San Antonio Construction News July 2015 by Construction News

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Volume 17

Number 7

JULY 2015

His daughter’s hero

Steel relevant

L-R: Hilda Ochoa, with her daughter, Iza, and her father, Juan Ochoa, are a positively charged team at 8A Electric.

Duffy Shea has been president of Alamo Iron Works since the company was purchased in 2010. He continues to lead the company under new ownership as of November.

hen Juan Ochoa considered retiring, his daughter, Hilda Ochoa, believed in his skills and the work he had done in the electrical industry for more than 30 years too much to let him walk away from it. Together, the father-daughter team started 8A Electric in May 2012. “I believed in my father 110 percent,” says Hilda. “He’s amazing at what he does.” Juan was working as chief estimator and project manager for an electrical contractor in San Antonio, and when the company closed, he was going to retire, but Hilda knew how much he loves his job. She encouraged him to start his own company, and he agreed only if she

would join him in the venture. At the time, Hilda was preparing to apply to medical school, but as she was getting ready for the MCAT, she found out she was pregnant. She wanted to make being a mother her priority. As she offered her father a way to keep working, he reciprocated with the promise of a family business where she could bring her child to work and be a mother while having her own business. “For me, getting the business off the ground has been one of my greatest accomplishments,” she says, adding that her daughter, Iza, now 4 years old, is growing up in a positive environment. “I know in my heart that the decisions that continued on Page 24

riginally established on the spot where the Alamodome stands today, Alamo Iron Works (AIW) is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year. Founder George Holmgreen, a blacksmith who moved into foundry steel and industrial supplies, started the company only 10 years after the end of the Civil War. For 115 years, AIW was headquartered on Durango until 1990 when the company moved to make way for the Alamodome’s construction. In almost a century-and-a-half, the company has only had a few owners. The Holmgreen family held the company for five generations, and then Tony Koch became the owner. In June 2010, the company was

acquired, and Duffy Shea became its president. Now, as of November of last year, AIW has a new owner, Sonepar USA. “What we have seen over the last five years, regardless of who owns us, is Alamo has become probably more energy focused and a leaner, more aggressive, quicker-to-respond company,” says Shea, noting that AIW refocused a lot of sales, inventory and support to the oil and energy markets. He believes this shift has helped to transform the company in the last four years. The company has also joined other distribution companies to form an energy division to cross-sell and create synergies with customers. continued on Page 24

A Page out of the book on teamwork

hen an owner is a member of the construction community, the general contractor and owner can become a team and the project can become a team effort. That’s what happened when R.C. Page Construction took on the job of building the new San Antonio headquarters for Big State Electric. Clay Page, president of R.C. Page, and Vincent Real, president of Big State, have a long-standing work relationship. So, when Big State outgrew its former location on St. Mary’s Street, the electrical contractor enlisted Page’s company to create a complete facility for Big State’s new home. “It’s a testimony to us that our subcontractors trust us to help them, and that makes me feel good,” says Page. “The interesting thing was Big State and R.C. Page basically teamed up together to build the building together.”

The new Big State Electric office was a team effort between general contractor R.C. Page Construction and its client. Photo by Bibb Gault Photography

R.C. Page built the office and did the site work. Even though R.C. Page’s projects are typically much larger in scale, such as the 106,000-sf office building they are currently working on, Page took on the project to oversee the building of Big State’s 7,000-sf office. “We teamed up with Vince from the very beginning,” Page recalls. “Vince was onsite practically every day – as were we – and that’s unusual for an owner to be as involved as Vince was. It’s also unusual that the owner is actually a subcontractor.” Real bought a property on Aero Street with an existing 38,000-sf building that became warehouse and prefab space. He also purchased a metal-frame building as an owner. And the Big State team handled all of its own electrical work, including comm and fiber. They chose to do 100 percent LED lighting throughout the property to make it as green as possible. continued on Page 24

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San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Signed and stamped

Sister and brother team Eloina Benavides and James Kee formed Arts and Advertising, taking three businesses under their new umbrella.

15 to 500 Ton Capacities Available for your Toughest Projects Changing motor at a local power plant. Keeping the lights on.

hen Eloina Benavides and James Kee bought J. Kindall Enterprises, they dissolved the company and established their own corporation, Arts and Advertising, which now includes the dbas One Day Signs, Alamo Stamp and Engraving and Creative Ideas. The corporation name pays homage to the company their grandfather, Paul Kee Sr., started in 1963, A&A Signs. When her father, Paul Kee Jr. and uncle, David Kee, took over A&A, Eloina and her brother James grew up working for the family business. In 2004, Jackie Kindall bought One Day Signs and brought the sister and brother team into the business with her. When Jackie and her husband, Jim, were ready to retire, Eloina and James bought the business and its three dbas. One Day Signs does a lot of work for construction, particularly site signs, and other signs for construction companies with large format printers, such as fleet

graphics and vehicle wraps. They can print labels for products that need to comply with the new OSHA standards. They also do ADA signage, which leads into their other main business. Alamo Stamp and Engraving focuses on awards and personalization, but the engraving goes hand-in-hand with the work One Day Signs gets for ADA signs, which have to be done with an engraver because they require Braille. ADA signage accounts for about 45 percent of Alamo Stamp’s business. Between those two companies covering a range of products and combination services, Eloina estimates that about 90 percent of what they sell is produced in house. The third dba is Creative Ideas, which specializes in promotional products such as pens and koozies. Eloina observes that the business has started doing better since Arts and Advertising took the reigns, and they’re showing more of a profit. –mh

Equipped to take on the heat

The M. Jacks Fire & Safety team and owners L-R: (front) Ray Garza, Jim Shelton and Larry Angle

from El Paso to Beaumont Amarillo to Brownsville

www.alamocrane.com 36 Years of Service to Texas San Antonio (210) 344-7370 Austin (512) 282-6866 Toll Free (800) 880-0134

ith M. Jacks Fire & Safety Equipment Co. since June 1974, Larry Angle believes longevity and credibility have been keys to the company’s endurance through a little over 65 years of industry involvement and changes in leadership. Today, each of M. Jacks’ three owners started with the company more than 40 years ago, and today, Angle is president, Jim Shelton is CEO and majority owner, and Ray Garza is vice president. Founder Morris Jacks hired all three men, and they bought into the company in 1980. Established in San Antonio in 1949, M. Jacks started out in the fire equipment business as Kidde Sales & Service, most likely named after the supplier. In the mid-1960s, the company incorporated, and soon after, the men who would eventually take the helm came on board, starting with Shelton in 1968. M. Jacks Fire & Safety was a charter

member of the National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors (NAFED), which has been in operation for more than 50 years, and the Fire Equipment Distributors of Texas (FEDOT), which has been in operation for more than 20 years. “Jim and myself both have been presidents of our state association, FEDOT,” says Angle. “I’ve been president of NAFED, serving from 2006 to 2008. And George Seymour, the one that we hired to put us into the sprinkler business – he’ll be NAFED’s next president.” Angle adds that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) sets the standards for installation of these types of systems, and he sits on the Technical Committee of NFPA 17 and NFPA 17A. M. Jacks Fire & Safety Equipment Co. specializes in design, sales, installation and service of fire protection systems including portable fire extinguishers, kitchen fire suppression systems, fire alarm systems and fire sprinkler systems. –mh

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Page 3

Rigged to be Mo-bile

Construction News ON LOCATION

Focusing like a laser

The staff of Easy Drive gathered at the company’s Nakoma office for training on construction lasers with Al Hermann, Leica Geosystems (third from right). –mh

Breaking the ‘Glass (record)

L-R: Michael Rumbaugh and Morris “Mo” Rice, founder of Rice Welding Service, with portable welding rigs

f there were emergency medical service for heavy construction equipment, the vehicles might look like the mobile welding rigs that Morris “Mo” Rice created for his company, Rice Welding Service. With a passion for building things and fabricating, Rice started welding around the age of 22, learning the trade mostly through on the job training. In 1979, he started Rice Welding Service with his first portable rig, building oil derricks in Alice, TX. “We like to build,” says Rice. “We also like the repair work, because it’s kind of like a construction EMS unit. The equipment breaks down and we really like going out and helping people.” He notes that here in San Antonio and the surrounding Hill Country, heavy equipment takes a beating working in ground due to the rock. “Here in the Hill Country, the rock saws, the rock trenchers – they require a lot of welding, and you just don’t hook up

The 1st Place Team

pawGlass held its third annual CJ IV Memorial Fishing Tournament Jun. 5-6 in Port O’Connor. More than 200 people attended the Captain’s Party on Friday night with catering by Jake’s BBQ. More than 40 boats competed, and San Antonio’s own Griesenbeck took home the first place prize for catching a 27.16-pound stringer that broke the tournament record. –cw/mh

Winners: 1st: Griesenbeck, San Antonio (trout) – Tyson Muenich, Brian Groff, Jason Ward, Michael Bertoncini 2nd: Russell Glass (redfish) – Russ Ruthidge, Kirby Biard, Lee Urbanovsky, Eddie Wayne 3rd: Chapman Shmidt Hardware (flounder) – Ron Rivera, Todd Kastendiech, Cody Wilson, David Kastendiech

L-R: Layton Muehr, SpawGlass (Houston) and San Antonio native Aaron Bradford, SpawGlass (Houston); and Carolyn Strnadel, the mother of the SpawGlass employee for whom the memorial tournament is named

and haul them into a shop very easily,” he explains. “It costs thousands of dollars to put them on a trailer and go down the highway. The good thing about us is we’re portable, and we have two rigs. That’s a big deal when some things can’t be done in the shop, especially with the heavy equipment. They really need somebody that can come onsite and perform the work.” For more than 35 years now, Rice, who is 60, had been doing this by himself, but after he had both of his hips replaced in August 2013, he came back to the business in 2014 bringing Michael Rumbaugh on board. As Rumbaugh learns from Rice on the job, Rumbaugh also brings experience in mining and working with mining equipment to the company. Rice Welding Service does pipe and steel fabrication and performs repair work on heavy equipment and mining equipment. –mh

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San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Summer fun in the sun

rchitects, designers, engineers and contractors took their tools to East Beach in Galveston May 30 for the annual sandcastle competition. More than 60 teams had their eyes and shovels set on winning the Golden Bucket Award. Participants stretched along the beach, sculpted their sand piles and worked non-stop for five hours. The judging of the sandcastles was rated on originality of concept, artistic execution of the concept, technical difficulty, carving technique and utilization of the site. The Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) hosted the event. –ab Congrats to the winners! Most Complex: PflugerFlintco - Positive/Negative Most Hilarious: Kirksey - Jurassic Seuss Most Lifelike: CDI: Medusa Best Traditional: Gensler - Drift Outside the Shell Best Architectural: cre8/Duratech/ Matrix - Michael's Grave Let the Games Begin: Walter P Moore/ Baker Concrete Operation Stars and Stripes: SWA Group - The Lone Star-fish The Sydney LeNoir Public Favorite Award: Freese and Nichols Inc. - Left Shark Best Team Sign: Ziegler Cooper Architects - 20,000 Leaks Under The Sea Best Team Costume: US "N" SAND - Lame Duck Season AIA College Challenge Award: The University of Houston Architecture Students and Alumni - Baymax: Your Personal Sandcastle Companion

That’s Entertainment: Integrity Structural Corp. Power Up with Integrity

Gold Bucket Winner: Kirksey - Jurassic Seuss

Silver Shovel Winner: Gensler - Drift Outside the Shell

Bronze Shovel Winner: The Dow Chemical Co. Beauty and the Beachslayer

Honorable Mention (4th Place) Ziegler Cooper Architects 20,000 Leaks Under The Sea

Honorable Mention (5th Place): Matrix Design Built By The Egyptians

Honorable Mention (6th Place): HDR Inc. - Texas Pictionary

Sailing overhead

Submitted to Construction News

Officer of this dealer’s ship

Having served as an executive vice president of RDO Equipment Co. since 2012, Chris Cooper was recently named COO of the company. Based at RDO’s Field Support Office in Fargo, ND, he will be responsible for daily operations across all regions and teams. He joined RDO in 2004 as general manager of the Irving, Fort Worth and Waco locations, becoming vice president of the Texas region in 2007 and vice president of southern construction in 2010. –mh

Randy Oliver, president of Hollywood Crawford, has led the company through significant growth and is also currently serving as the president of the International Door Association.

lmost every year in the last five has been a record sales year for Hollywood Crawford, a company that has been doing garage doors and openers in San Antonio since 1947. At the end of this year, the company expects business to have nearly doubled since 2009. Hollywood Crawford does installation and service in the residential and commercial markets. The contractor primarily does residential. Today, Randy Oliver, president, estimates the company’s market share to be 60 to 65 percent of new homes in San Antonio. And commercial is a growing portion of their business that has shown great potential for further growth. At the end of 2009, Oliver says sales were about $4.25 million. This year, based on their current numbers, he projects they will do about $8 million. “We had one year where we dipped down a little bit, and then we picked back up,” says Oliver of how the company fared in the downturn. “Like everybody else in the construction industry when things picked back up, probably the biggest challenge now is finding good people.”

One of the ways the company addresses this problem is through referrals from its existing 45 team members. Oliver observes that about two out of every three of their new hires are friends or relatives of current employees. As Hollywood Crawford searches for talent, its work is being increased 50 percent by homeowners who have an extra car. Oliver feels the company has seen a rise in three-car garages, which doesn’t include custom homes he has seen with garages made to accommodate more. While keeping up with the trends in the market and growth in the company, Oliver is now serving as national president of the International Door Association (IDA), which has members from all over the world, primarily in North America. Having taken on the role of the organization’s top leadership in April following its convention in Indianapolis, he will hold the position for the next two years. A charter member since its formation in 1996, Oliver has been very involved with IDA, serving on the board for several years. –mh

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Page 5

Her dream come true

n Jun. 1, Jennifer Swinney walked into the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) San Antonio office as the chapter’s new executive director. After 15 years at ESC Safety Consultants as the corporate office manager and financial supervisor, Swinney made the difficult decision to leave ESC to take on the position she describes as “a oncein-a-lifetime dream job.” Though her ESC family was sad to see her go, she says they could see how much the opportunity meant to her and they wished her luck and happiness in her new endeavor. At ESC, Ted Dunnam encouraged her to join the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) to increase her knowledge of the construction industry. In 2006, her fellow NAWIC members, who welcomed her in 2005, encouraged her to take on a leadership role. Since then, she has served the association locally as chapter president and nationally as director of Region 7. Currently, she’s running unopposed to serve as national treasurer for the upcoming year. She credits her experience in NAWIC with giving her the skills to become ASA’s new executive director and the passion for the industry. As executive director, she will be responsible for the office and administrative duties as well as coordinating and overseeing events. “I am extremely fortunate, as this group of members is incredibly active in the association,” says Swinney. “They all jump in and want to be involved in planning and working events. Everyone truly values and respects one another, and they work together as a cohesive group. I’m absolutely honored to be a part of the team!

