San Antonio Construction News November 2020

Covering the Industry’s News

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CONSTRUCTION NEWS The Industry’s Newspaper

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www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 23 H Number 11 H NOVEMBER 2020

Growing for San Antonio

Strong as concrete

L-R: Christina Martin, Mike McGinnis, Taylor Franks, Matt Mayberry and Brad Wheeless.

Ranger Concrete Contractor owners, Brandon and Monica Salinas.

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he future is solid for Allen & Allen Co. who has a 90-year history of serving San Antonio’s building products needs.

Since their acquisition by TRTF Community House last year, Allen & Allen Co. has continued to provide superior products and service to its customers with a single goal of helping the community it serves.

Every purchase made at Allen & Allen Co. directly supports TRTF Community House and the Texas Research and Technology Foundation (TRTF). Both are local non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations.

For more than 35 years, TRTF has been successfully promoting and developing emerging technologies and life sciences in the San Antonio region. It has

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espite COVID, the annual Construct A Kid’s Christmas Toy Drive IS taking place. We cannot let the children in the foster care system down. This year’s annual Construct A Kid’s Christmas Toy Drive is more important than ever, and will be held on Friday, Dec. 4 from 10am – 2pm.

Imagine yourself as a child, no matter the age, just a child in foster care, through no fault of your own, and living with strangers ‑ strangers whose hearts want to give you everything you need and want but can’t. Perhaps you are wishing for a new bike, a sweet baby doll, building blocks or gift certificate for that CD. How will your wish come true?

With the cancellation of so many events this year, the annual toy drive is anticipating a massive reduction in the number of toys collected. Many regularly scheduled holiday parties which would typically host early toy collections are also being cancelled. But that does not

successfully incubated companies, created jobs and spurred investment. Ultimately, TRTF intends to impact the social and economic condition of the city of San Antonio and across the region by propelling economic success, a better quality of life, and a safer world through collaboration and innovation.

“It’s an exciting time at Allen & Allen Co.” says Brad Wheeless, Managing Director of TRTF Community House. Wheeless has been leading strategy development for Allen & Allen Co. since January of this year and is currently working with the Allen & Allen Co. leadership team to execute a growth plan focused on the contractor segment – architects, designers, craftsmen and subcontractors who serve the commercial, residential and continued on Page 18

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fter traveling all over the United States doing construction work in storm damaged areas, Brandon Salinas decided to return home. He went to work for a local company in the cable, post-tension side of the construction concrete industry. It wasn’t long before he found himself as a project manager of the company’s residential concrete division.

After four years and yards of concrete experience, Salinas was ready for a new adventure. The adventure was more of a dream. He had wanted his own company for years, but because of his youth, he kept putting it off. With the decision made, he and his wife, Monica, started their own concrete contracting company, Ranger Concrete Contractors LLC in 2009.

Interestingly enough, the Salinas’ had

Toy Drive will take place

Toy Drive at Construction News 2019

just gotten married. Monica had just gotten laid off and was still going to school when they dove in with both feet. As the young couple started getting more work, they were blessed with the news that they were expecting their first child, but that did not stop Salinas. For the next four years, working from their home, Ranger Concrete focused primarily on residential concrete work. The work was good, and it was steady, but Brandon was ready to expand. He hired good friend Jodi Swan and began taking on commercial work.

“Jodi said I was crazy. You don’t want to do that. I said, yes. Yes, we do. He came over and started a commercial division which was very slow, very hard to get going. We fell on our face a lot, but we always got up and we weren’t going to continued on Page 18

mean toys can’t be collected. You can host a toy collection at your office prior to the Dec. 4th toy drive.

Decorated toy collection boxes are available on request for your toy collection.

Box deliveries begin Nov. 1. We encourage everyone to partake in this opportunity to give back to our community. Contact Sandee Morgan at sandee@mca-smacna. org or Jennifer Sweeney at jennifer@ asasanantonio.org.

The toy drive will be take place at the Construction News offices at 4047 NacoPerrin. If you are not able to drop off your toys, contact Jennifer Sweeney or Sandee Morgan (see above) to pick up the toys from your office.

Let’s bring Christmas to the children of the Bexar County Foster Care system.

Just imagine the excitement on their faces when they unwrapped a gift from you!

For questions regarding the toy drive, please contact Buddy Doebbler at buddy@constructionnews.net. -cmw

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San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

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San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

Golfing for a purpose

1st Place: Bartlett Cocke General Contractors – Craig Jendrusch, Esteban Rodriguez, Justis McNeill and Angel Palomino

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hile COVID is on the forefront of everyone’s mind across the globe, the folks at Baker Triangle are no exception. However, they have not forgotten the men and women who have served so valiantly to maintain our freedom and additionally, to help raise money and awareness for one of the leading causes of death for men and women.

On Sept. 14, Baker Triangle hosted their 13th Annual Charity Golf Tournament with 120 participating golfers. “We raised $23,000 for support of The Wounded Warriors Project and $10,000 for The American Heart Association,” says Baker Triangle Vice President, Jon Randolph.

“We had to make a few adjustments

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due to the COVID, but a great time was had by all!” -cmw Photos courtesy of Mary C. Haskin Photography.

Golf tournament winners: 2nd Place: Joeris General Contractors Gault Robinson, Carl McClenan, Rusty Medlin and Brian Baker 3rd Place: JE Dunn Construction/Joeris General Contractors Joint Venture – Aubrey Harrell, Brett Edmondson, Sam O’Connor and Tom Smith Longest Drive: Matt Chatfield Closest-to-the-Pin: Tom Smith Closest-to-the-Pin: Justis McNeill, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors

A growing company

ichael Bravo, a successful businessman from Mexico, and his wife Ewa, came to San Antonio four years ago.

Wanting to do something different from his business in Mexico, a large telecom company with over 1,200 employees, he began flipping houses. He started buying houses, gutting and remodeling them.

Then, as you can imagine, a businessman like himself began wanting to expand his house flipping business, MBM Contractor, into something bigger.

“We started bidding on projects, everything from framing to drywall to painting. In May of this year, Mr. Bravo purchased a land surveying company and that extended to us getting involved at the beginning of a project where we go in and survey the land,” says Daniella Vasquez, MBM Contractor administrator Daniella Vasquez, MBM Contractor administrator.

MBM Contractor, a minority and has 15 employees from office support to woman-owned commercial contractor, project managers, superintendents and began to take off. As the company grew, skilled craftsmen doing all self-performso did the company’s diversification by ed work. adding other components of building “We are extremely flexible. We will construction to the company to include work every day if needed. We are open to plumbing, electrical, HVAC, concrete, etc. all types of projects, no matter the size.

“It started to grow and take off really We want everyone to know that our fast for us. We are constantly bidding on name, our brand and our company is deprojects. We service Austin, San Antonio, pendable and trust worthy. You can Waco, New Braunfels, San Marcos and count on us, and there aren’t going to be down south of Texas depending on the any issues. Customer service is our numsize of the project. We have a lot of sub- ber one priority. Even Mr. Bravo will adcontractors that we currently work with,” dress and find a solution for any obstacle adds Vasquez. that may arise,” concludes Vasquez.

MBM Contractor started out as a hus- MBM Contractor is a self-performing band and wife duo. Today, the company contractor in San Antonio. -cmw

San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

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ringing years of expertise, experience and real-world knowledge, Cokinos | Young has enhanced its portfolio to truly grasp the needs and goals of their clients.

What is Structure Cokinos?

Structure is a sub-brand of Cokinos | Young emphasizing the non-litigation services we offer. While we have always been a “one-stop shop”, the firm has expanded in recent years to accommodate our clients’ needs. In doing so, we now provide more depth of services and resources than before. The name “Structure” was chosen specifically as a nod to the longstanding reputation the firm has in the construction world, as well as highlight our attorneys’ ability to provide the legal framework or “structure” any business needs.

How can Structure Cokinos assist companies in the construction world?

A business in any industry requires guidance and expertise. Our lawyers act as outside general counsel for numerous clients, providing general advice as well as needs for specific transactions. Whether it’s purchasing property, pursuing a new business venture, handling employee matters, leasing space, obtaining financing, seeking new investors, or updating corporate records, our team can help.

With our deep industry knowledge, relationships in the construction industry, and transactional expertise, Structure Cokinos is uniquely equipped to address our client’s needs. More specifically, we focus on the following areas of law for our clients: Commercial Real Estate What types of real estate matters does Structure Cokinos handle?

Our lawyers represent both buyers and sellers, lessors and lessees, individuals and companies, in their real estate and development transactions. Our attorneys conduct large-scale land acquisitions for commercial buildings, negotiate leases on

Accentuating service

The Structure team of Cokinos | Young Front L-R: Tiffany Melchers, Darrell Taylor, Shelby Morgan; Back L-R: Alec Herzog, Philip Kinkade, Michael Renya, Kristi Hubbard, Shannon Gatlin and David Tolin

behalf of tenants or landlords, navigate financing issues for both commercial owners and developers, and oversee multiproperty closings spanning different states. Our real estate practice includes: • Negotiating and completing acquisitions and/or dispositions of all types of real property • Drafting transaction and financing documents • Drafting and reviewing design and construction contracts • Advising on existing real estate relation- ships regarding available rights and remedies • Drafting and negotiating commercial leases Labor and Employment What issues do you typically find your clients need assistance with in this area?

As we like to say, if you have employees, then you have employment law considerations. Whether it’s solving current problems or helping to prevent future ones from arising, our lawyers provide a full spectrum of labor and employment advice for our clients, including:

• Defending Title VII harassment, discrimination and retaliation claims, claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and benefits disputes, including under the Family and Medical Leave Act and ERISA questions • Drafting and revising employment manuals and company policies • Reviewing hiring, termination, and employment-related decision practices • Aiding in implementation of good employment practices • Non-competition agreements and confidentiality documents and protections • Executive compensation packages Mergers and Acquisitions On mergers and acquisitions and similar matters, what do your clients generally need from you? Do you represent only smaller or mid-sized entities in M&A deals?

Our attorneys’ experience spans from representing global companies engaged in multi-million-dollar transactions to counseling small or mid-size businesses seeking to expand their market presence. We are

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regularly asked by our clients to assist in: • Asset and equity acquisitions and sales • Complex funding arrangements, including venture financing and agreements Private Equity Everybody seems to be interested in private equity. Why is this area so prominent now, and what can you do to help client in this area?

Traditional lenders are not able to react on an accelerated timetable, and private equity allows far more flexibility in types of financing vehicles. We represent individual investors, funds providing private equity capital, and portfolio companies in initial or later round financings. We see a variety of needs across a variety of industries in multiple aspects of private equity transactions, including • Growth equity transactions • Acquisitions, investments, and dispositions • Preferred equity • Minority investments • Private placements General Corporate Matters What about more day-to-day general corporate matters; do your clients still need this type of assistance?

