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Volume 16

Number 5

MAY 2017

Set in stone

Opening the floodgates

L-R: Sunil Palakodati, Layne Fulero and Tim Way are excited about recent and upcoming changes at Architectural Granite & Marble.

L-R: Brandon Knapp, Warehouse Associate; Jon Millican, Inside Sales Representative; Don Wilhelm, Warehouse Associate; Quinn Kupish, Branch Manager; Wayne Sandel, Warehouse Associate; Dillon Spahn, Warehouse Associate; and Jeff Fields, Estimator.

n Austin-based premier supplier of granite and marble – and other products – that was founded in 1992 has released exciting news on several fronts recently. Founder Jack Seiders recently retired from Architectural Granite & Marble LLC and Sunil Palakodati has assumed the reins. The company moved into a brand new, much larger facility to encompass its growth, and recently merged with West-coast based Pental Surfaces. These changes have been positive for the company, according to Seiders. “Sunil has the traits needed to guide AG&M to future growth and success,” he says. “He’s smart and personable, a big

picture thinker, a great communicator and has a ‘roll up your sleeves’ work ethic.” The new facility receives products from 26 countries, says Layne Fulero, marketing manager, adding that the company has the largest free-standing overhead crane in Texas, to better move the slabs of granite and marble. The company also sells tile, flooring, sinks, glass, porcelain and more, and has its own line of quartz called Metro Quartz. Palakodati, Fulero and Tim Way, VP of sales, are excited about a new feature rolling out on the website soon that will enable customers to design a space using the various products available.

ortiline Waterworks has recently increased its Texas presence with a new location in Austin. The Austin office joins two in San Antonio, one in Friendswood and three in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Headquartered in Concord, N.C., Fortiline is a wholesale distributor of underground water, sewer and storm utility products with 49 branches nationwide. Quinn Kupish is the branch manager for the new location after years of working with the company, most recently at the San Antonio location. “The nice thing about this industry is that you’re always going to need water

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and you’re always going to need sewer,” Kupish said. “Even during a recession, it slows down but there’s always a need for that stuff. There’s not a whole lot of poor weather in Texas. In this industry, a lot of states in the north can shut down due to inclement weather in the winter. In Texas, you see growth and development going year round.” Kupish, a Kansas State graduate, sees Texas as a prime area to grow the business. “I think it opens a new market for us,” Kupish said. “We already have a strong presence in Texas. I think that is really helping us grow, as a company, in Texas. It should be good for us. continued on Page 17

Cleaning up on S. Lamar

ustin’s South Lamar Boulevard is a highly-traveled roadway and a primary route to and from downtown Austin. This corridor is home to a diverse group of residents and businesses and its auto-centric nature has given the City of Austin a desire to develop the area with improvements. Recently, Datum Commercial Contracting LLC and ZIPS Dry Cleaners teamed up on a project that is a perfect fit for efforts to make this part of Austin more attractive. Starting with an old mechanics shop built in the 1950s, Datum – with the help of the owner, architect, City of Austin and subcontractors – transformed this old eyesore into a brand new ZIPS – the first of potentially 40 more in Austin and an additional 50 planned for the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The signature bright yellow and black color scheme, with plenty of glass on the exterior adds a welcome and fresh splash of color to this up-and-coming neighborhood.

“This is their first franchise location in Texas,” says Datum Estimator Sean Dalle, who was also Primary Project Manager. “There were plenty of problems with the place, but we managed to overcome them and finish in seven weeks. What sets the ZIPS franchise apart from many dry cleaners is the inclusion of its own physical dry cleaning plant, which means dry cleaning is not outsourced, is done faster and can be done for lower cost to the consumer. Started on Dec. 14, 2016 and completed Feb. 7, Dalle says the fact that the project was finished in such record time was due to many factors. Some of the challenges Datum and the team faced with the existing building was to bring light into a dark interior, and deal with leveling an existing concrete floor, and aged infrastructure. Job superintendent Bob Delosh said there was a lot to overcome with the The bright yellow and black color scheme of ZIP Dry Cleaners is a welcome splash of color to the neighborhood.

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Austin Construction News â&#x20AC;¢ May 2017

Austin Construction News • May 2017

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Powered up

Two days in College Station

The first day of TACA’s Short Course ended with a panel discussion relating to concrete truck safety and reducing rollovers within the industry. L-R: Paul Stalter, Cemex; Kerri Todd, Burnco Texas; Rick Welton and James Welch, Martin Marietta

L-R: Gary Allison, Patrick Klaerner, Estaban Fernandez and Michael Melton welcome everybody to stop in PowerHaus Equipment.

lmost everybody that works at PowerHaus Equipment in San Marcos worked together at a recently closed lumberyard. Started in 2015 by Patrick Klaerner and Michael Melton, co-owners, the store carries Stihl and Echo equipment, as well as repairs any brand small engine. “We were all employed together at Tuttle Lumber,” Klaerner says. “Michael and I put some money together and we all put our talents together and opened PowerHaus Equipment when Tuttle closed.” Klaerner, who was born in Fredericksburg, came to San Marcos to attend Southwest Texas State University (now known as Texas State University) and graduated with a degree in Industrial Technology. He went to work for Tuttle Lumber and worked there for 35 years, starting as an estimator, doing some of the accounting and more. “I did about every job there was to do there,” he says.

Melton, from Gonzales, also moved to San Marcos to attend college, but went to work for Tuttle and ended up as manager of hardware until the business closed. “It’s like he was born to do it,” Klaerner said. “He’s a real hands-on guy.” He says PowerHaus Equipment brought the same customer service philosophy to the new company they had at the last one. “We have a long standing tradition of personal service,” he explains. “When you come into our shop, you will be greeted by an owner. We offer good, personal, local service. We are locally owned and operated.” When not working, Klaerner likes to do woodworking at home. Melton, who just got married a year ago, says he is an outdoor type person. “I love bicycling, rock climbing and anything to do outdoors,” he says. “When I’m not selling our tools, I’m outside using them.” –cw

Construction News ON LOCATION

Brother power

Brothers Eric and Isaac Ramirez took a quick break from their jobs with Encore Mechanical on a beautiful Friday in Austin. –cw

Austin

CONSTRUCTION NEWS

Carol Wiatrek . . . . . . Austin Editor AustinEditor@ConstructionNews.net 210-308-5800

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he Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association (TACA) hosted its 2017 Short Course Mar. 2-3 at Cavalry Court in College Station with 57 attendees from across the state. The two-day conference hosted several educational seminars and included a golf tournament at the Traditions Club, a sporting clay shoot at the Tonkaway Ranch, a mountain biking trip, a private winery tour, and a networking reception. On the first day, Gary Mullings, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, (NRMCA), spoke about workforce development in the ready-mixed concrete industry, and Rick Kolster, Peak Performance Group, got everyone thinking about generational changes and how they affect how business is done today. On the second day, Melissa Fitts, Westward Environmental, and Chris Pepper, Winstead PC, discussed recent changes to the Air Quality Standard Permit for Concrete Batch Plants. Also, John

Smart, Winstead PC, reviewed changes to laws affecting human resources, and Dr. Mark Dotzour, real estate economist and former chief economist of the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, was the final speaker. –mh

Golf Winners 1st: Brad Bowman and Shaun Griffin, Allied Concrete; Doug Ulsh, Sika Corporation 2nd: Jack Langston, Quality Trucking; Shane Bass, Hanson Aggregates; Eric Reinhart, Trinity Lightweight; Brian Skomp, United Rentals 3rd: Rob Van Til, River Aggregates; Joey Biasatti, Austin Materials; Mike Bess, Vulcan Materials; Ryan Miley, Alleyton Resource

Sporting Clay Winners 1st: Joe Mathia, Martin Marietta 2nd: Jorge Hinojosa, Bexar Concrete Works I 3rd: Frank Koy, Koy Concrete

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Austin Construction News • May 2017

Sonia: I also grew up during Apartheid times – it was very segregated. I went to a girls’ only, white school through high school. Denis: I went to high school in Malawi.

