Facilities & Critical Infrastructure Leader · Nashville, TN

Carl E. Downs, III Keeps buildings running.

30+ years running facilities operations, maintenance programs and critical infrastructure across commercial, federal, telecom and data center portfolios, from a single mission-critical site to 170 sites nationwide.

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What I do

I've worked every level of a facilities organization: apprentice, technician, stationary engineer, business owner, facility manager and regional director. That range shapes how I lead. I know what the work takes on the floor, and I know what the client needs to see in the report.

Multi-site operations

Integrated facilities management for portfolios of 100+ properties, hard and soft services, client relationships and contract compliance on national accounts.

Critical infrastructure

UPS, generators, CRAC/CRAH, fan walls and coolant distribution units in data centers where downtime is not an option.

Maintenance programs

Preventive maintenance built and run in a CMMS, with Methods of Procedure, SOPs and reporting that hold up to client and code inspections.

Energy & capital projects

Building automation migrations, VFDs, lighting retrofits, chiller and boiler replacements, managed from scope through closeout.

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Results

$384,000

Cut energy costs across a multi-site AT&T portfolio by migrating legacy building automation to Distech Niagara, retrofitting lighting and installing VFDs.

CBRE · 2023
$150,000

Energy savings from BAS upgrades, lighting retrofits and VFDs across 100+ properties and 6 million square feet.

CBRE · 2018
$50,000

Energy savings at a 1.7 million square foot GSA federal facility through BAS upgrades and chiller, boiler and air handler replacements.

Logzone · 2024
$50,000

Operating expense reduction while running the site preventive maintenance program at a mission-critical data center.

DataBank · 2025
100%

Uptime maintained on power, cooling and fire protection systems in a live data center.

DataBank · 2024–26
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Experience

  1. Nov 2024 – Jun 2026

    Critical Infrastructure Engineer

    DataBank Holdings · Indianapolis, IN
    • Led the site preventive maintenance program in Corrigo for power, UPS, generator, fire protection, HVAC and CDU systems.
    • Ran lifecycle and risk analysis on critical equipment and managed Break/Replace capital submissions.
    • Used AI tools to write Sequences of Operations, MOPs and vendor RFPs.
  2. Nov 2023 – Nov 2024

    Facility Manager

    Logzone Inc. · GSA federal facility, 1.7M sq ft
    • Managed operations and maintenance of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, elevators and security systems.
    • Supervised a union maintenance workforce and contractors; served as 24/7 on-call lead.
  3. Dec 2021 – Nov 2023

    Facility Engineer

    CBRE · AT&T account, multiple sites statewide
    • Subject Matter Expert for the facilities engineering team; led the energy program that saved $384,000 in 2023.
  4. Oct 2020 – Dec 2021

    Stationary Engineer

    Allison Transmission · Indianapolis, IN
    • Operated a central plant with 1,000-ton and 200-ton chillers, cooling towers, Cleaver-Brooks boilers and PLC controls.
  5. Mar 2019 – Oct 2020

    Regional Director of Facility Maintenance

    Maicom LLC · 170 Comcast facilities nationwide
    • Directed a team of managers, schedulers and contractors delivering preventive maintenance on HVAC, fire/life safety, generators and DC power plants.
  6. Jun 2016 – Mar 2019

    Operations Manager

    CBRE · AT&T account, 100+ properties, 6M sq ft
    • Directed operations and maintenance, budgets, RFPs and change orders; led operations managers and maintenance crews.
Earlier career, 1996 – 2016
  1. Jun 2014 – Jun 2016

    Facility Manager

    CMC & Maintenance · Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse
  2. Oct 2006 – Jan 2015

    Owner

    Indy Service Solutions Inc. · HVAC installation and service, team of 15
  3. Jul 1996 – Nov 2007

    Team Leader

    Edwards Electrical & Mechanical · Indiana State Government facilities, crew of 11
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Systems

The equipment and platforms I've operated, maintained or managed, laid out like an equipment schedule.

CategoryEquipment and platforms
CoolingChiller plants (20 to 1,000 tons), cooling towers, CRAC/CRAH units, fan walls, Coolant Distribution Units, RTUs, Liebert units, geothermal heat pumps
HeatingCleaver-Brooks boilers, high-pressure steam, air handling units
PowerUPS, emergency and diesel generators, DC power plants, high-voltage environments
Life safetyFire alarm and sprinkler systems, JCI IFC2020 fire control, elevators, card access, security turnstiles and gates
Building automationDistech Niagara, Johnson Controls Metasys, Honeywell Tridium, Schneider EcoStruxure, Invensys, Andover Continuum, Siemens Apogee, Allen Bradley PLC
CMMS & analyticsIBM Maximo, Corrigo, SkySpark, Microsoft Office
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Credentials

LICENSEMaster Heating and Cooling License, City of Indianapolis
EPA 608Universal Certification in Refrigerant Recovery
CERTStationary Operating Engineering, Ivy Tech Community College
NCCERHVAC Apprenticeship, Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana
NFPA 70EElectrical Safety in the Workplace
NFPA 70BElectrical Equipment Maintenance
OSHA 10Construction Safety and Health
RED CROSSFirst Aid, CPR and AED
BBABachelor of Business Administration, ITT Technical Institute
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Contact

Open to new roles

I'm based in Murfreesboro, near Nashville, and looking for on-site or hybrid facilities leadership roles.

Senior Facilities ManagerDirector of FacilitiesCritical Facilities OperationsMulti-Site Operations
Email
me@carldowns.com
Phone
(317) 508-1127
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/carl-downs-0b774810
Location
Murfreesboro, TN · Nashville area

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