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Volume 18
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Number 1
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JANUARY 2015
A legacy in mosaic
Digging into destiny
Erin Albrecht and her father, John Kotara, are continuing a legacy that he and his brother started three decades ago.
For the last two years, Wayne and Randall Rodgers have been building the family business up as a father and son team.
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t J&R Tile, Erin Albrecht is preparing to carry on the legacy that her father, John Kotara, and her uncle, Raymond Kotara, began 30 years ago. Though her dad will remain involved in the company and will be consulting, Albrecht will be the owner one day, keeping the family business in the family. When John got out of the service, he and his brother worked for Villa Tile. He went through the apprenticeship program that Burbank High School offered at the time and became a tile setter. In 1984, he and his brother heard the owner wanted to sell, and they leapt at the opportunity. Today, Albrecht’s mother, Christine Kotara, is controller. The chief estimator is Tammy Coiteux. Raymond passed
away about 10 years ago, and the vice president of the company, Merrill Moy, retired. Before Moy left, Albrecht apprenticed under him for six months. “My dad taught me the field and Merrill taught me everything from how to read blueprints to how to talk to general contractors and estimate,” says Albrecht, who is a project manager and estimator. “So, really it’s the best of both worlds between both of them. I’ve always loved construction and now I get to come in in a commercial aspect.” When Albrecht was growing up, she would act as her father’s helper on side jobs he did close to their home in Kosciusko, TX, a heavily Polish community where continued on Page 24
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hen Wayne Rodgers founded Wayne Rodgers Construction in Castroville in 1992, he worked out in the field and his wife, Pauline, took care of the books and the office. Through its 20th anniversary, the company was still just the two of them. Then their son, Randall Rodgers, came onboard full-time. When he was in high school, Randall, now 24, worked with his father over the summers. While studying business marketing at Texas State University in San Marcos, he worked with his dad during weekdays when he didn’t have class. After college, he was in sales at Neff Rental in Austin, but almost two years ago, he decided to get involved in his father’s company permanently - helping with the workload
and growing the family business. “We’ve been very blessed and had a lot of work in San Antonio,” says Wayne. “With Randall coming on with us, he has brought a lot of technology that he learned in college to our business and [helped] expand our business that way.” For example, the elder Rodgers cites significant reduction in the time it takes to bid jobs, doing tasks like takeoffs digitally. Today, at 54, Rodgers expects that his son and daughter, Devyn, will take over the business and keep it running. He notes that Devyn, 22, is very interested in coming into the business and just graduated from Texas A&M University where she studied agricultural economics and business. continued on Page 24
Hosts at the Pearl
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enovations of the historic Pearl Brewery have created new spaces for a vast array of businesses, and recently, Cambridge Contracting built a San Antonio home for PEER 1 Hosting in the historic garage building at the Pearl. In the old garage where the Aveda Institute was the previous tenant, Cambridge renovated 25,000sf at a contract cost of $950,000 for PEER 1, a Canadabased data hosting company. Rusty Hastings, president of Cambridge, estimates that the construction team gutted 75 percent of the existing space for the complete redesign and build for PEER 1. With the company operating out of Canada, PEER 1 hired eVOLVE, a thirdparty data center solutions consulting group in Houston, which acted as the MEP engineer and hired San Antoniobased Insite Architects for the project. Since a data hosting company would
be using the space, work was very heavy on the mechanical, electrical and plumbing sides. There were many accommodations required for the data infrastructure, such as several server rooms and many cable chases. Hastings describes the finished project as a very data conscious, tech-savvy space for a high-tech, high-end user, adding that there are lots of computer screens, televisions and interactive screens throughout the space. “For example, the conference rooms all have their own interactive screens so you can see a picture of the person that is using the conference room at the time and what they are doing,” explains Hastings. “It’s a very interactive group, because that’s what they do, and they’re high-tech. “The infrastructure of the data systems was above and beyond the normal Through renovations to the old garage building at the Pearl, Cambridge Contracting created an employee-oriented atmosphere, including this Fiesta-style café, for the team of PEER 1 Hosting.
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
The family Stone
Masonry runs in the Stone family business. L-R: Ryan, Rick, Derrick, Pam, and Ricki Stone
15 to 500 Ton Capacities Available for your Toughest Projects Working at a local power plant. We can do any job no matter how small or how large. Give us a call.
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hen Rick Stone started Rick Stone Masonry, his intent was to build a solid business that his sons could have for the long haul, and that company just celebrated its 25th anniversary with all three of his boys on board. Though Stone established the commercial masonry company in 1989, he started the business full-time Jan. 1, 2000, meaning that New Year’s will mark its 15th anniversary as the Stone family’s official entrepreneurial endeavor. When Stone first started, it was him and his son, who shares his name, Rick, and later his sons, Ryan and Derrick, came on board. Today, Stone’s wife, Pamela, and their sons all work together at the company he has kept gradually and steadily growing to where it is today with 58 employees. Since 2010, Stone estimates that business has tripled in volume. With the experience his sons have gained from working in the family busi-
ness, Stone says they will carry on the tradition and skill that Stone’s father taught him. Observing his sons’ work ethic and knowledge of the trade has made him proud. He enjoys having his family around him all the time. At 57, Stone notes that his sons have children of their own now and his sons’ involvement in the business keeps them all very close. Stone has six grandchildren, two boys and four girls, ranging from 21 years old to 4 months. His daughter-in-law, Florence, is also involved in the business as their office manager. In the industry, the Stones are active in the San Antonio Masonry Contractors Association (SAMCA) and the Texas Masonry Council (TMC). In the community, they support O’Connor High School’s FFA program. Stone and his wife were in the FFA at John Marshall High School, and some of their granddaughters are still involved in the program at O’Connor. –mh
A Harris built upon sand
L-R: Dorothy Harris, Beverly Saunders, and Leon Harris
from El Paso to Beaumont Amarillo to Brownsville
www.alamocrane.com 35 Years of Service to Texas San Antonio (210) 344-7370 Austin (512) 282-6866 Toll Free (800) 880-0134
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outh of San Antonio, just inside the Bexar County line, Freddie E. Harris Sand & Clay has been family owned and operated since about 1928, long before any of its third generation Harris owners can remember. Leon Harris, president, recalls being told that their grandfather and their father, Freddie E. Harris, who was about 4 years old, went to town to get supplies, taking a buckboard and a couple of horses, and when they came back, they had dug a big hole in front of the house and were selling sand. Their grandmother made them move the sand to the back and fill up the hole in the front yard. Dorothy remembers that her father and her uncle, Herff Harris, were partners for a while, and they used to load trucks with a shovel. When her father married her mother, Frances, she came in and ran the office. Today, Leon’s sister Beverly Saunders is secretary, and his sister Dorothy
Harris is treasurer, but they are all comanagers. Beverly’s son, William Saunders, is the fourth generation. The company does mostly commercial construction, including foundations and underground utilities, and commercial use accounts for 35 percent of their business. Recently, they donated a job doing a parking lot for a church north of Poteet. They’ve supplied sand for sandcastles, hauling to Rockport and to Austin for one customer who does sandcastles in malls. They do mixes, including special baseball clay for the infield and sand for rodeo arenas. The Harris family has also served their community as reserve deputies. For instance, Dorothy was reserve with the Atascosa Sheriff’s Department for more than 30 years. Today, she’s in a law enforcement motorcycle club and does barbecue cook-offs. Her father was a reserve with both Atascosa and the Bexar County sheriff’s departments. –mh
San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
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This gala’s got wings
uests of the 14th Annual Construct A Kid’s Christmas Gala Dec. 4 were the angels of Bexar County foster children. The event drew more than 700 attendees and raised approximately $50,000 for Bexar County Child Protective Services. This year, the angels who organize the nonprofit’s big event brought the gala to the Freeman Expo Hall and gave it brilliant new wings. “Moving the gala to a new venue has opened up so many opportunities for Construct A Kid’s Christmas,� says Karen
Ridout, Ridout Barrett, co-chair of the fundraiser. “The larger venue enabled us to bring in more money and toys by being able to seat more people and expand the number of auction items. Changing the location brought in new faces. This is by far the largest gala we’ve had. So many attendees stated that it was the best ever!� –mh
PUTZ AROUND TOWN JC Putz here‌ The San Antonio construction industry came out in large numbers to support Construct A Kids Christmas and have fun at the annual gala‌
And to watch Pat Freund of Primo Plumbing show off the moves that won him a spot on Dancing With the Stars . . . don’t think so!
Photos by Mary C. Haskin Photography
Ho, ho, ho Craig No-No-to
Holiday spirits abounded throughout the town last month and good will was felt by all. Well, most. Roving photographer Mary Haskin looks like she is going to bean someone with her camera! Watch out!
. . .With that, I’m out’a here
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
To foster kids, from Santa
United Tool & Fastener
The Construct A Kid’s Christmas Committee presented a check to Bexar County Child Protective Services for double the amount of last year’s check.
Roman Samora, Urban Concrete, and Kent Gerstner, Construction News, loaded the truck with a mountain of toys – and bikes!
Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) Mechanical Reps
S Lynne Grix, CPA
Ridout Barrett
anta’s elves had help in the toy department with the Construct A Kid’s Christmas Toy Drive Dec. 5 at the Construction News office. Members of the industry dropped off truckloads of unwrapped toys for Bexar County Child Protective Services. The toy drive brought in a total of 1,416 toys to ensure that many Bexar County foster children will have a present under the tree this year. That total also includes contributions from a few prior industry events, including the Con- San Antonio Association of Building Engineers (SAABE) struct A Kid’s Christmas Gala the night before and Alterman’s holiday party earlier that same week. The drive also brought in $935 in gift cards and $1,750 in other cash. At the gala, toys were collected and delivered in a trailer supplied by American Roofing and Metal Company. Special thanks go to Urban Concrete Contractors for the bobtail truck and driver, Roman Samora, as well as Contractors Building Supply (CBS) for the two scissor lifts that held the banner above the toy drop-off site. –mh Alterman
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
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New Year’s transitions at HOLT Archer stepping down after 43 years
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he New Year brought tremendous change to HOLT CAT. One of the pillars of the company, Allyn Archer, president and COO, retired Dec. 31. Dave Harris, executive vice president and general manager of HOLT CAT, has transitioned into his role at company headquarters. Archer started with HOLT in April 1971 on the shop floor as a mechanic, working his way up through the company. In 1987, the L-R: Allyn Archer, president and COO of HOLT CAT, retired at the same year he became end of 2014 and passed the job on to his successor, Dave Harris, who has previously served as executive vice president and general general manager of manager. B.D. Holt Company, the company merged with Holt Machin- I’m very proud of that.” With the company since 1997, Harris ery in San Antonio. After 28 years as president, Archer started as regional manager at Peter counts several highlights in his tenure, in- Holt’s former dealership, Holt Ohio. In cluding the creation of HOLT’s Vision Mis- 1998, he came to Texas as general mansion and Values that continue to guide ager of the Machine Division, and three the organization today. Since ’87, the years ago, he was promoted to executive company has grown from one of the vice president and general manager. smallest Caterpillar dealers to the largest “I will continue to use our values as Caterpillar dealer in the U.S. representing the basis for additional and stable growth going into the future,” says Harris, noting 118 counties in Texas. At 68, Archer plans to get more in- that a big job in the next few years will be volved running his family ranching and continuing the transition to the fifth genfarming business in Uvalde County, fish eration Holts, Corinna Holt Richter and more at the coast, and spend more time Peter John Holt, taking over as dealer principals. with his three grandchildren. “I’m leaving it in the worthy hands of “Allyn has been a wonderful coach Dave Harris, my successor,” says Archer. and mentor to me through the years, and “We have set the foundation for much that will serve me well as I take on his regrowth in the future at his direction, and sponsibilities for a few years.” –mh
An idyllic Helotes holiday
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he classy and cozy Grey Moss Inn made a charming venue for the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) holiday party Dec. 5. After a choice of delicious dinners, guests gleefully stole presents from one another in the annual white elephant gift exchange. –mh
Chris Thiel and Denis St. Pierre, Alterman; Bob Corbo; John Gueldner
Orvil Anthony, Fisk Electric
Peggy and Jeff Howard, Klecka Electric
Robert and Rosemary Livar, CDI Technology Services, stand next to one of the poinsettias guests took home from the event.
