Austin Construction News August 2016 by Construction News

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Volume 15

Number 8

AUGUST 2016

Italy welcomes armadillo

30 years building Austin

The Armadillo Vault is a complex stone vault on display in Italy.

Flynn Construction is celebrating 30 years helping to build Austin. L-R: Art Campbell, senior project manager; Leah Baxter, business development director; Patrick Flynn, president/CEO; and Russell Alabastro, vice president.

lot of people in Texas have probably never heard of La Biennale di Venezia in Venice, Italy, but its origin dates back to 1893, when the Venetian City Council passed a resolution to set up a biennial exhibition of Italian art. A year later, the council decreed "to adopt a 'by invitation' system; to reserve a section of the Exhibition for foreign artists.” Over the years, various things have changed with the Biennale di Venezia, but this year, an Austin builder has built what is being called an engineering marvel that is on display at the event from May 28 to Nov. 27, 2016. Called the Armadillo Vault, the freestanding, compression-only stone vault is the brainchild of David Escobedo, principal owner of The Escobedo Group,

and Dr. Phillipe Block, who interned with The Escobedo Group while earning a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Our involvement with the Armadillo dates back almost nine years, when MIT professor, Dr. John Ochsendorf (one of the leading experts on stone vaults), contacted David and asked if the stone staircase in a photo he saw in a design magazine was really in true cantilever,” says Jenée Arthur, Escobedo spokesperson. “David affirmed that the staircase he built in Escobedo’s main office is, in fact, in true cantilever. John then stated that he would like to send his top engineering student, Philippe, to intern with David if he could make stone do those sorts of things.” continued on Page 17

ike many in the construction industry, Patrick Flynn started Flynn Construction at his kitchen table with $5,000 he had gotten from a tax return. It was May 1986 and the nation was in the midst of a recession, but the recent University of Texas architectural engineering graduate says he didn’t know it. “I didn’t have any money anyway, so I didn’t know what a recession was,” Flynn laughs. Now, as he sits in a conference room decorated on one wall with many coveted Associated General Contractors Excellence in Construction eagles, Flynn reflects on celebrating 30 years in business.

“My very first job was a little remodel for McGuire’s Clocks,” Flynn says. Now, the company’s projects are a tad bit bigger – including the 80,0000-sf J&J Worldwide corporate headquarters, a 50,000-sf design build for Central Health’s flagship and a current 60,000-sf DNA lab project. Flynn Construction also has a long-standing relationship with several universities, including 25 years working with UT and recently finishing Central Plaza at Texas State University. The company is family-oriented, Flynn says, and he believes that is why he has long-term employees, including Mike Coxe, general superintendent, who continued on Page 17

Friday night lights come to life

ust in time for the famous Friday Night Lights of Texas high school football, one rural school district will be unveiling a brand new, state-of-theart athletic complex. The $6 million project took a little more than nine months to build and will be home to the Johnson City ISD Eagles. Braun & Butler Construction was the construction manager at risk on the project, which was paid for with funds the school district has been saving since 2005. According to Kenton Heinze, president of Braun & Butler, the project came off very smoothly, considering the weather in Texas over the last year and the challenge of scheduling deliveries for the materials used. “For the first half of the project, we were in a drought, and the dust control so we wouldn’t overwhelm the neighbors was a factor,” Heinze said. “Then we

Ready for football? The Johnson City ISD Eagles are with a brand new stadium. (Photos by Donny Olmos, Braun & Butler Construction)

had a monsoon!” He credits the fact that the project owner, Johnson City ISD, the architect, Fromberg & Associates, and Braun & Butler were on the same page from the start – allowing the project to run efficiently. Project manager was Kyle Pearson and project superintendent was Nathan Barry. “Johnson City ISD were fantastic partners,” he says. “They were on board with us and the architect from the very beginning so we were able to have input into the process and design. It was very transparent with a lot of give and take.” Others Heinze gave credit to were Champion Site Prep of Georgetown and Lehne Construction Inc. of Austin for getting a good jump on the project before the rain hit. One thing that makes this stadium stand out – for many reasons – is the turf. continued on Page 17

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t’s hard to imagine that there is anyone out there who has not heard about drones. Plenty of people have bought their own drones – either for play or for professional reasons. Many of you have probably heard that strange buzzing noise a drone makes and looked up to see one flying overhead. There is a long list of professional applications for drones, and Brett Hoffstadt, PMP, a project management consultant for companies that want to use new technoloBrett Hoffstadt gies to improve their business, says drone use for construction companies ticks a lot of boxes. “There are major benefits for using unmanned aerial drones for construction companies,” Hoffstadt says. “Site surveying, construction and building inspections and project progress documentation are three of those benefits.” Hoffstadt, who has two degrees in aerospace engineering, owns Brett Hoff-

Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

In the drone zone

Rogers-O’Brien Construction uses drones to document rebar placement before a concrete pour. (photo courtesy Rogers-O’Brien)

stadt Consulting, and is a certified project manager. He says drones have been available for more than 20 years, but in 2014 the Federal Aviation Administration became responsible for regulating their commercial use – and the rules are changing again in August. “That applies to construction companies,” he said. “On Aug. 29, the latest rules should become official and it will

make it easier for individuals and companies to operate drones.” Before, those wanting to operate a drone commercially had to receive an exemption from the FAA. After August, once a company or an individual has satisfied the requirements of the new FAA Parts 107 rules, they will be free to use drones as part of their business activities. Hoffstadt cautions, however, that the new rules still have many safety and operational limitations. Currently, on paper as of July 5, Hoffstadt says, there were 350 people in Texas who have received the FAA exemption and are allowed to operate drones commercially. Some of the new rules, which were introduced on June 21 and went into a 60-day review period, include: Drones cannot be heavier than 55-lbs and people on a job site must be in a covered structure with a roof or a covered vehicle if they are not one of the drone operators. However, companies can request a waiver to these rules, Hoffstadt explains. “Benefits include not necessarily grinding all work at the site to a halt while the drone is flying and the heavy equip-

ment machinery workers can continue to work,” he says. Hoffstadt is offering an online course that will help project managers to integrate drones into their projects. The course will be available in August and early signups and more information can be found at: http://www.engineeryourinnovation.com/drone-revolution/ uas-part-107-ops/ Of course, construction companies in Texas are already making use of drone technology. One such company is Rogers-O’Brien Construction, which works all over Texas and has offices in Austin, Dallas and Houston. “We use drones on almost all our projects,” says Christine Massoud, Associate AIA, CDT, LEED GA, DBIA Member and regional VDC director. “It gives us the ability to document far more than construction progress. “For example, we take shots of all the reinforcing and rebar on deck before a concrete pour,” she says. “We can use those images prior to coring and leave them for the building owner – that can be huge information to them in the future in case of build out or renovation.” Massoud pointed out that drone use is also a great way to be able to check and photo a skin as it is going up. “We have the ability to fly the drone in from a distance and zoom in to identify flashing issues or water proofing leaks,” she says. She also said another way the company currently uses drones is prior to the project, to identify site conditions and best locations for things like where the construction trailer might be located, as well as what entries and exits make sense for deliveries, based on traffic patterns. In the end, it’s up to individual companies to decide whether drone technology can help their business, but both Hoffstadt and Massoud agree that, by their standards, the technology is a time and money saver in certain situations. –cw

Construction News JOB SIGHT

Under construction

Austin Underground employees are doing what comes natural – working underground safely! –cw

Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 3

Submitted to Construction News

A project of his own

On the move

Wurzel Builders recently broke ground on phase 1 of Freedom Park, which will include two 10,000-sf buildings. One of the buildings will house Wurzel Builders, Southern Demolition, and 1st Plumbing Services and 1st AC and Heating, currently rebranding into 1st Home and Commercial Services. The other building is currently being offered for lease. Phase two will include a large pavilion for events and additional parking, plus a field that is being used by JOAD, Junior Olympic Archers. When the property is completed, it will be a wooded five-acre business park with a pavilion. –cw

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Bob and Yolanda Crittenden will take some time for themselves, as well as spending more time with their grandchildren in retirement.

ince Project Control was acquired by Raba Kistner Inc. (RKI), the company has been doing very well and has been able to expand in more markets across Texas. Bob Crittenden, a Project Control founder, has been doing this for 36 years and retired Jun. 30. During his 36 years, he has served as a project manager, vice president, president and CEO, and for the last three years, principal. Now it’s time to let other leaders explore their potential. Crittenden reflected upon the past and present of the company he helped to establish, crediting RKI with the success Project Control has enjoyed doing larger projects in the public sector, such as work for Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, and the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center expansion. Along with RKI opening up Texas geographically for Project Control, Crittenden credits Dick McNary, one of his

former partners and the company’s current COO, with making new connections and associations, particularly in the Austin and Houston markets. Marveling at how far the technology has come in the time since he started in the business, Crittenden notes that Project Control has its own PC Builder software, allowing them to track project data on the website and share information with consultants and the owner. With a laugh, he recalls that the first cellphone they had was in a canvas bag worn over your shoulder and weighing about 20 pounds, and there was one for the whole company. With Project Control since 1981, Crittenden plans to spend his retirement with his family. He notes that his wife, Yolanda, has had several jobs in the notfor-profit sector. The couple will be taking the opportunity to travel in their motorhome with their three grandchildren. –mh

