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www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 16 H Number 5 H MAY 2018
Shamrocks to bluebonnets
Wiring Texas
Alan O’Neil, founder and CEO of Abacus Plumbing, in front of one of his “You can count on us” trucks.
Chris Dailey, founder and president of Dailey Electric, Inc.
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he story of Alan O’Neil, founder of Abacus Plumbing and CEO of the Wrench Group, is the quintessential American success story. The story begins in O’Neil’s native home of Dublin, Ireland, where no one he knew went to college and everyone he knew had a trade. O’Neil’s father was a laborer for the same company for 49 years, and told his son that as long as you have a trade, “you’ll never be idle.” Upon graduating from high school at 16 (the standard age in Ireland), O’Neil interviewed to be a plumber and got the job, as it was the “first opportunity that came up.” While working for Ireland’s national airlines, Aer Lingus, O’Neil saw an ad for
the American immigration lottery. If one’s name was selected, one got a green card to come to America and work. O’Neil put in his and his wife’s names. Both names were chosen a year later. O’Neil didn’t see a future at Aer Lingus, and while the “idea of immigrating always appealed to me and my wife,” they looked at but rejected Australia, as it was too far away. O’Neil’s wife had an uncle who lived in Houston. “My impression of Texas was cowboys and tumbleweeds,” he jokes. But the uncle said to come over and just see it. The O’Neil’s came over in May 1996 to glorious sunshine (as opposed to the constant rain of Ireland) and nice temperatures. continued on Page 14
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ven though Dailey Electric has its corporate office in College Station, it has a good chunk of people in its Houston location, and is also branching out to Lockhart and Austin. And it even got its start, in a sense, in Wichita Falls. This is where Chris Dailey is from. The company’s founder and owner got his feet wet in the electrical trade working for his father during summers in high school, many times at Shepherd Air Force Base. Ironically, dad tried to steer son from making construction his livelihood. But after three years as a geology major at Texas A & M, Dailey decided
that construction really was his interest, so he switched majors to industrial distribution. He got the opportunity to work for a large electrical contractor in College Station, but after that company was bought out by another, he decided to venture out on his own, giving birth to Dailey Electric in 2003. The Houston branch was formed in 2010 when Dailey acquired Berger Electric. Running the Houston office is Michael Prince, who was the third hire Dailey ever made when he formed his business. continued on Page 14
Additional floors complete
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exas-based, technology-driven building construction firm, Linbeck Group LLC, was chosen for the interior finish-out of MD Anderson’s Alkek inpatient floors 20 through 22 for their reputation of offering construction management at-risk, design-build, and integrated project delivery services. Using a suite of commercial and proprietary digital technologies and their unique Lean Operating System, Linbeck helps institutional and select clients mitigate risk and minimize waste to achieve optimal outcomes for their organizations. Finish-out of the Alkek inpatient floors 20 thru 22 at MD Anderson Cancer Center was a design-build CMAR delivery project, which required great communication between Linbeck and the design team. As a result, Linbeck worked very closely with the architect, PhiloWilke Partnership, to meet and exceed MD Anderson’s expectations at all levels.
Interior finish-out of the top three floors of the Alkek Tower took 35 months to complete at a cost of $34,724,000. Linbeck began the task of finishing out the 147,000sf shell space, which included 144 patient rooms and areas of support space in January 2015 and turned the completed project over to MD Anderson on Dec. 17, 2017. Primarily, the finish-out resulted in the construction of interior walls constructed of sheetrock walls, metal stud framing, lay-in acoustical ceilings, sheet vinyl and carpet flooring. No external work was performed. Because the construction was performed in the interior and on the top three floors of the building, it had its share of challenges. The construction crew had access to one elevator throughout the duration of the project and Linbeck could only move manpower during MD Anderson 22nd floor family waiting room
continued on Page 14
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Houston Construction News • MAY 2018
Fabricating to please
Industry FOLKS Mike Estes Superintendent Wier Enterprises Houston, TX
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Mobil Steel workers hard at work.
ontinuing to provide quality steel fabrication for companies is Mobil Steel International Inc.’s main goal. “We work with companies in the chemical manufacturing industry, oil and gas processing industry, fire companies, communication and general manufacturing industries, and the commercial construction industry. We enjoy working with them all,” says Mobil Steel President and CEO, Leonard Bedell. Primarily an industrial fabricator, the company continues to look at select commercial projects, not bidding on everything, but aligning themselves with folks they’ve done business with or that know them and the quality of work they set their high standards for. “We like companies that pick us for reliability as much as price, but price not being the driving factor. “Our business is extremely competitive. Everyone is trying to get the best pricing they can, but we hope they rec-
ognize that we spend a lot on our safety and quality control. The American Institute of Steel Construction, an engineering driven group that has extremely high standards, certifies us. We are very proud that we are going on 13 years of being certified.“ Bedell believes you can never have enough business. With a large six-bay facility of close to 80,000sf, Bedell says Mobil Steel can handle a multitude of different projects at the same time. “We watch our schedules especially if someone has to get something in and out in a certain time-frame. We try to meet our customer’s schedules because we recognize there are a lot of other suppliers, workers and crane equipment that needs to be assembled to make projects happen. We don’t want to be the cause of someone not meeting their schedule.” Mobil Steel International Inc. is a structural steel fabricator in Houston. -cmw
ouston native Mike Estes simply has construction in his DNA. “I basically grew up in construction,” he said. He admits he doesn’t do electrical, plumbing or HVAC, but he can do just about everything else. Estes started with his stepfather as a youth doing drywall. At 15, he was finishing houses with the crews. At 17, he “couldn’t really make sense out of going to school when I was making more money than the teachers.” By the time he was 18, Estes had his first sub-contracting drywall and painting company, and did all right. “It was a tradesman’s market back then.” But, as is most often the case, life happens. For Estes, life happened when he was 21 and fell three stories off a roof, hurting himself pretty badly. Rehabilitation was a slow process and it radically hampered his work. Slowly, Estes was able to get back into carpentry and also picked up iron working along the way. That way also took him to Chicago and he continued to work as a tradesman. He was in the Windy City for 11 years before returning to Houston. (That’s 11 very cold winters, too. Just saying.) Then life happened some more. Estes got involved with some unscrupulous people who didn’t do him right, causing him to have some financial setbacks. But as an experienced tradesman, work was always available. He started another carpentry business in Houston
and continued plugging away. Estes moved into the project superintendent role in 2000 and has been doing that for several companies since then. So, instead of being the guy swinging the hammer or saw, making a project, he’s now the guy who makes sure it all comes together, like arranging which contractor shows up on which day to do his thing. He also makes sense of the plans in case there is any confusion. Estes said what the best part about being a super is having “control of a project in its entirety.” It’s never dull, either, as “something keeps you always on your toes.” He’s even worked on projects as far down as South Padre Island. One would think, for anyone in construction, being able to step back and look at a finished building or structure would provide the most satisfaction; that a job well-done is its greatest reward. But Estes put a different spin on what success really is, a lesson he learned many years ago. “Your true success is when you’re finished with a project and you can have dinner with that owner a year later [and] you’re still friends.” Nothing spells success like a lasting relationship. That’s what Estes really likes building. -dsz
Houston Construction News • MAY 2018
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Golden celebration
Half a century of service
The Houston based team of Baker Concrete Construction L-R: Martin Jordana, Paul Lutka, Jon Chastain, Gary Benson, Tim Gannon, David Ricke and Al Mikolas
Raba Kistner Inc.’s Houston leadership. L-R: Nabil Ghannam, Marc Scott, Niranjan Reddy, Gaurav Tripathi, Jose Lopez, John Brown, Chris Schultz, and DeeDee Randell
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uilt by the hands of Dan Baker in 1968, Baker Concrete Construction has grown from its humble beginnings in a small town in Ohio. Baker learned the cement finisher’s trade from his grandfather, Elmer Baker, and took that knowledge to build a company dreams are made of. In 1972, the company obtained its first commercial job that transitioned them into the commercial market. By 1978, Baker Concrete received its first contract of more than 1,000,000sf and it hasn’t stopped. As their services grew, Baker Concrete Construction opened an office in Houston in 1980 and now has offices in markets across the country. Within a year of arriving in Houston, Baker Concrete set the record for the largest continuous mat pour in the least number of hours - 10,500 cubic yards placed in 16 hours for the 1.4-million-square-foot high-rise called Transco Tower. One year later the team broke their own record when pouring the mat for Republic Bank. Since that time, Baker Concrete has completed more than 10,000 projects including: Sports Authority Field, home of the Denver Broncos (2001), the expansion of BP’s Houstonbased headquarters (2007), the MD Anderson Cancer Institute expansion (2009), ExxonMobil’s headquarters in Woodland, TX (2011), and Capitol Tower in Houston (2015). Baker Concrete’s work has even expanded internationally to Canada and the Bahamas. Still headquartered in Ohio in the greater Cincinnati area, this year the company celebrates its golden anniversary. Baker is still involved in the business he started with his brothers Jim and Ken Baker. Dan Baker, founder and CEO states, “50 years ago, I started this company with my brothers, but Baker Concrete wouldn’t have accomplished all that we have with-
Houston
out every person who helped along the way. People have been the key to Baker Concrete’s success.” The company still operates on the principles on which it was founded: take care of the customer; give the customer first-class, quality work, and if you screw up, make it right; don’t ask any man to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself; and watch your costs. Gary Benson, COO of Baker Construction Enterprises and leader of Baker Concrete’s Southern Region located in Houston, agrees. Benson attributes Baker Concrete’s success to hiring co-workers who have a strong work ethic and desire to learn and grow with the company. “We hire great people and give them the tools they need to be successful. One of my favorite events is our annual Years of Service Awards celebration because I get to thank so many co-workers for investing 10, 20 or more years with us,” says Benson. Baker Concrete Construction is a concrete specialty contractor in Houston. -cmw
Gary Benson, Jon Chastain and Martin Jordana proudly pose by the company’s 50th anniversary banner.
