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www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 19 H Number 11 H NOVEMBER 2019
Breaking into the industry
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The Arrow Glass Industries team
ince Brian Soberalski began working for Arrow Glass Industries last year, he jokes that he’s learned a thing or two. “I learned glass breaks and it’s sharp!” laughs Soberalski, who works in outside sales for the San Antonio region. “Tempered glass, which we mostly use, can break into a thousand pieces.” Okay, Soberalski already knew this about glass, but he still loves to sell it for Arrow Glass Industries. If it were a few decades earlier, he would be selling a different product altogether: The company founder, Joe Kinsella, originally established Arrow in 1994 as a shower and countertop marble supplier. Marble’s unpleasant odor changed Kinsella’s mind on that, as did the industry’s challenges.
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“We found that it was easier to maintain quality in the glass industry,” Soberalski says of Kinsella’s decision to focus solely on producing glass. “We went from less than 50 employees to over 200 employees. Our service area is Dallas metroplex, Austin, San Antonio, Houston and everything in between. We also have a few offshoots. We do wholesale glass under a company called Brick Glass, which is owned by his wife. Then we own a company called City Glass where we can do emergency services, and that is usually portioned out of the Dallas area. We also do emergency services in all of the major Texas cities.” Soberalski says his work, despite glass’ sharp qualities, is very hands on. continued on Page 16
Hip to be squared
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Squared Away Plumbing’s Christopher Brooks
eing a Navy veteran himself, Christopher Brooks had no trouble coming up with the perfect business name when he established it in 2014: Squared Away Plumbing LLC. “Just about every branch of the service uses the term ‘squared away.’ It is a generic term that always for us [in the military] means ‘being in good order, being prepared, a job done well,’” Brooks explains. The Texas native served in the Navy for five years before returning to Austin and working in the telecommunication field. After his brother encouraged him to join the local union and learn a trade, Brooks discovered how much he enjoyed plumbing. “I went through the union appren-
ticeship for five years. In that timeframe, I learned more about plumbing and I got into being an all-around plumber/ pipefitter/welder rather than only a plumber or pipefitter or a plumber,” he says. “From there, I got my plumbing license in the early 2000s and worked as a journeyman though the local 286 in Austin.” While he enjoyed the work, Brooks felt the pull to strike out on his own. “I felt like if I started my own business, I would be more in control of my own destiny,” he says. “[It would be] less in the hands of other people telling me where and when I could work, setting my schedule and valuing me.” When his employer put him on continued on Page 16
Braun & Butler, Rizzo merge
wo companies that followed a nearly identical trajectory for almost two decades have intersected and now follow a single path. General contractors Braun & Butler Construction and Rizzo Construction, both founded in 1982 in Austin, recently merged and will operate under the name Braun & Butler Construction. Kenton Heinze, Braun & Butler Construction’s CEO/President and Brian Lauterjung, Rizzo Construction’s president before the merger, both built companies focused on projects that united people and created communities: churches, schools, fire stations, and health centers. They discussed their desire to better their companies, and realized a merger was the perfect solution. “We quickly realized the best way forward was for us to join forces to give us that security,” Heinze says. “What it
allows us to do is maintain our flexibility and our customer service that will have a larger footprint and help us serve our clients better.” As a result of the merger, Heinze will continue to serve as Braun & Butler’s CEO and President and oversee all business activities. Lauterjung will assume the role as Executive Vice President of Braun & Butler and manage business relationships. All employees at both companies will stay on and work on the assignments they had pre-merger. “Rizzo offices have been in Westlake on 360 and we will keep that office,” Heinze explains. “Cedar Park will be our headquarters and Westlake will still operate. Eventually, we will serve traditional Braun & Butler projects out of the Westlake office, along with traditional Rizzo projects and Cedar Park will serve both projects as well going forward.” L-R: Brian Lauterjung and Kenton Heinze
continued on Page 16
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McMillan James’ statewide expansion
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hen Mark McMillan founded his HVAC manufacturer’s rep firm in 1987, he says he was a “one-man band who focused on niche market segments.” Specializing in natatorium and geothermal heat pump systems, the company soon became widely known in the Dallas/ Fort Worth market – but the Grapevineheadquartered company wouldn’t stay local for long. By the late ‘90s, McMillan James Equipment Company began adding more product lines to offer a complete lineup of products to its customers and began evolving into what it is today. Now, McMillan James is a full-service manufacturer’s rep in the David Beyer, McMillan James Equipment Company’s VRF Business Director, helps lead the company’s recent expansion in Austin Dallas/Fort Worth market. Over the past five years, McMillan “One of our overriding cultural James Equipment Company has themes is service before and after the expanded geographically across the sale,” McMillan says. “We don’t just sell state, with their most recent expansion equipment and walk away, we’re there to into the Austin and San Antonio market support the designer up front, the in 2018. McMillan James Equipment mechanical contractors during the Company’s most recent Austin/San installation of the project, and the owners Antonio expansion is also known as the once the project has been installed. company’s Central and South Texas We’re there for the long term and taking office. Sharing the regional care of our customers is task No. 1 for us.” responsibilities are Bryan Sublett, who With a presence throughout the is a VRF Sales Specialist located in San state, McMillan James Equipment Antonio, and David Beyer, who is the Company is ready for its continued VRF Business Director located in Austin. growth across all offices. “When we expand into a new market, McMillan James is a full-service HVAC we kind of use the model that our DFW manufacturers’ representative specializing office started with, which is very niche- in creating custom heating, ventilation and oriented,” McMillan says. “In the DFW air conditioning (HVAC) systems and market, we represent close to 40 engineered solutions. –mjm manufacturers; in San Antonio, we represent six manufacturers with our primary focus on VRF technology. We have partnered with Samsung and are the representative for the entire state. Along with that, we have a business unit within McMillan James that is dedicated to this technology. The plan is to develop that market, establish our local presence, start hiring more people and bringing in more product lines from there.” Attention on the customer is paramount to the company’s success.
Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
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Celebrating steel
atriot Erectors participated in the nationwide celebration of America’s structural steel industry, SteelDay, held on Sept. 27. This is Patriot’s 10th year participating and hosting a day of fun and education at their Dripping Springs facility. Over 350 guests, which included design and construction professionals, elected officials, area high school students and the general public, attended. Once there, they visited Patriot’s fabrication shop and learned more about the structural steel industry and its available career opportunities. Twenty-two vendors offered hands-on instruction, product knowledge and safety training to the wide range of guests. Patriot Erectors provided a catered fajita lunch and door prize drawings in appreciation of their guests’ attendance. Following lunch, guests were treated to an informational shop tour. This was then followed by the infamous “Steel Man Competition” where individuals could partake in securing the best time in anchor, in which the contestant drills a hole into concrete block deep enough for full depth of anchor; torch, which involves cutting round bar with torch; and plasma cutter – cutting a beam using a plasma cutter. -cmw
Steel Man Guest Anchor winners: 1st Place: Able Ballet
2nd Place: Hunter Northrup 3rd Place: Dillon Polk Steel Man Guest MIG winners: 1st Place: Rudy Guerra (best overall) 2nd Place: Brandon Jones 3rd Place: Pascual Alvarez Steel Man Guest Plasma Cutter winners: 1st Place: Edgar Diaz, Navarro High School, Austin ISD 2nd Place:Joseph M. 3rd Place: Able Ballet Steel Man Patriot Anchor winners: 1st Place: Jason Puckett 2nd Place: Edward “Poochie” Hurtado 3rd Place: Chris Reveal Steel Man Patriot Plasma Cutter winners: 1st Place: Matthew Montemurro 2nd Place: Erick “Pork Chop” Archuleta 3rd Place: Bobby Feil Steel Man Patriot MIG winners: 1st Place: Miguel Martin 2nd Place: Jacob Shank 3rd Place: Place: Francisco Mendoza
SteelDay at Patriot Erectors
2019-2020 Board elected
The ballots have all been collected and tallied for the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) 2019-2020 board of directors. Front Row L-R: Hannah Floyd, Cathy Schernik, Jess Pohlman, Erin Stansell. Middle Row L-R: Misti Shafer-Webb, Linda Cudmore. Back Row L-R: Jordan Moore, Stevie Morrison, Alex Janota, Danielle Dlugosh, Taryn Ritchie, Tiffany Nunis, Kaitlyn Powell and Killian Ivy. -cmw
Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
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Making it happen
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Greeting CN
COPPERA family, friends and community dignitaries cut the ribbon at the grand opening of their new location.
t was an exciting day for the folks at COPPERA as they celebrated the grand opening of their new location in Taylor, TX. The event was held on Oct. 3. Vice President and General Manager Sam Dowdy, Jr. said at the event, “We have worked hard to see this day come. We had a vision of this but were apprehensive to share the vision as we felt it was unrealistic to achieve. Once I started preaching the vision for our organization, it seemed things started to happen. Before we knew it, we were moving in. Now here we are with an amazing new work space built for growth. We are so honored that each and every one of you are here to support our organization.” Over 50 family, friends, guests and community dignitaries celebrated with COPPERA as they enjoyed great food and drinks, music and plenty of raffles. Still reeling from the excitement of the event and what it means for
the company, it’s plain to see that the company has this to share: “Speak your vision so your vision can happen.” COPPERA is a full-service commercial plumbing contractor in Taylor, TX. -cmw
COPPERA team members pose for a photo outside their new home.
