Austin Construction News April 2021

Covering the Industry’s News

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Poised to take the Hull

Ready for more

L-R: Hull Supply Co. Inc.’s VP of Sales and General Manager Jeff Johnson, President Dan Snyder, CEO Rick Hull and VP of Operations Chad Thiel

Rudick Construction Group Inc. founder Clay Rudick, Jose Perez PE, and Vice President of Business Development Lee Sawyer are ready to repeat RCG’s Dallas success in Austin.

s a college student in the summer of 1981, Rick Hull took a took a twoweek stint sweeping the warehouse for door frame supplier Shurr Supply Company. The owner noticed Hull’s hard work, and promoted him to grinding, then welding and finally service department leader.

Hull bought Shurr Supply and began its operations as Rick Hill Supply on Jan. 1, 1985. With four staff, it was rechristened Hull Supply Co. Inc. one year later. Hull Supply has since grown many times over, adding fabrication shops onsite and securing of distributor agreements with global manufacturers. Today, Hull Supply offers commercial doors, frames, hardware, access controls, and restroom partitions and accessories, architectural services and keying services. The company has completed over

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elipe Carstens had a vision to become an industry leader in the polish concrete and resinous floor industry at all levels of work including city, state and Lord willing, nationwide. In 2009, he began his journey to making his vision a reality and established Modern Day Concrete.

Through years of hard work, Carstens has been able to establish one of the largest operations outfits in the state and has recently done industrial projects in Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico and the country of Chile. The operation team lead by Albert Goss and Mark Pardo, along with the sales team led William Gutierrez, main objective is to grow and establish an office in every major city, state wide.

“Our sales goal is to have controlled, and strategic selling, at the same time recognize market pricing and become

10,000 projects and has more than 115 team members.

Two members who joined the leadership team are Vice President of Sales/ General Manager Jeff Johnson and Vice President of Operations Chad Thiel.

Johnson began his professional career at 84 Lumber, ascending to Store Manager before transitioning into door-focused specialty supplies as a Regional Manager for a millwork company. Johnson then moved into executive management in commercial door frames and hardware approximately 20 years ago, where he served as an executive with full profit and loss responsibility for several companies and divisions. For 25 years, Thiel has served in increasing roles of leadership, from the continued on Page 12

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our years after establishing fullservice general contracting firm Rudick Construction Group Inc. in Dallas, Clay Rudick has opened an Austin location to serve Central Texas.

The Austin office opened last month and is located at 1205 Sheldon Cove Ste. 2-L. Rudick says he and his team are ready to serve the Austin area’s booming construction needs in the same way his team has served North Texas.

“Passion for people was the leading factor in our expansion into Austin,” Rudick explains. “Furthering our existing relationships and expanding our ability to serve the communities we work for fuels our fire to grow and provide a service-centered approach the Central Texas market has not experienced.”

Specializing in design build and design assist, RCG works hand-in-hand with the development team to provide solutions geared towards clients’ needs.

RCG’s wide range of expertise includes ground up industrial warehouse, advanced manufacturing, commercial, retail, and institutional work as well as TI and smaller projects through its special projects division run by RCG. Also provided by Rudick Group is Rudick Innovation & Technology, a managed service provider that provides turnkey solutions including hardware, software, cyber security, low voltage installation and what the company says is the industry’s fastest local help desk support. Three full-time employees staff the Austin office, which has a continued on Page 12

Decorative expansion

Modern Day Concrete Austin sales staff L-R: Sales Executive Tanner Schaper, Chris Carstens, Asst. Director of Sales John Petry and Sales Executive Jessica Villegas.

more efficient through No.1 Attitude, No. 2 Product Knowledge and No. 3 Time Management,” says Gutierrez.

In 2019, Modern Day Concrete expanded and established a branch in Austin. “It has been a dream of Modern Day Concrete to be a part of Austin’s growing market,” adds Gutierrez. “We bring the same culture to Austin that made us successful in San Antonio and we bring value to every job we install through our attitude of our core values.”

Cris Carstens, president of the Austin branch, heads up the new location. He oversees three sales reps and 12 operation positions which include one sales director, two sales executives, a project manager, a foreman and several crew members.