Jennifer Swinney, the new executive director of ASA San Antonio

“Membership involvement is always essential to any association. Associations need the members to take ownership and actively participate in helping to steer the organization to where they want it to be. The more you put into an association, the more you’ll gain. “My goal is to get the word out about how tremendous this association is, and how much it can do for a business and the employees therein.“ Swinney grew up a military brat, living in five states and two European cities before moving to San Antonio in her freshman year. “I’ve spent the past 10-plus years working hard for both ESC and NAWIC, and I’ve had to give up my much of my free-time on nights and weekends,” she recalls. “I’ve often been asked ‘Why do you do it? Is it worth it?’ Now, I will excitedly respond, “Yes, it was all worth it, because it brought me to ASA!” Outside of work, Swinney’s pride and joy is her 5-pound Yorkie, Gia. –mh

In memoriam Norcell D. Haywood, an architect and local civil rights pioneer, passed away Jun. 15. Born Jan. 23, 1935 in Bastrop to Roy Haywood and Amanda Green Haywood, he was founder of Norcell D. Haywood & Associates in 1965 and partner in Haywood Jordan McCowan SAT (HJM) formed in 1971. He was one of the first four African-American students admitted to the University of Texas and the second to graduate from the UT School of Architecture in 1960. In 1968, he became the first licensed African-American architect in San Antonio. Serving as vice president, he was the first AfricanAmerican to be appointed to the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners. He was a member of Second Baptist Church in San Antonio, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the NAACP. He also actively supported the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of San Antonio. Survivors include sons, Michael and David; daughters, Natalie and Nan; grandchildren, Erica, Terrence, Marcus, Elizabeth and Maya; great-grandchildren, Marckus and Maliyah; and many other family members and friends. –mh

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San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

the painting business.

Rick Watson President

Surmac, Inc.

t 66 years old, Rick Watson shows no signs of slowing down, and neither does the company he established more than a decade ago, Surmac Inc. The specialty contractor’s business is doubling every year, and its business model affords it a recession-resistant edge with many niches to sustain itself. The company’s first concrete repair job earned an award from the International Concrete Repair Institute. At the average retirement age, Watson is constantly traveling all over the country for Surmac’s variety of projects, because he truly enjoys his job. Where did you grow up? I was born in Columbus, GA and moved to Texas in 1957, and then San Antonio in ’59. Except for one stint of about 15 years where I lived in Houston, I’ve lived here ever since. Why did you move around so much before settling in Texas? My dad worked for Red McCombs on the car dealership side. So, we moved every year or two. I guess we were looking for a good place to live, depending on the economy and how it was, going where we could afford to live. Tell me about going to school in Texas. I was in the first class to graduate from Churchill High School. Previously, I had gone to both Lee and MacArthur. When Churchill opened, we were given a choice to go our senior year. After high school, I attended West Texas State University in Canyon near Amarillo. I never finished. I was up there through my junior year and then I moved back to San Antonio and went to work in

Why did you start out in painting? In college, we used that as a means to supplement our income, painting houses on the weekends, and it was very enjoyable. So, when I got back, two of my friends and I formed a partnership and started a painting company in San Antonio. Over the years, through our connections back then, we actually grew the business very large very quickly. And then we split up back in the mid ‘70s. Each of us went different directions, and I went into the high-pressure water jetting end of the business. I did that for many years. Tell me more about that. I brought the process of highpressure water cleaning to San Antonio back in the early ‘70s, and that was before pressure washers. I started introducing that business to the people here in San Antonio, cleaning buildings. Doing industrial work led off of that and morphed into a marine division. We had contracts in Houston cleaning cargo ships with water blasting when they would come into port to change cargo. Then, that morphed into cleaning airport runways. I had connected with Robert White, cleaning the airport here in San Antonio. He and I became friends, and I worked for him on and off for several years and eventually bought his company when he got sick. We traveled around the United States cleaning airport runways for years. We actually brought about the original process of how to remove the rubber from the airport runways. Then, during my time living in Houston, I met an old-time waterproofing contractor and hired him, and our business suddenly took a turn into the waterproofing area. So, we had that and high-pressure water cleaning going at the same time. We were very successful with that in Houston. What brought you back to the San Antonio area? My wife, Elaine, is an attorney, and she had her practice over in Houston, doing very large class action environmental lawsuits. And basically, one day, she came in and said, “We don’t live in Houston anymore. We live in San Marcos now.” [Laughs.] That was in 2000. Is she still in environmental law? No, she retired. She’s just taking it easy in Wimberly where we live now.

Rick Watson has taken on some very unique jobs since he founded Surmac in 2003, and he plans to continue taking on problem solving projects across the country for years to come.

She’s gotten into hypnotherapy for pain management, helping people with posttraumatic stress and things like that. She’s doing that to keep herself occupied. She’s still a young woman. Her law practice just burned her out completely. On her last case, she had about 20,000 clients. It was a big case in Bryan. She retired as soon as she settled that case around 2000. She said, “No more Houston.” Working all those years was so stressful on her that she didn’t want to do it anymore. So, we came up here and bought a house in San Marcos, and then eventually, we moved over to Wimberly back in 2003, and we’ve lived there ever since. How did you meet your wife? She was a friend of my dad’s wife at the time, my stepmother, and we met about 45 years ago. She was still in high school, and I had just come home from college, and I saw her over at my dad’s house one night. Of course, my dad warned her not to go out with me, that I was trouble. Of course, that just made her want to go out with me more [laughs]. It actually worked out really well. It’s been a great partnership. This December will be our 40th anniversary. What do you like to do together? We like to travel. We’ll drive to California, to Georgia where I’m from, to Tennessee. We just went on a cruise recently – first cruise I’ve ever been on – and we went down to the Caribbean for a week. We’re planning to go on a river barge cruise in Europe this year for our 40th anniversary. Also, we were married at Trinity University where she was going to school, and we had our reception at the St. Anthony Hotel. Coincidentally, Surmac has been working on the renovation of the St. Anthony for the last three years – we did all the exterior renovation and we’re building the pool decks and the cabanas – and my wife and I are thinking about having another party there because it should be open by our anniversary. Do you and Elaine have any children? We have a son, James, who is in the business. He does our website and handles our technical stuff, and about two weeks ago, he just had twin babies, Jayce and Brodie. Did you move to Wimberly the same year you founded Surmac? Yes, Surmac came about in 2003 when we consolidated. I was very apprehensive about moving back to San Antonio after living in the fast pace of Houston and the opportunities that were there, but through a stroke of luck and a really great string of events, things changed beyond my expectations of what I ever thought it could be. I had my shop in San Antonio and lived in San Marcos. I hired a salesman named Art Dresch, who helped us change the direction of the company into

industrial repairs, concrete repairs. Then, through him, by a chance encounter, we got into the hotel restoration business. As we were changing directions, we decided to form a new entity to better encompass all the different things we were doing. We’ve become more of a problem solving company, specializing in solving problems related to concrete failure, water penetration – we still do a lot of coating work. But we’ve morphed this into a nationwide business. I’ve always called it “the sleeping giant.” A lot of people around here – even our peers in the business – don’t know of us. We don’t solicit work as most of the companies do here. All of our work is basically word of mouth. We work in all 50 states. Today, we’re in Boston, Palm Beach, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle and Indianapolis. We’re managing a nationwide business from a single location. Are you planning to retire soon? I feel that we’re really just hitting our stride. At a time when most people are retiring, we’re expanding. I have no plans to retire at all. I’m looking for more things to get into and more things to do. We just bought a new warehouse. We’re moving into a much bigger space. We’ve outgrown this location. It’s actually developed far beyond anything I ever imagined it would. What’s your favorite part of what you do? The satisfaction of solving problems. We’re usually called in when people have given up or cannot find a solution for a particular problem, and we’ll get the call. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career? Probably the biggest challenge is convincing people that we could solve their problems through sometimes unorthodox methods. And persistence has paid off on that. What do you count as your greatest accomplishments? Probably the best thing that I ever did was to meet my wife. When my son was born was obviously a very happy, proud time. The other things are job-related. Some of the jobs that we’ve been involved in – I was very proud that we could get projects like that. Working as a consultant on the Saturn V rocket restoration, and then participating in the Titanic restoration, doing work at the Playboy Mansion – those were probably some work-related highlights. Is there anything you would like to say? I owe a lot to a lot of people. Our success is due to having employees who have been with me – some of them almost 30 years. I’ve had a lot of help from different people that have given us advice and guidance and kept us on track throughout our careers. –mh

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Page 7

Bricks of gold

he San Antonio Masonry Contractors Association (SAMCA) hosted its annual Golden Trowel Awards Banquet Jun. 11 at the Club at Sonterra. –mh

General Contractor of the Year Joeris General Contractors

Restoration 314 E. Commerce Street Masonry Contractor: Curtis Hunt Restorations Foreman: Frank Gonzales III Architect: Ford Powell & Carson GC: Guido Brothers Construction

Educational Facility – College/University Texas A&M University San Antonio, Central Academic Building & Auditorium Masonry Contractor: Shadrock & Williams Masonry Foreman: Victor Ritter Architect: Munoz & Company GC: Bartlett Cocke General Contractors Supplier: Acme Brick, Featherlite

Outstanding Associate Member Headwaters Construction Materials

Architect of the Year Pfluger Architects

Residential (Single Family) Limousin Ranch Residence Masonry Contractor: Groesbeck Masonry Foreman: Martin Mauricio, Pablo Rivas Architect: BDG Design GC: Groesbeck Masonry Supplier: Acme Brick, Featherlite, Brooks Stone Ranch

Government/Institution: City of Alamo Heights Municipal Complex Masonry Contractor: Ericstad Foreman: Marco Leija Architect: Overland Partner Architects GC: Joeris General Contractors Supplier: Christopher Stuart Cast Stone, Headwaters Construction Materials, I-10 Building Materials, Stone Source

Educational Facility – K-12: David Lee “Tex” Hill Middle School Masonry Contractor: Ericstad Foremen: Jose L. Martinez, Marco Leija Architect: Pfluger Architects GC: Joeris General Contractors Supplier: Acme Brick, Featherlite, Headwater Construction Materials, I-10 Building Materials, Stone Source

Industrial/Commercial: The Gates Building Masonry Contractor: Rick Stone Masonry Foreman: Ryan Stone Architect: Drewry Martin GC: G.W. Mitchell Construction Supplier: I-10 Building Materials, Stone Source

s ear with tors!” Y “20 ealing ntrac o of d ral C ne Ge Metal Studs Drywall Acoustical Insulation Hardscape/Landscape: Southwest Research Institute – Gateway Entrance Masonry Contractor: Groesbeck Masonry Foreman: Martin Mauricio Architect: MDN Architects GC: Chapman Bros. Supplier: Acme Brick, Featherlite, Christopher Stuart Cast Stone, Brooks Stone Ranch

WA L L S ACROSS

9018 Tesoro Suite 101 San Antonio, Texas 78217 (210) 826-4123 Fax (210) 826-5801

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San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

All in fair health and safety

he Hispanic Contractors Association (HCA) de San Antonio hosted its annual Health & Safety Fair Jun. 5-6 at the Alamo University Center in Live Oak. “This is an outreach event from the Hispanic Contractors to the community,” Dave Sanchez, HCA executive director, stated that Friday. “You don’t have to be a member or join to come to this event. It’s totally free for whoever wants to attend. It’s open to the public, and it’s free. We have some sponsors that help us with offsetting the costs. “We have about 150 people going through training right now,” Sanchez, estimated. “We’ve got over 100 taking OSHA 10 in English, and then we’ve got about 35 or so taking OSHA 10 in Spanish, two different classrooms. We’re doing CPR in both English and Spanish as well, so that brings the total to about 150 folks.” Last year, HCA did the whole OSHA 10 class in one day, which required a special waiver. For those who participated, it turned out to be a 14-hour day. In the spirit of making the fair bigger and better this

year, Sanchez said that they have gone to a two-day program, which is a first. The Saturday health and safety fair took place outside the Alamo University Center building with education and fun for the whole family. The fair included a bouncy house, face painting and balloons for the kids. Exhibitors included the Live Oak Fire Department, the Live Oak Police Department and the SAMMC Burn Unit. Nix brought in 10 nurses to do health screenings. Gold’s Gym offered fitness tests. The HCA also had a DJ and grilled hamburgers and hotdogs that were free to everyone who came. Attendee Angel Vasquez Jr., utility contractor B. Robertson, came from Harlingen for the OSHA 10 class. The owner of the company, Bernie Robertson, brought his employees up from the Rio Grande Valley to get certified. Vasquez has already been certified, but taking the classes allowed him to refresh and catch up on what is new. Noting that the four-hour drive was well worth it, Vasquez knows the value of the OSHA certification because it opened

L-R: Marco Duran, Construction Management; Elizabeth Ladron de Guevara; Raul Carillo, OSHA; Dave Sanchez, HCA executive director; Erika Yates, IBTX; Larry Ybarra, Service Shade Shop; Jerry Rodriguez, B. Robinson

the door to his current job. “I was working out of state in Kansas and my wife had just had another child,” recalled Vasquez. “I wanted to be closer to home, so I was calling around and applying back in the Rio Grande Valley. I got in contact with the supervisor there at B. Robinson. His name is Jeremy Walker, and he gave me the opportunity. He asked me what my qualifications were. I told him I had experience with cable and machinery, and I also told him that I was OSHA certified. With that – this was on a Friday – he told me to come in Monday. So, two days later, we drove all the way back home and here I am.” –mh Below L-R: Jose Garcia and Alejandro Espinosa, Fairway Landscape and Nursery, learned how to save a life in the CPR class for Spanish speakers.