Fulfilling a lifelong dream
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Construction News ON LOCATION
Proud new co-owners of Compound Security Specialtists Chris and Darna Sunseri
ooking for an opportunity to own and operate a business has been a lifelong dream of Chris Sunseri. When an opportunity arose, he jumped on it and is so excited to get to work. Chris served seven years active duty in the Air Force as a Captain; his role was force protection and security. After finishing up his tour of duty, Chris went to work for Applied Materials as Head of Purchasing. He managed international businesses for Applied for 19 years. This prepared him to be successful in his next role as owner and operator of Compound Security Specialists. “Compound Security Specialists has been in business for over 30 years in Austin. It is a unique company because it provides several different services. Starting at the top level, we make gate systems and access controls for really large gates for commercial facilities like apartment complexes and storage facilities,” says Chris. “We also have a full-service iron workshop. We have a yard where we sell steel for construction jobs. Additionally, we have a service arm in which we pro-
vide a service for access control or camera systems or gates.” Chris and his wife, Darna, took over Compound on Aug. 12. With 46 employees, the duo is set to move the company forward. For the past year the company was expanding on security camera and access control installation. “Technology speaking, this industry is moving quickly. We want to continue to keep our technicians and our workforce trained on the very latest offerings from an installation perspective so we can offer our customers the latest and greatest and most upto-date technology,” adds Chris. The Sunseris want to keep making strides in this direction. He continues, “We are really excited about being a part of the local business community. We are excited about the opportunity to reach out to our customers and understand what their needs are and provide this service to the local community.” Compound Security Specialists is a veteran-owned welding, fabrication, access controls, and CCTV supplier and installer. -cmw
L-R: Donnie Johnson and James Branton at Holt Truck Centers greets Construction News at a recent visit. -cmw
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Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
Colin Jowett
President/CEO Texas Green Blast LLC Austin, TX
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on’t let his elegant British accent fool you – Colin Jowett is a lean, green media blasting machine. For five years, his mobile blasting surface company, Texas Green Blast LLC, has been taking the state down to the surface. His media blasting has even earned him a regular role on a car restoration series, making him a bit of a star. Share about your background and introduction to construction. I was born in the United Kingdom, in Yorkshire, in 1960. I became a mechanic, and due to an injury, I left that career and went into catering and, not long after that, I started a 35-year career in IT. One role I took on was as a contractor for the U.S. company Emerson Electric. I came to Texas from the UK in 2000, and it wasn’t so much a culture shock for me as it was for my family. I had traveled extensively and spent a lot of time on the road, whereas they had lived in the UK. I moved here with my wife Sandra, and our sons, Simon and Alex, when they were 8 and 5 years old, and settled in for two years, and then ultimately stayed and became citizens in 2009. I spent 20 years with Emerson Electric until taking early retirement in 2016, after I had set up Texas Green Blast LLC. What motivated you to start Texas Green Blast? I had run a large organization in a
company – I could actually run a company. I was 54 at the time, thinking towards earlier retirement, and I looked at 80 different industries and types of businesses I may set up. After doing the due diligence, I ultimately determined that my passion was in restoration after having restored a number of cars; I liked restoring older items. Ultimately, media blasting – taking anything that needs a coating removed down to the surface, to take something old and create something that looked new again – seemed to be the right fit. Initially, that led me to set up a company from scratch in 2015. Because they knew I was still working in a corporate role, Simon and Alex voluntarily gave up their jobs in healthcare and restaurant management [respectively] and set up and started running Texas Green Blast. Sandra was very supportive as well and acted within the company’s administration side. How did the company evolve? We started growing. Simon and Alex did a lot of marketing in all sorts of different industries – going door-to-door, using Google, Facebook, Craigslist, and a solid web presence – and we built up a lot of new customers primarily in the restoration arena, including vehicles and items that needed restoring. As we progressed over the first couple of years, we started getting more contacts with the construction industry, from new builds to renovations. That’s when we were really introduced to any kind of construction industry work. One by one, my two sons left the business because of family ties pulling them in different directions. I retired from corporate life in 2016 and took on a fulltime role as an owner/operator of the business. It’s a mobile business so the company is based from home. My employee and I go out to where our customers are and we’re busy all of the time. Repeat business is at 65% at the moment, which is good news for us. The building/construction/ renovation arena has taken more and more percentage of that as we have grown over the past five years, so the construction industry is now around 45% of our business. We do restoration work such as removing line striping, graffiti,
Colin Jowett (top, center) and his family
paint and plaster off concrete columns, to taking fresh concrete down to aggregate, and architectural concrete or steel work. I tell everyone that we meet that I treat every project as if it’s my own. I’m quite passionate about that. I like to leave customers 100% happy. What lessons have you learned as you have run this business? My sons and I were learning new techniques every day on the different types of projects that came up. It could be something we had never done before, and we had to determine how to go about tackling that situation. It’s something that stuck with us and it’s something that still happens every day. I reminded my sons as they went out to market this company – and I still remind myself today – that every person is a potential customer and it’s important to treat the interaction that way. Also, I think you always have to be prepared for something unusual to happen when you’re doing a job. Even if a surface is different than you expected, or your equipment breaks down, you have to complete the job but you may have to find a different way of doing that. I also have to reschedule work when the weather isn’t right, and that is not something I previously had to do. What do you enjoy about your work? Every day is different, and that is one of the great things about the business. You may be working in a different industry each day, or you may be on a larger project. At the beginning of the year, we did a restoration with the City of Austin, spending six weeks blasting a 12,000sf swimming pool. Then, we might go to the opposite end of the spectrum, maybe cleaning old brass name plaques on buildings. We do literally anything and everything. I’m also meeting experts in their industry, and I’m learning from them all of the time and learning about different industries as well. Also, my employee and I market one area of our business to car restoration enthusiasts, and so we go to car shows.
We enjoy that side of it. We’ve been lucky enough to be included in a television show called “Iron Resurrection” and we are currently in the fourth season of that. There is a company, Martin Bros Customs in Dripping Springs; they found us at a car show and have used us ever since. We are filmed blasting vehicles and get on TV through that, and that has been good for our business name. Do people recognize you from the show? It has happened, yes! People probably also notice your accent, especially in Texas. Do you get a lot of questions about it? A couple of times a week, people will comment on my accent. It’s been going on for 20 years. They love the British accent! I speak with a very clear accent, but I have to, as I was working globally and needed to be understood. What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t working? I enjoy restoration at home. I spend time doing anything and everything at home. I always have multiple projects; some need finishing! I also enjoy traveling. In this day and age, it’s been cruises and Sandra and I look forward to purchasing an RV and traveling around the U.S. There are so many different areas we haven’t seen. From there, we would love to travel around the Mediterranean in a boat. What are your plans for the future? In the next year or so, I will be selling the business. My sons are not interested in taking it on; they helped build it, but they are in their own careers now postTexas Green Blast. it’s a tenable business that obviously looks good on paper and is good for the customers, so my intention is to retire, finally. Texas Green Blasting is a single crew mobile business offering dry or wet media blasting, using crushed glass and other non-silica media, across a variety of industries. –mjm
Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
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What is your favorite store and why? My favorite store is probably Academy because I can usually find everything I need. Hector Rodriguez, Hensel Phelps
get away with wearing them around the house and when I run errands. Erin Smith, Smith Sustainability
I would have to say NRS, (National Roper Supply). They have roping supplies, tack, feed, tools, the whole nine yards. Zac Rother, Milwaukee Tools
One of the stores that I’m always going back to see if they have good deals is The Duluth Trading Company. They have really well-made clothes. Because I don’t have any real hobbies and I mostly work outdoors in Texas, I often find myself looking through clothing stores online, wondering if the items there are going to help me out in the summer heat or in the winter when it’s cold. I am always looking for those types of stores. Christopher Brooks, Squared Away Plumbing LLC
I’m not a big shopper. If it’s groceries, it’s H-E-B. If I’m doing home repairs, it’s Home Depot. Jennifer Redente, Patriot Erectors My favorite store would be Safety Supply. We offer a great amount of product to keep people safe. That’s what I do every day and I just love it. I’ve been doing this for 30 yeas and I just treasure that I have a job that allows me to do what I love to do. Traci Mestas, Safety Supply I would have to say Safety Supply. They support us in everything we do. Chris Stark, MSA My favorite store is Buc-ee’s. Clean bathrooms, cheap fuel and good snacks. Kimberley Owen, Fastenal My favorite store is H-E-B. They offer the freshest quality foods. I’ve never had a bad experience with H-E-B. Their stores are mapped out just right. They just have everything on point. John Trevino, Elite Stone & Landscape Supply My favorite store is lululemon because I really enjoy working out and they have a ton of workout clothes. Also, it’s nice because I work from my home office so I can kind of
AGC style fish fry
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exas Disposal Systems once again played host to The Associated General Contractors’ (AGC) Annual Fish Fry and Fundraiser. The annual event was held at The Texas Disposal Systems Ranch in Buda, TX on Oct. 10. Over 400 members and their families took part in the event’s activities and bus tours. TDS proudly provided bus tours to see the various exotic species of animals from around the world that Texas Disposal so proudly maintains. Guests took part in live and silent auctions and enjoy fried fish with all the trimmings. –cmw
Best Buy is my favorite store because of all the electronics they offer. Ben Cantu, Big City Access My favorite store is Target. Target has absolutely everything I need for everybody in my family. Lyndsay Woods, Purple Magnolia Designs My favorite store is Academy because it is a sporting goods store. Kyle Marrou, Harvey-Cleary My favorite store is Bass Pro Shop because it has all the hunting and fishing stuff that I need. Greg Burley, Texas Cutting & Coring My favorite store would have to be Academy because it’s close by and I get to buy what I want. Ramiro Alvarado, Anchor-Ventana Glass
Texas Disposal Systems team members greet AGC guests.
Blowing away clays
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he Central Texas Chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) held their annual clay shoot Sept. 6. The event was held at Capital City Clays where Harvey Cleary took first place; Andrews Meyers took second place; and Ryan Companies took third place in the popular fall event. Clayton Utov with Andrew Meyers and Mark Didway with Didway Construction Services won the title of best overall shooters. -cmw Alterman Inc.
First Place – Harvey Cleary
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Construction News catches up with Rick Moore, manager of ABC Door Co. of Austin, outside his office on a bright, sunny day. -cmw
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Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
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Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
Page 7
End-of-year tax savings Steven Bankler, Owner Steven Bankler, CPA, Ltd. San Antonio, TX
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axes may be the last thing on your mind as the holidays roll around, but they shouldn’t be. There are unique tax-saving opportunities only available before year’s end. For just a moment, set down your pumpkin spice latte and roll up your sleeves. The following tips could truly make this the most wonderful time of the year when it comes to tax savings. Consider selling stock If you lost money on certain stocks this year, selling off corresponding longor short-term shares that performed well could offset your capital losses. Conversely, if you experienced gains, you might want to consider selling losses to offset those gains. While you can’t replace stock sold at a loss within 30 days (“wash sale” rule), you can replace it with similar investments. For example, if you sold a hospital stock, you could replace it with a hospital exchange-traded fund, a mutual fund specializing in hospital investment, or a different hospital company. However, that rule only applies to losses, no such rule exists for repurchasing stock gains Give money to loved ones Individuals can give up to $15,000 annually to other individuals tax-free (married couples can gift $30,000). These limits include property (such as land, a car, or a collectible, for example) valued at an indisputable present worth or fair market value, and must be a “present interest” gift. For example, a gift of a life insurance policy could be a gift of a “future interest” as it is contingent on a future event. While giving to other individuals, in general, will not directly lower your taxes immediately, doing so annually over time is a good way to avoid future gift taxes or estate taxes on a larger lump sum. Future income taxes could also be reduced if the “gift” will appreciate over time and the recipient is in a lower tax bracket. Also, keep in mind that tuition and medical expenses for close relatives are not considered gifts and might be deducted. Give money to charity Giving money or other assets to charity is a great way to reduce your tax bill. Charitable giving is an especially great option if you’re 70 ½ or older because you can donate up to $100,000 from your IRA as part of your Required Minimum Distribution. You just need to follow certain IRS guidelines for your contributions to be considered tax deductible. First, you must be giving to a qualified organization that is a 501(c)(3) in good standing. You cannot deduct contributions made to individuals, political organizations and candidates. And if you receive a benefit in return such as merchandise, tickets to a ball game or other goods and services, then you can deduct only the amount that exceeds the fair market value of the benefit received. Unsure of which charity you wish to support? That’s OK. You can create what’s called a Donor Advised Fund. Contributions made to the fund are immediately deductible, even if they aren’t given to a charity until a future year.