Modern Day Concrete provides polished concrete, epoxy flooring such as decorative epoxy flake, decorative epoxy continued on Page 12

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Austin Construction News • APR 2021

Taking the next step

Up on the roof

L-R: Rick Burnight and Amy Jones

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ick Burnight began his career in architecture in 1977 as an architectural intern at a large national firm in South Dakota. Less than five years later he was named office director and tasked with establishing a new regional A/E office in Wyoming for the firm. In 1986 he relocated to Austin as part of the corporate transition team when the firm acquired O’Connell Robertson Grobe Inc. Just two years later, the national group decided to leave Texas and Burnight chose to stay and became one of four principals who reacquired O’Connell Robertson Grobe Inc., known today as O’Connell Robertson.

Five years ago, Burnight provided a vision, strategy, and coaching for an executive leadership transition designed to support future growth, innovation and enhanced expertise at the firm, which celebrated 70 years in continuous business in 2020.

The initial steps in the transition included distribution of leadership responsibilities with Amy Jones as President, the first woman to serve in that role in the

firm’s 70-year history, and Kim Cochran as Chief Operating Officer in 2016, while Burnight remained CEO. The next step occurred in 2018 when Burnight resigned his CEO role but continued to work full time at the firm as a principal, key client liaison and senior advisor to the leadership team.

As Burnight transitions from his fulltime position at O’Connell Robertson to a principal-level consulting role, he will continue to work in 2021 on several key projects with existing clients and in other special areas. These include high profile and long-time healthcare and education projects, service on a national AIA committee, participation in identified pursuits and community engagement opportunities.

As President/CEO, Jones will lead corporate strategy and vision, guide talent and people issues, and manage operational activities with the O’Connell Robertson’s senior leadership team.

O’Connell Robertson is a full-service architecture firm in Houston, Austin and San Antonio. -cmw

1st Capital Certified Roofing’s Tami Lee isn’t a roofer, but she’s up there with the best of them.

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oofers aren’t the only ones in con- of the rung,” she advises. “Take your time, struction working at great heights. breathe and trust yourself. I think a little fear Tami Lee, Business Development is healthy. I still tremble a bit climbing down Coordinator at 1st Capital Certified Roof- from a particularly high roof, but that makes ing, steps out on shingles at least once a me slow down and be more careful.” week to relay information and answer ques- Lee’s most memorable climb was a tions about projects, mostly for Insurance roof replacement in Steiner Ranch, where the picturesque view of the water left her and Real Estate Agents.

Lee confides that she’s too terrified to breathless. go sky diving or bungee jumping but, “It makes me feel like a kid again.

Except, instead of getting into trouble, interestingly, roofs don’t scare her.

“When I was younger, my sister and I I’m helping people and making a living. used to prop my mom’s exercise tram- I’m learning so much from training with poline against the house and jump off the our Project Managers, and the hands-on roof onto it,” Lee remembers. “I can’t even experience gives me confidence in count how many times I got in trouble for working with my customers.”

1st Capital Certified Roofing is headclimbing up there!”

Lee’s first roof-scaling experience as quartered in Austin. –mjm an adult happened shortly after company owner Ben Sutterfield hired her. Lee had little roofing experience, but Sutterfield was happy to teach her the roof climbing ropes.

“I remember being really excited … and maybe a little nervous,” she says. “It was a single-story shingle roof, and the pitch wasn’t too intimidating. Definitely a good ‘starter’ roof for me. I couldn’t wait to do it again!”

Lee continued to shadow each Project Manager, observe their work and learn how to sell the company’s services. She now scales roofs like a pro, and kindly offers tips to non-roofers who may find themselves on a roof.

“At the top of the ladder, whether you’re getting on or off, always maintain three points of L-R: Tami Lee, with Project Manager contact and step in the middle Josh McDaniel, on her first roof

Austin Construction News • Apr 2021

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Austin Construction News • APR 2021

After high school graduation, what path did your involvement in the industry take?

I continued working in the industry. I was a maintenance tech for some different management companies and apartment complexes. With the knowledge I had gathered, I then went to work for my father as a project manager. I worked alongside his senior project manager until I was running jobs by myself.