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Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Steve Anthony Owner TimberTown Austin

teve Anthony was born in Corpus Christi, but only lived there two weeks before his father, who was in the Navy, was transferred. As a military brat, Anthony lived in many places around the world and was big in sports. As his life unfolded, he dreamed one day of owning his own lumberyard – and in 2006, he made that dream come true. Now, he and his employees and partners are celebrating 10 years of success with TimberTown Austin – and the recent opening of a second location in Atlanta, Ga. Tell me about growing up. My father, Dale Anthony, was in the Navy in jet aircraft repair. He retired after 30 years as a Master Chief Petty Officer. As a result, I grew up all over the world. What was your favorite place as you were growing up? The best place was Southern Spain. We lived there for seven years, while I was between 8-15 years old. We lived about one-half of a mile from the Mediterranean Sea. I was into sports, playing everything from football, baseball, basketball, wrestling and track and field. We played other military bases, so it wasn’t unusual for the team to fly to places like Africa and Germany to play a football game. I was on a Little League team and we spent a summer in Manheim, Germany after we won the All-Spain Little League title. We were one game away from going to the Little League World Series but we lost to Belgium. I was 14 years old then. When did your family come back to the states? We were stationed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, south of Washington D.C., for the last two years of high school. What did you do after you graduated from high school? I went to Baylor University in Waco

and studied business administration. My dad retired from the Navy, but did one extra year at San Diego. Meanwhile, my mom, Patricia (Pat), moved the rest of the family to Waco. She got a job with Scholastic Book Fairs as a receptionist and ten years later she was vice president. During that time, my dad moved to Waco and went to work for Texas State Technical Institute (TSTI, now known as Texas State Technical College, TSTA), teaching aircraft maintenance. I don’t think they planned to live there permanently, but that’s what they ended up doing. They liked it there. Tell me about your siblings. My oldest sister, Darlene, is a geology professor in East Tennessee. My younger sister, Ellen, is dean of nursing at a college in Arkansas. My older brother, Cliff, is retired. So, after graduating from Baylor, what happened next? I worked during my senior year at Baylor for Payless Cashways in Waco. After that, I transferred to the University of North Texas in Denton and the Payless Cashways location there. About halfway through getting my MBA, Payless offered me a management position, so I left school. My parents were not pleased about that! I was with Payless for 13 years and then went to work for Hughes Lumber Company for two years, then Foxworth Galbraith Lumber for 10 years. But even back at Payless, I always knew I wanted to open my own lumber yard that focused on outdoor living. In 2006, I decided if I didn’t follow my dream, I thought I never would. You mentioned your parents were not happy when you decided to leave graduate school. Tell me more about them. My parents married when my dad was 20 and my mom was 17. My dad had the mindset of doing whatever it took to take care of his family. Even when he was in the Navy, he had two part-time jobs – waxing floors at night and on the weekends, he worked out at a man’s ranch. He saw himself as a provider. But even with all that, he always made time for us. I remember him taking me to a Cubs game and to museums. He was a big reader of history. He’d save all his vacation time so the family could take a four-week long vacation together during the summer. We made excursions all over Europe. My mom already had three kids by the time she was 21. Soon after, there were four. Raising four kids is a tremendous task. I remember shopping once a month at the commissary took three baskets of food. Both of my parents exposed us to

The TimberTown Austin crew is happy to provide outdoor living ideas and solutions. Steve Anthony, owner, is seated in the middle.

church, character and morals. Mom was the disciplinarian – she was strongwilled. Once the kids were gone, she started working and became a leader in her field. Tell me some things about TimberTown Austin. The majority of what we sell is lumber and building materials for residential and commercial outdoor living. The original three associates are Shawn Allen, Bill Hussong and myself. I have the dreams, visions and gut instincts, but that only gets you so far. Bill runs the place. Shawn has been here nine years and he, Bill and Ben started Shawn’s Roadhouse. I was looking for a product line, other than lumber and building materials, that was fun, so we picked the Kamado Joe Grill and Smoker. One of the ways to showcase a product is to show people how to use it. So, on the last Friday of every month, we have Shawn’s Roadhouse Meat & Greet, where customers, contractors and vendors are welcome to come and sample something cooked on the Kamado. You recently opened a second location, right? This year, we opened a second TimberTown in Atlanta, Ga. Part of my dream is to have 10 locations by 2020. We got to know the Atlanta area since my wife’s brother lived there. Unfortunately, he passed away, and we spent a lot of time there with his wife and children after that. We located an individual to run that location and there are 10 employees. It’s a good town for us to be in and we are off and running. You have some partners, as well, right? Yes. We partnered with Overseas Hardwoods Company (OHC) in 2011. Through a mutual relationship we have with LeeRoy Jordan, who played for the Dallas Cowboys for 14 years, I met the Robinson family, who owns OHC. We were blessed after the great recession because we were a small business with very little debt, but we knew we needed capital. OHC’s main product is exotic hardwoods, distributed by the truckload, but their product had become too expensive for lumberyards in the recession. On Jan. 1, 2012, we got married! We carry their product and they provided us with a great product and access to capital. One of the reasons we moved to our new location in Pflugerville is because we needed more space and we needed special dry storage for the exotic wood

we now sell. On Jan. 1 this year, we added Trey Henderson as a partner. He owned a lumber company in Lufkin that was purchased by OHC, but he wanted to stay in the business. He wanted to be a part of the 10 locations by 2020 dream of TimberTown, so he has invested financially in TimberTown and still works for OHC in Lufkin. Tell me about your family. I met my wife, Melanie, in 2006. At the time I was a single father of twin girls, Hannah and Lily, who were then two years old. The original TimberTown was in Leander and I was living in Liberty Hill. I was spending my days dropping the girls off at day care, working my butt off to start this new business and then picking them up. I knew I needed to move closer to the business. Melanie was the marketing representative for the real estate company I was using to sell my home. We met, fell in love and got married within six months. In 2008, we had a daughter, Abby. Melanie has become quite a star in stepparent circles, hasn’t she? Mel has co-written two books on step-parenting and runs a ministry called “Starving Stepmoms.” She is perfecting the art, while helping others navigate these waters. Hannah and Lily are 13 now and Abby is 8, and they are all into sports. One plays the violin, one aspires to be an artist and one is a possible litigator! She can talk us into almost anything in a perfectly reasonable and logical way! Whew! Sounds like you are a busy family! Yes, we are actually homebodies, but we are active at Celebration Church. Mel’s a great cook and she loves to interior decorate. She has the great ideas and I execute them! I love to read, mostly business and spiritual type books. Who would you buy a beer for? Teddy Roosevelt. He is a fascinating leader. His attitude is, “Quit talking and do something about it!” David Hitt. He was my uncle and I only got to know him later in life, but he was a mentor. He had great stories about people and although he went to the University of Alabama on a football scholarship he volunteered for WWII in the Army. He had fascinating tales about fighting in the Japanese islands. Bill Hussong. He’s our general manager here. I’ve known him for 15 years. He’s really the guy who runs the place. – cw

Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 5

Dog (and other critters) days of summer

alling what seems like the hottest time of the year in Texas the “Dog Days of Summer” isn’t really an insult to man’s best friend. The term actually comes from the period during which Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun (Jul. 3-Aug.11). But there’s no doubt its become synonymous with sultry, summer heat and who better symbolizes that than our friends who know when it’s time to just take a nap and wait it out! Here are some of your favorite critter friends. –cw

Halff Associates’ Thomas Longo shared Katana (black Lab) and Sabre (yellow Lab) at the AKC Hunt Test. Halff Associates’ Michael Montgomery with L.C. (Lost Chihuahua), who he found on the street.

Weldon Sikes, chief financial officer at G2 Builders Corporation, shared picture of his beloved pet, Hamlet, a 10-year-old English Bulldog.

Haily, the shop dog, chillin’ at Travis Roofing Supply.

DJ Anderson, New Stone Concepts, and his dogs, Mac and Chief, illustrate what getting out and doing a dove hunt looks like before and after.

Amy Grace Torres, marketing communications manager at Associated Builders and Contractors Central Texas Chapter, says their doggie intern, Phin, is one of the best interns they’ve ever had – she works for treats! David Kottke, marketing manager at Fox Service Company, sent in a picture of Mik and Nik (Mikhail, Nikolai), the pair of red foxes Fox Service Company sponsors at the Austin Zoo. “I’m sure the director, Patti, will be glad to shine a spotlight on the zoo through these loveable guys,” David says. “They are a rescue zoo, so supporting them is a truly guilt-free in that respect.”

Stacey Johnson, administrative assistant at Austin Canyon Corp. and her best friend, Abby, are whupped after playing in the summer heat.

Jason Smith, project manager at ICON Plumbing, Heating & Air LTD, sent a picture of “our ‘grand dog’ (our daughters dog) Cooper. He lives in San Marcos with our second oldest child who attends TX State. As you can see he loves the camera and the river!”

Harley and Davey didn’t fall off the cabbage truck yesterday – says their owner Tina Reeves, project manager with The Reynolds Company. They are spending “the dog days of summer” in the A/C!

Halff Associates staff members sent in some great shots of their best friends! Here’s Andy Dutton with Whiskey.

Terri Fleming, Rogers-O’Brien Construction, and her kitty Buster are taking it easy and staying cool.