Denis & Sonia Phocas Owners Alpha Granite & Tile Austin

onia and Denis Phocas were both born in Southern Africa and grew up witnessing firsthand the struggle between the apartheid regime of South Africa and those who resisted it. Both came from Greek families that had immigrated to the area, and although Sonia’s mother knew Denis’ father, the couple did not meet until they were young adults. As a young married couple with a small child, the tensions and uncertainty ruling the region where they lived became too much in the end and the family immigrated to the U.S. in 2002. Two years ago, in 2015, Sonia wore red and Denis wore blue as they made a commitment to their adopted home and became citizens. As part of the immigration process, the couple needed to own a business that employs citizens. After a failed flower exporting business, the couple started Alpha Granite & Tile, which now employs 50 people. Tell me about your early years. Sonia: I grew up in the big city of Johannesburg. My dad owned a Toyota dealership. At one time, it was one of the largest family-owned dealerships there. Denis: I grew up on a farm in rural Southern Africa in Zimbabwe, then known as Rhodesia. I was born in Malawi. I have a younger brother and sister. I was a real farm boy when I was a kid. I was always on the tractors and in the fields. I followed my dad around all day. I just loved being in the barns and the crops and the workshop, tinkering away with the tractors and implements and going hunting with my little BB gun. Sonia: Growing up in Johannesburg, I was very connected to the Greek community. It was all about that - Greek school, Greek church, Greek social life – you can only marry a Greek, you can’t go to university very far from home… It was very protective. How did your parents end up in South Africa? Denis: My father, Nick, and his brothers bought the farm in 1962. The settler of the land was a British man, who bought it in the 30s. The farm was 5,500 acres and it was a tobacco ranch, with cattle, as well as corn. Over the years, we also started growing paprika. Sonia: And watermelons! It was quite well known for its watermelons. My dad, Theo, moved to Johannesburg when he was 6, right after WWII. My mother’s family had come out in the 30s. My mother, Elizabeth was born in Rhodesia – that is how she knew Denis’ dad. Where did you go to school? Denis: During elementary school, we were weekly boarders. My mom, Sophia, didn’t know how to drive and it was too far to commute on a daily basis anyway. Usually we came home on the weekends. Sometimes we stayed at school on the weekends because we wanted to be with our friends. It was very segregated back in the 60s – actually, it was segregated from the 50s through the 70s. We had white schools and we had African schools and that’s the way it was until the 1980s.

Had your family moved, Denis? Denis: Yes, my father moved the family after a neighbor’s 16-year-old daughter was shot and killed by what you would call guerillas. It was a time of great political unrest, especially in the rural areas. The African National Congress was formed and they set up their own army. They would train in North Korea and come back and train the young kids to come into the countryside and fight the Rhodesians. This war went all the way until 1979. It affected all the farmers, all were armed. We called it “Dad’s Army!” My father had to go for training, they were reserve soldiers. The Rhodesians felt that the Africans were not ready to govern the country, they needed more training and more time, but the U.S. and U.K. did not agree and said: you have to hand over power. As citizens, we were caught in the middle. A lot of people died. Right before the war ended, my dad decided to take our family out of the country. He thought we were going to die for nothing. He didn’t really agree with the way things were at the time, but his livelihood was there. His philosophy was always, whoever is in power I will listen as long as they let me stay here and be a farmer. We moved to Malawi and my dad went to work for an international company. Did you go to college? Denis: I attended the University of South Africa (Unisa), Witwatersrand where I studied electrical engineering, but I didn’t like it so I went to a technical school. I started working for a telecommunications company and then I started a small side-line company, mainly repairing credit card machines. Sonia: I graduated from the University of South Africa (Unisa) with a degree in psychology and communications, then received an honors in education, so I could become a high school teacher. I wanted a degree that was worth something because by then I was already married. I knew I was going to become a farmer’s wife so I asked myself, what was going to be valuable? Wait, what? Let’s back up! When and how did you two meet and get married? Sonia: We met in 1987 when Denis was doing his credit card machines internship for the technical school. We happened to meet at a nightclub and then we met again when I went to another nightclub where he was a barman. We figured out we were both Greek and that was super exciting because we knew our families would be a lot more open to a relationship. He immediately became part of my family. We dated for three years and got married in June 1990 in Johannesburg at the Greek Orthodox Church. It was a complete “My Big Fat Greek Wedding!” And Sonia, you went from big city girl to farmer’s wife? Sonia: It was exactly like someone moving from New York City to Lubbock! Denis: My father had been forced to go back to farming because there is a law that if you leave the country and stay gone for more than 7 years, you have to put your property into a government bond with a 4% interest rate. In a country with a 10-12% inflation rate, that wasn’t going to work. He wasn’t keen on starting farming all over again, so he asked if I wanted to come help him. Sonia: We made the most of living in Zimbabwe. We were very involved on the local level and with volunteering. We had 150 families that lived on the farm and worked for us, so Denis had a

Sonia and Denis Phocas lived through historical times in Southern Africa and made their home in Austin where they own Alpha Granite & Tile.

managerial role and I kept the books. It left us with free time. I was in many civic organizations and Denis got involved with telecommunications. Denis: In a third-world country, especially in the rural areas, our telephone was a party line with 10 families on it. We really wanted a rotary phone and we got one, but it was a total mess. Through volunteer work and funding from farmers, we worked with the national telecom company and they got funding for overland wires, so you could have your own direct line. It took about one-and-a-half years to get it all done. For cell phone service, we had to work with the national cell company and the farmers had to pay for the mast and the building. All of our farmers were able to use cell phones, but it cost me – I had to spend a lot of time off the ranch. Why did you leave? Sonia: In 1999, President Robert Mugabe said he was going to take all the commercial farms to give to the “landless masses.” Denis and the other farmers got together to try and work something out. Denis speaks Shona (the widely used native language) fluently. We offered to give ½ of our land voluntarily. We could see the farms were going to be taken away with no compensation. Denis: What transpired was unfortunate. I spent months negotiating but it was a wild goose chase. It was getting bad, so we were planning to leave. Sonia: We had our daughter by then, Nicole. She was 2 years old. Our options were to go back to Johannesburg, but we were thinking about moving to Australia. Denis: I said, you know what? I’m still young enough to try a new opportunity. We moved to the U.S. in July 2002. In Aug 2002, 90% of the farmers were evicted. How did you decide to come to Austin? Sonia: We had some friends who lived in Lakeway. They said come visit us before you move to Australia so we came and spent 7 weeks. That was in April 2001. I had been to the U.S. once before for a holiday a long time ago but it was Denis’ first visit. Denis: We flew into Fort Worth, seeing all the houses, everything all perfect – it was like a movie set. The airport - everything so clean, big, organized, a monster. The airport I was used to can only take 3 planes a day. All the policemen and people were dressed so immaculately, so formal. Then we toured the capital and I told Sonia, take a picture of me with this policeman – he was a big black guy, 7 feet tall and he had muscles, he was huge! Sonia: For us, it was like in the movies. When we first arrived in Austin, Denis and our friend went for a drive and 45 minutes later they came back and Denis says, “we’re not going to Australia, we’re moving here.” Why was that?

Denis: We drove through the hills. Sonia: It looks very similar to our farm, beautiful rolling hills. It wasn’t foreign to us, even the cattle are the same breeds. Denis: I feel like I’m at home here. Tell me a little about Alpha Granite. Denis: It started in a friend’s backyard and grew exponentially. We moved three times before we found this spot. We made it through the recession, which happened right after we bought this location. We didn’t let anyone go – we cut pay and hours, but the majority of our employees stayed with us. All fabrication is done here at our Howard Land location using state of the art CNC machinery. All of our employees are full-time: we don’t use subcontractors. We mainly do residential, but on the commercial side some of our projects have included many of the Kerbey Lane locations, West Hotel, Hotel Van Zandt, the box seats at UT Stadium and all the new restrooms at the airport. Tell me about your family. Sonia: Our daughter, Nicole is 19 and a freshman at the University of Miami. Our son, Theo, is 14, and his passion is soccer. What do you do to relax? Sonia: I take flamenco lessons! When I was young, my mother became friends with a group of women who were flamenco dancers and I took it up. Denis: I swim in the mornings and I’m a big fan of Formula One. When we retire, we’d like to take a year off and follow Formula One around the world. Sonia: We are also very active in our church, Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church. Alpha Granite & Tile is a fabricator and installer of marble, stone, tile, glass and more. –cw

Austin Construction News • May 2017

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Around the State Campaigning for a cause

Texas Apprentice John Goodson RDO Equipment and UTI Intern/Team member Irving, TX

aised in Fort Worth by a single mother who instilled in him a strong work ethic, John Goodson was often the one to repair things, both for himself and his family. When he later traveled on the road with his band, “Mr. Fix-It” (as he was called by his bandmates and friends) was the one keeping the band’s tour bus running. But it wasn’t until he worked on a ranch that he learned how to repair heavy construction equipment and soon became the go-to-guy for repairs on the property. Goodson liked being the one people turned to and trusted for fixing machines, calling it “the most rewarding job.” The rigors of working full-time on the ranch and touring more than 200 days a year with the band began to wear on Goodson, who wanted to settle down with his fiancé Symantha. He decided to explore his talent for fixing things and began researching a 9-month program at Universal Technical Institute (UTI) in Irving. However, incurring student loan debt made Goodson nervous, and most available scholarships were available for 18-year olds, not a 30-year-old like Goodson. But a scholarship offered by the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, a charity established by “Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe that supports careers in the trades, had no such age limit. Goodson

applied for the scholarship and was one of 135 recipients who won it. To compound the good news, when UTI Irving learned that Goodson won the mikeroweWORKS Foundation Work Ethic Scholarship, the school awarded him an additional $2,500 scholarship. UTI’s employment coordinator soon recommended RDO Equipment Co. as a company he might want to work for. He applied for the company’s “Access Your Future” program and was accepted for an internship at the company’s Irving store. Now, he spends his days doing what he loves most – helping to fix the equipment. This month, Goodson will graduate from UTI and join RDO Equipment Co. full-time. “I love it,” Goodson says, excited about his future in construction. “I love learning and I can’t get enough of it.” RDO Equipment Co. sells and services John Deere, Vermeer, Topcon and other heavy equipment. Universal Technical Institute is a specialty school offering technician training opportunities. –mjm

fter being nominated for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Man of the Year, Michael Schultz, whom you may know from Capital Pumping and being listed as a Top 25 realtor in the San Antonio Business Journal, is on the campaign trail to raise money for this great cause. Introduced to the LLS two years ago, Schultz has spent time with many people who have been personally affected by these and other blood cancers, and his campaign will be raising money through several events through Jun. 6 to fight leukemia and lymphoma and find cures for them. The first event, the Clays for a Cure Shoot, was held Apr. 13 at the San Antonio Gun Club. The event drew 108 shooters and included a dinner; a live auction that included a fishing trip, Spurs games, rounds of golf; three gun raffles; and an awards presentation. “It was an awesome turn out,” says Schultz. “I just want to thank everyone who sponsored me today, everyone who came out and showed support and love