The Fair offered education and fun for attendees. L-R: (bucket) Gerry Galindo, assistant Live Oak fire chief; Estela Garcia-Perez, Fairway Landscape and Nursery; Charles Foster, Live Oak fire chief; (on the ground) Edwin Dones; Mark Price; Paul Mayfield; Leonard Flores; Raul Carrillo, OSHA; John Al Chadwick; Kayla Orand; Fernando Figueroa; Rey Garcia; Rafael Llera

L-R: Bernie Robertson and Angel Vasquez Jr., B. Robertson, came up to Live Oak from Harlingen to attend the free OSHA classes.

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Page 9

Down south

In memoriam Lorenzo “Lo” Devora Jr., founder of Devora Construction, passed away May 3, the day after his 74th birthday. He was born May 2, 1941 in Floresville to Lorenzo Devora Sr. and Casiana Devora. A graduate of South San Antonio High School, he went on to work for Austin Bridge, HB Zachry and Koger Properties. He started his own company, Devora Construction, in 1979. He enjoyed hog farming, actively contributing to the pork industry and Texas Pork Producers, and traveling, his last trip taking him through the Panama Canal in April. Survivors include his wife, Sharon; children, Lorenzo, Stacy, LeAnn and Laura; grandchildren, Savanna, Buck, Samantha, Marcos, Isabel, Jacqueline, Jack, Ariel and Athena; sister, Hope; brother, Bob; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and other loved ones. –mh

At the AIA National Convention, Felix Ziga, Ziga Design Build, was a Universal Design winner for his project Tierra de Dios (God’s Land) in Fair Oaks Ranch, northwest of San Antonio.

What’s on your bucket list? I want to own and operate my own bank. More than anything, I like to be able to help out the community. Joe Regalado, Jarco Transport I don’t have a bucket list. I think positive. I don’t think about buckets. Rick Watson, Surmac, Inc.

something that he said he wants to do before he dies. The way that the oil business is now in Texas, he believes that there’s a need for a new refinery to be built. He said, ‘My dream would be to do an explosion-proof installation for one of these refineries.’ Hilda Ochoa, 8A Electric

I’d like to go up north into Canada and go elk hunting. It’s just the outdoors part of it. It’s a beautiful part of the world, and I love to hunt, and that’s one of the things I’ve never gotten to do. Mark Jones, Intertech Commercial Flooring

I want to play golf in England and Ireland – Ireland particularly, because I’m Irish. I’ve always wanted to do that, and I’ve had three or four opportunities or invitations, and something came up and I couldn’t do it. So, it’s on my list. Duffy Shea, Alamo Iron Works

I want to see Niagara Falls. I’m a nature buff and just the thought of that intrigues me – the size of it, the vastness is appealing. Mark Coshal, IES Commercial

Racing NASCAR would be big on my bucket list. That was something you always dream of – the big-time racing leagues. It’s pretty impossible nowadays, because it takes a tremendous amount of money. That’ll probably never happen, but it doesn’t hurt to put it on your bucket list. Rusty Young, Young Bros. Fire Protection

I haven’t been to New Zealand and Australia – if I’m going to go, I’m going to go to both. They’re places I’ve always wanted to visit. Randy Oliver, Hollywood Crawford I have not been to Europe yet. I would love to see Rome. My grandfather was from Italy. My father is Italian. So, my roots are there. Jim Cantilli, American Automatic Sprinkler One thing is to eat pasta in Italy. Just to have that authentic experience of eating something that is so quintessentially from that part of the world. Dustin Hicks, Sundt I would like to visit all seven continents, and I’ve gotten two of them, North America and Europe. I’m actually planning a trip to Thailand next summer so that will be number three. Taylor Allen, Big Red Dog Engineering I would have to say to compete at the AQHA [American Quarter Horse Association] World Championship Show, and you have to qualify to go to that. You’ve got to make the shows and gather the points. I haven’t been able to make that effort yet, but I hope to in retirement. Holly Goodman, Lynwood Building Materials I would like to skydive. I’ve always liked a little bit of adrenaline rush, I guess. I frequent the rollercoasters if I go to a theme park. I just always thought jumping out of an airplane would be something I’d like to do. Robert Cheek, Brandt I will speak for my father [Juan Ochoa, president of 8A], because I know this is

Travel to Europe. It is a life goal of mine. I’ve been overseas, but not to Europe. Germany and Ireland would be the two big ones because that’s where my ancestors all came from. Britney Brantley, SAABE

he American Institute of Architects (AIA) Convention 2015 brought thousands of architects and design professionals to Atlanta – breaking a few records. Thursday’s keynote, with speaker President Bill Clinton, had the most attendees in AIA Convention history. So did

L-R: Hobson Crow, FAIA, Overland Partners, and Robert G. Hanley, AIA, at a UT alumni reception recognizing the new Fellows.

The Party! at the College Football Hall of Fame. President Clinton kicked off AIA Convention 2015, telling a standing-room audience to tackle pressing global issues and “low-hanging fruit.” –cw/mh

Ed Carleton, DHR Architects, and Torrey Carleton, executive director of AIA San Antonio, waited in line with approximately 7,000 architects to hear former President Bill Clinton speak at the national convention.

Page 10

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Are your construction contracts choking project cash flow? Michael Kuchar, CPA Doeren Mayhew Houston, TX

Workers compensation EMR changes Mark Gaskamp, CSP, CRM, CIC, CPCU, ALCM Wortham LLC Austin, TX

hen you think about what’s tying up your available dollars, a variety of culprits may come to mind. Perhaps you’re servicing a substantial amount of debt, waiting for past-due customer payments or dealing with elevated material costs. But one perpetrator of cash-flow crises that often goes overlooked is the piece of paper you sign in advance of every job — the contract.

ffective July 1, 2015, the world will change, at least in regards to workers compensation experience modifiers in the State of Texas. Last year, Texas began a transition to the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) for work comp rates and policy forms.

Construction contracts, or rather the language therein, can start choking your project cash flow before work even begins. So let’s look at some points to consider before signing on the next dotted line. Front-load, where possible Payment terms can also impact cash flow. A contract that calls for payment on completion of specified phases can create uncertainty, making project cashflow forecasting difficult. If a contract requires payment in equal installments over the course of a project, it provides predictability, but may not correspond to your expenditures on the job. Construction projects often involve significant upfront costs. If possible, negotiate a front-loaded billing schedule reflecting your greater cash needs in a project’s early stages. Also look at language regarding requisitions. It’s not unusual for a construction contract to disallow requisitions for materials until the materials have been installed. To avoid cash-flow disasters, try to negotiate requisition terms allowing you to request payment once materials have been delivered to the job site. Consider the method of payment, too. You might ask for accelerated methods, such as wire transfers or electronic checks. Review retainage A 5 percent or 10 percent retainage can easily defer your entire gross profit on a job until after construction is completed. To reduce the impact on your project cash flow, try to negotiate a lower percentage or ask for retainage to be phased out over the course of the project. For example, the construction contract might provide for 10 percent retainage, reduced to 5 percent when the job is 50 percent complete and eliminated when it’s 75 percent complete. Other options include limiting retainage to certain job costs, such as the labor component, or eliminating it altogether through the use of letters of credit, performance bonds or other security. Clarify your construction change orders As you know, construction change orders are inevitable in most construction

The immediate impact is that rates will change for most classifications, some by as much as 15%. This could have a positive or negative impact on your premium and experience modifier calculation. The other impact related to the experience modification rate (EMR). The workers compensation experience modifier (AKA EMR or eMod) is an insurance rating component designed to integrate the individual risk characteristics of each organization based on prior claim experience into the workers comp premium calculations. NCCI compiles claim data from insurance carriers by classification, providing a database for comparison and the ability to produce the EMR for each individual policyholder. There are several changes that will occur as part of the transition. Two will have significant impact for most every policyholder. First, there are major changes in how medical only claims are utilized in the calculation. NCCI’s experience rating rules allow for an experience rating adjustment of 70% for medical-only claims. This means that only 30% of a medical-only claim is used in the experience rating calculation. This change will make it less advantageous to pay claims out of pocket rather than report them to the insurance company. For example: If you have a $1,000 medical only bill for a cut or eye injury, only $300 would apply to the EMR. This will create an extra emphasis on reducing lost time claims. Once one penny is paid in indemnity payments, 100% of the claim will be included in the EMR calculation. Second, “spilt points” are changing. The “split point,” which is used to determine the “primary expected losses,” will increase from $5,000 to $15,500. For those that are not aware, there are actually two calculations used to produce the EMR. One utilizes total expected losses (capped at the maximum, which will be increasing to $230,500 per claim). This calculation uses the actual losses relative to the expected losses multiplied by a normalizing factor based on the size of the operation. The

jobs. It’s critical to establish clear terms and procedures for approving and paying them. If your contracts don’t have such terms, your payments may be delayed for additional work. Or, even worse, you might lose out on those payments altogether. Establish clear procedures for your personnel to identify changes in the scope of work and to promptly prepare and document change orders in accordance with contract terms. Moreover, before things get to the point of a construction change order, monitor work-in-process reports closely to ensure you can generate the proper paperwork should a change come up. Match outlays Remember cash flows in two directions, and outflow is as important as inflow. Scrutinize your contract terms with vendors, suppliers and subcontractors. You may be able to avoid cash-flow problems by negotiating payment terms that, to the extent possible, match your cash outlays with your receipts from the owner or general contractor. For example, include in your subcontracts retainage provisions that have terms similar to those in your contract with the owner. If you’re a subcontractor and your contract with the general contractor contains a “pay-whenpaid” or “pay-if-paid” clause, your contracts with subcontractors should contain parallel provisions. That way, you won’t be forced to pay subs until you collect from the general. Get to work Once a construction contract is signed and you get to work, there usually isn’t much you can do about the language or terms of the agreement. At that point, it’s critical to regularly prepare project cash-flow forecasts based on your workin-progress reports and make necessary adjustments during the course of the job. Michael Kuchar, CPA, is a shareholder and leader of Doeren Mayhew’s dedicated Construction Group in Houston. A top 100 U.S. firm, Doeren Mayhew’s CPAs and business advisors serve more than 500 suppliers and general and specialty contractors doing business domestically and abroad. For more information, visit www.doeren.com.

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smaller the organization, the more normalizing. This helps reduce the impact of one claim on a smaller organization’s EMR. The second calculation includes the actual “primary losses,” those that fall below the “split point” relative to the expected primary losses also capped at the “split point.” Note that there is no normalizing, this is dollar for a dollar ratio without taking into account the size of the organization. So, with the split point increasing from $5,000 to $15,500, if an organization has a higher than average number of claims above $5,000, their EMR will be adversely impacted. This could be a dramatic change. In all other states, NCCI phased this increase in over three years. Texas is doing it all at once. So over the next couple of years, you can expect some volatility in your EMR. It will be very important to work closely with insurance company underwriters to help ensure the overall rates and premiums are not adversely impacted by dramatic changes in the EMR. You may also want to revisit the current claim reporting process and determine if paying medical only claims remains a cost effective way to control the overall costs. Lastly, this affirms why the EMR is not an effective safety benchmark. Just because an EMR moves over 1.0 due to the new rating methodology does not make an employer “unsafe.” There are a multitude of reasons for a high experience modifier not related to a safe work place. Mark Gaskamp is a managing director for Wortham Insurance & Risk Management in Austin. He is a part of the Wortham Construction Industry Practice Group where his responsibilities include partnering with clients to manage safety and risk management exposures to reduce their cost of risk. He is actively involved in the ABC and AGC safety committees, and is a national faculty member of The National Alliance’s Certified Risk Manager’s (CRM) program. For more information, contact Mark at (512) 532-1536 or mark.gaskamp@ worthaminsurance.com or visit www. worthaminsurance.com

Submitted to Construction News

Grads with extracurricular education

The Builders Exchange of Texas celebrated the graduation of 24 high school students from its Pre-Employment Architectural & Construction Exploration (PACE) Program. The ceremony was held May 21 at the UTSA Downtown Campus. –mh Photo by Mary C. Haskin Photography

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Page 11

Tree care safety

No damages for delay clauses: Do they mean what they say?

Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

West W. Winter, Partner McNelis + Winter, PLLC San Antonio, TX

re contract clauses enforceable in Texas to limit or negate the very substantial damages that may be incurred due to project delays which occur through no fault of your own?

In Zachry Construction Corp. v. Port of Houston Authority of Harris County, a significant construction law opinion which also discusses certain lien release and waiver of sovereign immunity issues, the Texas Supreme Court recently addressed the enforceability of nodamages-for-delay provisions. Zachry sued the Port of Houston Authority in 2006 claiming damages from delays allegedly caused by the Port when it switched course and ordered Zachry to complete the project “in the wet” and without the benefit of a previously utilized cutoff wall. The Port asserted that the no-damages-for-delay provision in the contract precluded Zachry’s delay damages. Pursuant to the contractual provision, the Port was not liable to Zachry “…for any damages arising out of or associated with any delay…to the Work, regardless of the source of the delay…and even if such delay…results from, arises out of or is due, in whole or in part, to the negligence, breach of contract or other fault of the Port Authority.” Zachry countered that this provision could not be enforced if the Port’s intentional misconduct caused the delay. After a three-month trial, the jury found, among other things, that the Port caused Zachry to incur more than $18 million in delay damages due to the Port’s “arbitrary and capricious conduct, active interference, bad faith, and/or fraud.” However, the court of appeals subsequently held that the no-damagesfor-delay provision barred Zachry’s recovery of delay damages. It then reversed the trial court’s judgment in favor of Zachry, and rendered judgment for the Port, awarding it $10 million in attorney’s fees. On appeal, the Texas Supreme Court recognized the general rule that a contractor may agree to assume the risk of construction delays and not seek damages. But, the Court also detailed four previously recognized exceptions to the enforcement of such agreements when the delay: (1) was not intended or contemplated by the parties to be within the purview of the provision; (2) resulted from fraud, misrepresentation, or other bad faith on the part of one seeking the benefit of the provision; (3) has extended for such an unreasonable length of time that the party delayed would have been justified in abandoning the contract; or (4) is not within the specifically enumerated delays to which the clause applies. The Court further recognized a fifth exception “based upon active interference” with the contractor or other wrongful conduct including “arbitrary and capricious acts,” “without due consideration” and in disregard of the

other parties’ rights. Zachry argued that the no-damages-for-delay provision was invalid and based upon the jury’s findings, relied upon these second and fifth exceptions. The Texas Supreme Court agreed with Zachry and held, among other things, that the no-damages-for-delay provision was unenforceable and that the award of attorney fees to the Port should be reversed. As part of its rationale, the Court reasoned that while contractors can assess potential delaying events when estimating and bidding, they cannot properly assess potential delays that may arise due to an owner’s direct interference, willful acts, negligence, bad faith fraudulent acts, and/or omissions. Another stated purpose behind these exceptions is to preclude a party from insulating itself from liability for its own deliberate and wrongful conduct. As exemplified by the Zachry holding, no-damages-for-delay clauses can be enforced, but there are numerous viable exceptions. Such clauses certainly cannot be used to insulate oneself from liability for deliberate and wrongful conduct or allow one party to intentionally injure another. Contractors who have suffered delay damages should closely scrutinize the specific facts and circumstances involved as early as possible so they may be fully informed about the impact of any applicable nodamages-for-delay clauses and whether any of these recognized exceptions may apply. West W. Winter is a partner at McNelis + Winter, PLLC. A LEED Green Associate, West serves on the board of the Construction Law Section of the San Antonio Bar Association and has been listed as one of the Best Lawyers in San Antonio for Construction Litigation. West can be reached via email: west@mcneliswinter. com.

