San Antonio Construction News April 2020

Covering the Industry’s News

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www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 23 H Number 4 H APRIL 2020

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A diamond emerges

Not just beams & columns

Three generations embark on 60 years in business. L-R: Jed, Scott, Virgil, Sam and Shakotah Knowlton, and Regan Walker.

Metal Tech owners Mark and Teri LaCroix with their daughter, Raelyn.

ix decades have come and gone since Virgil Knowlton started VK Knowlton Paving Inc. Now known as VK Knowlton Construction & Utilities Inc., it is stronger than ever.

“My grandfather started the company in 1960. It was started out of his mother’s garage with nothing more than a dump truck and a blade. I guess he didn’t want to go into the diary business, so he started doing construction work around the dairy farm and grainery,” says Vice President Jed Knowlton.

During the ‘70s, after running the business on his own for several years, Virgil brought his two sons, Scott and Sam, into the company. By this time they were old enough to drive a truck and operate machines. By the mid-‘90s, Scott and Sam

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had taken over the company operations as Virgil decided to take a back seat and semi-retire.

Two years ago, operations were turned over to the third generation. “We are on our third generation of Knowltons running the company,” adds Jed. “We couldn’t be more excited. To carry on what Pawpaw started is indescribable.“

As San Antonio continues to be one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, VK Knowlton is experiencing a tremendous amount of work. “We are 95% residential right now. It’s kind of like the late ‘90s and early 2000s. It’s nice to have a local economy that support the work we do which is great for us as we transition from the second generation to the third. continued on Page 18

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ark LaCroix got his start as a metal fabrication foreman making deer feeders. While he enjoyed his job and, most importantly, the people he worked for, LaCroix had other plans for himself.

For years, LaCroix had hopes of going to work for City Public Service. When the opportunity finally came, he reluctantly left his job and the work he had grown to love. After a few years, he discovered that despite his perfect driving records and grade sheets, he couldn’t advance within and made the decision to leave.

With the knowledge that his previous employer would have a spot for him if he had a change of plans, LaCroix went back to work fabricating deer feeders.

Back to doing the type of work he enjoyed,

LaCroix found that things were no longer as they were before he had left and, once again, found himself at a crossroad.

“I had always done metal work. I had done carports on the side trying to make extra money, but I never really thought of it as being a business,” says LaCroix.

In 1996, LaCroix started Metal Tech in La Vernia, TX building fences, gates, car ports and large commercial metal buildings.

“I told my wife I think I can do this. So I got enough equipment and started talking to people who gave me some jobs. I lined up enough work for about five months. I told my wife if I can’t get more work out there after five or six months, I don’t need to be doing this. continued on Page 18

Laying footprints companies into one and reincorporated it as MK Marlow Company.

As a small company, they looked for jobs in markets where the competition was minimal. “We worked all over south Texas. When we first started out, we worked up and down the Texas border.

We did a bunch of work in Corpus, Victoria, Brownsville, Laredo, Del Rio, Eagle Pass and all the little towns in between for years. Because we were in Victoria, we had to travel. That became our claim to fame…we were a traveling company,” remarks Marlow. “We still maintain that footprint. It’s always been good for us.

We know the contractors in those areas.

The problem is they are all getting old like me. My contacts are slowly either retiring or worse.”

MK Marlow Company has since relocated their headquarters to San Antonio and has become a viable member of the San Antonio construction community. Now

o stranger to construction work, Mark Marlow had been in construction work of some sort or another his entire life. In 1985, he started performing construction services as a side job while in college. He was working on a double master’s degree in construction and needed to make some extra money. “I never intended to work for myself. I needed to make money, so I began doing little odds and ends for some of my professors. We did a television set for the local television station, a lease space in a mall, etc.” says Marlow.

At the time, Marlow and a partner formed a company called Design Construct and moved the company to Victoria which is where Marlow is originally from.

The company began to evolve as he picked up more work. As their work evolved, they formed another company called Acoustics Unlimited in the late ‘80s.

In 1995, Marlow consolidated the MK Marlow leadership L-R: Todd Thomas and Chief Executive Officer Mark Marlow

continued on Page 18

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San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

It’s in the spark

Industry pulls together

L-R: Raleigh, NC Sales Rep. Jeff Eichoff, Jesse Garza, Eddie Fischer, Lauren Littlefield, Stacey Mercer and Project Manager Nick Sanchez.

Gwendolyn Quintana delivering some donations.

park Power was established 10 years ago by two gentleman, Jason Sparaga and Andrew Clark. Thus the name, Spark by combing Sparaga with Clark.

Sparaga and Clark started the company out of Oakville, Canada through a few acquisitions such as Spector, Bullfrog Power, New Electric, Lizco Sales & Rentals Group Inc., Tall Trees Power Services Corp., Rondar, Pelikan Inc., Northwind Solutions Corp., Tiltran Power Services Corp and Orbis Engineering Field Services Ltd. The latest two were Three Phase Electric in Canada and One Wind which is here in the US and in Canada. One Wind is Spark’s renewable division and Three Phase is their ground up Electrical Construction side of the business.

Spark Power established roots in San Antonio in April 2019. To get the new San Antonio branch up and running, General Manager Eddie Fischer was hired in May 2019 and added Project Manager Nick Sanchez, Regional Account Manager Lauren Littlefield, Service Manager Stacey Mercer and Branch Manager Jesse Garza (San Antonio and Austin locations).

Spark Power San Antonio is a service based operation in the industrial arena.

Brought in by one of their biggest Canadian clients, they have the capability to perform low voltage to medium voltage work.

“As Spark Power Corp we are a high voltage division so we can touch power lines and transmission lines as well as utilities underground. We have our medium voltage side, low voltage side up to 600 volts and we have our renewable sector: wind turbines, solar farms and battery farms. Providing end-to-end electrical contracting, operations and maintenance services, and energy sustainability solutions is our slogan. We can literally go from the transmission line, to your medium indoor voltage and to the renewable sector.

We also specialize into automation and controls, with two custom panel shops within the organization with local and nation-wide technicians. We are your one stop for engineering, industrial, commercial, and renewable electrical services,” says Garza.

“We are excited to be here. I’m excited to be a part of the team and to see where Spark Power can go. We are going to paint the town green,” adds Mercer.

Spark Power is an electrical contractor in San Antonio. -cmw

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uring the past 21 years, publishing the San Antonio Construction News, I have seen the local construction industry, as a group, deploy rapidly when the cause is right. We see it every year with Construct A Kid’s Christmas and we saw it again this last week with a unified push to collect and donate personal protective equipment (PPE) for local medical providers.

The severe shortage of these items was first relayed to Dallas Cloud, CEO of Moore Erection LP, by his granddaughter Gwendolyn Quintana who is a third year medical student. She asked Dallas if the

Virtual Builders Exchange and Construction News participated.

Everyone agreed to move forward quickly to produce a flyer that associations could send to their members. Brenda Romano of VBX, Shelley Sheavers with AGC and ASA’s Jennifer Swinney put their creative abilities together to come up with the content for the flyer with Swinney designing the piece.

With that task completed on Thursday, everyone went into contact mode on Friday to alert the other associations and ask them to come on board.

The end result was a total of 14 associations and our paper joining together for this cause. On Friday afternoon at 2 pm the flyer was sent to all participants for distribution.

It is always a great feeling when so many different groups can come together so quickly to make a difference. I have probably said this a million times and I will say it again now – Only in San Antonio.

Buddy Doebbler Publisher

Nurses working with surgeons in the North East Baptist operating room using their PPE donated by Moore Erection LP

construction industry might be able to help by donating surplus items of N-95 face masks, face shields and disposable gloves to help protect the medical community.

Dallas quickly moved to alert key industry individuals and set up a conference call on Wed., Mar. 19 to discuss the situation and how they could all work together. Associated Builders & Contractors, Associated General Contractors, American Subcontractors Association,

Participants: American Subcontractors Association of San Antonio, Associated Builders and Contractors - South Texas, Associated General Contractors of San Antonio, Black Contractors Association, Construction Financial Management Association, Hispanic Contractors Association de San Antonio, Independent Electrical Contractors San Antonio, MCA-SMACNA of San Antonio, NAWIC San Antonio, National Electrical Contractors Association, Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors, San Antonio Construction News, Surety Association of South Texas, Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association, Virtual Builders Exchange of Texas.

Receiving donations at North Central Baptist Hospital.

San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

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Sweet Freedom

Industry FOLKS Michael Dixon

San Antonio Director

Catamount Constructors Incorporated San Antonio, TX

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n a small Texas town with close proximity to the Texas coast and plenty of farm land, Dixon grew up in Wharton, TX surrounded by a large family. The majority of which lived in this rural community where they had large family gatherings that included grandparents, aunts, uncles and lots of cousins.

“Wharton is one of those places where everyone knows everyone. I started working when I was around 14. During the summer months, I worked for my uncles farming corn, rice, milo, etc. I spent a lot of time playing sports, hunting, fishing and going to the beach.”

Dixon graduated from Wharton High School in 1998. After high school he attended Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, TX. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban and Regional Planning, with a minor in Business Administration in 2003, the last year the school was named Southwest Texas State University. Immediately following graduation, Dixon entered the graduate school program at Texas State University and graduated with a MBA in Business Management in 2005.

“I really enjoyed my undergraduate education in Urban and Regional Planning, which is a geography based degree. The focus of this degree is related to city planning and the use of land within municipalities, which is heavily related to the construction field. However, I have always been interested in understanding business management and how organizations operate efficiently and successfully. This became my focus for graduate school, and ultimately developed my path into con-

struction management. The combined focuses of my education have been very helpful throughout my career.

“I have always enjoyed building things, and figuring out solutions to constructability issues, so construction was a natural fit for my interests. I currently lead Catamount Constructors’ commercial group and look forward to further establishing and developing relationships in our local market and community. I enjoy the people I work with, the competitive nature of the construction industry and helping to develop our teams professionally. Catamount has a great company culture that truly takes a team approach to construction by doing whatever is necessary to get the job done. I enjoy building successful teams and helping individuals develop to their full potential!”

