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Volume 16
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Number 6
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JUNE 2017
Keeping up with the times
A reclaiming style
L-R: Stacy Breihan and Ted Breihan, owner
L-R: Jules Middleton, owner and April Visnapuu, administrative & studio manager
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ed Breihan Electrical Contractors is a 64-year old company located in San Marcos, TX. Ted Breihan, owner and WWII veteran, started the company in 1953, after moving to San Marcos from Kerrville, TX. Breihan, now 90-years-old, was working for an electrician while going to school making a little extra money when he moved. “San Marcos started growing so fast in the 1950s that I just stayed here, and started my own business and have been contracting around Central Texas ever since,” says Breihan. Son, Stacy and daughter-in-law, Michele help run the company business. Business is steady, and like most companies, they find themselves short
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pecializing in tilt wall construction, DKC Construction Group recently completed building one of a twobuilding commercial flex-building complex, located at 1205 Sheldon Cove. Sheldon Cove Corporate Center is made up of commercial condos. “These commercial condos are fully customized for each user and at a price point and high quality not available in other product types in Austin, particularly for small to medium-sized businesses needing between 3,000 - 12,000sf of high quality office and flex space, “ says Colin Laitner, Metis Capital LLC, developer of Sheldon Cove. Building one of the two-building project took nine months to complete. From raw land development to the finished product, the project cost $6,000,000. Laitner stated that interacting with public and private utilities in a new area of ground up development was
on good electricians. “We try to encourage schools, private and public, to move into more technical trades, not just electrical, because they can use their brains and their hands both. We do a lot of utility work, water plants, and wastewater plants. It’s all computer-generated today. Everything has gone to computers and that’s where our schools need to pick it up more. Not only the engineering end of it, but the inventing of new equipment, to everything all the way through,” says Breihan. They’ve done a little bit of everything over the years from house wiring, not much residential these days, to commercial. Football and baseball fields, continued on Page 17
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sing old wood is a very popular style in design today whether it is old fence wood or old barn wood; it just doesn’t seem to matter. The style is in high demand. A family-owned and operated mill with over 40 years experience, Texas Reclaimed Floors has taken old, weathered wood to a new level. Located in Austin, TX, the company has been going strong for several years and opened a second location in Iowa in July 2015. The professional design staff, with over 30 years of design experience, works with residential and commercial clients to source quality, historic reclaimed materials that work for their projects and budgets. “We can literally source any reclaim-
ed material needed including reclaimed flooring and new flooring, structural beams, weathered boards, and one-ofkind specialty items,“ says Jules Middleton, owner & designer. “All of the reclaimed wood we sell has interesting, unique and exciting stories. We sold reclaimed maple flooring that was sourced from the executive offices of the Whitehouse. It’s fun when we are able to figure out the origin of a certain order and relay that information to our clients. They love telling their friends and family the story behind their reclaimed wood.” A two-woman business, Middleton, and administrative & studio manager, April Visnapuu, work very closely with continued on Page 17
Class A commercial condos
Sheldon Cove Corporate Center located at 1205 Sheldon Cove offers customized commercial condos.
a major challenge for the project. Building two is underway and, is scheduled for completion in August. The project consisted of raw land site preparation and the construction of a 50,000-sf concrete tilt wall flex building with tenant finish out. Polished concrete floors, abundant natural light, including skylights, and elevator accessibility are just a few of the features the project offers. Karl Conger, president and Robert Juarez, vice president oversaw the project from the ground up and all of the finish out, to final inspections. “This is a different type of product which leans to subcontractors and small tech businesses, but has the potential to receive large tenants as well. It’s a different design because it allows a class A finish out with critical warehouse space without taking away from the high end finish out in the office area,” says Conger about the project. continued on Page 17
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Austin Construction News • June 2017
Austin Construction News • June 2017
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Washers for Fun
1st Place Gold Washer (two years in a row)
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ose I. Guerra Inc. held its annual washer tournament on Thurs. Apr. 13 at the Guerra Austin Office. “It was a great gathering of 85 clients and industry friends” as, stated by Debby Williams, Director of Business Development & Marketing, all enjoying food, music and some stiff competition. 32 teams competed for the “coveted” Guerra Gold, Silver, Bronze and “Worst” tournament trophies. -cmw
3rd Place: “The Zombie”, Kazem Shirazi & Hector Mandujano with Gerra Enginners. “Worst” Place: Team Oslin Nation, Kevin Schaal & David Pena
Winners
1st Place: The MRI Team – Stephen Greco & Stuart Bloomquist, Mechanical Reps, Inc. 2nd Place: “The Peddlers”, Kyle Kramer & Steve Kreitzer Worst Place team
Submitted to Construction News
New arrival
Matt Fisher, Lighting Connection, welcomes a new addition to his family, Noah, just in time for Father’s Day. L-R: wife Tracey, Noah, Matt, and John David –cmw
Austin
CONSTRUCTION NEWS
Carol Wiatrek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210-308-5800 Austin Editor@ConstructionNews.net
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The Austin Construction News (ISSN 15477630) is published monthly by Construction News LTD., dba Austin Construction News, and distributed by mail to constructionrelated companies of record in Austin and surrounding counties. All submissions should be mailed to our editorial offices. We reserve the right to edit any materials submitted. No fees for materials, copy or photographs submitted will be due unless agreed upon in advance in writing. Submissions will be published at our discretion on a space available basis. Construction News, Ltd. , dba Austin Construction News, will not be liable for errors in copy or in advertisements beyond the actual cost of space occupied by the error. Publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement at any time.
©2017 Construction News, Ltd.
Shooting big
1st Place Winners: L-R: Jerry Conway, Austin Sonic Drive-In; Aden Lasseter, Austin Capital Mortgage; Brian Hill, Wells Fargo; Alex Flores, Austin Sonic Drive-In; and August Crocker, Austin Sonic Drive-In
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merican Constructors Inc. held its 6th Annual Charity Clay Shoot benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area (BGCAA), May 12 at Capital City Trap and Skeet Club. It was a great day to raise some money with friends for a great cause. This year’s event was a resounding success having the company’s largest turnout to-date with close to 200 shooters on 40 teams. “We would like to thank all of the generous participants who joined the fun. American Constructors began the clay shoot in 2012, and through the support of friends and colleagues, the event continues to grow each year,” says Marissa Jarmon. This year’s event raised more than $30,000 to benefit the BGCAA. Congratulations to the following winners: 1st place winners we Jerry Conway, Alex Flores, August Crocker with Austin Sonic Drive-In; Aden Lasseter, Austin Capital Mortgage and Brian Hill, Wells Fargo. Coming in 2nd place was Ryan Burke and Charlie Young with Johnson Controls; Randy Fuston, MEP Engineering Inc.; Joe Charlton, American Constructors and Darrell Metcalf, Leander ISD. 3rd place winners were the
3rd Place Winners: L-R: Will Larramore and Chad Simpson with Champion Site Prep (not pictured – Tim Griffin, Clayton Cargill, and Travis Chuey)
guys from Champion Site Prep, Will Larramore, Chad Simpson, Tim Griffin, Clayton Cargill and Travis Chuey. – cmw
2nd Place Winners: L-R: Ryan Burke, Johnson Controls; Randy Fuston, MEP Engineering Inc.; Joe Charlton, American Constructors; Darrell Metcalf, Leander ISD; and Charlie Young, Johnson Controls
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Austin Construction News • June 2017
ed to get back into larger projects, so I went to work for Zachry. I spent about five years on the 410 project, between Airport and I-35 in San Antonio. They put me in their estimating department for right under a year, which really helped me learn the estimating side of construction. I’ve been very fortunate to work with a lot of good people who have taught me a lot of things.
Steven Simpson president SB Contractors LLC Fentress, TX
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teven Simpson always knew he wanted to run his own company, work with big, heavy equipment, and move dirt. About two years ago, he finally made his dream come true. Tell me about your early years. I was born in the valley, in Falfurrias, TX and lived there until my family moved to New Braunfels when I was in the first grade. I lived there until college. What did your parents do? My dad worked for Exxon Oil, and Johnson Oil Company later on. He’s pretty much done that his whole life. My mom did a lot of different things. She worked at Southwest Texas (Texas State University) for a long time. She also worked for the Comal school district as an administrative assistant, probably since I was in middle school until she retired. After high school, did you go straight to college? What did you major in? Yes, I started out at Texas Tech and then transferred over to Texas A & M. Early on I started out in civil engineering until I realized I wasn’t very good on the computer and switched over to construction science and got my degree. Tell me about the companies you have worked for that helped groom you. I got married about a week before I started working for Keiwit. I was in their heavy civil department, basically roads and bridges. After we had our first son, we wanted to get back to this area and I was lucky enough to get a job with Hunter Industries between New Braunfels and San Marcos. We did some jobs along I-35 in New Braunfels, Comal and Bexar Counties. Zachry picked up a large job on 410 in San Antonio. I always enjoyed the bigger jobs at my time with Keiwit and want-
What made you decide to start your own company? I had been kicking the idea around for about 12 years. While working on the Waller Creek project in Austin with Zachry, which took about three years, I decided it was time to stop kicking it around. Why did it take so long to start your own company? For me, I felt like there was a lot more I needed to know. I got a lot of good experience with the people I’ve worked for at different times. It wasn’t until I got the estimating experience with Zachry that enabled me to do what I do. At Zachry, they really teach you how to be a complete person as far as the ins and outs of the business; the construction, the estimating, and all sides. I was a utilities’ superintendent, dirt superintendent, estimator; I’ve done structures with them. They gave me a lot of opportunities to learn a lot of different things. Once you decided to make that jump to start your own business, how difficult was it? The most difficult part of it was making the jump with the family and the unknown. I was lucky enough to find partners with Beard Drilling. They’re a good family. They had a lot of faith in me. As far as the business side goes, they really helped out and understood how to get it going and what it took to start. I was mainly the road building experience. I had built a lot of things, and with what they had and what I had to offer, it really worked out. How did your wife feel about you branching out on your own? She was very supportive. She has always known that’s what I’ve wanted to do. For us, a lot of it was the timing. We have four kids, so it was always when to do it, when’s the right time. There’s really no right time, you just have to commit yourself and do it. What challenges have you faced getting your business started? Early on it was the recognition, the company recognition. A lot people knew who we were individually, but not necessarily who SB Contractors was. We fought some of the battles early on as do these
Steven Simpson, President of SB Contractors LLC
guys know what they’re doing, which was hard for us, because we could pull up in our Zachry trucks and everybody just assumed we knew what we were doing; so we were a little taken back. On the labor side, we were real lucky to have some guys come to work for us right away and then they were a few that were a little leery to come on over because for them it was kind of an unknown too. Some were worried about how long we were going to be around and what were we going to do. And we had some guys that really believed in us and still do. A lot of those guys that started with us are still here. I plan to be here for a long time. Tell me about your kids. How many kids do you have? I have four kids. I have a 13-year old son, Reid; a 12-year-old daughter, Bryson; a 9-year-old son, Gram; and a 5-year-old son, Hunt. They are a full-time job as well. We spend seven days a week at a baseball field, and my daughter is a cheerleader. That takes up quite a few weekends, as well as evenings. Sometimes you have to get to work to relax. We know this isn’t going to last forever, but for now, we just go. I think this week from this afternoon through Sunday, we have six or seven baseball games scheduled. Do you and your wife have to tag team to fit it all in? A lot of it is taking one here and one there. We try our best to be at every event, but sometimes there are two games at the same time, different places or there’s a cheerleading competition in Austin and a tournament in San Antonio so we have to split things up. But we’re also very blessed to have parents that live in New Braunfels, both her parents and mine, so we’re able to call them up and say can you take them here and be there for that. It’s been good. We’re glad we came back down here. You mentioned your parents and your wife’s parents are very involved in helping you with your kids, how much more do they offer you as far as supporting you in your endeavors? I can’t begin to tell you how much they support us. My mom is probably my biggest supporter. Aside from my mom, my aunt works here, and I have two cousins that work here, so we have this family thing going on here.
