Source:
Silva, David. "ENR California's Owner of the Year."
ENRCalifornia. 11 April 2011.
Retrieved from http://california.construction.com/california_construction_projects/2011/0411_OwneroftheYear.asp


February 1, 2011 - Healthcare Technical Services Opens New Office in Emeryville
Los Angeles, Calif. - February 1, 2011 - Healthcare Technical Services (HTS), based in Los Angeles, has ventured northward in the Golden State to open a new office in Northern California. To be more precise, HTS will be occupying space in the East Bay city of Emeryville, north of Oakland and a Bay Bridge drive from San Francisco. HTS, a consulting firm established in 2002, specializes in construction management software (i.e. FreightTrain®), transition planning, and commissioning services.

In the planning for some time, the decision to open a Northern California office came out of a desire to work closer with several of HTS's largest clients headquartered in the northern part of the state. President of HTS, Bill Clemenson, will be heading up the Emeryville office and bringing with him the managing team behind FreightTrain. One of the key members of that team is Michael Harrison who has recently joined HTS as its Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "I'm very excited to be joining HTS at such a pivotal time in the company's expansion. The decision to open an office in Northern California just shows the commitment HTS has to providing its customers with world-class customer service."

Emeryville, Calif. is prime location as HTS has a commissioning project underway on the North Coast in Eureka; FreightTrain operators are busy at multiple sites in the East Bay, Napa, and the aforementioned Eureka; and transition planning is overseeing a move in Redwood City on the Peninsula. Kaiser Permanente's corporate offices are in nearby Oakland, CA and with HTS involved in many Kaiser projects the Emeryville location was a perfect fit.

To celebrate the grand opening of their new office in Northern California, HTS will be hosting an open house in the near future. Details of the event will be posted on their website at consulthts.com.



For more information on HTS including the opening of its new office in Emeryville
contact Michael Harrison mharrison@consulthts.com or visit consulthts.com


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February 01, 2011 - HTS Names Michael Harrison Senior VP of Sales

HTS Names Michael Harrison Senior VP of Sales

As Markets Ripen, New Sales Leader Brings Talent to Rapidly Growing Project Management Company

Emeryville, CA February 1, 2011 – HTS, the leading provider of project management solutions and technologies, today announced that it has appointed Michael Harrison as Senior Vice President of Sales. Michael will pilot the company’s sales efforts into rapidly expanding markets for construction management, commissioning, and transition planning.

“Michael has an outstanding track record accelerating the revenue growth for companies such as ours,“ said Bill Clemenson, CEO and Founder of HTS. “His incredible creative energy, knowledge of multiple vertical markets, and proven ability to build enterprise relationships make him the perfect person to lead our sales initiatives as we rapidly expand our business in 2011.”

With 10+ years of leadership in sales, Harrison most recently served as SVP of Sales for Accela, Inc. where he was responsible for managing their entire US sales force. In three years Harrison helped Accela generate nearly $85M in business, negotiated the two largest deals in the company’s history which were both in excess of $8M, and built a team that delivered results in the toughest of market conditions.

“It is always exciting to work with companies that bring indisputable added value to their customers,” said Harrison. “HTS is particularly inspiring because they solve the most complex problems facing construction and healthcare, industries that demand high efficiency and effective use of technology. I look forward to leading the Sales organization to successfully grow our diverse and loyal customer base and take HTS to the next level.”

About HTS

Since 2002, HTS (www.consulthts.com) has been committed to delivering project management excellence to the construction and healthcare industries. Today, HTS is a premier innovator bringing superior, quality-focused processes and people to complex projects across North America. HTS offers the most comprehensive Transition Planning, Commissioning, and Construction Management solutions on the market, and leads the construction technology revolution with its award-winning FreightTrain® software. Our clients include the nation’s largest owners, builders, and healthcare providers.

HTS is a privately held company headquartered in Emeryville, Calif.

For more info: www.consulthts.com | hts@consulthts.com | 510-601-6501


January 5, 2011 - HTS-Transition Planning Moves Four Hospitals in Two Weeks to Close-Out 2010
Los Angeles, Calif. – January 5, 2011 – Healthcare Technical Services ended 2010 with a bang! The Transition Team coordinated two licensing visits in California and the moving of four hospitals to their new facilities in a span of a little over two weeks. The Transition Planning division, headed by Kelly Guzman, RN, moved Adventist Medical Center – Hanford in California’s Central Valley on the 5th of December, then two days later Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in San Francisco, followed by Palmdale Regional Medical Center in California on the 11th, and finally Exempla St. Joseph Hospital in Denver, Colorado on the 20th.

Hanford, county seat of Kings County, Calif., welcomed its newest hospital in 45 years, Adventist Medical Center – Hanford. That Sunday morning, ten ambulances shuttled 78 patients, working alongside 1,183 employees, volunteers and students, to complete a coordinated move down to the planned last minute. “Moving a hospital takes a tremendous amount of planning, excellent teamwork, proactive communication, attention to detail, and practice,” commented Becky Sales, RN, HTS project manager at Hanford.