Doubling Downs

L-R: Quint Cabiness, Greg Winters, and Richard Weldon in D. Wilson Construction’s new San Antonio office

s D. Wilson Construction Co. celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, the San Antonio team is settling into its new location at 1858 Grandstand Dr. The new office at Alamo Downs is almost double the size of the branch’s former locale on Starcrest Drive. Since relocating in November, the San Antonio team has observed that the biggest benefit of the new office is the location itself. Richard Weldon, regional manager overseeing the San Antonio operations, notes that the team is now more centrally located to its projects with easy access to major routes in town, including Loop 410 and highways 90 and 151. “It makes it much easier to get to and from our projects,” says Weldon. With much more square-footage, the facility has more office space and a bigger, better conference room, which makes it easier to host clients as well as hold internal meetings. The San Antonio branch needed more space to accommodate recent growth.

“Our business has grown about 30 percent in the last three years,” Weldon estimates. “We have increased, almost doubled, our volume each year for the last three years.” He says that, currently, the D. Wilson San Antonio team is working on three charter schools, a school cafeteria project, and several retail projects. Weldon and his office manager, Quint Cabiness, are fairly new to D. Wilson. Weldon came on board to run the San Antonio office in August 2013, and Cabiness started with the company about two-and-a-half years ago. Cabiness notes that the company recently joined the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. And for fun, office members participate in industry events, including the ABC Chili Cook-Off as well as golf tournaments and shoots. Based in McAllen, D. Wilson Construction Co. is a general contracting company with its only branch location in San Antonio, which opened in 2010. –mh

The Schultz family came out to support their Man of the Year. L-R: Elizabeth, Michael, Frances and Mike Schultz

for this great cause, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This is an awesome thing, and I couldn’t do it without everybody who came here today.” Schultz says that the next events he is organizing for his fundraising campaign include a fashion show and a big grand finale event. If he raises more than $150,000, he will go to the LLS National Gala in New York and receive a dedicated research grant in his name. –mh

The shoot’s live auction was just one part of Michael Schultz’s fundraising campaign for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

More than three decades

L to R: Jim Stevenson, McCarthy Houston Division President; Ray Sedey, McCarthy Texas Regional President; Scott Wittkop, McCarthy Corporate President and COO

cCarthy Building Companies Inc. is not only busy building in Texas, the company is also celebrating 35 years in the state. “After 35 years of building in Texas, it is amazing to see all that we have accomplished. McCarthy has risen to the top of the market because we tackle the most challenging projects, such as Dallas’ world-renowned, award-winning AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dee & Charles Wyly Theatre and Klyde Warren Park,” said Ray Sedey, McCarthy Texas region president. “Focused on bringing exceptional value to every project, McCarthy has continued to diversify its project base, adapting and growing within the industry to ensure we are building the highest quality projects for our clients.” McCarthy is currently building Southwest Airlines’ new training and office facility near Love Field, the Texas Children’s Hospital in Plano and DFW International Airport’s Terminal E Enhanced Parking Structure. “McCarthy’s willingness to tackle the

most complex projects, industry-leading construction techniques and overall commitment to doing what’s right are the foundational elements of what drives all of McCarthy’s divisions across the nation, including Texas.” An employee-owned company, McCarthy performs general contractor, construction management and design/ build services for the following project types: healthcare, laboratory, biotechnology, bridges and highways, parking structures, entertainment, educational, office buildings, water/wastewater, aviation, federal, port/marine, microelectronic, solar, industrial facilities, tenant interiors and mixed-use project construction “McCarthy’s 35-year legacy in Texas is defined by long-standing client relationships and a focus on the client experience, while recruiting and retaining top talent,” Sedey says. “We have made major strides in growing our business, focusing on both heavy civil and commercial projects, and we are prepared to take on the next 35 years and beyond. –bd

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Austin Construction News • May 2017

Defining true job costs for construction bids

Why are your commercial auto rates increasing?

Scott Allen, CPA, Tax and Consulting Partner Cornwell Jackson Plano, TX

Jeremy Sandusky, Partner MMA-Southwest Dallas, TX

t the heart of a profitable construction company is an accurate bidding process. An accurate bid involves much more than expected materials or your subcontractor and labor costs. Other variables to consider are the weather, the subs (or GC), customer expectations and how you expect your competitors will bid. The more you factor in these variables across all bids, the closer you can get to a competitive that matches true costs.

rom ready-mix suppliers and aggregate haulers to contractors with large automobile or truck fleets, businesses nationwide are seeing profit margins narrow because of escalating commercial auto insurance rates. The bad news is that the trend has no signs of slowing, given the myriad factors that are driving up costs. The good news is that companies can take proactive measures to reduce losses and mitigate risk.

Construction companies can get very efficient at estimating the expected costs per job; however, they don’t always factor in “hidden” job-related costs in developing the bid: • Labor-related benefits • Fleet vehicles (owned or rented) and maintenance • Fuel • Small tools and other job consum- ables • General liability insurance • Safety program If these costs are not considered, the company is at risk for missing the expected job profit, particular- ly in longer-lived jobs.

The two primary factors driving auto losses are rising medical costs resulting from accidents, and an increased number of miles driven. Loss of Focus Distracted driving is having a severe impact on commercial auto lines. The number of gadgets beckoning for drivers’ attention means people are focusing less on the road, and more on the technology that surrounds them. In fact, during daylight hours, more than 660,000 drivers across the country are using a mobile phone or fiddling with an electronic device while driving, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As a result, eight people are killed and nearly 1,200 injured every day in the U.S. in crashes related to distracted driving, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Not surprisingly, the number of distracted driving claims has skyrocketed, as well. Higher Repair Costs When an accident does occur, the cost of repairs puts additional pressure on insurance carriers, who pass on the expense to businesses in the form of higher premiums. Newer model cars, vans and trucks have more expensive parts, like rear-mounted cameras and side sensors. So, a small fender bender can end up costing thousands to repair. Add to that the impact of hail losses in Texas and other parts of the Southwest on these newer, more expensive vehicles, and the cost of claims becomes a significant problem for insurance carriers. In fact, the industry commercial auto combined ratio for Texas was 112.6 percent in 2015, more than five percentage points worse than the countrywide rate of 107.4 percent. Strategies to Reduce Losses Businesses that have drivers on the road can take proactive measures to help reduce the number and cost of claims and put downward pressure on rising commercial auto rates. The first line of defense is a good offense, which means hiring qualified drivers with a clean track record, and implementing a fleet safety program. Documenting the training requirements, maintenance schedules, mobile device use policy for drivers, and

Reducing job costs and increasing margins Identify the areas that have historically experienced cost overruns and develop incentive plans for the project management or field supervisory team to minimize costs. If bonuses are tied to the following key performance indicators, it can help to improve per job realization: • Cost-effective materials sourcing Efficient and timely use of labor • Waste reduction • Safety management • Early troubleshooting on budget or timeline concerns • Timely work in process updates • Quality standards (minor punch lists) If you have never instituted a specific accountability program for these KPIs, develop standards for two or three and incorporate them into the next round of new work. If there is already some level of accountability in place, audit the results and look for additional areas for improvement. When designing the incentive plan, it is important to keep parameters in place so that cost savings achieved do not come at higher costs in another category. For example, a labor savings incentive program may inadvertently incentivize the foreman to bypass safety protocols. An accident on the job will potentially result in long-term increased costs in worker’s compensation insurance (not to mention legal claims) that far outweigh the labor savings. Design the program so that any bonuses are not

paid until the warranty period has run in order to assure cost savings do not come at the cost of quality. Realization meetings can identify jobs that provided a healthy margin as well as jobs that lost money. By reviewing past performance, you can get a better sense of where bidding and costs were not aligned, the drivers for cost overruns and even whether a project type is still worth pursuing. For these meetings to be effective, you have to have accurate cost reporting. When looking at past jobs in which a company made or lost money, it’s a good exercise to understand exactly what drove the costs. Even though every company at some point has experienced a freak of nature, an accident or a materials shortage, there are usually more cost drivers that the company and its management can actually control. One of the other areas that a company can review — and this ties to a longer-term shift in the business strategy — is the type of job bid. Conditions change, and the jobs that used to be lucrative for a company can slowly whittle away margins due to higher competition, compliance issues or threadbare budgets. At the company I served, it was determined that K-12 school construction projects had experienced tightened margins, shortened project timelines and increased competition. Shifting the segment focus to junior college improvement projects, a market segment with less competition, helped the company to improve profit margins. 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 “Balancing Overhead, Budgeting and Risk to Increase Project Profits” in June’s Construction News. 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.

