Founded 2023 by Kathleen Waters
Locations/Headquarters: Hillsborough, NJ
NaVOBA Accolades:
2024 LGBT Veteran's Business Enterprise® of the Year
2024 Women's Veteran's Business Enterprise® We Love
NaVOBA VBE Certified
Business Accolades:
NGLCC Certified LGBT Business Enterprise
WBENC Certified Women's Business Enterprise
Business Website: www.yourfacilitypartner.com
Facilities Partners & Solutions LLC (FPS), is a facilities management company that exemplifies diversity, equity, inclusion. FPS stands out for its commitment to creating positive work cultures that encourage teamwork, learning, and growth. With Kathleen’s extensive experience in leading facility management teams and her focus on integrity and authenticity, FPS successfully delivers modern soft services in various sectors, including pharmaceuticals, education, and commercial industries.
FPS’s mission goes beyond just providing services; it's about nurturing individual growth and making a real difference in the community by ensuring every employee feels valued and seen.
What services do you provide?
Commercial Janitorial and Security Services
Who are your primary customers?
When and how did you start your business?
Early 2023 - Leaning on my 25 years in Facilities I was able to come out of the gate running. I started the company with a desire to provide a diverse solution for businesses seeking soft services in their facilities while supporting the front line staff providing the work.
What were some of the challenges in starting your business?
What is the key to the success of your business?
Using the resources available, networking, branding, and showing up.
Transparency and staying true to my passion of supporting our front line employees. Without them we could not truly be partners with our clients!
What lessons learned can you share with people to make their business succeed?
Get certified! Certification makes all the difference in the world.
Network and have a strong capabilities statement highlighting your differentiators.
Use the resources available - there are many!
Believe in yourself - even on those bad days. Never giving up your passion and desire of why you started your business in the first place
What pitfalls should they avoid?
Paying for someone to get your business certified - there are plenty of organizations and companies that will support your journey at no cost - and they will provide mentoring!
What other information about you and your business would you like to share with the NaVOBA Community?
Initially my why was to be that diverse facility services partner with a focus on the workforce and performance. Running a truly diverse company is very important to me – and I am so appreciative that the opportunity presented itself. The root of success at FPS is driven by how we treat our employees. Providing a work environment that increases the visibility and quality of life for the front-line employees. Those positions are often overlooked by the environments they support.
I quickly realized that the journey is so much more than that. My “why” includes sharing my story. My life has been a journey that embraces challenges, diversity, and a strong desire to be the best person I can be every day.
We really are in business to make a difference - to both our clients and our staff.
Branch:
United States Army
Service Years:
1979-1984
Highest Rank Attained:
E5, Sergeant
Why did you join the military?
It was the best option available to me at the time.
Military Occupation:
Any significant military achievements / experience you would like to mention?
Authored an ARTEP for my MOS, and Top Honor Graduate in Leadership.
Biography/Fun Facts
In ten years you see yourself?
If I weren't a business owner I would be working on my farm property part of the year and traveling the countryside the other part of the year.
My dream car is an Audi S5 Cabriole.
I have been to all 50 states :)
10 years from now I see myself growing Christmas trees, having a multi-car garage, and several project cars.
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NaVOBA’s mission is to create corporate contracting opportunities for America’s Veteran’s and Service-Disabled Veteran’s Business Enterprises® (VBEs/SDVBEs) through certification, advocacy, outreach, recognition and education.
Thank you for your interest in the National Veteran Owned Business Association’s Certified Veteran’s Business Enterprise® (VBE) and Certified Service-Disabled Veteran’s Business Enterprise® (SDVBE) programs. This initiative creates a nationally recognized gold standard in certification for veteran-owned businesses of all sizes and enables corporate America to proactively source and confidently utilize businesses that are at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by U.S. military veterans.