Yes, we consistently help our clients manage the corporate law aspects of their enterprises, so they can focus on their expertise in running their businesses. We assist with: • Forming business entities, including advising on management provisions • Resolving governance and business disputes among partners and share holders • Corporate structuring and restructuring Cokinos | Young is a commercial real estate and construction law firms with offices in Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio. -cmw

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San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

SURETY BONDS Prevent COVID Tax Relief Surprises

What Can be Done to Increase Your Firm’s Bonding Capacity

Steven Bankler, Owner Steven Bankler, CPA, Ltd. San Antonio, TX

Jeremy Pendergast, Surety Producer TSIB Inc. Austin, TX

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id you receive Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds? Are you deferring payroll taxes this quarter?

Have you requested penalty relief because you couldn’t make your tax deadlines? The federal government has opened up relief in these areas, but actually getting the relief—without paying a price later—isn’t easy. There are hoops to jump through so that you’re not surprised by “pay back” costs in 2021.

PPP Loan Forgiveness

If you received PPP funds, it’s time to ask for loan forgiveness. As we’ve discussed here before, getting 100% of the funds forgiven requires due diligence.

You should have been keeping the money in a separate bank account and meticulously documenting how you’re spending the money. Forgiveness is based on several factors, including:

• Maintaining or quickly rehiring

employees, and maintaining salary

levels. If your full-time headcount

declined, or if salaries and wages

decreased, forgiveness may be reduced.

• Payroll costs can include all forms of cash compensation paid to employees, including tips, commis sions, bonuses, and hazard pay. But there’s a limit. As of mid-October, a $100,000 cap per compensated em ployee was in place. There’s an own er compensation cap as well.

• Nonpayroll costs like mortgage interest costs or rent/lease costs and other expenses may be forgivable if they amount to up to 40% of the ex penses only.

You may have heard that loan forgiveness is already being administered, but you can wait until 2021 to apply. In fact, it might be more tax-advantaged for you to wait (but that’s a decision that needs to be made on a personalized level with your tax advisor). For any funds that aren’t forgiven, you’ll need to pay back at an interest rate of 1%. If your loan was issued prior to June 5, you have two years to pay it back. Loans issued after June 5 can be repaid within five years.

Deferred Payroll Taxes The federal government declared a payroll tax “holiday” for this fall. But is it too good to be true? It might be. The payroll tax deferral includes withholding, deposit, and payment of certain employee payroll taxes beginning September 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020. The deferral relates only to the employee’s portion of Social Security payroll taxes (6.2%) for those who generally earn less than $104,000 annually.

However, as soon as the announcement was made, questions were raised, including the most critical: Will the payroll taxes need to be paid (as in, deducted from paychecks) later? The answer, as of mid-October, is a concerning, “Yes.” At the moment, while you may be able to give employees a paycheck bump through the rest of the year, it looks like those lost tax amounts will need to be deducted from paychecks in early 2021.

For employees who quit or are laid off, you might be able to withhold the entire delayed amount in their final paycheck (although IRS guidance remains unclear on that point as well).

It’s been reported that President Trump intends to forgive the deferred payroll taxes if he wins reelection, but that would require congressional action to do so. In the meantime, the safest bet is to assume that any payroll taxes you choose to defer will need to be paid back—and soon. It will be a heavy administration burden either way, so roll up your sleeves.

Penalty Relief

Since July 15, tax deadlines have arrived on schedule, despite financial impacts of the pandemic continuing to hit the construction industry. If you had trouble getting your taxes filed and paid on time, you’re not alone. The IRS says it’s offering relief, but even some who followed the rules will still receive penalties.

Taxpayers who made “a good-faith effort to meet the filing…but are unable to do so due to COVID-19,” were instructed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) to write “COVID-19” in an attachment to the their tax returns briefly describing the reason they cannot meet the deadlines, or, if possible, to write “COVID-19” at the top of the tax return to indicate the need for penalty relief. Certain tax software required a state-specific disaster code issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well.

Some who requested penalty relief due to COVID-19, however, still received a late-filing or late-payment penalty notice from the IRS. Whether you’re among them, or haven’t yet requested penalty relief, you still have options. Penalty relief due to reasonable cause isn’t a new consideration. It’s a concession that can be used in cases of natural disasters, serious injury or illness affecting the taxpayer, or an inability to obtain tax records. The IRS will consider factors that include your reason for incurring the penalty, your compliance history (have you missed tax deadlines before?), the length of time it took you to respond, and whether the circumstances were truly outside your control.

While welcome tax relief measures were passed in 2020, it’s up to you—the taxpayer—to identify them and to follow the (often complicated) rules of compliance to take advantage. That latter detail may yet reveal some unwelcome bombshells for you in 2021. Get organized now to avoid surprises later.

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.

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s a Surety Agent, one of the most frequently asked questions that I receive from Contractors is what can be done to increase our Firm’s bonding capacity. Although there is no quick answer to that question, the following are some specific items and suggestions to follow to increase your Firm’s bonding capacity over time; while still growing and maintaining your Company’s profitability along the way.

Balance Sheet A balance sheet is the most important thing to consider when increasing your company’s bonding capacity. Your company’s balance sheet is the cornerstone of this surety underwriting equation. Your balance sheet tells the story regarding your company’s ability to obtain larger bonds.

Typically, a contractor is offered an aggregate bonding capacity that is 10 times the net worth of the company. The exact amount depends on many factors such as a contractor’s experience, personal net worth, and availability of bank credit, among other things. If you are looking to “stretch the limits” on a particular job, have the conversation with your Agent ahead of time. If your Agent understands the job then they can effectively be your advocate to the Surety. Doing things like explaining how a larger job relates to the scope of jobs done in the past, may have a high material cost with the same labor/ production costs or providing a run off/ billing schedule are all things a competent Agent should be able to provide the Surety when looking for larger than normal approvals.

For example, a favorable construction company with a net worth and/or working capital of $1MM can typically expect to receive an aggregate bonding program of $10MM. As a rule of thumb, the single project limit will usually be 1.52 times your largest project. Even though these limits are flexible, your company may want to bid on a job that is slightly larger than the single limit. If that is the case, the surety underwriter will consider the project’s scope of work and current backlog, etc. As your company’s retained earnings and net worth increases, you can expect your bonding capacity to grow along with it.

Upgrade Financial Statements Next, upgrading your year-end financial statements to a “review” level is important. Having these statements prepared on a percentage of completion (POC) basis by your CPA is preferred. If your CPA is unable to do that, then it’s time to hire a more construction-oriented accountant. Even though you many have a long-term relationship with your CPA, if they cannot create an accurate WIP or put together a proper POC statement, they may be hurting or halting the growth of your business.

In order to obtain larger bonds, you will need to provide your surety company with transparent underwriting updates. This includes quarterly WIP statements, an in-house balance sheet, P&L summary, and a mid-term financial statement prepared by your CPA. In addition, the surety company will expect aged accounts receivable schedules, along with the personal financial statements of the company principals.

Company Infrastructure & Philosophy

Company infrastructure and philosophy changes will ultimately need to be made in order to accommodate the above suggestions.

While using the Quickbooks software can accommodate much of the heavy lifting for contractors with revenues below $15MM, it can be a good idea to upgrade beyond that. Quickbooks, while userfriendly, is not designed to handle job costing and large project tracking & reporting for a more sophisticated construction company. It may be time to upgrade to a more thorough accounting system that can handle these additional details.

Open Dialogue As we touched on prior, the importance of communication cannot be understated. The ultimate suggestion for increasing your bonding capacity is keeping an open dialogue with your surety company. Underwriters love good news, but the bad news must be shared on a timely basis as well. Building a foundation of trust with an underwriter will make it easier for a surety company to support you during construction slowdowns and help you obtain larger bid requests.

It’s mportant that you talk to your Surety Broker about increasing your bonding capacity. A good Surety Broker will be able to provide you with what your surety company’s expectations are and what you need to do to accomplish this. In addition, your broker will be able to provide you with trusted, construction-oriented CPA firms in your area. It’s important that your Broker and CPA talk in order to ensure the ultimate bonding success of your company. Regardless of what steps you take to upgrade, steady profitable growth, and a willingness to communicate should be your guiding principles. Working with professionals who understand these pieces and consider themselves part of the team, will not only take the mystery out of your Surety relationship but should make life easier when it comes to obtaining the surety credit your Firm needs.

Jeremy Pendergast has been a Surety Producer since 2006. In his current role at Turner Surety & Insurance Brokerage, Inc., he oversees new client acquisition and managing a book of existing Surety business in Texas that ranges from first time bond users to Firms with annual revenues in excess of 100 Million. He can be reached to discuss any Surety related questions at: Turner Surety & Insurance Brokerage, Inc.

12600 Hill Country Blvd, Suite R-275

Austin, Texas 78738

Phone: Office 512.329.2614

Cell 512.808.9601 Email: JPendergast@TSIBINC.com

Website: TSIBINC.com

San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

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OSHA

LEGAL Stiffed in the Oil Patch?

There’s a Lien for That!

Machine Guarding and Saws Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

West W. Winter Attorney The Winter Law Firm, PLLC San Antonio, TX

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mployee exposure to unguarded or inadequately guarded machines is prevalent in many workplaces.

Serious injuries can result from the use of portable and stationary power saws.

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ith the ups and downs of the oil and gas industry, many contractors and subcontractors working in the oil patch may eventually find themselves in a dubious collection position. All hope is not lost however, as Chapter 56 of the Texas Property Code provides lien rights to mineral contractors and subcontractors to secure payment for labor or services related to mineral activities. In some situations, unpaid contractors and subcontractors may also be able to secure lien rights through a traditional statutory Mechanic’s and Materialman’s Lien.

Mineral Lien Basics The definitions contained within Chapter 56 of the Texas Property Code provide the starting point for determining whether you have lien rights for mineral activities. “Mineral Activities” are specifically defined as digging, drilling, torpedoing, operating, completing, maintaining, or repairing an oil, gas, or water well, an oil or gas pipeline, or a mine or quarry. A proper mineral lien claimant must also come within the definition of a Mineral Contractor or Subcontractor. A “Mineral Contractor” is a person who performs labor or furnishes or hauls material, machinery, or supplies used in mineral activities under an express or implied contract with a mineral property owner or with a trustee, agent, or receiver of a mineral property owner. A “Mineral Subcontractor” means a person who: (a) furnishes or hauls material, machinery, or supplies used in mineral activities under contract with a mineral contractor or with a subcontractor; (b) performs labor used in mineral activities under contract with a mineral contractor; or (c) performs labor used in mineral activities as an artisan or day laborer employed by a subcontractor.

Finally, a “Mineral Property Owner” is an owner of land, an oil, gas, or other mineral leasehold, an oil or gas pipeline, or an oil or gas pipeline right-of-way.