Tell me about your wife. My wife, Brittany, is probably the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I met her when I was 15-years-old. She was going to be a freshman in high school and I was going to be a sophomore. We dated all through high school and most of college. She was going to Southwest, now Texas State University and I was going to Texas A & M. We broke up for about two years and ended up running into each other in Dallas, got back together and were married within a year. It’s been great; she’s amazing. It sounds like the two of you have a good, strong family life, which helps in having a good working career? Yes, she has always been very supportive, even when I was working with Zachry and Keiwit, working seven days a week, nights, just a lot of hours, she really took care of the family and really understood that we had to work to get things going. She actually went back to school to finish about four or five years after we got married because she was probably about a year from finishing when we got married, then had to move to Dallas so I could go to work with Keiwit. She got her degree and started teaching. She taught fifth grade for a year or two until she realized that she really wanted to be with the kids, so she got her real estate license and has done really well. She tries to work two days a week so she can be home with the kids. How much time do find yourself spending at work now that the business is established? At the office, I still estimate every job, but I try to spend as much time out in the field. Being out on the jobs is more my passion. I enjoy being out there with the guys building stuff, trying to solve issues on the project and just getting out. The guys, I think when they see you working, they tend to push a little more. I try to balance it as much as I can. We work as much as we need to. Who was your biggest influence when you started in the industry? That’s a difficult question. For me it was not so much influence, it was more about survival. I had a kid, I was married, it was more about supporting them; the harder I could work, the more I could provide. To me, it’s my family. They are my influence. –cmw
Sitting in the bucket of dad’s front end loader, Steven Simpson, SB Contractors LLC shares a photo of his children L-R: Reid, Gram, Bryson, and Hunt –cmw
Austin Construction News • June 2017
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Changing names
Anyone for golf?
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ome 132 golfers took advantage of the beautiful day Mother Nature had to offer on May 12 at the Associated General Contractors (AGC) spring golf tournament. 1st place winners with a score of 54 were Kenny Ames, Hull Supply Co. Inc.; Corbin King and Jim Covington, Lone
Star Paving. However, there’s something to say for being honest, even if it means you come in dead last. Doug Savage, Jared Roane, Victor Mangold and Daniel Stein were awarded Most Honest Team. –cmw Photos courtesy of Angee Wilbur, ARC Document Solutions.
L-R: Nawal Abdeladim, Jordan Stanford, Jeff Broaddus, David Bowlin, Anthony Popolizio, Melinda Welwood, Rick Johnson, Heather Nixon, Jacque Judy, Hailey Hernandez, Eric Churchill, Scott Broaddus
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ith a history of building in Texas and across the nation for 45 years, FJW Construction has changed its name to Broaddus Construction. FJW was acquired by The Broaddus Companies in 2008 and continued to function under the FJW name. The Broaddus Companies are comprised of four companies: Broaddus & Associates offers Program and Project Management; Broaddus Planning provides master planning and programming services; Broaddus Technologies offers BIM services and cloud-based project management systems; and Broaddus Construction provides at-risk construction services. “Since the 2008 acquisition, FJW continued to operate under the name it was founded in 1972, as the company enjoyed a strong reputation with many repeat client relationships developed over four decades. But within our industry, Broaddus has a much broader name recognition, attributable to The Broaddus Companies being involved in some of the largest projects in Texas,” states David Bowlin, President of Broaddus Construction. With projects such as the $650 million Capital Improvement Program for Memorial Hermann Health System in the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston, the $780 million Sky Tower Hospital for University Health Systems in San Antonio, the $500 million expansion for the Texas Children’s Hospital in TMC, numerous projects for the UT Medical Branch, the $160 million South Texas College Bond Program in The Valley, the $160 million Dallas County Records Building Complex Renovation in
Dallas, and the $29 million Medical Center of the Americas in El Paso have allowed The Broaddus Companies to be consistently recognized by Engineering News Record (ENR) as one of the Top 40 Project Managers in the nation. “The Broaddus name has much greater recognition in our industry. More owners, architects, and contractors recognize it than FJW. That’s because The Broaddus Companies have been involved in about $9 billion worth of projects over the last 15 years. FJW doesn’t enjoy the same level of exposure, particularly in the multiple geographic markets occupied by The Broaddus Companies. We also wanted a name more aligned with the identity of our other three companies.” FJW will continue to execute backlog projects under the FJW name on a few of their ongoing contracts, such as the multiyear renovation project for American Airlines across multiple terminals at DFW International Airport, and Public Private Partnership projects under contract in the Valley. Broaddus Construction and all Broaddus Companies are active in the community. CEO Dr. James A. Broaddus, Ph.D., P.E. was the immediate past President for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area, and Broaddus Construction recently managed some construction renovations to a Boys & Girls Club Facility in Bastrop County. An interesting fact about Broaddus Construction is that they are one of the few construction companies to have an active CEO (Jim Broaddus) elected to the National Academy of Construction. –cmw
1st place team: L-R: Kenny Ames, Hull Supply Co Inc, Corbin King, and Jim Covington, with Lone Star Paving.
Most Honest Team (Dead Ass Last) Mtech team, L-R: Doug Savage, Jared Roane, Victor Mangold and Daniel Stein.
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Austin Construction News • June 2017
Balancing overhead, budgeting and risk to increase project profits Scott Allen, CPA, Tax and Consulting Partner Cornwell Jackson Plano, TX
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onstruction companies experience unique accounting structures due to expenses driving revenue as projects move through various stages of completion. By managing a variety of costs, such as overhead, budgeting, and talent, owners and project managers can improve cash flow and bid smarter on fixed price contracts. Overhead and Budgeting While profits (or lack thereof) are directly driven by job costs, don’t forget to factor in overhead: • Office payroll and benefits • Building rent or mortgage • Utilities • Internet • Insurance • Marketing • Equipment and supplies • Professional services • Professional dues • Meals and lodging • Shipping and postage • Cell plans Every dollar of overhead reduces your ability to compete and bleeds money from profit margins. Make the time and effort to examine every overhead line item on the profit and loss statement. Look for opportunities to reduce overhead. If it has been 2-3 years since you last shopped the item, whether it is property and casualty insurance, a cell phone plan or your electrical provider, do so. You may be surprised at the amount of cost you can drive out of your overhead. Finally, make the time and effort to develop a comprehensive budget incorporating your understanding of your job cost drivers, your targeted sales numbers and your refined overhead. Develop the discipline to compare your actual performance to the budget on a monthly basis, if for no other reason than to refine your understanding as to the cost drivers within your business. Talent and risk This brings me to your pool of talent. FMI Quarterly noted in a 2016 survey of construction firm owners that lack of experienced field supervision and project schedules posed some of the top risks to their bottom line. This points to the critical role that the right talent plays in a company’s success. And, as we know, skilled talent is very hard to come by in this field. Traditionally, many construction companies have had a busy season and a slow season in which workers are furloughed and start collecting unemployment. PostRecession, companies have downsized their primary workforce and brought on temporary labor through staffing agencies as needed. Others have changed their business model to eliminate the slow season
and keep employees busy year-round. Whichever hiring and retention option you choose, the main idea is to right size your workforce and make sure you are hiring the right people in the first place. A temp-to-hire option through a staffing agency can reduce the risk of hiring the wrong person who costs money in training and time but ends up quitting a few weeks or months later. The more you can stabilize and train a strong pool of talent, the less likely you are to outlay unemployment, worker’s compensation or other employee costs. Stay disciplined Over the past decade, the construction industry has seen even the biggest and longest-running construction companies fail. A regular study of contractors by risk management consultancy FMI concluded that getting too much work, too fast, with inadequate resources led to inadequate capitalization. Often, the hubris within leadership led to the company’s downfall, assuming they were too big to fail. Imagine the risks, then, to a small operation. A dedicated CPA can perform an analysis of past jobs and predict the likelihood of profitability on future jobs. If your company is regularly averaging a negative margin, for example, it won’t be long before your company risks its bonding capacity — or worse — is headed toward bankruptcy. Before taking that risk, get to the bottom of your true costs so your company can thrive in a competitive fixed-price environment. 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. 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. Download the Whitepaper: The Real Cost Savings to Look For in a Fixed Price Environment on CornwellJackson.com
Lightning safety when working outdoors Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX
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ightning is a dangerous natural force. Annually in the United States, cloud-to-ground lightning occurs 20 to 25 million times and over 300 people are struck by lightning. During the past 30 years, about 50 people, on average, have been killed by lightning strikes every year, and many more suffer permanent disabilities. Lightning is unpredictable and can strike outside the heaviest rainfall areas or even up to 10 miles from any rainfall. Many lightning victims are caught outside during a storm because they did not act promptly to get to a safe place, or they go back outside too soon after a
storm has passed. If signs of approaching thunderstorms occur, workers should not begin any task they cannot quickly stop. Proper planning and safe practices can easily increase lightning safety when working outdoors. When thunder roars, go indoors!