Billy and Zelda Chamberlin, Cheyenne Electric
Hicks turns reins over to Campbell
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or Howard Hicks, the New Year brings a major life change with his retirement from HOLT CAT as the equipment dealer’s vice president of public affairs official as of Dec. 31, 2014. For Jim Campbell, the New Year finds him transitioning into HOLT CAT as senior director of public affairs. Having earned his master’s de- L-R: Howard Hicks, HOLT veteran team member, has now retired, and gree in agricultural Jim Campbell is transitioning into his new position at the company’s San Antonio headquarters. economics from Texas A&M University, Hicks, now 68, be- HOLT. His previous role was consulting gan his 38-year career at HOLT in May for public relations and marketing firm 1976. In retirement, he plans to be more the DeBerry Group, and he had done involved in his church’s ministry, work on consulting work for HOLT under contract more projects at his family’s ranch in the with Hicks. He is excited to return to a Hill Country, and spend more time with public affairs role as he once held with his wife of 45 years, Helen, and their three the City of San Antonio and CPS Energy. children and six grandchildren. Also an Aggie, Campbell holds a bache “While I’m still in good health, I want lor’s degree in political science and ento do some different things,” says Hicks. joys being “one of those rare people “It’s been a great career. I love the com- that’s actually doing what I was trained pany. I love the people, but I don’t know for in liberal arts.” how many years I’ve got left, so I thought Campbell is already undergoing a I better take advantage of whatever time sort of orientation program, meeting that is. To me, it’s more of a career change with 60 different individuals and familiarthan it is a retirement. I don’t plan to slow izing himself with them and their roles at down much. I just plan to devote my en- HOLT. He says this helps him better unergy to other things.” derstand the company and industry as In the last few months of 2014, Camp- well as build a rapport with people he will bell made his own career change joining need to work with to be successful. –mh
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
excited about the corporate track. My wife was a supporter of that. We were in five states in the course of 10 years. At some point in time, you have kids, and you can’t move every two years. So, we came back to San Antonio in ’82 and decided to get into the family business, which was still very small at that time. And it ended up working out.
Bennett Closner President
Closner Equipment Company
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s the president and second-generation owner of Closner Equipment Company, Bennett Closner believes we’re all lucky to be in America, and even more specifically, he’s thankful to be in Texas. In this state and in this country, the specialized equipment company allows him to participate in the construction industry and build the infrastructure that affords us our daily commutes and ability to travel on paved roads. Today, from his office in the company’s Schertz headquarters, Closner continues to help contractors pave the way. Tell me about your family’s history in the industry. My uncle and father, Jack and George Closner, started the business right after World War II in 1946. Both went to Texas A&M University, left A&M, went to World War II, came back after the war and started the business. Actually, it was based down in Edinburg, which is where our family is from, down on the Rio Grande. It became apparent that was too small a pond, because I think the economy was still pretty soft right after World War II. So, they came up here to San Antonio around 1947. They started down on Poplar Street in downtown San Antonio. It was a very small business – just a couple of people. It grew at a pretty slow rate until the second generation came in. And that’s where you come in. Right. My brother, Frank, and I both went to Texas A&M and were commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army. We both did a short stint in the Army, because the war in Vietnam was winding down then. After his tour was up, he came to the business, and I didn’t. I went to work for Alcoa Aluminum, and then I worked for Wheelabrator-Frye, now Allied Signal, up on the east coast. I came back in ’82, and then he and I worked together until he retired in ’04, and now it’s just me. What made you decide to venture into other parts of the business world before coming into the family business? I had an MBA from A&M, and I was
Tell me about your family today. My wife, Susan, and I have been married since April 1973. A&M had very few women at the time. It was a mostly male school. So, I came back home one weekend, and my sister, who was Susan’s age, fixed me up with her as a blind date. She works here, and we have three sons. Our middle son, Jon-Bennett, who goes by JB, is with the business at our Fort Worth store. Our oldest son, Kyle, lives in Bryan and is in the computer software industry. Our youngest son, Myles, works with Pepsi Co. He’s an account manager out in Los Angeles for a large California grocery chain. They range from their late 20s to early 30s. The oldest and the youngest followed me and went to A&M. My middle son didn’t. He went to the University of Alabama. He was a highly recruited football player, but unfortunately Texas A&M didn’t offer him a scholarship. We were hoping everything would work out in a perfect world, and he would play for A&M, but he played for the University of Alabama. So, whenever there’s an A&M-Alabama SEC football game, there’s a little bit of friction. It’s only once a year. Our sons all graduated with degrees in business. They’re all married, and we have four grandchildren. What associations or organizations are you a part of? I’m very active in the industry. Mostly AGC [Associated General Contractors], but also really active in a group maybe a lot of your readers don’t know about called Texas Asphalt Pavement Association (TXAPA). It’s actually a big group, but it’s kind of specialized. It has to do with all the people that are involved with building asphalt roads in the state of Texas. It’s a very dynamic organization. That’s on the business side. I play a little tennis from time to time and we are converting our yard to Xeriscape. My wife is a gourmet cook, and that seems to fill out the daylight hours. What personal goals have you achieved running the company, and what goals do you have for its future? We view it as a journey, not a destination. That’s my personal view. You never get there. It’s all about being on the trip, on the journey. You say meet your goals, but there’s always another goal after the first one. Our goal is to advance the ball from what I started with as a company, which was a one-location store down in the near-west side of San Antonio. We’ve now worked through and achieved some of the mileposts. So, now we have stores in Austin and a store in Fort Worth. For me, that’s satisfying, to do what an owner is supposed to do, to take something small and make it incrementally bigger
10843 Gulfdale San Antonio, TX 78216 210-829-1793 Serving the construction industry for over 28 years
Since coming into the family business in 1982, Bennett Closner stepped up to pave his part of the path on the equipment dealership’s journey.
before their time at the helm is up, to leave something bigger, better for our employees, for our customers, for our business partners and our manufacturers, make that entire circle bigger. It’s not just us. We have manufacturers that we represent. We have employees that depend on us for their livelihood and their families’ livelihood, and we’ve got customers that need our support to build that road in the middle of the night and have it opened by 6 a.m. So, just to get in that circle, participate in it, and make the circle bigger, and move everything forward. Is one of your goals to have JB take over the company? I think every parent wants their kids to do what they want to do. He’s in the business. He’s excited about it. We’d like him to, if he chooses, to stay and advance the ball, and I’m sure he will. He’s the general manager of our North Texas operation. So, he’s based up in Fort Worth. It’s a long way from here. We run San Antonio and Austin as a closely aligned operation, but Fort Worth is far enough away that he runs everything that’s happening up there. Tell me about your journey from the time you started with the company through today. I have a marketing degree and that was a long way from what my father and uncle were. They were more industrial and engineering related. I had more interest in marketing, advertising, economic tracking and planning. I was a little more interested in where can we go next and how do we get there, and they were better at doing something today. I think it worked out well. We had different skill sets – my father and my brother [and I] – and it worked well. I started out in sales, and then I took on some marketing and advertising responsibilities. Then, I took on some planning responsibilities. I became pretty active in our national industry association, which is called Associated Equipment Distributors (AED). That would be like the
AGC, which represents all the contractors in America that do infrastructure, and AED represents all of the equipment dealers in the United States and Canada. I was interested in that, and so I spent a lot of years active in that association. I was lucky enough to get in the chair progression – started out as a VP and got to be chairman in ’09, and then did one more year as a past-chairman. So, I did a five-year stint in the national organization. That was very eye opening. We’re a small operation in the equipment distribution industry. We’re a specialty dealer. We deal with a very important, but unique, slice of the construction industry that has to do with paving. You get to spend five years with the elected leadership [in AED] and typically they are from larger companies – the fellow that was ahead of me was the dealer out in the Rocky Mountains. A big business spanning several states. So, you have somebody like that ahead of you and similar people behind you, you learn what you don’t know when you hang out with people from other parts of the country with other business models. It was terrific. Can you give me an example of something you learned from that experience? I think what surprised me was the bigger the company, how little time the president spends on the day-to-day activities. Here, at Closner, if a contractor comes in to buy a machine, I know it. I’m intimately involved. So, what I found was as these companies get bigger in scale, approaching a billion dollars in some cases, how strategic the thinking is of the guy at the top and how far he is removed from the customer and the man on the ground that’s running the machine and how little time they spend with what most of us spend time with and the benefit is that allows them to focus on the really big picture. Coming from a different environment, it was interesting to see that kind of perspective. –mh
San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
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Caring for the community
Earning their metal
2014 Graduating Class, L-R: Derek Ross, Robert Carver, Jose Vergara, Pedro Carrasquillo, Michael Cape, Jose Cueller, Richard Ryan
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t the Local #67 Sheet Metal Workers Joint Apprenticeship Training graduation Nov. 14 at Dave & Buster’s, the Mechanical and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (MCA-SMACNA), along with DeWalt, provided awards and prizes to the graduates. By completing the extensive four-year training program, 13 apprentices earned their journeyman status. –mh #2 Ranking: Pedro Carrasquillo #3 Ranking: Pete Aceves III Perfect Attendance: Jose Cuellar
Construction community members formed a volunteer cooking team. L-R: Billy Bedford, Bert Mazac, Jeremy Simpson, Gary Perez, Paul Garro, Mike McGinnis and son, Dylan, and Jon Marek
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#1 Ranking: Michael Cape
Instructors, L-R: Doug John (4th Year), Roman Perez (3rd Year), Chris Vrana (1st Year), James May Jr. (2nd Year) and Matt Schauer (1st Year)
Minding the overhead
hen members of the industry team up and volunteer to help at-risk children, they can make a difference while showing the community that the construction industry helps build the community, as well as the buildings in it. This past fall, Michael McGinnis, Allen & Allen Company, and Jon Marek, MEMCO, both board members for American Subcontractors Association (ASA) San Antonio, partnered to help two local organizations dedicated to helping San Antonio’s children. In October, they assisted with the Boy Scout Golf Classic. Some of the proceeds from that event went to ScoutReach, a scouting program that serves more than 4,000 at-risk youth who came from economically challenged and often singleparent homes in South San Antonio. Then, Nov. 15, their efforts grew as they recruited fellow ASA board member Bert Mazac, Big B Construction, to help
cook for more than 50 children and 500 volunteers at the Rotary Club of San Antonio’s 13th annual Kingdom for Kids Playground Build, which aims to build playgrounds and other infrastructure into children’s environments for them to enjoy. The event was held in two locations, St. Peter-St. Joseph’s (St. PJ’s) Children’s Home and P.F. Stewart Elementary School, and the barbecue team cooked for everyone at both sites. The cooking team also included Paul Garro, principal of Central Catholic High School; Billy Bedford, Alamo Rainmaker; Jeremy Simpson, Coddy Pena and Ron Luhring, Allen & Allen Company; Gary Perez; and Dylan McGinnis, son of Mike McGinnis. To continue their help and support of at-risk children in the community, McGinnis and Marek served on the Construct A Kid’s Christmas Gala Committee for 2014 and they will serve on the committee for this year’s Boy Scout Sporting Clay Shoot. –mh
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The Powell family does roofs together. L-R: Cory, Susan, Terry and Kevin Powell
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usband and wife team Terry and Susan Powell have been running their own business, Superior Roofing & Construction, for more than three decades, keeping roofs over their clients’ heads and their own. Terry’s father was a residential roofing contractor who transitioned to having his own roofing supply company. Making a transition of his own, Terry was working at Frost Bank when he decided to make a career change and his father brought him into the field. In 1983, Terry started Superior, and he and Susan were married in 1984. About 15 years ago, she came into the office. “Terry and I are together pretty much 24/7, and it works for us,” explains Susan, who has an accounting degree from the University of Houston, and is Superior’s accounting manager. Terry earned his business degree from UTSA, and these days, he works mostly in the office. When Terry founded the business,
building up a customer base was tough. About six months after he started Superior, there was a major storm that got him very busy with a 50-house backlog. He continued to do residential roofing for about five more years, and then an old friend in commercial roofing got him into small commercial jobs. Today, residential projects account for less than 20 percent of their workload. Superior has done work for the San Antonio Children’s Museum, Texas Center for Athletes and Alamo Heights Municipal Complex. A few years ago, the company streamlined a bit, moving from a large facility to their Cimarron Path location. Now, they are building up again, growing their personnel and business. Their two sons are also active in the business. Cory, 25, recently graduated from UTSA with a degree in finance and does residential estimating at Superior. Kevin, 20, is a sophomore at UTSA and interns there in the summer. –mh
If you have any questions, contact the SA home office at (210) 308-5800
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Submitted to Construction News
‘Web’-site construction
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n Feb. 1, Construction News will be launching a brand new version of its website at constructionnnews.net. “We are delighted to be able to upgrade our site for our readers and customers,” said Buddy Doebbler, publisher of Construction News. “Additionally, we will bring in new readers from around the state and nation.” Construction News, with five papers in Texas’ growing areas, now enters a new age, taking advantage of technology to bring the content its readers have come to expect to the web. “The staff at Construction News has spent many months working on the new site,” Doebbler said. “What is really exciting about this is that now we can bring
Giving the gift of warmth
our readers some of the late-breaking news as it happens. And while you will still look forward to receiving your Construction News monthly in order to get all the full news and advertising it contains, you can now expect to find photos and information quickly from the events we cover, as well as much more.” One thing the editors of the five papers will accomplish is to bring news from home to those who may be far from their homes, such as military men and women. “We encourage our readers to check out our new web site. Please let us know what you think,” Doebbler said. “We will continue to work to upgrade the site to make it a better viewing experience for our readers, so your comments and suggestions are always welcome.” –cw
Alpha Building Corporation held its office holiday party Dec. 19 with a potluck buffet. In the spirit of the season, Alpha team members donated 34 winter coats to Five Star Cleaners Winter Coat project. –mh
Hopping on opportunities
Did you keep last years new year’s resolution? My resolution was to have a better year than 2013, because the first half of the year started not that great, but it ended awesome – I got married. But in 2014, I started a new career, and that was my goal. January of 2014, I knew that I had to make a change for my family, and I did. I kept my resolution. Joshua Fosmire, Monterrey Iron & Metal
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Members of the HCA hit the road in a VIA bus to visit two general contractors for a daylong learning and networking event.