Two days later, planning and attention to detail were definitely on hand for San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, one of the largest skilled nursing facilities in the country. Over two days, 756 residents, some with dementia and other complex diagnoses, moved into their brand new, 780-bed facility with modern amenities. “The move was flawless. The level of detail with the flowcharts and process proved very valuable in our licensing and helped make the move go smoothly,” said Larry Funk, Associate Administrator at Laguna Honda, in praise of HTS.

Practice and more practice proved to be incredibly beneficial for Palmdale Regional Medical Center (PRMC). The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) surveyed the facility earlier that week and awarded PRMC their license to operate with no citations or issues. Three, full-house, mock-operations exercises, known as “Day in the Life,” incorporated a full-court press of hospital staff, physicians, volunteers and EMS personnel to ensure the new environment was ready for Day 1. The exercises included ambulance and air transport using the hospital’s heliport to test the mettle of the staff. It worked! Robert Trautman, CEO of Palmdale Regional said the move was “perfect, not one hiccup.”

Finally, at Denver’s St. Joseph’s Exempla Hospital teamwork proved its worth. Finishing up the Women’s Services move at Exempla Lutheran in nearby Wheat Ridge, Exempla requested HTS’ assistance and support with the transition planning for their new Neuro-Ortho Surgery Tower at St. Joseph’s Hospital. HTS came forth with a hands-on approach and successfully coordinated “Day in the Life” and Move Planning efforts. “It was reassuring that HTS has a clinical background, and that gave us confidence,” said Judith Walker of St. Joseph’s Exempla.

All in all, 2010 was a good year for HTS where the Transition Planning Team successfully licensed and moved eight hospitals. This is remarkable and still more amazing in that half of those moves came in the last month alone. As a prosperous 2011 begins, HTS looks forward to another good year of helping hospitals make their transitions unquestionable successes.



For more information on how HTS-Transition Planning can work with you
contact Brian Fuller bfuller@consulthts.com or visit our website consulthts.com


December 15, 2010 - HTS Transition Planning Helps Adventist Medical Center – Hanford Open to the Public
Los Angeles, Calif. – December 15, 2010 – The citizens of Kings County, Calif. have themselves a new hospital after forty-five years. Adventist Medical Center – Hanford, a 142 bed hospital sporting 32-inch flat screen televisions in each of those private rooms, opened to the public, December 5. Days prior, the hospital had been given the go ahead to open by state inspectors. Ten years in the making, the landmark project involving construction of a new hospital and the repurposing of two existing, spent a good year planning for this one day of moving in December. “We have worked many hours over the course of months for one day, and it is finally here,” said Rick Rawson, CEO and president of Adventist Health/Central Valley Network.

Hired by Adventist, Healthcare Technical Services of Los Angeles came onboard in January of this year to help make the move a reality. Experts at transition planning, HTS helped Adventist prepare for the logistics and go through several mock moves. HTS tapped Becky Sales, RN to serve as project manager, tasked with bringing the project to successful completion. “Moving a hospital takes a tremendous amount of planning, excellent teamwork, proactive communication, attention to detail, and practice,” comments Ms. Sales. True to her words, Ms. Sales oversaw a command center gathering and disseminating the latest information to keep the project humming along. Staff members working on six subcommittees picked away at a task list numbering over 400 items long.

At 1:30 pm, move day, staff members gathered for a debriefing. The move was complete. Ten ambulances shuttled 78 patients, working alongside 1,183 employees, volunteers and students to complete the coordinated move down to the planned last minute. That last minute never arrived as they had finished ahead of schedule. At long last, Adventist Medical Center – Hanford is a reality. The $114 million medical center covering 176,000 square feet assures the growing region that they will have first-class care, attracting talent far and wide. “It’s a fantastic hospital; the best in the [San Joaquin] Valley,” said Dr. Lancy Allyn, chief of medical staff, quoted in local paper, Hanford Sentinel. No longer clad in red shirts with words “command center” emblazoned on them for move day, Becky Sales and the HTS team can look back at the success that is Adventist Medical Center – Hanford.

For more information on how HTS-Transition Planning can work with you
contact Brian Fuller bfuller@consulthts.com or visit our website consulthts.com


October 3, 2010 - HTS Transition Planning opens Rady Children’s without issue
Los Angeles, Calif. – October 1, 2010 – They are quite pleased at Healthcare Technical Services, LLC (HTS) for what arguably is a crowning achievement at Rady Children’s Hospital – San Diego. With the help of transition planning from HTS, the hospital’s $260 million Acute Care Pavilion earned its operating license without citations or need of recommendations. Regulators praised the staff’s readiness and preparation; a testament to superb direction from HTS and flawless execution from Rady. Kelly Guzman, executive director at HTS, exclaimed, “When HTS started this project, we developed a schedule and the move date plus major milestones never changed.”

Twenty months ago, Rady called upon Ms. Guzman and HTS to help the 55 year old children’s hospital transition into their new state-of-the-art pavilion. The largest expansion yet for Rady, the 154 bed, LEED-certified facility demanded the skill and expertise of HTS to bring it across successfully. In-depth Interviews with hospital staff, a cohesive organizational plan, a detailed transition budget, and online project management software, FreightTrain, were part of the suite of services rendered. Ley Ann Maddelina, RN Director of Transition Planning at Rady gave praise stating, “HTS knows their stuff and the attention to detail is there. It also comforted us to know that there’s a clinical background present as well.” Indeed, six RNs are on staff at HTS with three of them in the field of pediatrics, bringing a special significance here at Rady Children’s.

