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The Industry’s Newspaper April bluebonnets
www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 16 H Number 4 H APRIL 2018
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The minister of painting
Dan Pinnell teaching the Boy Scouts about the surveying merit badge course
Johnny Perry, founder and owner of His Professional Painting.
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As a third generation surveyor, Dan Pinnell, president of The Pinnell Group, started his career during his teenage years while working alongside his father. In 1982 his father formed his own business called Pinnell Survey. “He moved down to Houston and me and my brother would work for him in the summers in between grade school. We were put on the payroll,” said Pinnell. After falling in love with the business, Pinnell’s realization for his future sank in at the age of 17. With a skillset in mathematics and a love for outdoors, Pinnell found that he was getting the best of both worlds doing office and field work. In 1998, his brother, Jason Pinnell, formed Pinnell Survey in Florida. In 2007 Pinnell started his land-surveying firm.
Then in 2010 his father left Houston and located himself in Thailand with Pinnell Survey in Thailand. Pinnell recalls the year of 2007 when first starting out, “It was right before the recession hit.” He also said it was probably the worst time anybody could think of to start a company. Then in 2009, his wife Joni came on as 51 percent owner to target the minority projects with the women-owned businesses. “Now she is the co-owner and I am the co-owner.” About 3 years ago, Pinnell visited his father in Thailand and took his family with him. He noticed the difference in pace. “They don’t do things in a hurry like in Texas. Their projects probably take twice as long to complete as they would here.” continued on Page 14
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hen he was a small, country church pastor, Johnny Perry, owner of His Professional Painting in Conroe, TX, had to be what’s called “bi-vocational” in order to supplement his income. This is not uncommon with small churches. “When you start a church, not every church is financially able to support you. I always did work on the side,” he explained. This used to include some landscaping, but primarily painting. Perry has been painting full time now since 2010. Having said that, Perry is still in the ministry. “People are my passion, but painting is my job.” This passion moved Perry to start his own 501c3 charity called Others Outreach Missions three years ago. This ministry pro-
vides food, clothing or charitable contributions for families and individuals in need. They have been featured on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon and Good Morning America. Perry sums up his ministry philosophy this way: “It’s a relationship; it’s not about religion.” His Professional Painting will pretty much paint anything the customer wants, like a water park. This was a challenge because the paint had to be mixed with polyurethane and marine paint, but only in small quantities at a time because the chemical reaction produces a quick hardening. One inexperienced painter mixed a full gallon, and “within an hour he had a whole gallon of Nerf football paint.” continued on Page 14
European influence
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re you looking to escape to Europe? Well, you can, not literally, but influentially perhaps. Houston welcomes European influences blended with homegrown heritage and European classics with Emmaline, a local neighborhood restaurant with street side patio rare to inner-loop Houston. This new restaurant is the essence of a neighborhood kitchen, serving as a social and cultural thread for guests where genuine hospitality drives an ambiance of infectious energy. Located at 3210 West Dallas, ADB Commercial Construction Inc. brought to life the visions that Operating Partner Sam Governale wanted to create with the foresight from architect Robert Fowler, ZK Building Design Inc. Construction of Emmaline consisted of the renovation of an existing structure with new addition add-ons for rear service and kitchen areas, a front upper dining balcony
overlooking the street view along with exterior perimeter patio dining areas with new site parking areas. The exterior of the building required new masonry brick to match the existing brick, and new stucco all of which was painted. New steel window walls and glazing, wood patio decks, decorative railing, and awnings were incorporated to enhance the look. The interior of the existing structure comprised of the refinishing of the existing wood and concrete floors as well as installation of new tile and carpet flooring. New painted drywall and wood block panel wall finishes were also incorporated to give that extra added touch along with new architectural millwork cabinets and trim, architectural steel stairs and a combination of rustic/modern/contemporary materials and styles all melded together into one. Initial challenges consisted with the Emmaline, 3210 West Dallas St.
continued on Page 14
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Houston Construction News • APR 2018
Time does tell
Quality matters
Mario Zermeno’s two companies working together at a gas station in north Houston.
Way up top
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h, this is a big one. The big fiveoh, that is. This year Cryer Plastering Co., Inc. celebrates 50 years. Lloyd A. Cryer established the company in 1968. The current president of the company Daniel Frank said, “I guess it is time to plan a celebration.” Frank takes us back to how it all started. “I was lucky to marry Cryer’s beautiful daughter, Mary, my senior year of college at Texas Tech University.” After graduation the newlyweds moved back to Columbus, TX, where Frank was working for Drymalla Construction. He spent eight years working in Columbus and then switched gears toward Houston. Frank worked for his father-in-law at Cryer Plastering for 12 years. Today Frank and Mary own the company. The warehouse is in Houston and their office is in Richmond. Frank said, “A good portion of our work is in schools, churches, office buildings, hospitals and some retail work.” Even though it was in 2004 that Frank took the podium as president of the company Cryer Plastering still follows their core principles they were originally built on. They helped lead a group from the Sanctuary Fellowship Church in Rosenberg. They built houses for struggling families down in Penitas, TX. “We have been able to help build six new houses for families, as well as remodel or add on to houses to help families while showing and telling them of God’s love.” Frank adds it was a blessing for them and the families of Penitas. Frank and Mary have four sons. Their youngest is an 18-year-old junior at George Ranch High School. Their other son Joseph Frank is vice president of Cryer. Joseph Frank started working with the company four years ago. He handles
the estimating, insurance, contracts and submittals. Frank knows what it can be like working with your father. He jokingly admits, “I would have to work with him all day, then go home and my wife would say, ‘Hey we are going to my parent’s tonight.’ I’m thinking, oh, great.” Frank adds that it has been a joy having his son working with them every day. Another asset to the Cryer team is Fillimon Seranno the superintendent. Frank and Seranno came to work for Cryer at about the same time, “24 years ago.” Frank said, “Having Fillimon in charge of the field leaves us knowing that everything will be taken care of.” Frank’s team is important to him, so safety on jobsites is very important. He wants all the employees to be healthy and able to go home to their families every night. Cryer Plastering actually has a safety company working with them to provide up-to-date training and jobsite inspections. Frank is a family man who works hard for the business. So, when the time is right Frank and Mary enjoy traveling. They’ve enjoyed cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean. A recent trip was spent in Wisconsin visiting friends and trying out ice fishing. Brr! Frank definitely has a sense of wilderness in him because each year he goes hunting. “Last year I was able to hunt in British Columbia, where I killed a huge black bear.” He’s also hunted in Missouri, but this year he’s heading back to BC to hunt for moose. There is much to look forward to with his family and business. It’s been 50 years and that can only mean there will be more. Cryer Plastering is a lath, stucco and plaster contractor. –lv
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n the evening of Super Bowl Sunday, the president of Diamond Ready Mix and Mario’s Concrete Pumping, Mario Zermeno and his crew had a job to do. They did a big warehouse job out toward NASA road one. Zermeno said since the opening of Diamond Ready Mix two years ago, that is one of the only times the crew had gone in on a Sunday. Their dedicated work ethic got the job done on time. Mario’s Concrete Pumping was established 20 years ago. Zermeno remembers the finishers didn’t have too much to say about the ready mix they were getting. They noticed some mixes were low grade or had too much water in the concrete. Zermeno decided to start Diamond Ready Mix when he noticed the need for quality concrete and service. “I just want everybody to know that I have a great product and service. What I mean about the service is arriving on time and finishing the job on time.” When talking about his Diamond
Ready Mix staff he said he receives support from everyone in the office. “I couldn’t appraise one above the other.” To show his appreciation, the company recognizes everybody’s birthday. If it’s your birthday you will get balloons and a cake. Zermeno has 32 employees. That’s a lot of cake and balloons! Zermeno let’s us know about his family. He has four children. Two are in college. When they come in from college his daughter helps with the books and his son works with the pumps. A memorable time with his family and staff was during his son’s graduation. A hall was rented and the majority of staff and some vendors joined the celebration. He admits work is his life. He initially started off in the construction industry coping and tiling swimming pools. Looking back at what started as a job to feed his family has turned into two successful companies. Diamond Ready Mix is a commercial and residential ready mix supplier. –lv
Deregulation coming to the electrical industry
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n keeping with the current trend of cutting burdensome governmental regulations and red tape, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently announced that the National Electrical Code (NEC) will be eliminated soon. The NEC has been in existence since 1897 and is normally updated every three years, 2017 being the latest update. But after a cost-review analysis, it was determined that 2017 will be the last revision to the textbook for all things electrical. The expected savings in not only eliminating the code book, as well as all regulations, is estimated to be $247 million dollars annually. “We feel this move will not only save money in the long run,” E.Z. Hertz, spokesman for the NFPA said, “but it will free up the local electrician in the field and their companies to be more flexible in meeting customers’ needs.” Some, however, view this new direction by the NFPA as detrimental to the public’s well-being and safety. “This is nuts,” one local general electrical contractor, who wished to remain anonymous, said. “Without the NEC, every Tom, Dick and Harry electrician will be able to basically wing it when it comes to wiring someone’s house or business. Who knows what type of electrical work they will do in order to cut corners and save a dime?” Still, others see this as a lifesaver when it comes to being able to do a job more quickly and efficiently. “I can’t wait,” said Moby Short, an independent electrician. “All those rules and regulations were making a simple job 10 times more complicated, not to mention costly. Now, I can lower my bids, which will make it easier to compete for jobs.”
