San Antonio Construction News August 2016

Covering the Industry’s News

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Volume 18

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Number 8

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AUGUST 2016

A project of his own

Better than the plan

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

L-R: Steve Holt, superintendent, and Trey Wiederstein, SCS president, stand on site at the 16,000-sf building pad for Mini Texans Christian Learning Center in Boerne.

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ince the acquisition by Raba Kistner Inc. (RKI), Project Control has been doing very well and strengthened from the standpoint of organization and being able to expand through the pursuit of work in more markets and across Texas.

This is according to one of Project Control’s founders, Bob Crittenden, and though he has been doing this for 36 years now, he feels now is the time for the other leaders of the company to have more opportunities to lead as he has in his time as a project manager, vice president, president and CEO, and for the last three years, principal.

Retired as of Jun. 30, Crittenden reflected upon the past and present of the company he helped to establish, credit-

ing 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.

Citing the five NBA arenas and several multi-purpose public arenas the company has done since starting to pursue sports-specific projects, Crittenden continued on Page 24

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ince Trey Wiederstein went into business with Ty Tracy, president of Superior Excavation Services (SES), to start Superior Contracting Services (SCS), the new company has met what would have been a fourth or fifth year goal after just two years, exceeding Wiederstein’s expectations for growth.

Wiederstein and Tracy had been working together since about 2001 while working for different previous employers. Tracy struck out on his own to start SES in 2007, and when a number of his clients came to him for referrals for general contractors, Tracy approached Wiederstein. A few months later, in February 2014, they were operating as SCS.

“Our initial business plan was to be a moderate-sized contractor handling

projects from about $250,000 up to about $2 million in size,” says Wiederstein. “We were planning on an entry into the market doing $3 to $5 million in sales, and we successfully hit that in our first 12 months.”

In its second year, the company sales increased 400 percent, and they went from doing $3.2 million to $15 million.

Born and raised in San Antonio, with many ties to the local community and industry and working in some form of construction or development since 1991, Wiederstein notes that word got out that he had started the company, and he credits his construction community ties with benefitting SCS’s success. continued on Page 24

Expanding a water wonderland

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he JW Marriott Hill Country Resort just upgraded their guests’ summer fun with a $16.4 million waterpark expansion. Harvey-Cleary Builders started work in September 2015 and completed the project in March, just in time for the spring and summer vacation season.

The scope of the project included several different outbuildings and water features spread across a 4.25-acre area of hotel property that was previously just grass before the construction team developed it.

All of the outbuildings, including a grill building, a stage, a building providing entry to the waterpark and several poolside cabanas, are wood, but Hayden Boster, project manager, recalls that the most complex portion of the project is a large, steel-structure event pavilion.

Designed and constructed to serve the hotel property for event use, such as

Among the features Harvey-Cleary Builders built in the JW Marriott Waterpark Expansion project was a pair of waterslides.

corporate meetings and weddings, the pavilion is a 14,000-sf space with one large room and a full-sized kitchen. With La Cantina glass folding doors on two sides, the building can be used as an indoor space or opened up to the outdoors.

The pavilion’s vaulted ceiling meant that stainless steel structural tension rods had to be put in place to support the outward force on the two side walls. A sailboat rigging manufacturer custom built the tension rods, typically used for standing rigging to hold up a ship’s mast.

Another interesting feature of the pavilion is the double-sided fireplace. Originally, the team was going to use a specified kit to build the fireplace, but they were unable to do so because of the manufacturer’s lead times. With experience building several large custom fireplaces at Hotel Emma, Boster says that previous project work helped inform their ability continued on Page 24

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ast year, Construct A Kid’s Christmas (CAKC) broke some of its own records, and this year, the nonprofit event of the holiday season wants industry members to get ready to break those records again.

The 16th annual Construct A Kid’s Christmas Gala will be held Dec. 1 from 5:30-11pm at the Freeman Coliseum Expo Hall in Exhibit Hall C, which welcomed 1,041 attendees last year. This year, with a Snowmen theme that will ensure this year’s gala and décor is cooler than ever, there will be a Texas-sized raffle.

In 2015, the big raffle item was Snoopy’s Cook Shack, a custom-made barbecue trailer. What will this year’s be that could possibly be “Texas-sized”?

Stay tuned to find out! The official announcement of this year’s raffle will appear in the September issue of Construction News.

“Last year’s gala was by far the largest turnout that we’ve ever had,” says Karen Ridout, Ridout Barrett and president of the CAKC nonprofit organization.

“Our hopes this year are to exceed that number and increase the number of participants in the industry. I think as the word gets out about how much fun this event is and what good we do for Friends of Bexar County that people are more than willing to come and participate and

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Do you want to build a snowman?

make their donations, helping us bring in money to make sure these kids have a Christmas.”

Ridout notes that they are expecting even more people this year, which means members of the construction community should get their reservations in early.

Guests are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy for a Bexar County foster child who might not otherwise have a gift under the Christmas tree this year.

These toys will be added to those col-

lected at the annual Construct A Kid’s Christmas Toy Drive held the next day, Dec. 2 from 10am-2pm at the Construction News office, 4047 Naco-Perrin Blvd.

The donations of toys, gifts and gift cards collected at the gala and toy drive go to Friends of Bexar County, so that

Bexar County Protective Services can distribute them to Bexar County foster children. In the history of the CAKC, the organization has collected and donated a total of $410,000 cash from the gala, $146,876 cash from the toy drive, $8,345 in gift cards and 21,708 toys. Last year, the 15th annual gala donated $75,000 cash.

Last year, CAKC also collected a total of 800 gift cards and 2,060 toys.

Associations participating in the 2016 gala include the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), Associated General Contractors (AGC), American Subcontractors Association (ASA), Builders Exchange of Texas (BXTX) Education Council, Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), Construction News Ltd., Hispanic Contractors Association (HCA), Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC), Mechanical and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (MCA-SMACNA), National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors (PHCC), Surety Association of South Texas (SAST) and Texas Air Conditioning Contractors of America (TACCA). –mh

Cooking up a celebration

L-R: Michael Beck, Keith Taylor, Teresa Mitchell, Peggy Little and Luis Rodriguez, Hughes Supply

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porting a fresh new look, Hughes Supply hosted its second annual Customer Appreciation BBQ and 4th of July Cookout on Jul. 1 with plenty of burgers and hotdogs for guests, all cooked by pitmaster Brad Silver, general manager. –mh L-R: Joseph Sherwood, SATEX Plumbing; Matt McGeehan, Hughes Supply; Robert Gonzales, SATEX Plumbing; Scott Vance, Hughes Supply

L-R: Ashton, Rick and Tristan Powell, Caliente Hot Water

L-R: Jeremiah Bowman, Damian Myers and Cody Myers, Myers Plumbing

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 3

Industry FOLKS Jaime Rodriguez Journeyman Electrician IES Commercial

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ven though being an electrician seemed to run in Jaime Rodriguez’s family, he did not think he would also wind up working in the field. But today, he is a journeyman electrician with IES Commercial, working with the company for about 10 years.

One of five children, Rodriguez’s three brothers all became electricians.

Growing up on the south side of San Antonio, while attending Southwest High School, he took courses in the computer program, hoping to go into the computer field.

However, while he was in school, he took a summer job as a helper with Calhoun Electric, a sister company of Bexar Electric, which became IES Commercial. He got started in the industry through that summer work program, and when he graduated in 2002, he went into electrical full-time.

Now, he observes that he is the only one of his brothers working for a major company in the electrical industry. He worked his way up to journeyman through his on-the-job training and experience, and by the end of this year, he expects to have earned his master’s license the same way.

“I love what I do,” he declares.

Some of his work has included the remodel of the third floor of the SWBC building, and he worked on a lease building in New Braunfels where he was the lead journeyman, taking it from an empty shell to a brand new store.

Rodriguez believes it must be in the family genes to be an electrician.

While his brothers are in the electrical field, his sister is in nursing. His wife, Louise, is also in the medical industry.

“We were high school sweethearts,” says Rodriguez. “We’re 15 years down the road now and still together. She works for a cardiologist.

She’s the head of the billing department.”

Married since 2005, the couple loves to travel. At 33, he notes that they try to keep busy and go wherever they can whenever they can, because they’re still young. They’ve been to Washington D.C., Florida, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Louisiana and Georgia.

Though they had an opportunity to travel abroad while one of his brothers was stationed in Germany, Rodriguez and his wife were unable to make the trip, because she was diagnosed with cancer. He is happy to say that she has been cancer-free for a full year now.

Aside from traveling, Rodriguez enjoys hunting and fishing. He also has a good friend who works for the post office, and so he volunteers to help out with the food drives. –mh

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San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Giving Central Texas a lift

A journey to private enterprise

Fredrick Kirksey (right), BTB Contractors, with Albert Castillo, City of San Antonio Mayor’s Office, at the inaugural mixer for the new BCA.

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redrick Kirksey learned the trade from his family. It’s only fitting that his company, BTB Contractors, takes its name from family members. BTB stands for Brown, his grandfather’s name, Theus, his grandmother’s maiden name, and Beck, his father’s last name.

Born and raised in Louisiana, Kirksey grew up and learned about construction in Heflin, LA, which is east of Shreveport.

His service in the U.S. Air Force brought him to San Antonio. He served in the medical field as an instructor, training doctors how to transfer their civilian medical skills into military medical skills.

During his eight years in the military, he spent about three of those years working with the Air Force’s RED HORSE team, the branch’s military engineering arm.

Taking advantage of this opportunity to work with RED HORSE, Kirksey helped build some small training hospitals at Lackland Air Force Base.

“That’s when I kind of got bit by the construction bug again,” he recalls. “I ac-

tually started for a little while – while I was in the Air Force – doing some minor construction rehab just for people that I knew.”

After an injury, Kirksey left construction to return to the medical field in the preventative health business, where he worked for the next 20 years. But with his background in heavy highway and bridge construction as well as rehab and new construction, he eventually returned to the industry.

Serving on a business advisory council for Councilwoman Sheila McNeil at the time, he was a founder of the original Black Contractors Association (BCA) in San Antonio, and while there have been many steps and transitions to the new BCA, Kirksey’s involvement in the original initiative sparked the desire to open his own company, BTB, on Mar. 7, 2007.