he Hispanic Contractors Association (HCA) de San Antonio, in conjunction with VIA Metropolitan Transit, hosted its annual VIA Bus Hop Dec. 11. After boarding the bus at the Crossroads Park & Ride, members were driven to Turner Construction. Eric Wildt, senior project manager for Turner, greeted them with coffee and breakfast tacos, and talked to them about Turner, its upcoming projects, and registering to be a subcontractor. Members also heard from David Dorrough, DES Business Solutions. Then, members hopped back on the
bus for their next destination, SpawGlass. Lucy Cisneros, Frost Bank, spoke to members about simple IRAs, and John Devaney, project executive at SpawGlass, discussed the company and its upcoming projects and how to register to bid. Then, members rode the bus back to Crossroads. Dave Sanchez, HCA executive director, states, “This type of event fits right in with our mission statement in providing training, education and networking opportunities so our members can grow and prosper.” –mh
I don’t make [New Year’s resolutions]. I try to live my life the way the good Lord wants me to live. I take good principles from the Bible, and if you do that, you don’t really have to worry about that kind of stuff. David Gardner, Mission Controls & Supply I told myself I wanted to lose 10 pounds, and I’ve lost 15 pounds. So, I did actually for once in my long life keep my promise to myself. My son moved out of the house and away from home. So, I don’t eat out all the time. My wife and I eat at home and eat much healthier, and it’s really paid off dividends. Terry Powell, Superior Roofing & Construction
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Of course not, because nobody ever keeps theirs. I don’t think I’ve known anyone to ever keep a New Year’s resolution. I was going to quit smoking, and I still smoke. It’s been kind of a crazy year, and I just really wasn’t ready to do it yet. Mary Sweet, Surmac, Inc. My New Year’s resolution was to get my business profitable, to grow the business. It was simply that. That’s the obvious one when you’re an entrepreneur and you have a new company. And this year, I’ve been blessed with success. I’ve got a good backlog of work, and it’s working. Bill Norton, Norton Company I didn’t make one. I rarely do and probably haven’t in a long time. I don’t believe in them. Bennett Closner, Closner Equipment Company Sorry, but I don't make New Year’s resolutions. I have found that they are easy to make, but [it’s] much harder to stick to them. Melissa Haefy, Midco Sling To become more prepared – I’m not going to say we kept it. We got better, but we’re still not there yet. I guess that will be our continuing New Year’s resolution. Tim Doege, Big State Electric Yes, I did. I tried to commit myself to increasing our gross sales to try to help Randall get started in this field and this business, and we did very well. We had probably our second best year out of our lifetime of the business. Wayne Rodgers, Wayne Rodgers Construction I did not keep it. I actually think my New Year’s Resolution was something along the lines of needing to be more patient with people, and that went out the window after about two weeks, I believe. Every day is a growing process. Still working on it. I think I made some progress this year. So, it wasn’t totally lost. Randall Rodgers, Wayne Rodgers Construction
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I don’t try to fool myself into thinking I’m going to do something I’m not. So, I don’t really make resolutions [laughs]. Susan Powell, Superior Roofing & Construction
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Page 9
Striving to be greater builders
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he Greater San Antonio Builders Association (GSABA) hosted its annual holiday party and awards gala Dec. 5 at Oak Hills Country Club. The event included the installation of officers: Frank Sitterle, president; Steve Louis, first vice president; Wayne Moravits, vice president treasurer; Bryan Smith, vice president secretary; Dominick Alongi, associate vice president. The incoming council chairs are Bertha Luna, Sales and Marketing Council president, and Amy Marie Lederman, Young Professionals Leadership Committee. –mh Builder of the Year Gary Wilkerson, Gary Wilkerson Custom Homes
Associate of the Year Jan Meuth, You Name It Specialties
Associate Legend of the Year Gilbert Sanchez, HomeWerks
Associate Spike of the Year Dominick Alongi, Pest Shield Pest Control
Spirit Award McNair Custom Homes
James I Campbell Award Jerry Smith, Jr.
Builder Spike of the Year Adolfo Canales, Armadillo Homes
No photo: Distinguished Single-Family Builder of the Year Terry Jermolojevs, Chesmar Homes
North Park Subaru 2015 Subaru Outback Membership Prize Mike Hollaway
A power tool show and tell
T
hough the Hilti store on 410 has been opened for a while, the location hosted a grand opening and open house Dec. 4, inviting customers in for lunch, demonstrations and special deals. –mh
L-R: Randall Scholl, Scholl Remodeling & Roofing; Hilti’s Doug Schriever and Marvin Mitchell, store manager On the left: Hilti’s Billy McCabe demonstrates a gas saw by cutting into a concrete wheel stop.
Shawn Crane, right, talks to members of the San Antonio Fire Department about Hilti’s power tools.
We do custom rebar fabrication for all types of projects, including shop drawings.
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Invisible exclusions, part I
New standards for revenue recognition
Charles E. Comiskey, Sr. V.P. Brady, Chapman, Holland & Associates, inc. Houston, TX
Lance Trammell, Principal - Assurance Services Lane Gorman Trubitt, PLCC Dallas, TX
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any insurance policies today include “invisible” exclusions – exclusions that may not be brought to the attention of the insurance buyer and that will not be declared on a certificate of insurance. This article will address three of the more dangerous such exclusions and what to do about them.
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n May 2014, Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) released the new accounting standard on revenue recognition with the intent to provide a comprehensive, and consistent, method of accounting for revenue across entity, industry and geographical lines. While there are some exceptions, most industries are subject to the new standard. The reasoning behind the change is to reduce inconsistencies and the risk of recognizing revenue incorrectly, to reduce the options of industry-specific U.S. GAAP guidelines and to create a collaboration between FASB and International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) for improved and converged rules. The guidance is based on the overall premise that the entity should recognize revenue in an amount that reflects the actual consideration that the entity expects to be entitled to. In order to determine the amount of consideration that the entity is entitled to, the standard provides for a five step process that includes: 1) Identification of the contract 2) Identification of the performance obligations 3) Determine the transaction price 4) Allocate the transaction price to performance obligations 5) Recognize revenue upon the satisfaction of performance obligations Contracts, whether written, oral or implied based on the entity’s customary business practice, create the enforceable rights and obligations. Consistent with the current standards relating to contract accounting, some contracts can be combined if they are negotiated together or if successful completion is interdependent on one another. Additionally, contracts can be modified due to change in scope or pricing. The performance obligations within the contract are the determinants for revenue recognition. The performance obligation is the promise within the contract to deliver goods or services to the customer. Revenue is recognized when or as the performance obligation is satisfied. Multiple performance obligations within a contract may have specific costs or may be satisfied at different periods in time, therefore, contractors will be required to determine distinct performance obligations within the contract in order to properly allocate the transaction price among the obligations. Transaction price is the actual amount that is considered probable to be collected from the customer upon satisfaction of the performance obligation. Transaction price is not necessarily the
stated contract amount, but instead the contract amount net of any variable considerations. Revenues are recognized upon satisfying the performance obligation. This is considered to occur either 1) over a period of time or 2) at point in time. These methodologies can be considered similar to the current percentage of completion and completed contract methods of accounting used by contractors. Revenues recognized over a period of time must meet one of the following: 1) The customer simultaneously receiving and consuming the benefits of the entity’s performance as the service is performed 2) The entity’s performance creates or enhances an asset that the customer controls as the asset is created or enhanced 3) The performance does not result in the creation of an asset with an alternative use to the entity and the entity has a right to receive payment for performance completed to date If the above criterion is met, the “period of time” is measured based upon input or output methods. If choosing at a point in time, the ownership of the project under contract will transfer once the performance obligation has been met. The new five step process may not be so “new” to contractors, as many of the considerations regarding performance obligations, transaction pricing considerations and timing of revenue recognition are all points that many contractors currently use in their bidding, estimating and performance activities. For public companies, the new regulation goes into effect on Dec. 15, 2016 and on Dec. 15, 2017 for nonpublic companies. Founded in 1950, Lane Gorman Trubitt PLLC (LGT) is one of the largest certified public accounting firms headquartered in the Southwest. Dedicated to serving the middle market, the firm represents a broad range of clients, from individuals to public companies, in a variety of industries. LGT offers traditional accounting, audit and tax services, as well as various other specialized services. LGT has launched three affiliated companies, LGT Financial Advisors, LLC, LGT Insurance Services Inc. and LGT Retirement Plan Solutions.
