Houston Construction News February 2017

Covering the Industry’s News

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Volume 14

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Number 2

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FEBRUARY 2017

Cold for a cause

Starting strong

Ed Newby, left, has created a charity to help cancer-stricken children in the Houston area.

The staff of Luxz Painting and Design is enjoying its early success as it looks to grow.

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resented with a chance to help out local children, Ed Newby has gone above and beyond to create Operation Snowstorm.

Newby is the owner of All Star AC and Heating Services, and in 2015 after hearing about a local Cypress, TX child who was suffering from a rare, terminal childhood cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma, he came up with an idea.

“On this particular incident, I have four kids of my own, it kind of pulled at my heart strings,” Newby said. “I wanted to think of something to do. It was a hot day in July, maybe over 100 degrees. My daughter said ‘Gosh, it is hot out. I wish it would snow here.’ That light bulb came on. We make it cold inside, why can’t we make it cold outside?”

And that’s what he did. Newby created something kids in Texas rarely get to see – snow. He got 10,000 pounds of ice and put it through an auger and a blower to create a snowstorm.

“The girl fell in love with it,” Newby said. “It was a magical day. She didn’t really have any issues that day. She kind of forgot what she was going through.

“Maybe three or four days after Christmas, she passed away. It completely tore me in half. I wasn’t expecting it and I got to spend so much time with her that it hurt. I spent Christmas thinking of what I could do to make things better.

New Year’s Day, I woke and thought we should do this for another family. That’s continued on Page 13

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fter moving to Texas in 2012, Eddie Torres’ company, Luxz Painting and Design, is taking off. Torres started to really invest in the business last year and has already seen the impact.

“I wanted to make everything legit,” Torres said. “The trucks, uniforms, registering the company and all the backend marketing started in 2015.”

Luxz specializes in painting but its other services include wall covering installation and removal and home design. The success has led to awards in just a year. ““Honestly, it’s because of our work ethic and quality of work. I don’t feel like there’s a lot of companies out there that can match our work ethic 20 months into their business,” Torres said. “When we

joined Angie’s List last year, and at the end of October, we were able to get that Super Service Award which put us into the top five percent of painters in Houston. This year, we were awarded the same award for painting, dry walling and pressure washing.”

Torres sold his restaurant in southern California before going to work with a friend in the painting business. He started off sanding baseboards and working on projects such as the Valley View Casino, Hilton Anaheim and Westin Galleria.

“My history was doing all those jobs, and now I do all the Extended Stay America Hotels in the majority of Texas,” Torres said. “We do work for them as far as drywall and painting. We’ve been continued on Page 13

Aviation school takes off

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tudents in the Houston ISD who want to take to the skies have a unique opportunity to learn just how to do that with the district’s Sterling Aviation High School. Replacing facilities that were built in 1965 with a brand new $67.5 million facility, funded as part of the voter-approved 2012 Bond Program, students returned to a state-ofthe-art school in January.

With Cadence McShane as construction manager-at-risk, the new building is built to accommodate 1,600 to 1,800 students and supports the latest technology. The facility includes over 252,000 sf of new tilt-wall construction on a 22.5-acre site and features a massive airplane hangar, which serves as the centerpiece of both the school and its focus on aviation science. Lined with large viewing windows and surrounded by career and technology education classrooms, the hangar serves as a flexible learning space where students can work on airplanes

and their engines — both individually and in large and small groups.

The campus also includes state-ofthe-art science labs, flexible classroom spaces, and several learning commons areas, each of which serves as a sort of modern, high-tech library. Also highlighted is the school’s learning stairs, which serves not only as a staircase, but also as a flexible learning space for small groups or impromptu lectures.

Additionally, the dining commons opens to the main hallway and features flexible seating to provide space for small groups and project-based learning throughout the school day.

Challenges with the project included scope to budget adjustments. Cadence McShane provided extensive preconstruction coordination with the owner and architect to develop design modifications, such as converting to a tilt-wall Sterling Aviation High School students returned from the winter break to this gorgeous new facility built by Cadence McShane.

continued on Page 13

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Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

Staffing across the state

Paving it forward

The MEMCO team at the company’s Houston office, where it all started, celebrated the construction staffing company’s 20th anniversary recently.

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The Houston Pavecon branch puts an emphasis in safety and sustainability.

nnovation and safety are two things that Pavecon concentrates on to stay ahead of the curve and to better serve its customers.

Pavecon, which has eight locations across Texas and the southeast, does asphalt and concrete paving, paving repairs and pavement finishes.

Some of the bigger jobs Houston division president Ron Vernon has done during his time at Pavecon include paving rehabilitation at Manheim Automotive Group, both concrete and asphalt, and numerous sidewalk and paving jobs at the Houston VA.

“The toughest part for us is that the tenants always want their work done but they don’t want to disrupt their operations,” Vernon said. “The hardest part is juggling and keeping tenants open.”

The Houston branch has around 50 employees, with 40 out in the field. The different locations have helped the business have a brand in different growing markets.

“It’s been good, and we’ve learned we can service people throughout the southeast,” Vernon said. “It’s nice because a lot of people like to know what they’re getting, and we can do that through multiple markets with us.”

Pavecon finds ways to reuse materials to keep costs down and the landfills less full.

“Instead of tearing a lot out and dumping materials, we use a recycle and replacement method on asphalt lots,” Vernon said. “We reconstitute and mix cement in and it keeps us from having to get rid of good material. It’s a little more Earth friendly.”

With all the large moving parts on a site, safety is key at Pavecon.

“Safety is actually one of our core values,” Vernon said. “All of our foremen in Houston have OSHA 30. We keep that current. We run a fleet of trucks so we’re constantly keeping those trucks safe on the road.” –cs

Submitted to Construction News

Active participation

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ith the ebb and flow of a construction workforce, Marek Bros. started Marek Employment Management Company, best known today as MEMCO, to help meet the demand for labor on its own jobs.

With 20 years under MEMCO’s tool belt today, the company is providing labor for Marek Bros. and many other construction companies.

Casey Wenzel, Western Division manager, says that MEMCO grew organically. As Marek Bros. used MEMCO to staff jobs as needed, other contractors on its jobs began asking if they could hire a few laborers. Friendly competitors and other friendly companies started using MEMCO’s services. Today, MEMCO services about 300 commercial construction companies and pay approximately 4,000 employees in the State of Texas.

Since starting at the flagship office in Houston, following clients to areas where there was a need for its services has led

to the opening of many MEMCO locations. The first satellite office was in Dallas where the Dallas Cowboys Stadium was its cornerstone project there.

It’s first office, Houston, has also become the first in the State of Texas, to operate a modified duty facility called MEMCO Fulfillment where they can provide injured employees on modified duty with work that is within their restrictions.

Though the company explored other staffing industries when the construction market slowed in 2008, MEMCO continues to focus on construction, and Wenzel observes it’s because there is a great deal of loyalty that comes from construction customers. “In construction, people value relationships,” Wenzel says.

In Texas, MEMCO provides construction staffing and payroll services in Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, College Station, Pasadena and Spring. MEMCO also has offices in Atlanta and Denver as well as opening a Nashville location. –mh

Industry FOLKS Ann Busker Human resources coordinator Rogers-O’Brien

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Students from Spring ISD's Early College High School toured the Brookstone LP corporate office and its project at Trinity Lutheran School, Klein, TX. to learn about a variety of careers in construction. –cw

hree days a week, Ann Busker goes to the “The Spa” – a good-natured name for the clinic where she receives dialysis. Busker’s family has a history of Polycystic Kidney disease, which impacted her grandmother, her aunt, and her dad, who received his third transplant in January. Busker has known since the age of 18 that she might fight the disease too, and recently learned she is in Stage 5 Renal Failure.

“That is when the screening began to be placed on the transplant list,” Busker, a human resources coordinator for Rogers-O’Brien Construction, says. “I was told I am the perfect recipient. The surgeon told me that I will probably be a case where I don’t realize how bad I have felt until I don’t feel that way. He said I will probably be in the recovery room ready to run a marathon.

“I was officially put on the [United Network for Organ Sharing] transplant list Sept. 23. That means that as I move up the list, the phone call could come at any time with an available kidney from a deceased donor. I also had two surgeries on my left arm to create the fistula to start dialysis. I started dialysis in October and am feeling much better, even though I didn’t think I felt bad before.”

Afterward, she emailed an update to several people.

”I wanted them to know that I was okay; so I cracked a joke at the end of the email stating, ‘I don’t know God’s plan, but we just need to watch it play out. In the meantime, if anyone has an extra kidney lying around, I have an application for you to complete!’”

Five people soon stepped forward, with a fellow church member identified as a match. If the woman passes the screening process, Busker could receive a kidney in early 2017.

The screening process is complicated, however, and Busker accepts that anything might happen. Still, she maintains a sunny attitude and a desire to help others.

