Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News February 2019

Covering the Industry’s News

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The Industry’s Newspaper www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 17 H Number 2 H FEBRUARY 2019

Plumbing? Appsolutely

An added bonus

Billy Stevens, founder and owner of billyGO

Randall Hughes, owner of J Mil Sheet Metal Fabricators

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illy Stevens has always been an innovator and forward thinker. When Google first came out, Stevens saw the potential there and had the first and only plumbing company on the first page for two years on the Google search in the Dallas area.

“Our business exploded,” he said, describing the effects of being on Google.

Now, after spending long enough time in retirement, Stevens is again innovating as head of billyGO, a plumbing and HVAC company.

The entire business is run via the billyGO app. There is no warehouse, no office or shop whereby the plumbers all come into first thing in the morning to get their day’s marching orders. They all work from their homes and stay in their

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he Learning Experience in Mansfield is one of TR Hall Construction’s (TRH) latest projects. The company was brought into the daycare project by Hanover Property Company, after the original general contractor went bankrupt four months into the job.

The project took 10 months to complete, including two months to negotiate a replacement contract and remobilize subs, almost from scratch, after the first contractor vacated the job. The norm, according the TLE, is 8-10 months.

This new 10,000sf day care center building combines childcare and early childhood pre-kindergarten education for children between the ages of 6 months to 6 years with amenities for before- and after-school programs as well as school-age summer camp.

Brick, stone and stucco made up the facility’s exterior. The main entry is framed with TLE signature “leaning

own geographic area.

“Wherever a guy lives is wherever we’ll service,” he said. “Our goal is to keep our employees in the area where they live.”

“I developed an app that runs the whole business,” Stevens said. “It cuts the actual overhead 30 percent. You don’t need dispatchers. You don’t need phone call takers.” billyGO opened up it’s “doors” only recently - September 1st, 2018. In these few months, there have been over 1,600 downloads of the app within Stevens’ target area of a 15-mile radius.

Stevens had been retired for the past six years. Before that, he was the owner of Berkey’s Plumbing. While he enjoyed spending quality time with his kids durcontinued on Page 16

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hen Milt Krueger suffered a stroke and was taken to the hospital in 1983, Randall Hughes knew exactly what to do. He gathered his co-workers at J Mil Sheet Metal Fabricators and instructed them that they must continue to work for their boss’ sake and to treat the situation as if Krueger was simply taking a vacation.

Hughes’ levelheaded advice came from 15 years of previous experience at Brandt Engineering, where he had worked since he was 17 as a journeyman, a foreman and then a shop steward.

When Krueger’s health improved and he returned to the office, he was amazed that company had actually performed better in his absence.

Impressed and grateful, he told Hughes

that he would be receiving a bonus.

“I said, ‘Look, I’m just doing my job, that’s what you hired me for,’ but he gave me the bonus,” Hughes remembers with gratitude. “I was always saving money.

He had often wanted to sell the business to me, but I had not ever had the money at the time. The bonus was enough to put a down payment on the business, though, so I gave it right back to him. He actually financed the company for me and that’s how I bought J Mil in 1993.”

Humble – and not wanting to mess with a good thing when he saw one – Hughes kept the company name just as it was.

“I didn’t change the name because J Mil had a good reputation,” Hughes says. continued on Page 16

Signature daycare blocks” – colored blocks of EIFS with letters and numbers supporting the entry canopy on both sides. Everyone enters under the sign featuring “Bubbles” the elephant over the tag line “Academy for Early Education.”

Hanover Property Company, the owner, insisted on upgrading the hardy board to brick and stone to match the amenities in their adjacent centers. While the upgrades on the exteriors do not contribute to educating the kids, the extra money paid dividends with drive up appeal and the opening enrollments.

Interior materials are traditional wood stud framing, drywall partitions and acoustical ceilings. Then the TLE features kick in with multi-colored walls and flooring materials, the Make-Believe Boulevard and custom logos on the floor tile at Main Street and at the front entry.

Separate classrooms are specifically The Learning Experience, Mansfield, TX

continued on Page 16

Page 2

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

Making a comeback

Get those shutters up

Pam and Jeff Varnell, owners of Shutter Up Quick and Coppell Realty

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Joe Cowan, Dallas salesrep

he 2008 recession was not kind to the construction industry. Many companies succumbed to its affects. Once such company was ICM – Improved Construction Methods.

ICM was a thriving business before the recession in several markets in Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. Unfortunately, ICM’s Dallas facility fell prey to the recession’s grasp, but a new life has been breathed back into the Dallas market and ICM is working its way back to life.

ICM decided to re-open its Dallas branch a little over a year ago. Seeing that the market was coming alive again, Bruce McFadden, founder and president of ICM, knew it was time to get back in the saddle.

The new location, located on Hwy. 360 in Grand Prairie, is centrally located to serve the Dallas and Fort Worth areas.

Forty-eight years ago when ICM first started, manholes were comprised of brick and mortar. ICM brought to the marketplace forms for cast-in-place man-

holes. Today, the precast manhole has become the predominant manhole. The precast manhole is a precast pipe that is set in place as the contractor lays pipe.

“Manholes are a necessary evil,” says McFadden. “Precast manholes are better for the contractor because they need to get the pipe laid. That’s where they really make their money. Setting a precast manhole allows them to move faster.”

“ICM is continuously on the lookout for new products and methods to assist contractors,” adds CEO Harry Bell.

They’ve developed a system for pumping grout in the joints and recoating manholes. In addition, ICM now offers a wide array of products in underground tools and products, above-ground products and equipment, survey equipment, GPSGIS mapping equipment along with specialty items for testing pipe, hydrostatic testing and vacuum testing.

ICM – Improved Construction Methods is a manufacturer and supplier of construction tools, methods and equipment. –cmw

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very house needs windows. And every window needs shutters, right? If so, then ask Jeff Varnell, whose wife Pam owns Shutter Up Quick, to get them for you.

Jeff owns Coppell Realty. It was through his real estate business that they got into the window treatment business.

When things were slow during the 2008-era economic slowdown, Jeff and Pam started flipping houses to generate income. “We were doing Chip and JoJo kind of stuff before there was a Chip and JoJo,” he said.

To make the houses more sellable, Jeff would install nice plantation shutters. It worked. Then more people asked him to install plantation shutters in their homes. So much so, that Pam suggested that they open a window treatment business of their own. Jeff said okay, but since I have the real estate business, you open the window business.

Pam did in 2008.

The couple found out that “Shutter Up” was already taken by a company in Florida. They were musing: “Shutter Up

Now…Shutter Up In a Hurry.” No, that’s not it. Then their son came up with, “Shutter Up Quick.” That’s it!

While his and her companies are separate, Jeff does all the sales and measuring of the blinds for Shutter Up Quick, while Pam runs everything else. “I handle the front end,” he said, while “she handles all the back end.”

Jeff has seven real estate agents working for him, so he’s always free to meet with a client - both commercial and residential - to begin the process.

“We’re very customer service friendly,” Jeff said. The entire Varnell clan has helped with getting the orders made and installed. For smaller orders, Jeff and a helper will do it. For larger orders, they use an installation firm.

“We like to move quick,” Jeff said.

You know, that sounds like a good name for a business. “Shutter Up When We Get Around To It” just doesn’t work.

Shutter Up Quick sounds better for an HGTV show anyway.

Shutter Up Quick is a window treatment company in Coppell. -dsz

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

Page 3

Band of brothers

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Different city view

L-R: Jason McCord, Denise McCord and Ted Wilson of Brothers B&B Contracting

ome brothers just don’t get along.

Cain and Able come to mind. Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers isn’t on the best of terms with his younger sibling, Jordan.

However, brothers Jason McCord and Ted Wilson not only get along, they are co-owners of Brothers B&B Contracting (BBB) and make it work.

BBB was founded by father Bob McCord in 1985. Bob’s partner was also a Bob, hence the original B&B name.

The two Bobs parted ways in 1989 when they had different visions for the company, with Dad Bob buying out his partner but retaining the name.

Dad Bob was planning on retiring and folding up the tent, when Ted, who had been raised in the construction world, thought otherwise. He said to Dad Bob, “I think I can do this. Would you be fine with me continuing the business?”

He said yes.

Jason was building custom homes during this time and approached Jason with the idea of him joining the team as a partner. The two brothers agreed on the deal, and B&B Contracting became Brothers B&B Contracting in 2008.

“That was 10 years ago and we’ve been going strong ever since,” Ted said.

The two lads weren’t especially close growing up. Jason was in Arkansas and Ted in Dallas. And, there is a 10-year gap in age, Jason being the elder of the two.

Given enough factors to make working together very difficult, how did the boys make it work?

One thing they did was to take a personality profile to see how each one was wired.

“That was the first time I could understand why Ted is hardwired the way he is,” Jason said. The both could understand the other. “It changed everything,” Jason continued. “We’re closer now than we’ve ever been.”

That may be fine on a personable level, but when it comes to running a forprofit business, that can be a whole ‘nother matter.

Correction In January’s edition, in the story “Everything from A to X” (A & X Masonry), we incorrectly wrote, “Alonzo Andrade.” It should have been, “Alonzo Perez.” We regret the mistake. -dsz

Jason and Ted are 50-50 owners of BBB. However, as Jason explained, “It’s almost like we’re two separate companies but we’re functioning under one umbrella. We each have our own client base.”

“We have equal roles within the company,” Ted said. “We’re both salesmen.

We’re both project managers. We pretty much run in our own lanes. If I find a project that more’s suited to Jason, I’ll just pass it on to him.”

This division of labor/projects started at the beginning of BBB. When the pair took over from Dad Bob, they inherited his client base. “There were people that Ted worked with and they loved him,” Jason said, “and there were people that I worked with and they loved me.”

The two work for the common cause of the company, but they work best independently.

When it comes to the big picture of BBB and how it runs, Jason and Ted make it work. They have a yearly planning session where they set goals, vision and culture; then they go forth.

“We don’t do tiebreakers,” Ted said.

“We’re both open to each other’s side.

We’ve never gotten to the point in 10 years where we needed a tiebreaker.”

Jason and Ted channel their distinct personalities and skills into a unified whole.

That, in turn, has produced a company that is firing on all its cylinders. So much so, that the brothers have ample time to take off and indulge their hobbies of traveling (Jason) and rock-climbing (Ted).

“The company takes over [and runs itself] because of the system we have set in place,” Ted said.

“It’s been an amazing journey for us,” Jason said. “It’s really worked out well for us.”

Jason and Ted are proof that two siblings can do it right. By using each one’s strengths, they have produced the synergy to be successful. If only Cain and Able had gotten along, they might have actually accomplished something.

Brothers B&B Contracting runs its ops out of Grand Prairie. -dsz

Dallas H Fort Worth

Editors

Daniel Zulli Reesa Doebbler

Contributing Editors

Melissa Jones-Meyer Jesse Abercrombie

Ann Keil

DFW Area Counties Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties.

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HAPPY

Valentines Day!

L

as Vegas and its Strip were where Cody Treese and Adam Boyd worked many rolled dice ago. They first started working together more than 10 years ago for a construction company that did site construction on hotels. But when the all-too-familiar recession hit, everything being built in Vegas died.

“No one was building anymore.

People were losing jobs and homes,” recalled Treese.

Treese and Boyd were then both relocated to Dallas. Treese was a project manager and Boyd was a general superintendent; both were managing projects such as Klyde Warren Park.

“Adam was the superintendent for the new Baylor University football stadium in Waco,” shared Treese, who went back to school and got an MBA from Southern Methodist University. With things moving in motion versus standing still in Las Vegas, Treese and Boyd felt that there was no recession happening with construction in Texas.

After the initial relocation to Dallas, Treese went to work for a primarily highend residential company as a senior project manager and chief estimator.

Next, he moved back into the commercial market and worked for Metric Concrete as a project manager.

“I managed the concrete at The Star in Frisco,” said Treese, who also was part of the renovation of the Thanksgiving Tower in downtown Dallas.

Remarkably, Treese and Boyd didn’t think of doing this in Las Vegas, but the two ultimately combined their knowledge and expertise and went into business together. In 2016, Treese was still a full-time employee with Metric, but he was part-timing with Boyd, who spent his full time invested in the launch of their new business, J. Cordell Inc. As of August 2018, Treese became full time with J. Cordell.

But, who is J. Cordell?

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Adam Boyd and Cody Treese, founders of J. Cordell Inc.

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Well, that’s easy. It is Cody J. Treese and Adam Cordell Boyd. The two founders put their two middle names together after trying other suitable names.

“For some reason, people have told us that it sounds prestigious,” joked Treese.

The company is primarily a landscape and irrigation company, but their expertise is in site construction. They offer different commercial and residential services pertaining to each market. J. Cordell is a fully licensed irrigator.

The commercial services typically used are landscape and irrigation, plus miscellaneous services such as drainage. On the residential side, their work caters to high-end residential projects doing site work, concrete, walls and ornamental fencing to name a few. Treese breaks it down and says they do decorative concrete, site concrete and paving.

J. Cordell employs 19, with one maintenance crew and three construction crews. They also carry five service trucks that service all throughout the DFW Metroplex.

“By the end of 2018, we are now doing approximately $2 million a year in revenue,” said Treese.

With the overall combined experience the two founders have in site construction, they look forward to this year.

“We are going to be doing the Medical City Behavioral Health expansion in McKinney this upcoming year,” shared Treese.