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Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) program insights

Basics of data privacy and security William Innes, Assurance Associate Fisher, Herbst, & Kemble, P.C. San Antonio, TX

s technological progress has expanded the scope and possibilities for the collection, storage, and sharing of electronic data, organizations and individuals confront a complex set of issues related to the usage, disclosure, dissemination and security of data, all of which fall in the realm of data privacy. As reported by Symantec, three common and frequent sources of data breaches have been identified: external targeted attacks, malicious insiders, and well-meaning insiders. The tangible costs of a data breach mostly include legal and forensic expenses, cost of data restoration, increased insurance premiums, and various communication expenses. Also there is a significant amount of time and effort by staff in the aftermath of the data breach. Cyber breaches are caused by many different factors. The three most common factors are malicious or criminal attack, system glitch, and human factor. Malicious or criminals attacks are attacks on the information system using malicious software code known as malware and it is the most prevalent form of cyber breach. The second most common cause of cyber breaches is human error. Examples of human error are people losing their laptops, giving out their passwords to unauthorized parties, executing transactions based on unauthorized sources and opening malicious emails. Finally, the third most common cause of cyber breach is system glitches. Examples of system glitches are outdated firewalls, security patches and outdated operating systems. Although, certain attacks such as hacking, phishing, theft and fraud are somewhat inevitable for most organizations, using some of the following techniques may reduce the chance of an attack. Encryption – Encryption is used to protect both static data, i.e. data on a laptop or USB stick, and also data on a wireless network. Encryption works by converting data into a form that cannot be easily read by unauthorized users. In order to understand the data, a decryption key is needed. The decryption key is an algorithm that undoes the work of the encryption algorithm. The correct level of encryption will frustrate potential hackers and criminals enough to keep them away from your private data. Anti-Malware Software – Implementing anti-malware software is very common but effective deterrent against mali-

cious software. Anti-malware software works best when it’s integrated with the network or system firewall. Anti-malware software can help detect and eliminate spam, adware, spyware and end-point security issues. End point security has been known to be most likely to break down, due to significant use of laptops, USB sticks and smart phones that are more susceptible to misplacement or non-attendance, thereby resulting in possible data breach. Authentication – Authentication determines whether someone or something is authorized or legitimate. This is most commonly implemented by the use of strong passwords and dual authentication. It’s recommended to create a password policy that will enforce a minimum length of passwords (at least 8 with one special character), schedule regular password changes (at least a bare minimum of semi-annually) and that will keep previous passwords stored in order to prevent repeat passwords (minimum last 3). Weak passwords can be easily cracked within minutes. Other more secure authentication processes include fingerprinting, the use of a token and two people requirement to complete wire transfers and on-line banking payments. Written Plan and Education – It is important to have a formal written disaster recovery plan and a business continuity plan, which should include incident responses to cyber breaches. Additionally, ensure all staff is briefed on the plan at least annually. Companies should also consider social engineering and network penetration testing. By following these few steps an organization will be better equipped to provide a safe and secure network for its confidential data. Data privacy and data security is crucial for every entity. The risk of data breaches and cyber-threats is real and increasing, with serious economic and legal consequences. Every organization, public or private, large or small, for profit or nonprofit, has or manages volumes of data that someone may desire. While data breaches and cyber-attacks have compromised the private and confidential data of millions, numerous other intents have been averted due to appropriate best practices, cyber risk management and strong and robust security. William Innes is an Assurance Associate for Fisher, Herbst, & Kemble, P.C. He can be reached at 210-477-2720 or at winnes@fhkcpa.com.

Wes Pitts, Sr. Vice President USI Southwest Austin, TX

key risk management activity is maintaining a list of approved drivers, whereby nobody off the approved list is ever allowed to operate any motor vehicle in any capacity for the company. You never want to send a list of drivers to your agent for which you have not already checked the MVR and approved the driver(s) based on your grading and evaluation criteria. Most carriers expect you to check MVR’s on drivers pre-hire, and then your entire list of drivers at least annually, and more often for those that may be on probation according to your written MVR program. Carriers generally should not be relied upon to check MVR’s in order to approve or not approve drivers for the company – this practice was changed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) which requires the employer/hiring co. to get a signed acknowledgment from the employee/driver before running their MVR. Neither insurance carriers nor your broker can police that you are getting these FCRA acknowledgment forms signed. Carriers rely on you to have an actively managed MVR program, to avoid unnecessary risks in you as their insured allowing a driver with a poor or unacceptable record to drive on the insured’s behalf and potentially become an extremely attractive case for a personal injury attorney, i.e. negligent entrustment! Carriers will check or may spot check the drivers list provided to them to verify that you are in fact checking and approving drivers. For this reason, the carrier should never receive an unacceptable MVR as you have already checked and cleared them as an approved driver. The list of potential drivers for the company should include full-time, parttime or incidental, and all employed or 1099 independent driver exposures whether assigned a company vehicle or using their own personally owned or otherwise non-owned vehicle or customer vehicle on company business in any capacity. (Note on 1099 independents – include if regularly used and driving for the company – always if reimbursed for fuel and/or mileage). A driver is not considered someone that comes to work, does their work and

then leaves. This type of employee would generally not be included on the drivers list. However, if these individuals could, as part of their job duty, have occasion to drive for the company, then they absolutely should be included. If not included in their job duty, then likely would not include on the driver list. Again, the MVR should be checked before they get added to your approved list. The last thing you want to happen is you have an individual that is not a driver for the company, yet you feel you need to include them on the drivers list just to be safe and you hadn’t yet checked their MVR as you didn’t consider them a driver. Your agent then provides their information to your carrier, who in turn checks their record and it comes back unacceptable. The carrier now knows about them and wants to exclude them as a driver. The issue here is your agent at this point usually cannot get your carrier to back off of wanting a signed Driver Exclusion on this individual. Now you could be forced to give up your “incidental what if” coverage if one of these non-driver individuals did go against company policy and somehow got into a capacity of driving related to your company even though he or she had not been approved as a driver. It is highly recommended if you feel there is any potential driving exposure at all, then the individual should be subject to your written Auto Safety policy rules and you should include them in your MVR Program and determine up front and on an ongoing basis whether they are approved or not approved – then only those approved are reported to the insurance company. It is advisable to review your auto rules, guidelines, and safety policy and specifically your Motor Vehicle Record program with your agent at least annually. Wes Pitts is a Sr. Vice President and Southwest Regional Construction Practice Leader for USI Southwest - Austin, TX, USA. Wes can be contacted at 512-651-4107, or Wesley.pitts@usi.com.

Construction News ON LOCATION

Submitted to Construction News

Part of the working day

Meet the new board

Mike Russell and Geon Garrett man the parts department at Equipment Depot in Pflugerville. –cw

The Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors (PHCC) Texas annual meeting was held Jun. 10 at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, and the new PHCC Texas board was elected and installed. L-R: Tony Dixon, Ferguson; Craig Lewis, R.E.C. Industries; Greg Bolin, Bolin Plumbing; Sam Dowdy, S&D Plumbing; Randy Hunter, R.E.C. Industries; Rick Shelton, Shelton Plumbing; Patrick Freund, Primo Plumbing; Dickie McCurdy, MMM Plumbing, Heating, A/C; Chris Sproles, Central Texas Plumbing Solutions; Jessica Burden, Milton Frank Plumbing; Stephen Cox, Cox Plumbing; Carter Ramzel, Benchmark Plumbing; Milton Frank, Milton Frank Plumbing –mh

Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 7

Can I quit working if they don’t pay me?

Employer responsibilities to protect temporary workers

Bethany F. Thompson, Shareholder Gardner Law San Antonio, TX

Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

ontractors, subcontractors, and suppliers frequently consider whether they can stop work on a project when their customer fails to properly make payments for their work. This can be a risky proposition and as a result it should be undertaken in an informed and thoughtful manner, if at all. The first place a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier should look to determine if they can stop work for nonpayment is at the terms of their contract. Is there a forced work clause requiring them to continue working despite a dispute on pricing or scheduling? Are there notice provisions that must be complied with before action is taken? Is there an enforceable contingent payment clause that applies in the current situation? These are all key issues that will vary from project to project and construction contracts increasingly have difficult and complicated terms for downstream parties. The next consideration for contractors, subcontractors, or suppliers should be various laws that might apply to their situation. Prompt Payment statutes apply in the context of both public (Government Code Chapter 2251) and private (Property Code Chapter 28) work in Texas. These laws allow for the right to stop work a certain number of days after written notice is furnished and where curative action is not taken. Note, there is a special separate section in the Government Code that applies only to TxDOT work. Those furnishing labor or materials should verify in writing whether the upstream parties have been paid. This can be easily done with public information requests where a project is owned by a governmental entity. For private projects, parties should obtain written verification where possible of the payment status between companies. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly for many contractors and subcontractors, the unpaid party should consider whether they have furnished a performance bond on the project in question. Where a performance bond has been furnished, the stakes are substantially higher; if a work stoppage is wrongful, it could likely constitute a default under

the terms of the bond. Because bonds are secured by indemnity agreements with the individual owners of a company in their personal capacities, this is an exceptionally risky proposition. As a general rule, it is not recommended contractors or subcontractors stop work on a project where they have furnished a performance bond unless there is a clear and unequivocal prior breach by their customer and they have also properly furnished all necessary notices in writing prior to taking any action to stop work. Overall, the decision to stop work involves both legal and business related factors, and should not be done lightly. Where the unpaid party is substantially close to completion of their scope of work, it is typically recommended they complete the project to avoid unnecessary issues in litigation down the road. However, if there is still a considerable amount of work to be done and there are credible indications of continued problems on the project, the unpaid party should take what actions are available to mitigate their risk. Ultimately, the decision to stop work is tremendously case specific and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Bethany F. Thompson is a Shareholder with Gardner Law in San Antonio, Texas, and her practice focuses on construction litigation. In a time when many cases settle before trial, she has first chair state court jury trial experience, arbitration experience, and bench trial experience in federal court. Ms. Thompson represents general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers on a variety of issues including contract drafting and negotiation, lien and bond payment claims, delay and defect claims, and contract default and terminations. She has presented seminars for a variety of organizations throughout the state, guest lectured on construction contracts at Texas A&M, and is active in both her local chapter of the American Subcontractors Association and the Attorney Council for the national level of ASA. Contact: bthompson@gardnertx. com.

