Jun 16, 2021 |
Powerhouse has just announced a new healthcare group purchasing agreement for Environmental and Facilities Management Services with Premier Inc. Effective through March 31, 2022, the new multi-year agreement allows Premier members, at their discretion, to take advantage of special pricing and terms pre-negotiated by Premier for:
- Facility Maintenance: Scheduled and reactive services responding to any maintenance need.
- Exterior Services: Landscape, parking lot, snow and ice removal services.
- Rollouts: Consistent implementation of services within a specified timeframe across multiple locations to maintain brand feel and uniform functionality; including remodels and refreshes.
- COVID Response Services: Turnkey solutions to ensure safe environments for staff and customers/clients.
Premier is a leading healthcare improvement company, uniting an alliance of more than 4,100 U.S. hospitals and approximately 200,000 other providers and organizations to transform healthcare. The group purchasing organization is focused on enabling better care and outcomes at a lower cost. We’re proud to be awarded this contract as we believe we have a unique awareness of this space.
“Our facility maintenance and exterior teams understand that in-patient care facilities’ urgency isn’t just expected, it’s critical,” said Amber Alvarez, SVP Business Development, Powerhouse. “We have extensive experience forecasting as well as scaling to meet our customers’ needs quickly, regardless of whether the programs be turnkey or custom. Further, our operational infrastructure along with our proven methods of customer support are uniquely designed to reduce the administrative burdens associated with overseeing facilities management projects. These advantages were designed to support outsourced supply chain operations typical used by healthcare organizations.”
With a team of more than 900 employees and skilled partners nationwide, Powerhouse currently services over 125,000 locations a year. Our core competencies run the gamut of project scopes required by the largest healthcare providers and commercial marketplaces as well as the smallest—including on-demand services for single or multi-location organizations.
“We understand that the administrative costs required to effectively run hospitals, clinics and other healthcare services locations can be significant. Which is why engaging with Premier is so important. Through this group purchasing agreement, we believe we can help healthcare customers put their best foot forward with respect to aesthetics, functionality, and safety in the most efficient way possible,” continued Amber.
Our use of streamlined processes, smart technologies, and national network enable us to implement today what will move people through the experiences of tomorrow. We look forward to putting these resources to work for Premier’s membership.
Jun 2, 2021 |
Stronger Together, Inside and Out.
Let’s Face It… This is a POWERFUL partnership!
We’re excited to announce that Powerhouse has acquired DENTCO®, a national exterior services provider headquartered in DeWitt, Michigan. The 44-year-old company offers a complete suite of all-season property management solutions addressing Exterior Services issues for active as well as idle facilities. This deal is Powerhouse’s second major transaction resulting in it becoming one of the four largest national managed services companies in the exterior space. As a result of the partnership, all Powerhouse Exterior Services Management (ESM) programs will be powered by DENTCO, which will retain its current leadership and 175 employees—making Powerhouse’s total employee base more than 900 people nationwide servicing more than 125,000 project locations annually.
DENTCO’s success to date hinges on scalable operational strategies and cultural elements backed by smart technologies that all align with Powerhouse’s current approach. The integration of DENTCO’s proven best practices and tools, wealth of ESM experience, and asset-light field staffing methods with those already employed by Powerhouse are expected to enhance Powerhouse’s exterior services offering.
“DENTCO has an impressive reputation in the ESM industry,” said Robert Blake-Ward, Principal, Powerhouse. “We have an immense amount of respect for the organic growth the company has achieved throughout its history, which is due to the steadfast commitment and creativity of its team members. They’ve introduced service offerings and account management methods that put the customers’ needs first, successes that have produced raving fans over the years. The combination of DENTCO’s skillsets with Powerhouse’s resources and wider customer base nationwide will enable us both to better serve our clients with deeper and broader capabilities. We welcome their team and look forward to growing together.”
DENTCO’s suite of services includes landscape management, snow and ice removal, parking lot maintenance, parking lot sweeping, and dark store maintenance. Founded in 1977, the company launched as a local exterior services partner serving the Michigan area. Today, DENTCO stands as a major national player overseeing more than 8,000 active sites.
DENTCO’s evolution largely mirrors that of Powerhouse. Over the years, DENTCO focused heavily on quality service, developing streamlined workflow processes and integrating dynamic technology tools to help customers more easily manage their ESM contracts. Further, like Powerhouse, DENTCO established a solid network of skilled contractors to execute on those contracts.