“I think spreading the word is great to help others in need,” she says.

“I have read several things and heard a talk on the radio that if more living donors stepped forward, the wait list could be cut by three quarters with a much shortened wait time.

“When all of this started, I asked God to use me to bring people to Him or closer to Him. If I can help or support anyone else going through this now or in the future, that is the goal.”

–mjm

Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

Page 3

Showing gratitude

Industry FOLKS Brenda Jimenez Office Manager Johnston LLC

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ohnston LLC office manager Brenda Jimenez was recently selected as the Houston Chapter president of Society for Design Administration.

She worked for 15 years at Gensler before making the switch to Johnston, where the company keeps it fun for its employees year round.

“We’re a good group. We’re a diverse group,” Jimenez said. “We have a beautiful work space. We like to have fun. We have a ping-pong table and a two-story staircase and we had a paper airplane contest because the engineers know how to make their planes go the farthest. We had ugly sweater day and cancer awareness days where everyone wears pink.”

Outside of the office, Jimenez enjoys spending time with family and volunteering.

“I do caregiving to the elderly and volunteering at the church,’ she said. “I housesit dogs for my friends when they are out of town.”

The Houston native has work to do to make sure the SDA remains open and active in the community.

“The Houston Chapter currently doesn’t have a lot of participation, so it’s going to keep the chapter going for another year,” Jimenez said. “It’s impor-

tant that I try to grow this membership because it’s going to die if I don’t.

“It’s networking, making people aware of SDA offers, which are education, marketing, accounting and administrative for architectural, engineering and construction industry.”

The SDA offers InDesign training, classes on how to do contracts in the industry and other services. Jimenez is still putting her plan together to help the organization succeed.

“Right now, I don’t because the board is going to meet in two weeks and we’re going to hash out a plan,” she said. “I think I want to do a postcard that we can mail out to all the firms to start out. Then try to find events that we can market ourselves at so we can recruit some members. The Dallas chapter is strong and so is the organization nationwide. For some reason, in Houston, it’s not growing.

Right now we don’t have a whole lot of members that are active.” –cs

Employees, friends and customers network and taste beer at Saint Arnold Brewery.

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ood times were had at the Park USA Customer Appreciation Celebration at Saint Arnold Brewery

Dec. 14. Established in 1984, Park USA is a supplier of products and solutions for water designs. –ab

Guest at the customer appreciation event were treated to live music.

Sweet 15

Submitted to Construction News

Boogie nights

LJA Engineering employees and guests danced the night away at the company holiday party at the OMNI Woodway Dec. 10. –ab

Houston

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FairClaims Roofing and Construction celebrates 15 years in business in early 2017.

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n 2002, Justin O’Neal decided to break off and team up with a former co-worker to start FairClaims Roofing and Construction.

Fifteen years later, the company has exceeded his expectations with nine branches throughout Texas.

“This is where we wanted to be but it is beyond our expectations,” O’Neal said.

“At the time, we wanted to be successful and get to a point where we are doing certain amounts of volume. My expectations, at least, aren’t where we are now.

By year four or five, my vision was along the lines of where we are now.”

FairClaims was started with the idea of providing quality to its customers along with treating the employees to what they deserve.

“My partner and I were a part of another company and things weren’t going the way we really wanted. It just wasn’t working well,” O’Neil said. “My partner actually left the company several months

prior, and I had an opportunity to partner up with Ray Phillips in April of 2002 with the vision of doing things differently and creating a name for ourselves.

“It comes from the way I was raised, really. I was taught to do things with pride, excellence and integrity.”

Recently, the company has expanded its services to include siding work, patio, window replacements and deck additions to go along with its roof work.

The bulk of the business is in residential reroofing, but offers commercial services, as well.

O’Neal runs the Houston division out of The Woodlands.

Down the road, O’Neal would like to add a metal shop to fabricate his own materials as the company grows.

“The metal roofing that we use is still made at a metal shop, so one of my goals is to eventually build a shop and fabricate our own metal.”–cs

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Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

Why you should keep a close eye on your estimates

OT rule blocked by Federal Court

Lance Trammel, Lane Gorman Trubitt LLC Dallas/Fort Worth, TX

James Christ, Rodney Christ and Terrell Taylor Christ Taylor Insurance Houston, TX

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think everyone would agree with the statement that a strong foundation is key to a successful project. In constructing the foundation you have to consider many factors ranging from the ground it is being built on to the load it must help support. For contractors, a strong foundation is analogous to strong project estimates. Solid estimates on a project consider the scope of work to be performed and proper budgeting of costs. Not only is it important to develop solid estimates up front, but it is also important to keep a close eye on the estimates throughout the project. If you aren’t careful, you might just find yourself cutting into your profits.

Fixed price or approximate estimates?

The first thing to review when looking at your estimates is how they’re being generated. Estimating methods tend to fall into two categories: fixed price and approximate.

Because they incorporate detailed information, fixed-price estimates are typically the most reliable method. However, the contractor bears a bigger portion of the risk than the owner does because the job is set at a fixed price, even if costs increase.

Many contractors prepare fixedprice estimates on a lump-sum basis. Estimators will compile a job’s price after closely analyzing drawings, specifications, and other bidding documents.

They then calculate the costs of materials, labor, equipment, subcontractors, overhead, and other job-related expenses before applying a markup to the total cost to obtain a lump-sum estimate.

You may also produce fixed-price estimates on a unit-price basis. Here, you submit the bid based on the individual line items. As with a lump-sum estimate, the result determines the total project cost. Your estimator, however, segregates expenses according to each line item’s unit price.

The second method, an approximate estimate, is a shortcut that gives you only a rough idea of a project’s cost. Estimators primarily look at expenses derived from previous jobs, refining their figures as they learn more project specifics.

Are your estimations accurate?

Estimates are just “guesstimates” unless you take the time to understand the scope of work and cost out the project realistically. There are multiple variables going into costing a project so the more complex the calculation, the more likely it will account for the many variables involved. Failing to apply an evolving profit margin calculation can reduce the value of jobs over time.

For example, if you estimate profitability on a flat, 10 percent sales price across most projects, you could lose money as changes and delays occur. To avoid this scenario, many contractors today rely on estimating software.

Construction-specific estimating applications reduce errors and create a historical database to help you refine procedures and generate more accurate data for future projects. They can also relieve much of the chore associated with routine, repetitive and time-consuming calculations. So make sure your software is up to date.

Other ways to keep an eye on things.

Your first and last line of defense in generating accurate estimates is the people doing the job. When reviewing estimators’ performance or when hiring new ones, make sure you’re employing professionals who can visualize project phases in great detail. They should also have good organizational and communication skills; a thorough knowledge of construction materials, processes and software; and the ability to understand today’s more detailed drawings and specification documents.

To help ensure accurate reviews of estimates, encourage estimators to work transparently; you must know how he or she arrived at the quoted job price. Project managers are a great resource here.

Since they are going to be accountable for the job performance, they should have some input on the estimate. When reviewing estimates, verify that the projected gross profit of each job is in line with your profitability objectives and the current bid market.

During the project, hold recurring performance meetings to monitor the job as it progresses. After you complete projects, go back and compare estimates with your actual job costs. Investigate projects that went under or over the original estimates to find out what went right or wrong and to learn from the process.

Remember, the more accurately you estimate projects, the more precisely and profitably you can quote prices for quality workmanship.

Lance Trammell joined Lane Gorman Trubitt LLC in 1999 and has nearly two decades of experience working with a diverse portfolio of clients, particularly in the construction, real estate, and manufacturing/ distribution sectors.

L-R: James Christ, Rodney Christ, Terrell Taylor

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n Nov. 22, 2016, a federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction halting the enforcement of the Department of Labor’s (DOL) new overtime rule until further notice. The rule, which was set to take effect on Dec. 1, 2016, would have increased the salary threshold for the “white collar overtime exemptions" to $47,476 per year.

The judge’s ruling gives employers across the country a reprieve from having to raise salaries for exempt employees to the new threshold or pay them overtime.

However, an appeal of the ruling is possible. The DOL said in a statement that it was reviewing the court's order and considering any next steps.

Action Steps

Employers should continue to watch for new developments related to the overtime rule, as some uncertainty remains. Until a final decision is reached in the case, employers can rely on existing overtime exemption rules.

Employers that have already made adjustments to comply with the new rule may find it difficult to reverse any changes. However, employers may decide to postpone any changes that have not yet been made.

Christ Taylor Insurance will continue to monitor these developments and provide updates as necessary.

DOL Rule on White Collar Exemptions

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes minimum wage and overtime pay protections for many workers in the United States. However, the FLSA exempts certain workers, such as white collar employees, from these protections.

The white collar exemptions apply to certain executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, computer and highly compensated employees.

To qualify for the executive, administrative or professional exemption, an employee must meet a salary basis test, a salary level test and a duties test.