Submitted to Construction News

Fuse-on

On June 23, Independent Electrical Contractors Inc. Central Texas (IEC) wished its graduating class of apprentices good luck and best wishes at Norris Conference Center in Austin. –cw Photo by Ruben Morales Photography

o ensure that there is a clear understanding of each employer’s role in protecting employees, OSHA recommends that the temporary staffing agency and the host employer set out their respective responsibilities for compliance with applicable OSHA standards in their contract. Including such terms in a contract will ensure that each employer complies with all relevant regulatory requirements, thereby avoiding confusion as to the employer’s obligations. Joint Responsibility While the extent of responsibility under the law of staffing agencies and host employers is dependent on the specific facts of each case, staffing agencies and host employers are jointly responsible for maintaining a safe work environment for temporary workers - including, for example, ensuring that OSHA’s training, hazard communication, and recordkeeping requirements are fulfilled. OSHA could hold both the host and temporary employers responsible for the violative condition(s) - and that can include lack of adequate training regarding workplace hazards. Temporary staffing agencies and host employers share control over the worker, and are therefore jointly responsible for temporary workers’ safety and health. OSHA has concerns that some employers may use temporary workers as a way to avoid meeting all their compliance obligations under the OSH Act and other worker protection laws; that temporary workers get placed in a variety of jobs, including the most hazardous jobs; that temporary workers are more vulnerable to workplace safety and health hazards and retaliation than workers in traditional employment relationships; that temporary workers are often not given adequate safety and health training or explanations of their duties by either the temporary staffing agency or the host employer. Therefore, it is essential that both employers comply with all relevant OSHA requirements.

Both Host Employers and Staffing Agencies Have Roles Both host employers and staffing agencies have roles in complying with workplace health and safety requirements and they share responsibility for ensuring worker safety and health. A key concept is that each employer should consider the hazards it is in a position to prevent and correct, and in a position to comply with OSHA standards. For example: staffing agencies might provide general safety and health training, and host employers provide specific training tailored to the particular workplace equipment/hazards. • The key is communication between the agency and the host to ensure that the necessary protections are provided. • Staffing agencies have a duty to inquire into the conditions of their workers’ assigned workplaces. They must ensure that they are sending workers to a safe workplace. • Ignorance of hazards is not an excuse. OSHA is participating in the first annual OSHA Construction Conference to be held in Irving in October 2016. To learn more about this event or to sign up to attend, visit http://www.oshacon.org/. natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232

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Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Winners take all Health Care ($10 - $30M) Kelsey-Seybold Main Campus Expansion Linbeck Group LLC (Houston) Health Care (Over $30M) Clinical Services Wing J.T. Vaughn Construction LLC, (Houston)

orseshoe Bay Resort was the picture perfect setting for the Associated General Contractors Texas Building Branch (AGC-TBB) 2016 convention Jun. 12-14. A golf tournament, safety awards luncheon and, of course, the anticipated annual outstanding construction awards were all part of the adventure. –cw Photos by Catherine Bezman Congrats to the winners! Building ($0 - $2M) 1125 Washington Wm. Taylor & Co. (CentexAGC) Building ($2 - $5M) Renovations & Additions to Crestview Church of Christ, Pearson Construction Inc. (CentexAGC) Building ($5 - $10M) FEMA Dome and Performing Arts Center Daniels Building & Construction Inc. (Southeast Texas) Building ($10 - $30M) Texas Orthopedic Vertical Expansion J.T. Vaughn Construction LLC, (Houston) Building ($30 - $75 M) UT Health Science Center San Antonio, Academic Learning & Teaching Center Bartlett Cocke General Contractors(San Antonio) Building (Over $75M) Austin Bergstrom International Airport Consolidated Rental Car Facility Austin Commercial LP (Austin)

Building (Over $75M) Austin Bergstrom International Airport Consolidated Rental Car Facility Austin Commercial LP

Design Build ($0 - $10M) Voestalpine Texas, LLC A10, Administration Building B. E. Beecroft Co. Inc. (South Texas) Design Build ($10 - $30M) Houston Methodist Orthopedic Sports Medicine Building at Sugar Land Linbeck Group LLC (Houston) Design Build (Over $30M) ExxonMobil Consolidated Lab Project H.B. Neild & Sons Inc. (Southeast Texas) Health Care ($0 - $10M) The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Clark Clinic 11th Floor Redevelopment, J.T. Vaughn Construction LLC, (Houston)

Residential Multi-Family Forest City Texas Texas & Cityplace Co. Rogers-O'Brien Construction Company (TEXO) Historical Renovation Magnolia Market Silos Pearson Construction Inc., (CentexAGC) Interior Finish-Out ($0 - $500K) Baylor Pro Player Locker Room Mazanec Construction Co. Inc (CentexAGC) Interior Finish-Out ($500K - $2M) Prestonwood Country Club T&G Constructors (TEXO) Interior Finish-Out ($2 - $5M) Baylor Memorial Dining Hall Mazanec Construction Co. Inc (CentexAGC) Interior Finish-Out (Over $5M) JLABS @ TMC Linbeck Group LLC (Houston) Industrial/Warehouse ($0 - $5M) Gearench Machining Facility Barsh Company (CentexAGC)

Specialty Construction Parkland Pedestrian Sky-Bridges Azteca-Russell Joint Venture (TEXO) Electrical 1 ($0 - 5M) Bexar County Courthouse Double Height Courtroom Renovation & Gondeck Addition, Southwest Electrical Contracting, (San Antonio) Electrical 2 ($5 10M) CPS Energy Data Center Project ECHO Alterman Inc. (San Antonio) Electrical 3 (over $10M) State Farm Regional Campus The Brandt Companies LLC (TEXO) Interiors Crossroads Children's Building BakerTriangle (TEXO) Exteriors Preston Hollow Estate Linbeck Group LLC (Houston) Mechanical 2 ($5 10M) KPMG Plaza at HALL Arts Polk Mechanical Company (TEXO) Mechanical 3 (over $10M) Methodist Mansfield Medical Center TDIndustries (TEXO) Other Specialties Love Field Modernization Program Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing (TEXO)

Industrial/Warehouse (Over $5M) Renovations and Additions, Balcones Distillery, Barsh Company (CentexAGC)

Making the most of being online

hile companies in the construction industry build their brand and name out in the field, some might not have considered the impact of building their brand and name online. In this day and digital age, Maren Senn, principal and vice president of client services for TradeCraft, emphasizes the importance of having and maintaining a positive online presence. “In this digital world, it’s very likely that someone’s going to be exposed to your brand online before they speak to someone in your office or before they see a project that you’ve worked on,” says Senn. “They may find you online before anything else, so you should make sure that that first impression is a good one.” She notes that having an online presence also means needing to maintain it, because it can hurt just as much as it can help. Potential clients or customers may be hesitant to do business with a company if the information on its website or social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, is incomplete or outdated. “If you go to a website, and it doesn’t have accurate information, it looks outdated, or it looks like no one has touched it in years, then you could be deterred from forming any kind of relationship, partnership or business with that particular company,” Senn says. While many industry members mention that they get a lot of business by word of mouth, that business could possibly be undercut by poor online representation of the company. If someone has heard good things about a particular company, they might look up the company’s website or social media pages to find out more information. If they aren’t able to find the information they’re looking for, such as who to contact or where the company is located, or if they’re disappointed by the website, that could actually undermine a good referral. “People are going to, more than like-

The team at TradeCraft promotes awareness of the benefits of building your brand in digital media and creating a positive online presence. L-R: Juan “J” Martinez, media activation director; Melissa Pena, administrate; Tomas Ruiz, media strategy director; Maren Senn, principal and vice president of client services; Margaret Oliver, director of business development; Camille Cook Mandigo, principal and founder

ly, research you online before they pick up the phone and call,” she says. “In the construction industry, referrals are gold, and there’s nothing better than knowing that someone you know has had a positive experience with a company before. But you’re still probably going to research that company some online before you reach out to them to set a meeting or to move forward in any capacity.” What may seem like small details missing from a website can make a big difference. Senn uses the example that if someone hears that a company offers a particular service, such as concrete work, and that person visits their website, but does not see anything listed about concrete work, the potential customer might be lost to that company, moving on to another concrete company. These details that need to be kept updated regarding the business include contact information, services, current or recent projects, testimonials and team members, to name a few. Since a website

is essentially a 24/7 marketing tool, it requires updating. These days, creating a website is far more affordable than it was in the past, Senn points out, and updating them can be as easy as editing a Word document. It is no longer necessary to have extensive knowledge of HTML coding or development in order to manage a website, which makes it more accessible to change and maintain within a company, without the need to pay a web professional to do it on your behalf. Social media is also an important marketing tool, which is free for the company to use and can help establish realtime communication with people who can follow or are fans of your brand. Some companies use a news section on their website to keep their clients or visitors updated, but if this is not kept up regularly, and perhaps the last article was posted six months ago, it can appear that the company has nothing happening and that the information on the website

is not well maintained. “The great thing about social media is that it’s instant communication,” Senn says, adding that social media also allows a company to position itself as an expert in the industry through posts about industry trends, topics and milestones. “Additionally, through social media, the people that are following you are voluntarily deciding to do so. They’re already out there advocating your brand on your behalf. So they’re interested in what you have to say. It’s a trusted relationship. These people are voluntarily deciding that they want to know what you’re doing, what you’re talking about, and what you think is important in the industry you represent.” Through social media, companies can establish a conversation, welcome questions and offer information to their audience. Senn also quotes Forbes as estimating that 27.64 percent of sales professionals reported closing at least one deal in 2014 as a direct result of using social media. She also cites TNW News as stating that social media is viewed as the second-most effective digital marketing tactic for customer retention purposes behind only email. Senn observes that these aspects of a company’s online presence can be just as harmful when neglected as they can be beneficial when used properly and regularly. She comments, “If your company has a poor online presence, you could potentially lose business versus gain it. It can really hit you negatively or positively, and that’s why it’s so important to make sure that someone is not turned away from being a potential customer of yours because of something they saw online, because it’s truly such an easy avenue of marketing to fix and maintain in this day and age.” Established in San Antonio in 2015, TradeCraft is a full-service open innovation advertising and communications agency with over 30 years of combined experience. –mh

Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 9

Summer fishing update 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.

ell I must say that this has got to be one of the windiest Julys that I can remember. July weather is typically the beginning of summer hot days that start preparing you for the dog days of summer. Instead we have had spring-like windy mornings that turn into blown out days. These conditions make it hard to get to some of the more favorable fishing spots we are accustomed to fishing in mid-summer months. Nonetheless, we are catching limits of trout with scattered

