Austin Construction News September 2019

Covering the Industry’s News

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The Industry’s Newspaper www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 19 H Number 9 H SEPTEMBER 2019

Seretta celebrates new facility

Lowden clear

Seretta Construction’s new location in Austin, Tx

L-R: Coy, Lanette and Dale Lowden and Susan Schnabel of Lowden Excavating.

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n the mid ‘80s when the construction industry was experiencing a downward spiral, concrete tilt wall pioneer Richard McPherson, PE realized he needed to find someplace other than Texas to work. A structural engineer by trade, McPherson had been designing and constructing concrete tilt wall structures since 1963 when tilt wall construction wasn’t an industry yet.

With the plunge of the Texas economy, McPherson moved his family to Florida where work could be found year-round. In 1987, he founded Seretta Construction in Apopka, FL. His son Andrew McPherson would join the company a short time later.

Seretta Construction, one of the original companies and second to qualify as a certified company by the Tilt-up Con-

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pecializing in ground up, tenant improvement new and remodel construction projects primarily consisting of retail, restaurant, medical, child development, office, self-storage, automotive, etc., Engen Contracting Inc. (“ECI”) was founded in 1997 by Chris & Geoff Engen.

At ECI’s inception, the Engen brothers had a vision to serve the local community as a trusted, faith-driven and dependable Central Texas company. ECI takes pride in providing detailed communication and transparency towards developing and maintaining its relationships. ECI routinely provides budgeting, orchestrates consultants during both the design & construction phases, and customizes the management of all faucets of construction ranging from pre-construction up through the closeout of projects.

As a rule, ECI mainly provides construction services in the private sector

crete Association (TCA), an international association, opened its second location in Charlotte, NC in 2001. Andrew took over the reins as owner of the company in 2004, carrying on his father’s legacy. In 2009, Seretta Construction opened its third location in Austin. It did not take long for this concrete tilt wall contractor to find that their Burleson Road location in Austin was too small for the growing company.

“When we go into a market, it is a long term thing. We don’t just move in when times are good and shut down just as fast.” Andrew soon purchased property to build a permanent facility for its Texas branch, but it would be several years before the facility would be constructed.

Now, celebrating 10 years in Austin, continued on Page 14

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ale Lowden is a third-generation land clearer with construction running deep in his family. He was working for his father’s small excavating company in the early 1980s on a golf course project when the project manager approached him with a work opportunity. Lowden seized the opportunity and started Lowden Excavating in 1982.

With wife Lanette at his side, and sometimes operating the excavating equipment if he needed help, Lowden did a lot of work on smaller, more rural projects, such as clearing land for home builders. In 1996, Lowden got the chance to work on the big development jobs.

“That’s how I really got started into the bigger work,” he said.

Dale and Lanette were married in

1972 and she managed to juggle three young kids while helping their new company grow. She didn’t mind and enjoyed her time getting out of the office and running the machines. “I’m an outside person,” she said.

“She was a full-time mom and a parttime construction helper,” Dale laughs as he remembered the early days. “It’s amazing what she’s been able to accomplish over the years.”

“I had a couple of hands in the beginning,” he added. Lowden Excavating went from the original five workers, to eight, to 15 quickly. As the company grew, Lanette’s prime responsibility became the office.

At present, Lowden Excavating has around 65 employees and looking to hire continued on Page 14

Four stories, zero lot line market. Constructing the new Life Storage facility in Round Rock, designed by RKAA Architects Inc. for the Barclay Group fell right in line with the firm’s targeted clientele.

This 80,000sf, four-story concrete tilt wall project took 300 days to complete.

The construction team had to cast, stack and erect 60’ tall concrete panels contending with a zero-lot line site. At ECI’s request, the foundation was re-engineered to adequately support the weight of the panels (some stacked 3 high) and the crane. Due to the limited space outside the building’s footprint, the temporary panel braces could only be installed to the inside of the structure.

Once in place, these braces impacted approximately 25 percent of the floor space and required partial joist/deck and structural steel installations until after the fourth-floor assembly was erected and Life Storage, a four-story climate control storage facility.

continued on Page 14

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Austin Construction News • SEPT 2019

Austin Construction News • SEPT 2019

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80 great years

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L-R: Hall’s Roofing & Sheet Metal’s Tabatha Smith and Shannon Hall

all’s Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. is celebrating 80 years in the construction industry this year, and there is more cause for celebration: The fourth generation of the Hall Family is taking her place at the helm.

Shannon Hall is the great-granddaughter of the founder of Hall’s Roofing & Sheet Metal, which was actually established in Michigan before moving its office to Texas. In the eight decades since, her grandfather and father, David Hall, have also run the company. Shannon has worked at Hall’s Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. since she was a teen, whether up on the roof or in the office handling sales with her brother, Chris Hall.

With David’s retirement, Shannon will act as the company’s manager, while Chris will run the business’ two shingle and two metal crews. The company does full metal and shingle roof replacements and repairs on metal, shingle and tile roofs. It concentrates its service scope on Georgetown, Austin and the surrounding areas including Hutto, Round Rock and

Cedar Park.

Office Manager Tabatha Smith, who joined the company full-time a year ago, said family doesn’t just run the company – Hall’s Roofing & Sheet Metal has a family feeling.

“It is definitely very family-oriented.

Even though I’m not technically family, I am,” Smith says. “It’s very laid back. We love to take care of the customers and do everything we can. It’s a very enjoyable place to work.”

Smith says that Shannon, who holds several licenses, is already thinking about how she plans to build upon Hall’s Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc’s 80 years of success.

“We plan on staying here in Georgetown; we own the building that we’re in, and I don’t see us moving in the future,” Smith says. “Shannon has ideas of expanding in different ways and making sure the company continues, but of course, we’re always going to do roofing.”

Roofing subcontractor Hall’s Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. is in Georgetown. –mjm

A new A & M

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Arturo Murillo, owner of Arc & Metal

he very last thing Arturo Murillo ever wanted to do was weld. He had heard too many horror stories of welders going blind or becoming ill from breathing in the fumes of their trade.

When he worked for a fire suppression safety outfit in Houston, however, Murillo was told he was going to be taught how to weld, as the water pipes needed to be welded together.

Murillo was “terrified. I never thought I would be welding,” he said. Further, “I didn’t know what I was doing,” which is fairly important.

When he was taught enough to be tried out, and when his first big welding job was tested, however, it went terribly, and he felt worse. Someone told him, “You have to have pride in your work.”

That’s when Murillo determined, “If I’m going to do this for life - it’s going to be my job - I’m going to do it right.”

Murillo got trained and started Arc & Metal in 2003, leaving his former employer and becoming an official welder, the last thing he imagined.

“That’s how Arc & Metal started,” he

said. “I bought the [welding] machine and went to the courthouse to get my DBA. I called it ‘Arc & Metal’ because an arc and metal make a weld. And then, I wanted to use my initials too. I designed my own logo.”

Thus, Texas has a new A & M. Even though learning how to give proper estimates was tricky at first, Murillo found so much work that he was spending too much time away from his family in Houston. As Fate would have it, however, his former fire suppression company was opening another office in Austin and asked Murillo to come back to be their welder on the various pipe connections. That was in 2015.

With his mobile welding rig, Murillo is making more and more contacts in the Austin area. He still has his shop back in Houston and will go there to do work as is needed.

“It’s amazing,” Murillo said, when reflecting upon his career journey. When he first started, Murillo said, “I didn’t even know what I was looking at.” Now, he welds in two major Texas cities.

Arc & Metal is a welding service in Austin and Houston. -dsz

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Austin Construction News • SEPT 2019

Creating cyber warriors from employees

Managing Certificates of Insurance

Lee Ann Collins, Managing Partner Lane Gorman Trubitt, LLC Dallas, TX

Jillian Duzan, Certificates Tracking Services Mgr. Catto & Catto LLP San Antonio, TX

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recently sat down with our IT professionals to have a discussion about what types of cyberattacks are out there and how we can protect the company we love.

This lead to me staying up late that night reliving the numerous ways that a malicious attack could impact a business. I am the leader of a company that supports many families, not only our employees and their families, but also our clients and their employees. Being well-informed is the first step to a stronger cyber defense.

Unfortunately, cyberattacks are not so obvious. They can often happen quietly in the background, and you won’t know it’s a problem until your information is breached and available to the public. Also, many companies don’t understand how important it is to be vigilant until it’s too late. Below are statistics, compiled by Varonis, about cyberattacks and its impact on businesses, individuals, and our nation.

• In 2017, 147.9 million consumers were affected by the Equifax Breach. The total population of the United States is currently 329.09 million adult consumers.

• In 2017, cybercrime costs accelerated with organizations spending nearly 23 percent more than 2016—on average about $11.7 million.

• The financial services industry will spend, on average, $18.3 million to resolve a cybercrime.