Federal Court Cases

In September, a coalition of 21 states and a number of business groups filed two separate lawsuits challenging the

new rule. These two lawsuits were combined in October. On Nov. 16, 2016, the court held a hearing on whether to grant an emergency injunction blocking the implementation of the rule. The judge presiding over the case issued his written ruling granting the injunction on Nov. 22, 2016.

The Future of the Overtime Rule Supporters of the rule remain committed to what they describe as fair increases in the overtime exemption salary threshold. However, the DOL may be facing an uphill battle in implementing changes to the overtime exemptions.

In his written ruling, the judge suggested that he would side with the parties challenging the rule when resolving the case. He stated that, in issuing the rule, the DOL “exceeds its delegated authority and ignores Congress's intent by raising the minimum salary threshold such that it supplants the duties test.”

However, further steps need to be taken in the court process before the rule is permanently struck down.

It is also possible that Trump could take executive action to block the rule, but it is not clear at this time what approach he would take to change or undo the rule. If the court strikes down the rule, further congressional or executive action may be unnecessary.

Other Issues for Employers Although the changes to the overtime exemptions may not take effect for some time, if ever, employers must continue to comply with current regulations.

In preparing for the rule change, many employers have discovered that employees may have been misclassified, which is an issue that must be addressed to avoid violating the current FLSA regulations.

Please contact Christ Taylor Insurance if you need additional information on how to properly classify employees under the current exemption rules.

Christ Taylor LLP is an independent Houston based Employee Benefits and Insurance brokerage firm doing business in Southeast Texas.

Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

Page 5

Is your teaming agreement enforceable?

Elizabeth H. Connally Connally Law PLLC San Antonio, TX

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ontractors often seek strategic alliances with other contractors to complement their capabilities and increase their chances of winning a contract. In forming such alliances, it is important to use the type of agreement that best fits your needs to ensure it’s enforceable and not just an agreement to agree.

Joint Venture or Teaming Agreement Contractors generally use either a joint venture agreement or a teaming agreement to accomplish their business arrangement. When two or more companies jointly form a separate entity to act as the potential prime contractor, this is a joint venture. This article focuses on the second type of arrangement – the teaming agreement.

A teaming agreement is a tool for contractors when a prime contractor desires to work with one or more subcontractors to pursue a contract and requests the subcontractors to perform specific work on that contract, if it is awarded to the prime contractor.

Unlike a joint venture, a teaming agreement allows the companies to remain as independent entities while working together to prepare the proposal and be successful in obtaining the contract award. Many times the parties are very anxious to pull together the proposal and proceed, thinking they only need to put the basic terms on paper and can work out the details of the subcontract agreement later if they win the contract. It is unlikely this will be an enforceable teaming agreement, for without details regarding the terms of the subcontract agreement, it is merely an agreement to agree.

Unenforceable Teaming Agreement The Cyberlock Consulting, Inc. v Information Experts, Inc., 2013 WL1395742 (E.D. Va. 2013) case exemplifies why it’s important to state in the teaming agreement the terms which will ultimately be incorporated in the subcontract agreement.

In that case, Cyberlock Consulting, Inc. (“Cyberlock”) entered into a teaming agreement with Information Experts, Inc. (“IE”), wherein IE would be the prime contractor if awarded the contract for security services. The teaming agreement said if the parties were successful in getting the prime contract awarded to IE, then IE would enter into a subcontract with Cyberlock. The teaming agreement included general terms which described each company’s anticipated scope of work, but it did not include, as an exhibit or attachment, the actual subcontract agreement the parties intended to enter

into. In addition, the teaming agreement stated that either party could terminate it if the parties were unable to negotiate a subcontract agreement in good faith.

After IE received the contract, the parties attempted to negotiate a subcontract agreement without success. IE then terminated the teaming agreement, and Cyberlock sued to enforce it. The court determined the teaming agreement stated only a framework for negotiating a subcontract agreement sometime in the future and was, therefore, unenforceable because it was merely an agreement to agree. Thus, it is very important that the teaming agreement include not only the parties’ intentions regarding the teaming agreement but also the subcontract agreement which they intend to sign on award of the contract to the prime contractor.

Checklist for an Enforceable Teaming Agreement: The teaming agreement should: 1. state its purpose and specify the proposal that the parties are responding to; 2. describe each party’s role, not only with regard to proposal preparation but also the resulting subcontract agreement when the prime contract is awarded;

3. provide protection for the proprietary information and intellectual property of both parties; 4. set forth indemnification provisions; 5. state the term of the teaming agreement; and 6. incorporate, as exhibits, the request for proposal, each party’s proposal responsibilities, the subcontractor’s scope of services and the form of the subcontract agreement.

Ms. Connally is the managing shareholder of Connally Law, PLLC, San Antonio, Texas. Ms. Connally is licensed to practice law in OH, DC, HI and TX and is a former warranted Contracting Officer for the U.S. Dept. of State (“DOS”), where she handled contracts for the DOS’ largest procurement office in Frankfurt, Germany. Ms. Connally’s email address is ehconnally@eclegal.biz.

Submitted to Construction News

Green retreat

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC – Texas) members enjoyed sharing ideas at the North Texas Regional Council Board Retreat, hosted Jan. 14 in Irving. –mjm

OSHA’s new law on Beryllium Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

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n construction and shipyards, exposure to beryllium primarily occurs when metal slags that contain trace amounts of beryllium (<0.1% by weight) are used in abrasive blasting operations. In these operations, significant beryllium exposures may occur because of the high dust levels generated despite the low beryllium content.

What are the health effects associated with beryllium exposure?

Workplace exposure to beryllium and beryllium compounds can result in the following: Chronic Beryllium Disease (CBD) is a serious pulmonary disease that can cause serious debilitation or death.

Lung cancer is associated with occupational exposure to beryllium by inhaling beryllium containing dust, fumes or mist.

The rule reduces the Permissible Exposure Limit for beryllium to 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air (μg/m3) averaged over 8 hours, and establishes a short-term exposure limit (STEL) for beryllium of 2.0 μg/m3 over a 15-minute sampling period. Employers with a beryllium hazard, would typically be required to conduct air sampling to determine worker exposure to beryllium. Based on the level of exposure, additional protections may be required such as respiratory protection and engineering controls (such as ventilation controls.) Employers must use engineering and work practice controls to prevent excessive beryllium from becoming airborne where workers can breathe it in.

• Employers must limit access to high-exposure areas, provide respiratory protec-

tion when necessary, and provide personal protective clothing when high exposures or dermal contact is possible.

• Employers must assess exposures, develop and implement written exposure control plans, and provide workers with training specific to beryllium.

• Employers must offer medical examinations to certain exposed workers. If a specified beryllium-related health effect is identified, they must offer additional workplace accommodations to the worker to reduce beryllium exposures.

The rule provides staggered compliance dates to ensure that employers have sufficient time to meet the requirements and get the right protections in place.

Employers have: • One year after the effective date of the rule (March 12, 2018) to implement most provisions of the standard; • Two years after the effective date (March 11, 2019) to implement the requirements for change rooms and showers, and; • Three years after the effective date (March 10, 2020) to implement the engineering control requirements.

Additional information on OSHA’s beryllium rule can be found at www. osha.gov/beryllium. natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232

Submitted to Construction News

All on board!

Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) held a swearing in ceremony for its 2016-2017 officers at the 2016 Texas Civil Engineering Conference in San Marcos in September. L-R: President Craig B. Thompson PE; Past President Audra N. Morse PhD, PE; President Elect Larry D. Goldberg PE, VP; Educational Brett A. Pope PE, VP; Educational Elect Russell R. Carter PE, VP; Professional Travis N. Attanasio PE, VP; Technical Oscar Lopez PE; Treasurer Anthony D. Buonodono PE; First Year Director at Large Dora E. Marin-Robles PE; Second Year Director at Large Kate S. Osborn PE; First Year Director at Large Adarsh Menon PE; Senior Director at Large Tyler P. Dube PE, VP; Technical Elect S. Brent McNeme PE. –cw

Page 6

Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

Did you ever do any twin shenanigans when you were kids?

Oh, yeah. My mom still can’t tell us apart.

Tom Forney Chief Executive Officer Forney Construction

What is your background?

I grew up in Houston and went to Memorial High School. I graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Construction Science.

Are you married and do you have kids?

Yes, I’m married. I have two kids – 27 and 25.

Why did you start your own company?

I’m a twin and my brother and I started working jobs when we were 12. We painted the neighbor’s house and had a variety of lawn care jobs. We always worked on our own, and over the years I developed a passion for construction. I worked for a large, local firm out of college for about nine years. Then I started a company with some of my college buddies in 1988. That company grew successfully and eventually merged with another company, and I sold out of there in 2004.

So then you started Forney Construction in 2004?