Treese and Boyd are now part of the construction industry in Texas and plan to stay here, too. Even though they started a working relationship in Las Vegas, they have managed to transition to the Texas market. Vegas can keep their dice. Viva Las Metroplex!

J. Cordell Inc. is a full service commercial and residential landscaping, irrigation, drainage and concrete subcontractor in Plano. –lv

Page 4

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

work in the field and get jobs on the books to have in the future; it was a challenge. Money went fast and it was a struggle. Plus, I had my wife and son to support.

Coty Owens

Managing member Coty Owens Electric Service LLC Hurst, TX

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oty Owens has worked in the electrical trade his entire adult life, and he considers it years well lived. The managing member of Coty Owens Electrical Service LLC, Owens has built a business in which he takes enormous pride, and hopes to continue serving the metroplex.

Share about your background and how you were introduced to the electrical industry.

I grew up in Brady, TX out in the hill country. When I graduated high school at 18, a guy who was looking for an electrician’s helper came through town. I hired on with him doing work on a Dollar General store in Brady. When he finished that store, I left and worked for another company called Owens Electric out of Brady for about a year. Then, the guy I had worked for at the Dollar General called me; he was doing some Walmart stores in Louisiana. I was looking for any reason to leave Brady, so I took off and went to Louisiana. I worked for him for about a year but got tired of traveling. I then moved to Fort Worth where my dad was already working. I went to work for a company for about six years and that’s where I got my journeyman’s and masters. I started my company, Coty Owens Electric, at age 26 in 2002.

How was the transition from employee to owner?

It was scary. This was right after 9/11 and everything had slowed down. I started with one employee and I was trying to

How did you push through that challenge?

I put in a lot of hours, tried networking every which way I could, trying to meet people and builders. A lot of our work is on the west side of Fort Worth.

We do a lot of high-end residential custom work, and I was fortunate enough to get in with some of the builders over there who really took a chance on me early on and gave me a chance to prove myself and it paid off. As I proved myself, of course, the business grew. We were able to add some more employees; it started gaining some traction and took off.

After the economic aftermath of 9/11, did you face any other major challenges?

The economic decline of 2008 was a shocker; that definitely posed a challenge. We were fortunate enough that, with the type of work that we do, things definitely slowed down but we never laid anybody off. I’m proud to say to this day we’ve never laid anybody off. But there were some major struggles during that time trying to keep the business going and keep business running through here.

That was probably worse than starting the business immediately after 9/11.

How many employees do you have now?

We have about 23 employees. I’m lucky to work with my dad Eddie, my wife Beth and my mother-in-law Ellen Johnson. I’m also fortunate to work with my nephew Logan Owens, who is a field tech, and another nephew, Colton Little.

It’s awesome. There has never been a conflict; everything meshes.

Besides my family working here, a lot of my employees have been here for a long time. What we try to cultivate here is quite literally a family culture. We all get along very well. I’m concerned about my employees and they’re concerned about me in my daily life. When I’m away from them, or if I go on vacation for any period of time, I miss my employees. And because we are kind of a family culture, there’s a lot of trust with my employees. I trust them, and they do what I ask of them; if they can’t they let me know.

Who has served as your most influential mentor?

Probably my dad has mentored me more than anybody else. I run just about every decision I make about this company through him first and get his advice.

Sometimes I take it and sometimes I don’t, but I run everything through my dad. I think he’s been instrumental in helping me build this company and making it what it is.

Beth and Coty Owens

What plans do you have for the future of the company?

I’d like to continue to grow the business and continue to take on employees and train them. We’re members of the Independent Electrical Contractors Association (IEC) so almost all of my apprentices go through the IEC program’s school. I like that; I think we produce great electricians through the IEC and I’d like to continue that.

What has been your involvement with the IEC? I’ve served as president of IEC Fort Worth/Tarrant County and I’ve served as president of IEC Texas in Austin. Through the IEC, I’ve been able to network and meet a lot of fantastic contractors. Being new in business, when you have struggles or questions, most of these contractors are just a phone call away and they’re always more than happy to help you if you’re struggling with a decision or need some advice. That’s been fantastic. What the IEC has done has helped in training my employees and I think that’s one of the reasons we’re able to do so well, is because we have fantastic electricians that are very thoroughly trained. I think the IEC has done more for me than I could ever do for the IEC. Share a bit about your family.

I’ve been married to Beth for nearly 18 years. Beth is from Brady as well. We went to the same school, but we were two years apart, so we didn’t really connect until we each independently moved to Fort Worth. She’s one of the strongest, most fearless people I know. A few years ago, she had a heart and a kidney transplant. I also have one son who lives down in Brady, but he’s not in the electrical trade at all.

I have a Red Heeler, Chelsea, and a Cowboy Corgi, Cassie, which we just got.

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of a Cowboy Corgi, but they are part Blue Heeler and part Corgi, and she is fun! She

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is about 6 months old, and every time I’m around her, I laugh. She’s all puppy. She leaves March 1 to go to what I call a “boot camp” for a month.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I have some land down in Brady; I go down there pretty often. I like to deer hunt in Brady and I like playing golf up here, especially at The Resort in north Fort Worth.

Is your game pretty good?

No, it’s horrible! A good day is breaking 100, but I have a good time doing it. I had a guy tell me once that you can be good in business or good at golf but you’ll never be good at both at the same time!

Is there anything you would like to try to do more of?

I would like to travel more. As it is, we haven’t taken a vacation in a couple of years of any substance. I would like to start getting the company into a better position where I can start traveling some more. We love Hawaii; we’ve been four times and that’s our place to go.

Do you think you will always work in this field?

There’s no doubt. I love the electrical trade. It’s constantly evolving; there is always something different. One of the things I like about this trade and being in business is meeting the different people, being out in the field, and shaking people’s hands. I love that.

Also, technology is constantly evolving! If I were to ever step back for a year and then try to step back into it, I think I’d be lost.

I don’t see myself doing anything different. This is what I chose to do at an early age and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.

Subcontractor Coty Owens Electric Service LLC in Hurst works on commercial and residential projects. –mjm

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

Page 5

Utility contractors bust clays

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he National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) held their annual sporting clay shoot at Defender Outdoor Clay Sports Ranch in west Fort Worth.

The association occupied two courses and presented awards for first and second place team as well as “dead ass” last to the shooter with the lowest score.

In addition, they held their annual flurry at the end and had a three-way tie with two winners each. –cmw

Called upon

Ranch Course winners: 1st Place: Burnsco with score of 369 2nd Place: United Rentals with score of Top Independent Shooter: Michael Ferguson, Core & Main, score of 97 Cowtown Course winners: 1st Place: U.S. Shoring & Equipment with score of 342 2nd Place: Standard Utility and Construction. score of 337 Top Independent Shooter: Jim Loving, U.S. Shoring & Equipment, score of 95.

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Ranch Course Top Shooter

Cowtown Course Top Shooter

1st Place Ranch Course winning team

1st Place Cowtown Course winning team

Flurry winners: Greg Miller and Cain Montgomery

Flurry winners: Weldon Wilson and Donald Wilson

Flurry winners: Levi Ellis and Michael Johnson

Mike Parsons of Parsons Welding Services

hen Mike Parsons was young, he was the kind of kid all of the teachers called on – but not for answers to Geometry or History questions. The teachers at his Lewisville high school often called on Parsons to repair their torn-up motorcycles (and one teacher’s race car) and fix broken items on campus.

Parsons had earned a reputation for his welding skills even before he was legally allowed to work.

“My favorite uncle when I was a kid was a welder and he got me really interested in it,” Parsons explains. “He had a nice shop at his house, and I was always fascinated by the fact that he could build almost anything you wanted.

He introduced me to stick welding when I was about 8 years old. I’ve been interested in it from then on.”

Being raised in a rural town that encouraged industrial arts, Parsons took welding and woodworking classes in the 8th grade, followed by three years of machine welding classes in high school (the school allowed him to take an extra year of classes due to his high skill level).

In addition to school-related welding, he built grass wagon water tanks for the Highland Village Fire Department where his dad was as a fire chief.

As a senior, he scored a welding job for a small company through his school’s industrial cooperative training program.

By age 18, he was the company’s foreman and night shift supervisor. From there, we applied his welding skills on microwave telecommunication antennas and in the oil and medical equipment fields. Finally, in 2001, he struck out on his own and

established Parsons Welding Services.

That’s when he almost struck out.

“I opened my business in early September of 2001,” he says. “Little did I know that nine days later, we were going to have 9/11, and that pretty much shut down the manufacturing for six months.

Everyone was just on hold for a while. I think I just quoted jobs until they started pouring back in. It was a very inopportune time to open my business, but I suffered through it and I’m still here!”

Eighteen years later, the only other major challenge he has faced has been honing his salesmanship.

“I think the toughest thing for me is that I’m not a salesman,” Parsons admits.

“I’m a welder and fabricator and I really enjoy my craft, but I’m not really good at getting out there and selling it. That’s been a big issue for me, as I have had to constantly find new customers as clients’ businesses go under. Last time I counted, I think 18 businesses went under. It’s been pretty tough to hang in there. I have to be pretty diversified on what I can weld. That’s kept me busy and has kept it interesting.”

Fortunately, his work specializing in high tolerance parts speaks for itself.

“I weld mostly by appointment only, and people mostly find out about me by word of mouth,” he says.

Parsons still continues to be called on and hopes that never changes.

“At this point, I’m 60 years old, so I just keep hoping that we’ll stay busy,” he says. “I have no big retirement, and so I’m going to hope that phone keeps ringing.”

Parsons Welding Services is located in Lewisville. –mjm

Page 6

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

W hat’s Trending in

George of the construction jungle

Cabinetry

Things to consider before making cabinet decisions Edmund Noel

A

s with all aspects of construction, each year we start seeing new market trends in cabinetry design involving everything from materials to finishes to hardware. Changes in cabinetry trends evolve at a slower pace than other areas like color trends but are yet identifiable. Due to the investment involved with cabinetry, many property owners don’t plan on altering their cabinets every few years in order to stay current. It is our responsibility as cabinet manufacturers to stay up to date on what is happening in the current market in order to provide our clients with long lasting designs. These are some recent areas we have seen changes.

New Design Construction With new cabinet design software programs, many cabinet companies can offer design options that were once only provided by larger companies and design firms. For example, we have been asked to customize drawers that fit specific printers, cabinets built around machinery specifications, and custom appliance pull outs. All of these customizations are not only for residential clients but also commercial clients. It is an excellent way for companies to effectively utilize their space while keeping the style of the cabinets in line with the overall aesthetic of the project. Additionally, many aspects of residential cabinet design can also be seen in commercial cabinetry.

This is evidenced through the market trend of creating furniture style pieces and combining these with the utilitarian aspects of typical commercial cabinets.

The key being bringing in an elevated sense of finish with a higher customization at minimal expense.

clean lines, are also finding their way back in to modern residential kitchens. To complement this cabinet style, minimalistic hardware like hidden hinges and thumb pulls are being used. This clean line aesthetic is trending not only for cost conscious clients but for high end contemporary homes as well.

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Forefront of Color

Color trends are ever changing in design. Warm natural colors are being used more frequently in place of cool greys.

Additionally, dark and heavy wood tones have made way for medium tone stains to add a modern feel to professional environments. Subsequently, this has changed the materials and finishes of the countertops and hardware. The current warm color palettes are allowing for the use of different metals, like brass in place of nickel, as well as a variety of quartzes in place of grey and white marble. The cabinet hardware is as important to your finished look as the paint color. Recent years have seen a resurgence in brass fixtures and hardware. This is not the old shiny brass from the 1980s, but instead is reminiscent of classic architecture seen throughout Europe, filled with unlacquered brass that patinas with age. The classic feel of unlacquered brass, combined with current color trends allows for a long-lasting design.

Although changes in trends may seem overwhelming, utilizing new technology to create custom cabinets to fit one’s specific needs will always result in a timeless product. Colors and hardware will evolve and change but functionality for the end user never goes out of style, so we believe it is essential to build cabinetry that can withstand the test of time.

Clean lines for Sophisticated Products Commercial cabinetry has always taken a more modern approach, utilizing frameless design and high performance formica or melamine products. Residential construction has seen a recent resurgence in this aesthetic in kitchens and bathrooms. Where we were once doing lots of ornate columns and crown molding, there are now simple shaker doors and inset cabinets. The use of Formica and Malamine, with their durability and

Author Edmund Noel is President of Memorial Cabinetry in Houston Texas. Memorial Cabinetry specializes in custom cabinetry for commercial and residential builders. Their design department and manufacturing facilities utilize cutting edge software along with time tested construction techniques to provide a superior product.

10801 Hammerly Blvd., Suite 118 Houston, TX 77043 832-453-2366 edmund@memorialcabinetry.com

GSR Construction owner George San Roman at the Austin Build Expo.

rossing state lines is the road George San Roman took with his involvement in the construction industry. San Roman came back to his home state of Texas three years ago after nearly 15 years in California, but he had a good reason. San Roman moved back to Texas “to take care of family matters,” since, as he would tell you, “family comes first.”

San Roman established a general contracting company about 16 years ago in California. But, when he moved back to the Lone Star State, he established and became the owner of GSR Construction in 2017. GSR Construction is a full-service general contracting company that offers remodeling services and specializes in kitchens and bathrooms.

“We work with a lot of local builders.

