Department Spotlight: Facilities Engineering
May 03, 2024
When an appliance or fixture stops working at home, who do you contact? If your lights stop working, you call an electrician. Is your air conditioning unit out of order? Reach out to an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) technician. What about if your sewer drains start backing up? Time to contact a plumber. And if your fire safety equipment needs servicing? Better call a fire safety technician.
Regular maintenance and repairs on the inner workings of your household are always important, and when something goes wrong, it can be distressing and inconvenient to you and everyone living with you. You feel the need to get the issue resolved as quickly as possible, right?
Now imagine that those needs are magnified – to the tune of hundreds of thousands of people every year. Who could potentially take on such a monumental task?
Enter: Facilities Engineering at Renown Health. Crucial to ensuring our health system performs at its peak, these team members step in to make sure every patient, team member and visitor who walks through any of our doors are able to access the facilities they need and make their time with us as comfortable – and as successful – as possible.
The Silent Heroes
As our care teams move heroic mountains to save lives, another set of heroes emerge behind-the-scenes. As a strong backbone of our health system, the Facilities Engineering department plays a key role in maintaining the infrastructure that supports patient care, from ensuring the HVAC systems are functioning optimally to maintaining the plumbing and electrical systems that keep the lights on and the equipment running smoothly.
Renown is fortunate to have some of the most dedicated journeymen in the business. This team boasts many experts, including:
- Plumbers
- Fire Safety Technicians
- Craftsmen
- HVAC Journeymen
- Electricians
- Boiler Operators
- Facilities Technicians
As one can imagine, every day brings on a new challenge for our Facilities team members.
“Each workday is always different; it could be water, power or HVAC issues or anything in between,” said Nhil Dado, Supervisor of Facilities Services. “We are proud of the services we provide for the needs of patients and employees.”
“Every day, we have a variety of equipment to work on,” added Alfred Santos, HVAC Journeyman.
“Whether it’s facility upkeep, plumbing, HVAC or electrical, we want to help,” added Brian McCarty, Facilities Technician.
This department works around the clock to ensure that every aspect of our hospitals and outpatient care locations meets the highest standards of safety and efficiency, from routine maintenance and equipment improvements to emergency repairs. These are huge responsibilities – all of which they perform with pride.
“As an HVAC journeyman, we are responsible for making sure the air circulating in the hospital is clean,” said Christopher Bobis, HVAC Journeyman. “It is also our job to make sure the air is positive and negative in isolation rooms and ensure patients are satisfied with the temperature in their rooms.”
“In addition to performing regular maintenance tasks like changing air and water filters, we complete any random work order that may come up,” added Brett Courtney, Facilities Technician. “We also recently switched out our lighting at Renown South Meadows to LED lights, which helps with energy savings.”
“I overlook the boiler house equipment and coordinate the fixing of maintenance issues reported by hospital staff,” added Arnt Utnes, Boiler Operator. “We also respond to every single alarm."
It’s difficult for us to imagine what our health system would be like without the Facilities team providing us with the comfortable and safe environment our patients need and deserve. Luckily, we’re never alone in our efforts to keep us running, and this department expertly leads that charge.
“Along with writing down the PSI readings in the gas rooms and answering calls from dispatch and the boiler rooms, I go through all the daily work orders and complete them,” said Ken Carrillo, Facilities Technician. “It always feels good to see when we complete all the work orders for the day, especially as the next shift arrives.”
“We fix, replace and dispose of pieces that are no longer in service – bottom line, we help keep the building up and running,” added Alejandro Cardenas, Craftsman.
But it doesn’t stop there – Facilities Engineering is currently in the midst of creating a whole new fleet vehicle program to improve the operations of our many on-site vehicles, including trucks, forklifts and more.
“I am the point of contact for all things fleet,” said Michelle Bay, Administrative Assistant. “We are building a new fleet program and working closely with leadership to move the program forward. I am involved with setting up new fleet fuel cards and can set up the program in the best interest of our internal customers while looking to the future for growth.”
It’s clear that the Facilities team is indispensable to Renown. Through their expertise, professionalism and commitment to quality, they stop at nothing to keep our health system functioning at its highest level.
Come Work With Us
Come Work With Us
The Journeys of the Journeymen
With hundreds of years of collective experience throughout all four teams (at Renown Regional, Renown South Meadows, Renown Rehabilitation Hospital and Network Facilities), the Facilities Engineering team members are all masters at their craft.
The roads they took to end up here serving the intricate needs of our health system each tell a unique story.
“I’m a journeyman electrician with over 14 years of experience, including healthcare facilities,” said Matt Christian, Electrician. “We moved to Reno after my wife finished physician assistant school, and she took a job at Renown. A few weeks later, a position opened up here in my field.”
“I spent 45 years in the United States Merchant Marine in various engineering positions,” added Arnt Utnes. “When I decided to stay close to home, I found this job. It’s a great work environment.”