A random phone survey of local electrical companies seems to echo this sentiment. “Why should some bureaucrat in an office somewhere dictate to me how I should be doing my business?” contractor Jose Watt asked. “I know how to wire a home.” The NFPA also announced that its last code change will be to eliminate the color of electrical wiring. Instead of having differing colors like red, green, white or black, all wires will now be blue. The purpose, the NFPA said, to not discriminate against a person who wants to become an electrician who happens to be color blind. Any new policy change, especially one of this magnitude, is sure to cause some people to blow a fuse. We will have to see how eliminating the electrical code standards plays out and say, “April Fools.” -dsz
Houston Construction News • APR 2018
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Working his way forward
Industry FOLKS Michael Zarro Compliance manager Double Oak Storm Tex Waller, TX
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ew Jersey is where Mike is originally from. His Italian heritage comes out in the kitchen. Even though he mostly likes to grill, he still likes to make Italian food, and eggplant with chicken parmesan is his favorite recipe.
Destin Drywall & Paint Inc.
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f Glen Smith could have one bumper sticker for his car, it would probably say, “I’d rather be working.” “I don’t even like staying home on the weekends; I’d rather be doing work!” admits the vice president of Destin Drywall & Paint Inc. “I love my job. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else; I’ve never wanted to do anything else. They say that if you find something that you love then it’s not a job.” Smith has worked in drywall and carpentry since he was 17. Although he did foray into nuclear industry work for 12 years, his heart has always belonged to construction. “I like building things,” Smith says. ”It pretty much came natural to me; I’m a mechanical-type builder, so putting things together has always been pretty easy.” After working for System Painters Inc., Smith took ownership of Destin Drywall and Paint Inc. with business
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partner Doug Gilbert in 1998. Since then, the company has evolved to include a new office building in Cypress in 2011, an office staff of 14 and a side company, Destin Media Blasting, which uses various abrasives on cars for restoration and oil field equipment. Smith’s partner Gilbert will also soon be retiring and making way for his son, Chris Gilbert, to take over his part. “We think it’s going to be beneficial and good for the company,” Smith says. “Chris is a young man and we want to bring in young people.” With the company’s 25th anniversary coming up, Smith says he looks forward to a future of more work. “We celebrate every day. We all enjoy being here. It’s a fun place to be!” he says. “I hope that we keep growing and I hope to continue to have a good place for all of my employees to make a living at.” Destin Drywall & Paint Inc. is located in Cypress. –mjm
Mike is a loving husband and father. His wife’s name is Melody and they have four children, three boys and one girl. The oldest is in Missouri; they have a 9-year-old; and their fraternal twins are 2 years old. The family has not pets and Mike says they are going to keep it that way for a while.
television show characters.” He doesn’t have any sports figures “yet.” When in doubt, bobble it out. Mike also shares that he found himself in the health and fitness industry before the construction industry. Today he works in both. He’s still a personal trainer and trains his clients early in the mornings before work. He also trains his clients on Monday and Wednesday evenings.
Mike enjoys spending time with his family. On his free time he plays baseball with his 9-year-old son. They’ve attended Astros’ games together and since his son has grown up as an Astros fan he adds, “Not a lot of people get a chance to see their professional team win a championship.” Let’s see what can happen this year.
In fact, Brad Flack, president of Double Oak Storm Tex, and Mike were friends long before working together. “He was coming to the boot camp I was hosting and he said he needed someone to manage the inspectors.” Mike evidently said, “Sure.” At first he had started with a part time role, but now has transitioned to a full time position.
Here’s a fun fact about Mike. He is a collector of bobble heads. “I have about 43 of them, mostly pop culture, presidents, Looney Tunes and other
Mike is happy with his role in the company and finds the work interesting. Part of it is because you never know what you are going to find. –lv
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Houston Construction News • APR 2018
New year, new ideas for recruiting and retaining employees in the construction industry
Managing your fleet exposuresdriver qualifications Mark Gaskamp CSP, CRM, CIC, CPCU, ARM, ALCM Managing Director Wortham, L.L.C. Austin, TX
Cyndi Mergele, Senior Director RSM US LLP San Antonio, TX
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or the U.S. economy, the positive signs continue: unemployment rates are at historic lows, consumer spending is increasing, the stock market–while volatile at times–continues to set new records and optimism is at an all-time high. The construction industry is expected to flourish right along with the rest of the economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry added 210,000 jobs in 2017, which is a 35 percent increase over the previous year. In addition, construction spending is on the rise. The Commerce Department reported that construction spending was up approximately 2.4 percent in 2017, including a record $1.257 trillion in November. The robust economy and the surge in spending are anticipated to boost construction hiring even more in 2018. Not only is the industry expected to create new jobs, it will need to replace an aging workforce, which will begin retiring in record numbers over the next decade. Studies have estimated the industry is only producing one replacement worker for every four workers who leave. If this trend continues, it’s expected the industry will face a shortage of nearly two million workers in just the next few years. Uncertainty regarding immigration policies and the estimated 1.3 million undocumented immigrants working in construction could cause those numbers to rise. So what should contractors do to fill the gap and attract more workers? One of the biggest challenges is capturing the interest of younger people and, overall, society still heavily stresses the value of higher education. But there are changes which contractors should consider to shift this traditional mindset: Be competitive: If construction companies want to attract a different and new demographic, they have to re-imagine the needs of that population. That means providing skilled trade workers with competitive compensation and benefit opportunities. Candidates new to construction need to be confident they will get similar leave and group benefits as their college-educated counterparts. Rethink recruiting: Construction companies should be purposeful in their recruiting efforts. Part of that effort will be identifying the best company representatives to share positive messages about the industry with potential workers, especially those just coming out of high school.
While human resources and corporate recruiters should take part, who is better at sharing positive experiences than a recent, high-performing high school alumnus? Quantifying the benefits of a career in construction is key— work hours, income potential and the opportunity for advancement should not just be discussed, but detailed in collateral material that is provided to candidates. Using these peers to represent the company is one of the best ways to illustrate the value of this type of career and to demonstrate that expensive degrees are not necessarily required for success. Engage employees: The most costeffective method to alleviate a worker shortage is to retain the ones you already have. While that’s not always possible— there will always be employees who find reasons to quit—it’s important not to overlook the importance of engaging employees. Yet, on average, only 39 percent of construction firms measure employee engagement. Companies that have shown positive steps in retaining employees find ways to frequently (and informally) get employee feedback, host in-house classroom training and even coach employees. While these might not produce instant engagement, it can show employees the company is invested in them and cares about their future with the organization. Regardless of position, employees want feedback on performance and opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge. Studies have shown that companies with the highest employee retention rates have committed to rich professional development cultures and have effective performance management processes. Yet 55 percent of contractors do not have any formal processes in place for identifying and developing high-potential employees. It’s a critical time: Approximately 89 percent of construction firms report facing talent shortages. As economic trends indicate, the construction industry can expect strong performance for years to come and with that, rewarding careers with competitive pay. It’s time to get that message out to the next generation preparing to enter the workforce. Cyndi Mergele is a Senior Director with RSM US LLP’s Human Resources group.
hat is the biggest risk for your operations? A worker injury, a big liability claim, a large property loss?
