26 January 2023

Welcome, Daniel VonderBrink: VP for North America

Daniels Introduction

We're delighted to introduce Daniel as our Vice President for North America!

Daniel has gained a wealth of design and architectural experience over the last 20 years. This experience, combined with his passion for making a real impact on the quality of vulnerable people’s lives, confirms that Daniel will be a valuable source of support in helping healthcare providers create safer spaces focusing on recovery. We asked Daniel a few questions to get to know him better. Here is what he told us:


Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, I studied architecture and interior design at Miami University near Cincinnati. After graduation, I moved to Chicago, where I practiced design for the first four years of my career, working on commercial, residential, and hospitality projects. I then moved to the manufacturer and dealer side of our business as an architecture and design business development manager. After 11 years in Chicago, I moved to New York to lead commercial sales for a UK-based textile design and manufacturer. 

In my professional career, I’ve always worked very closely with designers, and architects, which helped me look at construction projects from their perspective. I believe that thanks to those experiences, I have an empathetic understanding of the challenges that architects face and the goals that they aspire to achieve as well as the industry-specific language and technical requirements. Working in those environments made me very familiar with the pressures that project deadlines can create and how good design needs to coexist with good delivery. After 20 years of working in this industry, I think I’ve learned how to create that balance successfully and make the process easier, and listen to specific client needs.

 

Why did you decide to join Safehinge Primera?

After spending several years in various sectors of our industry and different areas of the business, I was looking for something that would make a larger impact on the quality of lives of individuals. I was looking for something that would allow me to leverage my understanding and background within the design while making a real difference. That’s when Safehinge Primera came up.

They were looking for someone to drive their growth in North America. It seemed like a match made in heaven. The moment I learned about their ambitions within the behavioral health sector and how their products can improve safety while supporting the creation of therapeutic, patient-centric space, I knew I wanted to be a part of delivering that.

 

What does that mean for US customers?

I think that the US perception of inpatient behavioral health has been shifting over the last few years, and I am looking forward to working together with clinical teams across the country to listen to their challenges and discovering together how our products can help address them to keep their patients safe while also preserving the therapeutic environment. 

We’re focusing on introducing our innovative Anti-Barricade Doorset with the world’s first and only Full-Door Ligature Alarm. Our Doorsets have a proven record of creating safe environments within inpatient bedrooms throughout the UK. The innovative ligature-resistant door system has been setting up new standards for behavioral healthcare safety, with thousands of doorsets installed and zero reported suicides. Of course, It’s important not to forget about our soft suicide prevention door, which has been well-known within the US market and has also been listed in all three behavioral health design guides (NYS-OMH New York, Veteran Affairs, and Behavioral Health Facilities Consulting) for its unique safety features. 

It's still early days for Daniel in the behavioral health sphere - and we're always keen on hearing your feedback. So, if you have a query or just want to say hello, reach out to Daniel! He'd love to hear from you.

 

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