BTB Contractors does mostly private work, including historical rehab, concrete work and site work. –mh

L-R: Darin Lamarr and Gus Patino are a two-man team at the New Braunfels Ranger Lift Trucks facility on I-35.

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hough Ranger Lift Trucks was established in the Houston area, the company was making sales in Central Texas. With an opportunity to reach a larger market, the company opened a location in New Braunfels in January 2014.

As general manager for New Braunfels operations, Darin Lamarr handles daily business, including inside and outside sales. With an estimated 25 years of experience working in equipment service, Gus Patino is the facility’s service technician.

After graduating from Sam Houston State, Lamarr went into sales and then went to work for his father’s company in Baytown, eventually working his way up to running the heavy equipment business as vice president.

When they sold the company in 2010, Lamarr started selling equipment on his own until he was invited to work for Ranger Lift Trucks. Lamarr has been

with Ranger ever since, relocating to the New Braunfels office in May 2014, just a few months after it opened.

Situated on a 3-acre lot with 4,000sf of shop and a small office along I-35, Lamarr describes the company’s scope as the material-handling business. Though they exclusively carry pre-owned forklifts at this time, Lamarr notes that customers occasionally call asking about manlifts, and while they don’t keep those in stock, they sometimes have opportunities to procure them from other dealers or end users.

Lamar notes that they carry a variety of levels of equipment from later model, low-hour machines to older ones, sold as-is, as well as ones they have refurbished.

Based in Baytown, Ranger Lift Trucks sells and services pre-owned forklifts of all sizes and models, including Hyster, Yale, Toyota and Caterpillar. –mh

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

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Construction News ON LOCATION

Toward their 130th year

Getting doors out the door

Jordan Harper (center), HWH president, in a meeting with Mike Anders, COO/CFO, and Charles Cayton, HWH group-president (right); along with L-R: Randall Stanley, vice president of preconstruction; Heath Hinton, estimator; Michael Fry, senior estimator; Mark Murphy, director of estimating/senior project manager

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L-R: Jonathan Oliver, Evan Spears, Kim Williams and Earl Thomas were busy in the warehouse of Hollywood Crawford, getting items, including garage doors and openers, ready to go out as always. –mh

In memoriam

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onald Lee Litwornia, a superintendent for Keller-Martin Construction, passed away Jun. 20 at his home near Canyon Lake.

Born Oct. 16, 1952 to Alexander and Mary Litwornia in Plainfield, NJ, he was 63 years old.

He spent most of his working life in the construction industry, and in 2001, he joined Keller-Martin Construction, where he flourished and worked hard and devotedly for the last 15 years, providing for his wife of more than 36 years.

He loved hunting and fishing with friends and family. He lived for annual Colorado elk hunting with his brother in the fall and fishing in Port O’Connor in the spring and summer with his grandchildren, family and friends.

Survivors include his wife, Deborah; his two children and their spouses, Cliff and Valerie, Berry and Jessica; three grandchildren; his brother, Alexander; sisters, Barbara and Christine; several nieces and nephews; and his beloved boat. –mh

Corrections In the July issue of Construction News, a story about Sunstate Equipment Co.’s open house and barbecue erroneously cited an incorrect number for the size of the company’s new location. The 6035 N. Loop 410 site is actually 6.5 acres. –mh In last month’s article about the Summer Shindig, the Schirmer family name appeared misspelled in the story and photo caption. Construction News regrets the errors. –mh

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ight months ago, Harrison Walker & Harper (HWH) officially opened an office in San Antonio at 2505 Boardwalk St., but the company has had an operational group here since 2009.

Driven by the federal work in the area, HWH was able to build what its leaders felt was a strong team of project managers, superintendents and senior project managers in San Antonio. With this base of employees already in place, the company wanted to solidify that team with an office and begin growing the team. Tom Unruh, regional project executive, leads the new office.

Having done a lot of federal work at Fort Sam Houston and Lackland Air Force Base as well as other military locations in Central Texas, HWH and its 12 employees in the San Antonio office are looking to expand their services to another growth market.

“The desire in San Antonio now is to build on that market expertise and bring our construction value and skill set to the

private sector in the San Antonio region,” explains Brandon Hoog, chief information officer.

Established in 1887 in Paris, TX, by John Winn Harrison, HWH is the oldest continually operating general contractor in the State of Texas, according to all records they can find, Hoog says. Since taking over sole ownership of the company in 1989, Chip Harper, a fourth generation owner of the company, has helped grow the company beyond its home region throughout the state as well as other parts of the country.

Over the last 25 years, HWH has built its portfolio in municipal, education and commercial as well as industrial construction, delving into federal work in the late 2000s.

Harrison Walker & Harper does integrated design build, construction management and general contracting. Based in Paris, TX, HWH has offices in McKinney and San Antonio as well as Oklahoma City. –mh

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San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Yvette Garcia & Kurt Robinson Owners Robinson General Contractors, Inc.

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s Yvette Garcia and Kurt Robinson celebrate six years working together as Robinson General Contractors, they are also preparing to walk down the aisle this fall, solidifying the romantic relationship that led to them becoming business partners.

With the wedding plans in place for October, plans to become a certified 8(a) contractor have already come to fruition with the approval that came on May 30.

Reaching these milestones with personal and professional prospects on the horizon, they are very excited about their future and the future of their company.

Where did you grow up and how did you find your way into construction?

Yvette Garcia: I was born in Laredo, and I grew up in Houston. We moved there in about ’84, and my dad worked in construction. So, he worked there with the construction union in Houston, and I was his little helper – for anything that he needed help with.

In 1990, he moved back out to Laredo, and he started his homebuilding company there. I stayed in Houston, and I worked in the car industry. I was the director of operations assistant, and I did that for a few years. He also owned used car dealerships, so I also worked everywhere with them and got to know the industry.

During that time, I got married and had two kids, and then I moved down to Laredo with my two boys once I got divorced and started working at the family business managing sales, marketing and you name it. There, with the marketing, I got to help out with the builders association down there, and the next thing you know, I was on the board of the Laredo Builders Association. Several years later, I met Kurt here in San Antonio, and we hit it off instantly.

Is that why you came to San Antonio?

YG: Yes, I came to San Antonio because of Kurt. I would help him from time to time with his work, and I thought, well, commercial construction is totally different challenge than residential, and we soon decided we would start Robinson General Contractors, and here we are.

And I’m learning stuff every day. I never, ever stop learning.

What is your background, Kurt?

Kurt Robinson: I was born in Bakersfield, moved to Houston when I was

about six months old. It was the late ‘70s, you moved to Houston. It was oil and gas.

My father worked for Getty, and Texaco bought Getty. He eventually became president of the Texaco Technology Division. So, I grew up in Katy, just outside of west Houston.

I was going to college for engineering, worked internships for engineering, and decided that is definitely not what I wanted to do. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I got a part-time job in college to help pay the bills, and it was with a construction company. I took to it like a duck to water. It just seemed logical.

This was in North Texas. I was going to UNT [University of North Texas]. I was a temp in college, so I was basically filing, doing some invoicing and things like that. In the first two weeks I was there, I saved them a substantial amount on a project. So, the owner came up from San Antonio, and he said, “We want you to move down to San Antonio, because that’s where our headquarters are, and we want to train you as a project manager.”

I said, “Well, I’m still going to school.”

[He said,] “No problem, you can go to school down there. They’ve got UTSA and everything else.” Long story short, I was 22 and I moved down here and started working. I worked for him for several years.

Where were you before striking out on your own with Yvette?

KR: I was here in San Antonio. And Rhonda [Piel] was helping me at the other company, and I would safely say Rhonda and I were pretty much running the majority of projects, accounting – you name it. And Rhonda came on with us part-time [in the beginning]. And she’s been great.

YG: She is. She’s truly, truly good.

KR: We think alike, so we work together great. Before I know what I need, she’s usually got it ready for me.

How did the two of you meet?

YG: We met at Sherlock’s Pub. My friend never showed up, but I sat next to Kurt at the bar, and he bought me a drink.

KR: That was 2009.

YG: A year before we started the company. And we’re getting married Oct. 8.

What has it been like making those preparations on top of running the company and doing projects?

YG: We decided on the Club at Sonterra. The ballroom is just gorgeous. Our tasting is in two weeks.

We actually have a contract right now with Port San Antonio, and it’s supposed to have a final walkthrough the day of our rehearsal, and I told Kurt, “If anything, I might have to have your brother stand in, because Sonterra called us, and said, ‘There’s a wedding now scheduled the day of your rehearsal. So, can you do it at 1?’” And I said, “Well, I have enough time to coordinate this, so yes.”

And then, a week later, after we send out the invites for the rehearsal, he says, “There might be a walkthrough that day that I’m going to have to be at.”

KR: I’ll just do it in the morning.

We’ve become experts in juggling [laughs].

You’re juggling a lot. Tell me about those other pursuits outside of work.

YG: Right now, I’m juggling several things – it doesn’t take too much out of

Yvette Garcia and Kurt Robinson started their company together six years ago, and this October, they are getting married.

my time. For example, yesterday, we met for the HCA gala coming up Jul. 22. I’m on the Gala Committee For the Hispanic Contractors Association (HCA) de San Antonio. And now we’re going to be meeting once a week until the gala, and I said, “Great! I can do that so far!”

I’m Embajador of the Year for the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and I’m also on their Membership Committee. We’re having a big membership drive Jul. 19-20, and they made me one of the team leaders. I joined the San Antonio [Pre-Rodeo] BBQ Committee last year.

KR: You’re on the Membership Committee and the Social Committee of the Plaza Club, too.

YG: Yes, the Plaza Club is at the top of the Frost Bank building. It’s a business social club. I’m also in a leadership program that I got approved for – the Alexander Briseno Business Leadership Development Program. That’s with the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

What other pursuits are you juggling outside of work, Kurt?

KR: It’s mainly cars. I’ve always been into cars, but I saw the prototype for the Viper way back in ’89 in the car shows, and when I finally got a full-time, steady job, I wanted to buy one. I think I got my first one back in ’07, and I’ve been through a few different ones.

I was the regional president to the Viper Club of America, which was at the time, the largest Viper Club in the world, and so our region went from Brownsville all the way up to Amarillo, basically covering the majority of Texas. It just didn’t cover Dallas and Houston. They had their own regions.

