Heads Up

Intel, 2007

Dominating the hill overlooking Corrales is the Intel Corporation’s Rio Rancho site.

Beginning in July 2007 we took over the maintenance contract for the 170 acre site. We work closely with the Intel property managers and SBM Site Services, the building and grounds management firm that we are contracted to, developing and implementing a master site plan.

Intel felt that the site did not have a sense of place and that much of the site was still relatively water intensive in design. Heads Up has strived to successfully meet their master plan through design, installation, and maintenance redefining the plant palette and hardscape and how it is maintained.

Heads Up has successfully created the sense of place they desired while reducing their water usage in the process.

Intel provides Heads Up with a number of unique situations. By working on a master plan for the landscape we are able to approach the irrigation, hardscape and plant material holistically and are able to tailor our installation and maintenance together into a seamless whole.

With 120 of the 170 acres considered landscape we encounter many different micro-climates and very different conditions. There are formal beds, semi-formal xeric beds and “undisturbed” wild lands, all of which are maintained by our crew.

Due to its size and scope we have a permanent maintenance crew and a semi-permanent project or enhancement crew based on site as well as a site manager.

At any given time we may ask the maintenance crew to help provide support for the project crew and vice-versa. This allows us to develop very strong crews over a longer period of time and to use the site as a training location. The crews end up with a deeper understanding of the whole process from design through installation and on to maintenance.

The on site manager is able to take a stronger “hands-on approach” with both the client and the crews. This situation is optimal for the level of customer service we are able to provide for Intel.

An area of service that we have been able to develop over the course of the contract is what Intel terms their “Inclement Weather Protocol." For most clients that means clearing snow and ice when we get snow on site. For Intel it means much more. Intel came to us and expressed that they wanted to try a more pro-active approach to not only snow and ice, but to heavy rains and high winds. We were happy to oblige and worked closely with them to create a program tailor made to their situation and needs. It has been very successful for Intel and has served as a model for other Intel sites to base their programs on.

An example of the “inclement weather protocol” in action was October 11, 2008 when Rio Rancho experienced heavy rains and Intel experienced flooding on the East Slope, a natural area of the site. The Heads Up site manager received a call of flooding with silts across the exercise path and that afternoon he was able to meet with Intel property managers and had the path and the street below cleaned off by 8 pm that night.

Another area of service that we are able to provide for Intel is the creation of a long term tree care program that we continue to implement on site. It includes not only pruning but soil testing and soil amendment recommendations, examining and changing the irrigation where necessary and treating specimens for disease or pests.

Intel Corporation strives to be innovators within the manufacturing industry when it comes to being “Green." Heads Up is able to assist Intel to attain that goal by upgrading the irrigation system and plant palette to much more responsible levels. Heads Up has upgraded to new sprinkler heads on much of the property, reducing water waste, as well as utilizing flow meters to help monitor and control breaks. Intel recognizes the need to upgrade the older sections of the site (some of the irrigation is at least 15 years old) and to maximize with new water savings technology.

The Intel Corporation site in Rio Rancho stands out as an example of the ability of Heads Up to provide a total, seamless service package. We are continually upgrading the irrigation and landscape designs to minimize water usage for maximum results. Heads Up continues to refine and help Intel generate a distinctive site that reflects its place within the community and New Mexico as a whole.