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Volume 14
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Number 4
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APR IL 2017
Built on friendship
Incredible elevator for Dallas
L-R: Alpha Industries LLC’s Jason Scoggins and Trent Henckell
Thyssenkrupp Central Region construction manager JD McDonald can’t wait to bring this awesome attraction to the Dallas area.
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riends since their days as Weatherford High School students, Trent Henckell and Jason Scoggins explored different paths after graduation. Henckell tackled business marketing for the corporate sector, and Scoggins worked in the pipefitting and welding trade. They kept in touch, though, and discussed the idea of someday working together. When a company asked Scoggins if his employer might take on some projects, the friends realized they should start a company that could do the work. In early 2013, Henckell and Scoggins established Alpha Industries LLC. “We do a lot of industrial construction; we go into food and beverage, processing and production facilities and in-
stall equipment,” Henckell says. “We do process piping from raw material all the way through to packaging. We do manufacturing and structural type welding, such as mezzanines and stairwells.” The company has grown from a staff of four employees to 25, has settled into a Fort Worth facility and was recently awarded Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year 2017. CEO Henckell says flexibility is one advantage of being a young business. “We use our weakness in being 3 years old as a strength – we can follow whatever niche we want,” he continues. “It’s essentially customer support; we’re there to accomplish whatever goal they need. We started with the mindset that continued on Page 20
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ccording to thyssenkrupp’s website, much has changed since Thyssen and Krupp merged 16 years ago. The company has developed into a modern, global industrial group now seeking to more effectively set itself apart from its competitors. And with the company’s plans for a never-before-seen tourist attraction in downtown Dallas, thyssenkrupp will effectively prove itself unique among its counterparts. “We’ve been brainstorming for awhile about what we could do in Dallas that would not only put the name thyssenkrupp on everybody’s lips, but would also offer a new, unique attraction to bring more visitors there,” says JD (Da-
vid) McDonald, construction and modernization manager for the Central Region. “The idea is to build the world’s largest, fastest, free-standing elevator that will encompass several very cool features.” Thyssenkrupp is no stranger to building large, free-standing elevators – their 28-story, free-standing, glass elevator is the centerpiece at the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid in Memphis and has been called the world’s largest free-standing elevator – that is until now. Rivaling not only their own elevator in Memphis, the Dallas team plans to take the Guinness World Record away from The Shanghai Tower, which is now listed for three records, including world’s fastest elevator and tallest elevator continued on Page 20
Worthy of a pedal
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ven gas stations need a little fuel injection. The Chevron at 301 Legacy Drive in Plano was ready for a new roof and exterior improvements to entice customers. With the rainy season approaching, the clock was ticking to make the improvements and install the roof to protect the inventory inside. MGS Construction, which offers general contracting and roofing services, was the ideal fit for the project. MGS Construction was contracted to install sheathing along 4,200sf of new parapet walls, with heights ranging from 12 to 17 ft. Material used for sheathing was plywood ranging from ½-in. to ¾-in. thickness, depending on the existing conditions. Along the existing sign band, ½-in. plywood was needed so as not to add unnecessary weight. Remaining was ¾-in. for structural integrity, as the height exceeded 15 ft. above the roof.
A Chevron station in Plano is gassed up and ready to go, thanks to a remodel and a new roof by MGS Construction.
The company also replaced the 8,400-sf roof, installing a new Single Ply System (TPO). Material for the roof was rigid insulation and a TPO roof membrane. As the new structure penetrated the roof deck, MGS had to install more than 50 custom pitch pans to ensure water tightness. Along the edge of the existing roof, MGS installed a 12-in. nailer to properly terminate the membrane on the north, east and west sides. Also, the existing deck consisted of sheet metal panels supported by a series of roof joists. Due to this condition, MGS had to install joist-penetrating fasteners directly through the joist. In order to attach an NDL warranty, only 5 ft. rolls of TPO could be used due to the four-footon-center spacing of the existing joints. “What is unique about this project is the parapet wall height and its connection to the existing structure,” Ron Wygal, managing partner at MGS Construccontinued on Page 20
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
Let them eat (pan)cake!
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uyers Barricades sales manager Eddie Harmon had all he could take of the playful trash talking and one-upmanship between inside sales representatives Christian Brown and Jeremiah Keys. He decided it was time for the men to put their forks where their mouths were with a pancake eating competition to settle the score. A few days before the Feb. 24 flapjack face-off, flyers went up in the office to draw in the crowds and when the day came, Brown and Keys started in on their stacks with the “Rocky” soundtrack blasting in the background. Thirty minutes later, a (chock full) champion was called: Brown, with 12 pancakes eaten, bested Keys, who could only down eight. For Brown, the victory was syrupy sweet. –mjm
Jeremiah Keys ate his eight, but just barely.
A flyer promoting the “International House of Pain: Brown vs. Keys” event was posted throughout the office.
Christian Brown butters like a butterfly …
Construction News ON LOCATION
Charging on!
Fedrico Ramirez enjoys serving the Metroplex’s electrical needs as owner of Ramirez Electric Solutions in Denton.
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
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The long and welded road
Here comes the pitch!
L-R: Dark Horse Metal Works’ Shane Swinford and Wes Stevenson
Advanced Seed Stage winner at HOLT Ventures SXSW Industrial Pitch Competition L-R: Adam Bridgman, director, HOLT Ventures; Charlie Strickland, managing director, HOLT Ventures; Corinna Holt Richter, executive vice president and chief administrative officer, HOLT CAT; Brian Lowry, investment manager, Caterpillar Ventures; Lu Yan, CEO, Yan Engines; Peter John Holt, executive vice president and general manager, HOLT CAT; Dave Harris, president and COO, HOLT CAT
elding was always in the back of Wes Stevenson’s mind, even as he worked in building and construction consulting and the livestock industry. He had designed items for pickup trucks, livestock facilities and buildings, but never had time to fully pursue it. It took an injury and a hospital stay for Stevenson to finally find that time. After his release from the hospital, he began redoing a trailer with the help of Bob, a foreman at a ranch Stevenson was leasing. Bob as it turns out, was an encyclopedia of welding knowledge. “I had no idea he was as into the history of welding as he was,” Stevenson says. “Come to find out, he had about 25 years in the past welding. He taught me not only how to make it strong, but make it pretty as well.” With new confidence, Stevenson decided he and two partners could make a go of a welding business. Although his wife Francie had a moment’s pause about
him leaving his steady job, she helped choose a name inspired by his livestock and rodeo past: Dark Horse Metal Works. Bob also helped locate Shane Swinford, whom Stevenson calls “the best design guy in the country,” and the team set up shop in Granbury last June. Ten months in, the crew is enjoying self-employment and setting their hours, even if it means working harder. “We come from a humble background and started very slowly; it took several years to get this and our equipment built up to provide a service to our customers,” Stevenson says. “Now we’re to the point where we can do small jobs to very large jobs. We’re looking to expand but want to stay in Granbury, hire more employees and grow slowly.” Swinford wholeheartedly agrees. “We’ve just taken it one step at a time, not rushing into a situation,” he says. “It’s been a fun adventure.” Dark Horse Metal Works specializes in custom fabrication and welding. –mjm
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OLT Ventures, the investment arm of heavy equipment dealer HOLT CAT, hosted its first-ever SXSW Industrial Pitch Competition Mar. 14 at the SXSW Startup Village in Austin. Three Texas companies made it to the finals, and one of them won in its category. Partnering with Caterpillar Ventures, Brick & Mortar Ventures, and Cottonwood Technology Fund, HOLT Ventures hosted the live pitch competition to discover and expedite technology innovation in the construction, resource, energy, and transportation industries. At the competition, 15 finalists from across the country – and two from Europe, specifically the UK and Netherlands – competed in three categories. The categories were classed according the maturity stage of the projects: Seed Stage, Advanced Seed Stage and Series A/B Stage. Each category had one finalist representing Texas with Genesis Dimensions, Houston, competing in the Seed Stage;
Yan Engines, Austin, competing in the Advanced Seed Stage; and Bractlet Inc., Austin, competing in the A/B Stage. Only one of the Texas companies emerged victorious. Yan Engines won the Advanced Seed Stage with a D-Cycle piston it is developing to increase fuel efficiency 20 percent as a retrofit or designed into existing engines. PermitZone, based in Raleigh, NC, won the Seed Stage, with a simple way to apply for, pay for, and receive permits online. 5D Robotics won the A/B Stage with micro positioning that can replace or enhance GPS over a large area. Each of the winning companies received a portion of the $50,000 cash prize as well as exclusive tours of HOLT CAT with the company’s executive team and Caterpillar’s R&D and machine testing facilities in Peoria, IL. They also received pitch presentation feedback and strategy coaching from Brick & Mortar Ventures and Cottonwood Technology. –mh
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
Mike Thalasinos
Owner Boulder Designs of DFW Irving, TX
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ike Thalasinos is not afraid of starting new things. Which is why, after starting and selling several businesses, he knew right away that he wanted to own his latest venture, Boulder Designs of DFW. But will it be his last? Tell me a little bit about your early years. I was born in Groton, CT. on the New London submarine base. My dad was 20 years Navy, so I’m a Navy brat. We moved mostly up and down the East coast and were in Bermuda for a little while. When my father retired, when I was in high school, we lived just outside of Manhattan. I went to college at William Patterson University and got a degree in psychology with a minor in business. I had no plan to use psychology, but it’s kind of like philosophy in that you use it your entire life. After that, I worked for Prudential Insurance in their group claims department. After about nine months, I just had to get out, since I was not well suited to a corporate environment. I left Prudential after a year and started my own business providing a service to the insurance industry. What kind of business did you start? I coordinated medical evaluations worldwide for the insurance industry. I way underestimated what it was going to cost to get the business off the ground and profitable. I just had $800 to my name and that was gone really quickly. So to make ends meet, I pumped gas at night until I was robbed at gunpoint and decided delivering pizzas was a better alternative. It was about three years before the company was generating enough to support me and my wife and two kids. A few years later I was at an insurance conference when I met a sales guy from another company based in Salt Lake City, UT that worked on the healthcare side of insurance. He was lamenting about the lack of outpatient surgical facility data
Dallas Fort Worth
that was needed to adjudicate health claims. After some market research, we became partners in the new venture. We ran it for about four years before we were approached by a venture capital group to whom we eventually sold a minority interest. Our computer systems weren’t where they needed to be for them to make the financial commitment so I relocated from New Jersey to Utah. The original plan was to spend about 8 weeks in Utah but after living in a hotel for the 2 months, I got a place to live and ended up living in Utah for close to 18 months. How did you find your way to Texas? My business partner came to Texas to hire a regional manager for the company and I came down about six months later to visit customers in the DFW area. I met the woman he hired, Carrie, who later became my wife, and that’s how I ended up in Texas in 1992. Concurrently, I also had an indoor sports facility business in New Jersey that I sold to my partner. I was looking for the next thing to do and the guy who built our house had sold his home building business and so we spent a year trying to find the “next thing”. We had stumbled across this product in China, which was an art form four or five centuries old, where they painted on the inside of glass – really detailed and unbelievably gorgeous. We started the company on Sept. 11, 2001 and as we checked in to our Shanghai hotel we learned about the Twin Towers coming down. In order to create a product that appealed to North American consumers, we licensed well-known art that we recreated at our factory in Lang Fang. We had 150 artists in China creating our product and we wholesaled to over 2,000 retail stores located mostly in the U.S. and Canada. We had that business for 10 years before selling it to a major player in the gift industry who was in acquisition mode. Another business sold! So that was business No. 3? There were others in between, but those were the major ones. After I sold that business, I was looking for the next “unique” product when I identified Boulder Designs, which I eventually bought in to. I always wanted to work with something that was unique, not easy to duplicate and was a franchise. All of my other businesses I had started from scratch and I wasn’t ready to develop another business from the ground up. That’s how I got into the rock sign business. Our manufacturing is in Irving and I office out of Flower Mound. We build the rocks, deliver them and install them. Since we build all of the rocks, we can do any size, shape, color, text or font with sizes ranging from 100 lbs. up to over 10,000 lbs.