53 of the Texas Property Code. This means that suit must be filed to foreclose the lien claim within two years after the last day the claimant could file its lien affidavit or within one year after completion, termination, or abandonment of the mineral activities, whichever is later.

Mineral Lien Nuances Chapter 56 sets out the types of property which are subject to a mineral lien, and includes the land, leasehold, oil or gas well, water well, oil or gas pipeline and its right-of-way, material, machinery, supplies, and other types of property set out in the statute. However, the act also specifically states that a lien created by performing labor or furnishing or hauling material, machinery, or supplies for a leasehold does not attach to the fee title to the property. And while there is no retainage requirement for mineral activities, mineral property owners may withhold payment to their mineral contractor once served with a subcontractor’s notice. Given these and other nuances, all of the specific deadlines and requirements for properly perfecting a mineral lien, and varying judicial interpretations, it would be wise to enlist the assistance of counsel early on in order to ensure compliance.

Mineral Procedure and Timelines

Chapter 53 Mechanic’s and Materialman’s Lien

In order to properly secure a mineral lien, the mineral lien claimant must, not later than six months after the day the indebtedness accrues, file an affidavit in compliance with the requirements of Chapter 56 with the county clerk of the county in which the property is located.

“Accrual of Indebtedness” for labor performed by the day or week accrues at the end of each week during which the labor is performed. The indebtedness for material or services accrues on the date the material or services were last furnished.

While more time is allowed to file a mineral lien than for a traditional Chapter 53 mechanic’s lien, the necessary information for properly perfecting such a lien typically will not be as easy or quick to ascertain.

A Mineral Subcontractor has the additional requirement to serve advance written notice on the property owner that the lien is claimed. This notice must be served no later that the 10th day before the day the affidavit claiming the lien is filed, and it must include the amount of the lien, the name of the person indebted to the subcontractor, and a description of the land, leasehold interest, pipeline, or pipeline right-of-way involved. Since there is an additional notice requirement placed upon mineral subcontractors, it is imperative to properly determine your classification to ensure proper perfection.

There are very specific content requirements for a mineral lien affidavit which are set forth within Section 56.022 of the Property Code. A mineral lien claimant must also enforce its lien within the same time and in the same manner as a statutory mechanic’s lien under Chapter

Even if your work does not qualify as “mineral activities”, you may alternatively have statutory lien rights pursuant to Chapter 53 of the Texas Property Code.

Statutory mechanic’s liens, if timely and properly perfected, secure your right to payment against the project. While the specifics of proper lien perfection are beyond the scope of this article, perfection of a lien claim generally requires timely and proper written notice of the unpaid debt, timely recording of a proper lien affidavit in the real property records in the county in which the project is located, and timely giving notice of the filed lien to the owner and general contractor. Be aware that suit must also be filed to enforce/foreclose the lien claim within the limitations period mandated by Chapter 53 or the lien will be extinguished.

Where there is uncertainty about whether a mineral or a mechanic’s lien is appropriate, the best course of action, depending on the circumstances, may be to protect your lien rights under both Chapters 53 and 56 of the Property Code by properly and timely asserting both a mineral lien and a mechanic’s lien.

West W. Winter is the founder of The Winter Law Firm, PLLC, currently serves as President of the Construction Law Section of the San Antonio Bar Association, and has been repeatedly listed as one of the Best Lawyers in San Antonio for Construction Litigation. The Winter Law Firm represents owners, general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers in all phases of the construction process, from contract formation through dispute resolution, litigation, and collection. West can be reached via email: west@thewinterlawfirm.com.

A chop saw is essentially a lightweight circular saw mounted on a spring-loaded pivoting arm, and supported by a metal base. The chop saw is operated by the user lining up the saw blade with the user’s mark. The user then positions the hands properly, clamping the wood to the fence with one hand and working the saw with the other. A trigger is depressed to activate the blade and the blade is pulled through the work piece. The left hand secures the material and the right hand stays firmly on the handle. Once the blade has been guided through the cut, the user guides the saw back to the upright position.

Potential Hazard at the Point of Operation for Chop Saws: Contact with the turning blade.

Solution: Ensure that all guards are in place and working. If a guard seems slow to return to its normal position, ad just or repair it immediately.

Use only recommended size and RPM rated blades.

Maintain sharp blades.

Always wear eye and face protection

Table saws are used for straight sawing.

Depending on the blade, they cut either across (crosscut) or with (ripsaw) the grain of the wood.

With hand-fed saws, the operator adjusts the height and angle of the blade.

Then, holding the stock, the operator pushes it into the blade. A guide is used to maintain a straight cut at the desired width. At the end of the cutting stroke, the operator either changes positions or pushes the stock past the blade. Potential Hazard: • Injuries can occur if an operator’s hands slip while feeding the stock into the saw, or if the operator holds his or her hands too close to the blades while cutting. The operator can also be injured when removing scrap or finished pieces of stock from the table.

Enclose the portion of the ripsaw and crosscut saw above the table with a selfadjusting guard.

• The guard must adjust to the thickness of the material being cut and remain in contact with it. Hinge the guard so that the blades can be changed easily.

Use a push stick for small pieces of wood and for pushing stock past the blade.

Keep hands out of the line of the cut.

• Attach a brake to the motor’s arbor to stop the saw from coasting after the power has been cut off, or have the operator remain at the saw station after the motor is shut off, until the blade stops turning. natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232

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San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

much as the industry has changed over the last 30 years, I still apply so much of what I learned about the fundamentals of the construction process and have never once regretted my decision to pursue a degree and ultimately a lifelong career in construction.

James Anderson President Bartlett Cocke General Contractors San Antonio, TX

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rom student to president of a major general contracting company, Anderson has had the career most only dream of.

Tell me about James Anderson. Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

I was born a Hoosier and became a Texan. My father went to Indiana University and when I was three months old, he was recruited by Texaco to come to Houston. I grew up in Katy, west of Houston.

We moved there when I was 5 years old from Alief.

Where did you go to school?

I went to school in Katy. I graduated from Katy High School in 1991.

Where did you go to college?

I wasn’t an honor roll student or even in the top quartile of my graduating class, but somehow managed to get accepted to Texas A&M University. Fighting class of 1995…Whoop! Thank goodness because it was the only school I applied to.

What was your field of study at A&M?

Nobody in my family has ever been in construction. I have always loved to draw and after being exposed to drafting in middle school woodshop and sketching two-point perspectives of buildings in a high school art class, my initial interest was to pursue a degree in architecture.

I started off as a general studies major and took a few classes in environmental design. I really enjoyed studying architectural history but felt a little out of place in the design studio. I had my first construction related class as a sophomore. I learned about construction materials and methods and discovered that I was more interested in how buildings are built than how they are designed. As

How did you get started in the construction industry?

At some point, I realized I was in class studying something that I had zero exposure to and needed to gain some real-life experience. At that time, the Construction Science Department did not have a formal internship program established yet. As an elective, I was allowed to take a “13-week practicum” for two hours of credit over a semester. I was able to find a couple of construction-related internship opportunities through the cooperative education program and interviewed with a homebuilder and Bartlett Cocke Jr. Construction Company. That night, I received the call from Jerry Hoog and was offered a job with Bartlett Cocke here in San Antonio. Looking back, what a life changing that phone call that was!

I came on board as an intern in August 1994 and worked through the fall semester.

I was fortunate enough as we were building the second phase at the Citicorp campus off Highway 211 on the westside. They had a large call center that was an eightmonth project. I was on site for five months and experienced the placement of the foundations through substantial completion and receipt of the final C of O. What a fantastic experience…it was a serious crash course commercial construction and I loved every minute of it!

I started off my internship as green as green could be but returned to campus full of confidence and excitement about the possibility of having a bright future in a great industry with a great company. I was invited back to intern the following summer of 1995 and joined the company full time after graduation in the spring of 1996.

In my 26 years with Bartlett Cocke, the company has grown significantly and so has our participation in student internship programs with several colleges across the state. Being able to now give others the same unique opportunity I was given to learn about our industry, build a long-term career and potentially become an employee owner is such a blessing.

Do you have a mentor?

Speaking of blessings, I have been blessed with many mentors in both my personal and professional life. I attribute much of my success to Jerry Hoog, Jamey Arnold, Kelly Scrimpsher, Harry Moeller, Raymond Heath and Doug Dorsey. They have each taught me so much through the

James and Shayna Anderson

years…and continue to do so to this day!

One individual who is more of a role model that I hold very near and dear to my heart is Bartlett Cocke, Jr. His vision and core values are still alive and well here today. I might add he himself is also alive and well at 90 years of age. Even though he has been retired for almost two decades, he still visits the office to check in on us a couple times a month.

As the company continues to grow and we plan for the future, I am grateful to have grown up in this company knowing Bartlett and each leader after him. Our success has always been founded on our strong sense of being a family, taking ownership, doing whatever it takes to “make it happen” and focusing on the quality of our work…”because quality matters!” The quality of our work is something that was always fundamentally important to Bartlett. He always said how important it was to him that we build something of quality and significance to for community.

seek accommodation not confrontation.”

This is and will forever be a very important guiding principle for all of us.

Bartlett also mentioned at a certain point in his career he “stopped being a builder of buildings and became a builder of a company that builds buildings.” That statement pretty well frames my current transition from upper management to executive leadership. I came up in operations from assistant project manager, to project manager and then a senior project manager managing multiple projects. I got my first taste of managing things on a broader company level as the Regional Manager of South Texas and then became Vice President of South Texas in 2013. In March 2019, I was fortunate to be asked to step up and help run the company with Jerry Hoog, our Chairman and CEO. Jerry has been great mentor, boss, business partner and friend throughout my career and I appreciate his patience, guidance and encouragement every step of the way.

Did you actually get to work with Bartlett Cocke, Jr.?

I did. Bartlett called me during my first week of internship and asked me to go to lunch with him at Luby’s. We sat down and he told me a little about himself, the history company and all the things that were important to him. In that first meeting, he demonstrated just how important every employee was to him (even lowly interns) and instilled in me to always treat our employees, clients and subcontractors with fairness and respect. He always said, “we get more work done with a positive attitude…others may argue and feud, but we

Do you see yourself now as a builder of a company as opposed to a builder of buildings?

Absolutely. My objective is to continue along the path of what our previous leaders established. That is…not to see how large we can grow but rather to continuously improve and grow our reputation for quality work, dependability, honesty and care and concern for our people and the people we work with. The mindset of our current leadership is that we are here to serve the field. Our corporate focus is to support the men and

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continued from Spotlight

20 years strong

women who are on site working hard every day. I see my job being to help them build more safely, effectively and efficiently and to make sure they have the resources, support and training necessary to successfully do their job.

Are you married? How did you meet?