We are doing their trim work, granite, tile and the bathrooms and kitchens,” said San Roman. “We’ve been doing a lot of multifamily units.”

GSR Construction is based out of Waxahachie and services the entire DFW Metroplex. However, San Roman says

they will be working all over the country.

“We are getting contracts where we will be the only contractor in the United States to do a new restaurant chain based out of Sacramento, CA called The Waffle Experience. We are going to be doing all their build outs in the United States,” explained San Roman. “The first two are already located in Sacramento and there are two more going in Ventura, CA, and then the other ones will be located here in the DFW area.” Look out waffle lovers!

GSR employs a total of seven, and all of San Roman’s crews are vetted through a background check. GSR also offers worker’s compensation.

The drive San Roman has for the construction industry started when his family members introduced him to the trades.

San Roman has since been involved with electrical, plumbing and roofing and has instilled within in his company the fact that family comes first.

GSR Construction is a general contractor based in Waxahachie. –lv

Quality service

Charles Barnaby, owner of Barnaby Heating & Air, center (holding Indiana Jones Barnaby), with office manager Juli Cordray (left) and field tech Jodie Robinson (right).

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harles Barnaby learned years ago: “About 84 percent of the population will pay a little more for good service.”

As owner of Barnaby Heating & Air, Barnaby has been at his trade for a good spell now. Even as a certified Amana installer, he does all makes and models of AC units.

“An air conditioner is an air conditioner,” he said. “If it’s installed right, they last.

If not, they won’t. The biggest problem with an air conditioner is the guy who put it in.”

Bottom line: Barnaby says he does it right the first time. He runs a small outfit - only three other techs - and doesn’t mind if he got bigger, but he won’t if he had to sacrifice quality. “As long as it’s quality expansion,” he said, “I have no problem with it. The quality is more important than the quantity.”

Barnaby is a big proponent of the service contract, recognizing that regular maintenance is key to a system’s longevity.

He is also adamant when asked what

the number one problem homeowners make: they don’t change the filter. He says it’s like trying to breathe through a straw.

Even with the ebb and flow of the year’s temperatures, Barnaby said, “We’ve been around long enough that word of mouth keeps us steady.”

The big technological happenings in the AC world are inverter technology as well as home automation.

Another big change since he first started out is the customers. They are more demanding now for instant service.

Barnaby laughs when he says, “When I started, you didn’t have anybody call you on the weekends, wanting you to run a service call. Now, they all want to call you in the middle of the night.”

Losing one’s air conditioning in Dallas in the middle of the summer does qualify as a national disaster. Good thing we have folks like Barnaby to answer the call. Just remember to change your filter first.

Barnaby Heating & Air is a furnace and air conditioning repair contractor in Dallas.

-dsz

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

Page 7

Passing down your family business

Third Party Over Actions required by written contract

Steven Bankler, Owner Steven Bankler, CPA, Ltd. San Antonio TX

Charles E. Comiskey Sr. Vice President Brady Chapman Holland & Associates, Inc. Houston, TX

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ast month we talked about retiring from your business and the succession planning it requires. This month, I’d like to focus on keeping the business in the family. Is it your dream to pass your business down to a son, daughter or another family member? Maybe your dream is for several heirs to one day run the business together?

There are ways to do it, even if some heirs are active in the business and others aren’t. The trick is to institute safeguards that maximize the probability of the business succeeding after your exit. Those details can be outlined in a succession plan that can be crafted with a professional.

Let’s discuss the following hypothetical situation: Your daughter works in the business and plays a special role in keeping the business thriving on a day-to-day basis while your son has a career outside the business. You believe that you want to pass the business to them both. However, you should consider the following first: 1. Should the daughter (the active heir) have full authority for “normal business operations” but allow the son to have input on major business decisions?

2. How will she be compensated?

Depending on the business structure, an active owner or “operator” of the business may prefer to be paid wages which may allow her to qualify for employee benefits or to take a distribution priority, which might be taxed at a lower rate due to the new Qualified Business Deduction.

3. If the two owners, then, are paid differently, will the wages and benefits paid to the “operator” be fair and reasonable?

4. When and how is the son (the passive heir) rewarded for business success? What is his contribution to that success? If he’s capable of performing services for the company and can be compensated for his efforts, can the company still succeed and incur these additional expenses?

5. Who is going to be the “controlling” shareholder? If they are both 50% owners, decisions may be stalled if there is a difference of opinion. If that happens, how do you protect the minority owner from the possible tyranny of the majority owner? Do you establish a Board of Directors to oversee the operations and protect the interest of the shareholders?

6. Sooner or later the heirs will want

to sell (maybe at retirement, maybe sooner). Is the business organized in an efficient way to maximize the proceeds of a sale? Who can make these decisions and how will they decide? Will there be a buy-sell option so either heir can buy the other out fairly?

7. Is the business protected from the heirs’ creditors? Most owners organize a business to prevent business creditors from going after their personal assets, but the reverse can happen, too.

Personal debt and divorce can complicate matters very quickly, putting the business at risk.

Then there’s this realization: What if none of your heirs want, or are capable of taking on, the business? A well-planned succession plan can cover that scenario, too. You could suggest a CEO or a management company/partner (depending on your business structure) from outside the family, with your heirs maintaining ownership. Many family businesses have found that executive leadership from outside the family is the glue that holds the business together.

These and numerous other issues need to be confronted, discussed, and included in a comprehensive exit plan. You don’t have a crystal ball but, with the assistance of qualified professionals who are knowledgeable about exit planning, your succession plan can be a safety net that can help guide the business through a successful transition.

Steven Bankler has more than 40 years of experience in the accounting industry.

Steven’s expertise lies in consulting, planning, tax, and asset protection as well as exit strategy services for closely held businesses. He also provides litigation support (both as a testifying expert witness and a consulting expert), business negotiations and estate planning. Visit www.bankler. com for additional tax strategy tips and to learn more about Steven Bankler, CPA, Ltd.

May I help you?

Front Desk, VBX Home Office, San Antonio L-R: Delilah Coker and Marissa Chambers

hat is one of the most common types of construction claim arising from on-going operations? It’s called a “third party over action”. As an example, subcontractor’s employee is injured on the job, makes a workers’ compensation claim, but is dissatisfied with the benefits provided. Subcontractor’s employee is prohibited from suing his/her employer due to the exclusive remedy rule of workers’ compensation, so that employee sues the upstream contractor. As the lawsuit is against the upstream contractor only, this is by definition an allegation of sole negligence. That does not mean that the upstream was solely at fault, but is the only party being sued.

Contractor’s agreement with subcontractor states that subcontractor will defend, indemnify and hold contractor harmless for injuries to subcontractor’s employees, so contractor forwards the lawsuit to subcontractor to answer and defend. Where is the coverage for this petition potentially provided? Under the subcontractor’s general liability coverage.

In a standard GL policy, subcontractor’s general liability insurance says: “This insurance does not apply to (e) Employer’s Liability, ‘bodily injury’ to an employee of the insured arising out of an in the course of employment by the insured”.

So coverage is excluded, right? But the coverage form goes on to state: “This exclusion does not apply to liability assumed by the insured under an ‘insured contract’” (a series of definitions in a GL policy). This exception to the exclusion does not provide coverage for the injury to the employee, but instead provides coverage for the contractual assumption of this risk.

What if the form instead said: “This insurance does not apply to (e) Employer’s Liability, ‘bodily injury’ to an employee of any insured arising out of and in the course of employment by the insured”?

Did you catch the change? It’s subtle, just substituting just one word – “any” instead of “the” – but hardly insignificant.

The effect is that coverage for a third party over action is no longer provided to any insured.

Not as subtle but equally devastating, many insurance companies simply delete the exception to the exclusion, again resulting in a loss of coverage for a third party over action for any insured. In either case, now both the upstream contractor and the downstream subcontractor have real problems and are headed toward litigation.

There are also two standard exclusions that may affect coverage for the as-

sumption of risk in any indemnity agreement. The first is called an “Amendment of Insured Contract Definition”, which limits coverage by referring to “that part of any other contract or agreement pertaining to your business … under which you assume the tort liability of another party to pay for the ‘bodily injury’ or ‘property damage’ to a third party provided the ‘bodily injury’ or ‘property damage’ is caused, in whole or in part, by the [the Named Insured] or those acting on [the Named Insured’s] behalf.”

The effect? Contractual liability coverage is now provided only to the extent that the subcontractor was wholly or partially was negligent. Coverage is no longer extended to the upstream contractor for its independent sole actions, again eliminating coverage for a third party over action lawsuit. This is ISO CG 24 26 04 13 and should be avoided if the transfer of sole negligence is required.

The second standard endorsement affecting the contractual assumption of liability is called a “Contractual Liability Limitation Endorsement”, and “limitation” is an understatement. This completely deletes that portion of the definition of “Insured Contract” that provides coverage for the assumption of negligence in a construction agreement. This is ISO 21 39 10 93 and is one of worst endorsements in the insurance industry.

Endorsements like these limit the coverage provided for the contractual assumption of liability in spite of what the construction agreement may require.

This may lead to the downstream party being found to be in breach of contract, for which no insurance is provided.

Charles E. Comiskey, CPCU, CIC, CPIA, CRM, PWCA, CRIS, CCM, CMIP Sr. Vice President Brady Chapman Holland & Assoc., 10055 West Gulf Bank • Houston, TX 77040 713-688-1500 Charles.Comiskey@bch-insurance.com

In-tent-sional celebration

On December 21, 2018, SFS Security Fire Systems, Inc staff and crew held their Christmas luncheon at their new office in Coppell. The team surprised President/CEO Mike Alexander with a large tent that now has the company logo on it. “We’ve had so much fun in our new office and we are truly blessed. 2019 will be full of new endeavors and will be very exciting,” said accounting manager Melissa Wimbish. -lv

Page 8

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

Emerging risk—Misappropriation of pay application proceeds under a factoring agreement Gregory Franklin, Construction Litigation Attorney Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. Austin, TX

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he explosion of factors in the construction industry has exposed a legislative gap in the Texas Construction Trust Fund Act (the “Act”). The Texas Legislature created the Act as a remedial measure to ensure that contractors, subcontractors, and materialman are paid for their work to improve real property. The Act imposes a fiduciary duty on contractors and subcontractors who are paid directly under a construction contract. These contractors and subcontractors are trustees who must hold payments in trust for the beneficiary—the artisan, laborer, mechanic, contractor, subcontractor, or materialman who labors or furnishes material for the construction or repair of real property.

What happens when the trustee misappropriates trust funds by assigning pay application proceeds to a factoring company? What is the legal recourse for the beneficiaries? The Act provides civil and criminal penalties for trustees who misappropriate funds under the Act. However from a practical standpoint, it may be very difficult for the beneficiary to recover the funds it’s owed. Factors are often lenders of last resort for contractors who are in immediate need of capital. By the time the beneficiary files suit for the breach of fiduciary duty, the contractor/trustee will likely already be defunct.

The beneficiary will be tempted to recover the funds from the factor. Thus far, such attempts have been unsuccessful. Texas courts have been reluctant to allow the beneficiary to recover from the factor under the Act. Consistently courts have reasoned that factors do not step into the shoes of a contractor/trustee by virtue of the assignment. The Act limits the fiduciary duty to a contractor, subcontractor, or to an officer, director, or agent of a contractor or subcontractor. The fiduciary duty does not extend to factors. Nonetheless, the courts understand that this limitation frustrates the purpose of the Act. Until the Texas Legislature amends the Act to fill in the statutory gap, unpaid beneficiaries under the Act remain at risk of nonpayment when the trustee misappropriates trust fund proceeds by assigning them to factors. An amendment to the Act imposing a fiduciary duty on factors will likely have unintended consequences such as drying up funding sources for contractors who are unable to access funds from traditional sources.

However, a contractors’ ability to secure funding from a factor should not come at the increased risk to those who should be protected under the Act. At a minimum, the Texas Legislature should consider imposing a notice requirement

whereby factors are mandated to disclose pay application assignments to beneficiaries of the Act. Disclosures detailing the assignment’s impact to the beneficiaries’ ability to recover funds under the Act will allow the beneficiaries to take the necessary steps to mitigate their risk.

Consult with your lawyer prior to signing a construction contract if you are beneficiary under the Act and you suspect that the contractor may not be adequately capitalized. This will allow you to be proactive in protecting the proceeds from your pay applications. Although incorporating anti-assignment clauses for pay application proceeds may be void under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, there are other contractual mechanisms to help protect your interest. Consider incorporating a contractual provision requiring disclosure for pay application proceeds assignments. It would also be good practice for a beneficiary to require a third-party guarantor if the pay application proceeds are assigned and the contractor defaults on its financial obligations.

In summary, the Texas Legislature has not kept up with the realities of the current construction industry where contractors have increased their reliance on factors to supplement capitalization. The Act’s current statutory gaps leave beneficiaries at risk without recourse when a contractor/trustee assigns pay applications proceeds to a factor. Until the gap is closed, beneficiaries will have to be proactive by implementing contractual safeguards to help mitigate their financial risk and improve chances of recovery in case of default.

Gregory Franklin is an attorney in the Dallas office of Munsch Hardt. His practice focuses on construction litigation and his primary focus is to help his clients solve problems that threaten their business in a practical and efficient manner.