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The Dallas Fort Worth Construction News (ISSN 1547-7657) is published monthly by Construction News Ltd., dba Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News, and distributed by mail to construction related companies in the Dallas/ Fort Worth metropolitan area. All submissions should be mailed to our editorial offices. We reserve the right to edit any materials submitted. No fees for materials, copy or photographs submitted will be due unless agreed upon in advance in writing. Submissions will be published at our discretion on a space-available basis. Construction News, Ltd., dba Dallas Fort Worth Construction News, will not be liable for errors in copy or in advertisements beyond the actual cost of space occupied by the error. Publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement at any time.
Boulder Designs of DFW, Mike Thalasinos
What do you enjoy about this venture? What I really like is the product is produced locally and our customers are local. I’ve never had that. In my other businesses, I produced in China and sold worldwide, and the insurance business was nationwide. This is the first time everything is here. The best thing about the product is when you deliver it to a customer the reaction is always “Wow!” People just gush. It’s really kind of cool. So many of the entrepreneurs I interview have had many businesses, but the businesses are usually so different from each other. I would think it would take faith to start a business believing it will succeed, especially if it was different from the last. What I’ve found is that although the product or service may differ, the fundamentals of running and building a business are pretty much the same. There’s always a learning curve with a new business, but, at the end of the day, it all comes down to customer service. Really, when you get down to it, you may sell a product, but you’re selling the customer service that supports the product. I’ve enjoyed every business I’ve had and have always looked for something that was unique and had limited competition. I’ve known you for a few years now, and I know that you are a strong supporter of hiring veterans to work in your business. Explain why that is important to you. My dad served on submarines during his 20 years in the Navy and my business partner, Gary Grubbs, is retired Army with 22 years of service. What I find is that veterans have been in an environment where it’s a lot more demanding then what we do on a daily basis. They’re more reliable, goal-oriented and have a “get it done” mindset. You give them a time and they show up, they can take direction and they understand what’s needed. What are your plans for the business? I think most businesses want to grow and that is also our goal. Our mantra is that “boulders sell boulders”. They really are our best advertising when people are able to see and touch them.
What do you like to do when you aren’t building all of these businesses? Our family is all local and my wife and I have 4 grandchildren in Denton. We have a 14-year-old grandson (Caden), a 13-year-old granddaughter (Kaley), an 18-month old grandson (Tucker) and our new baby granddaughter (Charli) who was born two weeks ago. They’re a lot of fun. Between attending the older kids sporting events, having them all spend the night with us on Friday or Saturday night and having everyone over for Sunday dinner, the weekends are pretty full. During the week, my wife commutes to San Diego for her job with a company that is involved in the field of proteomics and, of course, I’m working with Boulder Designs. I also donate a half day of time each week with the local Salvation Army and so our week is pretty hectic. Occasionally, my wife will need to stay in San Diego over the weekend for a board meeting, so I’ll go out to San Diego. What name do your grandchildren call you? I’m “Moosie” and Carrie is “Mimi.” When Caden was about 5, he asked why I was called “Moosie”. I told him that a moose was big, ugly and smelly and pointed to myself. He thought for a while and said “Oh yeah”, and just walked off. I was hoping for some disagreement but it didn’t happen! Love that! Do you have any little ones around the house who have fur? We have two dogs. One is a Yorkie/ mutt and then we have a Coton de Tulear. It’s a breed that was just recently recognized by the Westminster Kennel Club. They are from Madagascar (her name is Maddie) and were originally circus dogs and lap dogs. They’re really friendly, fluffy white dogs that don’t shed and are hypoallergenic. Will Boulder Designs of DFW be your final business or will you always be looking for the next idea? It probably will be, unless something else comes along that complements it. Boulder Designs of DFW specializes in creating, delivering and installing customcrafted, one-of-a-kind rock boulder signs for both commercial and residential applications. –mjm
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
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A flair for roofing
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oofing industry members dressed for success Feb. 25, donning black tie, costumes and everything in between for North Texas Roofing Contractors Association (NTRCA)’s annual awards ceremony. NTRCA’s “Night at the Museum Awards Night,” hosted at Dallas’ Perot Museum, celebrated some of the roofing industry’s best. Winners were presented with Golden Hammer awards, and the best dressed were honored as well: Zenith Roofing Services picked up the prize for “Best Team Outfits.” –mjm
Outstanding Residential Roofing Project Bert Roofing Inc., Eiland Residence
Outstanding Commercial Roofing Project KPost Roofing & Waterproofing, Jim and Sally Nation Hall at Dallas Baptist University
Green Project Pitts Roofing Co. Inc., Harbison Residence Outstanding Commercial Roofing Project Texas Roof Management, Old Municipal Building Outstanding Commercial Roofing Project Supreme Roofing, Worthington Renaissance Hotel
Outstanding Residential Project Pitts Roofing Co. Inc, Alexander Residence
Outstanding Residential Roofing Project RJ Construction, Allsup House
NTRCA 2017 board officers and advisors
2017 Industry Leader Amy Reeves, Perry & Reeves LLC
Outstanding Community Service Project Springtree Roofing & Restoration, Energy Roofing Solutions and ER Systems of ITW Polymers Sealants North America, St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church
2017 Associate of the Year Bobby Burke, Beacon Roofing Supply
Outstanding Community Service Project, Springtree Roofing & Restoration LLC, Montgomery Project
Construction News JOB SIGHT
Submitted to Construction News
We see a IKEA!
Sparks are flying
Blue panels are going up on the eastern side of Highway 161 and Mayfield Road! MYCON General Contractors is building the Metroplex’s 2nd IKEA in Grand Prairie, which is slated for completion in the fall. The 290,000 sf building will include 50 room settings, three model home interiors, 1,100 parking spaces, a children’s play area and a 450-seat restaurant. –mjm
The largest abatement and demolition project in Texas history wrapped up at The Drever in Dallas. Arc Abatement used torches to cut steel bank vaults and safe deposit boxes out of the former First National Bank of Texas building. General contractor Andres Construction is now building out the 50-floor mixed-use development, to be completed in 2018. –mjm
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
Construction News JOB SIGHT
Winner, winner
It’s all good!
Remodel, new construction, they do it all! Mauro Rivera of Avry Family Construction in Arlington enjoys working on all kinds of construction projects. –mjm
National recognition L-R: Jordan Ray McPherson and Joel Dutton placed at the National Craft Championships in the pipefitting category.
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DIndustries and North Texas Construction Education Foundation (NTCEF) are celebrating Joel Dutton and Jordan Ray McPherson, who won gold and bronze, respectively, in the pipefitting category at the 30th annual Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) National Craft Championships. Held Feb. 28-Mar. 3 in Ft. Lauderdale, the event highlights ABC and its member firms’ training and education efforts. Dutton and McPherson are TDIndustries employees and NTCEF trainees. Nearly 170 craft trainees from chapter and member firm training programs nationwide participate in one of 13 competitions representing 11 crafts. Competitors take a two-hour written exam and compete in a daylong practical performance test. Dutton and McPherson took a test and competed in a local competition before the event to qualify. The craft championships have a reputation for challenging competitors and showcasing their skill. “When it comes to pipefitting and welding that we do in the field, I feel like we’re the last line of defense when it comes to installing these systems and making sure our customers get a quality
system,” Dutton says. “We encounter problems every day and have to make it work. In the competition it’s not that they purposely try to throw you off but they don’t make it a cakewalk. You have to understand the math and takeoffs.” “I’ve never competed on anything of that scale before,” McPherson says. “I felt a little bit of nerves but I was confident overall because my teacher gave us everything we needed to study to make us efficient. He’s helped us out immensely on how to do things in the field. The competition was things we do every day and was pretty simple, but the timing portion was stressful.” Both men returned to hearty congratulations – and some teasing, too. “The guys at work offered to get me a larger hard hat,” Dutton says, laughing. With a bronze medal to his credit now, McPherson offers encouragement to future tradesmen. “Set goals at a reasonable bar, don’t try to overdo yourself. You have all of the time in the world to advance,” he says. “Ask questions, be open to criticism and life will take you where it wants.” TDIndustries offers construction management and facility services. –mjm
Interiors: Acoustical Drywall, Millwork or Plaster; Eagle Award: BakerTriangle, Crossroads Church Children’s Building, Grand Prairie
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ssociated Builders and Contractors (ABC) honored 98 projects collectively worth $2.4 billion at the 27th annual Excellence in Construction® Awards during ABC’s Workforce Week ‘17 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Feb. 28-Mar. 2. Several Texas firms were awarded the coveted Eagles and Pyramids. Below is a list of construction firms in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area that won. –cw
Commercial – More Than $2 Million, Eagle Award: Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing, Dallas Love Field Modernization Program, Dallas
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
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Joining forces
Tom Herrin
Steve Baldauf
hen engineering firm JQ decided to expand its service reach while strengthening its senior leadership team, the search wasn’t long to find the right firm to help achieve it.
the firm a logical choice. The merger targets the desired markets and will provide mentorship for JQ’s younger leadership.