efore beginning any tree care operation, employers need to: • Assess the work site for fall and falling object hazards. Assess the sloped ground where ladders or equipment will be used to prevent falls from equipment overturns and ladder slippage; nearby overhead objects or structures; and weather-related hazards. • Have a qualified arborist survey the worksite and identify the types of trees involved and possible hazards related to tree structure. The qualified arborist would identify fall hazards and falling object hazards due to tree condition. The American National Standard Institute’s (ANSI) Z133 consensus standard on tree care work defines “qualified arborist.” • Determine if rigging is necessary and, if so, that workers can use it safely. This determination helps prevent sections of the tree from falling while performing tree care work. • Determine if workers will need to climb or use aerial lifts. In making this determination, ensure that: Ladders are: - Well maintained and not defective, such as having missing or broken parts; - Kept at least 10 feet away from power lines and other electric equipment. For lines and equipment over 50 kV, the distance should be 10 feet plus 4 inches for every 10 kV over 50 kV. - Inspected before each use, and remove damaged or defective ladders; - Secured to avoid slippage; and

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- Used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Aerial lifts are: - Maintained and properly set up for use; - Used according to the manufacturer’s instructions; - Not used as cranes to lift or hoist tree parts or material unless designed for that purpose; - Only used with fall protection equipment including tie-off; and - Kept at least 10 feet away from power lines and other electric equipment. For lines and equipment over 50 kV, the distance should be 10 feet plus 4 inches for every 10 kV over 50 kV. Workers who climb trees are trained on: -Climbing techniques; - Using climbing spurs with gaffs that are compatible with the tree they will climb; - Using a second means of fall protection such as a work-positioning lanyard or a second climbing line, in addition to using an arborist climbing line; - Lifting and lowering hand tools and equipment; and - Carrying only hand tools and equipment that are necessary for climbing. Identify and provide without cost properly fitting personal protective equipment to protect workers from fall and overhead falling object hazards, and ensure that the workers use the equipment and are trained in its proper use. natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232

There is no charge for stories & photos. 210-308-5800

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San Antonio Construction News â&#x20AC;˘ Jul 2015

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Page 13

Making a custom living

Orlando Hernandez started his own business, Orlando’s Custom Cabinets, in November of last year.

n Jun. 4, his 38th birthday, Orlando Hernandez was at his Freedom Drive shop, working on about 20 cabinets divided among three jobs for his new company, Orlando’s Custom Cabinets. “It’s my life,” says Hernandez, who has been working in the industry since he was about 16. “This is my dream.” He credits his family with being very supportive as he pursues his passion. While he works seven days a week, he tries to stay balanced, going to church on Sundays and going home to rest and then coming back to work. His wife, Rosalinda, who is from New Mexico, helps him and brings him lunch so they can have lunch together. About 22 years ago, Hernandez came to the U.S. from Mexico by himself and started working his way up the craft ladder to painting, then sanding and then custom cabinets and custom doors. Working for three different companies over the last two decades, he learned ev-

erything he could. In November, he decided it was the right time to start out on his own. In the middle of his first year in business for himself, he notes that he doesn’t want to rush, saying, “I’ve got time to do everything right and make people happy.” Taking it one day at a time, he intends to gradually diversify the business into flooring and kitchens. Now, he mostly does cabinets as well as other craftwork using wood or granite, making everything by hand from raw materials, painting and installing all of it. He has done work for a restaurant and several churches and nonprofit organizations in San Antonio. Working every day for hours at a time, all of his time outside of the shop is spent with his wife and their three children, Orlando Hernandez Jr., 15; Valeria, 11; and Vanessa, 5. Orlando’s Custom Cabinets specializes in cabinets and high-end frameless cabinets for residential and commercial. –mh

New in the ‘Mix’

Quality Materials for your Construction and Landscaping Needs www.tx-resources.com info@tx-resources.com Brian Fraser 210-709-7656 ★ Manure Compost ★ Soil Mixes -3 in 1 Garden Mix -4 in 1 Garden Mix -Enriched Topsoil -Turf Dressing ★ Topsoil ★ Mulches

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Victor Rodriguez works out of Tex-Mix’s new plant on I-10 as the salesman for the San Antonio region.

ith six plants in the Central Texas region, Tex-Mix Concrete opened its first San Antonio facility in March. The new ready-mix plant on I-10 will expand the company’s service area to southern Comal County, Eastern Bexar County and Guadalupe County. The new location on the northeast side of the city includes a 10-acre plant and some small offices, all of which were built from the ground up. After completing the facility, Tex-Mix has more than 80 acres of extra land to be developed or sold. With a total fleet of more than 90 mixers, 10 mixer trucks are now at the new plant, and by the end of the summer, Logan Owens, CEO, hopes to have 14 employees at the facility. Meanwhile, management and key personnel are already in place. With Tex-Mix for nine years, Marvin Van Nostrand is currently running the plant as the area manager. With the com-

pany more than 10 years, Sam Martinez is the plant manager at the facility fulltime. With the company for three years, Victor Rodriguez is in charge of sales for the San Antonio region. “We’re really excited about the reception that we’ve received so far,” comments Owens, whose family owns the company. “Our customer base has a large presence in the market, and we’re entering the market to service those existing customers.” Owens adds that the industrial market is expanding in San Antonio and the company has been looking to expand to the Alamo City for years. Tex-Mix was started in 1996. With the San Antonio plant open and producing concrete for its clients in concrete contracting, general contracting and homebuilding, the company’s other locations include the Hutto, Georgetown, Leander, Old Manor, South Austin and San Marcos plants. –mh

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Page 14

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Finding level ground

Raising some green

Baker Triangle presented a check for $25,000 to the Wounded Warriors at the company’s annual charity golf tournament. L-R: Mike Sireno, Karah Smith, Ian Lennon, Jesus Archuleta Intertech Commercial Flooring’s San Antonio team with Mark Jones, a vice president and general manager of San Antonio, front and center

n innovation Intertech Commercial Flooring has adopted in the last two years was used on a project that recently earned the San Antonio branch national recognition. Mark Jones, vice president of San Antonio operations and general manager of the San Antonio branch, says the company has teamed up with Laticrete. The manufacturer has a product, Supercap, and designed a pump truck for its application. Intertech has done more work with this technology in the San Antonio market than any of its other locations. They have used it on various projects, including the University Health System Tower and the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. The latter project was a silver award winner at the 17th annual Starnet Design Awards. While this work in concrete leveling with Supercap has been positively impacting project costs and timelines to meet lean construction standards, Inter-

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tech still does just about everything from wood flooring and ceramic tile to carpet and raised access flooring. The San Antonio branch has 16 employees in the office and approximately 60 installers out in the field. They also strive to do everything in house. Recent jobs include a project for CPS and a Christus Santa Rosa Hospital. They are currently finishing the Frost Bank at Westover Hills, where they did 250,000sf of raised access flooring. The floor is six inches high so the electrical and data are run under it, and then Intertech put carpet tile on top of the raised access flooring. Jones has been with Intertech since day one, helping start the company in Austin in 1988 with three other founders, including Bill Imhoff, who is the sole owner. Intertech Commercial Flooring does installation, maintenance and design consultation and provides commercial flooring products. –mh

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o help support the Wounded Warrior Project, Baker Triangle hosted its eight annual golf tournament May 22 at Silverhorn Golf Club. –mh Winners: 1st: HD Supply – Sonny Vinton, Mike Sireno, Jacob Thormaehlen, Jimmy Altgelt, Alan Carouth

2nd: Bartlett Cocke – Chris Sorensen, Keith Powell, Howard Wiatrek, Jonathan Randolph 3rd: Georgia Pacific – Al Horcica, Martha Grissom, David Scurlock, Chris Sides Photos by Mary C. Haskin Photography

1st Place

TACCA comes back

he Lone Star State’s Air Conditioning Contractors Association (ACCA) is now an independent entity again. ACCA Texas reclaimed its previous name, Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association (TACCA) as of Apr. 1. Well known as TACCA since its founding in 1969, the state entity changed its name to ACCA Texas in 2000 when ACCA National brought chapters into affiliation under a federated structure from the top down starting with the national office, according to Todd McAllister, TACCA executive director. Since the chapters were affiliated at the national, state and local level, members were required to pay dues to all three entities. Earlier this year, ACCA made the decision at the national level to forego federation. Now, TACCA is separate from ACCA, and though McAllister says they still encourage members to join ACCA on the national level also, national membership is no longer required. Members will only have to pay dues to their local chapter and the overseeing state entity, TACCA. Though the name and logo have changed, McAllister and David Mathews, TACCA president, assure members that the local and state levels will continue with business as usual, offering the same services and hosting the same events as always. The 10 chapters that comprised ACCA Texas also remain the same under TACCA. Those chapters include Abilene, Austin, Coastal Bend, Greater Houston, High Plains, North Texas, Rio Grande Valley, Greater San Antonio, South Plains and Waco. In the 15 years under the name ACCA Texas and McAllister’s tenure as the state association’s executive director, he explains that the disaffiliation from national came about because everything about association business models and the way

David Mathews, president of TACCA

a nonprofit trade organization operates has changed. Mathews adds that national did the billing for all the state and local chapters, which was approximated to require about 400 different billing structures for dues across the country. The change will allow the TACCA board of directors to run the organization with autonomy. The only difference was that they had to adjust the dues structures for the local and state levels. The new organizational structure will benefit smaller contractors in the HVAC industry, as Mathews recalls that several small contractors could not afford to pay dues to all three levels of the association and subsequently left ACCA. McAllister observes that since returning to the familiar TACCA name, they’ve seen several small contractors come back. Mathews notes, “I think it’s a positive adjustment for contractors throughout the state, and I think it’s going to be a really good thing for us.” –mh

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Page 15

A lasting experience by Capt. Steve Schultz Sponsored by: Premier Yamaha Boating Center, Majek Boats, E-Z Bel Construction, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, ForEverlast Hunting and Fishing Products and Columbia Sportswear.

Tony Rios and son, Trent Rios of San Antonio, recently caught these sow trout that will both be mounted. Tony’s trout went 8 lbs. and was 30 in. while Trent’s fish was 26 in., 6 lbs. Both trout were released after photos by Capt. Steve Schultz.

ast month I had an opportunity to be part of something special. One of my sponsors approached me to see if I would be interested in being a part of a TV show that helps fatherless kids in the outdoors. The organization is called Majesty Outdoors. They focus on taking fatherless teenagers on their maiden outdoor adventure. Whether it be in the field or on the water, the show focuses more on educating the teen in the outdoors more than harvesting a large trophy animal or fish for the TV show. In addition, every teen who appears on Majesty Outdoors television is eligible to receive financial support to further their education beyond high school.

On this outing the sponsored teen, Stephen, was from the San Antonio area and he was joined by another gentleman Blodgett. On the first of two days Stephen set the pace fishing with Guide Preston Whitely by landing a 30-in. speckled trout. Both Stephen and Marty shared the camera time by catching speckled trout throughout the day. On day two, both anglers joined myself and Bill Blodgett for another day of trout and red fishing. The day started out fast and furious with both Stephen and Marty catching their limit of trout in less than an hour and continuing to catch keeper trout while looking for a trophy. Before long the trout bite turned off and we were in search of redfish. We transitioned over to the flats where we got out of the boat and commenced to wade a sandy flat for reds. Although red fishing was slow for the day, both gentlemen did manage to hook up on slot size reds and experience the pull of a true South Texas saltwater fish. What a great experience having these two young men on my boat for the day, along with two of the finest men in the industry, Bill Blodgett of Majesty Outdoors and Billy Gerke of ForEverlast Outdoor Products. If you are interested in helping out in any way, you can visit Majesty Outdoors website at majestyoutdoors.org. Also look up ForEverlast products at foreverlastonline.com for some of the finest hunting and fishing products in the industry. To schedule your next bay fishing trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361813-3716 or 361-334-3105 or e-mail him at SteveSchultzOutdoors @ gmail.com. Good luck and Good Fishing.

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Toro for Tero

Duke Portenier (right), Tero Technologies, along with Harry Ramirez (center) and Joseph Borrero (left), Data Optics Cable, recently embarked upon a memorable buffalo hunt in Medina. The three men were dwarfed by the bull that Portenier took down with his bow and only two arrows. The Portenier family had to purchase a new freezer to hold the 700 pounds of meat that was processed from the kill. –mh

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Page 16

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 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.am1300thezone.com

Oh Deer!

Summer heat can dry up smaller rain fed water sources. High temperatures are as hard on deer as anyone else and all they can do is endure them. Insect pests prey on them too. If you can help your deer endure these seasonal stresses better by being sure they still have adequate sources of water and plenty to eat you will see better antler grown as they finish up and more fawns surviving. Think about it. Nature is concerned with keeping the animal alive first. Horns and babies are just the icing on the cake. If you make sure the basic needs of the animal are fully met, then you get big horns and lots of fawns.

hat a year for deer! For the first time in years we do not have to worry about our whitetail deer making it through a hot, dry summer! This year plenty of rain and milder temperatures have turned Texas into a paradise for our wildlife. It seems like we have had a good fawn crop because the does have had plenty of food and water while they carried fawns. But just as important, they still have plenty while they are nursing and tending their young. In past years we have seen so many deer lost to the highways as they searched for water and fawns lost to predators while the does went out to find scarce food in the pastures. Not this year!