other safety program components provides a clear and objective reference resource and sets expectations for everyone involved. Likewise, companies need to hold drivers accountable for safety. When one MMA-Southwest client found he was continually dealing with auto losses, he started charging employees part of the deductible. After the drivers had to put up their own money to cover the cost of claims and repairs, his losses went way down. The business owner also implemented a zero-tolerance policy for drivers who had been with his company for less than three years. If a driver had an accident during this probationary period, they lost their job. In short, safety is a culture, and it starts at the top. That means continually communicating to drivers that safety is one of the most important things in your company, so they begin to take it seriously. Monitoring drivers with telematics can also help foster accountability. Tools like the Lytx Drivecam® video telematics safety program can help modifying driver behavior. For example, if the footage shows the driver’s tendency to continually slam on the breaks, he may not be paying attention while on the road—an issue that can be brought to the driver’s attention during a safety review. Similarly, telematics can help identify other risky practices, like speeding, cutting off other vehicles, and running stop signs, giving employers the opportunity to hold drivers to higher standards of safety. Drivecam footage of accidents can come in handy when filing a claim—including admitting responsibility and closing a claim quickly for accidents in which the company’s driver clearly was at fault. Most major commercial auto insurance carriers offer helpful materials to guide loss control efforts, including model fleet safety plans, driver selection tools, and vehicle accident kits. By taking proactive steps to improve driver selection and training and promote a culture of safety, businesses can minimize losses from auto claims, while doing their part to keep premiums down and make our nation’s roads safer.

Construction News ON LOCATION

Happy subs

One thing you can count on is Swinerton Builders making sure its subs are happy and well fed. Recently, the company hosted a safety barbecue at a project on Parmer Lane. –cw

Austin Construction News • May 2017

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Making the most of early mediation

OSHA Delays Enforcement of New Rules

R. Carson Fisk Andrews Myers P.C. Austin, Texas

Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

any dispute resolution clauses in construction contracts contain a requirement that the parties mediate prior to pursuing litigation or arbitration. Mediation, at its heart, is simply a facilitated negotiation, with the mediator helping all parties find consensus to resolve a dispute on their voluntarily agreed upon terms. A successful early mediation—before legal or arbitration proceedings have started—helps the parties save the time, money, and energy. Hence, early mediation is often contractually required. But success is never a foregone conclusion, and the parties should understand that successful early mediations often share a number of characteristics. Exchange information. Early mediations generally occur before there has been a formal exchange of information, such as through discovery in a lawsuit. That limits the knowledge the parties bring to mediation with respect to the others side’s position. A lack of information as mediation commences means more time is spent in mediation simply learning about the facts rather than focusing on resolution. Exchanging information beforehand can bypass this issue. Carefully select the mediator. Due diligence should be exercised when choosing a mediator to ensure that he or she is knowledgeable and qualified. There are a number of excellent mediators in the Texas market and beyond, but not all may be suitable for a construction-related dispute. Generally, websites are a useful source of information about potential mediators and objective criteria, such as board certification in construction law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, provide further insight as to a potential mediator’s qualifications. Similarly, mediators may have different styles (e.g., facilitative or evaluative) and practices (e.g., full-time mediator or actively practicing lawyer), each of which may be more appealing in certain settings. Provide information to the mediator Many mediators will request a mediation position memorandum from each of the parties prior to the mediation. The parties should take advantage of this opportunity to give the mediator some background and identify the settlement priorities for the respective party. At the very least, the mediator should be contacted in some manner so that such information can be conveyed. An informed mediator is able to more quickly focus on resolution rather than learning about the issues and background information. Be organized and prepared. Understanding the elements of claims and defenses is key to a successful

mediation, as is the ability of one party to show the other party that it can provide support for such claims and defense. Given the lack of or limited information provided in connection with an early mediation, organization and preparedness are of paramount importance. If a claim is comprised of several items, each item should be addressed and having a comprehensive damages model, supported by documentation, often proves useful. If the other party asks for certain information as the mediation progresses, one should readily be able to locate it. Being prepared also encompasses having an understanding of the party’s settlement goals heading into the mediation, and taking the time to prepare a draft settlement agreement in advance may prove to be immensely valuable. Be open-minded One of the major benefits of mediation is control of the outcome. When mediation occurs before the parties have had the benefit of full discovery, it may be more difficult to assess the likelihood of a positive or negative outcome. When decisions must be made with only partial information, considerations have to be made on factors other than simply the likelihood of prevailing or losing. Matters such as time saved, costs avoided, and relationships preserved should all be considered, and may be more easily considered in early mediation as the parties may not have become fully entrenched in their positions. Mediation is a valuable tool for parties in a dispute who wish to avoid the time-consuming, costly, and distracting aspects of formal proceedings. In general, the earlier mediation occurs the greater the benefit that can be achieved. However, to increase the chances of success, parties to an early mediation should give particular attention to the various tips discussed above. Success is never guaranteed, but these tips will undoubtedly aid the parties and make success more likely.

he U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced a delay in enforcement of the crystalline silica standard that applies to the construction industry to conduct additional outreach and provide educational materials and guidance for employers. Silica is present in products that contain sand, a commonly used construction product. Inhalation of silica can cause a reduction in pulmonary function and lung cancer. The agency has determined that additional guidance is necessary due to the unique nature of the requirements in the construction standard. Originally scheduled to begin June 23, 2017, enforcement will now begin Sept. 23, 2017. OSHA expects employers in the construction industry to continue to take steps either to come into compliance with the new permissible exposure limit, or to implement specific dust controls for certain operations as provided in Table 1 of the standard. Construction employers should also continue to prepare to implement the standard’s other requirements, including exposure assessment, medical surveillance and employee training. The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a delay in the effective date of the rule titled “Occupational Exposure to Beryllium,” from March 21, 2017, to May 20, 2017. Beryllium is used in nuclear reactors, satellites and specialty machine parts, such as non-sparking tools. The delay will allow the Occupational Safety and Health Administration an opportunity for further review and consideration of the rule, in keeping with a Jan. 20, 2017, White House memorandum, titled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review.” OSHA published the final rule on Jan. 9,

2017, and previously announced the effective date would be postponed to March 21, 2017. On March 1, 2017, OSHA sought comments on a further extension to May 20, 2017. OSHA has now determined that the further delay is appropriate for the purpose of additional review into questions of law and policy. The extension of the effective date will not affect the compliance dates of the beryllium rule. The last delay concerns OSHA’s online recordkeeping reporting feature for employers to submit injury/illness data on an annual basis. When implemented, OSHA will provide a secure website that offers three options for data submission. OSHA is not accepting electronic submissions at this time. Updates will be posted to the OSHA website at www.osha.gov/ recordkeeping when they are available. To keep abreast of OSHA changes, workers and employers can sign up for Quick Takes. Quick Takes is an email update that is sent twice a month. To sign up to receive Quick Takes, visit this link: https://www.osha.gov/as/opa/quicktakes/index.html natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232

Golf For Kids Summer Camp

ndependent Electrical Contractors – CenTex (IEC-CenTex) held its annual Power Drive 18 golf tournament Mar. 27 with great success. Twenty-five teams played the award-winning course at Avery Ranch Golf Club.

Congratulations to the winners.

1st place: Gabe Rhodes, Ted Soule, Scott Douglas and Ryan Cromwell

2nd Place: Mike Ferguson, Ben Childers, Daryl Laudenslager and Tom Carter 3rd Place: David Inman, Bret Darter, Ronnie Sharp and Matt Bell Closest-to-the-pin hole 6 – Travis Cash Closest-to-the-pin hole 8 – Brett Wilson Closet-to-the-pin hole 11 – Ronnie Sharp Closest-to-the-pin hole 12 Steve Trafton Straightest drive and Ryan Cromwell for longest drive - Gabe Rhodes – cw

In memoriam

atrick Douglas O’Brien passed away Mar. 27. Born Jan. 27, 1935 in Gainesville, O’Brien graduated from Texas A&M University with a Civil Engineering degree in 1957. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army and afterward began an engineering and construction career, co-founding Rogers–O’Brien Construction Company with Steve Rogers in 1969. He was past president of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of North Texas and founding member of the Construction Education Foundation (CEF) and Jerry Junkins Scholarship Program. He is survived by wife of 54 years, Ginger, son Preston McAfee (Barbara), grandchildren Justin (Allison), Kyle, and Katie (Cullen Amend), five greatgrandchildren, brother Mike O’Brien (Sharron) and nephew Pat O’Brien.

Memorial donations may be made to Prison Entrepreneur Program, c/o PEP, Attn: Donation P.O. Box 926274 Houston, TX 77292-6274, and/or Baylor Health Care System Foundation in support of Pulmonary Initiatives, 3600 Gaston Ave. Suite 100 Dallas, TX 75246.