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Tom Herrin, PE, and Steve Baldauf, PE, of Dallas-based structural engineering firm Baldauf Herrin & Associates Inc. (BHA) had built strong reputations in the industry: Herrin previously served as the engineer of record for both Exxon and EDS’ world headquarters, and Baldauf was the supervising structural engineer on the Superconducting Super Collider. Working together since 1996, Baldauf and Herring formed BHA in 2006 to provide structural engineering services. The firm focused on Texas-based federal and corporate market clients, markets JQ wanted to explore, and JQ’s CEO Stephen H. Lucy has known Baldauf and Herrin for more than 30 years. Lucy says BHA’s reputation, technical knowledge and similar values made acquiring
“We have been fortunate to experience strong organic growth and are well positioned in our core markets across Texas,” Lucy says. “However, in order to meet the requests of our clients, we will continue to look for opportunities to expand through strategic acquisitions and key personnel hires which align with our goals of regional geographic growth, market share expansion and diversification of services.” With the merger, Herrin and Baldauf will join JQ as principals and the BHA team will work out of JQ’s corporate headquarters in Dallas’ Design District. Through its five Texas offices, JQ provides structural and civil engineering, geospatial and facility performance services in a wide range of markets. –mjm
WIC clique
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he National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC)’s Fort Worth chapter not only stick together - they WIC together! The association’s “Women In Construction” (WIC) Week, held Mar. 5-11, celebrated women in construction and highlighted them as a visible component of the industry. The events also served as an opportunity for NAWIC members nationwide to raise awareness of opportunities available for women and their growing role. The Fort Worth chapter kicked off the week Mar. 5 with a brunch at The Social House, inviting all whom might be interested in NAWIC to attend and learn more. On Mar. 6, the Fort Worth and Dallas chapters gathered at HILTI in Irving to try the latest tools and promote the association to other attendees.
The next day, the chapter hosted an open board meeting so that attendees could learn how NAWIC Fort Worth’s everyday business was conducted. On Wednesday, the chapter hosted a special, free presentation of Vivian Price’s documentary film, “Hammering it Out,” which spotlights the experience of women in the building trades. The women grabbed their bowling bags for Friday’s event, which was “Bowling with NAWIC” at Fort Worth’s Cowtown Bowling Palace. The ladies culminated the week Mar. 11 in a joint event with the Dallas chapter at Home Depot in Irving. There, members and guests enjoyed an outside lighting Do-It-Yourself workshop, and topped off the events with lunch at Irving’s On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina. –mjm
The ladies kicked off WIC Week with a brunch at The Social House.
The ladies enjoyed a bowling night at Cowtown Palace.
The Fort Worth and Dallas NAWIC chapters gathered at Home Depot for a DIY outdoor lighting workshop.
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
The real cost savings you should look for in a fixed price environment
Cyber risk in construction
Scott Allen, CPA, Tax and Consulting Partner Cornwell Jackson Plano, TX
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onstruction companies experience unique accounting structures due to expenses driving revenue as projects move through various stages of completion. By managing a variety of costs, maintaining safety for employees and hiring the right people, owners and project managers can improve cash flow and bid smarter on fixed price contracts.
with a company that produced a gross profit margin of more than 15 percent annually. Just one of the interesting lessons learned through this experience was that few construction companies, if any, spend the necessary time each year to comb through their budgets and question the true costs of each line item.
In my role as the fractional CFO/controller for a rapidly growing construction company earlier in my career, I experienced the tough reality of out-of-control costs in a fixed contract price environment. Costs were out of control partially because the company’s rapid growth was surreptitiously changing the company’s underlying cost structure and partially because economic conditions had changed. The net result was a squeeze on profit margins and cash flows that placed the company in danger of marching down the primrose path.
Whether it’s the company cell phone plan or fuel and maintenance costs for fleet vehicles, no budget item is too small to scrutinize for long-term savings to the bottom line.
The squeeze resulted in a snowball effect on cash management. The accelerated growth had outpaced the company’s ability to increase the bank line of credit capacity, which meant that any increased demand for cash had to be satisfied through cash flow generated by the jobs. We had to navigate complicated lien rules in order to collect receivables. We had to re-evaluate billing policies and increase the company’s overbilled positions. When bidding new work, we had to be disciplined in the size of projects the company chased or risk the company’s bonding capacity. Meanwhile, we saw general liability and worker’s compensation insurance rate increases due to changes in the market. We could only hope that materials costs would not follow suit. Once it became clear that we were dealing with something more systemic than a bad job or two, the owner and I went to work understanding what had happened and trying to correct the underlying issues. Within two years, the company accomplished a true turnaround. Starting with a company that was losing $400,000 a year, we ended up
If your company exists in a fixedprice contract environment — as most construction companies do — expenses drive revenue. Especially with a Post-Recession mindset, profitable construction companies must have the discipline to look at their work–in-process reports every month and identify any expenses that are trending above budget. There are, of course, other factors that can impact cash flow and profits in any given year. Let’s look at the key drivers for real cost savings in the life of a construction company — both shortterm and long-term. Cornwell Jackson’s tax team can provide guidance on reigning in costs by reviewing your profit and loss statements, work in process and general accounting ledgers. Contact our team with your questions. Look for “Defining True Job Costs for Construction Bids” in the May Construction News publication to learn more on this topic. Scott Allen, CPA, joined Cornwell Jackson as a tax partner in 2016, bringing his expertise in the construction and oil and gas industries and 25 years of experience in the accounting field. As the partner in charge of the tax practice at Cornwell Jackson, Scott provides proactive tax planning and tax compliance to all Cornwell Jackson tax clients. Contact him at Scott.Allen@ cornwelljackson.com or 972-202-8032.
Jim Zimmermann, CPCU, CIC, Vice President –Construction MHBT, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC Dallas, TX y now, everyone has heard about numerous high profile cyber security incidents over just the past few years. The data breach involving Target is probably the most widely known, but there are plenty of other breaches extremely large in scope like those involving Sony, Anthem and Yahoo. The problem is we only hear about these huge multi-billion dollar companies, instead of the thousands of breaches involving small-mid sized businesses that can have painful or even crippling consequences, because these everyday incidents aren’t newsworthy. However, one cyber security expert says there are two kinds of business owners in this world – the ones that have been hacked and know it, and the ones that have been hacked but don’t yet know it – which may be only a slight exaggeration. So what do any of these incidents have to do with the construction industry? On the surface, nothing, except for Target which was actually breached through an HVAC subcontractor. After all, the perception is the biggest risk falls on medical providers, financial institutions, retailers with customer credit card data, etc., companies that have the largest IT footprint and access to sensitive data. Not only that, clearly none of the companies listed above, and few if any that you may hear about on the news, are contractors. So, once again, why should a contractor be concerned? Dig a little deeper and the answer is very simple: every contractor with an employee and a computer, every single one, is susceptible to the exact same type of attacks to those that hit the multibillion companies above, just obviously on a smaller scale. The argument could actually be made that contractors are more susceptible since their cyber security procedures are as a general rule, much more relaxed than those other industries. Let’s take a look at some real-life Texas construction company examples: • Through a phishing expedition, several unsuspecting employees clicked on a link and entered password information, thinking (incorrectly) that the request had come from the IT department head. This resulted in not only a large personal data breach, it granted the hackers access to company financial and banking information, bidding programs and strategies, confidential building
designs, and potential access to the systems of other businesses. • Several general contractors have recently experienced fraud attempts to capture pay estimates on their projects. A letter is sent to the owner on the GC’s authentic letterhead, signed by the CFO and with an authentic looking voided check attached, requesting that all future payments be sent to that new bank account. By the time the owner and GC figure it out, the money is gone. While it happened with GCs and owners, it could probably more easily happen between a GC and a subcontractor. • The president of a tech-savvy GC went to a two-day, out-of-town business conference. While gone and during one of the presentations, the CFO received an apparent request from the president to wire $42,000 to the bank account of a consultant they had been working with. The email had the president’s salutation as well his email “style.” Unable to reach the president (the cyber criminals knew this), the CFO checked with the EVP who confirmed that they had been working with that consultant, so he sent the wire and the money was gone. The thought that a cyber attack only hits big companies, or only hits medical or financial companies, is naïve at best for contractors and potentially catastrophic at worst. Pro-active contractors acknowledge the risk exists, install safeguards that deter attacks and train their employees on cyber security, have preplanned responses if a breach occurs, and have insurance in place to protect themselves on top of the internal procedures. Reactive contractors do not, and are literally a click away from sharing all of their personal and financial data with a cyber criminal. Jim Zimmermann is vice president of MHBT, specializing exclusively in the insurance and bonding needs of contractors for the past 24 years. He can be reached at jim_zimmermann@mhbt.com or by phone at 972-770-1629.
