Grant Rich

FM Retail Operations Management Director leading facilities management and operations for T-Mobile’s retail portfolio, focused on optimizing performance, enhancing customer experience, and delivering scalable, high-impact solutions across the network.

As a Senior Facilities Manager with CBRE, I oversee the nationwide facilities operations for the T-Mobile account, supporting all corporate-owned retail stores and call centers across the United States. I lead a high-performing team of 24 facilities professionals, including managers, coordinators, and CMMS program analysts, ensuring that every site operates efficiently, safely, and in alignment with T-Mobile’s high standards for excellence and customer experience. My role combines operational leadership with strategic oversight, from preventive maintenance and vendor management to performance analytics and capital planning. I manage all aspects of the CMMS platform, using data-driven insights to identify trends, streamline workflows, and improve KPIs across the portfolio. I take pride in creating processes that drive measurable impact, including designing an internal intake and prioritization system that improved visibility and response times, and implementing work order management best practices that saved the client over $800K within the first 12 weeks of aligning HVAC operations. In addition to operational management, I serve as Co-Chair of CBRE’s Employee Engagement Committee, leading initiatives that strengthen culture, communication, and connection across our teams. I’m deeply passionate about developing people, building scalable systems, and transforming facilities operations into strategic assets that enhance performance, reduce risk, and deliver value to both the client and the organization.

As a Regional Facilities Manager overseeing HVAC/R operations on the Walmart account, I was responsible for driving performance, safety, and operational excellence across a large national portfolio. I led a team of eight HVAC/R professionals, managing daily operations, emergency response, and preventive maintenance programs for multiple Walmart locations. My focus was on optimizing building controls, improving system performance, and ensuring all work met or exceeded safety and compliance standards. During my tenure, I helped improve the account’s aged work order completion KPI from 59% to 94.3%, leading one of the most significant performance turnarounds on record. I also implemented structured training programs in refrigeration, HVAC, and safety to elevate team capability and consistency. My role involved regular collaboration with both Walmart leadership and vendor partners through weekly relationship calls, ensuring alignment on goals, expectations, and continuous improvement. Recognized as the highest-performing engineer on the account, I was promoted in October 2021 to Regional HVAC/R Manager, where I continued to build operational efficiency, enhance technician engagement, and strengthen Walmart’s facilities infrastructure nationwide.

I started my career in the commercial HVAC and refrigeration engineering industry, gaining extensive hands-on experience in troubleshooting, maintenance, and installation of complex mechanical and electrical systems. My work covered a wide range of commercial environments, including restaurants, retail, and light industrial facilities, where I supported both the hot and cold sides of operations. As a certified and trusted Manitowoc-approved engineer, I specialized in diagnosing performance issues, optimizing system efficiency, and ensuring reliable equipment operation. My technical expertise includes walk-in coolers and freezers, ice machines, rack systems, HVAC units, reach-in coolers, swamp coolers, and commercial kitchen equipment such as fryers, toasters, ovens, and shake machines. I take pride in my ability to blend field experience with technical precision — delivering solutions that balance performance, compliance, and energy efficiency. While my focus was primarily in the commercial sector, I also performed a limited amount of residential HVAC work during my time with Northsound, which gave me a broader understanding of system design, installation practices, and customer experience across different environments. This early engineering foundation continues to influence how I approach operations, maintenance programs, and technical problem-solving in every role I take on.

I worked as a Mobile HVAC Engineer supporting critical environments and data center facilities across central London, performing preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair work on a wide range of complex HVAC systems. My role focused on maintaining precise environmental control to ensure uptime and reliability within mission-critical spaces. Within six months, I advanced to Senior Technician and joined the on-call rotation, supporting multiple data center and commercial sites that required rapid response and high technical competency. My responsibilities included diagnosing system failures, optimizing performance, and implementing proactive maintenance programs to reduce downtime and extend asset life. My experience covered a diverse range of systems, including ductless split systems, VRV and VRF systems, boilers, cooling towers (with chemical treatment certification), chillers, and self-contained units. This hands-on exposure to high-availability environments gave me a strong understanding of redundant cooling strategies, BMS integration, and energy efficiency practices essential to maintaining operational stability in data centers and other critical infrastructure facilities.

I began my career as an Air-Conditioning Engineering Apprentice, where I supported maintenance operations across eight disaster recovery buildings in the London area. During this time, I gained hands-on experience performing both air conditioning and general building maintenance while completing my apprenticeship and NVQ qualification. This role provided a strong technical foundation in the fundamentals of HVAC systems, mechanical operations, and facility reliability. I worked alongside senior engineers to conduct preventive maintenance, troubleshoot system issues, and ensure consistent environmental conditions in mission-critical facilities. Throughout my apprenticeship, I gained practical experience with a variety of systems, including ductless split systems, VRV/VRF systems, boilers, cooling towers (with chemical treatment certification), and chillers. This early exposure to critical environments and high-reliability systems helped shape my approach to technical excellence, safety, and operational precision, principles that continue to guide my work today.