In Cowlitz County, Washington, PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center has been a pillar of care since 1943. As the community’s only hospital and a Level III trauma center, it provides emergency services, trauma treatment, cardiac care, behavioral health support, birthing services, women’s health, orthopedics, and cancer care. Together with its clinics in Longview, PeaceHealth St. John forms a lifeline for the region, offering the medical services that families rely on every day.
Chuck Johnson | PeaceHealth | Manager, Facilities
Behind the scenes, the people responsible for keeping this complex infrastructure running rarely appear in the spotlight. Yet their work affects every patient who walks through the doors. At PeaceHealth St. John, that responsibility falls to facilities manager Chuck Johnson, who oversees a 346-bed hospital and 11 off-site buildings. For Johnson, the job is more than a career. It is a calling shaped by decades in construction, a long stint as a business owner, and a personal commitment to service.
Finding his path
Johnson began working with his hands early and eventually built his own HVAC company, operating it for 21 years. Before that, he had decades of experience in construction design, installation, and sales. The business thrived until the 2008 financial crisis, when the economic downturn prompted him to reconsider his future. He transitioned into healthcare facilities work, joining Vibra Healthcare as an engineer. That move, he says, opened a path he never expected.
He joined PeaceHealth in 2015, initially as an engineer, and soon began building a maintenance program that improved both efficiency and reliability. As he gained experience inside the organization, leadership asked him to consider a management role. He was hesitant at first. The idea of moving from the tools to the front office was not something he had set out to do, and he wanted to make sure it was right for the team.
Eventually, he accepted the position overseeing the entire St. John footprint, including the hospital and its clinics. The transition was smoother than he expected, largely because he understood the environment intimately. He had worked on the floor, been responsible for equipment upkeep, and knew how the systems and the people fit together. That experience, he says, made all the difference.
Building the right team
Johnson now leads a team of 21 employees who support every corner of the hospital’s infrastructure, from air handling units to medical gases to water management systems. They are a union shop with specialized trades, including HVAC engineers and electricians, and the team includes five women, among them one of the strongest electricians Johnson has worked with. Diversity, he says, is essential to overcoming the industry’s workforce shortages.
He hires carefully, drawing from candidates with military backgrounds, licensed trade experience, and strong internal drive. A former Navy veteran, for example, brought a deep engineering foundation that translated seamlessly into the hospital environment. Johnson is adamant that putting the wrong person in the wrong job is one of the costliest mistakes a leader can make.
“We have a good labor pool because we hire right instead of just trying to put a body in place,” he says.
That approach comes from experience. Running his own company taught him that misaligned hiring choices hurt morale, productivity, and the bottom line. At PeaceHealth St. John, he treats the facility and the team as if they were his own business. That means setting high expectations, fostering accountability, and always treating caregivers, providers, and patients with respect.
Part of his strategy to strengthen the workforce involves developing internal talent. Johnson created a pathway for entry-level maintenance workers to move into engineering roles. Several have advanced through this system, earning Building engineering Level 2 credentials that enable them to take on more complex responsibilities across the facility. Promoting from within, he says, not only builds loyalty but makes PeaceHealth an attractive place for skilled tradespeople who want long-term careers.
“We are well above the national average for employee engagement, and that has not gone unnoticed,” Johnson says.
Passing down historical knowledge is another priority. Recent retirees have included a lead painter, senior engineers, a key smith and a bed repair technician. To ensure critical expertise is not lost, Johnson pairs new engineers with retiring employees for months of cross-training. These relationships preserve institutional memory and strengthen the team’s ability to respond to emergencies.
Through partnerships with organizations like the Washington State Society for Healthcare Engineering (WSSHE), he also offers medical gas, water management, fire systems, dampers, boiler, and chiller training. Many sessions have been recorded, allowing employees to revisit lessons and continue to build their skills. Training, he says, is always a work in progress, because facilities management evolves constantly.
Proactive leadership in a reactive world
Hospitals are among the most regulated environments in the country, second only to nuclear facilities. PeaceHealth St. John is no exception. Johnson manages a constant flow of documentation, compliance requirements, inspections, and equipment maintenance cycles. Staying ahead of potential issues is one of his guiding principles.
“I like to be proactive and not reactive, when possible,” he says.
Still, unplanned emergencies are inevitable, whether sparked by equipment failure, weather, or aging infrastructure. Johnson stresses the importance of accountability and teamwork in those moments. The team addresses problems together, often resolving issues without obvious root causes.
Major capital projects add to complexity. St. John is currently undergoing a seven-and-a-half-million-dollar chiller replacement, one of several large-scale upgrades Johnson has overseen. In recent years, the hospital also installed two new boilers, remodeled key clinical areas, added an MRI machine, and installed two large air-handling units.
These projects require careful collaboration with the PeaceHealth project development team and thoughtful scheduling to minimize disruption. Johnson may not manage the projects directly, but he has significant oversight and ensures the systems ultimately serve the hospital’s operational needs.
Sustainability is another priority. Johnson emphasizes routine maintenance and predictive upkeep to extend equipment life and improve efficiency. Artificial intelligence tools are now part of the process, helping create standardized operating procedures and reducing the risk of oversight.
Purpose, perseverance & pride
Johnson’s commitment to PeaceHealth is deeply personal. This is a faith-based organization, and he sees his work as service to the community. He takes pride in the improvements he has championed, the culture he has helped strengthen, and the team he has guided through retirements, restructuring, and new expectations.
“We are serving the community, and I feel like I have been put in this role for a reason,” he says.
His leadership has been tested in unexpected ways. Over the past year, Johnson has been battling prostate cancer, undergoing treatments while continuing to lead the facilities team. The challenge has been significant, but he has remained present, tackling issues head-on and supporting the staff who rely on him.
His personal life includes a love of hunting and fishing, and family remains at the center of everything he does. Balancing health, home, and work has reinforced the value of having a supportive team and strong organizational culture.
A longtime employee recently told him he was one of the best managers he had ever worked for during a 30-year career at the hospital. The acknowledgment meant a great deal. Johnson knows the job can be thankless and that much of the work happens behind the scenes. But hearing that reinforces what he already believes. PeaceHealth St. John is his community, and he is proud to contribute to it every day.
Looking ahead, Johnson wants to preserve the progress the team has made while continuing to find ways to improve. He is focused on building strong pipelines for future engineers, protecting institutional knowledge, and ensuring that the hospital’s systems remain reliable for decades to come.
“We are happy to come to work, and that comes from upper management creating the right atmosphere,” he says.
For Johnson, the work is not just about buildings, boilers, or chillers. It is about people. It is about service. And it is about the belief that every patient deserves a safe and functional environment. That belief guides him every day at PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center, where he continues to lead with purpose, humility, and resilience.