That club is pretty much over. So, now we are the Viper Owners Association (VOA). That was started in 2013. I was regional president for that and brought our region over to the new club. I stepped down from that position and became National Track & Racing director for the Viper Owners Association (VOA). So, now I’m involved with most of the large track events across the country for VOA. What does that entail? Do you coordinate all of the races?

KR: Well, internally to the club. For example, if a region in Florida wanted to go to Circuit of the Americas in Austin or any track in the nation, they could give me a call, and say, “Okay, well, this is what we want to plan on this date.” And I would

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help them coordinate with our club insurance to cover the insurance for the track. I’d negotiate with the track to try to get the best rate and get everything set up for that region.

YG: And you meet a lot of cool people – like the people who designed and engineered the car.

He credits you, Yvette, with helping him organize these events.

YG: I call hotels. I called the Lexington and ask, “What’s your fee for the photo shoot if we do it on the pier?” and “Can we take it on the boat?” [laughs] And they say, “No, but we’ll let you do it on the pier.”

KR: We’ve got a lot of events, even just locally, and we do inter-regional events. So, we’ll go to Houston, or Houston will come here. Same with Dallas. We just did an event at Hemi Hideout in Brookshire for charity. They had a charity lunch where Yvette and I bought 60 tickets, and I think 70 people from the Viper Club showed up. We had Vipers everywhere, beautiful pictures and a big help to a local food bank charity.

YG: The photographer, Maurice Liang, came out from California and took a big photo shoot with everyone, and that’s going to be in the magazine. [Pulls out a hardcover book called “SRT Viper: America’s Supercar Returns”] That’s Maurice [who did the photos], and that’s Ralph Gilles [who wrote the foreward] who designed the car. He was actually the president and CEO of the SRT Brand and senior vice president of Design at Chrysler.

KR: And now he’s head of Design for Fiat/Chrysler.

Can you tell me a little bit about your kids? Yvette, I know you have two sons. Kurt, do you have any kids you would like to mention, too?

KR: [Shakes his head] That’s why I have Vipers. [laughs]

YG: [laughing] My boys are his boys.

My boys are older. I have an 18-yearold, Jason. He’s big into ROTC at his high school and wants to join the Marines after graduation. Jaylen is the oldest. He’s 21, and he’s still not sure on what he wants to do. So, he’s trying to figure it out. –mh

Texas Style

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San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 7

Construction News JOB SIGHT

Ready to retrofit

With RCO Construction currently busy with a stormwater retrofit project for the San Antonio River Authority at its Guenther location, RJ Delagarza, project manager, reviews drawings while field personnel Jesus Gutierrez and Jorge Vela direct vehicular and pedestrian traffic. –mh

Sealed with a solution

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ith the San Antonio City Council voting to ban the use of pavement coating products made from coal tar, some construction community members have asked how this would affect the industry’s pavement contractors and suppliers.

At Pro-Line Pavement Maintenance, Mike Crawford, majority owner, has responded to a lot of these inquiries, letting everyone know that it’s not a problem at all. In fact, his company already switched to asphalt emulsion about a year ago.

“A lot of people thought it meant banning it totally and that there wasn’t an alternative, but since we already had the alternative on board, it was not a big deal,” he explains, adding that the cost in contrast to coal-tar was pretty much the same. “My guys like the [asphalt emulsion] material a lot better anyways.”

Pavement sealants protect the asphalt. Crawford explains that the asphalt turns gray as the sun oxidizes it and the oils dry from the top down, causing cracks over time and then disturbing the base and subgrade, causing potholes.

With proper repairs to any cracks or weaknesses in the asphalt, sealants protect the asphalt from the elements.

Crawford notes that Pro-Line made the change to an asphalt emulsion because it’s non-carcinogenic, environmentally friendly and safer for his employees to use. While spraying 1,500 gallons of sealant or 100,000sf of pavement, he observes that if the coal-tar sealant got on their skin, it would make them peel like they had a sunburn, but the asphalt emulsion isn’t harmful and can be washed off with water.

Pro-Line has done jobs for the San Antonio River Authority that require them to use the asphalt emulsion since the material is easier on the environment.

Crawford notes that when they made the switch, they didn’t like it at first, but once they settled into a mix design, they found it all came together and holds up very well. He emphasizes that the mix design matters, the wearability depending on what is put in it, such as water and nonsilica sand. They’re currently using their asphalt emulsion mix on several school jobs and a few hotel jobs.

On the supplier side, Robert Balderrama, branch manager of SealMaster San Antonio, estimates that coal-tar products comprise roughly 60 percent of his inventory, but he doesn’t feel the change will affect his business that much.

He also carries asphalt emulsion materials and has a variety of those sealers that are being used now in Austin and San Marcos where a ban on coal-tar has been in effect for years.

Members of the Pro-Line team spray pavement sealant made from asphalt emulsion products to recoat a parking lot.

Asphalt emulsion is different in the way its made, and Balderrama believes the emulsion products have been taking over the market as some cities are enacting bans on coal-tar. He notes that if the emulsion is used properly, to the manufacturer’s specification, there shouldn’t be any problem with its quality in comparison. –mh

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San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Winners take all

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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)

Electrical 2 ($5 10M) CPS Energy Data Center Project ECHO, Alterman, Inc.

Electrical 1 ($0 - 5M) Bexar County Courthouse Double Height Courtroom Renovation & Gondeck Addition, Southwest Electrical Contracting

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)

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)

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) 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

Building ($30 - $75 M) UT Health Science Center San Antonio, Academic Learning & Teaching Center Bartlett Cocke General Contractors

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

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

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 9

Submitted to Construction News

Spreading volunteer spirit

During the 62nd annual meeting of the Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association (TACA) in San Antonio, members of the Emerging Leaders program did volunteer work in the community, spreading fresh mulch across the dog park in McAllister Park. Their work was so efficient that more truckloads had to be requested. –mh

What is a favorite childhood memory?

I would say when I was 10 years old, and I got to start driving the ranch truck on the ranch in Wichita Falls, dropping off supplies at the different areas. We had a big cattle operation up there, and I had an old international pickup, and my dad said, “Okay, if you can drive this stick shift, it’s time to get to work.” Of course, that wasn’t work to me. I was driving around the ranch, dropping off pipe and welding rods, and taking hay over here. That was a big deal. Even my uncle gave me my first chewing tobacco then that made me sick as a dog, but I had to try it.

Buzz Miller, Allen & Allen Company I remember I enjoyed working as a bagboy for HEB. I started that when I was about 14. I just liked to work. That was my first real job.

Manny Ramos Headwaters Construction Materials I would say fishing with my brothers. I had two brothers and a sister. I was the oldest one. I grew up in Ohio, and we often had opportunities to go to local lakes.

The whole family would go fishing and camping, but I enjoyed spending that time with my two brothers. Those are very fond memories, and although we don’t see each other as often now – they both live in Virginia – we do correspond a lot, and I do see them several times a year.

Bob Crittenden, Project Control Probably just growing up in a good family environment, and I played a lot of sports. I played tennis, basketball, baseball in junior high, and then high school. I played tennis in college.

Darin Lamarr, Ranger Lift Trucks I guess it would be when I went hunting deer with my dad. We have a ranch in Kerrville, and then we have a deer lease in San Angelo. It’s something that I still really like to do as an adult, and the foundation on which I based my love for it is all from the times I did it when I was so young with my father.

Hayden Boster, Harvey-Cleary Builders When I was a young kid – I grew up on a farm – so I got to go with my aunt to St. Louis, MO, to visit the St. Louis Arch and take a ride on a steamboat down the Mississippi River.

David Oliver, ISEC Our family actually owned a 52-acre lake just outside of San Antonio, and I literally spent all of my summers with my nana on my father’s side, fishing with her on a daily basis at our private lake that was stocked with fish. I have hundreds of

memories of that. If I retell stories of my childhood to friends, that’s usually the first one that comes up.

Trey Wiederstein Superior Contracting Services One of my favorite childhood memories was fishing. My grandfather had a fishing lease on a 21-acre tank, and he would take me up there on weekends. He taught me how to fish with a fly rod, and we used to fill a half a tow sack full of big bream perch. We’d bring them home and clean them, and some of them we would eat that day, and the others we would put in the freezer for meals down the road.

Terry Beck, You Name It Specialties I guess a vacation to Florida to Walt Disney World. It’s the only vacation we went on. It was when I was 16, so it was 44 years ago. My stepdad and my mom and the children – there were six of us in the family, so we all got in the car and loaded up. My aunt and uncle lived down there, so we went and stayed with them, and they both worked there, so we got in for discount rates and stuff like that. It made it really cool.

Anita Kegley, Kegley Inc.

A sign of things to come

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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San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Basics of data privacy and security

Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) program insights

William Innes, Assurance Associate Fisher, Herbst, & Kemble, P.C. San Antonio, TX

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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

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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.

Submitted to Construction News

On schedule

To learn more and help in her responsibilities at her office, Kristi Villanueva, government affairs and deputy program manager for HJD Capital Electric, recently took a beginner scheduling workshop at the Associated General Contractors (AGC) San Antonio Chapter office, which was instructed by Yilmaz H. Karasulu, Ph.D. –mh

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 11

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

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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.

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

Submitted to Construction News

Lunch and learn CPS Energy, in partnership with Univision, has coordinated with the Hispanic Contractors Association (HCA) de San Antonio this summer to visit various construction sites with its outreach effort, “Jueves Lonchera,” Lunch Truck Thursday. The initiative promotes bilingual presentations on electric and natural gas safety in the construction industry. –mh

Submitted to Construction News

It’s a surety thing One of the lunch truck’s destinations was the SpawGlass jobsite at Oak Hills Church.

Eric Hedlund, Texas district manager for Sundt Construction, recently spoke about joint ventures at the National Association of Surety Bond Producers conference.

L-R: Billy Painter, Alliant Insurance Services; Eric Hedlund, Sundt Construction; Steve Grauer, Hensel Phelps Construction Co.; Derek Kirkland, DPR Construction –mh

One of the truck’s stops was the jobsite of a new “public” Medical Center, created by UT, where 811 did a demonstration for Bartlett Cocke General Contractors.