Construction News JOB SIGHT
Window coverage
L-R: Albert Mendoza and Vincent Santoya of Kelley’s Glass & Mirror install new windows in a former bar on Fort Worth’s North Main St. Noah’s AC & Heating Service’s Noah Quijas, coordinator of the remodel’s subcontractors, says the space will soon be home to an insurance business. –mjm
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
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Is a wall Force Majeure? Mike Cortez, Shareholder Andrews Myers P.C. Houston, TX
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hat is the strange question a client asked me recently in the midst of a protracted contract negotiation. At first, I was perplexed, and then I realized, after additional follow up questions, that he was referring to the proposed US-Mexico border wall. First, let me say that this is not a political article or opinion. My intent is to inform contractors on the potential impact on labor, and language in construction contracts that impact any potential relief. A common construction industry headline or seminar topic over the past few years has centered on the seemingly persistent issue of a labor shortage in the construction industry. During her congressional testimony on Feb. 15, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen stated that labor-force growth has been slowing in the United States and that immigration has been a source of labor-force growth. Both sides of the political spectrum can agree that immigrants, whether legal or not, make up a large portion of the lower-skilled construction industry labor force. Some estimates state that as much as 50% of immigrants work in the construction industry, and of that portion, 20% are unauthorized workers. With that said, back to the question of whether the impact of a border wall might be a force majeure or relief from performing contractual duties under Texas law. First, what is a force majeure? The most basic form of a force majeure clause allows a party’s performance to be excused if it is prevented or delayed by reasons not within the reasonable control of the party claiming excuse and which were not foreseeable at the time of contracting. Texas law will not imply terms or conditions for force majeure events. It is controlled by the language in the contract. In Texas, absent a force majeure clause, the obligation to perform is absolute and cannot be excused even though performance may be impossible due to causes beyond the party’s control. In most contracts that I review and negotiate, only labor strikes or disputes are sometimes (not always) listed as a force majeure. However, a party could draft a provision that allows its performance to be excused if it simply becomes uneconomical, unprofitable or perhaps merely less profitable to perform such as the case in the event of an extreme labor shortage. Although most force majeure clauses are drafted to specifically exclude financial or economic reasons for nonperformance, a party with superior bar-
gaining power might be successful in negotiating such a favorable provision. Overall, there is not much research as to the potential impact of a border wall on the Texas construction industry, as of yet, however most industry experts agree that reducing the immigrant work force will increase costs and potentially delay construction projects. So, in general, the answer is no, the impact to the construction industry due to the proposed border wall will not permit relief under Texas law, whether it be extended time to perform or increased costs due to replacing lower-skill unauthorized workers with higher-skilled, higher-cost, authorized workers. In addition, under most construction contract language, if there are delays on the project, the owner or the general contractor has the contractual right to accelerate the work at the contractor’s (or subcontractor’s) cost absent specific contractual relief. If there is a well-drafted force majeure or other clause that can be drafted in to the contract, then it is possible to get relief. The force majeure clause is often deemed “boilerplate” and not carefully reviewed (unless you are a lawyer, of course). The lesson is that in a jurisdiction that allows parties to exercise the maximum freedom of contract in crafting a force majeure clause, like Texas, it is unwise to rely on boilerplate or fail to actively negotiate the force majeure clause or the contract as a whole in order to address potential risks. Mike Cortez’s practice is focused on construction related transactions, including large complex energy procurement and construction projects, design and construction contracts, project risk management and lien and bond claims. Mike has significant experience representing clients in drafting and negotiating complex construction contracts under multiple project delivery systems. He graduated from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, and Texas A&M University. He can be reached at mcortez@andrewsmyers.com.
OSHA’s Fall Stand Down May 8 – 12, 2017 Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX
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etween May 8th and May 12th, 2017, OSHA is asking all employers to conduct a safety talk on fall hazards on the jobsite. Employers can find resources to conduct a training session at: https://www.osha.gov/stopfalls/index.html Falls are a leading cause of falls in construction, representing 35% of all fatalities. Employers can prevent falls when they plan, provide and train workers. PLAN ahead to get the job done safely When working from heights, such as ladders, scaffolds, and roofs, employers must plan projects to ensure that the job is done safely. Begin by deciding how the job will be done, what tasks will be involved, and what safety equipment may be needed to complete each task. When estimating the cost of a job, employers should include safety equipment, and plan to have all the necessary equipment and tools available at the construction site. For example, in a roofing job, think about all of the different fall hazards, such as holes or skylights and leading edges, then plan and select fall protection suitable to that work, such as personal fall arrest systems (PFAS). PROVIDE the right equipment Workers who are six feet or more above lower levels are at risk for serious injury or death if they should fall. To protect these workers, employers must provide fall protection and the right equipment for the job, including the right kinds of ladders, scaffolds, and safety gear. Different ladders and scaffolds are appropriate for different jobs. Always
provide workers with the kind they need to get the job done safely. For roof work, there are many ways to prevent falls. If workers use personal fall arrest systems (PFAS), provide a harness for each worker who needs to tie off to the anchor. Make sure the PFAS fits, and regularly inspect all fall protection equipment to ensure it’s still in good condition and safe to use. TRAIN everyone to use the equipment safely Falls can be prevented when workers understand proper set-up and safe use of equipment, so they need training on the specific equipment they will use to complete the job. Employers must train workers in hazard recognition and in the care and safe use ladders, scaffolds, fall protection systems, and other equipment they’ll be using on the job. Employers can download fall prevention materials at: https://www.osha. gov/stopfalls/edresources.html Copies of OSHA pamphlets and materials can be ordered online at: https:// www.osha.gov/pls/publications/publication.html Employers can also log their participation of the event and print out a participation certificate at: https://www. osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown/ natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232
Construction News JOB SIGHT
Crane line of work
Robert Ramirez has enjoyed his work as a crane operator for McIntire Equipment in Fort Worth for five years. –mjm
Construction News JOB SIGHT
Construction News JOB SIGHT
Station rejuvenation
By land and by sea
Hunter Commercial Enterprises’ David White and Robert Lew help transform a former White Settlement Conoco into a Texaco with some fresh paint and new signage. –mjm
Before Chris Welsh was wielding a drill for DFW Oil And Energy in Dallas, the Plano native was a commercial fisherman in Alaska. –mjm
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
Following a new lead
Construction News ON LOCATION
Meet the Masters
L-R: Randy Pawelek, Harry Moeller and Jerry Hoog recently carried out a leadership transition at Bartlett Cocke General Contractors that has been in the works for about two years now.
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s of the annual shareholder meeting Mar. 3, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors implemented planned changes in leadership. Jerry Hoog transitioned into the role of president and CEO, as Harry Moeller, former president, retired. Randy Pawelek transitioned from chairman to executive chairman. With the company 34 years, Hoog graduated from Texas A&M with his bachelor’s degree in engineering technology in December 1982 and started at Bartlett Cocke as an estimator in March 1983 and eventually worked his way up to executive vice president. A native of Castroville and father of seven, Hoog is very active in his community, serving as president of the Medina Valley Athletic Booster Club, cochairman of the St. Louis Society Wild Game Dinner for 33 years now, and is very involved in his church. He also likes to hunt and trotline fish. Residing in New Braunfels, Moeller, who started out at Bartlett Cocke as a
layout engineer in the field, says this was the right time in his life to move to the next chapter. In his retirement, he and his wife, Rita, who have been married for 32 years – also the length of his tenure at Bartlett Cocke – plan to spend time with their four grandchildren and travel. They will be going to the Galapagos Islands in August and Germany next year, and he hopes to do a road trip one summer following the rodeo circuit through the Rocky Mountains. Pawelek has been with the company 36 years and comments that the transition allows new leadership to step forward. Moeller calls Hoog “one of his heroes” and “probably one of the brightest minds in construction I’ve ever met,” adding that he will be a great leader. Hoog notes that he will miss Moeller, whom he calls “a foundation for this company for a long time.” Based in San Antonio, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors also has offices in Austin, Houston, Fort Worth and Baytown. –mh
The team at Master Built Contractors in Plano is ready for roofing, interior repairs, painting and fence, window and siding installation. –mjm
Construction News ON LOCATION
Going, going Gray
Johnny Gray III is an entrepreneurial triple threat: He owns general contracting firm D&J Development Inc., as well as a business surplus store and Gray’s Event Center. He’s also gearing up to help build houses in South Africa! –mjm
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
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Spring into Action on Baffin Bay by Capt. Steve Schultz Sponsored by: Waypoint Marine, Majek Boats, Evinrude Outboards, Fishing Tackle Unlimited, E-Z Bel Construction, Costa Sunglasses, Diawa Reels, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, ForEverlast Fishing Products, Interstate Batteries, MirrOlure, and AFTCO Clothing.
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he month of April is just around the corner and is one of my most favorite months to be on the water. Hopefully the strong winds that we are accustomed with in March will give us a few windows in early April on get on some trophy trout. While winter fishing generally yields heavier fish, spring is the time where you can catch more numbers of those same fish. The fishing is usually a lot faster pace also. Typically during winter months fishing is done with a slow retrieve, using a soft plastic or a sub-surface slow sinking lure to give lethargic fish plenty of time to attack the prey. However when spring rolls around, fish become quite a bit more active. This gives anglers a wider verity of lure choices to use and these fish are much more aggressive.
Katie Ulher, a student at Notre Dame, spent her spring break rippin lips on Baffin Bay with her dad David. Katie caught her limit of reds and trout including this 27-in. redfish and a 25-in.
www.constructionnews.net publishing the industry’s news
With spring conditions upon us and the coldest of weather and water temperatures on the decline, we can look forward to some great fishing along the shorelines of the Laguna Madre. Shrimp have already started to show up at the local marinas from the northern bay systems. By the time you read this article they will be well on the way south of the JFK Causeway along the King Ranch shoreline. Using these little guys under an Alameda Rattling cork can produce some constant action when drifting over grass beds with scattered potholes. If you’re opposed to using live bait a soft plastic tied 18 in. behind a mauler can be just as effective. Kelly Wigglers ball tail shad has become on of my favorite go-to soft plastics. Bone Diamond is this captasin’s choice but they have an assortment of other colors that work great on trout and reds also. Spring is also a sign of the annual drum-run through the coastal bend. Black drum make their way from the south through the landcut and from the north through CC Bay and the ICW on the way to Baffin. These cousins of the redfish family are not the most photographic species of fish in our bay system, but certainly one of the best eating this writer can recommend. With live shrimp on a bottom rig or a pound or so of fresh dead shrimp, one can sometimes make short work of a limit. These black drum can sometimes save the day for none experienced anglers like women and kids just wanting a tug on the end of their line. For the remainder of March and April I will be keying on Trophy Trout fishing in Baffin Bay. Water temperatures already reaching the upper 60s and getting close to that magical 70-degree mark will make fishing explode in the coming weeks. Don’t miss the boat… Call now to get that fishing get-a-way you’ve been waiting for. 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 361-3343105 or e-mail him at SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail. com. Good luck and Good Fishing.
Texas Style
San Antonio Austin South Texas Houston
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 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
We are fishing again!
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o Spring Break is winding down as I write this! Whew, it was a busy week! I apologize to anyone we were not able to find a fishing trip for during Spring Break. That one week a year there are simply never enough boats to go around. Don’t despair though if you missed it. Spring Break is usually just the very beginning of the fishing season and as the water continues to warm up the bite just gets better. The best of the year is yet to come! It looks like we are in for a good year for all species of lake fish. We have caught lots of nice sized crappie over brush piles so far. The bass are plentiful and getting nice and healthy and hungry. Catfish have already got quite a following among the local fishermen. The stripers and hybrids coming in from our fishing trips are nice and round too. Everything is feeding well, growing and spawning like mad. We even had a bunch of needle nosed gar that spent 3 days spawning on a shallow rock pile by my house. It is so good to see the lake coming full circle after the drought. Now we are coming to the best part. The lake is healed up, fertile and nurturing the fish populations. We see that pattern often in lakes that were very low and had rebounding lake levels. Some of the largest fish we have seen in a long time will be caught in the next few years. For the lakes that are still suffering low water levels, hang in there. The rain will come and your lake will come back better than ever too. It is a wonderful thing to see the lakes seeming to bloom right along with the fresh new leaves on the trees and the abundance of wildflowers. Hill Country
Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrushes are fantastic this year! You have some time to get out and catch fish and see the country side at its best. Just don’t wait too long to make reservations because things are booking up early this year. If you need Mother’s Day or Father’s Day trips or one for your graduate this summer you need to be calling before someone else does! We always enjoy seeing the families that visit us at least once a year. We get to see the kids learn to fish and grow up fishing and spending good family time on the water. These days we all get so busy that those trips are priceless and we feel lucky to be able to help make them happen. Nothing compares to the happy squeals and hollers of a kid when we yell, “fish on!!!” and watch the fun begin!
