It wasn’t Agustin R. Arellano’s intent to get into the health care business. Indeed, when he started his construction company in 1973, he began as an interior contractor, handling primarily office buildings and condos in Dade and Broward Counties. However, one occasion changed that.
Additionally, Arellano said that in 1993, they were asked to provide pre-construction services for one of the major health care facilities in Miami. “At the time, that’s something we had never done, but the client asked, so we jumped to it. Since that time, pre-con has become an integral part of our business model.” Arellano went on to explain that as part of the pre-con, they provide estimating at schematic design through final construction documents, as well as value engineering and scheduling services to assure that the facilitys budget and time line are met.
“We involve the major subcontractors which helps us sharpen our estimates and develop realistic schedules,” he said. In addition, extensive staging and coordination plans are developed. “The exhaustive due diligence performed during pre-con allows our construction team to hit the ground running. Not only do we work through budgets and schedules, but our team also gets to understand the hospitals operations and figure out how to work around them. It provides us and the owner with a great benefit.”
When asked how health care compares with other types of construction, Arellano replied, “It’s actually very different. The majority of health care projects are either renovations or expansions of existing facilities. You see very few new facilities being built. This introduces a number of conditions that don’t exist in new construction. Working in a live facility, you have to be conscious of noise control considerations, dust, infection control, and temporary protection between patients and the constructionall while (the facility is) receiving visitors throughout the day.”
He went on to say that the most difficult part of the business is “finding the right personnel. I can say with great pride that it takes a special type of individual to work for our company and deal with both the construction issues and the personnel issues in a hospital.
“First and foremost, we look for the best of the best in health care constructionwe have very stringent requirements in terms of experience in this field. Second, we take a very client-friendly approach to construction management, and our field personnel need to be able to provide high levels of customer service. This is not a common combination in our business, and when we find individuals who meet this criteria and fit with our culture, we grab them and hold on.”
Arellano also mentioned how a firm must abide by all of the local building codes, and those established by AHCA (Agency for Health Care Administration) as well. “When a project is ready to be turned over to the client,” Arellano said, “we call for a final AHCA inspection. These occur in three-week cycles; therefore, it is extremely important that the inspections pass the first time.
“If you miss or fail an inspection, you have to tell your client the OR or floor of suites cannot be opened for another three weeks. As you can imagine, this would not go over well with the owner and/or the end-users.”
Arellano listed some of the projects the firm is currently working on, including an Emergency Department at Mercy Hospital; multiple renovations at the University of Miami Hospital & Clinic; numerous projects at Miami Children’s Hospital; the new St. Catherine’s West Hospital for Catholic Health Services; a medical office building for Mt. Sinai Medical Center; a major renovation and an urgent care and diagnostic center for Baptist Health System.
Covering all areas from Ft. Pierce down to the Keys, Arellano has now set its sights on the West Coast of Florida in 2008. “We would like to duplicate the model we have successfully built and attract some new clients on the West Coast of Florida.”