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The rain has brought us back our rivers and lakes just in time for us to enjoy time on the water this summer. As the waters settle down fishing is going to go from good to better and draw our attention to fishing, but we need to take a little time to think ahead to hunting season too. Do you realize that by July a buck’s antlers are already about 50% formed? From now until the velvet comes off in the fall they will be putting the finishing touches on those antlers. Up to this point the mild, wet weather has benefitted antler growth too, but now we are coming into the part of summer that can be stressful for deer.

This is the time of the year to do some planning and preparation for your hunting grounds. If you need to move feeders and blinds around, this is the time to do it. That way you have several weeks for the deer to get used to any changes you make in the pasture. Watch out for snakes and wasps and take care not to get too hot. It can be hot sweaty work this time of year, but you will be glad you got it done when you are sitting in that blind in November and that big buck steps out! Get that done and hook up the boat or call your favorite guide and head back to the water! Then you can enjoy your reunion with the lakes knowing what great hunting you’ll have in the fall!

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San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Page 17

Staggering scenery

L-R: Heye, Blackmon and Shuzch showed off their stags after a successful hunt in New Zealand. Blackmon’s scored 471 and Shuzch’s scored 445.

Heye harvested this red stag, which measured an impressive 420 inches of horn, while hunting in Wanganui, New Zealand.

t last year’s Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Banquet, Anthony Heye, Planet Pickup, and his longtime best friend Joey Blackmon, Ancira, bought a hunt for two with Wanganui Safaris in Wanganui, New Zealand. When Heye and Blackmon took the journey that had been on their bucket lists for about 20 years, joining them were Heye’s wife, Nanette; his daughter, Kindall, and her boyfriend, Scott; Black-

Nanette, Kindall and Scott rode a jet boat on the Wanganui River to a hiking trail that led to the Bridge to Nowhere, which is surrounded by rainforest on both sides.

Alaska awesome

mon’s wife; and Blackmon’s neighbor, Don Shuzch, who is also a very good friend of Heye. The men hunted and traveled the North Island for four days. They also went to a winery and experienced an early season snowfall, since it was fall in New Zealand at the time. “It was an amazing trip,” says Heye. Pretty much every place you go in New Zealand is a post card – it’s so beautiful!” –mh

Fishing buddies

L-R: Bruce Johnston, vice president, Quality Fence & Welding; Billy Mayes, Drive In Truck Salvage; and Craig Noto, president of Quality Fence, recently took a fishing trip to Port Aransas. –mh

Sue Johnson, Construction News, and her husband, Scott, went to Alaska in May. They are in front of Marjorie Glacier in Glacier Bay. “Pictures do not do justice to the beauty of nature up there,” said Sue. “I got to check Alaska and seeing humpback whales off my bucket list! It was a fabulous trip.” –sj

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San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Everyone digs a shindig

Arriving in Austin

L-R: Michael Carpenter, mayor of the City of Schertz; Michael Skrobarcek, Guadalupe County Constable; Robin Williams, Texas Tri-County Chamber; Jake Jacobs, Jacobs Ladder Painting; Daryl John, Schertz councilman; Teri Shelton, Travis Tile; and Tess Shelton, Intertech Flooring Alterman has expanded operations to Austin with a new office that will extend their 90 years of experience in the electrical industry to San Antonio’s nearest metropolitan neighbor. L-R: John Wright, president and CEO, and Chris Thiel, CFO

hile concentrating on growth and diversification in San Antonio, Alterman Inc. has taken its first step toward its long-term plan to grow geographically as well. Earlier this year, the electrical contractor established a presence in Austin. Alterman officially acquired Hill Electric Jan. 29. John Wright, president and CEO of Alterman, notes that the transition is going very well as they are picking up jobs as Alterman and helping to finish jobs that Hill had ongoing at the time of the acquisition, most of which will be finished by the end of the summer. Jack Hill founded Hill Electric in the 1960s. When he passed away a few years ago, Dana Hill, his daughter, and Bill Brooks, who helped run the company for more than 35 years, became the owners. Now, Hill’s daughter is helping with the transition, and Brooks will remain with Alterman as the director of operations in Austin. Seven office employees and approximately 35 people in the field have remained with the company to become Alterman’s Austin team. To aid in the transition, the project managers in Austin are being mentored by two of Alterman’s most senior project managers in San Antonio. One San Antonio employee has relocated to the Austin office to help with the transition to Alterman’s business policies and practices and to help implement the company’s business management software. Alterman has recently hired an

estimator who trained in San Antonio and joined the Austin office to support its growth. “The goal is to model their business after ours, our structure and the way we do business, which were very similar to begin with,” says Wright. “So, it’s not a difficult transition at all. “It was really an asset purchase, the idea being to have a good, strong core group of people that stayed with the company. That was exactly what we were looking for, because they’re the ones who have the relationships with suppliers, contractors and owners in Austin.” He explains that expanding to Austin made the most sense in starting to grow geographically, because they have a lot of common customers, vendors and suppliers that operate in both locations due to their proximity. “Austin and San Antonio are very similar markets,” he says. “Although they’re built on different economic drivers, they’re the two most recession-proof cities in the country. So, it’s great to have a presence in both, and we’re going to take Austin at a speed that we’re comfortable with. We want to see steady growth while maintaining the Hill and Alterman reputations.” Alterman Inc. is a 100-percent employee-owned San Antonio-based electrical contractor that was established by Nathan Alterman in 1923. The new Alterman office in Austin is located at 10100 North Lamar. –mh

he Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), American Subcontractors Association (ASA) and the Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association (TACCA) San Antonio chapters came to-

gether to host the first-ever Summer Shindig Jun. 18 at AmeriCRANE in Schertz. The fun mixer included barbecue, refreshments and prizes. –mh

L-R: Jessica Toledo, Blue Book Building & Construction Network, with her father, Monty Howard, Marmon Mok, and her mother, Marcella Howard, Blue Book Building & Construction Network

L-R: Rick Smith, Keller-Martin Construction; Sharon Cullen, and her son-in-law, Danny Foster, AmeriCRANE

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San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Page 19

To the theatre born

hough Robert Moritz, associate and design lead at DHR Architects, only took to the stage a little over four years ago, he has already appeared in more than a dozen productions in San Antonio community theatres. Born here in 1965, Moritz had never pursued acting in school or as a hobby in adulthood, but he had always harbored an interest in it. One day, he heard about an audition, and though he did not go, something sparked in him. Soon, he signed up on the website for the San Antonio Theatre Coalition (SATCO), which gave him access to the audition notices for the local community theatres. He answered a call for a part in “Monky Business” and he was cast as Abbott Costello, earning his first role in March 2011 at the Boerne Community Theatre. Today, Moritz is on the board for the theatre. His acting credits include playing Old Gobbo/Tubal in “Merchant of Venice,” J.P. Morgan in “Ragtime,” Baptista Minola in “Taming of the Shrew” and Lazar Wolf in “Fiddler on the Roof” – his favorite character he has played in one of his favorite shows. Currently, he is playing Admiral Boom in “Mary Poppins,” his 13th stage production, at the Woodlawn Theatre. He lists his skills as bass/baritone for singing and accents in Russian, Downeast New England, English, Southern and German. Acting is Moritz’s only hobby, accounting for a lot of

Robert Moritz (left), architect and associate at DHR Architects, performed in “Merchant of Venice” at the Classic Theatre.

Moritz (right) singing in “Fiddler on the Roof” at the Playhouse last year Photo by Siggi Ragnar

his time. Some of the theatres pay and some do not. But all shows require weeks of rehearsal leading up to the opening. He estimates that he spends at least six months of every year working about five nights a week on stage.

Last year, he auditioned 10 times and was cast in three shows, which he says kept him pretty busy. Moritz has been working at DHR since 1997 and has his bachelor’s degree in architectural design from UTSA. –mh

Industry FOLKS Angelica Coronado Proposal Writer

Tejas Premier Building Contractor

ecently marking her fifth anniversary with Tejas Premier Building Contractor, Angelica Coronado writes proposals for the general contracting company. With the support and encouragement of Julissa Carielo, president of Tejas Premier, Coronado has learned a lot and become more involved in the industry. A few years ago, at Carielo’s suggestion, Coronado became involved with the San Antonio Chapter of the Society for Design Administration (SDA). In December, she was voted president-elect, and she will take over as president in 2016. When she joined SDA, Coronado, a self-described introvert, never thought that one day she would be leading the association, which offers educational seminars for the architectural, engineering, and construction (A/E/C) industries on topics such as office organization and efficiency, insurance changes, payroll and taxes, and the best practices for archiving filing systems. Born and raised in New Braunfels, Coronado still lives there today with her husband of 13 years, Johnny, and their three children. Leila is 11, Francesca is 9, and their youngest, son Luca, is 6. All three play soccer, and their two daughters are into track. Her husband is the vitamin manager at Sprouts, formerly Sun Harvest, and he coaches Luca’s soccer team and is assistant coach for Leila’s soccer team. After high school, Coronado

moved to San Antonio to attend San Antonio College, where she worked her way through college at multiple jobs. She graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with her bachelor’s degree in Spanish, intending to be a Spanish teacher. The leasing company she worked for at the time offered her a full-time permanent position with comparable pay and the flexibility for her and her newlywed husband to start a family. For 15 years, she was their office manager and did the bookkeeping. When Carielo called her for help in Tejas Premier’s accounting office, Coronado accepted a position with the general contractor. During the course of her training, the person she was preparing to replace decided to stay, but Carielo had another position in mind for her, doing marketing and putting proposals together. In New Braunfels, she is chair of the fellowship team at First United Methodist Church, hosting church functions and participating in community events throughout the year. This year they will be offering sausage and chips, dubbing it the “Wurst” service, at Wurstfest. At home, she enjoys cooking and is getting back into swimming this summer. –mh

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Moritz (standing) in “Guys and Dolls” at the Playhouse in 2013 Photo by Siggi Ragnar

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San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Change of the century

Texas Apprentice Robert Cheek Brandt U.A. Local 142

Team members of the San Antonio-area Western Specialty Contractors in Selma

he 100th anniversary is commonly known as the “diamond” anniversary, but for Western Waterproofing Company in Dallas, the milestone will be marked not with a blinding carat, but with a brilliant change. The company is honoring the occasion with a rebranding effort for all of its nationwide branch offices and member companies to express its century-long evolution. Now known as Western Specialty Contractors, the name and logo change will help customers better understand the range of services available to them. The company, originally named to reflect its extensive waterproofing experience, has added both services and manpower over the years: Thirty branch offices (three are in Texas) and more than 1,200 employees nationwide make it the largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing and specialty roofing.

It’s an impressive feat for the Bishop family, who is now the third generation to run the business since it was founded in St. Louis by Ben Many and his brotherin-law George Bishop Sr. Between 1926 and 2008, Western acquired seven companies and opened more than 30 branches across the country. Western president Jeff Kelley says that the scope of business has grown from basements to commercial, institutional, government and industrial buildings, as well as sports stadiums and multi-level parking structures. “Quality and commitment have been a key for a family-owned business to be around for 100 years,” says Dan Wicht, San Antonio branch manager. “Rebranding has occurred in the past for Western Waterproofing; however, [the company] has been a ‘Specialty Contractor’ for a long time and now being part of the name will only aid in conveying our diversity of types of work.” –mjm/mh

www. constructionnews.net

pon his graduation from the U.A. Local 142 apprenticeship program, Robert Cheek, who has been a welder at Brandt for six years now, was recognized for several accomplishments during his time in the program and honored with a unique opportunity. During his time in the five-year program, Cheek never missed a single day or minute and was presented with a $250 check for his perfect attendance. He also won the welding part of the school’s annual apprenticeship contest two years in a row. Last year, he went on to compete against welders from all over Texas in Fort Worth, and this year, he did the same in Lubbock. “I also got recognized for being the only apprentice that has been invited to go to Ann Arbor, MI this August for one week of instructor training,” declares Cheek. “Next year at this time, I will be an instructor over there at the school teaching a welding class.” Cheek has a family member that is in the trade, so he came into the industry knowing a great deal about welding already. He previously worked for a non-union company, but now at Brandt, he feels his training from the union’s school taught him how to do his job on a more professional level. He believes the program made him a better and more well-rounded welder. He learned more about welding, but he also learned about plumbing and pipefitting, two skill sets he puts to use at work. While he mainly uses welding and pipefitting on the job, when those areas slow down, he is able to go over

to work with the plumbers because he is trained enough to be able to perform the work. “That school gave a good amount to my future,” he explains. “They asked me if I wanted to [be an instructor], and I was honored to say yes. I said yes because I feel that I want to give back to [the school and] the people that are up and coming in the trade. That way I help train people. I can contribute to putting out good craftsmen.” At home, Cheek has a 16-year-old son in high school who is on an after school hip-hop dance team. He comments, “He’s really good at it, and I don’t know where he got it from, because he didn’t get it from me.” Though Cheek hasn’t had a lot of time outside of work and class in the last few years, the San Antonio native enjoys cycling and he does a great deal of it all over Texas. He races mountain bikes, and in February, he took second place in an important time trial race here in San Antonio at McAllister Park. He also does some motorcycle riding. He has taken some cross-country rides, but it has been a while since he had time for one. Now that school is out, he is hoping to do some more traveling. –mh

Submitted to Construction News

Got their noses Quality Fence & Welding showed its ironclad support for raising awareness of poverty in America by wearing Red Nose stickers for Red Nose Day.