What is an Onerous Bond form? Donnie Doan, Director of Surety/SW Region Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC Dallas, TX
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bond form to be wary of is the notorious Onerous Bond. When a bond is determined to be extremely one sided or unfair to the principal or surety, the industry catch word is ONEROUS. Of course what is considered onerous by one party, such as the company being asked to write it, is often seen as perfectly legitimate by another, such as the entity requiring the bond. To make it even more frustrating, some sureties agree to write forms that others will not and vice versa.
Total conformity is rarely found. But even if your surety agrees to write a form deemed onerous for some reason do you really want them to? After all YOU are the first and last line of defense! What Are Some Elements That Make A Bond Onerous? Here are a few pointers: First, watch out for key terms or phrases that make it easier to invoke liability or vary the burden of proof. A prime example of this is the following wording commonly found in some bond forms, “The Surety further agrees that in the event of a breach of the Subcontract on the part of the Principal…as determined in the sole discretion of the Contractor…”. There are at least two danger points in this clause. It only states “in the event of a breach,” but the extent of a breach can vary greatly and not every breach is material enough in nature to justify a default termination. This would potentially allow the obligee under the bond to recover from the surety what it could not from the principal to the contract. And this is all determined, “in the sole discretion of the Contractor (Obligee),” does that sound risky to you? “Immediately Pay,” “Without Contest,” “Waiving All Defenses!” Another example taken from an often used form says, “the Surety will upon presentation of bills by Contractor, immediately pay the same without contest, waiving all defenses which the Surety may have as Surety or which the Principal may have under the Subcontract…”. This probably sounds crazy to you but it is used by several North Texas contractors. Some Bond Forms Increase The Surety’s Liability Some City of Dallas bond forms bind the principal and surety to the City of Dallas for 110% of the contract price to cover additional court expenses, attorney’s
If you hear thunder, even a distant rumble, get to a safe place immediately. Thunderstorms always include lightning. Check NOAA Weather Reports: Prior to beginning any outdoor work, employers and supervisors should check NOAA weather reports (weather.gov) and radio forecasts for all weather hazards. Seek Shelter in Buildings: Employers and supervisors should know and tell workers which buildings to go to after hearing thunder or seeing lightning. NOAA recommends seeking out fully enclosed buildings with electrical wiring and plumbing. Remain in the shelter for at least 30 minutes after hearing the last sound of thunder. Vehicles as Shelter: If safe building structures are not accessible, employers should guide workers to hard-topped metal vehicles with rolled up windows. Remain in the vehicle for at least 30 minutes after hearing the last sound of thunder. Phone Safety: After hearing thunder, do not use corded phones, except in an emergency. Cell phones and cordless phones may be used safely.
fees, etc. The same form also states that the Bond amount shall automatically be increased by any Change Order, but a Change Order which reduces the Contract price does not decrease the Bond amount. Does This Make You Angry? If not, try the following; “If effective action to correct the noncompliance is not taken within seven (7) days of the giving of notice to Surety, then this bond shall be payable to Owner on demand.” This clause severely limits the available options and makes it impossible for the surety to defend or even develop an initial response to the claim. So, What Is The Moral Of The Story? You Must READ THE BOND FORM These are only a few of the onerous bond forms being used today. You must read the bond form, or better yet, ask your MHBT Bond Account Manager to review them. Be prepared to negotiate the language in the form or use alternative bond forms if the assumed risk is not acceptable to you or your surety company. Always remember that you are the ultimate guarantor when a bond claim is made. The surety may pay, but they will be knocking on your door shortly. It is important that you do your contract and bond review early in the bidding process. Many jobs now require that modifications or changes be presented as a condition of the bid or negotiation process. If issues with the contract or bond forms are not addressed in a timely manner, your bid could be deemed nonresponsive and thrown out, or you could lose your ability to negotiate the terms or forms when it comes time to sign the contract. MHBT serves clients from our headquarters in Dallas, Texas with branch operations in Austin, Fort Worth, Lubbock and Midland.
• Stay away from all metal objects, equipment, and surfaces that can conduct electricity. • Do not shelter in sheds, pavilions, tents, or covered porches as they do not provide adequate protection from lightning. • Seek fully-enclosed, substantial buildings with wiring and plumbing. In modern buildings, the interior wiring and plumbing will act as an earth ground. A building is a safe shelter as long as you are not in contact with anything that can conduct electricity (e.g., electrical equipment or cords, plumbing fixtures, corded phones). Do not lean against concrete walls or floors (which may have metal bars inside). • Avoid isolated tall trees, hilltops, utility poles, cell phone towers, cranes, large equipment, ladders, scaffolding, or rooftops. Avoid open areas, such as fields. Never lie flat on the ground. Avoid water, and immediately get out of and away from bodies of water (e.g., pools, lakes). natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232
Austin Construction News • June 2017
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Important revisions to the 2017 AIA owner/contractor agreements Andrew Harris, Attorney Andrews Myers, P.C. Austin, TX
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very ten years the American Institute of Architects (AIA) revises its construction agreement templates. The AIA documents are widely used throughout the construction industry and while many parties amend the templates to address specific issues and/or projects, parties frequently utilize the standard language as the starting point for negotiating the modified terms of their agreement. This document addresses a few noteworthy revisions to some of the most commonly used AIA documents. The following changes are contained in the updated A101—2017 Stipulated Sum Contract and the A102—2017 Cost Plus Fee with Guaranteed Maximum Price Contract. • Date of Commencement and Substantial Completion: The revised AIA forms provide a “check the box” option for both the date of commencement and the date of substantial completion. For the date of commencement, the parties may select: the date of the Agreement, the date designated in Owner’s notice to proceed, or a mutually agreed date. For the date of substantial completion, the parties may select a specified date or designate the number of days from the date of commencement.
• Liquidated Damages/Incentives: The revised AIA forms now contain blanks that the parties can fill in to account for liquidated damages and for bonuses/ incentives (presumably for early completion) in the contract’s total sum. • Retainage: The revised AIA forms contain a more detailed retainage provision, including a default assumption that retainage will be withheld. • Termination for Convenience: The revised AIA forms still allow the Owner to terminate the contract for convenience. However, the new version anticipates a ter-
Surfacing the way
L-R: Antonio Torres, Jose Torres, Antonio Neri, John Harvey, Mark Right, Bain Dibrell, and Chris Farris, owner.
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F Stoneworks is a countertop shop in Kyle, specializing in countertops made of quartz, granite and solid surfaces. 100% of their product and ser-
vice is in the commercial industry. A small operation by industry standards, having only 10 employees, they perform work all over the country. “We
Father’s Day Facts
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id you know that Father’s Day dates back to at least the middle ages? Did you know Father’s Day has been nationally recognized for only 45 years? It has been the celebration of fatherhood in Catholic Europe on March 19, as the feast day of Saint Joseph, who is referred to as the fatherly Nutritor Domini (“Nourisher of the Lord” in Catholicism and “putative father of Jesus” in southern European tradition. The Spanish and Portuguese brought this tradition to the Americas. It was not until the 20th century that Father’s Day was celebrated in the United States as a civic celebration to complement Mother’s Day. The first observance of Father’s Day was held on July 5, 1908 after the Monongah Mining Disaster in which 361 men,
250 of them fathers, leaving around a thousand children fatherless. Grace Golden Clayton was one of those children. After the successful promotion of Mother’s Day, Clayton suggested her pastor Robert T. Webb honor all those fathers. After the successful promotion of Mother’s Day in 1908, Sonora Smart Dodd, the daughter of a civil war veteran, William J. Smart, and single parent of six children, told her pastor that fathers should have a similar day to honor them. She wanted the day to be June 5, her father’s birthday. Because there was not enough time to plan, a celebration was held on the third Sunday in June 1910. Congress resisted President Woodrow Wilson’s petition to officially recognize Father’s Day as a federal holiday fearing it would become commercialized.
mination for convenience fee payable to the Contractor. The parties may negotiate the amount of the termination for convenience fee and include it in this section. • Insurance and Bonds: The revised AIA forms now include a separate exhibit to allow the parties to more specifically detail the project’s bonding and insurance requirements. The insurance exhibit is a large departure from the previous AIA documents and the changes too numerous to mention in this article. However, a contracting party should review the new exhibit in detail with its insurance carrier prior to executing the contract. The following changes are contained in the updated A201—2017 General Conditions of the Contract for Construction. • Written Notice/Electronic Notice: The revised A201 adds electronic transmission as a method of providing all contractual notices—except for notices of claims, which must still be served only by courier or by certified or registered mail. • Contractor Indemnifies Against Lien: The revised A201 includes a new provision in which the Contractor agrees to indemnify and defend the Owner against any downstream liens or claims, provided that the Owner has properly paid the Contractor. • Choice of Law: Like past versions, the revised A201 requires that the contract be governed by the law in the jurisdiction where the project is located. The updated A201 goes fur-
ther and specifically excludes that jurisdiction’s choice of law rules. • Minor Changes in Work: The revised A201 allows the Architect to order minor changes in work and if the Contractor believes the minor change will impact the contract sum or time, the Contractor shall not proceed with the work and must notify the Architect. If the Contractor proceeds without notifying the Architect prior to commencing work, Contractor waives any right to modify the contract sum or time. • Arbitration: The revised A201 requires that arbitration be conducted in the place where the project is located, unless the parties agree otherwise. These changes, like any other contract provisions, can be further modified or amended by the parties. However, contractors and owners should review the updated 2017 AIA documents to determine how these revisions may impact future negotiations. About the Author: Andrew Harris focuses on advocating for general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and owners on a variety of construction– related issues such as litigation, arbitration, and contract negotiations. Mr. Harris is an attorney in the Austin office of Andrews Myers, P.C. and can be reached at aharris@andrewsmyers.com or https://www.andrewsmyers. com.
do work in Vancouver, Canada, the Pentagon, food courts in the universities, LSU, A&M, and UT. We do a lot more work out of state than people would expect,” says Chris Farris, owner. CF Stoneworks got its start with Whole Foods and continues to do work for them throughout the country. After 911, CF Stoneworks did the food court for the Pentagon. Celebrating 15 years in business this August, the company continues to move forward, business as usual. Having only one location in Kyle, TX along the I-35 corridor, it seems to be a small operation, but functions like a large operation. “We do a lot of work. We just don’t have more of an office stance. A typical shop like ours would have more office people, a larger showroom, with more going on. It’s just not necessary in our line of work. We are very work-oriented. Its all about the projects. “The employees are a very tight group of guys. Working six and half days a week, they are very loyal and dedicated to their work and extremely talented.”
