Pomona Valley Hospital Women’s & Children’s Center Flooring Project — Universal Metro’s Healthcare Expertise in Action

Pomona Valley Hospital Women’s & Children’s Center Flooring Project

Pomona Valley Hospital Women’s & Children’s Center Flooring Project — Universal Metro’s Healthcare Expertise in Action 4

Universal Metro is proud to have partnered on the Pomona Valley Hospital Women’s & Children’s Center flooring project, a transformative renovation that blends innovation, safety, and design excellence. Located in Pomona, California, Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center is a nationally recognized, nonprofit regional medical facility serving the Inland Empire and Los Angeles County communities for over a century. The new Women’s & Children’s Center was designed to expand maternity, neonatal, and pediatric services—creating a modern, comforting environment for families during life’s most important moments. As a trusted leader in healthcare flooring installation, Universal Metro worked alongside HMC Architects and Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center to create spaces that support healing and comfort—earning national recognition from Starnet’s 2024 Design Awards, including the Rob Starr People’s Choice Award.

Project & Design Strategy

This high-profile Pomona Valley Hospital Women’s & Children’s Center flooring project focused on crafting an environment that balances the demands of clinical precision with a warm, family-centered atmosphere.
Universal Metro’s installation scope included:

Homogeneous sheet vinyl in sterile and surgical areas for maximum cleanability, chemical resistance, and infection control.
Heterogeneous wood-visual vinyl in patient and recovery spaces to bring natural warmth and calm to families and children.
Seamless transitions, integral cove base, and heat-welded seams to prevent bacteria buildup and ensure long-term durability.
Color and pattern coordination to guide patient and staff movement while supporting visual harmony throughout the space.

By integrating these materials with the architectural vision of HMC, Universal Metro helped the hospital achieve a balance of functionality, hygiene, and emotional wellness—a key differentiator for healthcare flooring design.

Unique Installation Challenge Strategy

As with all active hospital environments, the Pomona Valley Hospital Women’s & Children’s Center flooring project required precise coordination to maintain safety, cleanliness, and minimal disruption to operations. Universal Metro’s installation team worked under strict infection-control protocols, carefully sequencing work zones around hospital operations and patient traffic.

Their technical craftsmanship—recognized by the Starnet Design Awards—was evident in every corner and seam. The installation combined aesthetic excellence with the precision demanded by medical facilities, reinforcing UMI’s role as a trusted flooring partner for healthcare construction teams across California.

Craftsmanship & Collaboration That Stand Out

The project’s standout results earned the Rob Starr People’s Choice Award, one of the most competitive honors within the Starnet Flooring Cooperative. This award, voted on by industry peers, underscores Universal Metro’s ability to deliver both artistry and performance in a clinical setting.

Additional key contributors included:

HMC Architects – Architectural Design
Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center – Owner / Client

Together, this collaboration produced a space that meets the highest standards for healthcare flooring installation, blending science, safety, and design integrity.

Results That Reflect True Healthcare Expertise

The completed Pomona Valley Hospital Women’s & Children’s Center flooring project demonstrates how Universal Metro transforms healthcare environments through innovation, craftsmanship, and teamwork. From concept to completion, UMI delivered a resilient flooring system that aligns with modern medical standards and enhances patient experience.

By combining durable materials, precision detailing, and seamless project execution, Universal Metro once again proved why its healthcare flooring installations are among the most respected in the industry.

Partner With Universal Metro for Healthcare Flooring Excellence

At Universal Metro, we specialize in flooring solutions that meet the demands of complex medical environments—balancing infection control, aesthetics, and durability. The Pomona Valley Hospital Women’s & Children’s Center flooring project is just one example of how our team delivers trusted results for hospitals, surgical centers, and medical facilities throughout California.

Inside Castaic High School: A State of the Art High School Campus Built for the Future

Project Description

Client: William S. Hart Union High School District, Kemp Bros. Construction Location: Castaic, California Year Completed: 2020 Project Value: $ 1,123,944 Architect: Ruhnai Runau Clarke Awards / Acknowledgements: Starnet Design Award Recipient – Bronze Winner Education Products / Strategic Partners: Altro, ARDEX Americas, Armstrong Flooring Inc., Flexco Floors, Tarkett | Johnsonite, Tarkett Centiva

Project Summary

At Universal Metro, we are proud to have played a key role in the construction of Castaic High School, a true state of the art high school campus in Southern California. Spanning 256,230 square feet across 58 acres, the project was designed from the ground up to provide students and staff with a world-class learning environment.

