipment to fail. They get ahead of it. They look at the data, read the trendlines, and make the call early.

He also breaks down what separates strong partnerships from constant frustration:

🔸 communicate up, down, and sideways

🔸 take care of the human element inside the building, not just the building

🔸 build trust from day one with transparency and accountability

Watch the full episode with Rowland Adamoli right here 👉 https://youtu.be/3zNDEMTCmD8

01/27/2026

👉 Kurt Gnessin runs facilities and construction at a scale most teams never see.

Extra Space Storage operates 4,300+ properties nationwide and Kurt leads a team of 75 facility and construction pros with nearly $480M in annual capital spend.

In this episode of FM Corner with Danny Koontz, Kurt breaks down what it really takes to lead in facilities without burning out your vendors, your team, or yourself.

A few takeaways from the conversation:

🔸Continuous learning is the job, you have to be an inch deep and a mile wide

🔸“Let me get back to you” builds trust when you actually follow through

🔸You don’t fire your way to success, vendors are partners and expectations have to be set early

🔸Build a strong network and you make better decisions because you stop operating scared

Listen to the full episode here 👉 https://youtu.be/XWD2ToN3X9A and share it with the FM leader on your team who’s carrying too much alone.

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Gilbert, AZ
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