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San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Summer sessions

Making the most of being online

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

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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)

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

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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

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 likely, 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

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 13

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ame recognition is a substantial advantage on the path to success in the construction industry as with any other. Marketing your company name can be done through products offered by businesses like You Name It Specialties (YNIS).

“We feel like we’re more of a service provider than actually selling products, although most of the time it involves products,” says Terry Beck, account executive. “But the products that we market to our customers deliver a message out to the construction world for them.”

Beck points out that in the information age, the more information they can share with clients and potential clients by using the latest technology, the better for business. Using the ordering system Facilis, YNIS can stay in touch with their clients from their first contact, send them proofs for approval, and notification that their order has shipped.

One other sales technology that YNIS has implemented is to put QR (Quick Response) codes on all of the products displayed in the showroom. When an app on the client’s smartphone or tablet reads a QR code in the YNIS showroom,

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Technical details

L-R: Georgie Wiebe, Rachel Wiebe, Sarah Haney, Terry Beck, Jenna Martinez and Tiffany Ruiz show off their products and services in the YNIS showroom.

the customer is automatically directed to the vendor’s page with all of the information associated with that specific product.

Giving all the credit for arranging the

showroom products by color and setting up these displays and QR codes to the women of YNIS, Beck notes that he has had very positive feedback from his construction industry customers on this

showroom feature, noting that he has had CEOs impressed by this feature and its efficiency.

Being able to stay current in sales technology has benefitted YNIS, and its construction clientele’s most popular choice of products reflects the importance of technology in today’s contracting workplace.

Beck notes that flash, or USB, drives are the top sellers to the industry. They can hold vast amounts of information, including specifications, plans, and contact and company details – and YNIS can put the company’s logo on the device itself.

He names another technological hot item as the second highest selling product to the industry – Bluetooth speakers, which can help increase productivity in the work environment for some. And third, he says, is safety equipment, such as vests, hard hats, gloves and protective eyewear.

Founded in 1990 by Becky Beck, You Name It Specialties provides promotional products to the construction industry as well as other companies and businesses. – mh

Construction News ON LOCATION

Building all over

Koni Materials is currently supporting several multi-family projects in the Houston and Dallas areas as well as Midland. They also work with some distributors across the state and just added a natural stone line called Citali. L-R: Minda Tovar, national sales support manager, and Blas Cantu, logistics and warehouse manager –mh

Construction News ON LOCATION

Show and sell

With its corporate headquarters in Austin, import and distribution company Stone Solutions has been in San Antonio approximately 18 years, selling to other showrooms in town as well as builders, designers, architects and installers. L-R: Melissa Backhus, showroom designer; Alexis Banda, intern; and Keith Melton, office manager –mh

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

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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.

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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

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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

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Outdoor activities and sports Fishing • Hunting • Biking • Racing Hobbies • Crafts • Entertainment

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Email to: SAeditor@ConstructionNews.net or call Mary at 210-308-5800

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San Antonio 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

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.

Patterning: The art of thinking like a fish.

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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 today, 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 pre-spawn, the

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Lusk 36 lb. bluecat

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 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

Send to: SAeditor@Constructionnews.net or call Mary at 210.308.5800

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!

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

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Sojourn in the South Pacific

o celebrate two special occasions with the trip of a lifetime, Buzz Miller, president and CEO of Allen & Allen Company, and his wife, Connie, took a trip to Tahiti and cruised the Society Islands.

With Connie’s 60th birthday in May and the couple’s 40th wedding anniversary in August, they spent two weeks in the South Pacific, where Miller says, “It’s a dif- Connie and Buzz Miller recently celebrated her birthday and their ferent world.” They anniversary onboard a Paul Gauguin Cruise of the Society Islands in the South Pacific. took the trip with six other couples who are friends, family and there live simpler lives, farming and travneighbors. eling around by canoe, in more primitive After flying into the capitol of Pap- surroundings. eete, they spent three days in Tahiti and The group visited some pearl farms then hopped on a 10-day cruise aboard and the little bit of retail the islands had the Paul Gauguin, a smaller cruise ship to offer. They went to little bars and resthat carries about 300 guests and a crew taurants with dirt floors and thatched of about 200. In addition to Tahiti, they roofs. They also took in the scenery of the visited six of the Society Islands: Moorea, islands, which were formed by underwaBora Bora, Taha’a, Huahine, Rangiroa and ter volcanoes, creating mountains above Fakarava. the water and reefs below.

Miller notes that they could see “It’s just beautiful water,” says Miller. countless other islands along the way, in- “And it’s like an aquarium, because cluding ones that were uninhabited or you’ve got these natural reefs that have privately owned. He also describes the formed. It’s shallow, and it’s gorgeous. culture as being very different than what It’s a diver’s and snorkeler’s paradise. he expected with no major development We’re not divers, but we snorkeled at or urban areas, adding that the people about every destination.” –mh

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Around the world

hen members of the Big Red Dog Engineering team go on vacation, they take their team spirit with them – along with a Big Red Dog shirt. And whether their journey is domestic or across the globe, they come back with photos of themselves wearing their company pride on their sleeve to show off online. These are just a few photos San Antonio team members have taken in their travels. –mh

Russell Yeager, vice president, found an “InN-Out” burger and chicken place in Ethiopia.

Joel Nino was staying cool and chilling out on the slopes in Colorado.

Priscilla Martinez was ready for sun and sand on a tropical getaway to the Cayman Islands.

A group of their friends joined the Millers on their recent two-week adventure.

Marissa Morales and her boyfriend walked the trails along beautiful cliffside beaches in Tulum, Mexico.

Overwater bungalows

“We had pictures of some unusual fish underwater, and we swam with sharks,” recalls Miller of their underwater adventures.

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San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Run for the money

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ike Crawford, majority owner of Pro-Line Pavement Maintenance, took his power boat out to Blood River Landing in Louisiana May 5-7 for the 2016 Tickfaw 200 Poker Run. “The poker run is 200 miles on water,” Crawford explains. “We start on the Blood River, cross Lake Maurepas, then back across Maurepas to the inter coastal to Lake Pontchartrain up to New Orleans [and] make a stop there.

Then Slidell, Madisonville, and a couple other card stops. Seven total, but you only have to hit five stops to play and you will only get five cards! We hit all seven for better chances of winning some money. But I think it’s more luck, because there are about 400 With Mike Crawford driving in the Poker Run, his wife, boats, and I [think] approximately Michelle, was in the front seat, and Frank Tuttle, Texas Air Systems, and his wife, Tammy, were in the back.

350 entered this year.” –mh Submitted to Construction News

Drumming up a real catch

Mike Crawford’s boat (center) was just one of many competing in the Tickfaw 200.

A whale of a milestone

The Galaxy Builders team gathered at Sea World for the company’s 25th anniversary.

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he entire Galaxy Builders team, along with their families and friends, spent Jul. 8 at Sea World in celebration of the company’s 25th anniversary. Everyone who attended enjoyed a team lunch, which included a surprise appearance by

Shamu, meeting some of the parks animals, face painting and caricature artists.

After lunch, attendees enjoyed the park’s rides, exhibits and the One Ocean show.

–mh

Galaxy team members, including Sabrina Little, accounting, and Janice Degollado, executive administrator, brought their families and friends for some fun lunchtime activities and a chance to experience the theme park.

Terry Beck, You Name It Specialties, recently caught and released this 45-inch black drum. He was fishing with Jr. Theis of Castroville when he caught the big fish on 10-pound Power Pro braided line. He describes the experience as being “like trying to reel in a washing machine.” –mh

Anita Raye Foote, receptionist, and her family, enjoyed lunch together at Sea World.

L-R: Peggy Wimberly, project management administrator; Denise Crisp, accounting; Ron Bennett, project manager were among the staff members celebrating Galaxy’s 25 years.

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

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Signed with a ‘C’

Industry FOLKS Manny Ramos Architectural Representative Headwaters Construction Materials

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fter more than four decades in the industry, Manny Ramos retired Jun. 30 from his position as an architectural representative for Headwaters Construction Materials.

“I feel it’s been good,” Ramos says of his career. “The block industry has changed a lot in 40 years. In fact, the whole industry has changed a lot with computers. When I began, if you went to an architect’s office, you had a room full of draftsmen, and today, it’s all done on computers on CAD.”

Whenever an architect or engineer has had questions about concrete block – what it will do, what it won’t, etc. – Ramos has answered those questions.

“As far as my career, I’ve made a lot of friends in the industry over all these years, and now many of the masons that are out there today, I worked with their fathers,” he adds.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Ramos earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s University in 1972. After working for General Electric Credit Corporation for a few years, Bill Nichols hired Ramos as a ready mix salesman for Barrett Industries. Soon, Nichols moved him to the block division, and there, Jim White took Ramos under his wing and taught him all about concrete block.

During a brief time that Ramos left the block industry intent to pursue other interests, devaluations began in 1981 and he found himself unem-

ployed. Mike and Lee Lacy, Lacy Masonry, spoke with Clarence Bush, who was searching for a block salesman for Featherlite Building Products, and Bush hired Ramos in 1985.

During his 16-year tenure with Featherlite, Trey Atwood helped him become a better block salesman and encouraged him to get his certifications. Today, Ramos is a certified consultant of concrete masonry and has his construction document technologist (CDT).

In 2001, Bob Whisnant, president and owner of Southwest Concrete Products, which is now Headwaters, brought Ramos on board and that is where he has been ever since.

Whisnant, who today serves as president of Headwaters Concrete Products, expressed his thanks for Ramos’ work in the industry and comments, “He has been a wealth of information and support to our team and the architectural community. He will be missed, but we wish him the best in his future adventures in retirement.”

Turning 70 this November, Ramos will be spending his retirement with his wife, Mercedes, who is a retired educational specialist. Along with Ramos cooking outside and working on his yard, the couple has plans to travel to Taos, NM this summer and San Francisco this fall. –mh

Texas Apprentice He has always considered both Colorado and Texas to be home.

With uncles in the carpentry business, he started out in the construction industry as a carpenter. When his family didn’t have work for him, he would go from jobsite to jobsite to find work as a carpenter.

After a few years, in search of something more secure and with benefits such as insurance, he felt the Marine Corps was his best option. He joined in April 2000 and spent eight years in the Marines.

Geoffrey Letcher REC Industries PHCC Apprenticeship Program

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fter two years as the top apprentice in the Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors (PHCC) San Antonio Chapter’s apprenticeship program, Geoffrey Letcher, 37, just graduated from the program as the top student, making this the third year in a row.