The loss of data represents 43% of to - tal costs.

• Ransomware attacks are growing more than 350% every year Ransomware damage costs will rise to $11.5 billion in 2019, and a business will fall victim to a ransomware attack every 14 seconds.

• The United States and the Middle East spend the most on post-data breach response. Costs in the U.S. were $1.56 million and $1.43 million in the Middle East.

• 21% of all files are NOT protected in any way. (https://www.varonis.com/blog/cybersecurity-statistics/) All of these are terrifying, and they don’t just affect large corporations. According to Smallbiztrends.com: • 43% of cyber-attacks target small businesses • 60% of companies will go out of business following a cyber-attack • Most cyber-attacks are the result of a negligent employee or contractor (https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/01/cybersecurity-statistics-small-business.html) How can your business be attacked?

The goal of every cyberattack is to gain access to your system. It can be malicious like we saw with the 2016 Mirai Botnet, which attacked the service provider Dyn and ultimately shut down a large section of the internet including Netflix, Twitter, and CNN. In May, the City of Baltimore was one of several municipalities that were attacked by ransomware this year. Hackers demanded that the city pay almost $80,000 in bitcoin to release the city’s servers that control everything from email to billing.

This attack prevented city employees from accessing the system for more than a month and the city was unable to distribute the June utility bills. Just to recover from this attack the city had to set aside $10 million in emergency funding.

Remotely accessing internet-connected devices is not the only way your network is at risk. Physical in-person attacks can be just as harmful. In fact, an unattended workstation with a USB port is a prime opportunity for malware and keystroke logging to be introduced to the network.

Once they are connected to your network, malicious individuals can bombard your servers with information causing them to shut down, called a denial-ofservice attack. Your network can also be held captive by ransomware that sections off access to data until an undetermined amount of money is paid to the “bad guy”. Unfortunately, there is no assurance that once the ransom is settled that the information will be restored.

How do you prevent it?

Turn your employees into cyber-warriors for the company. Train them on how to identify threats within emails and websites. Explain proper password procedures, and institute a multi-factor authentication process when vital information is being accessed.

Protect your physical assets by creating a visual database that is regularly maintained so that employees are easily identified. A visual database can be anything from photo ID badges to a seating chart with headshots on your local intranet.

The best defenders for your company are the people that work for it, but former employees who left on bad terms can become also malicious agents. When an employee is terminated or leaves the company for another opportunity, protect your information by immediately removing access to any system and changing their passwords.

I know that your company is as important to you as Lane Gorman Trubitt is to me. Empowering your employees with training and tools to defend the company they work for is the best line of protection.

To better safeguard your business, it is always good practice to contact your local security firm. If you require any additional cyber security information or resources, you can always check out the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) website.

About Lee Ann: A long-time authority in the construction industry with more than three decades of experience in public accounting, Lee Ann Collins is the managing partner at Lane Gorman Trubitt, LLC. During her tenure with the firm, she has collaborated with clients of all sizes consulting on business planning and taxation strategies, financial analysis, and the preparation of compiled, reviewed, and audited financial statements. Lee Ann often serves on boards of industry organizations working toward effective solutions for members, and she is a frequent speaker on financial reporting and taxation matters within the accounting community.

nderstanding risks is a crucial part of operating a successful business. Certificates of Insurance (COIs) from subcontractors, vendors and suppliers help reduce risk by ensuring that insurance coverage is in place and that it meets the requirements outlined in subcontract agreements. Collecting and checking COIs to ensure compliance standards have been met—reviewing for key endorsements and dangerous exclusions—is a tedious but necessary task.

There are four common endorse- and coverage is excluded by their insurments that are considered essential: Ad- ance carrier, the reality is that as the hirditional Insured, 30-Day Notice of Cancel- ing contractor you would ultimately be lation, Waiver of Subrogation, and Prima- held liable. ry & Non-Contributory. Additional Insured status provides coverage to other The task of monitoring certificates individuals/groups that were not initially can be overwhelming. Employees are exnamed on the policy. If you are endorsed hausted by the tedious process of screenas an Additional Insured on a vendor’s ing COI’s and endorsements for complipolicy, coverage will be extended to you ance and the time consuming communion their policy so that you will be covered cations needed to resolve compliance isif a claim arises. A 30-Day notice of can- sues. They may not have extensive cellation endorsement is crucial, because knowledge of insurance language, and it’s important that you are notified when there is little margin for error. Even the a policy lapses. Even if you have marked simplest oversight can lead to financial a subcontractor compliant, that doesn’t repercussions. guarantee that coverage will remain in effect until the expiration date. There are Catto & Catto’s concierge certificate many scenarios in which policies are can- tracking service is designed to protect clicelled midterm. A Waiver of Subrogation ents while simplifying certificate manis a provision in which the insured waives agement. Our professionals handle comthe right of their insurance carrier to seek pliance reviews and communicate directcompensation for losses from a negligent ly with subcontractors’ insurance agents third party. A Primary and Non-Contribu- to address non-compliant certificates. tory endorsement is used to determine Clients can check compliance statuses the order in which policies will respond if and reports online integrate this data there are multiple policies involved in the into their accounting software. same loss. If this endorsement is applied, Renewals are also important to monthe vendor’s policy must pay before any other applicable policy without seeking itor. In the construction industry, many contribution from other policies. The insurance policies are written through Waiver of Subrogation may sound similar Excess and Surplus lines, in which case to the Primary & Non-Contributory en- policies do not renew automatically. dorsement, but there is a major differ- Once a policy expires, coverage is not ence between the two. Waiver of Subro- bound for renewal unless payment has gation prevents the insurance company been made. Our cloud-based automated from seeking reimbursement from the communication tool allows us to start reAdditional Insured’s policy after a claim is questing renewals through the system handled, while the Primary and Non- 30 days prior to policy expiration, giving Contributory endorsement prevents the the agents plenty of time to submit upAdditional Insured’s policy from contrib- dated certificates. uting towards the payout during the

The system that we use is also helpclaims process. ful to keep track of subcontractor’s insur In many cases, there can be exclu- ance information to prevent a failed ausionary language within policies that can dit. If an audit occurs either on your Genprevent the policy from paying out in the eral Liability policy or Workers Compenevent of a claim. Policy exclusions are not sation policy, you will be asked to provide listed on a Certificate of Insurance, but verification that any subcontractors you they can be detrimental to your organiza- used were adequately insured. If you tion. A few major examples of exclusions cannot show proof, the insurance comare: Subsidence and Earth Movement Ex- pany will have a right to charge additionclusion, Silica or Silica-Related Dust Ex- al premium to cover their work under clusion, and Residential New Construc- your policy. Our system allows you to tion Exclusion. If you subcontract con- refer back to documents and communicrete work, the Subsidence and Earth cations with subcontractors and their Movement Exclusion can be very harm- agents for up to 10 years. ful. If there is shifting and settling of the foundation after construction is complet- Improper management of certified, this could wreak havoc on your com- cates could ultimately result in costly litipany’s finances. A Silica or Silica-Related gation, out of pocket expense, and an inDust Exclusion can be harmful anytime crease in your own insurance premiums. you are working with construction mate- Being proactive in the management of rials like sand, stone, concrete, brick, and certificates of insurance can help prevent mortar. If workers cut, grind, drill, or crush these costly situations. Having your cermaterials containing silica, dust particles tificates reviewed by licensed and experiare created. It has been proven that re- enced professionals provides an added spiratory exposure to Silica can lead to peace of mind so you can rest assured lung disease or lung cancer. If a bodily that compliance reviews are completed injury claim is filed against your subcon- accurately and efficiently. tractor due to silica exposure, a silica or silica-related dust exclusion could be a Jillian specializes in commercial lines nightmare. Residential New Construc- and surety, and also has a vast knowledge tion Exclusions can vary with regards to of personal lines. Jillian is currently pursuwhat is excluded. In some cases single ing the Commercial Lines Coverage Spefamily homes are excluded, or perhaps cialist (CLCS) designation. Her role as part multifamily projects such as apartments of the Risk Management team is to assist or condominiums can be excluded. If the Commercial Lines clients by providing exunfortunate event occurs in which you pert management of certificates. have a claim for a subcontractor’s work

Austin Construction News • SEP 2019

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Risk management strategies for cost plus contracts in Texas

Personal protective equipment

Name, Brandon L. Rutledge Peckar & Abramson Houston, TX

Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

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he release of the AIA A102™–2007 Cost of the Work Plus a Fee with a Guaranteed Maximum Price (“AIA A102™–2007”) marked a turning point for cost-plus construction contracts by formally standardizing a guaranteed maximum price (“GMP”). The change followed an inauspicious trend of owners reallocating risks for cost overruns back to contractors.

Consequently, today’s most common cost-plus contract forms all but guarantee that owners pay the lesser of the final GMP or the actual costs of a project plus a negotiated percentage-fee.

