For as long as he can remember, Anthony Malaj has been working with his hands. From doing construction jobs with his dad as a kid to larger scale projects to help earn tuition money while he was in school to currently serving as the executive director of space and facilities for the University of Nevada Las Vegas Health and The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, he has always been looking to make operations more efficient.
“Sometimes a person just knows when something feels right,” Malaj says. “Throughout my career, it always seemed that I was being relied on for making projects come together or addressing facility issues.”
Malaj is one of eight facility professionals to be named to FacilitiesNet’s fifth annual Facility Champion award. The Champions play a critical role in ensuring the efficient and effective operation of buildings across the country, all while exhibiting strong leadership and pride within the industry. Malaj will also be participating in the session "Facility Aces: What Happens When You're Dealt a Bad Hand?" at NFMT West in Las Vegas this November.
“It is validation for all the hard work my team and I have put in over the years,” says Malaj.
As a U.S. Army veteran, Malaj was exposed to a regimented leadership training model. Because of this, he believes that in order to be a good leader, you also have to be a good follower.
“I’ve applied my experiences in the military into my everyday life as a leader in facilities management and organizational planning,” he says. “At first, being told to be a leader was scary, but over time it becomes a part of you and how you interact with others.”
Through his career endeavors, Malaj has quickly learned the importance of communication. He explains that he approaches upper management with a solutions-first approach. By providing many options and explaining how his team will be able to fix the problem at hand, he has gained credibility among leadership for himself and his team.
This has also helped Malaj build a team with low turnover rates. In his role, he has created a culture of respect, continuous learning and shared pride among his teammates. He leads through visible presence and prioritizes face-to-face engagement through weekly tactical meetings and celebrates successes while also addressing the challenges they may be facing.
“Working alongside the next generation of maintenance professionals while sharing knowledge, and mentoring them (motivates me),” Malaj says. “It’s pretty cool to see a face light up on someone when they learn a new trick or method to achieve and complete a task.”
To meet the growing expectations of the industry, Malaj’s engagement has extended well beyond daily operations. He applies a certain standard of excellence by doing routine building walks to identify leaks, system inefficiencies and custodial issues – all of which are paired with monthly reporting that tracks corrective actions and outcomes. By positioning facilities as a strategic asset rather than back-office functions, he has served on executive, operational and clinical leadership teams. Whether it’s leadership discussion or on the construction site, he leads with the conviction that facilities management is essential to organizational performance and operational success.
“Expectations have increased over time by the evolution of the instant information age with cell phones replacing radios, IPAD’s replacing clipboards, as well as internet tutorials,” Malaj says. “With all these innovations it’s hard not to meet the expectations of our customers. I’ve noticed that on occasion, customers do not shy away from letting us know that they have watched a video on YouTube on how to repair the issue. We have to be ahead of that trend.”
Even with his long list of accomplishments, Malaj only wants to be remembered for one thing: taking organizations to a higher level of efficiency while improving the safety and security of facilities.
“The most impactful decision I made was early on when I wanted to be like my father and be the best person I could be to help others,” says Malaj.
Malaj is one of eight 2026 Facility Champions who will be profiled on FacilitiesNet leading up to the webcast, “The State of Facilities Management: Insights from 2026 Facility Champions” that will honor the recipients. The webcast will air on November 24 at 12 p.m. CST on FacilitiesNet. You can register to view the webcast here.
Mackenna Moralez is the managing editor of the facilities market and the host of the Facilities in Focus podcast.