10843 Gulfdale San Antonio, TX 78216 210-829-1793 Serving the construction industry for over 28 years

L-R: Craig Noto, president, and Bruce Johnston, vice president, were among several employees who participated. –mh

Submitted to Construction News

Teddy bears go to the clinic

Sam Dawson (center), CEO of Pape-Dawson Engineers, and members of the Pape-Dawson Engineers Volunteer Council presented a check for $25,000 to the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio along with a collection of teddy bears for use in the hospital’s Teddy Bear Clinic. This was the first of five donations the firm’s Charitable Foundation will be making as part of the company’s 50th anniversary celebration. –mh

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Page 21

Industry FOLKS Holly Goodman Credit Manager

Lynwood Building Materials

fter marking her 23rd year with Lynwood Building Materials, Holly Goodman will be retiring at the end of this year. In more than two decades of building relationships as credit manager, she has left her mark on the company and has redefined what her job title says to their clients. “I think one of my accomplishments here has been getting the customers to understand that your credit manager at your supplier can be your best friend,” says Goodman. “A lot of times you come into this and credit people are known as the sales prevention department.” She notes that she has dispelled that notion and helped customers understand that she is there to help them and work with them, stating, “If there’s a will, there’s a way.” Knowing she will miss the customers makes her retirement bittersweet. She says, “I’ve made a lot of friends through

collecting if you can believe that.” She also met her husband, Jerry Goodman, through Lynwood. The two were divorced, and Jerry was a customer with Arahed Lathing, but she had never met or spoken to him. Two of Goodman’s co-workers encouraged her to ask him to the company Christmas party. She finally called him and he agreed to go, but when she hung up, she hadn’t told him when or where the party was. As a single parent who hadn’t dated in eight years, she was nervous about going on a date, but they had a great time and spent hours talking after the

party. On their second date, she let him know that she enjoyed his companionship but she hoped he wasn’t looking for a serious relationship. She recalls that he was fine with that because he didn’t even want to think about getting married again. A yearand-a-half later, they got married and they’ve been married for 13 years now. The couple lives in Seguin and has a place in Rockport where they like to fish. She used to compete in the women’s fishing tournaments often but not as much lately. She also hasn’t had much time to invest in her passion for showing horses. She used to show paint horses, but now she’s back to showing quarter horses, which she is looking forward to doing when she retires. In her first year of college, she was elected Miss South Texas Paint Horse Association and went on to win nationals for Miss APHA (American Paint Horse Association). So, she took a year off from college to travel representing the APHA. Goodman has a son, Halston Connella, who graduated from Cordon Bleu in Austin and is now a chef. She says he has turned her into a foodie. – mh

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ngineers from all areas of Texas gathered at the Texas Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE) Conference & 79th annual meeting at the Omni Houston Hotel in Houston Jun. 17-19. Julia M. Harrod, PE, F.NSPE, garnered the TSPE Engineer of the Year award and Ardita Dushi, PE, APMP, won the TSPE Young Engineer of the Year award. In addition, Nancy Blackwell, PE, AEI Engineering Inc., was installed as TSPE's new president. Seminar topics during the event addressed the professional, economic, social and political aspects of engineering in Texas. Exhibitors at the conference included ADS Pipe, Hobas Pipe, Horizon Environmental Services, Inc., JPH Land Surveying Inc., Lime Association of Texas, Locke Solutions, SAM Inc., Texas Concrete Pipe Association and Texas Hydrant Services. –ab

Nancy Blackwell, PE, AEI Engineering Inc.

TSPE Young Engineer of the Year, Ardita Dushi, PE, APMP, (right) receives her award from Harold “JR” Reddish, PE.

TSPE Engineer of the Year, Julia M. Harrod, PE, F.NSPE, receives her recognition from Harold “JR” Reddish, PE.

Page 22

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Submitted to Construction News

Scouting at the academy

Bowling them over

he Construction Careers Academy (CCA) and Earl Warren High School hosted the Northside ISD Construction Careers Fair May 21, welcoming vendors hoping to educate students about the current construction job market and fill open positions with up and coming talent. –mh

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SpawGlass Two teams from the San Antonio office of DBR Engineering participated in the AIA Spring Bowling League. Eight teams with members from the local architecture and engineering firms competed every Thursday night for 12 weeks, and in the end, DBR #2 took first place in the league: L-R: Ken Dowling, Jeanette Scarsdale and Ben Villafuerte. The other DBR team was awarded sixth place. –mh

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The Incoming 2015-2016 board of directors for PHCC Texas

he Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors (PHCC) Texas Convention was held Jun. 11-12 at Moody Gardens Resort in Galveston. PHCC San Antonio won the Chapter Excellence Award at the convention. Carter Ramzel, president of Benchmark Plumbing, who has recently served as president of the San Antonio Chapter, was installed as the 2015-16 president of PHCC Texas. All attendees were given sunglasses as Carter stated that it will be a bright year to come under his term. –mh

L-R: Milton Frank, Frank Plumbing, outgoing PHCC Texas president, and the incoming PHCC Texas president, Carter Ramzel, Benchmark Plumbing

L-R: Doug Trimble, Ferguson Enterprises; Perry Beyer Jr., Beyer Plumbing, PHCC-San Antonio president; Sam Dowdy, S&D Plumbing, PHCC-Austin president, Carter Ramzel, Benchmark Plumbing, 2015-2016 PHCC-Texas president; Randy Hunter, REC Industries-San Antonio, 20152016 PHCC-Texas zone director; and Pat Freund, Primo Plumbing

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Page 23

Calling all subs

Engineering family fun

The Blue Book Building & Construction Network

he Embassy Suites San Marcos Hotel Spa and Conference Center was a can’t miss destination for Austin and San Antonio subcontractors in late May, when The Blue Book Building & Construction Network held its annual GC Showcase. General contractors from all over Texas set up booths to make contact with

area subcontractors to help out with upcoming jobs. The Blue Book Building and Construction Network is a network in the commercial construction industry, with a member base comprised of general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, architects, engineers and utilities professionals. –ab

The SAABE Board of Directors at the annual picnic L-R: Louis Vega, second vice president; Britney Brantley, association manager; Roland Trevino, first vice president; Lee Moore, treasurer; Kendal Langenberg, membership chair; John Leifester, education chair; Randy Cummings, vendor rep

he San Antonio Association of Building Engineers (SAABE) held its 10th annual SAABE/Phil Anderson Memorial Picnic Jun. 13 at Kane’s Ol’ River Hideaway in New Braunfels. More than 60 guests enjoyed barbecue cooked by SAABE’s education chair, John Leifester, with help from Randy Cummings, vendor rep. SAABE also gave away door prizes and awards for its traditional horseshoe tournament. –mh

Horseshoe Tournament 1st Place: Nate Martinez, Lee Moore and his son, Lane Subcontractors network with general contractors at the GC showcase.

On the left: Michelle Bolt, social chair, and her daughter, Reagan

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San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Club cool

continued from Page 1 — His daughter’s hero I’ve made have been the right ones.” Now, at 36, Hilda is her father’s vice president, and they are getting ready to submit for 8(a) certification so that he can do the types of projects he loves, working with the Corps of Engineers. But that’s not where 8A gets its name. The name is actually a veiled version of Juan’s last name; 8 is ocho in Spanish, and adding an A after the 8 makes it Ochoa. The inspiration to use the number 8 actually came from the number Juan had in his days as a professional soccer player in Mexico. “He is a soccer fanatic,” Hilda explains. “He played for the Rayados professionally, and he was an amazing

soccer player. And to this day, he still feels like he can go out there and play. The man can still outrun me. He’s in incredible shape. This July, he will be 62.” Her father, who earned his degree in electrical engineering and can work on design-build projects, inspires Hilda, who remembers working on takeoffs with him when she was in elementary school. “I think my father and I make a really good team because he’s the technical person and I’m the person that’s out there doing the marketing,” she says. “For me, the goal is, at some point, to go back [to school] and get an electrical engineering or construction science degree. I would like nothing better than to be my dad at some point. I really admire and look up to him.” –mh

1st Place

he Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association (TACCA) Greater San Antonio Chapter hosted its 26th annual Golf Tournament Jun. 1 at the Club at Sonterra. –mh Winners 1st: Paul Naizer, Tony Sowa, Brad Gilbert, Dave Page

2nd: Jeff Jendrzey, Zach McManus, Michael Cervera, Daniel Upton 3rd: Jesse Delgado, John Richmond, Tim Megason, Brian Leonard Closest to the Pin: Brent Warner Longest Drive: Scott Flick

continued from Page 1 — Steel relevant “We’re looking at how we can work together for our end-user customers and contracts that allows us to all grow,” says Shea of the energy division that was formed as part of preparing the parent company for sale to Sonepar. In recent years, the company has also refocused its steel fabrication business and invested in equipment and people on the steel fabrication side. “We’ve moved away from the 20-story hotels and football stadiums and more towards shorter run miscellaneous steel,” he says. “We’ve gotten back on our feet and performed well enough that we actually made an acquisition in late 2012.” Acquiring SGS Industrial and its two locations in Pharr and Brownsville

strengthened AIW’s position in the Coastal Bend and Rio Grande Valley. This purchase added revenue and associates, and today, AIW has well over 100 employees. Shea adds that the acquisition is performing to plan. With so much history at AIW, Shea recalls that the director of procurement and supply chain management for one of AIW’s large customers said something that resonated with him: “You’ve been in business for 140 years, and you’re still relevant. That says something about your model.” Alamo Iron Works is a privately-held distributor specializing in steel, fabrication and rebar products. –mh

continued from Page 1 — A Page out of the book on teamwork

RC Page Construction and Big State Electric created a Hill Country atmosphere to greet guests when they walk in the door. Photo by Bibb Gault Photography

“Our relationship goes back many years, and a positive aspect was the level of trust between the two of us,” Page comments. “Vince was probably one of the best owners I’ve ever worked for because of his understanding of the components that go into a building – some owners don’t understand what we’re doing out there. That was a unique plus for the project, because we had a very educated owner that understands construction. And that made the project go really smoothly, and he’s really happy [with the results].” In a recent interview, Real remarked that the Big State logo projected on the conference room wall and the floor tile make for a grand entrance into the new office, and they’re the first things visitors comment on when they walk in the door. He also noted that the front of their office building has the same design to keep the Hill Country feel of the old one, with a masonry front and rock columns. The interior has a lot of wood tile and ceramic, using no vinyl. “It’s one of the nicest buildings inside that I’ve done in a long time,” Page observes, noting that he feels Real upgraded the finishes and created a good flow to the building. The offices all face the exterior so

that every management or admin team member has a window. The conference room, plan room, kitchen and restrooms are all in a central location in the middle of the building, making the building very efficient and user friendly. The project took approximately fiveand-a-half months to complete, finishing in April. The project manager on the job was Matt Sawtelle, and the superintendent was Vince Rosas. The architect was JMS Architects, and the landscape architect was MP Studio. Chester Spaulding was the structural engineer. Ed Monaco was the MEP engineer. Native American Contracting was the metal building contractor. Ella SA Contracting did the civil work. G.D. Interiors did the drywall. Chapman Brothers did the paving, and Boulder Contracting did the concrete. Other subcontractors on the job included Allegiance Floors, Beyer Mechanical, Lundberg Masonry and Thad Ziegler Glass. Clay Page founded R.C. Page Construction in 2013. The commercial general contractor works in the private sector doing commercial, industrial, retail and interior projects including large offices and warehouses. –mh

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Page 25

Electrical Industry Wired for change Mark Coshal IEC San Antonio, Instructor IES Commercial, Superintendent San Antonio, TX

he National Electrical Code (NEC) is published every three years, and each new edition brings changes to the electrical industry. When the local building codes change, the impact is even more drastic and immediate, according to Mark Coshal, a third-year curriculum instructor for the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) San Antonio Chapter and a superintendent for IES Commercial. At 38, Coshal has been working in electrical for 15 years, 12 of which have been with IES. He has been an instructor at IEC for eight years, and in 2013, he earned national recognition as Instructor of the Year. He is also on IEC’s book review committee, which writes the curriculum and keeps it updated. His experience in the field and as an educator, who also spends time in the IEC classroom as a student to stay current, affords him a good opportunity to keep up with the amount of changes in the industry, which he feels is one of the most difficult things about being in electrical. “We get a new code every three years, and so we have to keep up with that,” says Coshal. “But then, technology changes, and every time they add a com-

puter or add a different type of light fixture or even just changing out a regular incandescent lamp for one of those little compact fluorescents that everybody is going to now – it makes an impact on the way that things have to be wired in the [projects] from the ground up.” With these changes in technology, he observes that the code book is now covering areas that were not there in the past, including circuitry and electronics as well as solar power and green energy. With standards leaning toward the green, that adds to the complexity of those electrical jobs. “One of the issues with going greener is that you get a bunch of transient loads on your circuitry that causes an increase in ampacity on your neutral wires,” he explains. “The first thing that

Never stop learning Luis Lopez, Owner LPZ Electric LLC Austin, TX experienced electricians. Ask questions and keep learning every day.

hat is your perspective about the state of the construction industry? Commercial construction is strong in 2015. We have had plenty of work this year. I have noticed there are lots of restaurant and retail projects going up these days. Right now it seems everyone is busy in the electrical trade, as well as other construction trades. Why did you become an electrician? I have worked in the electrical trade since 1998. I was intrigued with wiring buildings. I started my career as a helper, worked my way up to work on more commercial jobs and eventually started my own company. What are the keys to success? Rapid service and dedication to 100 percent customer satisfaction are the keys to success. It is important to have competitive and fair prices. You have to put in long hours in the electrical trade. Sometimes we work 10 to 12 hour days. Be prompt on every job. Offer efficient, timely service whether it is for a minor renovation or a new complete build-out. If a young person wants to work as an electrician, what advice would you give him or her? I think it is a good idea to start in the field but it is also helpful to sign up for apprenticeship classes. Learn everything you can from more

What qualities do you look for in new employees? When I hire new employees, I look for responsible, reliable, honest and hardworking people. You don’t want to hire someone

went away was what they call multi-wire branch circuits, which is sharing of neutral loads on different circuits. They’re requiring independent neutrals for everything, which adds wire to the job, adds circuit ampacity, which increases wire size, and in essence, it makes the job cost more money. “They’re going to save money in the long run by running a more efficient light bulb essentially, but in the initial cost, it’s pretty substantial. There’s quite a bit more wire to be pulled. There’s larger wire that has to be pulled. The transformers associated with all of those circuits have to be increased in size to be able to handle the increase in capacitance on the wires. “It’s changed the way that everything is circuited. It’s changed the way that we route our conduits. It’s changed the way that we size all of our conduits and our wire and then, of course, the cost impact. So, we have more work going into a job.” Meanwhile, the industry is still suffering a labor shortage. More work going into a job means more labor to get the job done on accelerated schedules. With the field being drastically undermanned, Coshal comments that they need more people who know what they are doing and the IEC apprenticeship school helps to turn installers into electricians by preparing them for their journeyman test to get their license. He believes the key is to

get the knowledge out there so the people in the field understand the changes that are happening – why they are upsizing neutrals and why transformers are getting bigger, for example. “In the field, we see it on a print and then we do it,” he says. “But in the classroom, you’re able to teach them why that’s happening. You can actually show them the physical difference that is being produced by the different types of greener things and it doesn’t just have to do with the green stuff. “Computers do the same thing. With everything becoming more and more computer-oriented, you have more and more circuitry in buildings for computers, and they do the same thing. They produce a capacitive load that increases neutral demand. A lot of it is taken care of with the code and we have to adapt the curriculum to meet that code and to teach what’s new going on in the field.” While many of his students are new hires, some are also people who have been in the industry for a while, because in the electrical industry, knowledge really is power. “A person that understands why he or she is running a wire from point A to point B is more valuable than a person that has to be told, ‘Okay, pull that wire from point A to point B.’ Contractors will hire new people and want to put them in school to get them to learn.” –mh

who doesn’t show up to the job. I look for someone who has good communication skills, too.

entire team. They are a great group of people. In addition, I like working outside on nice days. I do spend time at the office, but I really like getting out in the field.