Natural stone is a small percentage of the work they do. Most of their work is with silestone and caesarstone, quartz products; corrian, solid surface product; marble, granite and a lot of recycle glass and concrete content countertops. “Natural stone is more of a person touch. It’s tougher for the designers and architects to design something that’s consistent when you’re dealing with nature.” Farris got interested in the stone business as a teenager working for a family friend’s business. After the business closed, he just kept going, having all the contacts and getting support from a group of people that were having trouble with other countertop shops, put him the direction he is going now. After two years, he was on his feet, on his own and in the building he is in now, and continues to do tons of work for that group of people. Farris plans to expand into a residential division in the fall, having acquired additional space at his current location for a residential showroom. CF Stoneworks supplies natural and man-made countertops. -cmw
President Calvin Coolidge recommended the day be observed throughout the nation. President Richard Nixon signed
into law in 1972, the third Sunday of June to be designated as Father’s Day after President Johnson’s proclamation in 1966 honoring fathers. –cmw
To all you men who work selflessly and tirelessly to provide a happy, loving, safe and profound legacy for your children that will carry on for generations .....
Happy Fathers Day SundayJune 18
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Austin Construction News • June 2017
Creating a winning social media strategy
Michael Klasno, Media Specialist & Web SEO
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very business looking to achieve success through social media needs to have a well written social media strategy designed to reach their customers and get the desired result. Just as social media channels are not equal in scope, demographics and reach, all social media channels might not be right for your company goals. Your social media strategy needs to be market specific just for your company. What works for a big box competitor with a large advertising budget and huge staff may not work or be practical for your market. Your custom social media strategy should contain everything from your goals, your target audience, and what that audience wants or needs. Then you can decide which social media channels can be utilized to best reach your customers. Everyone from the business owner, to in-house staff, to your hired gun Social Media Specialist must be involved in setting the goals and building your branded social media strategy. Setting attainable, measurable goals is an important component to a good social media strategy. These will
help you achieve the results you are looking for. Set measurable goals like getting more sales, customer leads, website traffic, and building credibility and expanding the brand image. Likes, followers and retweets should be a much smaller component of every business’ main goal. Making a profit! A strong ROI can be achieved by leveraging social media to build online credibility. If your brand is credible and trustworthy ‘Likes’, followers and retweets will happen organically. For best results, begin with only two or three goals. Having too many goals can affect your focus. Once you have a list of goals it’s important to figure out your target audience. The basis of every marketing strategy is the target audience. You need to know four things about your audience; who they are, what they want, how to reach them, how to please them. If you can’t please them and give them what they want, they won’t interact with your social media updates, buy your products or give way to forming any relationship with you. Knowing who your target audiences are and what they want will help you choose the right social media, create relevant content, and write the perfect social media updates. You want to choose social media channels that are frequented by your target audience. Looking at social media demographics can help you with this. For instance, if you find that most of your audience are baby boomers and senior citizens, then the right social media to use might be Facebook since 45% of internet users age 65 or older now use Facebook. As stated, start out with only a few relevant social media platforms. Remember that having more than 3 or 4 social media accounts means more work (and
cost) for your in-house team or the hired specialist. I suggest you do a simple social media audit to inspect your current social media activities to determine where you are, what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong. If you have been using social media for a while, you already have analytic available to compare. Begin by analyzing everything from what you have posted, what types of posts worked best, what posting time was most effective, who are your key industry influencers, etc. If you are new to social media I suggest you look at pages owned by your competitors to see how well their social media performance compares to the industry standard. You can use the results you get from this audit to continue doing more of the effective things and to tweak or discard the ineffective. If you don’t have any business social accounts on which to perform an audit, the best option may be to start by contacting a Social Media SEO Specialist. Prepare a content strategy that includes everything: blog posts, white papers, well written social media updates, photos, quotes, videos, etc. The first thing
you must remember while creating your social media strategy is that every social media platform is different; what works on one network might not work on another. That ‘Donut’ image by Social Rank is a fun reminder that each social media site comes at content from a different perspective. Share different things on different social media and craft unique updates for each. Use the data you collect from your audit and other analyses to see what your audience wants and give it to them. Your content strategy should be based on your goals, your audience, the social media you are using, what has worked for you in the past and what is working for your competitors. You want to use all this together to help you achieve your desired results. Make sure you have a company blog where you create and provide fresh original content as well as industry wide news and announcements. Providing free quality content can be a great way to build trust and with trust comes credibility. Remember, people on social media don’t want a sales pitch, they want to be engaged and there’s no better way to do this than with content. Make sure you create fresh content, mix in a little from other sources and have a proper promotion plan to expose it to as many readers as possible. In conclusion, social media success takes time. It doesn’t happen instantly. You might notice some positive changes at the beginning, especially if you take the right steps by collecting data and giving your audience what they want instead of assuming. But achieving the goals you have set can take 3 to 6 months. Plan accordingly and be patient. Article provided by Michael Klasno Search Engine Optimization & Social Media Specialist in Southeast Texas. –cmw
Austin Construction News • June 2017
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Summer Alternatives by Capt. Steve Schultz Sponsored by: Waypoint Marine, Majek Boats, Evinrude Outboards, Fishing Tackle Unlimited, E-Z Bel Construction, Costa Sunglasses, Diawa Reels, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, ForEverlast Fishing Products, Interstate Batteries, MirrOlure, and AFTCO Clothing.
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ell, in the fishing industry there is a saying, “The wind is your friend.” I really want to believe that, but lately the wind hasn’t been very friendly. I know you probably read this every year by anglers, but this year it seems like there is no relief. I know we will be begging for a breeze come August, but for now I wish it would give us a break.
Jeff Hawkins of San Antonio caught this 28-in. trout last week on the King Ranch Shoreline. Fish was just over 7 lbs and was released after photo by Steve Schultz Outdoors.
Since the beginning of May and the arrival of Croaker, fishing strategies have changed. Rock structures, reefs, grass beds and potholes are areas which need to be keyed on. Anchoring up on the outside edges of these areas can be very productive on spawning trout. Setting up on these locations is the key to catching fish. Always approach the intended
area with the wind at your back carefully estimating the length of your anchor rope and the distance of your cast. Once you have drifted over the area you intend to fish because your anchor didn’t hold or you misjudged the wind, you might as well find a new area to fish and try that spot later in the day.
During the summer months here in the Coastal Bend anglers can find some of the best fishing along the entire coast. Our bays are loaded with resident fish and tide runners which constantly are arriving form the Gulf. With school being out for summer and the weather getting better everyday, that can only mean one thing. Boating and fishing pressure will be one of the most important factors for not being able to find large quantity of fish or stay on those fish once you have a bite going. That is why I emphasize so much that the best fishing is usually during the week instead of on a weekend. Another alternative to getting away from the heat and crowed bays is late evening fishing and night fishing. Fishing late into the evening and into the night during the full moon can get you out of everyday crowds and into some of the more popular fishing areas without being hassled by novice boat operators and impatient anglers. I have experienced all aspects of these people trying to move in on a set of rocks or a sand pocket you are catching fish from and scare all the fish away. It has reached a point where you have to do some homework and really think about how you will go about catching fish on any given day. 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 • June 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
Boomer’s History
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used to sit with my great, great grandma and listen to her stories of her life. Childhood encounters between her family and the Native Americans, hearing the shooting during a Pancho Villa raid when they lived near the border and watching with a little girl’s big eyes when a notorious outlaw passed through town. Her tales of daily life told of walking for miles to visit neighbors who were ill or who had a crop to bring in, toiling in the fields in the summer and hand sewing the precious old quilts that still warm our beds today. I was fascinated to imagine how it must feel to have seen so much change in the world. I guess I fit in with the last snippet of the Baby Boomers. I was born in the late 1950s, not at the crest of the Baby Boomer wave, but before the Beetles and Love Children. I have been just rocking along, living my life and not really reflecting on how much change I have seen in my life, until the birth of my first grandchild. Guess who’s becoming Grandma now? The difference between the world this grandbaby will grow up in and the world of my youth is pretty astounding too. Sure, all the technological stuff I have seen is worth noting, but I think mostly about the way that people experience and learn about the natural world. I was raised in a rural place by people who survived by farming, ranching, blacksmithing and such. I was taught that planting and nurturing led to the best eating in the world. Hunting wild game was just survival and also led to the best eating in the world. Children were still taught the old adages about weather omens and how to tell that change was coming without a weather report. The old timers had both hands wrapped around the pulse of the natural world. I am so fortunate to have had the chance
S & D Plumbing’s annual outing (both photos)
to learn from them. Now I meet so many people from different walks of life that come and fish with us. The majority of folks are from the large cities now. Cities have education and jobs and opportunities that people need and can’t find in the country. But I’m beginning to worry about the way kids now experience the world outside. I almost fell over one day when a couple of kids jumped out of a mini-van in my parking lot and started chasing a “bunny” that was my in-laws dachshund! It is not at all unusual to meet customers who show up dressed all wrong for the weather conditions we are about to face. I think weather has just become what happens to you on the way to the car. The human world has gotten so fast paced and demanding that I don’t know how parents manage it. They have my admiration and respect! It is no wonder that the natural world doesn’t get noticed unless it spoils someone’s plans. My revelation in all of this is that it is up to us “Boomers” and grandparents to invest our time and experience in our youth so they can learn to value and appreciate the wonder of the great outdoors. Seriously, we don’t have time to get old! We have work (and play) to do!