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arl and Bunny Raba had a vision and in 1968 they began laying the groundwork to become an industry leader among engineering consulting firms. Together with Ronald Tolson, Raba & Tolson Consulting Engineers was established as a geotechnical engineering practice in San Antonio. By 1974, Dick Kistner joined the firm leading it into the expansion and practice of construction materials engineering. Four short years later, the firm would change its name to Raba-Kistner Consultants Inc. to reflect the development into major non-engineering services including geosciences and environmental sciences. By 1980, the firm established an office in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico to help U.S. firms execute projects throughout Mexico. And Raba-Kistner didn’t stop there with offices in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, Freeport, Houston, McAllen, New Braunfels, Nebraska and Utah. “We’re a small business, but we are spread across the U.S.,” says Gary Raba, chief executive officer and chairman of the board. From the humble beginnings of offering geotechnical engineering services to construction materials engineering, the firm incorporates a wide array of services to include project management, infrastructure, building envelope, forensics, archaeology, and more. “We would not be here right now if it weren’t for Bunny and Carl Raba and what they did in 1968. It really laid a pretty interesting and unique foundation for our company and the people that work here, that has allowed us to do a lot more things on top of what the original service lines were back then,” says William Raba, president and vice chairman of the board. Since Gary and William haven’t been with the firm for 50 years, they can’t really talk about 50 years. But they can talk about the last 30 years or so, and what they’ve seen and all the different subs,
people that have made their mark on the state, the different architects and contractors, people that grown successfully, and people that are gone or have sold their businesses or merged. “It’s been pretty interesting, at least within our 30 years in our markets and seeing the success. We see a lot of opportunity based off what has been going on the last couple of years and the mindset of people that want to do something better, and want to see the city be better and change the perception that San Antonio, for example, cannot provide a workforce to Fortune 50 companies when they relocate here,” adds William. After a name change or two, Raba Kistner Inc. is celebrating its 50th anniversary in a very big way by giving back to the communities they serve. “We are looking to do, throughout our offices across the country, 500 community activities during our 2-year celebratory period,” said Gary. How can they do that you wonder? Well, according to William, “When you think about it, we already do quite a bit of outreach but I just didn’t think about counting everything before now.” Meaning all the charitable events the firm is involved in throughout the firm’s different locations. “At seven months in, we’re on track to hit the 500 events mark. And, we are very much involved in social issues as much as we are in the engineering and consulting world,” adds William. You can follow the success of Raba Kistner’s 500 goal online. “We are charting it on our website, so you can see how we are doing,” says Nancy Parker, director of marketing and the mastermind behind the 500 community activities, ten for each year in business. Raba Kistner Inc. is a geotechnical engineering and testing, project management, forensics engineering, building envelope and construction materials firm headquarted in San Antonio. -cmw
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DFWeditor@ConstructionNews.net SAeditor@ConstructionNews.net Visit our Website to sign up for a free monthly Digital Subscription www.ConstructionNews.net The Houston Construction News (ISSN 1547-7630) is published monthly by Construction News LTD., dba Houston Construction News, and distributed by mail to construction-related companies in Houston and surrounding counties. All submissions should be mailed to our editorial offices. We reserve the right to edit any materials submitted. No fees for materials, copy or photographs submitted will be due unless agreed upon in advance in writing. Submissions will be published at our discretion on a space available basis. Construction News, Ltd. , dba Houston Construction News, will not be liable for errors in copy or in advertisements beyond the actual cost of space occupied by the error. Publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement at any time. ©2018 Construction News, Ltd.
Childers Carports & Structures Inc. covers with a smile. L-R: Carlos Escudero, Jan Chase, Joel Uribe, Everado Rodriquez, Phyllis Hoech, Richard Talley, Tod Babin and Michael Moghaddam. -cmw
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Houston Construction News • MAY 2018
Five ways benchmarking can boost your business
Controlling ergonomic risks in construction
Leslie Garcia, Partner RSM US LLP San Antonio, TX onstruction companies face new and complex challenges every day. Knowing how to successfully navigate through them is what can get a company ahead of the competition and better positioned for the future. One incredibly helpful management tool is benchmarking.
Mark Gaskamp CSP, CRM, CIC, CPCU, ARM, ALCM Managing Director Wortham, L.L.C. Austin, TX
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Benchmarking is the systematic process of using financial data to compare an organization’s performance against similar best-in-class organizations. Those companies considered best-in-class are typically businesses that outperform their peers in a variety of key metrics (such as return on assets and return on equity), carry less debt, show more gross profit per employee, and have a higher gross profit margin and net income before taxes. Once the best-in-class companies are identified, benchmarking is relatively simple: Identify the metrics of those companies you want to benchmark and track them over time to measure your company’s performance against them. Doing so can help a construction company—regardless of its specific industry niche— keep pace with the rest of the industry, remain competitive and, hopefully, boast a better bottom line. Here are the top five ways benchmarking can help your business. 1. Benchmarking can improve your performance. It can be hard to improve a company’s financial performance, especially if there are no specific goals or standards established. Benchmarking can help solve that problem by providing specific metrics from similar best-in-class companies that can clearly show what your company must improve or where you’re already on the right track. 2. Benchmarking is about more than industry averages. It’s easy to just compare your company to the industry average, but simply aligning with the industry average is not the answer to improving your bottom line and remaining competitive. It takes specific information from similarly focused companies to truly see where you measure up and where you don’t. 3. Benchmarking removes the doubt. If your company isn’t achieving a goal, it’s easy to say that goal is simply unattainable and can’t be reached. Not with benchmarking. A company that makes benchmarking a part of its routine process knows what goals are manageable and can even glean information regarding how to reach those from the metrics of other best-in-class companies. 4. Benchmarking can help manage risk. Whether it be financial issues or safety hazards, construction companies face a number of risks every day. Some companies manage those risks successfully while
others do not. To best manage risk, a company must understand the various types of risks and identify the risks inherent in their business. Benchmarking is essential to good risk management as it can provide the management team with the knowledge necessary to avoid or eliminate specific risks before they become serious problems. 5. Benchmarking can help your company focus. Every company has room for improvement. But when all seems to be going well for a company, it can be hard to focus on—or even find—any areas that could be improved. Consistently benchmarking your company against the performance of other similar-type companies can help keep you focused on improvement efforts that are critical to your company’s success. There’s no reason not to implement benchmarking. While on the surface it may sound like a complicated task, establishing a benchmarking process is really rather easy. First, the management team should institute a formal plan that firmly establishes what the company needs to improve, which can be done by performing a comprehensive financial analysis. Next, company leaders should select the appropriate metrics to benchmark. That could be the cost structure, profit margin, annual revenue, equipment costs or any other type of available data. It’s important to remember that all available metrics aren’t going to be applicable to your company, and thus there is no reason to waste time looking at data that is irrelevant to your business or the specific target of your focus. Then, implement an improvement plan based on those metrics. When implementing the plan, be sure to track the progress made. When you make a point to notice the positive effects benchmarking makes on your company, it makes it much easier to keep benchmarking as an important part of the company culture. Benchmarking is essential to running a profitable company. Being complacent in establishing and implementing a benchmarking process is a missed opportunity to cut costs, increase margins and make informed business decisions.
Leslie Garcia, CPA, CCIFP, is a partner at RSM US LLP’s San Antonio office. She can be reached at 210-828-6281 or Leslie.Garcia@rsmus.com.
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hat is the leading cause of lost time accidents in construction? The answer: LIFTING & MATERIAL HANDLING.