Make deductible business purchases This part requires careful planning with a tax advisor since new tax code opportunities haven’t yet been defined by IRS guidance. Changes like the newly increased Section 179 expensing and the ability to take 100% bonus depreciation for purchasing used qualifying purchases could mean that businesses can write off these purchases even faster. Companies considering capital expenditures in the first quarter of 2020 should consider acquiring these assets before the end of the year. The new 20% small business deduction and a doubling of the standard deduction limit mean small business owners of pass-through entities could save immensely on their tax bill, too. Keep these changes in mind as you consider business purchases both large and small through the end of the year, from splurging on a company jet to stocking the break room with pens. And if you’re in the construction industry and have long-term contracts (contracts that will be completed in the following year), consider the new tax law which now allows businesses with less than $25 million of average gross receipts for the last three years to automatically elect switching to the completed contract method of accounting for tax purposes. Consider deferring income Business owners who want to reduce taxable income and use the cash method of accounting can defer being paid until next year. You can consider delaying the invoice or payment in order to push receipt of the money into January instead. There are other steps you can take to reduce your taxable income like funding a retirement account, recharacterizing IRA contributions, and, if applicable, carrying forward business losses. The bottom line It’ll be a tax season filled with changes and uncertainty, so the earlier you plan, the better. Don’t wait until spring to find out how the new rules affect this year’s tax bill. Many of these opportunities are only available before the New Year arrives. Steven Bankler has more than 42 years of experience in the accounting industry. Steven’s expertise lies in consulting, planning, tax, and asset protection as well as exit strategy services for closely held businesses. He also provides litigation support (both as a testifying expert witness and a consulting expert), business negotiations and estate planning. Visit www.bankler.com for additional tax strategy tips and to learn more about Steven Bankler, CPA, Ltd.
Subcontracts — Insurance coverages Mark Gaskamp, Sr. Vice President Marsh Wortham Austin, TX
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properly executed subcontract agreement between an owner and contractor or contractor and lower tiered subcontractor is vital to ensure a successful project. After all, it outlines the responsibilities for each party, the scope of work, payment structure, and the indemnification provisions. It should also include detailed insurance requirements to help ensure there is financial protection in the event there is an unforeseen event leading to a claim. Over the past several years insurance company underwriters have begun to dictate very specific requirements in these subcontracts to help ensure proper risk transfer is in place and mitigate potential claims costs for their insureds. The primary reason is that most all insurance provisions now include the verbiage “as required by contract”. So if the wording is not in the agreement the subcontractors’ policy may not respond. These requirements start with adequate insurance limits. Below is an overview of these coverages, their importance, and typical limits required for each line of coverage. The Commercial General Liability (CGL) is a very broad coverage offering and is designed to cover bodily injury or property damage that the insured is legally liable to pay. It does not cover every type of liability event, but it does provide the foundation for the liability exposures an organization might face. There are three key limits provided on this policy that should be referenced in the subcontract agreement. The “Per Occurrence” limit which applies to bodily injury or property damage under Coverage A of the policy (primarily third party claims arising from activities on your premises), the “General Aggregate limit” which is the maximum amount payable during the policy term for Coverage A claims, and the “Products/ Completed Operation” limit which is the annual aggregate limit for damages arising from the products or your completed operations exposure (e.g. a building or electrical work in a building). The expectation of most insurers is that the subcontractors should maintain $1 million per occurrence, $2 million general aggregate and $2 million products/ completed operations limits. Some contracts also include a requirement for “Personal and Advertising” coverage, typically at a $1 million limit. This addresses exposures outlined under Coverage B of the policy including defamation, slander, or copyright infringement. Some contracts may reference higher limits of coverage, depending on the nature of the risk and the specific insurance company they may offer a higher per occurrence, general aggregate or products/ completed operations limit, but for most insurors the standard offering is $1M/ $2M/ $2M limits. Higher limits are secured through an excess or umbrella policy, which “sits on top” of the CGL limits. The CGL excludes coverage in several areas which then warrant securing policies to address these exposures. The CGL specifically excludes bodily injury to an “employee” of the insured arising out of employment or in the course of performing their duties for the insureds business, therefore a workers compensation policy must be secured to address this exposure. The workers compensation policy has two coverage parts. Part 1 is “statutory” workers compensation coverage which are prescribed by the State. It provides coverage for lost wages and medical bills for an injured worker. It has no limit other than by statute, the policy responds for the total lost wages and medical bills no matter the cost. Workers compensation coverage is an “exclusive remedy” for work related injuries, meaning an employee cannot sue their employer if injured on the job. State work comp laws provide an exception to the exclusive remedy if there is gross negligence on the part of the employer and the injury is severe (in Texas it pretty much requires a fatality to trigger the employers liability coverage). This
exposure is addressed in Part 2 of the policy, the “employers’ liability” coverage. This coverage has a defined limit, similar to the CGL. Contracts typically require $1M in limits, occasionally we see a requirement for $500,000 limits for lower risk trades. Both coverage parts should be outlined in the subcontract agreement to help ensure proper coverage is in place. The CGL also specifically excludes bodily injury or property damage arising out of the ownership, maintenance, use or entrustment to others of any auto, therefore a commercial auto policy must be secured to address legal liability arising from owned, hired, or non-owned vehicles used in the course of work. We typically see a requirement of $1 million limits, again, higher limits would need to be addressed via and excess or umbrella policy. Many contracts require higher limits of coverage due to the nature of risk or the exposures associated with the work. This is achieved through the aforementioned umbrella or excess liability policy. This policy is designed to increase the limits of coverage for each of the policies mentioned above. The umbrella policy should be “following form” to help ensure continuity of coverage from the primary policy to the excess policy. The CGL also excludes environmental / pollution exposures (although some policies provide a sublimit for sudden and accidental pollutants) aircraft (including drones), and professional liability. Depending on the nature of work, separate coverage may be required to address these exposures and should be spelled out in the contract accordingly. There are many other nuisances and complexities related to the insurance provisions required in a subcontract agreement, but hopefully this information provides a good overview of the coverages, policy limits, and why they are each important to help ensure financial responsibility to respond to an unforeseen event. Mr. Gaskamp is responsible for developing partnerships with clients to implement risk control strategies to reduce the organization’s overall cost of risk. He has over 25 years of insurance and risk management experience and is very active in the safety and risk management community. He is a national faculty member of the National Alliance Certified Risk Manager’s program and serves on the safety committees for the Association of Building Contractors, Association of General Contractors, Texas Aggregate, Concrete Association (TACA) and the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) Construction Specialty Practice. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Risk Management and Finance degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Mark can be reached at mark. gaskamp@marsh.com
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Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
Avoid the Sunk-Cost trap in Disputes: Make mediation effective R. Carson Fisk, Shareholder Andrews Myers, P.C. Austin, TX
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n the architecture/engineering/construction industry, where disputes on a variety of matters are all too common, mediation often offers much promise as a means of dispute resolution. At its core, mediation is simply a facilitated negotiation by which a neutral third-party—the mediator—works to help parties find common ground. Where binding forms of dispute resolution such as litigation and arbitration involve someone deciding who wins and who loses, mediation is based on voluntary decision-making. There is no resolution unless the parties elect for there to be a resolution. This resolution usually takes the form of an agreement, preferably written, that is binding on the parties. Resolution in mediation may also involve non-monetary aspects, by which existing and potential business relationships may be better preserved. But for parties involved in disputes, to maximize the benefits that mediation offers they must not enter mediation blindly. Success—or certainly increasing the likelihood of success—is tied to a number of factors, some of which are discussed below. Choose the Right Attorney. As with many professions and industries, attorneys often have a specific practice focus. Construction law is a well-recognized practice area, with a specialty area in Construction Law even being recognized by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. There is even a well-established Construction Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and numerous local bar associations also have their own sections focused on construction law. Just as an architect, engineer, or contractor would be selective in the subconsultant/subcontractor that it hires to perform a specific scope of work, so should it be selective in seeking legal advice. An attorney who was efficient and effective in a nonA/E/C setting may be less so when faced with a design or construction related dispute, where applicable laws and standards may be very different. A lack of familiarity with the applicable laws and standards can unnecessarily increase legal costs, in addition to serving as a barrier to negotiations. Additionally, many construction lawyers deal with each other regularly, which often leads to more productive discussions earlier based on knowledge and experience of the facts and law at issue. All of this, of course, translates into a savings of time and cost. Be Open-Minded. A successful mediation often requires flexibility. What might seem to be the driver of the dispute may give way to issues previously viewed as minor or not considered at all. Having a locked-in, predetermined resolution in mind or an unyielding monetary floor or ceiling may be a hindrance. The use of a “best and final offer” can be an effective negotiation tool, but thought must be given as to what it is, and that value itself may change at any given point in time. Also consider the prospect of interim relief, where if a complete settlement is unattainable an agreement may be reached that offers a partial resolution or a more streamlined process moving forward. Be Reasonable. Being reasonable can be difficult to maintain, particularly when the perception (or reality) is that the other side is entirely failing in the effort. Nevertheless, reasonableness—including having realistic expectations and acknowledging weaknesses—is central to success. Efforts
to procedurally game the process by being obstinate, are often met in kind and can lead to a premature collapse of the mediation as the parties become frustrated and the mediator is hindered in his or her efforts. Be Prepared. Preparation is key to success in mediation. Valuable time is lost when parties have given little thought as to what a preferred resolution looks like for them. One trick to address this is to prepare a draft settlement agreement in advance. This forces parties and their counsel to think through the necessary issues, avoiding surprises at or after the mediation. Additionally, if the positions being taken have limited objective support or cannot be plainly articulated, otherwise valid positions may be ignored. The information needed to support points and counterpoints should be organized and available to the parties so that it may be effectively used in mediation. Exchanging information with the other side in advance may also be helpful, particularly with respect to what each side may want from the other. Avoid Artificial Constraints. Mediation is a process. It takes time. If the parties are unwilling to dedicate the requisite amount of time, they are setting themselves up for potential failure in what otherwise might be a successful resolution. Some conflicts are unavoidable, but for those within the control of the parties—such as initial selection of the mediation date, departure times, etc.—consideration should be given to avoid artificial constraints on time that might restrict or even stop productive negotiations. In essence, trying to cram an 8-hour process into a 4-hour block of time is not always feasible. With these tips in mind, parties in mediation will be in a better position to maximize the potential for successful resolution. This, in turn, has numerous benefits, including avoiding time-consuming, distracting, and expensive legal fights where the outcome is decided by others. R. Carson Fisk is a construction attorney, mediator, and arbitrator and shareholder at Andrews Myers P.C. in Austin, Texas. He may be reached at cfisk@andrewsmyers.com.
