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Volume 18
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Number 6
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JUNE 2016
His heart and soul
Bee-ing proactive
Gary and Ethelinda Reyes were married for 27 years and worked together at his company, Rainbow Irrigation, for most of that time before she passed away.
Jason Christensen, president of JASON Contracting, estimates that his bees may be able to produce about 40 pounds, or a couple of 5-gallon buckets, of honey this year.
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fter nearly a year-and-a-half away from his business, Gary Reyes has re-opened Rainbow Irrigation, the company he owned and operated with his wife of 27 years, Ethelinda Reyes, for more than two decades. Gary shut down the business in the fall of 2014 when Ethelinda, who was involved with Rainbow Irrigation from the very beginning, became ill. She had been having problems with her sciatic nerve, and he turned his attention to taking care of her. She passed away unexpectedly in her sleep at 58 when her heart gave out on Nov. 9, 2014. “You could say that she was actually the heart and soul of the company, because she is the one who had the rapport with the customers,” Gary recalls, noting
that many of their customers were shocked by the news of her passing and some even spoke at her wake. “She’s the one who kept it going,” he adds, noting that she was the office manager who ran everything from the inside while he did designs and installs. “She’s the one who acquired new business through the phone. She would deal with the contractors. I was basically outside. As long as everybody in the field was happy – my goal was that she wouldn’t get any angry phone calls.” Working as a licensed irrigator since 1992, Reyes has always believed in helping other irrigators learn and fix problems. At one time, he had 30 guys working for continued on Page 24
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self-described “serial entrepreneur,” Jason Christensen keeps his life buzzing with his new company, JASON Contracting, and his new hobby, beekeeping. With a long history of construction in his family, Christensen started working in the industry after graduating from UTSA in 2003. After about 10 years working for a few different local general contracting companies, he decided it was time to start one of his own. With a passion for running his own business, Christensen has run side projects for years, including ice vending machines, selling real estate and managing properties. Now, he’s focused on growing JASON Contracting. He cites patience as his biggest chal-
lenge in running the business, waiting for the right opportunity to come along to start doing ground up, like the projects that comprise much of his previous experience. Meanwhile, he has a wife and four kids, ranging from ages 6 to 14, at home in New Braunfels. With an interest in agriculture, they also have a few cattle and some chickens. He also has two hives of bees at his house. His dad kept bees when he was growing up, but in the ‘90s, they disappeared. Christensen later discovered that this was due to the arrival of the Varroa mite in Texas. Today, he emphasizes that it’s harder to keep bees because Varroa mites and continued on Page 24
Adding shine and space to southwest school
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aking on the Christa McAuliffe Middle School addition and renovation project, Kencon Constructors made the Southwest ISD campus a brighter and more modern learning environment. With 140,861sf of renovation and 30,400sf of new construction, Kencon’s work spanned a total of 171,261sf over 18 months, finishing in October at a project cost of $10,622,950. Bob Skrobarczyk, senior project manager, recalls that this job had many facets. The existing school is comprised of four classroom wings, each with approximately 13 classrooms and standard student restrooms. The interior renovation included a complete refinish of all surfaces in the existing school, meaning new paint on all the walls, new VCT tile and rubber base, new marker and tack boards, new acoustical tile in all of the rooms, and in some cases, acoustical grid
Kencon Constructors helped brighten the Christa McAuliffe Middle School, Southwest ISD, with recent renovations and four additions.
was also replaced. Refinishing all surfaces required everything to be brought up to ADA code. The restrooms were brought up to ADA specifications and renovated with new ceramic tile, toilet partitions and some new fixtures. The athletics area for coaches and students had walls that were relocated and space that was expanded to meet ADA requirements. There were four building additions, one on each side of the building. The science wing on the north side added eight science classrooms with five science prep rooms. The library addition on the south side allowed them to create a media center and library bigger than the existing one, which was then converted to computer science classrooms in the renovation. On the west side, the addition to administration area doubled the department’s space. continued on Page 24
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
‘A win-win situation’
L-R: Bart Koontz, CEO of Koontz Corporation, and Gary Joeris, CEO of Joeris General Contractors, announced an acquisition deal that will benefit both companies.
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n a move that will allow Koontz Corporation to return to its roots as a development company, Joeris General Contractors has acquired Koontz Construction’s Commercial Group. As part of vertically integrated Koontz Corporation, Koontz Construction is a general contractor with a Commercial Division and a Multi-Family Division. The sale of the Commercial Group means that its president, Henry Serry, and its approximately two-dozen employees will be moving over to Joeris as they finish existing projects under Koontz Construction. “I think it’s a win-win situation, where everybody seems to benefit,” says Bart Koontz, CEO of Koontz Corporation, who adds that he and Gary Joeris, CEO of Joeris, have known each other a long time. “We want to make sure that our employees have an opportunity with a great company, which they do.”
Koontz recalls that the general contracting division of the company started out from zero with two people in 2000 to a $100 million company last year. Proud of what grew out of a division that began as the exclusive builder for the company’s development projects, he wants to return to concentrating time and resources on the development business. Meanwhile, the acquisition will give Joeris an opportunity to broaden its markets and capabilities. The company has extensive experience in retail, K-12 and higher education. Koontz’s Commercial Group will bring a wealth of experience in corporate office, automotive, senior living and medical office construction. “We hope to expand our footprint in those markets,” says Joeris. ”We’re going to be looking at building more experience with [Koontz’s] people who have built those types of projects.” –mh
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
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United in the call for safety
ember companies of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) South Texas Chapter hosted several presentations on safety at their jobsites during OSHA’s National Safety Stand Down May 2-6. Members actively involved in the effort and events included Gabriel Ochoa, safety manager for Harvey-Cleary and chairman of the South Texas chapter’s
Safety and Health Committee; Ben Pratt, safety program manager for HD Supply/ White Cap; Dan O’Brien, safety manager for Koontz Construction; Don Drake, safety manager for Moore Erection; David Dahse, safety manager for Jordan Foster Construction as well as Chris Preetorius, director of workforce development, ABC; and Raul Carrillo, compliance specialist for OSHA. –mh
Skanska USA’s Methodist Hospital jobsite team listened to Raul Carrillo, OSHA, make a presentation on safety.
L-R: Alex Porter and Raul Carrillo, OSHA; Gabriel Ochoa, Harvey-Cleary; Chris Preetorius, ABC, at Harvey-Cleary’s Alamo Manhattan jobsite
Moore Erection team members gathered on a jobsite to learn more about fall protection.
Jordan Foster Construction
Koontz Corporation at the new Red McCombs Toyota dealership
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
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A half century of service HOWELL CRANE & RIGGING, INC.
AUDIE HOWELL President
PHONE (210) 661-8285 FAX (210) 661-7683 MOBILE (210) 862-5301 1-800-438-9814 HOME (210) 649-3726 email: Audie@HowellCrane.net Jonathan Yelitz, sales manager for County Wide Service, which has always focused on San Antonio and Bexar County, has been with the company for more than 20 years.
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ith more than 55 years of serving San Antonio and Bexar County, County Wide Service was one of the local air conditioning industry pioneers, focusing mainly on service at a time when few air conditioning and refrigeration companies offered service. Established in 1960 by Richard M. Neil, a Korean War veteran, the company began in its founder’s garage. In time, he incorporated and grew the company to what it is today. During this period of growth, he also served as president of the Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association (TACCA). Though he was actively involved in the business right up to the time of his passing in 2009, Neil, sadly, never got to see the 50th anniversary of his business. However, before he passed away, he ensured that his son, David Meissner, and longtime employee, Shirley Smith, would become the next generation of ownership of the company.
With the company for more than 20 years, Jonathan Yelitz, sales manager, recalls that Neil had Parkinson’s Disease and helped the cause by undergoing treatments using experimental technology that was being engineered at the time and is used in the medical field for Parkinson’s patients today. Yelitz says that he has stayed with the company because of the loyalty to its employees as well as its customers. He adds that in its history, many owners and service managers in the local construction community today have worked at County Wide Service at some point. Today, with the core of the business still being service, the company has more than 50 employees, including its general manager, Jim Barnes, who serves on the board of TACCA today. County Wide Service does air conditioning repair, service, retrofit of equipment and some new installations. The company’s work is approximately 90 percent residential. –mh
Construction News ON LOCATION
All mixed up
L-R: Wesley Schramm, assistant manager, and James Hughes, delivery driver, were mixing paint for orders at the Sherwin-Williams Fredericksburg Road store, where they have a good mix of commercial and residential customers. –mh
San Antonio
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The San Antonio Construction News (ISSN 1547-7630) is published monthly by Construction News LTD., dba San Antonio Construction News, and distributed by mail to construction-related companies of record in Bexar and 7 surrounding counties. All submissions should be mailed to our editorial offices. We reserve the right to edit any materials submitted. No fees for materials, copy or photographs submitted will be due unless agreed upon in advance in writing. Submissions will be published at our discretion on a space available basis. Construction News, Ltd. , dba San Antonio Construction News, will not be liable for errors in copy or in advertisements beyond the actual cost of space occupied by the error. Publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement at any time.
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
Robert Ober CEO Robert Ober & Associates
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his year, Robert Ober marks 10 years since establishing Robert Ober & Associates as it exists today with its two divisions, Plant Architects and Plant Outfitters. Though the design build firm bears his name, he insists the company isn’t about him; it’s about the people in the office and in the field. He credits them with making the industrial contractor what it is today. At 58, he remains active in his business as well as charitable pursuits and personal projects outside of work. Where did you grow up? My father worked for U.S. Steel in Gary, IN, where I was born. He later joined a joint venture with Ford Motor Company and worked on building a new stamping plant in Chicago Heights, IL. So, we moved nearby. After that, Ford was building a new stamping plant in Woodhaven, MI, so we moved again. Later, to start another joint venture between a Japanese steel company, U.S. Steel and Ford Motor Company at the famed River Rouge facility in Dearborn, MI, he transferred there and built that facility, and ended his career there at the River Rouge after 40-some years with U.S. Steel and Ford Motor Company. So, I’m from a steel family, but his discipline was electrical work, electrical millwrighting and electrical design. I grew up in suburban Chicago and suburban Detroit. What brought you into this field? The apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree, because building cars or making any other product is a manufacturing process and that’s what we do. We are an industrial design-build firm. We do steel fabrication, and we do a lot of industrial raw material handling, but I would say that it’s not that far from where I would have started. I was supposed to get into automotive design and in fact had a path to do that and chose not to. I chose rather to go out west and attend school for mechanical engineering and trade school as well to work as a mechanic. Where out west did you go and when? In 1976, I graduated from high school and went out to Colorado. I enrolled in trade school and took some college classes as well. The big draw was that Colorado had mountains, and I was on a ski team. I was an avid downhill skier and traveled all over with a high school-aged
ski team. The idea was mechanical engineering, but it was diesel power actually that I was most interested in at the time. The diesel power industry was growing fast, and it was being looked at for automotive use as well. That was something that intrigued me, so I thought I would explore diesel power engineering. My father had suggested that if I was going to get into diesel power as an engineer that I receive a tradesman’s ticket in diesel power repair and diesel heavy equipment mechanics. That was the best advice I think he could have ever given me, because you’re talking to a mechanic at the end of the day. I may own an engineering firm that employs industrial architects and engineers of many disciplines but at the end of the day, I am a mechanic. That is how I approach problem solving. While attending school, an internship became available with an employer that provided crane and construction machinery. The business was Richard O’Brien Companies, and Richard became (and continues to be) a mentor of mine. Richard owned a number of automobiles and was an automotive collector. So, I caught that bug from him as well. How did you get into the business you’re in now? First, through the equipment, through maintenance, then through being a service manager, and then from service into sales, and from sales into management and administration, and along the way, into alternative designs for equipment. I became kind of a “re-engineerer,” a “re-inventer.” I started inventing accessories and finding different ways to do things. That led me into designing whole plant equipment and our own devices. From the 10 years that I spent at O’Brien, I learned that trade, so I basically stuck with it. I never went into diesel power. Where did you go from there? When my wife and I were first married, we went to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where we had an opportunity. We didn’t have any children yet. I was up there for the better part of 13 years. I went to work for some folks and ended up a partner in the business. It was during those years that I really got into the design and the rebuilding and redesign of things. My wife and I had three children while in Canada: my daughter and two boys. As they neared school age, we had to make a decision whether we were going to raise three Canadians (we loved Canada, and I had no problem staying there, but with two brothers for partners, I was always the odd man out, and really nothing more than that) or three Americans. We just said, “Maybe we will go back to the states sometime.” So we had that in the back of our minds, and then I was approached, oddly enough, by the owner of a company that is known in the construction industry as “the Dow Jones of concrete.” They own trade shows and expos around the world, and at the time, 17 concrete- and masonry-related trade publications. He knew me as I was the president of a couple of concrete associations at that time, and he offered me an opportunity I couldn’t refuse. That provided a path back to the
Robert Ober credits his companies’ success to the strength and talents of his employees.