Every construction operation must deal with an exposure that creates this potential risk multiple times every single day… vehicles and drivers. There are very few exposures that can have the financial impact of a serious vehicle accident. Many insurance carriers have increased auto rates recently due to poor performance in this area due to increased claim frequency (largely due to distracted driving), higher litigation costs, and injury settlements. In order to reduce liability exposures and insurance costs it is imperative that policies and procedures be developed to address your vehicle and driving exposure. Every time a driver gets behind the wheel of a company owned vehicle or drives a personal vehicle on company business they are putting the organizations assets at risk. It starts with determining who gets to drive on company business. Failure to properly vet these individuals can lead to “negligent entrustment” should the individual involved in an accident happen to have a poor driving record. Negligent entrustment means you “knew or should have known” that the individual you put behind the wheel of a company car or allowed to drive their personal vehicle on company business had a poor driving record and should not have been allowed to drive. In other words, you should have run a motor vehicle check and you should have disqualified the driver after reviewing their driving history. If negligent entrustment can be proven by the plaintiff the liability exposure and potential legal costs can increase exponentially. Many organizations historically have relied on their insurance company to help manage the driver qualification process. Changes in privacy laws and defini-
tions of credit reporting agencies have resulted in a shift in mindset in this area. Most insurance carriers are now only willing to provide an approved drivers list or a list of those drivers that are excluded, without any explanation. It is your obligation to figure out why there is a problem with their driving record. Just to confirm, when the insurance carrier excludes a driver this means there is absolutely no insurance coverage should this individual be involved in an accident either in a company vehicle or their personal vehicle. From a liability standpoint, this really is a process that each organization should “own.” After all, do you really want your insurance company to completely control your fleet safety policy? Developing a written criteria for new hires and existing drivers is the key component to any fleet safety program. This policy should align closely with what insurance carriers are looking for, but can include additional criteria such as training and probation for certain violations. Taking the time to develop and update your fleet safety policy on a regular basis is an excellent way to reduce the liability exposure for any organization. As an added benefit it looks really good when presenting each risk to the insurance marketplace. If you would like sample fleet safety policies, procedures or have other questions regarding fleet safety or other risk management issues, do not hesitate to call or drop me a note. Mark Gaskamp can be reached at Wortham Insurance: 512-532-1536 mark.gaskamp@worthaminsurance.com www.worthaminsurance.com
Spring mixin’
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he Associated General Contractors (AGC) Houston members packed Cafe Adobe on Mar. 1 for the first networking mixer of the year. The event drew more than 100 construction industry professionals for a chance to network and win a $200 gift card to Pappas from sponsor, SmartBid. -cmw
Jerry Nevlud, AGC Houston congratulates Sarah Shoemaker, Working Objective Cleaning Service who won the Predator FPV drone door prize
Houston Construction News • APR 2018
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Effective emergency planning critical to managing OSHA investigations and rising incident penalties
April is “Safe Digging Month” Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX
Ian Faria, Partner Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Houston, TX
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efore starting work, the OSHA Excavation standards require employers to do the following:
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he stated purpose of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is to “assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.” OSHA has promulgated various standards to create rules employers must use to protect their employees from hazards. Paramount to OSHA’s standards is OSHA’s General Duty Clause, which provides that each employer: • SHALL furnish employees place of employment free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious harm; and • SHALL comply with OSHA standards. The General Duty Clause also provides that each employee: • SHALL comply with OSHA standards and rules applicable to his own actions and conduct. Typically, OSHA utilizes the General Duty Clause as its “catch-all” standard when no other standard applies. This clause and others are used to assess citations and penalties against employers for violations. The penalties themselves have significantly increased in the last three years. In November 2015, Congress enacted legislation requiring federal agencies to adjust their civil penalties to account for inflation. That new law directed agencies to adjust their civil monetary penalties for inflation every year, limited to any penalty for a specific amount or maximum amount set by federal law that is assessed or enforced by a federal agency. As a result, the Department of Labor adjusted penalties for its agencies, including OSHA. OSHA’s maximum penalties, which were last adjusted in 1990, increased by 78 percent. Going forward, the agency will continue to adjust its penalties for inflation each year based on the Consumer Price Index. The increased penalties mandated by OSHA took effect after Aug. 1, 2016. Any citations issued by OSHA on or after that date were subject to the new penalties if the related violations occurred after Nov. 2, 2015. For serious violations and for failure to abate (per day beyond the abatement date), the maximum penalty per violation increased from $7,000 to $12,934 (the latter amount is adjusted for inflation as of Jan. 2, 2018). For willful or repeated violations, the maximum penalty per violation increased from $70,000 to $129,336 (also adjusted for inflation). With the citation penalty amounts ever increasing, along with even more activity by OSHA in Texas, employers have to be proactive in their culture of safety, documentation and training. In the event that there is an event that requires notification of OSHA, there are
several opportunities to improve the inevitable investigation and penalties that flow from the event. Your company’s emergency action plan should be regularly reviewed and utilized when an incident occurs. It is important that a company craft a useful emergency action plan and not use a “canned” plan that it may find from a third party or on the Internet. Emergency action plans need to be company specific taking into account the company’s resources and needs. If a company does have an emergency action plan, then it should be followed by all individuals who are part of the investigation team. An emergency action plan should, at a minimum, include the following: • Selecting an internal investigation point person; • Securing the scene; • Determining OSHA reporting requirements and reporting the incident as required; • Determining if other entities must be notified (Police, Fire, EPA, NTSB, etc.); • Talking to witnesses; • Potentially taking witness statements; • Taking photographs of the scene; • Preservation of the scene and evidence; • Implementing protocols for unauthorized photography/social media interactions; • Identifying all personnel/contractors onsite; and • Identifying all personnel/contractors involved with incident. Combined with proper safety training, an effective emergency action plan can be of great importance in how OSHA investigates and determines citations and penalties. Of course, continuing review and improvement of all safety programs and policies to avoid incidents should be of paramount importance. However, when accidents occur, companies and employers should be diligent in their investigations with OSHA to prevent reoccurrence. Ian P. Faria is a member of the Construction and Government Contracts Practice Group and Managing Partner of the Houston office of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. He represents developers, general contractors, subcontractors, homebuilders, business owners and individuals in a variety of disputes, as well as in OSHA compliance and investigation matters. He can be reached at ifaria@bradley.com.
• Determine the approximate location(s) of utility installations — including sewer, telephone, fuel, electric, and water lines. One common industry practice is to call 811, the “Call Before You Dig” number, to establish the location of any underground utility installations in the work area. • Contact and notify the utility companies or owners involved to inform them of the proposed work within established or customary local response times. • Ask the utility companies or owners to establish the location of underground installations prior to the start of excavation work. If they cannot respond within 48 hours as required by state law, or cannot establish the exact location of the utility installations, employers may proceed with caution, which includes using detection equipment or other acceptable means to locate utility installations. • Determine the exact location of underground installations by safe and acceptable means when excavation operations approach the approximate location of the installations. • Ensure that while the excavation is open, underground installations are protected, supported or removed as necessary to safeguard workers. OSHA generally requires that employers protect workers from cave-ins by: • Sloping and benching the sides of the excavation;
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pril Fools’ Day (sometimes called All Fools’ Day) is an annual celebration in some European and Western countries commemorated on April 1 by playing practical jokes and spreading hoaxes. The jokes and their victims are called April fools. People playing April Fool jokes expose their prank by shouting “April fool.” Some newspapers, magazines and other published media report fake stories, which are usually explained the next day or below the news section in small letters. Although popular since the 19th century, the day is not a public holiday in any country. As well as people playing pranks on one another on April Fools’ Day, elaborate practical jokes have appeared on radio and TV stations, newspapers, websites, and have been performed by large corporations. In one famous
• Supporting the sides of the excavation; or • Placing a shield between the side of the excavation and the work area. The “Damage Prevention Councils of Texas” are dedicated to underground utility damage prevention, along with the promotion of the “811 – Call Before You Dig” message and the Common Ground Alliance Best Practices. Currently, there are 23 Regional Councils encompassing the State. These councils hold free to attend Annual Safety Days that include live equipment demos, industry networking, and live Mock Line Strikes across the State of Texas. Each Damage Prevention Council holds a monthly meeting which is open to all who are concerned with damage prevention. To locate your local council meeting or to attend a free safety day event: http://dpcoftexas.org/ Additionally, the National Utility Contractors Association has set June 18 – 23 as Trench Safety Stand Down week. NUCA is asking all contractors that do trenching conduct a training session on excavation hazards. Free training materials are available on their website at http://www.nuca.com/tssd NUCA has made available free tool box talks, a PowerPoint presentation, sign-in sheets, and worker handout materials. natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232
prank from 1957, the BBC broadcast a film in their Panorama current affairs series purporting to show Swiss farmers picking freshly-grown spaghetti, in what they called the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest. The BBC were later flooded with requests to purchase a spaghetti plant, forcing them to declare the film a hoax on the news the next day. On April Fools’ Day 2016, online football news channel Goal.com falsely reported that FC Barcelona winger Lionel Messi agreed to a $500 million deal to sign with Real Madrid for five years. The reporter’s name used in the article was “Lirpa Loof”, which is “April Fool” with each word spelled backward. With the advent of the Internet and readily available global news services, April Fools’ pranks can catch and embarrass a wider audience than ever before.
