Member Spotlight - Erik Cagle
When Opportunity Knocks
How Erik Cagle Transformed Training into a Fruitful Facilities Management Career
For Erik Cagle, then a custodial supply sales associate, product training was a routine duty. However, after conducting training at Penn State University, the university posted a custodial trainer position, and Erik was invited to apply. Securing the role, he joined Penn State’s “operation within an operation”: the 400-person custodial services department within the Office of Physical Plant.
Today, with over eighteen years of service in Penn State’s largest cleaning organization, Erik can attest that joining the frontline team that enables a safe and high-quality learning environment for one of the globe’s top universities was well worth the leap.
Putting Down Roots
Upon his hiring in 2007 as a custodial training supervisor, Erik entered the wider world of facilities management. Responsible for training custodians on safety protocols, supervising maintenance crews, and implementing new products, Erik learned early on that custodial services is a balancing act. Reflecting on those early experiences, Erik remains emphatic that he “loved every minute of it.”
Erik later advanced to the programmatic side of custodial services, where he contributed strategic oversight to human resources and training, as well as product, equipment, and inventory management. In 2015, he was promoted to his present role as custodial operations manager.
“Penn State was a great fit,” Erik remarked. “When I joined, I had young kids, and working at a university offered strong benefits to support my growing family.”
Training and Empowering Staff
When Erik looks to hire employees, he avoids restricting his search to candidates with custodial backgrounds alone. What matters most is whether candidates possess positive values and a commitment to learning.
Across levels of experience, new hires receive critical support through the department’s rigorous training program. Erik designed this program not only to fill knowledge gaps but also equip employees with the skills needed to cultivate essential relationships.
Throughout training and beyond, Erik encourages staff to exhibit high standards of pride, professionalism, and expertise. This standard is reinforced daily. Within eighteen months of hiring, custodial supervisors are required to obtain key industry certifications.
“When we set out to hire staff, we really look for people who have high character,” Erik remarked on his approach to talent and recruitment. “We try to match our hires to people who share Penn State’s values of integrity, responsibility, respect, discovery, excellence, and community.”
Streamlining Facilities Management with Technology
Custodial services clean and maintain a wide range of academic, athletic, and administrative facilities across Penn State’s campus. The department’s total footprint comprises nearly 300 buildings and approximately fourteen million square feet.
While reports reveal that university facilities staff are increasingly responsible for an ever-expanding footprint, Erik is tackling evolving responsibilities with a versatile tech stack.
From robotic scrubbers to autonomous sweepers, he equips custodians with tools that streamline daily workloads and help them stay on top of pressing tasks. On the management side, supervisors optimize scheduling, inventory management, and quality assurance through digital platforms.
Measurement remains central to tech integration. With real-time dashboards, Erik tracks equipment productivity—an effort that ensures autonomous equipment is truly supporting custodians, not slowing them down.
“We really embrace technology,” Erik remarked. “And the cool thing about the way we’ve interfaced with employees is that staff don’t feel threatened by the equipment. They actually look at it as another tool.”
Fostering Collaboration and Connection
Erik embraces pioneering new approaches, but he also recognizes the importance of learning from his peers.
It was through these peer discussions that Erik learned of APPA, and this introduction came at an opportune time. He was deeply involved in developing a custodial professional development program when he attended his first Institute for Facilities Management.
This landmark experience set the tone for Erik’s involvement. After completing all four Institute tracks, he earned his Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP) credential and now aspires to complete the Leadership Academy. Serving as the current president of the Pennsylvania chapter, KAPPA, Erik spearheads awareness of APPA’s hands-on training opportunities and expansive network.
After welcoming a host of newcomers to KAPPA’s fall conference, Erik sees this as a promising sign that outreach efforts are taking hold.
“It gives you a more fulfilling version of your job,” Erik said of his APPA experience. “You feel like you’re part of something not only bigger than yourself, but bigger than your own little piece of the world—your university. It feels like you’re all in it together.”
During his involvement with APPA, Erik Cagle has presented multiple times on facilities topics—such as custodial operations and customer service—at local KAPPA chapter events and ERAPPA regional events. He also served as a local chapter keynote speaker at one conference. He received the ERAPPA Rising Star Award, the ERAPPA Chapter Champion Award (during his time with KAPPA), and Penn State’s University Staff Advisory Council Staff Leadership Award (2024).