Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, an independent, non-profit blood center that is not affiliated with the American Red Cross, began operations in January of 1975 with a mission to partner with the community to help save and sustain lives by providing a safe supply of blood, blood components and related services. The Blood Center has grown to more than 650 employees and serves more than 170 hospitals and health care institutions in the 26-county Texas Gulf Coast, Brazos Valley and East Texas regions. To meet the needs of the area community, The Blood Center must collect about 1,000 donations every day. As an accredited and organized non-profit 501 (c)(3), funding for renovations and additions to the facility are considered a major budget item and undergo tough scrutiny to be sure the funds that are directed toward the initiative are spent wisely. When the opportunity to renovate the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center & Bill T. Teague Neighborhood Donor Center facilities were presented to Sheri Burmaster, Project Manager with The Blood Center, several challenges became evident. With several different flooring needs present Sheri began her search for the products that would make the renovation a success. She knew they needed to consider resilient products for high traffic areas that required low maintenance, had a slip-resistant option and that were appealing/modern in appearance. Sustainable products are always preferred, but since this facility was not attaining a LEED certification, it was not a must. Another issue that had presented itself through the daily use of the existing VCT flooring, were the indentations from employees and guests of the donor center wearing high heel shoes. The solution, a flooring option that had a higher PSI rating would withstand the pressure from high heel shoes and would prevent the same unsightly marks in the new floor that had occurred over time with the previous product selection. The solution was to specify the SafeTcork Vinyl Tile for the corridors, mainly because of the 2000psi that it offers. The colorful palette works well within the space as well. When the design was completed, several different products were selected from the Roppe product line which allowed the flooring to follow similar palettes within the facility, while meeting the specific needs of the spaces. Burmaster stated, “We utilized the vinyl wood planks (Northern Timbers) in conjunction with the vinyl leather series (Northern Leathers) in our Donor Center. The two products flowed seamlessly since the product thicknesses are the same.” Stairwells are covered in the Fiesta rubber treads and Recoil fitness flooring was selected for the ramps to aid in slip resistance as well. When asked about how the design results compared to the vision that she had for the space, Burmaster added, “Yes it did! Everyone has commented on how great it looks. Actually we used the leather series (Northern Leathers) on another project with a pattern cut into it and it also turned out amazing!” With regards to maintenance, the maintenance team expressed to Burmaster that both the rubber and vinyl products have performed exactly as they had anticipated. They are low maintenance and have maintained their new finished appearance. Burmaster also added, “Our organization is very conscientious in regards to spending. The majority of the flooring replaced was original to the two buildings built in 1980 & 1991. I am confident the new products will remain for a similar time frame and will look as great as they do today.” When asked if she was pleased with the overall experience with Roppe from design development to enjoying the space at the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center – Bill T. Teague Neighborhood Donor Center daily, Burmaster responded, “As we continue to remodel and update, we continue to integrate Roppe flooring into our designs.” The integrated design combined with the variety of flooring options utilized in this facility help the facility feel new again. The ability to obtain the many different flooring products through one distributor facilitated a smoother installation than working with multiple vendors and trying to coordinate the effort. The atmosphere is updated and welcoming to the many donors that share the same desire as The Blood Center staff, which is to serve the community’s blood needs. The mission has always been the same, but employees and staff just get to enjoy great design aesthetics while they do their part.