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Houston Construction News • APR 2018
when you see someone welding. I’ve done woodworking before, but it’s a different ballgame. When you nail or screw wood together, it doesn’t really shift or move, but when you weld two pieces of metal together, as it cools it starts to contract, bend and move around. You really have to take a lot of things into account that you wouldn’t have to do otherwise.
Allen Klappenbach Owner Katy Welding & Fabrication Katy, TX
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ike welding, business is a careful process refined through successes and mishaps. For Katy Welding & Fabrication owner Allen Klappenbach, it’s the lessons learned that made his business successful, even in recent adversity. Share about your background and interest in welding. I was born in Webster and grew up in Katy. I used to ride bicycles a lot and obviously, like any other child, nothing jumps out at me as leading to having a welding business. My interest in welding came later. After I graduated from Central Christian Academy in Houston, I got regular fast-food jobs and worked at Home Depot for three years. I ended up working for a roofing company, and with a partner I ended up starting a roofing company, which I had for about 10 years. We used to follow hailstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes and repair the roofs, but I got tired of being constantly away from home. We ended up shutting that down and I came back to Houston and worked for my friend who owns American Mobile Welding. He had just graduated from Tulsa Welding School and I was a helper for him while I was trying to figure out what I was going to do next. I learned a lot on the job and picked up most of my small business experience working with the roofing company. So, after working for him for almost a year, I started my own welding company, Katy Welding and Fabrication, in 2010. Did welding come naturally to you? It’s actually a little nerve-wracking learning it at first. If you watch videos or your friends welding, they kind of make it seem easy. Once you get under the hood, you find that it requires more than you thought. There is a lot more detail and a lot more knowledge. You need to identify what type of metal it is, what the best approach is, what machine to use, how much amperage and all of these different things that play into it that you don’t see
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How was business initially? The first year was great. A lot of it is going out and finding your own work; it was all commission so there was no guarantee of anything. Working for a roofing company before under the same conditions, I got over the fear of talking to people initially; a lot of it was door-todoor sales and nerve-wracking as you might imagine. I understood a lot of what needs to go into an estimate, what you need to take into account for it. Initially, we were doing a lot of residential projects because I had no credibility in the industry, so there was nothing for me to lean on with new prospective clients. Most of the projects were small scale, fixing fences, repairing bicycles and anything that came in the door. At one point, someone trusted me enough to build him a specific type of trailer. I remember spending 12 to 13 hours a day on it, almost sleeping in the shop and constantly working on it. Over the course of a year, we got more equipment, I hired my first guy, and we started to get small-scale production work and had to get insurance to obtain those types of jobs. Once you get those types of insurance, it opens up the doors to other types of jobs. It’s been a slow process but extremely steady. How much has the company grown? I currently have four employees: Stephen Robb, Mike Guignard, Paul Massari and my mother, Patricia Reynolds, who helps me in the office. I certainly would like to grow, but I do like the small atmosphere. To be perfectly honest, it feels more like a family here. I’ve had the same guys here for years; my turnover rate is extremely low. I enjoy that; we all know each other and know each others’ families. We have cookouts, and we’ll go to the river once a year for the week; everybody cuts off their cell phones, and we just float around and barbecue. I enjoy that. I imagine if the business got bigger it would be more financially lucrative but might not be as personally enjoyable. You recently experienced a traumatic event. Can you share what occurred? My business is tucked back in a culde-sac off a main road that backs up to a wooded area so there’s almost no traffic. On Feb. 5, I got a call from a neighboring business about 50 feet from our building. They get here earlier than we do and noticed our doors were open and all of the lights were on. I immediately hopped in my truck and when I pulled up, I saw that the Coke machines had been ripped off the wall and strewn out
L-R: Katy Welding & Fabrication’s Stephen Robb, Allen Klappenbach, Mike Guignard and Paul Massari
into the parking lot. It’s devastating; it’s a gut punch when you walk into the building and immediately start scanning to see what functionality you do have left at the moment. Some generator welding machines, welding machines, plasma cutters and hand tools – things that we use daily, with some of it portable and some of it shop driven – were immediately noticed to be missing. Even some of the employees’ personal equipment such as pressure washers was stolen. I had a couple of safes and tools and the thieves didn’t get into any of those. It wasn’t because they didn’t try, it was because they didn’t have the ability or may not have had the time. It looks like they were in the shop for about an hour. The thieves caused damage to all of the doors as they ripped things off and used a forklift to open cages. They were bouncing off tables bolted to the ground, creating damage as they moved around the shop and loaded everything. Describe the recovery process. At first, I thought it was going to be okay because I have insurance. Then I realized the insurance was to protect our clients and the people that work for us. I never included contents because, when I bought the insurance, I didn’t have anything to protect; the deductible alone would have been more than I had to lose. As that changed – my mistake – I didn’t go back to my insurance, review and change it. We had several renewals, but I never took that into account. It was a total loss. It was just punch after punch. My girlfriend Monica has been a big help; she set up a GoFundMe and has been reaching out to the police. As recently as a week ago, the police have made arrests. We recovered some of the stuff, including a customer’s trailer that the thieves stole and used to load up my equipment. The Katy Police Department has come through with their diligence and I can’t say enough about them. It definitely changed our perception
of what kind of security we needed. I got a monitored alarm system that connects directly with the police department. We built barriers to slow thieves down; every door you walk through there is another steel door in front of it. Of course, it takes longer to lock everything up and everything goes in cages. It’s certainly changed a lot and likely for the better. It may have been something we overlooked the need for initially but it wasn’t on our mind. We were trying to get our business going. After all that has happened, it changes how diligent we are on everything. What advice would you give others starting a business? If you accept that you are going to constantly run up against failure, that you will fail early and often, hopefully you will pull something out of it that in itself promotes whatever growth is necessary. To be legitimately successful, you have to know what not to do and how not to respond to something. For instance, the issue with my insurance for the things I worked so hard for is my latest lesson on what not to do. How do you spend your free time? I live in old Katy, about a mile from the shop. Monica and I have been together 16 months and that has been perfect. We’re happy-go-lucky people who both love our work; she’s a bus driver for the Independent School District. We have wonderful evenings followed by wonderful days. We have two kids and great family around us. As for hobbies, we like to cook together, go to the movies and do target practice. The kids are involved in band, football and basketball, so we’re constantly at games and practices. I would assume that it would be typical in that regard, but what may not be typical is how much we enjoy doing it. What professional and personal goals do you hope to achieve? From a company perspective, we would like to get more into the machining and metal working, more precision-type processes. Personally, we would like to get more into camping and getting out of the house with the kids. We like to go to the river and barbecue. Wherever we do that, I don’t think it really matters. Just being in a new place is always fun. Do you think you’ll change careers? It hasn’t crossed my mind, but I do think about what is going to happen in the future, whether it is a year or five years out. It revolves around the size of my shop, possibly having more people and better equipment. I don’t anticipate leaving the field, and I don’t really want to. I enjoy what I do, I enjoy the guys, I enjoy the small community we’re in and working with the same people over and over again. It’s a much different than roofing; every customer was kind of new, in a new city with new regulations and new codes. Here, it’s much more comfortable and I really enjoy it. Katy Welding & Fabrication offers commercial, residential and industrial steel fabrication and welding. –mjm
Houston Construction News • APR 2018
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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 361-334-3105 or e-mail me at SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail.com. Good Luck and Good Fishing.
Think outside the box by Capt. Steve Schultz
Sponsored by: Waypoint Marine, Shoalwater Boats, Evinrude Outboards, Fishing Tackle Unlimited, E-Z Bel Construction, Costa Sunglasses, Diawa Reels, Simms Fishing, ForEverlast Fishing Products, Interstate Batteries, MirrOlure, and AFTCO Clothing.
