HITT Contracting Project Receives ABC Eagle Award

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — HITT Contracting Inc. announced that the Kaiser Permanente Gaithersburg Medical Center project was presented with an Eagle Award from Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. in the Healthcare – $25-100 Million category.   This marks the first time a HITT project has been recognized with this prestigious national award.

“ABC is proud to recognize HITT Contracting for its outstanding work on the Kaiser Permanente Gaithersburg Medical Center project,” said Michael D. Bellaman, ABC president and CEO. “This project embodies a commitment to innovation, safety and superior craftsmanship through creativity and skill.”    

The Kaiser Permanente Gaithersburg Medical Center project converted an existing six-story, 200,000-square-foot core and shell structure completed in 2006 (LEED-Silver certified) into a state-of-the-art outpatient center. Completed in March 2012, the facility is now Kaiser Permanente's largest in Maryland and provides a full range of primary and specialty care departments, urgent care facilities, an ambulatory surgery center and full radiology capability, among other services.   Like all of Kaiser Permanente's facilities, it was important that the Gaithersburg Medical Center reinforce their commitment to providing a total health environment, realized through Ellerbe Becket's design.   This translates to entry points that are warm and welcoming, with drop-off areas that provide safe and easy access for members and patients. Once inside, the design features healing spaces, with meditation areas and walking paths built in, and patient rooms large enough to accommodate families in the healing process.   These are buildings created with the total health of the environment in mind.

HITT team members included Senior Vice President Nick Raico, Project Manager Jason Whiteman, Assistant Project Managers Chris Akstin and Andrew Peeler, Senior Superintendent Ken Casteel, MEP Superintendent Pat Hanlon, and MEP Commissioning Manager Bob Irwin.

The Excellence in Construction awards program is the industry's leading competition, developed to honor innovative and high-quality merit shop construction projects. The award honors all construction team members, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer. The winning projects, selected from entries submitted from across the nation, were judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety and cost. A panel of industry experts served as the competition's judges.