Larry Whelan Honored by PRSM

This year's Professional Retail Store Maintenance (PRSM) National Conference in Phoenix, Arizona was well attended despite the recession. USM, the show's premier sponsor, sent representatives from its business development and operations teams. USM's Carl Nottberg, Senior Vice President of Operations, and Jim Owens, Vice President of Business Development, opened the show on Sunday April 19th with incoming PRSM president, Duane Smith from Limited Brands. This complete retail facility management conference and exhibition offers a robust educational program, diverse facilities maintenance professionals and excellent networking opportunities.

On Tuesday April 21st, the PRSM association presented The Lawrence W. Whelan PRSM Lifetime Achievement Award to Larry's wife, Debi, and his son, Matthew, during the awards ceremony and breakfast. Mrs. Whelan accepted the award with poise and grace as she recounted stories about Larry, both as a family man and a professional. The award recognizes extraordinary accomplishments by PRSM members. The Lawrence W. Whelan PRSM Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes people, living or deceased, who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to the facility maintenance profession over a long career. This award was created in 2008 and was presented to the Whelan Family in honor of Larry Whelan as the award's first recipient.

Larry was a previously awarded PRSM Vendor of the Year. He was very passionate about the PRSM Certification Program, the Retail Facility Maintenance Professional (RFMP) designation. He served as co-chair of the Certification Committee and was integrally involved in its pre- and post-launch over the past several years. He led the industry through his commitment to continued education and service expertise. Within the PRSM Association and at USM, he was respected as an innovative visionary.