Alumni Feature
CALL TO ACTION
Pandemic Relief Brings Helping Hands
STORY BY DALE LONG
Alumni continue to use technology, research knowledge, teamwork, and can-do attitudes to help the public address significant public health challenges. Fred Blessinger, a 1986 mechanical engineering alumnus, and Rolf Alexis, a 1989 chemical engineering graduate, led an initiative to coordinate the recommissioning of General Motors Company’s idled industrial and commercial property in Kokomo, Ind., to meet the global backorder of critical care ventilators capable of supporting patients fighting the coronavirus. GM formed a partnership with Ventec Life Systems in March to provide necessary supplies to health care facilities dealing with coronavirus patients through the federal government’s Defense Production Act. An existing three-story building at the GM Kokomo facility was selected and members of GM and Ventec worked around the clock to refurbish the building with the manufacturing and testing capacity to meet the urgent need for more ventilators. Production was ready within 30 days, with a goal to provide 6,000 ventilators by June 1. Manufacturing capacity is planned to be at a rate of 10,000 per month by August. Blessinger is an operational excellence leader at GM’s Kokomo operations while Alexis is a senior engineer for the company’s global facilities. The alumnus specializes in tackling organizational and technological challenges, including lean manufacturing machining and assembly operations.
MEETING A COMMUNITY’S NEED Another massive transformation took place early this spring inside North America’s largest convention center, McCormick’s Place in downtown Chicago. Sections of its flexible-use space became an alternative care medical facility for non-critical patient hospital overflow, in preparation of an expected surge of coronavirus patients at Chicago-area hospitals. The facility was available throughout April. Brett Olson, a 2003 mechanical engineering alumnus, assisted colleagues of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) commercial real estate services leadership team to work with the U.S. Army Corps of
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Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Chicago and Illinois governmental officials to create 1,000 beds for patients. Olson used his experience in managing hospitals, commercial office buildings, federal buildings, and retail spaces to help JLL get ancillary services ready to handle the project’s numerous technical and operational requirements. These included mechanical, electrical, plumbing operations, janitorial service, biomedical equipment maintenance, and security services. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker marveled at the speed and teamwork that went into the project. In a joint statement, they stated: “We thank all our dedicated partners for their hard work and partnership in creating one of the nation’s best operating and largest alternate care facilities.” A JLL employee since 2006, Olson is an account lead in the company’s general services administration, after being vice president of regional facilities and managing operations, sustainability and energy projects. He specializes in driving collaboration to deliver customer services and efficient property management.
Critical care ventilators started rolling off the assembly line at GM's site in Kokomo, Ind., to help meet the global demand.