Valentines Day Thursday February 15

OSHA electronic injury reporting Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

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n 2017, OSHA began collecting OSHA 300A data from employers that are required to maintain the OSHA injury illness log and have 20 or more employees. Employers in certain NAICS codes who must submit data electronically are listed here: https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/NAICScodesforelectronicsubmission.html OSHA is currently accepting OSHA 300A submissions for calendar year 2018 data. March 2, 2019, is the deadline for electronically reporting your OSHA Form 300A data for calendar year 2018. OSHA began collecting electronic submissions on January 2, 2019.

OSHA is only accepting the OSHA 300A Summary of Occupational injury and Illnesses data. OSHA is not collecting the OSHA 300 log data or the OSHA 301 data, as was initially proposed in the changes to the recordkeeping rule in 2016.

OSHA has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to amend its recordkeeping regulation to remove the requirement to electronically submit to OSHA information from the OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and OSHA Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report The online reporting injury tracking application can be accessed on the OSHA website at: https://www.osha.gov/injuryreporting/

OSHA requires employers with more than 10 workers in certain industries to maintain the OSHA 300 injury and illness log and record their occupational injuries and illnesses. At the end of the calendar

year, employers total the columns on the OSHA 300 and prepare the summary form, the OSHA 300A. The OSHA 300A form does not include the injured worker’s names, but does include the total number of cases, the total number of days away and restricted days, and the total hours worked by all employees. The records must be maintained at the worksite for at least five years. Each February 1st to April 30th, employers must post a summary of the injuries and illnesses recorded the previous year. Also, if requested, copies of the records must be provided to current and former employees, or their representatives.

OSHA has downloadable versions of the OSHA recordkeeping forms at: https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/ RKforms.html

If an employer is unsure whether an injury meets the criteria for entry on the OSHA 300 log, a handy web application was developed to walk employers through the process: https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/ osharecordkeeping.html natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM VACATION? I would go anywhere in Canada. I’ve been there many times and I would go back because it is beautiful.

Carol Gray AMST A dream vacation to me is just to hang out at my ranch whenever I get an opportunity for several days at a time. It’s in east Texas.

Billy Stevens billyGO Jackson Hole is pretty hard to beat. I’ve never been to Europe. Something about going to Balize and just lying on the beach all day.

Jeffery Presbaugh Aberdeen Custom Gate My dream vacation would be to have all my kids and grandkids together, possibly in Hawaii.

George San Roman GSR Construction When I turn 50 in four years, my goal is to go spend a month in Germany, following my soccer club.

Jason McCord Brothers B & B Contracting In June I’m going to be climbing the nose on El Capitan. That’s a 3,000- foot granite wall and that should take three-four days.

Ted Wilson Brothers B & B Contracting Being a Greek mythology nut, I would like to travel to Greece. I’d like to take in the Acropolis of Athens, the Parthenon, the ancient theater of Epidaurus, the sanctuary of Delphi, ancient Olympia and

various other temples of ancient Greece.

Ebony Cleo Cocker Specialty Contractors Go to Hawaii and just be out in the sun and on the beach.

Laura Ayala Mayan Stucco My dream vacation was Hawaii. I’ve already been there, which was cool.

Charles Barnaby, Barnaby Heating & Air A beautiful, scenic beach vacation in New Zealand.

Jeff Varnell Shutter Up Quick To go on a Disney cruise.

Shelley McClendon CI Pavement I’d say Australia because it is so far away and it is sunny and warm with nice beaches.

Cody Treese J.Cordell Landscape & Irrigation Probably Australia. They have beautiful beaches, beautiful weather. They have a different ecosystem of other places I’ve been to.

Peter Holland Holland Marble My dream vacation would be to escape to Colorado for a week.

Clinton Littlejohn Littlejohn Electrical Solutions I’d like to travel over the rainbow, find that pot of gold and share it with all God’s children.

Oz Guild Yellowbrick Contractors

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

Page 9

Staying focused: Key to success

by Capt. Steve Schultz Sponsored by: Waypoint Marine, Shoalwater Boats, Evinrude Outboards, Fishing Tackle Unlimited, Shimano Reels, E-Z Bel Construction, Costa Sunglasses, Simms Fishing, ForEverlast Fishing Products, PowerPro, Interstate Batteries, MirrOlure, JL Marines Power-Pole, AFW and AFTCO Clothing.

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inter fishing can be both agonizing and rewarding. It takes a special dedication to wake up on a cold winter morning, get out of a warm bed and prepare yourself to brave the harsh elements on the water for a chance to catch a fish or perhaps even get a bite. February is considered to be one of the coldest months here on the coastal bend. Grey skies, stiff north winds and sometimes light mist can makes this captain wonder if a nine to five job isn’t a better option. Not a chance!!! I live for days like this because the rewards far outweigh the displeasures.

Every angler knows that the winter months yield some of the biggest speckled trout of the season in the Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay complex. I’m not saying that’s the only time we catch trophy quality specks. However, they really tend to weigh more than midsummer and fall fish. However, the trophy is in the eye of the beholder. Many avid anglers talk about 30-in. trout being a trophy.

Yes, I agree on this unless I have a client

This time of the year you can expect to catch quality fish on lures like this 27” speck.

Staying focused and having confidence in your plan is key to your success.

This trout was released after photo by Steve Schultz Outdoors.

that catches a 28-in. or 29-in. trout that has never caught anything close to this size, and deemed his personnel best. To me, that’s truly a trophy in his case. I’ve fished with may clients that regret mounting their first trout that fell a little shy of the 30-in. mark. It’s your fish that will hang on your wall, so it’s your call.

Enough said!!

For the remainder of January and the month of February, I certainly will be keying on catching some of these big girls.

Typically, these days are long, especially on colder mornings where it can take several hours for water to start warming up enough to get these fish motivated to eat. Every cast of your lure on every wade can produce a bite that might be the fish you are looking for. Some days we may have to grind it out more than others but that’s part of the game. Staying focused and having confidence in your ability is key to your own success.

New for 2019 is the addition of Shimano and G-Loomis to the sponsor list of Steve Schultz Outdoors. These companies have been around the fishing industry for many years and are considered the cream of the crop. Shimano has what this writer/captain believes are the best reels on the market, by far. They’re selection of baitcast reels is so diverse, there is a reel for every application and every price point. They also have the smoothest and most durable spinning reel on the market that holds up to the harsh saltwater conditions we face. G-Loomis also came aboard and offer some damn fine fishing stix. I am honored to have them on my boat with some of my other key sponsors like Fishing Tackle Unlimited and ForEverlast Fishing Products. Looking forward to fishing with all my fine customers and letting them try these fine products for the 2019 season.

My 2019 fishing calendar is now open. 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 trip give Capt.

Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or email him at SteveSchultzOutdoors@ gmail.com.

Good luck and Good Fishing.

Page 10

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

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

If you are the do-it-yourself type, you need to get ready too! Don’t wait until you try to unload your boat at the ramp to discover it won’t run. Don’t learn you should have respooled your reels with new line when you hear your line snap as you lose a nice fish. You have some time to get the boat checked out and tuned up as needed before the rush and a good excuse to go tackle shopping.

Here comes spring time!

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an you feel it? That sweet little warm breeze on sun warmed skin, the excited twitters and chirps of the birds beginning to move back in and call for mates and the evening sunsets coming later mean winter is losing its grip and spring is near! We will still have a few more cold spells to come, but they won’t bite so much or stay as long.

Your recreational time is precious and it’s worth it to invest a little time and planning to make the most of it! It might be a good idea to be sure your vehicle and trailer and other such equipment are up to snuff too. You don’t want down time or extra unexpected expense when you could be getting away from it all!

We are in for a wonderful spring this year. This is one of those increasingly rare years when there has been plenty of rain to fill lakes, restore rivers and ponds and periodic continuing rain to nourish the wildflowers to maturity. Any day now you can see a few bluebonnets in more protected areas start to bloom, leading off the parade of color to come.

Now I’ll cut to the chase. It’s going to be a BUSY year for travel and recreation this year in Texas and you better be making any reservations for trips you want to make this spring and summer NOW! Spring break is coming soon and that is usually the kick off for people to start getting out and about again.

Looking forward to sprink break

We usually see our regular customers start to book cabins and trips right after the first of the year because they understand getting on the books early for the best availability of dates. This applies to everything from hunting and fishing guides, to lodging, space in the parks and just about anything you want to do.

Do remember that springtime in Texas can be a bit of a wild ride sometimes.

The only bad thing about spring is that the weather can do some crazy things and it doesn’t care what you have planned. You can plan for the best, but it never hurts to also learn about alternate activities in an area you want to visit, just in case the weather has a hissy fit. Most guides and outfitters will do what they can to accommodate you, but if they tell you that conditions are just too windy or rough or unsafe and unproductive, you need to trust their judgement. Chances are they have been caught out in weather like you never want to experience and they hope to never see again!

Springtime in Texas is time to get up and go! Hope to see you soon!

The parade of color to come

Ken Milam Guide Service (325) 379-2051 www.striperfever.com

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!

Send Us your Outdoor Photos of your Outdoor Adventures Sporting • Hiking • Travel Racing • Fishing • Cycling Hunting • HobBIES

Email To: meditor@ constructionnews.net

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

Page 11

Big Fishing!

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ooks like Bruce Weiner, owner of Bruce’s Stone Solutions in Dallas, and friend Kevin Cronin did pretty well on their fishing trip.

Bruce Weiner

Kevin Cronin

Bringing in the holidays with awards

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n Dec. 6, TEXO held their annual Holiday & Awards Gala at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Dallas to honor the hard work and achievements of their members. Awards were presented to winners of the 2018 Distinguished Building Awards and Individual Awards, a silent auction was held benefitting the TEXO Foundation with fun times had by all in attendance. –cmw

Vision Award: Rogers-O’Brien Construction, Legacy West Project

General Superintendent of the Year: Claude Collins, Austin Commercial

Build Texas Proud Award: Skiles Group

L: Lifetime Achievement Award: Preston MacAfee, Rogers-O’Brien Construction R: SIR (Skill, Integrity, Responsibility) Award: John Hinson, Marek

General Safety Professional of the Year: Jared Seago, Turner Construction

Specialty Safety Professional of the Year: David Reese, Polk Mechanical

Magnolia Woman of the Year: Kristin Ortiz, Hill & Wilkinson Construction Group

2018 Challenge Cup Champions: BakerTriangle

Young Constructor of the Year: Preston Pressley, BakerTriangle

Volunteer Leader of the Year: Bennett Brown, Brown & Tucker

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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

Translating “success”

Just Medlin around

Laura Ayala, owner of Mayan Stucco

Josh Medlin, owner of Medlin Marble

aura Ayala always knew she wanted to own a business. She just never knew what kind of business.

Her father owned his own landscaping company, and Ayala would often work with him. That’s where she got the business-owner bug.

Ayala found herself working as a bookkeeper for a stucco company in the Dallas area. Because the owner wasn’t conversant in English, he would often bring her along to meetings with builders, to help translate.

As things developed, more and more builders and contractors requested her presence to help with the process. Ayala learned more and more about the stucco industry, and she “learned the business and felt comfortable doing it on my own,” she said. Ayala started Mayan Stucco in 2016.

At first, her former employer was okay with Ayala leaving him and branching out on her own. But, he wasn’t expecting her to do so well, starting with her second year.

“He was happy at first,” she said, “but then when he saw that I was able to grow, he didn’t like that I was growing so fast.”

Currently, Ayala does about a 60-40 new residential construction to commercial. Her goal for 2019 is to up the commercial side to an even 50-50 split.

Ayala has, on any given day, about six jobs all over the Metroplex. “I go to every single job, every single day,” she said.

Her new truck is only one year old, but already has over 100,000 miles on it. Getting the new hotel job in Houston certainly didn’t help her tires, but it did the bottom line.

Ayala wants to do more commercial jobs, hire more stucco workers, and get bigger and better. While the first year of Mayan Stucco was difficult, it took off after getting hired by the Toll Brothers homebuilders.

“Success” translates well in any language.

Mayan Stucco is a stucco contractor in Dallas. -dsz

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ven though Medlin Marble began in 2012, Josh Medlin has been in the trade for almost 20 years, starting right after high school. He had a friend who had a marble and tile company who asked Medlin if he wanted to work for him. That was the beginning of his life’s career path.

After a few years of working for someone else, Medlin decided to go solo.

He did so without forming an official company, which would come later.

The going was slow at first. Medlin did not have jobs lined up. His former boss would funnel work his way. He passed his business card out profusely; anything to get his name out there.

The work eventually came. Medlin filed all the necessary paperwork to be an official business.

Today, Medlin does mostly home remodeling, preferring this over commercial work because he likes working with the individual customer better.

Play it, brother

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hen Jerry Horton picks up his guitar in the quiet of his home, he’s an audience of one, so he naturally plays his own favorites. As he starts strumming the strings, the notes of the Doobie Brothers’ “Another Park, Another Sunday” fill the room.

The heartbreaking tune isn’t the happiest of songs, but the owner of Jerry’s Painting & Wallpaper prefers to save those for when he’s on a jobsite.

Whether he’s painting offices or putting up wallpaper in a salon, when Horton works, the station is set to upbeat oldies – a choice he says helps him to work better. The music’s mood also reflects the happiness he feels doing his work.

“I enjoy this kind of work. For some reason, it suits me,” he says. “I’m one of those guys who just likes to work with his hands.”

Horton has been working with his hands for more than three decades.

