Facility manager chosen
Kanento Patton will take more than a decade of knowledge from his role as MCK’s director of asset management into his new role as facility manager at Kanatahkwèn:ke. Courtesy Mohawk Council of Kahnawake
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake’s (MCK) long-time director of asset management is preparing to transition to a new role at Kanatahkwèn:ke, Kahnawake’s soon-to-open multi-purpose building, where he’ll be serving as facility manager.
“I like being involved with our culture. This is what I’ve grown up with, and what I know, and so managing the cultural centre and building a new building that houses all of these things that I’m passionate about just feels like a really good fit for me,” said Kanento Patton.
Patton first joined the MCK in 1996 as a summer student, working with the Kahnawake Environment Protection Office (KEPO). After a hiatus, he returned to MCK as a member of the janitorial staff, working his way up to become the office/building manager with the administration unit.
In 2014, he was promoted to be the director of asset management, a role he’s been proud to hold for the past 12 years.
“The staff that we’ve built here in asset management are really, really good. We’re like a family kind of group. We’re very close, and I care for them a lot,” Patton said.
He said he’s proud of how asset management has grown under his leadership, with the department being much smaller when he started in the role.
“At that time, I didn’t have any staff. I didn’t even have a maintenance team, so from that point on I had to basically build the unit. I had to learn what asset management actually is, and how we do things,” Patton said. “I was able to find that good team around me, and we all learn new things in this role every single day.”
Initially more comfortable working in hands-on maintenance roles, Patton said his tenure as director was instrumental in getting him confident with higher level management responsibilities, something that will be crucial when overseeing day-to-day operations at Kanatahkwèn:ke.
At Kanatahkwèn:ke, he’ll be responsible for the maintenance of the facility, including snow removal, groundskeeping, internal cleanings, building maintenance, and security.
“I’m looking forward to new challenges, new projects, and just a new environment,” he said.
Patton will step into his new role at the beginning of April. A new director of asset management at MCK is yet to be announced.
Sign up for email updates from The Eastern Door