However, several cases in recent where courts in other jurisdictions found years beg the question: How much risk that an express fiduciary relationship exdid the AIA A102™–2007 shift to con- isted between a contractor and an owner, they often focused on these exact tractors?

Across the country, courts in other ju- words. Yet, courts across all jurisdictions risdictions, including states such as Okla- seem to believe that this language does homa, Louisiana, and Mississippi, have modify the typical contractor-owner reruled that certain cost-plus contracts lationship, though the degree of such a vested contractors with an obligation to change varies significantly depending on protect an owner’s financial interests and the jurisdiction and the facts of each to keep costs to a minimum. Courts in case. For instance, while some states these states largely based rulings on lan- treat this language as imposing as a duty guage found in Article 3 of the AIA A102™– on contactors to reasonably control or 2007 and the AIA A102™–2017, which pur- minimize costs, other states interpret this ports to establish a “relationship of trust language to merely obligate contractors and confidence.” In other states, several to keep owners aware of cost overruns.

The Texas Supreme Court has never courts have construed the language in Article 3 to impose even stricter “fiducia- addressed whether this language creates ry” duties on contractors. This develop- a fiduciary relationship under Texas law. ment should serve as a cautionary tale to However, on one occasion, in a case inTexas contractors who frequently operate volving a residential construction disunder cost-plus contracts. A fiduciary pute, the Austin Court of Appeals treated duty involves far more than just an obli- contractual language creating “a relagation to avoid committing fraud. Name- tionship of trust and confidence” as formly, the imposition of a fiduciary duty car- ing a fiduciary relationship. In that case, ries with it a legal obligation to always act the owner claimed that the contractor in the best interest of another party— owed a fiduciary duty and breached that even when an action entails negative duty by overstating the amount of a draw consequences for the fiduciary. As a re- request. The issue on appeal was not sult, the imposition of fiduciary duties on whether the contractor owed a fiduciary Texas contractors could effectively pre- duty under Texas law but whether sufficlude contractors from obtaining any cient evidence existed to support the jury’s finding that the contractor did not benefits at the expense of the owner.

Would Texas courts actually im- breach that duty. Therefore, the case is pose this type of harsh and far-reach- not instructive of how Texas court will decide future cost-plus fiduciary duty ing obligation on contractors?

The AIA A102™–2017 Standard Form claims. of Agreement between Owner and Con- Given the prevalence of Constructractor, the contract most commonly tion Management at-risk and other costused in the construction industry, does plus type contracts, particularly in conrecognize an obligation on the part of nection with public projects, this issue is contractors to not act solely in their own likely to come to the forefront in conself-interest. Specifically, the section de- struction law. As a result, contractors scribing the relationship of the parties, should keep in mind the following suggestions for managing some of this risk in Article 3, states, in relevant part: The Contractor accepts the relation- cost-plus contracts: ship of trust and confidence estab- 1. Contractors should consider lished by this Agreement and cove- striking the above-referenced contract nants with the Owner to cooperate language during contract negotiations, with the Architect and exercise the which could help remove any doubt Contractor’s skill and judgment in should a fiduciary duty be alleged by the furthering the interests of the owner.

Owner; to furnish efficient business 2. Accounting records, including administration and supervision; to job cost details and backup documents furnish at all times and adequate may be subject to production in discovsupply of workers and materials; and ery. For this reason, contractors should to perform the Work in an expedi- be mindful and maintain consistent and tious and economical manner con- accurate job cost records. This means keeping clear, accurate, and itemized resistent with the Owner’s interest. cords that account for the supplies and

Article 3 not only expressly establish- labor expended on every cost-plus projes a “relationship of trust and confi- ect. dence”, but also references the “owner’s interest” twice—first stating that a con- Brandon L. Rutledge is an Associate in Pecktractor must exercise judgment to fur- ar & Abramson’s Houston office, where he ther the interests of the owner, and sec- focuses his practice on litigation matters, ondly directs the contractor to perform complex commercial transactions, and work in a manner consistent with an construction law. He may be reached at: owner’s interest. In fact, in instances brutledge@pecklaw.com

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ersonal protective equipment, or PPE, is designed to protect workers from serious workplace injuries or illnesses resulting from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards. Besides face shields, safety glasses, hard hats, and safety shoes, protective equipment includes a variety of devices and garments such as goggles, coveralls, gloves, vests, earplugs, and respirators.

As an employer, you must assess your workplace to determine if hazards are present that require the use of personal protective equipment. If such hazards are present, you must select protective equipment and require workers to use it, communicate your protective equipment selection decisions to your workers, and select personal protective equipment that properly fits your workers.

You must also train workers who are required to wear personal protective equipment on how to do the following: • Use protective equipment properly • Be aware of when personal protective equipment is necessary • Know what kind of protective equipment is necessary • Understand the limitations of personal protective equipment in protecting workers from injury • Put on, adjust, wear, and take off personal protective equipment and • Maintain protective equipment properly.

Hard hats can protect your workers from head impact, penetration injuries, and electrical injuries such as those caused by falling or flying objects, fixed objects, or contact with electrical conductors. Also, OSHA regulations require employers to ensure that workers cover and protect long hair to prevent it from getting caught in machine parts such as belts and chains.

In addition to foot guards and safety

Austin

shoes, leggings (e.g., leather, aluminized rayon, or other appropriate material) can help prevent injuries by protecting workers from hazards such as falling or rolling objects, sharp objects, wet and slippery surfaces, molten metals, hot surfaces, and electrical hazards.

Besides spectacles and goggles, personal protective equipment such as special helmets or shields, spectacles with side shields, and faceshields can protect workers from the hazards of flying fragments, large chips, hot sparks, optical radiation, splashes from molten metals, as well as objects, particles, sand, dirt, mists, dusts, and glare.

Wearing earplugs or earmuffs can help prevent damage to hearing. Exposure to high noise levels can cause irreversible hearing loss or impairment as well as physical and psychological stress.

Earplugs made from foam, waxed cotton, or fiberglass wool are self-forming and usually fit well. A professional should fit your workers individually for molded or preformed earplugs. Clean earplugs regularly, and replace those you cannot clean.

Workers exposed to harmful substances through skin absorption, severe cuts or lacerations, severe abrasions, chemical burns, thermal burns, and harmful temperature extremes will benefit from hand protection. natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232

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Austin Construction News • SEPT 2019

cheap student housing off Riverside, and they let me crash on their couch for a couple of months until I got an apartment while I focused on the music. But you have to pay the rent. After working for a few people, I just realized I’d do much better starting a company and working for myself.

Jordan Scott

Owner 4GM Brick and Stone Austin, TX

J

ordan Scott is not only an artist when it comes to brick work and repairs, he is a musical artist as well. This mason’s hands also handle the guitar and piano. In fact, while he loves being a mason and takes his craftsmanship very seriously, Scott could easily replace his trowel with a keyboard. Either way, he’s using his hands to not only fix someone’s 30year old brick work, but also play some 30-year old rock or blues.

Tell us about your early days and life.

I was born in downtown Dallas. We lived there about five years before we moved to north Texas where I went to school.

Why did your father move from Dallas to further north?

It was a family thing; to be with my mom’s parents.

But you made your way to Austin where you’ve settled. How did this come about?

I’ve been making music since I was a little boy. I had some friends who had some

What’s your musical instrument and what are you into?

I’ve been playing piano and guitar since I was about 12. About 20 years on each of those instruments. I’ve been focusing on the piano the last five years or so. I’m starting to get into Ray Charles and stuff like that. I’m all about the old stuff: Duke Ellington, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Beach Boys, Doors, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder. I like a few modern bands, but it’s the old school stuff that I really gravitate towards.

Are you part of the Austin music scene?

Oh, yeah. Most of my friends here are musicians, so I go to a lot of shows and I play in a couple of jam nights that I go to every now and then. It’s been really busy with work this summer, so I haven’t gotten to be as involved as I would like, but I try and write everyday. I usually try to have some people come over here and make music once a week or so.

Were you trying to make music a career?

I’ve never wanted to be famous or anything like that, but I would love to put out an album. I’ve been writing music for so long and music has been incorporated in every piece of my life. Even my business card has a background from Pink Floyd’s The Wall. It’s a nice fit.

When did you establish 4GM?

I think it was 2010. That’s when I actually got the website and cards and became serious about it. I might have been open a year or so before that, but I never invested myself like I should have early on.

What was it like becoming an indepen-

Jordan Scott, owner of 4GM Brick and Stone

dent masonry contractor?

In Austin, and I think in the state of Texas, you don’t have to be licensed to do masonry, which is a good and a bad thing. It was good for me because I didn’t have to pay a bunch of start up fees. On the other hand, neither does anyone else.