“One of my friends was doing wallpaper and paint back in those days,” Horton explains. “I was between jobs and he asked me to help him, so that’s how I

got started in it. I branched out into builders’ and remodeling work. After three or four years, I went out on my own in 1983; I was getting work and just kept on with it and fell into it.

“I took to it so it was a little easier to get going with it but it still takes a lot of practice,” he continues. “The first few years were pretty basic. I had to just do a lot of jobs to learn it overall, so that was the process the first few years.”

With one steady helper, Horton still paints and wallpapers and sometimes calls for more hands when needed.

“I would like to keep growing,” he says. “Things have been picking up. This will probably be it for me, though, since I’ve been doing it for over 30 years now. It just flew right by.”

Things can’t pick up too much, though. Even when “it’s warm outside/no clouds are in the sky,” as the Doobie Brothers sing, and Horton could be painting, there must be enough time to play a favorite.

Subcontractor Jerry’s Painting & Wallpaper is located in Dallas. –mjm

Medlin will listen to the client, give as many options as he can, but will do what he’s getting paid to do, even if it may not be to his taste. “If they are dead set on it, and that’s what they want,” Medlin said, “that’s what they’re going to get.”

Medlin does like being turned loose to tap into his creative side. “I like to do different stuff,” he said. “Customer service and making the customer happy is number one.”

Medlin figures that design trends are about 10 years long. He said that in some older neighborhoods, they like to retain the original feel as much as possible and not go with the current look.

Medlin gets about 75 percent of the jobs on which he bids. “I’m not the most expensive guy,” he said, “but I’m not the cheapest guy either.”

When one hires Medlin Marble, he’s getting a contractor that likes being turned loose to do his thing.

Medlin Marble has its base in Garland.

-dsz

Teenage knack evolves

T

Littlejohn Electrical Solutions’ service truck.

eenage years are very impressionable for most folks. Hobbies and interests are formed and young adults start thinking about career paths. For Clinton “Kyle” Littlejohn, it was his teenage years that would set the path for him.

Although he did not dabble right into a career doing what he is doing today, his teenage hobby eventually blossomed into a thriving career after exploring a different avenue.

Littlejohn started out as a corrections officer and did so for several years before realizing that electricity was where his true passion lied. “I’ve had a knack for electrical work since I was 16. I liked working on cars and the electrical systems in cars. Finding the problem and then fixing it.”

Realizing what his passion was, he enrolled into an electrical apprenticeship program, earned his electrician’s license and began setting up shop for himself.

In 2016, Littlejohn launched Littlejohn Electrical Solutions with just himself and one other. He could not have

predicted a more perfect first year for his new company. With jobs coming in from as far west as Laredo across to Killeen, Littlejohn Electrical Solutions soon grew from a two-man operation to an operation of 15 specializing in commercial and industrial projects from big equipment, terminations, preventative maintenance contracts, cable tray installation, switch gear installation, power distribution and motor controls. Commercially, the company performs ground-up builds, multistory, remodels, service upgrades, tenant finish-out and troubleshooting; the latter, being his passion.

With deep Denton roots, it is only natural that Littlejohn’s operation is based in Denton. His goal is to be Denton’s first call. “I truly think that our competitive pricing for true quality work has allowed us to grow exponentially and it’s all thanks to our valued customers,” says Littlejohn.

Littlejohn Electrical Solutions is a fullservice electrical contractor in Denton, TX. -cmw

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

Page 13

THIS TH MON Jan: Construction Forecast Mar: Construction Education May: Concrete Industry July: Electrical Industry Feb: Construction Safety Apr: Women in Construction Jun: HVAC & Plumbing Aug: Service Providers

Understanding the “Duty of Care” Kraig Kyle, CSP, CHST, CHSP Vice President

CORE Safety Dallas, TX

I

that risk and liability.

n brief, this article discusses the duty of care businesses may create when hiring and controlling a subcontractor or independent contractor and ways to mitigate

Contractors often hire subcontractors or independent contractors to perform additional scopes of work on their behalf. Often businesses do so without understanding the liabilities or significant risk associated by control-generated actions that create a duty of care. Even when a contactor imposes contractual obligations, they often create a duty of care though unintentional and often-unnecessary safety management actions.

Common law found in §414 of the Restatement (Second) of Torts (ALI, 1965) states: “One who entrusts work to an independent contractor, but who retains the control of any part of the work, is subject to liability for physical harm to others for whose safety the employer owes a duty to exercise reasonable care, which is caused by his failure to exercise his control with reasonable care. (ALI, 1965)”

The key extract of this law is the ex-

tent by which a contractor has control and the amount of reasonable care the prime contractor must take. Each are open to interpretation, vary by situation and require a strategic balancing act. For example, the prime contractor may overextend in their role by exerting too much control and directly managing its subcontractor’s safety obligations. On the other hand, the prime contractor can also fail to meet its obligations to provide the appropriate amount of reasonable care by not prequalifying its subcontractor or by not providing sufficient oversight.

There are various strategies for mitigating these risks and it is important for companies to recognize their responsibility for ensuring the correct amount of reasonable care is exercised with its subcontractors without crossing the line of owing a duty of care. Our clients have benefited from consulting with their insurance provider, legal counsel and their

Safety, it must be implemented!

Mike Grendell, Branch Manager Midco Sling & Cable Co. San Antonio, TX

M

ike Grendell has been with Midco Sling (MS) for 38 years. He started in the shop making slings and cutting wire rope. At one point, he would answer the phone, figure out what the customer needed, write out a work order, and then go fabricate the order.

Over the years, time has changed the way people communicate and do business.

For Midco, their commitment to customer service and quality has remained one of their top priorities. One of their main objectives is to treat their customers the same way they would like to be treated.

What kind of safety service/training does Midco Sling & Cable Co. of San Antonio provide?

Midco Sling provides rigging awareness training along with fall protection awareness for our established customers.

We also provide training services for Associated General Contractors (AGC) and the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) and have supported the San Antonio Area OSHA office during Safety Stand Down Week and other events.

How does construction safety impact a company?

A good safety plan can make or break a company. Injury related costs you don’t prepare for are the ones that really hurt your bottom line. Falls are one of OSHA’s “Fatal Four.” MS works closely with our customers to ensure the correct rigging and fall protection is being used.

It goes back to having the right tool for the right job. Having a good safety plan is not enough. It must be implemented!

What can be done to increase safety awareness?

Creating a safer jobsite is creating a safety culture within your company. It all begins with upper management.

In order to increase safety awareness, communication is essential. Toolbox talks, JSA’s, pre-construction meetings and reporting near misses are just a few tools.

How important is a good safety record in the construction industry?

Having a good safety record is extremely important. People want to do business with safety-oriented contractors.

Who wants a low bid with a bad safety record? All that does is create risk and added liability. You get what you pay for.

What is the most significant challenge the safety industry faces?

Challenges in the safety industry are not going away. Continuing education and training personnel and finding folks that want to learn construction trades are vital. There are organizations that are working at the middle and high school levels to recruit students interested in different aspects of construction, as well as safety.

What kind of training is available?

There are many construction organizations that offer training at an affordable cost. OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour classes, trenching and shoring, and boom lift training are only a few. San Antonio

CONSTRUCTION SAFETY

Sept: Green Building Nov: Architecture & Engineering Oct: Specialty Contractors Dec: Construction Equipment

safety representatives to develop and implement an effective subcontractor safety management strategy to limit their liability exposures.

Tips for properly exercising reasonable care includes: • Complete a safety pre-qualifica tion review of your subcontractors that includes evaluating safety re cords and experience modification rates.

• Clearly define subcontractor re sponsibilities within subcontract agreements for safety and company employees.

• Ensure subcontracts contain strong indemnification language and that a certificate of insurance is estab lished listing the prime contractor as additionally insured.

• Ensure the subcontractor has es tablished a formal written safety program and is implementing its policies and procedures.

• Avoid directly managing or con trolling the safety obligations of your subcontractor. This doesn’t mean avoiding oversight or taking necessary actions for violations that occur.

A graduate of Indiana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Health and Safety Management, Kyle serves as the Vice President of CORE Safety Group and has over 15 years of practical safety management experience that includes developing and managing corporate safety programs and advising client

leadership on best management and loss control practices. He has experience in loss control such as worker’s compensation, general liability, and claims management.

These experiences include effectively developing and implementing safety and claims management strategies on billions of dollars of wrap-up insurance programs. -cmw

has a great network of safety professionals. Get involved and contribute to the organizations your company is involved in. The training they offer is there to ensure everyone and every company has the resources they need to keep you safe.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

I enjoy helping people when they have a rigging issue or a fall protection situation. I never know what the question is going to be, but I will find a resolution.

I have been very blessed in my career and life to surround myself with so many good people. You know who you are.

Midco Sling & Cable Co. is a full service provider for fall protection equipment and manufacturer of wire rope, synthetic and chain slings, hoists and rigging equipment in San Antonio. –cmw

What is new in the way of safety apparatus and equipment?

Some of the latest safety news in fall protection involves “Leading Edge“ retractable devices. If your company does elevated work and uses these devices, make sure you are using them correctly and to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Page 14

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

THIS TH MON

CONSTRUCTION SAFETY

To represent your company in an upcoming FOCUS, contact DFWeditor@ConstructionNews.net (210) 308-5800

NEXT MONTH (MARCH) CONSTRUCTION EDUCATION

Safety never stops Rick Segura, Senior Safety Manager Harvey-Cleary Builders Austin, TX

A

s Senior Safety Director, Rick Segura holds a number of safety certifications to include SSH, CSHO, CHST and UTA authorized trainer.

What sparked your interest to work as a safety director?

At the time, I was looking to be hired as a superintendent with the company.

There were no positions available, but they were looking for a safety coordinator. I decided to apply for the position.

Unsure what it would entail, I took on the challenge. It was a blessing in disguise as I was able to help others understand the importance of safety and how it could be beneficial for them as well their families.

That was nine years ago and I continue to enjoy working in the safety department at the company. I have completed numerous certifications and training over the years to ensure that I am providing our employees with the most valuable knowledge available.

How does construction safety impact a company?

The construction industry is always undergoing great changes with how

projects are being built and managed and how implementing safety programs helps companies stay competitive. Strengthening safety procedures at construction sites reduces the risks of injuries and increases the productivity as well as the quality that is delivered. Finding the worker with the right construction skills is the first step. Getting workers to understand and exercise them daily is the next step.

My perspective is that accidents are preventable; they occur for a variation of reasons. The prevention starts from the top. Without the support and commitment from upper management, the possibilities of success are null. The safety culture then streams down to the employees in the field through our project managers and superintendents. It takes time and dedication for all to be commited to making safety an important factor. The projects are more efficient when there are no injuries or accidents to take the team away from building a quality space.

What can be done to increase safety awareness?

People have to lead by example and not just manage. Motivating employees to participate and demonstrating why safety matters makes a huge difference.

When they are doing it correctly, the culture will change. If not, then it will become a struggle for the rest of the team members to buy into.

policy and procedures. I schedule and manage the monthly training for our field employees to keep them up to date with safety regulations. I also assist the superintendents with training workers, resolving safety issues, and conducting preconstruction meetings. In the case of an accident, I work closely with medical clinics to manage treatment of the injured worker.

What are the major risks in construction?

There are many risks in construction that can lead to potential injuries such as unknown site conditions, lack of training and faulty equipment. Being able to recognize and assess risks can ensure success on your project from having accidents. Make a self-assessment before starting a project, asking yourself: Do we have the right people with experience to do this kind of work? Do we have the experience for work of this magnitude? Do we have experienced site supervision to run a project of this type and size?

These are questions that should be asked within a company before committing to a task. If you can honestly answer yes to these questions, you can mitigate the major risks listed.

What is on the horizon for construction safety?

Looking to improve oneself in the construction industry never stops. There are many avenues to be observed that will assist us to become leaders in safety. A few examples are training employees to work safely all the time; implementing the use of new technology; assessing the effectiveness of our training program; and identifying topics of interest that will benefit the company and its team members.

What are your daily responsibilities as a safety director?

My responsibilities vary from project visits to employee training. First of all, I ensure that everyone is complying with the OSHA Standards and our company

www.constructionnews.net publishing the industry’s news

Education meaningless, if not applied Oliver Auston, Chief Innovation Officer Pure Safety Group Houston, TX

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uston has dedicated his career to the Height Safety industry since 2001. He is the Managing Director at Checkmate Lifting & Safety located in the United Kingdom. Checkmate is the UK’s leading innovator, designer, manufacturer and trainer of lifting and height safety equipment. He served as the Chairman at Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) and the Technical Committee Chairman supporting and developing Technical Guidance Notes (TGN) at Working at Height Safety Association (WAHSA). His passion for product development is reflected by his involvement/leadership with more than 70 patents ranging from basic soft goods to the more complex engineered products.

What is the most significant safety challenge in the construction industry?

In a word: education. Safety itself is largely meaningless when workers are not aware of potential hazards or don’t have the means to protect themselves or their workers from those hazards. Raising the safety education of all workers will likely be the biggest challenge companies will face over the next decade.

Hand-in-hand is imbuing workers with the idea that jobsite safety is not someone else’s responsibility – it is their responsibility – each worker, day in and day out. Safety must be as necessary as the hammer to the builder or the pen to the architect.

What is on the horizon for construction safety?