In fact, over one third of all lost time injuries in construction are associated with strains and overexertion. Yet there is nothing within the OSHA 1926 Standard that addresses strain or ergonomic injuries. Just because there is no OSHA specific requirement, many organizations fail to address this critical worker safety/injury risk. Construction is hard work and requires physical effort to get the job done, so should we just throw up our hands and say that is just part of the business? NO, there are specific things that can be done to reduce the risk of strains and material handling injuries. A good start is to follow the guidelines outlined in the ANSI A10.40 - Reduction of Musculoskeletal Problems in Construction. This consensus standard offers a process for addressing “musculoskeletal problems” from identification to injury management. For more information on the ANSI standard you may obtain a copy at the ANSI web store (ansi.org). There are also industry best practices that have helped many organizations reduce the risk for ergonomic injuries and associated costs. Identify High Risk Tasks: Utilizing your current JHA (Job Hazard Analysis) or JSA (Job Safety Analysis) process to identify and address ergonomic issues is a great tool. It does not take a professional ergonomist to conduct a job analysis. Many times there are simple solutions to a very high risk job like getting a material handling aid or require a two-person lift. Identify Safe & Unsafe Work Practices: Does your job site inspection checklist only include OSHA standards? If so, you are missing over half your accidents. Adding “unsafe behaviors” to your job site inspection checklists can be very helpful. Examples include: proper lifting techniques used, proper body positioning for job task (no overreaching or twisting), or team lifting or material handling aid used when necessary. Individual ACCOUNTABILITY: Just like any other safety initiative (PPE, ladder safety, equipment use) workers must be held accountable for poor behaviors. If they fail to use proper lifting techniques or specific material handling requirements it is imperative that supervisors
counsel them just like any other safety violation. Education: Training is #6 on the ANSI list, so look for solutions above before opting to “train” to fix a problem. If supervisors understand how the back works and workers know the risk and understand proper lifting techniques, they will be more inclined to use good habits and can be held accountable for not following proper material handling procedures. Employee Involvement & Capabilities: Making sure employees are fit for work can help avoid muscle strain. Many organizations have found success in implementing simple stretches prior to the work shift (at the tool box meeting is a great idea). Some of you may be visualizing your job site foreman instructing calisthenics on the job site at 6am, (although that might not be a bad idea). That is not what I am talking about - providing simple stretches for upper extremities, back, and hamstrings can provide good blood circulation and prepare the muscles for their shift. Accident Review & Injury Management: Many times the worst accident investigations are those for material handling injuries. Why? Because it’s hard, and it takes time to determine what exactly caused the injury. Investigating the exact cause and evaluating what steps that can be taken to prevent reoccurrence is a vital part of the process to help avoid a reoccurrence of the same injury. It is also imperative that opportunities to return to work are identified to reduce lost time claims and indemnity payments for injured workers. The recent experience modifier calculation changes make this even more important from a financial standpoint. Preventing material handling injuries on the job site is not an easy job. Understanding the cost of ergonomic claims and their impact on the organizations experience modifier can help generate interest in looking for solutions to address this critical area of your safety program. Spending a bit of time in this area can save big dollars and avoid the pain and agony of a back ailment. For more information visit www. worthaminsurance.com or contact Mark at (512) 532-1536 or mark.gaskamp@ worthaminsurance.com
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Stylish hardware
L-R: Jason Rice, Bobby Jones and Price Mayfield with Acme Architectural Hardware take time to visit with Construction News. -cmw
Houston Construction News • MAY 2018
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Industry FOLKS A case for careful review of construction contract dispute resolution clauses Ian Faria, Partner Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Houston, TX
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ispute resolution clauses are common in contracts between owners, general contractors and subcontractors. For quite some time, the general rule of the construction industry has been that an arbitration proceeding is the preferred method of resolving disputes as opposed to jury trials. There is also the general belief maintained by many in our industry that arbitration is less expensive, less time consuming, and quicker to achieve a resolution. For many, these “well known” beliefs have been put to the test, and have resulted in a reevaluation of not only those beliefs but of the dispute resolution procedures in the contract. A careful review of alternatives to the standard dispute resolution clause selecting arbitration is a good practice. Typically, the dispute resolution clauses in construction contracts require arbitration (and the waiver of a jury trial) that the parties agree to a location of the arbitration and the use of one of the many “alphabet” arbitration services. These services offer office space to hold the arbitration (for a fee), the selection of qualified arbitrators from a panel list (for a fee), regular conferences and administrative functions (for a fee), and filing fees and response fees for bringing and defending claims. An alternative to consider to replace the typical arbitration system is for the parties to agree to a private arbitration. Quite often, the arbitrator or panel of arbitrators will agree to govern the dispute themselves without the need for a thirdparty administrator. If the arbitration rules are previously agreed to in the dispute resolution clause, a private arbitration without the cost of a third party administrator is a good way to limit the cost and expense. Additionally, with a private arbitration, there traditionally are no filing fees or office space fees. Such a scenario leaves the parties with only having to pay their share of the arbitrator’s fees. One of the drawbacks of many arbitration clauses is that there is no significant avenue of appeal available to either party if the arbitrator or the arbitration panel issues an award that does not comply with Texas law or blatantly ignores uncontested facts. Since arbitration clauses are creatures of contract, there is no prohibition on creating an appeals process. Therefore, an alternative to consider is to include an appeals process. Such a process is often limited to errors of law, errors of fact and errors of legal reasoning. Further, the appeal may be limited to a court of competent jurisdiction with a waiver of a jury. Such an addition gives the parties some peace of mind that the dispute, on appeal, will be decided by a judge.
Many arbitration clauses are also silent with respect to the discovery permitted in arbitration. Often the decision of the type and degree of discovery (such as depositions and written discovery) is simply left to the arbitrator, the arbitrator panel, or the arbitration rules agreed to by the parties (which often times simply defer to the arbitrator). It is usually in the parties’ best interest to limit discovery. However, fearful of being challenged, it is common for arbitrators to be generous with discovery. As a result, it is a good idea to outline in the arbitration provision what discovery will be permitted and what will be limited so as to create certainty. Lastly, the issue of the rules of procedure and evidence can be significant. One way to address this is to clearly spell out the agreement of the parties. For instance, some arbitration clauses specifically require compliance with the Federal Rules of Evidence. Additionally, some clauses allow the contractor to select either an arbitration under certain rules, or a bench trial before the court with the rules of evidence and procedure from that jurisdiction. Again, the parties can contract and agree on the process they think best suits their relationship. Dispute resolution clauses in a construction contract are often drafted without much input, or are the standard clauses found in many “form” contracts. There are several considerations outlined herein that can be used to both parties’ benefit. The goal being to have certainty, limit costs, and bring disputes to a swift resolution. 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.
Training days
Bubba Tisdale Sales Representative Impact Fire Services Houston TX
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illiam “Bubba” Tisdale loves helping people and once nurtured childhood dreams of being a policeman or fire-fighter – until he realized the dangers. One dream he didn’t have was working as a mechanic in his dad’s automotive shop. Although mechanically inclined, Tisdale was weary of weekends spent under cars. He found it hard to escape fate, though, and after a brief stint at Pacific Pump, he and his father opened up an automotive business, where he worked for 23 years. Needing insurance for his kids and a retirement plan, he applied for a fleet management position at sprinkler company Grinnell, which was merging with fire alarm company Simplex. Realizing that Tisdale had pump experience, the manager hired him on the spot to be a Field Technician. Starting out as a 42-year-old helper working under 20-year-old foremen was humbling for Tisdale, who was determined to advance his career. State laws required sprinkler inspectors to secure a license and Tisdale soon earned his Inspectors License, then going on to earn his RME General License and EPL Extinguisher System Planning License later in his career. He transitioned into the office and assumed a sales position of inspection services of fire protection systems and equipment, changed companies twice more, and is now employed at Impact Fire Services alongside many of the same workers with whom he began his career. “Now, at this point in my career, I hold two licenses for our company,” he
Bubba Tisdale and his wife Jamie
What did you do for Easter? Spent the morning with my son and ended up working a little. Eddie Torres, Luxz Painting & Design
I went to visit my relatives in Louisiana and had a crawfish boil. Wade Briggs, H & E Equipment Services
I went to church with my family on Easter morning, and then joined my brother and his family for lunch. After that I went home and relaxed the rest of the day. Rosa Tennyson, TSG Industries
We always have a great Easter weekend. Friday night went to see my dad preform in “Journey to the Cross” put on by CFBC in Jersey Village. Saturday is always spent in Navasota at the Fox’s for their great Easter Saturday party for both kids and adults, crawfish on the menu this year. Kids love the drive out there to see all the blue bonnets. Easter Sunday, we woke up with the family to see what the Easter bunny had brought the kids, and the eggs that he hid in the back yard. After, we headed out for church then to Easter lunch at my mom’s with the rest of our crew. There was another round of Easter egg hunting with all the grandkids, with lots of candy. Had our adult hunt as well with my wife, Mandy, being the big winner finding the golden egg buried in the front yard at the water cut off. Then back to the house for my mother-in-law to come see the kids and have one more hunt to wrap up the day. Always a long, but fun weekend with family and friends!! David Manuel, MBS Tool & Fastener