“Powerhouse and DENTCO share some critical core competencies without question,” said Scott Milnes, President, DENTCO. “Now we are able to offer new capabilities to our customers, such as facilities maintenance, rollout and remodel services, without compromising our values. It will also enable us to tap additional resources in operational areas that will strengthen our already solid service delivery. For Powerhouse, we see an opportunity to leverage our knowledge and experience that led to DENTCO to becoming the nation’s number one ESM provider. The combined company will result in an even more valuable commercial infrastructure management partner. We’re confident customers as well as staff members will reap the benefits moving forward. We look forward to being part of the remarkable team that implements today what will move people through the experiences of tomorrow.”
About DENTCO®
Headquartered in Dewitt, Michigan, DENTCO is a leading provider of outsourced exterior services management by utilizing a proprietary software suite. The Company provides landscape management, snow and ice removal, parking lot maintenance, and dark store maintenance. The Company’s utilizes a network of contractor partners across all 50 states and services over 8,000 active sites. For more information, visit dentco.com.
Apr 27, 2021 |
Some may say that the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active and first costliest Atlantic hurricane season on record. According to the NOAA, the 2020 season produced 30 named storms (top winds of 39 mph or greater), of which 13 became hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or greater), including six major hurricanes (top winds of 111 mph or greater). This is the most storms on record, surpassing the 28 from 2005, and the second-highest number of hurricanes on record.
We know that mother nature is fierce – the only way to truly get back to business quickly and efficiently is with a thorough hurricane preparedness plan that helps protect lives and property.
So how does one map out a plan that fits your location’s needs and budget?
Power of People
Having a dedicated team that understand the ins and outs to Disaster Relief strategies is key. You need a partner that will be there every step of the way starting at the pre-storm preparations through the post-event cleanup and build back stages. Your plan must go beyond gathering boardups and sandbags… you must have a mapped out a strategy for identifying and blocking off emergency situations. Have assessed the overall safety and security of your facility? Do you have a triage plan for mold remediation or restoration for water damaged floors? This is where bringing in an outside partner that specializes in Facility Maintenance can help pinpoint key areas of focus and guide you to map a hurricane preparedness plan that fits your needs.
Power of Process
Turn-key services are critical when it comes to hurricane prep. You and your facility maintenance partner must schedule regular on-site surveys to ensure each area is covered and accounted for from the external parking lot structures… to the internal signage directing your employees and customers to safety. After you have mapped out a plan for your location, what items are on your list that you may have pre-cut and stored materials for boardups, pre-ordering sandbags and even planning for temporary power outages with generators on stand-by. Any pre-planning that can be completed prior to the hurricane season, allows peace of mind from a budgetary standpoint to lock-in on cost. We all know that material cost can certainty increase during times of crisis when materials may run short.
Power of Technology
Communication is the next important “check box” to add to your hurricane prep list. As we mentioned above, in times of power outages, do you have a plan for backup generators? How do you currently monitor or track the storm – so know when you need to get the backup powers ready to roll? That is where your FM partner must shine. When determining a partner, you need to ask them:
How do you streamline communications?
How do you track the storms and guide our facility with the “next steps”?
What type of project management system do you use?
What is your team’s availability?
Knowing storms can shift in a matter of hours, you and your facility maintenance partner need to have a communication strategy fully laid out within your hurricane prep plan.
Just remember, when it comes to pre-planning, or if you are in the midst of a natural disaster – having a high sense of urgency, constant communication and experienced resources will be critical to getting you back to business quickly and safely!
*NOAA - Record-breaking Atlantic Hurricane Season Draws To An End, November 24, 2020.
Feb 22, 2021 |
At Powerhouse, we believe your facilities tell a story about your brand. Our facility maintenance services keep that story fresh, updated and looking like new. Over the past 12 months, just like everyone, our teams quickly learned, adapted and changed within our surroundings due to this virus. Keeping your facility looking updated and new is arguably more important than ever before, especially when there is a focus on health safety protocols and creating stable environments.
Every day our team of FM experts work with clients to customize programs that cover everything from general maintenance inspections, all the way to emergency service programs, and everything in between. What no one could have expected, is how quickly our teams were able to assess the situation and quickly respond to our clients’ COVID requests. Looking back at the last 12 months, here’s what our Facility Maintenance team has learned:
A New Definition to Flexibility –
24/7, 7 Days A Week, 365 Day A Year
Historically, offering customized programs to align with our clients’ business hours is nothing new for Powerhouse. The moment the pandemic hit, limiting business hours and restricting the amount of people allowed within a workspace was a dramatic change. Our FM Account Managers immediately worked with each of our clients, ensuring our technicians could complete work orders during late evenings/nights when customers or employees would not be present. Thus allowing all stakeholders a safe environment to complete repairs.