Peter Kuehn

Owner Bulldog Construction Austin, TX

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e’s the third “Peter” – and third generation – in his family to work in construction. This Peter Kuehn, however, is doing it his way. From the name of his general contracting company, Bulldog Construction, to the types of projects he tackles, Kuehn has taken all the knowledge he has gained and forged his own path, accompanied by two VIBs (“Very Important Bulldogs”) every step of the way.

Where were you born and raised, and how were you introduced to construction?

I was born in Los Angeles, CA, but I was only there momentarily. My father was a general contractor – same as his father – who started out in California with Kuehn Construction, He continued in Idaho and worked for about one year for a company in Houston before moving to Austin and opening Construction Management Consultants (CMC).

I was on job sites since I was a child. I didn’t have a choice in that, it was his idea! I started actually taking an interest in construction when I was 16, and I worked with him in and out of high school. He started me below the bottom, but I was much younger, so the hard labor was actually enjoyable. I enjoyed being able to take things that were dilapidated or in need of being fixed, making them right and seeing them totally transformed.

What is it like to work with family?

There are always blurred lines. But the cool thing about working with family is that even if you’re fighting every single day, you’re together every single day.

When did you decide to work outside of the family business?

When my father decided to retire, he asked me if I wanted to take over his company. At the time, I had started a civil engineering security company, BSP, with my friend and was pursuing that, so I declined taking over CMC. I worked with BSP three or four years and then it started getting overseas contracts in Portugal, Spain and other places. But my bulldogs needed to be closer to home. I’ve had Jellybean, who is 8 years old, and Klaus, who is 5 years old, their whole lives. They are worthless dogs, but they are the best companions you could ask for. I didn’t want to travel and leave them, and I didn’t want to travel with them. It’s hard to travel in the States with them; it’s just not feasible to travel internationally with them, especially for work.

Was a return to construction something you immediately considered, or did you consider other options?

I immediately wanted to go to private construction and back to what I grew up doing and being around – but be the boss this time. BSP is all government contract jobs. There is a lot more person-to-person communication in the private sector. That was highly appealing, and I established my general contracting company, Bulldog Construction, in 2018.

How did you come up with the name for your company? I have a pretty good guess ready.

At first, I thought to go the route my father and his father had gone, which was more personal to themselves. When I was thinking about it, I was staring at my dogs and … “Bulldog Construction” … that was it.

Kuehn’s bulldogs Klaus and Jellybean inspired his company’s name and enjoy car rides and visits to his job sites.

Did you decide to create the kind of general contracting company your father had, or try something different?

All of the services that my father offered through his company CMC were primarily exterior rehabs – roofs, siding, everything outside – but I wanted to do and take on things that he had always turned down. For some reason, he didn’t want to get into electric, plumbing and interior rehabs, whereas that is what I have

Bulldog Construction owner Peter Kuehn (left, holding Jellybean, with his girlfriend, right, holding Klaus)

done. I’ve done entire room additions, adding on hundreds of square feet.

My work has spread all the way from down in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Austin and the surrounding areas of Buda, San Marcos and Georgetown. I’ve also done some work in Idaho, where my father is retired and lives at.

You’ve worked with your dad and worked with a partner. What has it been like for you running your own company?

You get rid of a lot of stress you have and just take on different stress. It’s the same but different. I enjoy the freedom it allows me to be able to get work done on my schedule so that I can budget time for my family.

What did your dad teach you about running a construction company that has stuck with you?

He taught me his strategies in business, which a lot have conveyed into my practices.

But it’s the same as taking on different scopes of work he stayed away from; I have some different practices, but a lot has conveyed. For instance, he says, “You don’t get what you expect. You get what you inspect.” That is something that has conveyed for my business.

How have Jellybean and Klaus taken to your business venture?

If I allow them to be around me, they bark while I’m on the phone at the absolute worst time! Otherwise, they stay quiet and wait for me to load them up into the truck to go to jobsites and walk the properties for scopes to provide proposals. They’re kind of my shadow. On job sites, they try and run off to see everyone. It’s hard for them to go past a person without wanting to go say hi to them, and it’s usually reciprocated, so I have to go say hi to every single human being in the vicinity when I’m on a job site.

