HCB News: Can you tell us a little bit about the history of H&H Design-Build and your own background in the industry? FH: H&H is a company that evolved from a small family owned electrical contractor into the same family owned company - but one that is farther reaching. My brother and I are the second generation owners. Our parents started the company in 1972 as an electrical contracting firm.
Our dad is an entrepreneur at heart - he was always looking for the next thing. He added satellite communications to the company in the late 70’s and we were watching the NASA channel, an HBO channel and unedited CBS golf at that time. In 1978, GE Medical Systems sold an X-ray room to our local hospital. They asked the engineering director at the hospital who they could work with to prepare the room. The director gave our name and that was the beginning of a very long relationship with GE. What began as providing some electrical work and installation assistance has grown into a full service design and construction firm.
It began slowly in the early 80’s and by the late 80’s we stopped providing electrical work and focused solely on design and construction of diagnostic imaging and cancer treatment. Our core business for many years truly focused on diagnostic imaging with cancer facilities on occasion. Over the last year (we acquired architection in September of 2017) we have seen a big increase in our cancer treatment projects.
Personally - I worked in the field as an electrician’s helper, electrician, project superintendent, then in the office as a project manager, Vice President and then President of our company. I learned a lot by being in the field and growing relationships with our clients, the equipment vendors and our subcontractors. Relationships are the key to the success of our projects. We used to ‘bid’ a lot of projects and I don’t remember winning one bid with a client we hadn’t personally met.
Today - we endeavor to personally meet with the clients and get to know what their needs are and tailor the proposal to that. We help them with understanding many of the things that are key to the success of the project and we build a trust with them that is imperative to have as we develop the project together.
HCB News: In what ways have shielding and shielding considerations changed since you got started in healthcare construction? FH: Probably the biggest thing we see with shielding that can be perplexing is not in the Cancer Treatment sector - but in the PET/CT and PET/MR suites. Primarily in the patient uptake rooms. We have seen physicist’s request as little as 1/8th lead equivalency and upwards of 3/4” in lead equivalent shielding. This has a huge impact on the cost of these rooms and the work required to hang these doors.
