Facilities Management Consultant | helping organisations troubleshoot their FM services by improving procurement, benchmarking, contract management and operational efficiency

👉 EMC is a specialist consultancy supporting the full FM contract lifecycle, 

👉 audit → improve → market test/tender → mobilise → manage with a practical focus on making services testable, supplier performance evidence-led, and decisions commercially defensible.

👉Accomplished consultant supporting organisations to benchmark, procure, audit, tender and manage FM services with more control, better value, and fewer contract headaches.

From individual contracts to TFM & IFM. Specialist in PFI audits, benchmarking & tender strategy, bid evaluation, mobilisation support, ESG/social value alignment and ongoing contract management, I ensure your FM outcomes are contractual, measurable, and deliverable.

Let’s make your FM contract, tender, audit or benchmark perform and provide the best outcome for your organisation.

#facilitiesmanagement #fm #procurement #tendering #contractmanagement #benchmarking #PFI #PFIhandback

So far, that work has delivered:

•	£25m+ in savings across public and private RFPs
•	12–22% average cost reduction on re-tendered FM
•	Up to 30% gaps in legacy PFI soft services rates
•	£1.1m annual saving on one PFI contract.

It’s not just about cost. 

We drive service quality and ESG performance:

•	Clear KPIs and SLAs that increase uptime
•	Strong contract governance so issues get fixed
•	ESG and social value built into tenders
•	Suppliers held to account on Scope 3

What this looks like for clients:

•	Turn a “fixed” FM contract into a 6–7 figure saving
•	Catering deals that have drifted 15–20%
•	Replace vague promises with measurable KPIs
•	Give boards and CFOs a data-backed story

If you suspect your FM or PFI soft services are 10–20% over market – or your ESG story is mostly on paper – you’re probably right.

Send me a message with “BENCHMARK” and I’ll tell you in plain English where you stand on cost, quality and ESG.

Ernie Melling IFMA ,TMA

Wife & Mother of 7 | Venture Capital | Scientist | TOP 30 Patent Drafters | United States Patent Examiner | Violinist | Polyglot | STEM Children's Author | #1 LinkedIn Global Influencer in Innovation/IP Law

Kathryn Vatt is a scientist, former USPTO Examiner, and devoted wife and mother of seven, with over 25 years shaping the future of innovation. Recognized as one of the Top 30 Patent Drafters and Prosecutors and the #1 LinkedIn Global Influencer in Innovation/IP Law, Kathryn has built a career at the intersection of science, law, and business—helping inventors, startups, and global companies turn creativity into competitive advantage.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.S. Biology) and Johns Hopkins University (M.S. Biotechnology), Kathryn is currently pursuing her Juris Doctor in Patent Law at the Franklin Pierce School of Law, one of the world’s leading IP programs. Her rare cross-disciplinary background gives her both the scientific insight and the legal strategy to protect ideas at the highest level.

At the USPTO, Kathryn examined thousands of patent applications, conducted exhaustive prior art searches, and made determinations that shaped industries and influenced global innovation. After leaving the Patent Office, she founded Vatt IP Management, where she develops bulletproof IP strategies, drafts airtight applications, and supports litigation teams in defending patents. She also mentors engineering and life science students through Arizona State University’s Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute and judges international startup competitions, nurturing the next generation of innovators.

Her entrepreneurial vision extends to her ventures:

My Startup Shield™, a founder-focused program that helps startups secure their innovations before they pitch. It protects ideas at the earliest, most vulnerable stage and positions founders to raise capital with confidence

My AI Examiner™, the world’s first proprietary patent search platform that combines examiner-trained AI Patent Examiners with Kathryn’s own human review. Unlike conventional tools, it doesn’t just search faster—it “thinks like an examiner,” offering inventors and startups clarity, precision, and strategy.

MyKidVentors™, a STEM-inspired children’s book series born from her seven children’s real “What if?” questions. Through these imaginative stories, she nurtures curiosity in the next generation, showing that every big invention begins with a single question.

For Kathryn, the same motherly instinct that guides her family fuels her professional mission: to protect, guide, and nurture startups with care, strategy, foresight, and integrity. She believes innovation doesn’t just start in labs or boardrooms—it starts in the curious minds of those brave enough to ask, “What if?”

Kathryn V.

OREOS FOR MOTHER’S DAY

At a small neighborhood shop, a man quietly changes lives.

He gives free food to kids who show him their grades...a reward not just for doing well in school, but for trying, for caring, for showing up.

In this video, one young boy steps up to the counter, offered the chance to choose anything he wants.

Today, he picks milk, bread, eggs...and cookies for Mother’s Day.
And the shop owner...touched by that choice...adds a bouquet of flowers for him to bring home.