I took my family to church and met my mother there and then we went to my mother’s house for afternoon lunch. Chuck Fill, CFI Mechanical Inc. We spent the weekend in Plano, TX, visiting our family. We had a big Easter egg hunt with my son and 3 nephews, and a lovely dinner! Sarina Landers, Karsten Interiors We attended the Maundy Thursday Prayer Walk at Christ Church United Methodist. It is a life changing experience; we had 35 people come down from my old hometown of Lufkin, TX. They left with a whole new outlook on the meaning of Easter. Johnny Perry, His Professional Painting
Craftsmen from Allstate Commercial Flooring during an installer testing. –lv
says proudly. Being in his 60s with 20 years of fire protection work to his credit, Tisdale could retire and spend his days fishing with Jamie, his beloved wife of 18 years, at their Galveston Bay house. “I like to fish, I like to hunt, I like to fish, and I like to fish.” Tisdale deadpans. “Fishing is my release. It’s good therapy.” Retirement would also give Tisdale more time with his 36-year old daughter Christina, 30-year-old son Will and 22-year-old stepson Colton. Leaving his work, however, doesn’t interest him. “I love what I do,” Tisdale explains. “It gets hectic at times, but it’s not physically demanding. I would say I could do this until I’m old, but I’m already old! I can do this as long as my mind is healthy. I really don’t want to retire, although I would like to slow down a little bit. But I’m happy. Life’s been good to me.” –mjm
Some friends invited me to go with them to Bear Creek Baptist Church for dinner on Saturday evening and Sunday I went to church with my grandkids and then we hunted for eggs. Larry Means, Vital Steel Erectors
This year I decided to give my family a break and took my son and all his cousins on a road trip to Galveston. We spent all day Saturday on the pier riding rides and eating Chick-fil-A, then enjoying the weather on the beach on Sunday. We listen to Sunday mass on you tube on the way home. It was a great Easter. Leticia Elias, Elias Commercial Roof Systems
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Houston Construction News • MAY 2018
Robert Randall President/Owner Charter Drywall Houston, TX
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obert Randall was always a keen observer of business operations and of the people who ran those companies. Nearly three decades ago, he put all of that observation to good use when he founded Charter Drywall and turned the business into a four-branch success story. Share a little about your background. I was born at Carlisle Air Force Base Hospital in Harrisburg, PA. My dad was in the military in both World War II and the Korean War and my mom was mainly a stay-at-home mom who later worked at Sears. My dad was transferred to Japan when I was 6 months old, and I lived there for a year and a half. He was then transferred back to the States to Sherman, TX to Perrin Air Force Base. He basically finished out his career at that base and I grew up in Sherman. I went to college at the University of North Texas in Denton and got a bachelor’s degree in business with a minor in administrative management. I was always a bit fascinated with large corporations and the people that ran them and thought that is what I would like to do or be in business for myself someday. Did you have a business sense from a young age? I’ve always been a little bit of an entrepreneur. I was in the Boy Scouts and every year we would go to Boy Scout camp on Lake Texoma. I would walk down to a marina by the lake and buy out the vending machines, take it all back to the camp, set up shop and sell the candy and also magazines to the kids and double my money on it – until they threatened to turn me over to the police for not having a business license! I used to deliver grit newspapers and did things around the neighborhood, like mowing and cleaning yards for spending money. I had a good work ethic; my dad was super military and I had two older brothers, and we were a strictly organized family, you might say. How did you support yourself during
college? I worked my way through college by selling life insurance to college students. I was not a bad salesman at all; in fact, I really did quite well! I did not want to be in that line of work once I got out of college but at the time, I was already married and had one child. I would go and sit down in a classroom and anybody sitting around me would get up and move away because I would try to sell life insurance to them! I wore a coat and tie to school and when I got finished with the courses, I would drive to my office and spend the rest of the day and the night selling life insurance. What path did you take after college? When I graduated from college, I went on the open job market trying to find something to do out there and I ended up going to work for CertainTeed Corporation, which is a manufacturer of roofing insulation. I was in Dallas/Fort Worth territory sales for about five years and did very well since it was easy to sell. I was promoted to district sales manager for the insulation group for residential insulation in 1976 and did that for the next five years. By that time, I had set my sights on a direction, and that direction was to have my own company. I went to work for a guy in Houston in 1982 that had developed a gypsum concrete used on apartment floors for fireproofing and sound control. He had a very small operation – a nice business, but not a very profitable business. That’s why I joined him; I wanted to help him build the business and get him on the right track. I opened up an operation in Dallas for him and ran that for a couple of years before we sold that to a large contractor in Dallas. I moved to Houston and worked national sales for five years setting up contractors to install our product all over the United States. How did you ultimately become a business owner? In 1990, one of my old installation customers did drywall work and wanted to sell his business. I went to work for him about six months to see if we could work out an agreement, which we did not. I ended up starting Charter Drywall in October of 1990 and we’ve been in business ever since. Besides you entrepreneurial spirit, what motivated you to start Charter Drywall? I was always very much alert to the problems that were in the large corporations. Between the time of high school and college I had even worked for IBM at one time as a press operator making data cards. I watched the large corporations and I was intrigued with the way they operated. After a few years, I decided I didn’t like the big corporate life but running your own business looked like it was pretty rewarding. I started this to give people a very nice job on drywall, to stand behind my
Charter Drywall’s Robert Randall
work, to be a man of my word, and to grow the business, put up some branch operations and expand into other markets and I did that through the years. How has Charter Drywall evolved since you opened it 28 years ago? In 1996, we opened up a branch in Dallas. We later opened a branch in Atlanta and we opened up a branch in Denver. Those operations are still running to this day. We mainly utilize subcontractors to install our products in residential but overall, I have about 30 employees full-time that work for us. What lessons have you learned as a business owner? The only thing that I saw firsthand early on is that people don’t always pay you when you do your work for them. That always bothered me and that’s why I worked so hard to create a company with excellent reputation, quality service, and quality work; we stand behind our product and we do whatever it takes to satisfy our customers. But I’ll still have one or two every once in a while that will back out and not want to pay us. That was always the thing that kind of irked me. Even today, I am the head collector of our company. I handle a lot of the pay problems – and we don’t have a lot, probably less than the typical percentage. What do you enjoy about your work? I enjoy the gratification of running a successful business. We’ve been in business now 28 years. We have the Dallas, Denver and Atlanta branches. We also have a commercial business, Charter Drywall Houston, located here. Each company has their own separate corporation: Charter Drywall Dallas, Charter Drywall Denver, Charter Drywall Atlanta then we have our commercial which we call Charter Commercial Drywall. Can you believe that Charter Drywall will soon celebrate its 30th anniversary? Nope! I hate getting that old!
What do you enjoy in your free time? I‘ve been a golfer, although I don’t play much today. My hobby is boating; I boat and I fish. I have a boat in the salt water in Galveston Bay and my wife Laura and I also have a lake house on Toledo Bend; I go up there and bass fish. I have an old house that was built in 1923 that keeps me pretty busy doing things around there. Of course, I still work every day. I live an hour away from my office and get up at 4:30 in the morning and am at the office by 6:30 and I don’t necessarily work all day any more; I take off after lunch, but I do watch everything that’s going on. Share a little about your family. I have two children. My oldest, Zach, has worked for me and in fact started my Atlanta operation. He moved back to Houston and now sells RVs and motor coaches and does very well in that. My youngest, Jeremy, has worked with me at Charter Drywall for 15 years and specifically worked for me in the Denver operation. It’s fun, but I try hard to draw the line between business and family. What do you think the future holds? I’m nearly 65 years old and I’m looking at selling the company. It is on the market through a business broker. I don’t expect to see a much activity from that because drywall contractors have never been the hotspot for that. But this company would be an excellent base for somebody who is looking to expand further in other markets. If you do sell the business, what plans do you have? I’d like to take a boat to the Bahamas and the Caribbean for a few years and fly back and forth. After that, maybe my wife and I will take a motor coach and tour the U.S., find a nice little place and settle down again. That’s something I can pull off. Our business has been successful and life has been good. I have no complaints. Subcontractor Charter Drywall specializes in a wide range of drywall installations. –mjm
Glass exhibits security
The Houston Area Glass Association (HAGA) participated in the H.L. Flake Security Hardware Trade Show Mar. 24. L-R: HACA’s Dorothy Gurka and James Lucas. -cmw
Houston Construction News • MAY 2018
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scent before you spot the slick, particularly if you’re down wind. It’s an odor that often resembles watermelon or fresh cut grass and to others maybe a menhaden oil scent. The smaller the slick is, the closer the fish are to it since the wind and tide haven’t had time to spread it out. Just like using the birds, anglers can often locate and track schools of feeding trout by spotting these slicks as they appear on the surface. May typically starts the beginning of our croaker season although we really start fishing with them in late April. By this time, the trout spawn is also in full swing along the entire coast and this makes for a great time to fish. Don’t waste any more time contemplating booking your next fishing outing. 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.
