Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News February 2018 by Construction News

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Unified goals

Millwork on the move

UST’s Marshall D. Ryan (second from right) presents a check to the North Texas Warrior Golf Association.

ven on vacation, there’s always time to work, as Marshall D. Ryan, President and CEO of Unified Services of Texas Inc. (UST), learned. “Years ago, I got out of the Air Force and I took a two-week vacation to go see my mother in Albuquerque and consider what I was going to do for the rest of my life,” Ryan remembers. “She was dating a guy that was installing fuel tanks for [convenience store chain] Circle K. He needed help and he asked me if I would go to Colorado and put in some tanks. Of course, I had no clue what he was talking about, but I was doing nothing but lounging around the pool and so I said sure.” “I was always interested in construction even though it was not

Signature Millwork’s Melanie Kuhr and Jeff Makohon

what I was doing in the Air Force,” he continues. “Some of my family members had owned construction companies and I worked as a 10-year-old washing parking lots or sweeping a broom on summer breaks on some construction job. My grandfather was a union ironworker, so he had taught me to properly tie rebar when I was a kid. He had all of the tools in the garage and I was curious. I grew up around it so it did come naturally and I liked it.” The gig turned into a years-long job, and other than the seven years he spent as a residential construction business owner, he has been a strong presence in the underground tank world. In 1990, continued on Page 18

efore Melanie Kuhr and Jeff Makohon acquired Signature Millwork in 2005, they were movers and shakers in corporate America – Kuhr worked with Proctor & Gamble and EDS and Makohon was a principal with CSC, a consulting company. Still, they wanted something different. “Jeff and I had a desire to be more entrepreneurial and to be able to see the results of our work as opposed to it being a spreadsheet or a PowerPoint that ended up in somebody’s shredder,” Kuhr says. “It was definitely a more tangible type of business to be in.” In the 13 years since, they have grown the company to 38 team members that do the whole life cycle process of architectural millwork – design, build,

finish and installation, including solid surface fabrication. They also outgrew their 20,000sf of cobbled-together space on Newkirk St. and moved operations last December to a 50,000sf facility on Merrell Rd. “The old workspaces were inefficient because we had to handle materials too much, so it was a great opportunity to find this building,” Kuhr says. “All of our operations are in one area now. It has given us an opportunity to improve our environment for our team and upgrade our workflow processes.” Even with this major goal recently reached, she says she and Makohon continue to set goals. continued on Page 18

‘Cool’ auto mall

ears ago, Construction News had the opportunity to interview Mark and Linda Piepenbrok, the owners of WestWind Building Corporation. Westwind is a general contractor that specializes in automobile facilities, corporate offices, medical buildings and country clubs. Since our interview, Westwind continues building and remodeling many of the metroplex dealerships. Mark Piepenbrok founded the company in the fall of 1991. After completing Crest Auto Mall in Frisco, Westwind was called by none other than Clay Cooley to complete it’s second auto mall in Irving consisting of six buildings on 25 acres. Westwind built four new buildings and remodeled two of them. The total square footage was approximately 222,000. The dealers included Chevrolet, Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge and Kia. The owner of this development

is also Clay Cooley. Known for his memorable commercial line, “Come See Clay,” Cooley already had the Chrysler/Jeep Dodge and Kia dealerships in the area. The Chevrolet dealership was located across the highway on 183 on 25 acres. Cooley had the vision of relocating Kia and the Chrysler/ Jeep/Dodge to the Chevrolet site to create his auto mall. Westwind organized the team, consisting of architect Jim Harden, Jacobs and Associates and civil engineer Matt Moore, Clay Moore Engineering. Challenges of the project began with meeting The City of Irving’s 183 overlay district codes and maintaining each manufacturers requirements. Once construction started, the challenges were to meet the seven-month deadline to move the Chryster/Jeep/Dodge dealership into the Clay Cooley Auto Mall, Irving

continued on Page 18

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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

Just hide and watch

Home economics

Taylor Joseph hopes to be a strong woman in the industry like her mom, BJ Hayley.

Kenny Rainey may go high for his painting, drywall and remodeling work, but now doesn’t go as far.

on’t ever tell BJ Hayley that her plans won’t work out or that she can’t do something – it’s the surest way of being proven wrong. After all, Hayley grew up with strong mentors who taught her how to succeed in the industry. “My great-grandfather was a carpenter, and when I was in high school and college, my mother was a builder in the 1970s,” Hayley explains. “I had to go in and clean up behind the painters and pick up all of the nails from the roofers. I slowly got introduced to it.” But it was after she met painting contractor John Patton (whom she later married) that her career fate was sealed. When she offered to help Patton run his company while he was out of town, he told her “it was not work for women.” Undeterred, Hayley immediately sold a painting job, much to his amazement. She proved her business acumen so often that Patton encouraged her to establish Finishing Touches in 1999.

Patton now works with her part-time. Still, naysayers tried to discourage her. One told Hayley that he expected her “to crumble like a dry cookie in milk.” His words only motivated her. “He later apologized and said that I proved him wrong,” Hayley remembers. “The minute someone tells me I can’t do something, I’m going to find a way around it so that it can be done.” Hayley is now encouraging another young woman to join the business: Her daughter, Taylor Joseph, who plans to attend college for interior design. “She came to me with that plan, and I would love that. I’ve poured my heart and soul into this for almost 20 years. This way, the business won’t die when I die,” Hayley says. “Plus, I don’t ever see myself completely retiring; I am so passionate about what I do!” General contractor/subcontractor Finishing Touches in Weatherford provides remodeling services. –mjm

Building material success

eginning at age 10, Kenny Rainey earned a dollar an hour helping his dad, a painter, on job sites. But earning spending money wasn’t the only thing Rainey took from the experience. “My dad was set in his ways, but it was good,” Rainey says, chuckling. “It made me who I am today. I learned a lot; I worked with him until I was 18. I asked him why he didn’t do taping and bedding. He said he didn’t like to do it, so I worked for a drywall company for three years and learned it.” Rainey spent the next few years traveling extensively for motel and nursing home projects. He then returned to the drywall company to do patch and repair work, and established a similar business in 1998. When the economy tanked two years later, he was forced to resume traveling for projects. Two things, however, made Rainey decide to put down roots. Extensive traveling was taking its toll, but the second reason was the most important.

“I had a baby who was born with special needs; she was legally blind,” Rainey explains. “I was going to start traveling again, but I just couldn’t do it and leave my wife at home with the baby, doctor appointments and therapists three times a week.” To stay close, he established Kenny Rainey Painting, Drywall & Remodeling in 2016 and knows he made the right decision. His daughter is thriving, and the business has grown to six employees in its second year. Even though he now earns considerably more than the dollar per hour he pocketed as a kid, profits are the furthest thing from mind. “I enjoy being home every night and being with my family” he says. “I didn’t really do it for the money; I like it because I am home.” Subcontractor Kenny Rainey Painting, Drywall & Remodeling is in Weatherford. – mjm

Celebration times two

Foundation Building Materials Branch Manager, Josh Eversole

oundation Building Materials (FBM) was started in 2011 by three business partners who saw a void in the growing specialty building materials market and sought to fill it. Ruben Mendoza, John Gorey and Tom Fischbeck, all with previous building materials industry experience, started FBM to provide professional contractors with a new and highly customer-focused option for sourcing materials and delivery. The company started seven years ago with a single branch location in Orange, CA. Today FBM has grown to over 220 locations across North America. In the State of Texas, FBM has nine specialty building products locations all of which feature a range of contractor grade building materials and products. “I got the name ‘Foundation’ from the Bible. It’s referenced there many times about a man building a house on a firm foundation. The house will withstand anything because of how it’s built and what it stands on,” says Mendoza. “My vision for this company is the same – to build a solid company that can with-

stand and flourish, no matter what the circumstances.” FBM continues to build strong relationships with leading industry brands to supply the construction trades with a range of building materials including drywall, steel studs, acoustical ceilings, insulation, plaster, stucco, EIFS, FRP, tools, fasteners and a range of other specialty products. The company also maintains an extensive fleet of specialized delivery vehicles. Each FBM branch is tuned in to the individual building material needs of its geographical market based on climate, building codes and other local variations. In late 2014, FBM acquired a Texas Building Materials Group called BAV, which gave FBM a strong presence in all of Texas including the Fort Worth market. Regional Vice President Allen Fisher, in Texas, manages the business with support from a team of well-qualified, local building materials professionals. Foundation Building Materials is a supplier of building materials with locations across North America. -cmw

“It’s always great to be able to present a Rolex watch to our team members for their 25-year milestone, but it’s really special to give out two Rolex watches,” says Baker Drywall Executive Vice President Bradley Baker. Bobby Morris and Jerry Winkles were both honored. L-R: Bryan Baker, CEO; Steve Baker, chairman; Bobby Morris; Jerry Winkles; Johnny Barnes, president. -cmw

Stocking stuffer

The Conley Group hosted a “Stuff-A-Stocking” at its Irving office Dec. 1 to send holiday spirit to those serving in the military. –mjm

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

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Major shift

Even layers

L-R: Justin Zuckerbrow, Jim Fontaine, Jonathan Gutierrez, Kris Kirby at Gold Creek Homes’ apartment complex construction site.

im Fontaine hadn’t planned to work in construction. For much of his adult life, he used his electrical engineering degree to start product companies that would revolutionize the consumer electronics industry. It wasn’t until he saw his dream home’s foundation fail that he learned about the patented process that formed the basis for Tella Firma, which elevates a slab-on-grade foundation above the ground to create a protective void against soil swells, contractions and movement. Tony Childress, the product’s inventor, not only gave Fontaine some sound advice on his home, but also became a good friend who convinced Fontaine to turn the product into a company. It appears Fontaine has succeeded. “We’ve been doing work for three years now; we actually picked up the technology in early 2015 and continue in our focus,” Fontaine says. “We have doubled our revenue from 2015 to 2016 and in 2016 to 2017. We plan to do the same thing in 2018, so we’re picking up the pace. We have the combination of full-time employees, part-time employees and contractors and have about 40 of those, in addition to crews that we subcontract for installation.” Because of its initial growth and success, Fontaine says Tella Firma is in a strong position to expand beyond its Richardson base. “We’re continuing our expansion into Austin and San Antonio and now we’re also looking into other parts of Texas, such as Corpus Christi and Houston, and Louisiana,” he says. “Those are the focus of our expansion in 2018.”