Dixon met his wife Jenny of 14 years, in San Marcos while attending college.

They have two children, 13-year-old Landon and 9-year-old Lucia. Landon enjoys basketball and outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, arrowhead hunting and hanging out with family and friends on the Frio River. Lucia’s interests include arts, crafts and volleyball. She too enjoys hanging out with her cousins on the Frio River.

Dixon also enjoys outdoor activities, relaxing on the Frio with his wife, but most importantly working with his kids in their sports and school activities. -cmw

L-R: Freedom Solar’s Adrian Buck, Bret Biggart, Kyle Frazier, Meredith Jarrett, and Chad Preece

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hen Freedom Solar founder Adrian Buck started his journey as a solar pioneer, he worked project-to-project, installing solar panels for Central Texas homeowners. Thirteen years later, his company provides alternative energy to not only thousands of residential customers, but hundreds of commercial solar power clients throughout Texas.

Texas’ longest existing solar power provider also just celebrated its most successful year, mostly due to more homeowners and corporations going solar. In 2019, Freedom Solar’s revenue grew by 75% to nearly $50 million and it completed 1,288 commercial and residential installations – a total of 13.69 megawatts of solar power.

Freedom Solar’s services expanded to include off-grid solar, ground-mount solar energy systems, solar carports, and solar panels on metal, tile and flat roofs.

Buck took on the role as Chief Installation Officer, and his management team now consists of CEO Bret Biggart, Chief Revenue Officer Kyle Frazier, Chief Administrative Officer Meredith Jarrett and COO Chad Preece. The team

oversees more than 160 employees in Freedom Solar’s Austin headquarters and offices in Bee Cave, San Antonio, Houston and Irving.

Freedom Solar’s clients include Whole Foods, the University of Texas, Office Depot and in 2014, it teamed up with authorized dealer SunPower.

“The shift toward solar energy just keeps building in both the residential and business markets,” said Biggart.

“More Texans than ever before are discovering that clean, reliable power sourced directly from the Lone Star State’s abundant sunshine is an affordable way to take control of their energy costs now and in the future.

“We are extremely grateful for the success we have achieved over the past 13 years and fully expect it to continue and accelerate. We will continue using the finest SunPower solar products; hiring the brightest, most highly trained employees; and providing the highest level of customer service available in the solar industry.”

Freedom Solar is a turnkey solar energy provider in Texas. –mjm

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San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

ABC National Safety & Health Committee Recommended Best Practices Jobsite-specific Information COVID-19

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he ABC National Safety Committee created a list of practical things jobsite leaders should be mindful of during the coronavirus outbreak.

Recommendations include: Employee Education • Provide training for supervisors, employees and other key personnel to recognize signs and symptoms of COVID-19, as specific by the CDC • Humanize the virus by asking supervisors to greet employees at the gate or jobsite entry point • Schedule daily toolbox talks to communicate news concerning the virus/project, etc. and to visually assess your crew’s health • During toolbox talks, remind employees to keep 3-6 inches of person-

al space • Review, update and communicate your “fit for duty” policy, including the requirement to provide a return to work pass if seen by a physician Personal Protective • Personal protective equipment should be assigned to an individual, not shared among groups • Glove technology has advanced extensively in recent years. Companies should consider a 100% glove use policy.

• Wipe down all tools before storing or at the end of every shift For additional information, refer to CDC’s resources on the coronavirus

disease.

SHUTTING DOWN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IS AN UNNECESSARY STEP, WILL HARM ECONOMY & UNDERMINE RECOVERY EFFORTS, CONSTRUCTION OFFICIALS SAY Construction firms are already taking steps to protect employees, most of whom already wear protective equipment, while halting work will undermine efforts to add hospital capacity The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to steps being taken to put in place arbitrary halts to construction activity in certain parts of the country: “Halting construction activity will do more harm than good for construction workers, community residents and the economy. Construction firms are already acting to ensure the safety and health of their employees in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. These new measures, which include increased hygiene and halting group gathering of staff, are in addition to the fact construction workers already wear protective equipment, including gloves that will help protect them and their co-workers.

“Given the precautions already in place, halting construction will do little to protect the health and safety of construction workers. But it will go a long way in undermining economic vitality by depriving millions of workers of the wages they will need over the coming days. At the same time, these measures have the potential to bankrupt many construction firms who have contractual obligations to stay on schedule or risk incurring significant penalties.

“In addition, halting construction projects will undermine ongoing, and future, recovery efforts in regions hit by natural disasters, and will also undermine any future efforts to expand hospital capacity.

“We understand the need for social distancing to help slow the spread of coronavirus. But needlessly shutting down projects where workers are already protected will not help. Instead it will threaten the livelihood of millions of craft professionals, force many small and family-owned businesses to shut down, and undermine the nation’s ability to respond to natural disasters, including the coronavirus.

San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

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Miles and miles of fencing

Surprise!

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hen Craig Noto came to work on Mar. 2, he had no idea he was in for a surprise. Even Noto’s wife, Teresa, was in on the surprise taking extra measures not to draw attention to the change in her regular routine.

While Noto sat at his desk, his staff at Quality Fence & Welding and wife pulled together to surprise him with a cake and balloons in honor of his 40 years in business.

“Thank you so very much. I’m a little overwhelmed. All I can say is this is because of all of you. All of you have been great. San Antonio has been really good to us. Thank you for everything,” says a teary-eyed Noto. “Just to look back and see all that we have done. All the projects we’ve done all over San Antonio and South Texas and if you put a pencil to it, we’ve done hundreds, even thousands, of miles of fence.”

Quality Fence & Welding is a residential and commercial fence contractor in San Antonio. -cmw

Craig Noto gives wife, Teresa, a big hug after surprising him with a cake and balloons.

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San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

Insurance Coverage in the Crazy Times of Coronavirus

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John Schuler President Time Insurance Agency Austin/San Antonio, TX

ith the coronavirus disrupting businesses there likely will be an increase in insurance claims against insurance policies offering business interruption. Two schools of thought have emerged on business interruption insurance coverage for coronavirus, either (a) shift the risk of coronavirus revenue losses to insurance carriers or (b) there is no possible coverage for losses caused by coronavirus.

As with most things in life and insurance, the truth lies somewhere in between and whether the claims are covered will depend on the terms and conditions of the insurance policy. But from what we have seen so far coronavirus is probably not covered in business interruption insurance and here is why.

Business interruption insurance goes into effect when there is “direct physical loss or damage to property” and the “loss or damage must be caused by or results from a Covered Cause of Loss”. Since coronavirus does not cause property damage, business income coverage does not respond. Even if coronavirus was considered property damage, business income would not respond due to the 72-hour waiting period “deductible”.

Based off of what scientists have said the virus can live only for a short period of time, and most offices can be disinfected in one day.

Along with Coronavirus not causing physical damage, almost all business interruption policies have pollutants exclusions. Coronavirus is a biological “contaminant” which is a subcategory of a “pollutant”. To remove all doubt, in 2006 the Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) released the CP 01 40- Exclusion of Loss Due to Virus or Bacteria which specifically excludes loss resulting from a Virus.

The policy states that the presence of viruses was NEVER intended to be covered due to the pollution exclusion.

To further complicate matters (though potentially advantageous to policyholders), some legislators are actively working to broaden coverage and ensure that policies provide some protection to insureds in these difficult times. For example, a bipartisan group of 18 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have requested that insurers cover business interruption losses caused by coronavirus.The only hope business’s in Texas have on collecting a business interruption payout is if the State gets involved. State lawmakers in New York and New Jersey have already acted.

In short, your policy may not be similar to any other policy; your jurisdiction and the interpretation of your insurance policy is not universal; and the landscape for coverage may be broadening by actions of federal and state legislators. With that said, you can and should take some action now even if the outcome remains unclear.

Begin reviewing your policy or have

a trusted coverage lawyer or third party review your policy to determine how your policy may apply to coronavirus losses. Begin documenting the lost revenue and increased expenses that you have incurred.

If you believe you have a business interruption claim you should notify your insurance company of the loss in a timely fashion and remember that your agent can not make a coverage determination. Your insurance policy is between you (the name insured) and the insurance carrier. Only the carrier has the right to deny coverage.

Health insurance will be another sector that will be impacted in the insurance industry. On March 18th, President Trump signed a bill that requires most private health insurance companies to waive all out of pocket costs for coronavirus testing. The Trump administration also designated the new coronavirus test as an essential health benefit, saying Medicaid and Medicare plans would cover the cost of the screening. Still, many Americans who want to be tested and may need treatment may be wondering who will pay for the cost.

The good news is all major health plans should cover this new virus just like they would the flu, pneumonia or any other illness. At this time, most all large health insurance companies have waived co-pays for testing related to coronavirus that meet the CDC guidelines. However, there are differences in what costs may be incurred by patients depending on the type of their plan, its coverage and insurance carrier. We may see more government action regarding benefits paid under the health insurance plans as times continue to be crazy!

John Schuler is the president of Time Insurance Agency. Time Insurance is a locally owned second generation Insurance Agency serving Central Texas since 1961. John has over 35 years experience in both insurance and surety bonds. Finding the right insurance policy doesn’t have to be complicated. Visit our website www.timeinsurance.com for more information or purchase a bond online in seconds at www.onlinebond.com

Coronavirus Help: Federal Tax Relief and Loans Steven Bankler, Owner Steven Bankler, CPA, Ltd. San Antonio, TX

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he coronavirus pandemic has turned the construction industry on its side. As the federal government scrambles to provide relief, a few tax and small business provisions have started to appear that can relieve some of the financial burdens you may be experiencing. Here’s a roundup: Tax deadline extensions The Treasury Department and IRS have officially announced the federal income tax filing and payment due date is extended from April 15, 2020, to July 15, 2020.

Included in this extension are all federal taxes that are usually due on April 15, which include annual individual income taxes, corporate taxes, fiduciary taxes, and gift taxes, as well as first-quarter estimated income taxes (but not secondquarter estimated income taxes due June 15) and foreign bank and financial account reports (FBAR).