Neither of them realizes that what just happened will be remembered for years.
Because kindness like that doesn’t end at the counter...it multiplies.

Every act of generosity plants a seed:
A child whose confidence blooms.
A parent who feels seen and loved.
A community reminded that humanity still shines bright.

So here’s to the everyday heroes: the ones who lift others quietly, who give without expecting anything in return.

You may never see the full impact of your kindness...but someone’s world is brighter because of you. 💛

BE A WING-GIVER

We don’t give people wings by fixing them.
We give them wings by believing in them.

By noticing their joy.
By saying yes when it would be easier to rush past.
By cheering softly, without conditions or expectations.
By helping when asked...and sometimes before the words are even spoken.

We give people wings by creating spaces
where they feel safe to shine,
safe to try,
safe to be exactly who they are.

Every one of us has this power.
To lift a child.
To encourage a friend.
To affirm a colleague.
To remind a stranger that they matter.

And there is nothing more beautiful
than knowing you played a small, quiet part
in someone seeing themselves
with a little more love,
a little more confidence,
a little more light.

May we all be wing-givers today, and every day. 💛

Three founders will leave my Arizona Tech Week event patent-pending!!

We’re getting closer…

My Patent Pending Party™ at Arizona Tech Week (April 6–12) is coming up, and I’ve already had the chance to speak with some truly impressive founders. 

I’ve even started getting requests to bring the party to other cities, including Miami, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London, and Honolulu 😊 

We’ll be hosting:
• A founder panel featuring raw, honest conversations about the entrepreneurial journey: the highs, the lows, the mistakes, and what founders would do differently knowing what they know now.

• An “Ask the Examiner” AMA session,  where you'll get to ask questions about patents, intellectual property strategy, and how the system actually works from an investor who spent fifteen years inside the U.S. Patent Office deciding which innovations got approved and which ones didn't. 

• A live patent hackathon, where three pre-selected founders will leave the party officially patent-pending. On me.

We’ll also have investors in the room, and we’ll end the evening with time for networking with founders, investors, and builders from across the ecosystem.

If you want a chance to be one of those three founders, there is still time to apply.

There is only one Saturday left this month, and I’m using it to hold short 15-minute pitch sessions on Hubble.                                

The pitch session itself is the application process.

You get 15 minutes:
• 5 minutes to pitch what you’re building.
• 10 minutes for me to ask questions the way an investor with an IP strategist lens would.

From those conversations, I’ll select three founders to be invited to my Patent Pending Party™ during Arizona Tech Week.

And don’t worry...you don’t have to live in Arizona to apply.

If you’re selected, we’ll simply Zoom you in.

If you aren’t selected as one of the three, don’t worry.

You’ll either receive feedback on your pitch, or I may connect you with someone from my network of angels and VCs.

And you’re always welcome to come back and pitch again for the next party.

Ideas are everywhere.

Protected ideas are much more valuable.

If you want to pitch yours, you can book a slot here:
https://lnkd.in/g_jESdm3

Slots are limited.

Event details and RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/gdZMJHB7


A special and heartfelt thank you to our sponsors Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at Arizona State University, Stearns Bank N.A., Orbit Capital, and 5 to 9 Society for helping bring the Patent Pending Party™ to life.🥳 

P.S.- If you’re a founder looking for real guidance and a community of experts who genuinely care about sharing their lived experience, I highly recommend checking out Hubble. It’s an incredible community where the support is real and the insights are invaluable. Built by founders, for founders. Kevin Jurovich Timo Gehrke

Open article: RSVP to A Patent-Pending Party #AZTechWeek | Partiful by partiful.com

RSVP to A Patent-Pending Party #AZTechWeek | Partiful

I’m honored to be returning for the second year in a row as a judge for Pitch the Pros® on April 10th in Greenville, SC.

As a former United States Patent Examiner I have spent more than 25 years helping founders and inventors protect what they build.

And I have seen how often founders focus on perfecting the pitch, raising capital, and gaining traction...only to think about protection later while losing ownership rights in the process. 

That is why this year, I am proud to personally offer a Protection Prize to the Top 3 presenters through moatly™.

Each of the top founders will receive dedicated intellectual property strategy support to help ensure what they are creating is properly protected. Not just celebrated. Not just visible. Protected.

Pitch the Pros® brings together a select group of founders, investors, and industry experts in an intentional setting. 

Ten founders will pitch live. The top three will also be invited to a private VIP evening featuring a Fireside Chat and networking experience with Daymond John of Shark Tank, along with dinner and live entertainment.

If you are building something meaningful and ready to step forward, I would love to see you there.

You can learn more here:
https://lnkd.in/eZyx78ge
Christopher Guerrera LSSMBB The Modern Inventor

Looking forward to supporting the founders who take the stage and helping them protect what they have worked so hard to create.

