For Tom Hochmuth, the successful move of equipment and supplies for research laboratories and offices to Genentech Hall at Mission Bay will signify a major triumph.

As relocation coordinator for the Mission Bay move, Hochmuth is heading an intensive effort that began early in 2002 and continues for several months in 2003 until all five floors and 900 faculty and staff get settled into Genentech Hall.

Consider some of the progress as of December:

A move guide and move schedules have been distributed to future occupants of Genentech Hall.
Most of the equipment has been ordered. All equipment and furnishings for the fifth and fourth floors have been delivered.
Pre-move meetings for laboratories relocating to the fifth and fourth floors are completed.
Vendors and technicians for moving highly sensitive equipment have been contracted and scheduled.
Back-up freezers for Genentech Hall are in place.
Contracts for Nor-Cal movers, chemical movers and freezer movers are in place.

Hochmuth, who began his career at UCSF Facilities Management in September 1998, is not a novice when it comes to organizing a complex moving schedule of faculty, staff, furnishings, supplies and equipment across town. He has supervised hundreds of moves to and from UCSF's multiple sites, most notably coordinating the move of dozens of faculty and staff offices into the four-story Laurel Heights building as well as moving the laboratories of entire floors on the Parnassus campus. Even before coming to UCSF, Hochmuth worked 10 years at a moving company, doing mostly sales and project management and filling in as a move supervisor when necessary.

Nevertheless, there's no question in Hochmuth's mind - orchestrating the move for all the people and possessions that make up 60 laboratories into the first building to open at UCSF Mission Bay represents a mammoth logistical challenge.

Rising to the Occasion

To ensure the moves go as smooth as possible, Hochmuth reports for duty by 6:30 a.m. and works ten-hour days meeting with consultants, campus planners and of course the teams of faculty and staff who will be the founding members at UCSF Mission Bay.

"Fortunately I was given the resources to be successful," Hochmuth says. "I would not have made it this far without the help of my assistant, Girod Tillman, the space planning consultants, Rene and Al Holoubek [of MHS and Associates], and help from purchasing staff Hung Truong and Forrest Uhland.

Together, they have planned and consulted with vendors, movers, staff from the Office Environmental, Health & Safety (OEH&S) and others to develop a detailed plan of action. Called the Mission Bay Move Guide for Genentech Hall, the plan covers an in-depth section prepared by OEH&S, which is responsible for ensuring that hazardous materials (chemicals, biologicals, controlled substances and radioactive materials) and specialty equipment are packaged and transported to the Mission Bay campus in compliance with pertinent environmental health and safety and transportation regulations.

The campus has contracted with various firms to help. Clean Harbors will package, load and transport chemicals. Alternative Waste Technologies will package radioactive materials and equipment and Technical Safety Services, Inc. will perform the disinfection of biological safety cabinets. Pacific Bio-Material Management Inc. will pack and transport biological materials and freezers.

To share these and other important details about the process and procedures, Hochmuth and Holoubek of MHS Associates have conducted numerous pre-move meetings individually and in groups with faculty and staff.

For Hochmuth, meeting the demands of the job has meant making some personal sacrifices. "I used to run or exercise two or three times a week at lunch time, but that is on hold until April of next year."

Remarkably, keeping track of the movement of thousands of pieces of laboratory and office equipment and supplies, from hazardous materials to computers and fax machines is not the most brain-twisting piece of the puzzle. To be sure, the concern is real for moving the two most expensive pieces into Genentech Hall -- David Agard's electron microscope and Tom James' Nuclear Magnetic Resonance tool, each of which cost some $100,000 just to move.

Hochmuth says the single biggest challenge in orchestrating the move is more mundane - it's scheduling the slew of meetings that don't conflict with multiple calendars.

"There have been 55 user modification meetings, 55 equipment and [Enterprise Network Systems] meetings and 55 furniture meetings," he says. "With this many people there are bound to be labs that need to reschedule."

And although the meetings are time-consuming and extremely detail oriented, Hochmuth says people have been taking the stress in stride.

"All of the faculty and lab staff have been incredibly cooperative and supportive. We all know how important this move is but at the same time, when you have this many people and as many individual schedules, the task is enormous."

In January, Hochmuth and crew will conduct pre-move meetings for faculty and staff destined for the third and second floors of Genentech Hall.

At a recent pre-move meeting for the first wave of researchers preparing to move to the fifth floor, Hochmuth came across as confident, patient and focused on client satisfaction. "I want to assure you that we will not stop and we will not rest until every one of your issues is addressed," he told the scientists and staff.

Hochmuth, a graduate of Sonoma State University, says despite the doubling of his workload over the past year, he enjoys working at UCSF. "It is a fantastic place to work. I can't imagine working anywhere else. Besides, there are quite a few buildings left and I want to be involved in all of them. I am looking forward to Building 19."

For more information about the move to Mission Bay, here are a few key contacts:

Relocation Team
Tom Hochmuth, relocation coordinator: 476-6945; pager 719-4511
Girod Tillman, assistant relocation coordinator: 504-3244; pager 719-3897
Renee Holoubek, MHS and Associates, 650/655-2059

Facilities Management Help Desk
(Designed to quickly resolve problems related to the move): 476-2021

Genentech Hall Project Team
Russ Akre, project manager, 476-8082
Millicent Cooper, building manager, 504-4002
Patricia McMahon, assistant building manager, 504-4006
Bruno Cekovic, chief engineer, 504-4004

Enterprise Network Systems
Matt Miller, voicemail, 476-1583
Carol Zimmerman, 502-4448

Office of Environmental Health & Safety:
Eugene Lau, environmental, health & safety director, 476-1794

Nor-Cal Moving Services
Jeff Mulsow, manager, 510/357-7111

Source: Lisa Cisneros

Last updated April 11, 2005

Tom Hochmuth

Tom Hochmuth, relocation coordinator. Photo by Christine Jegan.

Tom Hochmuth

Tom Hochmuth talks about the impending move to Genentech Hall. Photo by Christine Jegan.