Nail gun safety Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX
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ail guns are used every day on many construction jobs. They boost productivity but also cause tens of thousands of serious injuries each year. More than half of reported nail gun injuries are to the hand and fingers.4 One-quarter of these hand injuries involve structural damage to tendons, joints, nerves, and bones. After hands, the next most often injured are the leg, knee, thigh, foot, and toes. Less common are injuries to the forearm or wrist, head and neck, and trunk. Serious nail gun injuries to the spinal cord, head, neck, eye, internal organs, and bones have been reported. Injuries have resulted in paralysis, blindness, brain damage, bone fractures, and death. 3) Instructions provided in manufacturer Full Sequential trigger This is the safest type of nail gun trig- tool manuals and where the manual is ger. This trigger will only fire a nail when kept. the controls are activated in a certain or- 4) Hands-on training with the actual nailder. First, the safety contact tip must be ers to be used on the job. This gives each pushed into the work piece, then the user employee an opportunity to handle the squeezes the trigger to discharge a nail. nailer and to get feedback on topics such Both the safety contact tip and the trigger as how to load the nail gun, how to opermust be released and activated again to ate the air compressor, how to fire the fire a second nail. Nails cannot be bump nail gun, how to hold lumber during fired. Also known as single-shot trigger, placement work, how to recognize and approach ricochet-prone work surfaces, restrictive trigger, or trigger fire mode. OSHA recommends six practical how to handle awkward position work steps that contractors can take to prevent (e.g., toe-nailing and work on ladders), how best to handle special risks associatthese injuries. These are: ed with contact and single actuation triggers such as nail gun recoil and double 1) Use full sequential trigger nail guns; fires, and what to do when a nail gun mal2) Provide training; functions. 3) Establish nail gun work procedures; 4) Provide personal protective equip- For example, coach new employees on how to minimize double fires by allowment (PPE); 5) Encourage reporting and discussion of ing the nail gun to recoil rather than continuing to push against the gun after it fires. injuries and close calls; and 6) Provide first aid and medical treatment. NIOSH offers free videos in English and Spanish on nail gun safety which can be located at: Here is a list of topics for training: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nail1) How nail guns work and how triggers gun/default.html differ. natarajan.joann@dol.gov 2) Main causes of injuries – especially dif512-374-0271 x232 ferences among types of triggers.
Industry FOLKS Kat Lauer, EIT Engineer
Atwell LLC Austin, TX
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orn and raised in San Angelo, TX, Kat Lauer eventually made her way to Austin, TX to study civil engineering at the University of Texas. Being a lover of the great outdoors, she spent most of her childhood and teenage years horseback riding, camping, and hiking. She also spent a lot of time with music, playing the piano and cello, as well as singing in choir. Truly a very talented and gifted young lady, she attended and graduated from Central High School. After coming to Austin to begin her studies in civil engineering, she discovered she enjoyed her time at UT so much that she decided to make Austin her home. She learned quite a bit while she was at UT and recalls, “UT presented opportunities that I never expected. At one point, when I was President of the Texas Theme Park Engineering Group, I was invited to talk to the engineers of new theme park rides (plus try the rides out before they opened to the public!). I also learned to weld by fabricating a 20’ steel bridge.” Lauer’s interest in civil engineering was inspired by her father who is also an engineer. Together, they would create fun engineering projects when a science fair rolled around. In elementary school, he would even take her to Boy Scout meetings to explain statics and bridge design to the scouts. “What really piqued my interest in engineering though was my high school internship at NASA, studying Mars habitation. It made me realize that no matter where humans live,
there is always a societal need for infrastructure, and I wanted to contribute to the creation of that infrastructure by being a civil engineer.” Once Lauer finished school, she was ready to get out into the workforce and start designing construction projects. She started in roadway and utility design before making her way into land development. Now a land development engineer, she primarily works on site plan and subdivision design. “The variety of projects keeps my work interesting. Each project brings a new challenge, and I always strive to learn more, so I can tackle those challenges head-on.” Lauer can’t say that she looks towards just a single mentor but credits the engineers she has met through the organizations she’s involved in, such as the American Society of Engineers and the Austin Contractors & Engineers Association, for having provided support and guidance throughout her career. She also looks to her project managers for direction in her work. In classic Austin style, Kat relaxes with yoga, hikes through the greenbelt, and a taco or two. You can often find her visiting local breweries with Hovawart Ronan in tow. She also loves to travel and tries to visit two countries for the first time every year. -cmw
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like a snag or maybe just like added weight or pressure on the line. In these conditions, I tell my customers two things: when in doubt, set the hook, and if you are not hanging up or feeling the bottom, you’re fishing too fast. Cold water doesn’t seem to effect redfish like it does trout. If you can find them, reds may hit any time of the day. Trout, on the other hand, may wait for the water to hit a certain temperature to turn on. This means that on some occasions, the best bite many be late in the day. If you are interested in fishing this fall or winter, feel free to give me a call or shoot me a text. I will also be guiding some whitetail deer hunts on the renowned Chaparrosa Ranch in South Texas. To schedule your next bay fishing trip or hunting trip, give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or e-mail him at SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail.com. Good luck and Good Fishing.
Winter weather still good for fishing 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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ovember has arrived and many of you are thinking of crawling into a deer stand and looking for that buck of a lifetime. I’m not saying that’s not on my mind also, but there is still some great fishing to be had. Typically, our winters are mild until late December and into the New Year. Many people put away their rods and reels in the winter, but if you like to fish you are really missing out. Yes, sometimes it’s cold and the fish can be hard to find, but the cold never stopped you from sitting in a deer stand for hours or sloshing through a marsh to put out decoys for an early morning duck hunt. Dress appropriately for the weather, learn the differences between warm and cold weather fishing and go give it a try. Last year, we had a very mild winter and the fishing never really even slowed down. At times, it was even great. In October and November, we had several days with limits. We found fish in areas that usually don’t turn on until March or April. Who knows, the fish might stay around because they still have to eat.
I typically fish Bart and Debra Johnson of Brownwood several times a year. This last trip in October they requested redfish and were not disappointed. Limits of reds have not been uncommon this fall. Photos by Steve Schultz Outdoors.
As the old saying goes: to catch fish you have to be at the right place at the right time. Knowing the right time and place is the key. Weather and temperature has got to be a prime consideration. You definitely don’t want to be out in the bay during a screaming north wind, but if you time your trips between fronts, the fishing can be great. When the north wind blows and the temperature and tide levels are both falling, usually the fish will move. Understanding these movements will help you locate the fish. Both game fish and bait fish will retreat to deeper water when a front hits. They seek the security and comfort of the deeper water – deep enough to keep them from being stranded on the shal-
low flat and deep enough to insulate them from the harsh temperatures above. Deep is a relative term. It could mean as little as a couple of feet or up to 12 feet. The severity of a front should be taken into consideration. A moderate front might just move them into a deeper hole in the bay, while a severe front may make them drop into deep channels and guts, which contain soft mud. When fishing in cold conditions, you must really slow down your retrieve. Being the cold-blooded creatures that they are, a cold stunned fish is not going to chase a lure. Work your lure slow and close to the bottom. Don’t expect to have the kind of strike like you would have during the warmer months. The bite will feel
Worth the trip
Trail of thanks
Sixtus Kotara, Jr. with Central Texas Tiltwall did not come back empty-handed during a recent trip to Baffin Bay. Although it was a long haul, the trout were plentiful. -cmw
Need something to be grateful for this Thanksgiving? Matt Szynal, owner of Slight of Hand Metalworks, has got you covered. Every year on his annual Thanksgiving Day trip to his folks’ place near Atlanta, he stops by Jeckyl and Hyde Trail in Alabama’s Oak Mountain State Park – a favorite for riding his bike. “It starts off black diamond then eases up into fast flowing and swoopy single track that has you feeling like a skier and having the time of your life,” he rhapsodizes. “My glorious trail steed is a Voodoo Canzo full suspension 29er. It eats trail and spits out joy no matter how rooty or ledgy it gets. Gotta love it, whether traveling or right here in Central Texas where we have equally great mountain bike trails.” Sounds like a great way to work off that extra helping of turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie! –mjm
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Austin Construction News • NOV 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
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Fall and Winter Fishing Time!
ost of the time as fall arrives, I start talking about hunting. Hunting seasons are opening up and that and the holidays tend to capture our attention for a while. If you notice though, after you bag yourself some fresh game and the deer and turkey remember all their best hiding tricks, the new can kind of wear off. Not to worry. Fall and winter can be some of the best times for fishing! Our stripers and hybrids had a long hot summer to endure, but that is finally over and now the water temperatures are falling back into their optimum range. Since stripers are from the Atlantic, they and their hybrid cousins can go fairly dormant in the Texas heat, but our winter temperatures are just what they need. They begin to move around and go back to chasing bait fish and feeding hard in large schools so they can be at their fat-and-sassy best for spring spawning time. The best time for us to catch them is when they are hungry and ready to feed, and after not feeding well in late summer and early fall, they are hungry now! All too often, we get lulled into timing our behavior by what we see around us. Halloween stuff starts appearing in the stores and we start thinking about football, hunting season and pumpkins spice everything. Pumpkins and turkeys lead us into Thanksgiving, good food and travels. Christmas lights and decorations and decked out trees bring us to all the Holiday celebrations. We do these things because it’s time. The same is true of the fish! The cooler weather has them out there kicking into high gear about now, but we have forgotten to think about fishing in the fall and winter. We don’t see fishing decorations everywhere; has somebody come up with a pumpkin spice worm or jig? This all comes to mind as I’m flipping through pictures of our catches in past years. We had a lot of clients that made a habit of fishing in the fall and winter. Not so much in recent years. Are we getting soft? Are we just out of the habit of winter fishing? We don’t even have to
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drill a hole in the ice here in Texas…just go meet the fish at the lake! Cool weather fishing trips have a less crowded lake, better availability for guides and lodging and the sunrises and sunsets over the lake are more colorful than at any other time. The weather still has some of the most pleasant days of the year yet to come. If it does turn off cold, just wear your hunting or skiing clothes to go fishing, (the fish won’t notice!). We have some people that will combine a fishing trip with their hunting plans, because you just can’t beat a fresh fish fry at the deer camp! Best of all, fishing is a nice addition to your holiday plans, especially if you have relatives and guests looking for something to do. Just think about it! The fish are still here and they don’t take holidays!
