Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Provides Updates At Chamber Event!

(L.-r.) Justin Olsen & Dr. Joseph Perno of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Teresa Campbell of HKS Architects & Bryan Durkin of Robins & Morton, with NTBC president & CEO Hope Kennedy, discuss the process of building Wesley Chapel’s pediatric hospital at the NW corner of Overpass Rd. & McKendree Rd.

The North Tampa Bay Chamber’s quarterly Economic Development Briefing on Sept. 24 brought four of the principals involved in the design, construction and staffing of the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital of Wesley Chapel, which is being built just off the Overpass Rd. exit of I-75. The event was held at Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. 

NTBC president and CEO Hope Kennedy led the panel discussion that included Justin Olsen, the chief operating officer and Dr. Joseph Perno, the VP of Medical Affairs of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, as well as HKS Architects partner Teresa Campbell, and Bryan Durkin, the operations manager from Robins & Morton, which is building the 230,000-sq.- ft., 56-bed hospital at the northwest corner of Overpass Rd. and McKendree Rd. 

Wesley Chapel’s first and only pediatric hospital is expected to be completed in late 2027, but this was the first real opportunity for the local business community to get an update on the progress of the hospital since the groundbreaking ceremony for it back in April of this year. 

“The overall land purchase was about 112 total acres, and the hospital will be on about 30 acres, which is actually the same size as our St. Petersburg campus,” Olsen said. “The facility itself will have a full-service pediatric ED (Emergency Department) and will offer perioperative and surgical services and also will have our first inpatient rehab program for physical rehab. I will tell you that in St. Pete, we have a need for that service, so this project is going to become a center of excellence for us, to be able to provide rehab following traumatic injury. It’ll have med-surg beds, or general admission beds, and it’ll also be ready for a pediatric intensive care unit. We may not launch with that, but the facility will be designed so that, if we need to turn that on right away, we can. Lastly, it will have a really extensive outpatient footprint, with approximately 30,000 sq. ft. for kids coming in for ambulatory visits. And, we’ve already started recruiting a host of subspecialists to join the staff and live in Wesley Chapel to provide that care.” 

Dr. Perno added, “It’s more than just a building. It’s moving our culture and our attitude about how we care for children, and replicating that from what we do in St. Pete to provide that same high-quality care. I’m really excited about finding the physicians that want to be part of this community and provide that care to our local pediatric patients.” 

He added, “I’m probably not telling anybody in this room something they don’t already know, but this is a growing area. There’s a lot of young people here and there’s a dearth of pediatric care in this area. I’ve seen a lot of patients from this area coming to the emergency department in St. Pete and I know they’re commuting all the way down there to see our caregivers. And, I knew that we could bring the care we deliver in St. Pete closer to home for our patients in Pasco County, so we feel we’re fulfilling a big need for the community and really helping children, which is what we’re all about.” 

Campbell said, “We love designing pediatric facilities. Just because a patient is having a stressful health situation doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be in an environment that’s elevating and inspiring and playful. We also think about the patient’s family, and we need to be really thoughtful about the design We work with the Patient Family Advisory Council, to really ask them, ‘What do they need? What do they want? What do they like? What do they dislike?’ We work with real patients with real parents, who provide feedback and input that really helped influence the design aspect of this project.” 

As for the construction process, Durkin said, “As important as the doctors and nurses are to a hospital, subconratctors and trade partners are the folks who get the job done on the construction side. We’re getting our door knocked on consistently by high-quality contractors who want to work in a health care facility and understand the unique challenges of building health care and hospitals.” 

He added, “And, what’s unique about this arrangement is that Johns Hopkins hired the construction manager at the same time as they hired the architect design team, so there was a collaboration right from the get-go of budget, design and purpose. I’m happy to continue to extend our invitation out to additional trade partners throughout the area, but our outreach started almost two years ago, when we were awarded the project . We’ll have 400-500 people on the site on any given day and 1,200-1,300 different folks come in throughout the course of the overall project. It’s important that we engage folks in Pasco County, specifically — it’s one of our contractual requirements.” 

And, speaking of that workforce, Olsen said, “Yes, we’re bringing 500 jobs to the community, which is good news, but it’s also anxiety-provoking. We all know health care team members are in short supply, so making sure we can find people is going to be a challenge. We will hire a myriad of different types of roles, from administrators through nursing, and all those areas that go into a hospital and make it work. So we’re gonna have a lot of hiring to do here, and it is gonna be certainly a challenge as we look at some of our in-demand specialty areas.” 

He added, “I didn’t appreciate how many of our current team members actually drive to St. Pete from this community. So, a lot of them have already started sending emails almost every week. ‘When do I get to apply for it?’ I love that people who are currently part of that culture and our team are going to join the facility here, and they will help make it the exact same in terms of always putting the kid first. It is going to be a big lift, to bring 500 new, really well-paying jobs to this community.” 

Dr. Perno also noted that, “We’re looking for physicians who want to care for kids and be embedded in this community. And I’m already hearing interest on that. And, you know, we, already have people asking, ‘When is it opening? When can I start working there?’ I’m like, well, we’ve just got dirt right now, but we’re working on it.” 

He added, “We have a clinic in this area now that’s bursting at the seams (on Allegra Way, off Wesley Chapel Blvd.) with physicians and practitioners working there, seeing patients. So, we’re looking at more opportunities up in this area and the physicians are fighting to go there and be part of it.” 

Campbell also talked about how the building itself is being designed to be as hurricane-proof as possible, with multiple backup systems for power and water, high-wind-rated windows and more. And, Durkin talked about the challenges of dealing with two more hurricane seasons while the hospital is being constructed. 