Bee Electric from Elgin, TX
Half or Full Day Fishing Trips All Bait, Tackle & Equipment Furnished
Ken Milam Guide Service (325) 379-2051 www.striperfever.com
Submitted to Construction News
A hole new obsession
Dallas/Fort Worth editor Melissa Jones-Meyer has covered enough golf tournaments for Construction News to recognize that golf-obsessed glint in the players’ eyes, so she could immediately tell when her son Avery had the golfing bug bad. Since taking lessons at First Tee of Fort Worth last summer with practice most weekends, the 11-year-old helped his school’s golf team win first place in his very first tournament last month. Requests have already been put in with Mom to replace their home’s lawn with synthetic turf. –mjm
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
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Photo fin-ish
Pretty fly!
Scoggins managed to be both photographer and subject, with the sunset providing gorgeous backlighting.
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lpha Industries LLC’s COO Jason Scoggins recently did a little Fort Worth fishing, and managed to capture the moment in an unconventional way. “After work, I go fishing by myself,” Scoggins says. “I was fishing one night, and a thunderstorm rolled in, so I waited on the storm to pass. I’m an advocate of snapping pics of sunrises and sunsets, and this sunset was just awesome.” Scoggins wanted a photo, but faced a dilemma. “Being by myself, I thought I wouldn’t be able to get a picture of myself fishing, but could get a picture of the sunset,” he says. “But I propped my phone up on the tackle box and got the angle just right. I turned on the video, skimmed through the video, found the best image, paused it and took a screen shot of it. I got some really awesome photos that way and entered them in some contests. I didn’t win yet, but me being me, I believe in myself and think I should!” he jokes. Even if he doesn’t win the contest, he still got a prize. On the same evening, Scoggins caught an 8.3 lb. bass with a top
water “horny toad” lure. He nabbed the bass right by the bank, took a photo as best as he could with a phone in one hand and a flopping fish in another, weighed his catch and released it back into the waters. –mjm
A remote control controls Bernier’s plane.
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t was a 13-month labor of love! Nick Bernier, chief operations officer at Burgess Construction Consultants Inc. in Richardson, built this P-47 remote controlled airplane from scratch as well as painted it. The plane boasts a 102-in. wingspan, weighs 52 lbs. and runs off of an 11 horsepower gas engine. Bernier recently took to the skies at the North Dallas RC Field. –mjm
Scoggins’ bass wasn’t in the mood to pose for a photo …
Let’s talk turkey
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on’t get your feathers ruffled if you have a hard time getting some gobblers this spring. Biologists with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) say Texas Rio Grande wild turkey numbers are way up, thanks to well-timed rainfall and cooler summer conditions over the years. The conditions have been optimal for turkey reproduction and recruitment, which means that many areas where turkeys were lost due to drought are seeing a comeback. While more turkeys may seem like great news for hunters, the early spring green-up and abundance of hens this year may impact breeding behavior and make them not as willing to come to the call this season. Apparently, flocks are already beginning to break up and the toms have been strutting for a few weeks now. “That means many hens could become interested in breeding near opening day of the season, effectively hampering a hunter’s chance of luring love-struck gobblers,” Jason Hardin, TPWD Upland Game Bird Program specialist, says. “If you do go early in the season, some of the best hunting could be mid-day after hens split off from males. However, by mid-season most of the hens should be bred and incubating eggs, leaving a large number of mature gobblers looking for love. Also, if conditions remain mild and if we get in a few more timely rain events, Texas can expect another good year of nesting and
populations growth.” Turkey season for the Rio Grande – North Zone runs April 1- May 14. –mjm
The plane is actually taller than Bernier!
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
Successful seasons!
lobus Management Group’s director of business development Joe Veach and president Jason Turner have enjoyed success in the recent hunting and fishing season. Both men caught some redfish in February this year on Trinity Bay near Baytown, with big plans to fill up their coolers with loads of speckled trout, reds and flounder when they fish at the new riverfront cabin this year. Veach also pulled a 20 lb. black drum from the Bay area waters near Anahuac, TX, took a 12-pt buck on his Ring Gold, TX ranch and faced off with a 450 lb. monster boar hog that had been tilling up his land. –mjm
Veach also scored in this 20 lb. black drum from the Bay area near Anahuac, TX.
Jason Turner’s redfish Veach took this 12pt. buck on his ranch.
Submitted to Construction News
Reaching higher
Joe Veach reeled in this redfish.
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Veach also took down this 450 lb. monster boar hog that had been tilling up his ranch land.
Veach found that Broken Bow, OK had some good rainbow trout.
Oldie but goodie
lassics never go out of style! This stunner, which made a red carpet appearance at Texas AirSystems’ 10th anniversary party on Mar. 2 at the company’s Dallas office, drew plenty of appreciative glances from the guests. Company owner Rusty Vaughn is an avid fan and collector of cars, so it’s no surprise that a maroon 1931 Ford Vicki Street Rod made an appearance at the event. –mjm 1931 Ford Vicki Street Rod. This Ford Vicky is from auto-lover Rusty Vaughn’s personal car collection.
Joshua Knox, owner of Alden Roofing, climbs the mountains during a trip to the company’s location in El Paso. –cw
Submitted to Construction News
Clay play
Tina Reeves, project manager at The Reynolds Company, says she loves to shoot clays and practices in Leander at Eagle Peak Range. –cw
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
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A safe bet
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fter 20 years of talk and time spent working for other companies, childhood pals Daniel Trevino and Richard Gonzalez finally founded their own electrical contracting business, Safe Electric, last May. “It’s always been our dream to be in charge, run a company and see what we can grow,” Trevino says. “I was hoping it would have started a little sooner, but better late than never. You have to make sure you’re prepared and have a solid foundation before you get out there.” Gonzalez agrees. “It’s always been a goal of ours to establish something that we could take the best of all of the great practices that we’ve observed, combine those together and build up our dream,” he says. “We want to be successful by having a good safety program, standing behind our word with a quality background and a high level of integrity. We want to build our reputation and get ourselves out there along with some of the larger guys we’ve known for years.” Owner/master electrician Trevino and co-owner/general manager Gonzalez oversee a journeyman and six apprentices, and safety is paramount. “We all have families we want to go home to, so it’s not just about us,” Gonzalez says. “It’s about looking out for our employees, making sure they look out for folks that aren’t necessarily a part of our team, people we partner with out on the trade.” Trevino and Gonzalez look forward to creating company traditions, such as barbecues and holiday parties, they celebrated with former employers. In the meantime, they just want to build the best business possible. “It’s the American Dream to start something from a garage as we did, grow into an office space and then into a big
corporation,” Trevino says. “That’s the plan. We definitely want to set milestones and make it happen. There’s no feeling like it to know that you started where we’re at and took it to the level where we’re going.” Electrical contractor Safe Electric in Fort Worth specializes in new construction and renovations for light commercial projects. –mjm Safe Electric’s Daniel Trevino and Richard Gonzalez
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
What was the first thing you bought with your own money? The first thing I bought with my own money was a Soundesign stereo system for my room. With six brothers and sisters, we did not have any type of stereo system, and I really wanted one. It was an 8-track player stereo system. A lot of folks reading this won’t know what the heck an 8-track player is, but the more “mature” readers will, indeed. Gregory Cokinos, Cokinos I Young
A 1997 Mustang. It wasn’t a good choice. Kevin Robin Air Today Heating & Cooling
My first job was as a busboy at a Cheeburger Cheeburger in Alabama. I was in high school, so I probably bought CDs, clothing, food and gas. Joel Dutton, TDIndustries
I bought myself a leather jacket. I always wanted one, and my dad said that I would have to pay for it with my own money. Every now and then, I would be looking for it and my dad would be sneaking out of the door wearing it! Greg Greer, Trades Masters
I bought my mother some flowers in appreciation for what she had done for me. My father died when I was 11, and she had to bring three children up on her own. She made doll dresses to sell to the toy shops, and my brother and I did chores around the neighborhood. I had to leave school at 16 to work, and my first paycheck bought her a bunch of flowers because I knew she liked them. Paul Roth Lighting & Power Technologies LLC I’ve been financially independent since I was 16, so the money was probably to pay the gas in my truck. Wes Stevenson Dark Horse Metal Works When I had my first disposable money, I bought a DJ mixer. I now have a side event company and I DJ events. Stevie Ray Stephenson, Floor & Décor I think the first money I saved up bought my aunt’s Corrolla for $500. It ran until I got rid of it. Brian Gutzler, NOW Specialties Inc. I bought a Walkman cassette player, which shows you how old I am! My first cassette was Van Halen’s 1984. Doug Markle, Sheffield Metals International
I had to buy a bicycle because my dad ran over mine. I had to earn my own money to pay for it because I left the bike in the driveway. I picked and sold blackberries by the gallon to pay for my bicycle. David Haltom, Door Control Services Inc.