Almost anyone with a truck can start a company and do it legally. The hardest part for me was establishing a reputation because I came from my dad who is a third generation [mason]. Everything he did was five-star. I just tried to bring that with me to Austin and started out doing jobs cheaper than everybody else to get a foot in the door, because no one wants to trust a guy with no reviews. Once I got the call, I could usually talk to them and they could see I had some sense about me, but the hardest part was building up a reputation.

Have you ever seen any work done by another mason that wasn’t up to speed?

Oh, yes. I did a job where I was the third person to come and try and fix this chimney because they got somebody who was not skilled, definitely not a craftsman who put together this kit for an outdoor kitchen. He put it together crooked, there was nothing level, there was nothing plumb about it, it was twisted, it went through the roof wrong. I’ve seen some people do some really bad things. I’ve seen repairs where it literally looked like someone took a handful of mortar and threw it against the wall. I’ve seen people tear apart fireplaces and not be able to put them back together.

There’s no license that is required to become a masonry contractor in Texas, so customers really have to do their research on who they hire.

Your father was the third generation mason in your family. Did he expect or encourage you to the fourth?

He always wanted me to do what I love, but he kept reminding me that this is a very good trade. Learning this is better than a lot of jobs out there. I can use this to pursue my passion, which is music.

I love my business, I love my customers, but this is a vehicle for me to be out on my own, contribute to the community, but in my spare time work on my music and do the things that I love.

Would you do music full time if you could?

I probably would but I’m not really a huge fan of the limelight. I’m pretty private.

But, yeah, probably. That’s my real love in life. That and art. I do a little bit of painting.

It’s the music that gives me the chills.

What’s work like for you now? Do you have any helpers?

I have a couple people who help me. I have a guy named Scotty that’s been with me for years. He’s been helping me a lot lately, but most of the time it’s just me. I try to not take on so much work that I overex-

tend myself. I used to have a bad habit of doing that. I felt like I had to take on every single job. I’ve learned to take it down a notch and not overextend myself.

What do you do most of?

Definitely repairs. Every day people call me because they’re trying to put their house on the market, or they just bought a house and something failed on the inspection report on the house.

About 80 percent of what I do is masonry repair work because I’m good at it. Not many masons know how to do this match something that’s 30 or even hundreds of years old. I would love to take it to the highest level one day and do the restoration work on the Alamo or the Texas State Capitol.

One of your specialties is brick staining. Tell us about that part of your work.

It’s by hand, one brick at a time. If you were to spray it, it would get all over the mortar and it would look painted, which would defeat the purpose. I order my stain from the U.K., actually. It’s alcohol-based with pigment powder, the carrier solution and something to make it permanent called the fixing agent. They all have lifetime warranties, so it never fades. The great thing is it can be diluted, so each house I do is completely custom.

It’s all about the customer and what they want to do with their home.

Did your dad teach you how to stain brick?

This one I learned all by myself. He taught me a little bit about staining brick to match repair jobs, but then I took it to another level when I started staining entire homes.

Do you have a handy supply of old bricks that you keep handy in case you need them?

I do have a mini brick yard out in the back. I’ve been able to do three or four repairs flawlessly because I had the original brick that hasn’t been made in 20 years. I have a lot of brick.

Do you do anything on the inside of homes?

I’ve done a lot of brick veneers and artificial stone. A lot of fireplaces. I did one job in Houston where the guy said make it look as rough as possible, old world. He said, “I want you to do it like you were drunk.” So that was fun. We’ve done a lot of accent walls. I like to try and save the inside jobs for the winter when it’s cold outside.

Do you get a lot of bid invites?

I get like 60 jobs a week to bid. I prefer the smaller things. I really like to work for the homeowner and talk directly to the person you’re working for.

Jordan Scott of 4GM Brick & Stone is a fourth generation mason contractor in Austin. -dsz

Austin Construction News • SEPT 2019

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you don’t want your child to spend most of his or her fishing time mastering every knot in the book, then monofilament continued on Page 9

The fishing line dilemma

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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ne of the biggest debates in the fishing world often plays out between monofilament and braided fishing lines, between the old veterans who have been using mono all their lives to the up-and-coming anglers who claim that braided fishing line breeds better catches. Certainly, both types of lines

My dear friend and client, Dr. Leggett of Houston, had his hands full with this 42-inch redfish.

The fight lasted approximately 15-20 minutes and it’s still up in the air which one was most exhausted. Fish wad released successfully after photo.

have their pros and cons and you will have to decide which is best for you based on your own fishing preferences and on what characteristics are most important to you in a line.

On one side of the spectrum, there is a monofilament fishing line, which has been around for considerably longer and is what many of us grew up with. For many, mono lines are also still the more user-friendly option and the best type of

line to learn on. For one thing, monofilament lines are significantly easier to knot.

Teaching a kid to fish with a braided line can become a frustrating process because, in order to be a successful braid fisherman, you need to possess a much wider arsenal of fishing knots than you need if you are utilizing a more traditional monofilament line. Knowing how to tie a wider variety of knots is never a bad thing, and may come in handy in any number of situations over the years. But if

Page 8

Austin Construction News • SEPT 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

Trophies!

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ne of the most notorious characteristics of a fisherman is that he almost certainly lies. At least that’s what the common wisdom says.

You gotta have proof. You need to at least have a picture, but even better, you need to have your trophy fish on the wall!

There is no better proof than that! Just look at that baby!

One of the funniest trophies I can remember belonged to my mother-in-law.

One day she was taking old friends on a sight-seeing boat ride to the scenic upper end of Lake Buchanan. Just for kicks on the way back home she wanted to show them what a trot-line was and how it worked. She stopped by one of our best old trot-lines and pulled up the pickup jug and she could feel the trot-line start moving the whole boat around.

There was a real good fish on the line. Finally after an extended bout of tug of war she decided to just go for broke and she

got the old fish up close enough to just throw both arms around him and fall back into the boat with him. That’s when he gave one last hard flop on top of my mother-in-law and spit the hook out of his mouth. She was tired, beat up and stinky, but the lady had just landed a seventy-four pound yellow catfish!

In those days there was no such thing as replica fish mounts. All taxidermists did skin mounts of fish. Catfish were difficult to make trophies out of because of all the oil in them. My mother-inlaw simply plopped the massive head of her trophy into a large plastic bag and dropped it in the freezer. Every time she told her fish story it meant a trip to the freezer and out she came with that beast’s frozen head under her arm. And that is pretty much how I remember meeting my future mother-in-law. She was this sweet, outgoing little lady with a dead fish head under her arm. (I should

continued next page

Austin Construction News • SEPT 2019

Page 9

continued from Page 7 – Capt. Steve Schultz lines may be the better place to start.

With all that said, braided fishing lines have a lot of benefits that outshine those of monofilament lines for many anglers. For one, braided lines have smaller diameters than monofilament ones, making it easier to fit more line on your reel and giving you a greater casting range when you are out on the fishing boat.

Many anglers consider that boost in range an invaluable advantage for catching more fish, and they certainly have a point. In many situations, scoring a trophy catch with a braided line is simply a less strenuous affair.

Of course, you pay for what you get, and braided line is considerably more expensive than monofilament line. If you are an angler looking to keep all of your purchases in the most economical range possible, you will likely be seduced by the more budget-conscious costs of monofilament line. However, you should also keep records of how frequently you are buying new line. Traditionally, braided lines have been known to be considerably more durable than monofilament, and if you find yourself replacing your

mono line every few weeks, you may consider making the switch to braided line just as an experiment to see which line is indeed more economical.

Finally, if you are an angler who has grown accustomed to fishing with monofilament line but want to see what all the fuss is about in the braided world, be aware that you are going to need some time and practice to get used to the new line. Braided lines boast a completely different feel than monofilament lines, thanks largely to their lack of give and stretch. While this difference can make the transition difficult, it’s well worth it.

If you are interested in discussing this topic in detail, feel free to book a fishing trip with me. Here are some open dates available: September 3,5,10,19,25 and October 7,9,14,15,21,24,25,28,29,30.

To schedule your next bay fishing trip or hunting trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or e-mail him me at SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail. com. Good luck and Good Fishing.

continued from Page – Ken Milam have taken that as an omen!)

Deciding to mount a fish as a trophy is like gambling. A good taxidermist’s fish mount can be a little pricey, so it is an investment. A fisherman looks at the fish like this. How special is it? Should he wait and see if he catches a bigger one?

It is an agonizing decision, and one that we as guides often see being fretted over at the cleaning table while we have a knife poised over the fish awaiting an answer. Some people just see “big fish = big fish fry,” while other people can just see that fish on the wall. That trophy de-

cision is all yours folks, but I can tell you this. I have more than once seen a guide almost cry as he starts to cut into the biggest fish that ever was landed on his boat!

It doesn’t really matter what your trophy is. It could be a three-inch perch dangling from a kid’s Snoopy fishing pole, a crumpled old photo or a straightened out hook from the one that got away. The important thing is that those trophies remind us of good times had.