18 days...and counting...

I’m excited to share that Candace Pless, Founder & CEO of MTology Innovations, will be joining the Founder Panel at my Patent Pending Party™ during Arizona Tech Week.

Candace is building a medtech startup developing novel technology aimed at addressing one of the most significant unmet needs in global male reproductive health.

She has led MTology from early concept through intellectual property development, securing an issued U.S. patent with patents pending in 22 additional countries as the company advances toward regulatory strategy and commercialization.

Her work has earned recognition through programs including:
• NIH DEBUT Venture Prize
• VentureWell E-Teams Phase I & II
• NSF I-Corps
• Mayo Clinic & ASU Scorpion Tank
• ASU Lab to Launch eSeed Challenge
• ASU Venture Devils MedTech Venture

Candace holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and an MBA from Arizona State University, and is currently completing an M.S. in Industrial Engineering.

She represents a new generation of founders navigating the convergence of engineering innovation, intellectual property strategy, and the long journey of bringing breakthrough healthcare technologies to market.

Looking forward to a real conversation about what it actually takes to build a deep-tech company: the wins, the setbacks, and the lessons learned along the way.

A special and heartfelt thank you to our sponsors Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at Arizona State University, Stearns Bank N.A., Orbit Capital, and 5 to 9 Society for helping bring the Patent Pending Party™ to life.🥳 

RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/gdZMJHB7

P.S.- If you’re a founder looking for real guidance and a community of experts who genuinely care about sharing their lived experience, I highly recommend checking out Hubble. It’s an incredible community where the support is real and the insights are invaluable. Built by founders, for founders. Kevin Jurovich Timo Gehrke

More than a thousand years ago, an army approached the gates of a Persian fortress.

Warriors gathered. Fear spread through the walls.

And then something unexpected happened.

A young woman rode out to meet them.

Her name was Gordafarid.

In the great Persian epic Shahnameh, written by poet Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi, Gordafarid sees her homeland under threat. 

Warriors gather. 
Fear spreads through the fortress.
So she does something no one expected.

She fastens her armor.
Mounts her horse.
And rides into the battlefield herself.

Even her enemies were astonished. They had never seen such bravery from someone so young.

But Gordafarid was not written as a fragile figure or a symbol of tragedy. 

Ferdowsi portrayed her as a strategist as well as a warrior. When she realized she could not defeat her opponent by strength alone, she relied on her wit, delaying the enemy long enough to protect her people.

For many Iranians, Gordafarid has become a symbol of something timeless:
the courage of women.

Today, on International Women’s Day, I find myself thinking about that courage. 

Not just in ancient stories, but in the lives of women all around us.

Women who stand up.
Women who speak out.
Women who lead.
Women who lift others even when the path is difficult.

Because women have always done this.

One woman opens a door.
Another holds it open.
Another widens the path so others can walk through it.

We all rise when we lift each other.

Today I want to honor women everywhere.

And I want to dedicate this day especially to the women of Iran whose courage continues to inspire the world.

Your courage has reminded the world that the strength of women is one of the most powerful forces on earth.

Across centuries, from Gordafarid’s battlefield to the voices we hear today, one truth remains:

The courage of women cannot be extinguished.

Happy International Women's Day to all of the amazing women in the world 💐

Founders: if you are fundraising, you do not want to miss this event.

And if you can, make sure you are in Bettina’s room.

I am not just saying that because she is one of my dearest friends. Bettina is truly one of the most thoughtful, caring, and brilliant investors I know.

The level of care and intention she brings to every founder conversation is rare. 

She listens deeply, asks the questions that actually matter, and shows up for founders long before there is ever a deal on the table.

That kind of stewardship is something special in venture. 💛

Silicon Valley Angel Investor (Pre-Seed) + LP | AI + FinTech + DeepTech + B2B SaaS + Sports Media + CPG | Ex-GoPro + Semiconductors | Hubble Advisor + Boardy Deal Partner + Incubator Mentor | Skiing + BucketHat Lover

Are you #FundRaising?  Come join me, along with 100+ other VCs, Angels, FO's

I'm hosting a networking room at the VC Virtual Conf on March 31 hosted by Max Pog.    There will be 40+ breakout rooms & 6 hours of VC networking & insights.

If you’re interested in joining the discussion
Register here:   https://vcconf.com?172

See you on the 31st... 
I'll probably be the only one in a #BucketHat

taplio

The Battle

Ernie Melling IFMA ,TMA

Kathryn V.

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The Battle

Ernie Melling IFMA ,TMA

Kathryn V.

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Kathryn V.'s LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreKathryn V.'s LinkedIn Performance