As the project has come to a close, the phenomenal success of the transition work at Rady Children’s has not gone unnoticed. Observers from other medical centers, developing their own transition plans, were on hand for move in day at the new facility. Tim Jacoby, V.P. of Facilities for Rady Children’s stated, “I would suggest listening to the recommendations provided by HTS, they have been instrumental in advising our staff.”

Unquestionably, it has been a rewarding experience. The Acute Care Pavilion emblazoned with Rady's distinctive, soaring kite logo has brought forth a greater public awareness for the children's hospital, now the largest in California. Its opening reflects well on the hospital but also on HTS Transition Planning, seeking to replicate and build upon the success that is Rady Children's Hospital – San Diego.



For more information on how HTS-Transition Planning can work with you
contact Brian Fuller bfuller@consulthts.com or visit our website consulthts.com


October 1, 2010 - HTS-Transition Planning Wins Bid at Loma Linda University Medical Center - Murrieta
Los Angeles, Calif. - October 1, 2010 - Months of persistent, hard work came to fruition for the folks at Healthcare Technical Services, LLC (HTS) this past week. World famous Loma Linda University Medical Center informed the Los Angeles-based consulting firm that it had been given the nod to be their transition planning partner at their hospital project in Murrieta, Calif.

Loma Linda University Medical Center - Murrieta is a joint venture between Loma Linda University Medical Center and the Physician's Group of Murrieta, LLC. Layton Construction Co, the 23rd largest healthcare contractor in the country, has been tasked to complete the 253,000 sq. ft. building this year with a targeted opening of March 2011. Located on 50 acres, the $211 million, 106-bed hospital will provide first-rate care to the people residing in Menifee, Murrieta, Temecula, and other communities of southwestern Riverside County. Hilda Nering, RN, project manager at HTS, and resident of Murrieta states, "This is exciting news. I am honored to be a part of this project, as this hospital will serve my own family's healthcare needs."

HTS Transition Planning is not waiting for Layton to finish the physical structure. On the contrary, Loma Linda has called for them to start immediately to help the hospital gain its state license and certification without needless delay. Opening day is only five short months away; there is not a moment to hesitate. Implementing orientation and training, executing licensing plans, and coordinating grand opening events demands that every day must be used to its fullest. Kelly Guzman, executive director at HTS, expresses the firm's eagerness, "We look forward to working closely with LLUMC-M in preparing them for opening their beautiful hospital in the community." Indeed, a beautiful hospital awaits southwestern Riverside County.

For more information on how HTS-Transition Planning can work with you  contact Brian Fuller bfuller@consulthts.com or visit our website consulthts.com


September 9, 2010 - A Vision Award Win for HTS Transition Planning Services
Los Angeles, Calif. – September 10, 2010 – HealthCare Technical Services (HTS) of Los Angeles, Calif. came away from 2010 Constructech in Chicago with a Vision Award recognizing their superb transition planning work at El Camino Hospital Mountain View. The award, in the category of corporate owner in healthcare, was bestowed upon El Camino and HTS for their successful implementation of construction management software, FreightTrain®. “FreightTrain helped us streamline six months of work down to four,” said Ken King, V.P. of Facilities, El Camino Hospital. “Thanks to visually, accurate information from FreightTrain and transition planning from HTS, our people were able to move into our new facility without further delay.”

El Camino Hospital Mountain View, ranked by Popular Science as “the most, technologically, advanced hospital in the world”, had to address demanding installation, configuration and training requirements for the high technology it wished to tout. As a consequence, a standard fit-up timeline of four months increasingly looked unachievable. Also, it didn’t help that OSHPD (Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development) approval for Staff and Stock occupancy delayed El Camino’s completion date by two months. With a critical move-in date weeks away, the hospital needed an effective way to maintain their targets and streamline installation so that orientation activities could proceed on schedule.

HTS stepped in to help El Camino Mountain View realize its “smart” potential. The transition team lead by Kelly Guzman, Executive Director of Transition Planning at HTS, created a committee structure and critical task log to foster communication and resolve issues, a workflow design program to develop new operational processes, a thorough licensing plan ensuring regulatory compliance, and finally a minute by minute plan for relocation of equipment, services and patients; all this done within a tightened timeframe and FreightTrain keeping it all on track. Visual Fragnets, custom-colorized floor plans issued daily by FreightTrain, gave all workers and hospital personnel a timely understanding of the project’s progress down to the minute detail (e.g. bed allocation). “FreightTrain was instrumental in demonstrating the flow of materials and supplies throughout the organization,” explains Ms. Guzman. “We were able to determine where the areas of congestion existed early on, so we could focus on learning the building when we received CofO (Certificate of Occupancy)."

Delays averted, the “hospital of Silicon Valley” opened its doors on time. “It could not have gone more smoothly,” said Ken Graham, CEO of El Camino Hospital. “Five stars all the way around, for everybody.” HTS came through for El Camino not only on the calendar but also on the ledger, saving them nearly a million dollars to be reallocated for other needs in their budget.