First place team winners Gabe Rhodes, Ted Soule, Scott Douglas and Ryan Cromwell

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Austin Construction News • May 2017

Two Days in College Station

Taking his sites to a new size

In its 25 years, Pesado Construction has grown to a steady crew of about 125 employees, and now the company continues to expand through job size.

s Pesado Construction marks its milestone 25th anniversary, founder Bill Hunter notes that there have been a lot of challenges to get where the company is today. From the very beginning when he was 29 to today at 55, he has never stopped learning. Since he didn’t have family or a mentor in the business, he learned as he went, and it was quite a challenge for him getting started on his own with just his pickup truck. He didn’t have any equipment or financing, making the first several years a real struggle. With so many lessons he has learned along the way, the greatest lesson, he says, is that if he had faith, he would be blessed with what he needed at the proper time. His philosophy is that the harder he works, the luckier he gets, and that attitude has helped him not to worry as he did long ago. “You don’t add a single day to your life with worry,” says Hunter. Though, he points out, “It took a lot of long hours [to get here] and a long time to assemble a team. Once you get to

the size we’re at, you can attract quality talent, but when you’re small and struggling, it’s hard to attract quality talent, and a lot of it is you have to instill the confidence in people to come join you. Then, you’ve got to treat them right, treat them as family and partners. My first employee is still with me. His name is Jesus Compean, and a lot of my employees have been here for 10 years or longer.” Having reached his goal for growth of his team, Hunter decided to focus on expanding the company’s scope about 10 years ago. He began by getting into building wastewater treatment plants and doing bigger jobs. Today, Pesado is doing a large distillery expansion in Austin and is about to start work on a large, $27 million sewer job in Kerr County. They also have a lot of work with local private developers as well as San Antonio Water System (SAWS). Based in San Antonio, Pesado Construction is a heavy civil general contractor that specializes in excavating, laying pipe and pouring concrete. –mh

Sporting Clay Winners 1st: Joe Mathia, Martin Marietta 2nd: Jorge Hinojosa, Bexar Concrete Works I 3rd: Frank Koy, Koy Concrete

Austin Construction News • May 2017

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tournament went even further only allowing one trout, one redfish and one flounder to be weighed-in per boat. The tournament has gotten so big, they have had to base it from the lower deck at Doc’s restaurant. Location is very important when a live fish weigh-in is part of your venue, says Doug. You must have a place to release fish back into the bay system where they can recover and regain their senses quickly. The ICW or any deep water area that has plenty of tidal movement usually is best. Another key issue is handling these fish at the weigh-in. Experienced personal were brought in to manage the process making every effort not to stress the fish before their release. Fish are measured and weighed and then placed into a holding tank to be observed before they’re release. If the fish weighed were alive and healthy the team would receive a one-pound bonus for their efforts. Deductions were also implemented for those fish brought in dead.

Mr. & Mrs. Big Trout Tournament 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.

This tournament has gone even further than most other in the area, offering Scholarships to two students attending Texas A&M in Corpus Christi. One female and one male student majoring in Marine Biology at Texas A&M will receive a $6000 Scholarship to further their education. This year’s tournament will be held on May 5th and 6th at Doc’s Restaurant on Padre Island.

ishing tournaments are becoming more popular than ever. Whether it’s freshwater or saltwater it seems like there is a tournament to fit every angler’s level of competitiveness. Redfish, Trout, Bass, offshore or inshore there is a tournament for you. With all the conservation concerns and limits on trophy fish being implemented, tournaments are taking a different approach. Weigh-ins consisting of limits of trout, reds, and flounder are part of the past and being replaced with three to four trout, a redfish or two and maybe a flounder. There are a few tournaments going even farther than that incorporating a live fish weigh-in to their venue. All the professional redfish tourneys are live weigh-in and several trout tournaments also have gone to this format.

Bobby Finley displays his 27” redfish while Randy Wyatt looks on. Both were fishing with Steve Schultz Outdoors.

Doug Niznik and the folks at Niznik Concrete Company run one tournament that has become very popular in the construction community. Most of you are familiar with the Charity Fun Shoot benefiting the Downtown Youth Center that has been going on for over 20 years. Like the charity shoot, Doug started Mr. Big Trout tournament for a few close friends and business associates to cut loose and have fun at the coast. This year they will celebrated their 21st annual tournament.

The tournament which started at the Bird Island Hilton with eight or 10 boats has grown to 60 boats and 200 anglers. For the last 10 years or more they have implemented a live weigh-in procedure and a guided division for corporate groups wanting to entertain clients. The tournament format has always been conservation minded using artificial lures only and never weighing in more than a handful of fish per boat. Recently the

For more information visit the website at mrbigtrout.com This tournament is becoming the way of the future and I foresee many other groups going to this format. I still have several open dates for the 2017 season. Don’t wait until all the good dates are gone! To schedule your next bay fishing trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or 361-334-3105 or email him at SteveSchultzOutdoors@ gmail.com. Good luck and Good Fishing.

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Austin Construction News • May 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

Summer’s just about here!

good things will follow! If you have wanted to get back to fishing, this might be the time. I know a lot of people quit fishing when they couldn’t find water at their favorite destinations. Well now is the time to get back on the water, because you don’t want to miss the kind of fishing we have coming up this year. If you are new to fishing, come on! This is the best time to learn about fishing, when the fish are biting well and are big enough to brag about! Hope to see you on the water!

rom what we are seeing here on Lake Buchanan, it looks like we are in for a great summer! After the extended drought brought low lake levels, we had several years for trees and undergrowth to take over the empty lake bed. It went from looking like a barren desert to an open plain choked with dense vegetation taking advantage of the rich silt and moisture. Now as the experts predicted, the drought – flood cycle is pretty much complete. The water has been back for over a year now and the smaller vegetation has had enough time to decay, leaving the willow trees still somewhat surviving and covering the decaying skeletons of groves of chinaberry, cottonwood and mesquite trees. The water chemistry has returned to that of a normal healthy lake. The food chain has been recharged by all the nutrients added to the water. The schools of shad are plentiful and spawning every chance they get, so that means that the fish have all they can eat! The bottom line is that well fed fish grow and reproduce like mad, and that is what we are beginning to see hanging on our fish hanging board at the dock! We are just getting the season started, and already seeing bigger fish coming in than in recent years. The theory is that we may have lost quite a few hybrid stripers to the floods of last summer. That may have balanced our striper and hybrid populations a little better in the striper’s favor. They don’t seem to have

Texas Air Products brought a group form 5F Mechanical out fishing and pulled our first big fish for the year.

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

as much competition for the food supply now and we are seeing the results on the scales. Folks below Lake Buchanan will get to enjoy those hybrids too. Thanks to all the structure in the water we saw the best crappie fishing year we have had in a long time too. They were running larger and more plentiful that anyone has seen in years. Our largemouth stringers are heavier and the blue catfish are always a nice reward for the trotline and jug line fishermen as they too continue to get larger each year since they were introduced. I know I refer to Lake Buchanan a lot, but the truth is that there were so many other fisheries across the state that have gone through the same terrible drought and have come back too. For the lakes that are still awaiting the right rainfall, don’t give up! When that rain does come,

Submitted to Construction News

Wanna iguana?

Construction News publishers Buddy and Reesa Doebbler embarked upon a cruise in the Caribbean at the end of March. While on Grand Cayman Island, Buddy found an iguana that likes to pose regularly with tourists as they pass by. It’s currently unclear whether or not the iguana was tapped to write a special Caribbean issue of the paper, but rumors abound at the CN office. –mh

Austin Construction News â&#x20AC;¢ May 2017

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Austin Construction News • May 2017

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Roofing rises

Industry FOLKS Jimmy Whited Jr. Director of HMA/QC Austin Materials

L-R: Roland H. Gonzales Jr. and Bryan Gonzales, Roland’s Roofing, take pride in their San Antonio roots, and were presented with a plaque from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

ince the hailstorm last year, residents of San Antonio may be seeing Roland’s Roofing vehicles a lot more in their neighborhoods, even though the contractor’s workload is usually split evenly between residential and commercial. As the third generation in the family business, Bryan Gonzales observes that due to the damage from last April’s hail, their crews have been doing more residential than ever while maintaining their commercial side. “It’s really been monumental,” says Bryan, noting that they’ve always kept busy through referrals and word of mouth. “As soon as that hail storm hit, we were inundated, booked out a year almost right away with residential work. We have been taken aback, and it was really all hands on deck.” One of Bryan’s main objectives coming into the business in 2009 was to help make his father’s life a bit easier. He wanted his dad, Roland Gonzales Jr., to be able to enjoy shaking hands and have some relief from the day-to-day operations. But since the hailstorm, his dad has become more involved again. Though his dad is still busy, Bryan notes that it’s nice working with him. A natural entrepreneur, Roland Gonzales Sr. founded Roland’s Roofing in 1970 after serving in the Korean War. As the business grew, his only son, Roland Gonzales Jr., joined the