Have you got your trophy yet?

1945

Hello September

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Austin Construction News • SEPT 2019

Not common at all

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Shawn Dupont, owner of Dupont Cabinetry & Design, with his slick CNC machine

hawn Dupont doesn’t think he’s related to the DuPonts of Delaware.

“We’re the Southern Duponts,” he jokes. “’Dupont’ is a pretty common name in France,” he added.

Be that as it may, the work Dupont does as owner of Dupont Cabinetry & Design is anything but common. He specializes in the high-end residential demographic with outstanding custom cabinetry and millwork.

Take, for instance, the house he did on the outskirts of San Marcos. It sits in the middle of 80 acres of woodland and is made entirely of glass, the garage being the only thing with traditional walls. That is not common. It is way cool.

Dupont got his start doing trim carpentry in La Jolla, CA, back in 2000. The Corpus Christi native and his Texan wife wanted to experience a change of pace from Texas while awaiting their Peace Corps assignment in South America.

Upon return from that stint, Dupont worked for someone in the cabinet and trim world in Austin. That led him to start his own company in 2004.

“I always had plans on working for myself,” he said, “owning my own business and being an entrepreneur. But the biggest [reason I started my own company] is quality. Just being able to put out a product above the rest. Being my own boss and doing what I want to do and take on projects that are really neat” is the driver for Dupont.

Timing is everything, and it’s a good time for Dupont and his company. “Central Texas is a booming market,” he said.

While Dupont Cabinetry has gone to Dallas and Houston and Corpus, it has plenty to do at home.

With the proliferation of anything and everything on the Internet, the problem homeowners face is having too much information and too many ideas.

“More homeowners are telling me they’re inundated with ideas,” he said. “It’s endless what you can do.”

Dupont’s job is to narrow the focus to exactly what the client wants. “By ask-

ing the right questions,” he said, “we [can] start the design process.”

Dupont has seen a good deal of changes since he began. “When I first started,” he said, “we did everything by hand. Now, we have a CNC router.”

The CAD software can take a handdrawn sketch and convert it to computerese, giving it all the advantages that aids the customer in settling on that perfect design.

“Technology has come a long way,” Dupont said.

“We’re doing more and more lighting for our clients,” he added. LED lighting is smaller, more efficient and uses less wattage, allowing Dupont to incorporate accent lighting in many of his pieces.

Another big change/trend is in style.

“The biggest thing for us is the Euro style,” he explained. “Half of what we do now is in the European style” of modern cabinetry.

“Ten years ago, we were doing a lot of expressos, real dark browns.” Now, it’s white or lighter shades in neutral tones for a brighter look.

In Dupont’s time, he’s even remodeled the same house twice. “Either the house has sold to somebody else and they’re making it their own,” he said, “or the clients are just changing [things up.]”

Dupont said there’s an advantage to serving high-end customers - they have the funds to remodel more frequently.

Dupont said he builds with laminates about 25 percent of the time, while the rich, warm look of woods like walnut is used the rest of the time. A benefit to the poly-laminate is durability. “You can hit it with a hammer and not hurt it,” he said.

Dupont Cabinetry & Design currently employs 10 folks, and business is good.

At present, Dupont is looking into moving into a bigger facility. While “Dupont” may be a common name in France, the work this Texan Dupont does is anything but common.

Dupont Cabinetry & Design is a custom designer and builder in Maxwell. -dsz

Doggett acquisition

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Doggett Truck Group’s location in San Antonio, TX

ouston-based Leslie Doggett Industries, through its newly acquired Truck Enterprises Group, has expanded into the trailer business with the acquisition of a privately-held Great Dane Trailer distributor/dealer.

Doggett has locations throughout Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas including Houston, San Antonio and Austin, Texas. This acquisition comes on the heels of Doggett’s acquisition of Truck Enterprises Inc. two weeks ago and Doggett’s acquisition of the Freightliner dealerships throughout the State of Arkansas in 2018.

The addition of Great Dane complements Doggett’s existing Freightliner and Western Star dealerships as they will now sell and service flatbeds, dry freight and refrigerated vans with their over-the-road truck offerings.

SVP of the Doggett Truck Group, Paul Burk, said, “The addition of Great Dane products to Doggett’s world-class lineup allows Doggett to further partner with trucking companies and truck dealers on a measurable and meaningful basis. We are very proud to be partners with Great Dane and expect to have extraordinary growth with their products just as we have had extraordinary growth in our

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truck (Freightliner), tractor (John Deere), forklift (Toyota), crane (LinkBelt) and auto businesses (Ford).”

Doggett is a Houston-based diversified heavy equipment dealer for seven first-tier manufacturers (www.DOGGETT. com) that are either number 1 or 2 in their respective industries: John Deere construction and forestry equipment (17 dealerships), Toyota Industrial Equipment - forklifts & material handling (7 dealerships), Freightliner and Western Star onhighway and vocational trucks (9 dealerships), Link Belt Cranes (3 dealerships) , a Ford auto and truck dealership and now Great Dane Trailers (3 dealerships).

About Leslie Doggett Industries and its Doggett Equipment Services Group: Doggett, founded by Leslie Doggett and Brady Carruth in 1993 with 17 employees, was ranked by the Houston Chronicle in 2019 as Houston’s 12th largest private company with annual sales exceeding US $1 billion and 1400+ full-time employees including 500+ factory trained and certified, highly professional technicians.

Doggett is a family-owned heavy equipment, highway truck and automotive dealership group without outside investment of any kind. -rd

60th anniversary

he 2019 Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) Texas Conference and Product Show marked the 60th anniversary of MCA of Texas. The event was held Jul. 24-27 in San Antonio, TX at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort. This event is the annual meeting of the association. The educational offerings at the event featured motivational speaker Jim “The Rookie” Morris, leadership speakers Dr. Andy Neillie and Jim Whitt, and economist Dr. Alan Beaulieu. -cmw

The MCA Texas Board of Directors L-R: Houston Director - Jimmy Graves, Graco Mechanical; San Antonio Treasurer - Matt Summerville, The Brandt Companies LLC; Dallas Immediate Past - President Randy Bradshaw, MIINC LP; Austin, President - Jeff Henkener, Dynamic Systems Inc.; Dallas, Director - Kevin Oeding, Dynamic Systems Inc., and Glenn Rex, MCA Texas, Houston EVP.

Austin Construction News • SEPT 2019

Page 11

Association Calendar

Forward glass

Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC Associated Builders & Contractors

Sept. 6: Clay Shoot, Capital City Clays, 8707 Lindell Ln., 9:30am-4:30pm. For more info, call Kim Klein at 512-719-5263 or email kklein@abccentraltexas.org

Sept. 5: Luna Awards, Trinity Hall, 311 E. 5th St., 3:30-6pm. For more info, contact Yolanda Tafoya at 972-365-9758

ACEA

Roofing Contractors Assn. of Texas

Sept. 18-20: 2019 RCAT 44th Event, Gaylord Texan Resort & Conference Center For more info, visit www.rooftex.com/ events

AGC

Structural Engineers Assn. of Texas

Associated General Contractors

Sept. 19: 2019 CLC AGC Austin Sporting Clays Classic, Capitol City Skeet & Trap Club, 8707 Lindell Lane, 9am. For more info, contact Toni Osberry at 512-442-7887 ASCE

I

n 1984, Les Craft opened a commercial and residential glass and glazing company in League City. He knew, after working in the glass and glazing industry for years, that he could create a new and better kind of company.

Thirty-five years later, Admiral Glass Company has grown to nearly 300 employees and multiple Texas locations.

The company eventually headquartered in Houston but kept the original League City location for small commercial, residential and auto work.

“Nowadays, we prefer large commercial work; major projects, utilizing unitized curtain wall, over storefronts,” Senior Vice President Jason T. Merritt explains. “We opened a satellite branch in Austin about five years ago, which made it easier to manage our work in the Austin area.

Since then, the Austin location has grown; it now has fabrication capabilities as well and houses about 14 office and shop employees. Plus, any work we do in the San Antonio area is done through the Austin office. As we continued to expand, we opened a Dallas facility 14 months ago; it is just an office space with no fabrication. We opened that office to house project managers and estimators working on projects in the Dallas area.

Nick Lindsay is the General Manager of the Austin branch location, and he oversees Dallas as well.”

The company also boasts two other divisions based out of its Houston office.

“We have an interiors division that specializes in decorative glass, heavy glass, marker boards and glass handrails,” Merritt says. “We also have a City Services division that takes care of small projects and building maintenance. We just added City Services last year; we’re continuing to find new ways to increase our market share.”