For more information on how to get on track with FreightTrain
contact Brian Fuller bfuller@consulthts.com or visit our website freighttrain.com


August 19, 2010 - Freightrain wins Back to Back Gold
Chicago - August 19, 2010 - FreightTrain construction management software was recognized at the 2010 Constructech Magazine Vision Awards with their second consecutive Gold Vision Award in the prestigious category for Builder/GC Commercial projects exceeding $500 million. "FreightTrain brings an advance level of inspection, documentation, and process tracking that inspires confidence by the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) that the inspection process is in control," acknowledged Sutter Health's Larry Kollerer, program manager for the $618M Mills-Peninsula Hospital Replacement Project located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mr. Kollerer's words echo the same recognition bestowed upon FreightTrain and Turner Construction Company by Constructech Magazine. For FreightTrain, this year's award is especially poignant, as it is a repeat of their 2009 Gold Medal Award for the Kaiser Downey Hospital project; a back-to-back feat that found them pleasantly surprised as they accepted the honor on the Chicago stage.

The honor is shared with longtime collaborator, Turner Construction, the nation's leading general builder. "Winning this award is a reflection of an enduring relationship we have with Turner," says Bill Clemenson, president of Healthcare Technical Services and creator of FreightTrain. "It all started at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center and since then we have been fortunate to work with Turner not only here at Mills-Peninsula but at Eisenhower Medical Center and Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach to name a few."

Over 9,500 inspections later, Turner's implementation of FreightTrain's Inspection Request Module delivered an astounding 91% first time, passed inspection rate; a marked improvement over the 76% with the previous, spreadsheet system. As such, this translated into considerable monetary and time savings for Turner and their client, Sutter Health. Mr. Kollerer undoubtedly agrees, "FreightTrain sets the framework for success."

For more information on how to get on track with FreightTrain contact Brian Fuller bfuller@consulthts.com or visit our website freighttrain.com


May 3, 2010 - Merced Medical Center Opens Their Doors with No Delays

Merced, CA. – May 3, 2010 – The $262 million Mercy Medical Center (MMCM) in Merced, CA. is operational. The 266, 000 square-foot, 185-bed hospital and 19,000 square-foot central plant received all licensing credentials and approval from the California Department of Public Health (C-DPH) with no recommendations. The C-DPH is responsible for reviewing the entire facility to ensure that all systems are working appropriately, that staff are trained to care for patients, and procedures are implemented to ensure the best practices for safety. After passing the licensing visit with flying colors, the hospital opened its doors to patients on May 2nd.

MMCM owners Catholic Healthcare West contracted the Transition Planning services of Healthcare Technical Services (HTS) to provide comprehensive Transition and Occupancy services for the project. This included the use of a Critical Task Log (CTL) which helped manage and track all transition-related activities and kept MMCM on schedule and ready for move day. All license- and move-related dates remained successfully unchanged for the past three years of the project, which is a feat rarely achieved in the Transition Planning business. As a result of teamwork and dedication, the Transition Planning staff saved the hospital from any additional costs.

HTS provided a support system tailored to MMCM and oversight to ensure that critical tasks were completed on time. HTS and hospital staff worked closely together to develop new department operational work plans, budget plans, and patient aggregation and bed allocation. In addition, HTS worked closely with onsite staff to develop effective orientation and training and licensing plans. HTS’ workflow analysis helped managers develop staffing plans, equipment functionality (nurse call, Pyxis), policy and procedure coordination, and other operational planning needs. Support for these activities was provided by HTS’ own FreightTrain® software which provided an Occupancy Planning Module to monitor and manage room status. FreightTrain’s colorized floor plans, known as Visual Fragnets®, effectively helped avoid logistical problems or issues that commonly arise when installing a hospital’s state-of-the-art data and telecommunications systems; such as the emergency services response system featuring high-tech radio communications technology covering multiple counties, and a security system controlled by RS2 technologies.

“We’re so excited to be here,” said David Dunham, President of Mercy Medical Center. “This is the dawning of a new day of healthcare in Merced. We are happy to be officially open and ready for business.” And with that, MMCM opened their doors and their hearts! During the first 5 hours of opening their doors, hospital staff embraced two births, one emergency surgery, a Rapid Response and a Code Blue.

To find out more information about how your company can beat deadlines and budget costs, please contact Alexandra Conn aconn@consulthts.com or visit our websites at www.freighttrain.com or www.ConsultHTS.com


February 26, 2010 - FreightTrain Named as Top Products Commercial Winner by Constructech Magazine

Los Angeles, CA. – Feb. 26, 2010 – In a statement released today by Specialty Publishing Company, Constructech magazine announced FreightTrain online construction management software as a commercial product winner in its third-annual Constructech Top Products Awards. On the heels of winning a 2009 Vision Award, FreightTrain joins the ranks of other technology providers whose solutions for the construction industry have proved their worth in the marketplace. Winners of the Top Products distinction were chosen for their: innovation, overall usefulness and uniqueness of the product in the construction industry, as well as documented customer growth rate over time.