In 2004, my wife and I started a camp for special needs kids—a non-profit called Camp Aranzazu located in Rockport, TX. We had some property we had purchased over time, so we developed and created the camp. The bottom line is we felt strongly about helping those who didn’t have the option to attend summer camp otherwise. I worked for about 10 years on a variety of medical mission trips to Guatemala and built some clinics, a school and a hospital down there. That kind of led to it, along with my construction background, which was based on medical work.

You said you had a twin. Are you identical?

We are identical. I actually have twin sisters, too, and they’re identical.

Why do you put such an emphasis on service in the community?

I think my foundation developed as a child from my mentors, specifically my parents and grandparents. Through business, I was impressed with the leaders that used their talents to give back to their community, and that’s what led to me having a full-time role at the camp.

The decision was how can I make a living and fulfill my personal obligation of giving back. That’s the foundation we decided to build Forney Construction on.

What projects or donations are you really proud of?

Faith in Practice is one I’ve been very involved with over the years. That’s the group whose core mission is to provide free medical care in Guatemala. I’m on the board with Salvation Army, and Forney Construction has over 400 non-profit clients that we’ve served in the last eight years. We support a lot of non-profit groups in Houston and beyond.

What is it like being in such a competitive field?

I find it energetic and challenging, which makes it fun. I don’t think we see ourselves as a commodity. We don’t market ourselves that way. I think a lot of our competitors do. We see ourselves as more of a service business in a competitive market. The construction and trade component is a given talent that we are expected to excel in. What we are really promoting and our selling point is our approach to that market: through service and how we provide that service, rather than the actual product.

You also use S.E.R.V.I.C.E. as an acronym on your website. How did you come up with that?

I had some success in business in a variety of companies. When it came time to start a business again, my wife and I came up with a list of what we wanted those core values to be. If you notice, those values don’t focus on the value of construction; it’s really more about how we see ourselves and how we are focused in our business behavior.

We wrote that down and said ‘Let’s build a company around this.’ To me, the culture of the business is extremely important. You have a choice as a business leader in directing how you want the culture to be and, all too often, that’s compromised for opportunity in business.

That’s why we wrote those core values down before we started the business.

It’s important to keep those in the forefront of your decision-making pro-

Tom Forney has built a successful business founded on the belief that a company should be based more on improving the world than making lots of money.

cess, so you don’t lose sight of what you are doing because you can be tempted to make decisions on money or physical gain that will distract from your core values.

I’ve found if you ignore that and stay true to the core reason you started your business that the success financially will follow.

Is it hard to find people that believe in that? Is it something you can find out in a process of interviews or is something you find out on the job?

I think it all sounds good to people but living it isn’t as easy as saying that’s what you want to do. They’re lots of people that understand it and are attracted by it, but not everyone really believes it.

You have to ignore it and focus on the bigger picture.

I’m not being negative—I think there are a lot of great people out there. It’s really easy to be true to these values when the market is good, but the real test is when the market is bad or you have to make a business decision that sets you behind for a while.

Do you have an example of that?

Yes, we had a Dallas office for a while and it was very successful. However, we had some experiences where we felt that office wasn’t meeting the core values that we had set for ourselves. We made, what for most people would have been a difficult decision, to close that office down. Closing it required effort and expense and forfeiting some profit. But investing in a part of company that wasn’t living up to our core values was unacceptable.

picture. It’s not hard at all. You have to be willing to stick to what you are making your decisions on.

Since you have these built in core values, do you have to be cautious in growing your business?

What you find is that you can develop your organization but you can’t always find a client that agrees with what you believe. Because of that, we’ve had to fire some clients. Those weren’t good business decisions, as far as finances go. I can’t expect my employees to live up to something and our clients to not.

Where do you see the business going in five years?

We would like to be a leader in changing the concept of what a business is expected to do and what they’ll be evaluated for. There’s a historical concept that a contractor will be evaluated on price and schedule and those are extremely important, but we consider those a given. What we would like to be evaluated on is what was the delivery process and service going to be.

If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would you choose?

That’s a good one. I’d say Ronald Regan. Gilbert Grosvenor—he was the chairman of National Geographic—and John Wayne. –cs

Was that a hard decision?

It was really easy. There were people involved that didn’t understand the big

Submitted to Construction News

Passing the torch

2017 ABC chairman Warren Adamson, left, takes the gavel from 2016 chairman Mike Holland, right.

ABC and CMEF selected its 2017 board of directors at its annual inaugural celebration at The Grove in Discovery Green.

Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) of Greater Houston and Construction and Maintenance Education Foundation (CMEF) selected its board members and officers for 2017 on Jan.12. Warren Adamson, S&B Engineers and Constructors, was named the 2017 chairman of the board, taking over for 2016 chairman Mike Holland, Marek Brothers. Robert Burelsmith, E.E. Reed Construction LP, was named chair elect, while Brandon Mabile, Performance Contractors Inc., was elected vice chairman. –cs

Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

Page 7

Be prepared to grind througout the day and don’t get caught up fishing your same old spots. Knowing the bays and the structure beneath you plays a big part in your success. Pay attention when you get a bite or catch a fish and try to pinpoint the draw for that fish to the area.

Keep a close eye on your depth chart and water temperature indicator to help you with the analysis. Using that info, you can apply it to other areas of the bay system to hopefully produce similar results.

Cold Weather Outings

by Capt. Steve Schultz Sponsored by: Waypoint Marine, Majek Boats, Evinrude Outboards, Fishing Tackle Unlimited, E-Z Bel Construction, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, ­­­ForEverlast Fishing Products, Interstate Batteries, MirrOlure, and Columbia Sportswear.

W

ell I can honestly say that I’m going to spend more time this month in the boat instead of the brush. The deer and other game are now safe for the year until November rolls around again. Many hours were spent looking through the binos and spotting scope the last several months, and lots of game were harvested. I really enjoy the time off the water during hunt-

Mark Afram displays a nice 5lb. trout caught on the KR shoreline using a KWigglers balltail shad in bone diamond color. Photo by Steve Schultz Outdoors.

ing season, but I can assure you I am ready to be back on the water full time.

Everyone needs a little time to recharge his or her batteries and mine are sitting on full as we speak.

ents that became friends and all of the great sponsors that have helped me along the way, I owe you my deepest thanks to my success. I’m really loving what I do, and doing what I love!

This season starts my nineteenth year as a fishing guide. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be still doing this for this long. I must say that I have been truly blessed by all of the people I have met along this journey. From friends that became clients, to the cli-

If you are thinking for wetting a line in the next several weeks or anytime in the month of February, be prepared for some harsh weather. Typically this time of year brings the nastiest weather. Plan your outing either before a cold front or a day or so after the front passes through.

Submitted to Construction News

Now those are fans!

Die-hard Texans fans Glenn and Carol Pitman, Pitman Construction, made the trek to Lambeau Field on Dec. 4 to watch the teams battle it out in the snow. –cw

Fishing early in the season requires a bit of preparation. It’s not like fishing in the summer where everyday is pretty much a carbon copy of the previous five days.

Knowing what the weather is going to do, what direction and how hard the wind is going to blow are a few of the things that will help you choose the best day to go. Couple that, with knowing major and minor feeding times and moonrise and moonset times even better the odds in your favor. Theses are some of the tools that are at your disposal. Do your homework, choose the best days and give it your all when you’re out there is all you can do. The rest is up to the cooperation of the fish and the boss upstairs.

I have already started to fill the calendar for the upcoming 2017 season. Don’t wait until all the good dates are gone! To schedule your next bay fishing trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or 361-334-3105 or e-mail him at SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail.com. Good luck and Good Fishing.

Page 8

Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

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 want to miss any fishing time to fixing stuff!

Of course the very best scenario is if your Valentine loves to fish too. Then you can celebrate the holiday together by going fishing! Heck, pitch a little heart shaped box of chocolates in the tackle box and come on!

Reminder: Spring break fishing trips are booking up fast! If you want to get the family out for a guided fishing trip in mid-March, you need to be reserving them now with the guides of your choice.

With the lakes and rivers in such good shape this should be a great year to get out and enjoy it. The wild flowers here in the Hill Country should be spectacular this year too. Come join us!

My secret Valentine…Fishing!!!

V

alentine’s Day will soon be upon us.

That’s when we show our love and appreciation for the special people in our lives. Go ahead and have a nice romantic dinner and indulge in the giving and receiving of candy hearts and flowers. You can do it. You see it makes it easier to get to go fishing later!

It is probably a good thing that fishing seems to wind down during the late fall and early winter. If it didn’t we would have all kinds of holiday conflicts with fishing. Might be tough to have holidays at all if the fish were biting in addition to hunting season!

Valentine’s Day is the kick off of fishing season!

Most people don’t think about fishing this early in the year, but catfish are going about their business, ready to be caught by now. Weather permitting, some nice blue catfish are being brought in.

