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San Antonio
CONSTRUCTION NEWS The Industry’s Newspaper
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www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 19 H Number 11 H NOVEMBER 2019
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Restoring faith
The picture of Damon Gray
Carranza Restoration LLC’s Charles Carranza
Damon Gray, owner of Damon Gray Custom Millworks, in front of his wine cellar at The Pearl
harles Carranza was on a path to become a math teacher when he discovered that working in the construction industry would add up to a great future for him. “Some quick life events acquainted me with a gentleman during a time when I needed to focus more on working than pursuing my education,” Carranza says. “He got me a job cleaning carpets and working with a mitigation company doing cleanup when houses catch fire or flood. I think I was 19 years old, and I just stayed there.” A few key management people took notice of Carranza and encouraged him to learn more about mitigation. As he worked there 10 more years, he began learning about “tearing things out”
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he Sabinal Group was established in early 2005 to better serve the local (San Antonio Region) real estate/ end user community through professional minority general contracting services. The company’s vast knowledge and expertise is led by the founders, Danny Benavidez and Mark Wohlfarth. Together these individuals have over 60 years combined experience. They have worked on myriad projects and continue to do great things for great clients. “We do not want to classify ourselves as interior or core / shell contractors. We will do “whatever it takes” to get the job done and done well for our clients! If our client wants us to paint a wall or build a new corporate headquarters, we will do either and do it with professionalism, quality, and client satisfaction. Again, we will do any project, small or large, for our clients. We do not chase projects, we establish life-long relationships,” say
before moving to Albuquerque and becoming a sales manager. When his family began missing home, he moved them back to Texas and continued his mitigation work but began to learn about rebuilding and estimating. “For me, the natural evolution of growing was learning the backend after something has been torn out – it has to get put back together,” Carranza says. “I started getting really immersed in that and even finding a better satisfaction being done with a rebuild project.” In 2012, his industry friends began nudging him to create his own restoration company. Even though Carranza says he “didn’t know a lick about what starting a business entailed,” he did some research continued on Page 24
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hen Damon Gray opened Damon Gray Custom Millworks in Jan. 2013, he had to get insurance like all contractors. It’s a good thing he got it from an agent who was a professional and not from someone like himself. He hated working in insurance, which is what he did as a late teen, working for his father. It was “the most boring thing I could ever dream of not doing,” Gray said. When he left the insurance world and entered the construction industry, Gray found his calling. “I had a knack for it and was able to pick it up pretty quick,” he said. He is both self-taught and a good student, learning from the men with whom he worked over the years.
When it comes to becoming his own contractor, Gray laughed and said, “I tried to go out on my own probably six or seven times.” While working for one cabinet shop, the owner let Gray do side jobs in it on the weekends. They worked four 10-hour days, and Gray always had three-day weekends. While working alone one day, Gray got injured. “I ripped my bicep off,” he said. “Basically, both parts just came apart on my arm. I had to have surgery. I couldn’t do anything with my arm for six months.” Gray solved his workload problem by hiring a guy to do the work while he supervised and did all the paper and office work. This proved fortuitous because Gray was able to pick up the business side of his continued on Page 24
A touch of Mexican culture Benavidez and Wohlfarth. Construction of the Mi Familia Restaurant, owned by Familia Cortez, began in April 2019 and was completed in October 2019. The new ground-up project was overseen by Senior Superintendent David Salinas. The project was designed by Sprinkle and Co. Architects The project consisted of millwork, demolition, countertops, earthwork, waterproofing and damp proofing, soil treatment, fireproofing, erosion control with temporary fencing, building insulation, drilled piers, EIFS, site utilities, shingles and roofing tiles, asphaltic concrete paving, membrane patching, pavement markings, caulking and sealants, chainlink fencing and gates, doors, frames, hardware, windows, landscaping, irrigation, hardscape, wood doors and hardware, turn-key concrete work, special doors, stone benches, overhead doors, Mi Famila interior dining room.
continued on Page 24