Since 2002, FreightTrain software has been field tested and approved on more than $8B worth of construction projects to date. In an industry looking for innovating ways to cut costs on increasingly large project builds, FreightTrain offers a solution. In a statement on the growing technological needs of the construction industry, Mike Carrozzo, chief editor of Constructech magazine notes, “Construction professionals are looking for the solutions that can give them the most bang for their buck. They are looking to make their company better with the implementation of technology, as well as stay up with the latest trends in the construction industry. The technology firms with products meeting that demand may prove to be the most successful.”

Contact: Alexandra Conn
Sales & Marketing Coordinator
310.443.0028
aconn@consulthts.com



November 15, 2009 - El Camino Hospital Move Marks a Seamless Transition Milestone for Hospital and Planning Team

Mountain View, CA. – November 15, 2009 – The greatest challenges of a large hospital move point to the smallest of details. Ultimately, one cannot miss a heartbeat. After many years of planning, Sunday November 15th 2009 marked the anticipated move of El Camino Hospital-Mountain View (ECH) into its brand new home. Heralding to “The Hospital of Silicon Valley,” this new 450,000 square foot hospital meets the state’s new mandate for seismic safety standards and was built from the ground up. The new facility boasts the latest technology in imaging, including Fujitsu’s Palm Secure scanning technology which allows patients to register via biometric palm scanning. The seamless transition occurred in the early morning, with the older facility closing the emergency department at 6:00 a.m. and the new emergency department opening at 6:00 a.m. The inpatient move started at 0700, and 119 patients were transferred to their new allocation. A hospital move is a carefully choreographed dance which requires several practice runs and key team leaders and hospital preparedness.

Kelly Guzman, Executive Director of Transition Planning and her team at Healthcare Technical Services (HTS) were selected to lead the transition process and guide the hospital towards a safe and successful move. Collaborating on their second hospital move this year, ECH and HTS celebrated a major milestone by successfully passing their licensing survey on the first C-DPH review. The HTS Transition Team worked with the ECH team to develop new workflow, policies and procedures to help them adapt to their new environment which includes new equipment and technology. The team worked steadily organizing training materials and orchestrating Day in the Life scenarios to prepare the staff for their new workspace and the licensing visit. HTS’ own FreightTrain® SaaS software tools provided key visual references instrumental to the activation of the new hospital. These included Visual Fragnet® custom floor plans and graphical reports and FF&E Door Reports, detailed checklists of all required room contents.

Foreseeing issues that may arise when transferring all calls from one command center to the next is crucial in avoiding confusion or error, an outcome no hospital should bear. Close communication and in depth planning are two ways HTS prepares for these measures. Cheryl Reinking, the Incident Commander at ECH used the HICS model and HTS staff played a key role by actively supporting the command center and deploying issues to the appropriate owner for two weeks prior to the move until three days after.

“It could not have gone more smoothly,” said Ken Graham, CEO at the debriefing. “5 stars all the way around, for everybody.” On the heels of winning an award for Clinical Excellence for its 5th year in a row and placing them in the top 5 percent of all hospitals in the country for overall clinical excellence, El Camino Hospital has a lot to look forward to in its new home. To find out more information on how your company can beat deadlines and budget costs, please contact

To find out more information on how your company can beat deadlines and budget costs, please contact Alexandra Conn aconn@consulthts.com


August 20, 2009 - FreightTrain® Brings Home the Gold at the 2009 Constructech Vision Awards in Chicago

Chicago, Ill. – Aug. 20, 2009 – The Chicago heat did not keep away some of the country’s biggest names in construction and technology, when Constructech magazine hosted the 4th annual Technology Day and the 10th Annual Vision Awards at the Crowne Plaza O’Hare hotel. Also in attendance were architectural and engineering firms, corporate owners, facility management companies, government agencies, and land developers who shared a combined interest in the latest innovations that technology is bringing to the construction site. By evening, the setting evolved from town hall forum to a formal banquet hall, where the Vision Awards ceremony honored companies involved in commercial, heavy construction and residential as well as their technology enablers, the businesses who have provided the tools to reach outstanding goals.

McCarthy Building Companies Inc. was in attendance, nominated for their distinguished results at Kaiser Permanente Hospital at Downey, with FreightTrain online construction management software as their enabling technology. The project was the first ever to use FreightTrain technology from start to finish and was completed in 2008, a phenomenal 106 days ahead of schedule and more than $47million below budget. For Builder/GC Commercial Construction projects in the +$500 million budget range, the top category for project scope, McCarthy secured a Gold trophy and FreightTrain triumphantly joined them on the stage.

“We are proud to have earned a Gold Medal for our first Construction Vision Award,” said Bill Clemenson, president of Healthcare Technical Services and creator of FreightTrain. “The Internet is changing and improving how we build buildings. Inspections, architectural punches, and the entire Construction QC process, can now be hosted on the internet, where it can be monitored, measured and managed by the entire project team. This is what FreightTrain does.”


For more information on how to get on track with FreightTrain contact Alexandra Conn aconn@consulthts.com or visit our website www.freighttrain.com


August 17, 2009 - FreightTrain Attends Constructech Magazine's Technology Day 2009, August 20th Chicago, O'Hare
Please join us at Technology Day 2009
Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare
Aug. 20, 2009

Booth # 204

The Technology Day conference brings together builders, contractors, and solution providers to identify the most crucial topics in the construction space through networking, education, and demonstrations.