states. We relocated from the Calgary area to Chicago. My wife is from Chicago originally, so we were happy to make that move. I really was given an on-the-job MBA, if you will. Marketing and business administration were things that I took for granted—my background being all technical and design—and I was actually enlightened to what these trade publications and trade shows were doing for the industry. I had a two-year contract, and I was counting the days at the end, because I really missed the business development, the selling and design work that I had been involved in previously. At the end of those two years, I parted amicably and started basically what this company has become. When was that? That would have been about 1995. I started a company that was later bought out by a company in San Antonio. So, by 2000, we were moving to San Antonio, now under another contract for five years, but this time as a buyout. I worked there for four years under that contract, at which point I was able to buy my original company back from the parent. The company primarily represented an Italian equipment manufacturer and over time their goals were different from mine, and we parted ways in 2006. At that time, Plant Architects + Plant Outfitters was born as a renamed, restructured company that holds no allegiance to any particular manufacturer, allowing us to truly work with our clients to solve their challenges, instead of always having a fiduciary responsibility to sell a specific brand at the end of the day. PA+PO was a new name but the same basic team of employees. We pride ourselves on working from the perspective of the client, to design-build the best combination of manufactured and custom equipment to fit their needs. Tell me about your family. My wife, Suzanne, works at PA+PO with me. My daughter, Caroline, is a teacher in Austin, specializing in autistic children. She’s married to a great guy, Robin, who is in sports marketing and travels around the country with NCAA sports. My eldest son, Ryan, is graduating UIW this month [May] with a degree in business finance and is considering law school. My youngest son, Michael, lives in Colorado, and works with the company on the crews. What are some of the things you do in terms of community involvement? I like to be involved, but I really don’t like to be out in front. I’m one of those who believe that if you’ve got 10 cents and you can spare five of it, then put it to work. Over the years, I’ve been blessed. I’ve been very fortunate and had a lot of great mentors along the way, and I’ve had my hard knocks along the way. Any time I’ve had
my hard knocks, there’s always been a hand or two, and so I’ve never forgotten that, and I pay it forward. I established a non-profit organization called De Novo Foundation (DeNovoFoundation.org). De novo is Latin for “new beginning.” I’m very proud of De Novo. It’s one of the partners with Haven for Hope. For years, I would adopt people, if you want to use that term – adopt their dream, adopt their idea, help them out – and some of those folks have gone on to do great things. You don’t have a 100-percent success rate, but the one out of three that succeeds is reason enough for sure. You just never know. De Novo is really the formalization of something that I’ve done for a couple of decades in helping people. I’m very involved in other faithbased organizations, but especially enjoy real boots-on-the-ground charities. I’m on the board of San Antonio Sports (SanAntonioSports.org), a wonderful organization that improves the lives of children through sports. Another notable charitable organization I’m involved in is The Ferrari Kid (TheFerrariKid.org). I’m a car nut, and hearing what they do for kids with cancer got me greatly involved. The organization gives the kids a day to forget about being sick, offering them rides in exotic cars and taking them out for a favorite activity. It sounds like a small thing, but it’s not. It’s a big deal to those families and to those kids. I’m proud to support them, financially and with whatever we can do for them. Do you give them rides in a Ferrari of yours? I personally haven’t driven any of the children, but I’ve supplied the cars and I’ve had employees of mine drive the cars. I think it’s kind of neat to let the employee drive the car instead of me. We know you collect cars. What other hobbies do you have? You should never make your hobby a business (because then it’s no longer a hobby) but I did just that a little while ago. I took a facility where I housed a collection of cars and turned it into a concierge storage, detailing and restoration service. We take cars that are at a certain level and bring them up to a concours level. I really do like fiddling with cars, but that’s now a business. I have a full-time curator and staff. It’s called Vault Auto Services. A lot of people just don’t have room or the time to take care of those expensive machines, and so we do that for them. We deliver them to their homes, to the airport, pick them up, clean them, tune them, have them serviced properly, take them to the dealerships if that’s where they need to go. I do spend some time in Colorado, where we have a place. Whether I’m skiing or just relaxing, it’s a great getaway. –mh
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
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Barrels of fun
Submitted to Construction News
Mixing and meeting
Members of the ABC South Texas Chapter gathered to mingle and taste an array of wines.
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he Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) South Texas Chapter hosted its fourth annual ABC Wine Festival Apr. 26 at the Boerne Wine Company. Around 90 attendees enjoyed sampling wine at the Main Street venue in Boerne. Proceeds from the event benefit the ABC UTSA Construction Management Scholarship. –mh
The Hispanic Contractors Association (HCA) de San Antonio hosted a networking mixer Apr. 27 at the Quarry Golf Club ahead of its monthly meeting. L-R: (seated) Rosaelia Emery, Sunset Painting; Jose Ramos, Paychex; Jamie Gutierrez, BBVA, and Cecilia Rodriguez, Caprice Productions; (in the background) Jesse Torres, CPS, and Patty Cardenas, HCA, greeting attendees –mh Earl Henderson and Kendra Bailey, The Industrial Company (TIC)
Construction News ON LOCATION
Supplier and demand
Naomi Leissner, Aerohead Group, was ready to try the next wine.
Hou Yee Her, TIC, and Jay Farwell, Cokinos Bosien & Young
L-R: Bud Hurta, TNT Crane & Rigging; Travis Church, TIC; Devin McBee and Justin Mercer, TNT
Noe Puente and Kimberly Owen at the Fastenal on Broadway say that their store has done some supplying for the Bexar Metro Call Center being built on Tradesman and supplied for the SkyMine job a few months back. –mh
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
Subs fire up their grills
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ou know the South Texas super summer has arrived when subs and other industry members break out their pits for the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) San Antonio Chapter’s annual BBQ Cook-Off and Subfest. This year’s event, May 6 at the Helotes Fairgrounds, had 29 teams enter their barbecue creations with more than 450 attendees to enjoy the food as well as live and silent auctions and raffle prizes. –mh Winners Best Camp: Alamo Crane Service Mystery Meat 1st: Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing 2nd: Alamo Crane Service 3rd: Joeris General Contractors Chicken 1st: Joeris General Contractors 2nd: Dedicated Landscape 3rd: Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing Ribs 1st: Bartlett Cocke General Contractors 2nd: MR Stoneworks 3rd: KCM Cabinets Brisket 1st: Bartlett Cocke General Contractors 2nd: Schmidt Mechanical 3rd: Robles1 Demolition Bloody Mary Contest: Southern American Insurance Agency Washer Tournament: Robles1 Demolition
1st Place Chicken
Best Camp
1st Place Mystery Meat
1st Place Ribs and 1st Place Brisket
M.R. StoneWorks Construction & Remodeling
Dedicated Landscape Solutions
Schmidt Mechanical
Marek Bros.
Ridout Barrett
MEMCO (aka “aMAREKan BBQ” Allen & Allen Company
M&M Metals
Lynwood Building RR Cauble Lath & Plaster
Holes of San Antonio
www.constructionnews.net publishing the industry’s news
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
Page 9
Anglers on board for safety
Out of the Galaxy
The women of Galaxy Builders got away to Canton for two days of female bonding.
The 1st Place team at the Scales ‘N Ales Fishing Tournament was just one of the teams to help raise money for boating safety awareness.
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o honor the memory of their brother, Matt Freund, Comfort-Air Engineering, and Pat Freund, Primo Plumbing, hosted the seventh annual Scales ‘N Ales Fishing Tournament Apr. 23 in Corpus Christi to benefit the Scott A. Freund Memorial Foundation. The one-day “stringer tournament” allows each team to weigh in a maximum of three trout, two redfish and one flounder. With 152 anglers representing 39 participating teams, this year’s tournament raised more than $8,000 to promote boating safety and support the efforts of first responders across the state. –mh
Winners: 1st: El Guapo – Rudy Keilman, Jamie Galindo, Jim Kerr, Mark Guess, Chris Dubois 2nd: The BUS – Mike Murry, Steve Finken, Joe Isenhart, Ken Duke, Joe Moon 3rd: Wright Meow, Kyle Wright, Rebecca Wright, Sean Katz, Matt Barber 4th: Sea-N-Spots! – Matt Metting, Travis Novasad, Harlen Merks, Mitchell Merks 5th: Thunderdome – Coby Young, Brad Tarrillion, Dustin Durham, Jeff Gonzales, Josh Kearns
Construction News ON LOCATION
These guys are the Win-ners
The team at Winsupply on MacArthur View was very busy filling orders for plumbing supplies on a Monday morning, but we got a few guys to smile for the camera. L-R: Corban Galbraith, counter sales; Kevin Ehlinger, inventory control; Tony Delao, warehouse; Tony Pearsol, warehouse manager –mh
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very year, Galaxy Builders sends the ladies on a trip to promote bonding and friendships, and it’s a bonus to all who participate. This year, 20 women from the general contracting company ventured to Canton, TX, a small city east of the Dallas area. Galaxy always provides each of the women with some spending money, and this year, they each received $250. The ladies enjoyed two days of shopping, group dinners and hanging out together at the Red Rooster Inn. “The ladies and myself really enjoy getting out of the office for a few days, having a change of scenery and mixing and mingling with everyone and to get to know more about those we don’t always work with directly,” says Tabatha Erdely, executive administrator/marketing. “We bandwagon up there (typically 3-4 ladies to a car) where we immediately drop our bags and hit the ‘First Monday Trades Day’ market. The endless rows of vendors provide everything from food, furniture, pet toys, clothing and décor,
Christine Suniga explores the local monthly market, shopping for fun finds.
which fills a shopaholic’s endless desires. “When we are not shopping, we enjoyed getting some margaritas at a local restaurant and venture home [back to the hotel] to share stories, catch up with one another’s lives and have some wine and beer.” –mh
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
R&D Credit is back and better than before
Eight ways contractors can improve their surety programs
Jim Streets, CPA PKF Texas Houston, TX
Tom Spencer, Construction Practice Leader INSURICA San Antonio, TX
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ot only did the 2015 PATH Act restore and make permanent the Research and Development (R&D) credit under IRC Sec 41 it added new subsection IRC Sec. 41(h) which allows qualified small businesses to use the credit against payroll taxes. Prior to the PATH Act, the R&D credit could only be used against income tax, which did not make it attractive to most start-up companies that typically incur significant R&D expenses but no income tax. Starting with tax years beginning in share of the social security portion of calendar year 2016, the new subsection FICA taxes. It cannot be used to lower the allows a qualified small business to elect employer’s portion of the Medicare tax or to use the R&D credit against payroll tax- any FICA taxes the employer withholds es. Under IRC Sec 41(h) a qualified small and remits to the government on behalf business is a person, corporation or part- of employees. nership with gross receipts of less than While the R&D payroll tax credit is $5,000,000 in the taxable year of the limited, the credit against payroll taxes is credit, and such entity did not have gross not taken into account in determining receipts for any taxable year preceding the amount of income tax deduction althe 5-taxable-years, ending with the tax- lowed for payroll taxes. In other words, able year of the credit. There are aggre- the payroll tax deduction is not be regation rules that apply. The election is duced by the amount of the R&D credit made on or before the due date, includ- elected to be used against payroll taxes. ing extensions, of the tax return for the The R&D credit against payroll taxes taxable year and must specify the is allowed for the first calendar quarter amount of the credit to which the elec- after the date the tax return is filed with tion applies. the election. Any credit not used in the The R&D credit elected to be used first calendar quarter will be carried over against payroll tax is limited to the least to the next calendar quarter. Many small of $250,000, the amount of the credit de- businesses have payroll tax expenses but termined without regard to the election, no income tax while they are in start-up or in the case of a qualified small business mode which makes the new election to other than a partnership or S corpora- use R&D credit against payroll taxes an tion, the amount of the business credit opportunity to get immediate benefit carry forward from the tax year deter- from the R&D credit. mined without regard to the election. Jim Streets, CPA is a tax director for PKF The payroll tax credit election can Texas. Contact him at 713.860.1400 or at only be used against the employer’s JStreets@PKFTexas.com
hen working with contractors, one of the tell-tale signs to determining success is to take a look at their surety program. Best-in-class contractors easily achieve the surety limits they need and have no issues securing bid and performance bonds. They also understand how surety markets work and what bond underwriters are looking for when they receive submissions. While no contractor has control over outside influences such as the economy or market changes, there are specific things that best-in-class contractors do to ensure their surety program is functioning as smoothly and efficiently as possible. These eight tips are things every contractor should be doing to get the most from their surety program. 1. Work with a knowledgeable CPA who specializes in construction. Working with a CPA who understands contract surety is paramount to the success of any contractor. CPAs must be knowledgeable about percentage of completion or completed contract methods of accounting in order to provide the surety provider with all the necessary information that they require, as well as being able to provide the required financial planning and tax advice to the contractor. A thorough CPA will present a contractor’s financials in a professional and appealing way that makes a contractor more desirable from an underwriting perspective. 2. Work with a bank that is familiar with construction. Cash flow within the construction industry can present some unique situations and challenges. Working with a bank whose lenders and board of directors understand construction finance can alleviate a lot of headaches and hassles to doing business. It is also a good idea to meet and familiarize yourself with the decision makers because lower level employees can come and go frequently. 3. Pay attention to collections. After being awarded a job, one of the most difficult aspects of business is collecting payment for it. For this reason and others, contractors must be vigilant in paying very close attention to open receivables. Best-in-class contractors make very clear what the payment schedule will be prior to the start of work and enforce their collection rules and guidelines. 4. Maintain a good understanding of the law. Laws regarding liens and stop-notices vary from state to state, and they frequently change from year to year. A simple mistake can cost a contractor their rights, and in some cases, this can lead to thousands of dollars in lost revenue. In many situations, payment bonds may be affected, so surety companies must be aware that systems are in place to ensure there are no payment issues.
5. Get to know your surety underwriters. Maintaining a good relationship and open communication with surety underwriters can make the difference between receiving a “yes” and a “no.” Meeting underwriters is a great way to build a personal relationship and becoming a name instead of a number in a file. 6. Make sure your staff understands finance. Having a staff that understands finance can be the difference that ensures paperwork is processed efficiently and correctly—ultimately speeding up collections. A knowledgeable CFO can turn an accounting department into an efficient profit center, opposed to an expense. 7. Make sure your professional service providers communicate with each other. It is a fantastic idea to make sure your lawyer, banker, accountant, and surety broker have professional working relationships with each other. Not only does this allow them to work directly with each other, but with good communication, changes that have been made to a project or surety program can be easily communicated between these people. The result is an ease of doing business as well as a lower chance for mistakes. 8. Choose the right surety broker. For the same reasons that a contractor should choose accountants, lawyers, and bankers who understand construction and surety, contractors should also choose an insurance agent who specializes within the industry. A reputable industry-specific agent will have better relationships within the surety marketplace and will be able to make program suggestions that improve your bottom line. Tom Spencer is the Construction Practice Leader for INSURICA’s Texas offices. His experience as a life-long construction insurance professional gives him a unique understanding of managing the risks facing the construction industry. Tom can be contacted at TSpencer@INSURICA.com or by phone at 210.805.5901.