As the COVID-19 virus continued to spread, many organizations grappled with handling COVID positive locations. If a client received notification of a customer or employee testing positive, our facility maintenance team was on stand-by, fully equipped with a pre-planned sanitary program. Powerhouse dispatched a cleaning crew to fog, disinfect with client pre-approved medical grade chemicals and wipe down contaminated locations. Our new mission – doing what it takes to create a safe environment so that everyone can get back to business.
Getting Creative –
Our team of Facility Maintenance experts like to call themselves problem solvers. Last March, no one would have ever imagined that this type of creative thinking would be added to their job descriptions. Yes, our teams have been perfecting restoration services and surveys/site inspections for years – but now let’s add PPE and become GBAC COVID-19 Certified into the mix. Knowing our clients had an immediate desire to get back to business, our teams began installing sneeze guards at cash registers, teller lines and pharmacy windows. Our team literally “walked” in the shoes of our clients, surveying locations, ensuring each facility followed COVID protocols. From signage to hands-free door opener installs, our team was there to assess each location, allowing our clients to get back to business efficiently and within budget.
Communication In A Digital Environment –
Our team utilizes best-in-class work order management technology that can integrate with most client platforms to provide quick response to all services needed. We’ve always strived to ensure our clients have visibility and communication every step of the way. The moment the pandemic hit and our country locked-down, being able to communicate digitally became a vital asset. With our Multi-Facility Management platform, Atlas – our clients can digitally and remotely generate workorders in a variety of ways, customize time-sensitive notifications, and highlight areas in need of additional attention… all right from a smartphone or laptop. Adapting to a digital environment has never been so easy!
What We’ve Learned…
To say the past 12 months have been challenging would be an understatement. One thing is for sure – as overwhelming as the past year may have felt, we have learned and adapted along the way. We came together to rethink our processes and procedures. We came together to get creative and produce a safer environment for all. We came together as a community, always looking for opportunities to help others through these difficult times. Our team at Powerhouse is proud to look back and say, we made history and we learned so much in the process.
How has your facility maintenance plans changed over the past 12 months due to COVID?
Email us with your story.
Powerhouse is ready to assist with any COVID Repairs and Replacement services:
Jun 1, 2020 |
COVID-19 has brought a lot of change to our world recently, but one thing we know is that the snow will still fall, and the beginning of summer means the beginning of winter weather preparations.
View Powerhouse’s Snow and Ice Services
Are You Ready?
Consider your snow-free parking lot and parking garage a brand asset. Create a clean and blank slate to welcome your clients, visitors, and guests and ensure your brand is well-represented from the moment they step on to your property.
Choosing a snow and ice management vendor is step one in preparing for the winter season. Powerhouse’s Director of Exterior Services, Eric Brownlee said – “You and the vendor team should discuss both field quality expectations, and more importantly, communication expectations. Who will be the point of contact? How will work orders be invoiced and communicated? Communication is a key success factor in any program, especially one that has a direct impact on your brand and can quickly be impacted by variables, like weather, that are often unpredictable.”
Here are the best practices recommended for choosing a snow and ice management partner:
1. Start Early
Give yourself at least 3 months to:
- Write a formal scope, or RFP, if required
- Develop a transition plan
- Develop a budget
Starting early will ensure that you have the best selection of providers. It will also ensure a smooth transition and better pricing.
2. Develop a Scope
Create a detailed list of what services you want. Gather site maps so that your providers can give you accurate pricing. Make sure to call out any special requirements in your documentation.
3. Understand Available Pricing Options
Snow and ice management pricing can be challenging to understand due to unpredictablie weather patterns. Do you want to go with a seasonal price that gives you cost certainty or a per event model? Walk through the various scenario pros and cons with your provider to come up with what will work best for you.
4. What About Safety?
Snow removal services can be risky from a safety and environmental standpoint. Ensure that the provider has the proper safety protocols, insurance coverages, and environmental protocols in place.
5. Execution Assessment
Execution is the most important factor in a snow and ice management program. The best pricing in the world does not matter, if the vendors don’t show up, or show up with faulty equipment. Understanding the provider’s ability to react in a major storm event is critical to success. Do they subscribe to weather forecasting services to stay informed and keep your properties updated?
6. Communication
Discuss systems and processes with any providers that you are considering. Make sure you will receive reports. Ask how they communicate with their vendors.