This seven-figure development included five classroom buildings, a STEM-focused science and library center, a gymnasium with training spaces, a performing arts building, a full-service food service facility, an administrative building, and a maintenance hub. Every detail of this project reflects a vision for the future of education—and Universal Metro’s flooring craftsmanship was at the heart of it.

A Campus Designed for Wellness and Performance

Castaic High School was designed using the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) framework, ensuring energy efficiency, sustainability, and student wellness were central to the build. The flooring solutions were chosen to deliver performance, beauty, and durability across diverse spaces throughout the state of the art high school campus.

- Armstrong Natural Creations LVT provided wood and earth-inspired textures that blended seamlessly with the Southern California landscape.

- Armstrong Standard Excelon and Raffia VCT offered resilient finishes for high-traffic classrooms and corridors.

- Tarkett Powerbond Carpet enhanced acoustics and added dramatic patterns to open spaces such as libraries and administrative offices.

- Altro slip-resistant flooring ensured safety in sports therapy rooms.

- Johnsonite Tarkett and Flexco rubber moldings complemented design finishes across all buildings.

The flooring design mirrored the rolling foothills and high desert surrounding the campus. Expansive windows invited the outdoors in, furthering the school’s commitment to wellness by blending the natural environment with a thoughtful interior.

Overcoming Challenges with Resilience

Large-scale projects like this always come with unique challenges. For Castaic High School, Universal Metro demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and teamwork to ensure success.

- Phased Construction: With buildings released to us on a staggered schedule, we carefully tracked dye lots, materials, and labor to ensure consistency across every phase.

- Design Overhaul: Midway through construction, the school redefined its identity and colors, requiring a shift in flooring design. We collaborated closely with designers and contractors to integrate these changes while minimizing delays.

- Weather Delays: Heavy rains in 2019 impacted schedules, but our team adjusted to stay aligned with the overall timeline.

- COVID-19: With less than a year remaining, the pandemic brought new safety protocols. We adapted quickly, enlisting PPE, distancing, and compliance strategies to keep the project moving while safeguarding our team.

Through every obstacle, our installers and project managers embodied Universal Metro’s culture of commitment, precision, and care, ensuring the final product reflected excellence.

A Lasting Legacy

Today, Castaic High School stands as a state of the art high school campus designed to support generations of students, teachers, and staff. Universal Metro is proud to have delivered flooring solutions that are not only durable and functional, but also contribute to the wellness and performance of the entire school community.

This project represents the best of what we believe in: collaboration, craftsmanship, and creating environments that inspire. For us, it’s more than flooring—it’s building a foundation for the future.

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USC Wellness Cntr healthcare flooring installation

USC Wellness – General Hospital (Los Angeles, CA)

Project Description

Client:
USC Engemann Student Health Center

Location:
Los Angeles, California

Year Completed:
2014

Project Value:
$ 355,040

Architect:
Chu + Gooding Architects

Products / Strategic Partners:
ARDEX Americas, Armstrong Flooring Inc.

Project Summary

Vision:
“Historic Wellness”. Re-use of the Historic USC General Hospital, (built in 1926) and sitting vacant for the inability to be earthquake retrofitted in a fiscally responsible manner. Convert the first floor space into a non-acute care Wellness Center to provide Healthcare to the underserved local community with the concept of “wellness related activities and information.”

Design:
Design with modern day neutral color palette products to incorporate the 85 year old beautiful terrazzo wainscot and other stone finishes and add a splash of color to invigorate wellness in the visitors to the Wellness Center tenants: YMCA, Arthritis Foundation and ADA. The project includes way-finding, exterior jogging trails, fitness areas, a dance studio, pilates stations and exercise rooms.

Construction:
Retrofitted concrete slabs from over 85 years of use and varying heights and transitions with Ardex K-15 and Feather Finish. Installed Armstrong Linoleum with heat welded seams in patterns and colors to tie in existing architectural beauty. Creative use of Armstrong Chroma Spin in layouts that tie in the various athletic and healthcare needs of the patients and tenants.

Install:
Universal Metro estimated, budgeted, procured, and installed all floor products on the project: Armstrong Heatwelded Linoleum, Armstrong Chroma Spin VCT, base cove, and Ardex underlayments.