Les continues to serve as Admiral’s

CEO, while his son, Lane Craft, operates as the company’s president. Roger Putz is Admiral’s Senior Executive Vice President, and Merritt, after coming on as a Senior Estimator just over four years ago, was recently promoted to Sr. Vice President. Together with the Admiral team, they are ready to help the company evolve for the next 35 years.

“The plan is to continue to expand and grow our market share and develop new markets as needed,” Merritt says. “One of the things we’re doing right now is following clients into markets in which we would not normally work. We’re currently completing Bank OZK’s new corporate headquarters in Little Rock, AR. That is not a market in which we would typically pursue work but, due to a relationship with the contractor on the project and due to the size of the project, it made sense to go to Little Rock. We plan to continue to grow and expand as needed.”

Closer to home, Admiral was recently awarded the Texas Facilities Commission project at 1601 Congress and Statehouse Development in Austin.

It is work in which everyone at Admiral Glass Company takes pride.

“I love the building industry,” Merritt says. “I love looking at a set of plans, an architectural rendering, somebody’s vision and knowing that I was a part of bringing that to fruition. The building of things has always fascinated me.

“There are so many things that glass can do, but we do more than glass,” Merritt adds. “We’ve really grown into an envelope and façade contractor as much as we are a glass company. If we can find a way to incorporate it into our scope, then we want it to be part of our contract.”

Subcontractor Admiral Glass Company has locations in Austin, Dallas, Houston and League City. –mjm

Cooling off with a cold one

Summertime is notorious for getting together with friends and throwing down a cold one.

On Jul. 9, that is exactly what the members of the Central Texas Subcontractors Association (CTSA) did at their Beers & Bites event held at Austin Beerworks. -cmw

RCAT

Greater Austin Contractors & Engineers Assn.

Sept. 12: ACEA Annual Fish Fry Fundraiser, Travis County Expo Center, 7311 Decker Lane, 5-9pm. For more info, call 512893-7067 or email info@aceatx.com

Jason T. Merritt, recently promoted to Sr. Vice President at Admiral Glass Company, is excited about the next 35 years.

RHCA

Regional Hispanic Contractors Assn.

American Society of Civil Engineers

Sept. 18-20: Texas Civil Engineering Conference (CECON) 2019, Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center, 1001 E. McCarty Ln., San Marcos, TX. For more info, go to www.texasce.org or contact Bailey Pattison at 512-910-2272 CSI

Construction Specifications Institute

SEAot

Sept. 26: Chapter Meeting, Maggiano’s Little Italy, 10910 Domain Dr., #100. For more info, call 512-301-2744 TACA

Texas Aggregates & Concrete Assn.

Sept. 10: PCA Regional Economic Outlook Conference, Marriott Riverwalk, 889 E. Market St., San Antonio, TX, 8am-12pm.

Sept. 10-12: TACA Environmental & Sustainability Seminar, Marriott Riverwalk, 889 E. Market St., San Antonio, TX. For more info, call 512-451-5100 or email smoore@tx-taca.org TGA

Texas Glass Assn.

Sept. 16: Chapter Meeting, AIA Center for Architecture, 801 W. 12th St., 11:30am12:45pm. For more info, visit Austin. csinet.org

Sept. 17-19: Glass Build America: The Glass, Window & Door Expo, Atlanta, GA. For more info, go to www.texasglass.org

NARI

Texas Society of Professional Engineers Travis Chapter

National Assn. of the Remodeling Industry

Sept. 12: General Membership Meeting, Sunshine Camp/Zilker Park Lodge, 2225 Andrew Zilker Rd., 11am-1pm, $30 Members; $40 Non-members. Must RSVP. Sept. 26: 3rd Annual Design & Build For the Cause Golf Tournament, Grey Rock Golf Club, 7401 TX-45, Austin. For more info, contact Kayvon Leath at 512-3752601 or go to www.austinnari.org NAWIC National Assn. of Women in Construction

Sept. 12: Installation of Officers Dinner, 5:30-8pm. Maggiano’s Little Italy, 10910 Domain Dr., #100, 5:30-8pm.

Sept. 17: NAWIC Annual Golf Tournament, Teravista Golf Club, 4333 Teravista Club Dr., Round Rock, TX. For more info, contact Misti Shafer-Webb at mshafer@ complianceresourcsinc.com

TSPE

Sept. 4: TSPE Travis Luncheon, Maggiano’s, 10910 Domain Dr., 11:30am-1pm. For more info, email tspe.travis@gmail.com TXAPA

Texas Asphalt Pavement Assn.

Sept. 17: 45th Annual Meeting Golf Tournament, Hill Country Golf Club 9800 Hyatt Resort Dr., San Antonio, TX, 9am.

Sept. 17-20: 45th Annual Meeting, Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort, 9800 Hyatt Resort Dr., San Antonio, TX. For more info, contact Kelli Mofle at 512-312-2099 or email kmofle@texasasphalt.org

Can Do Plumbing correction Last month in the “Now u can do 2” story, Construction News misspelled Jason Bauder’s last name as “Bauden.” We apologize for the mistake.

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Austin Construction News • SEPT 2019

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

Environmentally responsible building Matt McCaffrey, P.E., LEED AP Project Executive Skanska USA San Antonio, TX

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att McCaffrey, P.E., LEED AP, joined Skanska USA in 2003. A key team member on healthcare, high-rise office, and entertainment projects across Michigan and Texas, he is currently the project executive overseeing the construction of a renovation project in downtown San Antonio.

What is “green building?”

In general, I think “Green Building” represents the design and construction of buildings that are environmentally responsible by limiting the impact the building will have on the surrounding environment in the short and long term.

Skanska USA is on the leading edge of green building practices, supporting the evolution of existing standards. From office buildings and schools, to transit lines and highways, our team is well-versed in the green standards that are helping build resilient communities.

al local and federal government initiatives (including the Energy Star program). With the establishment of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), there is a formal rating system for buildings which owners, architects and contractors can use as a guide. Over the past 25 years, the LEED program has evolved, as has our understanding of how building affects the environment. While LEED is still the overwhelming standard, there are now other ratings systems and certifications (WELL, Living Building, etc.) which approach the concept from different perspectives.

What is the history of green building in the U.S.?

At some level, green building has always been a part of the design and construction fields, as energy and water use are large drivers of the cost of building operations and cost savings are always in demand by building owners and developers. However, the “green building” movement didn’t formally begin until the early 1990’s with the founding of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and sever-

How has the “going green” trend affected the construction industry?

I think “going green” has affected the construction industry positively. There is now a focus not only on what we are building, but how we are building it. Every aspect of the construction process is now looked at through the lens of sustainability and it has also slowly impacted the supply chain. It is no longer sufficient to just make a product which meets codes and performs well. The product

Economic benefits of green Allan Throneberry, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, DMI Technologies Fort Worth, TX

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hroneberry leads the sales and marketing efforts for DMI Technologies. He began his career in the early ’90s with a regional telecommunications company and has spent the last 20 years in various leadership roles for Telecom and Software companies.

How would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms? Have you experienced an increase in business? Slowdown?

We can’t speak for the state of the national industry, but I can tell you that construction is big business in Texas right now. The industry has never been stronger, and we are seeing more projects every month. DMI and many other companies in our market are experiencing a major growth cycle this year that should trend into late 2021.

What are the economic benefits of green or sustainable building and development?

The economic benefits of sustainable buildings are truly hard to capture. There are many studies that show the benefits of cost savings on utilities for buildings that are developed to be green. What DMI is interested in however, is harder to capture.

Our focus is on the actual use of the building and its inhabitants. How can you capture the happiness of an employee who benefits from daylight harvesting technology? Is it possible to trace how many extra

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

now needs to be efficient or renewable.

With the number of projects either achieving green building certifications or designing to the standards, a product that is not compliant will be overlooked immediately. From Skanska USA’s perspective, it has forced us to look at ways to reduce waste. This includes more adoption of prefabrication and modular construction to reduce things like “packaging” and transportation costs. The focus on green building is having an effect on not just sustainability, but also productivity and safety by pushing us toward more efficient ways of construction.

What are the benefits of green building?

Constructing a building that is efficient will result in lower cost of operation over the life of the building, which is often an easy sell to owners. However, “green building” is also related to the user experience and buildings that have embraced this are typically more favored by occupants.

How is green building related to smart growth and sustainable development?

All of these go hand in hand. There has to be a commitment from all parties in order to truly produce a sustainable building. As more data becomes available, we are beginning to see more quantitative information about the benefits of sustainable buildings, and this will further inform decisions being made at the master planning and development stages of projects.

Is there federal or state legislation related to green building? Please explain.

While building and energy codes are including more stringent standards for energy and water use, most local, state kilowatt hours of energy can be used in urban shelters due to a drop in usage of the commercial building next door? These are the hard questions, and I think that as the industry can learn to grasp these measurable items and present them, we can then start to see real growth in sustainable development.

Where can I find more information about the components of green building, like energy efficiency or reduced waste?