Construction News JOB SIGHT
Clearing a path to the park Michael Ruiz, HJD Capital Electric, did some excavation work at Medina Greenway Phase 2 & 3, City of San Antonio Parks & Recreation project. He and another colleague were establishing a road for the Capital team and other subcontractors to gain access to an area where they would continue building a retaining wall as well as a sidewalk. –mh
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
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At what point does a surety’s obligation pursuant to a performance bond terminate? Tracy McCreight, Shareholder Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. Austin, TX
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n general, the duration of the surety’s obligation under a performance bond can be limited by the express terms of the bond, the bonded contract, or the statutory limitation provision for filing a claim. When these terms conflict, varying jurisdictions apply different rules of construction. The issue has not been extensively analyzed under Texas law (except as to public work projects under the Texas Government Code, which is addressed at the end of this article), so we look to other jurisdictions for examples. • The AIA A312 performance bond form expressly provides that the performance bond obligation, when triggered by termination of the bonded contract, may be invoked for only two years after the principal’s default of the bonded contract. Consistent with this, in Kiva Const. and Engineering, Inc. v. Int’l Fidelity Ins. Co., 749 F. Supp. 753 (W.D. La. 1990), aff’d, 961 F.2d 213 (5th Cir. 1992), the court held that, under Louisiana law, this two-year suit limitation under the AIA A312 performance bond barred a claim later asserted for breach of a 10-year warranty contained in the bonded contract. Id. at 756. • In J.B. Mouton & Sons, Inc. v. Alumawall, Inc., 583 So. 2d 157 (La. Ct. App. 3d Cir. 1991), however, a surety was liable for a breach of warranty claim against the principal for a defect occurring six years after project completion because the performance bond (not an AIA A312 performance bond) explicitly incorporated Louisiana’s ten-year implied warranty of fitness for a building construction contract. • In Milwaukee Board of School Directors v. BITEC, Inc., 321 Wis.2d 616, 622-623 (Wis. Ct. App. 2009), the bond’s one-year general warranty and two-year suit limitation provision were superseded by a specific five-year warranty on the roof in the bonded contract. In that case (which also did not appear to be based on an AIA A312 performance bond form), the court noted that the surety “could have negotiated for the inclusion of an express completion date in the performance bond, a specific provision limiting its financial exposure, or one stating that any warranty language in the contract was excluded by the terms of the bond.” Id. • Similarly, in Sorenson v. Robert N. Ewing, General Contractor, an Arizona case, the court held that surety’s performance bond liability under an AIA 311 performance bond, absent express limitations, is co-extensive with that of the contractor, and includes contractually imposed post-completion warranties.
448 P.2d 110, 112-113 (Ariz. 1968). Whether the surety assumes performance of the construction contract may be another factor if there are conflicting terms in the bond and the bonded contract. In Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Tarmac Roofing Systems, Inc., 276 F.3d 704 (5th Cir. 2002), the court held that a two-year suit limitation on an AIA 311 performance bond did not prevent a surety from being sued within six years under the Mississippi six-year statute of limitations applicable to contract breaches. This is because the surety had taken over performance of the contractor’s contract and was subject to the same period of liability as the contractor would have been in completing the bonded contract. Id. at 711. The court specifically stated, “If [the surety] elected to take over the contract, it voluntarily subjected itself to a new set of liabilities apart from the bond.” Id. With respect to public work projects under the Texas Government Code, the Fifth Circuit specifically held in Hartford Fire Ins. Co. v. City of Mont Belvieu, Texas, 611 F.3d 289 (5th Cir. 2010) that “final completion” under the Texas Government Code means “substantial completion,” and, therefore, the performance bond obligation terminates one year after substantial completion. The court expressly stated that “a surety on a performance bond is entitled to rely on the architect’s Certificate of Completion as the final discharge of its duty on the bond because the architect is the agent and representative of the owner, and his representation is the representation of the owner.” Id. at 295. As demonstrated here, there is no simple answer to when a surety’s obligation terminates under a performance bond. Therefore, it is critical during the contract negotiation process to understand the express terms of the bond and bonded contract at issue, as well as the jurisdiction’s limitations on bringing claims.
Past issues of Construction News can be downloaded at www.ConstructionNews.net
OSHA issues Recordkeeping Rule Change Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX
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nder a final rule that becomes effective January 1, 2017, OSHA will revise its requirements for recording and submitting records of workplace injuries and illnesses to require that some of this recorded information be submitted to OSHA electronically for posting to the OSHA website. The final rule requires certain employers to electronically submit the injury and illness information they are already required to keep under existing OSHA regulations. The requirement applies to the following: Establishments with 250 or more employees that are currently required to keep OSHA injury and illness records must electronically submit information from OSHA Forms 300 — Log of WorkRelated Injuries and Illnesses, 300A — Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, and 301 — Injury and Illness Incident Report. The electronic submission requirements do not change an employer’s obligation to complete and retain injury and illness records. Establishments with 250 or more employees in industries covered by the recordkeeping regulation must submit information from their 2016 Form 300A by July 1, 2017. These same employers will be required to submit information from all 2017 forms (300A, 300, and 301) by July 1, 2018. Beginning in 2019 and every year thereafter, the information must be submitted by March 2. Establishments with 20-249 employees that are classified in certain industries with historically high rates of occupational injuries and illnesses must electronically submit information from OSHA Form 300A. Establishments with 20-249
employees in certain high-risk industries must submit information from their 2016 Form 300A by July 1, 2017, and their 2017 Form 300A by July 1, 2018. Beginning in 2019 and every year thereafter, the information must be submitted by March 2. Establishments with fewer than 20 employees at all times during the year do not have to routinely submit information electronically to OSHA. All employers required to report online under this rule will report data annually. OSHA will post the establishmentspecific injury and illness data it collects under this recordkeeping rule on its public Web site (www.osha.gov). OSHA will remove any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) before the data are released to the public. Employers must inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses free from retaliation. This obligation may be met by posting the OSHA Job Safety and Health — It’s The Law worker rights poster from April 2015 or later (www.osha.gov/Publications/poster.html). For further information on the new recordkeeping law, visit the OSHA website at: http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/finalrule/index.html natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232
What’s the last thing you splurged on? I have two little kids, a 5-month-old daughter named Landon and a 2-yearold son named Hayes. So, it was my kids. Kyle Pennington, AJ Monier & Co. Golf clubs. I just walked out of the store. I have been promising my son that I would take him golfing, and we needed an extra set of clubs. He’s 17, and his name is Layne. John Verhelst, VA Electric For me, travel is about the only thing that I splurge on. [Last time] I didn’t have to splurge too much, because I ended up getting a paid trip to England for this research project that I’m doing. They bought my ticket to go and present at a conference, and the conference was for a couple days, but I splurged by extending it to a 10-day trip, so I could see a little bit more of the country. I stayed in England for a bit, and then I went to Dublin and spent a couple days there before coming home. Lauran Drown, Bucrane Design Build It was a pair of Nikes that matched my Spurs jersey. Jonathan Yelitz, County Wide Service I’m trying to build an outdoor kitchen. I like to hang out outside and grill. I was born on Jul. 4, so that’s my deadline [for finishing]. I don’t know if I’m going to make it, but we’ll see [laughs]. Bret Bartley, Gibson Plumbing
I just bought a walk-behind string trimmer last week. Because the grass was 6-feet tall at my yard [laughs], and mine was dead. So, I needed a new one. Jason Christensen, JASON Contracting Mother’s Day. We have a small car, so we rented a nice little SUV. We went out to the aquarium with our little ones and went out to the drive-in to watch a couple movies. We got a hotel room and just had a weekend we went all out with, and [wife Lacie] was happy. So, everything was good. Reyes Cortez, Texas Archery Academy A vacation to Disney World over spring break. I have two kids, a 19-year-old and a 15-year-old. Dwayne Hamilton, Jones|Carter Probably the last thing I splurged on was a new shotgun. I had a couple of older ones, and I just felt like it was time to update and get myself a nicer, newer shotgun, because I enjoy utilizing it, enjoy the outdoors as a lot of people in this area do. I like bird hunting and do some deer hunting as well. Jerry Hirth, ISEC The expansion for the ministry [here at the shop]. It will take about two or three weeks. We’re knocking down this wall, because we need more space. Armando Villalobos AW Ready Plumbing & Backflow Testing
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
Raised in the trade
L-R: Brett, Debbie and Bruce Marbach lead Marbach Plumbing through the trade that has kept their family working together thorugh three generations.
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rowing up in the plumbing business and starting out with his father, Bruce Marbach has created a legacy of his own, Marbach Plumbing, that his son, Brett Marbach, will take over one day. Marbach’s father, Frank, had his own business in San Antonio, and Bruce started working with him in his teenage years, taking plumbing classes during high school and then apprenticeship school through Local 142. Eventually, Frank moved to Rockport and opened his business there. Though he passed away seven years ago, Bruce’s brother, who also grew up in the trade, took over the Rockport business. Bruce stayed in San Antonio and worked for a company in a management position for years before deciding he wanted to go out on his own and get back into doing commercial plumbing. His wife, Debbie, has been involved with Marbach Plumbing from the beginning in 2004, handling all of the accounting. Bruce’s son, Brett, decided to follow
in his footsteps, coming into the plumbing company as a helper working in the field. Since then, Brett, who is 29, has earned his master’s license and started learning the business side of the company from inside the office about a yearand-a-half ago. Today, at 58 years old, Bruce has his son working towards taking over, and in time, his retirement plan is to come into the office a few days a week in the next six or seven years. He says that he’ll probably never get out of the business, because he has to have something to do all the time. Bruce also has a daughter and two grandkids who live in Georgia. Currently, Marbach Plumbing has 26 employees, and Bruce comments that he is blessed to have the good employees and plumbers he has working for him. Marbach Plumbing specializes in commercial plumbing, doing ground up and interior finish out work in the private sector. The company also does a lot of medical offices and is med gas certified. –mh
Industry FOLKS Mike Morin Assistant Branch Manager The Reynolds Company
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eing responsible for day-to-day operations and inside sales as well as overseeing warehouse operations and inventory control at The Reynolds Company is familiar territory for Mike Morin. During his 10 years in the Navy, he was responsible for very large and valuable inventories. “They taught me about logistics, inventory control, expediting – pretty much what we do in our industry right now, as far as ordering for electricians, and things of that nature,” says Morin. Born in San Antonio in 1974, Morin graduated from Thomas Edison High School in 1992, at which point, he enlisted in the Navy. His first duty station was in Norfolk, VA, and he was stationed on the USS Saipan. Soon, he was doing a six-month deployment in the Mediterranean. “It was a tremendous experience being able to travel and being able to see other parts of the world,” he recalls. “I remember standing in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City thinking I was just learning about this not long ago and now here I am seeing it.” Morin’s deployment allowed him to visit Italy, France, Spain, Greece and a part of Africa. After that tour, he returned to Virginia, and a couple of years later, he met his wife, Brandy, who happened to be from East Texas and was visiting family in Virginia at the time. After the couple had been married about a year, Morin took orders
and they were stationed in Rota, Spain for three-and-a-half years. While there, they traveled Spain and Portugal, and they had their first child, Alessandra, in 1997. Before they left, his wife was pregnant with their second child, Michael. When his tour was up in Spain, Morin decided to prepare himself for a transition to civilian life so that he could devote his time to his family. He took his last duty station in Virginia Beach, VA and ultimately made his final rank as an E6. During his time in the Navy, Morin moved from being responsible for one storeroom with around $5 million worth of material as an aviation logistics specialist to being responsible for an inventory of about $500 million, including aircraft engines and components, and radar systems. While in Virginia, he worked on earning his degree in business administration from Saint Leo University. Morin and his wife had their last child, Ethan in 2001, and he left the military in 2002. He and his family returned to Texas, and in 2003, a friend introduced Morin to Massey Brand, regional manager at The Reynolds Company. Today, Morin enjoys hunting, fishing and golfing, and he volunteers with his children’s schools to support their extracurricular activities. –mh
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Father knows the industry best
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une is dad’s time to shine! And there are plenty of dads in the industry who are celebrating Father’s Day with their children working at their sides, learning the business and following in their father’s footsteps. These are just a few of the families in the San Antonio construction community where the kids work with their dear old dad. –mh
Dumas Hardware, L-R: Ed Kanning and his son, Greg Kanning, out hunting together
Lynwood Building Materials, L-R: Leslie Christians, Chris Christians IV and Buddy Christians with their father Chris Christians III
Chris Christians IV, recently became a daddy himself, pictured here playing on four wheelers at Bass Pro with his new baby boy, Quint Christians
SpawGlass, L-R: Chuck Calvin, president of the San Antonio region, and his son, Justin Calvin, San Antonio Building Services manager George Major Sr. (center) with his sons, L-R: Ken Major and George Major Jr., at Holes of San Antonio Two generations of HOLT CAT fathers and their children, L-R: Peter John Holt, executive vice president and general manager; Peter M. Holt, CEO and father of Peter John and Corinna; Corinna Holt Richter, executive vice president and chief administrative officer; B.D. Holt, former CEO, father of Peter M.