Bill Morris of San Antonio caught this monster redfish on a recent fishing trip with Steve Schultz Outdoors. Fish measured 35+inches and weighed over 15 lbs. (Released)

reds and an occasional flounder or two. I know complaining about the wind will come back and haunt me in August when I’ll be begging for a breeze about 10 AM in the morning. With August around the corner, I’m expecting to start seeing quite a few more redfish in the mix of things. Typically, our redfish start schooling up in mid-August and feed up before they make their way to the gulf. Schools of bull reds will start making their way out of Baffin Bay working their way down the King Ranch shorelines. It is wise to keep a

Everyone has a story. Send us yours.

rod rigged up with a weeklies gold spoon or a 1/4 oz. jig head with you favorite soft plastic. These schools can appear out of nowhere and you have to have something that is heavy enough to cast when there’s not much wind or casting into a light wind. Once you have located the school you can probably stay close enough to them with your trolling motor to catch several before they disappear. An alternative to beating the heat and getting into some of the bigger game species in our waters this month is to explore some of the deeper waters off-

shore. With easy access through the packery channel, one can be trolling baits within minutes of the JKF causeway. Some of the species most commonly sought after in our waters include king mackerel (kingfish), Spanish mackerel, red snapper, ling and several other species of fish. Proper tackle is required to land some of these bigger, more powerful fish than your ordinary bay tackle, so be prepared when busting through the jetties. This type of fishing can be very enjoyable for the whole group because you never know what you’re going to catch and most every time I take a group offshore we experience something unique. This month can also be perfect for fishing the beach front for trout and reds also. Anchoring your boat between the guts along the beach and pitching croakers or perch in these guts can produce some fantastic action if conditions are right. One thing to remember when you’re fishing the beach or any water in the gulf is to keep an eye out for waves that can sneak up on you when you least expect it. Make sure everyone is aware of the dangers while fishing in the gulf because conditions can change in an instant. Summer schedule is filling quickly but fall dates are still available. Don’t wait until 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

Send us your photos and stories. Outdoor activities and sports Fishing • Hunting • Biking • Racing Hobbies • Crafts • Entertainment

All content and photos are placed free of charge. Email to: AustinEditor@ConstructionNews.net or call Cyndi at 210-308-5800

Page 10

Austin Construction News • AUG 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 the radio as follows: The Great Outdoors: 5-8 am Saturday on 1300, The Zone, Austin and The Great Outdoors: 5-7 am Saturday on 1200 WOAI San Antonio The Sunday Sportsman: 6-8 am Sunday on 1300, The Zone, Austin All on iHeart Radio day, I have given up on worrying about people carrying gps devices onboard for our charter fishing trips. I finally realized that even if someone can find my current spot, the location won’t do much good if he doesn’t know how to fish it. That is where learning to understand the patterns that fish follow will save the day. Fish have yearly cycles. When it comes to reproduction, they have prespawn, the spawn and post-spawn and each of these phases has distinctive behavior that only applies to their species. Read up on the fish you want to catch so

Patterning: The art of thinking like a fish

don’t know how many times we have watched weekend fishermen come all the way up the lake to find my boat dock because they think that will help them catch bait. Often overheard, “There must be bait here; Ken Milam’s dock is here!” No, my dock is here because my wife was raised here and it’s where we live. The bait is in the lake. It’s up to you to find it, just like I have to. I am always amazed at the way fishermen fall into the trap of thinking they can duplicate a good fishing trip. It is easy to think that if you go to the very same spot and present the same bait you should get another good stringer. We can’t help that we tend to think like that. So much of our day to day life works pretty well by that formula, but not fishing. You have to remember that fish are fickle little boogers from bait size to trophy size. If you remember that you caught bait yesterday on a certain spot surely you can do it again today, right? Wrong. What you didn’t figure on was that even if the wind and moon and weather didn’t change a bit there still might have been a school of bass that found your secret bait hole and spent the last couple hours chasing them for breakfast. The same thing is true for game fish. With technology being what it is to-

you can understand the timing of these very strong cycles. That will tell you when they want to feed and when they might not need to and where on a body of water they might be driven to go. The weather and the moon phase can matter too. Overnight storms, sudden cold fronts and a bright moon can cause them to turn off or on depending on whether you get there before or after these events. Fish are often moved from place to place by wind and wave. A good angler learns to use the memory of the conditions of the day to try to understand why the fish did or didn’t bite. Once you learn more about patterns and start applying them to future trips you become a lot more able to find fish. Another good thing is if you can’t get to the fishing spot you like, you can look for other places on the water that mimic those conditions and find more fish. Any time you spend on the water catching or not will help you to build your experience and make you a better fisherman.

Lusk 36 lb. bluecat

Submitted to Construction News

The reel deal

Shooting skills

The Reynolds Company sent Team REYNOLDS to ‘reel and deal’ in the Pescadore Tournament Jun. 4 at Baffin Bay. Above, Mickey Mehrens, Massey Brand, Charles Medcalf and Matt Preston heft their catch. Below, Brand had a good day! –cw

Rajshree Sarda, project manager of G2-Fastrack (a new wing of G2 Builders Corporation that focuses on built-out spaces under 3,000sf), visited Yellowstone National Park to hone her skills as an avid photographer. –cw

Half or Full Day Fishing Trips All Bait, Tackle & Equipment Furnished Your catch Filleted and Bagged for You

Ken Milam Guide Service (325) 379-2051 www.striperfever.com

Furnish your TPWD Fishing License & Refreshments, and WE DO THE REST!

Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Texas summer fun

Page 11

Send us your photos and stories. Outdoor activities and sports Fishing • Hunting • Biking • Racing Hobbies • Crafts • Entertainment

All content and photos are placed free of charge. Email to: AUeditor@ConstructionNews.net or call Cyndi at 210-308-5800

Chris Kelley, Bilt Rite Scaffold/Bilt Rite Insulation, far left, above, had a good day bay fishing recently with some friends. Below, the entire company had a field trip to Central Texas Speedway. –cw

Submitted to Construction News

Summit summons

Jon Smiley, iON Constructors, got the big picture at the top of Christmas Mountain on Terlingua Ranch in West Texas during a recent dirt bike trip to the Big Bend area. –cw

Submitted to Construction News

Green for green space

Heavy Equipment Co. was a recent sponsor of the Forever Green Golf Tournament on Jul. 11 at Lions Municipal Golf Course. The tournament benefits “Save Muny” in their efforts to protect the green space. Thirty-one teams participated. Pictured, L-R: Luke Brenner, Heavy Equipment Co.; Willie Lott, Heavy Equipment Co.; Tre Leoni, WPM Construction; Frank Preketes, WPM Construction. –cw

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Austin Construction News â&#x20AC;¢ AUG 2016

Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 13

Fore the bird(ie)s!

Making waves

ire protection contractors from across the state played golf and went fishing at the Skins & Fins Tournament held at South Shore Harbour Resort in League City in Jun. 9-12. Folks also attended continued education classes, a table top vendor show, a buffet style dinner and a pool party. The Fire Sprinklers Contractors Association of Texas (FSCATX) hosted the event. –ab

Impact Fire Services

The table top vendor show

Statewide Materials Transport, Ltd. with Steve Hampton, Casey Carnes, DeWitt Carnes, Jason Timmerman

n Jun. 14, the Greater Austin Contractors & Engineers Association (ACEA) sponsored its summer golf tournament at Falconhead Golf Club. Congrats to the winners! –cw 1st Flight 1st place: Statewide Materials Transport, Ltd. 2nd place: Ballew Surety Agency 3rd place: HD Supply Waterworks

2nd flight 1st place: ACT Pipe & Supply 2nd place: Wheeler Companies 3rd place: Texas Concrete Companies 3rd Flight 1st place: Tekrock Trenching (not pictured) 2nd place: Capital Excavation 3rd place: ACI Consulting Closest to the Pin: Casey Carnes Longest Drive: Casey Carnes

Carol McCain won the Champion of the Industry Achievement Award

Submitted to Construction News

Ready to serve ACT Pipe & Supply with Brian Mendenhall, Albert Wininger, Tony Medlock, Chris Nauert

A sign of things to come

National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Austin Chapter elected its 2016-2017 board of directors. Pictured, front row, L-R: Misti Schafer, director and Toni Osberry, president; back row, L-R: Taryn Ritchie, director; Kimberley McDaniel, director; Nikki Guinn, director; Amy Maresca, director; Jamie Leonard, secretary; Sandra Johnson, treasurer; and Aimee Busby, vice president. –cw

Submitted to Construction News

Holiday bonus

Each year, the summer renovations completed on the University of Texas Jester Dormitory Flintco project requires that the team and subcontractors work on the holiday to meet completion deadlines before students begin to move in. It has become a tradition for Flintco’s project team to host a 4th of July cookout as a thank you. This year, there were 140 workers who spent the day on the jobsite. –cw

Seen on the road and on the Internet, these billboards are urging caution along construction-addled stretches of the I-35 corridor. This one shows promise of an end to the continuous construction. We can’t wait for that day! –mh

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Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Going for the gold

Straight to your inbox

he Renaissance Hotel in Austin was the scene for the Central Texas Masonry Contractors Association’s (CTMCA) 2016 Golden Trowel Awards on Jun. 17. The food got rave reviews from the attendees and Spike Cutler, Cutler Smith PC, kept everyone entertained as the awards presenter and emcee. Congrats to the winners! –cw (Photos by Kristen Cannon with Continental Cut Stone)

Government/Institutional McLane Center of Hope Masonry Contractor: C.W. Oates Masonry, Inc. Architect: HH Architects Member Suppliers: AHI Supply, Inc., Deane Masonry Products and Featherlite Building Products

Educational Facility – College/University Texas Christian University Daniel Meyer Coliseum Masonry Contractor: Brazos Masonry, Inc. Architect: HKS, Inc. Member Suppliers: Acme Brick, Advanced Cast Stone and Headwaters