I am. My wife’s name Shayna. How we met is kind of interesting. My brother married a girl he met at Texas A&M from a little town called Punalu’u on north shore of Hawaii. I was very disappointed when they decided to get married in College Station not Hawaii. They got engaged the same day my sister-in-law graduated from A&M. To celebrate, her family had a Hawaiian luau party. I met her sister, Shayna, at the party. We met again at the wedding and then she decided to relocate to College Station. We started dating a few months later. Ultimately, I convinced her to come to San Antonio to finish school at UTSA Health Science Center where she received her nursing degree. With a little more convincing, we got engaged.

We’ve been married 16 years. Brothers married sisters and our kids are close in age and our families are very, very close.

How many children do you have?

We have two children. Our son, Reese, is 14. He is a freshman at Smithson Valley High School and is the center on offensive line for the freshman A team. He holds Star rank in Boy Scouts and is very musically inclined. He plays the saxophone, ukulele, piano and guitar and is always playing and learning something new online from different apps and YouTube.

My daughter, Gia, is a sixth grader at Smithson Valley Middle School. She has been in tumbling the past several years and has recently become interested in cheerleading. She has also been taking horse riding lessons for the past couple of years and started learning how to barrel race this year.

I am blessed beyond belief to have such a wonderful family both at home and at work.

Reese and Gia with their dad, James.

What else would you like our readers to know about James Anderson?

Just that I am very thankful to live in this great country and to have the freedom to worship, provide for my family and the opportunity work in a profession doing what I love. It is very rewarding to be part of a team that builds buildings that have a positive impact and bring lasting value to our community. I drive around now and see the buildings I had a part in constructing…each is like a chapter in the story of my life. MacArthur High School, I was there for almost four years.

That was a time when I met my wife and started dating to then getting married while building UT Health’s Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies and having children while building the UT Health Medical Arts and Research Center. So, for me to build buildings that matter; buildings where people learn, heal, worship and live. It feels great to know we are not just building great buildings, we are really BUILDING BETTER LIVES both in our community and within our company. -cmw

The Levy Company executive team L-R: John West, VP of Operations; Lisa Jilek, CFO; William Calame, Dir. Of Project Administration; Harry Levy, President; Michelle Gutierrez, HR Director and Andy Ajas, Estimator.

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n Jan. 21, 2000, Harry Levy seized his dream of shaping his future and becoming a business owner.

The Secretary of State filing came through establishing The Levy Company LP. For the first 18 months, Harry and Mary Levy set up an office in their home, which served as the headquarters for their new company.

Knowing that he would need someone else with an electrical background, Harry reached out to John West. Harry and John had worked together at Lloyd Electric in the early ‘80s and had stayed in touch over the years after going their separate ways. With an equity position in the company, West became the company’s third employee and vice president of operations.

One of Harry’s first opportunities to utilize some of his technical skills was a semi-submerged vault in San Antonio that had three air conditioning units.

There were no commercially available controllers, so still working out of a home office, Harry designed and built one controller to control all three air conditioning units. Together, Levy and West began setting vaults, which are shelters containing cell tower equipment in Houston and then in California.

From that point on it was really just a small business struggling to get by where West ran the field operations and Levy bounced back and forth between running the business, estimating and driving 18-wheelers to pay bills. They ran the company out of a garage until it slowly

grew over time and they started bidding work in the highway industry.

“Over the last 10 years we have seen some exponential growth. We started out doing communication and vaults and came back to heavy highway electrical.

Two years ago, we diversified a little bit more and started doing commercial electrical work as well, with the Transguide Facility renovation and Burbank High School being our marquis projects for that division,” says Will Calame, Director of Project Administration.

As the company embraces their 20th year in business, the company welcomes a new location in addition to becoming an employee-owned company. Purchasing Manager Shonda Gonzalez, adds “People have made The Levy Company who it is today. The core values of today – compassion for one another, integrity in all we do, safety in our work and a strong work ethic – have been the guiding principles for Harry and John since the beginning.”

West is quoted as saying, “I’ve always felt like The Levy Company was a family – always showed up when we needed each other.” While Harry attributes the success of The Levy Company as, “A share of blessing and luck, in addition to making some of the right decisions. When I look at the weekly payroll, I think, ‘Yikes’, but another part of me thinks, ‘I’m helping to feed families.’ This Company is helping people to have better lives. As owners, all of our successes can get better.” -cmw

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San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

Growing in the trenches

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t’s exciting times for JCH Construction who celebrated 30 years in business in 2019. “We have grown quite a bit and have stayed very busy between the Austin and San Antonio areas. That is where we have found the majority of our work,” says Wes Clark JCH Construction vice president. “We work for a lot of plumbing and electrical contractors, concrete contractor, fiber contractors and we basically do turnkey trenching.”

According to JCH General Construction Manager Stacy Turner, the company just completed work on SN7. “We’ve done some big projects this year. and have just finished Comal No. 5, which is a high school for Comal ISD. We also did Comal No. 4. Right now, we are working down at UHS which is another big project for us,” say Turner.

Performing custom trenching, JCH Construction trench, back fill, compact and haul-off, basically everything except

Wes Clark and Stay Turner make trenching an easy task.

the lying of pipe. “In the last two years, our scope has just gotten bigger as we are picking up a lot bigger projects like SN7 and Comal High School. There’s a lot of ditch to be dug so we are picking up a lot more projects,” continues Clark. “Most of our work, 99 percent of it is here in San Antonio. We stay pretty busy.”

JCH has been pretty fortunate to have some good contractors to work for over the years according to Clark, “They have kept us busy and we are very thankful for them.

The hill country is where we first saw the demand and how we got started. Now people are finding us, even on the south side of town, people are calling us and wanting us to do some digging. It saves contractors from hiring operators and laborer. They just have their electricians lay the pipe and let us do all the grunt work,” Clark concludes.

JCH Construction is a trenching contractor in Selma, TX. -cmw

Leading ASA 2020-2021

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he American Subcontractors Association (ASA) is proud to announce their 2020-2021 Board of Directors. Members of the board include: President: Debbie Hannasch, Fire Alarm Control Systems; Vice President Ted Dunnam, ESC Safety Consultants; Secretary Mike McGinnis, Allen & Allen Company; Treasurer Dustin Michalak, Michalak PC; Immediate Past President John Leifester, Dedicated Landscape Solutions; Directors John Cruz, Broadway National Bank; Tom Freund, Comfort-Air Engineering; Ish Gonzalez, Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing; George Major, Jr., Holes of San Antonio; Adam Matthys, Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing; Toby Martinez, Bexar Excavating & Hauling; Nick Metcalf, BizDoc Inc.; Jan Meuth, You Name It Specialties; Victor Ruiz, Markel Surety; Scotty Trawick, EquipmentShare; Chapter Attorneys Bethany Thompson, Sanderford & Carroll; Tom Walthall, Sanderford & Carroll; Chapter Historian Greg Kanning, Dumas Hardware and ASA National Board Member Kenneth Moore, KCM Cabinets. -cmw

The Resource Guide Associations and Construction Education

Subcontractors

Service Providers

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For Info on Resource Guide: Buddy@ConstructionNews.net 210-308-5800

San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

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fish. Watch the solar/lunar tables for best fishing days when the major bites fits your schedule.

I’m really hoping that after we get through this election, things will somewhat go back to normal and the world is united again. The year 2020 has been a very difficult year on all of us and I pray that 2021 will bring new life to our country regardless of the outcome of the Presidency.

My 2021 fishing calendar is open, and I am starting to book trips for the upcoming year. My whitetail hunts are almost full for this season, and I still have a few dates to book if interested. 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 at Steve Schultz Outdoors. Good Luck and Good Fishing

Blessed Beyond The Horizon

by Capt. Steve Schultz Sponsored by: Waypoint Marine, Shoalwater Boats, Fishing Tackle Unlimited, Shimano Reels, E-Z Bel Construction, Costa Sunglasses, Simms Fishing, ForEverlast Fishing Products, PowerPro, Interstate Batteries, MirrOlure, JL Marines Power-Pole, AFW and AFTCO Clothing.

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ell it’s been a very trying year on the water getting through the Covid-19 pandemic. However, I’m thankful that my business was not affected as much as I thought it would be.

In the early months (March-April), there was so much uncertainty and people were scared into thinging they couldn’t leave the house. By May, we got back into full swing and, to date, nobody was infected by the virus while on a fishing trip with any of the guides I know. Hopefully, by the time this paper hits your hands, the election will be over and God willing so will this pandemic.

November will surely bring cooler temperatures to the Coastal Bend and Laguna Madre. I really look forward to this time of the year to get a break from the stifIing heat from our summer months here on the coast. Don’t get me wrong, you can’t beat Texas summer days but when you spend 27-28 days a month on the water, it starts to wear on you. I will only be guiding a few trips during this time because I spend most of my

The simile says it all! R.H. Johnson of Brownwood TX at the age of 89 fished 3 days with me last month. Limits of trout and Reds ranging from 20 to 45” were caught throughout the days we spent on the water. Here is on of the reds being released by Bart Johnson. Photos by Steve Schultz Outdoors.

time guiding deer hunts in the off-season. It’s really a great month to fish because the bays don’t get as much pressure on them and you can really key in on some of the more popular areas. Shrimp is the main diet of reds and trout during the winter months and lures can be very effective also. Both of these bait choices can be executed by drifting in the boat or wading. Tides have been really high and most likely will stay above normal until we start getting regular cold fronts mov-

ing thru every week to 10 days. Higher tides means you have to get shallower than normal. I like depths in the 2-4 ft range with some type of structure whether it be rock, shell or sand pockets.

Working these areas either from the boat or wading can be very effective, especially if there is a presence of bait activity in the water. Soft plastics and live shrimp under a popping cork have been producing the numbers while top water lures have been yielding some of the bigger

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San Antonio Construction News • NOV 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

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If there's one thing a pandemic can do, it can make you appreciate the great outdoors

here is just nothing else that compares to being able to get yourself enough social distanced that the things you touch may have never been touched by another human hand and the air you breathe didn’t just come out of someone else!

We are all slogging our way through this Covid 19 mess the best way we can, I guess. With the everchanging advice from experts and such, it is hard to know how to take it from day to day. When the pandemic and the politics and all the accompanying noise start to wear you down, I hope you can find a way to get outside and find you the time and space to just breathe and let that stuff just slip away for a bit. Its great if you live in the country or have a chance to go fishing or hunting, but even a little escape to a park for lunch or a sightseeing drive through the country, or just to look at holiday sights will help.

Things are going to be different this year for the holidays for sure. I know our

Stratum Floors, Austin

family is already doing damage control by not even considering the usual big holiday gatherings, opting instead for quieter more intimate plans. That’s not gonna be easy where grandkids are concerned!

The trend we have been seeing in our fishing trips and our cabin rentals is that we have been seeing more people rediscovering our local lakes and attractions. Extensive travel is something most people are still avoiding, so this just makes sense. We have seen family reunions with large gatherings from all over the country have to cancel and then people having more careful small scale gatherings where each family group has their own cabin, and they meet outside to visit and fish. Something like that might make the usual hunting camp gatherings a little safer too.