I bought a green Pontiac; I had to save up for a year to get $2000 for it. Rachel Rowan, AC Services A BB gun when I was about 11. We don’t want to talk about all of the things shot with the BB gun. Luther Burnham Equinox Louvered Roofs of South Texas I bought a 1976 Dodge Colt - $300 to drive it, $2,000 for the insurance! It was worth every penny. Dan Walker, TDIndustries Car parts for an Acura Integra to make it faster. Kevin Ulshafer Modu-Loc Fence Rentals
Industry FOLKS Donna Hauptmann,
Kitchen Designer/ Sales Representative ProCraft Cabinetry Dallas
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ovelist George Eliot once mused that it’s never to late to be what you might have been, and Donna Hauptmann is a true testament to that. When the former Harker Heights, TX flower shop owner found herself going through some major life changes, she decided to take control and pursue a college degree. “I originally thought interior design was my passion but I realized after reading some information about the University of North Texas’ merchandising program that that’s what I really wanted,” Hauptmann says. “So, I worked toward a merchandising degree with a focus on kitchen and bath design.” It definitely wasn’t the easiest path: She was a single mom of two sons and was working while trying to squeeze in studying and classes. “It was tough because I worked fulltime at the university and took classes during the day on my lunch hour and at night,” Hauptmann says. “There are times when homework to me was a really bad word, but I got through it. Honestly, once you plug in and just decide you’re not going to
stop, it happens before you know it. It was a good experience.” The 55-year-old minored in marketing, earned a retail certificate and graduated last May with a 3.2 grade point average – six years after she decided to pursue a degree. She currently puts her new degree to good use designing kitchens and baths at ProCraft Cabinetry Dallas. “We work with a program called “2020” which caters to the kitchen and bath industry,” she says. “Contractors and designers send me their measurements and room layout and I plug cabinets in, make them look pretty and add design elements.” Even though those six years weren’t easy ones, Hauptmann insists she wouldn’t change a thing. “I love it. I’m very happy to be working in this industry,“ Hauptmann says with a smile. “It’s what I’ve wanted to do for a long time.” ProCraft Cabinetry is a cabinet distributor. –mjm
Hot wheels. I helped my great-uncle painting one of his rent houses and he gave me $20. I went down to the store and bought some Hot Wheels with it, but I was so disappointed because I couldn’t get the carrying case and all of the cars I wanted. Marc Punjak, Lone Star Synthetic Turf A ’64 F-85 Cutlass Supreme, the first car I could afford. It cost me $400, and I stacked hay a whole summer to earn it. I had the car a week and put it into a wall. Jeff Shannon, Carrier
A WIC in progress
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he National Association of Women (NAWIC) celebrates the advancement of women in construction year-round. But in March, the chapters roll out several days’ worth of high-energy events for its “Women In Construction” (WIC) Week. NAWIC’s Dallas chapter hosted five events March 6-11 to honor and raise awareness of women’s accomplishments in their field, recruit new members and, best of all, have fun! The week’s events kicked off Mar. 6, when NAWIC’s Dallas and Fort Worth chapters enjoyed a joint event at HILTI in Irving. The members and guests had an opportunity to scope out the company’s newest tools and promote NAWIC to others. On March 7, the group boot-scooted down to Dallas’ Eddie Deen’s Ranch for
the Hard Hat Construction Expo. More than 80 exhibitors set up booths in the rustic setting to promote their products and services. The next day, the ladies enjoyed a presentation and jobsite tour of the Toyota Corporate Headquarters in Plano. Austin Commercial, which served as the project’s general contractor, hosted the outing for the members. On Friday, the Dallas chapter assembled at PSA2 - Plano Sports Authority for a “sports flooring” demo and lunch, The final day of WIC Week, Mar. 11, NAWIC’s Fort Worth and Dallas chapters joined again at Irving’s Home Depot for a Do-It-Yourself outdoor lighting workshop, followed by lunch at Irving’s On The Border Mexican Grill. –mjm
NAWIC members had the opportunity to network at the Hard Hat Construction Expo at Eddie Deen’s.
The ladies were treated to a sports flooring demo and lunch at Plano Sports Authority.
NAWIC’s Dallas and Fort Worth chapters gathered at Home Depot for a DIY outdoor lighting workshop.
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
THIS TH MON
Page 17
Women in in Construction Women Construction Being a woman in industry is positive Paula Pacanins, President Container King Denton, TX
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hat has been your experience as a woman working in the construction industry? In my experience, it has been overwhelmingly positive. I feel that if you come in and you know your product and you are providing great customer service, that’s really all they’re looking for. [Customers] don’t care if the company is a woman-owned company or a male-owned company. They never ask that question. They really just want to know that you can follow up on the promises that you made and that you are going to provide them with a quality product. What advice would you have for women who want to start their own businesses in the construction industry? I would advise them to go for it. We hear a lot about how women are at a disadvantage but I don’t really see that. I feel that if a woman works hard and provides the same quality product as a male-owned company, she’ll have the same opportunity. Don’t let the perception that women are at a disadvantage cause you to stop from fulfilling your dreams. What resources are available to
women who would like to start their own businesses? There are amazing resources. For instance, in the city of Dallas, there is a center that helps historically underutilized businesses. Companies who are owned by women, minorities and veterans can utilize this, which gives them the resources they need to be able to take advantage of the contracts that are out there for women. My business isn’t quite woman-certified yet, but I’m almost there, and often when I share that with government entities, many of them are looking for female-owned companies to do business with. My thought is to get that certification as quickly as you can
Construction is a relationship business Catherine Case Larson, Business Development Director DCA Construction Austin, TX
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ow did you get into the construction industry? After I spent 23 years in surgical sales in the Dallas area, my husband and I moved to Austin. I took a hiatus from working for 13 years, and then took a position with Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) Central Texas Chapter as the marketing director and membership sales. That’s where I met Randy Don Carlos, one of the founders of DCA Construction. It took me five months of persistence to get him to join ABC and that tenaciousness impressed him! He called one day and said, we need to do lunch, and offered me a job. I’ve been here three years and my nickname is “The Bird Dog”! What do you enjoy about working in the construction business? The common denominator from surgical sales to construction is I mostly work with men. A bonus is that I’m really enjoying networking with other women in commercial construction, as well. It’s a fabulous field and I’m enjoying the heck out of this. I love building relationships and that’s so important in this field. It’s phenomenal! I really love introducing people to new contacts and networking.
field and a really diverse group of people. One thing I learned in a course on entrepreneurship at SMU that has been invaluable to me is to know your strengths and weaknesses. For example, when I walked into DCA brand new, I didn’t know what a tilt wall was. I was naïve but I learned by listening and asking questions. Once you learn, you will be constantly learning. I’ve also been very involved with taking our safety courses. It’s important because you never know when you are on a job site if you will need those skills.
Have you faced any specific challenges as a woman in the construction industry? I would say that once an individual realizes that I have the knowledge, the respect comes. At first, they might look at you and think, who is this? But, I’ve made it a mission to learn what I need to know to be knowledgeable. Once you are introduced and they can tell you know what you are talking about, it is not intimidating. There are a lot of smart people in this
What advice can you offer women who are thinking about a career in the construction field? I would say, go for it! The daughter of DCA’s other founder, George Allen, is here now, doing an internship while she is on spring break and for the upcoming summer break. Haeli is studying construction management. It’s a tremendous field with a lot of opportunities. –cw
and then start taking advantage of those contracts and get the word out that you are woman-certified. That means a lot of business. Have you found associations to be helpful for women? I have found that networking does make a difference and you can meet a lot of people fast if you belong to associations. Honestly, I wish I could network more but I am so busy. How would you encourage women to broaden their knowledge of owning a business or working in the industry? There’s so much knowledge out there. My advice would be to read a lot of books. I try to read one or two books every month. I make notes and try to take an idea from every book I read and implement it into what I’m doing. I love Napoleon Hill’s How to Win Friends and Influence People; I reread that book as many times as I can. I think it’s about just life lessons in general; it’s a good book. I try to read every newspaper I can get my hands on and I try to watch every news station. I don’t like to focus on one; my thought is to listen to every one of them and form my own opinions.
What lessons have you learned along the way? Every time you make a mistake, don’t let it get you down. Just keep going. There are a lot of pitfalls, and no one really knows what to tell you and what to do. You just learn as you go. One good thing is my partner and I never took a loan; we sat down and said, “We’re just going to build our capital by focusing on sales first.” I do believe that’s why you don’t see us on all of the job sites; we didn’t have the money to go out and invest in containers to put on the job sites. But for the last three years we have just focused on selling, selling, selling and every bit of that money is reinvested into our inventory so that we could have inventory to put out on the job sites. What do you hope the future holds for your business? My competitors are at all of the construction sites. I’d love it if I could drive down any street in the Metroplex and I could see Container King containers on all of the job sites. That would be my dream. Container King offers mobile offices and containers for construction job sites. – mjm
If you would like to represent your company in your industry, call your Dallas/Fort Worth Editor for an Interview Melissa Jones-Meyer 817-731-4823
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
Women in Construction Opening the gates for women Jordon Brown, Gate Assistant Manager/ Marketing Coordinator Quality Fence & Welding Company San Antonio, TX
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t 28 years old, Jordon Brown has been with Quality Fence & Welding since November 2012. After spending her first five months with the company as the receptionist, she has moved up to gate dispatcher/ marketing assistant to her current position as marketing coordinator and assistant gate department manager. Having spent nearly five years working in the construction industry, Brown recently shared the insights she has into being a young woman in a construction office and the field.
I just stumbled upon a job opportunity at Quality Fence & Welding; the environment here is very inviting and we were a perfect fit. I can’t say I chose the career as much as the career chose me!
What is your background in the construction industry? I had no background in the construction industry when I started at Quality Fence & Welding. The company took a chance on me and now I sit on the ASA board and attend events for organizations ranging from AGC to the San Antonio Apartment Association and in between. I would like to think that I have become the staple among young females in the construction industry.
How would you describe your experience working in the industry as a young woman? Working in a male-dominated industry is challenging some days, but as a young female, I have found that these men have such valuable knowledge, and if you are willing to listen and learn, they are willing to teach.
Why did you choose a career in the construction industry?
What opportunities has the industry given you to broaden your horizons or take on new challenges? It is not so much the construction industry as it is Quality Fence & Welding,
Room for growth for women in construction Erin Stansell, Project Manager Tellepsen Houston, TX
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hen talking to project manager Erin Stansell, one gets the feeling she has a passion for every project she undertakes at Tellepsen, a commercial, industrial and concrete construction firm. Stansell tackles the day to day plans of working with contractors and money scheduling. But the construction industry is also an area where young women can forge a successful career in management and in the field. Mentoring young students is part of the ongoing change. How did you get started in construction? When did you decide this was the career for you? A high school program called Explorers. They introduced you to careers that you might fit into from career testing results. Construction was a good fit. But I thought ‘construction?’ Yet once I learned more and did some job sharing in high school I realized that’s what I wanted to do. The whole of seeing that I could be part of something that was a tangible result at the end of the project appealed to me. That was fulfilling for me. Eventually I majored in engineering, but found out that Purdue had a construction management program. So I quickly switched to that in my freshman year and that’s the rest of the story.