Baker Triangle, L-R: Michael Sireno, president of San Antonio; his wife, Kari Sireno; and his son, Jacob Sireno, estimator
Eagle Enterprise, L-R: Zack Croft, vice president, and his father, Dave Croft, president
Benchmark Plumbing, L-R: Carter Ramzel and his sons, Spencer Ramzel and Newman Ramzel
Treco Enterprises, L-R: JR Trevino, vice president of business development; his grandfather, Joe Trevino; grandmother, Edelmira Trevino; and his father, Edward Trevino, president
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
Opening up the northeast
Submitted to Construction News
Breaking into financial
Customers, vendors and supporters of San Antonio Masonry & Tool Supply came to visit the company’s new northeast location in Converse.
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ith its original location opened on the northwest side of San Antonio in 2000, San Antonio Masonry & Tool Supply held an open house for its second location Apr. 28. Located at 9513 Kneupper Lane in Converse, the company welcomed between 200 and 300 guests to explore the new facility, which was modeled on the main location. Attendees also enjoyed food, meeting with vendors, and the chance to win prizes. With 15,000sf of showroom and an 8-acre footprint, the northeast location just off the I-35 corridor opens up supply
L-R: Ed Allan, H&E Equipment Services, and Buddy Doebbler, Construction News
and distribution to Seguin, La Vernia, New Braunfels, San Marcos and Austin. Also, with all the capabilities of the original location, including the fabrication of rebar, the company’s customers will have convenient access to the supplier and its services on both sides of town. The company opened a small satellite office on the northeast side about seven years ago, and every year, it grew until the volume reached the point where it could support a full 8-acre facility. Remaining focused on its masonry, stucco and foundation contracting customers, the new facility opened four months prior to the open house, but the business was operating out of a tent and a couple of trailers for about eight months before the build was complete. “We have 84 employees, great management, great drivers, dispatchers, and we built a culture where everybody’s bought into the concept of us serving our customers as a team,” says Robbin Bostick, president. “We only have team players. We’re blessed with awesome people, and it’s fun to come to work every day.” –mh
Bob Moore Construction, a Dallas-based general contractor, and the local project team broke ground on GM’s new regional financial servicing center in San Antonio. The new facility is projected to create up to 700 jobs in San Antonio and be in operation mid-2017. The project architect is RVK Architects, and the civil engineer is Pape-Dawson Engineers. L-R: Kyle Birch, GM; John Mayfield, Olmos Excavating; Scott Dishman, GM; Chris Burt, GM; Daniel E. Berce, GM; Larry Struthoff, Olmos Excavating; Ed McGuire, Bob Moore Construction; Larry Knox, Bob Moore Construction; Joe Copeland, Bob Moore Construction –mh
Statewide growth
Jones|Carter’s San Antonio team recently relocated to a space on Lockhill-Selma where there is more capacity for future growth.
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Robert Salinas, Alamo Forest Products; Troy Fabre, San Antonio Masonry & Tool Supply; Jake Holbrook, BlueLinx Corporation; Aaron Sims, Versetta Stone
exas engineering firm Jones|Carter is celebrating its 40th anniversary while the company, from its headquarters in Houston to its eight branch offices, continues to grow. In the last five years, it has grown by more than 100 percent. Founded in Houston in 1976 by JR “Bob” Jones, PE, and Larry Carter, the firm’s practice areas include planning, site development, community development, hydrology & hydraulics (H&H), municipal and district services, water, construction services, surveying and trans-
portation. The celebration for the firm’s 40th year began with its second annual meeting Apr. 1, which was open to all 550 employees. The new headquarters will host an open house this year, and each location will be doing its own celebration for the anniversary. The Houston headquarters wasn’t the only office that recently relocated. The San Antonio office moved to 4350 Lockhill-Selma Rd., Suite 100, in early May. Nearly doubling in size last year with a few more hires coming in this year, the office was completely out of space. “The new location is great,” says Dwayne Hamilton, H&H practice leader and a senior vice president. Currently at 30 employees, he adds, “It will allow us to grow to probably twice our size.” Leading the H&H practice statewide, Hamilton notes that the San Antonio office, established in 2007 through a merger with Brown Engineering, is strong in its H&H work with the city and the county. They also do work for the San Antonio River Authority and the transportation group does work for TxDOT. Based in Houston, Jones|Carter is a full-service engineering firm that specializes in civil engineering and surveying with offices in Austin, Brenham, Bryan/College Station, Dallas, Katy, Rosenberg, San Antonio and the Woodlands. –mh
Don’t forget dear old DAD on Father’s Day Sunday June19!
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
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Fishing thru the summer months by Capt. Steve Schultz Sponsored by: Waypoint Marine, Majek Boats, Evinrude Outboards, E-Z Bel Construction, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, ForEverlast Hunting and Fishing Products, MirrOlure, and Columbia Sportswear.
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ell as most everyone knows by now, fishing continues to be fantastic in the Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay complex. I have also seen the influx of more guides on the water in the last several weeks, so hopefully the depressed economy is picking up a bit. Most of the high water has receded now and hopefully tides will get back to normal conditions for the upcoming summer months. I am looking forward to a
Shane Klar of San Antonio was pleasantly surprised when this 48-inch redfish surfaced near the boat on a recent fishing trip with VK Knowlton and Steve Schultz Outdoors. They measured for a replica mount then released.
very busy summer on the water creating great fishing memories for my clients and friends. As we approach the start of the sum-
mer months, I will start fishing some of the deeper structures in the Baffin Bay area and Yarbrough pass spoil islands. These structures are surrounded by deep water that give fish options to get out of mid-day warmer surface temperatures and escape early morning fishing pressure. As the day comes to an end, these fish will gradually move back on top to the structure to feed during the night and early morning hours. Another area that is always a good option in the
Emmrod’s Hole. This body of water has a natural gut similar to the one that runs from Pita Island into Beacroft’s Hole just north of the Pure Oil Channel. Generally four to five feet deep with tons of grass and sand pockets, this area is great for drifting for trout, reds and drum during summer months. Along the shoreline of the King Ranch is also some of the best wading spots in the Laguna Madre for trophy specks and reds. Don’t be surprised if you snag a flounder or two when slow bumping your favorite soft plastic along the shoreline either. Another overlooked area to fish that is relatively close to the JFK Causeway is Corpus Christi bay. This large body of water is one of the main thoroughfares for fish coming from the Port Aransas ship channel. Lots of these fish make their summer home in the CC bay area along the shorelines and deeper gas wells in the center of the bay. Not more than a 15-20 minute boat ride you can explore lots of deep-water fishing and wade the backside of Mustang Island for specks and red’s all while taking in the majestic downtown views. Also located on the backside of the island between Corpus and Port “A” is Shamrock Island. This popular area is known more for red fishing than trout because of the shallower flats that lay inside the cove. Shell reefs can also be found in this area. This area is also accessible from State Hwy. 361 and is easy access for Kayak fisherman. Don’t be surprised if you catch a nice speck in this area either. Summer schedule is filling quickly but fall dates are still available. Don’t wait untill the last minute to book your dates. To schedule your next bay fishing trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call or text at 361-813-3716 or 361-334-3105 or e-mail him at SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail. com. Good luck and Good Fishing.
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
Ken Milam’s Fishing Line Since 1981, Ken Milam has been guiding fishing trips for striped bass on Lake Buchanan in the Texas Hill Country,. You can hear Ken on radio on Saturday and Sunday mornings, 6-8 AM on AM 1300, The Zone – Austin, or http://www.am1300the zone.com
Lake Buchanan on track to kick bass!
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his just in! On Saturday, May 21st the Texas Tournament Zone Tournament was held on Lake Buchanan. One hundred fifty teams fished the tournament and the results were astounding. First place stringer weighed in at 23.77 lbs. brought in by Adrian and Daniel Barnes. The Big Bass winner was 9.25 pounds, caught by the Koslan and Crumley team. For more info be sure to check out http://ttz1.com/, the Texas Tournament Zone website! Now here is the best part. Both the winning stringer and the big fish outweighed the winners of the Bass Champs tournament held on Lake Amistad! Now that’s not bad for a lake where the bass were having to try to learn to walk to get around the lake bottom just a year ago. If you have watched the Toyota ShareLunker program over the years you may have spotted a pattern. Very often the lakes that produce the best bass are lakes that have recently refilled after being very low. Yep, that fits Lake Buchanan to a tee. We had a clue about this soon after we moved our charter fishing operation back up to home base at Tow. Max Milam was just plinking around the newly reclaimed shoreline with new spinner bait and ended up in a nice tussle with a six pounder. We are seeing this happen with all the fish up here too. We have lots of cover and plenty of bait fish thriving in it and they are keeping the other fish well fed and well fed fish spawn well and grow fast. We are cacthing good numbers of stripers and hybrids and seeing an improvement in the size of those fish too. Catfish are spawning in the fresh muddy water and the fishermen love it. Crappie have all the structure to hide in they could ever want and the white bass are erupting on top water all over the lake like little thunderstorms chasing shad. One thing that really caught on during the drought is kayaking for fishing and sightseeing. The willow trees standing in the lake make exploration a lot of fun, not to mention there lots of little quiet secluded openings to call your own for fishing and birding.
ModernCrete
Tobolka’s big fish Tobolka
Wherever you are, if you have a favorite lake that has been through this same drought and flood cycle, you need to go wet a hook and check it out. It is a pretty good bet that any freshened up lake will produce similar results. People are coming back to Lake Buchanan to run up to see Fall Creek falls again and catch the Vanishing Texas River Cruise to the upper part of Lake Buchanan. That’s where you see the pretty, wild country and wildlife abounds. All you have to do is add great fishing to that and you have a great summer outing. It’s a good thing that school just let out!
Home on the archery range
The Texas Archery Academy offers classes and private lessons to help keep an archer’s aim sharp.
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ow hunters and archery enthusiasts have a new indoor range to hone their aim and sharpen their skills. The Texas Archery Academy (TXAA) has a new home at 8235 Vicar Dr., where the space is almost triple the size of its previous San Antonio location. TXAA is hosting a grand opening on Jun. 25, 9am-6pm, with hourly lessons, tours of the facility and archery challenges. There will also be food for sale, door prizes and music. The nonprofit organization is also hosting a fundraiser Jul. 23 to raise donations toward the purchase of the new building. Going from a 5,000-sf facility to one that is 12,000sf will allow more public access, typically hosting about 160 people on a weekly basis, and archers will not have to feel crowded. TXAA can now have archery tag, and the range, owned by Clint Montgomery of Dallas, can host corporate events, birthday parties and other functions without having to close during these events due to limited space. With a family-friendly environment,
Reyes Cortez, manager of the Texas Archery Academy indoor range in San Antonio, has been shooting for 28 years.
Reyes Cortez, manager, says that TXAA is a place to learn how to shoot a bow, to shoot for fun, to compete in tournaments, or to prepare for hunting season. He notes that they have 3D lifelike animal targets for bow hunters who want to practice. Cortez, husband of Lacie Cortez, Construction News office administrator, says his parents bought him his first bow when his mother was pregnant with him, and they put a bow in his hand when he was 4. He recalls, “I’ve loved it ever since. Right now, I’m getting to teach my oldest son, and he’s just loving it as well.” –mh
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
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Volunteers for a night out
All about that bass
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ordon Brown, Quality Fence & Welding, was just one of the members of the local construction community helping out at the churro booth for NIOSA (Night in Old San Antonio) during Fiesta. –mh
L-R: Kerry Stanush, You Name It Specialties, was the chairperson for the churro booth this year, and had Brown among her helpers.
Chelsey Wiatrek and her father enjoyed some quality time catching bass together on their annual fishing trip.
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helsey Wiatrek, ABC Fire Systems, and her father, Howard Stulting Jr., recently took their fifth annual trip to Lake Fork, TX. “We’re addicted… to say the least,” Wiatrek comments. “The quality and quantity of largemouth bass at this beautiful lake is amazing! We have had the same fishing guide every year and he always delivers.” This was the first year they fished for more than two days, carrying the fun over into a third day. This was also the first year they fished for white bass. Not-
ing that she loves largemouth bass fishing above all else, she says they fished various kinds of lures, did blind casting and sight fishing, where they “literally find a bass on a bed and worked our butts off to get her in the boat.” She recalls, “First day, we caught a handful of largemouth and white bass. The weather was a little tricky. Second day, we fished for 45 minutes in the rain – was not the most fun. Third day, we sight fished, caught some good ones, and ended our last day with a 6-lb bass! Great trip and I can’t wait for next spring!” –mh
Jordon Brown, gate department assistant manager and marketing coordinator, making churros for hungry NIOSA patrons
On the right: L-R: Saul Robles, Robles 1 LLC, with one of his sons, and Kerry’s husband, Mark
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
Supporting conservation through some recreation
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he Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) hosted its 37th annual banquet May 5 at the Freeman Expo Hall. Attendees enjoyed a premium open bar, food by Don Strange Catering, a live auction that included adventures for those that take to the great outdoors for fun and sport, raffles and prizes. –mh
L-R: Trey Malone, Pulte Homes; Joe Eaton, Eaton Development and Eaton Contracting; Sara Beth Eaton; Ruth Eaton, Eaton; and Kadi Eaton
L-R: Daniel, Trevor, Rene, Nick, Michael, Steven, Adrian and Mike, FARR Builders
L-R: David Dillard, Lana Sandell, Anne and Mike Cunningham, Melissa and Jack McGee, Beth Moore, KCM Cabinets
L-R: Bob Jordan, Ken Powell, Sterling Morrison, Evan Creson, Scott Bryan, Justin Griffin, HOLT CAT
L-R: Nathan Cobler, Bryan Spina, Steven Thai, LNV Inc.