Another nice thing that seems to be happening is that people are not as happy to just stay inside as it gets cooler. They are continued next page

Rules of engagement

Burnell Gates, B.G. Metals Inc. owner, took care of a slight problem recently by killing this rattlesnake for not abiding by his ranch rules, “No loitering around camp house, deer blinds and for sure not where I dove hunt.” -cmw

San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

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continued Ken Milam ready to get outside! We have noticed the last several years that our wintertime fishermen hadn’t been as active. The fishing in winter is great for stripers and hybrids because they love the colder water.

They have to chase bait and feed hard to be ready to spawn in the spring, which makes for good fishing trips if people just don’t get so caught up in the other fall and winter activities and forget to come.

Fishing, especially for stripers and hybrids, is not just a shorts and flip-flops kind of affair! Watch the weather, bundle up and come on! We have more flexibility in the winter schedule in case a cold

front gets in the way, and we can help you find the best times to get on the water.

Another nice thing about winter fishing is that our fish migrate upstream during the colder months. This means they just get closer to our home dock, so the boat ride to catch up with them is a lot shorter!

However you do it, I hope you can get a chance to get outside and let the fresh air and warm sunshine melt away your worries for a while. This too shall pass, even if it’s taking a while!

No birds, no problem

Jason Schnautz, Dausin Electric Co. and his wife Stephanie enjoyed a great day together dove hunting at Jason’s father’s place near Seguin. Although the birds were not flying, they still had a great time together. -cmw

Beginners luck Fall sunrise fishing

Ridout Barrett Managing Partner, Melanie Geist aka “The Queen,” landed this 26-inch red and one other the exact same length while fishing Estes Flats with founding partner of Ridout Barrett, Tony Ridout aka “Captain Tony”. -cmw

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Northside ISD Rayburn Middle School Fine Arts Upgrade

Rayburn Fine Arts Expansion suspended slab foundation and structural steel framing.

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entral Builders Inc. (CBI) has tackled many challenges over its 31 years in business. However, nothing has compared to the worldwide pandemic that has impacted every business on the face of the planet. Implementing safety precautions for their employees, customers, and those in the area is always the company’s top priority. Central Builders is beyond grateful for the flexibility, hard work, and communication of the entire company, its vendors, subcontractors, partners and customers in keeping operations functioning.

Northside ISD awarded Rayburn Middle School to Central Builders in Feb. 2020. Due to COVID-19, the project team was forced to communicate strictly

through virtual communication, which required synergy from all parts to execute as the team prepared to break ground on Jun. 1.

The project consists of constructing an additional area for Fine Arts/Music Rehearsal, approximately 1,600 sf, to include a large performance rehearsal area, storage and restroom/dressing areas.

This additional area is contiguous with the existing building. CBI was also tasked with removing over 7,000 cubic yards of dirt under the existing building in order to place a new mud slab in the crawl space. “This took a great deal of planning along with construction ingenuity. Execution was flawless as we will complete this portion of the work ahead of sched-

Demolition and removal of the 7,000cy of dirt to increase the crawl space depth.

ule,” says Bryan Ehrlich, Central Builders’ Inc. vice president.

The project is expected to finish at the end of December, which will be right in time for the entire school to see its completion after returning from winter break.

Central Builders enjoys their school projects because of the benefits they provide to the community and its children. Project Manager Daniel Salinas, CBI’s project manager for the Rayburn Middle School Fine Arts Upgrade, grew up in the district and has children enrolled in its prestigious schools. His dedication to each project comes not only on a professional level but a personal one as well. Project Superintendent Isaac

Ontiveros has been an integral member of CBI’s K12 construction team for many years, and continues to meet and exceed both the company’s and their customer’s expectations. Central Builders will continue to navigate through the pandemic by focusing on what the company knows best, quality construction at a highly efficient level that their customers expect.

-cmw

Central Builders Inc. is a general contractor who specializes in pre-construction services, construction management, general contracting and design build and are located in San Antonio. -cmw Central Builders Inc. San Antonio, TX

Far West Retail Center

An Austin retail center built in the 1980s needed to remove traces of the former tenants’ signage.

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hen the retail center on Austin’s Far West Blvd. was being built in the 1980s, the owner (who was also an architect) insisted that the its coolcolored brick façade resemble Dallas’ Northpark Center’s. The building has held up well in the decades since, but like any structure it eventually needed occasional repairs, especially as tenants moved out and removed their signage.

Nick’s Bricks Masonry & Stone has expertly performed these repairs as needed, and recently refreshed two storefronts at the retail center.

“When tenants put signs up, I know contractors do what they need to do but it does do some damage to the brick,” company owner Nick Page says. “Signs and logos are all different configurations, so their attachment needs vary; in most cases, sign companies drill anchor holes into the brick. It may stay for 10 years but when they take the sign off, it’s not just a

cosmetic thing. The next tenant’s sign will probably not cover up a lot of that damage, so it’s a ghost that still remains. When we attack whatever they’ve left us, it could be a mixture of both cleaning and removing brick, and that’s what we did in this case.”

First, the area was washed down with a restoration cleaner (Page exclusively uses PROSOCO® products). This attacks the dirt and mildew but not the mortar, and reveals which bricks are in most need of removal.

Then, with the help of a DeWalt 9-in. battery-operated wet saw, the carefully chosen bricks were cut out in a one-day process. The reason only some bricks were chosen for removal was due to the availability of the 1980s brick, which is not in circulation anymore.

“We were lucky enough in this case that, last year, we have been able to find the brick that matches that building,” Page says. “We reached out to Acme Brick, and they happened to have 2500 of those bricks and that was all they had. We bought

The anchors from the former signage necessitated replacing some of the decades-old brick.

Because the owner only had a limited supply of matching brick, only certain bricks were replaced.

those last year just for small maintenance needs that might arise. We have them at the building owner’s office for just such a need. For this project, we only needed about 500 bricks of those we had retained.”

Had brick matching not been possible, Page would have considered masonry color staining, which he has performed for years.

“In the right conditions, which I evaluate before any job is done, I hopefully can use a product, Masonry Cosmetics, which is a commercial watercolor that I can apply to the brick after some testing and trying out different colors,” Page explains. “This staining has actually helped me in cases where the brick couldn’t be matched.”

The next step was ensuring the mortar color did not give away that the area had been repaired.

“We already had a feel for matching the mortar because we had already worked on that shopping center before,” Page says.

With the brick replaced, future tenants can now visualize their own signs on the storefronts.

“My goal is that a finished repair does not look like a repair,” Page says. “I’m really happy with the way it turned out, mainly because the owner is happy with the way it turned out. We buttoned it up and now it’s ready for another sign to cover up our work.

It helps sell the building and it helps the next tenant look at how the building is maintained because that is what they’re paying for. If a retail center is in disrepair and all property is gauged by how it looks and is maintained, this is one of those situations in which I think we play a part and in helping the next tenant be attracted to that space.”

Nick’s Bricks Masonry & Stone is in Liberty Hill, TX and serves Williamson and Travis counties. –mjm Nick’s Bricks Masonry & Stone Austin, TX

Matching brick and mortar and a skillful application results in a fresh surface for new tenants to display their signage.

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St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church comprising of over 800 sf of glass, is a contemporary portrayal of creation represented by a swirling vortex of light. The clear, amber and yellow glass within the design represent the power of God flowing throughout the universe, dispelling darkness and ordering chaos.

The rose window is a depiction of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Jesus the son, and the Holy Spirit (symbolically represented as a dove). This window is comprised of hand painted and fired pieces of art glass to achieve fine details in the window.

The Cavallini Co. Inc. offers complete design, fabrication, installation and restoration services of mosaic and stain glass. -cmw

The Cavallini Co. Inc. San Antonio, TX

Contemporary alter stained glass window - Let there be light.

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he Cavallini Company Inc. is a long established family firm with a solid reputation for quality in design and craftsmanship. Their work can be seen in many different settings, mostly throughout the Southwest. “Our goal is to meticulously design, fabricate and install art work to achieve the most harmonious results, based on architectural style and decor of the structure. Every line, shape and color has a definite meaning. In our ecclesiastical designs. We attempt to reflect the congregation’s view of themselves as a faith community. Our staff’s knowledge of the scripture and iconography, lends additional value to the overall appearance and meaning of the art work. Our ultimate goal is to create through our artwork, an atmosphere which will enhance the spiritual experience and create

an environment both beautiful and dignified,” says third-generation Adrian Vincent Cavallini.

The project featured in this article was completed Oct. 14 at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Grand Prairie, TX. The first window measures about 30 ft in width and about 28 ft in height.

The second window featured in this article is a rose window at the same church.

In the first Chapter in the book of Genesis, God’s first command is, “Let There Be Light,” This window,

St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church’s, the Rose window.

Long term garage skylight panel replacement, San Antonio International Airport

Long term garage skylight, “Passing Light”

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he San Antonio team at Alpha Building Corporation recently completed a fun and unique project at the San Antonio International Airport. Working with Jose M. Bermudez, the Artist, Aviation Special Projects Manager and Matt Evans, the Arts and Culture Manager, they replaced large, transparent colored plexiglass squares embedded in the canopy on the top floor of the long-term parking garage. The artist responsible for the design of the project titled it “Passing Light.” The feature has been enjoyed by those visiting San Antonio International since it was dedicated in 2001 until it was damaged in the last major hail storm in San Antonio.

“Passing Light” by Massachusetts based artist Christopher Janney, who is fairly well-known with projects all over the world, is an installation helping to direct parking lot patrons to Terminal 1 along an avenue covered by a festive colored skylight. This public artwork integrates time and the sun’s movement across the sky. The skylight casts a rainbow of colors into the garage’s interior and draws patrons to move through the streams of bright light. Additionally, high-tech light fixtures that flicker and flash coincide with soothing, rhythmic sounds that fill the garage to welcome and guide travelers to the terminals.

It is composed of four basic elements:

Fast Light: 54 light/sound “points” dispersed on each of the three lower walkways, creating a “kinetic sound/light environment” over the 360-foot-long walkway.

Visual Music: these points of light/sound “play” a sequence of different patterns—solo, pairs, trio, quartet, ordered, random—creating a soothing chime-like “visual music” within the space, contrasting with the frenetic pace of the airport. These sound patterns change throughout the day and also play on the hour, as an “Environmental Clock.”

Slow Light, a pattern of colored acrylic forms installed in the canopy, based on the bright festive colors of South Texas, cast a slowly moving pattern across the paseo throughout the day.

Sundial, etched in the floor of the paseo, is a design which marks high noon of the winter and summer solstice and the two equinoxes. As these special days approach, a strong visual tension is developed between the colored forms and the etched outline on the ground.