Registration is now open for Technology Day 2009.
email me with any questions aconn@consulthts.com


July 10, 2009 - El Camino Hospital Los Gatos’ Collaboration Ensures Distinguished Opening 90 Days from Acquisition.

Mountain View, CA.– When the Community Hospital of Los Gatos closed its doors on April 10th, they opened the door to key hires that would oversee the transition and project management for the renovation and transformation into the El Camino Hospital Los Gatos. The main challenge posed for the 113 bed hospital, was to safely and effectively introduce new staff, equipment, policies and supplies before an ambitious 90 day deadline. Chief medical officer and president of El Camino Hospital Los Gatos, Eric Pifer M.D. selected leading manager hires including Par Erbst as Director of the Emergency Department and partnered with Los Angeles based, Health Technical Services (HTS) to insure the thorough training of staff, and full integration of new policies.

Some of the primary goals of the re-design were to enhance technology and innovation, patient and family friendly atmosphere, operational efficiency, design for future flexibility, and move away from a paper-driven environment to integrated IT systems to improve patient care. While the list of departmental and technological upgrades were substantial, structural modifications were limited to minor repairs, with the building being re-painted, the addition of new floors and remodeling the emergency room.

The HTS team implemented choice protocols and procedures that helped reach their deadlines. “This was a major accomplishment given the small window we had,” said Kelly Guzman, Executive Director of Transition Planning at Healthcare Technical Services (HTS). Guzman was also appointed as the hospital’s Interim Chief Nursing Officer during the changeover. Notable strategies included a Critical Task Log (CTL) which tracked all issues, ensured key deliverables and coordinated training of staff to facilitate the development of future workflow; custom “Day in the Life” scenarios which provided valuable real life testing of systems and training of staff, and use of the Visual Fragnets® module, part of FreightTrain® software and online construction management systems, which utilized room layout drawings to plan occupancy and provide hospital readiness oversight.

The efficaciousness of the project was realized on July 6th, when the California Department of Health granted the El Camino Hospital Los Gatos a full license, slating them to open their doors by noon on July 12th. “The HTS team’s experience, leadership and project management skills and tools were invaluable in helping us organize and track our work so that we could reopen the Los Gatos site 90 days as promised,” said Kenneth Graham, CEO of El Camino Hospital.

About HTS:

Established in 2002, Healthcare Technical Services, LLC (HTS) is a Los Angeles-based consulting firm specializing in building Commissioning, including Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing (MEP) coordination and overall project management as well as healthcare Transition Planning services. In addition to onsite consulting support, HTS has been a leader in the development of project-specific websites through its FreightTrain® online construction management systems.


May 20, 2009 - McCarthy to use FreightTrain during construction of Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego

San Diego, CA - The $350 million addition to the San Diego based Rady Children's Hospital, and the only hospital in the San Diego area devoted solely to pediatric care, came with help from a generous donation from its namesake, businessman and philanthropist Ernest Rady. McCarthy Building Companies was nominated to construct the new 279,000 square foot Health Center which will house a surgical center, neonatal intensive care center, cancer center, meeting space and 84 patient beds. The hospital is anxious to open its new doors, in part because at times they are way beyond capacity. “There are times in the winter when there are no empty beds.” said Dr. Paul Kurtin, chief quality and safety officer at the hospital in an interview with the San Diego Union Tribune.

Ground broke on the expansion in 2007, and with an anticipated debut in 2010, McCarthy nominated HTS LLC and FreightTrain® Software as a Service (SaaS) to provide its IRM, COW, CPL, and APL modules to help monitor and manage inspection & construction progress. HTS LLC is a leading Los Angeles-based consulting firm specializing in building Commissioning and Transition Planning and in 2002 launched FreightTrain® as an online construction management system whose bottom line is generating significant reduction in construction costs, faster project completion, and improved quality. McCarthy knew what they were doing when they selected the web-based software after winning results from previous projects which included the Kaiser Vallejo Medical Center and St. John's Medical Center. "Prior to this technology, we would spend man hours per room verifying status and identifying issues. FreightTrain allows this to occur within minutes." said a McCarthy Punch Team Manager on the Kaiser Vallejo Medical Center.

To find out more information on how your company can beat deadlines and budget costs, please contact Bill Clemenson wmclemenson@consulthts.com

About FreightTrain

Founded in 2002, FreightTrain, a division of HTS, LLC, provides graphical, web-based systems for construction management. FreightTrain's room-based database provides instant access to project status and a common framework for communication between owner, contractor, subcontractors and inspectors. Our tablet PC’s enable instant field updates of construction status. Our Visual Fragnet® drawings provide colorized maps of construction status by date and by any selected parameter.
FreightTrain has been used on construction projects totaling over $5B in value. Our users report significantly reduced construction costs, better quality, improved communication between all parties to the construction process, and faster project completion. http://www.freighttrain.com

About McCarthy

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. was founded in 1864 by an Irish immigrant named Timothy McCarthy. The general contracting firm is now one of the largest and most diversified construction companies in America. For 138 years, we were primarily a family owned business. That changed in 2002 when the company became 100% employee owned. Each of us now has a personal — and financial — stake in the company's future, and each of us now has a greater responsibility to each other to innovate and provide real value. The net result is an empowering environment that is entrepreneurial in nature, and is directed towards providing our clients with creative and value-oriented building solutions.