Joshua Medical Center (La Palma, CA)

Project Description

Client:
Joshua Medical Center

Location:
La Palma, California

Year Completed:
2017

Project Value:
$ 694,550

Architect:
Visioneering Studios

Products / Strategic Partners:
Amtico, ARDEX Americas,
Armstrong Flooring Inc., Dal Tile,
Gerflor USA, Tarkett | Johnsonite,
Mannington

Project Summary

Vision:
The Joshua Medical Center job was a coordination effort of many different Starnet vendor teams and materials. Specified by Visioneering Studios in Irvine, Universal Metro was chosen to install Ardex K-15 & GS-4 underlayments in combination with Gerflor resilient, Amtico LVT, Armstrong LVT, Mannington carpet, Johnsonite base, and ceramic from Daltile. This project was a Medical Office Building repurposed to be used as a Medical Center Clinic in the City of La Palma, CA. Joshua Medical Clinic is comprised of a team of physicians and PAs that base their success on their patients’ long-term good health. They believe in personalized and comprehensive health care, through physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Our team at Universal Metro installed patient rooms, physical therapy rooms and corridors that enabled the Joshua Medical Center to have a seamless feel to their caring healthcare perspective. One of the major challenges that we had at the Joshua Medical Center project was dealing with the various elevations on the existing wood substrate. Considering the unique flooring design proposed, which included curvatures and circular patterns, we decided to engineer a system to remediate the existing wood substrate conditions with application of Ardex primer, topped with Ardex GS-4 in various thicknesses, ranging from 1/8″ to 2″ depths. Consequently, Mannington sheet vinyl was installed on a smooth and flat substrate resulting in an unique design and an authentic finished floor. Another challenge was to install flooring while the facility was at full operation. With that regard, we closely followed a phasing plan in order to keep the business unaffected. The finished project was inspiring as you can see in the photos.

a room with large glass windows, chairs and a US flag

Providence Little Company of Mary (Torrance, CA)

Project Description

Client:
Providence

Location:
Torrance, California

Surface Area:
146,000 SF

Year Completed:
2015

Project Value:
$ 821,925

Architect:
Providence Corporate Real Estate

Products / Strategic Partners:
Amtico, Antron Carpet Fiber, ARDEX Americas,
Burke Flooring, Henry Adhesives, Mannington

Project Summary

Vision:
“ 90 DAY MIRACLE”. Refresh the Providence Healthcare, Little Company of Mary campus in the City of Torrance within a 90 day window, in order to use the available hospital matching fund budget before it expired.

Design:
Required use of Mannington Products as part of the Providence Healthcare buying group program. Developed a plan and design to refresh and maximize the five floors (approximately 150,000 square feet) of this healthcare facility using a $1.6 million dollar budget.

Construction:
Managed the process and installed half of the $1.6 Million dollar project that had to be completed within 90 days in an active running facility. Limited shutdown time with multiple trades from Universal Metro, Inc. working alongside another firm, Golden State Flooring, to complete the project. Attended Daily Meetings and Weekly Strategy Meetings.

Install:
Universal Metro estimated, budgeted, procured, and installed 50% of the floorcoverings, approximately 75,000 square feet of the project, including: Mannington Antron carpet tile, Mannington Biospec, Amtico with a special pattern, Mannington base cove, Ardex Rapid Moisture systems and underlayments. Rory Schneider the project manager for Providence stated in the closeout meeting, “the work you have done in the past 90 days is truly a miracle, thank you.”

Unique Installation Challenge Strategy

The 90 day miracle was born out a special meeting of the following: Providence Project Managers, Providence Design Team, Universal Metro Leadership, Golden State Leadership, LCOM Facilities Team, LCOM Administration and the Mannington Representatives As the team was already in full throttle with their EPIC conversion they were skeptical that any work above $200,000 could be fit into the schedule, let alone 1.6 million. Universal Metro stepped in and partnered with Golden State Flooring (Steve Gaydos) our prior VP. Providence felt comfortable that if any two companies could team up and complete the remodel it would be our partnership (formed from 20 years of friendship). The local Mannington team in tandem with UMI and Providence Design worked to source materials that were available and materials that could be made quickly to keep the production moving. Design flair was achieved with Mannington Scena Carpet tile and Amtico in a three size interplay. The basement moisture levels were solved to using Ardex Rapid as the moisture mitigation system. Daily site and weekly strategic meetings were key in creating space available in a full census hospital. The EPIC director managed all the access to the space needed to work days, nights and weekends.