Alpha was able to complete this project in time for the year’s summer solstice. Each year, in celebration of the Summer Solstice, choreogra-

The skylight casting a rainbow of colors.

pher and dancer Catherine Cisneros presents a solo performance within the lighted square of “Passing Lights.”

At 12:00 pm on the Summer Solstice, the colored shadows perfectly align with the painted grid on the floor five stories below for less than one minute as the sun passes directly overhead. What an inviting way to begin travel or be welcomed home!

Alpha Building Corporation is a general contractor headquartered in San Antonio, TX. -cmw Alpha Building Corporation San Antonio, TX

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San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

Industry FOLKS

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Andy Watson Superintendent Vaughn Construction San Antonio, TX

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rowing up in Houston for Andy was your typical ‘80s/’90s suburban setting. He played with his friends after school riding bikes and throwing the football around through his Jr. high school years. Once he started driving in high school, he and friends started attending concerts on the weekends in downtown Houston, high school football games where he was a drummer in his school band, and occasionally headed to Galveston to hang out at the beach. “My family was very involved in my life and we spent a lot of time at a cabin we built near Conroe, TX or at my grandparents’ home out in the woods in Prescott, AR. Those times were the ones that really shaped my life into what it is today.”

Watson graduated from J. Frank Dobie High School and went on to attend one year of college at the University of Houston. After one year, he quickly realized that was not the path for him. “My life experiences have led me to whole heartedly believe that a college degree is not necessary to be successful in life, depending on what you want to do with your life. There are many high demand, well-paying jobs in the trades which do not require a formal college education but are definitely necessary to make the world function.”

He entered the workforce Jun. 1, 1996 splicing fiber optic cable for MCI Communications because at the time, fiber optics was the cutting edge technology and he had an older family friend from church who worked for MCI. “This was the beginning of the in-

ternet and the dot com world which fiber optics and communications was an integral necessity.”

He married his best friend, Melissa, 20 years ago. Together, they have two beautiful daughters, Avery, who is 16 and Jenna, who is 11. “Melissa home schooled them their entire school career which created a bond between these two sisters which is uncommon these days. They are both exceptionally talented dancers, deeply involved in our church, and they love camping on the Frio River with their parents and a close group of family friends.

“A good friend of mine, Will Winters was working for Vaughn Construction and told me about an opening. I spent my first nine years at Vaughn as a quality control manager and have been a superintendent for the past five years. I love that we build buildings that have potential to improve lives, if not outright save them.

Institutional, research and healthcare construction is our niche.

“I have several mentors from my time at Vaughn. Ethan Timmons and Brett Fairman from Vaughn as well as Bob Riley with the University of Texas are the biggest. However, my mom and dad are the ones who gave me the skills and love necessary to make me into the man I am today with a strong work ethic, honesty, and sense of pride which drives me to succeed.”

-cmw

In memoriam…

obert James “R.J.” Cotter passed away Sept. 29. As only R.J. could, he “died with his boots on” while working at the nearest thing to heaven, his deer lease. To paraphrase Dodinsky, “…he looked at the sky and lived.

And when it was time to leave, gracefully he knew life was a gift.”

R.J. was born Aug. 21, 1942, in Lawton, OK. He came to Texas as quickly as he could before the ripe old age of 2. Texas welcomed him with open arms and called San Antonio home ever since.

He attended St. Anthony’s Catholic School and was a proud class of ’60 alumnus of Central Catholic High School. He made many cherished lifelong friendships while at St. Anthony’s and Central Catholic, and in his words, “forged his special relationship with JC.” According to R.J., he had a “fighting reputation” during his youth that was greatly inflated. Even in defeat, he often walked away “without a visible bruise.” He took that fighting spirit and enlisted in the U.S. Army and served at both Fort Leonard Wood and Fort Knox, where he proudly became a Tank Commander. The driving skills he learned as a Tank Commander stayed with him throughout his life. Many a San Antonio driver along I-10 experienced his battleready driving skills.

After enthusiastically taking college English an “impressive” FIVE times, R.J. graduated from Texas A&I University with a B.S. degree in Agricultural Economics and a BBA in Business Administration. During his time at Texas A&I, he became involved in many Ag organizations and participated in college rodeos.

R.J. began his career as a State Dairy Inspector upon graduation before joining Tezel & Cotter Mechanical Contractors. He was a member of and served on many professional boards including the Mechanical Contractors Association, ASHRAE, and the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, where he served as the Management Representative in their apprenticeship program.

He was a founding member of St. Matthew’s Catholic Church where he served in various roles on the parish council, finance committee and building committee. He enjoyed the community he found when he joined St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church. Everyone knew where he sat each Sunday and he looked forward to coffee and tacos after mass.

R.J. was an active member of the Republican Party, serving as a precinct chairman and an impartial Bexar County election judge for many years.

R.J. excelled at story-telling, singing (NOT!), eating BBQ and watching the rodeo. He enjoyed listening to Paul Harvey and Willie Nelson on the radio. Poker games, dominoes and shooting pool were among his favorite pastimes.

He enthusiastically shared his interests with his children. Together,

they enjoyed annual summer camping trips to the Frio River, a Saturday morning taco at Teka Molino, library visits, building fences, quoting John Wayne movies and researching genealogy. Without question, R.J.’s greatest interest was deer hunting which he passionately shared with his children and friends A lifelong bacon connoisseur and world class hot dog authority, R.J. enjoyed a good meal in the company of family and friends. His mornings were most often spent at Jim’s Coffee Shop or Blanco Café for his daily breakfast with the boys. Many a world issue was solved over a cup of coffee and a breakfast taco.

In R.J.’s world, he was a fashion influencer. Some of his signature looks included khaki shorts, white t-shirts and shoes held together with duct tape. Sometimes he would change up his look and branch out, surprising his family with a black t-shirt. Most often, he could be seen in his Wrangler jeans and snazzy Guayabera shirts, along with a variety of cowboy hats and boots. R.J. didn’t save camouflage simply for deer season. No Sir! Camouflage was a year-round staple in his wardrobe.

R.J. married his loving wife, Kay, in 1995. They were deeply devoted to one another and together shared many adventures traveling, enjoying their evenings out with friends and dancing. He loved to read western novels, and Kay happily remembers the night they were able to hear one of his favorite authors, Elmer Kelton, read at the library. Kay broadened his cultural horizons where he reveled in attending art shows, ukulele performances, and University of Texas football games. He was a dedicated sonin-law who drove Kay and her parents to those football games even though his heart was with the Aggies.

R.J. aspired to be a “man you ride the river with.” He was committed to his wife and tremendously proud of his children and grandchildren. He lived his incredible 78 years to the fullest. In the words of Woodrow F. Call, “You are one-of-a-kind, R.J. We are gonna miss you”.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be sent in R.J.’s name to Central Catholic High School, General Scholarship Fund.

-cmw

San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

Page 17

A growing niche

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Rocky Hill Equipment President Wes Clark

ocky Hill Equipment has grown quite a bit since its humble beginnings 35 years ago. Their oil field presence has grown, and their rock saw/ trencher business is spreading out as well.

“We’ve expanded our reach. We sent eight to nine machines out of the state of Texas which is the most we have ever had out of the state,” says Rocky Hill Equipment President Wes Clark. “We have two machines in Wyoming, two in San Diego, CA, one on the Arizona border wall and two or three in New Mexico on various projects. People are finding us which we are very thankful for. God has blessed us in that regard, but it has been a bit of challenge ensuring we are able to service that equipment the way we like to service our equipment. And of course, we still send equipment all over the state of Texas as well.

“We are growing fleet wise and now we are about to grow building wise. We specialize in rock saws and trenchers, but what some people don’t know is we have all the other dirt equipment as well. Everybody knows us as the rock saw/tren-

cher guys which is our vision. That’s the niche we found in the construction equipment rental market, but we also have the excavators, blades, rollers, loaders and those things,” adds Clark.

Additionally, Rocky Hill Equipment is about to break ground on a new, larger facility. Still in the design phase, Clark hopes to break ground at the beginning of 2021.

“Our plans are pretty much finished. We’ve gotten held up about four months because COVID changed some things, but we are hoping to start at the beginning of the year and I think it will probably take a good 10 months to a year to complete the whole thing,” Clark continues.

Clark, who started working with company founder, Rocky Hill, 21 years ago became president two years ago when his father-in-law, Rocky Hill, semiretired and is extremely thankful for all of their customers. “We are still a local guy and try to service our customers the best we can.”

Rocky Hill Equipment is a supplier of heavy dirt equipment in Selma, TX. -cmw

IEC Golf

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1st Place Gross: Circle Electric - Aaron Schinbeckler, Guadalupe Rendon, Ozzie Garcia and Edward Vigil

he Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) hosted their 20th Annual Golf Tournament Oct. 2 at Canyon Springs Golf Course. “What a great time we had on a beautiful course. The weather was amazing, and the course was in excellent shape. We had 136 golfers. Thanks to all who volunteered, supported, played, and sponsored. Thank you to Elliott Electric Supply for continuing to be our Title Sponsor,” says Executive Director Julie Tucker.

20th Annual IEC Golf Tournament winners: 2nd Place Net: Rexel 1 - Jeff Hicks, Sam Lopez, Ralph Hernandez, and Garon Shuler 3rd Place Net: Graybar Electric Supply Justin Dumas, Mark Mason, Bryan Ramirez and Jason Arocha Longest Drive: Glenn Womack Closest to the Pin and Hole-in-One: Edward Vigil -cmw

1st Place Net: Core Electric - Art Salinas, Mark Aguilar, Stephen Shinn and Tony Shinn

Page 18

San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

Association Calendar

Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC

Associated Builders & Contractors Inc.

Nov. 5: Sporting Clay Shoot & BBQ Cookoff, National Shooting Complex, 5931 Roft Rd., Shooter Check-in 12:30pm, Shooting begins 2:30pm, BBQ Teams Set-Up & Cooking Start Nov. 4, 7pm after Cook’s Meeting. For more info, contact Leah Villarreal at leah@abcsouthtexas. org or 210-342-1994 AGC

Associated General Contractors

Nov. 12: Construction Industry Awards Luncheon, San Antonio Airport Hilton, 611 NW Loop 410, 12-1:30pm. For more info, call 210-349-4921 AIA

American Institute of Architects

Nov. 5: SAYA: ARE Trivia Night via Zoom, 5:30-7:30pm Nov. 17: Beaux Arts Ball Celebrates People + Place, San Antonio Botanical Gardens, 555 Funston Pl., 7-10pm.

Nov. 24: Chapter Meeting, 11:50am-1pm.

For more info, call 210-226-4979.

ASA

American Subcontractors Assn.

Nov. 10: Speed Networking, Alamo Café, 14250 San Pedro Ave., 5:30pm Nov. 11: Webinar: 2020 Election Analysis Nov. 17: Webinar: Post-Election Economic Update. For more info, call Jennifer Swinney at 210-349-2105 ASCE

American Society of Civil Engineers

Nov. 4-6: 2020 ASCE Texas Civil Engineering Live Stream Conference, For more info, go to www.asce.org ASSE American Society of Safety Engineers

Nov. 16: Chapter Meeting, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Rd. 11am-1pm. For more info, go to www. southtexas.asse.org

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GSABA

Greater San Antonio Builders Assn.