As a fourth year apprentice at REC Industries who has been with the company a little over four years, he expects to take his state exam in the next couple of months. As for his success in the apprenticeship program, he attributes that to his competitive nature and always trying to excel at anything he does.

As a father of four, he says he aims to set an example for his children. He wants them to know that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it, and if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it the best that you can.

Born in Galveston, Letcher’s family moved to Austin. When his mother and father passed away, an aunt in Colorado eventually adopted him and his brother.

All of the Smiths are involved in the family business at Circle “C” Millwork. L-R: Cory Smith, and his wife, Jenny; Sandy Smith, president; and Carl Smith, vice president (not pictured: Carl’s younger son, Troy, and his girlfriend Kayleigh Wolfe)

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s Circle “C” Millwork approaches its 25th anniversary next year, the company that Carl Smith started in his garage bears a name inspired by his start in the industry 35 years ago.

“When you built furniture, you had your insignia,” explains Smith. “All the employees had their own way of putting their mark on the piece of furniture that they built, and it was usually hidden underneath a drawer, on the back side of a cabinet somewhere. Well, the ‘Circle C’ was the letter of my first name with a circle around it. That’s how I would sign the bottom of the drawer, the back of the cabinet.”

That is how Smith would be able to recognize that he had built a piece of furniture if he saw it 20 years later. Now, more than two decades since starting his company in 1992, taking it on full-time in 1993 and incorporating in 1994, Smith recognizes that several of his 48 employees have been with him for more than 20 years.

Among his team at Circle “C” is his wife of 34 years, Sandy Smith, who is president while Carl is vice president; his older son, Cory Smith, who started as a helper on the floor and has now joined Carl in the office, estimating and project managing; and his younger son, Troy Smith, who just started in the same role in which Cory first came into the company.

Carl says he has been blessed with the work the company has had – and that work has been steady – and the contractors with which he has worked. Circle “C” almost continuously does work with HEBs across the state, and is currently working on the CST headquarters and Oak Hills Church. A majority of their work is office finish out.

Primarily focused on the commercial market, Circle “C” Millwork does architectural millwork and fixtures. The company’s work includes manufacturing, finishing and installation of all manners of woodwork. –mh

When he got out of the service, all he had to fall back on was carpentry, so he did that for another three or four years.

On one job, Steve Short, who is still a superintendent with REC Industries, told him that the job was winding down, and if he needed a job, he should talk to Randy Hunter, vice president of the company’s San Antonio division.

Though he had no knowledge about the job, Hunter brought him on board as a laborer, and Letcher joined the PHCC’s apprenticeship program. In his second and third years, Letcher even had Short as his instructor.

Today, the work he does at REC and

the trade he learned through PHCC has helped him provide for his family. Letcher and his wife, Gina, have three sons and a daughter. The oldest, Aidan, is 15 and plays basketball at St. Anthony Catholic High School. Dylan, who is 8, plays baseball and basketball. Burlin, who is 6, might be starting basketball this year. Charli, who was born in October, is their baby girl.

Having always played football, his boys being into basketball is new to Letcher, but he is always there for them, attending as many practices and games as he can. Whether it’s swimming or barbecuing or going to the coast, he says they do everything as a family. –mh

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San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Depending upon each other

Industry FOLKS David Oliver Business Development ISEC Inc.

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L-R: Anthony Johnson, vice president; Terrence Coklow, president; and Bernell Gardener, chief foreman, started B&T Dependable Services together about a year-and-a-half ago.

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ith the support and encouragement of his brother-in-law, Anthony Johnson, and friend, Bernell Gardener, Terrence Coklow helped create a services business, B&T Dependable Services, that the three of them would own and grow together.

While B&T started out as a landscaping and lawn maintenance company, it has quickly expanded into other areas.

In 2011, Coklow relocated to San Antonio from Detroit, MI, where he did landscaping and construction for 12 years. His brother-in-law, Johnson, has been here for 20 years, having been stationed at Lackland Air Force Base. As a retired 20year Air Force veteran, Johnson works as a contract federal investigator and has a background in business. A native of San Antonio, Gardener spent a few years in landscaping and has his commercial driver’s license (CDL), and he does a lot of driving for B&T, especially with their sand, soil, mulch and rock delivery.

Coklow says that right now the majority of their work is in B&T’s landscaping department, and this includes doing the design, bringing in the materials, and the low-voltage lighting.

Currently, a majority of their work is residential, but they also do a lot of work for the City of San Antonio. This public work includes landscaping streets across the city where new curbs and sidewalks have been built.

Aiming to expand their commercial work, Coklow adds that the ultimate goal is to provide services in the residential, commercial and industrial markets.

B&T Dependable Services does landscape design and construction including outside lighting, paver patio and walkways.

Among its other services, the company also does additions and remodeling, carpentry, plumbing, concrete brick fireplace and wood stove, painting, heating and cooling.

B&T’s certifications include AABE, SBE, MBE, VBE, DIBE and ESBE. –mh

n November of last year, David Oliver joined ISEC’s office in Boerne, doing business development for the company’s Central Texas region, which includes San Antonio and Austin. In this position, he will be focusing on expanding the specialty contractor’s presence throughout the region.

At 52 years old, Oliver has been working in the industry in the local community for more than 30 years. He started out in commercial flooring, making the move from Missouri, where he was born and raised, for an opportunity to learn the commercial flooring business from his father-in-law, who was a flooring subcontractor and was relocating to San Antonio.

After graduating high school in 1982, Oliver moved to San Antonio with his wife for a job that would help get them on their feet. He learned how to install flooring and did that for about four years. When his father-in-law left San Antonio, Oliver started working for himself as a flooring subcontractor.

Around 1999, he had been doing the work on his own for a long time and learned a lot about plans and the office end of contracting. So, he went to work in an office, running labor in the flooring business and doing takeoffs.

In 2001, he started working for a local specialties contractor as a project manager. In time, he worked his way up to vice president, and after 14 years with the company, he left in November

of last year and soon was hired for his current position at ISEC. Outside of work, Oliver describes himself as “a pretty quiet, simple guy.”

He enjoys hunting and fishing, especially freshwater fishing around the local lakes. He’s also a huge fan of auto racing.

“I’m a classic car guy,” he says. “I like classic cars. I currently have one project I’m working on now. It’s a ’78 Ford truck, and I try to do a lot of the work myself.”

Oliver also has a ’73 Mustang. A bit of a car history buff, though he enjoys cars in general, he is particularly fond of classic cars. He enjoys seeing them restored and keeping track of the history behind them. He goes to car shows and, when he can attend, he likes to watch the car auctions.

He’s also big on family, enjoying spending his time with family and friends at barbecues, boating at the lakes and other get-togethers. His family includes his son from a previous marriage, Christopher Oliver, who is 22 years old and attends Northwest Vista.

Christopher is studying history with the goal of becoming a history professor. –mh

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

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Seasoned to appreciation

A summer day for the staff

At Capital Electric’s barbecue event, the company recognized the group that participated in Safety Week 2016, going above and beyond to work safely and help their fellow coworkers learn more about the cause and stay safe.

For its second big BBQ event of the summer, the Cleary Zimmermann team shared its barbecue talents with RVK Architects.

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he summer got into full swing at Cleary Zimmermann Engineers when the firm’s team broke out the pit to kick off its client appreciation BBQ season. The team has already hosted lunch for Garza/Bomberger & Associates and RVK Architects. –mh

The Cleary Zimmermann team served up lunch for Garza/Bomberger & Associates. L-R: Adolfo Requenez, Samantha Ramirez and Jose Videla, Garza/Bomberger; Zac Stevenson, David Bourassa, Jason Bourassa, Jonathan Garcia, Matt Ciranna, Danny Zimmermann and Joyce Fienman, Cleary Zimmermann Engineers

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he HJD Capital Electric annual Summer BBQ & Safety Award event Jul. 14 drew approximately 167 of the company’s 225 employees to the

L-R: Dave Wineman; Eloy Cardenas, plumber, with his safety award; Ray Garcia

company’s facility on Highway 90 for lunch and to honor employees who stood out in their safety efforts. –mh

L-R: Dave Wineman, vice president; Joe Gusme, electrical service manager, safety award winner; Ray Garcia, vice president of operations

Planning their exits

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or 20 years, John Dini, president of MPN Inc., has been working with business owners to ensure that they have an exit strategy to sell their companies to family or employees so they can retire. In the September and October issues of Construction News, be sure and look for a two-part series Dini will author on successful exit strategies.

With the construction industry accounting for about 25 percent of his clients, Dini states, “In Texas, I believe right now the average master plumber is 57, the average master electrician is 58, and the average master mason is 71.”

While employers face the vacuum of baby boomers leaving the industry, baby boomers who own businesses with employees are looking ahead to retirement, seeking options to fund their retirement, keep their company going and their employees working.

In 2007, during his time as a business broker, Dini wrote his first article for the San Antonio Business Journal, “The boomer bust” about baby boomers bringing their business to market and the challenges that posed. As he delved deeper into the issue, he became increasingly interested in talking to people about preparing to sell their businesses.

He went to Denver to train and get his certification in 2010, stopped brokering and downsized his territory with The Alternative Board (TAB), which does business owner peer groups, and started exit planning for business owners. This year, he gave up his TAB franchise, which he bought in 1997, to focus exclusively on exit planning.

“I love business owners,” Dini says, noting that he doesn’t hunt, fish or play golf, and this is his hobby. “I love business ownership. The process of creating value,

Chef Alan O’Dell, regional manager for Summit Electric Supply, manned the grill with Carlos Camarillo (not pictured), account manager for Summit.

John Dini, president of MPN Inc., advises and consults with owners of businesses, including several in the construction industry, on selling their businesses to allow and provide for their retirement.

employing people, improving the world around you through business just fascinates me. I’ve written three books on business. I write a weekly column on Awakeat2oclock.com on business ownership. I write lots of other articles that go out to trade magazines. I speak to business owner groups around the country.”

Born and raised in New Jersey, Dini earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Rutgers University and started out as a salesman in the auto parts business. In 1982, he relocated to take on a partnership in a Los Angeles company in the same business. While in California, he earned his MBA from Pepperdine University.