But first, a little background: Construction agreements include provisions requiring indemnification of the upstream party (the party requiring the coverage). In Texas, it remains permissible to require indemnification for the upstream party’s joint, concurrent and/or sole negligence at least with regard to an injury to an employee of the downstream party (the party being required to provide coverage) or their subcontractor, and for any municipal or residential work. General liability insurance customarily provides “contractual liability” coverage applicable to such provisions, covering liability for bodily injury and physical injury to tangible property arising from a contractual assumption of these exposures. Beware: This contractual liability coverage is being deleted or eroded in a variety of manners that are sometimes difficult to recognize. CG 21 39 10 93, Contractual Liability Limitation Endorsement Contractual liability coverage is provided in a general liability policy through a series of six definitions of an “insured contract.” These definitions are applicable to an exception to an exclusion of the coverage provision. Confusing, right? What’s critical to know is that the sixth definition is the one that provides coverage for liability assumed in an indemnification agreement. The Contractual Liability Limitation Endorsement deletes that sixth definition, completely eliminating insurance funding for that indemnity, and should be avoided at all cost. CG 24 26 07 04, Amendment of Insured Contract Definition This endorsement modifies that sixth definition, eliminating claims based upon allegations of the sole negligence of the Indemnitee (the upstream party). This is problematic for two reasons: 1. As stated above, most indemnification provisions do require that the upstream party be held harmless for at least some portion, if not all, of its sole negligence. The downstream party will be held responsible for such protection, whether funded by insurance or not. 2. The most common type of claim arising from ongoing work is what attorney’s refer to as a “third party over action.” This
occurs when an employee of a downstream party is injured on the job. He can make a workers’ compensation claim against his employer, but also retains the right to bring litigation for that injury. That said, he cannot sue his employer due to the exclusive remedy rule of workers’ compensation, so suit is brought solely against the upstream contractor or owner, who then demands protection from the downstream party under the indemnification agreement. That type of claim is usually funded by general liability insurance, but this endorsement eliminates coverage for the assumption of another party’s sole negligence. Modification of the Employer’s Liability Exclusion Another way that insurance companies eliminate cover for suits brought by employees of a downstream party is to change the wording of the Employer’s Liability exclusion. This provision, part of every general liability policy, excludes coverage for injury to an employee of the insured, but has an exception stating that the exclusion does not apply to liability assumed by the insured under an “insured contract.” Some insurance companies delete the exception to this exclusion, thereby eliminating the very provision that would otherwise provide coverage. Discuss these exclusionary endorsements with your insurance broker, and verify that they are not included in your insurance program. But what if you are the upstream party depending on a certificate of insurance? Two steps can be taken: 1. In your insurance requirements, state that these endorsements are prohibited on the downstream party’s insurance program; and 2. Require a copy of the Schedule of Forms and Endorsements page verifying that they haven’t been included in the underlying insurance program. Charles E. Comiskey, CPCU, CIC, CPIA, CRM, PWCA, CRIS, CCM, is Sr. V.P. of Brady Chapman Holland & Assoc. and is National Chairman of the Construction Insurance Practice Group of RiskProNet International, the 5th largest brokerage organization in the U.S. He can be contacted at 713-979-9706 or charles.comiskey@bch-insurance.com
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Page 11
Responding to worksite accidents
Free transportation training resources
Marc Young, Founding Principal Cokinos, Bosien & Young Austin, TX
Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX
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he construction industry routinely leads all other industries in the total number of deaths per year, therefore it is imperative to understand the role of your company and your legal representative in the event of a fatality or major incident on the construction worksite. Having a plan of action can assist your company and your legal team in preparing for, and handling, a major incident, should it become necessary. BEFORE AN ACCIDENT OCCURS site of the injury when investigating an • Create an Emergency Response Plan accident, and may identify numerous cit(ERP) able conditions unrelated to the acci• Have your risk manager and safety dent. Consult with your attorney about committee review the ERP with your at- drafting and implementing a written torney so there is no confusion during a policy regarding whether to allow warresponse. rantless OSHA investigations before it is • Your attorney should have in his/her ever needed. vehicle a “go-bag” containing tools nec- MEDIA essary to document and investigate an • Understand what deadlines the meincident at a moments’ notice. dia are under and advise them that you IMMEDIATE STEPS IN THE EVENT OF A will get back to them after you have had MAJOR ACCIDENT an opportunity to conduct a reasonable • The immediate response should al- investigation. ways begin with a 911 call at the first indi- • Answer questions as directly and as cation of a major injury or fatality. completely as possible. If you don’t know • Remove all non-essential workers the answer to a question, be honest. from the area. Secure an area around any False information can damage credibility continuing danger or hazard to workers. and the public’s perception of your abili• Notify key corporate personnel as ty to tell the truth and convey accurate soon as the area is secured and individu- information. als are no longer in danger. • Avoid using “no comment” as an an• The attorney should be called to the swer. scene to assist with the investigation and • Never give “off-the-record” informaOSHA visit. tion. • Notify insurance carrier. • Give the facts as you know them and • Once your attorney arrives at the cite sources. site, meet in the company’s work trailer • If the emergency or disaster is long as soon as possible. term in nature, it is important to hold freConfirm that Emergency Response Plan quent briefings or press conferences. has been followed thus far. • Advise all employees not to speak to INVESTIGATION the press or give statements. Provide em Your attorney should begin con- ployees with a designated individual or ducting the investigation before the site telephone number to refer inquiries. conditions change, witnesses leave and While no plan can foresee every deequipment is moved. Designate a private tail of a catastrophic event, being preplace to talk - typically the job trailer is pared with the basic elements and securthe best place to perform interviews. ing legal representation before an event Your attorney may need someone with can mitigate further injuries to workers technical expertise from your company and protect the legal position of the to participate in the interviews. company in subsequent litigation. Some attorneys don’t pursue recorded statements at this stage because any Marc A. Young is a founding principal party in the subsequent litigation will be of Cokinos, Bosien &Young, a full service entitled to that recording. Your attorney law firm with offices in Houston, San Antomay take photographs to document the nio, Dallas and Austin. For more informascene and everything relevant to the in- tion on our services, please visit www.cbcident, but avoid any conditions such as ylaw.com blood or medical waste. If equipment involved in an accident was moved prior to emergency responders arriving, it is imperative to establish exactly where it was at the time of the accident. OSHA OSHA must be contacted within 8 hours of a fatality, or within 24 hours of a work related in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye. OSHA has a 24-hour fatality contact number at 800323-OSHA. However, it’s not uncommon for OSHA to hear about the incident through media accounts and drive directly to the site. Before OSHA investigators arrive, your attorney may advise you of any observable conditions that may result in violations of various OSHA standards so they may be immediately corrected. An OSHA investigator is not limited to the
E
very 12 minutes someone dies in a motor vehicle crash, every 10 seconds an injury occurs and every 5 seconds a crash occurs. Many of these incidents occur during the workday or during the commute to and from work. Employers bear the cost for injuries that occur both on and off the job. Whether you manage a fleet of vehicles, oversee a mobile sales force or simply employ commuters, by implementing a driver safety program in the workplace you can greatly reduce the risks faced by your employees and their families while protecting your company’s bottom line. Fatal transportation incidents accounted for about 2 out of every 5 fatal work injuries in 2013. Of the 1,740 transportationrelated fatal injuries in 2013, nearly 3 out of every 5 (991 cases) were roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles. Non-roadway incidents, such as a tractor overturn in a farm field, accounted for another 13 percent of the transportationrelated fatal injuries. About 16 percent of fatal transportation incidents (284 cases) in 2013 involved pedestrians who were struck by vehicles. Forty-eight of these occurred in work zones. Motor vehicle crashes cost employers $60 billion annually in medical care, legal expenses, property damage, and lost productivity. They drive up the cost of benefits such as workers’ compensation, Social Security, and private health and disability insurance. In addition, they increase the company overhead involved in administering these programs. The average crash costs an employer $16,500. When a worker has an on-thejob crash that results in an injury, the cost to their employer is $74,000. Costs can exceed $500,000 when a fatality is involved. Off-the-job crashes are costly to employers as well.1
Did you know?
The real tragedy is that these crashes are largely preventable. Recognizing the opportunity that employers have to save lives, a growing number of employers have established traffic safety programs in their companies. No organization can afford to ignore a major problem that has such a serious impact on both their personnel and the company budget. There are a number of free resources that provide training and written programs for driver safety. The National Safety Council in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation is offering free training in Texas to employers and employees on driving safety. To schedule a free training session, contact Lisa Robinson at 512-466-7383 or lisa.robinson@nsc.org. Free resources are available at http://www.txdrivingconcern. org. Another resource for training resources is the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety. There is a free toolkit for employers to download at http://www.trafficsafety.org/drivesafelyworkweek/. The tool kit has sample policies and training materials to educate workers on transportation safety. natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232
Past editions can be downloaded at www.ConstructionNews.net
Page 12
San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
This holiday light shines bright
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ike the tree at Rockefeller Center is to New York City, the holiday season isn’t official in San Antonio’s construction community until Alterman electrifies the industry with one of the biggest celebrations in town. The employee-owned company hosted its annual holiday open house Dec. 2 at its Jones-Maltsberger headquarters, where they also collected toys for the Construct A Kid’s Christmas Gala. The event featured luxury shuttles from Blossom Athletic Center, a photo booth, and delectable catering by Saltgrass Steakhouse. –mh
Center for celebration
T
he American Institute of Architects (AIA) San Antonio Chapter hosted its holiday party at the Center for Architecture on South Flores Street. –mh
The AIA holiday party attendees included the women of the Society for Design Administration (SDA).
Lewis Fisher, AIA, Fisher Heck Architects; Janis Maldonado and Natasha Kay, PE, Turner Logistics, an affiliate of Turner Construction
Ellen Berky, AIA, and Debra J. Dockery, AIA, have their own architecture firms.
San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Page 13
Ebola eradicator
The glow of a quality Christmas
Though the San Antonio team for CG Environmental – Cleaning Guys didn’t do Ebola clean up, they deal with hazardous clean ups in the Alamo City and surrounding area all the time.
L-R: Bruce Johnston, vice president; Jordon Brown, marketing coordinator; Pauline Jurina, HR; Shelly Sheffield, sales assistant; Craig Noto, president; Amy Avila, contract specialist; Lori Klug, receptionist; Samantha Pittman, accounts payable; Jamie White, controller
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he San Antonio branch of CG Environmental – Cleaning Guys opened Sep. 1, 2013. The local crew is four men: Weston Lothringer, geologist and business development; Randy Orttman, field technician and heavy equipment operator; and field technicians Saul Navarro and Jason Horn. Little did they know their company would draw international attention when the cleaning crew in Dallas was brought in to help deal with the first cases of Ebola in the United States. After working in industrial cleaning and later law enforcement, where he says he “saw it all,” owner Erick McCallum started his cleaning business in Fort Worth 23 years ago because he saw a need for equipment to clean environmental issues on a large scale. He built and patented his own equipment to handle spills 8 feet wide and 50 feet long in 30 seconds. The business grew from one man to a 50-employee team with offices in DFW, Austin, Hous-
ton and San Antonio. Since his team excavates and disposes hazardous construction site materials, the call to decontaminate the apartment inhabited by Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan was a surprise. Recommended by three different agencies, he received the call and was put on stand-by before the public even knew of Duncan’s Ebola diagnosis. After cleaning the apartment, the company was hired to decontaminate all of the spaces Duncan and fellow Ebola patients Nina Pham and Amber Joy Vinson impacted, including emergency rooms, vehicles, closed schools and offices of people who shared Vinson’s airplane ride. McCallum didn’t flinch at suiting up for the dangerous tasks with his team. “We’re always ready,” McCallum says. “Our bread and butter is construction work, but we also respond for emergency responders. We do it all.” –mjm/mh
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he quality spirit was bright for the Quality Fence & Welding holiday party Dec. 3 at the GSABA Center.
–mh
John Hoot, general manager, and his wife, Morgan
Craig Noto and his wife, Teresa
Page 14
San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
North to South
Now bigger and better
L-R: Joseph Willrich, BEFCO Engineering, the engineer for the new facility; Neal Carmichael, Mike Puryear and Tony Shedrock, HOLT CAT; Scott Shaheen, Hooker Contracting Company, the general contractor for the project
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hen Allyn Archer, president and COO of HOLT CAT, calls the new state-of-the art machine service facility “the largest capital project we’ve ever built here in San Antonio,” there is obvious cause for celebration upon its completion. The Caterpillar equipment dealer hosted an open house and luncheon Dec. 3 to mark the occasion and debut the largest headquarters expansion in HOLT hosts L-R: Dave Harris, executive vice president and the company’s history. The general manager of HOLT; Allyn Archer, president and COO; new facility, which took J.K. Baxter, senior vice president and general manager of the Machine Division about nine-and-a-half months to build, had been in operation San Antonio and South Texas region. for approximately two-and-a-half “This facility is 44,000sf,” says Dave months at the time of the event. Harris, executive vice president and gen The original facility was opened in eral manager of HOLT. “We’ve incorpo1957, and HOLT strived to make it more vi- rated what we call the superbay design, able and energy efficient, including solar and about two weeks ago, we had 57 mapanels on the roof that Archer estimates chines in this shop at one time.” generate about $16,000 worth of power, Harris believes that the employees providing electricity for the new facility. benefit from the safe and fulfilling new The new shop allows HOLT’s technicians workspace. He also observes that the efto service more heavy equipment for the ficiency of what they do and how they work has been significantly improved due to extra tooling, 10- and 15-ton cranes, and other investments to ensure repairs are done safer and faster, which means their repair bills and time will reflect that efficiency. He adds that they’ve already started adding jobs - and hiring more people allows them to grow, making it a win-win for the company and the community. –mh
The team at Braun Intertec’s new San Antonio office
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fter working out of a temporary location in Jourdanton since November 2013, engineering, consulting and testing firm Braun Intertec opened its first permanent office in San Antonio in October. The Minneapolis-based, employeeowned firm followed existing oil and gas clients from the Bakken Shale in North Dakota to the South Texas Eagle Ford Shale. “We do a lot of work in North Dakota,” explains Dan Holte, vice president. “We’ve been there a long time, and a lot of the clients are the same. So, we continued to support them with our testing services in the Eagle Ford. We thought that was a natural place for us. It’s common for us to support our clients, to move with them into other regions of the country, and we thought that this market just fit us.” The oil and gas markets will be a significant part of what the firm offers from
the new San Antonio location, but Holte adds that it will also service San Antonio with geotechnical services, construction material testing, environmental consulting and building sciences, which entails various reviews and forensic work. These other areas will take a bit longer to become established. “Right now, we’re doing non-destructive examination, or NDE, inspection services in support of our oil and gas clients, and that’s through pipeline inspections and fabrication inspections at local facilities,” he says, adding that the firm’s NDE in the oil and gas market is doing very well in the area. “Our San Antonio office is going to be used as the hub of work in South Texas and really throughout the Gulf region as well.” There are nine people working in the new location, and the San Antonio office is able to pull resources from the firm’s other facilities to supplement them. –mh
Submitted to Construction News
Moore holiday morn
L-R: Ron Craft, HOLT CAT vice president of product support; Dave Thomas, HOLT CAT major account rep; Lance Griffin, CEMEX; Steven Smith, HOLT CAT CEP manager
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Moore Erection, LP, held its Christmas gathering before beginning the workday on Dec. 12 at its facility in Garden Ridge. –mh
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The team of Fisher Heck Architects enjoyed a cool, low-key office Christmas lunch Dec. 12 at Capparelli’s on Main. –mh
San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Page 15
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Looking into the New Year by Capt. Steve Schultz Sponsored by: Premier Yamaha Boating Center, Majek Boats, E-Z Bel Construction, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, Interstate Batteries, Pure Fishing, Mirr-O-Lure and Columbia Sportswear.