Much deeper integration of technology into jobsites, from equipment inspection and asset databases, to calculators designed to help select the proper equipment for a given hazard. Mobility

and interconnectivity via the Internet has also increased the demand for online training that is dynamically responsive to changes in the industry and other best practices. The regulatory standards changes we’ve seen in under a decade are simply astonishing – and all for the better.

What is new in the way of safety apparatuses and equipment?

We are making significant advancements in low fall clearance applications.

Safely arresting a fall is much easier when you have plenty of room below the worker. Arresting falls from a lower level requires balancing a short arrest distance with safe arrest forces (among other things), which taxes engineers and equipment to the max. This condition is doubly complex with leading edge self-retracting lifelines (SRLs) and foot-level anchor tie-offs due to the increased amount of free fall permitted.

Also, our understanding of post-fall

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

The most rewarding aspect of my job is the ability to help others reach their goals in safety while striving to reach my own goals. Quality, scheduling, budgeting, and safety are the four major elements of a successful project. All these work together to build strong leaders and allow everyone to go home to their families every day.

Harvey-Cleary Builders is a full-service general contractor. -cmw

Texas Style

rescues continues to increase as we develop new methods, tools, and techniques to effect rescues from any possible situation. Ascenders/descenders, SRLs with recovery functionality, and remote attachment devices are all under constant refinement.

How does construction safety impact a company?

Proper safety practices protect a company’s most valuable asset: its people. It might be better to view this through the lens of how a lack of construction safety impacts a company – the impacts then become immediately apparent. Too often, a safety program is seen as a financial drain, or an inconvenient regulatory hoop to jump through – it is neither. A safe workforce is a productive workforce, and investment in up-todate safety programs should be as essential as the latest tool or other technology.

What can be done to increase safety awareness?

Increasing safety awareness should be seen as a continuum, not a series of disparate events interspersed over the course of time. The only way to achieve this is to make safety part of every moment of every day. In addition to proper formal education, an excellent trend we see are daily pre-work safety meetings which allows safety managers to issue reminders, introduce new procedures, or to discuss other safety-related events.

What are the major risks in construction?

The current low levels of true competency-based training must be addressed. Without increased education across the board, nothing changes, and

   

Austin Dallas/Ft Worth Houston San Antonio

that is perilous for our workers and the industry at large. Falls from low-level structures continue to be overlooked, when in fact they represent the most dangerous type of hazard due to the prevalence of work at lower levels – not everyone works on a high-rise. Leading edge hazards also remain a challenge.

The amount of information regarding leading edge hazards, while growing, is still behind where it needs to be.

Additionally, the idea of profit ahead of people is as much a potential harm as any physical risk. You can’t raise safety awareness and reduce physical risks to workers when you are unwilling to invest in the very things needed to do both.

Companies often hyper focus on a direct dollar-for-dollar ROI without considering the value of the humans doing the work – this needs to change.

What kind of safety training is available?

We have a suite of instructor-led theory and hands-on classes from authorized and competent persons to confined space entry and rescue. The online training space is also growing as technology allows us to make classes available in places where physical classrooms don’t exist or to people who are unable to travel.

Sadly, training still tends to be too reactive and not proactive as it should be.

We often see greater interest after tragic events or serious fines – both of which can be largely prevented when safety takes a priority. There’s a lesson in that, I think.

Pure Safety Group is a provider of fall protection equipment and training based in Houston, TX. -cmw

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

Page 15

One day only

Block Kids participants at EM Daggett Elementary

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or one day and one day only, Block Kids is back! No, this isn’t an all-boy band. It’s the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Fort Worth Chapter Block Kids Building Competition.

The building competition is a national completion sponsored on the local level by NAWIC. This award-winning program introduces children to the construction industry in an effort to create awareness and promote careers in the industry. Local winners advance to regional competitions. One semi-finalist from each region is entered in the program’s national competition. National prizes are awarded to the top three projects.

Students are provided with 75-100 building blocks to build a construction industry related creation. Each student

may choose three additional items to include in their design - a small rock/stone, a 12” piece of string, 18x18 piece of foil, or 18x18 piece of poster board.

Block Kids is a program of the NAWIC Education Foundation (NEF). NEF also has programs for Jr. High, High School and College students, as well as many adult certifications. NEF’s certifications are available to anyone seeking to further their knowledge in the construction industry.

First place winner was fourth-grader Emilison Sanchez at EM Daggett Elementary. He built two towers that are to protect a castle. Each tower had a place on top for guards to watch over the land and water spouts to poor hot water on enemies. “We admired his attention to historical structures,” says NAWIC member Sharon Murphy. -cmw

Starting the year with a merge

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L-R: Jim Filipowicz and Frank Jones shake hands as the merger of their companies become one.

he energy is high at the offices of Jim Filipowicz & Associates Restoration & Construction and Cavalry Restoration & Construction as the two companies have become one.

Jim Filipowicz & Associates Restoration & Construction is a San Antoniobased company. Cavalry Restoration & Construction hails from Houston with offices in Dallas and San Antonio. The owners, Jim Filipowicz and Frank Jones, have been friends for years A couple of years ago, Filipowicz and Jones began discussing merging companies. Months later, the talks were set into motion. As of Jan. 1, Jim Filipowicz & Associates Restoration & Construction is now Cavalry Restoration & Construction, which celebrated 30 years in business this year.

“We have very similar operations.

Over the years we have had a really good cooperative relationship. We share clients, we share subs. If he can’t get to something, he’ll call me to see if I can cover it and vice versa. What’s cool about it is, our clients are different than their cli-

ents. We are not canceling each other out. I expect that our clients will be able to be better serviced in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. It just makes sense,” says Filipowicz.

Cavalry San Antonio will be moving in with the Filipowicz operation having just added 600sf to their office space.

“Now we have good size offices, big offices in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. We kind of have the triangle covered,” says Filipowiscz. “I really love what the possibilities and potentials are. I really just couldn’t be any happier.”

“The transition has been a lot better and smoother than I had anticipated. Our two cultures are merging quite well. It’s all good,” says Jones.

Through the merger, the company is 60 employees strong. There will be a transition with jobs in progress, but Filipowicz and Jones feel they should be totally merged in six months.

Cavalry Restoration & Construction is a general contractor in San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. – cmw

Foundation of youth

1st Place winner: Emilison Sanchez

AFSA new leadership

T

he American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) has a new leader. Debra McGuire, MBA, IOM, CAE has been selected as the association’s fourth President and first female Chief Executive Officer since the association’s inception in 1981.

McGuire has 30 years of association management and has held a variety of leadership positions. Most recently, McGuire was CEO of the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians and Executive VP for the Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan.

“She is well-known and respected in association leadership circles. AFSA members and the fire sprinkler industry will benefit greatly from her experience, leadership, and commitment to the mission of AFSA,” says former AFSA President Steve Muncy, CAE. “Fire sprinklers save lives, and I am honored to have been selected by the American Fire Sprinkler Association Board of Directors as its new President and Chief Executive Officer,” said McGuire.

McGuire is a graduate of Honors College at Michigan State University where she completed her undergraduate studies on a track scholarship. In addition, she

O

Debra McGuire

is a graduate of the Institute of Organizational Management (IOM) at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN and Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, MI where she earned her MBA. -cmw

Pete Vallejo, Jr. gets deep into his work!

n more than one occasion, Pete Vallejo Jr. has been considered a little young for construction. At age 13, he worked for his uncle’s rebar business, and stayed there until he was 21 years old. He then worked as a crew chief for a large Dallas construction company and went on to do the same for his cousin’s foundation business. At the ripe old age of 24, he decided the time had come to test his years of experience.

“I decided to start something out in Weatherford, because there were not a lot of foundation companies there,” Pete says. “I started Trusted Foundation Repair LLC in 2006.”

Pete remembers how, even though he had practically grown up in the business, he still had to prove himself.

“It was a little difficult just because of my age,” Pete recalls. “Some people saw me as a young guy and didn’t want to give me a chance. It was very difficult getting jobs because many were older gentlemen with 20 to 25 years of experience with this type of work. Me being as young as I was, they had a hard

time trusting me at all.”

With the help of his wife Kayla Vallejo, who co-owns the business, Pete set out to build the company. Kayla handled everything inside the office, while Vallejo focused on jobs outside.

After they weathered the economic downturn two years in, they went on to grow the company.

Today, the couple employs three brothers: Austin David pushes the cylinder while Tony David and Jesse Jarvis run the crew. Together, they have lent their expertise to several notable county building projects in Weatherford and Springtown.

Now, Pete hopes at least one other youngster will follow him into the construction business.

“My plan is to build something for my kids, my three boys,” Pete says. “One of them is at an age where he is going to start working part-time for me. I hope I can grow this business into something they can fall into.”

Subcontractor Trusted Foundation Repair LLC is in Weatherford. –mjm

Page 16

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

continued from Page 1 — billyGO ing their formative high school years, Stevens’ wife was none-too subtle about getting him out of the house and doing something with himself.

In fact, Stevens credits his wife with coming up with the name, “billyGO.” She kept saying to him, “Billy, go take the dogs to the vet. Billy, go do something.”

Stevens jokes when he says, “I went [back] to work to save my marriage!”

Inspired by his wife’s “Billy GO do this mantra,” Stevens then checked to see if billyGo was available. It was, and he secured it.

It was during retirement and on a trip to New York City that the idea for an app in his plumbing trade came into his mind.

A friend had told him about this new-fangled way of getting a taxi, called Uber, and he should use it while in the Big Apple. Stevens downloaded the Uber app, used it, and was instantly fascinated with it. He peppered the Uber driver with questions.

That led Stevens to get serious about developing an app for the plumbing business. He did, and launched both the Apple and Google versions last September.

The customer does all the interaction on the phone. The closest plumber to the customer gets the call to report at

continued from Page 1 — TR Hall Construction Inc. the requested time. Gas is saved. Plumbers can get paid more. Customers can get charged less. Overhead costs are down.

If a plumber is over one hour late of the requested time, the cost is automatically reduced per minute. Everything is handled by the app.

“We had zero customers on Day 1,” he said. “As of this morning [the day of this interview in January], we have 1,457.”

Stevens even has requests for outside his area. With plumbers asking to come on board, he plans to expand over the whole Metroplex. “I have plumbers waiting for me to get trucks to them,” he said.

Stevens is going to franchise and license this app, first to Texas, then nationwide. He jokes that the next step for him is to have drones deliver the technician to the person’s home. Why not?

“It’s time to change the rules,” he said. “We streamlined the whole system.”

The old saying is: “Idle hands makes for the devil’s workshop.” In the case of billyGO, idle hands made for a better mousetrap.

“I’m really enjoying it,” Stevens said of his new business. That makes at least two people, as the Mrs. no longer has to tell Billy to go do something. He just did.

billyGO is located in Grapevine. -dsz

continued from Page 1 — J Mil Sheet Metal Fabricators “Also, I don’t like everybody to know that I own it; I just feel like I’m an employee.”

It was also an expression of thanks to Krueger, who had hired Hughes in 1990 immediately after another position in Colorado fell through. Because Hughes had only worked in the shop at Brandt, Krueger trained Hughes in the office side of the operation for three years, which prepared him to take over the business.

Hughes is grateful to both Krueger and his customers for helping him find his stride as company owner.

“When I bought the company, it was doing really well and I had really good customers,” he says. “Still, it was really scary the first year because I knew if we didn’t get paid for a job, we would close.

My customers understood that and helped me along and guided me by the hand. After five years, I bought the buildings from Milt so that I wouldn’t have to move and just keep leasing.”

“My customers are really the best,” he continues. “I still have some of the same customers today, which is over 20 years of keeping the same customers. We get probably two or three new customers a year and try to keep those happy. That has to say a lot about them and my employees.”

He has also maintained his sense of

fairness to customers over the years.

“Everything we do is custom, and if customers call me for something they can get at the supply house, I will tell them,” he says. “We’re not the cheapest; we’re probably in the middle of the road price-wise to stay competitive.

Sometimes, though, we might be a little higher than another company because they might have the machinery.

“We have different equipment now but what we try to sell is time,” he adds.

“When we say we’re going to get something done, we get it done in their time frame or as close as we can.”

According to Hughes, his time frame as owner of J Mil Sheet Metal Fabricators will close when he retires in eight years.

In the meantime, he’s seeking the right person to take over the business.

“When my kids get out of college, I think I’m done,” he says. “I would like to keep the family business going, but I don’t want to push my two sons or daughter into it to where they have to come run Daddy’s business when they graduate college. I hope that someone buys it.”

With the right bonus, it just might happen.

J Mil Sheet Metal Fabricators is located in Mesquite. –mjm

designed to meet the needs of children in all six stages of early development.

Bathrooms are designed for age-appropriate use; even the largest has tiny toilets. Rough-ins in every classroom for wall mounted interactive large smart board-touch screens for teaching and learning are part of the interior’s construction.

Safety is an important feature in all TLE facilities. Cameras are installed in each classroom and monitored in the administrative offices. Programmed key fobs are given to the parents for entry into the lobby. Even standard wall construction was modified to provide rounded corners in hallways and classrooms.

There were several challenges on this project, with the most difficult being the way TRH got started. The original general contractor went bankrupt four months into the job, two weeks short of completing the wood framing. They had just turned in their fourth pay app of $700K and most of the subs had not been paid. None of the subcontracts had been issued past the framing. Even if they had been, there was at least four months of construction left which would put the project one month past the original completion date.

Fortunately, Wayne Aho, the original superintendent, decided to stay with the job. His knowledge of the project was immeasurable.

