Leadership Spotlight: 10 Questions for Andy Faulkner
1. As President of ICS, how do you balance the demands of executive leadership while maintaining a connection to day-to-day operations?
With ICS providing professional services, it is imperative to maintain a connection with the day-to-day operations, as our people are our deliverable. Keeping a pulse on the day-to-day operations ensures all our leaders are helping where they can while also looking for potential areas of improvement. The team atmosphere that we reinforce is essential for each team members’ success and ultimately our project’s success.
2. Having been with ICS for over a decade, what do you love most about your job?
First and foremost, our people. A close second is truly the impact we have on the communities we are fortunate enough to work with. Seeing the tangible impacts our projects have on communities provides a sense of pride and drives my personal “why”.
3. In what ways do you see your previous roles within ICS shaping your decision-making and vision as president?
I was fortunate enough to be a part of the group when we defined our values. Our values are We Care, Integrity, Quality, Collaboration and Smart Innovation. Regardless of my role in the company as a Project Manager or as President, focusing on these values leads each team member to the right decision for the situation at hand. I have personally experienced this in terms of each role I have had in my tenure with ICS.
4. How has joining Legence supported ICS’s growth?
Joining Legence has given each and every one of us expanded resources. We talk often about leveraging our teams and learning from others. “Use the right tool in the toolbox”. Being a part of Legence has increased this collaboration as each team member in Legence has different experiences that we can all leverage and learn from.
5. What emerging technologies or practices are you most excited about that could transform facility management and construction?
There is a lot of discussion and focus on AI and how it can positively impact any industry. Given facility management and construction are heavily reliant on people to perform the physical work, I am excited to find ways that AI can help us be more efficient yet enhance our personal relationships with those we work with, both within and outside of ICS.
6. What advice would you give to young professionals aspiring to build a leadership career and follow in your footsteps?
Think through any question or concern you may have so you have a proposed solution, and then be sure to ask all of your questions. Don’t be afraid to ask “why.” I am a firm believer in explaining the “why” to the proposed solution to ensure the reason for the action is clear. This puts the item into context, don’t just “do to do” …”do” to achieve the desired and planned result.
7. What keeps you motivated and inspired day-to-day as a leader in such a dynamic industry?
The impacts we get to be a part of for the communities we serve. The public sector projects that we are fortunate enough to work on are going to provide much more than a brick-and-mortar building. These are places designed and built to serve the public for many decades.
8. Are there any hobbies or passions outside of work that influence how you lead or think creatively?
The game of baseball has been a strong passion for me for as long as I can remember. Being a catcher throughout my youth provided me with many opportunities to be a leader on the field. Baseball is a team sport with many individual aspects. No one player can truly “win the game” for their team. Each team member needs other teammates to be successful in their role for the team to be successful. That is very similar in a construction project as we all need to be moving in the same direction of a common goal to deliver the result that we have all defined and agreed to at the beginning of the project.
9. When you’re not leading teams at ICS, where can we most likely find you on a summer weekend?
Outside for sure. Ideally watching a baseball game (shocker after that last question, huh?!). Otherwise, I will be working in the yard, on a long walk, or relaxing on a patio.
10. Outside of the office, what’s one activity or tradition you enjoy most with your family?
Traveling. It has been a tradition for our family to take a Spring Break trip to celebrate our kids’ birthdays (both in March). Our son is now a freshman in college so we will see what March of 2026 entails. One way or another we will find time to take a family trip somewhere during the year.
