Jun 30, 2020
Ben Ouwinga is the Vice President of Operations for KKR & Co. - West Coast, where he manages the day-to-day operations of their two facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area. KKR & Co. is a leading global investment firm with over 150 billion dollars worth of assets under management in the areas of real estate, finance, private equity, and many more.
Prior to joining KKR & Co., Ben served as the Department Head of the US Navy Reserves in Dublin, California. He was also an Operations Manager, HR specialist, and Facilities Manager with Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Ben brings his expertise in organizational structure and an eye for creating frameworks that take on big challenges with simple solutions.
In this episode…
If you were to solve a puzzle, you would generally start with the corner pieces and make your way towards the center. Think of building management as the same concept: a giant jigsaw, with each day presenting new ideas, problems to solve, and the adventure and mystery of a never-ending brain teaser. Managing a building is a versatile and sometimes daunting task, yet, it is also immensely rewarding when the environment you create facilitates innovation and productivity. Ben Ouwinga, Vice President of Operations at KKR & Co., knows the joys and pains of piecing together effective building management along with what it means to create a lasting relationship between building engineers and architects.
In this week's episode of Watching Paint Dry, host Greg Owens talks with Ben about the ins and outs of what it takes to seamlessly manage two buildings while creating a framework for people to return to the office gradually. He delves into his start in Facility Management and the resources he uses to stay up-to-date on innovative ideas while creating a comfortable, yet inspiring environment. Stay tuned!