company in 1978, after earning his degree in biology from St. Mary’s University, because of the need that his father had at the time. Bryan’s aunt, Cookie Gehring, came into the ranks later to help manage the books. When Roland Jr. came on board, they only did roofs, but he received so much demand for other services that he slowly grew their services to all things exterior, including siding installation, carport installation, gutters and downspouts, and windows. Then, about 10 years ago, their customers began to ask them about interior services, so he opened up a sister company called Alamo Handyman. Much like his father before him, Bryan came into the business to help his dad. Though he worked at Roland’s Roofing during the summers through high school, he studied music and marketing at UTSA and went along his own path for a while. Then, his father offered him an opportunity to try to grow the business more and help create a company culture, which he has been doing. Bryan feels the company is part of the fabric of the community and with its Hispanic and military roots, he notes that the heart of Texas is near and dear to them. Based in San Antonio with a satellite office in Austin, Roland’s Roofing is a commercial and residential roofing company that offers a variety of exterior services. –mh

t Austin Materials, Jimmy Whited Jr. takes hot mix asphalt (HMA) and quality control (QC) very seriously, bringing lots of experience and certifications to the table. As an executive level manager, Whited oversees two different divisions, HMA and QC, for the entire company, including its four hot mix plants and two quarries, floating between the Austin and San Antonio areas. “Our director of QC, Jimmy Whited Jr., brings roughly 25 years of experience and is highly regarded as one of the most influential and knowledgeable professionals in the business,” says Joey Biasatti, the San Antonio regional manager for Austin Materials. Having grown up in Austin, Whited began his career in the industry right out of high school in 1995. He was with Ramming Paving Company for 10 years prior to its acquisition, and when he came back to the company years later, it was operating under its new name, Austin Materials. Before returning to the company, he spent two years as director at the Texas Asphalt Pavement Association where he helped members statewide and helped bridge the gap between TxDOT and the association’s contractor members. After working for an engineering firm in Austin, he started taking certification classes through the National

Institute of Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). He also took state certification classes through the Texas Asphalt Pavement Association along with TxDOT. The classes were cosponsored, and he earned three certifications pertaining to hot mix, aggregates, and base-type materials. He also earned certification from the American Concrete Institute (ACI). “I kind of learned everything in the construction business from asphalt to concrete to soils to base, how to lay it, place it, construct it, test it,” says Whited. “And kind of fell in love with the business.” Today, at 40, Whited lives in Liberty Hills with his wife, Laura, and their three children. Son Layne is 17 years old, and daughters Miranda and Chambree are 15. Laura is the director for admissions and marketing for their church’s private school. Whited and his wife are very active in their church, both serving as ushers. They are also on the committee to help upgrade its school and church. They also participate in the Austin Rodeo BBQ Cook-Off and enjoy going to their place on the Frio River with the family to camp and go tubing. –mh

Construction News ON LOCATION

Experts in dirt

Mother’s Day Sunday, May 14

Got soil questions, call the guys at MLA Labs. L-R: Derek Rodriguez, Michael Escajeda, Frank “The Boss” Brauer, and Nicholas Cabello, they’ll figure it out for you. -cw

Construction News ON LOCATION

Windows for life

L-R: Do you need quality windows with a life-time warranty? Jose Calapa, Seth Cohen, Jeanne Cohen and Braden Mattson, Window World can help you with your window needs. -cw

Engineering behind the scenes

L-R: David Prescott and Zachary Rosenow, MLAW Engineers -cw

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Austin Construction News â&#x20AC;¢ May 2017

Austin Construction News • May 2017

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THIS TH MON

Concrete Industry Blazing a trail in a now trending market Felipe Carstens, President Modern Day Concrete San Antonio, TX

hat’s the most pressing issue for you working in the concrete industry today? I would say the most pressing issue for us, on the installer side, is making sure that our company and other companies out there are doing quality work. That’s [an issue] that we run into all the time. We are a certified company. It took so many years to get here. In construction, most of it is hard bids with schools, universities, and so forth. And a lot of times, you get people who are not qualified bidding a job or underbidding a job. We’ve been through certification and all the training, and we run into this a lot. We get underbid by somebody who is not really qualified to do a job. And I think a lot of the bigger companies here in town see the same thing happening. I’ve talked to a lot of business owners that are in the same line of work we’re in, and that’s something that has come up over and over again. But at the end of the day, long-term, I think if we just stay on the path we’re on, doing good work, being honest, doing things with integrity, we’re going to be just fine. We’ve been able to double, even triple in size, almost yearly. So, as long as we keep those core things going, I think we’re going to be okay. What has it been like in the business since concrete floors became the trend? When we started, there were very few [companies] in San Antonio that

could do polished concrete, so prices were higher. Now there are some that are unqualified that really go low, but there are also some good, qualified companies, so it’s much more competitive. The industry is booming and there’s a lot of demand. Talking about trends, polished concrete and epoxy coating, seamless floors – if you go downtown to any condo, it’s going to be stained concrete or polished concrete. That industrial look is everywhere. You go to any of the new HEBs, and they’re all polished concrete. You go to any new store, and you see [a seamless concrete floor]. There has been so much opportunity on that end that of course other people are going to jump into it. The market is there. There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s what I did. I branched off another company that I was working for. I think it’s natural, as long as we keep our standards. We’ve been doing this for a while already, so we can’t get hung up on the little things. We have a bigger picture to look at. When it comes to competition, that’s how I look at it; we just have to worry about ourselves.

Shortages, higher cost in concrete labor and materials Denis Gee, Vice President Structure Tone Southwest

hat are the “hot button” issues in the concrete industry? Labor and material shortages continue to be issues in our industry. Qualified concrete labor is spread so thin that it can be hard to maintain quality. We’re celebrating our 40th anniversary in business this year, and part of the reason we’ve been able to maintain that success is we’ve built really great relationships with our subs. We treat them very well and we request the best of the best from our partners so we know we’re building at the highest quality possible.

How would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms? It’s very busy in North Texas. We’re not quite at the peak we saw in 2007 before the economy dipped, but we are extremely busy. I don’t think the industry has the labor to return to the pre-2007 peak, but the demand certainly seems to be there. Have you experienced an increase in business? Slowdown?

An increase for sure. What’s driving

NEXT TH MON

that is the almost 400 people a day who are moving to the Dallas and North Texas area. That population growth quite literally affects almost all sectors, from housing, to office buildings, to restaurants and all the other services that people rely on. How has this increase affected your company and how you conduct business? We have been able to expand into new markets considerably. For decades, Structure Tone Southwest was known as a commercial interiors contractor. But in recent years, we have expanded to not only build out the interiors of all kinds of spaces – corporate, restaurants, retail, manufacturing, etc. – but also built a solid business in ground-up new construction as well. We recently even became a Certified Tilt-Up Company given how much new tilt-

JUNE 2017 HVAC & Plumbing

What measures do you take to try to keep costs down so you can be more competitive? It’s a list of things. We try to be as efficient as we can with our equipment. For example, better, bigger, newer machines are usually faster, and you get more production done at a time. Organization. For example, when we start a job, Albert [Goss, project manager], usually talks to the GC ahead of time. If it’s a big job, he’ll go in and plan up construction we have been doing. We continue to conduct our business the same way we have for 40 years – with our focus on our clients and our partners – but we’re able now to bring that business to many more avenues. What are the major changes in the concrete industry in recent years?

Dallas, TX

As for materials, the law of supply and demand is certainly at play. Combine the high demand with the labor challenge related to truck delivery drivers and the issue is compounded even further. We aren’t seeing this issue quite as much with cement as we are with aggregate and sand.

What other ways do you distinguish yourself when a trend is everywhere? There’s actually a few things. You want to focus on quality and customer service. We are very good at customer service. That’s one of the reasons why we’re still here. If we hadn’t done things a certain way, we wouldn’t be where we are today. After a job, we go in and take care of touch ups. Even though it’s not our fault, it’s still our floor. I think overall, the majority of our customers see that. I think people realize that: “Even though it wasn’t their fault, they still came back and took care of all the issues.” I think those little things that you have to do sometimes [bring customers] back, and I would say 80 percent of our business is repeat business. There are only so many general contractors out there. So if you have a bad name around town, you’re going to start getting pushed out. We’re here for the long run. We’re not going to do anything that’s not ethical or right. We try to be as efficient as possible. We try to get the best pricing as possible in order for us to transfer that to the customer and give a better value overall. That’s how you stay in business when it’s really competitive out there.