Dallas H Fort Worth

Tella Firma, which counts homebuilders Lennar and Meritage Homes as major residential clients, is also transitioning to commercial projects such as Kingdom Life Christian Center and Spanish House Immersion School – but not without challenges. Residential customers pay for the premium product knowing that it acts as insurance against future foundation failures. Commercial builders are slower to adopt the technology because they are typically more conservative in adopting new technology and processes. Fontaine, however, is confident that commercial builders will benefit from the product as adoption grows. “That’s a market where we can actually save them money and construction time without sacrificing quality,” he says. “That’s what we’re seeing – continual adoption on the residential side for us, expansion into other parts of the state and now we’re going to go beyond the state in the expansion into commercial markets.” The timing couldn’t be better, especially in North Texas. More people and companies are establishing themselves outside major cities due to lack of available inner-city property. But Fontaine says undeveloped land is often undeveloped for a reason – with one reason being active soils. “We’re actually seeing a higher risk of foundation problems as we build more and more in the area,” he says. “Therefore they are a very good candidate for our product that would eliminate foundation problems in the future.” Tella Firma is a construction technology firm in Richardson. –mjm

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Parks Plaster and Stucco, Inc., former employee applying stucco.

e is the father figure in the company. Almost everyone in the company has a nickname. The guys call him “vijito,” which means old man. At almost 67, Joey Parks, owner of Parks Plaster and Stucco, Inc. has formed a talented team of all ages. “He is my dad and I am the only female employee, says Haylee Esparza, vice president of Parks Plaster and Stucco Inc. One of her favorite things about the company is that they are all a very tight knit group, which led them to having a healthy work environment. The Parks team has all sorts of adventurers. Some of the guys own horses and enjoy horseback riding during their time off. There are some who enjoy riding it out on four wheelers. “We have one foreman that is very into motorcycles and likes to go to Austin for a big motorcycle race,” says Esparza. Some of the employees have family in Mexico and go for a visit every year. “We have one employee from Jamaica, who is by far the tallest employee towering over everyone else. He comes in handy for those hard-to- reach areas.” Oh, and

Mr. Parks also loves the outdoors and goes hunting. He enjoys cooking too. Mr. Parks plans to host a dinner for all the guys this coming Spring, where their families can join at his house for food and fun. Esparza says, “Our guys are some of the craftiest men you can find,” as she continues to look forward to working and hanging out with all of them. Their main foreman is an older brother to another foreman in the company. They’ve been with Parks for 6-1/2 years, adding talent to the talent pool. Mr. Parks prides himself on the team’s workmanship. With over 40 years of experience he’s gained by starting in his teens. “I love to hear him share different techniques that he learned years ago,” she says. Mr. Parks originally started his company in the late ‘70s and then sold out to a man in the ‘90s. He reestablished his company in the early 2000’s. Parks Plaster and Stucco, Inc., is an interior plaster and exterior stucco contractor serving Dallas/Fort Worth and surrounding areas. –lv

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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

hands-on learning. I was thrown in the fire and learned the basics of project management and estimating as well. I then had the opportunity to go over to Tri Dal and be a full-time project manager. It was interesting to see the whole spectrum from multi-family projects to large commercial jobs. Tri Dal is a little bit bigger company with more employees and has been in business for more than 30 years, so they have their own way of doing things that has been very successful for a long time.

Garrett Moss

President Moss Utilities LLC and Moss Excavation LLC

he “utility” and “entrepreneurial” genes are dominant in the Moss family. With multiple family members in the underground utilities business, it’s little wonder that Garrett Moss started his own in the same field with the help of his good friend Case Whitfield. Since then, he has applied what he has learned from his family, Whitfield, his own experiences and a trusted mentor to create two businesses that show no signs of stopping. Share a little about your background in construction. My family has been in the underground utility business for five generations. In the late 1980s, my grandpa was a general superintendent for Cullum Construction, which has been in business for almost 100 years. In 1989, my dad, his brothers and my grandpa all started Moss Construction Co, Inc. They did underground utilities – water, sewer, storm drainage – mainly for subdivision infrastructure, public rehab and multi-family projects. They grew a lot in the 1990s and early 2000, and it was during the 2008 recession that the business went under. I got into the family business growing up around the office and it ended up being in my blood. Because your family was in that part of the industry, did you plan to go into a similar line of work? No, when I was in school, I definitely thought about doing other things. I changed my majors a few times. There was a period when I wanted to do civil engineering. I even wanted to be in the music business for a little bit. After college, I ended up working for Brinkmann, a barbecue grill manufacturing company in Addison, and I even worked for an HVAC contractor, Crawford Services, that did new construction custom houses. How did you find your way back into construction? A very special recruiter convinced me to come back into the utility business, so I worked for some other utility contractors, the first being Rumsey Construction in Carrollton and then Tri Dal in Southlake. I started off with Rumsey being an assistant project manager. I had only a little experience but I got to shadow senior people – especially Corey Caughron – who had a wealth of estimating and project management experience. It was a lot of

What motivated you to start your own utilities company? It really came out of nowhere in a very frank discussion with Case Whitfield, who I was working together with at Tri Dal. I was a project manager on a lot of the projects that he was superintendent on; we realized we worked really well together. After about a year and a half, we understood that our growth was going to be limited there because management positions had been locked in for a long time. We also just had similar dreams in how we wanted to treat people and the type of company we wanted to build. I’ve always had that entrepreneurial drive from my family and I always found myself daydreaming about it and trying to learn things that would help me along the way. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but having a partner like Case who had 20 years of construction experience really gave me the confidence necessary. I felt we could use his skills in addition to my skills and we would make a great team. We started Moss Utilities in September of 2016 and the rollercoaster ride began. What has the first year and a half of business ownership been like for you? It’s been really crazy to say the least. We grew a lot faster than we anticipated. Originally, we projected that we’d be off to a slow start. We thought it would be only me, Case and four or five crews. Our final numbers for 2017 were about five times what we anticipated! When we started, we had four employees, and now we have upwards of 140. With that growth, it’s been a blessing to get quality projects and get our name out into the industry, but it has come with its own challenges. It’s financially challenging and operationally challenging to manage that many people. We moved in May to a larger office at 3300 Rock Island Road in Irving. We thought we were going to be in the first office for two years, but we quickly outgrew it. We also just started a new company, Moss Excavation LLC, with partner Devin Carr. It benefits our customers that we can perform both earthwork and utilities scopes on multi-family and commercial projects. Do any of your family members work in Moss Utilities today? My uncle, Brad Moss, is an estimator for us. I also have a cousin, John Moss, who is an estimating coordinator. It’s a family company because we treat everyone like they’re family. What advice would you give to others starting a construction business? Be prepared with a plan, but be ready

Moss Utilities LLC and Moss Excavation LLC’s Garrett Moss and his family.

for things to change completely from one day to the next. Also, have a thick skin for what other people are going to say about you when you try to start your own business. There are a lot of people out there who thought we were going to fail in six months, and there are a lot of people who don’t agree with some of the things we do because they’ve always done it the same way for 20 and 30 years. We try to hold true to our own values, and that’s what I would say to someone else: Hold true to your own values and know why you’re doing it. Don’t get in the business because you want to make money. There needs to be a higher purpose to it and a reason for doing what you’re doing that goes beyond financial gain. Who are your mentors? There is one in particular who comes to mind, Rich Fleissner. Rich and I met when I was working at Brinkmann. I was fresh out of college and a customer service rep taking phone calls from angry customers, and Rich, even though he technically wasn’t my boss, took me under his wing and taught me a lot. One day I called him up when I realized we needed a CFO/controller. He’s been with us since about March of last year and he has really transformed our business. He gives us a unique perspective and is a father figure because he gives us more than financial advice. He gives us insight on how to handle problems and deal with situations inside and outside of work and how to manage people. He’s a huge mentor for us. Our business would not be where it is today if it weren’t for him. Do you mentor others? I’m starting to. I’d like to think I am doing it with my cousin John. He didn’t know for sure what he wanted to do with his career, so I’m trying to teach him the family business, the ins and outs of it and get him some experience so he can choose his own path, whether it is staying to do this or another type of construction. What have you learned from your family about how to run a business? I felt like my family treated people well and were always gracious, honest and loyal

to their subcontractors, employees and vendors. They always had strong relationships. What I’ve learned is that relationships, how you treat people and doing what you say you are going to do are most important in this industry and in life. How do you enjoy your free time? My wife and I just had our first child on Aug. 16. It’s been a fun time spending time with him and my wife. That takes up most of my free time, spending time with family. He’s awesome though, and from what I’ve heard, his sleep schedule is good compared to other babies. He cries pretty loud, though; our doctor says he has one of the loudest cries he’s ever heard! My wife is ready to have a second child, and I’m still trying to figure out the first. It all takes time management, though. Running a business is not a 9 to 5 job. It’s an all-of-the-time, 24-hours-a-day kind of job. My wife completely understands and knows that sometimes I have to work on Saturdays or talk on the phone at 8 or 9 o’clock at night. Hopefully, it’s a sacrifice that will pay off in the long run. Other than that, the guys at work have tried to get me to learn how to play golf. I’m not very good, but it’s fun. They’re also getting me into skeet shooting. I’m trying to pick up more hobbies like that. What do you think the future holds for you? Will you always run Moss Utilities, or pursue other paths? I want to work on these businesses and grow our family. Really, I’m doing everything I set out to do. It’s going well so far, but I would love to continue to grow and improve our operations and be in a stronger spot in the next five to ten years. In the future, I would love to be involved in other types of investments, land development projects or even residential projects. Case has a wide range of experience and our entrepreneurial daydreaming has us thinking about many potential businesses and ideas down the road. The sky is the limit right now. We’re just trying to stay on top of what we can handle right now. We’re open to whatever life throws at us. Moss Utilities LLC and Moss Excavation LLC are located in Irving. –mjm

