Antonio Degante is the kind of guy who answers your phone call while working on the roof of a building – on the first ring. As Facilities Maintenance Manager for OneWorld, it’s not uncommon for him to be on a roof. But for a couple of weeks this summer, he and his team were pouring over the malfunctioning air conditioning units that sit atop the northernmost of OneWorld’s three Livestock Exchange (LSX) Campus buildings. Inside the building, OneWorld leaders and staff sweated as Degante and his team felt the heat. The units are older, and concurrent issues interrupted progress. They’d even had two HVAC companies Collaboration creates foundation for future generations
take a look – but no luck. Until, eventually, success.
attracting attention, though he’s quick to give his team credit for working hard to deliver on the OneWorld mission. “We try to work behind the scenes quietly and try to be as invisible as possible to ensure that when patients come in, they feel comfortable and confident in the services that are being provided to them,” Degante said. He added that a clean, smoothly operating building helps build trust – and that’s especially important for a health care facility. Patients want to feel safe. And while paving the
“At the end of the day when my team was able to figure it out and get it going, it felt really good, like a great accomplishment,” Degante said. “That was the whole team – the Seldin [property management company] guys, our guys – coming together to get that working.” The OneWorld facilities team includes just
Degante and technicians Keith Mayle and Daniel Iniguez-Cabrera. They are responsible for building maintenance across OneWorld’s main campus and satellite locations. At the main campus, they team up with Seldin’s crew to cover building issues that arise there. In other words, the Facilities Maintenance staff is who
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At the end of the day when my team was able to figure it out and get it going, it felt really good, like a great accomplishment.”
way for a welcoming patient experience is a priority, the Facilities Maintenance Team works
Antonio Degante Facilities Maintenance Manager
to ensure that their coworkers are taken
care of too – like staff who were affected by the malfunctioning air conditioning units this summer. “We try to work in the background to make sure that everybody’s comfortable,” Degante said. “Because to us, yes, our patients are our main reason why we’re there, but our employees also matter. If we didn’t have our employees in a comfortable setting, they wouldn’t be able to be as efficient in
responds when things break down or need fixing. The OneWorld crew meets each morning to plan their work on maintenance tickets that have come in. Yet, despite careful planning, surprises can and do arise. Emergencies pop up, from broken toilets to water leaks from neighboring units. Degante said no two days look the same, which means his team must always be ready to shift priorities while maximizing their time and resources. Meanwhile, Degante, Mayle and Iniguez- Cabrera keep a low profile as they provide regular maintenance services and respond to emergencies. Degante said they work “in the shadows” to avoid
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the work they do providing services to our patients.”
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ISSUE 3 2025 | EXCHANGE
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