Clay busting fun
embers and guests of The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) of the Austin Chapter of Associated General Contractors (AGC) gathered at Capitol City Skeet & Trap Club for the 2019 CLC AGC Austin Sporting Clays Classic. The clay breaking event was held on Sept. 19 with a great showing of support. The hot temperature didn’t deter the eager would be clay busters. -cmw Sporting Clay Classic winners: 1st Place: The Demo Company 2nd Place: SpawGlass 3rd Place: Peckar & Abramson CLC committee members pose for a photo during the shoot.
L-R: Justin Robbins, DPR; David Deschaine, Alterman and Rodrigo Valle, Texas State CSA Student
CLC Leadership with Texas State CSA students
Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
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or 43 years the Central Texas Chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) has been serving the Central Texas area. On Oct. 9, the ABC Central Texas Chapter hosted their 2019 Excellence in Construction Awards banquet to recognize regional Excellence in Construction winners as well as Chapter Safety Awards of Excellence and National Safety Training and Evaluation Process (STEP) winners. More than 300 members and guests of the association attended this prestigious event held at the new Omni Barton Creek Resort. -cmw 2019 Merit Award winners: Mechanical Commercial Less Than $2 Million: Airco Mechanical, Junior League of Austin Specialty Construction Commercial Less Than $10 Million: Big City Access Holdings LLC, Austin Community College Highland Phase 2 Interiors - Acoustical, Drywall, Millwork or Plaster All Contract Amounts: Marek Brothers Systems, Johnson High School Institutional $5-$10 Million: American Constructors, Deputy A.W. Grimes Law Enforcement Training Center Institutional $25-$100 Million: Turner Construction Company, Texas State University Event Center continued on Page 12
Bob & Peggy Duda Chairman’s Award: David Smith, Austin Commercial
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Recognizing excellence Commercial $5-$10 Million: Turner Construction Company, Four Seasons Hotel Modernization Commercial $10-$25 Million: Austin Commercial, Arrive East Austin Commercial $25- $100 Million: HarveyCleary Builders, SXSW Center Institutional $10- $25 Million: Joeris General Contractors, Orenda Gateway College Preparatory Industrial $5-$15 Million: Rogers-O’Brien Construction, Flex Renovations & Dock Expansion Residential, Multifamily & Condominium Projects Up to $100 Million: Rogers-O’Brien Construction, Muze
2019 National STEP Bronze Award winner: 360 Electrical Contractors Inc. 2019 National STEP Silver Award winners: Flynn Construction Inc. Jordan Foster Construction
2019 Chapter Safety Award of Excellence winners: Airco Mechanical Ltd. Beckett Electrical EBCO General Contractor Ltd. Intertech Flooring LASCO Acoustics and Drywall McKinney Drilling TDIndustries Inc.
2019 National STEP Platinum Award winners: Austin Commercial LP Bergelectric Corp Big City Access Holding LLC Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing DPR Construction F.L. Crane & Sons Inc. Greater Metroplex Interiors Inc. (GMi) Hoar Construction LLC
2019 National STEP Gold Award winners: Beckett Electrical Services LLC BETCO Scaffolds Big D Metalworks Joeris General Contractors Ltd. McKinney Drilling
Rogers-O’Brien Construction Slater Painting Company Inc. TDIndustries Inc. White Construction 2019 National STEP Diamond Award winners: Airco Mechanical Ltd. American Constructors Baker Triangle Cadence McShane Construction Co. EBCO General Contractor Ltd. Flintco LLC LASCO Acoustics and Drywall M.C. Dean Inc. Trio Electric
Best of the Best General Contractor: American Constructors, Del Valle High School Career and Technical Education Innovation Space
Mechanical Commercial $2-$10 Million: Airco Mechanical, Sailpoint - Four Points B3
Electrical Commercial Less Than $2 Million: 360 Electrical Contractors, 901 E 6th Street
Specialty Construction Commercial Less Than $10 Million: Baker Triangle, Confidential
Sitework/Landscape/Hardscape All Contract Amounts: Choate USA, Tyndall at Robertson Hill
Commercial $10-$25 Million: White Construction Company, American Association of Nurse Practitioners
Commercial $25-$100 Million: White Construction Company, Four Points Centre Building 3
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Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
continued from Page 11 — Recognizing excellence
Interiors - Acoustical, Drywall, Millwork or Plaster All Contract Amounts: Greater Metroplex Interiors, Inspire on 22nd
Commercial $5-$10 Million: American Constructors, Temple Santa Fe Business Center
Institutional $10-$25 Million: American Constructors, Del Valle High School Career and Technical Education Innovation Space
Healthcare $25-$100 Million: Harvey-Cleary Builders, The Village at The Triangle
Institutional $5-$10 Million: Flintco LLC, UT BEG Renovation and Addition
Institutional $25-$100 Million: American Constructors, Temple High School Career and Technology Education Building
Residential, Multifamily & Condominium Projects Up to $100 Million: White Construction Company, Belmont Village Lakeway
Best of the Best Specialty Contractor: Greater Metroplex Interiors, Inspire on 22nd
www.constructionnews.net publishing the industry’s news
Mega-Projects All Projects More Than $100 Million: Austin Commercial, ABIA Garage
Free Enterprise Award: Harvey-Cleary Builders, The Village at the Triangle
Texas Style
H San Antonio H Austin
Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
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THIS TH MON Jan: Construction Forecast Mar: Construction Education May: Concrete Industry July: Electrical Industry Feb: Construction Safety Apr: Women in Construction Jun: HVAC & Plumbing Aug: Service Providers
The Return of Function Corey Squire, AIA Director of Sustainable Architecture Positive Energy San Antonio, TX
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rchitecture has always been about uniting form with function. The architectural maxim, “Form follows function” was coined by Louis Sullivan in the late 19th century, but he was just re-popularizing a concept going back to Vitruvius’ three essential qualities of architecture: firmitas (durability/strength), utilitas (utility), venustatis (beauty). The concept of form following function makes sense. Designing and constructing a building is a time-consuming and resource-intensive endeavor. After all that effort, clients want something that looks great while serving their needs, even those needs they haven’t yet anticipated. Sometime in the 20th century, there was a breakdown of the relationship between form and function. Technological optimism led to the international style of architecture and its emphasis on form. The introduction of inexpensive electric light bulbs divorced the form of a building from its ability to provide occupants with light. This led to deeper floor plates and lower ceilings. The introduction of air conditioning divorced the facade materials and orientation of a building from its ability to provide thermal comfort, resulting in expansive glass curtain walls. New advances in technology seemed limitless and since electricity would cover the functional aspects of a building, architects were freed to focus purely on form. Though the international style came
to an end in the 1970s, many elements of the movement remain entrenched in today’s architectural practice. While no longer seeming limitless, electricity is still leaned on by architects to solve problems that would be better addressed through design. This attitude seems to finally be coming to an end as three broad societal trends are leading to the reemergence of function as central to good design. The first trend is cheap and easy access to information on the outcomes of architectural design. In the past, a client who expected high-quality, healthy indoor air would have no way of determining whether or not this outcome had been delivered. Today, anyone can buy a home air quality monitor for less than 100 dollars. Foobot, one manu-
Strategic Hiring for Competitive Labor Markets Wade Cleary, PE., Managing Principal | CEO Cleary Zimmermann Engineers San Antonio, TX
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ike many of our AEC industry colleagues, Cleary Zimmermann Engineers has experienced substantial project portfolio and staffing growth in the past five years. The industry has remained strong across all sectors and current market indicators lead us to believe that there will be plenty of opportunities for new work for the foreseeable future. With these conditions in mind, we continue to see a tight labor market. With the construction market growing and unemployment rates low (3.7 percent at time of publication), AEC firms must remain vigilant in hiring the right people for our organizations. Quickly hiring people based on resume qualifications alone is arguably ineffective and downright risky. While the occasional new hire will meet your expectations in terms of skill and company compatibility, these hasty hires often soon become regrettable decisions. In response to these challenges, five years ago we established an interview strategy that has helped us hire quality employees and increase retention. Fortynine percent of our staff has been with the firm five years or more, while 26 percent of our staff has been with the firm for 10 years or more. We have a multistep interview process that we undertake for every candidate. We follow this process without exception; no matter how impressive a candidate looks, how well they shine in the first interview, or how highly recommended they come. Step 1: Initial Interview The initial personal interview is our opportunity to get to know the candidate. In this interaction, we are not necessarily trying to understand if they have the technical skills required for the position, but instead, are truly more concerned about assessing whether they will
Architecture & Engineering Sept: Green Building Nov: Architecture & Engineering Oct: Specialty Contractors Dec: Construction Equipment
facturer of these monitors, uses the slogan, “See what you breathe.” This could not be closer to the point; the democratization of information allows clients to “see” aspects of architecture that were previously invisible. How a building performs on air quality, energy conservation, occupant health, resilience, and many other formally invisible attributes of design will now be just as visible as the building’s form. The second trend is a shifting expectation of design in consumer products, both in terms of how they look and the personal benefit they provide. Tesla is an example of how this industry has fully embraced a reunification of form and function. Tesla doesn’t ask consumers to choose between an aesthetically beautiful option and a high-performance option, as clients often feel they must. The Tesla’s form was fine-tuned for aerodynamics in a wind tunnel, meaning that the same design moves that lead to the sleek appearance also reduce drag, conserves energy and extends the battery range. On top of this, Teslas have proven especially safe during crash testing and HEPA filters keep cabin air clean by filtering out road pollution. In the recent past, architecture rarely reached this level of system integration, with equal attention paid to beauty, health, and efficiency. These multiple integrated outcomes are demanded by consumers in other industries. Clients have begun to expect holistic performance from architecture as well.
