Edward McGeachey Medical Office Building

Client Testimonial

“With each interaction, SMHC was treated as if we were their only client at the time.”

Marc Fournier, Former Vice President of Facilities Asset Management, Southern Maine Health Center

The Edward J. McGeachey Medical Office Building honors McGeachey’s three-plus decades of service to SMMC — the past 25 as president and CEO (he continues in that role for SMHC).

Service to the Maine health care community runs in the McGeachey family. Ed McGeachey, Sr. wore many hats at Maine Medical Center, including that of assistant director of the hospital. McGeachey Hall at 216 Vaughan Street in Portland is named in his honor.

Back-to-back snowstorms in December and arctic cold made putting a roof on SMHC’s new Edward J. McGeachey Medical Office Building a cold weather challenge. The team used snow blowers, leaf blowers, shovels, scoops, sticks, and frozen fingers to clear an area larger than a hockey rink — more than once — all while slipping and sliding on metal decking.

When the first big storm hit, the roof was only in the metal decking phase. It didn’t have the strength to support anything heavier than a snow blower, which lacked the power to blow snow from the center all the way off the edge. That was accomplished one shovelful at the time. When the snow finally got within flinging distance, the flinger (not an official construction industry term) had to put on a safety harness with a retractable lifeline.