At or around this time the white bass should be running hot and heavy up every lake and river. They are in a mad Valentine’s party of their own as they run upstream in concentrated numbers to spawn. It makes for a fisherman’s dream!

They are easily caught and tasty to eat.

Stripers and hybrids will migrate upstream a bit too, but their spawn will come later in the spring. They like to “help” the white bass chase shad because it’s easy food as they pick up anything that will fit in their mouth.

Crappie and bass are beginning to use the warm days to look for places to nest, and feeding hard to get ready for the upcoming spawn too. This is when you need to be at the right place at the right time. Since every species of fish has their own preferences for timing and location, the services of a guide can be especially useful in getting you where you need to be.

Half or Full Day Fishing Trips All Bait, Tackle & Equipment Furnished Your catch Filleted and Bagged for You Furnish your TPWD Fishing License & Refreshments, and WE DO THE REST!

Ken Milam Guide Service (325) 379-2051 www.striperfever.com However you choose to get on the water, be sure your equipment is in good shape. Go ahead and use those gift cards you got for Christmas to restock your tackle box or get a good rod and reel! Be sure you have the boat running good and new line on the reels. You don’t

Submitted to Construction News

Sonora satisfaction

Avrien Veneralla, Hudson Building Systems Ltd., and his friend, Randy Hodges shot this buck during a Dec. 17 hunting trip in Sonora, TX. –cw

Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

Page 9

Submitted to Construction News

Submitted to Construction News

Aguirre & pitch

Conquering mountains

Mark Williams, from Walter P. Moore, shared this great picture of hiking in the mountains of Peru in November. In this picture, Mark says he was at 16,000 ft. and hiking the mountain pass was the highlight of the trip. –cw

Aguirre & Fields LP employees joined a soccer league in June for a bonding activity. The team finished second in its two-month long league. Top L-R: Oscar Aguirre, owner, Aaron Debord, Bilal Ghandour, Jesse Loftin, Jonathan Payne and Brain Legaspi. Bottom L-R: Mariel Caballero, Lucy Caballero and Mahsa Arasto. On ground: Roy Buckfield. –cs

Have an outdoor photo you’d like to share?

Send to: HoustonEditor@Constructionnews.net

Page 10

Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

Better living

W

W

Chris Burke is owner of The Insulation Guru, where he has discovered the health and financial benefits from his work.

hen you consider yourself the best of the best, you have to put yourself in the position to back it up.

The Insulation Guru owner Chris Burke started his company in 2010 with the idea of doing everything at the best possible level.

“There’s some great companies out there, but we are crushing a lot of them,” Burke said. “Not crushing them in a bad way, but the amount of energy saving, making homes cleaner and more energy efficient is really blowing my mind.”

Burke and his employees are Mascoat Ceramic Insulation Certified, LEED Green Associate, and IECC, Polynum U.S.A. Radiant Barrier Certified, along with a plethora of other certifications.

While holding himself to such a high standard, Burke realizes he has to hold his employees to the same standard.

“It is now,” Burke said. “I can’t say that was the case several years ago, but now, residential or commercial, we do

pre-employment testing for substances, and send them to Houston Area Safety Counsel.”

The Insulation Guru’s services include insulation, radiant barrier, weatherization and ventilation. The commercial end of the business has grown to about a 50/50 spilt with the residential side.

“My company, in just over the last couple of years, has done all the Olive Gardens, Brickhouse restaurants, Hooters restaurants…we’re one of the premier insulators for Coca-Cola,” Burke said.

“They’re just amazed at the difference it makes. If it’s done right, you should notice instantly.”

Through the years, Burke has seen the benefits of his work to peoples’ bills and quality of life.

“A lot of homes share the same air with their attic so the air quality in the homes are real bad,” Burke said. “We make their electric bills lower, and make the air quality in the homes healthier.” –cs

Your company up front and in the spotlight

hen our readers pick up Construction News, there are a few articles and sections about which they often ask, “How do they decide who is profiled in this article?” and “How can I be featured in one of these?”

In this article, we’ll answer those questions regarding two of our primary features, our Front Page GC and Spotlight articles.

Front Page GC Every month, we feature a general contractor’s recent project on the front page. The size and scope of the project range from small tenant finish out or renovations to large ground up construction.

If you are a general contractor with an office located within our coverage area for that city and its surrounding counties, you are eligible to have one of your projects featured on the front page of that paper. The project should be one that has been completed within the last year and is located within our local paper’s coverage area.

We will need any information about the build that you can share including but not limited to the project duration, square footage, approximate cost, design team and subcontractors on the job, and details about the build and building process. We will also need a few photos, exterior and interior.

Can your company be featured in this article multiple times? Yes, but when you are featured as our Front Page GC, you must wait five years from the publi-

cation date of that article to have another project featured on our front page. This is to ensure the opportunity for general contractors of all sizes and markets to appear on the front page.

Spotlight Another monthly feature in our paper is a profile of the head of a company that we call Spotlight. This article is an indepth interview with the person who serves at the very top of a company as its owner, president, principal or CEO. The company can be a general contractor, subcontractor, supplier, architecture or engineering firm, equipment dealer or service provider of any size or specialty.

To qualify for a Spotlight article, the featured person’s company must have an office located within the coverage area for the paper in which he or she would appear. The Spotlight can only run in the city in which this person is based. We only do a Spotlight once per individual and per company.

The Spotlight focuses on the individual, not the company. The profile covers the interviewee’s background, career, family, community involvement, hobbies and interests, and other personal details.

The interview is presented in a question and answer format along with a photo of the person being featured.

If you feel you qualify for one of these articles and would like to be featured in a future Front Page GC or Spotlight, please contact Cyndi Wright at 210308-5800, ext 148.

Submitted to Construction News

Street liberty

L-R: Christina Zeibak, John Cadenhead and Daphne Dow, Powers Brown Architecture, enjoyed their time creating street art at the recent 11th annual Via Colori Street Painting Festival in Houston. –cw

Construction News JOB SIGHT

Ceiling the deal

L-R: Filiberto Vargas and Francisco Valdes of Pitman Construction repair an acoustic ceiling at Texas Oncology on Dotson Road. –cs

Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

Page 11

Construction Safety Training pays off in safety plans Jason J. Puckett, Safety Director Patriot Erectors Inc. Dripping Springs, TX

J

ason Puckett is well known in the construction industry for his knowledge, certifications and awards in the construction safety arena.

As safety director for Patriot Erectors Inc., Puckett earned safety professional of the year by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) Austin Chapter. He’s also a Certified Health and Safety Technician. His passion is to make sure Patriot’s employees make it home safely every day after work.

He’s been a union iron worker for 23 years and knows first-hand the possible safety issues confronting workers – he started as an apprentice and worked his way up through the ranks.

What are your thoughts on safety in the construction industry and at Patriot Erectors?

Training and education are the keys to success. Either by going through the

local union hall, where I am an instructor; or as a partner with 3M; and/or as part of the Center to Protect Workers Rights.

A lot of the training programs that we use come with those partnerships and memberships. The training is top quality training.

It’s usually off-site training.

What are some possible accidents confronting workers and why is it so important to make sure they are well trained?

Common accidents can be summed up in three words: slips, trips, falls.

The number one impact of accidents and avoiding them is the workers and their families. Nobody wants an employee to get hurt – it’s paramount.

Other issues include trying to train and replace a well-educated and welltrained employee who has been hurt.

It also affects a company’s Experi-

Safety at forefront of industry Randy Reiley, vice president of operations Keller-Martin Construction San Antonio, TX

I

n 2015, there were 13,900 constructionrelated injuries and 124 on-the-job deaths in Texas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Injuries are unavoidable in the construction industry, however that does not mean it is acceptable.

Keller-Martin Construction Randy Reiley handles the safety aspect of the business, including scheduling weekly classes on different areas of safety at the workplace.

“We have a consultant, IBTX, who does the training. We have a training schedule set up to get the guys certified on the lifts and bobcats and equipment,” Reiley said. “More and more subs have more focus on safety and safety training.

We are trying to intensify our training in different areas of safety. It’s broken down now where you can have training sessions on 20 different topics.”

Safety classes have become a standard in the industry since technology has

made it easier to convey information.

“The technology may change as far as the types of tools, but it’s still drills, hammers and saws,” Reiley said. “There’s not a lot of change in the construction side but there’s more of a change on the design phase. There’s more technology in the training. We can use PowerPoint to show pictures and videos of accidents instead of just a lecture on the job site.”

Job-site accidents vary in severity and types, but are problems for companies for many reasons.

“You always have the fall issues: falling off roofs and scaffolding,” Reiley said.

“There is also moving equipment. There is the minor stuff, which isn’t minor: the cuts and smashes with saws and hammers and hand tools. Those are what you worry about.”