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Page 5

Kick-off

he third Annual Casino Night in Grapevine kicked off their first event of new year. Lots of attendees and lots of prizes given away. Event hosted by the American Subcontractors Association (ASA). -rd

Rodeo Performers Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium

Cutting the ribbon

Yolanda Tafoya, vice president of Regional Hispanic Constractors Association (RHCA) shared this photo from RHCA member, PPG Paintsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ribbon cutting ceremony at their new location in East Dallas. -cmw

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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

BONDING Tax reform Dustin R. Michalak, CPA, CVA Managing Shareholder Barrett & Co., P.C. San Antonio, TX

he passing of The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is a historic accomplishment by lawmakers. The act, seemingly, will try to spur our nation’s economic growth and job creation by reducing the tax burden on all job-creating businesses. So what exactly does this mean for contractors? How will the new laws affect the way contractors run their businesses? How much TAX SAVINGS should contractors expect? The most significant and most publicized change is the decrease in tax rates for both businesses and individuals. The focus for this article will stay within the business changes. For C-Corporations, tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, a flat tax rate of 21% will be applied to taxable income. This is a significant change from 2017’s maximum tax rate of 38%. Though this makes C-Corporation an attractive entity tax selection, there is still the burden of double taxation upon dividends to the corporation’s shareholders. The typical dividend rate will range from 15% to 23.8% depending on the shareholder’s individual earnings. Here is a simplified example: A C-Corporation with taxable income of $100 would pay $21 in taxes. If the corporation pays a dividend to a high-income shareholder of the remaining $79, the shareholder will pay an additional $18.80 in taxes. Effectively paying $39.80 ($21 + $18.80) in taxes at a rate of $39.8%. For pass-through entities, things get a bit more complicated, although beneficial for tax purposes. What type of businesses are qualified as pass-through entities? These are Partnerships, S Corporations, LLCs taxed as partnerships, and sole proprietorships. Under the new law, beginning in 2018, pass-through entities may qualify for a deduction up to 20% of qualified domestic business income subject to certain limitations based on taxable income. The limitations are phased in for taxpayers with taxable income of $315,000 married filing jointly (“MFJ”) and $157,000 for all other filers. Qualified business income (“QBI”) is defined in section 199A(c) as ordinary income less ordinary deductions from a qualified trade or business. Qualified business income does not include capital gains and losses, dividend, or interest income. Any potential deduction is taken at the taxpayer level. Here is a simplified example for a taxpayer who is under the phase out: A high-income taxpayer with $100 of qualifying business income would get a deduction of $20. The remaining $80 of income would be taxed at 37% (highest individual rate). The taxpayer would owe $29.60. Thus, the taxpayer would have an

effective rate of 29.6%. The calculation of the pass-through deduction for taxpayers above the taxable income threshold is more complicated. In this case the 20% deduction is further limited based on the W-2 wages and capital of the business. The deduction is limited to the greater of the following: (a) 50% of the wages paid by the business, or (b) 25% of the wages paid by the business, plus 2.5% of the unadjusted basis of all tangible depreciable property of the business. What type of entity should my business be and how should the earnings be taxed? Unfortunately for contractors, there is not a clear cut answer. It will all depend on the business as well as the owner’s investment objectives, bonding requirements and other considerations. This question will need to be answered on a case by case basis. Another hot topic item for contractors is depreciation and more specifically, Section 179 expense and Bonus Depreciation. The depreciation changes in the new law can add huge tax savings, especially for contractors with extensive equipment and capital expenditure requirements. For tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, taxpayers may expense up to $1 million under Section 179, and the phase out threshold amount is increased to $2.5 million. These amounts will be indexed for inflation in tax years beginning after 2018. In regards to Bonus Depreciation, for qualified property placed in service between September 27, 2017, and January 1, 2023, taxpayers are allowed a 100% Bonus Depreciation deduction on both new and used qualified property. The new tax reform bill includes other changes that effect contractors such as, accounting for long-term contracts, reporting under the cash method, nondeductible entertainment, deductibility of interest expenses and many other changes. It’s extremely important that contractors contact their tax advisors now to understand the effects this tax reform has on their businesses and evaluate the company’s entity selection to take advantage of the changes.

Tides of change

hanging a company’s name can be a hassle. Sometimes, though, hassles are why a company changes its name. In 1999 in Dallas, Robert Beach and his wife founded Beach Construction, which offered commercial construction and design-build services. However, they frequently fielded requests for a service they did not offer. “As we got into the construction work, we got a lot of calls from people asking us if we did beach construction – like bringing in sand,” Robert says. “We would always have to explain!” Recently, the Beaches consulted an advertising agency about marketing possibilities. Their consensus was that the name “Beach Construction” was too

confusing; the decision was made to rebrand the business as BC Commercial. “We’re really glad we did, especially since in the last year we opened an office in Clear Lake and we are working in the Houston/Galveston area,” he says. Changing directions isn’t new to Robert, who began his career remodeling homes. To subsidize his income, he worked for his dad’s plumbing business, where he was introduced to commercial clients – including the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center of Dallas – that wanted his expertise. He switched to commercial work, established his company, and now also owns Dallas-based electrical contracting company Paradigm Electric. As BC Commercial grows, Robert

How much does a contract bond cost? Eric Lesch, Principal/Bond Producer PCL Contract Bonding Agency Irving, TX

frequently get asked to provide estimates for the cost of a bond as if I have a slab of meat and the buyer only needs one pound. Sure thing, I’ll just shave off a little and there you go! Of course, it isn’t nearly that simple and as my dad always says, “It depends.” The most common factors that determine rate are the type of work, time until project completion, length of warranty, where the project is located, whether design is included and the financial condition of the contractor. For this article, we will focus on performance and payment bonds for projects located in Texas. In Texas, like other states, each surety above the base rate. These are most comfiles rates with the Department of Insur- monly used when a company’s financial ance. Multiple rates are filed, but unlike condition is poor or underwriting inforother states, through some invisible mation is incomplete. agreement, the sureties have all settled While you could use an elaborate on using a similar standard set of rates spreadsheet, we supply them to clients that are based on the type of work per- when asked, there are many details that formed. This leads to many large Texas need to be accounted for and mistakes contractors receiving the exact same rate are easily made. It is always safer to ask as their much smaller competitors, an en- your agent for an estimate, but make sure vironment where competition on rate is when you do, you include all the details. not common and very long-term surety Many contractors forego a complicated relationships. spreadsheet and instead use a simple cal Nearly all construction falls within culation that uses only a flat percentage two rate classes. The class A rate, starting or a couple tiers so that missing anything at 1.5%, is used for trades such as roofing, will still result in an overcalculation of preglazing and millwork, while the class B mium and nothing lost. rate, starting at 2.5%, is used for the ma- It is important that all change orders jority of building trades like mechanical, have bond premium added. Instead of electrical, plumbing, underground utili- trying to calculate a new bond premium ties, drywall, painting and concrete. As for the project and then taking the differyou can see from the trades and their ence, many contractors also have a derates, they don’t always match up with fault percentage to use for all change orwhat we consider the highest risk on a ders so that mistakes are avoided, and project. For example, painting and dry- even though deductive change orders wall use a significantly higher rate than result in a premium refund, I advise conglazing and roofing. In cases where mul- tractors to never include that refund since tiple types of work are present, for exam- it is likely to be over-estimated. ple a GC with multiple subcontractors, Included in the cost of a performance the rate used is typically the highest of bond is a payment bond and one year of the trades used. warranty. An extra year of warranty starts If you have design in your contract at only 0.25% which is a bargain if you ask then you can push aside those rates be- me. For some trades, like those concerncause there is one special rate for things ing building envelope, it seems like an obthat are considered hazardous. This rate vious choice to ask for the second year of starts at 2.5%, like class B, but falls off warranty if you already paying for a bond. much more gradually at each tier. You Can bond premium be marked up? It should always try to separate design and depends, but usually. You spend lots of build into their own contracts and only time building a strong and dependable bond the construction portion. This pro- surety relationship and money on CPA fiduces a cost savings to the owner that is nancials and other reports that the surety typically accepted at your benefit with requires. Another reason to markup your surety happier too. bonds is when you want to discourage a As the contract amount grows, the request for bonding. By making the rate decreases in tiers that are applied to bonds appear very expensive, the bondportions of the contract value. As an ex- ing requirement may be waived. ample, the first three tiers are shown here If a contractor bonds subcontractors with rates. then does that reduce the amount or cost As the contract amount grows, it is of their bonds? No. separated into six tiers: $0-100k, 100k- Is the bond cost reduced if it is for a 500k, 500k-2.5m, 2.5m-5m, 5m-7.5m, and percentage of a contract? No, except for over 7.5m, with each tier getting a lesser maintenance bonds which have their rate. For example, for class B the rate ap- own complex rate calculations. plied to each tier is 2.5%, 1.5%, 1.0%, There are many things involved in 0.75%, 0.7% and 0.65%, respectively. these calculations and your agent doesn’t Some surety companies have addi- expect you to be an expert so give them a tional rates allowing them to charge call when you need help. says more changes are coming. “We have primarily been a healthcare contractor and have worked in some of the biggest hospitals, and have also done a lot of higher education,” he says. “What we want to do, and what is starting to come to fruition, is to do some larger scale ground-up projects. We’re sort of seguewaying from being a renovation contractor. We’ve retained some folks that we feel confident we’ll be successful with in our ground-up ventures.” HUB- and MWBE-certified general contractor BC Commercial has offices in Dallas and Clear Lake/ Houston. –mjm