L-R: David Salinas, Clint Snell, Mark Wohlfarth, Kash Hanson, The Sabinal Group
L-R: Tony Ippolito, Darryl Schneider and Nathan Merecka, DR Horton; Tucker Stephens, Urban Concrete
L-R: Patrick Fetzer, Eddie Rathburn and Ruben Huerta, The Fetzer Companies; Jose Ford, Villa Park Architecture; Robert Mora, Green Lawns of Texas; Billy Townsend, Billy Greaves Insurance Agency
Submitted to Construction News
Submitted to Construction News
An omen?
Angling for their share
Baby on board
Construction News managing editor Cyndi Wright spotted this morning vision at the end of her driveway recently. Is it an omen? No, just a friendly buzzard letting all the other buzzards know that the dead snake on the road was his! –cw
On their May 7 fishing trip, a few team members from Quality Fence & Welding and friends limited out by noon while wading in Baffin Bay. L-R: Clint Snowden, Oil Barron; Billy Mayes, Drive-in Truck Salvage; Rory Wilsey and Craig Noto, Quality Fence & Welding –mh
On Mother’s Day, Construction News’ San Antonio editor Mary Hazlett was showing off her baby bump. Pictured midway through her fifth month of pregnancy, she and husband David Hazlett are expecting their first child in September. –mh
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
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The doors of opportunity
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t’s been a long and winding road since the inception of Schweiss Doors in 1980. But during that span of over 35 years, many doors “literally” have opened for the start-up company. Owner Mike Schweiss relates how he got started in the door business. "It was 1980,” he says. “I was at a wedding dance. A friend commented, ‘Mike, you build lots of different things. Why not a door that folds up?’“ At that time, Schweiss and his three employees were manufacturing things like farrowing crates for sows, snowblowers, farm trailers, tile plows and something called the Schweiss Chicken Plucker! "It was the Chicken Plucker that gave us name recognition and, in fact, got us going financially," Schweiss laughs. His first bi-fold door measured 12 x 12 ft., and was installed on a Renville County highway shed, 10 miles from Schweiss' country factory location between Fairfax and Hector, MN. The door is still in operation. Custom quality During years of manufacturing doors of all sizes and shapes, requests kept coming in from customers who wanted Schweiss Doors to help them with their own personal door project to specifically fit their application. Schweiss listened and answered the challenge to design or make alterations to their door. “Bingo, that’s when the fun began to spread,” says Pat Schmidt, promotions director. “We hit a few home runs and saw the need and requests for unique custom-made doors. That’s how our ‘Designer Doors’ got their name.” Schweiss says this line has become global. “We have completed and installed many beautiful and elegant, off-the-wall
given new meaning to the term "hangar home." The structure is 50' wide x 60' deep x 30' tall, all metal. “However, a 45' x 15' Schweiss hydraulic door sporting a wrap-around porch with decorator railing, table and chairs, a walk through door with stylish window, and veranda roof gets your attention,” Schweiss says. More recently, the company started a sideline enterprise to retrofit 40-foot steel shipping containers with designer doors on the front and sidewalls. The units can be used for a variety of purposes ranging from home and construction offices to hunting cabins.
Mike Schweiss standing in front of a Schweiss bifold liftstrap door.
designer doors resulting in making many end-users very happy,” he says. “We delivered them a real factory showpiece they could be proud to show off. The designer doors have become a strong market for us. Architects and designers are calling from around the globe. We are now designing and manufacturing hydraulic and bifold doors from hangars to storefronts and residences that are mouthwateringly beautiful. They dream it; we build it!” More than one to make a team Schweiss Doors is a family run business. “I am acutely aware that a successful company is only as good as the people who work there,” Schweiss says. “I realized early on that to be the best you have to have highly skilled employees.” Coming up with new and better products is an ongoing challenge for Sch-
Sibling unity
weiss and his 60-70 employees. Really big doors to unique apps Last year, Schweiss fulfilled orders from SpaceX for rocket development facility doors installed on a new steel hangar at Cape Canaveral. The largest of the two is a Bifold Liftstrap door, 90 ft. wide x 61 ft. tall. The second door on that shipment is 40 ft. wide x 69 ft. tall. Each of the doors is equipped with automatic latches and is windrated to 150 mph. After they arrived at the site they were clad in 26-guage sheeting and have 4-inch blanket insulation. Bottom-drive 480 volt, 3 phase motors and patented Schweiss liftstraps do the lifting of these doors that exceed 53,000 lbs. The Hydraulic lifting porch hangar door, a classic Florida hangar home Schweiss wall/porch door, has drawn national attention by television networks. It has
It’s art When customers request something, Schweiss employees look forward to taking on the challenge of satisfying them. “We are passionate and serious about manufacturing doors and try each and every day trying to manufacture a better door. In 1998, we invented our current patented liftstrap design that uses straps instead of cables. Liftstraps are stronger, maintenance-free, safer and lift doors faster; it was a real game changer in the bifold door world,” noted Schweiss. Schweiss office personal have stepped up just to handle the designer door requests and love working on these one-of-a-kind custom doors. Many hours of design and engineering goes into these special doors. “It’s really rewarding to be able to participate in someone’s dreams and Schweiss provides years of door knowledge to enhance each and every designer door — it’s more than a door, it’s a piece of art. Adding beauty to a structure is what Schweiss Doors does with each and every style door we manufacture,” Schweiss says. –cw
Construction News ON LOCATION
Putting the pieces together
The next generation was taking care of the daily operations at Reeso Tiles on Vance Jackson. Allie Olguin was running the showroom and restocking sample boards while Michael Olguin Jr. was working in the warehouse, overseeing the sealing of the tiles and orders being sent out. –mh Raised in Ohio, Lauran Drown, and her brother, Chris, are bringing their dreams to fruition and collaborating on their own business venture, Bucrane Design Build, in San Antonio.
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rother and sister Chris Drown and Lauran Drown have been working in related industries since college, and in October of last year, they combined their skills and experience to form their own firm, Bucrane Design Build. As co-owner and studio manager, Lauran, 30, handles the design side. She studied architecture and has worked in design in the U.S., in India, where she studied abroad and worked after graduating, and in Canada, where she earned her master’s in architecture and worked before relocating to San Antonio. As co-owner and construction manager, Chris, 28, handles the build side. He studied industrial electricity and moved into construction management while working for homebuilders. After serving in the Army as a generator mechanic with a deployment in Afghanistan in 2012, he moved to San Antonio. Though Bucrane has been primarily providing design services in its first
months, the firm’s niche is offering semicustom home options for mid-range homebuyers. Lauran observes that most residential design services are targeted at high-end projects, and while they have also done high-end, the goal is to target and enrich the mid-range market. In time, they hope to expand into multi-family and to develop their own projects or work with developers using designs they’ve built up in their library that give new and desirable options to the mid-range homebuyer. Recently, children’s book author Doreen Cronin came in from New York to do a reading of her book, “Diary of a Worm,” after reading about Bucrane’s entry, which was inspired by her book, for the AIA Storybook Houses Exhibit at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. Based in Converse, Bucrane Design Build is a full-service design-build firm that specializes in the customizable residential market. –mh
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
Submitted to Construction News
To the rescue (demonstration)
Members of the San Antonio Fire Department from Station 51 provided a safety demonstration on manhole rescues to Sundt Construction employee-owners as part of Safety Week 2016. –mh
Restoring Hemingway’s house
William Dupont (second left) and his Cuban and American colleagues in 2012 working on the architectural design of the new facility now in construction on the 5-acre property of Hemingway’s Cuban home
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or more than a decade, William Dupont, a professor of architecture at UTSA, licensed architect and fellow of the AIA, has been applying his passion for historic preservation to help with the restoration of Ernest Hemingway’s home in San Francisco de Paula, Cuba. Traveling to Cuba an average of twice a year to help with the preservation of the house Hemingway inhabited for the final third of his life, nearly 22 years, Dupont has offered architectural consultation and oversight as well as connecting the Cuban team with experts to help in the conservation effort. The current focus is new construction of a building that will serve as an archival storage facility and workshop for the conservation of Hemingway documents and artifacts. Dupont and his team worked with the Cuban team on the design over the years. The principal preservation effort was focused on the main house. The home Hemingway left behind after his death in 1961 needed a new roof, had tremendous termite damage, and was taking on water to the point where the walls were saturated. Serving as a technical advisor, Du-
pont brought in engineers and material conservation experts to examine these and other issues. His team also took home samples to do paint and mortar analysis for the preservation team in Cuba, which executed all of the preservation treatments. They also helped with the conservation of Hemingway’s fishing yacht as well as cultural landscape and climate management issues. The house doesn’t have reliable electricity and wouldn’t support a full-blown HVAC system, and vegetation ties into the climate management. Now, he and his technical team from the National Trust for Historic Preservation can also export construction products and tools to Cuba. And with that building’s construction starting, all of the materials in terms of windows, doors, electrical, plumbing, drop ceilings, tile fixtures and finishes are being delivered to the site from the U.S., which was previously not allowed. “Now, we’re actually authorized to bring materials to them and be a true partner in the effort,” says Dupont. “We couldn’t do that before, and they’re not able to get it done without our help.” –mh
Dupont and Cuban architect Nelo (Adanelio Benavides Ramos) reviewing the roof and gutter assembly of Hemingway’s house in 2006
Construction News ON LOCATION
Ready for a change
L-R: Jon Lopez and company owner Armando Villalobos, “AW Ready” Plumbing & Backflow Testing were working on the inside of the shop on Spencer Lane, changing some of the interior work spaces. –mh
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
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Industry FOLKS Todd Calder Project Executive Sundt
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ince joining Sundt about two years ago in a business developmentstyle role, Todd Calder says it was a very comfortable transition into the role of project executive and that he fits very well with the group he is working with at the company’s San Antonio office. Though his background is rooted in operations and he has always been part of the crew out on a job building a project, his new position has him doing a lot more front end work such as contract negotiation and procurement of work. “I like the hybrid reality of it,” says Calder. “I like the fact that I am doing some front end, more business-style work and also acquisition-style work, but I’m still able to participate and be involved in the day-to-day operations of what we do.” A lifelong Texan, Calder was born and raised in the Dallas area. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s in environmental design and went on to work in construction all over the Lone Star State. He worked for a few different general contractors, doing healthcare and higher education. One of his projects was the SAMMC addition here in San Antonio. The way all the pieces of construction fit together to serve a purpose and create a bigger picture drew Calder to architecture and building in general. The ability to see the fruits of his labor and the labor of the people
Showing gratitude
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he National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) San Antonio Chapter hosted its annual Industry Appreciation Night Dinner May 4 at the San Antonio Petroleum Club. –mh
L-R: Michelle Urbanczyk, San Antonio Chapter president, presented Judy DeWeese, a past national president of NAWIC who recently retired from Mauze Construction, with a surprise award commemorating her years of service to the association.
Leslye Hernandez, Construction News and longtime NAWIC member, with Bexar County Commissioner Precinct 4 Tommy Calvert, who was the guest speaker at NAWIC’s Industry Appreciation Night
he’s working with attracted him to the industry, and he enjoys the challenges of bringing it all to fruition. “My favorite projects that I’ve been involved with – I probably took a little bit from each one of them, but I’ve done some pretty complicated laboratory work for Texas Tech and the University of Texas that was challenging,” he recalls. “That’s probably what keeps me going in this, learning new things and constantly being challenged by the process and the materials that we’re putting in.” At 42, Calder’s life outside of work is all about being a full-time dad. He and his wife, Leah, have two children, an 8-year-old son named Carson and a 10-year-old daughter named Maddie. Both of them play all kinds of sports, and Maddie excels at playing the cello. Calder is an Eagle Scout and is a big supporter of the Boy Scouts, and so, Carson is in the Cub Scouts. His wife was born in the Brenham area, but she has followed him all over the state over the 12 years they have been married. The last 10 years she has been a stay-at-home mom, and together, they spend all of their free time with their kids. –mh
Did you know? Past editions can be downloaded at www. ConstructionNews.net
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
Scholarly tee time
1st Place Team, Low Gross L-R: Bobby Eicholz, tournament co-chair, ASLA, Rialto Studio; Larry Nitche, FSG; John Kush, Workspace Solutions; Daniel Perez, AIA, Stantec; Jeffrey Fetzer, FAIA, tournament co-chair
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he American Institute of Architects (AIA) San Antonio Chapter and the South Texas Section of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) co-hosted their 28th annual Scholarship Golf Classic. More than 140 golfers turned out for the AIA/ASLA Acme Brick event May 9 at the Quarry Golf Club. –mh
Winners: 1st Low Net: Allen & Allen Team – Patrick Murphy, Matt Huggins, Ryan Griffin, Mike Haddock 2nd Low Net: Scott Moore, PE, and Michael Reise, PE, CNG Engineering; Mike Milburn and David Creekmore, J&R Tile 3rd Low Net: Alpha Consulting Engineers Team – Ryan Malitz; Scott Tak, PE; Reid Loehman; Thomas Hamer, PE
Putting their teams together
Don Rackler and Brian Simpson, Jon Wayne Air & Plumbing; Steve Mechler and Bryan Blass, Steve Mechler & Associates
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he Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors (PHCC) San Antonio Chapter and the American Society of Professional Engineers (ASPE) Central Texas Chapter held their fourth annual Golf Tournament Apr. 28 at Hyatt Hill Country Resort with 120 golfers hitting the green that day. –mh Winners: Low Gross: Gunn Nissan – Tony Lasater, Billy Wagner Low Net: Champions Marketing – Hunter Gordon, Paul Inke Putting Contest: David Delgado, 1st Plumbing Services Straightest Drive: Jerry Mulder, Mr. Rooter of San Antonio Golden Throne Award: Nick Skeen, Jon Wayne Air & Plumbing
Aaron Hollbrook, DBR Inc., and Chris Phillips, Jacobs Engineering and ASPE-Central Texas 2016 president
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
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Round-Up James Deaven has joined Bartlett Cocke General Contractors as controller. A licensed CPA with 22 years of experience in accounting for the construction industry, he will be responsible for the daily activities of the accounting department and serve as a liaison between other departments within the corporation. He is involved with San Antonio CPA Society’s “Funlympics,” benefitting at-risk children, and on the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) board. He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from UTSA. LNV announced the following: Derek Naiser, PE, CFM, has been named executive vice president/ COO/executive vice president of Northern Region Operations. With more than 25 years of diverse experience in the industry, he is the designated principal-in-charge for the San Antonio office as well as all northern offices. Byron Sanderfer, PE, CFM, LEED AP BD+C, has been named vice president of the San Antonio office. With more than 15 years of experience as a project manager for LNV, he has provided municipal engineering services. Alan Thompson, PE, has been named senior vice president/chief strategy officer. Since joining the company in 2014, he has served as a professional engineer, a business development professional and a part of the Executive Officer Committee. O’Connell Robertson recently named two new associates: Jennifer Hoskins, IIDA, LEED AP, and Jayna Duke, RID, LEED AP ID+C. Both are in the firm’s interior design department and serve clients in both the Austin and San Antonio offices. A registered interior designer, Hoskins leads the firm’s interiors team. She has more than 10 years of experience, all with O’Connell Robertson. Hoskins has worked on a variety of projects, but concentrates primarily on interior design for higher education and healthcare facilities. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in interior design from Texas State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from The University of Texas at Austin. She is a member of the International Interior Design Association. Duke is also a registered interior designer and LEED Accredited Professional. She has eight years of experience and has been with O’Connell Robertson for eight years. Duke’s experience includes a variety of healthcare and educational projects, with emphasis on K-12 facilities. Duke earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Family & Consumer Science with a concentration in interior design from Texas State University.