With a new team put together, TRH was able to keep five of the seven subcontractors who had previously started

with the job. TRH’s open book approach was the key to renegotiating old bids into new subcontracts and completing the job.

Unlike most daycare centers, The Learning Experience has more than double the amount of drawings for their projects, which presented a challenge. The drawings are very detailed to maintain nationwide consistency and to emphasize the features unique to TLE. One drawback was discovering the different details for things like roofing, where one roof type works better in the north and something different works better in the south.

Jarmel Kizel Architects and Engineers, based in New Jersey, designs essentially all the work for TLE nationally.

Although the drawings are very detailed to maintain consistency, TLE is constantly tweaking the designs. In spite of all the work Jarmel Kizel had going on, they were extremely accommodating to resurrect all the drawing logs, RFI’s and submittals when TRH took over the project.

The decision by Hanover to put their trust in TR Hall Construction to get the job done averted a major financial disaster. The reward for TRH is experience, easily giving it a two-month competitive advantage and a great group of subs ready to go on to the next one.

TR Hall Construction Inc. is a general contractor and construction management firm in Dallas. Since 1998 they have specialized in commercial, retail, institutional and industrial projects. –cmw

Make-Believe Boulevard

s

Submitted to Construction News

Round-Up

Sundt Construction Inc. is please to announce: Sahil Khandelwal has joined the Sundt team for the Building Group, Texas District’s Fort Worth office as project engineer for the recreation center project. Khandelwal is a seasoned construction professional. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Rajiv Gandhi Technical University in Indore, India and his master’s degree in construction management from Arizona State University. –cmw

Bob Lacy has joined the company’s Building Group, Texas District’s Fort Worth office as senior superintendent to serve on the City of Arlington Southeast Recreation Center project. He brings 40 years experience in government, education, commercial, healthcare and mixed-use projects. He holds a degree from Howard College in Big Spring, TX. –cmw

Bruce Dinkheller, P.E., has joined Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. (LAN) as a senior project manager. He will manage construction phase services for the firm’s projects nationwide. Dinkheller has more than 40 years of experience as a civil engineer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Univ. of Illinois at Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering technology from Southern Illinois University. –cmw

Round-Up Submissions

Brief company announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of charge, as space allows.

Submit Info & Photo: DFWeditor@ConstructionNews.net (210) 308-5800

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

Page 17

THIS TH MON

CONSTRUCTION SAFETY continued from Page 14 — Construction Safety

Putting the wheels of safety in motion Lisa R. Robinson, CFLE Senior Program Manager National Safety Council Austin, TX

T

oo often we read stories like these: On Oct. 9, a construction worker was killed and another critically injured after a steel beam fell 30 feet and hit them while they worked in suburban Evanston, IL. Later that same month, a worker died after a wall collapsed on him at a New Jersey construction site.

On a typical day, 12 people die from preventable injuries in the U.S. while doing their jobs. Countless others are affected by these losses, including coworkers, friends and loved ones.

Let’s examine causes of some incidents and discuss safety solutions. In the construction industry, about 1,000 workers have died and another 80,000 have been injured each of the last three years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction sites can be dangerous, in part because of machinery and motorized vehicles.

From 2015 to 2017, Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicates an average of 2,440 construction workers were hurt in roadway incidents and an average of 251 were killed in motor vehicle crashes each year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 90% of crashes are the result of human error. The most common errors include missing road hazards or detecting them too slowly; choosing the incorrect defensive driving action; and driving in a distracted or altered state, such as having inadequate sleep, being distracted by a phone or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Employers of all kinds are impacted by driver behavior, which is best addressed through ongoing education and training efforts. All employees should receive the same training and education.

Data tells us that those who occasionally drive as a part of their job die in crashes at higher rates.

Backing up, coupling vehicles and uncoupling vehicles are three common hazards truck drivers encounter. Safe backing starts by setting a G-O-A-L: Get Out and Look. Do a 360-degree walk around the vehicle. Never back up unless you have to, and eliminate unnecessary backing by planning your departure upon arrival. Park in areas where you can pull out going forward.

Also, watch your mirrors and use a spotter. Remember, today’s vehicle technologies are meant to assist drivers, not replace them, and rear-view camera lenses can become obscured.

In some ways, construction site drivers are no different than the rest of the driving public, but there are inherent risks that come with their jobs. A variety of motorized vehicles operate on construction sites, and this fact alone can raise the risk of incidents.

Most construction incidents involve the “Fatal Four.” In 2017, while construc-

tion workplace deaths and the industry’s fatality rate declined, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows 389 construction workers were killed and 24,160 were injured in falls, slips or trips, historically the leading cause of construction worker deaths. If you are working at 6 feet or higher, you need fall protection. Conduct regular safety training sessions and develop rescue plans. Strictly follow guidelines to prevent falls from elevations, making use of harnesses, lines and safety nets. Eighty-five construction workers were killed when struck by an object, including falling objects and equipment.

Another 17,890 were injured. Inspect power tools and be sure protective guards are in good working condition.

Steer clear of nail guns and their sightlines to avoid risk of taking an inadvertent hit.

Seventy-one construction workers died and another 360 were hurt from exposure to electricity. Provide education on potential hazards. Develop safe work practices and make use of insulation, guarding, grounding and electrical protective devices.

Sixteen construction workers were killed and 3,200 were injured after being caught-in or compressed by equipment or objects. Be familiar with equipment.

Shut down equipment before performing repairs. Use chock wheels on equipment that could move or roll. Never work under equipment.

To further ensure construction site safety, be sure employees are outfitted with proper equipment, including brightly colored clothing and protective eyewear. Officials at several companies have shared with me how they require new employees to wear a different color of hardhat for a period of time. This allows others to identify them and enables peers to assist in their safety training and education.

Just like the rest of us, construction workers deserve to make it home safely – every day.

Robinson serves as a subject matter expert and spokesperson within the employer and transportation communities including state government agencies on influencing change in behavior and policies to reduce motor vehicle crashes.

The National Safety Council is a 501 nonprofit, public service organization promoting health and safety in the United States of America. -cmw

Association Calendar

Content submitted by Associations to Construction News AIA

American Institute of Architects Dallas Chapter

Feb. 7: Collaborative Efforts Series Kickoff, Architecture and Design Exchange (AD EX), 325 N. St. Paul St. #150, 4-7pm.

Feb. 16: Form Follows Fitness 5K, Klyde Warren Park, 8:30am.

Feb. 21: Tour of Able Pump Station, 608 S. Riverfront Blvd., 5:30-7pm. For more info, contact Katie Hitt at 214-742-3242 AIA

American Institute of Architects Fort Worth Chapter

Feb. 2: AIA Awards Ceremony, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St., Fort Worth, 10am-12pm.

Feb. 12: Architects Day in Austin, Texas State Capitol, 1100 S. Congress Ave. Feb. 20: Design Competition Jury & Reception at True Worth. For more info, email aiafw@aiafortworth.org or call 817334-0155 ASA

American Subcontractors Assn.

Feb. 21: TopGolf Tournament, 3760 Blair Oaks Dr., The Colony, TX. For more info, call Beverly Reynal at 817-640-8275 CEF

Construction Education Foundation

Feb. 19: PHCC Texas Legislative Update, CEF. 1401 A Royal Lane, DFW Airport. For more info, call Alicia Baron at 817-5542314 or email Alicia@phccnorthtexas.org CFMA

Construction Financial Management Assn.

Feb. 21: Monthly Meeting, Hackberry Country Club, 11:30am. For more info, call email Kelly Dando at cfmadfw@gmail.com CSI

Construction Specifications Institute Dallas Chapter

Feb. 14: Chapter Meeting, Addison Conference Center, 15650 Addison Rd., Addison, TX. For more info, email info@dallascsi.org ICRI

International Concrete Repair Institute

Feb. 21: Membership Meeting, Las Colinas Corporate Center, 6363 N. State Hwy 161 4th Flr, Irving, TX, 11am-1pm. For more info, call Stephen Grelle at 972-5507777 or email sgrelle@wje.com IEC

Independent Electrical Contractors Fort Worth/Tarrant County

Feb. 28: IEC Social/Dinner, Fort Worth Axe Factory, 220 S. Sylvania Ave. #110, 6:30-8:30pm. For more info, call Jo Britt at 817-496-8422 NARI

National Assn. of the Remodeling Industry

Feb. 19: NARI Night, Samsung,5:30pm New Member Orientation, 6pm Networking. For more info, call Kim Savelsbergh at 214-943-6274 NAWIC

National Assn. of Women in Construction Forth Worth Chapter

Feb. 21: Monthly Business Meeting, Dia-

mond Oaks Country Club, 5821 Diamond Oaks Dr. N, 5:30pm. For more info, email Lori Donnell at lorid.nawic@gmail.com NAWIC

National Assn. of Women in Construction Dallas Chapter

Feb. 19: Monthly Meeting, Wyndham Garden Dallas North, 2645 Lyndon B. Johnson Fwy, 6-8pm. For more info, go to www.nawic-dallas.org NTRCA

North Texas Roofing Contractors Assn.

Feb. 23: 2019 Awards Banquet, Blaine Stone Lodge, 5331 Weatherforld Rd., Midlothian, TX, 6-11pm. For more info, call Kristen Harford at 817-996-6853 or email Kristen@ntrca.com PHCC

Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Assn.

Feb. 15: Lunch & Learn, Ferguson Euless, 2683 W. Euless Blvd., Euless, TX, 11:30am1pm.

Feb. 19: PHCC Texas Legislative Update, CEF. 1401 A Royal Lane, DFW Airport. For more info, call Alicia Baron at 817-5542314 or email Alicia@phccnorthtexas.org RHCA

Regional Hispanic Contractors Assn.

Mar. 1: 12th Annual PHCA Pillars Awards, Regency Ballroom, The Fairmont, 1717 N. Akard, 7:30-10am. Nominations are being accepted. For more info, Scott Finley at 972-595-8859 or email scott@regionalhca.org SAM

Subcontractors Assn. of the Metroplex

Feb. 7: Lunch Meeting, Feb. 28: Happy Hour, 5:30-7:3pm. For more info, call Carrie Edomm at 817-2661909 TEXO

The Construction Assn.

Feb. 6: Safety/Superintendent Forum, TEXO Dallas Conference Center, 11111 N. Stemmons Fwy., 11:30am-1pm Feb. 21: Women’s Forum Networking Event, Painting with a Twist, 5202 W. Lovers Ln, 5-7pm. $45 TEXO Member; $60 Non-member; Walk-ins $65.

Feb. 25: TEXO/ASC Region V Student Competition; Davison-Gundy Alumni Center, UT Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson, TX. 8am-80m. TEXO Members only; $500 Company Bundle Pkg.; $55 per person Awards Dinner only Feb. 28: Colleagues + Cocktails, Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill, 10261 Technology Blvd., 4:30-6pm. $25 TEXO Member; $40 Non-member; $45 Walk-ins For more info, contact Emily Baker at 214-389-4659 UMCA

United Masonry Contractors Assn.

Dallas/Fort Worth

Feb. 5: UMCA Regular Meeting, Mi Camino Restaurante, 3830 W. Northwest Hwy., 5-8pm. For more info, email Lindsey Geeslin at umcadfw@gmail.com

Page 18

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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

Forged in a dream

Pumped about the future

Jeffery Presbaugh, owner of Aberdeen Custom Gates & Iron

Nathan Germany shows off a Tri-Way Concrete Pumping truck.

effery Presbaugh got the name for his company in a dream. Around 1997, he was doing light construction, calling himself, “J. Presbaugh Enterprises,” but not liking that name.

While listening to his favorite radio program one night, then falling asleep, Presbaugh figures that someone must have called into the station from Aberdeen or else the DJ mentioned “Aberdeen” in some context. He took the word and found himself dreaming that he was working for Aberdeen Construction.

When he woke up, Presbaugh couldn’t shake his dream.

He then checked for any listing in the Metroplex that had Aberdeen in its name. None did. Thus a new company was born: Aberdeen Custom Gate & Iron.

Presbaugh had always been in construction in one fashion or another since a youth. “I started swinging a hammer when I was a sophomore in high school, framing houses,” he said. “I’ve done just about everything there is to do in the construction world.”

One his grandmothers used to be an accomplished artist and always had her supplies out when the grandkids visited.

She encouraged them all to delve into the arts, and it stuck with Presbaugh. His artistic flare in readily evident in his work.

He got into welding because he was tired of getting unreliable welding subcontractors. Presbaugh bought some welding gear for his guys who had skills in it, but they too didn’t work out. Therefore, he had to pick it up himself, proving the old Arabic proverb true: “If the wind won’t serve, man the oars.”

Presbaugh doesn’t do the welding anymore for Aberdeen, but he does all the designing of the gates and ironwork they build. “We do all the CAD drawings in house,” he said. Jokingly, he added, “That’s my job now that they kicked me out of the shop.”

Presbaugh’s entry into having his own business came naturally for him. “I’m the only entrepreneurial in the family,” he

A

s stated on his website, Bruce Weiner is fascinated with Mother Earth’s creations and her ability to provide raw materials. We consumers use these to enhance the beauty in the environment in which we live and work. This was instrumental in the creation of Bruce’s Stone Solutions.

Weiner, who started his career in construction working at carpet supply house, found his calling in life when the company he worked for decided to dabble into natural stone. “I had begun helping them develop polishes and discovered I had a knack for it,” says Weiner.