Finally, the last trend is a universal recognition that the climate is changing and that the impacts – both expected and unexpected – will continue to be felt by everyone in the short term. Recent examples include a record high temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit in Paris in the summer of 2019, a city where less than 10 percent of households have air conditioning and, during the writing of this article, a tropical storm is forecast to make landfall in Ireland. The built environment needs to perform the same functions that we expect today in an increasingly uncertain future. High summer temperature, droughts, extreme rainfall events, smoke, and utility grid shortages are coming with increasing frequency. Clients expect their architects to consider these challenges and design in resiliency features, whether they were explicitly asked for or not. The AIA has been leading on this issue nationally. This past September, The AIA Board of Directors unanimously adopted a new “Framework for Design Excellence” that encompasses ten equally important measures, including Design for Economy, Design or Energy, and Design for Change. In the past, these efforts were categorized under “sustainability,” a catch-all phrase that can be politically charged. Today, topics like energy conservation, indoor air quality, and resiliency can be broadly defined as the return of function as an essential element of design excellence. -cmw
tions for the position. This final meeting provides the candidate written metrics that define successful outcomes for their position. These key expectations are also the standards we use to measure performance during annual reviews.
have soon regretted the decision.
Step 5: Consensus Once we have completed the interview process, we assemble all the interviewers and openly discuss our observations of the candidate. Any interviewer has a veto, and if anyone has reservations regarding a candidate, we pass. We have learned this truth the hard way; every time we have looked past a concern, we
The Takeaway The key lesson we have learned from implementing this robust hiring process is simple: Do your homework, follow your instincts, and don’t fall into the trap of moving forward with a risky hire simply because you’re overloaded with backlog and desperate for help. Cleary Zimmermann Engineers is a consulting engineering firm specializing in Building MEP, Industrial MEP, IT/Security and Commissioning services in San Antonio, Bryan/College Station, and Houston. –cmw
fit with the culture of our firm. Do their values align with ours? We also encourage the candidate to ask a lot of questions. We want them to get a sense of our firm’s personality, environment, and mission. This process is a two-way street. Step 2: Personality Assessment If we feel from the initial assessment that the candidate would be a good cultural fit, the real work begins. Next, the candidate takes an on-line personality assessment and we examine the results in depth to try to understand their motivations, communication styles, and whether they will work well within our organization.
Construction News ON LOCATION
Taking time to visit
Step 3: Technical Interview We follow this personality assessment with a technical interview. The technical interview is conducted by two senior-level employees from the candidate’s practice area. We have refined our questions and the technical problems we ask them to solve to best illuminate each candidate’s capabilities. In this session, we ask probing questions and test to ensure the candidate’s technical capabilities fit the skill set we need. Step 4: Key Performance Expectations To conclude the interview process, we have another principal the candidate has not yet met review the key expecta-
L-R: Center Line Manager Jason Byrd and Matt Sievers pose for a photo while visiting with Construction News. -cmw
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Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
NEXT TH N O M
Construction Equipment
To represent your company in an upcoming FOCUS, contact AustinEditor@ConstructionNews.net 210-308-5800
QA Survey: Key for Success Shri Eathalapaka, PE LJA Engineering Inc. Irving, TX
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eavy highway projects tend to put a lot of emphasis on design, construction quality, schedule and utility coordination while not placing a lot of importance on the accuracy of construction surveying. Survey has been important since the beginning of civilization and one of the primitive applications was to measure and mark boundaries of land ownership. Over the years, its importance has progressively increased with ever-growing demand for various maps and to accurately establish line and grade to manage and monitor construction services. Accuracy of a construction project is as good as its survey information. In the modern age of Global Positioning Systems being used to accurately provide survey points for constructing roads and bridges, it is of primary importance to have a quality assurance survey team crosscheck the accuracy of the data prior to commencement of construction to reduce redo’s and to avoid costly errors. For heavy highway projects, The QA survey team should start checking the accuracy of the data during the utility relocation (third-party franchise utilities) phase
prior to construction so that the utilities are accurately relocated and don’t pose a constructability issue during the actual highway construction activities. Constructability issues due to utilities being relocated incorrectly due to bad data has major cost and schedule implications on the project and on the owners. Accurate SUE survey eliminates a lot of future constructability issues as the existing utilities are taken into consideration during the design phase, eliminating potential construction issues. During construction, the team must ensure that there is constant coordina-
tion between the contractor’s survey team and the QA survey team to eliminate errors. Prior to commencement of construction, the CE&I team should develop a QA survey implementation plan which should include all elements of construction with varied levels of priority that require accurate QC/QA survey. The CE&I team must act like ring leaders and ensure that high-priority items are checked, and accuracy confirmed before the contractor is provided the go-ahead to proceed with construction. High priority on accurate survey should be emphasized while relocating city utilities like water and wastewater in congested construction areas where a survey bust of a few inches could result in potential damages to the existing line or pose delay due to conflict with underground bridge drill shafts and foundations. Below are a few instances where accurate survey and relocation could have avoided potential conflicts and delays: • A fiber communication line was relocated during the utility relocation phase to avoid potential conflict with proposed bridge drill shafts. Due to inaccurate survey the fiber line was not accurately relocated and during the utility locates process for drill shaft construction it was discovered
that the steel encased fiber line was in conflict with one of the proposed drill shafts. The utility line was relocated again which resulted in a six-month delay to the project which could have been avoided if a QA survey was performed. • Incorrect survey resulted in a bridge column and bent cap being built two ft too high which resulted in demolition of the cap and chipping down the column to reconstruct to the correct height. This caused a major delay to the project as the bridge was on the critical path. Survey QA check could have avoided this issue resulting in overall savings to the project. • Existing fiber duct bank was lowered to avoid being within the roadway pavement section, however, the line was not lowered enough (due to bad survey information) and the contractor damaged the fiber line resulting in huge damages and schedule delays. In closing, CE&I team coordination with survey is important for successful completion of heavy highway construction projects and having a QA survey team cross check the contractor’s survey data saves time and money. LJA Engineering is an engineering firm with 29 locations across the United States. -cmw
Fish fry draws record crowd
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he Austin Contractors & Engineers Association (ACEA) held its annual Fish Fry Fundraiser on Sept. 12 at the Travis County Expo Center. The popular event brings members together for a fun evening of good food, good company, and plenty of laughs. This year, more than 600 attendees gathered to bid on auction items donated by members to help the association raise funds in support of their mission and projects. Ultimately,
the funds are used to continue representing the members and providing programs that support the community such as the Construction Expo scheduled for Mar. 27, and the generous scholarships awarded to high school seniors. The Fish Fry is a great networking time and a way for companies to thank employees with a little bit of fun while supporting their association. -cmw
David Gray, Gray Engineering with Michael Ehrhardt, Liberty Civil Construction
Working the crowd
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Construction News ON LOCATION
Smiles set in stone
Meet the friendly staff of AAA Countertops LLC L-R: Zach Todd, Mitch Locey, Lance Phillips, Jennifer Pickering, Dawn Conner and Andrea Julian -cmw
Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
Page 15
Full-tilt family
What’s Trending in Unmanned aerial vehicles
Drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) in the construction industry are here to stay!
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The Central Texas Tiltwall team
pending their teen years working hard in the oilfields with family was all the motivation Matt Tucker and Howdy Tucker needed to find another career path. The brothers enrolled in college, with Matt at Southwest Texas for environmental management and Howdy at Tarleton for general business. When Matt graduated in 1993, he joined Howdy to work at Central Texas Tiltwall LP for a few years. The brothers found their niche, and when the business’ owner became ill, the Tuckers bought the business and assets minus the property. With 15 inherited employees, they continued to build on the company’s good reputation. Today, Central Texas Tiltwall LP boasts 85 employees – including four of the original staff – which Howdy says they “couldn’t do without.” The company’s scope of work includes building foundations, elevated decks, tiltwalls, drill piers, detention ponds, retaining walls, headwalls, site concrete packages, paving, sidewalks and splitter boxes. Howdy, the developer, brings in clients
and properties and prepares projects for Matt to build, while Matt oversees the field personnel and matters such as site conditions. Central Texas Tiltwall LP is not the Tuckers’ only business – they also develop real estate – and some wonder how their brotherhood survives. “We just naturally work well together,” Matt says. “We kind of do our own thing. We can gripe at each other and then 30 minutes later go and eat lunch together.” Part of their success lies in what each enjoys about the business. “I enjoy taking a project from start to finish and building it all the way through,” Matt says. “I enjoy the headaches every day,” Howdy adds. “We try to come up with new procedures so that we don’t have the same problems.” Together, the Tuckers hope to go full-tilt and grow their family business. Full-service concrete company Central Texas Tiltwall LP is in Austin. –mjm
Sustaining her interest
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rin Smith’s interest in the construction industry was built around childhood dinners and after-school sales calls. “My father owns a small business in the Dallas/Fort Worth area named Patriot Performance,” Smith explains. “His business sells a variety of products to construction and transportation companies. As I was growing up, we talked a lot about it at the dinner table, and my sister and I always tagged along with him to sales meetings after school.” Her interest grew as she earned her undergrad degree in Business Management and her MBA in Marketing and Sustainability at Clark University. “I would frequently call my dad after business class and tell him what I learned and that we should apply it to his business,” Smith remembers. “It was nice to have a real-life business case study to apply my learnings in school to. That’s how I got started in the industry.” After graduation, Smith moved to New York and worked as a management consultant. She learned a great deal, but
after six years she was ready to pivot. “Truthfully, I was really eager to start my own business,” Smith says. “My goal was to help other businesses but also help the environment.” In late 2018, Smith moved to Austin and in 2019, she founded Smith Sustainability. The company primarily serves the construction, trucking, and solid waste industries, targeting customers that have heavy-duty equipment. The company’s primary product offering is Kleenoil, a bypass oil filtration system for equipment. It removes small contaminants and moisture from engines and hydraulic oil, allowing oil life to be extended up to five times. Smith continues to seek products like this that reduce environmental impact. “I would really like to grow this company and expand to areas outside of Austin,” she says. “A goal of mine is to provide more jobs; I think that would be a nice challenge as well. I’m excited.” Smith Sustainability offers sustainable products for the construction and transportation industries. –mjm
ver the last decade, we have seen some people and various industries that are afraid of change or adapting to new technology. In the construction industry, we see some of the seasoned project managers viewing drones as toys or a nuisance. Whereas the younger project managers enter the construction industry bringing new ideas and tools and who see the benefits of drones as a valuable tool. The drone that was once thought of as a toy is now evolved into an advanced piece of equipment for many industries. Drones or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) in the construction industry are here to stay. Monitoring a construction project is always one of the biggest challenges for construction management. This is where drones UAVs become an extremely valuable tool. They have the ability to fly over the whole worksite and report back to the main office faster and with more accurate data with more efficiency than on-site personnel. Project managers can constantly monitor the development of the project and correct any mistakes promptly. Drones can be equipped with stateof-the-art equipment like radar, thermal cameras and laser-based sensors which can improve the surveillance of a worksite and detect any abnormal activity. Cameras and other electronics can collect data and complete safety inspections. Surveyors use them to create a 3D mapping that later can be used to depict an area. Not only are drones used as surveying tools, they are also used as a marketing tool, as they can record the actual progress and conditions of a project during a specific moment. Presenting those images of your construction site is valuable on so many levels. It allows for progress reports to be sent to your foreman, investors and potential clients, as well as perform asset management and inspect elements all from your desktop. Drones play a critical role in site security. Keeping track of equipment on the work site of any size can be a challenge. At night, construction sites can be extremely vulnerable to theft of expensive equipment and materials. The use of drones can be a powerful tool for those who are responsible for the safety of the site when the construction work stops. It is extremely important to monitor the entire location effectively. On every working site, there are some locations where the security level is lower. This is where drones can help provide the security team with information in realtime.
