The Mayo Clinic’s Richard O. Jacobson Building is home to the country’s only Proton Beam Facility that allows a beam to be manipulated into different patterns depending on a cancer size and type. The work Egan’s Rochester team completed on this innovative facility was featured in Electrical Contractors Magazine.
Read more: Electrical Contractor Magazine
When Egan & Sons Company was founded in 1945, Costney, Bill, Joseph, and (later) Gerald Egan depended on mechanical expertise. Since then, Egan Company has evolved to include services across virtually every corner of specialty contracting.
Some industries are just discovering Egan’s capabilities, whereas others, like the local healthcare industry, are well-acquainted with Egan as a multi-trade resource. This Minnesota medical landscape has seen many changes over the years, and healthcare facilities have looked to Egan’s experience and knowledge to accommodate the industry’s needs.
In the atmosphere of a hospital or clinic, special attention must be paid to the infrastructure to ensure patient care isn’t hindered. Many work sites are sealed off by plastic barriers before work is performed, and Egan follows the Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) protocol to enforce extra precaution.
“When you have a heavily-controlled area like a hospital, you need to align with established procedures and be aware of potential risks because you’re working around people when they’re most vulnerable,” said Larry Hanson, Egan Company Safety Director.
In some cases, tools and equipment are decontaminated and remain onsite until work is completed. Egan employees have even worn full scrub gowns and facemasks at places like the world-renowned Mayo Clinic.
The Mayo Clinic’s Rochester, Minn. campus has grown at a blistering pace. In the past few years, it has completed a state-of-the-art proton beam therapy cancer treatment center and announced a $6-billion Destination Medical Center.
Nietz Electric, a brand of Egan Company, has provided electrical service to Mayo since the early 1980s for a variety of high-profile spaces.
“We install and service Mayo’s non-cookie-cutter projects,” said Jeff Young, Nietz Vice President and General Manager. “The challenges it faces are multi-faceted, even by industry standards, and that’s why Mayo calls us. We have the resources and the specialty expertise to take care of its needs, no matter how unique.”
For multiple facilities, nearly all electrical work to Mayo’s medical-intensive spaces is performed by Nietz. This includes rooms for operating, exams, ultrasounds, research labs, emergency rooms, radiology, and CT scan centers. This past year, proton beam therapy room was added to that list when Egan finished out the electrical infrastructure in the Richard O. Jacobson Building.
In addition to electrical work performed by Nietz, Egan has also provided services for new construction, renovation, and upgrade projects for Mayo Clinic inside and outside the Rochester campus, including places like Cannon Falls, Minneapolis, Mankato, St. Peter, and St. James. This work includes mechanical, building automation, fire/life safety systems, as well as curtainwall/glazing/metal panels. In addition, Egan continually provides ongoing maintenance to various Mayo Clinic facilities in Minnesota.
The Twin Cities area hosts many healthcare facilities that partner with Egan Company. One particular facility has relied as much on Egan’s longevity as its specialty services for its day-to-day operations.
At North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, Minn., Egan Company has maintained a full-time presence for over thirty years. The relationship is built on comprehensive building knowledge, leading to gains for the hospital.
“Our team fully understands its mechanical systems. It helps us foresee potential issues and operate without hindering [North Memorial’s] staff,” said Egan Company Project Manager Shawn Kubinski.
A hospital’s mechanical network encounters typical problems like plumbing backups, but it is further complicated by the medical gas systems that flow throughout the building, such as oxygen, nitrous oxide, or carbon dioxide. Working with these gases requires special certifications. But it takes more than certifications to do exceptional work for a fast-paced hospital. North Memorial’s Engineering Services Supervisor, Andy Baumtrog, attributes the success to Egan’s steadfast, proactive team.
“They do a great job of taking care of us and bringing good ideas to the table,” said Baumtrog. “Credit to Shawn Kubinski [Project Manager], Rick Johnson [Sheet Metal Foreman], Steve Rother [Plumbing Foreman], Scott Degel [Plumbing Foreman], Shawn Collette [Pipefitting Foreman] and Egan’s Service crew.”
Minnesota’s healthcare infrastructure has grown beyond recognition compared to the days of the Egan brothers. Now more than ever, healthcare facilities will need specialized support as they work to care for the millions of patients who walk through their doors annually.
Southern Minnesota is a recognized leader in providing top quality healthcare with the Mayo Clinic Health System and various medical research facilities scattered throughout. Nietz Electric, a brand of Egan Company, is at the forefront in providing electrical work to the area, including a recent project for Hormel Institute’s cancer research facility in Austin, Minn.
The Hormel Institute is a biomedical research center focused on the prevention and control of cancer and other chronic diseases. It is funded by the Hormel Foundation and an official research unit for the University of Minnesota.
Nietz and McGough Construction began a 74,000-square-foot addition to the existing facility in October 2014, enabling the Hormel Institute to become a part of the emerging Bioscience Corridor in Southern Minnesota. The expansion will provide new facilities for elite scientists and doctors to continue cancer research.
This project includes a three-story addition that adds 20 state-of-the-art cancer research laboratories, each ran by individual doctors. The expansion doubles the number of available labs and is also LEED Gold Certified.
“We have extensive experience on healthcare-related projects, so this project is right in our wheel house,” said Bob Gransee, Nietz Project Manager. “Each research lab has its own electrical panel so each can be an independent, stand-alone research lab with its own staff and funding source.”
Low-voltage electrical will be completed, including fire alarm, voice/data, and security systems. All work is also being completed while the existing building is currently occupied, making some elements of the project difficult.
“It has been challenging for us to perform shutdowns—in order to tie new panels into the existing circuits—while still having the building in full operation,” said Dean Hogstad, Nietz Foreman.
The project is scheduled to be completed in November 2015. In order to meet this deadline, Nietz prefabricated many elements of the electrical infrastructure to save time and money.
Nietz was also awarded a 250-seat auditorium and multifunction room on the same campus. This lecture hall will become the new Live Learning Center and will feature up-to-date communication technology for broadcasting and online conferencing. The goal is to provide a place for researchers to participate in presentations and discussions with other scientists from anywhere in the world.
The Hormel Foundation, Mayo Clinic, and University of Minnesota are collaborating in order to make this Bioscience Corridor a reality for the State. Focusing on bioscience and medical research helps to spur economic growth in other major Minnesota cities, like Rochester or Austin, and attract a variety of potential employees to the area.
Core Project Team: McGough Construction, The Hormel Foundation, Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota
Egan Services Performed: Electrical infrastructure, low-voltage electrical, fire alarm, voice/data, and security systems.