Describe your responsibilities as Facilities Manager.

As Facilities Manager my responsibilities are overseeing the daily operations of the maintenance and facilities department.  When I describe to people what my team does, it’s simple; what we do behind the scenes helps the clinical staff do what they do best; bring healing to the patients we serve. My team consists of a supervisor, a coordinator, and a team of powerplant operators, HVAC techs, electricians, plumbers, maintenance mechanics and facility techs. As manager I lead a daily department morning huddle where we cover any issues for the day and catch up on anything that has taken place overnight. I then attend a leadership huddle with all department leaders, and I report out my department’s activities. I help my team out with projects as needed and support them in any way I can.
 

Describe the path you took to arrive in your current role.

I began my career in the hotel industry in New Orleans and simultaneously worked as a stationary engineer in a hospital part time. I eventually became the Assistant Director of Engineering in the hospitality field where I remained until Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The storm caused my family to relocate to Texas, where I was able to find a position as a lead building engineer before joining a local hospital. During the next three years I worked my way up to plant operator supervisor and when we joined Medxcel I became the Facility Supervisor. In 2018, an opportunity arose in Jacksonville, Florida for a Facility Manager and I made the move to this location to take the position.
 

Have you taken advantage of training and development opportunities at Medxcel? 

Medxcel provides many types of training; there are so many resources available to us. I have taken courses on leadership, and I always encourage my team members to take advantage of all that is offered. I’m currently working on my Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CHFM) certification and Medxcel has supported me in that pursuit.
 

What is the best part of your job?

I love working with my team and I love helping others.  In our roles, we are constantly working on issues, and we get to help resolve problems.  That's extremely rewarding.  Sometimes the issues may seem very small, maybe it's an easy task that needs to be fixed, but when we make it happen, the result leads to happy customers.  No job is too big or too small for our team. We listen to what our customer needs are and then we deliver. I feel that excellent customer service is the most important part of our job.
 

How does your team impact patient care?

What we do directly impacts the safety and the comfort of our patients and staff.  For instance, temperature, humidity and pressure relationships are critical in protected environment. My team ensures that this critical part of the environment of care is functioning properly. I’m always providing support to my team to understand the “why” behind what we do, that’s important and it directly relates to caring for the patients we serve and helping them to heal. Our clinicians, patients, staff, and visitors all depend on us. Everything needs to be functioning and working well for people to heal properly.
 

What would you say to someone considering joining Medxcel?

I encourage people to join us, and I love to tell them how great the benefits package is here; that’s huge! It’s always part of the conversation when I’m interviewing, many people say they’ve never seen the kinds of benefits we offer here. We also have a great culture, and we offer people the chance to be part of a team dedicated to healthcare. What we do here boils down to helping people, knowing that what you’re doing is impacting people in a positive way as they heal.