There are many local chapters dedicated to green building technology. Agencies such as LEED or USGBC provide readily available information on how green buildings are scored. Alternatively, many consumers are reaching out to their construction tradespeople and product manufacturers for this knowledge.

How do buildings affect natural resources?

In every way imaginable. Every brick, stick, cable, and piece of glass used in construction is derived from some natural resource. Most people realize this, but

and federal projects now require some level of LEED (or other) certification.

What are the economic benefits of green or sustainable building and development?

Costs associated with energy and water savings over the course of the project are obvious benefits. However, that can be eroded somewhat by the cost for additional equipment or more expensive products to achieve certification. Less obvious and quantifiable benefits are the impacts on the supply chain. The requirements for material certification are forcing companies to reduce shipping and transportation (and cost associated with both) and utilize more renewable materials to be competitive.

How are buildings certified as green in the U.S.?

There are many rating systems, most of which use a point-based system which dictates a level of certification. Examples include LEED, Envision, Living Building Challenge and WELL Certifications. The selection of one or more of these certification systems is often driven by the experience of the owner or architect. Achievement is completed by documenting compliance with credits and submitting that documentation for review and approval. Upon completion, a number of credits or points are achieved indicating the level of certifcation. Skanska USA has constructed hundreds of LEED certified projects and is a platinum member of the USGBC.

Skanska USA is a full-service general contractor specializing in building construction, civil infrastructure and developing self-financed commercial projects. - cmw

many overlook the use of natural resources by just choosing a location for the development. Any time that the environment is changed, even in a small way, there is a change to the local ecosystem. Clearing dirt for a mid-rise building, for instance, changes the natural flow of rainwater run off for an area surrounding that development. This is a major reason that development planners must be aware of and care about sustainability in their project.

What standards exist for green building?

Standards for green building can be found in multiple places depending on the part of the world you are developing.

In the U.S. there are standards published by the USGBC that outline specific building requirements for gaining accreditation and LEED Point.

DMI Technologies is a woman-ownedsmall-business and is a provider of network infrastructure, security and smart building technology located in Ft Worth, TX. Their mission is always to deliver the highest quality of connectivity through the use of innovative solutions. -cmw

Graduating electricians

T

he Central Texas Chapter of the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC CENTEX) held their apprentice graduation Jun. 29. Family, friends, employers and colleagues gathered at the Norris Conference Center to celebrate the 76 graduates as they take their final step as an apprentice. -cmw

IEC Austin class of 2019

Austin Construction News • SEPT 2019

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Specialty Contractors

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

Green building in the United States of America is a victim of its own success Omar David Land, MEP Systems Manager Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, San Antonio, TX

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lash back to 1894: refrigeration systems dedicated primarily to producing large blocks of ice, have begun to revolutionize the way that industrial processes function and have opened incredible new ways to preserve and transport food. Engineers decide that a committee should be formed to standardize and regulate these systems and the American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHAE) was founded.

In 1902, a commercially viable air conditioning system for commercial buildings was invented, and by 1959 these systems and their derivatives were so widely adopted that ASHAE joined with American Society of Refrigerating Engineers (ASRE) to form the now internationally influential American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

As one might expect with a new technology, the focus of these groups was primarily on safety, comfort, reliability, and maintainability for building occupants, owners, and service providers. Energy efficiency was readily sacrificed in favor of these more immediate considerations.

In the early 1990’s in response to growing concerns about greenhouse gas emissions, The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Environ-

mental Protection Agency’s “Energy Star Program” were formed. While Energy Star focused on consumer goods and residential construction, the USGBC formed with a broader ambition of “promoting sustainably focused practices” in the construction industry. By 1998, the USGBC strategically launched a program to achieve this objective by providing awards to developers and institutional owners who could design and construct buildings that operate 10%, 20%, 30% efficiently than the code standards promulgated by ASHRAE and/or the International Code Council.

The USGBC program was known by the acronym LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED certifications for buildings and for construction and design professionals alike became a badge of honor synonymous with all things positive in the design, development, and construc-

Designing responsibly with green in mind Robyn Popa, AIA, LEED AP, Partner Pfluger Architects San Antonio, TX

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obyn Popa, AIA, LEED AP,is a Partner at Pfluger Architects’ San Antonio office. Her experience includes master planning, facility assessment, programming, design, production and construction administration. She is currently President of the Association for Learning Environments’ South Texas chapter.

What is the history of green building in the US? Green building has been around since humankind first built and inhabited shelters. The early shelters used local materials, were sited/positioned to maximize the natural environment (shading, prevailing winds, etc.) and reused resources wherever possible. In that sense, “green building” is nothing new.

What is new is addressing the negative impact that construction has had on the environment. The invention of building systems, such as indoor heating, cooling and plumbing, has allowed us to build wherever and however we wanted. As a result, now we have to refocus on responsible design and construction to build smarter, conserve resources and consider lifecycle impacts on the environment.

How has the “going green” trend affected the construction industry?

“Going green” has prompted the entire construction industry to be more conscious of their trade and the resultant impact the built environment has on resources. There is more scrutiny on material and product selection to source renewable, regional resources that won’t negatively impact the building occupants. There is more oversight and quality control — for example, more control over where waste goes, or what products are used in construction, etc. More moni-

toring is required in material production to control the environmental effects of the manufacturing process.

How has “green building” affected the type of work you do?

Primarily, we are more thoughtful of and selective through all aspects of design. As architects, we feel a sense of obligation to design responsibly, even for clients or jurisdictions that don’t require any level of “green building.” We also look more critically at the act of construction—how we can minimize waste, reuse building elements, and how the systems can be efficiently and environmentally maintained, etc.

Is there federal or state legislation related to green building? Explain

Legislation varies from state to state; however, most jurisdictions require architects and engineers to adhere to specific building or energy codes. These codes have evolved to emphasize green building for energy savings, efficient systems and enhanced performance. Most entities require that architects and engineers demonstrate that the design meets the applicable building code’s requirements by using the US Department of Energy’s COMcheck program. Building codes, COMcheck and other codified requirements don’t address all aspects of green building though. They are tools and re-

tion world. Buildings proudly displayed LEED certification badges in lobbies, “LEED Accredited Professional” was exuberantly added to the signature block of professionals throughout the design and construction industry.

From 2003-2009 the LEED program was enjoying broad growth and acceptance; but the LEED program’s inclination toward a broad holistic approach to “green” design and construction pushed it beyond a mandate for energy efficiency, and into the realm of urban planning, material sourcing, and waste management.

The result was occasionally buildings that were impractical or unwieldy from a maintenance perspective, or that lacked optimal functionality from the user perspective. The proverbial pendulum swung from sacrificing efficiency for comfort, to something quite the opposite in some of these LEED certified buildings.

Concurrently, in the year 2000 the International Energy Conservation Code became a part of the prescriptive package of codes adopted not only by the major municipalities in the United States, and several other countries around the world. Recognizing the surge in green building and responding to demand for standards requiring that buildings operate more efficiently, ASHRAE and the International Code Council started to significantly increase the requirements for energy efficiency in the baseline building codes and by 2009 the standards were so stringent, that many municipalities deferred adoption of a code update until sources that only focus on building system performance. It is the designer’s responsibility to address the project’s green building goals.

How are buildings certified as green in the US? Buildings can be certified “green” based upon location, how “green” they are and how vital certification is to the owner or architect.

The most familiar certification program is the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, or LEED. This program requires thorough documentation from all parties involved in the project, including the architect, engineers, contractor, subcontractors and the owner. This program also requires documentation to be collected during the entire course of de-

2012. A review of construction costs during this time will reveal construction costs rising at a rate that is significantly faster than the rate of inflation and much of this can be attributed to these code changes.

Frustrations with the earlier versions of the LEED program, in conjunction with the increased requirements of the baseline code, have cause many owners to strike what might be the best balance between the two options, incorporating what they perceive as the best of LEED standards and requirements to build sustainably and produce an energy efficient project, without pursuing the actual LEED certification and thereby mitigating the expense associated with the administrative costs of obtaining a formal certification.

Aided by changes in federal, state and municipal law, building codes, and technology the USGBC has been so successful in their mission to make buildings more environmentally friendly, that exceedingly few buildings pursue the actual LEED certification anymore. This isn’t bad news however for the USGBC or for the construction industry; the USGBC’s World Green Building Council is pursuing similar success in countries around the world, and the IECC and ASHRAE continue to refine the building codes in the United States to strike the right balance between green building and meeting the needs of business decision makers.

Bartlett Cocke General Contractors is a full-service general contractor headquartered in San Antonio, TX. -cmw sign and construction, and even after the owner has occupied the building.

Other location-based certifications are available through local jurisdictions such as the Austin Energy Green Building program for projects for the areas in and around Austin, Texas.

