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P.O. Box 791290 San Antonio, Texas 78279-1290 Change Service Requested
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San Antonio
CONSTRUCTION NEWS The Industry’s Newspaper
ImagesFromTexas.com
www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 23 H Number 2 H FEBRUARY 2020
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A century of roofing
Transitioning begins
L-R: Douglas Black, Nicholas Chapman, Debbie Black, Duane Black, Tommy Black, Corrie Lea Fey, and Darrell Black.
The Salvatore family. L-R: Paolo, Vera, Carlo and Lisa.
ot long after the turn of the 20th century, a roofing contractor made his start in the construction industry. With a horse-drawn covered wagon, Samuel Dean began making a name for himself putting gutters and cisterns on houses to collect rain for drinking water and installing metal roofs. That was 1910. Dean’s son Marvin worked with his father for 29 years until his father’s passing. During that time, the company slowly evolved into the commercial sector. The company once known as J. Dean & Son Roofing & Guttering would become known as Samuel Dean Sheet Metal. In 1939, when Dean passed away, Marvin Dean bought the business from his beloved mother to carry on his fa-
ther’s legacy. By 1960, a still thriving business, Samuel Dean Sheet Metal had evolved completely into commercial roofing with a fully operational sheet metal fabrication shop. It was during this time that a young 21-year-old man, well known in the construction industry today, came to work for Samuel Dean Sheet Metal to begin his career in construction. This young man would later become the owner of Samuel Dean Sheet Metal. His name is Tommy Black. “I came to work here in 1960. I was a week away from turning 21 years old. I did not apply for the job,” recalls Black. At the time Black came to work at Samuel Dean Sheet Metal, the company continued on Page 18
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ince 1996, CFS Forming Structures Co. Inc. has been a formidable fixture in San Antonio. Carlo and Vera Salvatore started CFS working out of their home and have built their company into a successful business, contractors have grown to respect, depend and count on. CFS was built on the foundation of providing quality customer service and excellent workmanship. The Salvatores have never wavered in their belief of providing nothing but the best. Quality service is the heart and soul of CFS. Their quality of work and the value they place, as a company, to provide nothing but the best has earned them to a quarter of a century of valued repeat customers. Customers have come to rely
on their expertise and skills for getting the job done. CFS, a true turnkey company, eliminates the middle man by owning their own pumps. The have high-rise pumps and boom pumps. They have their own finishers and everything in between. They pride themselves on being their customers’ “one stop shop.” “We do for our customers what we would want and nothing less. If I was the general contractor and I had a job to do, I’d want it to be done to the best of that ability. I wouldn’t want subpar work. I would want the best! That is what we feel strongly about. And I think that is what has made us a No. 1. There is no room for No. 2,” says Vera, president of CFS. continued on Page 18
Expanding south
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or well over 20 years, Uvalde Fire Equipment has been providing fire safety services to folks in Uvalde and south Texas. The owner of Uvalde Fire Equipment, Bruce Kingsbery, held his customers close to heart, checking on them without fail ensuring they were never left in a bind. So when Kingsbery decided it was time to move into a new direction, he wanted to make sure his beloved clients, most of which have become good friends, were well taken care of and he knew just who the right choice would be to make sure their needs would continue to be met. Jerry and Clint Williams, owners of A-1 Fire & Safety, have been good friends of Kingsbery since Kingsbery purchased Uvalde Fire more than 20 years ago. Along with a great friendship, they shared a common interest. That interest was providing quality fire protection ser-
vice to the communities they serve and beyond. “Bruce is a very likeable guy. We have been doing business with Bruce at Uvalde Fire and providing service work through Bruce to the Uvalde area for close to 20 years such as high pressure and hydrostatic testing,” says Clint. “He wanted to move in a different direction, and we were able to acquire Uvalde Fire and their accounts. We have drop boxes in the area and service techs in Uvalde almost daily now since we made this transaction. “The customers for hydrostatic testing that he covers in Uvalde and southwest Texas was already being done here in San Antonio by us through Bruce Kingsbery and now it is being done directly through A-1 along with the rest of the services that Bruce was providing. “It’s a good expansion and direction L-R: Patty Spann, Clint Williams, Tom Freitas, Shayne Plumb and Don Cadena
continued on Page 18