ell I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year holiday. I am very excited to start the year off on a good foot, or should I say a good leg after missing out on most of last years fishing. I was able to get in some trips in September and October as the fishing seemed to pick up after a mediocre summer. Hopefully things will be much different this season with the new changes on speckled trout regulations implemented by Texas Parks and Wildlife that took effect on September 1st last year. I am also looking forward to seeing all my clients and friends this season and continue making memories in the outdoors that seem to last a lifetime. As most of you already know, winter fishing is by far the best time of the year to catch trophy size specks. Although our winters sometimes may not feel like winters you see up north, there is definitely an inconsistency in the weather that triggers fish to feed as the barometric pressure changes. Most of the larger specks tend to feed up before major changes in weather and may go for several days before feeding again. Larger trout don’t do
real well in colder water temperatures; they tend to stay in deeper water and in soft mud bottoms trying to keep warm and conserve energy. As water temperatures progressively warm, they will venture out in search of their next meal. Larger mullet, menhaden and other finfish typically are the choice of diet for hungry specks, subsequently keeping them satisfied until the next cold snap arrives. This is the reason so many anglers use larger baits and plugs in winter trying to imitate a wounded fish that make easy prey for lethargic trout. I’m by no means a psychic knowing when fish will eat, what they will eat and how big they will be. There is also no way anyone can guarantee you will catch a trophy trout on any given day. I have many clients that have fished many days each year and have never caught a trophy quality speck. Then there are the clients that catch one on their first outing, and say, “That’s the biggest fish I’ve ever caught.” I can tell you that your chances are better if you put in some sort of an effort during the prime months.
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Hospital for the holiday
Every month this year in my column I will feature a product that I believe will help make you a better angler. From boats, tackle apparel or electronics, I will discuss the advantages you will gain by using these products. While we are on the subject of winter trophy trout fishing, let’s start with the lures of choice this time of the year. Starting with the most popular will be the Corky line of lures by MirrOlure. There are several styles of Corky’s available, Original, Fat Boy and Devil. All are slow sinking mullet imitations that boost big results when presented in front of feeding fish. These lures became popular in 1996 when James Wallace of Houston landed a 13-lb. 11-oz. speck on the original corky. This is one lure I will not leave without as I ease over the edge of the boat this winter! To schedule your next bay fishing trip, give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-8133716 or 361-334-3105 or e-mail him at SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail.com. Already booking for the 2015-fishing season. Good luck and Good Fishing.
Texas Style
San Antonio Austin Dallas/Fort Worth Houston South Texas
STEVE SCHULTZ OUTDOORS, LLC BAFFIN BAY –– LAGUNA MADRE –– LAND CUT SPECKLED TROUT –– REDFISH –– FLOUNDER FISHING AND HUNTING TRIPS
(361) 813-3716 (361) 334-3105 www.baffinbaycharters.com steveschultzoutdoors@gmail.com U.S. Coast Guard & Texas Parks and Wildlife Licensed
Children who will be stuck in the hospital during the holidays will have a surprise from Christy Rhone, Cram Roofing, and other members of the industry who are involved in the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS). Collected at the San Antonio Chapter’s holiday luncheon, members donated hundreds of toys to the University Health System Foundation. L-R: Donovan Rhone, Knight Office Solutions; Eva Ramirez, RVK Architects; Christy Rhone; Vicki Garrett, Brandt Companies; and Charlie Jakubisin, Element Thirty –mh
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Ken Milam’s Fishing Line Since 1981, Ken Milam has been guiding fishing trips for striped bass on Lake Buchanan in the Texas Hill Country,. You can hear Ken on radio on Saturday and Sunday mornings, 6-8 AM on AM 1300, The Zone – Austin, or http://www.am1300the zone.com
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he passing of the holidays always reminds me of a passing storm. It’s exciting and engaging while it’s going on, but always a relief when you get to the blessed calm after the storm. It is always nice to get back to normal and start looking forward to what’s next – Spring! I know, not yet. We still have a little more football to go, some more cold fronts and time to pass. I always figure any time after winter solstice is getting closer to spring bit by bit. The tournament trails are getting started so the bass boats will start moving again. If you really get lucky and land a 13-lb. or better largemouth bass – you still have time to get in on the Toyota ShareLunker program until April 30th. These nice warm sunny afternoons are starting to make me wonder how long it will be until the crappie start moving up into shallow water around structure to start wanting to bed. All you need is some frisky minnows or your favorite jigs to catch a nice mess of crappie. If the weather gets cloudy and cold they will go back deep and wait for the next nice spell to come shallow again. You just have to catch them when the catching is good. Stripers and hybrids are loving the colder water. They are chasing shad in open water under the birds and feeding
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hard so they can be as strong and healthy as possible for their spawning run, later in the spring. Except for Lake Texoma, stripers can’t successfully spawn in Texas because we don’t have the right conditions for the eggs to hatch. Don’t tell the stripers though, they don’t know the difference and they will put all their energy into trying to reproduce. As they school
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up and chase shad they will give us some of the best freshwater fishing to be had! If white bass are more to your liking, then get ready! As mild as the winter temperatures have been this year I wouldn’t be surprised if they start running upstream on their spawning runs a little early this year. This usually happens around Valentine’s Day, give or take a
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week or three depending on the weather. Keep in touch with your tackle shops and fishing reports. When the run begins the word spreads like wildfire. On low lakes and rivers the run may not happen in the usual places for lack of water. This is where good current information is really important. If you love jug lining for blue catfish, get those jugs ready. From now through February is when you can catch the big ones. You want to concentrate on areas where the river and creek channels converge. Spring’s acoming! Be sure you have your boat running good and always get good weather information before you set out. Weather changes fast this time of year. Fishing the day before a cold front comes through will usually be much better, and you want to avoid those old windy days as a front moves through. High pressure systems tend to keep fish from biting. f you plan on booking some guided fishing trips this spring, you need to get your reservations pretty quick. It looks like we are getting ready for a nice season! Fish On!
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
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Brown, silver and gold
Got their ducks in a row
The children of Robert and Bridgett Brown, Brown Excavation & Utilities, went on a hunting trip and bagged themselves some bucks. –mh
Their daughter, Raygan, shot this fallow silver and 189 7/8 whitetail deer.
Their son, Blaze, shot this fallow gold and 144 whitetail deer.
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Hart of the Hill Country
Greg Allen, owner of concrete contracting company T&D Moravits, shot this buck Dec. 1 at the Catto-Gauge on a hunt with Craig Noto, president of Quality Fence & Welding. –mh
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Not the droids he’s looking for
At the Texas Renaissance Faire, even storm troopers get dressed up for Highland Fling weekend. Mary Hazlett, editor of San Antonio Construction News, and husband David Hazlett, left, and brother-in-law Shane Hazlett came upon this member of the Imperial Forces in their travels. –mh
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – duck season, that is! Jon Marek, MEMCO, attended a duck hunt in Rockport where he was the only San Antonian among other duck hunting enthusiasts from Houston. L-R: Ross Berlin, Southern Shingles; Frank Giordano, Endurance Builders; Jon Marek; Trey Everett, Precision Foundations; Travis Roby, Pioneer Natural Resources; Matthew Morgan, Occidental Petroleum –mh
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
A truckload of holiday cheer
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A Major trophy
Kylie Major took a break from college studies to go hunting with her dad, George Major Jr., owner of Holes of San Antonio. She bagged this 7-and-a-half-year-old, 10-point buck that tipped the scales at 195 pounds. –mh
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he halls were decked and the presents stacked high when Timms Trucking hosted its holiday party Dec. 12 at Paulina’s Mexican Restaurant. –mh
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‘His dad would be proud’
Have an outdoor photo or story you’d like to share? Send to:
SAeditor@Constructionnews.net Shane Schirmer, licensed irrigator, general foreman and safety coordinator for C&K Lawn Services and son of Starr Schirmer and the late Sonny Schirmer, shot this buck, which scored 160 3/8 and had a 26-inch spread, at Lazy Fork Ranch in Tilden. –mh
or call Mary at 210.308.5800
San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Page 19
A firm and a foundation
Mary Ann Mitchell’s firm is based in this limestone house, circa 1846, on Presa Street. The property was part of the Alamo farmland.
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ounded in July 2013, Mitchell Design Group is a fairly new firm, but its founder and president, Mary Ann Mitchell, AIA, is hardly new to the industry. She has 30 years of experience in the San Antonio architecture and design community. A registered architect and interior designer, she started working for a structural engineer while she was still in high school at 16, growing up on the South Side. She worked there until she graduated. While attending San Antonio College, she decided structural engineering was not for her, and switched to studying architecture. Work and family took her away from school for a while, and when she finally went back, she studied business. Though she does not have a degree in architecture or interior design, she earned her licenses for both. She has worked at many firms over the course of her career, including Bradley McChesney, Ford Powell & Carson,
Saldana & Associates and Garza Bomberger & Associates. In 1988, she was hired as a design architect for HEB and worked her way up to director of design. Today, HEB is her primary client. Focusing on private-owner retail, the firm also does work for Starbucks and consulting for Wal-Mart. Outside of work, Mitchell is devoted to helping teens and young adults overcome the effects of cancer. Having survived cancer five years ago, she started the BeFEARLESS Foundation in 2011. The nonprofit corporation works directly with the University of Texas MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital – Child Life Program in Houston, providing funding and gear from the foundation with the message “Strength – Courage – Attitude.” The foundation visits with patients three times a year and delivers branded beanies, caps and T-shirts for patients unable to be at home with their families for Christmas due to illness and treatment protocol. –mh
Brewing up a celebration
L-R: AJ Heidelberg, Maryanne and Tom Guido
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ive days after Alamo Beer hosted its ribbon cutting at its Burnet Street location, Guido Construction, the general contractor for the new facility, hosted its holiday client appreciation party Dec. 10 at the brewery. –mh
On the right: L-R: Cosmo Guido and Gonzalo Mendez
The SMPS crew L-R: Eva Ramirez, Christina Taylor, Christy Rhone, Jennifer Soto, Erin Ramirez, Abigail Shaver, Crista Reed, Lauren Guido
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Raba’s reindeer games
Raba Kistner and Project Control hosted a joint Christmas party Dec. 12 at Hacienda Santa Maria with dinner and dancing. Santa Claus, A.K.A. Paul Lampe, executive vice president of Raba Kistner Consultants, led the group in an exercise to earn door prizes. –mh
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Very merry and Metropolitan
Holiday metal
Metropolitan Contracting Company hosted its holiday party Dec. 12. –mh
Monterrey Iron & Metal hosted its holiday celebration Dec. 11 at El Progresso on Guadalupe Street. –mh
L-R: Juan Olvera, Jennifer Lee, Lupe De La Rosa L-R: Joshua Fosmire, customer and public relations for Monterrey Iron & Metal, and Jack Vexler, CEO and third-generation owner. L-R: Frank Robinson, superintendent, received congratulations from Steve Schuetze, president, on his 15-year anniversary with Metropolitan Contracting.
L-R: Zulema, Maryann, Alan, Marylou
Ernest and Rita Campos
Art Ramos Jr. and family
Lorenzo and his wife
Worthy of framing
Annie and Tim Swan LuAnne and Steve Schuetze
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A blue Christmas
With holiday décor and dancing, Galaxy Builders hosted its annual party Dec. 5 at Canyon Springs Country Club. –mh Photos by Mary C. Haskin Photography
Jordon Brown, Quality Fence & Welding, and Jennifer Feeler, San Antonio Apartment Association, donated toys to the SAPD Blue Santa Toy Drive, which provides presents to the children of families identified as being in need. –mh
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Big river bash
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The San Antonio branch of Big Red Dog Engineering hosted its holiday party downtown with guests enjoying a boat ride along the San Antonio River and then dinner at Acenar. –mh
San Antonio Construction News â&#x20AC;˘ Jan 2015
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Holiday jingling and mingling
Where Bexar meets small
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he Associated General Contractors (AGC) San Antonio Chapter hosted its holiday open house Dec. 11 at its Gulfdale office. As is tradition, Ericatures was on hand to sketch caricatures for attendees as souvenirs. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;mh
L-R: Joerisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Melissa Salas, Ellen Ward and Nancy Pena show off their group caricature.