Robert and Michelle Beach

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

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Four common construction law misconceptions West W. Winter, Attorney The Winter Law Firm, PLLC San Antonio, TX

hroughout two decades of law practice, I have heard a number of recurring legal misconceptions from clients. Four of the more common construction law misconceptions include:

Sending a lien notice will harm the working relationship When payment has not been received, subcontractors are sometimes reluctant to send proper pre-lien notices because of a perception that doing so will irreparably damage their relationship with the upstream parties. It is only natural to fear upsetting the apple cart. However, as the mechanic’s and materialman’s lien is one of the most powerful weapons for ensuring payment, failing to properly and timely send statutorily required lien notices will have adverse consequences. Whatever the reason for non-payment, a pre-lien notice serves many valuable purposes. Chief among these is trapping funds in the hands of the project’s owner. This is critical because an owner’s liability to a lien claimant is limited on commercial projects to the statutory retainage and any funds

which the owner should have retained upon receipt of a proper pre-lien notice. Furthermore, general contractors and owners are typically sophisticated parties who understand the importance of securing one’s right to payment. I filed my lien, I just have to wait to get paid While it is essential to timely and properly perfect your mechanic’s and materialman’s lien or payment bond claim, there are also strict statutory deadlines within which you must actually file suit to foreclose or enforce your lien or bond claim. Failing to file suit within these prescribed deadlines will likely result in the loss or extinguishment of your lien or payment bond rights. Suit must be brought to foreclose a lien within the limitations periods mandated by Section 53.158 of the Texas Property

Code (typically one or two years, depending on the type of project) or the lien will be extinguished. A suit on a payment bond on a state public project may not be brought by a payment bond beneficiary after the first anniversary of the date notice for a claim is mailed under Chapter 2253 of the Texas Government Code. I missed the lien deadlines, I have no rights Even if you miss statutory lien deadlines, there are many avenues of potential recovery for nonpayment. In a sham situation described by Section 53.026 of the Texas Property Code, you may still have lien rights, and if you contract directly with the project’s owner, you may have constitutional lien rights which exist independently of any notice or recording requirements. In the absence of lien rights, you likely have available causes of action for nonpayment which, depending on the specific circumstances involved, may include breach of contract, quantum meruit, suit on sworn account, Prompt Pay Act claims pursuant to Chapter 28 of the Texas Property Code, and Texas construction trust fund claims as codified in Chapter 162 of the Texas Property Code. Many of these claims also provide for the recovery of attorney’s fees and expenses.

I have Insurance, so I am covered CGL insurance policies are loaded with exclusions and exceptions which often come into play in construction cases. In construction defect cases, policy exclusions such as the “your work” exclusion will often operate to deny you the very defense and/or coverage which you thought you were getting. These exclusions have frequently been the basis for denial of defense and coverage by insurance carriers and as a result, the subject of much litigation in recent years. Work with your attorneys and insurance agents to understand your coverages and the impact of applicable exclusions. If you are denied a defense and/or coverage, don’t give up as there may be viable arguments which can be asserted on your behalf in this evolving area of the law to obtain a defense and/or coverage. West W. Winter, a LEED Green Associate, serves on the board of the Construction Law Section of the San Antonio Bar Association and has been listed as one of the Best Lawyers in San Antonio for Construction Litigation. The Winter Law Firm represents general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers, in all phases of the construction process, from contract formation through dispute resolution, litigation, and collection. West may be reached via email: west@thewinterlawfirm.com.

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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

It ain’t their first rodeo!

he Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo features some of the best livestock events in the west, but not every cowboy knows that it also features construction companies! Every year, several local industry businesses set up booths to show off the latest in their equipment, products and services. Many set up booths in the same stalls at the Amon G. Carter and Brown-Lupton Exhibits Hall year after year! They invite y’all to come and say “howdy” during the event, which runs until Feb. 3. –mjm

Bob Davis Fences

Bobcat

HOLT CAT

Cre8 Stone

Whiz-Q Stone

Zimmerer Kubota & Equipment Inc.

Thermal Windows by J&M Glass Company Inc.

Landmark Equipment Inc.

Statewide Remodeling

Ag-Power Inc.

Mueller Inc.

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

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There are certain signs you need to look for when fishing during winter months. First, and by far the most important in my opinion, is the presence of bait in the water. Everyone knows that where there is food, there will be something that will feed. Pods of mullet are the most likely to be present along shorelines and other structures. Large trout and reds may only feed once a day in cold weather and these mullet make for a great meal. Water clarity is also a factor in my observation when checking an area out. Offcolor or murky waters are preferred although I have caught good fish in clear water and is certainly a deal breaker. Third factor to a successful outing is a combination of solunar table and water temperatures. Keeping track of major and minor feed times and making sure you are fishing during these times may increase your odds also. I like keeping track of water temperatures, especially when they dip lower than 55 degrees or so. This information may come in handy on future outings.

Tricking winter trout by Capt. Steve Schultz Sponsored by: Waypoint Marine, Evinrude Outboards, Fishing Tackle Unlimited, E-Z Bel Construction, Costa Sunglasses, Diawa Reels, Simms Fishing, ForEverlast Fishing Products, Interstate Batteries, MirrOlure, and AFTCO Clothing.

any of you know that winter fishing in the Laguna Madre/Baffin Bay complex can produce some gator sized trout on artificial lures. What most people don’t know is what it takes to catch these fish on a consistent basis. Typically, our coldest weather is in February. This is primetime for wade fishing for these big sow trout and one must be prepared to handle some pretty harsh conditions out on the water. My hunting season has come to an end until next fall and it’s now time to transition back to the bays where the majority of my year is spent. Leaving the South Texas brush country was difficult but seeing returning clients and gaining new ones will fill that void. I’ve been staying in contact with fellow guides and communicating with other friends that have stayed on the water and the consensus is that fishing is above average since the new year. Although we received some strange weather patterns this winter with the snow in December and some freezing conditions in January, I feel we should be in store for a stellar season this year. Water conditions are in great shape and the salinity levels should stay in check with the timely rains we have had.

Starting out with a lure that has been proven and one you have plenty of confidence in is what I like to suggest. That may be something totally different than what your buddy has tied on. However, it’s what gives him the most confidence. After you realize there is fish feeding in the area is when I try new lures and prototypes sent from sponsors. Don’t get caught up in fancy packaging and bright colors. Those old standby lures your dad told you about still produce good fish! Port Mansfield dates are filling up for February and March. Call me for details if you are interested in wading the Lower Laguna Madre.

Chris Huey, field Staff with ForEverlast Hunting and Fishing products, caught this nice 26-inch – 6-lb. trout fishing with Steve Schultz Outdoors ion the Upper Laguna Madre. Fish was released after photo.

Send us your Outdoor Photos

Email (with info) to: DFWeditor@ ConstructionNews.net

Hobbies/Crafts Vacation Ventures Hunting/Fishing Sports Activities Camping Backyard Fun

My 2018 calendar is now open for bookings throughout the year. Don’t hesitate in booking your fishing trips because my dates usually go pretty quick, especially during the more popular months. To schedule your next bay fishing trip or hunting adventure give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or 361-3343105 or e-mail him at SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail.com. Good Luck and Good Fishing.

Fun at its peak

ri-Star Construction Superintendent Steve Ybarra took a well-deserved vacation after getting his certificate of occupancy on the Crossfire Defense Academy project in Flower Mound. Ybarra and his two sons hiked to Guadalupe Peak in the Big Bend area of West Texas. –mjm

L-R: Blake and Steve Ybarra at hike at Guadalupe Peak.

Guadalupe Peak is located in the Big Bend area of West Texas

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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

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

Are you ready for spring break?

s anyone? It won’t be long now until you have a bunch of kids with time off looking to you for something to do. If you plan to get in a fishing trip with the family during spring break, you need to start planning now. Some folks prefer to just load up their boat and family and head off to the lakes and bays on their own. This works out fine if you have your routine down and are familiar with your rig and equipment and your fishing locale. If you are going to need a place to stay during the month of March you need to go ahead and make your reservations now. Many people prefer to hire a reputable guide, at least for their first fishing trip of the year. Maybe you are not quite ready to break your boat out of storage yet, or you may be trying out a new lake. It is pretty nice to be able to just arrive at your destination, hop on a boat, catch fish, go home and eat your fish. That way you don’t have to deal with the possible hassles of trailering your rig, (how about those wheel bearings and tires?), negotiating a crowded launching ramp, wondering if your motor will run and if you can find the fish, and then going through the whole process in reverse to get back home. If you have a day off to go fishing on your own or with a buddy you might enjoy the whole “half the joy of the trip is in the journey” idea, but with a couple of restless kids…you can see my point. There are times when a good guide is a wise investment. If your time with your family is tough to come by because of

your busy schedules and is too precious to waste or if you don’t want to risk damaging your own equipment in unfamiliar waters, go ahead and make you some reservations and then just enjoy your trip. If you like fishing on your own, there are some other plans you can make too. You probably could benefit from a trip to your local outdoor store to stroll down the fishing tackle aisle. Aw, go ahead! You know you need new line on your reels so you won’t lose any fish this year. Linger there a while, you know you want to. Just don’t forget to check out the electronics too. The fish-finders and GPS units just keep getting better, smaller and more affordable. Do a little research. Visit with the folks at the tackle store to get the scoop on places you want to fish. They get to meet all kinds of anglers that fish various locations. They can give you tips on places to fish, launch a boat or stay a couple of days. Go on the internet and take advantage of all the information that is at your fingertips. Besides the commercial websites there are plenty of websites devoted to all kinds of fishing that have busy forums where fishermen share tips and tall tales. You’ll be amazed to find out how many other people share your enthusiasm for just your kind of fishing and how much you can learn from their experiences. Let’s get those kids on the water and have some fun!