“I started at Renown Rehabilitation Hospital 10 years ago, and I have 50 years of mechanical experience and 30 years of energy management experience,” added Jeff Stockton, Supervisor of Facility Services. “With my experience, I’m able to work closely with NV Energy to achieve power savings for all Renown properties.”
“With my various types of experiences, I am confident I can do all my responsibilities as a Facilities Tech; I learn new things every day,” added Racy Contreras, Facilities Technician. “My family works at Renown as well.”
Racy is exactly right – this team is always up to cross-train on new skills. Knowledge-sharing is a significant part of their culture – all the way up to leadership.
“As an HVAC journeyman for 10 years here at Renown South Meadows, I am always happy to share my knowledge,” said Dave Killgore, HVAC Technician. “We are all willing to listen to each other’s input, respect each other and work as a team. After all, we are one team, one Renown.”
“I started at Renown as an electrician and have since worked my way up to become the Supervisor of Utilities here at Renown South Meadows,” added Jason Craperi, Supervisor of Utilities.
“The training possibilities here are great,” added Clint Rhodes, Facilities Technician. “We are always learning something new.”
Whether they are new to Renown or have been with our health system for decades, this team is always ready for their next challenge, especially with the encouragement of their leaders.
“This is a big hospital, and I know that I will be able to hone my skills in HVAC,” said Christopher Bobis. “I feel challenged in troubleshooting different HVAC problems and scenarios every day, and it makes my job unpredictable and exciting.”
“We’re proud of what we do, and we do it with a positive attitude,” added Alejandro Cardenas. “My leadership gives me the support I need to grow.”
“I like working at Renown because everyone has a great positive attitude,” added Jeff Stockton. “I enjoy the people I interact with, and my job keeps me busy at the age of 71.”
When reflecting on past obstacles this department has overcome, one comes top of mind for several team members: the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Facilities team played a big part in infection prevention, doing all the maintenance and fine tuning of life-saving equipment.
“When the pandemic hit, we did all the maintenance for the Alternate Care Site in the event we needed more critical space for our patients battling COVID,” said Michelle Bay. “We also made sure the air flow in the hospital was correct to reduce the chances of infection. We were on the frontlines with the nurses and physicians.”
No matter what, each team member has each other’s backs and is always willing to step in and help. No employee is ever left behind.
“I love the work environment,” said Cade Ott, Facilities Technician. “Even when we have a shutdown, there are always people willing to come in and stay late to make sure everything gets back up and running.”
“We never let each other down,” said Jared Lopez, HVAC Technician. “In other words, if I need help, I know I can get it.”
“I am the go-to person for a lot of unusual things, such as following up on auto claims, handling boiler licenses and more,” added Michelle Bay. “I am part-time ‘shop mom,’ part-time organizer and part-time investigator. I am happy to be a part of the solution to move us towards the future.”
The Renown Resolve
As the healthcare landscape continues to grow, especially here in northern Nevada, the Facilities Engineering team is on the frontlines right alongside our care teams – and they are proud to do it, especially here at Renown.
"I was going to school when I met someone who worked in this department; he helped me get my foot through the door, and it’s been amazing ever since,” said Jared Lopez. “I get to meet new people every day.”
“I began working at Renown in 2017 and always thought it would be great to work in Facilities,” added Ken Carrillo. “I enjoy the work, and I am learning new skills that I can apply outside of work.”
“I started as a Patient Transporter almost six years ago and always kept working my way towards this department,” added Cade Ott.
The way this team raves about their Renown experience is a testament to the culture of kindness that their leaders help cultivate all the way down the ladder.
“Don Majorsky is a hands-on Manager of Facilities Engineering and was the same as the Supervisor; he is experienced in all phases of facilities, is the first one to give you the benefit of the doubt and will roll up his sleeves to assist with the many issues we have,” said Michelle Bay. “Dave Donohoe, Supervisor of Utilities, is another reason for our department’s success. His firsthand knowledge of the construction process and hands-on experience in the field makes him a dynamic, hands-on team member."
“Our supervisor Jason Craperi has done an amazing job at stepping up after the loss of our department manager,” added Matt Christian. “I have huge respect for my leader.”
Ready for your next journey as a journeyman? Renown Facilities Engineering is currently hiring HVAC technicians and electricians. And as frequently emphasized by this team, you will not regret choosing to Fight the Good Fight with us.
“Renown is a great place to work,” said Mason Garand, Facilities Technician. “I stay for all the opportunities Renown has to offer.”
“I am so proud of my team and thankful for my leaders for having my back,” added Christopher Bobis. “Everyone in Facilities Engineering works so hard and is very dedicated. We’re excited to hire more people to join our team.”
At the end of the day, don’t forget...
“We’re not just forming a team – we're forming a family,” closes Nhil Dado.