L-R: Rick Nanez, Bartlett Cocke, and Mike Sireno, Baker Triangle
he 14th annual Small, Minority, Women and Veteran Business Owners Contracting Conference welcomed an estimated 3,000 visitors on Dec. 10 at the Freeman Expo Hall. Every year, Bexar County hosts the daylong event, which includes a networking breakfast, and workshops and exhibits representing approximately 140 vendors, businesses and agencies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the things that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re really focusing on this year is the Veterans Business & Resource Center, because we find that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of opportunities for veterans to grow their business,â&#x20AC;? says Renee Watson, SMWBE/DBE program manager for Bexar County. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The second part of [our focus] is the technology, having the opportunity to have Fernando Hernandez come into this community [and conference. He] is director of supplier diversity for Microsoft.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C;mh
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L-R: Glen Young and Rick Glover, Zachry Construction Corporation; Charles Lugo and Doug McMurry, AGC
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Party in Little Italy
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he San Antonio Masonry Contractors Association (SAMCA) held its holiday celebration and banquet complete with casino games Dec. 4 at the Christopher Columbus Italian Society Hall in Piazza Italia downtown. –mh
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he Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors (PHCC) San Antonio Chapter hosted its Christmas on the Patio holiday party at Mexican Manhattan with tables overlooking the Riverwalk. After dinner, guests were treated to one-hour boat rides on the river, which was beautifully lit for the season. –mh
www.helotespits.com Moore Supply L-R: Caren and Billy Musick; Tara and Ken McKeown
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Carter Ramzel, Benchmark Plumbing, and his wife, Charlotte
Donna and Stephen Schneider, Albert Sterling & Associates
Allie Perez, Mr. Plumber/Mr. AC, and her husband, Charlie
Cindy and Perry Beyer, Beyer Boys
San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Page 23
Supply of holiday season spirit
Open for class
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he San Antonio branch of Associated Supply Company, also known as ASCO Equipment, hosted its holiday party Dec. 13 at the Rivercenter Marriott. Daryl Mackin, founder of A Soldier’s Child (ASC) Foundation, was on hand to receive the final check from ASCO’s companywide charitable efforts this year. The total was an amazing $262,708, which is the combined total of employee funds raised and the donations matched by the company. –mh L-R: Tammy, Amanda Vongpachan and Katelinn Harrison, Amarillo branch; Kim Wigley
s the year came to a close, MEMCO celebrated its newly renovated facility with a grand opening/open house Dec. 10 at its Hillpoint location. In addition to grabbing a bite from the Dirty Dawgs food truck, guests were able to tour the new classroom that can seat 30 to 40 people and a new applicant room that can fit eight people. Jon Marek, branch manager, notes that the event not only showcased the successful remodel, but was also a gesture of customer appreciation. –mh L-R: Jordon Brown, Quality Fence & Welding; Jon Marek and Mari Hernandez, MEMCO; Megan Gold, Marksmen General Contractors
L-R: Joe Garcia and Harvey Jones, The Trevino Group
L-R: Set Hernandez and George Villarreal
L-R: Larry Ybarra, Service Shade Shop; Lisa Mochel, eESI; Dave Sanchez, HCA
L-R: Penny Torres, Manor branch in the Austin area, and Kim Wigley On the left: Kim Wigley’s husband, Mike Wigley
Twice as nice
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he team at Baker Triangle puts on holiday celebrations so nice that they partied twice, once on Dec. 10 and once on Dec. 17. The first party featured awards given to fellow team members and presented by Baldo Guardiola and Michael Sireno, president of Baker Triangle San Antonio. –mh
L-R: Christina Vargas, MEMCO; Glenda Dupler, Marek Bros.; Jon Marek, MEMCO; Juliet Montes, Stephanie Canales and Martha Meyer, Marek
Risky Christmas business The San Antonio branch of IBTX Risk Services hosted its holiday party Dec. 19 at Paesanos on Loop 1604. –mh
Unsung Hero Award Mia Perez
Employee of the Year Argel Villarreal
L-R: Katie Hille, Paula Henson, Stephen Smith, Cindy Tangye, Marcia Lozano, Emily Contreras, Nicole Lozano
Foreman of the Year Ray Balandran
President’s Award Marco Ortiz
Guests got to join in some reindeer games – casino-style!
L-R: Marla Rhodes, Sergio Varela, Gary Wheatley, James McCoy, Leti Lively, Bryan Burrows, Joe Rust, Bryan Moore
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
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Cooking up something big
continued from Page 1 — A legacy in mosaic her parents still live, commuting an hour back and forth every day for work. Later, during summers and breaks from the school year, Albrecht spent her time flipping homes, doing it all herself. In April, at the company’s 30th anniversary, Albrecht decided to come onboard and help take over the business, allowing her father to start taking some time off. She emphasizes, however, that her dad is not leaving the business and will continue to be a part of the company. Before coming into J&R, Albrecht was in public education as a varsity basketball coach for eight years at Marshall High School. During the summers, she came in to help with the family business.
With a workload that is 99-percent commercial, that business includes projects such as the cattle barns behind the AT&T Center and the Seafire Grille renovation at SeaWorld. Outside of work, Albrecht is outdoorsy. She has a younger sister and older brother who are not involved in J&R. She loves to hunt, fish and help with the cattle and the family property in South Texas. With great-grandparents who came here from Poland, she and her mother both speak fluent Polish. She’s also involved in CrossFit, working out at 5am and heading into the shop right afterwards to get the guys started for the day. –mh
continued from Page 1 —Digging into destiny L-R: At Big State Electric’s holiday party Dec. 18, Forrest Wilson, John Miller and Vincent Real, president, seasoned and grilled 280 1.25-inch ribeye steaks with all the fixings. –mh
Before starting his own company, Rodgers worked as a superintendent for 17 years at his grandfather’s general contracting company, W.R. Griggs, but he wanted to pursue his own interests in doing site work, excavation, concrete and paving. His business got off the ground when he started working with Tom Turner Sr. doing several Tetco stores in San Antonio and Austin. “The best part of having my own business is I’ve been able to control my destiny,” he says. He appreciates that when they are caught up on work, they take time off, making their own hours, and when they have jobs to do, they work long hours and get them done. As a saltwater enthu-
siast, he adds that they spend a lot of time at their house in Port Aransas. One of the company’s most recent projects was the Questar Fueling Station, a compressed natural gas plant on East Houston for 18-wheelers converted from diesel. They also did the additions for Central Catholic High School’s new parking lot, a four-year project that wrapped in August. Estimating jobs with his dad, Randall enjoys the machinery and equipment they get to work with, as well as helping his dad so that he doesn’t have to do everything. He says that he’s been learning a lot and wants to help grow the company. –mh
continued from Page 1 — Headline space, and then the architectural elements give it that hip vibe for the younger generation of employees to keep them happy. They have beanbag rooms where they get to go and take breaks. Full shower systems, so after they’re done working out, if they want to work out during lunch or before or after work, they can do that. I think that’s pretty unique. There’s not a whole lot of companies in town that have that.” He observes that PEER 1 is a unique space in San Antonio, with an employeeoriented company culture that includes lounge rooms, weight room and workout facility. They have an arcade room with pinball machines and old PAC-MAN arcade games. The arcade is also decorated with arcade PAC-MAN carpet tile flooring in the pattern of the classic video game. There’s also a commercial kitchen with a small cafeteria built to emulate restaurants downtown near the river with traditional Fiesta colors and style. “The project was unique in the first place because the building is historic, and we had to do some exterior work,” he says. “We had to cut in some new windows. So, preserving the integrity and the historic feature of the building was the top priority for the City and for the Pearl.”
The project took four months to complete, and the timeline presented a bit of a challenge due to the amount of infrastructure involved with the data systems. While the tight schedule presented a challenge, the project was further complicated by multiple change orders. With eVOLVE in direct contact with the client, Cambridge was only in contact with the client’s consultant out of Houston, who came to the job site about once a week. Hastings points out that Cambridge adjusted to those changes on the fly and not only met the deadline, but finished two weeks ahead of schedule. Chris Mangus was project manager/ superintendent on the job. Subcontractors included Alterman, Satex Plumbing, J.E. Travis Millwork, J.E. Travis Painting, Corporate Floors and San Antonio Inside Story for the metal stud framing, drywall and ceilings. Rusty Hastings established Cambridge Contracting in 2011. The commercial general contractor does office, medical, hospitality and retail finish outs, as well as ground up construction. Cambridge has negotiated more than two dozen jobs at the Pearl, including high-end restaurants and retail. –mh
The PEER 1 Hosting sign stands in front of the data hosting company’s new office in the historic garage building at the Pearl.
San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Page 25
Construction Forecast What shape will the frame take? Neilesh Verma, President Galaxy Builders
sharp decline in oil prices will impact our industry. We are all connected one way or another, so the impact to us will surely be felt.
San Antonio, TX
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ith ongoing labor issues and economic factors up in the air, Neilesh Verma, president of Galaxy Builders, shared some thoughts on how the future might be framed as the industry builds up again, particularly regarding multifamily projects. What markets do you expect Galaxy Builders and the industry will see increase over the course of 2015? The multifamily industry will continue to remain strong in 2015. Individuals continue to be challenged with the process of getting approved for single-family home loans due to tightened credit requirements. People need to live somewhere and multi-family has become the biggest beneficiary of such. What do you foresee as the biggest challenges your company and others like it in the industry will face in 2015? And how does Galaxy plan to address or overcome this challenge? The availability of skilled labor continues to be the greatest challenge to our industry today. There is no short-term fix to this problem, as many in the labor
force left during the recession and have not returned. The solution is to make a dedicated effort to promote students in trade schools. Show them that they have a future in our industry, provided with opportunities through internships and scholarships. Another challenge is the continued rise in construction costs. At some point, these costs will no longer be feasible for the developments to make sense. When interest rates rise, and I suspect they will, we will truly be tested in how creative we can be to make the numbers work. Are there any potential wild cards, or variables, that you think might be a factor in the construction industry and economy in 2015? How could they affect the rebounding climate? It will be interesting to see how the
What do you think will be different for Galaxy and the industry in 2015 from 2014? That is what is exciting about this business. There is always something new to work through on the horizon. The Affordable Healthcare Act, Immigration Reform, pressures from the Fed to raise interest rates and the upcoming 2016 presidential election are some of the issues that we will have to watch closely as we position ourselves into 2015 and beyond. What are Galaxy’s plans for 2015? How does the outlook for 2015 seem as compared with 2014? The outlook for 2015 is bullish, with anticipated growth in revenues from 2014 to 2015. We have a pipeline of projects that are strong, supported with a backlog that is healthier than we have seen in the last few years. We have work statewide, all of which is in multifamily. How would you sum up the last five years for business at Galaxy, and what would you predict for the next five years? In the last five years, we have seen
how important it is to operate your business conservatively by thinking with your head and not your heart. We braced ourselves for impact when opportunities were not as readily available as they are today. I consider us one of the fortunate ones to stand the test of time. We are certainly on an upward trend; however, I believe you are always in the first year of a five-year plan. Only time will tell and market conditions will dictate how the next five years are. For now, we have to be willing not to bite off more than we can chew. What is the most important takeaway you’ve learned in this past year? Great question! This has arguably been the busiest year many of us have had to be a part of. With that, I will defer to answer this until the end of the year when I take appropriate time to reflect on what went right, what went wrong, and how we can be better in 2015. Established in San Antonio in 1991 by Arun Verma, Galaxy Builders specializes in multifamily, institutional and governmental projects. Arun’s son, Neilesh, started in the company in 2005 as director of business development and marketing and took on his current role as president in 2012. –mh
The Lone Star State is a leader in job creation, among other things Anirban Basu, Chief Economist Associated Builders and Contractors Washington, D.C.
