3/22/22 employee experience
Tom helps build Dayton Children's from the ground up
Many Dayton Children's employees and community members have witnessed the expansion of our facilities. We've watched south campus, parking garages, the patient tower, new kids express locations, and soon, the specialty care outpatient center, grow from the ground up and topped off with the whirligig. For some, these milestones mark a new phase of months' and years' worth of project planning.
"I had a big sense of pride when the tower opened," said Tom.
This sense of pride comes with being responsible for facilitating property acquisitions and increasing Dayton Children's physical Miami Valley footprint. Meet Tom Neel, Dayton Children's property manager!
His journey with Dayton Children's began over 22 years ago after retiring from the United States Air Force. At the time, Tom's cousin worked in medical imaging and heard that there was a safety/emergency management position opening - the rest was history!
Originally hired as a safety officer and progressing to become the department's director, Tom was instrumental in Dayton Children's receiving a 2001 Ohio Hospital Association safety award. Dayton Children's ranked in the top twenty percent of our category.
"When I stepped down from my position as director of public safety and emergency management, the hospital gave me the opportunity to stay as an employee in the facilities department," explained Tom. "Leadership did not have to do that. It showed me that they had faith in my ability that I could continue to be a vital member of the Dayton Children's family."
When asked if a particular Dayton Children's memory stuck out to him, Tom laughed: "after 22 years, there are countless memories - both serious and lighthearted."
While he remembers every ground up transformation, there's also internal moments that he holds close, like the hospital collaborating to evacuate 50 patients at 3:00 am or how everyone worked together during the 2009 H1N1 outbreak.
"The various leaders that I've had the chance to work with have truly shown me the values of Dayton Children's Hospital and have taught me to be a better person," said Tom.
Thank you for 22 years of service, Tom!