Olsen noted that this $300-million project, “is not Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital of St. Pete coming to Wesley Chapel. We are building Wesley Chapel’s children’s hospital. We will provide the departments and services this community asks for. This is a partnership. We’ve already been accepted amazingly by this community and will do what the community asks to improve kids’ health.” 

Get Updated About Wesley Chapel’s Only Pediatric Hospital Tomorrow!

Wednesday, September 24, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. – North Tampa Bay Chamber Economic Development Briefing. At Pasco Hernando State College, Porter Campus (2727 Mansfield Blvd., Conference Center, 3rd Floor). Tampa’s Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital has been providing care to the children of the greater Tampa Bay area for almost 100 years. In order to bring expert care closer to home for many children, for the first time, a brand new pediatric acute care hospital will open in Wesley Chapel. Join the Chamber for an intriguing discussion about a myriad of topics with our panel members: Justin Olsen, COO & Joseph Perno, M.D., VP of Medical Affairs – at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital; Teresa Campbell, architect & principal in charge, HKS Architects; and Bryan Durkin, operations manager, Robins & Morton. The cost to attend this event is $25. 

For more info or to pre-register, call (813) 994-8534 or visit Business.NorthTampaBayChamber.com.events. 

Audi Wesley Chapel Eyes November Opening

From l. to r.: Audi of America’s Kirk Preiser, Dimmitt Auto Group CEO Scott Larguier, Quinn Porter of Wiregrass Ranch, WCCC CEO Hope Allen and Audi Wesley Chapel general manager Alan Majewski.

When it came time to move to Florida, Kirk Preiser did his homework before settling on Wesley Chapel. The Southern Region area director for Audi, responsible for the dealerships from Naples to Jacksonville, Preiser felt Wesley Chapel was the perfect spot in the middle of his market and an area that was quickly growing and would eventually have a lot to offer his family.

He admits that he had to convince his wife, however.

Then, he set his sights on convincing Audi it should join him in Wesley Chapel by opening a dealership there.

It may have taken a little longer to convince Audi than his wife, but eventually, Preiser was successful — in mid-November, Dimmitt Automotive Group’s Audi Wesley Chapel will become a reality when it opens the doors at its S.R. 56 location just east of Mansfield Blvd.

“I’ve been pitching Wesley Chapel to the president of the company for years,’’ Preiser told a gathering of local business leaders at the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development briefing last month at Pebble Creek Golf Club.

“If you’re happy,” he joked, “you can thank me.”

Preiser said the opening of the Mercedes dealership on S.R. 56 a few years ago helped make his case, proof that the area was able to support a luxury auto dealer. Lexus also has jumped into the Wesley Chapel market, and will open off S.R. 54 in December.

Audi chose Dimmitt Automotive Group to sell its high-end automobiles.

Audi A3

Dimmitt, a fourth generation company, was founded in 1924 in Clearwater by the late Larry Dimmitt, Sr., selling Fords and Buicks. Because Dimmitt had traded cars for land, becoming the second-largest landowner in Pinellas County next to the county itself, the company was able to weather the Great Depression better than most.

In 1930, Dimmitt became a Cadillac and Chevy dealer, and eventually grew into selling Land Rovers, Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Toyotas, McLarens and now, Audis. Soon, the company will add a Jaguar franchise to the family, said Dimmitt CEO Scott Larguier.

Dimmitt currently has locations in Clearwater, Pinellas Park and Sarasota.

“Most impressive, after 23 years, is that we are still a very community-minded organization,’’ Larguier said, adding that a number of Dimmitt family members serve on local boards and foundations, and host a Community Values Day at the company where employees are paid to do community service.

By landing Audi, Dimmitt will be selling one of the hottest car makers on the planet, Preiser said. It took until 2010 for Audi to sell its 100,000th car in the U.S., but only five years after that, it sold No. 200,000, while adding seven models.

“We have had a tremendous run,’’ Preiser said. “Since 2010, we’ve been taking off like a rocket.”

The new Audi Wesley Chapel dealership promises high-tech services and state-of-the-art architecture, with a luxury lounge filled with leather club chairs.

“We are building the dealership of the future,’’ Preiser said.

It will be just shy of 40,000 sq. ft., and the lot won’t host a sea of cars like other new car showrooms; instead, it will have 125-150 new Audis on hand at all times. The dealership will have 50-60 employees, and promote a progressive and relaxed environment.

It also is offering an “Inner Circle” club, with special bonuses and perks, to the first 100 patrons who buy an Audi.

And, of course, Audi Wesley Chapel will sell high-quality, technologically-advanced cars, which have dominated the Consumer Reports charts for best car in recent years.

Preiser spoke not only of Audi’s current popular models, but also looked down the road to a time when autonomous and electric cars will be the norm, and Wesley Chapel will be one of the best spots to buy what could be the best in those categories.

In May, Audi became the first company to get a license to test Level 3 autonomous cars, demoing the Audi A7 in New York (and also licenses to test cars in Nevada and California). According to Preiser, the A7 already is  performing Level 3 autonomous driving tasks, meaning it can drive unassisted at highway speeds when conditions are optimal.

Audi hopes to have its first Level 3 autonomous vehicle to market in the U.S. next year, and hopes to have Level 4 automobiles — which can do pretty much everything, even without prompts from the driver — by 2020.

It also is hoping to make a splash in the electric car market.

“We weren’t the first in the game with electric, but we won’t launch until we’re ready with an electric vehicle that is, in every way, an Audi,’’ Preiser said.

The German automaker is hoping to get the Audi e-tron Sportback to market by 2019, and it has also been revealed that Audi is exploring the possibility of thin, lightweight solar panels on the roof to help save energy and increase the range of its electric cars.

“We’re betting the farm on electric,’’ Preiser said.

For more info, visit AudiUSA.com or Dimmitt.com.