How have you seen your industry change since you began working in the trade? There are new and improved tools and equipment nowadays. Technology has advanced so much since I first began working in the trade. Residential and commercial customers also want more energy-efficient accent lighting and general illumination for their homes and businesses. Why is your job rewarding? I just love it. I enjoy working with my

What is on the horizon for the electrical trade? I think the electrical trade will continue to improve in the future. If young people don’t want to go to college, they can always sign up for apprenticeship classes in their area. I hope more folks will enter the trade right out of high school. It is a great way to make a living. We need more hardworking people to enter the trade. –ab

Page 26

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Electrical Industry Growth strong, skilled labor weak Thayer Long, Executive Vice President/CEO Independent Electrical Contractors Alexandria, VA

ow would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms? Have you heard of an increase or slowdown in business? Generally, the construction industry is strong in the vast majority of the country. It is still rebounding from the economic downturn, but the majority of business owners are cautiously optimistic about the future and that the increased business will continue. Most sectors (i.e. healthcare, education, manufacturing and commercial) are experiencing an incline in work and state and local government investment in infrastructure is also driving growth. What factors are driving this increase/ slowdown? A healthier economy is certainly a

huge help to any recovery. This leads to more confident business owners and consumers. What are the “hot button” issues in your industry? The largest threat to the electrical industry is a shortage in skilled labor. Electrical contractors across the country are struggling to find individuals who want to join this rewarding and lucrative occupation. There are very unique opportunities available to electricians, including apprenticeship, that allows students to earn money and gain on-the-job skills to accompany their classroom learning. Additionally, electrician is a very entrepreneurial field. We have many people who have graduated from our apprentice program and worked for a contractor for

years then opened their business. What is on the horizon for your industry? Changes in technology; equipment; materials? Technology is changing in the industry. To combat the labor shortage, companies must be more efficient in handling and installing electrical material. Building Information Modeling (BIM) and other tools increase the need for digital availability. The adoption of smart devices has been prevalent on jobsites. The technological improvements are going to continue to positively impact the construction industry. With the recent emphasis on green building, what is the most environmentally friendly change relating to your industry? Lighting and lighting controls have been a recent revolution in electrical work. This includes using more energy efficient lighting fixtures, controlling and automating lighting for maximum efficiency, and energy use for heating and cooling system. According to the Energy Information Administration, 60% of an office building electricity is used in lighting, cooling and venting the space. With

their impact on so many different systems, electrical contractors are leading the way on making substantive improvements to buildings’ energy-efficiency. What cost increases relate to your industry? Commodity and material costs are always fluctuating, driven by normal courses of supply/demand globally. Wages rates are starting to rise markedly, and will continue to do so with labor shortages and again, economics of supply and demand. What are the rewards of the industry? A career in electrical involves working in a challenging, sophisticated, and technologically evolving industry. It provides one with a lifetime skill and endless education due to the constant construction evolutions. Electricians will always be in high demand and continue to provide high wages. IEC is a trade association representing more than 3,000 members with 53 chapters nationwide. IEC is the nation’s premier trade association representing America’s independent electrical and systems contractors. –cw

Shooting the summer breeze

1st Place - Women

Elliott Electric Supply L-R: Greg Hayes, Mark Medina, Stephen Shinn, Tanner Flowers

Alterman, Inc. Big State Electric Company, Inc. CDI Technology Services Cheyenne SA Electric, Inc. Diversified Power and Control, LLC Fisk Electric Company Gueldner Electric Company Harper Wood Electric Klecka Electric Rosendin Electric Texas Chiller Systems South Texas Chapter 16607 Blanco Road, Suite 1105 • San Antonio, Tx 78232 (210) 226-6331 Fax (210) 224-8904 www.necasa.org

he Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) San Antonio Chapter hosted its seventh annual Sporting Clay Fun Shoot Jun. 12 at the San Antonio Gun Club. –mh Winners: Men – Flight 1 1st: Gary Anglin (47) 2nd: Robert Yarborough (47) 3rd: Mike Oliver (46) Men – Flight 2 1st: Matt Thompson (35) 2nd: Pete Cervantes (35) 3rd: Eddie Miranda (35) Men – Flight 3 1st: Eleazar Trevino (28)

Prime Controls L-R: Brennan Lane, Chad Kunkel, Gary Anglin

2nd: Tim Eurton (28) 3rd: Tom Boland (28) Women – Flight 1 1st: Tricia Kocurek (41) 2nd: Rebecca Mitchell (33) 3rd: Amanda Garcia (15) Team 1st: Gunn Automotive (131) – Michael Oliver, Ryan Garcia, Tricia Kocurek 2nd: Prime Controls (128) – Gary Anglin, Chad Kunkel, Brennan Lane 3rd: Davila Electric (122) – Mark Davila, Mike Carlyon, Steven Shinn

San Antonio Construction News â&#x20AC;˘ Jul 2015

Page 27

Electrical Industry Solar up, copper theft down Dave Riddle, Owner Dave Riddle Electric Company Farmers Branch, TX

ow would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms? Have you heard of an increase or slowdown in business? Our goal for our team is to work together to provide a â&#x20AC;&#x153;job well done.â&#x20AC;? We are blessed to be where we are, when we are. Northeast Texas is such a healthy business environment that will continue to grow well into the future. Having more businesses come to the D/FW metroplex will increase the population coming into D/FW. The demand for work increases, and that is where the industry is at right now. It is a wonderful time to be in the area with the new companies springing up all over. What factors are driving this increase? This area is attractive to business because of the weather, resources and tax

structure. Anytime an area is as healthy as D/FW, people are going to be drawn to it. What are the â&#x20AC;&#x153;hot buttonâ&#x20AC;? issues in your industry? Safety training is a constant requirement. Weekly safety meetings at the job site with specific subjects relevant to the project will help increase awareness. Continuing education and code changes are most important. What is on the horizon for your industry? Solar power, energy saving lights and controls and continuing education are all-important. Riddle Electric is pursuing and completing projects outside of the D/FW area, but within the state. With the recent emphasis on green

building, what is the most environmentally friendly change relating to your industry? There are a few, actually: recycling, installation of solar panels, daylighting and lighting controls. Riddle Electric currently has solar panels installed on our building and have had them for a few years now.

relationships with others in the industry, and the satisfaction of being a part of building our community. We have done many projects within the state of Texas and we are proud to have our name attached to them. We are constantly developing new relationships with contractors and businesses that help us grow as a community and as a business.

What are the cost increases related to your industry? Healthcare, energy code requirements, and the fluctuating cost of raw materials are a few possible increases within the industry.

What are the keys to being successful? Working a project from conceptual budgets all the way to completion. Estimating, bidding and working the job to completion with people that take pride in their job is our goal. Having a stable base of employees will greatly impact the relationships with the customer. They can depend on excellent quality because they have come to know and trust the employees on a regular basis.

Has the theft of copper affected pricing of work? No, not yet. We have seen copper theft decline, since recycling companies started requiring driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s licenses and a job name before accepting material. Keeping the job sites locked overnight will reduce the amount of theft if there is any. What are the rewards of the industry? There are many rewards that we have experienced. Watching our employees grow with their families, developing

Dave Riddle Electric Company has been serving the commercial electric needs of the D/FW area for more than 28 years. Established in Houston in 1974 and relocated to Farmers Branch in 1984, the company serves the educational, religious, healthcare, facility, retail, corporate and restaurant markets. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;mjm

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She manages it all Extra Papers?

he new association manager for the San Antonio Association of Building Engineers (SAABE), Britney Brantley, can appreciate all the work that SAABEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s members do from a unique perspective. At the same time she took on her new role with the association, she returned to working as an assistant property manager. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like building relationships with the building engineers,â&#x20AC;? says Brantley, 30. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite get as much credit as they deserve the majority of the time, because without them, property managers could not do what they do.â&#x20AC;? Brantley grew up in Austin and graduated from high school in 2003. For three years, she lived in California, and that was where she started working in residential real estate. She moved to San Antonio eight years ago and landed a temp position as an administrative assistant for a property manager. From there, she progressed to assistant property manager, working for various companies in different buildings throughout San Antonio over the course of about five years. A couple of years ago she left work while pregnant with her son, Christopher, whom she calls Topher. Now, he is more than 1 year old, and she spends pretty much all of her free time with him, going to the park and spending as much time with him as she can. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I went back to work, I started working for the Building Owner Management Association, BOMA, for the property managers. When I went back to work full-time as an assistant property manager, this position opened up with SAABE. The hours are really flexible, and I have the experience and the time to do

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www.constructionnews.net Select â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rack Locationsâ&#x20AC;? for a complete list of all rack locations where newspapers can be picked up. it. So, they brought me on board.â&#x20AC;? As of December of last year, she has been working for a commercial property management company full-time, doing a lot on the accounting side. Since Jan. 1, she has also been managing the association. Though her contract had ended, the former association manager, Mary Halvorsen, helped Brantley transition into her new position, and Brantley notes that Halvorsen was great and helped her immensely. As association manager, she does the accounting, puts together the membership directory, and organizes events including luncheons and board meetings, as well as the SAABE picnic and holiday social. One of her biggest goals is to build SAABEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s membership. She also plans to get the website updated, noting that one of their goals for the end of this year and early next year is to bring the membership directory online so members can access it at any time and it will be up to date at all times. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;mh

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Page 28

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Round-Up Samrawit “Sam” Haile, EIT, has joined Raba Kisnter Consultants as a project engineer. She will provide geotechnical engineering in the San Antonio and surrounding areas. Before joining the firm, she was a graduate engineer in the Dallas area. Before this, she worked as an engineering tech for TxDOT and as a junior design engineer and foundation and tower erection supervisor in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where she earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with a concentration in geotechnical engineering from Addis Ababa University. She earned her master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Round-Up Submissions

This is a monthly section for brief company announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of charge, as space allows. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Email (w/digital photo, if available) by the 15th of any month, for the next month’s issue (published 1st of each month). Email info to appropriate city issue, with “Round-Up” in the subject line: –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– San Antonio

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A hot mixer

embers of the A/E/C industry gathered at the Cleary Zimmermann Slab behind the Center for Architecture for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) San Antonio Chapter’s 2015 Summer Product Expo. The event drew more than 30 vendors showing new products and technologies and guests who came from many different parts of Texas, including Houston and Kerrville, to network and visit with vendors, and to enjoy hotdogs and hamburgers for lunch and a chance to win prizes. –mh

RVK Architects L-R: Claudia Chavez, Denise Valentine, Taylor Jones

Association Calendar

Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC

HCA de San Antonio

Associated Builders & Contractors

Hispanic Contractors Association

All events are held at the ABC office unless otherwise stated. Jul. 6: Future Leaders Task Force meeting; 4pm; contact Steven Schultz at steve@ abcsouthtexas.org Jul. 15: Government Affairs Committee meeting; 7:30am; for more information, contact Steven Schultz at steve@abcsouthtexas.org. Safety and Health Committee meeting; noon; contact Dana Hickman at dana@abcsouthtexas.org Jul. 22: Apprenticeship Committee meeting; noon; contact Dana Hickman at dana@abcsouthtexas.org Jul. 30: Workforce Development Committee meeting; noon; contact Chris Preetorius at chris@abcsouthtexas.org

Jul. 24: 6th Annual Excellence Through Diversity Awards Gala; The Eilan Hotel and Resort; 6pm; deadline for registration and sponsorship is Jul. 18; call 210444-1100, visit www.hcadesa.org or email admin@hcadesa.org

AGC Associated General Contractors

All events are held at the AGC office unless otherwise stated. Jul. 9: IBTX EMR Changes, 8:30am Jul. 10: Beginner Scheduling Workshop with Computer Applications, 8am-5pm Jul. 17: CLF Lunch & Learn: LEED MySpace or Facebook, 11:45am Jul. 21: Midyear Economic Forum; Sunset Station; noon-1:30pm; speakers Ken Simonson, AGC of America, and Mario Hernandez, president of the San Antonio EDF; to make reservation or for more info, call 210-349-4921 Jul. 23: Safety Training: Crane Signaling/ Rigging, 7:30am Jul. 28: CLF Steering Council mtg, noon Jul. 28-31: 38th Annual TBB Convention, Resort at Squaw Creek, Lake Tahoe, NV

L-R: Nicki Marrone, Alamo Architects; Jessica Soliz, Casey Annunzio and Ginger Johnson, Munoz & Co.