Half or Full Day Fishing Trips All Bait, Tackle & Equipment Furnished Your catch Filleted and Bagged for You Furnish your TPWD Fishing License & Refreshments, and WE DO THE REST!
Ken Milam Guide Service (325) 379-2051 www.striperfever.com
GOOD NEWS!
You always look good in Austin Construction News, Guaranteed! Call Carol for a Company Profile (210) 308-5800
Austin Construction News • June 2017
Page 11
Indians were here!
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onstruction News Managing Editor, Carol Wiatrek, shares photos recently taken at Indian Cave Ranch, Doss, TX, where hieroglyphics were found while exploring a cave. Doss is located in Gillespie County, 23 miles northwest of Fredericksburg. It is located in a breathtakingly scenic valley which was once known as Doss Valley. The Native Americans where the first to call Doss Valley home. -cmw
Snake fever
Stan Rothman, Blueline Rentals poses with his slithering conquest, a 6ft bull snake caught and released at Indian Cave Ranch, Doss, TX. Photo courtesy of Chandelle Schoch
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ost people run from snakes, some faint, and then there are a select few that just can’t seem to get their fill. This became very apparent while leaving Indian Cave Ranch in Doss, TX and a snake crossed the road. Stan Rothman, Blueline Rentals, stopped and jumped out of his truck, reached for his shotgun and went after the snake. Spotting the snake again in the grass, he started pursuing the snake, in flip-flops. Once he realized it was just a bull snake, the chase was on. He did not stop until he had caught the 6ft. reptile. Apparently this has been a passion of Stan’s since he was a small boy. He and his older brother, Pat would go “snaking” in the bayous in Houston. “We would take an old aluminum mop handle, run a thin rope up the tube of the handle, and make a loop at the end. When we’d see a
snake, we would loop the noose around its head, pull it tight and pull it up.” It must have been there that he developed this fascination with snakes. –cmw
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Austin Construction News • June 2017
An organic evolution
Construction News ON LOCATION
Cedar with style
Taking time out for a photo with Construction News Austin Editor at Cedar Supply in Kyle L-R: Jason Sanders, John Gonzales and Carter Smith
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The Austin team of Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing is celebrating the company’s 35 years in business as well as recently becoming part of IBP.
elebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing has evolved and grown throughout its history, and in January, the company saw its latest big change when Alpha became part of the Installed Building Products (IBP) family. Alpha’s new parent company is publicly traded with more than 140 locations nationwide, primarily focusing on the residential market. Alpha will continue to focus primarily on the commercial market with founder Vic Verma continuing to serve as its CEO and partner Henry Schmueckle continuing to serve as president. “Our owners went to great efforts to make sure we were a fit for each other before finalizing the deal,” explains Greg Wiatrek, director of sales/estimating, who handles Alpha’s business development. “As we went through the transition, Henry and Vic ensured that Alpha and all the employees that have been part of this great company for 35 years would continue to be taken care of. The only thing we have been asked to do is to
continue to grow.” Since Verma established Alpha in San Antonio in 1982 as an insulation company, Alpha has grown steadily and organically, opening offices where their clients and work give them roots. In 1986, Verma’s friends, and clients, at Marek Brothers urged him to open a branch in Atlanta. By 1989, operations in that office had grown so much that corporate functions moved to Atlanta. In 1988, Schmueckle was hired to run operations, introduced waterproofing to the business, and became a partner 10 years later. Alpha went on to open offices in Dallas; Charlotte, NC; Austin; Houston; Orlando, FL; Nashville, TN; Miami, FL; and this year, Tulsa, OK. The Austin office opened in 2001 and has worked on many projects including the University of Texas EERC project and Austin Bergstrom International Airport. Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing also does fireproofing, firestopping, and most Division 7 services, except roofing, metal panels, and EIFS. –mh
Austin Construction News • June 2017
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Lighting the way
Blast from the past
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Lighting Connection is a third generation family business. L-R: Jordan Jewett, Jennifer Rivera, Tabitha Turnini, Rebekah Cooper, Jony Dombeck and Matt Fisher.
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ighting Connection got its bright start as a way to distribute lighting products under parent company Lanehart Electrical Contractors. Partners Randy Garrett and John Lanehart established the company’s headquarters in Irving, with a Buda location following in the early 90s, says vice president of operations Jaclyn Willbrand. Lighting Connection now has roughly 55 employees across both locations, and cultivating them for maximum growth is another company hallmark, according to Willbrand. “One of my favorite things is the employee tenure we enjoy,” she says. “That’s company wide. We recently had an event where we celebrated everybody with more than 25 years of service – it added up to more than 1,000 years of tenure.” Willbrand attributes that to the company’s culture. “It’s a privately owned, third-generation family business,” she says. “And, It’s that family friendly culture that extends to our employees, where we
value a strong work-ethic but not at the expense of our personal and family lives. We encourage employees to be there at the soccer game or make the school play. Our work culture extends beyond the office as well with annual holiday parties, tickets to sporting events and regular barbecues, and employees get first consideration on any new jobs posted. Everybody has the opportunity to learn and take on new responsibility. We are very big on keeping the lines of communication open.” Communication with customers is also key to Lighting Connection’s success. Willbrand says the company works hard to earn its reputation, staying on job sites to help troubleshoot and provide added services. “We tailor packages to people’s budgets and we stay in touch with industry trends,” she says. “Something we hear over and over again is how people appreciate our attention to service.” With Irving and Buda showrooms, lighting distributor Lighting Connection services multi-family and residential clients. –mjm
oining the Construction News team is Carol Wiatrek. I’m her, Carol Wiatrek, the new managing editor. Many of you know me, at least in San Antonio, and a few in Austin, but rest assured, I’m no stranger to the construction industry. In San Antonio, I was a part of the construction industry for 22 years through my affiliations with The Builders’ Exchange of Texas and Associated Builders & Contractors Inc. South Texas Chapter. Through the years I have met many great people who have been great inspiration to me. After being absent from the construction industry for five years it’s great to be back, and I look forward to establishing many more friends in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. I’m telling you about me, but I look forward to telling stories about you, your company, your employees, and fun activities you all are involved in. I have three beautiful children, two daughters and a son. My oldest daughter, Regan, is a certified makeup artist and licensed cosmetologist. My daughter Kirsten is a second-year pharmacy student. My son Jacob is a junior in high school and varsity soccer player. I have an amazing three-year-old grandson, Landen, who is the joy of my life. There is nothing better than walking
in the door to hear the words, “Mimi’s here.” Now you know my story, let me tell yours. We at Construction News want to tell the industry about you and your company. We have a great section called “Industry Folks” where we introduce the employees behind the scenes from the receptionist to project managers. In addition, we have our “Great Outdoors” section; we like to publish the photos of your employees and/or their family members at play whether it being hunting, fishing, skiing, playing basketball, baseball, picnics, sky diving, etc. Don’t be bashful! Share your stories and photos with us by emailing them to your local paper editor. The construction industry is truly a tight-knit family-let’s all get to know each other. –cmw
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Austin Construction News • June 2017
THIS TH MON 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
Everyone needs water David Delgado, Manager 1st Plumbing Services Austin, TX
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ow would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms? It seems like the construction industry is booming. We have been slammed since opening our doors eight years ago.
What factors are driving this increase? We’re seeing a lot of people coming in from Houston, California and New York. The cost of living is cheaper here as compared to those markets. Are you seeing an increase in the number of outside contractors coming to the area? Yes, we see a lot of contractors coming from all over who have moved here. They have to work and if they’re willing to take the chance and try to establish themselves, then so be it. How has this affected your business? If anything, it will help us out ten, fifteen years down the road. We are experienced with the elements and the water
down here. They are not accustomed to our water and climate. It’s not bad workmanship, and the work is up to code, but if you don’t use the best materials and techniques for all the hardness and other minerals in our water, then a few years down the road, we’ll be doing repairs on they’re work. We’re more experienced with our area, and incorporate higher standards because we don’t want problems eight, ten years down the road. What are the “hot button” issues in your industry? Code upgrades, the different municipalities and their infrastructures. Waterlines for example, with so many new projects being built, it limits the big suppliers that supply water. Instead of replacing
Conservation and plumbing codes for all seasons
old lines with 36 or 48-inch lines, the old 24-inch stay in place. They just boost up the pressure. Because water pressure demands have doubled, the pressure is on the homeowners who had great water pressure for years, making them more susceptible to issues.
money I pay my mechanic hurts. I’m sure people feel that way about plumbers.
What specific codes changes have affected your industry? The standards for efficiency ratings for water heaters is a big one, requiring water heaters to be made bigger with more insulation so they run more efficiently. In many cases, newer replacement water heaters will not fit in the same space, so you have homeowners saying “what do you mean, my new water heater won’t fit?” Having to explain to somebody why their plumbing needs to be redone, is tough.
What is the cost increases relating to your industry? The cost of brass went up 20-30% due to lead-free requirements, which raised the prices of other materials like PVC. It becomes a chain reaction.
What is the most significant challenge your faces? Finding qualified employees, plumbers, is our biggest challenge. I could put eight more plumbers in vehicles right now. We turn down more work everyday. We can’t get qualified people. They’re just not coming into the business. All the vocational training has been taking out of the schools. I wish I had taken a mechanics class when I was in school. The amount of
ting, which is using a high-pressure hose that we send down the pipes in order to blast the pipes clean. It’s just that now, we’re having more of it. We’re making more money doing it, but unfortunately, it’s costing the consumer. Why are these systems being made this way? Is there anything the consumer can do to combat these issues? These are required by code – what size water consuming fixtures are put into homes and businesses. So, really, there’s nothing they can do. It’s now a matter of the engineers designing the plumbing piping system in a different way to allow this to work better. When you flush your toilet, you want those items to float out of the pipe. They’re not swept away by the water. They’re actually floating on top of the water as it exits your pipes in your building. So, if you put more grade or slope on the pipe, then it leaves it behind, because the water runs out faster than the other items do. So, it’s really an engineering issue that we’re up against, and I do not think that we’ll see at least water closets come down any more in the near future as far as water use – unless the engineers have a plan or the consumer decides it’s worth paying us more money, more often, to go in and unclog their pipes.