Taxpayers can defer both federal income tax filing and payments due during this time without penalties and interest, regardless of the amount owed. This deferment applies to all taxpayers, including individuals, trusts and estates, corporations, and other non-corporate tax filers as well as those who pay self-employment tax.

However, the IRS is still issuing tax refunds during this time. Accounting firms like ours are also hard at work during this time, taking the information you provide us and forming smart tax strategies, so don’t delay just because you can. The more time you allow for careful planning, the better off you’ll be.

It’s also important to understand that this extension may not include state and local tax deadlines. Each jurisdiction is handling those taxes independently.

While several states are following the federal announcement regarding the filing and payment of personal and business income taxes, you should confirm the deadlines with each state in which you file a return.

For instance, the Texas Comptroller has not yet adjusted monthly sales tax deadlines. But if you’re unable to pay, some assistance in the form of short-term payment agreements and waivers of penalties and interest may be available if you contact them through their Enforcement Hotline at 800-252-8880.

Additional federal tax relief

The IRS unveiled what it calls its People First Initiative to provide immediate assistance (through July 15) to individuals and businesses facing uncertainty over taxes. The relief temporarily covers taxpayers who were already facing IRS actions, including those with: • Existing installment agreements. Payments may be suspended until July 15.

• Offers in Compromise (OICs), now with extra time provided to file applications, make payments, and file returns.

• Most new field and automated collection actions such as liens and levies (including personal residence seizures) unless they involve significant non-filing debts.

• Newly delinquent accounts that face private debt collection.

• In-person meetings scheduled for field, office, and correspondence audits (although remote correspondence may continue).

• Notice of deficiencies that aren’t about to expire in 2020. (Note that deficiencies facing statutes of limitations in 2020 could still be pursued during this time.)

The list goes on, so if you’ve already

been faced with IRS actions and want to know if your payments or penalties have been temporarily reduced, consult your tax advisor.

The IRS also recommends taxpayers take this time to address any unfiled taxes for years prior to 2019. Why? More than 1 million households that haven’t filed tax returns during the last three years are owed refunds. For some, the time to receive those refunds is running out. Those with a tax liability, says the IRS, should consider taking the opportunity to resolve any outstanding debts by entering into an installment agreement or an OIC while relief measures are in place.

IRS will also be using the data on these returns to compute and pay the soon-tobe-enacted rebate program in which each taxpayer will receive $1,200 if their adjusted gross income is $75,000 ($150,000 if married) or less. In addition, they could also receive an extra $500 per eligible child.

Small business loans

Congress and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) have been hard at work preparing to deliver small business loans for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Billions of dollars are expected to fund SBA extended loans, subsidies, and additional resources.

As of this writing, the SBA plans to work directly with state governors to provide targeted, low-interest loans to small businesses that have been severely impacted by COVID-19. The primary vehicle for this help is expected to be the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, which already provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million.

For business owners who need a smaller amount of assistance more urgently, SBA Express Bridge Loans are available. These loans allow small businesses to access up to $25,000 to help overcome a temporary loss of revenue, particularly while waiting for a larger EIDL to be disbursed.

More guidance and details about the SBA’s newly expanded loan program will be finalized this month, so keep an eye on sba.gov for the latest.

With non-essential job sites being shut down, supply chains being disrupted, and projects being put on hold, the full economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic has yet to materialize. In the meantime, take advantage of the tax and financial relief being offered, but don’t put down your guard. Now’s the time to evaluate your tax and business strategies to weather the storm and prepare for the future.

Steven Bankler has more than 43 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.

San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

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Safety First: Appealing Arbitration Awards in Construction Litigation Roger D. Townsend, Principal Head of Appeals and Legal Issues Group Cokinos|Young Austin, San Antonio, DFW, Houston, TX

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any, maybe most, construction contracts contain an agreement to arbitrate any disputes. But horrible things can happen at arbitration; just read the decision in Forest Oil Corp. v. El Rucio Land & Cattle Co., Inc., 518 S.W.3d 422 (Tex. 2017).

That arbitration award—upheld all the way through the Texas Supreme Court—required Forest to clean up land it never operated on, to pay the costs of that remediation, to pay the diminished value of the land as if it were not cleaned up, to pay a plaintiff damages for fear of cancer (a non-existent tort), and to pay punitive damages when Texas law forbade them. On top of that—or perhaps below—was a ridiculous reading of the record that prompted arbitrator Daryl Bristow to write a 40-page dissent. He concluded: Arbitration proceedings as a vehicle to dispute resolution have steadily declined in favor. The Majority Award is a poster child for why. If there were ever a time and good reason for the Texas court system to take a hand to control an undertaking to exercise unbridled discretion that defies Rule of Law, this is that time and this is good reason.

His desperate plea nevertheless fell like a tree in an empty forest: No one heard it.

Challenging arbitration awards has always been difficult, but in recent years has become almost impossible. Both FAA and TAA arbitrations limit the available grounds for vacatur to those listed in their respective statutes. Generally, these include corruption of an arbitrator, bias of a neutral arbitrator, and a few procedural irregularities. There also is a ground based on the arbitrators exceeding their powers. See 9 U.S.C. § 10(a); Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 171.088(a).

The ground about exceeding powers does not ensure that arbitrators follow the governing law. This ground has recently been limited to the arbitrators’ deciding an issue they were not empowered to decide under the arbitration agreement. It does not mean a mistake, grave error, or rendition of even a completely impermissible award under existing law. Under the FAA, courts may never correct arbitrators’ mistakes, their grave errors, or their “bad[] or ugly” awards. Oxford Health Plans LLC v. Sutter, 569 U.S. 564, 571-73 (2013).

Texas feels the same way: The statutory text could not be plainer: the trial court “shall confirm” an award unless vacatur is required under one of the enumerated grounds . . . . [T]he TAA leaves no room for courts to expand on those grounds, which do not include an arbitrator’s manifest disregard of the law.

Hoskins v. Hoskins, 497 S.W.3d 490, 494 (Tex. 2016). To drive the point home, the supreme court later added: “In determining whether an arbitrator has exceeded his authority, the proper inquiry is not whether the arbitrator decided an issue correctly, but rather, whether he had the authority to decide the issue at all.” Forest Oil, 518 S.W.3d at 431.

Absent the statutory grounds, what can a dissatisfied party do? On the one hand, the United States Supreme Court has prohibited parties even from agreeing under the FAA to any other grounds for vacatur. See Hall Street Assocs., L.L.C. v.

Mattel, Inc., 552 U.S. 576 (2008) (the FAA statutory grounds are exclusive and cannot be enlarged even by contractual agreement of the parties).

On the other hand, after correctly observing that Hall Street had overlooked a key statutory provision mandating a different outcome, the Texas Supreme Court does permit parties to agree under the TAA to expand the statutory grounds, and thus allow appellate review for errors in the arbitration award. See Nafta Traders, Inc. v. Quinn, 339 S.W.3d 84 (Tex. 2011).

But this welcomed contractual expansion allowing for appellate review has subsequently been read in an extremely limited fashion. The parties’ contract must essentially state that the arbitrators have no power to render certain types of awards, so that they fall within the statutory ground of “exceeds powers.”

Usually this requires the contract to state that they “have no power” of “lack authority” to commit reversible errors: “The arbitrator does not have authority (i) to render a decision which contains a reversible error of state or federal law, or (ii) to apply a cause of action or remedy not expressly provided for under existing state or federal law.” Id. at 88. For parties wanting some protection from an arbitration award that goes haywire, this contractual option under the TAA can be essential.

One other potential appellate remedy remains. And, because this appeal remains outside the court system, it can potentially apply to both the TAA and FAA. The American Arbitration Association has drafted Optional Appellate Rules that parties can include in their contracts.1 If the parties include the AAA Optional Appellate Rules, then there is a right of appeal (and cross-appeal) to an appellate arbitration panel. Rule A-10 explains that “A party may appeal on the grounds that the Underlying Award is based upon: (1) an error of law that is material and prejudicial; or (2) determinations of fact that are clearly erroneous.”

One benefit of the AAA system is that remands for a do-over are forbidden.

In other words, the appellate panel will either adopt the underlying award or substitute its own award. Once a decision is made, it’s over. While only time will tell how meaningful that appellate remedy before other arbitrators may prove to be, it does provide some protection against a rogue result.

So we encourage you to consider including in your construction agreements either the AAA Optional Appellate Rules or the TAA contractual right of appellate review allowed by Nafta Traders. It’s your only line of defense in case of a Forest Oil result or an arbitrator who goes insane.

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Roger Townsend is recognized as one of the founders of the practice of civil appellate law in Texas. He has subsequently earned a national reputation, culminating in his election as president of the by-invitation-only American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. Due to the depth and breadth of his experience, Roger is frequently asked to moderate panels of appellate judges at national seminars. rtownsend@cokinoslaw.com

Preparing for COVID-19 Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

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f one does not already exist, develop an infectious disease preparedness and response plan that can help guide protective actions against COVID-19.

Plans should consider and address the level(s) of risk associated with various worksites and job tasks workers perform at those sites. Such considerations may include where, how, and to what sources of SARS-CoV-2 might workers be exposed, including the general public, customers, and coworkers; and sick individuals or those at particularly high risk of infection (e.g., international travelers who have visited locations with widespread sustained (ongoing) COVID-19 transmission, healthcare workers who have had unprotected exposures to people known to have, or suspected of having, COVID-19).

For most employers, protecting workers will depend on emphasizing basic infection prevention measures. As appropriate, all employers should implement good hygiene and infection control practices, including: Promote frequent and thorough hand washing, including by providing workers, customers, and worksite visitors with a place to wash their hands. If soap and running water are not immediately available, provide alcohol-based hand rubs containing at least 60% alcohol.

• Encourage workers to stay home if they are sick.

• Encourage respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes.

• Provide customers and the public with tissues and trash receptacles.