Ultimately, any project designed to current building codes of IBC 2015 or higher has achieved some level of “green” through its building systems and envelope requirements, although there is no explicit certification for that.

Pfluger Architects has long incorporated principles of environmentally responsible design into their projects using the latest standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program to achieve the highest possible levels of health and wellness for their clients. -cmw

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Austin Construction News • SEPT 2019

JOB SIGHTS

continued from Page 1 — Seretta Construction

Pedro Laguna discusses texture and paint options with Jorge Munoz, owner of Choose Munoz Painting at the Burger King renovation project in Buda, TX. GCS Construction in the general contractor for the project. -cmw

What are you thankful for?

Honestly, I’m thankful that I have a job.

I’m thankful for Shannon Hall and I’ve told her several times. I’m thankful for the opportunity to basically learn, since I came from the HVAC background, so going over to roofing was a little different.

I’m thankful that she trusted me enough to let me learn.

Tabatha Smith, Hall’s Roofing and Sheet Metal Inc. My husband, my kids, my health and my job.

Lanette Lowden, Lowden Excavating I’m thankful for three things. First, my wife Laura and three children, Jack, Gus and Ruby. Second, my health and third, to be living in Central Texas with a strong economy.

Shawn Dupont, Dupont Cabinetry & Design That’s an easy one: my girlfriend Sarah!

Jordan Scott, 4GM Brick & Stone I have two kids, one who just finished college and is getting ready to start law school. The other is halfway through college. I’ve been married for 26 years to my lovely wife. My parents are both still alive and I see them a lot. I’m thankful that I have had such a long relationship with my family and that they are happy.

Andrew McPherson, Seretta Construction

I am most thankful for my wife and my four children who have allowed me to do pretty much anything I want to do. They have given me an amazing life.

Jason T. Merritt, Admiral Glass Company I’m thankful for my family. I have a son that just started his freshman year of school yesterday, and another one that is going into fifth grade, his last year of elementary school. I’m just a very lucky and fortunate man.

Jeff McCombs, Energy Logix I’m thankful for the good economy we have going right now. The last three or four years, it’s been excellent and can’t complain about that.

Bryan Long, Fusion Electric I’m thankful and blessed to be leading this company. I’m thankful for having a partnership with Boxwood and really having their aid to make our dreams come true with this business. I’m most thankful for my family. I have a wonderful family. I just took my son off to college, which is my first [child] going to college, so I’m really thankful for that.

L. Joe Boyer, Atlas Technical Consultants, Inc. When one’s kids are all thriving and doing well, that has to be one of the most important things to be thankful for.

Dan Zulli, Construction News

Topping out

Celebrating one of the oldest traditions in the construction, Rogers-O’Brien Construction (RO) celebrated the topping out of Austin Independent School District’s T.A. Brown Elementary School Aug. 31. The tradition celebrates the completion of the highest point in the building and typically signifies the halfway milestone in the construction schedule. RO team members prepared and served barbeque during the lunch celebration. ERO Architects and T.A. Brown Principal Veronica Sharp were in attendance. L-R: Veronica Sharp, RO Superintendent Thomas Lucas and T.A. Brown Assistant Principal Yolanda Lopez. - cmw

Seretta Construction celebrates by moving into their new state-of-the-art facility. “We should have been in this facility about three years ago, but it was just one thing after another. But we finally got it pushed through and done. It is a state-of-the-art facility. Everything about it from the construction technique with its insulated concrete tilt walls, low-flow water, high energy efficient lights and appliances. It is greescaped with all native plants. It’s not a LEED building because I didn’t go through the process, but it would easily qualify. It has the most efficient AC, the best glass, and insulated tilt walls. We have expansive cement in the floors which is an unheard of thing except for huge distribution centers, so we don’t have any control joints or saw cuts in the floor. For longevity, it’s much better. We’ve just done everything we could do including the right roof.” The new facility consists of a two-story office space, warehouse and a separate building for their laser screeds and curb machines.

Seretta Construction performs work all over the country. “We try to stay in our general areas, but we do travel quite extensively with clients,” adds Andrew. “We do work basically in just the private sector. No public and no government work. We do distribution centers, multi-story tilt-wall

(four- or five-story), office buildings, cold storage facilities for beer, beverage, food and we also do some heavy industrial facilities for companies like Caterpillar. We do some retail work as well if it’s the right size for us. We will do pretty much anything in the private sector that is out there.

“We’ll do work anywhere from as small as 10,000sf to our largest to-date of 2,000,000sf. We have the capability of handling anything at all.”

While the Austin location tries to stay in the Central Texas area, they have worked anywhere from McAllen to Laredo to Amarillo, Odessa, Midland, Lubbock and anything in between. “We try to stay in the Central Texas market with a radius of 150 miles around the Austin/Round Rock area, but again, will go where our clients dictate.”

Andrew McPherson is a native Texan.

He was born and raised in Houston, attended The University of Texas before his father called him back to Houston to help in the family business where he graduated from the University of Houston before moving to Florida. “Texas is home. While our headquarters are in Florida, I’m so happy to have a part of me back in Texas.”

Seretta Construction is a commercial concrete subcontractor specializing in tilt wall construction and specialty slabs. -cmw

continued from Page 1 — Lowden Excavating more, “in order to fill the workload that we’ve got,” Dale said.

Lowden’s employees’ numbers have ebbed and flowed with the Austin economy. Dale said it was pretty lean in the 1985/86 period until around 1989. It was running good until 9-11, then took another dip around 2008. Still, Lowden Excavating persevered, one reason being Lowden managed to pick up work left behind by other excavating companies that went under, even during projects.

“We’d be one of the fortunate ones to get the call to come and finish the job,” Dale said.

In addition to Lanette in the office, with a heavy emphasis on the financial end (“Basically, money coming in and money going out,” she said.), son Coy is the chief estimator/project manager and daughter Susan is the office operations manager. Dale’s brother is a supervisor.

“We consider ourselves a family and we are a team,” Lanette said of the entire Lowden Excavating crew. “We have a really good group of working people in our company,” she added.

Michael Dell’s influence caused a significant growth spurt in the Austin area in the early ‘80s as Lowden was getting established. “As the growth moved south,” Dale said, “that’s when it seemed we prospered more.”

With business doing so well, Lowden has recently moved from its previous location to a 14-acre spread in San Marcos.

Further, Dale doesn’t need to travel very far to find work. The furthest he’s gone is Fredericksburg. He stays mostly 30-34 miles on either side of I-35, from San Antonio to Austin.

“Eighty percent of our work comes from repeat customers,” Lanette said. While Lowden will have to bid on some jobs, most times they just get a call from contractors and they simply negotiate on the price.

The only time Lowden has had to actually look for work was during the slump periods.

Dale and Lanette have been at this for a spell now. The plans for the future will be to move the kids into a part owners’ role and not just as employees. The Lowdens would like to travel more and Lanette has plenty of things at home she wants to work on.

“We’ll still be part of the company [as majority owners],” she said, “but Mom is getting tired of doing this.”

“We’ve worked on so many jobs over the years,” Dale said. With the need to hire even more folks, it looks like Lowden Excavating will be working on a lot more in the years to come.

We all read you, loud and clear.

Lowden Excavating is a site preparation and land clearing contractor in San Marcos. -dsz

continued from Page 1 — Engen Contracting Inc. loaded. A great deal of pre-planning and coordination was required during the erection phase of this project. In order to maintain continuity, the panels were strategically positioned and cast to make best use of the limited floor space relative to placement of stair/elevator towers and steel erection.

Due to having the structural engineer of record based out of Phoenix, ECI engaged the services of a local third-party structural engineer to work together to create a best ‘means and methods’ plan to maintain the critical path of the schedule. During erection and brace removal, this local engineer was instrumental in ECI’s ability to move the ‘chess pieces’ around while maintaining the structural integrity to clear the path for the next activities.

Another component ECI found unique on this project was 99 percent of their coordination taking place directly with the developer, Barclay and not Life Storage. ECI has had a long-standing Owner/Contractor relationship with Life Storage dating back to the late ’90s but in this case they took on the “operator,” only role.

Based in the Austin/Round Rock area, Sr. Project Manager Michael Engen coordinated the details of this project through a couple of his hand-picked Superintendents while maintaining open lines of communication with the entire Arizonabased development group and their associated consultants. ECI’s team enthusiastically conducted weekly meetings to review project details, schedule, challenges, RFI’s, etc. This frequency of communication was paramount in keeping the project moving on track and that greatly contributed to the success of this project.

During some of the more critical phases of the project, it helped that Barclay had a high-level of construction knowledge/experience and was able to apply that asset to making accurate and timely decisions. This project was completed to the satisfaction of both the owner and operator alike, paving the way towards the development of a newly established relationship while enriching that of an existing one.

Engen Contracting Inc. is a full-service general contractor in Austin, TX. -cmw

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