Spring fishing is in the air 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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y the time this column reaches you saltwater outdoors enthusiastic anglers, our weather patterns will certainly have stabilized (I’m keeping my fingers crossed) to more summer-like conditions. We have been plagued by a colder, windier than normal spring and that has made fishing challenging to say the least. Several warm days followed by several colder days have been the norm for what seems like eternity. Needless to say, this writer/angler/captain is ready for some warm days and hotter fishing. Any good guide that really wants to produce a solid box of fish is always searching the skies for signs of birds when trout fishing. Those birds are your eyes in the sky, and they seemingly come out of nowhere when trout chase bait to the surface. Although it’s possible to catch trout under terns and pelicans at times, it’s the big gulls that generally deliver the goods on a regular basis. If you have a trolling motor, ease up to the outer edge of the birds, just within casting range, and watch for the shrimp jumping across the surface for their lives. The trout feeding below hit most anything when in a feeding frenzy, and even a topwater bait can draw exciting surface strikes. Of course, you may also encounter other species in with the speckled trout, including redfish, black drum, sand trout and skipjack under these birds. If you see concentrations of gulls sitting on the water, the birds are of-
Great times with awesome friends/costumers on a 2-day outing on Baffin Bay. George Major (above) with his 27 in. trout and Ronnie Dewinne (below) with a solid 28 in. redfish made for great stories at dinner that evening.
ten right on top of the fish, or waiting on fish nearby to chase bait to the surface again. Besides scanning the skies be sure to be looking on the surface too, and keep
Submitted to Construction News
Cookout tonight!
Bubba Tisdale (far right) of Impact Fire Services and his friends display the day’s catch. Fire up the grill! –dsz
your nose on alert for scents coming down wind. Speckled trout often regurgitate their food when on these feeding binges, and an oily sheen pops up to the surface. Often your nose picks up the
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Houston Construction News • MAY 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
Springtime rollercoaster!
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hat are we doing today? Yesterday the temperature nicked the nineties and got too hot to work in the garden. Today it looks like we will be lucky to get to the seventies and I wonder if we have time to have one more hot chocolate before winter is gone.
If you think you are confused by having to change clothes four times a day to stay comfortable, just try being a fish. One day the water is lazy calm and the sun is warming up the shallows and it seems like it might be time to move in and start to spawn or even just chase a few shad along the shoreline. The next day the lake is windy and churning and cold again – no place to start a family and lunch is cancelled because the shad have been scattered by the waves. Some days there’s just nothing for a fish to do but go deep, sit there and pout. That’s why some days they just won’t bite. Nothing shuts them off like the pressure change a cold front can bring. On those days the fish we have been chasing and catching all week can still be found, but they couldn’t care less about feeding even if you can see them on the fish finder and drop your best bait in their face. Nope. I like the other extreme better. Some of our best fishing can be on those kinder weather days that we so welcome in the spring. The days between cold fronts when the wind swings from the north back around to the south, or southeast are the ones we like. That almost acts like a signal to the fish that all is well; it’s time to get back down to the business of feeding and making babies. The fish find
their appetites and school up to feed and move in to spawn, each species according to their habits. Early spring weather presents all kinds of challenges to us fishermen. The cold fronts are still coming at us a couple times a week, but at least they start to be less severe and shorter lived. That’s good, except that it means the wind can be hard to work around. If a cold front is a day or two out, the south wind will blow like crazy to meet it and you get high south winds. If a cold front has arrived you will have a day or two of high north wind. If you are at the place where the winds intersect, then you have to watch out for rogue thunderstorms trying to shower you with hail and lightning. The thing is, in the middle of it all spring fishing can be crazy good and just downright scary. We have some of our best trips this time of the year and some of the best weather to go fishing on those nice days. The tough thing to take though is that they are not all nice days this time of the year. All you can do is pick a day to go fishing and cross your fingers the weather turns out nice for you. If every day was just like the one before it and the fish were biting every day, fishing would just be like a routine trip to the grocery store. The weather rollercoaster keeps it interesting!
Lone Star Paving, Austin
D & W Painting, Leander
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
Houston Construction News • MAY 2018
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Gorgeous views Check out the Allstate Commercial Flooring Co-Founder and Vice President of Sales, Gary Sharpe out on Kentucky Lake. –lv
Large mouth bass weighing at 7.7 pounds
Kayak fishing
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Houston Construction News • MAY 2018
Mechanical shooting clays
hat a gorgeous day to host a sporting clay shoot! The Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) Houston held its 13th annual shotgun invitational Apr. 13 at the Greater Houston Gun Club. -cmw
Glass & golf
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lass professional across the city joined together for the Houston Area Glass Association’s (HAGA) annual golf tournament Mar. 26 at the Houston National Golf Club. –cmw
1st Place Gross winners L-R: James Venable, 3rd place; John Renken, 1st place; and Hunter Edmunds, 2nd place, in the Annie Oakley individual competition.
Surrender of the Flush/Flurry Team Trophy to the team of Gregory-Edwards Inc., L-R: Malcolm Gaus, RWS Architects. GregoryEdwards team members Scott Schovajsa, Brandon Walker and John Renken. Not pictured is Caleb Pickard.
Final round of the Annie Oakley Individual Competition.
1st Place Net winners
Houston Construction News • MAY 2018
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Truck drivers and concrete James Eric Holeman Quality Control Manager
Allied Concrete Houston, TX
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oleman has been in the concrete industry since 1998. He has served as president of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Houston Chapter since 2016 and is a member of the Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA). What are the “hot button” issues in the concrete industry? I think the hottest button is first and foremost for all ready mix companies is having a lack of qualified drivers. How would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms? Have you experienced an increase in business? Slowdown? The market is strong now and home buying sales are up. What factors are driving this increase/
slowdown? The driving force I think now is there is not enough housing in the Houston area and homebuilders can’t keep up with demand. New subdivisions are popping up to accommodate the influx of residents moving into the Houston area. How has this increase/slowdown affected your company and how you conduct business? This has resulted in growing pains including drivers, sales dispatch and materials. Getting them all has an impact on
A robust industry Bill Sandbrook, Vice Chairman President & CEO
US Concrete Inc. Euless, TX
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andbrook is a 1979 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After receiving his Bachelor of Science in management, he spent 13 years in the U.S. Army which included a four-year tour in Germany in cavalry and engineering units, three years as an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the Military Academy and two years as the Army Program representative to Raytheon. While teaching at West Point, Sandbrook also served as a social aide to President Ronald Reagan and earned his Professional Engineer’s License (PE) in Industrial Engineering. In addition to his qualifications as an Army Ranger, he earned four Master’s Degrees while in the service - an MBA from Wharton, a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master in Public Policy from the Naval War College and Master of Arts in International Relations from Salve Regina University. What are the “hot button” issues in the concrete industry? Currently it is lack of skilled truck drivers that are qualified with commercial driver’s licenses. It is a problem facing all the trades and it manifests itself in actual ready-mix truck drivers in that they are very difficult to source in all of our markets. In addition, the weather that we have been experiencing in recent months and in some parts of the country for multiple years is disrupting construction sched-
ules and has been ongoing especially through a very rainy, cold and wintery first quarter of 2018. How do you overcome the weather issue? We have to watch our costs. Nonproductive labor is a drain on our resources. If our concrete contractor customers are unable to perform their construction services because of the weather, we have no other outlet for that concrete so it all comes down to cost containment. How would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms? Has there been an increase or a slowdown? I would say the construction industry is very robust and there is a lot of pent up demand for jobs that are in progress and have been delayed because of the weath-
CONCRETE INDUSTRY Sept: Green Building Nov: Architecture & Engineering Oct: Specialty Contractors Dec: Construction Equipment