What I have seen is more a change in the real estate market than concrete specifically, but those changes are affecting concrete. We are seeing more and more of what used to be called “value office” buildings – now called Suburban Class “A” buildings. The traditional office building was all glass and steel, but now concrete tilt-wall options are supplanting that since they are more economical to build and maintain. Have there been any recent changes in legislation affecting the concrete industry relating to transportation or the environment? In the past you could put a batch plant on site for a large job, but the laws have changed to no longer allow that. Now it takes so long to get a temporary batch plant permitted that it doesn’t make sense. We are back to buying concrete from readymix suppliers. A few concrete contractors have built their own batch plants but those plants aren’t mobile, so they still aren’t batching right on site. What is the most significant challenge your industry faces?

the whole thing out before we actually get in there. So when the crew gets in, they have a guideline to follow, and everything goes a lot smoother. Productivity, organization, the fact that we’re getting a lot of the materials from the manufacturer, which has cut our costs down significantly – if you start adding all those little percentages, at the end of the month, they add up to a big cost savings. We’re able to get a 5 or 6 percent return on that. All those things make us more efficient, and the more efficient we are, the better value we can give a customer, the more we can grow. What would you say about the future of the concrete industry? For decorative, I think stained concrete and polished concrete is going to be even stronger. It’s been growing tremendously in the last decade. I think urethane mortars and epoxies are going to replace any other form of flooring on the industrial side. I think from now on industrial kitchens, food processing plants, commercial kitchens, restrooms, hospitals – you will not see VCT tile. I think these systems – urethane and epoxies – are going to make up 90, 95 percent of what flooring is on these types of jobs. They have so many benefits. [They] make people’s work easier when they’re maintaining the property, clean rooms, and kitchens. Even though it’s grown so much, I really see it doubling or tripling in the next five to 10 years, and that’s why we’re pushing forward so much with what we’re doing. Established in 2011 by Felipe Carstens, Modern Day Concrete specializes in decorative and functional concrete. –mh The No. 1 challenge is finding qualified labor. We have been trying to combat that by sticking with our name-brand, qualified concrete subcontractors that know us and that we have built a terrific relationship with over the last four decades. But it’s tough – everyone wants to work with them. What are the cost increases relating to your industry? In the last year, we’ve seen concrete raw material prices go up 10 percent and labor by 15-20 percent. What is on the horizon for your industry? Aside from continued labor and materials challenges, I see two main changes affecting how concrete is used: 1: The finishes that we’re putting on tilt walls is starting to change. There are more options now than ever before. The technology of the raw materials has improved so we can now put all kinds of new materials on the wall panels, like form liners or brick. We’re beginning a project soon that is using stained concrete tilt walls; you don’t see that very often. 2: Height limitations are being stretched. It’s not uncommon now to see a six-story tilt-up building. The industry has learned new techniques for building tilt walls and for bracing them. With offices in Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio, Structure Tone Southwest is one of only a handful of general contractors across the U.S. to become a Certified Tilt-Up Company. –mjm

If you would like to represent your company in your industry, call your Austin Editor for an Interview Carol Wiatrek (210) 308-5800

Jan: Construction Forecast Mar: Construction Education May: Concrete Industry July: Electrical Industry Feb: Construction Safety Apr: Women in Construction Jun: HVAC & Plumbing Aug: Service Providers

Sep: Green Building Nov: Architecture & Engineering Oct: Specialty Contractors Dec: Construction Equipment

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Austin Construction News • May 2017

Blast from the past . . . . 10 Years ago in Austin Open house bustles with activity

Changing of the guard

n March 23, Applied Tool & Supply L.P. welcomed more than 200 customers and vendors at its brand-new facility at 311 E. St. Elmo Rd. In front of the store, DeWALT and Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. representatives displayed show trailers and showcased shiny cars. “We moved about three weeks ago,” said owner Karl Krog. “This event gives us an opportunity to let our customers see the store layout and what we have on display.” Krog said the building has about 6,000-sf of office and showroom space and 3,000-sf of warehouse space. “We wanted to stay in the South Austin area because the electrical contractors are within a few blocks of us,” Krog added. “After finding out that the building was available, we decided to go ahead and make the purchase.” He said the contractor tools and supplies company relocated a block south from the original Industrial Blvd. location. -alr

Neal, Amber, Pat and Bob Meinzer

DeWALT reps Helmut Tillinger and Dan Beers

The Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. car

25 years of wide-ranging experience

ill Country Concrete Products Inc. owners Neal Meinzer and his wife, Amber Meinzer, hosted a surprise retirement party for his parents on a sunny April 8. The event was held from 11am-2pm at 12 Oaks Ranch in Dripping Springs. The company is a precast concrete manufacturer in Kyle. Meinzer said they invited between 80 to 100 employees and longtime customers such as installers, engineers and suppliers. “Bob Meinzer and Pat Meinzer started the company back in 1978,” said Meinzer. “In 2004, Amber and I took over the company. Today, my parents are officially retiring, so they are handing over the reins to us to run the business.” He said that his mother and father plan to play a lot more golf, spend time with the grandkids and travel. “We are here to thank my parents for everything they did along the way,” he

added. “At first the company focused mostly on building septic tanks. They would go to the supply house, build one septic tank, sell it and then go build another one.” Meinzer said that the cake at the retirement party had a septic tank design on the icing. “In the last two decades, the company has grown with the economy and with the area.” Meinzer said some employees have been with Hill Country Concrete Products since almost the beginning. “The transition could not have been made as seamlessly as it did without the loyalty of our employees,” he said. “They are a phenomenal crew. Amber and I are very excited about the next 25 years! “We will continue to carry on the legacy that my folks built by focusing on quality products and customer service.” -alr

Escape to the coast

L-R: James Conquest, Ponciano Morales III, AIA, James Sanborn and Bill Robishaw

onciano Morales III, AIA, president, established Morales & Associates, Architects Inc. in 1981. “This year, 2006, marks a major milestone for us,” said Morales. “This is made possible in part by the outstanding leadership and mentoring I received from my association with Barrera & DeMumbrum, Richard Moore, AIA, and Barnes, Landes, Goodman & Youngblood Architects.” He said his mentors guided him and instructed him in the art of architecture. “I take great delight in acknowledging my mentors and expressing my heartfelt gratitude.” Morales said the firm will celebrate the anniversary by sending out cards to clients. “I became interested in architecture at Burbank High School in San Antonio,”

he recalled. “I remember taking excellent classes in metal work, carpentry and drafting. “I attended a two-year community college in San Antonio and I graduated from the Univ. of Texas at Austin in 1973.” Morales said his firm’s greatest asset over the last 25 years has become its diversity of experience. “We have master-planned such projects as the Brown Industrial Park and the Mexican-American Cultural Center,” he said. “Our most extensive experience lies in the design of water and wastewater facilities.” Located at 7756 Northcross Dr., Ste. 203, Morales & Associates, Architects Inc. also designs recreational centers, laboratories, custom homes, low-income housing and educational facilities. –alr

aking advantage of the cool weather in late March, United Rentals Trench Safety invited 12 customers to go on a Port Aransas fishing trip. “This is our third annual event,” said Brad Renfro, operations manager. “We took everyone out to a nice dinner on the first night. We sure had a blast playing washers, horseshoes and cards with our guests!” Renfro said the company rented four bungalows at the Brad Renfro points to the Atlantic sharpnose sharks Laughing Horse Lodge. the group caught. “Bright and early the next morning, we went 30 miles offshore and caught Atlantic sharpnose sharks and kingfish.” –alr

A picture is worth a thousand words!

A lot of fun in the sun

Austin Construction News • May 2017

Page 17

continued from Page 1 — Set in stone “We don’t sell stone, we sell experience,” Way says. “As a company, we want to make the customer’s journey an enjoyable experience. AG&M is on top of the next trends across the country.” On the construction side of the company, projects include marble cladding, pavers, exteriors and interiors; such as at a recent Austin library project.

Aspiring to new heights

Empowering employees is key, Palakodati believes. “The more enabled the employees are, the happier they are and the better they will treat the customers,” he says. AG&M is a leading importer and distributor of stone and related products used on residential and commercial construction. –cw

continued from Page 1 — Opening the floodgates “There is definitely substantial growth in these cities. Austin, in particular, is a place where a lot of tech companies and companies across all industries want to move to. Because of that, there’s going to be a need for housing development, commercial development and working on the existing pipeline.” Chris Antos is the regional manager and is based in Kansas City, KS. He oversees that area, as well as Oklahoma, Texas and Arizona. Currently, the new Austin office is in a temporary location but plans to move to its permanent location on E. Braker Lane on May 1. “We’re building a strong base in Texas and will continue to look for opportunities to provide wider coverage across the state,” said Mike Swedick, Fortiline

president and CEO. “Our sales staff in Texas is among the best in the industry in delivering our customers quality products, the best value and superior service.” According to Antos, the company mainly distributes to contractors and municipalities and understands the importance of relationships. “We know it’s a relationship business,” he says. “We provide the best service in the industry.” With 12 employees at the new location, Antos says the company nurtures its current employees, as well as recruiting new talent. “We do hire new trainees and train them to learn our business,” he says. “We also promote from within and we hire people in the industry looking for a better opportunity.”–cw

The 2017 ASA SubExcel convention culminated in a banquet held inside a venue at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

he American Subcontractors Association (ASA) hosted its annual conference, SubExcel, in Denver, CO on St. Patrick’s Day weekend, Mar. 15-18, with a theme of helping contractors reach their peak performance. The four-day conference included several education sessions, such as “Increasing Your Professional and Leadership Power to New Levels of Excel-

lence,” “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Construction Clients,” and “Working Together: Effective Ways to Build Successful Teams.” Events included a welcome reception, expo, silent auction, ASA-PAC fundraiser, and awards ceremony banquet in the Rock Room at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. –mh

continued from Page 1 — Cleaning up on S. Lamar

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The combined team of contractor, subcontractors and architect were able to finish the project in seven weeks.

fast-paced project, including installing a boiler and other steam components, including complex process piping and lines. “Most of their equipment runs off steam,” he says. “So there were lots of tests and city inspections to make sure everything was right and there are no leaks with the high pressure through the plumbing.” He added with a laugh, “Everyone at Datum learned a lot about dry cleaning!” Some of the project specifics included using plenty of Galvalume, a 55% aluminum-zinc alloy coated sheet steel, Dalle said. ACM panels (aluminum composite material), aluminum, new storefront, masonry and paint rounded out the rest of the building facelift. “What made it unique and cool was the industrial nature of what was basically a retail project,” Dalle says.