• Employers should explore whether they can establish policies and practices, such as flexible worksites (e.g., telecommuting) and flexible work hours (e.g., staggered shifts), to increase the physical distance among employees and between employees and others if state and local

health authorities recommend the use of social distancing strategies.

• Discourage workers from using other workers’ phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment, when possible.

• Maintain regular housekeeping practices, including routine cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces, equipment, and other elements of the work environment. When choosing cleaning chemicals, employers should consult information on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved disinfectant labels with claims against emerging viral pathogens. Products with EPA-approved emerging viral pathogens claims are expected to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 based on data for harder to kill viruses. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use of all cleaning and disinfection products (e.g., concentration, application method and contact time, PPE).

Develop Policies and Procedures for Prompt Identification and Isolation of Sick People, if Appropriate • Prompt identification and isolation of potentially infectious individuals is a critical step in protecting workers, customers, visitors, and others at a worksite.

• Employers should inform and encourage employees to self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 if they suspect possible exposure.

• Employers should develop policies and procedures for employees to report when they are sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

The OSHA COVID-19 webpage offers information specifically for workers and employers: www.osha.gov/covid-19 natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232

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San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

We talk all the time and are very close. We all love getting together down in Rockport with our mom and dad, having our holiday weekends. Everybody jokes that my family celebrates everything including Groundhog Day and Arbor Day. We get together for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays. We still get together for everybody’s birthday.

Greg Kanning President/Owner Dumas Hardware San Antonio, TX

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star basketball player and allaround athlete in high school, Greg Kanning had planned to be a high school coach. But life offers a series of twists and turns and he found himself, not just in the construction industry, but the owner of a commercial door, frame and hardware supply company.

Tell me about Greg Kanning. Did you grow up in San Antonio? Where did you go to school?

I was born and raised in San Antonio and lived next door to Saint Mary’s University until I was about five years old when we moved to Shavano Park. Kindergarten through eighth grade, I attended Saint Martin Hall, which no longer exists. I graduated from Central Catholic High School. I went to Texas A&M for a while and then UTSA where I graduated from with a degree in Physical Education.

What did your parents do for a living?

My dad, Ed Kanning, worked for Dumas Hardware. He was a salesman selling and marketing metal doors. After buying stock in the company, he moved up to vice president and took over the business after the owner passed away in 1996.

My mom, Anna Rose, worked for Our Lady of the Lake. She went to school there and then went to work there. She worked there for 40 years.

Do you have any siblings?

I have three older sisters: Joan, Donna and Stephanie. I’m the youngest of four. All three of my sisters are very unique in their own way. If I need help or advise, I know which sister to call. One is in healthcare, one is in accounting, the other one has been in healthcare and accounting.

Are you married?

Not currently, but I will be. Rhondie and I have been dating for a year and half.

We’ve known each other for 25 years. She is a wonderful and amazing woman.

How did you get started in the construction industry?

Dumas Hardware used to have wooden racks to store materials, door, components, etc. In the mid to late ‘80s, my dad bought metal racks and threw all the wood racks outside. At the time, I was going to college working for a produce company. It was an awful job. Mr. Spicer, the owner of Dumas Hardware, asked my dad if I would like to take apart those wooden racks and I said yes.

Mr. Spicer had me dismantle those wooden racks and save every piece of wood and bend every single nail back straight so we could reuse it. We ended up using up all that wood and all those nails. One day the welding shop needed some helping punching some material and I was asked if I would do it and that’s kind of how I started.

Was the business hard to learn?

I learned the door and hardware end of the business from the ground up. I worked in the welding shop and then they needed help in shipping and receiving and so I move to that area. During that time, we had a locksmith who was getting ready to leave. He showed me how to key locks and I worked in the lock shop for about two years. After that I moved into the office. I literarily learned it from the back door to the front office. It really benefited me by doing that. I also did installs out in the field. What was difficult for me was figuring out how to run a business.

How long have you been involved in the business?

I’ve been in this business for 31 years now. This is not what I had planned on doing. This was supposed to be a parttime job while I was in college.

When I graduated from college, I was bound and determined to be a high school coach, but Mr. Spicer had offered me a job as an estimator, so I took the job knowing that if you don’t win in Texas as

Greg Kanning, President/Owner, Dumas Hardware

a coach, you are going to be moving, a lot. I thought about where I was going to be in 10 years and knew my father was going to eventually take over the business. I thought it would be a great help to my dad to run the business. Six years after I came to work here full-time, Mr. Spicer passed away and dad took it over.

My dad said I didn’t know a thing about running a business, so told me to figure it out. I told Dad I have a physical education degree. I don’t know anything about business either. I kind of started running things here when my dad became the owner. I just kind of started figuring it out.

When did you take over as owner of Dumas Hardware?

Dad slowly retired. On June 1, 2002, my dad’s 65th birthday, he walked out and said good-bye and he hasn’t been back. I say that, but he comes and visits.

When he quit working, he quit working.

It was a good deal because it gave me the opportunity to own my own business. It also gave my dad an opportunity to retire without having to worry about what to do with the business. We have a 20-year buyout agreement.

It gave my mom and dad money for retirement, and at the same time knowing that I’m working for it and not just having it handed to me makes it a lot more personable. It’s a win-win for myself and my parents. It sure will be nice when I have it paid off.

About 10 years ago, I had the opportunity to buy this building. So I started a property company called GK Properties

LLC. So now I have the business and the building.

Did you have a mentor?

My parents, first and foremost. My dad taught me the importance of a strong work ethic, hard work, loyalty, love for family and a strong faith. He shared his wisdom and life experiences. I learned the meaning of inspiration and determination from my mom. She earned two master’s degrees while she was working fulltime, raising four kids and taking care of a husband. She has been a mentor to many of her ex-students, friends and family members. There have been some other people along the way like some manufacturer reps that took me under their wing when I first got into the business and some older gentlemen in the Executive Association that did the same thing. After my dad became the owner of Dumas Hardware, I joined the Executive Association. When I got into the Executive Association, I was the youngest member and these guys just took a liking to me and wanted to help me.

Any chance you might get into coaching after you call the construction industry quits?

Everybody asks me that, but the answer is no. It has passed me by. I will say that I would love to find a job working with a sports team, whether it be the Missions or UTSA, Incarnate Word, Saint Mary’s; I would like to find something working in an athletic department.

Everybody asks me what is my dream job? My dream job would be a bull pen catcher in major league baseball and the reason for that is they get paid pretty well. They get all the perks as the players do. They don’t have all the pressure of going on the field and performing in front of all those people every night.

They get to wear championship rings, but first and foremost, I’d get to the watch the game that I love every single night. Baseball is my passion.

Is that what you played in high school?

Actually, I was a big basketball player. I had a chance to play college basketball at a very low level, but I was burned out. I had already gotten accepted to go to A&M and I just felt it was time to hang it up. I was also a baseball player, but I was a better basketball player than I was baseball player.

What else would you like Construction News readers to know about you?

I’m very passionate about the construction industry. This industry has been very good to my family. The industry is what raised me and my sisters. I couldn’t be prouder to be in the same industry that my father was in. Being from SA and seeing this town grow has been really great. It’s really neat to drive around town to see the buildings that I was a part of, and it brings a lot of joy to me. -cmw

San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

Roaring with excitement

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n Mar. 11, Tiger Sanitation was in an uproar over their new facility as they invited their 200-plus employees and guests to celebrate.

“Today we are celebrating a ribbon cutting for our new expanded facilities. We’ve added almost 12 acres of concrete, a six-bay 40-ft tall shop with awesome facilities for our employees to give them a great place to work,” says General Manager Lee Kuhn. -cmw

Proud to now be a woman-owned business, sisters Kaye Butler and Carol Linde cut the ribbon for the opening of the new facility with the support of their leadership team.

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Moving on

fter 45 years, Rick Johnson has retired from M&M Metals. He started his career with M&M as the very first truck driver for M&M Metals in the mid ‘70s working his way up to general manager. After driving trucks for a few years he got into the Local 67 Sheetmetal Workers Union.

After serving his 4-year apprenticeship, he continued to climb up the M&M ladder until he was appointed general manager in 1985.

“M&M’s primary role originally was ductwork fabrication for A.J. Monier and L.C. Mosel Co. Rick was instrumental in growing M&M from a duct fabrication shop to specialty sheet metal, ornamental and service metals shops. He helped M&M grow from its original 18,000sf building to the company’s current 5-building, 39,000sf facility. It’s not often someone works for a company for 45 years. His hard work and dedication is appreciated and will be missed,” says Kurt Mosel, L.C. Mosel Co.

“Whenever anyone had an Rick Johnson issue and needed Rick’s guidance, he would stop what he was doing, talk it out and help them find the answers they needed; and would then say, ‘OK, y’all get back to work now!’ He has helped mentor so many people in this industry throughout his career and helped M&M metals evolve,” adds Kyle Pennington, A.J. Monier. Johnson is succeeded by M&M Metal’s newly appointed GM, Ben Christian. Although Johnson didn’t want anyone to make a fuss over his retirement, there was no way the folks at M&M Metals were going to let him just walk away. -cmw

Tiger Sanitation’s new facility.

Co-owner Kaye Butler visits with guests prior to ceremony.

Rick Johnson, Bill Monier and Chris Solis

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San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

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Nature also gives us a couple of signs that trout are actively feeding. Looking for birds that are “working” and finding “slicks” in the water are both productive, especially in open water. When trout are schooled up and feeding, they will push bait to the top of the water. Sea gulls and other birds will circle above the frenzy and dive into the water to attack the bait fish from above giving a signal to anglers that can be seen from great distances.

“Slicks” are formed on the top of the water when trout are feeding. During an excited state, such as a feeding frenzy, speckled trout will often regurgitate, spilling partially digested fish and oils into the water. These oils will float to the top of the water, creating a noticeable slick film. An experienced Coastal Bend angler can not only see the slicks, they can actually smell when trout are around!

The Facts On Speckled Trout

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.

Jess Womack caught this 27 inch redfish on her first outing with Steve Schultz Outdoors.