Residential/Multi-family The Catherine Masonry Contractor: C.W. Oates Masonry, Inc. Architect: Rhode Partners Member Suppliers: Continental Cut Stone, Inc., Continental Quarries, Inc. and Featherlite Building Products

n June 2016, Construction News took another leap into the future of the publishing business with the launch of digital subscriptions to all four papers. Construction News has been working diligently to stay up to date with the latest technology to bring all the news of the Texas construction industry to stakeholders, companies, businesses, associations and anybody else who wants to keep up with industry news. “We started things off last year with a redesigned website that makes it faster and easier for people to access all of our great stories and photos – as well as providing a new platform for our advertisers and their customers,” says Buddy Doebbler, publisher. During the first months of 2016, Doebbler and the marketing staff have been hard at work bringing Construction News up to speed with social media. “We now have various and constantly updated ways for construction industry stakeholders to find news, photos and advertisers through Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter,” says Dana Calonge, account manager. “We welcome you to reach out to us and interact with us in all these new ways.” Capping off all of these forays into technology’s latest ways to stay connected – at least for now – is the recent release of digital subscriptions to the papers. “Construction News is the largest industry newspaper group in Texas and we wanted to make it available to everyone free of charge,” says Doebbler. “With the new digital subscription, the paper will be able to be accessed and/or downloaded each month free. Subscribers will get an email notification when the paper – or papers – they have subscribed to are ready to be opened. All of the content that is available in the printed product will be the same in the digital product.” Doebbler added that those companies who qualify for a free subscription to the printed product will still receive their copy in the mail. Papers will also still be available on various rack locations in all the areas Construction News covers. –cw

Website: constructionnews.net

Hardscape/Landscape Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Masonry Contractor: Nick’s Bricks Masonry, Inc. Architect: Building Image Group Member Suppliers: Continental Cut Stone, Inc. and Material Products International

Facebook: facebook.com/ConstructionNewsLtd LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/construction-newsltd.?trk=biz-companies-cym Twitter: https://twitter.com/CNewsLtd

Block Lorena High School – Phase III Masonry Contractor: Legacy Masonry, LLC Architect: Huckabee Member Suppliers: AHI Supply, Inc., Featherlite Building Products, Tailored Foam and White Cap Supply

Industrial/Commercial South Congress Hotel Masonry Contractor: C.W. Oates Masonry, Inc. Architect: Dick Clark Architecture and Michael Hsu Office of Architecture Member Suppliers: Continental Cut Stone, Inc. and Featherlite Building Products

To subscribe: http://www.constructionnews.net/subscription_ form.html

Construction News ON LOCATION

Equipped to help

Shawn Young, branch manager, and Mark Schmidt are ready to serve customers with a smile at H&E Equipment in Hutto. –cw

Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 15

Service Providers Business still booming in Austin James Gill, Owner Austin Rent Fence LLC

are low and have excess inventory or to wait until new product is needed and then order. What are the rewards of the industry? Getting to know other business owners in Austin and nationwide is a great experience. It has led to new business endeavors and some good friendships

Austin, TX

ow would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms? Business is still booming. We have seen around a 12 percent increase in sales in the first two quarters of 2016. While the national economy may be suspect, Central Texas remains strong. What factors are driving this increase? Quality service. A direct benefit to trying harder than other companies is customers get it and appreciate the service. Contractors talk amongst themselves and

when you provide excellent service the word spreads fast. What are the cost increases relating to your industry? The price of steel fluctuates greatly depending on a variety of economic factors. We are constantly trying to stay ahead of the game by purchasing at the right time. The difficulty we face is often we don’t need new materials at the time but the price is right. So you have to make a decision about whether it is best to reinvest in the company while prices

On track to continue monitored growth Blake Stephens, President GPS of Texas San Antonio, TX

he benefits of GPS tracking in the construction industry are fairly simple – protecting your assets and proving that your employees spend their time productively. In the last 10 years, the cost of this service has decreased significantly while business has been growing and is expected to grow tremendously over the next few years. Blake Stephens, president of GPS of Texas, explains that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s new requirement for electronic logging is one of the biggest factors driving the newest wave of growth in this rapidly growing industry. Commercial truck and bus drivers who currently use manual logs to keep their hourly work records must now use certified electronic logging devices (ELDs) to prove safety compliance and ensure safe practices on the job. The ELD Final Rule makes this mandatory by 2017. If a DOT officer comes to a truck, the driver will have to show their electronic logs, which they can pull up on a tablet or

smartphone, and with the devices GPS of Texas has, the driver also has the capability to email the electronic tracking log to the officer from right there in the cab. “[Drivers] tend to have less fines when you have electronic logging,” explains Stephens. “Plus, there’s a headache like you wouldn’t believe in paperwork if you have paper logs. [An ELD] is pretty simplistic, easy to use, easy to setup, and it’s going to take the worry out of that electronic logging mandate.” Noting that they carry the products these drivers will need to meet the requirement for getting these products certified, Stephens says he has already seen an increase in calls from members of the construction industry on this particular issue. He has received inquiries from crane companies as well as trucks working in the oil field that haul sand, water, cabling and pipe. The rise in demand for ELDs comes at a time when work in the oil field has slowed down for some of the construc-

What are keys to being successful in the industry? Response time. Everyone wants it yesterday. In today’s society of everything being accessible instantly by your smart phone or computer, people want things right now. You have to be on call 24/7 if you want to do a better job than your competitors.

used to simply do panels for six years, but now we’ve expanded to doing barricades and posts in the ground for a wider variety of things. About 80 percent of our business is for private clients. What advice would you give to someone who wanted to become a successful service provider in the construction industry? Two main things: You have to learn everything from the ground up so you can understand the company and run it yourself if you have to. Take a risk! I didn’t know if it was going to work or not, but I would much rather try and fail than not try at all.

What is the biggest part of your fence business? The number one thing is construction sites. We also do a tremendous amount for events – festivals, racing, parties – anything that serves alcohol! TABC rules say events serving alcohol have to have a fence up. We always

What makes your company unique? Austin Fence was started in 2008 as an alternative to large national companies that were mostly faceless. I wanted companies to know if there doing business in Central Texas they can put a name and face to their service provider. –cw

tion industry, but Stephens observes that he is still adding customers in the oil field all the time. He says it just depends on what side of the equation they are on, before the drilling or after. These customers, like many others, also appreciate that GPS of Texas is a local company and has the capability of receiving a phone call and installing a unit on the same day. Stephens says this particular key to his company’s success is rare in his industry. He has had many calls from people dissatisfied with his national competitors as well as their long-term contracts. He notes almost all of his customers have gone month-to-month in the last four or five years he has been offering that option. In the last decade, Stephens has seen the GPS tracking industry skyrocket due to the need to be more productive in the field. Before then, he said tracking wasn’t utilized as companies were making a lot of money. But as costs associated with labor, running vehicles and generally doing business went up, companies searched for ways to be more productive. According to Stephens, monitoring employees’ hours and travel by GPS pays for the costs of the units in a few weeks if used properly. As costs associated with the construction industry have risen, costs have decreased significantly for the GPS industry. Stephens believes this may be due to the costs of manufacturing the hardware going down as well as the industry becoming more competitive. He estimates that, about four years ago, his pricing was

almost cut in half for the hardware itself. As his costs have come down, he has passed that savings on to his customers, who have been able to buy two units for what he used to have to charge for one. The other cost to the customers is the monthly monitoring fee for the life of the unit, which is paid to the cell companies for their services. For trucks, GPS of Texas has one-minute trackers that report data that often. However, on assets such as equipment, for the purposes of asset recovery, those trackers report about six times a day and anytime that a customer wants to ping it to find out it’s exact location, which only takes about six to 10 seconds. This part of the GPS industry is as rewarding for Stephens as it is satisfying for his customers. “We’ve solved a lot of thefts,” he says. “We have customers that have $85,000 backhoes stolen, and they’re back on the job in two or three hours. We protect thousands and thousands of pieces of equipment. We just had a welding machine stolen from one of my customers in Fredericksburg, and it was taken to Austin. When the police finally showed up there after getting a warrant, they arrested 21 illegal aliens and found a ton of stolen equipment all over the place.” Blake Stephens founded GPS of Texas in San Antonio about 17 years ago. The company offers a variety of GPS tracking systems. While most of its customers are in Texas, GPS of Texas serves customers from Alaska to Puerto Rico. –mh

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Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Service Providers changing where more and more customers were learning to do AutoCAD drawings on the Internet. Eventually the blueprint machines and the ammonia went away. I remember just to keep the ammonia on the premises we had to pay a permit fee every year. That went away when we went over to black and white copy. Nobody blueprints anymore.

It takes time to build clientele Audrey Jones, Co-Owner Blueprints Plus Houston, TX

What is the current state of the Houston construction industry? When the prices of oil went down, it hurt a lot of our customers because they were somehow associated with the oil industry. I think there has been an influx of companies moving to Houston in the past few years. We have seen lots of changes in the construction industry over the years. We watched Beltway 8 go up near us and have seen improvements in the roadways in our area. Why did you decide to work in the blueprint business? I have worked in this business for 34

years. My husband worked for a civil engineering company and started going to a blueprint shop near his office. He became interested in working in the self-service blueprint business so he and I decided to get into the business in 1981. We have been doing this ever since! What are a few major changes in your industry? The equipment has improved so much over the years. Back in the early days we did blueprinting with ammonia. Nobody liked the smell and we didn’t like the smell. Your nose eventually adapts. We saw where the industry was

Competitive price, core values vital Craig Farmer, CEO Farmer Environmental Group LLC Carrollton, Houston & Mesquite, TX

hat are the “hot button” issues in your industry? Right now, the “hot buttons” in our specific industry are asbestos, mold and Phase I Environmental Site Assessments. The asbestos, mold and lead have consistently made up about 70% of our business. This has been a constant for over 22 years that we’ve been in business. Asbestos, mold, lead and crystalline silica fall under the industrial hygiene category and continue to be a driving force of work for our company. Farmer Environmental is contracted by business owners, developers, architects and general contractors to do the initial testing and evaluations of the suspect materials. If and when there are positive results of suspect materials, in most cases we then are contracted for the oversight and management planning to be onsite during the abatement process. Farmer has developed very close relationships with highly qualified abatement contractors throughout the country that we can refer to our clients as part of the bidding pro-

cess. As new construction developments grow, we are doing more Phase I ESA’s for pre-development data, which is vital for ensuring that the property is researched thoroughly through historical data. What are the major changes in the industry in recent years relating to the type of work that you do? The most recent changes that Farmer has seen relate to technology. As technology has become more advanced, we made the decision to move with it and enhance our business software that enables us to manage our inventory of clients more effectively and manage costs for each and every project. With this advancement we are also able to handle last minute emergency response type projects for some of our higher profile clients like banks, major universities and hospitals. This has also allowed us to reduce the paper reports unless our client specifically asks for it.