American Institute of Architects

Stantec L-R: Eddie Rosillo and Joe Romo

Jul. 1: Building Enclosure Council Book Club meeting, 11:30am-1pm, The Center for Architecture Jul. 6: Latinos In Architecture Committee meeting, 5:30-7pm, The Center for Architecture Jul. 13: Building Science Happy Hour, 6:30-8pm, Ocho on Navarro Jul. 27: Chapter meeting; noon-1pm; The Fiesta Room of Luby’s, 911 N. Main Avenue; no RSVP, $25 Jul. 31: Shoot’N’Skoot; Sporting Clay and BBQ Cook-Off, National Shooting Complex, visit www.aiasa.org

AIA

ASA American Subcontractors Association

Jul. 8: Joint Board meeting

CMAA Construction Mgmt.t Assn. of America

Jul. 23: Meeting; Fergusons Showroom; 11:30am-1pm; includes lunch; guest speaker is Doug Meeks; email Brian Beach at btb@freese.com or see www.sctxcmaa.org Steve Mechler & Associates L-R: Tom Knight and Dan Knight

L-R: Karen Eppright, Forever Green Concrete Forms, and Victor Yakin, APCS

Structural Steel Products Pipe, Tubing, Plate & Sheets Metal Building Materials Ornamental Iron & Accessories Cast Iron Spears Fittings Decorative Castings & Designs Toll Free Welders Welding Supplies & Accessories Fax Power Tools Abrasives Shop & Safety Supplies 2042 W. Thompson @ Port San Antonio Paint & Machinery San Antonio, TX 78226 Trailer Products Access Control Products Gate & Door Hardware Pipe Bollards Gate Operators–Farm/Ranch Precut – Painted Residential/Commercial 6-5/8” OD X .188 wall X 7 Ft

210.431.0088 800.725.4776 210.431.0701 www.sss-steel.com

ECAT Earthmoving Contractors Assn. of Tx

Jul. 17-18: 57th Annual Membership meeting; Hilton Garden Inn, Temple; includes skeet and trap shooting contest, tour of Sandy Creek Power Plant, awards banquet, annual membership meeting, board of director’s meeting; speakers from USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Equify Financial, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas Comptroller’s Office; members and prospective members are welcome; for late registration, contact the ECAT office; for more info visit www.earthmovingcontractors.com or call 830-629-1620

GSABA Greater SA Builders Association

Jul. 1: Membership Committee Jul. 8: SMC Jul. 9: Associate Happy Hour Jul. 16: Building Believers Jul. 18: Summit Awards Jul. 22: YPLC Jul. 23: Membership Mixer, San Marcos Iron Doors Jul. 31-Aug. 1: Fishing Tournament

IEC Independent Electrical Contractors

All events are held at the IEC office unless otherwise stated. Jul. 3: IEC Office closed in observance of Independence Day Jul. 6: Continuing Education Class, 5-9pm Jul. 12-17: National A&T Committee meeting, Colorado Jul. 15-18: Executive Director Retreat, Gatlinburg, TN Jul. 18: Electrical Maintenance Technician Class, 8am-5pm Jul. 21: A&T Committee meeting, 11am Jul. 22: Board of Directors meeting, 11am For more info call 210-431-9861 or visit www.iecsanantonio.com

MCA–SMACNA Mechanical Contractors Association Sheet Metal & A/C Nat’l Assn.

Jul. 1: Regular and Associates meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30am Jul. 8: 12th MCA Texas Annual Conference & Product Show – Lost Pines Resort, Bastrop Jul. 15: Joint Industry Fund meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30am

NAWIC Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Jul. 1: General Board meeting; Petroleum Club 5:30pm; Wounded Warriors speaker Jul. 16: Board meeting, Urban Concrete Office, 5:45pm Jul. 24: Contracts 101 Luncheon, Workplace Resource, 11:30am-1pm, RSVP required

PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors

Jul. 9: Silverhorn Golf Course, Clubhouse speaker CPS Energy

RCAT Roofing Contractors Assn. of Tx.

Jul. 16-18: Summer Membership Meeting/Seminars; Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa, Cedar Creek, TX near Austin; testing for the RCAT Licensed Roofing Contractor will be held Jul. 16 from 8am-noon; seminars Jul. 16 from 1-5pm and Jul. 17 from 8-10am

SAABE SA Assn. of Building Engineers

Jul. 2: First Thursday Training, 11:30am Jul. 16: Good, Bad & Ugly Committee meeting, 11:30 am Jul. 22: Membership Luncheon, 11:30am

SAMCA SA Masonry Contractors Assn.

Jul. 17-18: Annual Fishing Tournament, Redfish Bay Boathouse, Aransas Pass; $300 per boat with 4 anglers Jul. 29: Membership meeting, Pappadeaux Restaurant, 76 NE Loop 410; noon; $30 per person Contact Debbie at 830-606-5556

SDA Society for Design Administration

Jul. 18: Networking Brunch; 10am-noon; Candlelight Coffee House, 3011 N. St. Mary’s St.; for info, email cdelgado@ lehmanneng.com

USGBC U.S. Green Building Council

Jul. 9: Monthly Chapter Luncheon: International Energy Conservation Codes in San Antonio Jul. 21: N. Tx. Sustainable Showcase

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Page 29

Proud to be a quitter

Top of the BlueLine

When Greg Kanning decided to quit tobacco, he put the funds he saved to good use.

L-R: Chuck Graves, branch manager of BlueLine’s Selma location; Wesley Johnson, Joeris; Stan Rothman, BlueLine; Jeff Satcher, Joeris

n 32 years of using tobacco, Greg Kanning, president of Dumas Hardware, never thought of quitting, but now that he has, he is using the money he has saved on cans of snuff to support charitable organizations that fight health issues near and dear to his heart. In April of last year, Kanning was trying to get his diabetes under control and get healthy. He also realized how much money he was spending on tobacco, and he asked himself why he was still using it if he was trying to get healthy. So, he decided to quit. By his own estimates, he was going through about 10 cans of Copenhagen a week – between 520 and 550 cans of snuff a year – at around $6 a can. When he realized he was spending about $250 to $300 a month on tobacco, he set up a separate account at his bank, and every paycheck, he deposited the money he would normally spend on tobacco into that account. He soon realized that there was nothing he really wanted to do with the money as it accumulated. So, he started donating it to the American Diabetes Association because of his own struggle with diabetes. Then, a few people close to him were diagnosed with cancer, and

he donated some of that money to the American Cancer Society. Then, as a lifelong baseball fan, Kanning heard that Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn succumbed to his battle with cancer caused by smokeless tobacco at the age of 54. The news hit around the same time Kanning quit, and since then, he has given money to the Tony Gwynn Foundation, which is aimed at educating young athletes about the dangers of smokeless tobacco use. Kanning continues to use the funds that build up in his special account to support these three organizations. He prefers not to donate lump sums, but to donate by participating in or supporting the events that those organizations use to raise money. For instance, one of his friends who had cancer for the second time and is in his late 30s participated in a fashion show the local cancer society held using cancer patients and survivors. So, Kanning bought tickets for himself and a group of others to attend. He’s also donated to walks for diabetes. At 45, Kanning feels great about having overcome what he says is definitely an addiction. Now, his ruined gums have grown back, and he is able to support some good causes. –mh

o help customers become better acquainted with BlueLine Rental and their new equipment, the Selma facility hosted a Top of the Line Equipment Expo Jun. 11. Expecting upward of 100 guests, BlueLine offered lunch to show its customer appreciation and brought in manufacturer’s representatives to answer any questions customers might have and show them the new technology available. –mh SpawGlass L-R: Christina Aguillon and Holly Freeman

L-R: Joni Huffstutler and Mary Sweet, Surmac; Chuck Brayden, BlueLine

L-R: Rodney Lines, TD Industries, and Chris Preetorius, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)

Industry FOLKS Dustin Hicks

United Pump Supply L-R: Lesley Bolcato, Alan Lopez, Michael Farrell, Danny Togo

Marketing and Proposal Specialist

Sundt

hen Dustin Hicks moved to Texas from Vancouver, B.C., he actively pursued a career at Sundt and was hired in June of last year. Now, as a marketing and proposal specialist, he handles internal and external marketing. On the internal side of his job, he responds to pre-qualifications and requests for proposals, which is his main focus, and prepares for client interviews. On the external side, he handles advertising, prepares marketing material for owners and submits project information for awards. Hicks, 31, is also actively involved in the Sustainability Committee and volunteers with the Sundt Foundation, a charitable entity set up by Sundt to give back on the local level. With the Sundt Foundation, Hicks has presented checks to charitable organizations and toured their facilities to see the work they do. He has learned a lot about organizations such as Kinetic Kids, which allows children with special needs to enjoy sports, and Boys Town. “[Boys Town] has counselors there to speak to kids from troubled homes,” recalls Hicks. “This one particular counselor handles quite young children, and she works with them in an interactive counseling way, and they have these Lego cities that they’ve built. She has them on these shelves, and she wanted a shelf that pulls out so that she can display them. So, a couple guys here, including myself, built her a

book shelf that has sliding shelves for the Lego city.” Though Hicks was born in Salt Lake City, UT, he grew up in Western Canada. His family owns a bison ranch in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. He studied English at Capilano University in North Vancouver, B.C. and spent three years in the field as a surveyor for mining exploration and hydroelectric projects in B.C., Alaska and Minnesota. Soon, he transitioned into the office, assisting engineers with feasibility studies and proposals. He spent three years with a green energy development firm and then took the opportunity to work on bigger projects, including highway infrastructure, light rail and power projects and proposals, as a business development specialist with Kiewit Corporation. His family also has a background in ice hockey. He played growing up and hockey is a passion of his. Today, during the season, he works for the American Hockey League as an off-ice official at the San Antonio Rampage games. When he isn’t at the office or in the arena, he is exploring the outdoors and state parks with his wife, Sarah. The two met in B.C., moved to the Lone Star State together and were married last August on a ranch in West Texas. –mh

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San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

Young and restless

Construction News ON LOCATION

Who you gonna call?

When he’s not running the company or racing, Rusty Young, president of Young Bros. Fire Protection, enjoys fishing on the coast.

he iron is always hot at Young Bros. Fire Protection. Rusty Young, president, says that business used to slow down around Christmastime, but now they are always busy. “Actually over the last couple of years, we’ve actually turned down a lot of work,” says Young. “We’re booked up for at least two years right now.” The majority of their projects is in the San Antonio area and comes from repeat customers. One of their biggest customers, HEB, has been taking them to different parts of Texas as the chain expands. They are also working on some very large school projects, including the Kallison Ranch project in Northside ISD. Young Bros. was established in 1983. In 2012, Young bought out his partner and became the sole owner. The company has about 50 employees, including his wife, Lori Young, office manager; his mother, Doris Young, accountant; and his sons, Clayton Young, project engi-

neer, and Coby Young, field supervisor. Other key employees include Luke Williamson, sales; Josh Everly, project engineer; Jessie James, shop foreman; Gilbert Rosas, purchasing; Tyler Towles, assistant field supervisor; and Raul Sanchez, engineering. With his company keeping so busy, Young doesn’t get to go fishing at the coast much anymore. So, he goes out locally to have fun firing up an engine and racing. At 54, he’s racing dwarf cars, which have motorcycle motors and are a 5/8-scale racecar. Racing ever since he was younger, he has raced top fuel drag boats, ATVs, legend cars and trucks. He has also been playing in basketball leagues year-round for the past 30 years. Young Bros. Fire Protection does primarily contract work on new installations, accounting for 90 percent of the company’s business. The company also does its fabrication and design in house at its Helotes location. –mh

L-R: Kyle Wallace, intern; Tanner Merrill, counter sales; and Cory Moore, will call counter, stand in the Will Call area of the new home of Elliott Electric Supply on Broadway. –mh

Their new journey(men)

The Local 142 Apprenticeship Class of 2015

H Location H Location Austin H Location H Location San Antonio H Location Publishing the Industry’s News . . .

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he San Antonio Area Plumbers & Pipefitter Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee recently celebrated the graduation of UA Local 142’s 2015 apprenticeship class. Approximately 180 attendees came to the ceremony May 30 at the Embassy Suites to see 35 apprentices become journeymen. The Mechanical and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (MCA-SMACNA) of San Antonio awarded $500 to graduates who earned top honors. They also awarded $250 to those who earned attendance awards for not missing a day in their five years of school: Robert Cheek, Joshua Jenschke and Alejandro Quintanilla.

Students who participated in local and state apprenticeship contests also earned awards: Jared Lipke (plumber contest), Stuart Miller (pipefitter contest) and Robert Cheek, (welder contest) –mh

Top Honors – Plumber: Michael Lopez

Top Honors – Pipefitter: Stuart Miller

Top Honors – HVAC Service: Daniel Garland

San Antonio Construction News • Jul 2015

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Industry FOLKS Nathan McGann Project Manager Yantis Company

ix years ago, Nathan McGann came into Yantis Company as an assistant project manager, and after just one month with the civil infrastructure contractor, he achieved his goal of becoming a project manager. Today, he hopes to continue to grow within the company. “I get to have a lot of time out in the field,” says McGann of being a project manager. “I get to communicate with all the foremen, superintendents and all those guys [in the field]. And I get to see how things are built and get a broader understanding of the materials and the processes that go into a job, deal with all the set up and schedule out all the subcontractors that we

use – a lot of interaction with people. At the same time, we do have to take care of all the administrative stuff back here at the office. It’s always busy. I’ve never had a dull moment since I’ve worked here.” McGann’s work at Yantis includes the Dollar General Distribution Center, which included a lot of earth work and utilities, and the Esperanza subdivision in Boerne.

Though he was born in San Antonio, his family traveled around with his father, who was in the Air Force at the time, until he was 9 years old and his father retired and they settled in San Antonio. He attended San Antonio Christian School from fourth grade until graduation. That summer, McGann met his future wife, Jenica, who was going on to her senior year of high school, on a blind date. The two dated while he went to San Antonio College (SAC). When Jenica graduated high school, they both went to Texas A&M University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in construction science in 2004. Jenica graduated in 2005, and the next year they got married. Jenica was a teacher for Comal ISD, but two years ago, she became a stay-athome mom. Every now and then, she will do some subbing and tutoring. Jenica’s

mother runs the Challenger League, an organization that helps children with mental or physical disabilities play baseball every spring. Every year since he met his wife, McGann has been involved with the league, and for about four years, he was a coach for the league. At 33, McGann and his wife have a 5-year-old daughter, Ella, and a 2-yearold son, Bennett. Their daughter has gotten involved in soccer, so he hasn’t been able to participate in the Challenger League the past two years. The family also has pets, two dogs, Lily and Jules, and a cat their daughter named Rainbow Rose. When he’s not at work or spending time with his family, McGann likes to fish at the coast, bird hunt and do some woodworking at home. –mh

Open (ware)house

L-R: Alan Carouth and Sonny Vinton, White Cap/HD Supply; Amado Arriano, Jerry Prado and Matt Bonham, Chamberlin Roofing and Waterproofing

fter doubling warehouse space, the White Cap/HD Supply on Broadway hosted an Open House with 13 vendors and barbecue lunch for an estimated 150 guests. The supplier of fastener, concrete, equipment and accessory products had been eager to expand and considered relocating, but when the company next door left, the opportunity presented itself to take the location from 9,000sf to

18,000sf. Construction began in September and the new warehouse space opened about a month ago. The open house offered customers an opportunity to see the expanded warehouse and the expanded product lines the company was able to bring to its location on the north side. –mh

L-R: Pat Willey, Belmont Enterprises; Gabriel Ochoa, Harvey Cleary; Ben Pratt, White Cap/ HD Supply

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Paul Zini Fleet Manager 866-490-3195 ANCIRACJD.COM L-R: Chad Eades, Simpson Strong-Tie, and Andrew Garcia, SAWS

THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS JUST WENT DOWN

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San Antonio Construction News â&#x20AC;˘ Jul 2015