How has this past year been for your business, which is still considered pretty new at three years old?

Austin

Business-wise, it’s been great. Work has been harder to complete with obstacles such as lines, lack of materials, and the astronomical jump in prices of materials, which can make you have to revise prices on jobs. We’re getting to the point where you have a 30-day window to approve a bid before it needs to be revisited to doublecheck the price, and a lot of other contractors are talking about the same thing.

What would your dream project be?

My dream job would be to build the largest cabin in the mountains of Idaho.

There are some people who are what we call “hyper-wealthy” who own cabins up there, and the builds up there are just staggering. Everything is custom.

What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t working?

I like to snowboard, jet ski and go out on walks with the dogs or go out to eat with the dogs at restaurants with patios. We stopped doing that because restaurants have been closed for so long, but I’m not even sure what it would look like on a patio with dogs nowadays. Our favorite place to eat is at The Park at the Domain.

What are your goals for the future?

I want to and am currently working on getting into apartment complex/multifamily projects. That is what my father did. I have stayed so busy outside of that, but I do want to look at getting my foot in the door this year with management companies for apartment complexes.

I just want to keep growing and expanding. I’ve roughly doubled, 50% to 60% growth each year, and I’m expecting that to continue as of right now and just see where it goes and decide which way to steer that ship as it comes. I just take everything as it comes.

General contractor Bulldog Construction is in Austin. –mjm

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Austin Construction News • Apr 2021

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Industry FOLKS Mike Ryan

Service Manager

United Rentals Austin, TX

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ike Ryan’s memory of Austin, growing up, was a small town with bad traffic only on I-35. It wasn’t uncommon to go to the lake a see a few other boats and 6th Street was the place to be.

Ryan attended Westlake High School before becoming a Bobcat at Texas State University in San Marcos. Seeking a field of study that would give him the most options, he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from TXST. “College life was fun with lots of activities like floating the river or watching the swimming pig at Aquarena Springs.”

On a deep sea fishing trip, arranged by a friend: Ryan met his wife Jenna on a blind date. “Neither one of us knew it was a setup.” It worked, they have been married for 22-plus years.

Together, he and his wife have three children: Alex, 27, Corey, 21, and Davey, 19. Alex has three kids: 8-year-old Addy May: 4-year-old Mac; and 2-year-old Izzy. She is married to a professional rodeo cowboy and spends her time riding horses.

Corey and Davey are both in college at Tarleton State, spending their time doing homework and hanging out at the family ranch. He has a retired bird dog, a rescued mix mutt and his wife has a lap dog that loves to bark.

Ryan joined the construction

industry through his brother. He owned a small equipment rental company and asked Ryan to come to work for him and open two more locations. “I grew up in the family-owned car rental business so it was an easy jump.”

Ryan is the Service Manager for United Rentals Big Dirt Store in Austin. “As service manager, I like that the rental business is constantly changing and machines are growing more advanced. I like the challenge of learning new machines and the fast pace we work.”

Ryan’s dad is his biggest life influence. “He came from nothing and built an empire with hard work and determination. He was a very positive person and pushed us to achieve our goals at a young age. He was my sounding board and advisor.”

To relax and have a little fun, Ryan spends a lot of time at the family ranch in Taylor, TX where he enjoys fishing and hunting hogs. When not at the family farm, he goes to the local rodeos to watch his son-in-law participate in. Equally, he spends as much time as he can playing with Addy May, Mac and Lizzy. -cmw

BBQ for a bar set high

EquipmentShare employees in Austin enjoyed some Dickey’s BBQ in celebration of Employee Appreciation Day. They also celebrated their branch hitting record units on rent number for the Austin market! –mjm

Virtual legislative address

With the 87th Texas Legislative Session underway, our Texas Capitol will most likely not have the foot traffic of concerned Texans as it has seen during past sessions.

American Subcontractors Association (ASA) North Texas members meet with Texas Representative Jeff Leach during the Texas Construction Association (TCA) Walk on the Capitol via Zoom to discuss issues of concern. -cmw

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Austin Construction News • APR 2021

The Resource Guide Service Providers

Suppliers

Truck & Equip Dealers

Subcontractors

For Info, Contact:

Buddy Doebbler Buddy@ConstructionNews.net 210-308-5800

Austin Construction News • Apr 2021

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WIC Week 2021

T

he National Association of Women (NAWIC) celebrated WIC Week across the nation Mar. 7-13. The Austin NAWIC Chapter had a very successful WIC Week with great turnouts at all of their events.