the industry and on businesses. What are the major changes in the concrete industry in recent years? There have not been many major changes in the industry. Recently we have seen changes in materials and trucking. There has been a push to decrease the cement content to help reduce the carbon footprint. In addition, TxDOT is continuously making changes to trucking regulations and the industry has to adapt. What is the most significant challenge your industry faces? Labor shortages? Other? Again, I would have to say it is the lack of qualified drivers. This is affecting all companies across the nation, not just ready mix companies and the Houston market is no different. Finding skilled truck drivers with commercial licenses who are willing to work long hours is difficult. Truck drivers in our field don’t just drive trucks; there is a lot of labor involved in running a ready mix truck. In
er. But outside of the weather, I’m very certain we are in a very robust construction environment especially in the markets we serve. We have a regional footprint that is very focused on the bay area of California, the Dallas/Fort Worth market, West Texas, the Mid-Atlantic States from Washington, DC through Philadelphia, northern New Jersey into New York City. My comments are very specific to these markets, which are extremely vibrant. Why do you feel they are so vibrant in those markets? I think that we are still in a very good part of the economic cycle. I think the unemployment rate has had an impact on both residential and commercial construction, and with the GDP approaching three percent on an annualized rate, which is significantly higher than it has been in the last eight years, I think there is a lot of optimism for further growth now that people are spending more money. New homes are being purchased and constructed. New office buildings are being built. A move from brick and mortar retail has led to the real growth of big box warehouses in various parts of the country that take a lot of concrete. So all of the above are leading to the robustness we are seeing. What are the major changes in the concrete industry in recent years? Technology is moving forward quickly in both the mixes we use and in the conscious awareness of sustainability and environmentally friendly products, especially low-carbon products. We are
addition to driving the ready mix truck, drivers release and direct concrete down the truck chute and, in some cases, may have to assemble the cement chutes and clean the trucks and chutes to prevent the concrete from hardening in the mixer, chutes and on the trucks. How are you dealing with these challenges? Changing the way hiring and training is done along with providing attractive benefits will help in the long run and is something that is on-going. What are the cost increases (if any) relating to your industry? The costs of equipment, trucking and materials have the most impact on rising costs in the concrete industry and the construction industry as a whole. Allied Concrete is an integrated aggregates and ready mix concrete company based in Houston. -cmw
seeing much more interest in that now than we did in 2010. There is much emphasis on decreasing the cement content of concrete mixes and replacing that with fly ash, which actually lowers the carbon footprint of the material supply chain. And then there is a push for consolidation, not only in the concrete industry, but in the materials industry as well. The small family-owned businesses are finding it ever more difficult to compete in the world that we live in with increased regulation. Have there been any recent changes in legislation affecting the concrete industry relating to transportation or the environment? There has been more regulatory attention on wages and environmental laws with increased scrutiny of enforcement that it’s catching up to smaller businesses. Large companies are used to that scrutiny and usually have a staff of people that can deal with that. What is on the horizon for your industry? (Changes in technology; equipment; other) I think there will be continued consolidation. I think we’re still in a good part of the economic cycle and that technology will continue to make strides. I’m not sure where driverless concrete trucks are going to fall, but I think there are going to be a significant number of improvements to driver safety, through technology. U.S. Concrete is a producer of ready-mixed concrete and aggregates. -cmw
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Houston Construction News • MAY 2018
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Construction safety tightens Neal Secor, President Longhorn Concrete San Antonio, TX What are the “hot button” issues in the concrete industry? We continue to experience a shortage of qualified labor and volatility in the commodities markets causing spikes in pricing for concrete ready-mix, steel and lumber products used in our industry. How would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms? Have you experienced an increase in business? The current state of the construction industry is very good. We experienced an increase year-to-date and from 2016 over 2017. What factors are driving this increase? There is a pro-business climate in Texas specifically in our Central/South Texas region with a lower business tax rate and tax incentives for redevelopment of urban areas (examples: Brooks City Base, Port SA, Pearl District). This is very appealing for corporate headquarter establishment/ relocation from other states. In addition, we are experiencing continued low interest rates; continuation of our areas’ relatively low cost of living; no state income tax; lower home prices relative to many other regions of the U.S.; quality of living; and continued expansion of mid to upper level management employment specifically in our SA area. How has this increase affected your company and how you conduct business? This has afforded us the opportunity to add several full-time management staff to better analyze and control our projects. We’ve learned how to diplomatically say “No” more than “Yes” to allow us to commit our resources to the types of projects that fit what we do well.
crete industry in recent years? The concrete industry has not changed dramatically in recent years. We are seeing some traction with the use of some “Alternative/Green/Lead” systems which use reinforced concrete such as ICFs (insulated concrete forms) and tilt wall systems. It seems there is some push back from our industry to try something new when the alternative system pricing is substantially higher than conventional concrete systems being used today. This is a hard sell to the private sector. Have there been any recent changes in legislation affecting the concrete industry relating to transportation or the environment? Our industry continues to see the tightening of construction safety regulations by OSHA. Recently, OSHA implemented much stricter safety guidelines for airborne silica dust which has a direct impact on the concrete industry, driving up cost to be in compliance.
What are the cost increases (if any) relating to your industry? Substantial health and welfare cost increase renewals continue to be at the top priority for all small business. Our small business cannot absorb the continued cost so we have been forced to not offer health benefits to our team. Steel reinforcement materials increased pricing due to import trade restrictions. Tariffs hav been another cost increase. We have experienced a 10 to 12 percent increase in the 1st quarter of 2018 and, since August of 2017, prices have increased nearly 20 percent. There has also been a lumber materials price increase due to Hurricane Harvey along with import trade restrictions tariffs. And, of course, there are shortages going into summer months for fly ash additive for ready-mix which can add as much as five percent to our cost.
What is the most significant challenge your industry faces? Qualified labor force for our current needs today and developing key positions such as lead foremen and superintendents for the future growth and viability of our industry to replace our aging work force in these key positions.
What is on the horizon for your industry? (Changes in technology; equipment; other) Looking out onto the horizon I expect our industry to continue to grow at a similar pace as we have seen the past 12 months or so.
How are you dealing with these challenges? Creating a TEAM culture where we
What are the rewards of the industry? The people. Our industry is full of great people and we have been blessed to have a Longhorn team filled with awe-
What are the major changes in the con-
Concrete and construction Bryan Angelo, Treasurer Central Texas Chapter American Concrete Institute Project Manager
Rock Engineering & Testing Laboratory Inc. Round Rock, TX
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fter moving to Texas in 1983, Angelo went to work for Trinity Engineering Testing Laboratories in the firm’s geotechnical department and then shortly transferred to the construction materials testing department and has been working with testing labs ever since. In 1986 he became involved with the newly established Central Texas Chapter American Concrete Institute and is currently serving in his 15th year as their treasurer. Together with Arnie Hammock, principal of Rock Engineering & Testing Laboratory (RETL), he has been responsible for administering all the American Concrete Institute Central Texas Chapter certification programs for the past 20 plus years. He joined the RETL team in 2017.
create a great working environment that promotes growth from within our organization, personal growth outside our organization, income growth to meet/exceed our industry and incentives (performance and discretionary bonus, PTO and other benefits). We as an industry need to do a better job of promoting our trades to our youth. As a society it seems as if we assume everyone is owed and should get a college education. This thought promotion is hurting our industry and in my opinion is detrimental to our youths’ futures. I believe we need to place an equal amount of emphasis on such programs as ag mechanics, FFA and trade schools.
Local construction is on a rise with high-rise retail, residential and multifamily. We are also seeing a rise in the construction of “chain” stores. Have you experienced an increase in business? Slowdown? What factors are driving this increase/slowdown? Because the economy is finally bouncing back from the recent recession we had seen in the past, we have definitely been experiencing an increase in business. It’s a welcomed boost.
What are the “hot button” issues in the concrete industry? The “hot button” issues currently in the concrete industry are fly ash shortages, straight cement mixes, sporadic air content of mixes and high-rise highstrength concrete.
How has this increase/slowdown affected your company and how you conduct business? Busier times mean the need for more employees, vehicles, equipment and more workspace.
How would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms?
