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(210) 308-5800
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Volume 13
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Number 10
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OCTOBER 2015
Expansion point
A most fitting choice
Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing is under a new roof in Farmers Branch.
Texas Green Plumbing Company owner Roger Wakefield chose to pursue his passions.
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North Texas roofing contractor has a new roof over its head. Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing recently moved its DFW operations to a modern 28,000-sf facility at 2170 Diplomat Drive in Farmers Branch, just a few miles away from its previous location. The move provides an opportunity for the company to accommodate its growth and operational needs. The 14,000-sf warehouse space contains Chamberlin’s in-house sheet metal fabrication shop and includes a craft and safety training room and main conference room. Both are equipped with state-ofthe-art technology, including the latest A/V controls to allow communication with Chamberlin offices in Texas and
Oklahoma. Chamberlin put its own expertise to use, completing the roof system, waterproofing, elastomeric coating, warehouse flooring and control joint work. Besides being more spacious and tech-savvy, the building, designed by Alliance Architects and constructed by Schwob Building Company, is more energy and environment-conscious as well. LED lighting, sensor faucets and recycled porcelain restroom countertops can be found throughout the facility. The new building has also been awarded a Tilt-Up Achievement Award from the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA). continued on Page 18
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oger Wakefield has two families to thank for his foray into business ownership. The first – and perhaps the most influential – is his own. “My parents actually taught swimming lessons out of a pool in their backyard, and I worked for them as a child,” Wakefield explains. “From them, I learned the customer is always first. We dealt with everything from parents to children who maybe were afraid of the water. I learned you have to handle each person in a different way.” Another family ran a close second, however. “When I was growing up, one of my best friends had a father who was a mas-
ter plumber and three older brothers who were plumbers,” Wakefield remembers. “They got me into plumbing in 1980 with my first plumbing job, and I really enjoyed it. I ended up working with every brother they had and even worked with the dad for a while. It’s a great trade; plumbers get to do a lot of great things.” A first remodel project on a local bank led to work on apartment projects, service and commercial work. In 1997, he joined a union and began doing more commercial and industrial work, first as a journeyman, then as a foreman, superintendent and finally a director of operations for a mechanical contracting company. continued on Page 18
On the fast track
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ark Piepenbrok, owner and president of general contracting company WestWind Building Corporation, had originally bid the 75,000-sf Toyota of Dallas remodel project to be completed in 12-13 months. But, as he soon realized, why take a year to finish a project when you can assemble an efficient team and complete it in less than 9 months? Before the construction began, the original dealership, located at 2610 Forest Lane, consisted of multiple buildings on multiple parcels of land. The new and recently completed dealership now is a single building on a single parcel of land. The new facility contains a 30,000-sf service shop, a storage area for parts, an inviting and relaxing customer lounge environment and a two-story showroom fashioned in the state-of-the-art “Toyota style.” Structural steel framing, high-performance metal panels, stucco and glass support make up the building’s exterior,
with the focus on the dealership’s tower featuring a mammoth-sized video screen. A metal structure serves as the dealership’s service shop. Stamped and stained decorative concrete grace the grounds. Inside, tile makes for stylish but easy maintenance, while Austin stone visually warms up the customer lounge area. Younger visitors, too, are greeted with a space just for them: An indoor children’s play area that is shaped like a cave. Piepenbrok credits a fantastic, hardworking team, including the Van Tuyl Group’s Robert Carli and Missy Monier, WestWind project manager Harold Stemper, Jacobs & Associates architect Jim Hardin and especially the subcontractors, with keeping the project on the fast track. “We’re only as good as our subcontractors, and we can’t be anything without them,” Piepenbrok says, praising Osborne Concrete Co., Lundy Services LLC, The 75,000sf Toyota Dallas dealership remodel was – literally – ahead of its time.
continued on Page 18