The use of drones or UAV’s during your work site inspection process can be cheaper and faster than the current inspection methods you’re using now, which allows a project manager to do more frequent inspections and provide a safer construction site. Thanks to drone inspections, there is no need for workers to inspect dangers in unapproachable locations of the construction worksite. After serving 22 years in the United States Army and as the First Sergeant of the Army’s Unmanned Aircraft System Operators/Master Trainers Course, Joe Baker started Sky Soldier Drones LLC. Sky Soldier Drones, LLC is making its mark in Texas providing construction and development companies drone services that include providing aerial imagery and video for projects with monthly and quarterly cycles as well as marketing videos for companies. Sky Soldier Drones also offers an 8-hour Drone Flight Training Course that focuses on teaching basic drone operation and safety and an 8-hour FAA Part 107 Course that focuses on FAA rules and regulations. All pilots are licensed and insured. If you’re in the construction industry and in the need for drone services, Sky Soldier Drones LLC is ready to help you with your construction project needs. Joe Baker at 210-627-5671. View our website for samples of work and training schedules at: www.skysoldierdrones.com
Page 16
Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
Dead tools brought to life
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continued from Page 1 — Arrow Glass Industries “I am part of every step of the process,” he explains. “I go out there with my team that measures frequently and makes sure that we’re getting everything that needs to be done. I load and unload the trucks. I get to know the builders as well as the purchasers. It really becomes a family in some of the communities.” Soberalski says he is proud to be a part of Arrow Glass Industries because of the reputation it has built over the years. “We are the fastest custom glass company in the industry,” he says. “[It takes us] three to five days from measure to install on standard glass for showers, mirrors and things like that. On insulated glass it takes longer, just like it does for everybody else.” He is also proud to be a part of the company because of its involvement in the industry and the community. “We have done some of the Greater
San Antonio Builders Association events; we recently won a chili cookoff for them,” Soberalski says. “We also hold blood drives at our facilities, come together for holidays and donate gifts for different charities.” As for the company’s future, Soberalski says that Arrow Glass Industry is always seeking sharp (no pun intended) people to add to the team. “We are adding more commercial teams and hope to grow more into the commercial area,” he says. “We’re also wanting to get more emergency services from some of the larger companies so that way we can be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week with them. If something happens to a door or a window, we can fix it for them.” With locations throughout Texas, Arrow Glass Industries offers glass and mirror products for commercial, multifamily and residential projects. –mjm
Ron Peralez begins repair on a Hilti TE1500avr chipping hammer.
uality service without limits - that is the mission statement of Dependable Power Tool (DPT). Dependable Power Tool is a service company that caters to the demand of the construction industry. “DPT will be a premier service center for all your portable power tool service needs. Dependable Power Tool is a service company that focuses on construction companies and their needs for portable power tools to perform at 100 percent every day,” says owner and operator Ron Peralez. Peralez brings over ten years of experience to the service industry and says he has extensive knowledge in the repairing of portable power tools used on construction jobsites. “I’m certified by two major tool manufacturers in tool repair. This isn’t just a hobby; this is what I really enjoy doing. “I’ve always liked working with my hands and working on portable power tools is what I like to do. After getting laid off from a previous employer, I took that opportunity to start my own business,”
adds Peralez. “Any brand of tool, any model, no tool will be turned away. We will make every effort to repair any make and model of portable power tool in the power tool industry used in the construction industry. Our goal for Dependable Power Tool is to become the premier power tool service center.” Having worked with most of Austin’s construction firms, he says he has built a professional reputation and hopes to carry it on into the coming years. Peralez continues by saying that they offer pickup and delivery service for qualified construction firms in need of tool service, or tools can be dropped off. Peralez is fully experienced in the repair of portable power tools from all the major tool companies. He adds that the tools are completely tested using modern equipment to assure they have been restored both mechanically and electrically. Dependable Power Tool is a tool repair service provider for the construction industry. -cmw
Ladies start your engines!
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uckle up! In lieu of their regular chapter dinner meeting, the National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) celebrated “President’s Choice Night” on Aug. 7. It is the last hurrah for the outgoing president. And yes, you guessed it, Taryn Ritchie, this year’s outgoing president chose to live life in the fast lane and go full throttle on at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) Kart Racing Track. “It was a scorching 103+ degrees, so we all burned a little rubber and put the pedal to the metal,” says Ritchie. -cmw
continued from Page 1 — Squared Away Plumbing LLC
The Squared Away Plumbing team
furlough, Brooks decided the time to start his business had arrived. With wife Therasa scheduling appointments, Brooks hopped in his truck and got to work building a business Brooks has since found the past five years a deeply gratifying learning experience. “I’ve probably learned more as a small business owner than any other time in my life,” he says. “Being an entrepreneur and starting a small business is everyone’s dream, but I think when you’re dreaming that, you don’t quite encompass all of the various struggles you’re going to have. You always think of all of these glorious victories you’re going to get, but those are sometimes overshadowed by struggles and defeats that you have. But when you do have those wins as a business owner, they’re significant, and they make it all worth all of the hardship.” Today, Squared Away Plumbing LLC services Leander, Cedar Park and northwest Austin, and sometimes even travels as far as Kyle. With two other
workers, Brooks works on projects such as a popular hair cutting franchise and a four-story, 78-room hotel. The business also makes time to give back: for the past few years, Squared Away Plumbing LLC has donated free plumbing labor to Humane Heroes, a non-profit animal shelter/adoption center. Brooks also provides discounts to military vets, active duty military and first responders. With his business squared away, Brooks hopes to be in good order, be prepared and do his jobs well for even more customers. “We’re desperately trying to grow, and the hard part in the trades industry is always finding quality technicians. That’s probably our largest obstacle,” Brooks says. “I’ve always wanted to do what I’m doing now in two other markets. So, long term, I would say my goals are growing and expanding into the Austin, San Antonio and Houston markets.” Subcontractor Squared Away Plumbing LLC is in Leander. –mjm
continued from Page 1 — Braun & Butler Construction
See you at the finish line!
Each racer competed in two races and the winner got bragging rights for that race.
One noticeable change will be Braun & Butler’s new logo, which uses colors from both business’ previous logos. The new design symbolizes the companies’ past and continued commitment to relationships, transparency, action and a balanced approach. News of the merger has elicited a pleased response from clients. “[Client reaction] has been phenomenal,” Kenton says. “People who knew both companies say it makes so much sense, because there is so much similarity between the companies in that we do business the same way. Companies that don’t know one of us reached out to learn more about [the merger] and are excited to hear about how we’re able to grow with the community through this process.” Heinze and his colleagues share their
clients’ excitement. “I have not been this enthusiastic about our future since I bought the company back in 2012,” Heinze says. “It opens so many avenues for us and gives us a customer diversity and geographic diversity that we haven’t had before. “I’m personally excited that we’re able to take two 37-year-old companies with Austin roots and continue those roots without having to become a huge corporation,” Heinze continues. “We can stay in our sweet spot and do what we do well. That’s really exciting to me. We can take the legacy that Bob Rizzo and John Braun and David Butler created and continue that forward for another 37 years.” Braun & Butler Construction offers commercial general contracting and construction management services. – mjm
Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
Page 17
JOB SIGHTS
Association Calendar
Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC
Associated Builders & Contractors
Nov. 7: OSHA Safety Rodeo, VFW 8787, 500 VFW Rd., 7:30am-3pm, Free event. For more info, call Stephanie Nelson at 512-719-5263 or email stephanie@abccentraltexas.org ACEA
Greater Austin Contractors & Engineers Assn.
Nov. 14: November Membership Luncheon, Norris Conference Center, 2525 W Anderson Ln. #365, 11:30am-1pm. Early Registration $35, Member $40, Non-member $50. For more info, contact Silvia Pendleton at 512-893-7067 or email silvia.pendleton@aceatx.com AGC
Associated General Contractors
Nov. 20: Holiday Happy Hour & Toy Drive, The Dogwood Rock Rose, 11420 Rock Rose Ave. #130, 5:30-7:30pm. For more info, contact Toni Osberry at 512-442-7887 AGC- TBB
Associated General Contractors Texas Building Branch
Nov. 15: AGC TBB Board Meeting, Austin AGC Office. For more info, call 512-478-5629 AIA
American Institute of Architects
Nov. 20: Food for Thought, Austin Center for Architects, 801 W. 12th St., 8am. Nov. 21: Small Firms Roundtable, , Austin Center for Architects, 801 W. 12th St., 11:45am. Nov. 25: Commercial Advocacy Roundtable, Austin Center for Architects, 801 W. 12th St., 12pm. For info, call 512-452-4332 ASCE
American Society of Civil Engineers
Nov. 12: November Technical Webinar, Understanding the Value of Pavement Preservation for County/Municipal Roadway Maintenance Operations, 12-1pm. For more info, go to texasce.org ASSP
American Society of Safety Professionals
Nov. 7: OSHA Safety Rodeo, VFW 8787, 500 VFW Rd., 7:30am-3pm, Free event. For more info, call Stephanie Nelson at 512-719-5263 or email stephanie@abccentraltexas.org CTSA
Central Texas Subcontractor Assn.