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e are now in the sixth year of economic recovery and the U.S. economy finally looks like it is expanding with conviction. The winter of early-2014 was brutal, robbing the U.S. economy of the momentum it enjoyed during the final six months of 2013. But the nation’s economy rebounded nicely as the final snows melted, particularly in the form of expanding business investment. Construction projects that were delayed by the harsh winter are now underway, auto sales are surging, the nation supports 2.734 million more jobs than it did a year ago, and for the first time in six years, unemployment has fallen below 6 percent. The quality of jobs being added has improved of late as well, with more middle-income jobs being produced in construction, manufacturing, energy, professional services and IT. After shrinking during the first quarter, the U.S. economy bounced back with a robust 4.6 percent annualized performance during the second. Third quarter growth stood at 3.9 percent on an annualized basis and the year’s final quarter should be decent. The most recent International Monetary Fund upgraded its growth projection for the U.S. from 1.7 to 2.2 percent for 2014, particularly impressive given the fact the economy spent the first three months of the year shrinking. What does all of this mean? Associated Builders and Contractors believes that the U.S. economy is approaching the peak of its business cycle. We are now in a period in which the economy is gaining momentum while the Federal Reserve acts as if that’s not occurring, and therefore is expected to maintain low shortterm interest rates well into 2015. Keep in mind that many companies have managed to grow profits in recent years through aggressive cost-cutting measures. Even in the presence of a more active mergers and acquisitions market, that can only continue for so long. To
grow earnings, businesses will increasingly have to bulk up top-line revenues, which implies faster capital spending and inventory accumulation. For residents of the Lone Star State, however, the economic numbers were headed in the right direction long before the remainder of the country. Already a job creator while the rest of the U.S. was struggling to stop the economic bleeding, Texas was the economic outlier that quickly shrugged off the lingering effects of the 2008 financial crisis. Looking ahead – 2015 will be good for Texas So as the rest of the country finally gets back onto its economic feet, what’s in store for Texas? There are reasons to believe that the Lone Star State’s economy will face some new headwinds even as the U.S. economy settles into a period of relative progress. Consumers, who represent 70 percent of the nation’s economy, have become far more confident of late, in part because of falling oil and gas prices. Most of America benefits from cheaper fuel, but Texas is easily the nation’s largest oil producer, and the impact of falling oil and gas prices on the Texas economy remains unknown.
Presuming that oil production at least holds its own, Texas’ economy should be in for a terrific year in 2015. By October 2014, the state’s unemployment rate had declined to 5.1 percent, a 1.1 percent decline from the same period one year prior and 0.7 percent below the national average. Among the state’s 25 statistical areas, nine recorded unemployment rates of 4 percent or lower recently, with unemployment rates of 2.5 percent and 3 percent in Midland and Odessa, respectively. The state’s major metropolitan areas all posted unemployment rates below 5 percent as well (Houston, 4.7 percent; Dallas, 4.8 percent; Austin, 4 percent; and San Antonio, 4.5 percent). Over the past 12 months for which data are available, Houston has created 120,000 jobs (an increase of 4.3 percent), Dallas roughly 112,000 (3.6 percent), and Austin has added more than 29,000 (3.4 percent). Overall, the state added 436,700 jobs over a recent twelve-month period, a 3.9 percent increase from the year before and roughly double the national rate. Demand for industrial construction in Houston is surging as well. Total net absorption of industrial space totaled more than 2.6 million square feet during the third quarter of 2014 alone, with the industrial vacancy rate sliding to 5.4 percent. Over the first three quarters of 2014, net absorption exceeded 5.8 million square feet. The region presently has more than 6 million square feet of industrial space under construction. While energy production still drives a significant portion of Houston’s economic expansion, the city also acts as a transportation hub for its region, with more steel being shipped through the Port of Houston Authority in July 2014 than in any other month since 2008. With oil prices falling recently, it is conceivable that some of the edge will
be taken off the Texas economy over the near-term. A few months ago, several government and private reports indicated that it would take a further drop of $10 or $20 a barrel, to as low as $60 a barrel, to slow energy production even modestly. Oil presently sits below $60 per barrel, though that price could rise next year due to the onset of the driving season or other factors. While lower prices mean that taxes and royalties on oil production will decline, potentially impacting the finances of oil producing states like Texas, Alaska, Oklahoma and North Dakota, current levels of output are likely to be sustained in the shale fields of America in 2015. The U.S. Energy Department recently reported that only 4 percent of shale-derived oil production in North Dakota, Texas and other states required an oil price above $80 dollars a barrel for producers to break even on their investments. Therefore, the dip in oil prices should not affect the majority of production across the U.S., and in particular, Texas. Moreover, while low oil prices negatively impact some, they represent a boon for the majority. Texas’ drivers, whether commuters or truckers, stand to benefit next year as do consumers. Manufacturers are also a beneficiary of cheaper energy, which is important because Texas is home to the second largest number of manufacturing positions in America. Correspondingly, even if oil production slows more in Texas than is expected, there are other segments that are positioned to more than compensate for the associated loss in construction volume, including both manufacturing and commercial segments. Leading indicators also indicate that all of the state’s major metropolitan areas, including Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio appear positioned for meaningful growth in nonresidential construction spending next year.
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Construction Forecast 2015 big year in Houston Brad Flack, President Storm-Tex Services Spring, TX
W
hat is your opinion about the current state of the Houston construction industry? I think that the current schedule of construction activity in Houston is growing at what appears to be a more sustainable rate than in 2006-2008.
I also think that there are more green infrastructure and low impact developments, which are better for long-term water usage, as well. We have grown by over 25 percent this year in new clients. We have been successful in getting people the help they needed in their construction, post-construction and industrial storm water permit needs. We recently opened an office in Central Texas to help clients out there keep up with the changing regulations.
What do you think is on the horizon for the Houston construction industry in 2015? I think 2015 is already shaping up to be a big year for construction in Houston. Why do you think so? I have had some GC’s telling me they were booked up through the end of the year already and having to turn away work or face expanding their current operations.
“A great year” ahead Kevin Butler, President Merrick Butler, Vice President Butler & Butler Construction Lancaster, TX
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hat markets do you expect your company and industry to see an increase in over the course of 2015? Kevin: As far as the forecast from the bids coming out, I see a lot of educational, retail – there’s a little bit of everything going on right now. 2015 looks to be a great year. Merrick: I would say schools, federal jobs and airports. We cover a mixture of them all; we’re diverse. I think there is going to be a considerable increase over what we were doing in revenue for the past few years. This will be our greatest year. What do you foresee as the biggest challenge your company and others like it in the industry will face in 2015? Kevin: One, a labor shortage, and two, getting materials on time; with so many projects going on, the lead times on materials are exceeding job schedules, they’re getting pushed back further and further, especially specialty items. Merrick: It will be personnel, finding qualified people as the industry has bounced back so rapidly. People who filled those positions before in the downturn have gone to other places. Now we’re flooded with projects, and there are more projects than there are people. Finding people – qualified people – is the challenge, as well maintaining job
schedules due to the increase in work that has been presented. What do you think will be different for your company and the industry in 2015 compare to the previous year? Kevin: 2014 was a great year for us and a great year for the economy, so I hope not too much will change. I hope that there’s an increase in opportunities there, and I think there will be. Merrick: I would say the increased revenue and the potential revenue that we stand to capitalize on based on an increase in workflow is going to be great for our company. It will give us the capital we need to reorganize the structure and to stand on more firm ground.
That tells me that the near future is bright for construction in Houston! How do you stay up-to-date in your industry? I attend several conferences around the nation to stay up-to-date on my industry. I pick up a lot of information at these conferences. The other way I stay up-to-date is I read several industry publications and I read emails from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of Texas on new changes. I have a great relationship with the city inspectors and city engineers. They keep me abreast of things coming down the pipeline. Why do you enjoy what you do today? My favorite part about my job is helping and interacting with the people. Since this type of work is a legal requirement with the county or state, folks are required to do this. I want to help them along the way. It
Is there anything that might present a challenge unique to the new year? Kevin: Laws; there’s an election coming up. Immigration is probably one of the biggest issues that could affect our industry. Merrick: As new laws are passed, whatever those laws encompass could affect us. There are a lot of things going on with immigration, so that could be a factor. What are your company’s plans for 2015? Kevin: We’re actually trying to grow our office; we need to add a couple of more project managers and estimators because we want to make sure we cover everything we need to cover. We also will be showing the value of our company to potential clients – [general contractors] and owners – to grow our company in that capacity. Merrick: We want to be one of the elite masonry companies out there. For us to do that, we’ll be doing some inhouse strategizing. With the increased workflow and profitability, we’ll be able to do that. We’ll be able to train more personnel and be able to retain the same core people for longer periods of time. The problem until this time has been the high turnover rate, so we want to minimize that.
is very rewarding. What advice would you give a young person who wants to work in the construction industry in 2015? If a young person wants to work in the construction industry in 2015, I’d say jump right in and start doing it. Get good job training and learn as you go! Brad Flack has been nominated for a 2015 TCEQ Texas Environmental Excellence Award and awarded the 2015 International Erosion Control Association (IECA) Young Professional of the Year Award. He is now Region 6 chapter president for EnviroCert International and president of the South Central chapter of the IECA, Co-Chair of the Stormwater Management Track for Region 1 IECA Education Committee, TCEQ Enviromentor, TCEQ Small Business and Government Assistance Committee for Houston Region, Certified Erosion, Sediment and Storm Water Inspector (CESSWI) Instructor and Certified Professional in Erosion & Sediment Control CPESC Instructor-In-Training. –ab
What is the most important take-away or lesson you’ve learned in the past year? Kevin: In the past year, I’d say the most important take-away would be to manage what you have going on. Don’t overstep your bounds, just stay in your lane and be in a comfortable position. There are a lot of opportunities out there, but make sure you can handle those opportunities as you take them on. Also, just take care of your people; your people are on your front line. They make the engine work, so make sure you have qualified people and take care of them as your company grows in the direction you want it to grow in. Merrick: Be patient. When you have a lot of opportunities coming in, you can inundate yourself. You have to know where your balance point is. You don’t want to exceed that with employees, payrolls, job schedules and all the factors that play into trying to perform a project. When we perform a project, we want it to have our signature on it, to put the quality into it. We do that by maintaining our balance point. Brothers Kevin & Merrick Butler reincorporated Butler & Butler Construction, a family business for more than 30 years, in 2006. The company, registered as a general contractor in cities throughout the Metroplex specializes in commercial masonry with a focus on brick, block and stone. –mjm
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Page 27
Charity is a nonperishable material
Luck and potluck
T
he Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) San Antonio Chapter hosted its sixth annual Member Appreciation Casino Night and holiday party at its Bandera Road office. The evening featured homemade food, refreshments, games and raffle prizes. –mh
L-R: Lynne Grix, CPA; Julie Howard, IEC executive director; Katherine Vasquez
L-R: Alfred Flores, Five Point Electric; Katherine Vasquez and her father, Raul Vasquez, IEC training director
Players were cold at the ninth annual Martin Marietta Charity Golf Tournament, but their hearts were warm. L-R: Bart Chevreaux, Martin Marietta district production manager; Johnathon Sustaita, Buckley Powder; Jim Densberger, Beckman Plant manager; Jason Mims Buckley Powder
On the right: L-R: Michelle Hernandez and Briana Mendez, IEC assistant training director
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L-R: Ruby Rafferty; Pam Patten, IES Commercial; Paul Himes, VA Electric and IEC instructor, with Caren and Sarah Himes
Subbing out Santa’s work
T
he American Subcontractors Association (ASA) San Antonio Chapter hosted its board and volunteer appreciation holiday party Dec. 11 at Paloma Blanco complete with the traditional white elephant gift exchange. –mh
L-R: Patti Martin, Wortham Insurance, and Britta Ramirez, ASA San Antonio, show off the most popular white elephant gift of the evening.
L-R: Greg Kanning, Dumas Hardware; Tom and Kresta Wright, Padgett Stratemann Lisa and Robert Stewart, Hill Country Materials
L-R: Steve and Patti Martin, Wortham Insurance; Tony and Karen Ridout, Ridout Barrett
hile Martin Marietta Materials supplies aggregates and heavy building materials to the construction industry, the company also supplies food to the hungry in the local community through its annual charity golf tournament. In its ninth year, the event raised $31,200 for the San Antonio Food Bank. These funds will help the food bank provide 218,400 meals this holiday season. In addition to helping provide meals to the hungry at a time of the year when food is bountiful for many, Martin Marietta donated $1,000 each to the Epilepsy Foundation, Family Life Center, and Battered Women’s Shelter. The company also donated $1,928 to SAMMinistries, which helps the homeless in the San Antonio area.
