Kutsuflakis Tops in Tenure on Facilities Team
By Bruce Gerson
Some of his colleagues call him “professor.” His friends call him “Bilo.”
With 41 years of service at Carnegie Mellon University, William Kutsuflakis is the senior member of the Facilities Management and Campus Services (FMCS) team. The rock ’n’ roll band Yes gave him his nickname, but keep reading, we’ll get to that later.
Kutsuflakis, the lead operating engineer for FMCS specializes in heating, ventilation and air conditioning. He works the “Forbes Zone,” which includes the Tepper Quad; Warner, Cyert and Hamburg halls; the Integrated Innovation Institute; and the GATF building.
He’s often a mentor to his colleagues. He lends a hand where it’s needed.
“I love it. It’s a challenge and it’s interesting,” he said. “You can go from working on a water fountain in the morning to a 700-ton chiller in the new Tepper building in the afternoon.”
Kutsuflakis joined CMU in 1977 as a dish washer in the Skibo Hall cafeteria. After six months of pots and pans he became a custodian for the Hill dormitories, before being hired by FMCS as an HVAC apprentice. While working as an apprentice, he learned the trade and earned a diploma in specialized technology from Gateway Technical Institute. After graduating, he became a full-time HVAC mechanic.
Today, Kutsuflakis is still learning.
“You have to keep knowledgeable about the ongoing changes in the industry, so I take continuing education classes each year through the local union, the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 95,” he said.
Kutsuflakis also receives training from contractors on new equipment when facilities open, like the Tepper Quad and the soon to be constructed TCS Hall.
In addition to his work, Kutsuflakis said he enjoys Carnegie Mellon’s innovative environment.
“The best thing about my job is seeing what these young scientists are working on and what the future holds. I remember seeing NavLab, the self-driving blue truck in the 1980s on Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park. You never know what or whom you’re going to run into,” he said.
That was the case in the 1970s when Kutsuflakis first ran into his favorite musical group, Yes.
After attending a concert, he met several members of the group in a hotel lounge, where he struck up a conversation and a friendship. Since then, he has met them after concerts on several occasions.
At one such meeting, keyboard player Patrick Moraz signed an album cover for him, misspelling Bill, and thus coining his nickname. He wrote, “To Bilo, Best Wishes, Patrick Moraz.”
“After that, my friends called me Bilo.”
Kutsuflakis also enjoys photography, traveling and astronomy.
“I enjoy looking at the stars and planets. I have a Schmidt-Cassegrain — it’s a lot of telescope in a small package.”
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