Covering the Industry’s News
Texas Style
P.O. Box 791290 San Antonio, Texas 78279-1290
PRSRT. STD. U.S. POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT #1451
Change Service Requested
San Antonio Dallas/Fort Worth Austin Houston South Texas
South Texas
CONSTRUCTION
™
The Industry’s Newspaper Trick or Treat!
www.constructionnews.net
H
(210) 308-5800
H
Volume 3
H
Number 10
H
OCTOBER 2015
Armstrong going strong
Proof in the roof
Rosendo Alaniz and Gary Hayak help Armstrong Lumber offer customers great service.
Alice Ramon, back left, has been with the company 25 years; owner Ron Taylor, back right; and sitting, Julia Gonzalez.
A
rmstrong Lumber, founded in 1946 in Corpus Christi by Mac Armstrong, has recently undergone some progressive changes. Earlier this year, local businessmen Kent Nielsen and Willard Hammonds became the third owners of the company – and they’ve brought some positive upgrades, according to salesman Gary Hayak, who has been an employee for more than 20 years. “It’s been an improvement,” Hayak says. “In the last two months, we’ve almost doubled our sales. It’s on the right track.” Manager Rick Hayley was asked to step in and help by Patsy Litchfield, widow of the second owner, Bob Litch-
field, and has been on the job for 18 months. He says capital improvements, increased inventory and a buffing up of sales staff by Nielsen and Hammonds have made a big difference. “Our service is what makes us different. The previous owner was very entrenched locally and that’s how he built it up to where it is,” Hayley says. “The current owners are also local and because of their local knowledge, sales have increased by 20 percent. July and August showed the highest sales in years.” Hayley, who interrupted a career change of his own from home builder to professional real estate inspector, has stayed on the job for several reasons. continued on Page 14
B
aldwin Roofing in Corpus Christi was founded in 1991 by president and owner Ron Taylor and partner Lupe Garza. Taylor says the company is all about satisfied customers. “We do the job like it is supposed to be done,” says Taylor, who has been in the Corpus Christi area since 1974. “We are strictly word of mouth. We don’t even have to put our name on our trucks. We have a particular clientele of contractors. We have a strange philosophy – we like to get paid!” Taylor says many of the employees are long-term, including office manager Alice Ramon, who has been with the company for 25 years.
“We treat them like human beings,” he says. “They are paid well for what they do.” Employees enjoy a Christmas party, hams and turkeys at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and Christmas bonuses. Safety is a paramount concern to Taylor and Garza. “We drug test randomly,” Taylor says. “We like potential employees to have some knowledge of roofing. We believe very strongly in safety. Fall protection is very important.” To make sure, Taylor says the company contracts with a safety company in San Antonio that provides a local representative to lead regular safety meetings. continued on Page 14
Project delivers for expectant moms
F
or South Texas moms who are expecting an addition to the family, CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Kleberg recently delivered a $600,000 upgrade and renovation to its labor and delivery department. Barcom Construction Inc. in Corpus Christi was the general contractor on the project. “This project is unique because Barcom originally built the Labor and Delivery building,” says Elaine Hoffman, who, along with husband Dave Hoffman, founded Barcom Construction in 1986. “It was Barcom’s first multiple story building. Now, 16 years later, Barcom gets to do the renovations.” The project began on Feb. 16, 2015, finished in June 2015, and was estimated at $205,000 for the general contractor’s part. The renovations covered an array of items.
“We’re very proud and thankful of these new renovations that allow us to better serve our patients and their families,” said Heidi Cantrell, Women’s Services manager at CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Kleberg. The Labor & Delivery wing received new flooring updated with vinyl wood planks. The hallways and patient rooms were given a fresh coat of paint, along with new cabinets made with plastic laminate faces, and new countertops made from solid surface and quartz. The old wooden handrails were removed and upgraded to aluminum handrails with a vinyl cover. Patient rooms were upgraded with plumbing fixtures, solid surface countertops, and paint. The nurse’s station was remodeled with new counter tops, cabinets, flooring, windows, and ceiling tiles. Staff and patients alike are enjoying the newly-remodeled and upgraded labor and delivery unit.
continued on Page 14