Apr. 20, 2009 - Whiting-Turner to expand use of FreightTrain at Kaiser Ontario Vineyard Medical Center
FreightTrain announced today that in addition to current use of the IRM and COW modules, Kaiser Ontario Vineyard Medical Center will use FreightTrain's CPL and APL modules for the Contractor and Architectural punch process, respectively.

Whiting-Turner is one of the largest general building contractors in the U.S., with an estimated domestic general building revenue in 2006 of over $2.5B.


Apr. 17, 2009 - Rudolph and Sletten Awards FreightTrain a Contract for Children's Hospital Los Angeles
FreightTrain announced that it has been awarded by Rudolph & Sletten a contract to provide its CPL and APL modules for Children's Hospital Los Angeles in Downtown LA. Already well established, Children's Hospital Los Angeles will be adding 400,000 sq. ft. of new construction to its existing facilities.

Rudolph & Sletten is one of the 10 largest US general Building Contractors with an average revenue of $700M. This is the second project in which Rudolph & Sletten has contracted FreightTrain directly for its software and services.


Mar. 8, 2009 - FreightTrain at the 2009 ASHE conference
Look for FreightTrain at the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) conference March 8-11, 2009 in Phoenix, AZ. ASHE is organized exclusively for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes as an integral part of the American Hospital Association.


Dec. 10, 2008 - Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente Receives CofO Ahead of Schedule and Below Budget with help of FreightTrain®

Oakland, CA - Construction on the brand new Kaiser Downey Medical Center broke ground on February 2004. Totaling more than 1 million in square footage, the $300 million center was scheduled to become one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken by Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente (KP).

In response to a growing demand of outpatient accessibility, KP-Downey chose to build the 352-bed, full-service hospital housing 82 departments, an 85-room emergency department, and including inpatient and outpatient services. HMC Architects' designs for the new facility focused on amusing environments for patients and staff, while making room for specialty services to be offered which included cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, nuclear medicine, oncology, surgery and urgent care. Undertaking this colossal project was McCarthy Building Companies, whose tasks included construction on the five separate structures including a separate parking structure housing 650 spaces.

MCarthy appointed Healthcare Technical Systems (HTS) consulting services and their FreightTrain® web-based software system to manage this complex project. The Los Angeles-based consulting firm specializing in building Commissioning, including Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing (MEP) coordination and overall project management as well as healthcare Transition Planning services, implemented its existing FreightTrain® software to streamline the commissioning process for the Downey center. HTS' services included coordinating with KP-Downey to develop a technical specification to customize the existing Room Completion Database (RCD). Flowcharts, screenshots, and typical reports were delivered by HTS for review and comment by KP-Downey. In order to comply with its client's needs, HTS developed code and performed alpha and beta testing of the applications, as well as applicable user testing on the FreightTrain.com website. After testing was completed, HTS developed training materials and coordinated presentation of RCD training to KP-Downey personnel.

The two phases of construction were scheduled to be completed in 2005 and 2008, but McCarthy and HTS' dedicated partnership on this benchmark project achieved certificate of occupancy 106 days ahead of schedule, at $46 million below budget. "FreightTrain® allowed subcontractors and field staff to understand where their inspection stood and see their issues in real time. This greatly improved the QC process, leading to a 90% first inspection pass rate," noted a McCarthy Project Manager on the promptly met deadlines for the center. The FreightTrain® software, which launched in 2002, uses custom Visual Fragnets® and Metrics and Analysis to communicate and track construction status quickly and effectively. On realizing the most important role played by the web-based software, one McCarthy Construction Senior Project Manager concluded, "FreightTrain® prevented small issues from becoming larger ones."

To find out more information on how your company can beat deadlines and budget costs, please contact Bill Clemenson wmclemenson@consulthts.com


About FreightTrain

Founded in 2002, FreightTrain®, a division of HTS, LLC, provides graphical, web-based systems for construction management. FreightTrain's room-based database provides instant access to project status and a common framework for communication between owner, contractor, subcontractors and inspectors. Our tablet PC’s enable instant field updates of construction status. Our Visual Fragnet® drawings provide colorized maps of construction status by date and by any selected parameter.
FreightTrain® has been used on construction projects totaling over $5B in value. Our users report significantly reduced construction costs, better quality, improved communication between all parties to the construction process, and faster project completion.

About McCarthy

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. was founded in 1864 by an Irish immigrant named Timothy McCarthy. The general contracting firm is now one of the largest and most diversified construction companies in America. For 138 years, we were primarily a family owned business. That changed in 2002 when the company became 100% employee owned. Each of us now has a personal — and financial — stake in the company's future, and each of us now has a greater responsibility to each other to innovate and provide real value. The net result is an empowering environment that is entrepreneurial in nature, and is directed towards providing our clients with creative and value-oriented building solutions.