Nov. 5: President’s Reception, via Zoom.

For more info, contact Feliz Morin at fmorin@sabuilders.com HCAdeSA

Hispanic Contractors Assn. de San Antonio

Nov. 18: Monthly Meeting/Mixer, Location TBD, 5:30-8pm. For more info, call Victoria Rodriguez at 210-444-1100 or email vrodriguez@hcadesa.org MCA-SMACNA INC

Mechanical Contractors Assn. Sheet Metal & A/C Nat’l Assn.

Nov. 11: Regular & Associates Meeting, The Petroleum Club, 8620 N. New Braunfels, 7th Flr., 11:30am. - CANCELLED Nov. 18: Joint Industry Fund Meeting, MCA-SMACNA office, 12500 Network Blvd., #410, 11:30am. For more info, call Sandee Morgan at 210-822-3763 NAWIC

National Assn. of Women in Construction

Nov. 4: General Meeting, 5:30-7:30pm.

For more info, call Heather Osborn at 210216-9676 or email Heather@memcostaffing.com PHCC Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors

Nov. 4: Golf Tournament, Hyatt Hill Country Resort, 9800 Hyatt Resort Dr., 8am Shotgun Start. For more info, call Heidi Trimble at 210-824-7422 or go to www.phcc-sanantonio.org TACCA

Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Assn.

Greater San Antonio

Nov. 16: 31st Annual Golf Tournament, The Club at Sonterra, 901E. Sonterra, Open to everyone – Register online. For more info, call Dawn Thompson at 210901-4222

In memoriam…

obert “Bobby” Edward Garza passed away on Jul. 12, 2020 at the age of 66. Along with his wife Melinda, they co-owned and operated BG Electric, a small home-based electrical contracting company they established in 2005. BG Electric’s success and growth was largely due to sheer word-of-mouth referral, a true tribute to Bobby’s skills and knowledge of the trade, charismatic personality and overall hard work and efforts. He was well known in the field as “Bobby G.”

Fishing and hunting were Bobby’s passions, especially with his brother, friends and family. Bobby was a true die-hard sports fan. His favorite teams were the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Cowboys. More than anything, he wanted both teams to win their sixth ring. He never faltered even during the teams’ losing seasons. His motto was, “Win, Lose or Tie, I’m a Fan ‘til I Die”… and he was. Maybe now he can serve as their spirit guide to those championships. He was also an avid

music lover and a collector of Beatles music and memorabilia. He considered the Beatles the greatest musical group of all time and knew the lyrics to most of their songs.

Bobby is survived by Melinda (Mel), his wife of 40 years, son Nat, daughter Ruby, and two grandchildren. A celebration of life service was recently held on his heavenly birthday, Sept. 19. -cmw

continued from Page 1 — Allen & Allen Co. wholesale markets.

“We are stepping up the intensity of our focus to the contractor community.

Our goal as a building material supplier is to provide a superior, customer-focused experience with solutions that meet the specific needs of each job in the areas of lumber, millwork, windows, doors, architectural hardware and specialty applications.

“After going through a planning process, we realized we have the opportunity to bring on some additional talent to augment the tremendous tenured talent that Allen & Allen Co. has,” says Wheeless. “We brought in Matt Mayberry, Taylor Franks and Brandi Simpson, Office Manager/Human Resources to enhance Allen & Allen Co.’s executive team.”

Matt Mayberry joins Allen & Allen as president and COO. Taylor Franks joins as Director of Sales. Their experience, combined with that of existing employees, is enabling swift progress on many of the company’s plans. Joining Wheeless, Mayberry and Franks at the executive level are 15-year veteran, Mike McGinnis, who has been promoted to Director of Operations/Controller and Christina Martin who is responsible for Marketing/Communications.

Mayberry adds, “We are aggressively pursuing the contractor segment with the intent of showcasing our full range of product offerings and applications. Our big goals related to growth are achievable. We are so much more than just a lumber yard and with our TRTF Community House alignment, we are literally building this community in more than one way.

“We plan to bring in more talent. We are actively hiring business development representatives. We are looking to continue to build and to continue to grow.

Our product mix stays the same, we are going to keep doing what Allen & Allen Co. does best which is the millwork, our specialty hardware, doors and windows, and of course, the lumber.”

“To accomplish our goals, our team is investing in the future – people, technology and products, and looking to add services, tools and conveniences that will

enhance our customers’ experience and make doing business with us easy,” adds Christina Martin, Director of Marketing.

“What enticed me to come over is the history and the opportunities moving forward,” says Franks. “There is so much potential here. If you sit down and talk to any of Allen & Allen Co.’s sales reps, anybody who has been here, all will say they wanted to move forward in a new way, but just weren’t sure how. When you combine the kind of mindset with the culture of taking care of our customers and taking care of one another, things start to come together in a lot of ways.

We have so much experience, some of these people have forgotten more than I know right now. For me it is leveling that and focusing on service day in and day out. I think the rest will come. While we continue to learn and grow, our plan for focusing on service with the talented people we have and the people we are going to bring on is a strong one.”

“Over the past year, we met frequently with the TRTF Community House stakeholders. It has always been clear that TRTF wants us to grow and continue our legacy in San Antonio. That is the beauty of being owned by TRTF Community House, knowing that Allen & Allen Co. is going to be here for many years to come, and that we are committed to giving back to the community. There’s a lot of excitement here, not just among the staff but also with our customers,” says McGinnis.

“TRTF Community House likes the San Antonio construction market and is interested in adding companies to the portfolio from the construction industry. You can learn more about TRTF Community House, by visiting https://www.texasresearchfoundation.cco/who-is-trtf/community-house/,” adds Wheeless.

TRTF Community House was formed as a subsidiary of the Texas Research & Technology Foundation (TRTF) to create a legacy option for family owned businesses at a generational transition. Profit from TRTF Community House entities are used to fund community-wide economic development through the works of TRTF. -cmw

continued from Page 1 — Ranger Concrete Contractors quit. We just kept going. I finally found the right recipe,” says Brandon.

The company continued to grow and so did their services. With each new division, the need for more people was inevitable.

“All the while, we were officing out of our home,” says Monica. “We moved from there and bought a bigger place and built a little office to the side of our house. We had 15 people in a 1,200-sf office. We knew we were growing and growing! We then found a larger piece of property in Bulverde where we built our new facility. We started out just us, she and I, and now we have over 100 employees,” adds Brandon.

“We just moved into our new facility in May so this is the first time we have not been working out of our house,” continues Monica.

Ranger Concrete Contractors which is a woman-owned company, HUB certified is also a family-operated company. After the birth of Brandon and Monica’s first son, Monica’s mother joined the company.

Brandon’s brothers Brian and Blake also joined the company, followed by Monica’s

father who joined the company last year as the company’s safety director.

“I truly believe that without my fatherin-law and mother-in-law, I’m not going to say we wouldn’t be where we are at, but it would have been a HELL of a lot harder.

My mother-in-law has been with us every day for nine years which allowed us to grow this and take care of this company!

“Anybody who sees us, sees us as one big happy family. I love the togetherness of it. We feel like a small business that continues to grow. This has been a partnership. Monica is strong in her own way, and I’m strong in my own way. I believe Monica has been the best business and life partner I could have asked for,” Brandon adds.

“When we get a new hire, I tell them we want lifers. We don’t want people that want a job. We want people who want to retire with us. I think corona kind of helped everybody realize that. You’ve got to do something that you love so you can grow where you are.”

Ranger Concrete Contractors is a full-service concrete contractor in Bulverde, TX. -cmw

San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

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Page 19

Submitted to Construction News

Round-Up

Summit Electric Supply is pleased to announce two new additions to the Summit family.

Cedric Ravet effectively Aug. 24, joined Summit Electric Supply as Vice President of Supply Chain. Ravet will assume responsibility for supply chain including operations, logistics, procurement, inventory management and supplier relations. He will manage the company’s product offering and will manage the company’s inventory flow. -cmw

John Peterson effectively Aug. 14, joined Summit Electric Supply as Vice President of Industrial Sales. Peterson will report to and work closely with Senior Vice President of Sales, Robert Case, in growing the company’s industrial business throughout the Gulf Coast. -cmw

of company, to have the freedoms that we have to raise our families and worship and do as we want. I’m thankful for the health of my family and aging parents. I’m thankful for being in Texas and being allowed to continue to work when a lot of the country was shut down and being able to do what we do with folks that are willing to adapt.

James Anderson, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors Everything! I’m thankful for God’s blessings internally and all the people around me. There is a lot to be thankful for with where we are at and the time that we are

allowed to spend with our boys and family. There are stresses and heartaches, but they are ours. We live a pretty free life and not many people can say that.

Monica and Brandon Salinas, Ranger Concrete Contractors I am thankful for waking up every day and being blessed to be a part of MBM Contractor. Being a part of this company is truly a blessing because I am able to do a lot more for my family.

Daniella Vasquez, MBM Contractor

Paying tribute

Pfluger Architects Inc. is pleased to announce: Lindsey Milligan, RID, IIDA, a senior interior designer, has been promoted to associate. Milligan received a Bachelor’s in Interior Design and a minor in Art History from The University of Texas at Austin. She went on to get a Master’s in Architecture at The University of Texas at San Antonio. In her 14-years with Pfluger, Milligan has developed an understanding of color relationships that make her designs timeless and inspirational. -cmw Frank Amaro Jr., AIA, a construction administrator has been promoted to associate.

Amaro’s teamwork and communication skills are evident in every project. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Architecture and brings 38 years of experience to Pfluger. He has served many Bexar County-area clients, including North East ISD, Northside ISD and Comal ISD. -cmw

Joan Silva, office manager, has been promoted to associate. She has been with the firm for 20 years. Her support of their San Antonio team and extended corporate responsibilities make her an invaluable team member. Silva’s project knowledge is encyclopedic, and her organizational skills make that knowledge readily accessible. -cmw ABC Supply Co. Inc. is pleased to announce the promotion of Brent Norton as Branch Manager of its San Antonio location.

Norton, a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in industrial distribution, Norton began his career with ABC Supply 2010 when the company acquired Bradco Supply. He will apply his experience to lead his team and provide excellent customer service to professional contractors in the area. -cmw

What are you thankful for and why?

I am thankful for my faith. At the end of the day, all there is in life is faith in God. Chris Trevino, Better Bilt LLC I’m grateful for my family, particularly my son. He is always there.

Jon Randolph, Baker Triangle I’m grateful for my family and the ability to spend time with them especially throughout COVID. My family is everything and I am so grateful for them.