What advice would you give a young person who wants to do what you do today? If you want to start your own business, you need to do a lot of research first. You really do have to have location, location, location. Questions you have to ask yourself include are you going to have enough clientele who keep you going so you can pay rent, your employees and your suppliers. You need to have at least six months of working capital. Your first two months you might twiddle your thumbs wondering if you

What is the most significant challenge your industry faces? Both labor shortages and cost increases are a challenge in our industry. As more new consulting companies with lower overhead pop up, we are very conscious of the importance of competitive pricing. However, we have always prided ourselves on having highly trained and qualified personnel at Farmer Environmental Group who have been with us many years. This, we feel, sets us apart from others who may be lower on their rates. But, we’ve continued to grow at a steady rate with the professional attitude that lower is not always better. The labor shortages are due to the specific license requirements that our field technicians have to obtain and maintain. We take great pride in our low turnover rate within our company and feel this is due to our company core values. So, if we find someone that is eager to learn and grow with our company, we will hire a non-licensed person and train them. With that type of philosophy we have truly hired some quality team members. What are the cost increases relating to your industry? The cost increases to our industry we feel are not uncommon to others. Payroll, insurance and taxes are the largest costs. Farmer does everything to avoid passing those costs on unless we absolutely have to. When we do pass on these costs, we do so in a very gradual way to avoid ticket shock to our valuable client base. It’s a necessary evil and we understand that. But that is just business. We continue to feel that small businesses have to sup-

did the right thing. It takes time to build up your clientele. Meanwhile you will have to pay the rent and utilities. Many young people get into this industry through their family or a friend’s business. It would be helpful to take a class to make sure it is what you want to do. In your opinion, what does it take to be successful in your industry? Take pride in what you do. Your reputation is very important. If you do a lousy job it gets around very quickly. If we ever have a problem, we to whatever it take to fix it right way. We don’t charge the customer for it if it was our fault. What is the best part about what you do today? I like working with our customers and I think our customers enjoy working with us. Our customers are Houston area contractors, architects and designers. –ab Blueprints Plus is a reprographics print shop. –ab

port other small businesses that are local. What are the rewards of the industry? The rewards of the environmental consulting industry are knowing that we are making a difference with our clients. We are very diligent in making sure that our client is informed with the right information about their environmental needs so that they can feel confident that the people walking into their facilities have peace of mind that they are in a safe building. What are the keys to being successful in the industry? Farmer Environmental Group LLC feels like the key to being successful is teamwork. When you develop a strong cohesive team of great leaders for each branch office as well as quality team members who have a great work ethic (which all of ours do) you are successful. Success in our view is not about being the biggest in our industry, but we strive to be the best in our industry. Our leadership is made up of three partners who have been the core of our company for over 20 years. We have four branch offices throughout Texas and one in Colorado. Our branch managers are all the best of the best. We have always operated our company with the attitude of deep faith and ethics for doing what is right. If we are known for nothing more than the fact that we never compromised what is right for what is profitable, then we feel that we are successful. Farmer Environmental Group offers industrial hygiene, environmental consulting and oil and gas services. –mjm

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Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 17

continued from Page 1 — Italy welcomes armadillo

continued from Page 1 — 30 years building Austin was his first employee and is still there today. “We actually have several employees who have been here more than 20 years,” he says. “We’ve really concentrated on working in Central Texas, mainly so people can go home at night and be with their families. There has to be a balance between work and life and being with your kids is so important.” There’s also a profit-sharing plan and weekly lunches to keep everybody in touch and have safety training. Over the years, Flynn Construction has found a niche in advanced technical projects, having been involved in designing and building over 100 labs and cleanroom facilities. In the 1990s these projects were mostly in the semi-conductor industry. Today the majority of highly technical projects the company builds are associated with life science and genetic research. “We have to think outside of the box,” Flynn says. “We are the one called when someone has a challenging project.” Flynn Construction’s tagline on its website says, “We know Austin. We helped build it.” A large part of that building process includes plenty of civic and community service.

Over the last 30 years, Flynn has been involved in and been a board member for organizations such as The Boys & Girls Club, Foster Angels, the Austin Chamber of Commerce, Sunshine Camp – and to celebrate this anniversary, the company built two of the homes at Community First Village, a unique solution to the issue of homelessness. “It’s very important to give back to the community,” Flynn says. “If you are successful, you have an obligation, in my view, to share with others. “I believe it is important to lead by example and to have integrity in what you do. You need to be able to build and sustain long-term relationships and connect with people on an emotional level.” He illustrated that when he built St. Theresa’s Catholic Church. The project was 98 percent finished when the church burned to the ground. The insurance company refused to pay to rebuild and had to be taken to court. In the meantime, without knowing what that court result would be, Flynn rebuilt the church with money out of his own pocket – and a loan. In the end, the judge made the insurance company pay up, but Flynn says what he did was the right thing to do. “I’m going to do the right thing,” he says. “I’ve been very blessed.” –cw

continued from Page 1 — Friday night lights come to life The construction team selected FieldTurf Revolution 360 turf, a product that is already being used to replace many natural grass fields due to resilience and, more importantly, safety for the athletes. “Basically, it mimics natural grass,” Heinze explains. “The product we used has nine pounds per square foot of infill.” The more amount of infill weight under a turf system the better, according to a study and report written by Michael C. Meyers, PhD, FACSM in the Department of Sport Science and Physical Education, Idaho State University. The study revealed that knee and ankle injuries, as well as concussions, were decreased with the new turf. After four years of data gathering in four states, including Texas, the study revealed “as the artificial infill surface weight decreased, the incidence of game-related high school football trauma significantly increased across numer-

ous playing conditions.” With the new “heavyweight” turf field at the home of the Eagles, players – and their competitors - will have the advantages of a safer playing field. Besides the new turf and football stadium with all the accouterments, the project created a new weight facility, coaches’ offices, locker rooms, concession stands, and an outside field sports area for things like pole vaulting and long jumping. And, of course, it wouldn’t be Friday night in Texas, especially rural Texas, without those stadium lights beckoning the whole town to come and support its team. The lighting system at this new stadium is from Musco Lighting. “It was a great project and a fantastic thing for the whole town,” Heinze says. “It was a perfect example of how a project should go. It’s a better, safer place and is a win-win for everyone.” –cw

The project went very smoothly, finishing in time for the fall football season.

Round-Up Flintco LLC, has named Rex Woods as the senior vice president, business development, for the company’s South Central Region. Woods will be based out of Flintco’s Austin office. In his new role, Woods will focus on establishing relationships with a wide range of clients, concentrating his efforts to bring Flintco into new market sectors in the Austin area. Woods is a native Texan who grew up in the Houston area and is a graduate of Texas A & M University.

Rob Hudock has been promoted to construction administration director of O’Connell Robertson. With more than 18 years experience, including eight years with the firm, he has provided construction administration services for projects including the new Success High School in Round Rock ISD and Central Health’s Southeast Health & Wellness Center. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, he was a member of the UT NCAA Championship swim team.

Rebecca “Beki” Webster has joined HOLT CAT as its new vice president of human resources. With more than 20 years of experience in human resource management and leadership, Webster will have executive oversight of all human resource operations and will assume responsibility of the company’s security and safety departments. A native of San Antonio, she recently relocated to South Texas after 20 years working at Northrup Grumman, a leading global aerospace and defense technology firm.

Balfour Beatty Construction announced that Chris Davis, a 23-year construction veteran, will take on an expanded leadership role as Interim Business Unit Leader for the Austin office, providing direction and oversight for all local operations. He joined Balfour Beatty in 2014 and has played a significant role by expanding the commercial, civic, healthcare and education sectors. Davis currently serves as an Advisory Board Member with ULI Austin. He holds a B.S. degree in Construction Science from Texas A&M University.

Intertech Commercial Flooring has named James Alejandro, CPA, CGMA, as chief financial officer. He brings more than 20 years of accounting and finance leadership experience to his new position. Alejandro is an alumnus of The University of Texas at San Antonio, where he received both a BBA in accounting and a master’s in business administration. He is a licensed certified public accountant in the state of Texas, and is certified as a chartered global management accountant (CGMA) with the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts.

Brandon Lamb has been promoted to branch manager of the Central and South Texas Region of BETCO Scaffolds. Located in San Antonio, he will oversee all aspects of branch operations and extend the company’s customer base in San Antonio, Austin and the Rio Grande Valley. With more than 17 years of experience in the rental and sales of scaffolding and construction equipment, he has worked and developed relationships with many clients across the region.

