Strategic Project Management and Industrial Development

Challenge, Strategy, and Results: The spiral strategy iteratively built plant capacity to grow revenues, increase the debt capacity to issue bonds, raise money through philanthropy, and hire nationally respected clinicians who would then drive multiple spirals of revenue growth and plant improvement.

Executive leadership set direction, vision, master planning, and re-development of 3.2 million sq. ft. facility and over $500 million dollars of capital investments in facilities, equipment, and technology to include expansion to 5 hospital sites and several primary and specialty care sites throughout Central Maryland.

Completed four major building projects: Shock Trauma Center — 1989 ($45M), 189,000 sq. ft.; Gudelsky Building — 1994 ($170M), 260,000 sq. ft.; Schaeffer Rehab Center — 1996 ($30M), 150,000 sq. ft.; Weinberg Building — 2003 ($200M), 380,000 sq. ft.

Challenge, Strategy, and Results: The nation faced a significant uncertain risk from the Y2K threat. It became a national business continuity and supply chain issue for all business and government. There was significant risk to cost over-runs and spending money simply because it was available. The challenge was to take action and provide due diligence to avoid wasting resources. The initial gross estimate for the program was $52M. The University of Maryland Medical System strategy was to invest to mitigate Y2K while meeting future technology requirements.

We organized an internal VP led program management team and closely managed the scope development and planning for each project. The results were reported to Senior Executive leadership on a weekly basis for over a year throughout 1999. We organized a command center that was operational throughout the December 31 activities. The year 2000 came and went with no significant issues from our systems.

Challenge, Strategy, and Results: In 1982, during the latter stages of the Cold War, NATO was building up its key Mediterranean Sigonella Navy Air Base in Sicily to support Southern European Operations and the Logistics to the Middle East to include the Lebanon operation. The rapid build-up required significant increases in design and construction workload with short timelines.

There were 60-100 major projects in process including a critical expansion and upgrade of the Navy Communications Station at Sigonella Air Base, initial support facilities for the Ground Launched Cruise Missiles operation at Comiso Air Base, airfield facility upgrades, HC-4 helicopter support facilities, new barracks and dining facilities, and a major overhaul of Base utilities. By 1984, Dennis Schrader was responsible for 27 projects at various stages in the process.