Bay Area electrical contractor and its vendors donate $150,000 in material to rewire Haitian hospital following 2010 earthquake
San Jose, Calif.-based Rosendin Electric has been working behind the scenes with their own Haitian Earthquake Relief program. When the Bay Area office was approached by Mazzetti Nash Lipsey Burch (M+NLB), San Francisco, to help find materials needed to rewire Hopital Sacre Coeur in the north Haitian town of Milot, the Rosendin Electric procurement team was able provide electrical supplies, tools, and equipment within two weeks to meet a tight shipping deadline.
As one of the few hospitals still operating after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Hopital Sacre Coeur was identified as desperately needing a complete upgrade to its electrical system. This 73-bed hospital had an aging and dangerous wiring system, and power for the entire medical center was being provided by a single diesel generator. When M+NLB put out a call for materials to rewire the hospital, Rosendin Electric responded, working with its network of vendors, manufacturers, and distributors to assemble more than $150,000 in donated receptacles, wire, conduit, tools, panels, and more.
“Everyone was eager to help. Along with materials and tools Rosendin Electric had on hand, we were able to get more than 30 suppliers to donate, and those who couldn’t donate goods made cash donations to help cover travel expenses,” says Bill Barnes, senior purchasing agent for Rosendin Electric. “The response was immediate and generous and should make everyone in our industry proud.”
The Rosendin Electric team started by reviewing the list of materials needed for the hospital retrofit project. Drawing from their experience in hospital and design/build work, Rosendin Electric was able to expand the list of required material, adding items and tools that seemed to be missing. The team then scoured the Rosendin Electric warehouse for surplus materials and put out a call to suppliers and manufacturers to help fulfill the list. Rosendin Electric even included decommissioned, yet fully functional, battery-powered drills and other tools. The response was overwhelming and in record time the Rosendin Electric team was able to procure and ship all the material needed to Florida for transport to Haiti.
“We were in awe of the response from Rosendin Electric,” says Tom Cooper, one of the independent volunteers who helped spearhead the project. “Our contact at the Crudem Foundation who manages the operations at Hopital Sacre Coeur was moved to tears when we told him that you were able to get almost everything on the materials list on such short notice. This is a true testament to the humanity of Rosendin Electric and its suppliers, and it has made a real difference to the people of Haiti.”
To thank the participating vendors, Rosendin Electric treated them to dinner and an evening out to see the San Jose Sharks beat the Nashville Predators at the company’s suite at the HP Pavilion. “It was the least we could do to thank the vendors and manufacturers for their generosity,” says Jim Hawk, executive VP for Rosendin Electric.
“Rosendin Electric has a tradition of giving back to the community — we donate to about 20 charities each year — so we are delighted that we were able to provide the material and tools for this important project,” says Hawk. “When we received the call for help, we wanted to respond with our full support. When the additional and substantial contributions were made from our vendors, it was especially heartwarming.”
For more information about the project, please visit the weblog at www.mazzetti.com, and to contribute time, money, or materials, contact HelpHaiti@mazzetti.com.