It’s a big one!

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

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

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From Miami to Metroplex

L-R: JNT’s Jorge and Tasha Abreu and their children.

orge Abreu moved from Miami to Dallas 11 years ago, but he still enjoys incorporating a bit of his birthplace into his work. Customers who are put on hold when they call him at JNT Developers hear Cuban music rather than elevator tunes. He serves catered Cuban food at the annual holiday party, and cooks similar fare for his employees at an event he calls “Cuban Night.” But, although he gets wistful for Miami, Jorge says he is very happy to be in North Texas. “I miss my family there, and I miss the beach, but not the every day living. I definitely like Dallas for that,” he says. He says Dallas has also been better for his business. “The economy is great here and also the clients. Everyone is really personable,” Jorge says. “As long as you meet [customers’] expectations, you’ll get referrals, and our business was built on referrals.” Jorge, who earned an electrical engineering degree but began buying and selling real estate in Miami, moved to Dallas in 2007 to do the same. With the help of then-girlfriend-now-wife Tasha Abreu and childhood friend Eric Bodiwala, his plan was to invest in and remodel properties. However, they soon learned that buying was the easy part. “We started doing that full time. We had a lot of properties, but were having trouble finding a good contractor that was reliable, so I opened my own contracting company,” Jorge says. “I thought I had enough experience.” His experience was gleaned from observing his father and uncle, who owned a commercial blind installation company and a general contracting company,

respectively. Jorge once worked for his uncle as the CEO’s assistant and absorbed as much information as he could. Even with his industry knowledge, however, Jorge says he still had reservations “I had a plan, but I wasn’t sure at the time if [the company] would be what it is today,” he admits. “I had to locate a lot of subcontractors to get the work done, and learn how to handle the cash flow and operations. When we started, it was mostly just remodels for investors. Now, we’re actually working off of plans, designing and building.” In 10 years, CEO Jorge, CFO Tasha and chief sales officer Bodiwala have grown the company to two divisions: Commercial and residential roofing and turnkey general contracting services. The company now employs a team of more than 20, who enjoy working and playing together. “We always have a quarterly outing,” Jorge says. “We’re actually doing a team building event at Group Dynamics soon, and we’ve done Top Golf and bowling. We also just registered as a kickball team and everybody on the team is going to participate. We try to do different things as a team; it’s a lot of fun.” Although Jorge hasn’t officially made fun plans to commemorate the company’s 10th anniversary, he does have other plans. “We have a goal this year to open our first branch office in Colorado and then, as soon as we get that set up, have more follow. We also have Houston and San Antonio on our radar,” he says. “I’d definitely like for the company to expand.” Subcontractor JNT Developers is located in Dallas. –mjm

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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News â&#x20AC;¢ FEB 2018

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

Page 13

A Look Back 10 Years Ago - February 2008 Construction News ON LOCATION

Construction News ON LOCATION

Three decades and counting

Cowtown hospitality

Karl Walker has proudly been helping customers with their equipment needs for 36 years with one company. He is the branch manager at Hertz Equipment Rental in Fort Worth. -LL

Karen Rios smiles and shows a little cowtown hospitality when greeting customers at Bane Machinery in Fort Worth. -LL

Construction News ON LOCATION

Making his mark

Superwoman

James Stone reads DFW Construction News every month while working at Landmark Equipment in Fort Worth. Ladies and gentleman, he’s now making his debut in the paper. -LL

Cindy Reeder is a one-woman band on this day at Brandt Engineering Service Company in Fort Worth. She’s answering phones and emails while retrieving an incoming fax. She does it all with no problem. -LL

Construction News ON LOCATION

Window shopping?

A warm smile in cold weather

Lisa Sparks is waiting for window shoppers at Lanham Window Company in Fort Worth. -LL

It may be 30 degrees outside, but Walter Knight won’t let it stop him from giving a warm smile as he hoses down his concrete truck at Charley’s Concrete in North Lake. -LL

Construction News ON LOCATION

Now that’s electric

It’s a good day

It’s Monday morning, but that’s okay Branch Manager Donny Gaddy still has positive energy when it comes to running the office at McBride Electric in Fort Worth. -LL

Kurt Graves is busy helping contractors at RDO Equipment in Fort Worth. He believes a busy day is a good day. -LL

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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News â&#x20AC;¢ FEB 2018

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

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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

Stop, think, act Darren Alexander, EHS Manager Air Conditioning Innovative Solutions (ACIS) McKinney, TX

hat do you consider are the major safety risks in construction? Falls are a top priority, working from ladders, slips, trips and falls. Never forget about housekeeping. What are ways to identify and reduce safety risks? Stop, Think, Act – Stop and evaluate the task; think how it will be accomplished, then act in a safe manner. Training related to the type of work is essential in order to evaluate risk and recognize hazards associated with the task. How important is a good safety record in the construction industry? A good safety record is very important. It is a major part, if not the most important part, of a business’ reputation. The safety record and reputation can be very impactful on insurance cost, EMR, securing job contracts, etc. In addition, how employees conduct themselves, safely and professionally, is the difference between repeat business and maybe no business in the future. Companies do not need a liability on their jobsite. They need the peace of mind that all employees are trained and not only know how to work safely, but will work safely and not take shortcuts. How does construction safety impact your company? Construction safety is a big part of our company. We are many times the subcontractor to a general contractor and this requires us to demonstrate a safe professional attitude at all times. We have to work every day to rise above the competition and

always do what is right. I learned years ago from a mentor to always do what is right and let the cards fall where they fall. So when I came to work at ACIS, their guarantee was, “We Do it Right or We Make it Right,” I knew I was at the right place. Does an increase in the volume of construction affect safety? Realistically, I would say no. It is the mindset of each employee. With increased workload and tight schedules, safety can get squeezed and appear to be less important, sure. But with proper training and company culture it is easy to remind everyone what is important – Safety & Risk Reduction. Each employee must keep their safety and the safety of everyone around them in the forefront of their mind. What can be done to increase safety awareness and create a safe working environment? Safety is personal, we have all heard this slogan and many others, but to me safety is about people, I am in the people business, building trust, effective relationships, energizing the team, providing training that allows the employee to be informed, and educated. People want to do the right thing and if given the right tools to make the right decisions they will succeed every time.

Safety is good business Baldemar Martinez, Branch Manager National Trench Safety San Antonio, TX

afety in the workplace has received an increasing amount of attention over the past several years. The rising cost of insurance as well as litigation cost has caught everyone’s attention. In recent years management has considered safety as a hot topic, and resources are going toward compliance, accident prevention programs, and safety training. Yet for most, the safety record has much room for improvement. If management has demonstrated a commitment to safety, if the safety department is busy with compliance, if safety training is up-to-date, what are we missing? OSHA has a focus four which looks at construction hazards related to falls, electrical, struck by, and caught-in-between. These types of accidents continue to plague the construction industry. The question of “why” these accidents take place remains, and finding the answer to preventing accidents has been elusive for many construction companies. Perhaps part of the problem is that employees just don’t “get it.” If so, just exactly what is the “it” that employees are not getting? A superintendent was overheard once saying “nobody wants anybody to get hurt, but when you have deadlines to meet, projects that need to be finished, and work that has to get done, sometimes you have to take chances.” Maybe that is the “it” that this superintendent is not getting. Do employees get the fact that safety is good business? Do employees really understand that skipping safety steps and

taking chances do not move the proverbial ball down the field? Do employees understand that behavioral safety programs are not just silly rules and a passing fad? For example, many times we talk about the hidden costs related to an accident. We teach that the hidden costs of an accident are typically about five times that of the “visible” cost. We can use the example of an iceberg, which is mostly hidden, and how the massive chunk of ice below the water line is much larger than the visible part. We can even preach about the personal pain of an accident by showing graphic pictures of missing or mangled limbs or pictures of eyes with protruding objects. Yet, even when confronted with the knowledge that a spouse and kids can be left without a husband and father, employees can still make a wrong decision and put themselves in harm’s way. Perhaps it is the belief that the reality of a tragedy could happen to them or their crew. In spite of all of the training, maybe it is an employee’s unfounded confidence that. “I am too smart, too quick, too lucky, or too cool for the unthinkable to happen to me.”

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

What safety training programs are available? In-house programs? Outsourcing? Associations? We have been creating a library of online safety training that employees can take and are required to take depending on job title, positions, etc. In addition we outsource some specific training such as Powered Industrial Trucks or Confined Space Training. I personally belong to American Society of Safety Engineers and attend multiple trainings to stay up to date on new standards and state of the art safety methodologies. What are some of the safety training program types? Equipment? Jobsite? Other? Online training, instructor led training, job specific training, hazard recognition, rescue equipment, proper ladder usage, equipment inspection, etc. Have there been recent advances in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)? PPE is always advancing, from improved rescue equipment to basic safety glasses. The key seems to always be around style and comfort. If it is comfortable and makes the employee look good, they want to wear it. I think that is important, but for me it must also perform to protect the employee. PPE advancements range from improved hearing protection, fall harnesses, SRL’s and gloves and are always improving and very important. Most all will agree injuries to our hands are way too frequent.