He and his wife, Leila, have been married for 42 years. His son, Daniel, lives in New York City and his younger son, John, is a Navy airman.

Based in San Antonio, MPN Inc. does exit planning, acting as project managers, designing and building exit plans for business owners with employees. –mh

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San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

It’s great to be 58!

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These are nine of the fourteen winners of ECAT’s 2016 Skeet & Trap Shoot held at Alpine Range Supply near Fort Worth during the association’s 58th Annual Meeting in Duncanville.

Since the score sheets were “misplaced mysteriously,” all 14 were awarded were champion blue ribbons and all still claim they were the winner.

his year’s annual meeting of the Earthmoving Contractors Association of Texas (ECAT) celebrated its 58th year, because contractors from around the San Antonio area first organized the group in 1958, meeting and organizing the association with the help of HOLT CAT of San Antonio.

“Since then the organization has been through three name changes,” notes Carl Englerth, ECAT executive secretary. “They first started out as the Conservation Contractors Association of Texas and evolved into a national organization known as the Texas Chapter of the Land Improvement Contractors of America and went on to become the Earthmoving Contractors of Texas.”

The celebration of the 58th year was held Jul. 15-16 at the Hilton Garden in Duncanville. Members enjoyed a skeet and trap shoot, a tour of the Cummins South Plains engine plant, educational programs from Texas 811 and Westward Environmental among others, and networking sessions. Winners in the 2016 ECAT Scholarship Program were Bradley

Cornell, Claude; Margaret Downing, Beeville; Natalie Irving, Canyon Lake; Katyln Hester, Giddings; and Toye Walter, Giddings.

2016-17 officers elected were John Frerich, Rowena – president, Joe Ed Jenschke, Kerrville – vice president, and Trooper Irving, Canyon Lake – secretary.

District directors elected were Clint Cornell, Claude, Dist. 1; Marty Caston, Robert Lee, Dist. 2; Eddie Leatherwood, Dublin, Dist. 3; Bobby Watts, Decatur, Dist. 4; Ed Smith, Fairfield, Dist. 5; J.D. Godby, Clifton, Dist. 6; Galen Weber, Uvalde, Dist. 7; Tommy Watson, Cuero, Dist. 8; Clint Krause, New Braunfels, Dist. 9; Edwin Eckhardt, Fredericksburg, Dist. 10; John Puckett, Coleman, Dist. 11; Dennis Foerster, Giddings, Dist. 12; Chad Ottmers, Fredericksburg, Director-at-Large; and Dave Sund, San Antonio, Associate Director. –mh

Straight to your inbox

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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

L-R: John Frerich, ECAT president, presented Eddie Leatherwood, Dublin, C.E.L. Contractors, with an award recognizing him as one of the longest serving members as an ECAT officer and director. He joined ECAT in 1976 and has been an active member for 40 years.

Website: constructionnews.net Facebook: facebook.com/ConstructionNewsLtd LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/construction-news-ltd.?trk=biz-companies-cym Twitter: https://twitter.com/CNewsLtd To subscribe: http://www.constructionnews.net/subscription_form.html

L-R: Galen Weber, Uvalde, Weber Construction, received the Membership Award from John Frerich. He has won this award several times over the past several years, pursuing contractors to join using his knowledge of the earthmoving business as well as equipment used in earthmoving.

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 23

Round-Up 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.

James Alejandro, CPA, CGMA, has joined Intertech Commercial Flooring as chief financial officer. With more than 20 years of accounting and finance leadership experience, he has previously worked at Digital Turbine Inc. in Austin and spent 18 years at Dell Inc. He earned his BBA and master’s degree in business administration from UTSA. He is a licensed certified public accountant in the State of Texas and is certified as a chartered global management accountant (CGMA).

Pape-Dawson Engineers announced the following: He earned his bachelor’s degree in minJon D. Adame, PE, ing engineering from Texas A&M Univerhas been promoted sity. to senior vice president. With the firm Song L. Tan, PE, since 1992, he has LEED AP, has been 25 years of experipromoted to senior ence in civil engivice president. With neering. He served the firm since 1990, as a representative on the Government Relations Commit- he has 26 years of tee for the Real Estate Council of San An- experience in civil tonio and is a member of the Texas Soci- engineering. He is a ety of Professional Engineers (TSPE). He member of the Real earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engi- Estate Council of San Antonio, the National Society of Professional Engineers, neering from Texas A&M University. the Texas Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE) and the American Society of Thomas M. Carter, Civil Engineers (ASCE). He earned his PE, LEED, AP, BD+C, bachelor’s degree in civil engineering has been promoted from the University of Texas at Austin. to senior vice president. With the firm Shauna L. Weaver, since 1997, he has PE, LEED, AP, BD+C, 28 years of experihas been promoted ence with engineerto senior vice presiing, urban planning, mining, construction and infrastructure dent. With the firm projects. He is a graduate of Leadership since 1994, she has San Antonio and served as chairman of 22 years of experithe San Antonio Chamber of Commerce ence in public and Energy and Sustainability Committee. He private land develearned his bachelor’s degree in civil engi- opment projects. She has served as president of the Texas Society of Professional neering from the University of Idaho.

Engineers (TSPE) Bexar Chapter, and she is currently serving as president of the Matthew J. JohnCongregational Council at St. Paul Luson, PE, LEED AP, theran Church of Bulverde. She earned has been promoted her bachelor’s degree in civil engineerto senior vice presiing from Purdue University. dent. With the firm since 2000, he has 34 years of experience in civil engineering. He serves as chairman for the Professional Engineers in Private Practice Bexar Chapter.

Submissions

Round-Up

From one owner to another

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).

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L-R: Emily Howard, owner; Carrie Yelverton, head designer; and Darin Cracknell, sales associate

A

t the end of January, Robbie Nelson retired from Nelson Interiors, leaving the business she had been leading for 21 years in the hands of her employee of 14 years, Emily Howard, who is the company’s new owner.

Robbie started out in the construction industry as a secretary for a homebuilder. She learned to read plans and continued in the construction industry, eventually going to work for DEA Specialties. She was drawn to the partitions part of the business, and started handling that part, selling and running the partitions division.

After a year as a partner with David E. and Diane E. Alberthal, owners of DEA Specialties and operating as Nelson DEA Interiors, she bought the Alberthals out and started Nelson Interiors in 1994.

Since transferring ownership to Howard, Robbie has been relaxing. She lives in a retirement community, works out every morning and volunteers at the

University Hospital NICU, rocking babies.

She also gets to spend more time with her three granddaughters.

Meanwhile, Howard has been running the company based on all she learned working under Robbie. She currently has five employees, including Lindye Buratovich, who has been the office manager since just before Howard started with the company.

Nelson sells to the higher education, healthcare, government and commercial office markets. The company has done work on projects at Port San Antonio and UHS. Sometimes, they do floor-to-ceiling walls, like a recent job at Lackland Air Force Base requiring them to work with electrical and data contractors. They also recently did sheetrocking and painting of a wall for one of their clients.

Nelson Interiors does design and sale of modular walls and partitions, screens and dividers and window treatments among other services. –mh

Page 24

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Shooting for the sky

T

he Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) San Antonio Chapter held its eighth annual Sporting Clay Fun Shoot Jun. 17 at the San Antonio Gun Club. –mh Winners: Men – Flight 1 1st: Kenneth Kotara (48) 2nd: Mike Oliver (45) 3rd: Mark Davila (45) Men – Flight 2 1st: Larry Jones (31) 2nd: Jeff Ruhnke (31) 3rd: Hunter Verheul (31) Men – Flight 3 1st: Seth Young (24) 2nd: Jason Longoria (24) 3rd: Carlos Camarillo (24) Women – Flight 1 1st: Tricia Kocurek (48) 2nd: Kristi Villanueva (27) 3rd: Amy Rutherford (12) Team 1st: Ancira Winton Chevrolet (123) – Larry Jones, Robert Yarborough, Tricia Kocurek 2nd: Gunn Fleet Management (123) – Mike Oliver, Ish Garcia, Jay Gable 3rd: Summit Electric Supply (114) – Brent Tomes, Pito Garcia, Keith Scott Shotgun: Stephen Shinn Pistol: Vann Riley

1st Place Team

L-R: Bill Stannard, E-Tel, and Scott Smith, Dealers Electrical Supply

continued from Page 1 — A project of his own adds that Paula Portz has been responsible for developing the PC Sports division to national prominence.

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, including working for the March of Dimes and the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.

She retired three years ago, and now that he has joined her in retirement, the couple will be taking the opportunity to have time for themselves and to travel in their motorhome with their three grandchildren.

Offering project management services, Project Control, a division of Raba Kistner Inc., is headquartered in San Antonio with offices in Houston, Austin and College Station in Texas, as well as Lincoln, NE. –mh

continued from Page 1 — Better than the plan While Tracy focuses on sister company, SES, with about 23 people on the excavation side, Wiederstein runs SCS as its president with eight people on the contracting side, and he still manages all of the office functions and estimating.

In 1991, Wiederstein started out in the industry with Morton’s Steakhouse, developing restaurants across the nation for the Chicago-based company. In 1995, he returned to Texas, working for a retail and property developer out of Dallas for about 10 years. For a couple of years after that, he worked for EZ-Bel Construction in San Antonio, doing heavy highway construction and underground utilities.

Then, he worked for a large local com-

mercial general contractor doing business development and project management until starting up SCS.

Today, SCS is the corporate contractor for Las Palapas restaurants in San Antonio and for Goodwill Industries of San Antonio. Current projects include an addition to Becker Animal Hospital, the One World Montessori Academy in Round Rock, and Mini Texans Christian Learning Center in Boerne.

Superior Contracting Services does mostly private sector general contracting work. Superior Excavation Services does site contracting work such as excavation and paving. –mh

continued from Page 1 — Expanding a water wonderland

L-R: Michael Carlyon, Stephen Shinn and Mark Davila, Davila Electric The new pool features a zero-entry beach and a sandpit on the shallow end and several cabanas, which guests can rent, on the deep end.

to build a custom fireplace with large solid limestone mantles that were lifted into place with forklifts. Also, plain sliced walnut was chosen for the interior walls, using pieces that had a characteristic called “cathedraling.”