With all of these different codes and variations, does that make it difficult for plumbers or your students? Should there be one code instead of many? No, I think that it benefits different parts of the country to have different codes. For instance, if you go up north, when it snows, there’s something that has to be done for the venting so that they do not fill up with snow and you no longer vent the plumbing system. And what they do is they actually enlarge the vents from about a foot below the roof line going up through the roof. This makes it to where as the vent air is exiting the vents – it has water in it, and that water condensates up against the pipe, which then freezes and it begins to make that opening smaller and smaller to where it doesn’t vent as well. Now, our code here in town also mentions that, but we don’t need it here, because we don’t have those issues. But up north, there are different issues. On the West Coast, there are different issues – you have earthquakes, so you have to design those systems differently using extra sup-
San Antonio, TX
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ave there been any significant issues in the plumbing industry recently? Of course, everybody’s conserving water. So, all our flush valves, showerheads, lavatories need to be water conserving. The only issue that we’re finding now in the industry is that we’re getting to a point where not using enough water in our water closets, we are not being able to float the material down the pipes as far now, and pipes are becoming more likely to get clogged because of it.
What are plumbers able to do to try to rectify those situations? How are the new generations of plumbers tackling those new issues? We’re still tackling them the way we’ve always tackled clogs, and that’s using mechanical augers and hydrojet-
Sep: Green Building Nov: Architecture & Engineering Oct: Specialty Contractors Dec: Construction Equipment
Would these be issues that only engineers can solve or is there anything the plumbing industry can do about them? They’re requiring that we install these fixtures with these rates of water usage. So, it’s really now up to the code committees that rewrite their code every three years. There’s the UPC [Universal Plumbing Code], IPC [International Plumbing Code], and NPC [National Plumbing Code]. So, there’s a lot of different codes out there that different municipalities and states use depending on what they want to use. Right now, San Antonio uses the IPC. When you do the state exam, they use the UPC. I really think it’s determinate upon the codes and how the engineers are going to design their systems to allow them to work better with the type of water saving fixtures that we have. And we need to save water!
Rene Lopez Responsible Master Plumber/Estimator SOS Companies
We think we’re at a point where this may be as water conserving as we can be. In fact, there’s a job that I’m working on now that SAWS came in and asked them to use smaller valves and fixtures and they’re already having problems with it clogging. So, we are having issues with this already. There’s a thing with the urinals that Sloan has devised, and we’re trying to save water using waterless urinals now. And we have for quite some time – probably the last decade, if not longer – but they’re finding that the uratic salts in the urine build up because they’re not flowing them out either. So, there are different methods in which they’re doing it. They’ll put in waterless urinals or they’ll put in urinals that will flush every three days as opposed to every time you use it, just to make sure that they’re clearing out the pipe. There’s a lot of issues with that right now, and that’s one of the big things that I’m trying to teach our apprentices about.
HVAC & Plumbing
Is Plumbing education available for those wishing to enter the industry? We offer training at our training facility in Austin.
What are the rewards of the industry? Unlimited potential. Plumbing is not the oilfield, but if you put in your time, you can make a great living. Everyone needs water. Why did you decide to work in the Plumbing industry? A buddy of mine called me up and asked if I wanted to help him out during the summer, so I did. The owner of that company asked me if I wanted a job, so I decided to give it shot and I haven’t looked back. 1st Plumbing Services is a commercial and residential plumbing company based in Austin with an office in San Antonio. -cmw
ports that we do not require down here. Here, it gets real cold and you take a shower and you feel the difference – you feel how cold that water is. Up north, it would freeze if they put it at the same elevation below the soil level. Right here we use about 12 to 18 inches. Up north, they’re at 6 feet so that it doesn’t freeze. I think you need all the different codes. I typically teach mostly the IPC, because that’s what they use here in this area, but I certainly let my students know that there are different codes. Are there any other issues that are important in plumbing today? One other thing that is very important, you have to understand that the plumber protects the health of the nation. Were it not for the plumber, we would have third world diseases here. We would have people dying more than normal from water issues such as what happened in Corpus and Carrizo Springs, what’s going on in Michigan. The water that we ingest has to be protected by us through backflow prevention – once it exits the purveyor’s pipe, we do not want that water to reenter the purveyor’s pipe, because if something has occurred in that location that the water has entered in, and it has become contaminated and is able to reenter the purveyor’s pipe, now you’re making all the citizens sick in that neighborhood, in that region in addition to the location that has had the issue. Backflow preventers here have to be certified every year, and this is just to protect the people and the purveyor from anything happening to their water or sanitary sewer system. With SOS Companies since 2014, Rene Lopez has been a Responsible Master Plumber since 2007. He has also been a fourth-year instructor for the PHCC apprenticeship program for two years now. –mh
Austin Construction News • June 2017
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Electrical Industry
If you would like to represent your company in an upcoming FOCUS, contact your DFW Editor for an Interview Carol Wiatrek (210) 308-5800 AustinEditor@ConstructionNews.net
HVAC business heats up Sam Kelly, President New Balance A/C Houston, TX
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hat is the state of HVAC right now in Houston? I think it’s quietly optimistic. As much as we try not to be, we’re tied to the temperature swings. When it’s really cold in the winters or hot in the summers, we’re busy. We try to promote maintenance and all of those things year-round, and every year is a challenge. I’ve noticed with the economy from 2008-09 to now, it’s gotten better every year. With the political uncertainty that was going on before the election and now the post-election issues that are going on, I think it’s causing some people to hesitate. We’re going to need air conditioning no matter what happens, but I think it’s keeping people from reaching into their wallets for $10,000 systems that they’ve wanted to do the last two summers. We’re just now getting people to move on that type of stuff where they have been putting it off for two years. I’m a firm believer in global warming and greenhouse gas. Some people are pushing that as not being real, and unfortunately, it’s very real. In our case, we’re better off because if it does get warmer in more days of the year, we will be more in demand. I’d rather not be busy for that reason. With Houston being so big and busy have you seen a number of outside contractors coming in to the area? I’m not for sure about that in our field. There are 100,000 to 150,000 people
moving into Houston each year. I think a lot of people are transferring people here, big corporations and stuff. I don’t think there is a lot of outside competition coming in and taking our work from us. Do you have any big problems going on in the industry right now? I think the big issue for everyone right now is finding qualified help or young people willing to learn this trade. When we get them, we really embrace them. We pay for their training and give them as much as we can. I think the future is going to need hands-on people. The Internet and computers can only do so much for us. They’re not going to install things for us. They’re just going to design it. It’s going to take people with skills to make this happen. Do you feel like there is enough training out there but it is not be utilized? I think there’s a problem with the school structure. As far as junior high, and then in high school, they’re pushing them into college. I know my peers from the last
Plumbing provides “great lifestyle” Roger Wakefield, LEEP AP O+M, Owner Texas Green Plumbing Company Richardson, TX
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ow would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms? Have you heard of an increase or slowdown in business? There is definitely an increase in work. The number of plumbers, fitters and welders working right now is great. Better than that, the future looks promising. We are always looking for great service plumbers and apprentices that are interested in something different and they are getting harder to find. What factors are driving this increase? Population increase in Texas has a lot to do with it. I think it goes back to Rick Perry trying to bring so much business here. It worked. There are 200 people a day moving into the Dallas area and it shows. Roads are more crowded, houses are harder to find, and even rentals are going fast. Do you see an increase in the number of outside contractors coming to the area? Unfortunately yes; not necessarily in the plumbing industry but there are some. Roofers and fly-by-night general contractors are starting up new companies every day. People really need to watch out whom they are working with – in any industry. What is on the horizon for the plumbing industry? Smart meters and meter monitors are something worth talking about. There are many companies trying to get out ahead on this. MeterDog is one that I am really impressed with from Kona Labs. You can get a report every morning let-
ting you know your meter movement and flow. I think this is going to be a great tool for homeowners or plumbers looking for water leaks. Also, LeakTronics has some fantastic listening devices that are changing the way we do leak detection and locating. These are two of the best products that I have started using. With the recent emphasis on green building, what is the most environmentally friendly change relating to your industry? This emphasis isn’t enough or soon enough. We are going to have to get busy teaching people about water conservation and not just teaching but getting them involved. I’ve been involved with GreenPlumbers USA for many years now so I have seen this coming. I just had a booth at Earth Day TX 2017 at Fair Park in Dallas. It was a wonderful event. And there are so many people interested in water conservation that it makes me wonder why they have to seek out ways to save water. Each city should be actively getting this information out there. San Antonio Waters System (SAWS) is fantastic about that. I
generation went to the trade fairs and school fairs to try and get students interested. The counselors, themselves, were pushing them out and not letting them talk to the kids. There was this idea that if you don’t go to college, you’ll lose out in the end. It’s so unfair because it’s untrue and there are so many people that are not capable to go to college. We need people in trades. Do you see any changes coming in the industry as far as materials, technology or equipment? It’s changing dramatically and really fast. It is all going to “smart” homes and computers. Everything has a motherboard on it, and they talk to each other. You can access it from your phone or computer. The other thing is the disparity between the U.S. and the rest of the world on what type of equipment we have. In the rest of the world, 97 percent of it uses mini-splits, like Frederick or Mitsubishi. That is what you see in Europe and Asia. Only about five percent of people in the U.S. are using mini-splits but it is growing by around 33 percent each year. How has R-22 being phased out affected the industry? It is causing a big stir because most companies are charging over $100 a pound for it right now. It’s going to be completely phased out in 2018, so they are going to sell off the stock that they have now. It’s quadrupled the price in the last three years. They’re having some replacement Freon, but when you change your outside condenser to the new refrigerant, you have to change the system. Instead of having to change a
attended my first GreenPlumbers USA training class there in 2008. Eddie Wilcut said then that San Antonio had doubled in population the previous 25 years but they were using the same amount of water. That’s what we should all be doing. Do the new water restricting fixtures impact plumbing installation? No, they are actually just as easy to install. There are no reasons that we shouldn’t be using them. When some low flow products first came out, there were some issues. Those have been resolved and improved upon. The American Standard H2Option Dual flush toilet is one of the best I’ve ever used. I have an American Standard ActiClean that I am putting in next. It will clean itself and it is a highefficiency toilet. Now that’s great. What is the most significant challenge your industry faces? Getting younger people into the trades. I don’t know why the millennials all want to go to college and have outrageous debt for a job skill that they will probably never get to use. You can sign up in the union apprentice training program for five years, get paid while you work, go to school at night two times a week and graduate making over $60,000 a year with no college loans to pay off. Plumbing is actually fun. I love building things and I really love walking in a building and figuring out what the problem is. This really is a wonderful career. Anyone can turn this into whatever kind of job they want, from plumber, foreman, and superintendent and all the way up to director of operations. You can do whatever you want to in this trade, even work on computers all day doing estimating and AutoCAD. The list goes on and on. Is plumbing education available for those wishing to enter the industry?