What are the major changes in the concrete industry in recent years? Some of the major changes we are
seeing include self-consolidating concrete, which is a highly flowable, non-segregating concrete that freely spreads into place, fills formwork and encapsulates even the most congested reinforcement, all without any mechanical vibration. Also included would be flowable fill materials and the uses of fiberglass-reinforced polymer rebar applications. What is the most significant challenge your industry faces? Labor shortages? Other? Finding qualified personnel for all aspects of the market has been and continues to be the most significant challenge. How are you dealing with these challenges? Finding the right people is crucial. We are constantly participating in group events and social networking events and then, of course, there are the traditional means of advertising and marketing. You can never do too much to find the right people. What are the cost increases (if any) relating to your industry? As with any business, you have to be willing to pay to attract and keep good quality, hard working people. Having the right equipment to perform your duties and enough equipment is essential. Of course, the maintenance and upkeep of the equipment is a constant. And then there is the cost of certifications and renewals of certifications, and the on-going effort of keeping your employees trained. And let’s not forget maintaining
some people. Our clients. We work with great clients and build relationships to last a lifetime. The challenge. Continued success in the concrete industry is a daily challenge that keeps us on our toes. We never have to worry about becoming complacent and comfortable and I like this feeling. One thing I am certain of is that no matter how many years experience I have in the industry I will never know it all. What are keys to being successful? Team retention. Build a team for the long haul and work to mitigate turnover at all times. We have employees who have been a part of our team for 30-plus years and they are so important to our current and future success. Business integrity. Explain clearly what you are going to do and then do what you say and, if possible ,do more and always under promise and over deliver. You should always be willing to place a higher value on what is right than how much something will cost. We are humans and we are not perfect so we are going to make mistakes. When mistakes happen we encourage not stopping but rather find a quick resolution and get it back on track no matter what the cost. Being efficient with our resources is also key. Say “No” often. I probably say “No” 10 times before I say “Yes” when determining what potential projects fit what we do best. You need to have moderate growth when times are good. We are deliberate in how we grow our business. With all growth come growing pains to deal with. If we grow too fast we may not react fast enough before it costs our company in a variety of ways. In order for our TEAM to create value in our company we must be disciplined to retain earnings. In good years it is always tough to write a check to “Uncle Sam” but it is a necessary evil if we want to create value. This will benefit us when times are not so good. Longhorn Concrete is a concrete specialty contractor in San Antonio. -cmw and having enough office space. What is on the horizon for your industry? (Changes in technology; equipment; other) Believe it or not, the concrete industry is ever changing, so staying focused on current standards and staying updated with the most current technology is a must. We will continue to provide outstanding service to our clients and maintain our relationships with established clients. What are the rewards of the industry? Having continued relationships with local companies, along with the recognition you get with national organizations and the satisfaction in knowing that projects are completed on time (or before) are the biggest rewards of working in this industry. What are keys to being successful? If you want to be successful in this industry or any aspect of it, you have to build long-lasting relationships, be competitive, be responsive to the requests of your clients and always be available to meet the needs of your clients. American Concrete Institute is a non-profit technical society and standards developing organization. Rock Engineering & Testing Laboratory Inc. is geotechnical engineering, geotechnical and environmental drilling, and construction materials engineering and testing firm in San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Round Rock, TX. -cmw
Houston Construction News • MAY 2018
Page 13
s
Association Calendar
Round-Up
Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC
Associated Builders & Contractors
May 3: General Contractors Expo & Crawfish Boil, Redneck Country Club, 111100 W. Airport Blvd., Stafford, TX, 4-8pm. For more info, call 713-523-6222 May 11: Membership Breakfast, Houston Marriott Westchase, 2900 Briarpark Dr., 6:30-9am. For more info, call 713-523-6222 May 17: CMEF Graduation, Sylvan Beach Pavillion, 1 Sylvan Beach Dr., La Porte, TX, 6:30-9pm. For more info, call 281-4783900 AGC
Associated General Contractors
May 10: CLC Poker Tournament, AGC Offices, 3825 Dacoma, 5-10pm. For more info, call 713-843-3700 May 11: 2018 Excellence in Leadership Scholarship Awards, Boy Scouts of America, Cockrell Scout Center, 2225 N. Loop West, 11:30am-1:30pm. For more info, call 713-843-3700 AIA
American Institute of Architects
May 19: AIA Houston Kids & Architecture Freehand Sketching Class, Hermann Park, 1700 Hermann Dr., 10am-12pm. For more info, email mat@aiahouston.org or call 713-520-0155 APWCA
Assn. of Profession Women in Construction
May 16: Membership Luncheon. For more info, email info@apwc.us ASA
American Subcontractors Association
May 2: Schmooze & Mingle: Hoar Construction, Cedar Creek Café Bar & Grill, 1034 W. 20th St., 4-7pm. For more info, call 281-679-1877 May 16: Associate Member Peer Group Happy Hour, Cedar Creek Café Bar & Grill, 1034 W. 20th St., 4-7pm. For more info, call 281-679-1877
For more info, email Dennis Pyland at dpyland@valerus-co.com HCA
Houston Contractors Assn.
May 22: Spring Golf Tournament, Blackhorse Golf Club, 12205 Fry Rd., Cypress, TX, 10am. For more info, contact Antonette Skrabanek at askrabanek@houstoncontractors.org or call 713-349-9434 May 24: Member Luncheon, Junior League Ballroom, 1811 Briar Oaks Ln., 11am. For more info, contact Emelie Englehart at emelie@houstoncontractors. org or call 713-349-9434
American Society of Civil Enginers
May 10-11: Glass TEXpo, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 900 E. Market, San Antonio, TX. For more info, call 281290-0190 MCA
Mechanical Contractors Assn.
May 9: Member Contractor Meeting, Hess, 5430 Westheimer, 11:30am. For more info, call 281-440-4380 NAMC
National Assn. of Minority Contractors
May 24: Networking Event, United Way, 50 Waugh Dr., 6-9pm. For more info, call 281-616-6757 NAWIC
National Assn. of Women In Construction
May 8: Membership Meeting – CAD Competition Awards, Maggiano’s Little Italy, 2019 Post Oak Blvd., 5:30-8pm. For more info, go to www.nawic-houston.org PHCC
Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Assn.
May 9: Gulf Coast PHCC Lunch Meeting, Churrascso’s Memorial City, 947 Gessner Rd. 2nd Flr., 11:15am-1pm. For more info, call 866-789-7039 Roofing Contractors Assn. Houston Area Chapter
May 15: Branch Meeting, Hess, 5430 Westheimer Rd., 11am. For more info, call 713-261-5156 May 19: YM Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Event, Location TBD, 8am. For more info, call 713-261-5156
May 8: HARCA Lunch Meeting, Greater Houston Business Association, 9511 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. N, 11am. For more info, call 713-876-8722
ASPE
Women Contractors Association
May 14: Membership Meeting, Spaghetti Westerna’s, 1608 Shepherd Dr., 6pm.
May 3: Membership Luncheon, Harold’s Restaurant, 350 W. 19th St., 11:30am-1pm. For more info, call 713-807-9977
WCA
American Society of Professional Engineers
PBK Architects is proud to announce the promotion of the following: Jorge Tiscareno has also been promoted to Associate Principal in the firm’s Houston office. His projects have been recognized with design awards from the AIA, TASA/TASB, Learning by Design, American Schools and Universities and other national recognitions. Jorge received his Bachelor of Architecture-Design from the University Autonomous of CD. Juarez. -cmw
Brandon Ross, LEED BD+C, has been promoted to Associate Principal in PBK’s Houston office. Ross has been with PBK for over eight years, during which he has managed multiple projects simultaneously. He obtained his Bachelors of Architectural Engineering and Technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology where he graduate Cum Laude. -cmw
Lorin Pargoud has been promoted to Associate Principal in the firm’s Houston office. He has been with PBK for 12 years and has extensive experience in educational facilities including elementary, junior high and high school levels. Pargoud obtained his Bachelor of Architecture from Southern University and A&M College at Baton Rouge. -cmw
Alan Stilts, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, has been promoted to Principal in the firm’s Woodland’s office. He joined PBK in 2014. He is a registered architect in Kentucky and Texas. Stilts received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Kentucky. -cmw
HAGA
Houston Area Glass Assn.
RCAT
ASCE
Submitted to Construction News
★★★★★
Rosenberger Construction is pleased to announce the promotion of the following: Daniel Sanchez has been promoted to Project Manager. Sanchez joined Rosenberger in 2014 and has managed 1,300,000sf plus of commercial, healthcare, warehouse, distribution and manufacturing projects. He holds a Bachelor of Construction Science degree from Texas A&M University. –cmw Matt Quinn has been promoted from Senior Project Manager to Vice President. With 17 years of construction experience, Quinn has been with Rosenberge Construction since 2005 and has completed over 6,940,000sf of distribution, warehouse, commercial, manufacturing and religious projects. Quinn graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design. -cmw
Round-Up Submissions
Fernando Rubalcava has been promoted to Project Manager. Rubalcava has been with Rosenberger Constrution since 2015 and has completed over 2,690,000sf of distribution, warehouse, commercial and retail projects. Rubalcava graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Science. -cmw Slack & Co. Contracting Inc. is pleased to announce the addition of Bret Pardue as Chief Operating Officer. Pardue will be working closely with the company’s management team to put the processes in place to support the future growth of Slack & Co. -cmw
Brief company announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of charge, as space allows.