The project included three different water features. One was an 8,000-gallon spa, and another was an 80,000-gallon pool. On the deep end of the pool is where the cabanas were built, and on the shallow end, they built a zero-entry beach, which is a plastered surface that gently slopes from the dry edge into the pool. This allows children to wade easily in and out of the pool and is also an ADA consideration.

At the dry edge of the zero-entry beach, a few feet away is a very large sandpit, which the construction team filled with 300 tons of whitewashed sand, creating the effect of an actual beach.

Since the expansion opened, Boster has seen kids playing in the sand, and says, “They love it!

“Functionally, it’s a very fun feature,” he continues, noting that logistically, it poses challenges to maintaining and operating the pool. “You always have children with sand covering their entire bodies, and they go into the pool. So, we added two large sand sediment filters into the pool equipment room in an effort to mitigate potential damage to the pump equipment that would likely be caused due to the high volumes of sand in the water.”

The third feature was a pair of waterslides just a short walk from the pool. The slides were manufactured in Canada, and the subcontractor was from Wisconsin. The slides flow down from a 65-ft tall

tower with steps that take guests to the top where they have their choice of a traditional slide and one that has a pneumatically operated trap door slide entrance. The operator hits a button when the guest is ready and in proper stance, and then the surface the guest is standing on falls away from their feet, dropping them into the slide.

While the project was underway, Boster adds that activity surrounded the team from the hotel and its guests to a very popular golf course that also hosted two large-scale golf tournaments while they were building.

Jacob Sotello was the superintendent on the project, and Marcus Flores was the assistant project manager. The architect was Blur Workshop out of Atlanta. Pape-Dawson Engineers did the civil engineering. The MEP and lighting consultant was EXP, and the landscape architect was EDSA. Subcontractors on the job included Central Backhoe & Utilities, R&S Excavation, HCL Services on plumbing and mechanical, JMEG on electrical, Texas Timber Frames on the select structural pine, Traugott Inc. on painting, Milberger Landscaping, Ohlemacher Concrete, FJ Masonry, Hill Country Steel on the structural steel fabrication and erection, M&M Metals on the decorative structural and non-structural steel, Quality Fence & Welding, Alamo Tile, L&H Drywall, Intertech Flooring, Arahed on plaster, Keith Zars Pools, and Mission Restaurant Supply on the kitchen equipment.

With Harvey-Cleary’s headquarters in Houston, the company also has offices in San Antonio, Austin and Washington D.C. –mh

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 25

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

T

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-

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

H

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 fac-

tors. 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 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 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

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

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.

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

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 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 makes your company unique?

Austin Fence was started in 2008 as

Page 26

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Service Providers 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 & Mequite, TX

W

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 eval-

HOWELL CRANE & RIGGING, INC.

AUDIE HOWELL President

PHONE (210) 661-8285 FAX (210) 661-7683 MOBILE (210) 862-5301 1-800-438-9814 HOME (210) 649-3726 email: Audie@HowellCrane.net 24-HOUR SERVICE CRANES 15 TO 500 TON P.O. BOX 200576 SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78220

uations 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 process.

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.

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.

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 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 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

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

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 support 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

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 27

Service Providers Consider the rental option

By Tracy Johannsen, Marketing Services Manager American Rental Association Moline, IL.

T

he American Rental Association (ARA) recently completed a consumer research study to understand the profile, trends, attitudes and behaviors of equipment rental customers. From this research, ARA found that professional contractors have the highest frequency of rental activity among customer types surveyed (others including DIY homeowners, party and event consumers and professional event planners).

More than 90 percent of professional contractors ranked their overall satisfaction of the rental experience to be very positive, which represents the equipment rental industry well as a whole.

Other notes of interest include that 54 is the average age of the contractor, 57 percent of contractors identify themselves as the sole decision maker on equipment rental, and larger contractors and construction companies (those with more

than 50 employees) have a higher rental frequency.

Another key takeaway from the survey is that 57 percent of professional contractors prefer renting certain types of equipment rather than purchasing. If the option of equipment rental isn’t something you have considered for your business in the past, there are several factors to consider that make rental a viable option. Aside from the overall burden of ownership, renting also offers these business savvy benefits:

• Reduces capital expenses and allocates dollars to areas with the greatest return on investment.

• Eliminates the need for maintenance, upkeep, storage and eventual disposal of the equipment.

• Saves money, time and the hassle on transporting your equipment from job site to job site.

• Provides the right equipment for the job, with the latest safety features and emission requirements.

To further assist with making the rent versus buy decision, it is suggested that construction professionals consider the expected time utilization of the equipment. If it’s not something that will be used frequently or if it’s a specialty piece of equipment, then rental is the more cost-effective solution.

Finding an ARA member rental store in your area is easy with RentalHQ.com, the most comprehensive rental store locator. Visitors to the site can enter the specific type of equipment they are looking to rent, along with the zip code where the equipment is needed, to receive a list of rental businesses able to accommodate their request. Each year, RentalHQ.com connects millions of rental customers to ARA member rental stores.

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Surveyors take to the sea

T

he Texas Society of Professional Surveyors (TSPS) held its 11th annual Hook, Line & Surveyor Scholarship Fishing Tournament Jul. 16 at Redfish Boat House in Aransas Pass. With 17 teams and approximately 68 participants, the event raised more than $5,000 for the association’s scholarship fund. –mh Guided 1st: Bow Movements – Stanger Surveying, Tyler 2nd: 2 Buoys & 2 Gills – Unintech Consulting Engineers, San Antonio 3rd: Kuehlem Surveying, San Antonio.

Unguided 1st: Cowboy Welding & Fabrication, La Vernia 2nd: G4 Spatial Technologies, Austin/San Antonio 3rd: Team 410 Largest Hardhead: Weekend Hookers Largest Redfish: Team 410 Largest Trout: Cowboy Welding & Fabrication Most Spots: SAW Dawgs

1st Place – Guided

Association Calendar

Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC Associated Builders & Contractors

All events are held at the ABC office unless otherwise stated.

Aug. 1-15: Supervisory Leadership Program Module #2-Interpersonal Skills; for more info, email Chris Preetorius at chris@abcsouthtexas.org Aug. 1: OSHA #7115 Lockout/Tag out; for more info, email Chris Preetorius at chris@abcsouthtexas.org Aug. 2-5: OSHA #3095 Electrical Standards; for more info, email Chris Preetorius at chris@abcsouthtexas.org Aug. 4: Excellence in Construction Awards Banquet; Omni San Antonio Hotel at the Colonnade; for more info, email Ruby Trejo at ruby@abcsouthtexas.org Aug. 9-12: OSHA #2225 Respiratory Protection; for more info, email Chris Preetorius at chris@abcsouthtexas.org Aug. 22: Supervisory Leadership Program Module #3-Document Control & Estimating; OSHA #7205 Health Hazard Awareness; for more info on these events, email Chris Preetorius at chris@abcsouthtexas.org Aug. 23-26: OSHA #521 OSHA Guide to Industrial Hygiene; for more info, email Chris Preetorius at chris@abcsouthtexas. org

AGC Associated General Contractors

1st Place – Unguided

All events are held at the AGC office unless otherwise stated.

Aug. 4: Brown Bag Lunch: Construction Defects, noon Aug. 10, 17, 24, 31: OSHA 30-Hour, 8am5pm Aug. 17: Business Etiquette Luncheon, The Petroleum Club, 11am-1pm Aug. 22: AGC/AIA Joint Membership Luncheon; Pearl Stable; networking 11:30am-noon, luncheon noon-1:30pm; topic is public private partnerships; to make reservations or to sponsor, call 210349-4921 or e-mail kwilson@sanantonioagc.org

AIA American Institute of Architects

Aug. 5: Shoot ’N’ Skoot Tournament; National Shooting Complex; 1:30-7pm; sporting clays competition held concurrently with brisket cook-off; for more info, visit https://aiasa.org/participate/shootnskoot-2/ Aug. 22: Joint Chapter meeting with AGC; Luby’s Fiesta Room, 911 N. Main Ave.; topic is Texas’ New Public-Private Partnership Program with speaker Samuel Franco, Center for Alternative Finance and Procurement director; RSVP required; 11:30am-1:30pm; members $45, guests $60, interns and associates $40; for more info, visit www.aiasa.org

ASA American Subcontractors Association

Aug. 11: DOT Reasonable Suspicion, Gardner Law Firm, 1pm Aug. 16: General Membership meeting, The Petroleum Club of SA, 6:30pm Aug. 25: Clay Shoot, National Shooting Complex, 1pm Aug. 30: Red White & BREW PAC Fundraiser, Pearl Studio, 5:30pm

Aug. 24, 31: 1st Model Contractor Development Series, each Wednesday evening for eight weeks; visit HCA website for details Aug. 24, 25: OSHA 10 in Spanish; for more info, email Safety Training at Safetytrainings@tdi.gov Aug. 26: 2nd Annual Paloma Primer, San Antonio Gun Club, 1-8pm For more info on these events, visit hcadesa.org, email admin@hcadesa.org, or call 210-444-1100

IEC Independent Electrical Contractors

All events are held at the IEC office unless otherwise stated.

Aug. 2, 9, 16, 23: Journeyman/Master Prep Class, 5:30-9:30pm (classes 2-5 of 6) Aug. 15: Continuing Education Class, 5-9pm Aug. 20: Electrical Maintenance Technician Class, 8am-5pm Aug. 25: Productivity Seminar, 9am-4pm Aug. 30: Journeyman/Master Prep Class, 5:30-9:30pm (Master’s Only class) Sep. 5: IEC office closed in observance of Labor Day Sep. 6: IEC School Year begins, 5:309:30pm For more info on these events, call 210431-9861 or visit www.iecsanantonio. com

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

Aug. 3: Regular & Associates meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30am Aug. 10: Labor/Management meeting, MCA-SMACNA office, 11am Aug. 17: Joint Industry Fund meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30am Aug. 30: Red, White & Brew PAC Fundraiser, Pearl Studio, 5:30pm

NAWIC Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Aug. 3: General meeting; Petroleum Club; 6pm, Chapter Anniversary Celebration hosted by past chapter presidents Aug. 17-20: NAWIC Annual Meeting & Education Conference (AMEC), Grand Hyatt Hotel

PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors

Aug. 1: DOL-approved Plumbing Apprenticeship School registration for Fall 2016-Spring 2017 in progress; 24th Annual Fishing Tournament Sponsorship & Registration in progress for Oct. 1 event Aug. 6, 13, 27: Plumbers Professional CE classes, PHCC-SA classroom Aug. 11: Membership meeting; The Petroleum Club; 11am; topic is Structural Engineers Role in Plumbing Code Inspections Aug. 13: Plumbing Apprentice School Testing, St. Philip’s College, 8am For more info on these events, visit www. phcc-sanantonio.org

SAMCA SA Masonry Contractors Assn.