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ocating speckled trout in the bays of the Texas Coastal Bend is relatively easy. They are widely distributed throughout the bay systems and tend to be aggressive feeders. The real challenge is identifying the habitat and finding populations of the size of speckled trout that you want and using the correct bait and location for that size fish during that season. During warm spring and summer months, speckled trout will use the filtered light of the early morning and late afternoon to move into the shallow areas of grass flats, oyster reefs and grassy shorelines to ambush prey. Speckled trout are aggressively feeding at these times and good size catches are common. As the day heats up and the sun gets more direct, speckled trout will slide off the shallow areas into deeper adjacent waters. Target deep cuts, drop offs to the bay along grassy shorelines and channels near flats or oyster reefs. Three to five feet of water is often productive. On cloudy days or more moderate temperatures, speckled trout may remain in the rich shallower waters for extended periods.

Speckled trout are opportunistic feeders that eat a variety of foods. That variety changes as they get older. Young trout feed primarily on small crustaceans with shrimp being the primary fare. As they grow, their focus turns to shrimp and small fish such as finger mullet. The largest speckled trout along the Texas Coastal Bend will primarily ambush larger fish such as mullet, pinfish, croaker and piggy perch. Mullet is the preferred diet of the largest of speckled trout, often attacking a mullet that is half or even 2/3 its own size.

If you are looking for excellent table fare, use shrimp, small fish or artificial baits that mimic them and catch a mess of small to medium sized trout. If you are looking for large trout, stick with large baits such as mullet or lures that imitate larger fish. Your day will be slower with fewer hook ups, but the odds of catching that trophy trout will go up exponentially.

Hopefully, these tips will guide you to a successful outing your next time on the water!!

Specks like this healthy 23 incher are very common on spring fishing trips. Jason Hollaway benefited last month on his trip with Steve Schultz Outdoors.

My 2020 fishing calendar is booking up quick, so don’t hesitate in calling. Here are some dates open in the next few months. April 3,6,12,13,20,26 and May 3,4,5,8,10,25,29. To schedule your next bay fishing trip or hunting trip, give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361813-3716 or e-mail him at SteveSchultzOutdoors@ gmail.com. Follow me of Facebook and Instagram.

Good Luck and Good Fishing.

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San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

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

Fishing Distancing?

First, let me say our hearts go out to anyone that has been impacted by the virus. To those who are sick, we send our thoughts and best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

We are still trying to define what “social distancing” is and how best to do it.

Right now we are seeing a good many people doing it by just going fishing! If you come to the lake with people you are around routinely anyway and don’t put too many on the boat, you can keep a good distance apart. If you add to that the ever present 10 – 15 mph wind blowing past, and warm sunshine keeping the air fresh, that ought to work! Best of all you can get away from the news and trouble for a few hours and have a little peace.

The fish don’t know anything, except maybe the lake is a little less busy. They just keep right on feeding and spawning and keeping us entertained and fed.

It is even more satisfying than normal to be able to take home a bag of fresh caught fish for your table that you didn’t have to stand in line for. This way you know where it came from and when it was caught and you got to reel it in!

It lifted my spirits yesterday watching a kid wrinkle her nose as she rinsed

just good old fish slime from her hands instead of who knows what contamination she’s had to learn to deal with this week. Kids need a break too. I love that smile when they hold up a fish they’ve just caught!

This spring we are having a ball catching multiple fish at once using umbrella rigs. It is working well for white bass, hybrids and stripers, and sometimes all three at once. Bringing in three stripers at once, with them fighting each other and you is a blast! It also gives us another option for the days when live bait is hard to catch or the fish are just being picky. It’s like parading past a bunch of hungry teenagers with a tray of hot French fries! You better get ready, because they’ll be after you!

All in all, spring fishing is coming along really good. The lake levels are good, and we are having some fresh inflows from recent showers. We have begun to see our incoming stringers yielding more stripers and hybrids than earlier this spring when they were more white bass heavy. That is typical as it gets warmer. The best part is that their overall size is bigger than last year with nice healthy fish. Some of them are matching the size fish we were beginning to see before the flooding a year and a half ago, so we are regaining the kind of fish the flood may have cost us.

Everything is green in the Hill Country and the wildflowers are popping out.

If you get a chance to safely take a break and escape for a bit, I hope you will. It’ll do you good!

San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

The CCA SA Banquet has been postponed until Thursday August 27th.

All tickets will be honored for that date.

Please contact CCA San Antonio with any questions at 210-599-3690

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We do chicken

Grandpa’s ranch

San Antonio’s Cavalry Construction Co. Inc. shared this photo from the 24th Annual San Antonio Rodeo Barbecue Cook-off in which Cavalry Construction took 6th place in chicken. Way to go Cavalry! -cmw

Have an Outdoor Story or Photo?

SAeditor@ConstructionNews.net or call at 210-308-5800

Emi Tinoco, granddaughter of Owner Jerry Williams, A-1 Fire and Safety, enjoys the outdoors and all it has to offer.

She loves to hunt and hang out at her grandpa’s ranch, play with her cousin while feeding and taking care of all the animals. By the looks of this buck Emi shot this past deer season, she’s a girl who knows how to handle a rifle and can hold her own. Congratulations Emi. -cmw

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San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

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Glenoaks Library

CM Cabinets experienced another first in its history with the Glenoaks Library for Casias Construction.

The first being a giant tree wall feature.

This impressive 12 ft. tall by 12 ft. span decoration would prove to be a challenge for all parties involved, because of the size and weight of the design. Going off minimal drawings KCM had to design a “trunk” system to support the branches and keep them at the correct angles.

Through trial and error, KCM was able to come up with a “tree trunk” that could be mounted directly to the wall while concealing KV standards that remained hidden from view. The KV brackets would be integrated into each branch, and also remain hidden.

Using the branch profiles drawn by Architectural drawings for the Glenoaks Library tree.

Tree branches.

Nextgen Architects, they were able to cut out each of the three unique profiles using our CNC router. Each of the 10 branches used 4-8 sheets of material to construct. They had to use two different layers to create the inch and half thick branches.

Because of the size of the branches they had to be transported to the job site in pieces, with the final assembly done onsite. All of the planning and design paid off during installation, as they were able to fully install the tree in two days.

KCM Cabinets is a full-service cabinet and millwork subcontractor. -cmw

Concealed KV brackets incorporated in the “tree trunk.”

Glenoaks Library KCM Cabinets San Antonio, TX

The Glenoaks Library tree.

CPS Bravo Project

Connector building with steel trash chute and scaffold being erected.

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he CPS Bravo Project included the renovation of three existing buildings located in San Antonio that were constructed in 1979 and 1981 consisting of an 11-story and 14-story building with a connector building. Collectively, the size of the three buildings is 433,000sf feet with 500 parking spaces on 5.3 acres.

The renovation design called for a complete exterior and interior overhaul of the three buildings. As such, removal of the existing tan brick and other exterior façade materials would be necessary to make way for the new sleek multi-color glass and metal panel skin exterior. The timeframe to finish demolition was extremely aggressive with no contingency for any extension. Big City Access Holdings, LLC (Big City Access) was awarded the exterior scaffold for the fast track schedule. Any delays on their part would impact the project’s two-year construction schedule causing a ripple effect to all trades.

Big City Access’ contracted work was to provide, install, dismantle and remove a 42-inch wide frame scaffold system with decking on all levels and debris netting attached to prevent material from falling.

The West Tower would have approxi-

171ft high steel scaffold system and plywood trash chute located on the East Tower.

West and East Towers with scaffold. Partial elevations with debris netting installed.

mately 560 linear ft by 145 ft high scaffold, scaffolding the north, east, and west walls and a portion of the south wall. The East tower would have approximately 200 linear ft by 17 ft high scaffolding, partially covering the north and south walls. Neither tower cranes, nor exterior freight elevators were going to be onsite during the demolition phases. Three trash chutes were proposed to facilitate the massive amounts of debris that was to be removed from the buildings’ interior and exterior.

Steel trash chutes with intake hoppers at every floor were designed and proposed to accommodate this condition.

Big City Access delivered approximately 500,000 lbs of scaffold material which included 3,600 frames, 2,500

Associated Builders and Contractors Excellence in Construction Award: 2019 Specialty Contractor – Specialty Construction Commercial (Less than $10 million) for their performance at the CPS Bravo project. -cmw

CPS Bravo Project planks and thousands of accessories necBig City Access Holdings, LLC essary to complete the seven-month time San Antonio, TX frame. Big City Access performed 100 percent of the 10,351 total manhours directly attributed to construct each phase of the project. Thousands of additional manhours were consumed indirectly through designing, logistics, weekly jobsite meetings, and collaboration with key personnel to guarantee that our portion of the work was conducted safely, efficiently, and timely.

Big City Access was the CPS Towers fully scaffolded, decked and covered recipient of the prestigious with debris netting.

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Willis Hall and Aabel Hall upgrade project on track no matter what got in our way,” says Maze.

Advanced Door Control is extremely proud to have been a part of upgrading the Willis and Aabel Halls. Their professionalism and concern for the security of the staff and students who use the facilities every day remained a top priority.

The client was extremely pleased with how everything came together and most importantly, the difference it made for

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Willis Hall and Aabel Hall upgrade project Advanced Door Control San Antonio, TX

Aabel Hall main entrance.

ort Sam Houston dates back to 1876 as a military post. Since then, Fort Sam Houston has been known as the “Home of Army Medicine” and “Home of the Combat Medic” and by 2011, Fort Sam Houston was the largest and most important military medical training facility in the world.

As part of the Willis Hall and Aabel Hall project, Advance Door Control was brought in to upgrade these two side-byside buildings’ entrances. The client requested upgrades to five entrances. A total of eight new custom automatic sliding door packages manufactured by Nabco Entrances were used.

Advanced Door Control crews worked long hard hours to see this project through, taking a total of two weeks to complete. Once work began on an entrance, the work would have to be completed that same day. There was no allowance for partial or incomplete work as the entrances had to be secured by day’s end. “Once we removed a particular ex-

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the entire staff and students that use these doors every day.