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pril is the month that ushers in spring. Spring’s warmer weather and water welcome new life to Texas’ inshore bays. Shrimp, crab and finfish have, or soon will, released this year’s crop of younglings. When this happens, the bay’s resident predators will shift their focus from large, hard to catch adults to the young, naïve hatchlings populating the flats. This transition doesn’t happen all at once. Rather, the spawn of various species is staggered throughout the spring and early summer. But, April marks the start of a three-month run of hatchlings in our bays. To up their odds for success during this time period, anglers should `match the hatch’ by downsizing lures, baits. Anglers should also shift their focus to areas where predator fish are most likely to be able to ambush or attack the small bait fish. WHERE TO LOOK As is typically the case, predator fish will be found where the food is. During spring and early summer, the majority of the food is located near where it was hatched. For shrimp, crabs and a myriad of baitfish, this typically means shallow grass flats and back lakes. When spring tides push extra water into these nursery areas, redfish and speckled trout will ride the tide right into a dinner buffet. Anglers should do the same, following the water and currents into these areas holding all of the bait. When tides recede, fish will usually fall back into channels that lead into these backwaters and shallow flats. But, if there is enough water to allow them to stay in these areas to feed, they will.
Jim Crosby of San Antonio tricked this 26-in, 6lb trout into smashing his lure last month while wading the Lower Laguna Madre with Steve Schultz Outdoors. Water temperatures should be right during the next high tide to start seeing some of the fatter trout.
WHAT TO THROW Late March and April not only usher in the start of spawning season for many marine species, it also sees warmer tides lapping against the shores of the Texas coast. The influx of bait and warmer water tends to invigorate predator species such as speckled trout, redfish, flounder and even snook. As a result, many bay systems experience a good topwater bite during these months. Of course, spring can be windy and the resulting rough water often dictates using a topwater plug big enough and noisy enough to gain attention over the roiled water. However, on calmer days - or when fish are dialed in to smaller baitfish - try tossing a smaller topwater. Among the best ‘junior’ surface plugs is the MirrOlure She Dog and Top Dog Jr. These plugs have enough weight and make a loud enough sound to irritate the stubbornness trout or redfish. I have found that down sizing lures often produces a better bite than using full size lures of the same color patters. Again, although standard baits will still produce this time of year, there will be those days when the fish are feeding strictly on certain sized items. At times like these, it can pay off to have a few ‘kidsize’ baits to save the day.
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Get on up here
he Construction News editors Lexie and Dan had the pleasure of meeting “Tex,” the longhorn at the ABC chili cook-off. Tex is great around people and loves him mom Charlotte Browning. –lv
Lexie was eager to get on.
Dan was eager to get off.
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Houston Construction News • APR 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
Wow! That was some Spring Break!
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e all know how Mother Nature seems to have something against Spring Break. How many times have we just really needed to get the family out and about for a few days, only to have it turn off cold and windy, or stormy and just downright nasty? Not this year! We seemed to have the full spectrum of Texas weather this year. It reached the 90s and then fell to the 30s. We had high windy days and dead calm days. We even had a couple rip roaring thunderstorms that we were lucky to miss. It made for unpredictable fishing, but at least most of the weather changes were pretty brief. For the most part we had good stringers sometimes consisting of several species, but happy fishermen were coming back to the dock. All the fish are healthy and well fed because of good baitfish populations, so it looks like we will be in for a good fishing year. Early spring fishing can be challeng-
ing because of the weather, but it can also make you a better fisherman. This time of year the water temperature is what drives fish behavior. They need to
eat a lot and spawn, but if the water is cold and the bait fish are scattered, the fishing will be tougher. The more warm and steady days we get the better the
fishing will get. The biggest mistake I see fishermen make is to get set in their ways. Just because something worked for you one day and you caught a bunch of fish, doesn’t mean it will keep working from now on. Fish are always swimming, moving and reacting to weather and water conditions – always in motion. A good fisherman understands this and learns to follow suit. If you are just getting your boat and motor ready to head out, you need to pay close attention to your fuel system. If you ended up with some fuel still in your system when you put it up for the winter, and hadn’t been using a fuel stabilizer, you will likely be having trouble. The ethanol in today’s fuel has a nasty habit of turning to a jelly like sludge that will gum up carburetors and fuel lines. Just do yourself a favor and take it on in to your marine mechanic and get it cleaned out and start using a good fuel stabilizer at each fill up. That way you don’t lose any fishing days to messing with a motor that just won’t go! Of course, if you just don’t want the hassle, you can always book a trip with a local guide. It is just like charter fishing at the coast, except that it will cost you a lot less and only takes a few hours. You get on the water to fish, without the headache of messing with the boat. If you haven’t already hit the water this year, you better get to it! Dust off your rod and reel, wind you on some new line and come on. You don’t want to miss this!
Houston Construction News • APR 2018
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Yikes! Hitting the slopes
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ack in January an inspector opened up the lid to a storm water interceptor and found a snake. It was a water moccasin, said Mike Zarro, compliance manager for Double Oak Storm Tex. “It was gigantic, and I bet it was 4ft long.” No one was harmed, including the snake. –lv
Construction News’ Dana Calonge shared this photo of her and husband Dick in Breckenridge, CO where the two escaped to celebrate Dana’s birthday. -cmw
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Houston Construction News • APR 2018
Industry FOLKS
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A week for women
he National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) celebrated WIC week across the nation Mar. 4-10. The Houston Chapter celebrated by hosting fun activities all week including a 5k run/walk in Memorial Park, Fluor lunch & learn in which they learned about fabrication, TopGolf, happy hour at Cadillac Bar and a crawfish boil for a cause. -cmw
Sarina Landers Operations Administration Karsten Interior Services Houston, TX
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rom Scottsdale, AZ, to Houston, TX— that’s the journey Sarina Landers’ family made when she was 12. Why? Because her parents were both involved in the rodeo. Now, almost all of Landers’ family has something to do with livestock in some way. Even her 4-year-old son has a pony (even if his first love is baseball). Landers is the operations administrator for Karsten Interior Services in Houston. She’s been with the company for six years now. She started out in accounts receivable, which might seem strange for someone with no accounting background. Landers was a criminal justice major in college and wanted to be a defense attorney. The only problem was her fiancé (now her husband) was also going into law. When Landers would visit him during college breaks, all they talked about was law and cases and all sorts of legal stuff. That got old, Landers said. Plus, she saw what he was going through in law school and she decided she didn’t want to go through that. Hence, Landers changed her career direction with Karsten, going from accounts receivable to operations, which she loves. Being in operations basically means she does it all, like being directed to get involved in marketing and improving their web site. However, “I don’t consider myself a creative person at all,” she said. “Making a pretty picture is challenging.” Having said that, Landers also said, “I really like what they have me doing so far.” She’s also heavily tasked with work-
ing with a variety of associations and their projects, like golf tournaments. The bottom line is: When something comes up, they give it to Sarina. “Operations” is a very fluid term, apparently. When she is not handling operations for Karsten, the Landers family are big Houston Astros fans. She didn’t attend the victory parade but they did become season ticket holders last year and got to go to all the home playoff games. “It was so exciting to be a part of that season,” she said. Having the Astros win the World Series was great for the community, especially after the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. Fortunately, Landers’ home wasn’t affected by the storm. She attributes this to being on a slightly higher elevation and not near any type of water to start with. She did, however, have to evacuate her own horse to Austin in order to get it to safety. Landers isn’t sure of where her role with the company will take her. She does know that she’s enjoying all the challenges that come from being operations, as well as it’s more fun than being in a courtroom as the defense attorney and saying Latin words like habeas corpus and ipso facto. One has to wonder though: If being in operations gets too wild and crazy and doesn’t work out, is the rodeo ever an option? Hmm… -dsz
NAWIC members participate in the Fluor lunch & learn.
NAWIC members ready for their 5k run/walk
NAWIC members enjoy crawfish and good company.
L-R: Sandy Field, Horizon Group International and Tracy Shoemaker, Rodzina Construction at the TopGolf event
L-R: Debbie Savage, Pieper Electric and Jody Richwine, Tellepsen take a break from the silent auction at the TopGolf event
NAWIC members gather at TopGolf for good food, lots of fun and silent auction.
Houston Construction News • APR 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
Signature of a woman Melanie Kuhr, Partner Signature Millwork
WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION Sep: Green Building Nov: Architecture & Engineering Oct: Specialty Contractors Dec: Construction Equipment
fessional Women in Construction (APWC), American Subcontractors Association (ASA), and Dream Team Women’s Network to be extremely helpful for women working in this industry.
Dallas, TX
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n 1984, Melanie moved to Dallas, leaving behind all she had known to join the ranks of the corporate world. Little did she know then that Dallas had an unforeseen destiny for her away from corporate America. What is your background in the construction industry? I grew up in a construction family in Cincinnati, OH, so I was familiar with the cyclical nature of the business and also developed an appreciation for doing it right the first time. What advice would you have for women who want to start their own businesses? Have a solid business plan and review it with a diverse group of people – banker/industry expert/family member/ business coach.
