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CONSTRUCTION
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The Industry’s Newspaper www.constructionnews.net
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Volume 15
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Number 4
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APRIL 2015
Taking care of business
Building momentum
L-R: Will Martinez and Donnie Hice
The Southern Demolition staff at the South 1st St. location
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wner Donnie Hice works with his son-in-law Will Martinez on a daily basis at Hice Welding. Hice has made a living as a welder off and on for 48 years. He remembers building stock trailers and metal buildings for his father in Haskell. “By the time I was 10-years-old, my dad had a cut torch in my hand,” he said. “He taught me all I know about welding and building. I was raised when you go at it, you go for it full force. If you show up, you have to work.” When Hice established his company in 1999 it was just him and his daughter. At the time, his daughter worked her way through high school in Georgetown. She eventually went on to become a school
teacher in Jarrell. “Today, my son-in-law Will does the welding and prefabrication,” Hice said. “This past six months have been very busy for us. This is the first time in 10 years we have had work January and February. We usually start getting work after tax season.” Hice and Martinze rebuilt handrails for a walkway at an office building in Georgetown in March. They also travel outside of Georgetown to work on jobs in Bastrop, Lampasas, Abilene, Haskell and Fort Worth. If a young person wants to make a living in the welding business, Hice’s advice is to start with a good company, stay continued on Page 17
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outhern Demolition has changed its management team with a recent consolidation. Wurzel Builders, previously 50 percent owner, now owns 100 percent of the company. Southern Demolition will operate at the Wurzel Builders office on South 1st Street. Barry Wurzel is owner, Royce Haines is operational manger and Trish Broz is accounting manager. Wurzel’s wife Robin will help out with the marketing side of the business and is currently in the process of interviewing people. “We are ready to pick up the ball and play on a new playing field,” Wurzel said. Southern Demolition employees re-
cently trained with Hilti, a manufacturer of construction and demolition equipment. They learned how to utilize the Hilti PS 1000 X-Scan. “We went out to one of the Wurzel Builders projects in downtown Austin,” Wurzel said. “The Hilti PS 1000 X-Scan performs GPR scans for detailed data analysis and evaluation.” Outside of work, the Wurzel’s enjoy spending time with their children, going boating, jet skiing, tailgating, watching Texas A & M University and Louisiana State University football games, camping and riding motorcycles.
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Constant coordination
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n the heart of downtown Austin, you will find Travis County Executive Office Building. It is a 12-story building built in 1974 that recently got a facelift. Kiewit Building Group Inc. renovated 108,000sf of office space and a parking garage structure. Travis County Purchasing Office is the owner. Superintendent Chase Koory, Kiewit Building Group, says the renovation was completed in three phases while the building was occupied. The major scope of the project was upgrading the HVAC system. The new HVAC system provides improved indoor air quality, occupant comfort and improved energy efficiency. The primary construction materials used during the renovation project include sheet metal, cast iron pipe, ceramic tile and gypsum. According to Koory, the first phase included the renovation of levels 7-11,
while levels 4-6 remained operational. The second phase included the renovation of levels 4-6 after completion of the first phase, allowing the client to occupy levels 7-11. The third phase included the complete renovation of the building’s entrance lobby. “Kiewit’s phasing plan allowed the mechanical systems to remain operational during construction to ensure climate control in the occupied building,” he said. “Constant communication with the client provided reliable information to use when temporarily relocating occupants to accomplish the work.” The ultimate accomplishment of coordination occurred when the entire mechanical system within the top floor mechanical penthouse was removed and replaced. “Two 85-ton air handling units were replaced with brand new AHUs and associated condensing units,” Koory said. Travis County Executive Office Building exterior
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