condenser for $2,000, they have to do a system for $10,000. That’s the change that we have to deal with. Have there been any costs increases on your side? Not really. It has stayed the same with the economy. Equipment prices usually go up 2-3 percent a year. That has been going on at least a decade. The biggest spike is the Freon and precious metals. What are some of the rewards of the industry? It is the job satisfaction of making somebody comfortable or saving them money on their electric bill. It’s just something that we can do for someone that many people cannot. The real reward is having second and third generation customers. I’ve been doing it for almost 30 years, and I’m able to take care of their needs. What are the keys to being successful? I read the other day “The only thing that needs to be in place is that you have to love the thing you do. If you don’t love what you do, you won’t be able to deal with the ups and downs that make you successful.” If you love what you do, everything else follows. What can you tell me about your company? We focus, primarily, on residential retrofit change outs. We do service, maintenance and replacing people’s air conditioning units. We do some new construction but not too often. We do 30 percent commercial service, maintenance and changing equipment in, mainly, the Greater Houston area.–cs Absolutely. The union apprentice training program is available all over Texas, all over the United States. There is also the Construction Education Foundation (CEF) and Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors (PHCC) Association that have training programs available. What I like about the union is that when you graduate, you can put those hours towards a degree. What are the rewards of the industry? You can have a great lifestyle in this industry. We are paid well for what we do. Don’t get me wrong, we work hard for it. At the end of the day, if you are willing to work for it you can have the lifestyle that you want to have, any level lifestyle. What are the keys to being successful? Always give 100 percent every single day. Love what you do! There are a lot of people that are lazy and don’t want to work hard. If you just give 100 percent, eight hours work for 89 hours pay, you will be ahead of most of the people around you. If you really want to do better, read about your trade every day. Every day, I read for at least 30 minutes from different sources about plumbing or business. I want to set myself and my company apart from all of the others. Knowledge is something that you can never lose. I am a LEED AP, and accredited GreenPlumber USA and I have every Master Endorsement that the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners has. I am also a certified HVAC technician. I want to know as much about my trade as possible. That way I can do the best job available for my customers every time. Texas Green Plumbing owner Roger Wakefield was recently won American Standard’s “Plumber Know How” contest and has been named their “Plumbing Expert.” –mjm
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Austin Construction News • June 2017
continued Summertime in Texas Matt Freund, President Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association (TACCA) Austin, TX
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t is that time again in Texas! When temperatures begin to climb, HVAC companies know that their busy season is starting and it is going to last for a solid six months or more. While sagacious owners strive to balance their workload throughout the year, there is no doubt that the cooling season in Texas is the most busy, most stressful, and hopefully the most profitable time of the year.
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n 2017 and beyond, the HVAC industry faces a variety of challenges. Some of these are not exactly new – aging workforce, getting more young people to enter the trade, safety, Baby Boomer / Gen X / Millennial coexistence – but some new challenges are also presenting – changing refrigerants, energy efficiency requirements, manufacturers selling/ shipping equipment directly to owners, smart device integration, “uberization” of service industries. It is the responsibility of the Texas Air Conditioning Contractors
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Association (TACCA) to keep an eye on these types of issues, and to take action as necessary to protect our industry. This year, TACCA sponsored HB 3029 / SB 1439 during the 85th Texas Legislative Session. This bill is intended to provide a more structured licensing path for people in the HVAC industry, and also allows them to shorten their on-the-job experience requirements by completing classroom work and competency exams. This bill was filed to help attract new workers to the industry by aligning the
HVAC occupational code with statewide initiatives related to P-Tech vocational training and the 60x30TX plan. At both the state and local levels, TACCA chapters offer education and training opportunities for all sizes of companies involved in all types of HVAC work. On a broader scale, TACCA tracks and comments on industry issues through affiliation with national organizations. The EPA has announced that current refrigerants will be phased out in the coming years because of their ill effect on global warming potential (GWP). Current alternatives include flammable refrigerants and that could introduce a totally different safety concern to the industry. Energy efficiency requirements for HVAC systems continue to increase with every release of codebooks. Code changes not only affect HVAC, but many of the other trades as well. Architects, engineers, and contractors must work together to comply with code requirements without driving the construction cost too high, thereby making projects unattractive. Internet sales of HVAC equipment are on the rise. While this may seem desirable to some, our trade associations are looking into the broader repercussions of this trend from an EPA perspective, a licensing perspective, and a code
compliance perspective. Technology definitely has a place in the HVAC industry, as more and more people want to be “connected” to their HVAC system(s). The demand for these modern conveniences requires HVAC companies to adapt to the technological changes, while keeping the owners of these HVAC systems both safe and comfortable. The “uberization” of service industries is definitely on the rise. Many customers are inclined to schedule a service call the same way they would purchase other goods, and this definitely changes the way HVAC companies will think about marketing in the future. Adapting to the behavioral trends of our customers will be important for successful companies moving forward. HVAC has transitioned from a luxury to a necessity in Texas over the past 50 years. Job demand in this industry continues to rise, and workers must be ready to backfill positions being aged out, and also fill new positions being created. Although there are new challenges facing this industry every year, HVAC continues to be a rewarding career for those involved at all levels and at all parts of the supply chain. TACCA contractors are ready to meet these challenges, and love to say “Bring on the TEXAS HEAT!” –cmw
A windy challenge
Tee time
1st Place Team – RSM US LLC L-R: Ricky Luna, Cody Ross, Trey Ross, and Mike Frost
1st Place team REW Materials: L-R: Corbin, Hal Wahlers, Dutch DeHart and Jay Metcalf
t was a great spring Texas day with sunshine and enough wind to add a challenge for the golfers at the Central Texas Subcontractors Association’s spring golf tournament. The tournament was held on April 28 at Star Ranch Golf Course in Hutton, TX. There were 24 teams participating in the association’s spring fundraiser. 1st Place winners were from RSM US LLC, Cody Ross of Ross Plumbing, Ricky Luna of Colorado River
Constructors, Trey Ross and Mike Frost of RSM. Coming in 2nd was the Higginbotham team made up of Parker Holt, Higginbotham; Sam Dowdy and Sam Dowdy, Jr., Coppera; and John Steves, Ferguson. 3rd place winners were members of the Time Insurance team Steve Dobson and Travis Kelley, Time Insurance Agency; Travis Kent, Great American; and Corey Wilson, Kidd Roofing. – cmw
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ssociated Builders & Contractors Central TX Chapter hosted its annual spring golf tournament on May 5 at Grey Rock Golf Club. The tournament is one of the many networking opportunities ABC provides throughout the year to help build relationships in the construction industry. With 144 players, 36 teams, the event was a resounding success.
1st place winners were the REW Materials team, Corbin King, Hal Wahlers, Dutch DeHart, and Jay Metcalf. Coming in 2nd Place was team Trade Management with Mike Blount, Danny Alandzes, Matt Newman and Rene Ruiz. Time Insurance team, David Bandy, Steve Dobson, Jared Jellison, and Bill McKean finished in 3rd place. -cmw
Construction News ON LOCATION
Surface pros
David Shica, owner (left) and Diego Escobar, operations manager, DS Surfaces, Buda, looking for the right surface for you -cmw
Austin Construction News • June 2017
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continued from Page 1 — Keeping up with the times several buildings at the University (Texas State), schools, churches, and stadiums, to industrial thermion corporations and other organization on the leading edge of technical ability to produce things that the business world uses today. And Ted Breihan Electrical Contractors keeps up with them. McCoy’s Lumber is one of the larger organizations they work for and have a good relationship with the McCoy family. They’ve been working with McCoy’s since the building of the first McCoy’s Lumberyard. Ted Breihan Electrical Contractors, in addition to their service side of business, have several jobs in the works. They have a ROTC building and a shop building extension for Comal school district, a Fischer’s store, fire station remodel in Selma, 24-hr Emergency Medical center in New Braunfels and several sewer waste water
lift stations scattered from San Marcos to Kyle over into West Austin. “We keep very busy with industrial service work. The technical end of it, computer generated and operation controls of equipment is good service work for us,” adds Breihan. Ted Breihan Electrical Contractors is very involved in their community. Breihan, himself has been involved in several organizations over the years and is still very active in the LBJ Museum where he sat on their board for years. He now acts as an ex-officio member to help keep things going. They will be involved in the upcoming LBJ Museum golf tournament in June and through their Kiwanis’s Club they consistently participate in track meets, 5K runs, and 10K runs. –cmw Ted Breihan Electrical Contractors specialize in technical service throughout Central Texas.