Tony Ridout, Ridout Barrett I’m thankful for my family. I’m a fairly new dad I guess you could say. I have three kids under 5 years of age. I just didn’t know I could love someone like that.

Will Calame, The Levy Company I’m thankful for God, my family and my health. If you think of all the suffering that is going on in the world…I have a comfortable place to live. I have a job. My family is healthy. Those simple things are way, way more than I could ever ask for.

David Hooge, AIRCO Mechanical San Antonio Service I am thankful for family, health and very good employees.

Wes Clark, Rocky Hill Equipment I am extremely thankful for Allen & Allen bringing me on to be a part of their family. What that has done is it has enabled me to be with my family. During my past five years, I was home Friday night, Satur-

day night and Sunday night only and I have two little kids. This has enabled me to see my wife and kids every single day.

Matt Mayberry, Allen & Allen Company I have so much to be thankful for. Number one, I’m thankful to live in the country that we live in. Thankful that we have the opportunity to own a company and be a part

M

Presentation of the colors

embers and guests of the Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) South Texas Chapter were excited to get out and enjoy a beautiful day, hit a few balls and enjoy some good ol’ camaraderie after being confined for months.

On Sept. 11, ABC held their annual fall golf classic at the La Cantera Resort Course with an 8 am shotgun start. This was the first major event for ABC since March when the COVID pandemic began shutting down the nation.

Since the event was held on the 19th Anniversary of 9/11, the morning began with a beautiful presentation of the colors by the 737th Training Group at Lackland Air Force Base and the playing of our country’s national anthem. Ironically, 19 years ago, ABC was hosting a golf tournament on that faithful day. We as a nation will never forget what we were doing and those that lost so much. What a beautiful way to honor the Victims of 9/11! -cmw ABC fall golf classic gross score winners: 1st Place Team: Terracon Consultants Inc. 2nd Place Team: Catto & Catto Ladies Longest Drive Hole #5: Andrea

Waltisperger, Americrane Rentals Ladies Closest-to-the-Pin Hole #6: Melodye Tomsu, SpawGlass Contractors Ladies Closest-to-the-Pin Hole #13: Kathy Bower, The Blue Book Network Men’s Longest Drive Hole #10: Eric Honsberger, Central Builders Inc. Men’s Closest-to-the-Pin Hole #3: Tristan Hernandez, Metropolitan Contracting Co. LLC Men’s Closest-to-the-Pin Hole #17: Bob Kilgore, Gardner Law Firm

Golfers stand and face our country’s flag as the Star-Spangled Banner, our national anthem, is played.

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San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

Gone fishin’

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embers and guests of the Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association’s (TACCA) were more than happy to get in their boats for TACCA’s 27th Annual Fishing Tournament.

The fun-filled, energized event was held Sept. 18-19 at Doc’s Seafood & Steaks in Corpus Christi, TX. -cmw 1st Heavy Redfish: ➤ Reel HVAC Pros, Insco Distributing

1st Heavy Stringer: Aggie Anglers, Beyer Mechanical

Spot Pot: Anchor Daddies, Comfort-Air

Trout Pot: Urban Legend, Texas Air Systems

1st Heavy Trout: Hook Me All Night Long, Johnson Controls

Construction News ON LOCATION

Hello San Antonio

The San Antonio team at ABC Supply Co. Inc. take a moment for Construction News to say, “Hello San Antonio.” Back Row L-R: Rene Carvajal, Alyssa Gould, Ignacio Baer, Jermiah Jarboe, Marichen Spivey and Branch Manager Brent Norton. Front Row L-R: Eleana Chavarria-Nolasco, Kelly Cardenas and Lauren Breckon. -cmw

Acknowledging 40

Craig Noto, CEO of Quality Fence & Welding was presented with a plaque from Associated General Contractors (AGC) for their 40 years of business. -cmw

San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

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Page 21

The birds are flying

h, the great outdoors. There is nothing better than being outside, enjoying a beautiful day.

The Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors (PHCC) hosted two dove hunting opportunities on Sept. 3. Approximately 75 shooters participated in the hunt. “It was a great opportunity for everyone to

take a break to enjoy the outdoors with an event where social distancing could still be in place,” says PHCC Executive Director Heidi Trimble.

Grundfos, PMI Sales & Marketing, Benchmark Plumbing, Dillard Associates, Hughes Supply and Viega made this fun filled event possible. -cmw

Grundfos represented by PMI Sales Representatives George Phillips and Jeff Hall

Heat & Treat – Frank Garza, Kelly Wilson, Harmony Kreutziger

Moving on up

Walter Suarez, owner of A & A Plumbing

Eager to start the hunt with PMI Sales, Benchmark Plumbing, and Beyer Plumbing representatives

L-R: Founder Tony Ridout, Managing Shareholder Melanie Geist and Partner Michael Moore

T

hese past 34 years have been a wild ride for the folks at Ridout Barrett.

The company grew from a one-man show in 1986 when founder Tony Ridout, after working in public accounting, decided to strike out on his own, to a staff of 15 by 2006. Ten short years later, the firm grew to a staff of 50.

In 2013, the Ridout family moved into their own facility with 14,000 sf. Lots of room to grow, or so they thought. By 2016, they discovered their home of just three years was no longer big enough and moved into their current home at 922 Isom Road, Ste. 100 with 23,000 sf.

Then in 2017, Ridout Barrett grew again. This time with a second location in Austin. Ridout was then quoted as saying, “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that my firm would grow to be this big.” But the growing didn’t stop

there and in Jan. 2020, Ridout Barrett acquired the talented team from the firm of Stegemueller, Jett & Co. Today, the company is excited to have been named in the top 50 Construction CPA firms in the US and in the top 10 firms with the concentration of business in the construction industry.

“We’re just a small local CPA firm, but when we put the information in, it turns out we are No. 6 in the country for concentration in construction as 60 percent of our revenue, is from the construction industry.

No. 6, really? I guess we are that specialized.

I knew we were, but I just didn’t know just how specialized we were compared to the rest of the CPA firms in the US. We are ranked No. 42 in the country as for the different things they judged us on. We are very excited, proud and just wanted to let people know,” says Ridout. -cmw

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San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020

Thank you for your service Veterans Day is Nov. 11. Don’t forget to thank your fellow colleagues for their service to our country and our freedom. We, as a nation, are nothing without you. Thank you! -cmw

Holt CAT L-R: Aaron Horton, Nate Hernandez, Juan Tapia, Drew Wicks, Jonathan Ramos and Daniel Cordova.

JP Oates, U.S. Navy 1991-1997, Young Bros.

Fire Protection

Dale Garcia, Estimator Campbell Painting Inc.

Rick Arias, U.S. Army, Americane Rentals

Joel Sanchez, Owner GJ Sanchez Painting

Joeris General Contractors Top – Bottom L-R: Pat Cleveland, U.S. Army; Kimberly Maldonado, U.S. Marine Corps; Felipe Castillo, U.S. Army; Mike Griffith, U.S. Air Force; Troy Palowski, U.S. Marine Corps; Robert Klinksiek; Hubert McBride, U.S. Navy and John Luis.

Joeris General Contractors L-R: Danny Brown, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps; Billy Nelson, U.S. Air Force; Robert Pena, U.S. Marine Corps; Lindy Mechler, U.S. Air Force and Eric Woodring, U.S. Air Force.

Quality Fence & Welding: Top L-R: Brandon Coble, Gary Walker, TJ Howard and Gary Guerra. Bottom L-R: Schain Hoover, Garrett Ellisor, Arthur Garcia and Larry Culwell.

Joeris General Contractors Top – Bottom L-R: Tim Guillaume, U.S. Army; James Booth; Aubrey Harrell; Milton Mueller, Carpenter 4, U.S. Marine Corps; John Keenan; Nick Bueke, U.S. Navy; Dave Choate, U.S. Army and Richard Walker.

Bartlett Cocke General Contractors Top L-R: Raul Hinojosa, U.S. Army, Safety Manager; John Smoot, U.S. Airforce, Safety Manager; Jeremy Smart, U.S. Army, South Texas Regional Safety Director; Matt Bragg, U.S. Army, Project Manager; George Castillo, U.S. Marine Corps, Superintendent; Chris Johnson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sr. Estimator; Ronnie Roane, U.S. Marine Corps, Safety Manager; Richard Poulis, U.S. Marine Corps, Safety Manager; Jimmy Church, U.S. Marine Corps, Regional Safety Director; Benjamin Osbourne, U.S. Army, Asst. Project Manager; Ricky Roberts, U.S. Marine Corps, Carpenter; Middle L-R: Korye Aphayboun, U.S. Marine Corps, Laborer; Rebecca Griego, U.S. Navy, VDC Manager; Victor Carrillo, U.S. Army, Carpenter; Shawn Parker, U.S. Navy, Superintendent; Jason Atherton, U.S. Marine Corps, Industrial Division Manager; Brandon Parenti, U.S. Army, Superintendent and Bottom Left L-R: Rafael Dominguez, U.S. Airforce, Safety Manager; Geno Hogan, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sr. Project Manager and Aarron Lacey, U.S. Airforce, Sr. Estimator

L-R: Chris Kempton, U.S. Army; Juan Martinez, U.S. Marine Corp. and Todd Thomas, U.S. Army – MK Marlow Acoustics & Drywall

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Holt Truck Center L-R: Rudy Hernandez, John Morris and Raymond Delgado.

L-R: Matt Eadie, Robert Mayfield, John Dunn and Steven Mannel, The Koehler Company

Mark Canamar, Master Sergeant Retired, Air Force 27 years, Big City Access

Gustavo Flores, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, JR RAMON Demolition, Senior Estimator

Darren Harris, U.S. Army Persian Gulf War to Operation Desert Shield/Storm - Accu-Aire Mechanical LLC

Front Row L-R: Crystal De Valle, U.S. Army; Melanie Alcoser, U.S. Army; Back Row L-R: Beau Foy, U.S. Air Force; Paul Hougdahl, U.S Army and Rusty Thompson, U.S. Army – DEA Specialties Co.

Ryland “Reb” E. Brem, U.S. Marine Corps, Keller-Martin Construction

Holt CAT Truck Center – Randy Stegall, U.S. Army

Clowning around

Russell “Rusty” Runty, A.J. Monier shared this photo of the A.J. Monier team at the Alzafar Shriner golf tournament at SilverHorn Golf Club on Oct. 8.

L-R: Hayward Decker, Kyle Pennington , Rusty the Shriner clown, Brandon Mangold and Steve Dalaba. A great time was had by all. -cmw

Central Electric – Top L-R: Ezekiel Gutierrez and Rene Jones.

Bottom L-R: Ernie Mora, Joe Diaz, Central Electric founder Fred Martinez, RJ Jones and Stewart Bun.

Holt CAT – John Leslie, U.S. Army National Guard

Holt CAT – George Spivey

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San Antonio Construction News • NOV 2020