Companies not only care about the people they employ, but they have to worry about the bottom line.

ence Modification Rating (EMR), Days Away Restricted in Transfer Rate (DART) and Total Recordable Incident rate.

The focus is to keep your EMR as low as you can. If your EMR goes above a 1, you may not be eligible for bidding certain projects.

What kind of training do Patriot’s employees have?

Individuals that we hire have to have an OSHA 10 before they are hired. That’s 10 hours of OSHA safety training in basic safety.

All supervisors are required to have OSHA 30.

Before any employee works at heights, they must be trained in authorized user fall protection and understand their equipment.

Prior to work in a confined space, all employees are required to go through a confined space program.

There’s also material handling safety, which would cover rigging.

What kind of tools do employees have to help maintain their safety?

It’s a constantly changing environment in the field, so we use the acronym SLAM: stop, look, access and manage hazards.

It’s common knowledge that any person can stop anyone else from doing an unsafe act at any time.

We also have a program called Raise

“It’s important to me for cost. Your insurance rates go up if you have claims.

The margins are tight in our business so you have to save money where you can,” Reiley said. “For me, personally, as much as it is the costs, you worry about the guys. I worry about our guys. I have my son working for us, and my friends’ sons working for us. You worry about it from that point of view. The owners are more informed and more intelligent in different forms of construction. They have more knowledge of contractors and don’t want contractors with safety issues.”

Keller-Martin has been an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Gold Level Recipient for Safety Training and Evaluation 10 times since 2002.

“To me, since I’ve gotten into the business, there is more of an awareness about it,” Reiley said. “For me, it seems like people are harping on training so the guys are aware of the hazards, but also the training on how to make the job safe.

Do it the safe way, not the fast way. Companies are making sure people are trained and have the tools to do it safer instead of faster.”

The safety equipment is still the same as far as glasses, gloves, earplugs and other personal gear, making the biggest challenge in workplace safety with the employees on the job.

“It’s just getting the guys thinking

the Bar. That program is set up to recognize employees who see someone doing something unsafe and stop them and report them or counsel them.

They can fill out a card about the incident, but the card is only good if they actually do something to mitigate the hazard. Just observing a hazard and not acting is not acceptable. See something, say something.

Every Monday morning we have mandatory safety meetings for all the workers and supervisors. We cover topics based on what time of year it is and we review the past week.

Seasonal topics are sometimes tied to OSHA safety stand downs: they have materials and training for heat and fall safety stand downs and we participate in those.

What are some tips for workers in the heat?

Summer safety tips include heat stress training, including ensuring all workers and locations have access to cool drinking water and mandated breaks.

Train employees to recognize if they or other employees around them are exhibiting signs of heat exhaustion: pale skin, excessive sweating, nausea.

If they stop sweating and start acting different or confused, it could be heat stroke, which is a medical emergency. –cw

about it and being aware of it,” Reiley said. “Guys will be doing something and instead of putting on a pair of gloves, they will just pick up a piece of sharp metal and cut their finger. That’s the biggest challenge: getting the guys to slow down and think safety. They know how to do it but just get in a hurry. They take risks they shouldn’t take.”

Implementing safety into your daily plans on a site should not cause a dropoff in work.

“If you plan your work and work your plan, and you plan safety into it, it’s just as efficient to do it safely,” Reiley said.

“The issue comes in when you don’t plan it. When someone gets hurt, that slows you down. It stops. It’s hard for me to think of a situation where it’s any better or any faster to not be safe.

“The subs do a better job each year with in-house safety. They have their own training and it’s become a lesser issue each year.”

Zero is an important number for Keller-Martin. They aim for zero injuries every day and every year.

“That has to be your goal,” Reiley said. “It’s one thing for a guy to cut his finger, but it’s different when a guy falls off a ladder. Our guys take it personal when guys get hurt on their job. They take it as a reflection on them. We are doing our best to get to that zero.” –cs

NEXT MONTH March 2017

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Page 12

Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

Safety isn’t accidental Paula Bailey, President Bailey Safety Consultants Fort Worth, TX he construction industry accident fa- petency. Records of training must be tality rate stands at more than double maintained for verification. that of the all sector average – more minor Electricity: accidents are almost incalculably more. On average, three construction inPut simply, construction sites are a health dustry workers are electrocuted each year and safety nightmare – almost every con- during refurbishment work on commerceivable hazard exists within this con- cial and domestic buildings. People working near overhead power lines and cables stantly changing working environment. are also at risk. There are also a growing Falls:

Working at height: The construction number of electrocutions involving workof buildings – or indeed, demolition ers who are not qualified electricians but works – frequently requires tradesmen to who are carrying electrical work, such as work at height. Fatalities and injuries in- plumbers and joiners and decorators. volving height related factors account for In summary, nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 252,000 conmany accidents each year.

Construction sites can get quite hec- struction sites across the nation on any tic what with the sheer volume of con- given day. The fatal injury rate for the stantly moving vehicles and tradespeo- construction industry is higher than the ple – overhead lifting equipment shifting national average in this category for all heavy loads, supply vehicles, dumper industries.

Potential hazards for workers in contrucks everywhere, maneuvering around struction include: an usually uneven terrain.

• Falls (from heights) Slips, Trips and Falls:

When you consider the diverse range • Trench collapse of activities going on at a construction • Scaffold collapse site at any one time it seems hardly sur- • Electric shock and arc flash/arc blast prising slips, trips and falls happen on an • Failure to use proper personal protecalmost daily basis. Construction sites are tive equipment a mish mash of holes in the ground, • Repetitive motion injuries buildings at various stages of comple- Six Workplace Safety Tips for Implementtion, scaffolding, stored materials and ing a Safe Work Culture equipment. You really do need eyes in Implementing a culture that honors safe work practices is not something that the back of your head at times. happens by accident or by default. It is Material and Manual Handling Materials: Equipment is being constantly lifted something that leaders and managers in and moved around on a construction site, the construction industry must purposewhether manually or by the use of lifting fully impact in order to affect change and equipment. Different trades will involve then maintain their respective cultures. greater demands, but all may involve Leaders and executives who are some degree of risk. Where employees’ working to affect change in a positive duties involve manual handling, the ade- and long-term way within their organizaquate training must be carried out. Where tions can use the following six tips to imlifting equipment is used, then adequate prove their safety culture. training must also be carried out, but may 1: Make people and their safe work pracinvolve some form of test to confirm com- tices a part of the company’s core values.

T

It is important to establish a list of core values for your company. Core values are those cornerstones that the company has been built on and around. They are the “non-negotiable” building blocks of the employee and employer relationship. Core values stipulate how the company does business with the expectation that all team members honor these values, and if not, they can be asked to leave.

2: Make safe work practices a part of the company’s onboarding process.

Begin educating new employees on the company’s safety policies and procedures from their initial onboarding. Do not allow bad habits to take root. By emphasizing the importance of safe work practices within the company from the outset of employment, the new employee will be set on the right path and in the right direction. Allowing a new employee to onboard without emphasizing safe work practices can allow bad habits to form, which may be difficult to break at a later time.

3: Find a champion for safety within the company.

Executives and leaders have a difficult time completing all of their tasks and responsibilities. In order to overcome this, it is recommended that someone within the company/outside safety consultants with a passion for safety be assigned as the safety manager. Allow that person to find the cause of safety within the company and on project sites. The process of implementing new policies and procedures disrupts the current culture of the company. By establishing a safety program, there will be an advocate who can help lead the change process.

4: Educate/train the company’s employees.

Educate the workforce on safe work practices including OSHA standards. Invest in OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 training.

Make the employees aware of their role within the company and how they affect the safety performance of the overall organization. Train the employees on the proper use of equipment. Have them use

the safety equipment in a controlled training environment so that they learn the proper methods for using the equipment.

5: Monitor and coach your ongoing field operations.

All personnel, no matter their experience, have a tendency to grow complacent over time. “I will be okay this time” or “I have done this a million times” are uttered often just before accidents occur.

Accountability is an important feature of a culture of safety. You can trust, but you need to verify they are complying. Site visits and the process of accountability also offer the opportunity to coach and guide employees to correct poor behaviors before they become bad habits and ultimately result in an injury.

6: Thank your people for working safely.

You need to incentivize and recognize the behaviors that you want to see.

In many cases, a simple “thank you” can be the only incentive someone needs to continue to perform their job well. Thanking a team member for wearing their hard hat or for going that extra mile to set up fall protection may be just the level of recognition they need to continue that habit. As they say, a simple thank you goes a long way.

An abbreviated definition of culture is “the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent.” What is regarded as excellent in the construction industry is that employers and employees recognize that they must work together in a collaborative environment to create a safe work environment.

When both work together to evaluate risk and create solutions to mitigate that risk, the culture of the construction industry will begin to make a positive change.