Advanced Door Control specializes in the design and installation of quality commercial pedestrian automatic doors in Austin, San Antonio and South Texas. -cmw

isting opening and door, the new system had to be assembled, installed and fully operational by the end of that day. Our crews averaged 12-14 hours each day onsite,” said Advanced Door Control’s Brad Maze.

The general contractor, Jamco Ventures General Contractors, helped coordinate and manage the additional subcontractors that would be necessary to complete the project. “Jamco owner, Mike Muniz and his brother, and the acting Project Manager Cesar Muniz, were great to work alongside. This was one of those jobs that you can plan all day, but you never really know what to expect due to the many curve balls that might get thrown your way,” adds Maze.

Cody Crosland, PM/Estimator for Advance Door Control, was responsible for running the job. Despite various obstacles, Crosland kept the project on track. “I cannot say enough about his efforts and how the job turned out. Cody was there to make sure we got right back

Willis Hall main entrance.

Methodist ambulatory surgery center in Boerne

rash Contracting Company (DCC) is a general contractor who delivers contracting services for new ground up construction, interior finishout and renovations. Proud of their steady growth built on client satisfaction and a high number of repeat customers has a record of building projects with an innovative and practical approach, while delivering quality services in a professional and timely manner. This has fueled their success and growth for over 13 years.

During DCC’s 13 years in business, DCC has provided construction services for architects, designers, owners, landlords and many other real estate professionals.

For the past four years, DCC has aggressively sought-out commercial healthcare (medical/dental) facilities and MOB projects.

They have constructed numerous ground-up medical office buildings in addition to the interior finish-out of many of these buildings. In addition, they have provided construction services for all types of medical/dental professionals (urgent care clinics, dialysis clinics, hyperbaric clinics, physical therapy, vascular surgery centers, pediatric/adult dentist-

Early construction.

Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Center, Boerne, TX

ry/orthodontics and more) in San Antonio and surrounding areas and as far as Fort Worth to Corpus Christi.

“We provide quality workmanship and consistently stay within project schedule and budget. Our pro-active approach and putting our client’s needs first has allowed our company to grow and flourish since 2006. Our team of professionals possess decades of construction experience and have the knowledge, talent and experience to complete and deliver a successful ground-up, finish-out or renovation project ontime and on-budget,” says President Andy Drash.

The new Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Center of Boerne located at 110 Menger

Side view

Springs Road in Boerne, TX is a singlestory, 16,500sf health care facility for outpatient surgeries. The facility consists of three operating rooms and two treatment rooms with six pre-op beds and fourteen recovery beds.

The exterior consists of brick/stone and EIFs and included emergency and ambulance canopies. Site work includes excavation, utilities, curb and gutter, paving, landscaping and exterior and interior signage. Trades included, concrete, masonry, metals, medical supports, thermal and moisture protection, openings, finishes, signage, specialties, fire suppression, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, communications, electronic safety and security, earthwork, landscaping and utilities.

The $6.9 million project had a ninemonth construction schedule and was completed on time and on budget.

Drash Contracting Company is a fullservice general contractor in San Antonio.

-cmw Methodist ambulatory surgery center in Boerne Drash Contracting Company Boerne, TX

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San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

Denim & diamonds

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he American Subcontractors Association (ASA) hosted their 25th Annual Excellence in Construction Awards banquet Feb. 28. The denim and diamonds affair mirrored a night at the Oscars as emcees Cyndi Mergele, RSM and Greg Kanning, Dumas Hardware Co. kicked off the evening announcing board members of the association to reveal the winners of this year’s Excellence in Construction. -cmw

President’s Award: Ted Dunnam, ESC Safety Consultants

Project of the Year Over $20 Million: SpawGlass – Texas A&M University – San Antonio Science & Technology Building

Pioneer Award: Wilbur Davis, FabCo

Project of the Year $2.5 -$5 Million: Structura Inc. – The Pineapple School III

Project of the Year $10 - $20 Million: Bartlett Cocke General Contractors – Garner Middle School Additions & Renovations

General Contractor of the Year: Bartlett Cocke General Contractors

Project of the Year Under $2.5 Million: Middleman Construction Company – Comfort Surgery of San Antonio

Project Manager of the Year: Robert Hoyland, Keller-Martin Construction

Project Superintendent of the Year: Nile Wright, The Fetzer Companies Inc.

Project of the Year $5 - $10 Million: Joeris General Contractors – Central Catholic High School Convocation Center & Chapel

San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

Page 17

Resource Guide

Associations and Construction Education General Contractors Associations and Construction Education

Service Providers

Subcontractors

Service Providers

Suppliers Truck & Equip Dealers Suppliers

Subcontractors

General Contractors

Truck & Equip Dealers

Page 18

San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

Association Calendar

Content Contentsubmitted submittedby byAssociations Associationsto toConstruction ConstructionNews News ABC

Associated Builders & Contractors Inc.

Apr. 1: Breakfast Club – TBD Pending COVID-19 Update.

Apr. 4: 9-Hole Golf Scramble & Casino Mixer – RESCHEDULED TO JUN. 4. For more info, contact Leah Villarreal at leah@abcsouthtexas.org or 210-342-1994 AGC

Associated General Contractors

Apr. 16: AGC/ASA Joint Fiesta Mixer – RESCHEDULED TO NOVEMBER, DATE TBD. For more info, call Kelly Wilson at 210-349-4921 AIA

American Institute of Architects

Apr. 2: Coffee with Cran – CANCELLED Apr. 4: Beaux Arts Ball – POSTPONED Pending COVID-19 Update.

Apr. 7: COTE Meeting – POSTPONED Pending COVID-19 Update.

Apr. 8: COTE Lucifer Lighting Tour & Lunch Presentation – POSTPONED Pending COVID-19 Update.

Apr. 15: AIA Chapter Meeting – TBD Pending COVID-19 Update. For more info, contact Torrey Carleton, Belinda Sanchez or Laura Smith at 210-349-4921 or email belinda@aiasa.org

I-LinCP

Institute for Leadership in Capital Projects

Apr. 1-3: 2020 LinCP Forum – RESCHEDULED TO OCT. 26-28For more info, contact Carla Bingaman at 512-263-5521 or email Carla.bingaman@i-lincp.org MCA-SMACNA of San Antonio Mechanical and Sheet Metal Contractors Assn.

Apr. 8: Regular & Associates Meeting – CANCELLED Apr. 20-21: MCAT Labor/Management Meeting – CANCELLED Apr. 22: Joint Industry Fund Meeting, MCA-SMACNA office, 12500 Network Blvd., #410, 11:30am – Pending COVID-19 Update. For more info, call Sandee Morgan at 210-822-3763 NAWIC

National Assn. of Women in Construction

Apr. 1: General Membership Meeting – CHANGED TO WEBINAR FORMAT. Apr. 17-18: NAWIC Forum – CANCELLED. For more info, contact Eloina Benavides at 210-267-8800 or email tonecustomsigns@gmail.com PHCC

Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors

Apr. 16: ASA/AGC Joint Fiesta Mixer – RESCHEDULED TO NOVEMBER, DATE TBD. Apr. 28: General Meeting – TBD Pending COVID-19 Update.

For more info, call Jennifer Swinney at 210-349-2105

Apr. 2: Member Mixer Evening of Par 3 Golf – CANCELLED Apr. 3: 202 PHCC Scholarship Sponsor Event – POSTPONED Pending COVID-19 Update.

Apr. 9: Monthly Membership Meeting – CANCELLED. For more info, call Heidi Trimble at 210-824-7422 or go to www. phcc-sanantonio.org

HCA de SA

San Antonio Masonry Contractors Assn.

ASA

American Subcontractors Assn.

Hispanic Contractors Assn. de San Antonio

Apr. 15: Monthly Meeting – TBD Pending COVID-19 Update. For more info, call Victoria Rodriguez at 210-444-1111 or email vrodriguez@hcadesa.org.

IEC

Independent Electrical Contractors

Apr. 8: Quarterly Luncheon – TBD Pending COVID-19 Update. For more info, contact Julie Tucker at 210-431-9861 or email jtucker@iecsanantonio.org

SAMCA

Apr. 29: General Membership Meeting, Pappasitos Cantina, 10501 I-10W, 12 Noon.

TACCA

Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Assn.

Greater San Antonio

Apr. 16: Membership Meeting, Old San Francisco Steakhouse Crystal Room, 10223 Sahara St. Apr. 18: Special Olympics Spring Games, TBD. For more info, call Dawn Thompson at 210-901-4222

continued from Page 1 — VK Knowlton Construction & Utilities Inc. It gives us the opportunity to make the adjustments needed to push the company forward.

“We are at positive growth and extremely strong right now. The great thing about our company is we have done it all.

We’ve done heavy highway, we done municipal, commercial, oil field, and residential just happens to be where we are now tooled up for,” Jed continues.

As the third generation pushes forward, just like their fathers before them, they are quite aware that the construction industry has its highs and lows. Right now, the construction industry is strong and VK Knowlton is experiencing positive growth. And while they are excited about the prospects of growth, they wanted to be sure they plan ahead. “We want to grow right. We don’t want to grow so rapidly that we miss the little details. We want to stay as efficient as possible because everybody knows it is not going to stay this good for long. We want to make sure that if things tighten up and we have to tighten our belts up that we are efficient enough to protect those around us,” Jed states.

Jed, his cousin Shakotah and lifelong friend Reagan Walker have split responsibilities into finance, sales and operations. While they all share in the company operations, Reagan has a back-

ground in estimating. He oversees sales and project management and asphalt.

Shakotah, Sam’s son, has always handled the equipment. He oversees and maintains all of the company’s equipment and all that goes with it, as well as utilities and barricades. Jed oversees the finances, sitework and concrete. “We are, all three, vice presidents. We didn’t separate it out as VP of Finance or VP of Operations. We wanted to keep it somewhat linear so that we each have an equal say,” Jed continues.