What is the most significant challenge your company faces regarding safety Language barrier? The language barrier is and will continue for some time. You can run into many different languages from the many Hispanic workers, to just as many owners and other nationalities in America today, in boardrooms to the construction site. Getting people to understand the safety language, acronyms, and best practices can be difficult. Does increased construction volume, costs or other factors significantly challenge how your company approaches safety concerns? Cost is always a challenge. Keeping costs down all while spending more money on PPE, safety equipment, supplies, etc. will always be a challenge in finding low cost-effective providers of quality safety equipment. How are you dealing with these challenges? Networking and building effective relationships with vendors and suppliers and taking advantage of deals and specials when available are vital. This all ties together to knowing the best time to buy and have the equipment and supplies when needed. Again, I am in the people business, from the supplier, vendor, management, employee, etc., and it is a great revolving circle of building trust, effective relationships, energizing the team, and providing training.

What is on the horizon for the safety industry? Changes in technology; Equipment; Other? I think one of the biggest challenges the safety industry faces today is continuing to transition the cost effectiveness of a good safety process. Great strides have been made on this endeavor over the last decade but there is still work to be completed on this front.

Darren is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and a member of American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), where he has served as the Fort Worth vice president, and president. He has also served as the ASSE Region III student leadership conference chair, and senior advisor for the past 6 years. In addition, has served as the ASSE Society on several joint task force initiatives over the last 14 years. -cmw

One way to know if someone suffers from this mistaken ideology is to find out if they work safely when no one is watching. Do they take risks when they are alone or believe that no one can see them? Perhaps the ultimate test for all of us is this: Do we work safely at home? Does the concept of “we are more productive when we work safely” follow us home? Do we understand the concept that “safety means productivity gains?” If employees do not understand that, how can we expect the employee to get it right on the job? The simplest way to explain how the phenomena of “safety is good business” works is to approach it from the perspective of the efficiency expert who analyzes

every step of the work flow process, looking for ways to eliminate waste. The safe approach to any job is to first analyze it, organize it, assess the hazards, and proceed only after eliminating or controlling the hazards. Behind the concept of “safety is good business” is the realization that if I do not deal with hazards, they will deal with me! By taking safety seriously enough to take it home, employees will learn and practice good safety habits that will lead to a better job and a better life. National Trench Safety is a fully integrated provider of trench and traffic safety products. -cmw

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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

NEXT TH MON

CONSTRUCTION EDUCATION

If you would like to represent your company in an upcoming FOCUS, contact us for an Interview (210) 308-5800 DFWeditor@ConstructionNews.net

The marriage of safety & production Oliver Guzman, Houston Supervisor ESC Safety Consultants Houston, TX

SC Consultants understand the importance of identifying and correcting hazards and are equipped with the means to keep jobsites safe, assisting subcontractors and contractors alike in meeting their unified goal and a safe work environment.

What do you consider are the major safety risks in construction? The major hazardous safety risk in construction is that many contractors have a horizontal safety plan that is not specific to each jobsite. Each jobsite is different. Each site will have different hazards, so many safety hazards do not get evaluated properly. In addition, subcontractors and contractors are hiring undertrained, unskilled employees due to high demand turnover for construction and are not completing any type of required training. Training that includes new hire orientation, fall protection, PPE, ladders, scaffolds, etc. Many contractors do not understand the importance of teaching their employees how to recognize, control, isolate and eliminate hazards, and have a believe that if they hire or sub out their work, the hiring contractor is not liable or in charge of the safety of that hired contractor. What are ways to identify and reduce safety risks? Ways to identify and reduce safety risk should first start when a job gets bid out. Upper management should evaluate the safety risks that the jobsite will present. Then, contractor should develop, imple-

ment and enforce a safety program and safety policies and procedures specific to that site, factoring in PPE requirements for the specific hazards that the site will present. Third, educate and train all employees on the safety program’s requirements. How important is a good safety record? A company’s safety record whether good or bad, most definitely will affect their ability to gain work. For example, a company with a good safety record will be more competitive at bid day since their insurance costs will be less than a company with a poor safety record. Does an increase in the volume of construction affect safety? As the demand for construction increases, the demand for employees increases, schedules get tighter and the importance of safety is overlooked with a greater focus on production, which in turn develops a “get it done however you need to get it done” mentality. The greater the demand, the greater the push for completion of a project rises, causing stress, causing an employee’s mind to drift from safety. More concern goes to an employee worrying about potentially losing their job for not producing, instead of doing the job safely.

The safe word Renee Ramthun, CSP, CHST, Environmental Health & Safety Director Jordan Foster Construction Austin, TX

he construction industry knows the word “safety,” but keeping up with the new advances, courses and employees are key to any company.

What do you consider are the major safety risks in construction? As cliché as it might sound, our biggest risks in construction are: one – the actual work conditions and two – the workforce. It’s an ever-changing entity. There is no single day that will be like the last one. The worksite will be different. The employees will likely be different (whether it is because of decreased staff, increased staff or simply new subs on the job.) After that, it’s the “fatal four” that are documented every year: fall hazards, electrical hazards, struck-by hazards and caught-in-between hazards. What are ways to identify and reduce safety risks? You have to go beyond “compliancebased safety.” You have to begin to look at the things that are causing the issues on your site and address those in ways that are meaningful to that specific project. How important is a good safety record in the construction industry? A good safety record is critical in the construction industry. Every single new project proposal, without exception, includes a section that reviews your safety record. Owners look at the GC’s safety record, GC’s look at the subcontractor’s safety record. The safety record is one indication of how a company will perform and what their overall culture is.

How does construction safety impact Jordan Foster Construction? Safety has a great impact on our company in a number of ways. Our ability to perform our job safely impacts our ability to get new work. Additionally, for us, because we self-perform much of our work safety has a direct impact on our immediate workforce, our greatest assets. Without our employees, we would be unable to perform the work that we do, so it is obviously critical for us to keep our employees safe. Does an increase in the volume of construction affect safety? An increase in the volume of construction can certainly impact safety. When there is a sudden increase in volume there is generally an increase in new employees, new employees that may not have the training or experience that our current employees have; new employees that haven’t yet bought into our culture and way of thinking; and new employees that may have heard it a million times before. What can be done to increase safety awareness and create a safe working environment? We start every day with a Task Hazard Analysis. On some days, a crew may do more than one, depending on what

What can be done to increase safety awareness and create a safe working environment? Contractors usually focus on production and many of the leaders of these companies are not safety professionals, although they are professional construction managers. A way to increase safety awareness and create a safe working environment is to outsource safety, either by contracting a safety consulting firm or directly hire a safety professional. Also, upper management must be onboard with safety. Many have no concern for safety, which leads to the employees having no concern for safety. What safety training programs are available? In-house programs? Outsourcing? Associations? There are many safety training programs available. The best way for a contractor to obtain required safety training is to outsource to a safety consulting firm or join an area contractors’ association such as ABC, AGC, ASA, IEC etc. Many of these area contractor associations can guide contractors in the right direction. They have monthly safety council meetings where various contractors gather to discuss safety hazards, ideas for safety mitigations and are available to assist all members develop safety programs and offer advice. How does construction safety impact your company? Safety is our business. We understand the importance of identifying and correcting hazards. We assist general contractors in implementing effective subcontractor safety management programs and assist subcontractors in implementing safety programs within their own companies and on the jobsite.

their tasks are for that day. We have our safety mantras – don’t just go through the motions. Learn from you issues. Be brutally honest about things. It is through honest communication that you can find the areas that need to be improved before an issue arises. What safety training programs are available? There are a number of training resources out there. In Texas, both UTA and TEEX have extensive safety courses. OSHA provides a number of free courses offered in all of the major Texas markets that range from one-hour courses to full 10 and 30hour courses in both English and Spanish. There are online courses available through several vendors. AGC, ABC and ASSE (ASSP) also host many training courses through their various chapters. The route that we take is to provide most of our training inhouse, so that we can gear the topics specifically to the needs of our employees and can meet their schedule requirements. Have there been recent advances in PPE? There have been a couple of new recent advances in PPE that have peaked some interest, though Jordan Foster hasn’t adopted them yet. We are still looking to see if they are actually effective. New types of safety helmets have recently become popular in Europe and Australia. Kask is the name brand that I have seen most often, though there are others out there. In spite of their appearance they seem to be lighter than your standard hardhat, but provide more impact protection. They can be equipped with much of your other standard issue items, such as safety glasses and hearing protection. Some of the larger contractors are beginning to make the switch, but these new types of safety helmets are by no means commonplace yet. Safety vests with intrinsic safety devices are