Aug. 31: Membership meeting; Pappadeaux Restaurant, 76 NE Loop 410; noon; $30 per person; for more info, call Debbie at 830-606-5556

GSABA Greater San Antonio Builders Assn.

Aug. 12: Sporting Clays Tournament; National Shooting Complex; noon; for more info or to sign up, call Lucy Gale at 210696-3800 Aug. 18: Monthly Membership Mixer; The Tile Shop, 5219 De Zavala Rd.; 5:307:30pm; no cost to attend

HCA de San Antonio Hispanic Contractors Association

Aug. 17: Monthly meeting/Mixer; The Quarry Golf Club; 6-9pm; free for members, guests $10

SDA Society for Design Administration

Aug. 25: InDesign Workshop; 8am-3pm; AIA Center for Architecture, 1344 N. South Flores St.; for more info, email angelica@tejaspremierbc.com

TACCA Tx. Air Conditioning Contractors Assn.

Summer break - no membership meeting. Visit TaccaGreaterSanAntonio.org for a complete list of upcoming events

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 29

A ‘well-rounded’ volunteer effort

Industry FOLKS Bernardo Chapa Project Manager SA Partnership

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hough Bernardo Chapa started out at SA Partnership 15 years ago doing drafting, he has been handling his own projects as a project manager for the more than two-thirds of his tenure with the architectural firm.

Noting that the firm does a lot of commercial work for car dealerships and local restaurants, Chapa says he does pretty much everything on his projects, coordinating with the owner, putting together a set of documents for the owner and staying involved in the design process from beginning proposals to the completion of construction.

Born and raised in Piedras Negras, Mexico, Chapa and his family moved just across the border to Eagle Pass, when he was about 9 years old. Though he started high school there, he graduated from John Jay High School in San Antonio in 1988.

After high school, he joined the Army to help pay for his college education. When he came back from training and basic duties, he enrolled at UTSA and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1996. He served in the Army reserves for about nine years.

Following graduation, Chapa found a part-time job at a small architectural office that allowed him to get his feet wet in the profession. Though he always knew he liked to draw, he did not know he would be pursuing a career in architecture when he started at

UTSA. “I had [entered] some competitions back when I was little in Mexico as far as drawing different scenery and stuff like that, and sketching,” he says. “The drawing portion is what drew me to the architectural field, because they had so many classes about renderings, 3D models and building the actual hand models.

“But at the same time, there’s no budget when you’re designing a building or any structure at the school level. There’s no budget, so there’s no limit. So you can imagine what you can design, but once you start working for a firm, you realize that none of that really happens in the real world, because money drives everything. We wind up value engineering the project to make it work for the client.”

Outside of the office, Chapa likes to sketch every once in a while, loves sports, and enjoys spending time with his family. He met his wife, Annette, through her sister, who was in his unit.

Married since 1995, they have three children, Nicolas, who is 18; Jacob, 13; and Sarah, 11. Together, they love to travel, go to football games and to see the Spurs play, and have big family barbecue cookouts. –mh

Big Red Dog’s San Antonio team puts in hours outside the office to help the local community, including volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.

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he San Antonio office of Big Red Dog Engineering is celebrating its fifth anniversary, and the team has become actively involved in local charitable efforts in those five years.

“Big Red Dog is local, and we live here in this community,” says Russell Yeager, vice president. “It is critical to us to make where we live better, both in our profession and through involvement in other local groups.”

San Antonio team members volunteer throughout the year with various organizations and community efforts. Recently, they volunteered two days working with Habitat for Humanity, and then with Homes for Our Troops to help build a home for a veteran in New Braunfels.

Every year, they volunteer at the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner, which provides senior citizens and the less

fortunate with a community turkey dinner. During the holidays, the whole office participates in Any Baby Can, sponsoring a family’s Christmas wants and needs.

They are also very active in supporting UTSA and its civil engineering students. Yeager is a regular speaker at classes and offers mentoring on the industry. He recently helped evaluate civil engineering senior projects. Chris Weigand, president, recently spoke at the University of the Incarnate Word.

“In creating a well-rounded organization, we encourage our staff to be well-rounded people, which includes dedicating time outside of the office,” says Weigand. “Also, the city and community allow us the opportunity to work in our industry – the organizations and events we help is one way we can say thank you.” –mh

Page 30

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Driven to collect

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ome members of the construction industry don’t just enjoy building houses – they enjoy building cars and car collections. Countless hours – and untold sums of money – are spent working on this hobby labor of love. So, we invited you to share some of your classic and collectible car projects, and boy, y’all sure sent some beauties! –mh

David Oliver, business development at ISEC, has an alloriginal 1978 Ford F100 truck with a 302 V8 Auto.

Oliver also has this 1973 Ford Mustang with a 302 V8 manual 3-speed

James Caraway, a senior project manager at Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, says, “I grew up listening to stories my dad told of his days (and nights) running around in a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner he bought new in 1969 in Poteet. He always regretted selling it in 1981. He died of cancer in 2008, and before he passed we tried briefly to find the car. In 2014, my mother, brother and I were able to locate the car based on the VIN number from the original bill of sale that we found in his home files. I was able to purchase the car from a man in Dripping Springs who had restored the car to original condition. I enjoy taking my children to church on Sundays in the car, and we also go to a few car shows with it. It has a 383ci motor (with some minor performance upgrades) and a 4-speed manual transmission. It is very fun to drive, and it very satisfying to have it back in the family.”

Kurt Robinson, co-owner of Robinson General Contractors, specifically collects Vipers, including this 2015 Dodge Viper TA2.0 #001 of 32. “TA stands for ‘Time Attack’ track-oriented model with new aero bits up front and a new rear wing totaling 700lbs of downforce at 150mph,” he says, which only scratches the surface of the details. “Only 32 will be made. I believe only 16 were ever produced.”

This 1964 Corvette is the first car Paul Wolf, president of Perma Jack Foundation, ever owned, and he has owned it now for 45 years. “A few years ago, we converted it to a ‘resto-mod.’ The car was completely restored and modified to fit on a brand new custom chassis with late model Corvette suspension, a brand new GM Performance LS7/ 505HP Crate engine, a Tremec 5-speed transmission and a Dana 44 rear end.” He adds that it has a hand-built custom interior, and boasts all the modern conveniences with a classic Corvette look.

Timothy Cox, Central Texas rental manager for ASCO Equipment, has a 1957 Chevrolet Belair 4-door Hard Top. “My father bought the car in 1963 for $750. He stored it at my grandmother’s for many years, and in 1987, we pulled it out and started working on it. The car currently has a small block 350 in it with a 4-speed manual transmission. I have two boys, 13-year-old Mason and 11-year-old McCall, and my 22-year-old daughter, Madelyn, who carry on the tradition of working on it with me and my dad. My mom and wife, Lori, lovingly or jokingly call it the family affair.”

Robinson also owns this 2009 Dodge Viper ACR, which he notes is “The ‘Ring King,’ named because of holding the fastest production car lap record at the famous Nurburgring in Germany with a time of 7:12.13. This ACR has all the race spec ACRX options added to it.”

Jared Vogel, an engineering tech II at Apache Corporation, has this 1967 Ford Mustang Custom Fastback, Project “Night Fury.”

continued on Page 31

Construction News JOB SIGHT

Spray day

Rashad Shakir, Affordable Window Washing of San Antonio, power sprays during a recent job at a shopping center at Loop 1604 and US 281. The company performs commercial and residential work. –cw

San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

Page 31

Driven to collect, continued from page 30

Robert Ober, owner of Robert Ober & Associates, has so many cars that he and Brian Hutchinson co-founded a concierge storage, detailing and restoration service called Vault Auto Services, which houses his private collection, including this 1957 Jaguar “Type D” racecar.

Scott Lewis Photography

Over the last 11 years, Kelly Scrimpsher, a superintendent at Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, has invested a lot of time and money in his hobby of building three show cars with high-performance V8 engines in them, including this burgundy wine candy 1928 Ford Coupe, which is all Ford, no Chevrolet parts, no fiberglass and all metal.

Carter Ramzel, president of Benchmark Plumbing, has a 1968 Camaro SS with matching numbers 350 engine, 3-speed super duty Borg Warner racing trans, and is butternut yellow with parchment interior.

Also in the Vault is Ober’s 1969 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, which was once owned by a physician who cared for the royal family. Scott Lewis Photography

Scrimpsher also built this turquoise 1957 two-door post Belair.

Stephen Schiffman, president of SBS Construction, bought this 1958 Corvette in 1978 in Wimberley. It had nose-dived under an oak tree, and he spent one year restoring it back to original cosmetic and mechanical condition. It’s been restored twice since then, and the last time, it caught fire.

After three years of rebuild, he got it back to what would be called “restorod” with all modern day equipment, including custom built electronic instruments, a 450-horsepower stroker 392 engine, 5-speed transmission and air conditioning.

Another of Ober’s collection in the Vault is this 1953 Cadillac Fleetwood, which was featured in the movie “Driving Miss Daisy.” Scott Lewis Photography

This blue Lemans 1968 Camaro was also one of Scrimpsher’s hot rod projects.

Schiffman also has a 1935 355E series Cadillac in “Diana Cream” that he purchased in Indiana last year at a Mecum auction. It has an original V8 engine with power drum brakes and 3-speed floor-mounted transmission. It’s a Fleetwoodbodied car and weighs close to 6,000 lbs.

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San Antonio Construction News • AUG 2016

In the drone zone

Construction News JOB SIGHT

Stopping traffic

CDL driver Virgil Moran directed traffic as the RCO Construction team loaded the dump truck at one of the sites where the general contractor was doing its annual work order construction for SAWS. –mh

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

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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 Brett Hoffstadt new technologies 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 Hoffstadt 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 equipment 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