By Jessica Springgay Frantzich, Vitals contributor
When 19-year-old Luis Suarez started work as a part-time janitor at Peninsula Hospital back in 1973, he felt grateful he’d found a job where he could work flexible hours while continuing his education. He could not have imagined that this was the first step of what would become a lifetime career at Sutter Health—and that 50 years later, he’d be standing at San Francisco’s Chase Center receiving cheers and applause from more than 4,000 Sutter teammates.
But that was the scene this month at the Sutter Health Power of ONE Employee Experience event, a meeting bringing together thousands of Sutter employees from across California as a celebration for their work contributions. Sutter Health CEO Warner Thomas praised Suarez’s impressive five-decade career, presenting him with an award, which prompted a standing ovation inside the arena.
Suarez, now a facilities engineer at Sutter’s Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, was surprised and touched by the special recognition. “I’m very grateful to Sutter for celebrating my years of service in this way.”
Over the years, Suarez has served in a variety of roles at Sutter, primarily in the Facilities Engineering Department. In the course of his career, his original employer, Peninsula Hospital, merged with Mills Memorial Hospital, and ultimately became Mills-Peninsula Medical Center within the Sutter system.
After providing janitorial services for three years, Suarez transferred to the department and progressed up the engineer job ladder step by step. He now serves as a stationary engineer—a jack-of-all trades role that “takes care of anything and everything in the building,” Suarez says. That includes maintaining boilers, machinery, plumbing, electrical systems, lighting, and water and steam lines. Mechanically inclined, Suarez says he enjoys “taking things apart, figuring out what’s wrong and trying to fix it.”
From left: Mark Gastrock, Brian Nordhausen, Mark Sevco and Luis Saurez celebrate Saurez’s 50 years of service at Sutter’s Mills-Peninsula Medical Center.
“Luis is our department’s ‘go-to person’ for reading building plans to determine the locations of valves and devices,” says Brian Nordhausen, chief engineer at Mills-Peninsula and Suarez’s manager. “He comes to work each day with a positive attitude and is always willing to lend a helping hand.”
“Fifty years of service is a commendable milestone that shows true dedication and commitment,” adds Nordhausen. “It’s also a reflection of Sutter as a great place to work and grow a career.”
Suarez agrees, adding that his favorite thing about Sutter has been the opportunity to learn from his leaders and co-workers. “I’m amazed by the people I work with and how much they know, and I feel driven to learn it all,” he says.
What’s the secret to lasting 50 years at your job? “I love what I do, and I give it all I can,” says Suarez. “I know I’m making a difference with what I do.” He adds, “Fifty years went by very quickly. My job is still a lot of fun.”