Have there been recent advances in PPE? PPE is constantly improving in all arenas. Fall protection is a great example. Recent advances in fall protection gear, such as body harnesses, are more comfortable to wear. Many types of portable anchor points are also available now. Safety glasses are more comfortable. What is on the horizon for the safety industry? As OSHA introduces a new standard or modifications to an existing standard come about, the safety industry will come up with new types of tools that will allow construction companies to follow new guidelines. What is the most significant challenge your company faces regarding safety language barrier? Increased construction volume? No matter the language it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that all employees understand the training presented to them in a language that they understand. Increased construction volume is great for the economy. More work means more jobs. But that being said, these employers must keep up with the training that is necessary for the trades involved. How are you dealing with these challenges? As a safety company, the challenges presented from construction companies do not vary that much. On rainy days all companies want training. When companies are busy they must work and produce as much as they can in order to be profitable. But safety cannot be compromised for production! In today’s construction market a company will not survive unless they find the marriage between safety and production – a successful union. -cmw

being introduced now. Some have cooling devices and flashing lights, so you are more visible. There are some that can sound an alarm if there is some oncoming traffic hazard. What is on the horizon for the safety industry? I think the safety industry is heading more and more in the direction of risk management and looking at enhanced metrics to determine the “safety record,” rather than sticking to the tried-and-true compliance-based safety with an occasional glance at the incident rates and EMRS. What is the most significant challenge Jordan Foster faces regarding safety language barrier? Our most significant challenge is establishing one unified “culture” across our company, because we have entities that self-perform and others that act purely as GC’s, so the dynamics are obviously different. We communicate, tackle one issue at a time, suggest a solution, test that solution, revise as necessary and then we communicate. The continuous flow of information, in particular with the workforce, helps guide our activities to what is most effective. It is easy to look out over a site and make a determination about what needs to be addressed, but unless you have open communication with the employees you won’t know whether that is really the issue. The employees know where the problems are and they generally have the solutions, if you take the time to ask them and then listen to their answers. The construction industry instills safety all around. Listen, learn and be safe out there. Jordan Foster Construction is a general contractor headquartered in El Paso with offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. –lv

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

Page 17

Association Calendar

Content submitted by Associations to Construction News AIA - Dallas

American Institute of Architects

Feb. 2: Retrospect 2018 Graphic Competition Deadline, 12noon. For more info, go to www.aiadallas.org or email info@ aiadallas.org ASA

American Subcontractors Association

Feb. 8: 2018 PAC Event, Café 43 @ George W. Bush Library, 5-9pm. For more info, call 817-640-8275 Feb. 15: ASA/TEXO TopGolf, The Colony, 3760 Blair Oaks, 6-9pm. For more info, call 817-640-8275 ASCE - Dallas

American Society of Civil Engineers

Feb. 12: Branch Meeting, Vouv Meeting & Event Space, 4445 Sigma Rd. 11:00am. For more info, go to www.dallasasce.org Feb. 18-24: Engineer’s Week. For more info, go to http://www.discovere.orgourprograms/engineers-week ASCE – Fort Worth

CSI – Dallas

Construction Specifications Institute

Feb. 1: Technical Lunch, Dave & Buster’s, 9450 N. Central Expwy., 11:30am-1pm. For more info, contact Steven Frank at 214-876-4533 or steven.frank@ppg.com Feb. 8: Chapter Meeting, Addison Conference Center, 15650 Addison Road, Addison, TX, 5:30-8pm. For more info, go to www.dallascsi.org DACA –Dallas/Fort Worth

Drywall & Acoustical Contractors Assn.

Feb. 22: TopGolf Tournament, TopGolf The Colony, 3760 Blair Oaks Dr., Colony, TX. For more info, call 214-557-0356

Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

NAWIC – Fort Worth

National Assn. of Women in Construction

Feb. 15: Monthly Meeting, Diamond Oaks Country Club, 5821 Diamond Oaks Dr., N, 5:30pm. For more info, call Lori Donnell at 817-937-9565 Feb. 28: NFSF Schlarship Application Deadline. For more info, call Lori Donnell at 817-937-9565 NRTCA North Texas Roofing Contractors Assn.

Feb. 14: Lunch & Learn, International Bowling Museum, 621 Six Flags Drive, Arlington, TX, 11:30am-1pm. For more info, contact Coleen Spalding at 972-330-2822 X103 Feb. 17: NTRCA 2018 Awards Banquet, River Ranch Stockyards, 500 NE 23rd St., Fort Worth, TX, 6:30-11pm. For more info, contact Coleen Spalding at 972-330-2822 X103

American Society of Civil Engineers

Feb. 18-24: Engineer’s Week. For more info, go to http://www.discovere.org/ our-programs/engineers-week

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Facility, 11:30am-1pm. For more info, contact Jo Britt at 817-496-8422

NUCA

National Utility Contractors Assn. North Texas Chapter

Feb. 2: Casino Night, Westin, 4545 W. John W. Carpenter Frwy., Irving, TX, 7:3011:30pm. For more info, email info@nucanorthtexas.com TEXO

The Construction Assn.

Feb. 13: TEXO 101 Breakfast, TEXO Dallas Conference Center, 11101 N. Stemmons Frwy., 8-9:30am. For more info, call 972647-0697 Feb. 15: ASA/TEXO TopGolf, The Colony, 3760 Blair Oaks, 6-9pm. For more info, call Meloni McDaniel at 972-647-0697 Feb. 19: ASC Region 5 Student Competition, Crowne Plaza Dallas, 14315 Midway Rd., 8am-8pm. For more info, call 972647-0697

IEC – Fort Worth

Independent Electrical Contractors

Feb. 22: Lunch & Learn, IEC Chapter

arbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, toxic gas which interferes with the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood. CO is non-irritating and can overcome persons without warning. Many people die from CO poisoning, usually while using gasoline powered tools and generators in buildings or semi-enclosed spaces without adequate ventilation. Effects of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning • Severe carbon monoxide poisoning causes neurological damage, illness, coma and death. • Headaches, dizziness and drowsiness. • Nausea, vomiting, tightness across the chest. Sudden chest pain may occur in people with angina. During prolonged or high exposures, symptoms may worsen and include vomiting, confusion, and collapse in addition to loss of consciousness and muscle weakness. Symptoms vary widely from person to person. CO poisoning may occur sooner in those most susceptible: young children, elderly people, people with lung or heart disease, people at high altitudes, or those who already have elevated CO blood levels, such as smokers. Also, CO poisoning poses a special risk to fetuses. CO poisoning can be reversed if caught in time. But even if you recover, acute poisoning may result in permanent damage to the parts of your body that require a lot of oxygen such as the heart and brain. Significant reproductive risk is also linked to CO. Some Sources of Exposure • Portable generators/generators in buildings. • Concrete cutting saws, compressors. • Power trowels, floor buffers, space heaters. • Welding, gasoline powered pumps. Preventing CO Exposure

Round-Up Jordan Foster Construction announces the following additions to the firm’s office: Jordan Foster Construction promotes Shane Hesters to the position of vice president of business development for the company’s statewide commercial division. Hester joined the firm last year as project director for the Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin markets, successfully providing oversight on the company’s current projects, along with developing an enhanced, expanded business development program. Hesters project portfolio consists of high-rise residential, DoD, hospitality, gaming and entertainment, office, manufacturing and Fortune 500 capital improvement programs. –lv

Jordon Foster Construction is pleased to announce Mark LaVoy as vice president of the commercial division in Dallas. LaVoy recently joined the company and will head up the firm’s commercial group in the north Texas region, managing all construction operations and client relations. LaVoy has overseen the building of major Metroplex landmarks. He currently serves as a Board Member on Travis Frederick’s Blocking Out Hunger Foundation. –lv

Pape-Dawson Engineers Inc. announces the promotion of Brandon O’Donald P.E. to vice president. O’Donald will oversee and manage the Fort Worth office. O’Donald joined Pape-Dawson in 2017 and has more than 20 years of experi-ence in planning, permitting and project management of land development projects for public and private clients. His project experience includes K-12 and higher education facilities, financial, retail and mixed-use developments. He holds a B.S in Civil Engineering from the Univ. of Texas in Arlington. –mjm

Round-Up Submissions

Brief company announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of charge, as space allows. Submit Info & Photo: AustinEditor@ConstructionNews.net (210) 308-5800

• Never use a generator indoors or in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces such as garages, crawl spaces, and basements. Opening windows and doors in an enclosed space may prevent CO buildup. • Make sure the generator has 3-4 feet of clear space on all sides and above it to ensure adequate ventilation. • Do not use a generator outdoors if placed near doors, windows or vents which could allow CO to enter and build up in occupied spaces. • When using space heaters and stoves ensure that they are in good working order to reduce CO buildup, and never use in enclosed spaces or indoors. • Consider using tools powered by electricity or compressed air, if available. • If you experience symptoms of CO poisoning get to fresh air right away and seek immediate medical attention. What can you do if you suspect someone has been poisoned? When you suspect CO poisoning, promptly taking the following actions can save lives: • Move the victim immediately to fresh air in an open area. • Call 911 or another local emergency number for medical attention or assistance. • Administer 100-percent oxygen using a tight-fitting mask if the victim is breathing. • Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation if the victim has stopped breathing. natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232

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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

Business as youth-ual

David Esslinger and the Epoch team members.