Sep. 24, 2008 - Turner Construction Awards FreightTrain a Contract for Mills Peninsula Hospital
FreightTrain today announced that it has been awarded by Turner Construction a contract to deploy its IRM, TIO, CPL and APL modules in the construction of the Mills Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame California. The Mills Peninsula Medical Center will be a 480,000 sqft hospital, and is owned by Sutter Heath.

Turner Construction is the largest general building contractor in the U.S., with estimated domestic general building revenue in 2006 of over $7B. This is the fifth project in which Turner has contracted FreightTrain directly for its software and services.


Sep. 3, 2008 - McCarthy Awards FreightTrain a Contract for St. John's Health Center
FreightTrain today announced that it has been awarded by Building Companies a contract to provide its FreightTrain IRM module for the construction of the Diagnostic and Treatment Building of St John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

The 260,000 sqft building is part of the new St. John's Health Center Campus, that will expand upon the current health center's services and amenities. St. John's is part of the Sisters of Charity Leavenworth Health System. FreightTrain will be used to track and facilitate the inspection and DHS certification of the new building.

McCarthy is one of the largest general building contractors in the U.S., with estimated domestic general building revenue in 2006 of close to $2.5B.


Aug 5, 2008 - FreightTrain is Awarded Contract for the Kaiser Vallejo Medical Center
FreightTrain today announced that it has been awarded by McCarthy Building Companies a contract to provide its FreightTrain IRM, CPL, and APL modules, providing Point of Construction field updates through its portable tablet PC's.

The Kaiser Vallejo Medical Center, located in California's North Bay, has over 2,000 rooms, and is scheduled to be completed in May 2009.

McCarthy is one of the largest general building contractors in the U.S., with estimated domestic general building revenue in 2006 of close to $2.5B. FreightTrain has been used by McCarthy in the past on several building projects, courtesy of the building owner, but this is the first direct contract between McCarthy and FreightTrain.


July 21, 2008 - FreightTrain is Awarded Contract for the Terranea Resort Complex
FreightTrain today announced that it has been awarded by Turner Construction a contract to deploy FreightTrain in the construction of the Terranea Luxury California Ocean Front Resort.

The Terranea Resort includes a hotel, as well as numerous casitas and bungalows. It is the first lodging construction project that FreightTrain will be used for, and reflects the company's expansion beyond its initial focus of healthcare construction into other large and complex building projects.

Turner Construction is the largest general building contractor in the U.S., with estimated domestic general building revenue in 2006 of over $7B.


May 14, 2008 - FreightTrain is Awarded Contract for Miller Children's Hospital
FreightTrain today announced that it has been awarded by Turner Construction a contract to deploy FreightTrain in the construction of Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach California. Turner will be using FreightTrain's IRM module to carry out, track and complete inspection and certification of the new facility.

Miller Children's Hospital is part of the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. In its current building, it welcomes over 6,000 babies into the world each year and it is home to one of the largest neonatal intensive care units in California, treating more high-risk infants daily than any other hospital in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.

Turner Construction is the largest general building contractor in the U.S., with estimated domestic general building revenue in 2006 of over $7B.


April 11, 2008 - Kaiser Foundation Hospitals to use FreightTrain for construction of the Kaiser South Bay Medical Center
FreightTrain announced today that it has been selected by Kaiser Foundation Hospitals to provide FreightTrain for the construction of the Kaiser South Bay Medical Center. FreightTrain is being used in the construction of numerous Kaiser Foundation hospitals, including medical centers in Downey, Los Angeles, and Ontario California.

The Kaiser Foundation is a non-profit, public-benefit corporation that owns and operates community hospitals in California, Oregon, and Hawaii; owns outpatient facilities in several states; provides or arranges hospital services; and sponsors charitable, educational, and research activities.


April 1, 2008 - Turner Construction to use Freight Train for Eisenhower Medical Center
FreightTrain announced today that it has been awarded by Turner Construction a contract to deploy FreightTrain in the construction of the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage California. Turner will use FreightTrain's COW, IRM and TIO modules to monitor construction progress and manage the inspection process.

Turner Construction is the largest general building contractor in the U.S., with estimated domestic general building revenue in 2006 of over $7B.


March 6, 2008 - FreightTrain is Awarded Contract for Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University
FreightTrain announced today that it has been awarded by Turner Construction a contract to deploy FreightTrain for the inspection phase of the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital – part of the Stanford University Medical Center.

Turner will use FreightTrain's IRM module to manage and complete OSHPD certification of the three buildings of the new hospital.

Turner Construction is the largest general building contractor in the U.S., with estimated domestic general building revenue in 2006 of over $7B.


March 4, 2008 - Whiting Turner to use FreightTrain in Construction of Kaiser Ontario Vineyard Medical Center
FreightTrain today announced that Whiting Turner will deploy FreightTrain in the construction of the Kaiser Medical Center in Ontario California. This is FreightTrain's first direct contract with Whiting Turner, and has been initiated early in the process of construction of the new medical center. Whiting Turner will use FreightTrain's COW, IRM, and CPL modules to track construction and manage the inspection process.

Whiting Turner is one of the largest general building contractors in the U.S., with an estimated domestic general building revenue in 2006 of over $2.5B.

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