“In the spirit of the holiday season, we are proud to be able to donate to such wonderful charities,” stated Chance Allen, regional vice president of Martin Marietta - Central Texas Aggregates. “Our annual charity golf tournament is a great way for us to give back to our community and make a difference. We’re also extremely thankful to our customers and partners for their continued support in making this event a success year after year.” –mh Winners 1st: CEC Crushers of Texas 2nd: Anthony Machines Longest Drive: Jason Jones Closest to the Pin: Randy Payne
Page 28
San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Association Calendar
Round-Up
Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC Associated Builders & Contractors
All events are held at the ABC office unless otherwise stated. Jan. 1: New Year’s Day, Office closed Jan. 5: Future Leaders Task Force meeting, 4pm Jan. 14: Safety Committee meeting, noon Jan. 21: Apprenticeship Committee meeting, noon Jan. 28: BIM Luncheon Seminar; Joeris General Contractors Conference Room; $20 per person Jan. 31: ICRA Class; Parkland Hospital, Dallas; $957 per person
AGC Associated General Contractors
All events are held at the AGC office unless otherwise stated. Jan. 12: General Membership and Installation of Directors Luncheon; San Antonio Airport Hilton; noon-1:30pm; speaker is Chuck Greco, Linbeck Group, the incoming President of AGC of America; for more information or to make a reservation, call 210-349-4921 Jan. 15: Safety and Health Committee meeting, 11:30am; Chapter Leadership meeting, noon-3pm Jan. 21-23: Safety Management Training Course, 8am-5pm Jan. 27: CLF Steering Council meeting, noon Jan. 28: OSHA 300 Recordkeeping Class, 11:30am-1pm
AIA American Institute of Architects
Jan. 26: Monthly Chapter meeting; noon-1pm; The Fiesta Room of Luby’s, 911 N. Main Ave.; no RSVP necessary; cost is $25 Jan. 27: Emerging Professionals and Construction Leadership Forum Tour of the Children’s Museum; for more information, visit www.aiasa.org
ASA American Subcontractors Association
Jan. 28: Texas Construction Association Walk on the Capitol ASA Advocacy Day (Date TBD) For more information, call 210-349-2105
CFMA Construction Financial Managm’t Assn.
Jan. 27: Chapter Luncheon; Petroleum Club, 8620 N. New Braunfels; 11:30am1pm; to RSVP, contact Stephanie at 210828-6281, ext. 1575, or stephanie.harms@ padgett-cpa.com
HCA de San Antonio Hispanic Contractors Association
Jan. 21: Monthly meeting/Mixer/ Installation of HCA 2015 Board of Directors; Paesano’s Restaurant, 555 E. Basse Rd.; 6pm; for more information, visit www.
hcadesa.org; to register or RSVP, contact Patty at 210-444-1100 or admin@hcadesa.org
IEC Independent Electrical Contractors
All events are held at the IEC office unless otherwise stated. Jan. 5: Office reopens, 8am; School reopens, 5:30pm Jan. 12: Continuing Education Class, 5-9pm; Accelerated class begins, 5:309:30pm Jan. 13: A&T Committee meeting, 11am Jan. 17: Electrical Maintenance Technician Class, 8am-5pm Jan. 21: Board of Directors meeting, TBD, 11am Jan. 29-30: IEC of Texas meeting, Austin Feb. 9-12: IEC National Business Summit, New Orleans For more information on these events, call 210-431-9861 or visit www.iecsanantonio.com
MCA–SMACNA Mechanical Contractors Association Sheet Metal & A/C Nat’l Assn.
Jan. 7: Regular & Associates meeting; Oak Hills Country Club; 11:30am; speaker is Cherie Foerster, Builders Exchange Education Foundation Jan. 21: Joint Industry Fund meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30am
NAWIC Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction
Jan. 7: General meeting; Petroleum Club; 5:30pm; CEU hosted by Tim Heide, Workplace Resource Jan. 15: Board of Directors meeting, Urban Concrete, 6pm Jan. 24: Holiday “After Party”; Gustology, 1856 Nacogdoches Rd.; 6:30pm
PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors
Jan. 8: Membership meeting; Barn Door Restaurant, 11am-1pm Jan. 10, 17: Plumbers Continue Ed Jan. 21-25: OSHA 10 for Plumbers, 8-Hr Res Code, 18 Com Code Jan. 28: Walk on Capitol/Bus Tri Jan. 29: PHCC-National Contractor Greet & Meet For more information on these events, visit www.phcc-sanantonio.org
SAMCA San Antonio Masonry Contractors Assn.
Jan. 28: Membership meeting; Pappadeaux Restaurant, 76 NE Loop 410; noon; $30 per person; for more information, contact Debbie at 830-606-5556
SDA Society for Design Administration
Jan. 22: Monthly Chapter meeting; noon-1pm; The Barn Door, 8400 N. New Braunfels; for more information, email cdelgado@lehmanneng.com
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Chamberlin Roofing and Waterproofing announced the following: Bill Lawson has been promoted to vice president of roofing operations for all Chamberlin markets. Having joined the company 17 years ago as a roofing mechanic, he has natural leadership skills and extensive knowledge of commercial roofing installations. T.R. Mayfield has been promoted to vice president of roof estimating services for all Chamberlin markets. With the company for 14 years now, he was previously a roofing estimating manager and has roofing system expertise and commitment to providing clear and detailed cost estimates. Baker Triangle San Antonio announced the following: Mario Ortiz has been promoted to project manager. His previous position was project foreman, and he has been with the company since 2009. Jon Randolph has been promoted to vice president. He has been with the company for nine years, and he has been in the industry for 32 years. Tania Tressler has joined the company as a project manager. Her previous position was with Denver Drywall, and she has more than 17 years of experience in the drywall industry. Rozmin Yazdani has joined the company as a junior estimator. She recently graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio’s construction program. Leti Lively has joined IBTX Risk Services as an account manager. She will be involved with the firm’s Select Client Group, which is focusing on retaining existing commercial accounts. With more than 25 years of experience in account management, underwriting and as an account executive, she is a past president of Insurance Women of San Antonio (IWSA) and is working toward her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation and her bachelor’s degree in business management.
Submissions Email with “Round-Up” in the subject line (w/digital photo, if available) by the 15th of any month, for the next month’s issue to: SAeditor@constructionnews.net
Raba Kistner announced the following: Rick Klar, PG, has been promoted to vice president of Raba Kistner Environmental. With the firm since 1996, he currently serves as manager of operations and corporate discipline leader for geosciences services. He is a member of the Alamo Air and Waste Management Association in addition to the National Ground Water Association. He earned his bachelor’s degree in earth sciences from St. Mary’s University and his master’s in applied geology (hydrogeology) from UTSA Mark Luzmoor, MA, joins Raba Kistner Environmental as an archaeologist. Now with more than five years of experience in archaeology, he was at the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) for two years before coming to the firm as a graduate student. He worked on the San Pedro Creek and HEB Arsenal projects. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Wyoming and his master’s in anthropology from UTSA. Kristi Nichols, MA, has joined Raba Kistner Environmental as an archaeologist. With more than 16 years of experience in Texas archaeology and a particular expertise in the Spanish Colonial era, she worked for the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) prior to joining the firm. She earned her bachelor’s in anthropology from the University of San Diego and her master’s from UTSA. She is also an active member of the Council of Texas Archaeologists. Fitzgeraldo Sanchez, PE, has joined Raba Kistner Infrastructure as a project manager II. With experience working in three TxDOT districts, he will be responsible for managing the owner verification services on up to half of the TxDOT Energy Sector Road Repair Project. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&I University – Kingsville and a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in Monterrey, Nuevo León. Richard E. Evers has joined Raba Kistner Consultants Inc. (RKCI) as director of business development. Previously, he was vice president of business development and marketing for Koontz McCombs Construction and Browning Construction. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University. Dale B. Martin, PE, joins Raba Kistner Infrastructure as Materials Engineer III for the Energy Sector Roadway Repair project, including roadways in Corpus Christi, Yoakum, Laredo and San Antonio districts. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University and is a registered professional engineer in Texas.
San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Page 29
Ready for the New Year
M
ore than 150 regular and associate members of the Mechanical and Sheet Metal Contractors (MCA-SMACNA) of San Antonio gathered Dec. 17 at Oak Hills Country Club for the annual Christmas party and installation of 2015 officers and board of directors. At the event, Service Mechanical
Group received the Regular Member 2014 Perfect Attendance Award. Associate Member 2014 Perfect Attendance Awards went to Holland Equipment, Mechanical Reps, Performance Contracting Inc. (PCI)/Trident, PMI Sales and Marketing and Steve Mechler & Associates. –mh
Eat, dance and be merry
A
lamo Crane Service hosted its holiday party Dec. 13 with a chef on hand for dinner and a live band for dancing. –mh Photos by Mary C. Haskin Photography
L-R: John Gargotta presents an award to Alison Gragg, PCI Trident
L-R: John Gargotta receives the gavel from Ron Wilson, Mueller & Wilson
The new officers and board members L-R: John Gargotta, Service Mechanical Group, president; Roger Ford, Dynamic Systems, vice president; Ron Wilson, Mueller & Wilson, immediate past president; Andy Rodriguez, Mechanical Reps, director; Kyle Pennington, AJ Monier, secretary/treasurer
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Feats of engineering
Cleary Zimmermann Engineers held its office Christmas party Dec. 19, and each year, they play a lot of “minute-towin-it” games. L-R: Licensed PEs John Teeter, Brian Perlberg and Thomas Watson try their hands at engineering a red solo cup pyramid. –mh
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Having a Christmas ball
Building kids up
V
ision Construction held its annual Christmas celebration Dec. 12 at the Granada Ballroom downtown.
–mh
L-R: Giselle; John; Isaac; Rachel King, NAWIC and ESC Consultants; Elijah; Emily; Genesis
Photos by Mary C. Haskin Photography
L
ots of children have seen “The LEGO Movie” and thanks to the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) San Antonio Chapter, 24 children from Madison Elementary School got to construct projects with Legos Nov. 21 in their annual Block Kids competition. This year was the first time the school included gifted and talented third grade students in their selection process, which also includes perfect attendance, the expressed interests and motivational benefits to each child. Guest speakers from Skanska, Teresa King, Matt McCaffrey and Teresa English, spoke to the kids about the different types of jobs in the construction industry, including architecture and engineering, and jobsite, as well as everyday, safety. In addition to connecting them to the real world and future career possibilities, principal of Madison, Barbara Black notes, “What I really liked is the way we included not just our gifted and talented kids, but some of our special ed kids were
L-R: Third Place: Federico Lopez, fourth grade, made a wrecking ball; Second Place: Ford Leal, fifth grade, made a swimming pool; Myrtie Austin, Satellite Shelters and first-time chairman of NAWIC’s Block Kids committee; First Place, Deborah Johnson, fifth grade, made a drive-in movie theater
participating. Some of the kids who don’t normally get to do some of these kinds of things were here, and they did a great job. It’s really important that we allow as many different kinds of kids to participate, because you never know what’s going to spark an interest in them.” –mh
Submitted to Construction News
‘Bin’ to a toy drive
Bianca Garza, executive assistant, Neenah Marie, owner, and Ruben Aguirre, Bin There Dump That, which rents trash bins to commercial and residential construction, as well as remodel and rehab projects, dropped off a bin the company donated for the Salvation Army Toy Drive at the San Antonio Event Center. –mh
Construction News JOB SIGHT
Poolside
Marco Vasquez, Freddy Martinez, Cesar Martinez and Ramon Martinez, Varsity Pools, a subcontractor of SRO Associates, worked on the pool at the Do Seum, for general contractor Guido Construction. The pool will have a fountain and a stream only a few inches deep in which children will be able to walk and play. Tom Sanchez is the senior superintendent on the job, Casey Pearson is the assistant superintendent, and Cosmo Guido is the project manager. –mh
San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
Page 31
Deck the dance hall
Craft and gingerbread
L-R: Randy Pawelek, chairman and CEO, with past Bartlett Cocke leadership, Earl Noble, former superintendent; Arlon Bruemmer; former senior vice president; Nelson Jonas, former vice president; and Duane Pozza, former chairman.
K
icking off the holiday countdown Texas-style, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors hosted its annual party Dec. 4 at Gruene Hall. –mh
L-R: James Anderson, regional manager – Central Texas, and Randy Pawelek
Attendees brought their dancing shoes and kicked up their heels.
A
lamo Architects hosted its holiday party Dec. 19 at GS1221 on Broadway. The festivities included a contest where the principals of the firm tried to make famous buildings out of “gingerbread,” A.K.A. graham crackers and candy, in four minutes. –mh
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San Antonio Construction News • Jan 2015
continued from Page 3 — This gala’s got wings
Submitted to Construction News
Kids get a lift with a tree
H&E Equipment and Klecka Electric Company donated lifts, manpower and material for the East Side Boys and Girls Clubs Christmas tree. –mh
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