What resources are available to women who would like to start their own businesses? Southwest Women’s Business Council, Chamber of Commerce, business banks that focus on small businesses, and City of Dallas Economic Development Women’s Foundation are all great resources for women who want to start their own businesses. Have you found associations to be helpful for women? I have found the Association of Pro-
How would you encourage women to broaden their knowledge of owning a business or working in the industry? Get as many opportunities to understand the many stakeholders in the business and understand what their greatest need is and how you can meet and/or exceed that need. What lessons have you learned along the way? I learned to remain relevant, be flexible, know your people, keep in touch with all the stakeholders in your industry, strive for continuous improvement and have a passion for quality. Finally, you only have one chance to build your reputation, safeguard it! What do you hope the future holds for your business?
A woman’s legacy
ing, but to see the progress that has been made makes it all worth it.
Lindsey Sutherland, Owner G.D. Interior Construction
What specific challenges have you faced in your career? From the start of this transition, after my dad died back in 2014, it was very overwhelming. There was no succession plan in place. All I had was some basic knowledge of the business working here in the office during the summer for many years - but I can say that being around it my whole life has given me a sense to the nature of the industry and how to navigate through the pitfalls and recognize the safeguards.
San Antonio, TX
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emories of working along side her mother and father in the family business is something near and dear to Lindsey. Although she did not set out for a career in construction, this is where the path has led her.
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utherland once told Construction News, “I never would have expected that I would be enjoying it so much;” it being the construction industry.
Which is more important for a construction career - education or experience? Ideally, both are important. Experience just comes with time and education should be ongoing, but I believe one’s ability and attitude play a major role from the get go. What advice can you offer women who want to pursue a construction career?
Go for it! Do good work and be a decent human being. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Keep learning and get involved. Try not to go around thinking you have something to prove. What do you enjoy most about your career? I enjoy the work and the big picture of it all. There is something to say about people working together, collectively. It’s way more effective than a bunch of great people working on their own. We have a solid team and I look forward to working with them every day. It’s super challeng-
How did you overcome those challenges? I threw myself into it learning as much as possible through different programs and resources that are available. There’s been a lot of hard work from everyone here at GDI. Things needed to be revamped and modernized in a big way. The good thing is that there was something great to build on which made everything possible to
I’m fortunate to be in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area with as much growth as we’ve had and continued to forecast. We continue to meet and build relationships with new GCs and industry partners. I hope to see more national and international companies looking for alliances with local providers. From your perspective, has the construction industry changed over the years? Change is the one constant, and yet the appreciation for craftsmanship and quality has not changed. During the downturn there was price compression and an onslaught of the “low bidder” mentality. That tide turned once there was a cycle of seeing how the product endured the test of time. The cost of the “re-do” is more than doing it right the first time. Signature Millwork is a certified WBE, HUB and FSC architectural millwork provider based in Dallas. -cmw
get the company back in shape and working order. It hasn’t been easy, but nothing worth having comes easy. What are your goals for the future in the construction industry? My goal is to keep this business moving in the right direction, maintain steady growth and efficiency while continuing to plan for the future. In your experience, are more opportunities opening up for women in construction? I definitely see more opportunities and they are open to all of us. There’s a quote that says… “Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work so people don’t recognize them.” Before my parents passed away they were always trying to get me interested in the business, but I chose a different career path. I never saw the opportunity back then. Funny how life works! G.D. Interior Construction is a specialty contractor in San Antonio. -cmw
A day with Ferguson
Plumbing companies were invited to visit with vendors and enjoy a complimentary lunch at the Ferguson Spring, TX location on March 14. L-R: Alicia Dover, PHCC Texas executive director and Dorothy Gurka, Gulf Coast PHCC executive director greeted attendees at the PHCC table. -cmw
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Houston Construction News • APR 2018
THIS TH MON
WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION
To represent your company in an upcoming FOCUS, contact Houstoneditor@ConstructionNews.net (210) 308-5800
NEXT MONTH (MAY ISSUE) CONCRETE INDUSTRY
Making construction a woman’s career Taryn Ritchie, Chapter President
National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Estimator
Ryan Companies Austin, TX
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mother of two beautiful daughters, Taryn Ritchie is proudly a fifth-generation Texan who learned through experience that creating strong, productive relationships with subcontractors and other team members is the key to success in the office and on the job site. How did you get started in construction? I guess you could say it is a family thing, both of my parents work in construction and I grew up going to the yard that they worked at a lot. Through their connections and guidance I got my foot in the door and have been in the industry for about 17 years. When did you decide this was the career for you? I don’t think I was convinced when I first applied for a receptionist position, but I was given several great opportuni-
ties very early on and saw the potential for a lifelong career. How would you describe your experience working in the industry as a young woman? Overall, I would describe it as an engaging and satisfying experience. Have there been hurdles along the way? Yes, but I persevered, and learned as much as I could from my peers, mentors and subcontractors/suppliers and kept climbing the ladder. Do you have a mentor? I have had many amazing mentors. They have guided me, challenged me and given me opportunities that I might not have been considered for if not for their recommendations. I highly recommend seeking a mentor, even if it is an informal arrangement. There is something to be said from learning from other
Living the dream Iris Luna, Owner Proficient Constructors LLC San Antonio, TX
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everal years after attending college, Iris Luna went to work for a masonry contractor as a superintendent, until one day her grandpa asked her why not try to start your own company? To answer that, Luna recalls that as a youngster she would accompany her grandpa to jobsites, learning the ins and outs of masonry. Her grandpa knew she had the talent and drive to run her own company and encouraged her to do so. So she went for it. Luna says that she learned a lot from her grandpa, but as a woman in the construction industry there was a lot more for her to learn and learn quickly she did. What is your background in the construction industry? My family has always been part of the construction industry. My experience came from the field, first by gaining knowledge about the scope of work and then learning how to put that knowledge into practical use. In 2007, I founded Proficient Constructors LLC focusing on providing and installing all types of masonry applications. Why did you choose a career in the construction-related industry? My grandfather owned a masonry company and since I was his little sidekick I developed a passion for wanting to create and build. I was fascinated with what my grandfather and his teams built and I wanted to be part of that somehow. Do you have or have you had a mentor?
Yes, and thankfully we have had a handful of people that have guided us along the way. Currently we have a mentorship with EVENT Professional Services LLC. This is through the City of San Antonio’s Transportation & Capital Improvements Department. It is called the Management & Technical Assistance Program and we are in Phase II. My mentors are Eugene Walker from EJ Smith Construction Company LLC and Elsa Brown of the Copeland Contracting Company Inc. What are the benefits of women pursuing a construction career? In my opinion the main benefit may be for a woman to open a construction company. In the past there has been a disparity in our public sector and now there are local agencies and programs advocating women owned businesses.
people’s knowledge and experience. What opportunities has the industry given you to broaden your horizons or take on new challenges? I have been very lucky. As I mentioned I had a great mentor early on that saw potential in me and pushed me in the right direction. He was instrumental in my decision to continue my career path in estimating. From there I went from an estimating assistant to estimator. What are the benefits for women pursuing a career in construction? It is a booming industry and there are so many different career paths in construction from development, design, engineering, project management, trades construction to building maintenance, just to name a few. There are jobs with opportunities to travel locally or internationally. If you like a challenge it offers that on a daily basis. What challenges have you seen? I think early on a lot of the positions for women in construction were clerical or administrative in nature, but there has been a large shift in the last 10-15 years where women are stepping outside of those roles and changing the perception of what we as women are “capable” of doing. And although we aren’t quite there yet, we are making steps in bridging the gender salary gaps and in providing training and opportunities for wom-
In your experience, are there more opportunities opening up for women? I have seen a slow increasing amount of women in the construction offices, but not really in the field performing trade work. Is this due to the overall shortage of construction professionals and workers? No, I believe that women are more aware that they can have a nontraditional profession. My mother and I have participated in a program called WINTO – Women In Non- Traditional Occupations and I believe and hope this is helping women by giving them insight and information on the opportunities in the construction industry. What areas do you see the most increase in jobs for women? I have seen an increase in women project managers, estimators and engi-
en to step into managerial and upper management positions. Have you found associations to be helpful for women? Yes, as the President of the Austin Chapter of National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) I would say they have been extremely beneficial. My suggestion is to find an organization that best aligns with your goals and needs; and then go to a few of their events, seminars or meetings before joining. I would also suggest joining their committees that focus on areas that might be interesting or meaningful to you. How has being a part of the construction community changed or influenced your life as well as your perception of the industry? There is definitely a sense of pride when you see a building completed that you have spent years working on, and that it will most likely be there after I am gone. Also, that I can’t stress enough that there are many opportunities for women in this industry. It’s an industry where women can grow, learn and have a long lasting career. National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) is an association network for women in the field of construction. Ryan Companies is a national builder, developer, designer and real estate manager with offices across the nation. -cmw
neers. I am not aware of the percentages of women completing trade educations, but I do feel that there are not many women in the field. For example, in my opinion, my mother is an anomaly that works as a tradesman’s HVAC technician who has been in the industry for 20 years, currently working for Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning. What advice can you offer women who want to pursue a construction career? If you have ever been fascinated with how buildings are constructed, why they are built, what holds a building together and what it takes to complete the process, then go for it! Try your best because there is a place for you in this industry! Proficient Constructors LLC is a professional masonry and concrete contractor in San Antonio. -cmw
We live in your world
What do you enjoy most about your career? I enjoy the building process and how all of the scopes of work come together as a finished product. What specific challenges have you faced in your career? Some of the challenges we have faced have been increased competition and a limited skilled work force per our trades.