Arthur Garcia has been promoted to senior project manager at Project Control. Having joined the company in 2005, he is currently part of the team providing project management services for the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center expansion. His expertise is in building systems and information technology, and he manages the company’s requirements for communications and data resources. A graduate of the UTSA, he holds certification as a LEED AP. Closner Equipment Co. Inc. has named Clint Blackmon as director of service. In his new role, he will have statewide responsibility for all field technicians, shop personnel and fleet maintenance. Blackmon has held various positions in the construction and materials industries for 20 years. Prior to moving to Texas, he held leadership positions at Vulcan Materials and Tractor & Equipment Co. in the Southeastern U.S. Rick Nanez has joined Cambridge Contracting as vice president. Previously, he was a senior project manager with Metropolitan Contracting, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors and F.A. Nunnelly Company. His experience includes ground up construction of office, retail and medical developments. Randall Jay has been promoted to field operations manager for Bartlett Cocke General Contractors for South Texas. With the company for more than 19 years, his responsibilities include overseeing daily field operations, ensuring safety procedures are followed, and making sure project schedules and budgets are met. He has received awards for Outstanding Superintendent of the Year as well as Project of the Year Over $20 million from the American Subcontractors Association (ASA).
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
First in their class
Eleven high school seniors from schools across the San Antonio area, including Jourdanton and New Braunfels, graduated from the new Heavy Equipment Academy L-R: Stephen Covey, Shawn Cruz, Catherine Espinoza, Luis Galindo, Jesus Hernandez, Coby Hyatt, Braydon Jobe, Jose Maldonado, Orlando Salazar, Francisco Sanchez and Cheyenne Stevens
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ith partners HOLT CAT, ASCO Equipment, RDO Equipment, ROMCO Equipment and Closner Equipment as well as the City of San Antonio and CPS Energy, Alamo Academies hosted the graduation of its inaugural Heavy Equipment class May 4 at the Venues at Valero. The Alamo Academies Class of 2016 included 11 high school seniors with the distinction of being the first students to graduate from the new Heavy Equipment Academy. Each student completed 33 hours of college credit while earning a Marketable Skills Award in Diesel Light/ Heavy Truck Technology Mechanic Helper, OSHA certification, and Level I Certificate of Completion with the Alamo Colleges. –mh
Peter John Holt and Mayor Ivy Taylor, pictured with Heavy Equipment Academy graduate Braydon Jobe, came to the Alamo Academies graduation ceremony to support and celebrate the new Heavy Equipment program and the four other academies that aim to address the “skills gap” in our industry and the modern workforce.
continued from Page 1 — His heart and soul Rainbow and five trucks. With the company going again, he is using sub crews, people who are friends and longtime associates, some of whom he helped train. He has also worked with Milberger and Maldonado landscaping companies. Very soon, he expects to add another person and another truck as Rainbow builds up again. Meanwhile at home, he notes his wife’s family, some of whom she got involved in the business, has been there for him. He also has Shelby, a 16-year-old
Pembroke Welsh Corgi, who is the last of the five corgis he and Ethelinda have had over the past 20 years. She fell in love with the breed, and Shelby’s companion, Riley, passed away a year after Ethelinda. But Gary will get another one as a companion for Shelby, noting “I can’t not have a corgi simply because they remind me of her.” He is thankful his last memory of her is a good one, and he believes it’s important to remember what truly matters, advising, “Do not go to sleep angry.” –mh
continued from Page 1 — Bee-ing proactive other factors such as Africanized bees can devastate the colonies. Since taking up the role of beekeeper in the middle of last year, he takes precautions to protect his bees from those threats. In the interest of bee conservation, he also makes efforts to save feral colonies, trapping them out of areas where they are unwanted. He estimates that since October of last year, he has removed four different hives from different places. “If people have got bees that are unwanted, I’m happy to go and get them,”
says Christensen, adding that since he does construction, they can cut them out and fix it in cases where that is necessary. “If somebody’s got bees and they don’t want them, let us know. Don’t kill them. Let us come and get them. The beneficial aspects of the honey bee are numberless.” JASON Contracting is a commercial general contractor. Currently, JASON’s workload is 80 percent medical and 20 percent retail finish outs and restaurant remodels, along with other work. –mh
continued from Page 1 — Adding shine and space to southwest school
L-R: HOLT CAT scholarship recipients Luis Galindo, Cheyenne Stevens and Shawn Cruz with Peter John Holt, HOLT CAT executive vice president and general manager
Construction News JOB SIGHT
Men at work
Alex Gonzalez and Oscar Hernandez, with Ocean2Ocean, have been working hard to build a beautiful fence at Stone Field subdivision in Bulverde. –cw
As part of the recent renovations at Christa McAuliffe Middle School, Kencon added a new media center/library.
On the east side, the addition of an elevator provided ADA access to an existing mechanical room, with extra space, that has been in use as a weight room for the students. Initially, the process planning included an addition of a 1,000-sf weight room in that location, but the elevator allowed the weight room to remain in its current 3,000-sf space. In one of the wings, Kencon converted a couple of classrooms into a bigger art room, and the fine arts space was reconfigured and upgraded. Two classrooms were captured to add storage space to the cafeteria and a room adjacent to the kitchen for a serving line to increase the capacity of students that could be served each lunch period. The project team also expanded offices for kitchen staff, upgraded their restroom, and added a new sound system and finishes to the cafeteria. Kencon also added HVAC to the auxiliary gymnasium, which did not have HVAC before. During the course of this work, they discovered old water leaks under some of that gym’s wood flooring. After some repairs to the existing floor, the district decided to refinish the wood floors in both the competition and auxiliary gyms. The team also added a new sound system and new lighting to both gyms. On the site work, Kencon added new aluminum pedestrian walkway covers to the front of the building and did landscaping around the front of the campus. They also did a complete mill and overlay of all the asphalt surfaces. “The campus had to remain active throughout construction, and that was the biggest challenge,” Skrobarczyk says. “It required breaking the project up into several phases, and when we completed the planning, the project required 16 different permits. In order for the campus to
remain active, we had to bring in additional portables, prior to the start of construction in ’14 and set those up so there was sufficient classroom space to swing students from inside the existing wings over into the portables.” The project superintendent was Ray Valdez. Kencon’s vice president, James Saenz, served as project executive. Luis Montoto, Marmon Mok Architecture, was the project manager. Along with Montoto, Monty Howard, associate partner, and James Moore, associate/senior project manager of Marmon Mok, comprised the architect’s design team. Hugo Quintero, Alpha Consulting Engineers, was the structural engineer. Stacey Weichert, Cude Engineers, was the civil engineer. Matt Dunn, Taylor Koerth and Scott Wells, Alderson & Associates, did the MEP engineering. Leticia Zavala, CFZ Group, was the landscape architect. Kencon also worked with the City of San Antonio, particularly Crystal Kastner and Al Niebruegge, on this project. Subcontractors on the project included Alamo Door Systems, Alpha Insulation, Architectural Division 8, Automatic Fire Protection, Burditt Tile & Stone, DEA Specialties, Ericstad, FloAire Service, Koetter Fire Protection, Maldonado Nursery & Landscape, Masters Electric Services, Millennia Cabinetry, Opiela Mechanical, Pro-Line Pavement, Schindler Elevators, R. Hester Contractors, RAST Iron Works, Samuels Glass, San Antonio Floor Finishers (SAFFI), South Texas Drywall & Construction, T.H. Willis Company, Tex State Constructors, Traugott Inc. and Turner Roofing. Kencon Constructors is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The general contractor has done work for nearly all of the school districts in San Antonio and the surrounding area. –mh
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
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HVAC & PLUMBING Modern times mean modern methods Kyle Pennington, Business Manager AJ Monier & Company San Antonio, TX
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yle Pennington doesn’t come from an HVAC or plumbing background. His experience at Ernst & Young in Dallas working in accounting and finance gives him a business-driven perspective on the trades. As business manager of AJ Monier & Company, he observes three major factors influencing the industry today. First, the difficulty in finding qualified technicians in today’s day and age has encouraged the company to reach out to high schools and join up with the apprenticeship program at Local 142. Their goal is to make sure the students know that there are career opportunities that do not require attending a four-year university and can create wealth for them and their families. To help with the shortage of technicians, Pennington attends events and programs with AJ Monier team members to educate high school students about the opportunities that are readily available for qualified technicians in the trades. Recently, Pennington attended the Texas Construction Career Initiative (TCCI) Construction Career Day, and he discov-
ered that a lot of high school students do not even know what the acronym HVAC stands for, nor did they know that the duct work and a lot of what is unseen behind walls and ceilings is what they deal with in this business. They also did not know that water can be used to cool the air, referring to chilled water systems. While they make efforts to help alleviate the shortage of skilled labor in the future, Pennington brings up the second factor, which is that technology has become even more important to stay competitive. With technological growth reaching a rapid pace, companies have started utilizing technology in their everyday business. “AJ Monier implemented iPads in the field for HVAC technicians about three years ago,” he explains. “That allows them to pull up operations manuals for specific pieces of equipment that they’re working on right then and there. We’re allowed to do videos and pictures, and email them back and forth to supervisors in the office as well as even using FaceTime on a rooftop to help a lesser skilled technician troubleshoot a problem.”