continued from Page 1 — A reclaiming style their clients. This allows them to have more control over customer service, and with their low overhead, they can be extremely competitive. They source existing floors and mill reclaimed floors to the customers’ specifications as with all their reclaimed products. Reclaimed boards are sourced from pre-1930s structures and are kiln-dried to prevent bugs and mold. It is all custom so you can tell what specie, surface texture, and size of material is for the desired flooring, beams and weathered boards. “We have mill foremen that are in charge of harvesting and bringing in the first century wood. Most material is late 1800s. Wall/ceiling boards are the perfect way to add warmth and character to modern and rustic spaces. We harvest quality reclaimed materials all across the country and ship straight to the project nationally.” Middleton has 25 years in the design field and ran her own interior design company for 20 years in Iowa. Although her education was not in design, but in education, ironically, after winning a few national awards, she realized her talent was a gift and she believes she is to be teaching and helping others on how to incorporate building materials in com-
mercial and residential design. She got started in the business when friends started paying for her interior designs services and encouraged her to take her gift more seriously. “Reclaimed products are a natural (no pun intended) and easy to be passionate about. Sustainability, durability and beauty, what more can you ask for?” Middleton enjoys putting on her cowgirl boots and dancing in her spare time, and enjoys being outside. Visnapuu and husband, Josh, recently started up a pop-up theatre company in Iowa. Texas Reclaimed Floors is an interior design business specializing in reclaiming old wood from pre-1930s structures. –cmw
continued from Page 1 — Class A commercial condos
The project owner Metis Capital; architect Scott Magic and DKC worked the project on a consistent basis together. Conger said, “The owner is by far one of the best clients we have dealt with. They are very efficient on decision-making, and definitely go out of their way to make sure we are taken care of as a tenant as well. The architect was really great during the project with some of the hurdles that needed to be made during construction with the city. Great team effort with a great result.” Christopher Reaves, project manager and Troy Putman, superintendent were also part of the construction team. Other architects designed some tenant finish out. Magic and Conger liked the project so much that they both decided to become tenants. “Having the build team
choosing to make the site their permanent home at the owner’s project shows the quality of the product, the confidence in the design and build that the build team/architect has. It is a small business community of itself with an MEP contractor and an Electrical contractor, and all of these like businesses have begun to do more business together as a result,” added Laitner. “I would say being a tenant of this location we have a pretty good relationship with the other tenants. We will have cookouts on Fridays which other tenants will come and join the fun. It is really turning into a great atmosphere,” say Conger. DKC Construction Group, based in Austin employs 18 employees and is working on a couple of projects in the Houston area. -cmw
Round-Up White Construction Co is pleased to announce the following: Steve Burch has been appointed as the new company president. He earned a B.S. degree in building construction from Texas A & M University and has been part of the company’s success since 1994. Having served as project manager, senior vice president of operations and chief operating officer. As president and chief operating officer, Burch will oversee all aspects of operations in the Austin, Houston and Ridgeland offices. Guy White will serve as chief executive officer. White joined the company in 1987 and in 1989; he took on the role of principalin-charge of operations in the southeastern US region.
Neel White has been appointed chairman of the board and will work closely with the executive team with strategic growth, financial planning, and overall corporate direction.
Round-Up Submissions
Brief company announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of charge, as space allows. Submit Info & Photo to: AustinEditor@ConstructionNews.net (210) 308-5800
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Austin Construction News • June 2017
Excellence in design
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elebrating another year of accomplishments, AIA Austin hosted their annual 2017 Awards Celebration at Saengerrunde Hall on May 12, showcasing excellence in design produced by AIA Austin members as selected by a panel of distinguished jurors. Among the winners were three merit award winners. Tim Cuppett Architects’ Cornucopia, a garden shed; Michael Hsu Office of Architects’ P. Terry’s Flagship; and MJ Neal Architects’ Transformer. -cmw
STG Design’s Seaholm Power Plant
Black + Vernooy’s IH-35 Redesign: Reconnecting Austi
Mell Lawrence Architects’ St. Edward’s Alumni Gym
Page’s The Cistern
A Parallel Architecture’s Lake Austin Residence
Barnes Gromatzky Kosarek Architects with Michael Dennis & Associates’ Campus Master Plan – The University of Texas at El Paso
Nick Deaver Architect’s LeanToo
Michael Hsu Office of Architecture’s Tilley Row Homes
Alterstudio Architecture, LLP’s Design Office
Association Calendar
Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC Central Texas
Independent Electrical Contractors
Jun. 16: Summer Clay Shoot, Capital City Trap & Skeet Club, 8707 Lindell Ln, Austin, TX. For more information, call 512-7195263
Jun. 24: Apprentice Graduation Ceremony, Norris Conference Center, 2525 W. Anderson Lane, Suite 365. For more information, call 512-832-1333
AGC-TBB Assn. General Contractors Texas Building Branch Lake | Flato Architect’s Blue Lake Retreat
Lemmo Architecture and Design’s Clear Rock Lookout
Jun. 18-21: 2017 Convention, The Coeur D’Alene Resort, Coeur D’Alene, ID. For more information 512-478-5629
ASSP American Society of Safety Professionals
Jun. 19-22: Safety 2017 Professional Development Conference & Exposition, Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO. For more information go to www.centraltexas.asse.org
CTMCA Central Texas Masonry Contractors Assn.
Jun. 16: Golden Trowel Awards, Renaissance Hotel, Austin, TX. For more information, call 512-312-6657
CTSA
Page’s Texas Capitol Complex Master Plan
IEC
Associated Builders & Contractors
NARI Nat’l Assn. of the Remodeling Industry
Deadline for Tour Remodeling Homes Applications. For more information 512997-6274
PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors
Jun. 13-16: 2017 PHCC-TX Conference & Golf Tournament, Hyatt Regency Lost Pines, Bastrop, TX. For more information call 512-523-8094
SMACNA Austin Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Building Branch
Jun. 4-6: 2017 June Council of Chapter Representatives, The Coeur D’Alene Resort, Coeur D’Alene, ID. For more information, call 512-775-7960
TACA
Central Texas Subcontractors Assn.
Texas Aggregates & Concrete Assn.
Jun. 13: Monthly meeting, 5:30 pm, Embassy Suites, 5901 N I-35, Austin, TX. For more information, go to www.ctsaonline. org
Jun. 13-16: 2017 PHCC-TX Conference & Golf Tournament, Hyatt Regency Lost Pines, Bastrop, TX. For more information call 512-523-8094
Austin Construction News • June 2017
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Clays for babies
Limestone architecture unearthed
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pawGlass had over 255 attendees at their 3rd Annual Charity Clay Shoot, April 13. Some 184 shooters participated in the two-flight event at Capital City Trap and Skeet Club. With the help of Beckett Electrical, the 225 attendees enjoyed a delicious steak dinner benefitting Any Baby Can, raising $35,000.
SpawGlass writes check to Any Baby Can at their 3rd Annual Charity Clay.
1st Place – 5F Mechanical Jimmy Ash Scott Gollihare Tanner Gollihare Hunter Gollihare
2nd Place – FabCo Barney Cruz Eric Dudley Hantse Costas Wilbur Davis
3rd Place – CMC Rebar Craig Shoemaker Matt Koehler Ron Bowling Nick Morgan
Based in San Antonio, SpawGlass is a general contractor specializing in construction management, design build and civil contracting. -cmw
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ave you ever walked downtown and looked, really looked, at the architecture of the buildings built in the late 1800s to early 1900s? These historical gems have one thing in common, stone. Yes, stone is a very popular commodity in construction today, but it isn’t always used in architecture as it was back in the day. There has been a resurrection in the use of ornamental limestone in building design. Shaping of limestone goes back some 5,000 years. The elements used to
reach these designs are based on Greek architecture – Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and Tuscan, and are still used in construction today. Knowing how to design and write limestone specs into building design is no easy task. “The designer, builder, installer and supplier will need to work equally together,” says Katherine Teel, Marketing Director for Continental Cut Stone, a limestone fabrication mill in Florence, TX. “They all have to know how to work with stone differently.” Understanding the types of quarrying and how the different sizes of limestone blocks relate to scaling in the design process is essential. Milling the limestone correctly, using the proper limestone application for the type of limestone to be used is equally important in the design process. From the designer’s first vision, to the end results, designers work with builders, suppliers and installers to ensure the right stone is used. Limitations of a type of limestone can effect creating architectural elements such as wall cladding, flooring, window or door surrounds. Understanding these limitations can make a big difference in the big picture. -cmw
great respect for everyone who worked to improve their lives and he assisted and mentored just about everyone he could. A devoted and loving husband, father, grandparent, and a loyal and trustworthy friend, he pursued everything he did with passion and enthusiasm. He believed anything was possible and he enjoyed sharing this optimism with all who knew him. He had a genuine interest in people and made a friend in everyone he met, engaging in conversation and sharing life experiences. He enjoyed traveling, hunting, and gardening the various vegetables, fruits and nuts he loved from his childhood. At
age 80, he planted and cultivated a 6 acre olive orchard and wine grape vineyard. He was an avid and skillful hunter traveling to Colorado every year for the past 35 years to pursue his favorite passion, deer and elk hunting. For 20 years, he hunted every season with his beloved brother and close friends. He is leaves behind his wife of 61 years, Maria, and his three children, Peter (wife Mary), Joseph (wife Tracy), and Maryann (husband Paul), 8 grandchildren, 1 great grandchild and his brother, Louis and sister, Genoveffa, of Schenectady, NY, and sister, Filomenia, of Rome, Italy. -cmw
The Beckett Electrical guys cook up steaks at SpawGlass’ 3rd Annual Charity Clay Shoot.
Legacy in stone
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omenico Fazzone passed March 10 in Austin from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 83. He was the classic example of someone who had to pull himself up from his own bootstraps. From humble beginnings, born the sixth of eight children in a farmhouse that his father built in southern Italy with no running water or electricity. With only a third grade education he started working, and he never stopped, right to the end. At the age of 17, he left Italy to work in Switzerland as a farm hand and later as a laborer surviving the hardships of World War II. When he was 21, he immigrated to the United States in search of the American dream and arrived with little more than the clothes on his back. He settled in Schenectady, NY after a short detainment at Ellis Island. In 1955 he went back to Italy to marry his sweetheart, Maria and then returned to Schenectady where he began work as a mason. In 1957 he started his own business, Fazzone Construction Company. Completing numerous projects, his company steadily grew to be a well-respected general contracting firm in upstate New York. In search of greater opportunities and a warmer climate, he moved his family and company to Austin in 1976. In 1985 he started another company, Southwest Monument and Sign to compliment his existing construction busi-
ness and to survive the real estate crash which greatly affected the construction industry for several years. Both companies continue to grow and thrive in Austin and San Antonio under the guidance of his son Joseph. Driven to succeed, with an unbelievable amount of energy not found in many people, he was also very caring and would do just about anything to help a friend. Always leading by example, he never asked any of his crew to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. He had
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Austin Construction News • June 2017