The company has no plans for a celebration at this time. “We have been so focused on growth and this incredible local economy, that our company’s 60th anniversary just kind of snuck up on us.

Our logo says established 1960, but you just don’t realize it when you are blowing and going.

“We’ve been around 60 years by the grace of God and by the grace of God we’ll be around another 60 years. That’s the direction we are headed for the super long term. We have a fourth generation coming up. They’re pretty young but they may want to go down this crazy path. We have no plans of ever stopping it. We just want to keep building on what Pawpaw started.”

VK Knowlton Construction & Utilities Inc. specializes in turnkey site development.

-cmw

continued from Page 1 — Metal Tech

“My brother was in real estate here in La Vernia and he said to me, ‘Nobody does what they say they are going to do.

If you did half of what you say you are going to do, you are going to have more business than you can shake a stick at.’”

Shortly after getting started, Metal Tech got knocked off their feet. They were on their first big job and still very new.

They could barely afford the equipment they had, much less have it covered by insurance. You guessed it, the unthinkable occurred. While his guys were working on the back side of a large building near Braunig Lake, his trailer with all his equipment, tools and supplies were stolen right out from under them. LaCroix had just visited the jobsite and everything was fine.

Thirty minutes later his crew called him, telling him the trailer had been stolen.

“The cool part was the community. I didn’t know people, but people called me out of the blue from somebody who knew me and had learned what had happened. They offered welders, trailers and equipment to use until I was able to replace my equipment. Within a week I had enough stuff to work again from people coming together until I could afford to replace my equipment. It took us a long time to recover from that, but we got roll-

ing again and here we are.”

That might have been enough to bring anyone to their knees, but LaCroix allowed the kindness of strangers bring him back up and he never forgot it. Their act of kindness kept him going and he vowed he would give back. Without hesitation, he did just that when he was asked to participate on the popular TV series Extreme Makeover. He designed and constructed a barn for a family in Floresville, TX a few years ago.

Twenty-four years later, he is still going strong, doing what he says he is going to do. “We are very reasonably priced.

Our quality is next to none. We get with the customer and build it, whether it be a fence, carport, stairs, metal building or a barndominium, like it is our own. If we see something that is not right or if the customer wants it a certain way and I know it won’t work, I’m going to tell them and explain why. We do a lot of repeat business. We’ve learned from what we did from past projects so when I bid a job, I take my 24 years of experience and apply it to bidding the best and most cost effective job.”

Metal Tech is a metal fabricator and building contractor in La Vernia, TX. -cmw

continued from Page 1 — MK Marlow Company 35 years later, it has grown from a two-man show to a company that employs anywhere from 100 to 250 employees. “We have those weird stretches where we go from averaging 100 guys in the field like now and we may get up to 250 when we are really busy. We still travel. We do a lot of work in San Antonio, but not as much as we do out of town,” adds Marlow. “My PMs are on the road all the time. We have a base crew of about 60-80 that is here in town.”

Although Marlow had no intentions of being his own boss, he has no regrets. He has seen the industry change through the years and continues to lay footprints where he can. “I’m kind of, sort of, in control of my own destiny. We’ve done well. We have had tremendous years and we have had horrible years. It’s a different world now. It’s so technologically different. The people are different. I miss the days where handshakes sealed the deal. I miss the personal contact.

Now days it seems to be mostly text messages and emails.”

In 2012, Todd Thomas came on board, and in 2015 became a partner and president of the company. “He and I make a great match because he is good at what I am not. He is good at dealing with the new technology and detail work. He worked in

Florida before here and brought a totally different type of work experience with him.” Additionally, Marlow says they have both seen the labor force change drastically over the years they’ve been in the industry. “The skilled labor force today is just not the same from top to bottom. Contracts used to be two pages front and back, now they can be over 100. It’s just a different world. I love the people in construction, I don’t know what I would do besides what I am now. I wouldn’t trade a lot of the experiences I have had. They have made us who we are today.”

As MK Marlow Company nears its 35th anniversary in July, Marlow says there are no celebratory plans at this time but that could change. He feels extremely blessed and says he has the best core of people working for him that anyone could ask for. “We have the best group of guys.

They all have good work ethics. They know what they need to do and they do it. I’m really excited about these guys.

“I can’t believe it’s been 35 years, but here we are. I’m excited about the future and the next 35 years.”

MK Marlow Company is a drywall and acoustical contractor based in San Antonio.

-cmw

San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

Page 19

Who is your favorite sports team(s)?

I love high school sports. People give me grief because I read the sports section, especially high school sports, every day. I guess being as involved in Central Catholic as much as I am, I am a huge Central Catholic fan. On a college level, I root on the Aggies and UTSA. On a professional level, I’ll root for the Cowboys and the Texans, but my favorite team is the Houston Astros.

Greg Kanning, Dumas Hardware My favorite sports to watch is swimming so there really isn’t a team unless you say the US Olympic swim team. I do go to the UIW Cardinals football games so my favorite sports team would have to be the UIW Cardinals.

Penny McDonald, The Fetzer Company The San Antonio Spurs! They gave us all those championships and there are more to come.

Gilbert Alvarez, Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing The Spurs. I’m not just a winner-winnerwinner fan, I’m an all-the-time Spurs fan.

You have to take them when there is a down turn just as you are glad to have them when they’re winning.

Celeste Estep, Keller-Martin Construction The Spurs of course.

Jorge Flores, Garza/Bomberger & Associates

The Spurs. They run a professional and well-respected organization.

Henry Yzaguirre, Marksmen General Contractors I don’t have a favorite team per say, but my favorite sport is college softball. I have girls who play softball, one in high

school and one in middle school, and to watch the sport evolve and be back into the Olympics this summer is very exciting.

Heather Osborne, MEMCO Staffing The San Antonio Spurs are my favorite team because of their consistency and their style of play Allen Wilson, Sanderford & Carroll The New Yankees are my favorite team. I grew up watching the New York Yankees.

I was a Mantle and Maris fan in the ‘60s.

Richard Frank, ESC Safety Consultants My favorite team is the Texas A&M Aggies.

They are the best! Conservative, family oriented, the best school out there.

Mike McGinnis, Allen & Allen Co. The San Antonio Spurs of course. I grew up listening to the Spurs when they sucked in the ‘80s. I would listen to them on an AM radio when I was supposed to be asleep in bed before they acquired David Robinson and I’m still a Spurs fan.

Mike Traugott, Jr., South Texas Drywall I grew up in Houston and moved to San Antonio in 1985 so my favorite teams are The Texans and the Houston Astros.

Mark Jones, Intertech Flooring I was born in Texas, so it would be the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Cowboys.

Lenny Hernandez, American Interiors Auto racing. A good friend of ours races and we follow him, but really any auto racing. We’re going to Talladega next week to actually drive on the track and We have seats for the Indy 500 this year.

Kurt Robinson, Robinson General Contractors Inc.

Helping our returning vets

Industry FOLKS Alyssa Buntyn

Systems Designer I HVAC Controls VCOE Texas

Johnson Controls San Antonio, TX

B

orn and raised in San Antonio, Buntyn’s parents divorced when she was a baby. Her mother remarried when she was two years-old. Like most children of divorce, she and her older sister would spend every other weekend with her birth father. This became more challenging as they got older due to their other activities, especially during high school when their extracurricular activities became more demanding. Sadly, Buntyn’s birth father passed away when she was 17. “I will always cherish my father’s memory and the weekends and holidays we spent together.”

By the end of eighth grade, Buntyn had a good idea of what she wanted to do and study in college. Interested in astronomy and then engineering, she wanted to study Aerospace Engineering. She attended LeTourneau University in Longview, TX and started out studying Mechanical Engineering Technology. It proved to be more than she thought she would be capable of and decided to switch to Design Technology after enjoying an AutoCAD class. Unfortunately, Buntyn was unable to finish her degree due to family obligations.

She married Chris Buntyn in October 2019, who she met through mutual friends. She has two sons from a previous marriage, 13-year-old Kaden and 12-year-old Benjamin. Kaden enjoys video games and sports. Benjamin enjoys music, literature and telling jokes.

Before her boys started school, Buntyn longed for a job outside of the home. She began searching for jobs s

that involved AutoCAD drafting and began her path into construction when a small building automation company hired her. She worked there for two years on one of the largest hospitals in the San Antonio Area before moving to Johnson Controls.

She has been a part of the Johnson Controls family for the past eight years as an HVAC Controls System Designer for Building Efficiency, creating hardware design drawings with Johnson Controls products, implementing software programming for building automation, and training their customers on how to use their systems and interface.

“I enjoy the fact that, while the process is always the same, not every project is the same. This keeps it interesting and exciting. Our software tools and products are also continually changing as well, causing me to invest more in myself and to learn the new products and processes to become more valuable to my team.”

Buntyn enjoys spending time with her husband and sons watching movies together and the occasional game night, crafts and music. In middle school she developed a love for music playing the flute and recently took up lessons to play the cello. She participates not only in her church orchestra but also the San Antonio Symphony PRO-AM concerts, the Heart of Texas Concert Band (playing the flute), and recently started with the St. Mary’s University Community Orchestra. -cmw

Submitted to Construction News

Round-Up

Ridout Barrett is pleased to announce the naming of two new partners.

Cristina BaumgardMichael Moore, CPA ner, CPA/ABV, CFE, CIA has been with the RidForensics and Litigaout Barrett family for four and a half years, tion Support, joined bringing six years prithe Ridout Barrett or experience with family over two year him. He holds a Masago and has over 12 ters of Accounting deyears of experience. gree from the UniverShe holds a Bachelor and Masters of Accounting degree from sity of Houston. He became a certified the University of Texas at San Antonio. public accountant in 2014. -cmw She became a certified public accountant eight years ago. -cmw

A

Alterman Inc. presents a $22,000 check to Operation Finally Home.

lterman Inc. held their 3rd Annual Sporting Clay Shoot on Nov. 3. The event held at the National Shooting Complex. The turnout was amazing considering the chilly, wet weather and they were able to raise $22,000 for Operation Finally Home. Alterman would like to thank their sponsors and everyone

who participated for their support! -cmw Sporting Clay winners: Class A: The Reynolds Company Team #2 Class B: Time Insurance Agency Class C: Data Optics Top Male Overall: Kris Mann Top Female Overall: Shirley Lee

Thanking participants.