What about the stigma of choosing a trade vs. a college degree? Alicia Dover, CAE, Executive Director Associated Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors of Texas (PHCC Texas) Austin, TX
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his question was asked of a panel at a recent state agency summit on workforce needs in Texas. It got me to thinking deeply about this aspect of trade vs. college choice. I remember my days in high school when it was the “not so smart” or “not so driven” kids who chose the trades. Money available for education, or lack thereof, was probably another factor in their choices. In my role as executive director for a state trade association representing the plumbing and HVAC industry, I promote the trades as a viable option. Texas is facing a shortage of skilled tradespeople, especially in the construction related industry. The average age of a master plumber is now 56. There are not enough people in the “pipeline” to meet the void these plumbers will create when they retire. A 2012-13 study performed by the Texas Workforce Commission found that by 2020 there will be a 25% greater demand for plumbers and HVAC installers than in 2012. The next question that begs asking
is, “How much money can a trade person make?” It varies throughout the state, but recent Department of Labor Statistics show that in Texas, the average wage for experienced, licensed plumbers is $45,000 to $57,000 annually. In many areas of the state, the average is even higher. Master plumbers command an even higher wage. Responsible master plumbers are usually the business owner, and they are showing earnings of $100,000 and up. Further, employers are now willing to invest in the training of their new hires. It is not a rarity anymore to see four-year apprenticeship programs completely funded by the student’s employer. The company provides the on-the-job training, the school provides the necessary classroom time, and voila, within four year’s time, another licensed journeyman comes into the marketplace. With salaries such as these, education available, and the demand as it is, why do we still face a critical shortage of qualified workers? Many in the world of academia have stated it is because we have spent much of the recent past pro-
Pennington also notes that they try to attend seminars and conferences hosted by the Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA of America, MCA of Texas, MCA-SMACNA of San Antonio). He says there are always breakout sessions relating to the future of the industry and how technology ties into what they do. “I am a firm believer that if I want to stay competitive in my industry that I need to be on the forefront of technology for our business,” he says. “Our business has been around for over 100 years, and when I first got here, technology was not something on our forefront. So I made sure that we invested more money back into technology and into the training that goes along with that technology for our technicians. We started with our HVAC technicians. We use it also for our plumbers as well. We’re starting to get our construction people involved.” This ties into Pennington’s third point, noting that with technology rapidly improving, the company has been able to expand its services into building automation and controls. He sees these services as the future for helping shed electricity loads for buildings. “Building automation is getting smarter and smarter, and controls – DDC (Direct Digital Controls) – have been around 20-plus years, but it’s getting smarter as technology is getting smarter,” he observes, adding that they try to partner with their customers to make their buildings smarter too, and now they can be monitored from a cellphone or tablet. “Technology has made it easier for people to pull up the information on the web, and you didn’t have to be at the
building itself to see it,” he says. “I can get an email notification that a set point on an HVAC unit is starting to get out of a specified range, and that email can tell me before a tenant can complain to the building manager, and I can proactively contact the building manager if they don’t already get the email as well. We can try and head off the issue before a tenant can complain and be discomforted.” Along with this advanced technology, the controls are now open protocol with the Niagara Tridium platform, which allows anybody to work on it. So, if a customer feels that for some reason they are not happy with AJ Monier’s level of service, they will be able to have another contractor work on the building, because the controls are not proprietary to AJ Monier, adding the value of freedom for the customer and their contractors on this open platform. As he points out the factors affecting the industry, Pennington had a couple of points for homeowners and end users too. He emphasized that filters should be changed quarterly to keep your unit operating properly, and the thermostat should not be cranked so low that it makes the machine work overtime and can cause issues down the line. AJ Monier & Company was founded in 1908 by its namesake, who was succeeded by his son, Kurt AJ Monier, father of the company’s current president, William Kurt Monier. Kyle Pennington’s wife is a fourth generation Monier. The company does HVAC service, plumbing service, building controls, welding and fabrication, new construction, retrofits, and owns 50 percent of sheet metal company M&M Metals. –mh
moting college degrees as the only path as a student leaves high school. Further, these same educators state that Texas’ focus on standardized testing is preventing the high schools and often middle schools from investing in the lives of their students they serve. After a good amount of these meetings, it has occurred to me that there still exists a stigma, if you will, about not choosing college and choosing a trade. So how do we promote the trades as a viable and rewarding career option? That is the million dollar question my industry faces. Visits to trade schools that hold plumbing and mechanical programs show that they are not full. They can’t seem to attract a large pipeline of future plumbers and HVAC technicians. For many of the programs, the word is, people don’t really know what we do. They hear “plumber” and they think stopped up toilets. An HVAC technician’s job is perceived as too hot and too sweaty. Our first attempts at attracting more high school students into our industry were to reach out to the school counselors. What we found was professionals too busy with paperwork, testing, and no time to learn, let alone share information about other career options outside of a two- or four-year college. Next, we began a push to have industry professionals participate in job and career fairs at the school district level. This has proven to show some success. A bona fide company with real jobs is a draw. Further, it has allowed the participating employers an opportunity to prescreen a group of students who could actually come to work for them in the very near
future. For many employers, they can hire an apprentice at age 16 for part time work. I have been told that the starting wage for these individuals is well above the current minimum wage rates for Texas. Third, we are now reaching out the Texas State Legislature for more assistance in promoting the trades. Both the House and the Senate are holding meetings during this interim period to discuss the implications and implementation of House Bill 5 from 2013. This bill affords all students a variety of postsecondary education and workforce opportunities. Students are given the opportunity to earn an endorsement in an area of interest. For the trades, this was critical to bringing vocational education back into the schools! So where does this leave us going forward? We must show students and their parents that choosing a trade is not a second rate choice, but one that carries with it pride, accomplishment and success. I return to the question posed at the beginning. Does a stigma exist? Yes, it does. Can we do something about it? Most certainly. It starts with taking pride in our work. And then, sharing that pride and encouraging others to come along side of us in our pursuit of excellence in what we do. How do we accomplish this? We begin the conversations. Talk to anyone who will listen to us. Reach out to the schools, the administrators, the legislators, and then the community. We also need to give back. The professionals in our industry need to enter the classroom and lab. Teaching their trade to the next generation is paramount to producing a “pipeline” of qualified individuals. –cw
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
HVAC & PLUMBING Labor, regulations challenges to industry William Biggs, Owner Biggs Plumbing Co. Inc. Austin, TX
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ow would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms? Have you heard of an increase or slowdown in business? Trying to predict the construction cycle is tough. The best you can do is prepare your contingencies. In Austin, we’ve had a very good construction economy for a long time now, so I hear concern about the future, but it’s mostly caution and not fear. What factors are driving this? Austin is a hot market still, but that can’t go on forever. It’s important to know who you are working with and have confidence in a project before you invest your own resources as well. Do you see an increase in the number of outside contractors coming to the area? Absolutely. Even if there are just as many projects, there is now increased competition, and it could actually hurt good companies as they face competi-
tion from desperate or even reckless contractors. What are the “hot button” issues in your industry? Of course adequate labor is huge. Government regulation is another hot topic. No matter which administrative authority, people just want clarity and simplicity. What is on the horizon for your industry? Changes in technology; equipment; materials? The use of technology has been developing in our industry with mixed results. If used correctly and with intelligent input, it can speed up the work and provide great reference. If used poorly or in the wrong situation, it delays work and drives up cost. As energy and water conservation concerns grow, I think the need for innovation in plumbing is going to grow as well. Have there been any significant code
changes in the last year? There are a lot of important but subtle changes in codes that apply to plumbing, particularly regarding efficiency and conservation, but you always have to check which administrative authority you’re working under to even be sure what the current “code” is. With the recent emphasis on green building, what is the most environmentally friendly change relating to your industry? I would have to say it’s in the area of water conservation. It’s such an important resource and sensible plumbing design has to be at the forefront if we’re going to protect our future supplies. Do any new water restricting fixtures impact plumbing installation? As long as the design and installation match the needs of the new fixtures, I don’t see any reason there should be any impact. But you might need to pay more attention during a remodel. What is the most significant challenge your industry faces? Labor shortages? Other? Labor is a big challenge, but trying to keep costs competitive while complying with administrative authorities, regulating bodies, and complex construction documents are other challenges as well. Is HVAC/Plumbing education available for those wishing to enter the industry? There are a number of formal ave-
nues like PHCC, ABC, trade programs, and the unions. Our company makes it a point to help those who possess the right attitude with an opportunity to learn regardless of prior experience. I’m sure other companies feel the same. We can teach the skills if someone is dedicated and willing to learn. What are the cost increases relating to your industry? Aside from labor increases, we’re also seeing an increasing demand for legal counsel and insurance as contracts become more complicated, risk is becoming harder to manage, and more layers are added to the construction process. The more complex building becomes, the more things can go wrong. What are the rewards of the industry? Being able to work with your hands and mind while providing for your family is not unique to plumbing, but it’s hugely rewarding. What are keys to being successful? I would say diligence and focus with a strong moral compass about your business practices is a start. Hard work is a must, but sweat equity alone doesn’t always work. You’ve got to have a good plan and stick to it. Biggs Plumbing began in Austin in 1972 with a goal to provide the highest level of plumbing services to the construction industry with a belief in our employees and our profession. –cw
It’s a great time to become a technician Chris Walters, President Extreme Air Conditioning Services Inc. Houston, TX
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hat sparked your interest in the HVAC industry? My dad was very mechanical and we fixed everything that needed fixing ourselves. At first, I was interested in auto mechanics but my dad suggested air conditioning and I took his advice. I started my company when I was 33 years old. Did you have a mentor in the industry when you first got started? Yes, my instructor and mentor was an ex drill sergeant. He taught college A/C at night and technical high school during the day. One of his most memorable quotes was, "You must know the normal before
you can figure out the abnormal.” I still use this line today. What does it take to be successful in the HVAC industry, in your opinion? You must be flexible and constantly search for opportunities to take on work. You also must be willing to make a plan and focus on it but adapt as the job needs change. You have to get rid of all the tire kickers that take tons of your time but never have good paying jobs for you. You have to understand the buck stops with you - everyday you are responsible for how the day went and if you were successful and got enough done to pay the bills and your employees. You must never forget nothing can
compare to hard work and dedication. I tell employees all the time: no matter what is happening in your life, it is going to be worse without a job. This type of thinking gets me up at 5am without an alarm clock and keeps me focused. You cannot be lazy and you cannot slack off in this business. This is a full time commitment that many people are counting on your efforts and you on theirs. Are there any changes you have seen in the HVAC industry lately? Yes, one of the changes I have seen is the prices of replacement unit change outs has risen double what it was just a few years ago. However, the equipment itself is only a bit more expensive. What advice would you give a young person who wants to work in the HVAC industry? Every day I tell prospective technicians how great the need for technicians is.
I tell them in 20 years of owning my business the lack of technicians is the single largest obstacle to overcome. There has never been a better time to enter this high demand job. Technicians are highly sought after and the shortage is not expected to end anytime soon. What is your perspective about the current state of the Houston construction industry? What I notice first is the number of bid invitations that we receive from general contractors. We see our invitations to bid for new construction has doubled which is a great indicator of an economy on the rebound. Established by Chris and April Walters in 1996, Extreme Air Conditioning Services Inc. is commercial HVAC contractor. The company focuses on both commercial and industrial services in the Houston area. –ab
NEXT MONTH July 2016
Electrical Industry 2016 Schedule
Jan: Construction Forecast Feb: Construction Safety Mar: Construction Education
Support Your Industry’s Feature Issue San Antonio • Austin Dallas / Fort Worth Houston • South Texas Apr: Women in Construction May: Concrete Industry Jun: HVAC & Plumbing
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July: Electrical Industry Aug: Service Providers Sep: Green Building
Oct: Specialty Contractors Nov: Architecture & Engineering Dec: Construction Equipment
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
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Completing their journey
Recognizing the safe way
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uring Safety Week, HJD Capital Electric hosted activities and training sessions to celebrate and increase awareness of safety on the job site. –mh
Benjamin Tijerina, Superintendent
Graduates of the PHCC San Antonio Plumbing Apprenticeship Class of 2016 L-R: Roland Pantoja; Abelardo Flores; Charles Phillips, Victaulic rep; Kody Fielder, Clay Saliba, Geoffrey Letcher
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he Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors (PHCC) San Antonio Chapter held a ceremony for the first graduating class of the plumbing apprenticeship program May 12 at St. Philip’s College. The fourth year apprentice graduates were Kody Paul Fielder, George Plumbing Co.; Abelardo Flores, Primo Plumbing; Geoffrey Marshall Letcher, REC Industries; Roland Daniel Pantoja, Primo Plumbing; and Clayton George Saliba, George Plumbing Co. –mh Ed Harrell Memorial Excellence Award: Geoffrey Letcher, REC Industries
BrassCraft Scholarship Winners Year One Highest GPA: Corey Opiela, Opiela Mechanical Best Attendance: Gregory Billa, REC Industries Year Two Highest GPA: James Hamilton, Beyer Plumbing Best Attendance: Robert Chauvey, Beyer Plumbing Year Three Highest GPA: David Ross, Texas Plumbing Diagnostics Best Attendance: Salvador Sandoval, O’Haver Plumbing
Eloy Cardenas (middle), Plumber Kenneth Erceg, Electrician Pictured above are the recipients of the company’s annual Award for Exemplary Safety and Service (May 2015-May 2016)
Golf in the mix Capital employees “Safety Dave” Tagaras (pictured) and Tyler King read to students at Adams Elementary as part of the 6th annual Hispanic Chamber Reading Day, May 5.
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he Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) South Texas Chapter hosted a Topgolf Mixer May 12 that included appetizers and refreshments. –mh L-R: Ross Loewe and Lance Muennink, ASCO Equipment
L-R: Shannon Cadena, Trade Management; Adam Robles, Robles1; Marikka Strunk, Trade Management; Andrew Brumgard, Robles1; Nicole Krueger, Williams Scotsman
L-R: (front row) Megan Townes, Thomas Steele and Elaine Buchhorn, Mobile Mini; (back row) Helen Nelson, Satellite Shelters; Scott Balvin, Mobile Mini; Ronnie Buchhorn, A Plus Carpentry; Greg Sims, Satellite Shelters
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
Cars, bikes and backhoes
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BBQ Grand Champion: Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em
aising funds for two local charities, Soldier’s Angels and 4KIDS of South Texas, ASCO Equipment hosted its fifth annual Benefit Car & Bike Show and BBQ Cook-Off May 14. The fun included a kids’ zone, dunking booth, live band and a backhoe rodeo. –mh Winners: Brisket 1st: Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em 2nd: Branch 8 Smokers 3rd: Undecided Kookers Chicken 1st: Branch 8 Smokers 2nd: Super Gringos 3rd: Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em Ribs 1st: Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em 2nd: Super Gringos 3rd: Hot Sands BBQ Beans 1st: Hot Sands BBQ 2nd: Super Gringos
1st Place Men’s Backhoe Rodeo: Ed Ramirez
Association Calendar
Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC
GSABA
Associated Builders & Contractors
Greater San Antonio Builders Assn.
Jun. 2: Blue Book Showcase, Embassy Suites San Marcos Jun. 16: Summer Shindig, Blue Bonnet Palace For more info on these events, email Ruby Trejo at ruby@abcsouthtexas.org
Jun. 10-11: Saltwater Fishing Tournament; Port Aransas Civic Center; awards and prizes, raffle drawing; $450 tournament entry, up to four anglers per boat; for reservations, call Lucy Gale at 210-696-3800
AGC
Hispanic Contractors Association
Associated General Contractors
Jun. 2: Blue Book Network Showcase, Embassy Suites in San Marcos Jun. 9-10: Free OSHA 10 courses, English and Spanish; for more info, email safetytraining@tdi.texas.gov Jun. 15: Monthly meeting/Mixer; The DoubleTree Hotel, Downtown San Antonio; 6-8pm; members free, non-members $10
Events are held at the chapter office unless otherwise stated. Jun. 2: Safety Happens Guest Speaker, 8:30-9:30am Jun. 12-15: Texas Building Branch Convention, Horseshoe Bay Jun. 14: BCA Education: DBE Goal Presentation VIA Metropolitan Transit, 6-7pm Jun. 16: CLF General Membership meeting, 4:30-6:30pm Jun. 17: Midyear Economic Forum; The Witte Museum, Prassel Auditorium; noon-1:30pm; speakers are Ken Simonson, AGC of America chief economist, and James Gaines, chief economist of Texas A&M University Real Estate; to make a reservation, sponsor or for more info, call 210-349-4921 or e-mail kwilson@sanantonioagc.org Jun. 20: Brown Bag Lunch: Tricks, Tales and Myths in Drug Testing for Employment, noon
AIA American Institute of Architects
1st Place Women’s Backhoe Rodeo: Peyton Smith
Left: Penny Torres was ready for the annual event’s first ever Backhoe Rodeo
Construction News JOB SIGHT
Right pretty!