Submit Info & Photo: Houstoneditor@ConstructionNews.net • (210) 308-5800
Service trucks & trailers
C
ontractors in the plumbing, heating and cooling industry competed at the Gulf Coast Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors’ (PHCC) Top Service Truck & Trailer show Apr. 11. -cmw
Best Looking Service Truck: Milton Frank Plumbing
Most Unique Service Truck: JD Precision Plumbing
Most Efficient Service Truck: Epic Plumbing
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Houston Construction News • MAY 2018
Construction cooking fun
T
he commercial construction industry came together at the Sam Houston Race Park for the Associated General Contractors (AGC) annual Barbecue Cook-Off and Fair Mar. 22-24. 36 cooking teams competed in categories that included best theme, best hospitality, crawfish, margarita, salsa, open dish, ribs, brisket, and chicken. –cmw Best Theme 1st Place: Buyers Barricades of Houston 2nd Place: JE Dunn Construction Company 3rd Place: Raven Mechanical Best Hospitality 2nd Place: Buyers Barricades Of Houston 3rd Place: MLN Company Open Dish 1st Place: Site Tech Layout, LLC - Team 1 Team 1 2nd Place: Tribble & Stephens Construction 3rd Place: EyeSite Surveillance, Inc. Chicken 1st Place: Dawson VanOrden, Inc. 2nd Place: Raven Mechanical – Team 1 3rd Place: EyeSite Surveillance, Inc. Ribs 1st Place: United Rental & Empire Steel
1st Place Best Hospitality winners Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing
2nd Place: Cadence McShane Construction 3rd Place: EyeSite Surveillance, Inc. Brisket 1st Place: EyeSite Surveillance, Inc. 2nd Place: Cadence McShane Construction 3rd Place: VA Electrical Contractors Crawfish 1st Place: Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing 2nd Place: Tellepsen - Team 1 3rd Place: Hervey Barlow Specialty Contractors, LLC Margarita 1st Place: United Rental & Empire Steel 2nd Place: MLN Company 3rd Place: Buyers Barricades Of Houston Salsa 1st Place: Bell & McCoy Lighting & Controls 2nd Place: Buyers Barricades Of Houston 3rd Place: EyeSite Surveillance, Inc. Bloody Mary 1st Place: Tellepsen - Team 2 2nd Place: Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing 3rd Place: Tribble & Stephens Construction
Bell & McCoy Lighting and Controls
continued from Page 1 — Shamrocks to bluebonnets With a healthy economy and plenty of work for plumbers, the O’Neils took the plunge to Houston later in 1996. With a growing family and O’Neil working too many hours, he was offered the chance to become a service manager and work steady hours. He then rose to become president of this company and it grew under his leadership. Fast forward to 2003. Knowing he could lead a company, O’Neil founded Abacus Plumbing with a former boss as partner. Why ‘Abacus’ Plumbing? They wanted an alphabetically friendly name. O’Neil picked up a dictionary and the first word that made any sense to him was ‘abacus.’ An abacus is a machine you count on, and O’Neil reasoned, “’Abacus Plumbing’— something you can count on. I like it.” Today, Abacus is one of three companies in the Wrench Group, which draws $100 million in revenue yearly with 700 total employees. The two other companies
are in Dallas. Abacus alone employs 200 people and brought in $38.1 million in 2017. O’Neil said that he came over to America when he was 35, and his goal was to “be off my tools by the time I was 40.” He wants to grow Abacus into a $100 million division of Wrench. The biggest obstacle to growth is finding and keeping quality employees. The former 16-year old plumber from Ireland someday sees himself on “a beach in Hawaii with blue water…in the next 10 years I’m hanging it up and enjoying the fruits of my labor.” He’ll leave Abacus (and Wrench) in the hands of another CEO. It doesn’t matter who the owner is; what matters is “what you’re doing for your people and what you’re doing for your customers.” The bottom line: O’Neil is a true American success story. He rightly stated, “I’m very proud of what I’ve built.” Abacus Plumbing is a plumbing, HVAC and electrical contractor in Houston. -dsz
continued from Page 1 — Wiring Texas Operations in Houston are run from of a 10,000sf facility, and out of Dailey’s total of 300 employees, about 160 are located in Space City. Despite a momentary lull in the action there due to Hurricane Harvey, business is booming. Bids that were out are coming in now and Houston will have to add more employees to handle the backlog. That’s a good problem to have. Business is booming elsewhere in Texas too. Comal County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state, and the new Lockhart branch is designed to handle affairs up Austin and San Marcos way. Dailey does a lot of work for institutions of higher learning in all its location, including the University of Texas at Austin. Dailey himself keeps busy by visiting all the various offices and job sites. “Our main thing is to do quality installation at a reasonable price,” he said. He also has a lot of repeat customers. A major factor in Dailey’s growth has been its people. Many of his employees have been with the company since the
early days. He said he’s “been lucky enough to hire a bunch of good people.” Of all the aspects of his work that is changing the most, it’s lighting and the price of it. LED lights draw less voltage than lights of old and are a more efficient use of energy. A bid three years ago was higher than if the same bid were done today. Plus, the electrical contactor in the field now has the advantage over previous ones. Today, he has a tablet and instant access to information. Thus, he can coordinate with the other contractors better than ever. And, they can see projects before they are even done with 3D modeling and other imaging software. Dailey Electric is growing in Texas. People and businesses are moving to the Lone Star State, which drives everything else. With no pun intended, Dailey accurately said that when it comes to the electrical business, “The future is bright.” Dailey Electric, Inc., is an electrical construction and service company based in College Station, -dsz
continued from Page 1 — Additional floors complete
Berger Iron Works
Tellepsen
Memco Staffing
Pieper Houston Electric
MD Anderson 22nd floor nurse’s station and hallway
Buyers Barricades
Astro Fence
Fireproof Contractors Inc.
EyeSite Surveillance Inc.
the day. This meant that all trash and materials had to be moved overnight. In addition, working in an occupied facility with critical environments within, presented additional constraints. Noise and infection control plans had to be implemented and maintained at all times. Unique to the project is MD Anderson Cancer Center. MD Anderson is a state-run entity. Therefore, MD Anderson is not subject to City of Houston permitting or inspections. All inspections are conducted by in-house inspectors, which required multiple phased inspections and accurate advanced scheduling. Daylin Mitchell, Linbeck project manager and Superintendent Don Coplen, Jr., oversaw the completion of the project. “Our active communication, reliability, and attention to detail gave the
client confidence we would be able to maintain quality and remain on schedule. These efforts resulted in a strong working relationship with the client and the promise of continued work at MD Anderson,” says Mitchell. Since Linbeck’s inception in 1938 by Leo Linbeck, Sr., the firm has constructed a wide array of projects throughout the greater Southeast Texas area. Linbeck’s culture has centered on integrity and trust, innovation, service and collaboration, and commitment to client results with a portfolio that consists of healthcare, education, hospitality, cultural, and large mixed-use and high-density residential real estate markets. Linbeck Group LLC is a general contracting firm with offices in Houston, Fort Worth and San Antonio. -cmw
Houston Construction News • MAY 2018
Page 15
Running the show
JOB SIGHTS
Pitman Construction and Memco crew members work on the phase 2 interior build-out of the new Fortis Academy located at 11902 Spears Rd. Cosmos Construction is the general contractor. -cmw
Theodore Sims, president of TSG Industries, riding a bulldozer.
B
eing raised in a small country town outside of Houston, Theodore Sims was surrounded by all kinds of horses and cows. He rode his first bull when he was 12. He even rode bulls for his Prairie View A & M rodeo team. (He proudly states he has all his teeth and no broken bones.) Now, Sims takes the bull by the horns as president of TSG Industries, and will manage a construction project from start to finish, ensuring the client ends up with the product he wanted at a price he can afford. Sims is a third generation contractor/ builder/utility worker. After college he worked for a firm that did a lot of military and federal construction projects all over the world. Sims also has an entrepreneur streak running in his family, and they always encouraged him to someday start his own business. He answered the call in 2007 when he formed TSG. Sims and his 13 employees will facilitate and oversee a project from concept to completion, to include the designbuild, forecast and monitor schedules, control costs, coordinate between the architect, contractors and the client, and manage all other logistical considerations. A recent large project was the $1.35 billion water purification plant for the city of Houston, which increased water availability from 80 million gallons per day to 400 million. TSG was in charge of tracking the schedules and costs, deviations and quality control. Having a project management outfit run a project can be especially helpful for a client with little experience in construction. “Our primary focus is design-build projects,” Sims said. The desire is to save the customer money without sacrificing quality, not to mention turning a vision
into a reality. TSG can act as the general contractor, or chose the GC if the client needs. TSG’s portfolio includes a lot of federal and military projects, such as on Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, as well as educational ones. And, as is often the case after a natural disaster like Hurricane Harvey, there is work to be done. One school was heavily damage with floodwater. It couldn’t get repaired in time to allow the students to return in order to make their required days of school. TSG came in to construct two temporary campuses for 380 displaced students. Another educational project that gave Sims great satisfaction was a modular middle school built for students who had previously been meeting in a church facility. For the first time, the kids now have their own independent school campus. “When you can put kids back in school and be there for opening day to see them walk in and appreciate the new facility, there’s nothing like it,” Sims said with obvious joy. TSG has even started a Go Fund Me account for students displaced by the storm. TSG is also heavily involved with Lone Star College as well as the new library complex of Texas Southern University. “The end use of a facility gives us satisfaction,” he added. From idea to reality, TSG will manage a construction project in all aspects. Some jobs can be carefully planned and executed; others are done in rapid response to hurricanes. The bottom line is they get it done. Sometimes it can be as wild as riding a bull in a rodeo. Fortunately, Sims can do it. TSG Industries is a project management firm in the Houston area. -dsz.
Construction News ON LOCATION
Not just an angle
The friendly staff at Triangle Fastener Corporation were all smiles as they visited with Construction News and posed for this photo. Front Row L-R: Dee Jones, Martha Rodriguez, Belkis Ortiz, Stan Risher, David Hererra, Dominck Baker, Chip Lunsford, and Bryan Reynolds. Back Row L-R: Teresa Strange, James Stevenson, Wesley Stone, Malcolm Mathis, Audrell Thomas, and Chris Rogers. -cmw
L-R: Eric Murphy, owner; Philippe Duarte, lead operator; Daniel Ally, superintendant; Randy Allbritton. lead lute/finisher at the Alan Rudolph, Speed Sports Racing Park Facility in New Caney, TX. Murphy Paving is the contractor. -cmw
Electric golf
First place winners of the Southeast Texas Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association’s (NECA) annual spring golf tournament Apr. 16 at Hearthstone Country Club. L-R: Todd Baker, CED; Justin Wilson, Bell & McCoy; Blake Bramlett, CW Lighting; Mark Trapp, Fisk Electric with NECA Executive Director, Allen Grainey. -cmw
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Houston Construction News • MAY 2018