One Santa Fe (Los Angeles, CA)

Project Description

Client:
Berkshire Communities

Location:
Los Angeles, California

Year Completed:
2016

Project Value:
$ 1,051,000

Architect:
KTGY

Products / Strategic Partners:
American Marazzi, ARDEX Americas,
Dal Tile, J + J Flooring Group,
Tandus Centiva

Project Summary

Vision:
One Santa Fe is situated on the east side of the Art District in Los Angeles and is part of a district-wide initiative to revitalize the area. The modern building counter-balances the industrial feel of the historical elements surrounding the site. The architect created a community that meshes small living with commercial and retail space that allows for ease of living. The products used were intended to mimic the simplicity of the building and allow for the space to flow from inside-out. Our installation recommendations were toward products with color that create a cohesive and functional space while adding a timeless element that will set a precedent for future buildings.

The Judy & Richard Voltmer Sleep Center at Hoag Hospital, Newport Beach, CA

Project Description

Client:
Hoag Hospital

Location:
Newport Beach, California

Year Completed:
2010

Architect:
H. Hendy Associates

Products / Strategic Partners:
ARDEX Americas, Daltile,
Henry Adhesives, Tarkett | Johnsonite

Project Summary

Vision:
The Judy & Richard Voltmer Sleep Center at Hoag Hospital is a state-of-the-art facility designed to provide patients with a comfortable and private environment for extensive sleep studies. Universal Metro played a pivotal role in transforming the center, ensuring it reflects Hoag’s commitment to high-quality care and patient comfort. The center features eight private bedrooms, each equipped with its own private bathroom to offer a sense of relaxation and privacy throughout the sleep study process.

Universal Metro’s design team worked closely with Hoag Hospital to create a space that feels more like a luxurious hotel than a clinical setting. Each room is thoughtfully decorated with elegant floor and wall décor, and the luxurious Ralph Lauren linens add a touch of sophistication. By blending high-end aesthetics with functional space, the sleep center fosters a calm, restful environment, perfectly suited for conducting precise sleep studies.

This attention to detail aligns with Hoag’s reputation for providing top-tier medical services, ensuring that patients not only receive the best in diagnostic care but also enjoy an experience that is comfortable, supportive, and designed to make sleep studies as effective as possible.

KidZone Christian Preschool (Santa Fe Springs, CA)

Project Description

Client:
KidZone Preschool

Location:
Santa Fe Springs, California

Architect:
Mimi Snowden Design

Products / Strategic Partners:
ARDEX Americas, Burke Flooring,
Dal Tile, Tarkett | Johnsonite

Project Summary

Vision:
Four Square Church’s New Children’s School and Ministry Building aims to create spaces capable of “educating hearts and mind for eternity” in its Kids Zone.

The environment flourishes with safe, secure, and fun products created in an oceanic theme. From the waves in the exterior fountain to the blue glass mosaic waterfall, the colors and patterns pop with fun and vibrancy. The natural curiosity and creativity of children expands with the porcelain tile cut into a surf and sand motif and is highlighted by a glow in the dark safety tread system. This developmentally appropriate project was completed in the fall of 2008 and houses both a pre-school and Sunday school programs.

Santee Education Complex (Los Angeles, CA)

Project Description

Client:
Los Angeles Unified School District

Location:
Los Angeles, California

Year Completed:
2004

Architect:
HMC Group

Awards / Acknowledgements
Starnet Design Award Recipient

Products / Strategic Partners:
ARDEX Americas, Burke Flooring, Tarkett | Johnsonite, Roppe

Project Summary

Vision:
The design of this innovative facility reflects the industrial surroundings it is located in. The linear circulation in and in between the four buildings of the facility are similar to the flows of the adjacent railway, while the landscaped edges of the grounds meander like the nearby riverbed. Inside the buildings, Universal Metro installed flooring products from Azrock, Burke-Mercer, and Roppe.

Pasadena City Hall – Seismic Upgrade & Rehabilitation

City Hall chambers room with a table and chairs

Project Description

Client:
Pasadena City Hall

Location:
Pasadena, California

Year Completed:
2008

Project Value:
$ 392,790

Architect:
Bastien and Associates

Products / Strategic Partners:
Armstrong Flooring Inc., J + J Flooring Group,
Tarkett | Johnsonite

Project Summary

Vision:
Pasadena City Hall is one of the finest examples of the California Mediterranean style. It is the dominant building in the Pasadena Civic Center, which is a complex of government, institutional and cultural buildings that epitomizes the City Beautiful movement.

Since its opening on December 27, 1927, Pasadena City Hall has remained one of the most distinctive public buildings in the United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Universal Metro’s work on the building’s restoration project earned it a StarNet 2008 Design Award in the Enviromental Achievment Category.

Portfolio Tag: Starnet