Jun. 9: Canstruction Kick-Off meeting, San Antonio Food Bank Jun. 27: Chapter meeting; Luby’s Fiesta Room, 911 N. Main Ave.; Bexar Heritage Update, speaker is Betty Bueché, Bexar Heritage Programs director; no RSVP required; members $20, guests $25, interns and associates $15 Jun. 28: Sustainable Urban Development Luncheon with Urban Land Institute; “Sports Stadiums – Opportunity to Build Community,” panel includes Joyce Wilson, El Paso city manager, and Janet Marie Smith, Baltimore Orioles; Pearl Stable, 307 Pearl Pkwy For more info on these events, visit www. aiasa.org
ASA American Subcontractors Association
Oscar Rada and Elias Rivera with Best Landscaping recently updated and fixed storm damage to the grounds of the Construction News, VBX and PACE building on Naco Perrin. –cw
Jun. 3-4: Annual ASA Fishing Tournament; Rockport, TX; team of 4 $450 Jun. 7: Lunch & Learn: Cyber Security; Gardner Law Firm; 11am-1pm; members $25, non-members $35 Jun. 15: Safety Update Luncheon, ESC Safety Consultants, 11:30am-1pm Jun. 16: Summer Shindig, Bluebonnet Palace, 4-7pm Jun. 21: General Membership meeting; The Petroleum Club; 6:30pm; members $35, non-members $40 Jun. 22: Safety Training: What Should Be in Your Safety Program; ESC Consultants; 11:30am-1pm; members $15, non-members $20 Jun. 28: Seminar Series: Lien & Bond Laws; Gardner Law Firm; 1:30-4:30pm; members $35, non-members $45
CFMA
HCA de San Antonio
IEC Independent Electrical Contractors
Events are held at the chapter office unless otherwise stated. Jun. 2: Ideal National Contest Challenge, 5-9:30pm Jun. 4: Print Reading/Intro to Estimating Class, 9am-3:30pm Jun. 13: Continuing Education Class, 5-9pm Jun. 16: IEC Graduation, Leon Valley Community Center, 6:30-8:30pm Jun. 17: 8th Annual IEC Sporting Clay Fun Shoot, San Antonio Gun Club, noon-6pm Jun. 18: Electrical Maintenance Technician Class, 8am-5pm Jun. 30: Membership Luncheon, Old San Francisco Steakhouse, 11:30am-1:30pm For more info on these events, call 210431-9861 or visit www.iecsanantonio.com
MCA–SMACNA Mechanical Contractors Association Sheet Metal & A/C Nat’l Assn.
Jun. 1: Regular & Associates meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30am Jun. 8: Labor/Management meeting, MCA-SMACNA office, 11am Jun. 15: Joint Industry Fund meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30am
NAWIC Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction
Jun. 1: General meeting; Petroleum Club; 6pm; DIRRT Build Better CEU, speaker is Andrée Iffrig, LEED AP Jun. 4: Stars Game Night, AT&T Center
PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors
Jun. 2: PHC Industry Shoot (PHCC, ABPA, ASPE), San Antonio Gun Club Jun. 4, 18, 25: Plumbers Continuing Ed, PHCC-SA classroom Jun. 9-10: PHCC Texas Apprentice Contest; St. Philip’s College-SW Campus; 3rd and 4th year apprentices representing member companies are invited to compete; winner will compete at the PHCC National CONNECT Contest in October; for more info, call Alicia Dover, PHCC Texas executive director, at 800-992-7422 Jun. 10: PHCC Texas annual meeting & Business Owner Mini-Bootcamp, St. Philip’s College-SW Campus Jun. 8-12: Journeyman Pre-Test classes: Plumber OSHA10, 8-Hour and 18-Hour Code; PHCC-SA classroom
Construction Financial Mgmt. Assn.
SAMCA
Jun. 14: Chapter Officer Installation and Scholarship Presentation Banquet; 11:30am-1pm; Old San Francisco; speaker is Julissa Carielo, Tejas Premier; RSVP to Stephanie at 210-828-6281, ext. 1575, or stephanie.harms@padgett-cpa.com
San Antonio Masonry Contractors Assn.
CMAA Construction Mgmt. Assn. of America
Jun. 16: Monthly meeting; Texas 811 with Doug Meeks; 11:30am-1pm; Ferguson’s Showroom, 303 North Park Dr.; lunch will be served; register online at www.sctxcmaa.org or pay cash, check or credit card at the door; members $25, $30 after 7pm on Jun. 14; guests $30, $35 after 7pm on Jun. 14
Jun. 9: Golden Trowel Awards, Sunset Station, 6:30pm Jun. 29: Membership meeting; Pappadeaux Restaurant, 76 NE Loop 410; noon; $30 per person; speaker is Kathy Rodriguez, City of San Antonio – Historic Preservation; for more info, call Debbie at 830-606-5556
SDA Society for Design Administration
Jun. 23: Monthly Chapter Luncheon; noon – 1pm; “Invest in Your Personal Development”; The Barn Door, 8400 N. New Braunfels Ave.; for more info, email angelica@tejaspremierbc.com
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
C
ities and towns around the world continue to struggle with the complex issues surrounding homelessness. Many well-meaning plans directed at getting people off the streets and into permanent housing have failed again and again. But on a 27-acre tract of land in eastern Travis County, a faith-based program with a history of successfully housing homeless people has joined hands with the Austin building community to create something magical – Community First Village. Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF), which owns Community First Village, began with five parishioners of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin. Now MLF, with plenty of volunteers, has opened a new concept in housing – most likely the first of its kind in the nation. “This project is the product of the most diverse group of contractors on the planet,” laughs Alan Graham, president and CEO of Mobile Loaves & Fishes. Meagan McCoy Jones, COO for McCoy’s Building Supply, has been on the board of MLF for five years, serving one year as chairman. “Part of our job [as human beings] is to care for our neighbors,” she says. “As we got to know the people without homes in our neighborhood, we came to know Alan and the work of Mobile Loaves & Fishes.” When McCoy got involved with the organization it was already searching for a site for Community First Village. Around that same time, American Institute of Architects Austin Chapter (AIA) launched a competition called Tiny Victories, where architects and builders built tiny homes suitable for housing the homeless. Many of the homes at Community First are replicas of the winning designs from that competition. “McCoy’s has a relationship with many of the independent contractors, remodelers and home builders,” McCoy says. “A year ago MLF had an event that hosted 40-50 builders at the village
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Building a community
David Weekley Homes employees were hard at work buiding a tiny home at the Village.
Mobile Loaves & Fishes Thomas Aitchison, communications director, and Alan Graham, CEO, sit in front of an outdoor movie screen and several bed and breakfast tee-pees at Community First Village.
where they met with the architects of the winning homes. We asked each of them to commit to raising $18,000 and to building two homes.” Community First Village is well on its way to being a finished project, although there is still plenty of construction going on and more planned. The whole vibe of the Village is a spot-on reflection of what makes the nearby city of Austin such an eclectic and unique collection of people and places. “A profound catastrophic loss of family is the single largest issue of homeless,” says Graham. “We are creating a community within geographical boundaries, but also within the community at large.” The tiny houses are on one side (there are currently 120) and are colorful and odd - in a fun and good way. The creative and whimsical minds of Austin’s architectural community are clearly on display. On the other side are the RVs. In all, there will be 100. The RVs are slightly larg-
er than the tiny homes. Also on the site are 20 canvas-sided cottages. At the front are a selection of small RV’s and tee-pees that serve as a bed and breakfast for groups who want to come in and volunteer or attend symposiums on how the concept works. Recently, representatives from five U.S. cities were there for a multi-day symposium. There’s a blacksmith shop, a beautiful and just finished art center for microenterprise opportunities, an organic four-acre garden, and chickens, goats and beehives. Every Saturday there is a farmers market for residents to find fresh vegetables and eggs for free. The Austin building community has stepped up and embraced the Village, a $14.5 million project. Many of the involved builders usually build high-end homes in the area, but Graham and McCoy believe the builders are just as committed to building superlative tiny
Alan Graham sits in a ready-to-rent tiny home.
homes at the Village. “You have to expand your knowledge of what home is,” Graham says. McCoy’s Building Supply furnishes all building supplies at cost. The company delivers all the needed supplies for each home to the site and area homebuilders who have raised the money and committed to building send in crews to build the homes. Meagan, her husband and her parents are also building a large operations center and maintenance shop for the community. “It’s a cool model,” she says. “It’s both about lifting people off the streets and equally important, it’s a collaboration between all these people in the building community.” For more on Community First Village, as well as a list of builders and architects involved in the project, please see our website at constructionnews.net. You can also find out more at mlf.org. –cw
“Top Chip” Winners L-R: Dave Sanchez and the RBFCU team, Patrick Nixon, Patti Rutherford and Angel Leal “Top Golf” Winners L-R: Dave Sanchez, HCA executive director, and the DES team, Earl Roberts and Jeremy Leal
Their top golfers
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ith almost 100 golfers stepping up to play, the Hispanic Contractors Association (HCA) de San Antonio held its second annual Topgolf Experience May 13 with food, fun, door prizes, and of course, some friendly competition. The fundraiser tournament at the Topgolf San Antonio venue helps support HCA’s educational programs for members and non-members. –mh
Construction News
Texas Style
San Antonio Austin South Texas Houston South Texas
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
Retreat to an island feast
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hen the weather heats up, the SpawGlass team gathers people from across the San Antonio construction community to celebrate Hawaiian-style. The general contractor hosted its 19th annual Luau May 19 at Bluebonnet Palace in Selma. –mh
L-R: Jeff Froboese, Alterman; Sebastian Perez, Alamo Grounds Control; Greg Bailey, Aerotek
L-R: Donna and Vincent Real, Laurie and Forrest Wilson, Big State Electric
Submitted to Construction News
Taking safety to new heights L-R: Clay Ochoa, Vicki Towery, and Mike Munoz, Firetrol; Shannon Cadena, Trade Management; Nicole Krueger, Williams Scotsman; Michael Benavidez, Firetrol
Skanska USA hosted its 12th annual Safety Week activities May 1-7 with the “Ladders Last” campaign. Nearly 400 local construction workers at the Methodist Children’s Hospital emergency department and tower addition project gathered for a presentation by Chamberlin on ladder safety. Another of the onsite activities included Skanska employees and subcontractors on the job participating in a can building competition where all cans used in the contest were donated to the San Antonio Food Bank. Facility Solutions Group won first place. –mh
L-R: Tom Wright, Padgett Stratemann; Jordon Brown and John Hoot, Quality Fence & Welding; Bobby Friedell, SpawGlass
L-R: John Wright, Alterman; Al Vazquez, SpawGlass
L-R: Melissa Kidd, Pape-Dawson Engineers; Monty Howard, Marmon Mok; Erika Passailaigue, Datum Engineers; Louis Rowe
L-R: Gary Baldwin and Thomas Schluter, Beckwith Electronic Engineering
Dana Calonge, Construction News and Jeff Froboese, Alterman
L-R: Dallas Cloud and Robin Clayton, Moore Erection; Chuck Calvin, SpawGlass
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016
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Family fun at Fiesta Texas
ith its headquarters in San Antonio, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors hosted its annual Employee Picnic May 7 at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Employees and their families traveled from all four of the company’s regional offices, including Austin, Dallas/ Fort Worth and Houston/Baytown, to enjoy a fully catered all-you-can-eat lunch and all-day admission to the park. –mh
Among the attendees to Bartlett Cocke’s annual picnic were these employees have more than 20 years of service with the general contractor. L-R: Cathie Blackler, project manager; Jimmy Worswick, superintendent; Jose Sigala, laborer; Jose Mosqueda, carpenter; Bartlett Cocke, Jr., founder; Harry Moeller, president; and Randy Pawelek, CEO and chairman
James Deaven, recently hired controller, with his wife, Lisa, and children, Jacob and Jill
Left: Randy Pawelek (center), CEO and chairman, with Bartlett and Winifred Cocke
These new employees were experiencing the company picnic for the first time.
Harry Moeller (right center), president, with his wife, Rita; sons, Hunter, Wes and Daniel; daughter-in-law, Morgan; and grandsons, Brooks and Boone
Construction News ON LOCATION
Submitted to Construction News
Creating works of art
Victory party
L-R: Adrian Cavallini, and his father, Manlio Cavallini, have elaborate, colorful displays of the stained glass The Cavallini Company designs, crafts and supplies in their stained glass studio and showroom on Fredericksburg Road. –mh
L-R: JR Trevino, vice president of business development for Treco Enterprises and a director on the Hispanic Contractors Association (HCA) de San Antonio board, and Bexar County Precinct 3 Commissioner Kevin Wolff celebrated Trevino’s election to Council Place 1 in Castle Hills May 7 at Guajillo’s Mexican Restaurant. –mh
Submitted to Construction News
A romantic moment at Subfest
At the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) Subfest May 6, Jordon Brown, Quality Fence & Welding as well as a director on the ASA board and member of the Subfest Committee, was caught off guard when Zach Knerr, a journeyman for Davila Electric, popped the question! She said yes, and the couple plans to tie the knot sometime next year. –mh
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San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2016