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CONSTRUCTION
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Volume 14
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Number 5
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MAY 2017
History of metal
Always moving forward
Berger Iron Works has been in business for over a century and credits its knowledge of the industry for its longevity.
Eric Pace (left) owns Texas Industrial Air Services, LLC and is leaning on quality of work to stay competitive in a busy Houston marketplace.
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tarting in 1893, Berger Iron Works has seen three different centuries and has kept the lessons from day one to keep the wheels turning on the company. President Joe Rigano joined the company 40 years ago and vice president Gary Eckhardt has been there for 45 years, working their way up the ladder. “The main things are the continuity of management and hiring of people that hopefully will grow with the company and take care of the company,” Rigano said. “All of our management here cut our teeth and grew with the company.” After being in the same building
since approximately 1935, Berger moved its operations to a new location at 8107 West Little York Road in Houston in March 2016. “It’s a really nice, new facility, so hopefully, if we continue to do the right things Berger can be around for 120 more years,” Rigano said. Attention to detail is important in every aspect of construction, and Berger relies on that practice to ensure quality. “In our business and all construction, the simple things can become complex and the complex things can made simpler,” Rigano said. “It really has to do with a system that is put in place and continued on Page 13
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ince starting his company in 2001, Texas Industrial Air Services, LLC. (T.I.A.S) owner Eric Pace has kept his company competitive with quality of work and an evolving technological landscape. “Every year, something new is developing in the HVAC field. Technology is evolving and we must keep our team updated with the changes in our industry,” Pace said. “Our distributors help us stay updated by offering training classes that help refresh our knowledge in our field of work. “By staying updated with new developments in our field, we can educate our customers and make our best effort to understand and appreciate
the customer’s needs in every situation– helping them make the best decision on what works for them.” One of the new things that T.I.A.S. is doing are environmental rooms. The room’s temperature and humidity levels are controlled for medical and scientific research. Building an environmental room involves installing all lighting, refrigeration equipment, controls, piping and power outlets.” “The biggest change over the last five years is on the commercial and industrial side of our business,” Pace said. “We started installing environmental rooms for medical and scientific research, which has been huge for us.” continued on Page 13
Pearl in Pearland
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ith the manpower and ability to self perform, Questar Construction made sure that its recent project in Pearland, TX, was as good as it gets. In December, Questar completed a 30,000-sf warehouse and office building for West Texas Cooling Tower Fabrication and Supplies, Inc. The project features a 2,500-sf office space that reaches two levels. “It’s better for our customers because we’re able to be more competitive on pricing and it works out well,” project coordinator and sales manager Ron Riley said. The warehouse and office building was a ground-up project by Riley and the crew, taking five months to complete once the concrete was poured. Laying down the foundation was the hardest part of the project. “It was a single monolithic pour that
we started on at 1 o’clock in the morning and finished about 2 in the afternoon,” Riley said. “It was a lot of trucks. The soil out there is kind of like a grey gumbo. We had to dig out several feet and bring in the stabilized soil and material. Then we built our foundation pad on top of that.” The $2 million project went smoothly and quickly, allowing West Texas Cooling to move in to its new home in a timely manner. “It was a short job,” Riley said. “The client was ready to move in because they had to move out of their other location, so we got it done real quickly. We had some little finishing up stuff to do, that we completed in December. They started moving their stuff in at the beginning of November.” Questar had around 25 guys working on the project and only had to sub out a few portions of the scope of work. Questar Construction spent five months completing a warehouse and office space for West Texas Cooling Tower Fabrication and Supplies, Inc.
continued on Page 13