Partnering with the right company will lead to success for your program. By taking the time to fully vet companies you will find one that offers a team that understands the value of your asset, offers solutions that can mitigate long term expense, keeps your properties safe and mitigates winter weather risk. Every program, no matter how long it has been in place, or how recently it has been updated, is open for improvement.
Whether you are developing a new program or considering changing a current one, we recommend you reach out to your trusted providers. Powerhouse and the dedicated team of professionals in our Exterior Services division would be an excellent place to start.
Services:
- De-icing Services
- Snow Plowing
- Snow Hauling
- Pre-treatment Applications
- Sidewalk Snow/Ice Management
- Parking Garage Snow Management
Exterior Maintenance is an investment, not a nuisance. Make this asset work for you by finding the right team who can unlock the value of your landscape assets and snow management for your company and your facilities.
Powerhouse is your solution. See how we can help with exterior services or email info@powerhousenow.com to learn more.
Sources:
https://shovler.com/blog/size-of-snow-removal-industry/
http://www.usa.com/rank/us--average-snow--state-rank.htm
https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/snow/removal.html
https://www.sima.org/
May 20, 2020 |
Let’s face it. The U.S. has lagged behind our European peers in public restroom design amenities for years. Coronavirus has made that blindingly obvious. It’s one of the many reasons why reopening is being done in measured steps. We have public potty anxiety—and for good reason—it’s downright dangerous.
As our country begins to reopen and safety measures are put in place by virtually any entity that operates a public space, one of the trickier questions being posed is what to do about public restrooms. It’s inevitable that people will have to use the facilities when they venture out, which is now a more unsettling journey than ever. And since Americans have always been a little wary of public restrooms, how can their health and safety be ensured in these new uncertain times?
Consider that most public restrooms don’t have lids on toilets. Just one flush releases a potentially toxic “toilet plume” of droplets that coats the air and surroundings with potential infection. This plume can travel six feet in every direction. Science Daily has reported confirming that coronavirus can live in human waste up to 33 days after a person tests negative. Americans were already nervous about public restrooms and now the unpleasant high-pressure flushes that throw droplets six feet have crossed into a more threatening anxiety. So much for social distancing.
Some Solutions
There are ways to ease anxiety over using public restrooms. Below are some of the solutions being implemented to help elevate sanitation and provide peace-of-mind.
- Adding lids to public toilets
- Adding touchless flushing
- Installing touchless soap dispensers and faucets
- Replacing hand blow dryers with paper towel dispensers
- Installing touchless door opening solutions
- Hiring restroom monitors: limiting capacity, supervising social distancing and cleaning as often as possible
- Cleaning the restroom every 30 minutes
- Retiring every other urinal to enhance social distancing
- Requiring masks before entering
Another route some are taking, though extreme, is to simply not reopen until proven methods for how to safely operate a restroom are in place.
Touchless Fixtures
A recent Healthy Handwashing Survey by Bradley Corporation has shown that “78% of Americans are now washing their hands six times a day and that 20% of those Americans are washing their hands sixteen times a day.” Most Americans are now reporting they believe it’s ‘extremely important’ to have touchless options when they use public restrooms. This data has increased demand for all kinds of touchless fixtures in restrooms.
Kohler and American Standard have also reported increased demand for touchless fixtures in the wake of the coronavirus. While touchless fixtures do solve some concerns regarding using public restrooms during the pandemic, there are other struggles that are more difficult to remedy.
Powerhouse is Your Solution
One thing is for certain in these changing times – the public’s demand for safety and security will continue to drive these changes. In the coming weeks and months, we will be watching to see what kind of solutions are implemented to satisfy public health and safety and peace-of-mind. As these answers begin to emerge, know that Powerhouse is here for you with turnkey solutions to guarantee you stay at the forefront of each reopening phase.
Visit our website to learn about our COVID-19 Services
Stay up-to-date on CDC Guidelines for Businesses and Workplaces, as well as all other COVID-19 related recommendations.
Sources:
https://chainstoreage.com/survey-covid-19-accelerates-consumer-demand-touchless-fixtures-restrooms?utm_source=omeda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NL_CSA_Store+Spaces&utm_keyword=&oly_enc_id=4468G2008934C6X
https://www.bradleycorp.com/handwashing
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/coronavirus-reopen-bathrooms/2020/05/18/a6ed57fc-93ba-11ea-82b4-c8db161ff6e5_story.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200506133603.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/businesses-employers.html