Since 1997, Paula Bailey, president of Bailey Safety Consultants, has provided organizations with workplace safety consulting services that have reduced workplace injuries and fatalities through customized occupational safety and health training consultant services. –mjm

Submitted to Construction News

Mechanics of giving

The Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) of Houston recently presented a donation of $6,000 to The Nehemiah Center “Christmas Angels” program at its annual membership meeting and Christmas party on Dec. 21 at the Houston Engineering & Scientific Society.

–cw

Did you know?

Past editions can be downloaded at www.

ConstructionNews.net

Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

Page 13

Round-Up

continued from Page 1 — Cold for a cause how we’ll honor her.”

Since then, Newby has made 16 snowstorms to give kids with cancer in the Houston area a chance for a day of fun and a chance to forget about their problems for a while.

After deciding to take it on as a fulltime charity, Operation Snowstorm became a 501C3 nonprofit charity.

Beyond snow, the charity gives hope to families that are struggling with circumstances that are unimaginable.

“Most adults in Texas never see snow,” Newby said. “Families are begging for miracles, and some of the things that come with that is snow coming in the middle of July. That’s a miracle. That’s a manmade miracle, but it’s a miracle in itself. Don’t overrule things.”

With the costs of renting equipment and more being so large, Operation Snowstorm had to be selective about what families they chose. However, they created an event where all kids with cancer can put on their boots and go sledding.

“Because the cost is so high, we decided we can only work with terminal kids,” Newby said. “We started working with Texas Children’s Hospital and MD Anderson, and they now help us get the kids before they go home on hospice care. For the ones that don’t qualify because they aren’t terminal, we decided to pick one day out of the year and invite them all. On Jan. 22, we had what I call an Epic Snowstorm, and instead of 10,000

pounds of snow, we did 70,000 pounds with massive snow slides and a theme park set up. I invited 100 families to join me for one day.”

Community members and other businesses have aided Newby and the charity. The next step for Operation Snowstorm is to buy their own equipment to help out more children.

“There’s a company in town that has a snow machine, and we pay them almost $1,500 every time I do this,” Newby said. “What we’re focusing on after this big snowstorm is a fund to purchase our own equipment. It’s about a $60,000 investment, but my snow goes from $1,500 to $500. It allows us to break up that terminal stigma and work with all kids.”

All Star started in 2010 when Newby and co-owner Chris Patterson worked for another company and decided to form their own.

The business does a majority of residential work but also works in the commercial field. Recently, they purchased a building in Cypress for their operations.

All Star won BBB Pinnacle Awards in 2013 and 2015, putting them in the upper echelon in heating and AC in Houston.

“We have a good rapport with the community,” Newby said. “We just want to take care of the customers.”

If you would like to donate to Operation Snowstorm, visit www.operationsnowstorm.org. –cs

continued from Page 1 — Starting strong doing Starbucks since last year. We’ve been growing as a commercial company because of my background.”

Luxz does 80 percent residential work, but hopes to move more to the commercial side.

“We’re already on path to do that. I just left a meeting with one of the largest maintenance companies in Houston, Austin and San Antonio,” Torres said.

“We’re already on path. All we’ve been doing this year is commercial bids. We can’t leave residential obviously because it has allowed us to get to that point.”

Growing a business is hard work, and Torres is optimistic and excited about where the company is going.

“We’ve been very blessed. We don’t take anything for granted,” he said. “We don’t take any client for granted or any job for granted. I’ve taken another company to another level so I know we’re capable of doing it. One of my biggest challenges was surrounding myself with like-minded people and getting those types of people to perform at a certain level.

“Sometimes we have to look beyond money,” Torres says. “We have to look at quality of work and our reputation. I structured this company different and I operate different. I operate people first.– cs

VLK Architects announces the following new principal elections: Melissa Fleming, who has been employed at VLK for eight years, previously served as project director.

Fleming served clients including College Station ISD, Waller ISD, Katy ISD and Clear Creek ISD. She also mentored the Houston staff and provided counsel to firm leadership regarding the Houston market. Fleming worked on projects such as Cy-Fair ISD’s Pope Elementary, Clear Creek ISD’s McWhirter Elementary and College Station ISD’s College View High.

Fleming earned a bachelors degree in environmental design from Texas A&M University.

An 11-year employee of VLK, Tim Kunz AIA NCARB has served clients such as Katy ISD and CyFair ISD as project director. His project successes include Katy ISD’s Katy High School West Campus, and he has undertaken the opening of VLK’s Austin office and has been actively involved in strategic planning in his role as senior associate. Kunz earned a Masters of Architecture and a bachelor of science from Texas Tech University.

Gretchen Diesel, RID, LEED GA, has joined Stantec as a senior interior designer in the firm’s Texas Buildings Group.

Diesel brings more than 20 years of experience providing interior design services for a variety of projects. Diesel earned her MFA in interior design at the University of Houston. Her background includes a concentration in commercial and healthcare design, specializing in conceptual design, art installation, and furniture selection and specification. Her past multidisciplinary coordination and project management experience will enhance Stantec’s Buildings practice in the South.

Round-Up Submissions

This is a monthly section for brief company announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of charge, as space allows.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Email (w/digital photo, if available) by the 15th of any month, for the next month’s issue (published 1st of each month).

Email info to appropriate city issue, with “Round-Up” in the subject line: –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– San Antonio saeditor@constructionnews.net Austin austineditor@constructionnews.net Dallas/Fort Worth dfweditor@constructionnews.net Houston houstoneditor@constructionnews.net

A big move for the earthmovers

continued from Page 1 — Aviation school takes off structure in all locations possible, to reduce the project cost. The school ended up coming in at $67.5 million, which was below the total voter-approved project budget of $72 million. The construction costs were about $49 million.

The new school was built just south of the original location. Once students and staff moved into the new location,

crews will begin Phase 2 — demolishing the original school to make way for new athletic fields and parking. The second phase is expected to be completed by the end of third quarter 2017.

Heery International Inc. served as project manager and architect on the project was Stantec. –cw

Submitted to Construction News

New year, new board

The Women Contractor Association (WCA) Houston Chapter elected its 2017 board in late November 2016. Back row, L-R: Sandra Janak, Aspire Sales & Electrical, vice president; Becky Alford Khan, Highpoint Insurance, board member; Elizabeth Carreno, Goldman Sachs 10,00 Small Businesses/HCC, board member; Cheryl Toler, Travelers Bond, secretary; Elizabeth Burnham, JD Metals, board member; Teri Walter, Walter Law Firm, board member; Donna Murillo, The Murillo Company, board member; Dana Parker, Copy Source 1, president; front row, L-R: Christina Stone, Stone & Stone, advisory board; Lenora Sorola-Pohlman, Navarro, advisory board; Heather Kelly, Dominion Air & Heat, advisory board; Lianne Lami, Bocci Engineering & Construction, advisory board.

Not pictured: Natalie Tobias, Jumerson Underground, immediate past president; Sadie Rucker, Horizon International Group, treasurer. –cs

Carl Englerth, former executive secretary, recently retired and passed the torch to Charles Frerich, ECAT’s new executive secretary.

A

s of this month, the Earthmoving Contractors Association of Texas (ECAT) has moved. ECAT is now based where its new executive secretary, Charles Frerich, is located.

The association’s new address is: Earthmoving Contractors Association of Texas Inc., P.O. Box 36, Rowena, TX 76875.

The new contact number for Frerich is 325-340-8370 and the new email is 1ecat. tx@gmail.com.

This change, affecting the association statewide, came about because Carl Englerth, former executive secretary of 16 years, who is based in New Braunfels, retired Jan. 31.

After working for the USDA for about 37 years, where Englerth worked with a lot of the contractors and landowners to carry out soil and water conservation practices, he was invited to work for ECAT in 2001.

Now, at 78, he and his wife, Cynthia, want to take the time to do the things they’ve always wanted, including spending time with their two daughters and

traveling across the U.S., to Alaska and the British Isles, where his wife spent much of her childhood.

In planning for his retirement, Englerth has been training Charles Frerich, who has taken over his position and is based in Rowena. Frerich’s family was a charter member of ECAT with their business, Frerich Land Improvement Contractors.

Today, his brother, John Frerich has his own company, Mobile Crushing & Screening, and is the president of ECAT. When their father passed away, Charles came with his mother to the ECAT meetings and got to know the members. He currently works for the Natural Resources Conservation Service but will retire in August, when he turns 60.

“Our people are big into conservation, and conserving our natural resources is what it’s all about,” says Charles, who wants to promote the association, adding that ECAT can help its contractors network, grow and even offers scholarships for high school and college graduates. –mh

Page 14

Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

Association Calendar

Season greetings

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

Feb. 2: Member Mixer, 4:30-7pm at the ABC office.

Feb. 16: Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament benefitting the scholarship fun, 4-9:30pm at The Bell Tower, 901 W. 34th St., Houston Feb. 20-21: ABC Legislative Day, 4:30pm on Monday, 4pm on Tuesday.

