The Apple's and Google's of the world have a vision of a “connected” future where various building components and systems all are automated, integrated, and remotely controllable via the Internet. For commercial buildings, the future is now, said Tobias 
Rafael, president of RAFCO Properties, a St. Louis facility optimization, property management and cleaning company.
Using a single digital device anywhere in the world, Rafael can monitor and control the operations of his clients' properties. His integrated and automated building system design can, among other things, follow and stop or start an elevator’s movement, turn off the lights, adjust a room's temperature, override the position of daylight harvesting shades in any given office, and identify potential electrical, mechanical, or security problems before a failure occurs without any of the occupants ever knowing there was a problem. Among the facilities that RAFCO manages are Centene Plaza in Clayton, MO, and the Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) headquarters in Chesterfield, MO. “Any building being built today that is not capable of doing this is already behind,” he said.
Manufacturers of mechanical equipment long have had their own automated management and control software. Lighting system makers have their programs, as do elevator companies and security system companies. Rafael pioneered a system to integrated all such disparate automated systems and enable facility managers to control them remotely from a single, intuitive display, called a 'graphical user interface.' Previously, manager had to access the actual control panels or dedicated remote terminals that came with the systems to control them. Rafael calls his facility optimization system “autogration,” and likened it to automation on steriods, for it goes beyond automation to run systems more efficiently and sustainably. On a recent 99-degree day, for example, RAFCO's system at RGA kept the three Carrier chillers running so efficiently that instead of operating at full capacity, they were able to meet all cooling demands and still hold 25 percent of capacity in reserve. “That is because we can see trends developing and do things to addressthem before they happen,” Rafael said.
Consulting with owners before building construction begins, Rafael can customize a system to meet their particular needs. Centene, for example, wanted security integrated into their building automation system, but RGA did not. I was very impressed with how Tobias and his staff managed Centene’s first office building in Clayton back in the early 2000s,” said Michael F. Neidorff, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Centene Corporation. "I remember driving up to the Carondelet property and noticing a man using binoculars to survey the front of the property. I’m concerned about security, like most of us, and asked him what he wasdoing. As it turned out, he was a RAFCO employee who was looking for cracks in the structure, since there had been a recent mild earthquake. It’s that kind of attention to detail that made it easy for me to invite RAFCO to then be involved with Centene Plaza. Tobias has a knack for identifying and handling a problem before any major issues occur and was a good 18 months ahead of the technology curve. He has a lot of integrity, and I’d recommend him to anyone,” he said.
“RAFCO gets involved from initial planning through system procurement, all the way through final construction, commissioning and day-to-day management to ensure our main goal of business continuity for our clients,” Rafael said. “This holistic approach allows all systems to work independently as designed, while Autogration enhances their ability to work together for maximum efficiency. And because our property management team is intimately involved with the property from the beginning, we can use this knowledge to make better-informed decisions in operating the building every day going forward.”
“Every aspect of the RAFCO organization is first class in the industry,” said Tom Seickhaus, executive vice president, CLAYCO, who acted as design/build contractor on both projects. “Tobias has a solid understanding of mechanical, electrical and building automation systems and is a good people person, which is a rare and invaluable combination. His graphic interface system that allows off-site monitoring and management of properties is really extraordinary. We worked closeintroduced him to Robert Long. It was a natural fit; Robert immediately had a lot of faith in RAFCO and invited Tobias to every meeting.”
“Getting the property manager’s input on systems selections and integration helps avoid a lot of pitfalls down the road,” said Long, RGA’s vice president of facility operations and project manager. RAFCO recommend that RGA use an Andover controller from Schneider Electric, sold locally by Dynamic Controls, for their building management system. Centene uses a customized Siemens Insight work station.
“Tobias has a very unique skill set, quite atypical for a property manager. He combines excellent technological skill with engineering expertise. Tobias listened well and understood our goals. He tied everything together and brought us a technologically advanced property for the future that fit with our sustainability ideals, energy cost cutting ambitions and desired culture. We couldn’t have pulled this off without his contributions,” Long said.
“There are no other properties in the Midwest that I’m aware of that have this level of technological sophistication. We give our clients what they want, then enhance it. And as technology continues to move at a lightning pace, I believe we will see that what we now know today as LEED will become the basic, minimal design baseline,” Rafael added.
RAFCO Properties was established in 2000 as a small entity, managing four properties owned by the company’s original founders. In the years since, RAFCO has evolved and expanded into an exclusive premium property management and consulting firm, providing boutique-style services to an impressive array of clients throughout the St. Louis area. With 25 team members, RAFCO Properties today manages over two million square feet of commercial office, retail and residential space throughout St. Louis.
*The above article is a reprint from the July/August 2015 edition of St. Louis Construction News and Real Estate
