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CONSTRUCTION
™
The Industry’s Newspaper www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 17 H Number 8 H AUGUST 2019
The not-so-new normal
Setting up shop
Stickers remind Terry Wagner why he has a perfectly normal passion for welding.
The IWR North American, Southwest Division team. L-R: Keith Myers, Jimmie Caldrer, Liz Christensen and Bob Sculthrope
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erry Wagner admits that, sometimes, people aren’t quite sure what to make of his welding passion. “People say I’m weird because I love the smell of melting metal in the morning!” exclaims Wagner, who owns welding business MW Construction. Wagner’s wife, Michelle, would agree he’s weird, except for a different reason. “We’ll go out somewhere, like to a grocery store, and I will look at the welds on the shelves that the groceries are sitting on and I will tell her, ‘I wouldn’t put that much weight on that weld,” Wagner shares with a chuckle. It’s not so much weird as it is normal for Wagner, who has been welding for 20 years. Time spent in a company-issued 40-hour weld class two decades ago
forged into a career in which there isn’t much Wagner can’t weld. “I’ve welded little things and I’ve welded big things,” Wagner says. “I’ve welded on everything from fences to 18 wheelers to rail cars to overhead cranes; I’ve done a lot of structural welding with my overhead crane experience. One man even brought me an ice cream truck that he had bought for his wife and he had me weld a trailer hitch to it.” His mobile phone is full of welding project photos so that future grandkids can see his pride in his work. “Something that would be great to build would be a stadium or anything that will last throughout the years, that a lot of people will use and essentially continued on Page 14
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WR North America (IWR), one of the longest-standing building enclosure contractors in the United States, announced in May the opening of a new office in Garland, TX. Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, IWR is a subsidiary of MHS Legacy Group, a diversified national holding corporation carrying a broad spectrum of commercial and industrial companies with roots dating back to 1895. The new office strengthens IWR’s presence as a nationally recognized provider of turnkey building envelope services and solutions. “As we looked to better serve our existing clients and establish new customer and vendor partnerships, the decision to open an office in this region was clear,” said Keith Myers, general manager of
IWR North America, Southwest Division. Prior to his current role, Myers was the executive vice president of MHS Legacy Group since 2014 and general manager of IWR from 2003-14. “The new office demonstrates our long-term commitment to our customers and partners and will greatly increase our access to the vast business potential and talent in this region,” Myers added. The Southwest Division will focus primarily on large-scale custom metal panels, screening systems, louvers and decorative metals. IWR’s sheet metal fabrication and glass and glazing departments, based out of St. Louis, will support the Southwest Division by providing access to the full line of service. The new ofcontinued on Page 14
Functional showroom
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riginally founded in 1992 by Dick Arnoldy and Jeff Cook, ARCO/ Murray is a national design build general contractor with over 25 years of experience building all types of facilities. In 2013, Jason McLaughlin established ARCO/Murray in Dallas, TX. Today the Dallas office has 35 employees, specializing in light industrial, manufacturing, cold storage and tenant improvements. From planning to execution, the ARCO/Murray team uses the industry’s most advanced methodology to bring their client’s visions to life. Having constructed more than 4,000+ projects in more than 48 states and Canada, they have developed a wealth of knowledge and industry specific expertise. “Our unique approach blends our exceptional team with precise planning and expert execution to deliver the very best client experience. Our promise is to make the construction process enjoyable and ben-
eficial,” says McLaughlin. Bedrosians Tile & Stone knew ARCO/Murray was the right choice to construct their new warehouse, office and showroom in Farmers Branch, TX designed by Gensler. The new 114,000sf concrete tilt wall facility took the ARCO/Murray team nine short months to construct. The building acts as a blend between a warehouse and a retail showroom. The front half of the space houses tile displays and other tile products, while the back half of the space will house granite slab storage and display. The floor is diamond polished and features an average of 100 FC lighting levels throughout making it an enjoyable retail environment. There are three 5-ton bridge cranes spanning 250ft of the 550ft long building to move granite slabs around. The structure was designed to be able to easily exThe Bedrosians Tile & Stone warehouse, office and showroom, Farmers Branch, TX.
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