For more information call 713-523-6222

AGC Associated General Contractors

Feb. 2: Membership Mixer, 4:30-6pm at Crisp in the Heights.

Feb. 14: Advocacy Sporting Clays Tournament, 9am-2pm at Greater Houston Gun Club.

Feb. 16: Winter Membership Orientation, 11:30am-1pm at AGC Houston.

For more information call 713-843-3700

AIA American Institute of Architects

Feb. 16: Healthcare seminar and social, 5:30-8pm at The Denton A. Cooley, M.D. and Ralph Cooley, D.D.S. University Life Center, 7440 Cambridge Street Houston.

For more info: www.aiahouston.org

ASA American Subcontractors Association

Feb. 1: Walk on the Capital Feb. 1: Schmooze & Mingle, 4pm Feb. 2: Associate Member Peer Group, 2pm Feb. 7: Small Business Peer Group, 10am Feb. 10: 20th Excellence in Construction Awards, 6:30pm, The Bell Tower on 34th Feb. 16: General Lunch meeting, 11am, “Canned Responses to Canned Clauses.

For more information call 281-679-1877

ASCA American Society of Civil Engineers

Feb. 7: Texas Legislative Drive-In, 8am6pm.

Feb. 14: Webinar – Overview of Water Treatment Research in the Chellam Laboratory, noon-1pm.

For more information visit www. ascehouston.org

CFMA Construction Financial Mgmt Assn.

Feb. 15: Membership meeting, 11:30am1pm at Sheraton Brookhollow, 3000

North Loop West Frwy, Houston.

For more information visit www.houston. cfma.org

CSI Construction Specifications Institute

Feb. 27: Chapter meeting, 5:30pm: Baker Risk – Specifying Blast Resistant Structures. Members and first time member guests are free, non-members $35, includes dinner.

For more information go to http://www. csihouston.org

FPA Foundation Performance Assoc.

Feb. 8: Monthly meeting, 5pm, The HESS Club For more information: www. foundationperformance.org

HAGA Houston Area Glass Association

Feb. 14: Monthly safety meeting, 10amnoon For more information call 281-849-8293

MCA

Cheesecake. Riccota cheesecake. Just a traditional cheesecake.

Eddie Torres, Luxz Painting and Design Grilled cheese sandwich. I just like them.

Darren Gerloff, Gerloff Company, Inc. My aunt made the BEST spaghetti and meatballs. It was a recipe from an old Italian lady in Chicago. We only got to eat it maybe once a year, but I can still remember the taste! My aunt never let anyone know the recipe, she took it to her grave.

Sue Johnson, Construction News Monsierur Bon-Bon’s Secret Fudge.

That’s the fudge recipe in the back of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. We had a dessert contest at the office one day and everyone had to cook their favorite and I miserably failed at cooking that fudge.

Tom Forney, Forney Construction

L

ocal plumbers and heating and cooling contractors ended the year right by celebrating at a holiday social at Ferguson Enterprises Dec. 14.

Folks enjoyed a meal by Southern Cadence Cuisine and had the opportunity to win door prizes. The Gulf Coast Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) hosted the event. –ab

Mechanical Contractors Association

Feb. 8: Lunch Meeting, 11:45am at the HESS Club.

Feb. 22: Joint Membership Lunch Meeting with associate members, 11:30am at the HESS Club. Guest speakers are Pat Kiley and Candace Hernandez, of Kiley Advisors.

Mar. 5-9: MCAA National Convention at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, San Diego, CA. For more information call 281-440-4380 Vossler Plumbing

NECA

Milwaukee Tool

National Electrical Contractors Assn.

Feb. 6: Coastal Sabine Valentine’s Dinner Feb. 9: Houston Valentine’s Dinner For more information, 713-977-2522

WCA Women Contractors Association

Feb. 9: Luncheon and Houston Construction Forecast with Pat Kiley and Candace Hernandez, Kiley Advisors LLC. at Grotto, 4715 Westheimer; 11:30am1pm.

Feb. 15: One on One with the Port of Houston Authority. By appointment only from 9am-4pm. For appointment call Pedro Garcia, 713-670-2588. For more information: www.womencontractors.org

What was your favorite food as a child?

My mom’s meatloaf. I loved it.

Justin O’Neal, FairClaims Roofing

Ferguson Enterprises

Spaghetti. You’ll never see me saying anything different than spaghetti. It’s got meat and noodles. When I was a kid, I used to make a mess out of eating spaghetti, but I love it in all forms or fashions. I’m just an Italian foods fanatic.

Chris Burke, The Insulation Guru

MCA leadership

T

he Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) of Houston members elected its 2017 board of directors. Officers are James M. Lestos III, The Lestos Company, president; Douglas Gregory, Gregory-Edwards Inc., vice president; and James R. “Jimmy” Graves, Graco Mechanical Inc., treasurer/secretary. Directors are Paul Alexander, Straus Systems Inc.; Ronald Dauzat, CFI Mechanical Inc.; Rusty Minchew, The MLN Company; and Brent Watts, Dynamic Systems Inc. –­cw

Submitted to Construction News

Springing into staffing

Schnitzel was my favorite food growing up. I had a grandmother who was born and raised in Germany, and she made the best schnitzel. My mom would end up making it for all my birthday parties, so instead of pizza, my friends and I ate a slab of fried pork.

Chris Schoonover, Construction News My favorite meal as a child was anytime we ate at my grandmother’s house. It didn’t happen often because, as a military family, we didn’t see her that often, but even today, walking into a house that smells of greens cooking, ham baking, and seeing the sliced tomatoes and onion and cucumber salad just takes me back to those meals (always called supper, not dinner) at her home in Tennessee.

Cyndi Wright, Construction News

The Spring branch of MEMCO celebrated the construction staffing company’s 20th anniversary recently. MEMCO is based in Houston with several offices across the Lone Star State. –mh

Houston Construction News • FEB 2017

O

n Dec. 15, Freedom Solar hosted a benefit that raised more than $1,500 towards costs associated with enabling an orphanage in Haiti to have electricity through a solar system through a partnership with ABC Home & Commercial Services. ABC’s Houston president Raleigh Jenkins is a founder and board member of A Child’s Hope, the non-profit that built the orphanage.

“The goal is to make the orphanage self-sustaining,” Jenkins says, “and solar power is critical to that mission because there is no electricity available on the mountain where the orphanage is located.”

The orphanage’s solar installation began in January. Freedom Solar is donating the labor, and SunPower is donating the panels. Proceeds from the benefit will help pay the additional costs of the project, such as international customs and trans-oceanic shipping costs for equipment. Once installed, the 20-kilowatt solar array and battery backup will meet 100 percent of the orphanage’s electricity needs.

“Solar power will allow us to build an aquaponics farm to raise fresh fish and grow nutritious, organic produce. Solar will allow us to refrigerate or freeze that food so it doesn’t spoil and the children have a constant, reliable source of food.

Solar will allow us to light our facilities. It’s a life-changer,” says Jenkins.

Freedom Solar recently installed arrays on two of ABC’s offices.

“We’re excited to deepen our partnership with ABC Home & Commercial and work together on this meaningful charitable project. Haiti has the world's largest population living in energy poverty, with more than 7 million people lacking access to electricity,” says Bret Biggart, managing director of Freedom Solar.

Once completed, A Child’s Hope Orphanage will give 320 Haitian children the opportunity to live in a thriving envi-

Page 15

Helping in Haiti

Bret Biggart and Bobby Jenkins, owner and founder of ABC Home & Commercial Services, together on the new solar array installed at ABC’s Austin headquarters Raleigh Jenkins, president of ABC Home & Commercial Services in Houston and a founder of A Child’s Hope, on a recent visit to the orphanage in Haiti.

ronment that differs sharply from traditional orphanages in the country.

“Most Haitian orphanages are merely designed to keep kids fed and to provide shelter. We’re creating a place where kids can grow, learn, and become productive citizens and leaders of Haiti,” says Jenkins. “We’re overwhelmed with gratitude for Freedom Solar Power. They’re helping us build a sustainable future for lost and abandoned children in Haiti for generations to come. It’s going to change lives.” –cw About A Child’s Hope

A Child’s Hope is a nonprofit created to build a safe, loving, and supportive Christian home for more than 300 lost and abandoned children in Haiti. The goal is to build a self-sustaining community for the children to be empowered and thrive in their own environment.

There are still more than 400,000 abandoned children in Haiti. If you want to help, check http://www.achildshope.org

The orphanage is located in a place that has no access to electricity.

A Child’s Hope Orphanage in Haiti, the site where Freedom Solar Power and ABC Home & Commercial Services are teaming up to bring a 100 percent sustainable off-grid solar system.

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Houston Construction News â&#x20AC;¢ FEB 2017