outh is not always wasted on the young. Only four short years after David Esslinger earned his Business Administration degree at A&M in 2002, he started his own general contracting business. “After college, I took a position in New Orleans and was offered an opportunity to come back home to Texas in Houston and I jumped at the opportunity,” Esslinger says. “In 2006, through a multitude of learning experiences, I decided to go out on my own and started Epoch Construction. It was something I had long wanted to do without any partnership or hinges to hold me back. Obviously, as everybody knows, when you’re young it’s easier to take those leaps of faith and persevere through the struggles the first several years of doing everything as you grow.” Esslinger says he started the business as a “one-man show” out of his onebedroom apartment and grew the business steadily at about 20 percent annual growth. Twelve years later, Esslinger oversees 23 employees at Epoch’s Houston home office as well as a new Austin office, which opened early 2017. While he has no immediate plans to expand, he’s not ruling out future offices in Dallas and Corpus Christi. “Right now, we build in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin; those are our four major markets,” he says. “We do everything from high-end restaurants to private multi-story hospitals.” Esslinger says his years in the business have taught him the importance of patience and honest client communication. “This is not a sales job; this is a reallife growing business,” he says. “A lot of our clients are repeat clients, so obviously

it is critical to treat them well and be honest with them, to give them a reality and in doing so, telling them the truth, good or bad. Communicating with them well and keeping them in the loop can really assist in overcoming obstacles. Every project is going to have small problems. If you let everybody know those issues through open and up-todate communication, you can provide them solutions and options to cure, which may allow you to overcome those problems, [and then] you really don’t have an issue.” Esslinger has also learned the importance of developing a strong relationship with his employees. “Hunting, fishing, the rodeo, our annual Christmas party – we do a lot together,” Esslinger says of his employees. “My business is still a very small business and I treat employees like family. I get to enjoy a lot of time with my team members. You’ve got to work hard to be successful and give yourself the opportunity to play hard too, or you’re just going to burn yourself out. This is a tough business.” With two offices offering a wide range of services, Esslinger says his days are busy but he leans on the support of his wife and two children as well as his own strong office team. “It can be a lot, but we are blessed to have a wonderful supporting team that looks forward to any challenge,” Esslinger says. “I enjoy the challenge of being a business owner, the growth opportunities and the family atmosphere that we have here.” Epoch Construction is a general contractor located in Houston and Austin; also builds in DFW and San Antonio –mjm

continued from Page 1 — Unified goals Ryan hired on as a project superintendent with a national company that specialized in fuel systems. He moved up in an eightyear period from working as a field superintendent traveling the nation to a division manager opening branches in San Antonio and Dallas. In 1998, he joined UST as operations manager. In 2000, Ryan bought UST and, due to the 9-11 attack, changed the company’s project scope from mostly airport fuel tank installation to working with railroads and general and mechanical contractors. Leaning on his residential building expertise, he also established a commercial general contracting division at UST. Today, half of the company’s projects are general constructionrelated. These days, UST is churning out notable projects including Fort Worth’s GE facility, the Department of Public Safety in Kaufman, Google data centers as well as military base projects, such as Fort Worth’s Joint Reserve Base fueling systems and new general construction projects. With the company thriving, Ryan and UST employees also make sure to take time to give back to their

community. “We hold a golf tournament to support North Texas Warrior Golf Association (NTWGA),” Ryan says. “NTWGA is a warrior organization nonprofit for veterans with PTSD and other wounds. They do it in the form of teaching them how to play golf, equipping them with clubs and taking them out for golf once in a while. It’s a real camaraderie thing. We got involved with them a few years ago and so we do an annual golf tournament to support their cause. “I love the challenge of all of it,” Ryan continues. “I think at the end of the day my purpose isn’t to build a house or build a fuel system, but it’s building a company and building a team. I like the process of building a team to produce a product that clients will be happy with. At the end of the job, I promise the client I will be asking for a reference letter they will be happy to write. I have files full of reference letters from past clients that we did everything we said we would do and more.” Unified Services of Texas (UST) is a general contractor and subcontractor located in Southlake. –mjm

continued from Page 1 — Millwork on the move “We have a new building and, as a result, we can manage larger and more complex projects,” she explains. “We can change that and be able to create some efficiencies, so we’re working in teams on process improvement.” She and Makohon are also committed to securing talented craftsmen and diverse clientele. “About 80% of our business is commercial and 20% distinguished residential. There’s so much opportunity in the DFW area,” she says. “We have a kind of niche type of business in architectural millwork and we’re going to continue to develop and improve that space. We love our company; we have a lot of passion around it and we’re proud to be able to participate in so many Dallas landmarks.” Some of those landmarks include Nasher Sculpture Center, Statler Hotel & Residences, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital,

Founders Square, Residences at Stoneleigh, Museum Tower, Dallas Arboretum, First Presbyterian Church, Westin One Main Place, St. Marks School of Texas and several major corporate headquarters. One future project Kuhr is excited about is the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, scheduled to open in August 2019. Her involvement with the Dallas Holocaust Museum began after she co-authored Das House in East Berlin, a book about her journey to reclaim her family home seized by the Nazis in 1942. Kuhr is also excited about where the company is, where it’s going and what that means for the Signature Millwork team. “That’s a lot of what drives us to be good stewards for our company.” WBE-SBE-HUB-FSC–certified subcontractor Signature Millwork is based in Dallas. – mjm

continued from Page 1 — ‘Cool’ auto mall

Granpa’s pride

Mart Inc. President Vernon Proctor snuggles his grandson, Jude, at Mart Inc. and Demolition Specialties’ annual Christmas supper, hosted Dec. 12 at Senter East Rec Center.

new 26,000-sf showroom and 54,500-sf state-of-the art service building. It was important to keep access clean and safe to the Chevrolet dealership where they continued to sell cars and operate the service building. Westwind also had to raise the front half of the property approximately 20 inches. The project used LED lighting throughout the Clay Cooley Auto Mall and also used LED lighting for the additional landscape. All service areas are fully air conditioned and all buildings meet and exceed the energy codes in place. The materials for the project include structural steel, masonry, stucco and ACM. Most manufacturers dictate materials to have consistency with all of the

other dealerships across the county. Other challenges included working with the contractor on widening highway 183. The contractors on the highway project had to install new water lines, storm water drains, gas and sewer to the new locations. The project was a complete success. Westwind was able to complete the project on time and within budget. The project team consisted of Darren Wicker Sr, project manager; Steve Washington, assistant project manager; Kyle Piepenbrok, lead superintendent; Jose Cruz, superintendent; and Harold Stemper, superintendent. It should be noted that all of the subcontractors worked great as a team to get the job done in a timely manner and were spectacular in doing so. -ja

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2018

Page 19

Motivation-all

Things you didn’t know . . . about Valentines Day 220,000 is the average number of wedding proposals on Valentine’s Day each year. 189 million stems of roses are sold in the U.S. on this day. More than 35 million heart-shape boxes of chocolate will be sold.

Teachers will receive the most Valentine’s Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets. Over $1 billion worth of chocolate is purchased for this day in the U.S. Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for this holiday in the late 1800s. At least 9 million people buy their pets a gift on Valentine`s Day.

15 percent of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day. Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all gifts on this holiday. Every Valentine’s Day, the Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet.

Many believe the X symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn’t write their names signed in front of a witness with an X. The X was then kissed to show their sincerity.

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There are enough candy hearts made each year to stretch from Valentine, Arizona to Rome, Italy, and back again. The number of these candy hearts produced is approximately 8 billion.

Superstition: If you see a squirrel on Valentine’s Day, you will marry a cheapskate who will hoard all your money.

Over 50 percent of all Valentine’s Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the holiday, making Valentine’s Day a procrastinator’s delight.

Danny Leverett, owner of Tarrant Roofing and his team

t work, they have a salesman of the month contest to keep everyone motivated. The prize isn’t a $50 dollar gift card to a restaurant. Sometimes it can be as big as a trip to Hawaii. Danny Leverett, owner of Tarrant Roofing, is considered more than a boss man - a man of motivation. It’s simple, hard work and motivation. Mr. Leverett just returned from a trip with three salesmen who won the contest for a fishing trip. Stormy weather didn’t permit them to cast those lines in Mississippi, so Leverett made it up by taking the guys to Guatemala. “Now that’s the real Danny Leverett that people don’t know,” says Ryan Henderson, sales manager. It all started when he was told that he wasn’t going to make it or was going to fail. Mr. Leverett did just the opposite and more. Not only has he built his business from the ground up, but has built an incredible reputation. “We kind of follow the Green Bay Packers deal, we draft and train our own talent.” With two locations, one in Bedford and the other in Addison, Tarrant Roofing has grown into a diverse work environment. At work, there is real life with real people. Henderson mentions the several married couples that both work for the company, along with a father and his two sons. There is also a great veteran presence within the company. “We have several people that have really interesting lives.” Henderson recalls a time when he saw Mr. Leverett almost break down. One of the ladies in the office was going through a rough time in her life and since she’s come on board with the company, Henderson says she has blossomed not only as a salesman but also as a person. Mr. Leverett sponsored the Venus youth football program this past year. Henderson explains that no one who works with them lives down there, but someone Leverett knows had a friend whose kid lived in Venus. They didn’t have the funds the

needed for the football team. “Danny just asked him, ‘how much do they need to play football?’ He wrote a check for it and said let the kids play football.” The company gives back to their community with the Boys & Girls Club and Johnson County CASA. Quarterly they donate a roof to 6 Stones, one of the poorest areas in the entire metroplex. “You know it’s nice to be successful, but you are truly successful when you help everybody else around you be successful.” With all the giving Mr. Leverett and his company do, someone once tried to give to him. Henderson remembers someone trying to glitter bomb Danny through the mail. “Our office manager that opens all of Danny’s business mail opened it and glitter bombed her office instead. It took all day to clean up, she was so mad. It wasn’t even meant for her.” Whoops! She sure did take one for the team. Inside Tarrant Roofing during their meetings, Mr. Leverett gets everyone pumped up for the day and there is typically a lesson about something within the industry. “Second half of the meeting is to get everybody pumped and fired up. I don’t mean playing some rock music or clapping hands, I mean we get down to the nitty-gritty on how to be a better professional at what we do.” Leverett has motivational quotes hanging throughout the office. As he instills and surpasses there could only be more bountiful encounters for the company. Henderson says when he got his state license for the company, Mr. Leverett called him and they had a 30-minute conversation about how much he appreciated it and proud he was. He also lets us know if you have negativity. One, you are not going to make it and two, you are going to get run off. The people at Tarrant Roofing are positive about not being negative. Tarrant Roofing is a roofing contractor. –lv

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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News â&#x20AC;¢ FEB 2018