So are you a planner and an organizer by nature? Yes. I knew when I put on the hardhat and stepped out into the field. Part of what I do now is I help with the Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program of America here in Houston. It’s great to introduce high school students to the construction field. I would never have known about a career I love if I didn’t have an introduction at a young age. Did you have a mentor? There’s not one specific mentor. I can definitely say I’ve had so many. What are the benefits for women pursuing a career in construction? There’s a lot of opportunity out there for good jobs and the ability to grow a career. Even in management. There’s another side of construction in management, but there’s also a lot of opportunities in the field as well.
especially Craig Noto and TJ Howard, that have allowed me to become versed in a very specific trade of cameras, automatic gates and alarms. This technology is ever evolving, allowing me to gain knowledge and speak confidently about the products. I would have never known all of these items if Craig and TJ had not seen my potential and taken a chance on me. Plus, handling the marketing for the company, I am able to attend events and network within the construction industry. What are the advantages younger women might find in pursuit of a career in the industry? As young females, we have the advantage that we are eager and willing to learn! Women want to be independent and like a challenge. It also helps that women have a certain “state” about us that brightens any job site! What specific challenges have you faced as a young woman in the industry and how have you overcome those challenges? Most challenges that I have seen and experienced are men on sites taking a female, especially a young one, seriously. However, it is not hard to overcome that stigma as long as you know your stuff! The stigma of women in the construction industry 10 years ago was definitely more challenging, but with more women earning degrees in the field and being on job sites, those stigmas are
How quickly can women move up the ladder? If it’s something you love and you put a lot of effort into it, you can move up quickly. I saw quick growth because I was ready to learn and listened and worked really hard. So, if you want to put a lot of effort into it I think there are a lot of opportunities out there. What challenges have you seen? There’s a lot to construction. It’s a lot of work. It’s an ongoing learning process. It’s a short schedule where people want a lot built in a short amount of time. It’s always a challenge meeting deadlines! I’ve seen a lot more areas in skilled trades out in the field, like women becoming electricians and plumbers. There is a tremendous amount of growth in these fields. Also there is growth in management. I see companies starting to see the benefit of having both men and women in management. Trade schools are a good start, too. You don’t have to go to a four-year school but you can make just as much if not more than some people who are in management. They have a lucrative career, but you can also have an equally lucrative career in the trades. And you can work into management positions from there. What is your advice to young women today? I would steer them towards what their interests are, such as do they like architectural engineering, for example, or are they interested in going to trade school. Construction is one of the indus-
fading. It’s allowing us young females to walk on a job site and be acknowledged. So thank you to all of those women who paved the way for us women today! How has being a part of the construction community changed or influenced your life as well as your perception of the industry? The construction industry is such a small world; most people use the analogy of “six degrees of separation of Kevin Bacon,” but in the construction industry it is more like three degrees! It’s not just an industry; it is a family! Everyone knows everyone, and we all band together in order to build this amazing city and state. Members of the construction industry look out for each other, and that’s what makes it such a unique field. If anything, I am the lucky one to be part of this family! What are your goals for your future in the industry? My goals are simple: to do the best job that I can each and every day and appreciate every day to the fullest – that is embracing the good with the bad. Be respectful, eager, knowledgeable and up for a challenge because no job site goes exactly to plan! You can only continue to grow in the construction industry, if you continue to grow you as a person. Quality Fence & Welding does commercial and residential fencing and welding, as well as access controls. –mh
tries that have the least amount of wage disparity. Not only do you get paid better, you are choosing a job that has a skill that pays better than many entry level jobs. Are there networking groups for women wanting to go into the construction field? NAWIC (National Association for Women in Construction) is a great place for women to network. One of the things I appreciate about NAWIC and being involved in the network there is getting to know professional contacts. They are focusing on getting both men and women into the construction industry and they provide scholarships too. There is scholarship money available and it can be used toward college or trade school. The more people are involved, that will give you more people to mentor. Yes! The construction field can be a very rewarding career. If someone likes schedules, and they are organized and like numbers, this could be a good career move for them. Then there’s the project management route, which is a great career choice. You can utilize your skill set and do a job that you love. Experience or education – which is most important? Experience is a huge factor. Even though many companies are requiring more education, it’s good to ultimately build respect within the industry for you as a person, and it comes from the knowledge you gained through experience. –dh
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
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Submitted to Construction News
Brand reconstruction
Green party
L-R: Gregory Cokinos and Marc Young
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C1S Group in Dallas made Mar. 17 twice as nice with a combo NCAA Tournament/St. Patrick’s Day celebration! –mjm
Contractors visit Vegas
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he 98th annual convention of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) was held Mar. 7-9 in Las Vegas in conjunction with CONEXPO-CON/AGG. Each day featured a silent auction as well as educational sessions on a variety of subjects from “Are Schools Really a Viable Talent Pipeline?” to “Lean Into BIM: BIM Only Works if it is Profitable.” The convention also included exhibit booths, the Willis Towers Watson Construction Safety Excellence Awards Breakfast, the Alliant Build America Awards Luncheon, and the AGC in the Community Awards. “We had well over 2,500 attendees, incredible speakers, a lot of energy, and probably one of the youngest crowds we have ever seen,” says Brian Turmail, senior executive director of public affairs for AGC of America. –mh
local construction and real estate law firm is getting a new look. Cokinos I Young, formerly known as Cokinos, Bosien & Young, not only has a new name but has rolled out a new logo and website. It’s a fresh image for the 28-year-old firm, which has grown from a single Houston office to employ more than 60 attorneys in additional Austin, Dallas and San Antonio locations. The change comes as longtime partner Brian Bosien scales back and shifts from private practice work to in-house counseling, as Gregory Cokinos and Marc Young remain as the firm’s leadership. With law firm branding trending toward logo recognition and multiplename firms using one name, it was perfect timing to rebrand the firm. “We went with a one-name brand – ‘Cokinos.’ It makes it easier for recognition,” Cokinos says. “It’s made it fresh and interesting, and we’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from our clients. We went live on Mar. 1, which we did a day before the construction law conference the state
bar puts on; the timing was purposeful.” While the brand has changed, the firm’s national reach as a fully vertically integrated construction and real estate law firm remains the same. Both Cokinos and Young have built strong reputations in their field since the firm’s establishment. Cokinos, who manages the firm, was the first Houston attorney inducted into the American College of Construction Lawyers. He founded the Construction Law Journal in 2002 and serves as its editor. He also is a Thomson Reuters-ranked Top 100 Super Lawyer in the State of Texas and is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Young left Houston in 2007 to help local principal Stephanie O’Rourke establish the firm’s San Antonio office and grew it into one of the area’s largest law firms, especially in the concentration on construction law. Young now manages the firm’s Austin office and is board certified in personal injury trial law by the Texas board of legal specialization. Cokinos I Young offers legal services for public and private sector clients. –mjm
Submitted to Construction News HILTI
Kubota Tractor Corporation
Survey says … new board!
The Texas Society of Professional Surveyors recently swore in its 2017 board of directors. Pictured, back, L-R: Jamie Gillis, director; Mike Hoover, director; Joe Breaux, director; L.A. “Bud” Thompson, director; Doug Turner, president elect; Philip Adams, director; and J.S. “Stan” Piper, director; front, L-R: John Barnard, vice president; Bill O’Hara, secretary/treasurer; Trisha Lund, director; Jerry Lehew, president; Heather Sides, director; and Paul Carey, past president. Not pictured: Robby Christopher, director; David Klotz, director; and J.D. Davis, director. –cw
Construction News ON LOCATION
It’s a breeze!
At the Willis Towers Watson/AGC Construction Safety Excellence Awards breakfast, Skiles Group placed first in the Construction Management division for companies with under 150,000 annual work hours.
Mechanical technician Edgar Bonilla has worked for Best A.C. Service in Lake Worth for seven years. Although the Metroplex summers haven’t gotten much easier, the air conditioner installations have! –mjm
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
Mardi party!
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exas AirSystems celebrated its 10th anniversary with a blowout Mardi Gras party. Hosted at the company’s Dallas office on Mar. 2, the event featured live music, games, exhibitor booths, face painting, show girls, cheerleaders, a juggler, food and prizes galore. The highlight of the evening came when Texas AirSystems made generous donations to the American Heart Association and Minnie’s Food Pantry. –mjm
continued from Page 1 — Built on friendship we’re going to work in this production facility and do a lot of process piping and welding. We’ve turned a bit and are doing more with equipment, equipment installation and more millwright-related work than straight welding.” Both feel lucky to have assembled a solid group of employees, and say they founded Alpha Industries LLC with the hope that employees could take pride in themselves and their work. “I think that sometimes the blue collar industry is looked down upon,” COO Scoggins says. “To further emphasize that, I think some in the blue collar trade don’t really excel to the best of their level. We wanted to create a company where people who wanted to excel in their trade and their profession could do that, which would further allow us to raise the bar in the quality and the integrity of work in the blue collar industrial community.” “We really want to give back [to our employees],” Henckell says. “We don’t have jobs if the guys aren’t on board and
firing on all cylinders. We want to give back to the community too. We’ve seen guys come in as apprentices that in a two–year turnaround have led jobs. We’d like to continue that.” Scoggins says that speaking with trade program students at local colleges and training people who lack trade experience are two ways they give back to the industry. As for the future, Henckell would like the company to grow naturally, sustain its quality of services and provide work consistency for employees. Scoggins isn’t interested in having a large-scale company, per se, but is hoping to give the “big guys” reason to sit up and take notice. “I’d like to get on their radar a bit,” Scoggins says. “I’d like them to ask, ‘Hey, who are these underdogs?’ and allow our employees to take pride in the fact that they work for us and are producing quality work.” Fort Worth subcontractor Alpha Industries LLC specializes in equipment installation, manufacturing and structural welding. –mjm
Texas AirSystems’ owner Rusty Vaughn, AAON’s Gary Fields, Temtrol’s John Habe and Texas AirSystems President and CEO Jerry Braun
continued from Page 1 — Incredible elevator for Dallas
TECO Metal Products was an exhibitor at the event.
in a building. “The one we are going to build in Dallas will top 4,000 ft., easily taller than the 2,074-ft Shanghai Tower and the 2,165 ft. The Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, currently under construction,” McDonald says. “Guests will have an option of taking the slow ascent, in order to take advantage of the views, or for those daredevils seeking a thrill, they can choose the other option which will take them up to the top at a rate of 100 ft. per second and when they get to the top, they will be propelled into the atmosphere. Of course, they will be outfitted with parachutes for a safe landing afterwards.” When asked what would happen if the wrong button was pushed and guests without parachutes ended up on the fast run into airspace, McDonald said
a helicopter with a catchall basket will always be on standby at the top for wayward, free falling tourists. Where will the next greatest Dallas attraction be located and when will it be available for that maiden journey? McDonald says the curious will just have to wait until next April Fool’s Day to find that out! Gotcha! –cw About the photo: thyssenkrupp is actually in the design process of bringing MULTI, the world’s first rope-free elevator that will harness the power of linear motor technology to move multiple cars in a single shaft both vertically and horizontally. This part is not an April Fool’s joke – thyssenkrupp has actually built a test facility in Germany, pictured, to design and build this new elevator technology.
continued from Page 1 — Worthy of a pedal tion, says. “MGS installed both components completely independent of one another to keep warranties valid.” In addition to trying to work ahead of any rain, another challenge was that the materials chosen and specified were not stocked with local suppliers. The team had to account for a small delay as they waited for the materials to arrive in Dallas. Even with the delay, the team accom-
plished the project in short order, beginning the project in February and completing it in March. “We are honored to serve our client on this and his 190-plus properties. MGS pushes for effective communication to better ourselves and in return provide a great service to our clients,” Wygal says. General contractor, commercial roofer and fall safety expert, MGS Construction is located in Duncanville. –mjm
L-R: Kelly Conley, Corenet’s J.J. Williams and Bill Conley
L-R: JQ’s Stephen Lucy, Phoenix I’s Travis Sellers and JQ’s Mark LeMay
Texas AirSystems made donations to Minnie’s Food Pantry and the American Heart Association (pictured).