He then began gathering tools and started the company in 2007.

Bruce’s Stone Solutions (BSS) is not a big company, but you would never know it. Weiner and his life-long friend, Kevin Cronin, do all the work. “We specialize in polishing, honing, grinding, deep cleaning, enhancement, the sealing of granite, marble, travertine and all other natural

said. Despite his parents’ desire to have him work a secure job for a company, Presbaugh didn’t agree. He admits, “I just don’t respect authority. I never played sports because I couldn’t stand the idea of having a coach yell at me.”

This independent spirit carries over into his work. “We do a very limited amount of work for general contractors,” he explained. “I’m really not working for anybody buy my customer.”

Further, being a specialty company, Aberdeen doesn’t have to compete with the other trades when it comes to getting a job.

Presbaugh says that his main customers are the older Mom and Pop, whose kids have grown, who have moved further out into the country to own a ranch and some land. And, since Weatherford is the cutting horse capital of the world, folks from all over the country are moving to that area to open their own spread. He is seeing more opportunities in Dallas and Fort Worth and even goes west to Abilene.

When it comes to working with the other trades and incorporating their work into his gates and fences, Presbaugh likes to enter the conversation early. “I want to get in before I’m needed,” he said. “It’s all about communication,” so he can work with the other guys and do it right the first time.

He has an electrician buddy who does all the wiring if the gate’s system is tied into something.

Presbuagh likens Aberdeen’s work to being a Mercedes rather than a Chevy.

While both will get you there, it’s far more enjoyable in the Mercedes.

He wants to continue to take care of his customers and do more high-end installs. He does not want to do cheap work that cuts corners on quality.

Aberdeen Custom Gates & Iron is a company forged in a dream and produces Mercedes quality products for its customers.

Aberdeen Custom Gates & Iron is in Weatherford. -dsz

N

athan Germany’s grandfather, James “Jim” Germany, first saw a concrete pump at the Jones Performance Hall job site. He was a superintendent at the time, but was so impressed by the process that he left general contracting altogether and started a concrete pumping business in Houston in 1968. With the help of project superintendent Frank Langley, the two men built the company from the ground up. After the company merged with TriWay Concrete Pumping in Dallas, Nathan’s grandfather was bought out, and the company continued to grow.

The Germanys weren’t out of the business, however. Nathan’s dad, Bill Germany, also had his own concrete pumping company before merging it with Tri-Way in the early 1970s. Nathan found his way to Tri-Way as well.

“I was in the 7th grade, and I came in after school and washed trucks and did menial tasks around the shop,” Nathan remembers. “During college, I was a loss prevention manager for Sears and I decided that was not the route I wanted to go. In 1998, I came to my dad and asked if there was a spot for me. Since then, I worked my way up through the company as a laborer, an operator, ran the shop and now I’ve transitioned into the office.”

Twenty-one years later, Nathan has stepped into his newest role: president.

“My dad is retiring at this point and I’m taking over,” Nathan says. “I run the day-to-day; he’s still the CEO when he comes in, but he’s trying to retire, whatever retirement looks like for him.

He went from working 60-70+ hours a week to around 35. He’d like to get down to 20, just come in a couple of days a week to have something to do.”

The transition has been an easy one.

“I like having him here because he’s been in the industry for 46 years,” Nathan says. “He’s a wealth of knowledge and a great resource. He never really gives me an answer; I bounce stuff off of him and that helps me be at ease with my decision.

It’s all in the stone

L-R: Bruce Wiener and Kevin Cronin

stones.” They also restore and repair natural stone, clean and seal tile and grout

for ceramic and porcelain.

“I can repair a broken countertop or

That’s how we’ve run it the last few years.

He’ll probably be where he wants to be retirement-wise by the end of the year.”

Nathan has already made his imprint.

He has implemented processes for equipment maintenance and training and introduced a computer-based scheduling system and social media presence. He’s also added to and updated the company’s fleet, but there is one thing he hopes will never change.

“We’re still very much Mom-andPop, old-school, and hands-on as far as the management and ownership team,” Nathan says. “If you went with a bigger company, you might never see or talk to the president of the company and I deal with my customers all of the time on a daily basis. If there is a problem, they can call me or someone on the management team. It’s still very Mom-and-Pop from that aspect. That’s what sets us apart from larger competition.”

Tri-Way Concrete Pumping staffs 12 employees and Nathan enjoys the company’s family-type atmosphere.

“The core of the company is family and have known each other since we were born. My brother, Nicholas Germany, works for us. Frank Langley’s son, Mark Langley, works here. My office admin, Leshay Germany, is my sister-inlaw. And my operators and mechanics, I treat them like family. I genuinely care about how they are doing personally in their personal and professional growth.“ The staff works on school, hospital, and office building projects with a bit of residential and multi-family work, but Nathan hopes to take on Amazon headquarter-size work someday. Still, he doesn’t want to get too big.

“Just because you add a pump doesn’t mean you add the same amount of profit,” he says. “I don’t really want it to be so big that it’s more headaches than it’s worth. I just want to stay in my niche and earn an honest living for me an my employees.”

Subcontractor Tri-Way Concrete Pumping is in Flower Mound. –mjm

table top. Typically, I can put it back together that only the owner would ever know it was broken.”

Weiner is a very hands-on kind of guy. While getting his business up and running, he discovered that one of the machines he needed would cost $20,000$30,000, so he built his own machine. As a matter of fact, he maintains and repairs all his equipment.

While BSS performs mostly residential work, they perform some commercial work as well. Regardless of whether the job is residential or commercial, Weiner is careful not to spread himself and Cronin too thin.

They take great pride to ensure every job is done to perfection. “We work on one project at a time to ensure the highest quality of work possible.” Thus, their motto is “if you’re not happy, then we’re not done.”

Bruce’s Stone Solutions is a subcontractor specializing in natural stone restoration in Dallas. -cmw

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019

Page 19

From Dublin to Dallas

P

Peter Holland, owner of Holland Marble

eter Holland was supposed to end up in Australia. He had left his native Ireland and was going to the Land Down Under. That was Plan A. His brother was in Dallas, and Holland stopped en route to see him. Plan A was then changed. “I got settled in Dallas,” he said. “I loved it and didn’t feel the need to go any further.”

Holland’s father had a sandstone quarry in Ireland. “From an early age,” he said, “I learned a lot of the ins and outs of dealing with businesses and construction from him.”

Holland majored in construction technology and architecture back in Ireland. “I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I didn’t want to sit behind a desk all day, every day.”

Thus, Holland started Holland Marble in 1986, with residential clients at first, and commercial added in the early 1990s.

With no client base in the early days, Holland said he got customers by “pounding the pavement, going from street to street looking for signs of construction. Back then we showcased our work in a photo album.”

Since those humble beginnings, Holland Marble has certainly grown. Its Carrollton facility is an impressive 116,000sf.

Holland Marble’s timing was fortuitous. It got in on the ground floor of the big switch from tile, laminate and/or Formica-styled countertops to granite.

“We caught the wave of the granite countertop business at the early stages,” Holland explained, “which really helped us to get where we are today.”

What’s interesting, however, is Holland is now doing a brisk business replacing all those original granite countertops, even though they may be perfectly fine.

“It’s all about the colors,” he said. “Trends have changed to the lighter colors and they have a darker colored stone.”

While it’s job security, it’s also amusing to Holland. “It’s a strange thing to tear everything out and throw it away be-

J

ay Stamper paved his own way into the asphalt and concrete business.

“I sold my pressure washing, striping and parking lot sweeping company called Cleaner Image in 2007. I took about a year off and went to work for a friend of mine who was starting a company called DFW Paving,” Stamper says. “From there, I decided to do my own thing and incorporated Pave It Inc. in 2009 and started the concrete, asphalt and striping business in 2010. I haven’t looked back since.”

Even though Stamper had previous experience both as a business owner and in the paving industry, he admits he was surprised by the inconsistency of payment for his completed work. Still, he says, “it’s fun; it’s great. I’ve worked for a lot of good people. All in all, it’s a good industry. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area, even on a downturn, I still work. We do new construction and repair, so we’re constantly busy on both ends.”

cause you want a different color.”

Holland Marble has three main divisions: Holland Marble (which is primarily residential stone and quartz slab fabrication/installation); Holland Marble Imports (which distributes the NeoLith slab products and custom cut project panel systems); and Holland Architectural Limestone (the mill that processes raw limestone blocks from U.S. quarries into finished products).

A new product making its way to Holland Marble’s lineup is flexible terrazzo. This has fibers instead of granules, which makes it more flexible and less likely to crack. This will be marketed for institutional customers like colleges, universities and hospitals.

Holland gets its materials from places as diverse as the north Austin/Georgetown quarries, Oklahoma and even Indiana for its limestone. Indiana limestone is better than Texas limestone for colder regions, like the Northeast.

“Technology has allowed us to explore what we couldn’t explore before,” Holland said. “The extraction ability in Oklahoma before was very rudimentary.”

Now, materials can be quarried more effectively, in less of an area than the old strip mine days.

Holland Marble distributes its NeoLith line to major hotel chains nationwide, like La Quinta and Courtyard by Marriot. Holland’s other products go to various regions of the States.

“Everything is done in-house,” Holland said, “from the shop drawings to the design of the system, to the cutting and the packaging, and then shipped out to the projects.”

Sometimes going to Plan B turns out better than Plan A ever would have. Who would have ever guessed that a pit stop in the Metroplex would someday result in a vibrant marble and stone company?

Holland Marble offers residential and commercial marble and stone products, based in Carrollton. -dsz

Great Scotts

F

Scott Douglass and Scott Armstrong review plans together at Armstrong-Douglass Structural Engineers.

ifteen years ago, two Scotts – Scott Armstrong and Scott Douglass – decided to work together to create something great.

The men had met earlier when they worked together at a structural engineering firm and became fast friends. After separately working at other companies, they crossed paths again and picked up right where they left off. Armstrong and Douglass then turned their friendship into a business partnership as they established Armstrong-Douglass Structural Engineers in 2004.

Started as a two-man show, the firm has grown organically and steadily, with the addition of about one engineer or engineer-in-training per year. In addition to the Dallas location, the firm has a Plano office and a satellite office in Bolivia, thanks to one of the engineers who has solid contacts in that country.

The company has also focused on building its prospects. Nearly three years ago, the partners hired Phil Morley as Vice President of Business Development.

Morley devotes his time to networking and traveling, all of which has paid off for the firm.

“At that time, they had 11 employees; we are now up to 22 employees and have enjoyed pretty good growth over those years,” Morley says. “Part of it is that we’ve had some nice growth from existing clients that have grown and taken us along with them.”

With a client base of primarily architects, the firm works on a wide range of projects, including multi-family, office buildings, hospitals and medical clinics, including a recent clinic in the Bahamas.

Armstrong-Douglass lends its talent to most of the Chuy’s, At Home and Babe’s Chicken projects as well.

“A large part of [why we do a wide range of projects] is because of our clients, but also because very early on the partners decided that they did not want to get stuck into one project,” Morley explains. “When that market sector is

Paving a new way

Founder & CEO Jay Stamper of Pave-It Inc.

Stamper has 22 employees with whom he likes to keep in close contact and show appreciation.

“We try every other week or every third week to have a big cookout lunch at the shop,” Stamper says. “We break bread

doing well, that’s a good place to be, but markets come and go. We didn’t want to get pigeon–holed into one market type; it can be dangerous when that particular market sector heads south.”

The firm also provides structural plan reviews for municipalities and designs charter schools and their associated commercial storm shelters. A new service it is offering is traditional structural engineering for renovations.

“We’re starting to do quite a bit more of that, and we’re doing more historic preservation work,” Morley says. “We have some county courthouse projects that we’re involved in now. We’re actively looking for more preservation work just because there are so many great old buildings that shouldn’t be torn down and should have a new life but need help.”

While they are enjoying the wide scope of work they do, Armstrong and Douglass also enjoy the people in their offices who help them do it.

“My impression is that it’s a very employee- and family-friendly company,” Morley says. “In the years that I’ve been there we haven’t had a single person leave.

They love working for the company. Scott and Scott are good employers, easygoing and easy to work with. They’re willing to let people take time off for different things and generous in their vacation policy. They don’t micromanage at all. They hand out assignments and they are there as a resource if an employee needs them.”

Sporting events, escape rooms, marathons, holiday parties and charity work are all ways Morley says Armstrong and Douglass bond with their team, and this year, they have a special reason to gather and celebrate. The company is celebrating its 15th anniversary, but Morley says he and everyone else will have to wait to see the great thing the two Scotts have in store for that.

Armstrong-Douglass Structural Engineers has offices in Dallas, Plano and Bolivia.

–mjm

with everybody so that we are all still communicating with all of the employees in the field. We do holiday barbecues and Christmas dinners and things like that.”

Stamper hopes his terrific employees will help him recreate Pave It’s success for his latest venture.

“We developed an extension of this company called Pave It Custom Crete. We bought our first volume metric truck that mixes concrete on site. We’re planning on really expanding that over the next couple of years.

“I love interacting with the customers and the challenges. I don’t like routines.

I’m kind of one of those people that likes challenges and coming up with solutions and making things happen.”

Subcontractor Pave It Inc. in Lewisville offers a range of asphalt and concrete maintenance, sealcoating and construction services. – mjm

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Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • FEB 2019