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Houston Construction News • APR 2018
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Association Calendar
s
Round-Up
Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC
Associated Builders & Contractors Inc.
Apr. 16: Spring Clay Shoot, Greater Houston Gun Club, 6700 McHard Rd., 9am-3pm. For more info, call 713-5236222 Apr. 19: CMEF Industry Appreciation, CMEF Offices, 2950 East X St., La Porte, TX, 3-6pm. For more info, call 713-5236222 Apr. 25: Member Mixer, Joeris General Contractors, 9720 Cypresswood Dr. #190, 4:30-7pm. For more info, call 713-5236222 AGC Associated General Contractors
Apr. 9: AGC/AIA Annual Golf Tournament, Champions Golf Club, 13722 Champions Dr. For more info, call 713-843-3750 Apr. 26: Advocacy Breakfast, The Houstonian Hotel, 111 N. Post Oak Ln. For more info, call 713-843-3750 AIA
American Institute of Architects
Apr. 9: AIA/AGC Annual Golf Tournament, Champions Golf Club, 13722 Champions Dr. For more info, call 713-843-3750 AMCH
Associated Masonry Contractors of Houston
Apr. 27: AMCH Golf Tournament, Cypresswood Golf Club, 21302 Cypresswood Dr., Spring, TX, 7am. For more info, call Don Vernon at 713-806-2990 or email amch.don@sbcglobal.net ASA
American Subcontractors Assn.
Apr. 4: Schmooze & Mingle, Cedar Creek Bar & Grill, 1034 W. 20th St, 4-7pm. For more info, call 281-679-1877 Apr. 13: Annual Golf Tournament, Cypresswood Golf Club Tradition Course, 21602 Cypresswood Dr. For more info, call 281-679-1877
Contractors Association Golf Tournament, Longwood Golf Club, 13300 Longwood Trace Dr. For more info, call 512251-7690 HCA Houston Contractors Assn.
Apr. 6: HCA Annual Clay Shoot, Westside Sporting Grounds, 10120 Pattison Rd., Katy, TX. For more info, contact Emelie Englehart at 713-349-9434 MCA
Mechanical Contractors Assn. Houston
Apr. 11: MCA Houston Contractor Members Meeting, the Hess Club, 5430 Westheimer, 11:45am. For more info, call 281440-4380 Apr. 13: 13th Annual Shotgun Invitational, Greater Houston Gun Club, 6700 McHard Rd. For more info, call 281-4404380 NAWIC
National Assn. of Women in Construction
Apr. 10: Member Meeting, Maggiano’s Little Italy, 2019 Post Oak Blvd. 5:307:30pm. For more info, go to www.nawic-houstong.org NECA
National Electrical Contractors Assn. Southeast Texas Chapter
Apr. 16: 12th Annual Houston NECA Affiliate Golf Tournament, Hearthstone Country Club, 7615 Ameswood,12pm. For more info, call SETX NECA at 713-9772522 Apr. 24: Electrical Safety and the NFPA 70E, Sheraton Houston Brookhollow, 3000 N. Loop W. Fwy., 8am–4pm. For more info, call SETX NECA at 713-9772522 Apr. 27: 2018 NECA Sporting Clay Shoot, One in One Hundred Gun Club, 1228 FM 421 Rd., Lumberton, TX, 9am. For more info, call SETX NECA at 713-977-2522 Plumbing Heating & Cooling Contractors Gulf Coast
Apr. 17: Branch Meeting, Hess, 5430 Westheimer Rd. For more info, email Julia Clarke at vpadmin@ascehouston.org or call 713-369-5413
Apr. 11: PHCC 5th Annual Top Service Truck and Trailer Show, Southfork CDJR, 17725 South Frwy., Hwy. 288 S – Exit Southfork Dr., Manvel-Pearland, TX. For more info, call 866-789-7039
ASPE
American Society of Professional Estimators
Apr. 9: Monthly Meeting, Spaghetti Westerna’s, 1608 Shepherd Dr., 6pm. For more info, go to www.aspehouston.org FPA
Foundation Performance Assn.
Apr. 11: Meeting, Hess Club, 5430 Westheimer, 4pm. For more info, call Vicky Bonds at 713-699-4000 Apr. 11: Meeting, Hess Club, 5430 Westheimer, 5pm. For more info, call Vicky Bonds at 713-699-4000 HAGA
Houston Area Glass Assn.
Apr. 11: PHCC 5th Annual Top Service Truck and Trailer Show, Southfork CDJR, 17725 South Frwy., Hwy. 288 S – Exit Southfork Dr., Manvel-Pearland, TX. For more info, email dgurka@houstonglass. org or call Dorothy Gurka at 281-849-8293 HARCA
Houston Area Roofing Contractors Assn. of Texas
Stantec promotes two for regional leadership roles. Mary Portillo, PE, PMP has been promoted to managing leader for the firm’s South Central Water group. Portillo has 20 years experience providing engineering evaluation, design and project management services for water and wastewater clients across the country and will be responsible for delivering the financial performance of the region. -cmw
John Keane, PE, PMP has been promoted to sector leader for the firm’s Water practice. Keane offers 12 years of national experience managing the design and construction of municipal water, wastewater, and stormwater facilities and will also lead business development activities in support of the firm’s regional strategic initiatives. -cmw
Manhattan Construction Company is pleased to welcome David Reyes as part of their estimating team. A native Houstonian, he has new construction and interior buildout estimating experience as well as project management and operations experience. -cmw
Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. (LAN) is pleased to announce Wayne Swafford, PE, SE as the firm’s new president. Swafford joined LAN last year as the firm’s executive vice president and will be responsible for the firm’s direction and operation. -cmw
Mobil Steel Fabricators is pleased to announce the return of veteran steel industry manager Rick Johnson to the Mobil Steel management team. Johnson returns to Mobil Steel as project manager and project engineer. -cmw
Round-Up Submissions
Brief company announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of charge, as space allows. Submit Info & Photo: HoustonEditor@ConstructionNews.net (210) 308-5800
Excelling subs
PHCC
ASCE
American Society of Civil Engineers
Submitted to Construction News
SWE Society of Women Engineers
Apr. 14: TopGolf Event, TopGolf, 560 Spring Park Center Blvd., 10am-2-m. For more info, go to www.swehouston.org Apr. 19: SWE-HA Networking Hour, The St. Regis Houston, 1919 Briar Oak Ln., 6-8pm. For more info, go to www.swehouston.org TSPS
Texas Society of Professional Surveyors
Apr. 24-25: TxDOT Annual Surveyors’ Conference & Expo, Omni Southpark Hotel, 4140 Governor’s Row, Austin, TX. For more info, contact Chris Freeman at 214979-1144 or Joe Webber at 512-451-8591 WCA
Women Contractors Assn.