Plenty of teamwork was needed to accomplish the seven-week goal, he says, and included working through Christmas and the holidays. “The quick timeline made this challenging, and, in general, every single sub rose to the occasion.Chris Phillips, our plumbing inspector with the City of Austin, was a major asset in our corner as his help was critical to the completion of this project. Chris went “over and above” to help us navigate the state and city inspection process concerning the process piping and boiler. Without his direction, this project would not have been completed in seven weeks.” Dalle said. Datum team members on the project also included Josiah Vance, Project Coordinator and Nicole Kornegay, Project Manager. Architect on the project was Tony Keller & Matt Henson with Link Architecture.–bd

High pressure steam and a boiler for the company’s pressing functions added to the challenges of the project.

L-R: Noe Lozano, Stanley Rothman, Brian Langhorst, Christian Nall, Tim Martin and Branden Linder, Blueline Rental are your go to guys for heavy equipment rental. -cw

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Austin Construction News • May 2017

Meeting in the middle

Association Calendar

Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC Central Texas Associated Builders & Contractors May 5: Spring Golf Tournament, Grey Rock Golf Club, 11am – 6pm. For more info call 512-719-5263 GREATER ACEA Greater Austin Contractors & Engineers Assn.

L-R: Robert Luna and Barry Middleman, having similar temperaments and cultures in their firms, have combined to form Luna Middleman Architects.

ore than a decade after first meeting and working together, Robert Luna, Luna Architecture + Design, and Barry Middleman, Mdn Architects, have combined their architectural practices to form Luna Middleman Architects. Luna is the president and CEO of the new firm, and Middleman is principal, staying on as a consultant, mentor and advisor. “I have been looking for years for a sort of succession plan,” explains Middleman, who turns 77 this month. “I really don’t want to literally retire, because I love architecture. I just don’t want to run a business anymore, and that’s where Robert is taking major pressure and the load off of me. So I’ve got the best of both worlds. I’ll still be able to exercise what ability I have, because this is my one and only real

GOOD NEWS!

hobby in the world, actually since I was 8 years of age.” Luna notes that he and Middleman have known each other since working on Plaza Las Campanas, and coincidentally, they both graduated from Jefferson High School in San Antonio. “My respect for him and what he has accomplished was vital. I looked to him as a mentor as we were developing our firm,” Luna, 56, says of Middleman. “And so from that initial coordinated work effort, I think it was a unique relationship that we established. I saw it as a learning experience for us, and Barry was agreeable to working with us. Since then, we stayed in touch, and all the way until we finally culminated an agreement and put this together. It’s been an exciting process. I’m just glad that Barry is still in the office helping me through the transition and guiding me along. It’s a wonderful way to be able to transition into a bigger and better firm.” The merger of the two firms was official in March, coinciding with the 44th anniversary of Mdn and the 23rd anniversary of Luna. The continuity of both firms, totaling 67 years in the industry, is intact with all 23 team members joined together. Along with its staff, Luna is bringing its Pro Sports Development division, which is in negotiations to build new stadiums similar to San Antonio’s Toyota Field in several cities, including Vancouver, Fort Collins and Fort Worth. Also, coming to the table is Luna Creative, Luna’s marketing and media division, which includes services such as branding, graphics, 3D printing, and drones for videography. Luna Middleman is based at 9639 McCullough Ave., formerly Mdn Architects’ office location. The firm has already contracted a $130 million resort in the Caribbean and is in the early stages of negotiation on new Morgan’s Wonderland parks in Fort Lauderdale and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. –mh

May 4: 2017 ACEA Central Texas Infrastructure Design & Construction Symposium, Austin Convention Center, 8am – 5pm. For more info call 512-8363140 May 11: ACEA May Membership Luncheon, Dave & Busters Auditorium, 11:30am. 512-836-3140 May 15: 2017 Summer Golf Tournament, Cimarron Hills Golf & Country Club, 10:30am. For more info call 512-836-3140

AGC

NAWIC Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

May 3: Chapter Meeting, Big Daddy’s Burgers, 9070 Research Blvd., 4pm – 7pm. For more info contact Kayvon Leath 512375-2601

PMI Project Management Institute

May 9: Lunch & Learn, Austin Dog Alliance, 1321 W. New Hope Dr., Cedar Park, TX 12pm – 1pm. For more info call 512-943-2764

SFPE Society of Fire Protection Engineers

May 11: Chapter Meeting & Seminar, High-piled Combustible Storage, San Marcos Activity Center, 9:30am – 3:30pm. For more info call 512-795-2900

SMACNA

Associated General Contractors

Austin Sheet Metal Association, Inc.

May 15: Spring Golf Tournament, The Hills of Lakeway. For more info call 512442-7887

May 2–4: 2017 CEA National Issues Conference, Washington Marriott Georgetown, Washington, DC; with Room Block Discount; Standard. For more info call 512-453-8806 May 22- 24: 2017 Financial Bootcamp, Tempe Mission Palms Hotel, Tempe, AZ. For more info call 512-453-8806

AGC-TX Associated General Contractors of Texas

May 6: AGC DFW Future Leaders 4th Annual PAC Spring Fling - Shrimp Boil Fiesta, Buyers Barricades, 7409 Baker Blvd., Richland Hills, TX May 19: Third Annual Summer Slam Fishing Tournament, Black Marlin Bar & Grill, Port Aransas, TX. For more info call 512-478-4691

IEC Independent Electrical Contractors

May 4: General Membership Luncheon, City of Austin Updates, Norris Conference Center, 11:30am – 1pm. For more info contact David Johnson 512-832-1333 May 4: Electrical Construction Tradeshow & Wire-off Competition, Norris Conference Center, 1pm – 6pm Free Admission. For more info contact David Johnson 512-832-1333 May 16–18: IEC National Policy Conference, Washington Court Hotel on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC. For more info call 703-549-7351

NARI Nat’l Assn. of the Remodeling Industry

May 3: Cornhole Washer Tournament, Moontower Saloon, 10212 Manchaca Rd., 4pm - 7pm. For more info call 512-997-6274

TACA Texas Aggregates & Concrete Assn.

May 1: Deadline submissions for TACA Safety Awards; Public Appearance; Truck Drive and Production Employee of the Year; Bruce Ingram Excellence in Construction Awards; Scholarship Essay Contest. For more info call 512-451-5100 TSPS Texas Society of Professional Surveyors Assn.

May 16: 2017 Annual TxDOT Surveyors’ Conference; Omni Southpark Hotel, 4140 Governors Row, 1pm. For more info call 512-327-7871 May 21: 18th Annual Tim Mireur Memorial Golf Tournament, Indian Creek Golf Club, 1650 W. Frankford Rd., Carrollton, TX. 8am shotgun start. For more info contact TC Crocker 469-317-0253 Your upcoming association events are important to our readers. Please forward your upcoming events to meditor@ constructionnews.net by the 10th of each month. -cw

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The guys at Trane Supply, Joey Rodriquez, Steve Yeatman and Richard Wagner, will help you with your heating equipment needs. -cw

Austin Construction News • May 2017

Memorial Day, May 29 A day to remember those who died in active military duty

Page 19

(Page 1 Masthead) George Washington Carver Branch Library, Austin, Texas This mural by John Fisher covers a wall of the branch library. It depicts the horrors of the slave trade and celebrates African American culture. Black citizens in East Austin had strongly advocated for a library in their community, and this was the first branch library to serve them.

or many, Memorial Day means a day off of work, barbecue cookouts, family picnics, and community pools opening for the summer. But as we all know, the true meaning of Memorial Day is much more than an “opening day” for summer fun. It’s a calling to honor those courageous men and women who have served and given their lives for the causes of freedom, liberty, and peace. Memorial Day is a Federal declaration and is observed on the last Monday in May. At dawn on this day, flags are lowered to half mast on state and government buildings, and American flags are placed on gravesites at national cemeteries. At 3pm, traditional ceremonies include the sound of TAPS and the 21-Gun Salute. In Washington, DC each year, a Memorial Day Parade is held, as well as other parades throughout the country. Veterans Day, usually observed on Nov. 11, is many times confused with Memorial Day. This day is designated to thank the retired Veterans who have served in the armed services - the difference being they came home. Veterans were also willing to dedicate their lives in service to prepare and defend our nation when necessary. We remember those who didn’t come home on this Memorial Day and thank those Veterans on Veterans Day who were also willing to dedicate their lives in the protection of our nation and protection of our freedom and way of life. –rd

Fired up!

n March 24, Koetter Fire Protection of Austin managing partner Jason Ferguson showed his appreciation to his employees with an Employee Appreciation Luncheon at Koetter’s facility. Fun and games – and yummy food - featured a crawfish boil with shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn and grilled chicken for those not inclined to work for their food and door prizes. The group effort it took to make this a great day was a great show of teamwork! –cw

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Austin Construction News â&#x20AC;¢ May 2017