The best gift
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hirty years is a long time,” Bill Conley mused wistfully as he stood in front of 250 guests in his Irving office’s building. “And for a 63-year-old, it’s a really long time!” Conley had reason to reflect: The Conley Group, his building envelope consulting company, was celebrating 30 years of success with a blowout party Feb. 21, three decades to the day that he established the company (and which also happened to be his birthday). “In those 30 years, we’ve been blessed to do a lot of good things and truly hang out with lot of good people, which is the blessing of all of it,” Conley said as he looked around the room. “It’s almost overwhelming, to have the friendship, the relationships, the support and love that we get. I thank every one of you very much from the bottom of my heart.” –mjm Bill Conley welcomes guests.
The Kovacs Groups’ Chris Plumlee, Velvet Delaune, Conley Group’s Gerald Delaune and Supreme Roofing Systems’ Craig Rainey
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
Page 21
Association Calendar
Content submitted by Associations to Construction News AIA - Dallas American Institute of Architects
Apr. 6: RETROSPECT 2017: PIRCH Party, PIRCH at NorthPark Center, 8687 N Central Expy., Dallas, 6pm Apr. 10: AIA Dallas/ACME Brick Golf Tournament, Texas Star Golf Course, 1400 Texas Star Pwy., Euless, 10:30am Apr. 17: Firmly Feud, The Foundry, 2303 Pittman St., Dallas, 6pm
Apr. 24: 33rd Annual Golf Tournament, Diamond Oaks Country Club, 5821 Diamond Oaks Dr. N., Ft. Worth, 11:30am
NTRCA N. Tx Roofing Contractors Assn
Apr. 12: Meeting, International Bowling Museum, 621 Six Flags, Dr., Arlington, 11:30am
NUCA North Texas
ASCE
National Utility Contractors Assn
American Society of Civil Engineers
Apr. 21: Awards Night, Globe Life Park, 1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington, 6pm
Apr. 17: Branch meeting, Ruth’s Chris, 813 Main St., Ft. Worth, 11:45am
PHCC
Round-Up Hill & Wilkinson General Contractors announces the promotion of Matt Shem to vice president division manager of special projects. Shem will oversee all division operations including business development, client relationships, scheduling, budgeting and his team’s performance. Shem joined the company 11 years ago as a project engineer and previously held the project manager and group manager roles in Special Projects. He graduated from Northern Michigan University with a degree in Construction Management.
Round-Up Submissions
Brief company announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of charge, as space allows. Submit Info & Photo: DFWeditor@ConstructionNews.net ( (871) 731-4823
ASA North Texas
Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors
American Subcontractors Association
Apr. 20: Golf tournament, Sherrill Park Golf Club, 2001 E. Lookout Dr., Richardson
Submitted to Construction News
PMI Dallas
Glass is in (po)session
Apr. 21-22: ASA/TEXO Bass Classic, Lake Fork Marina, 275 Co Rd. 1558, Alba, 4pm Apr. 27: Meeting, Las Colinas Country Club, Texas Star, 1400 Texas Star Pkwy, Euless, 11:30am
ASSE Fort Worth Construction Education Foundation
Apr. 18: Chapter meeting, University of Texas – Arlington (Ft. Worth campus), 1401 Jones St., Ft. Worth, 11:30am
CFMA Construction Financial Mgmt Assn
Apr. 6: Construction Financial Professional of the Year Awards, Hackberry Creek Country Club, 1901 W Royal Ln., Irving, 5:30pm
Project Management Institute
Apr. 13: Meeting, Brookhaven Country Club, 3333 Golfing Green Dr., Farmers Branch, 6:30pm
PMI Fort Worth Project Management Institute
Apr. 13: Professional networking, Blue Mesa Grill, 612 Carroll St., Ft. Worth, 5pm
RCAT Roofing Contractors of Texas
Apr. 27-29: Annual fishing tournament and quarterly membership meeting, Woody’s Sport Center, Port Aransas
CMAA
SAM
Construction Management Assn of N.Tx.
Subcontractors Assn. of the Metroplex
Apr. 25: Top Golf Spring Scholarship Event, 5:30pm
Apr. 6: Meeting, MCM Elegante Hotel, 2330 W. Northwest Hwy., Dallas, 11am
CSI Fort Worth
SFPE DFW
Construction Management Assn of N.Tx
Society of Fire Protection Engineers
Apr. 11: Meeting, Michael’s Cuisine & Ancho Chile Bar, 3413 W 7th St., Ft. Worth, 5:30pm
Apr. 3: Meeting, Double Tree Hotel, 4099 Valley View Ln., Farmers Branch, 11:30am
DACA
Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Assn
DFW Drywall & Acoustical Contractors
Apr. 27: Spring Golf Tournament, Bear Creek Golf Club, Grapevine, 11:30am
Apr. 17: Golf tournament, Waterchase Golf Course, 8951 Creek Run Rd., Ft. Worth, 11am
FSCATX Fire S prinkler Assn of Texas
Apr. 20: Dallas regional meeting, 11am
ICRI - NT Int’l Concrete Repair Institute
Apr. 14: 3rd Annual Sporting Clay Classic, Dallas Gun Club, Lewisville
IEC - Dallas Independent Electrical Contractors
Apr. 13: Tom Jones Memorial Golf Tournament, Texas Star Golf Course, 1400 Texas Star Pkwy., Euless
IEC - Fort Worth Independent Electrical Contractors
Apr. 13: Tom Jones Memorial Golf Tournament, Texas Star Golf Course, 1400 Texas Star Pkwy., Euless
NARI Nat’l Assn. of the Remodeling Industry
Apr. 11: NARI Night at the Jarrell, 2651 Fondren Dr., Dallas, 6pm Apr. 27: Women in NARI, Blue Mesa Grill, 14866 Montfort Dr., Dallas, 11:30am
NAWIC - Dallas Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction
Apr. 7-9: South Central Region Spring Forum, Dallas
NAWIC - Fort Worth Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction
Apr. 7-9: South Central Region Spring Forum, Dallas Apr. 20: Chapter meeting, Diamond Oaks Country Club, 5821 Diamond Oaks Dr. N, Ft. Worth, 5:30pm
L-R: Glass installers Jaime Martinez and Jesus Ortega of Delta Construction Group in Dallas work on new construction and remodeling projects. –mjm
Submitted to Construction News
Viva Las Vegas!
TACCA
TEXO The Construction Association
Apr. 4: TEXO 101/New member breakfast, TEXO Dallas Conference Center, 11111 Stemmons Fwy., Dallas Apr. 21-22: ASA/TEXO Bass Classic, Lake Fork Marina, 275 Co Rd. 1558, Alba, 4pm
TGA Texas Glass Association
Apr. 21-22: Bass fishing tournament, Shiloh on the Lake Resort on Cedar Creek Lake
TLPCA
Several National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) members represented Texas at the NUCA National Convention. Hosted in Las Vegas Mar. 4-6 at the Palms Resort and Casino, attendees enjoyed educational sessions, speakers, team building challenges, and the legendary food! –mjm
Tx Lathing & Plastering Contractors Assn
Submitted to Construction News
Apr. 6: Spring Golf Tournament, Coyote Ridge Golf Club, 1640 W. Hebron Pkwy., Carrollton, 11:30am
On their oath
TPWA Texas Public Works Assn
Apr. 21: NCTB Fishing Tournament, Joe Pool Lake, Lloyd Park, Grand Prairie
TSPE Fort Worth Texas Society of Professional Engineers
Apr. 20: Young Engineer’s Leadership Forum, Chimy’s. 1053 Foch St., Ft. Worth, 2pm
UMCA United Masonry Contractors Assn
Apr. 28: Golf tournament, The Links at Land’s End, 285 Private Rd. 5980, Yantis, TX, 10am
USGBC U.S. Green Building Council
Apr. 21-23: Earth Day Texas, Magnolia Lounge at Fair Park, 1121 First Ave., Dallas, 9:30am
Texas Statewide Construction Credit Group swore in its new board of directors during a general meeting in Austin. Taking their vows were Lori J Drake, president/chairman; Austin LaFaille, CBA vice president; Tami Gardner Behner, secretary ; and Belinda Miller Haynes, treasurer. Committee chairs also took on their roles at the ceremony, including Stephen Wilson, New Member Orientation; Joel N Gloria Macias, Programs and Hospitality; Toby Brutsman, Legislation; Jason Walker and Molly Atlas, Finance; and Audit Susan Viereck Interchange / Ethics Gloria Macias. –cw
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
Expo-nential function
N
etworking was the name of the game at the annual Build Expo. Held Mar. 15-16 at Dallas’ Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, guests had the chance to meet others in their industry, attend workshops and view thousands of construction-related products at more than 100 exhibits. –mjm
FBM
Sheffield Metals International
TDIndustries
NOW Specialties
Galaxy Building Services
Construction News
Lone Star Synthetic Turf
Lighting & Power Technologies LLC
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017
Page 23
Virtual Builders Exchange
HOLT CAT
Air Today Heating & Cooling
Horn Brothers Roofing
Door Control Services
AC Services Heat & Air Conditioning
Carrier
21 LED
Stewart Engineering Supply
Lumber Liquidators
United Site Services
Nsoil
Pave-It
DFW Turf Solutions
Global Roofing Company
Floor & Décor
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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • APR 2017