Apr. 5: WCA Luncheon, Harold’s in the Heights, 350 W. 19th St., 11:30am-1pm. For more info, call 713-807-9977 Apr. 26: Annual Boots & Bling, Anheuser Busch, 775 Gellhorn Dr., 6-9pm. For more info, call 713-807-9977
T
Best Practice Awards Winners
he American Subcontractors Association (ASA) held its 2018 SubExcel Conference Feb. 28 – Mar. 3 in Tempe, AZ. SubExcel is a nation-wide event hosted by the ASA National office. The keynote speaker was Dave Sanderson, the last man off of the plane that miraculously landed on the Hudson River a few years ago. There were a number of education seminars and workshops available to the attendees, including a great “Tech Bar” that you could visit throughout the week
to get information on new apps, best “how to” practices online, and ideas on how to market your company. One of the best parts of the event was being able to discuss and brainstorm with members or executive directors from other chapters to get new ideas of what’s working, and sharing information. “Everyone seems to be suffering from the same issue, labor shortage,” says 2016-2017 Executive Director of the year from the San Antonio chapter, Jennifer Swinney. –cmw
Walt Bazan, Bazan Painting (ASA Midwest Council Chapter) presents Shannon MacArthur, Memco, ASA’s 2017 Outstanding Service Award
San Antonio Chapter Executive Director Jennifer Swinney receives 2016-2017 Executive Director of the Year award.
Apr. 17: HARCA/Houston Area Roofing
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Houston Construction News • APR 2018
JOB SIGHTS
Ismael Ortega, Empire Roofing forklift operator at the end of his shift at the 1812 Brittmore Road re-roof project says hi to Construction News. -cmw
continued from Page 1 — Suit and tie not required Then Pinnell talks about his team in Houston. He has eight full-time employees. His outlook on the work culture is making sure they provide good appearances and attitudes. “They don’t need to wear suits and ties, but they need to have a reputable appearance because we are working out in front of the public.” Pinnell acknowledges the efforts from his field and office personnel who communicate on high levels to make it across the finish line. Staying on the topic of his employees, Pinnell shares a morning ritual with his crew. After he briefs his field crews every morning on their daily assignment right before they exit the door he says to them, “Have fun and make it a great day.” His reason is he doesn’t want to make the work day “a big challenge,” instead he wants for everyone to enjoy what they are doing. The future for The Pinnell Group may be from a view up. Pinnell says this is the year of the drone. He explains that drones
have become a big thing in the industry. In the surveying industry the new thing is the Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) surveying method. They are calling it lidar with drones. Yes, surveying has kept up with technology too. There is a boom in construction activity going on in Houston and Pinnell says, “We are primarily keeping up with all the demand for all the projects.” Aside from the booming of business, the company had some booming of their own. At the beginning of December, there is an annual company party with a live band and games for the kids. This past December the company celebrated their 10year anniversary. Congratulations! The foundation of the company began with his father and brother. The days of going out to the field with dad are not just memories, but occurrences that have built all three locations. Now with children of his own, Pinnell agrees there may be a fourth generation of surveyors. The Pinnell Group is a land-surveying firm in Houston. –lv
continued from Page 1 — The minister of painting
The Pinnell Group’s Mike Maggert and Crew Chief Robert Perry survey the area at 1260 & 1270 Brittmoore Road in Houston. -cmw
Roy Casarez and George Hudson with Ramco Erectors wait for clarification at the AutoNation Gulfton Collision Center. - cmw
L-R: Benjamin Perez and Dennis Ware with Westpoint Electric install electrical wiring for the Autonation Gulfton Collison & Recon Center. -cmw
Perry will paint “whatever the people need. I’m here to treat everybody equally. That’s what makes the difference in our company—it’s not mine but His.” Perry enjoys working with his clients if they need help in choosing the right color. “I don’t just become a painter to the client but a friend.” There’s that relationship thing again. Perry and his three employees start each day off with prayer at the worksite. This has produced some interesting results. More than one homeowner has asked him to pray for their home once he’s finished with the painting. One lady overheard Perry pray with the crew over several mornings. She came in one day to tell him how much she “really appreciated what you’re doing with your men because I can hear you through the walls.” That gives Perry a great deal of satisfaction, even though he doesn’t do this
for show. “When I’m selling the job, I’m selling myself,” he said. Perry prefers to be the last one in on a job out of all the other trades. And, preparation is the key to a good paint job, even if it seems like it makes the job longer. “We want to make the customer happy and leave them with a good feeling. Six hours of painting and 10 hours of clean up is not good.” Instead of a formal congregation within the walls of a church building, Perry has extended his ministry through His Professional Painting. People are people and still need a word of prayer over them every now and then. And, there’s nothing like a good paint job on your building at the end of the day to look at and admire. Oh, yes—Perry will paint your church if you want him too. His Professional Painting is a painting contractor in the Houston area. -dsz
continued from Page 1 — European influence permitted drawing not accurately representing the true “aesthetics, feel and ambience” the owner had envisioned and was trying to achieve. Weekly meetings were held with the owner/owner’s representatives and the architect to discuss the ever-changing design issues. This was in every sense of the word a “design build” work in progress project. This particular project lived, breathed, evolved and matured each week as though it were a living child. An additional challenge was attempting to satisfy the City’s public works department and their requirements, which created a large burden upon the property utility designs due to the property being restricted in size and costly expenses. A design was worked out that was satisfactory and workable for all parties. In addition, the property was required to be re-platted, therefore adding another layer to the City’s approval process. Having to work around Super Bowl preparations and activities, and Hurricane Harvey created additional challenges with various subs and vendors. Regardless of the many challenges, the completion of Emmaline was done in 11 months with a cost of $1,885,000. The evolution and growth of this project made this project different from typical projects. Relationships and friendships were created, challenged and pushed to the edge to create in the end what we have today, something new to Houston, a commercial restaurant space made to feel residential. ADB Project Manager Kevin Thomas, along with Superintendent Art Frederick worked closely with Designer Ashley Put-
Main dining & bar area
man, Owner Representatives Anna Hernandez and Sam Governale and the architect. “The collaborative process with the designer, architect and owner was a positive and rewarding experience. The team members worked together and struggled together to solve whatever issues arose. The open relationship between the members allowed the resolution of potential issues to be addressed in a more efficient manner whether it was a plan coordination issue, an evolving design change, or a better construction technique implementation,” says Thomas. Established in 1983 by Guy Barrios, ADB Commercial Construction Inc. is a commercial construction general contractor in Cypress, TX. -cmw
Emmaline “Sun Room” dining area
Houston Construction News • APR 2018
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Adjusting to growth
Mixing & recruiting
L-R: Darcie Broadway, ISEC Inc.; Robert Strieter, JE Dunn Construction Company; John Jacobsen, Karsten Interior; and Justin Murphy, Webber LLC at the Associated General Contractor’s (AGC) Construction Leadership Council (CLC) recruitment mixer Feb. 28 at King’s Bierhaus. -cmw
Women of architecture
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) hosted the AIA Houston Women in Architecture: Bias – Part One on Mar. 1 at the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston. L-R: Sofia Fonseca de Nino, Dr. Vida Yao, Despina Stratigakos, Zaida Basora and Christina Gorcynski, FAIA. -cmw
CONSTRUCTION NEWS Your Industry Source San Antonio • Austin Dallas/Fort Worth • Houston
Texas Moisture Protection office personnel. Front L–R: Jose Haro, Jon Richards, Troy Napatalung and Tyler Althouse. Back L–R: Thomas Sweed, Mike Adams, Guy Nikiema and Allen Poole
E
stablished in 2004, Texas Moisture Protection emerged after a high demand in the Houston market resulted in Dallas based George D. Alan Company to open a local branch. “We had a lot of customers in Dallas coming to Houston at the time. The market was really hot and they wanted more and more of a presence from us down here. It just made sense to open an office here rather than travel 250 miles a week, ”says Vice President Tyler Althouse. Althouse joined the Texas Moisture Protection family in 2009 after acquiring his master’s degree, leaving behind a lucrative residential career. Specializing primarily in sealants, waterproofing, coatings, specialty coatings, insulation and radiant barriers, Texas Moisture Protection has grown from a staff of five to a staff of 50. The company moved into a new larger office space in August 2017 to accommodate the growing branch. “We had hoped to be at our old loca-
tion 10 years, but we were only there four. The new location has three acres, two buildings and more than 20,000sf, which is very exciting for us,” adds Althouse. The new Texas Moisture Protection location is 2207 Oil Center Ct. Texas Moisture Protection, a division of George D. Alan Company, services Southeast Texas down to the Valley. Parent company George D. Alan Company has locations in Dallas and Austin, Oklahoma Waterproofing Co. in Oklahoma City, OK and Seal-Co in Albuquerque, NM. “We are a growing company. We’re very excited about our future. We have a lot young guys working for us. Most of our staff is under 30, so we feel very strongly about our future. We’ve seen really good growth in the past couple of years and we’re looking forward to adding on that.” Texas Moisture Protection is a thermo and moisture protection specialty contractor in Houston. –cmw
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Houston Construction News • APR 2018