Submissions

than anything that’s been done anywhere in the world in recent decades.” Escobedo Group was founded in 1983 and currently has approximately 120 employees. “Today, David is also pushing the envelope to leverage conventional construction methods. In an effort to mitigate building constraints while staying committed to the quality level David is known for, we currently utilize a panelized construction process. We fabricate the floor, wall and roof panels in our facilities, each with fully integrated electrical, plumbing and window systems; we then transport and erect the panels on-site,” Arthur says. “This is neither pre-fab nor modular as those terms are defined in the construction industry. It is a true panelized system; we use commercial construction methods and materials while maintaining the highest level of quality which our clients expect. Our panelized process results in a substantial reduction in construction duration.” –cw

Round-Up

Ochsendorf sent Philippe and he and David worked together for several months on ideas for free-standing compression-only vault concepts, but were not given the opportunity to fulfill their visions until July of 2015 when Philippe was invited to participate in the Biennale; at which point Philippe contacted David and they were off and running. “They collaborated on design, Philippe’s team modeled and engineered the vault, and the Escobedo team fabricated and built it,” Arthur says. The Armadillo was then fabricated, shipped overseas and assembled in a five-month period. David says it is called the Armadillo, not only for its shape, but because it was born and raised in Texas. It’s built using 25 tons of Texas limestone cut into 399 pieces, each piece with a different geometrical shape. “This is the most complex stone vault to have been built in generations,” Ochsendorf says. “It’s really more complex

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

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Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Construction News ON LOCATION

Summer sessions

Rose knows electric

The past winners of the Bob R. Beard Good Neighbor Award were honored at TACA’s 62nd annual meeting with a commemorative lapel pin.

he Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association (TACA) hosted its 62nd annual meeting and summer conference Jun. 29-Jul. 1 at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort in San Antonio. This year, the meeting broke the association’s record for highest attendance of the event with more than 550 attendees. The meeting included the opening general session with Rich Szecsy, TACA president; Friday sessions with speakers from various state departments and officials, the annual TACPAC fundraiser, which included a silent auction; and the past chair’s banquet, during which TACA honored all past Bob R. Beard Good Neighbor award winners and Tommy Abbott, Argos USA, chair of the board, passed the gavel to Pat Strader, CEMEX, incoming chair. The annual awards luncheon recognized outstanding companies and individuals across a variety of categories. Safety Awards went to Argos USA, RediMix Concrete, CEMEX, Martin Marietta, Hanson Aggregates and Trinity Construction Materials. Also, the TACA scholarship for $2,500 was awarded to Lola Chambers, a student at the University of Texas at Austin. –mh High Strength Concrete Competition Plant Mix 1st: Allied Concrete (14,610 psi) Lab Mix 1st: Redi-Mix Concrete (14,790 psi)

Arlene Rose Wortham takes care of business at Rose Electric in Hutto. The company was named for Rose by her husband, Malcolm Wortham, co-owner. –cw

Construction News ON LOCATION

Let it shine

The outgoing chair of the board, Tommy Abbott, passes the gavel to the incoming chair, Pat Strader.

Public Appearance Awards Best Plant Aggregate, A: Hanson Aggregates, Servtex Plant Best Plant Ready Mix, A: Argos Ready Mix, Corporation Frisco Plant #1009 and CEMEX Construction Materials Houston, Galveston Plant Best Plant Ready Mix, B: BURNCO Texas, Anna Plant Front-Line Employee Awards Production Employee of the Year: Miguel Huerta, Area Production Supervisor, BURNCO Texas Truck Driver of the Year: Bruce Campbell, Argos Ready Mix Corporation

Construction News ON LOCATION

Summer smiles

Justin Reynolds and Creighton Ryan, Total Lawn & Sprinkler Inc., get ready for a hot day in the Texas sun. The company serves both Austin and San Antonio. –cw

Association Calendar

Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC Central Texas

Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Aug. 12: Fall Clay Shoot, Capitol City Trap and Skeet Club, registration begins at 9:30am. Contact Amy at 512-719-5263 for more information.

Aug. 6: Habitat for Humanity Build from 7:30-11:30am. Contact Jamie Denton at 512-971-7420 or jamied@mechreps.com to sign up. Aug. 17: NAWIC Annual Meeting and Education Conference, Grand Hyatt San Antonio, 600 E. Market St., San Antonio

AGC Associated General Contractors

Aug. 30: Delay Claims brown bag lunch seminar

AIA American Institute of Architects

Aug. 18-19: summer conference Aug. 20: sandcastles

ASA American Subcontractors Association

Amantha Swift, Jackie Gotsche and Lei Lavea are holding down the fort at G & S Mechanical Heating and Air Conditioning in Hutto. –cw

NAWIC

Associated Builders & Contractors

Aug. 9: Monthly Meeting - Speaker: Mike White, Texas Construction Association; Topic: Legislation Update and Prep for 2017 Session Aug. 26: 2nd Annual TCA PAC Clay Shoot (full details on website www.ctsaonline. org) Registration open now.

ASCE - Texas Section American Society of Civil Engineers

Aug. 9: Online Webinar: Noon – Automated Roadway Vehicle Technology with Sam Lott, PE. For more information, check www.TexASCE.org

TSPS Texas Society of Professional Surveyors

Sept. 16-17: El Paso Annual Seminar at Camino Real Hotel - El Paso. Contact Brenda Null at 512-327-7871 or BrendaN@ tsps.org for more information or visit: tsps.org/events. Early bird registration deadline is Monday, Aug. 29. Sept. 22-24: Locating Original Corners Seminar at Neal’s Lodges and Annandale Ranch - Concan, TX. Contact Brenda Null at 512-327-7871 or BrendaN@tsps.org for more information or visit: tsps.org/ events. Early bird registration deadline is Tuesday, Sept. 6. Oct. 12-15: 65th Annual TSPS Convention & Tech Expo at Embassy Suites San Marcos Hotel Spa & Conference Center San Marcos. Contact DJ Kyle at 512-3277871 or DJKyle@tsps.org for more information or visit: www.tsps.org/convention. Early bird registration deadline is Wednesday, Sept. 7.

Past issues of Construction News can be downloaded at www.ConstructionNews.net

Austin Construction News â&#x20AC;¢ AUG 2016

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Austin Construction News • AUG 2016

Planned piñata carnage a bridge between two worlds

hen Sergio and Monica Lejarazu’s East Austin piñata store, Jumpolin, was abruptly demolished in Feb. 2015, it became a catalyst for a storm that was already brewing between the largely Hispanic long-time residents in the area and developers intent on gentrification. But for Austin architect David Goujon, who was dismayed by the whole affair, the action became a way to make a statement and an impact on the community, as well as the City of Austin as a whole. Goujon, who works for Forge Craft Architecture + Design in Austin, didn’t expect his project, Las Pinatas, to not only galvanize a community, but to win national recognition from the Americans for the Arts for its Public Art Network Year in Review. The Year in Review honored 38 outstanding public art projects created in 2015; it is the only national program that specifically recognizes the most compelling work in the field of public art. Las Pinatas was a commission by the City of Austin Arts in Public Places. A connection Goujon was born in Mexico and raised in Houston. He graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in construction management and went on to receive a Masters of Architecture from the University of Houston in 2014. In 2016, he joined Forge Craft in Austin. “They are incredibly supportive of all my endeavors,” Goujon says. “It’s great to be able to work with an established firm while being able to do projects that are an interest of mine.” He says his connection to the east side of Austin can be traced to his Mexican heritage. “I have good friends there and I am good friends with Sergio and Monica Lejarazu,” he says. “Their iconic piñata store was bursting at the seams with piñatas and color.

The three, 10-ft tall piñata burros, an art installation by Austin architect David Goujon, won national recognition from the Americans for the Arts. (Photo by Phillip Rogers)

“I was completely moved by what happened to them. I wanted to do something that that made an impact – not just for them but the whole city.” Goujon and his friends executed a crowd funding effort that allowed them to buy all the salvaged piñatas from Jumpolin. He planned an Austin-centric piñata festival, but first, he went to the Lajarazu’s with his art installation idea. “They were very involved in helping support and promote it and got behind the message of what the art symbolized – a celebration of the East Austin culture,” he says. “The neighborhood is undergoing gentrification and the city is growing, but people are still celebrating what is there. We didn’t want to take a pro or con stance against gentrification. So that’s when we decided to do a piñata festival there.” Piñata carnage The three 10-ft piñatas were built and installed at Edward Rendon Sr. Park. The festival, #LASPINATASATX, was on Nov. 14 and Goujon really didn’t know what to expect. He organized the event in four weeks and the response was overwhelming.

“More than 250 people came, even though it was raining,” he says. “Austinites love festivals and a piñata fest checks off all the boxes – goofy, playful, candy involved and celebrating the diversity! “We were really moved by the outpouring of support. It was so much fun to see a 40-year-old acting like a 6-year-old waiting their turn to smash a piñata. It became almost alive to me, seeing kids on the backs of the piñatas, new families moving in with their young kids explaining art and culture. It’s really humbling and exciting for me.” The event truly was a piñata carnage, Goujon says. Next up Goujon says the piñata became the symbol of resistance to the gentrification in the area, but also became a statement that cultural diversity is important and fun and part of the Austin culture. He’s already planning this year’s piñata fest, which will be a partnership with a La Peña Art Gallery, as well as the Mexican American Cultural Center as part of its October Dia de los Muertos celebration.

This year, festival planners are going to look for grants, but they also hope local businesses will step up and support this effort. On Thursday, Sept. 29, a roundtable discussion is planned that will include members of American Institute of Architecture (AIA) Austin Latinos in Architecture, architects, developers and community leaders. The public is encouraged to attend. “We will be talking about some of the things affecting the East Austin community in a way that is honest, thoughtful, introspective and educational,” Goujon says. “Everybody can learn how each party views development.” He remains excited by the possibilities of holding onto cultural traditions as the city continues to grow. “I didn’t expect this to go this far but now I have high hopes,” Goujon says. “I want this to be an event that just grows and grows and grows. I envision thousands of piñatas. The handing out of piñatas was one of my favorite things at the festival. It was amazing!” –cw