Nov. 6: Subcontractor Outreach for The Forty Arena at UT, Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol, 701 E. 11th St., 4:30-7pm. Nov. 12: Field Supervisor Training, Airco, 4-6pm. For more info, contact Wendy Lambert at 512-255-6373 or email wendy@ctsaonline.org IEC
Independent Electrical Contractors Central Texas Chapter
Nov. 23: CETX-2019 CE for Texas Electrical Licensing Renewal. For more info, call 512832-1333
NARI
National Assn. of the Remodeling Industry
Nov. 8: CotY Awards – 80’s Prom Night, The Mansion, 2312 San Gabriel St., 6-11:55pm. Nov. 13: General Membership Meeting, Location TBD, 11am-1pm. For more info, call Kayvon Leath at 512-997-6270 or email kayvon@austinnari.org NAWIC
National Assn. of Women in Construction
Nov. 6: General Meeting, Pappasito’s Cantina, 6513 N IH-35, 5:30pm. For more info, email austinnawic@gmail.com RCAT
Roofing Contractors Assn. of Texas
Nov. 8: RCAT Government Relations Program & Fundraiser, La Cima Club, 5215 N. O’Connor Rd., Irving, TX 7-10pm. For more info, call 512-236-5036
JM Electronic Engineering Inc.’s Edward King takes a moment while packing up at the end of the day where he spent the day wiring and installing cable at the new Iglesia Alcance De Resturacion Worship Building. -cmw
SEAot
Structural Engineers Assn. of Texas
Nov. 14: 1st Annual Joint Casino Night Membership Drive, Mercury Hall, 615 Cardinal Ln. 6-9pm, $50 Per Person or Two for $90. For more info, call 512-553-9634 or email info@seaotAustin.org TAB
Texas Assn. of Builders
Nov. 20-22: 2019 TAB Fall Board Meetings & Excellence in Leadership Dinner, The Line Hotel, 111 E. Cesar Chavez St. For more info, call 512-476-6346 TSPE
Texas Society of Professional Engineers
Nov. 6: November Luncheon, Maggiano’s, 10910 Domain Dr., 11:30am-1pm. Nov. 7-9: PE Leadership Institute – Class 9 – Session 1, Canyon of the Eagles, 16942 Ranch Rd. 2341, Burnet, TX, 12pm. Nov. 8: PELI Alumni Session Strategic Thinking & Execution, Canyon of the Eagles, 16942 Ranch Rd. 2341, Burnet, TX, 8am. For more info, email claire@tspe.org Field Operator Federico Vazquez with Conquest Industries performs the task of slab sawing while doing road repairs on Buda’s Main Street Road Work project. -cmw
TSPS
Texas Society of Professional Surveyors
Nov. 10: CST Exam (Paper), Transglobal Services LLC, 1100 Macon Street, Midland, TX, 8:15am-4pm. For more info, email Garrett Smelker/Dempsey Hannah at garrett. smelker@transgloballlc.com Nov. 22: Abilene Annual Seminar, Abilene Civic Center - Upstairs Conf. Rm., 1100 North 6th St., Abilene, TX. For more info, email brendan@tsps.org TXFPA
Texas Fire Protection Assn.
Nov. 13: November TFPA Meeting & Lunch Program, San Marcos Activity Center, 501 E. Hopkins, San Marcos, 9am-3:30pm. Registration Deadline Nov. 8, 5pm. Member Online $25, Non-member On-line $35, Pay at door $50. For more info, call 512-795-2900 or email admin@txfpa.org
Construction News ON LOCATION
Skid steering
Joyce Najera, RDO Equipment Co. Parts Warehouse Specialist takes a moment to show off a John Deere 333G Skid Steer. -cmw
s
Submitted to Construction News
Round-Up
Pape Dawson Engineers is pleased to announce the promotions within. Angela Livingston, CP, CMS-Lidar GISP has been promoted to Practice Leader – Geospatial Services for Pape-Dawson Engineers. In her new role, Livingston will oversee geospatial projects and have a prominent role in developing the evolving field of Lidar and geospatial opportunities for the firm. –cmw Kim Keefer, PE has joined the Pape Dawson family has Managing Vice President of Water/Wastewater Infrastructure. She will be responsible for statewide water and wastewater strategic, technical, and production oversight. Keefer has over 35 years of experience in civil and public works engineering and holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Central Florida. -cmw Benjamin Brown has joined the Market Square Architects LLC family as Director of Marketing and Business Development. Brown completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Massachusetts and is a graduate of the MBA program in Marketing at South New Hampshire University. -cmw
Shelly Mitchell, PE has been promoted to Vice President and will continue to lead commercial, industrial and institutional land development projects. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Tulane University in 2003. She is a registered professional engineer in the state of Texas. -cmw George Fowler has joined the Freese and Nichols Inc. family as Senior Project Manager. Fowler will be focusing on water flow and river engineering to mitigate flooding and will lead projects across Texas and the southeastern U.S. He holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering: Water Resources from the University of New Hampshire and a B.S. from Stonehill College in Massachusetts. -cmw
Round-Up Submissions
Brief company announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of charge, as space allows. Submit Info & Photo: AustinEditor@ConstructionNews.net (210) 308-5800
Page 18
Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
Bleyl engineers acquisition
Perks of metal work
Garrett-Ihnen Civil Engineers (staff, pictured) was acquired by Bleyl Engineering
L-R: A.J. Perkins, Mandee Perkins, and Kirk Perkins with young members of their family’s third generation.
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onroe-based civil engineering firm Bleyl Engineering recently acquired Garrett-Ihnen Civil Engineers, one of Austin’s oldest engineering firms specializing in site development and design. The acquisition allows Bleyl, which focuses on municipal and private development project design, to have a stronger Texas presence and influence. Bleyl’s absorption of Garrett-Ihnen’s 14 employees increase the staff count to 82, including 26 licensed engineers. Bleyl Engineering is moving from its south Austin office into Garrett-Ihnen’s office at 12007 Technology Blvd. Garret-Ihnen will operate as Bleyl Engineering’s subsidiary until it formally changes its name in 2020 to Bleyl Engineering after marking its 35th year in business. Garrett-Ihnen was originally founded by Jack Garrett as Garrett/Associates. When Garrett suffered a fatal heart attack in 1998, Steve Ihnen acquired the firm, rebranded it as Garrett-Ihnen and served as its president for more than 21 years. Ihnen had not planned on an acquisition
this year but welcomed the opportunity to meet John Bleyl, Bleyl Engineering’s President/CEO. The men, discovering that they shared similar business and management philosophies and personal faith, agreed on an acquisition. Now serving as the Austin office’s Regional Manager, Ihnen says the acquisition strengthens Bleyl’s position in economic dips, inspires cross training and boosts employee recruitment. “What we typically did was general civil engineering,” Ihnen says. “Now what we’re going to be doing is a more broad aspect of civil engineering, and that is exciting for the whole team.” “The main thing we want to do is grow and provide services as those demands happen,” Bleyl says. “We would like to double our size in the next two to three years. As long as we continue to deliver professional expertise in an above-and-beyond way, these things are going to fall into place.” Bleyl Engineering has offices in Austin, Bryan-College Station and Houston.–mjm
Law of the land(scaping)
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irk Perkins had no plans to work with metal. In fact, he was enjoying his retirement after working for the prison system when he received a phone call 15 years ago. “I had a friend who was doing this kind of [metal] work, and he called me and said they needed some help,” Kirk remembers. “I had welding experience; I’ve been a welder my whole life. I learned at Texas State Technical College when I got out of high school in the early ‘80s. I welded for a living for about seven or eight years before I went to work for the prison and while I worked at the prison, I had a welding shop.” Kirk agreed to help his friend, and eventually, his son A.J. Perkins started working alongside him. Kirk was content working for that business for several years … until he wasn’t. “Once I learned the business and everything I needed to know, I ran [my boss’] jobs. I was his lead man after a couple of years,” Kirk says. “He never showed up on the jobs, I just ran all of them. I realized I was making somebody
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else money rather than for myself.” Kirk and A.J. decided to buy some equipment three years ago and started Perks Metal Works. Together, they build almost every kind of metal structure: buildings, roofs, pipe fencing, carports, entryways, barns, and sheds. Kirk and another employee do the welding, A.J. manages the job and materials and A.J.’s wife Mandee Perkins oversees the paperwork and customer service. The company, which serves customers from Gatesville to Austin, has quickly grown to include eight trailers, scissor lifts and a telehandler. A.J. says that he’d like two of everything so they can work on two jobs at once. Still, the company’s size allows them to focus on what matters most: quality of work. “We have total involvement in the project. We’re really able to make good quality control on everything that we do because we’re onsite. We’re there every single day,” A.J. says. “Our slogan is, ‘We do the work, you get the perks!’” Metal subcontractor Perks Metal Works is in Georgetown. – mjm
Blast with clays
embers of the Central Texas Subcontractor Association (CTSA) had a blast shooting clays at Reunion Ranch in Georgetown for their annual clay shoot. The weather was perfect. Thirty-eight shooters turned out for the fun-filled event held on Oct. 4. L&O Electric and Texas Mutual Insurance were among the winners taking second and third places, respectively. -cmw
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L-R: Elite Stone & Landscape Supply’s Rodger Miller and Cory Cook (pictured) are part of the team helping general manager John Trevino.
n 2012, John Trevino retired from his 20-year long-arm-of-the-law career to work for Elite Stone & Landscape Supply. For Trevino, it was a homecoming: His aunt and uncle owned the business, and he had happy childhood memories helping them in the rock industry. Since his aunt and uncle sold the business in January to move closer to their grandchildren, Trevino now helps new owner Parker Melvin as the company’s General Manager. Trevino and five employees offer shingle installation, boulders, stone and masonry, custom deck building, decorative aggregate, landscaping, outdoor and kitchen design and building. They also provide products, pool installation and service, sand, soil, mulching, water features and power washing. Recently, they added zebra mussel removal for Lake Travis clients and decorative concrete. Trevino says that under this new ownership, customers can expect the
same great service that his aunt and uncle provided, with some added perks. “The business hasn’t changed at all; we’re actually still doing the same thing,” Trevino says. “We still offer a wide range of services. Prices and products haven’t changed. We have actually grown a little bit more because we have more trucks to haul materials to offer better prices.” Trevino and his team cover Liberty Hill, Burnet, Lago Vista, Jonestown, Georgetown, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Austin and Dripping Springs. Future plans include adding to that service area. “Our future plan is to grow,” he says. “We have grown as far as adding more trucks to our fleet. We offer more services and extend our service area.” As for Trevino, he has no intention of returning to law enforcement – he’s happy to lay down the law of landscaping. Elite Stone & Landscape Supply in Leander offers outdoor landscape services and hardscaping. –mjm
1st Place: Alpha Painting
Men’s Top Shooter: Christian Spies, L&O Electric
Women’s Top Shooter: Taylor Frost, RSM USA Inc.
Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
Page 19
Austin Construction News • NOV 2019
Page 20