Core Electrical Group is pleased to announce the addition of Kelly Hare and Art Salinas.

Hare has joined the Salinas has joins the Core Electrical Group Core family as Direcas an accounting astor of Operations. He sistant. She brings brings 25 years of over 10 years of expeelectrical, security, rience in the construcvoice/data, and audiotion industry with her visual experience. Saexperience ranging linas is a journeyman from working as an electrician and graduexecutive assistant to marketing and ac- ate of the North Chamber of Commerce counting. Her role will assist in support Leadership Lab and will oversee all operthe company’s office operations and con- ations as well as financial performances. tinued growth. -cmw -cmw Freese and Nichols Inc. is pleased to announce Adam Young, PE, EM, LEED AP has been promoted to Group Manager for Mechanical and Plumbing. He is a licensed mechanical and electrical engineer and the Senior Technical Professional for Freese and Nichols’ Mechanical and Plumbing disciplines and a Certified Energy Manager. Young is skilled in maximizing buildings’ energy efficiency. -cmw

Sundt Construction Inc. is pleased to announce the addition of Edson Salazar as assistant project manager.

Salazar brings experience as a project engineer, assistant superintendent and virtual design engineer to his new role as assistant project manager. He received his B.S. in construction science and management from the University of Texas at San Antonio and is certified in Synchro 4D scheduling and Revit architecture essentials. -cmw

Page 20

All about partnerships

San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

T

Muy caliente

he 17th Annual Salsa Taste-off hosted by the San Antonio Chapter of Associated General Contractors (AGC) was hotter and spicier than ever. Guido Construction graciously opened their facility for this fun-filled event held on Feb. 27. Photos courtesy of Mary C. Haskin Photography. - cmw People’s Choice: ➤ Galaxy Builders Ltd.

R

Robert Madden Industries team members at the TACCA HVAC Expo.

L-R: Robert Luna; Sara Lippka, D&N RBM; Matt Bode and Chris Burger.

obert Madden Industries (RMI) began forming good relationships when they opened in 1979. Since then, the family-owned company has expanded its presence throughout Texas.

In 2008, RMI opened its first location in the Alamo City. By 2018, a second location was opened to meet the demands of a growing market. Today, RMI has 15 locations across Texas.

Built on the core values of trust, respect, integrity and commitment, RMI offers Carrier, Bryant, Payne and Day & Night equipment, parts and a generous line of supplies for the HVAC industry.

“We offer inventory priority as each business owner has different needs and technical training to ensure that the teams out in the field are confident in what they are installing,” says Territory Manager Chris Burger.

“I have been in HVAC distribution for 12 years now, five with RMI; and I can personally tell you that RMI provides all the right tools needed to help any company

of any size grow. We do this by becoming a partner with the owners, finding out their pains and turning them into strengths. RMI offers many solutions beyond just great products.”

The company believes their company’s growth was made possible due to the dependable partnerships they have built over the years. Partnership such as those with their customers, their employees and their vendors. “We are straightforward. We provide all your HVAC equipment and supply needs while continually striving for customer service excellence.

We offer HVAC solutions to solve your HVAC problems,” continues Burger. “We just won Day & Night’s 2019 Distributor of the Year by International Comfort Products.”

Tenure is not an issue for RMI. Companywide, RMI has over 50 employees that have been with the company over 10 years.

Robert Madden Industries is a HVAC wholesale distributor. -cmw

1st Place: Construction Leadership Council (CLC)

Construction News ON LOCATION

HERCules of rentals Showmanship: Bartlett Cocke General Contractors

The rental team at Herc Rentals took time out of their busy schedule to visit with Construction News. L-R: Saul Gonzales, Pedro Borrayo, Johnny Guevara, Louis Flores, Brian Pruski, Miguel Ortiz and Branch Manager Chris Wiatrek. -cmw

San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

Page 21

WIC week

A

s more and more women enter the construction industry, women across the nation celebrated their presence in this rewarding industry. The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) officially kicked of the 60th anniversary of Women in Construction (WIC) week on Feb. 29. Fun-filled events were scheduled through Mar. 7 to bring women in the industry together. -cmw

Electrical Build a Mini Lamp - Feb. 29, Alterman Inc Training Room

Warren High School Presentation – Mar. 4, Earl Warren High School

NAWIC Annual Golf Tournament – Mar. 6, Canyon Springs Golf Club – 1st Place Mixed L-R: Patti Rutherford, Kathy Bower. Not pictured Billy Cooper and Cody Dees

Self-defense safety class attendees – Mar. 2, Q Safety

Golf tournament goodie bags stuffing party – Mar. 1, Connally Law PLLC

NAWIC Annual Golf Tournament 1st Place Mens L-R: Eric Honsberger, Hunter Burttschell, Lucas Bojic, and Isaac Ontiveros (Not pictured)

Design your personal coaster – Mar.5, Alterman Inc. Training Room.

➤ Wine down and design your hard hat – Mar. 7 at the home of Stacey Quesenberry

Photos courtesy of Mary Haskin Photography

NAWIC Annual Golf Tournament 1st Place Ladies L-R: Eva Ramirez, Anita Kegley, Laurie Montgomery and Christy Rhone.

Caterpillar Facility tour – Mar. 3, Seguin, TX

Page 22

San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

A helping hand

T

he Maestro Entrepreneur Center which was formed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to help small entrepreneurs grow their businesses in San Antonio held a two-day construction infrastructure conference. Geared to the construction industry, the two-day conference was supported by local contractors, construction associations, public utilities and financial institutions. -cmw

CPS representatives answer questions.

A full-house at the Maestro Entrepreneur Center’s Construction & Infrastructure Conference.

Jordan Foster Construction representatives visit with attendees.

CPS’ Energy2Business (E2B) division offers energy savings to attendees.

2020 Leadership

M

eet the 2020 American Subcontractors Association (ASA) Board of Directors.

Front Row L-R: ASA Administrative Asst. Nora Roberts ; Jan Meuth, You Name It Specialties; Bethany Beck, Sanderford & Carroll; Ted Dunnam, ESC Safety Consultants; Nick Metcalf, BizDoc Inc.; Tom Walthall, Sanderford & Carroll; George Major, Holes of San Antonio. Back Row L-R: ASA National Treasurer Brian Carroll, Sanderford & Carroll; ASA Executive Director Jennifer Swinney; Toby Martinez, Bexar Excavating & Hauling; Mike McGinnis, Allen & Allen Company; Scotty Trawick, EquipmentShare; Greg Kanning, Dumas Hardware; Ismael Gonzalez, Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing; Kenneth Moore, KCM Cabinets Inc.; and John Cruz, Broadway National Bank. Not pictured is John Leifester, Dedicated Landscape Solutions; Debbie Hannasch, Fire Alarm Control Systems; Dustin Michalak, Michalak PC; Chris Christians, Lynwood Building Materials; Adam Matthys, Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing; and Victor Ruiz, Markel Surety.

Photo courtesy of Mary C. Haskin Photography. -cmw

In memoriam

Associated Builders & Contractors’ (ABC) President Steven Schultz was on hand to answer questions.

J

oseph Eaton, founder of Eaton Contracting, now known as Eaton Commercial, passed away Feb. 26.

A carpenter by trade, Eaton founded Eaton Contracting in 1989.

He held an associate’s degree in Construction Technology and Business Administration as well as a 4-year carpentry apprenticeship certificate. Eaton was a proud member of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Jointers, Local 60 in Indianapolis, IN. Eaton leaves behind a legacy of memorable projects in an industry he truly loved including Morgan’s Wonderland and the Pax Christi Chapel and Retreat Center. He enjoyed fishing. He loved his wife and family most of all and spending time with family and friends.

Donations can be made in his memory to the Skin Cancer Foundation. -cmw

San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020

Y

Come chili, come all

ou could not have asked for a better day nor a better turn out for the Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) South Texas Chapter 2020 Chili Cook-off.

The spicy event was held in the parking lot at Rolling Oaks Mall. One might have thought the mall had a big sale going on with the number of spectators attending the event as 36 teams got their pots boil-

JOB SIGHTS

Page 23

ing for the perfect blend of flavor, heat and bragging rights for the best chili.

-cmw 1st Place: Central Texas Electric 2nd Place: Action Gypsum Supply 3rd Place: Allbrite Construction People’s Choice: Satellite Shelters Best In Show: Allied Fire Protection

Hill Country Plumbing’s L-R: Justin Talatham, Sam Wenzel and Zachary Cook head out after performing water leak repairs in Fair Oaks Ranch. -cmw

Central Electric

Metropolitan Contracting’s Superintendent Troy Moul, Project Manager Justin Haby and Assistant Superintendent Luis Maltos at the San Antonio Humane Society Med Clinic. -cmw

Allied Fire Protection

Bowling appreciation

Satellite Shelters

GSC Architects treated their employees to a bowling outing for their Employee Appreciation Celebration 2020. GSC San Antonio and Austin branches gathered at EVO San Marcos (aka “The Spot”) on Mar. 6. Steven Burch RID, GSC Architects San Antonio’s Director of Interior Design and Operations, strikes a pose. -cmw

In memoriam

T

homas “Tommy” Leon Barker, a respected and revered member of the electrical construction community passed away Feb. 23 at the age of 77.

Barker began his electrical career as an apprentice in 1966 after serving four years in the US Army. He worked for Nathan Alterman Electric Company for many years and was a journeyman prior to his retirement in 2009. He was a proud member of the IBEW Local Union #60 for over 50 years.

Born in West Point, NY, Barker lived in many places around the world before making roots in San Antonio.

He enjoyed traveling with his wife, Ann, of 53 years and spending time with his family. -cmw

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San Antonio Construction News • APR 2020