Kicking off the week on Monday, NAWIC Austin hosted a networking happy hour at Finley’s in Round Rock sponsored by Opifex

Enterprises. On Tuesday, they had a virtual collaboration event with AGC, ABC, WiA & CAWIC with Kristin Arnold talking about how to be a better leader within your teams and create the best team possible. Wednesday, NAWIC Austin had a members only event at Urban Axes where they released some stress while throwing axes. Thursday

was a busy day for the women of the Austin NAWIC Chapter. They started at the Central Texas Food Bank where they boxed 473 boxes and help feed 5,912 people in the community. From there, they headed to their South Austin Networking happy hour sponsored

by Austin AGC at Moontower Saloon for another great turnout.

Finley networking happy hour

Moontower happy hour

NAWIC members at the Central Texas Food Bank

Urban Axes group Stress release time

At first sight

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Austin Roofing and Construction became certified to install Tesla Solar Roofs so that customers too might fall in love.

he will not be ignored, Tesla! When Austin Roofing and Construction’s marketing SEO Christine Bowen first saw Tesla’s video highlighting its new solar roof, she was instantly smitten. She envisioned a future between her company and what Tesla described as the “buildingintegrated photovoltaic (BIPV) product that takes the functionality of solar panels and integrates it into roof shingles.”

Bowen jokes that she stalked Tesla for three years trying to obtain certification for her company to install Tesla’s solar roofs.

Well, she’s kinda joking about the stalking.

Actually …

“It’s really true,” Bowen says with a laugh. “After the International Roofing Expo in 2018, I was looking for them! I didn’t see them at the International Roofing Expo, so I started calling them and asking, ‘How am I going to find you? How do I get registered?’

They would tell me, ‘Ma’am, we don’t have a department for that yet,’ and I’d say, ‘I’m not going to stop following you!’

Bowen isn’t sure if Tesla recognized her when they crossed paths at the following

Closing out their week of networking and bonding activities, the women gathered for an industry council event on Friday afternoon at the Fannie Davis Town Lake Gazebo where they discussed the different roles their members hold in construction.

-cmw

year’s expo, but she made sure they knew how to reach her before she left the event.

Because Tesla meets demand as needed rather than assigns territories, granting certification to roofing companies is a highly selective process. When Bowen learned that Austin Roofing and Construction was selected, she swooned.

“We kind of feel like a giddy girl that got asked out by the prom king – ‘Oh! I can’t believe he picked me!’” she says. “We’re not the biggest, but we do have a metal shop and an extensive community program. I’m not sure what made them choose us, but I’m so glad they did.”

With Austin moving toward zero percent waste as a city by 2050 and the recent snowstorm, Bowen says the certification came at the perfect time, and she is ready to share the Tesla solar roof love with her customers.

“At this point, we’ve done all of our training and mock-ups and are authorized and ready to sell,” she says.

Austin Roofing and Construction offers commercial and metal roofing. –mjm

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Austin Construction News • APR 2021

Here are a few pictures of the last couple of days on the water. Limits of black drum are a regular with several reds to fill the cooler. Contact Steve Schultz Outdoors to book your nex outing on the water.

species and giving trout a break until we see what the real damage is.

For the past several weeks, we have been battling the last of the cold fronts of spring. High winds and rough bays have made it challenging getting out on the water. The days that we do go have been very productive with limits of drum and some redfish to complete the box. I look for the same action for the month of April. Maybe we will get an influx of trout when the Spring equinox tides roll in.

This will be a tell-tell sign of what the trout fishing will be like for the year.

My 2021 fishing calendar is starting to fill up, so don’t hesitate in booking your next fishing outing. To schedule your next bay fishing trip or hunting trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-8133716 or e-mail me at SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail.com. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @Steve_Schultz_ Outdoors.

Good Luck and Good Fishing.

Coastal Bend Fish Freeze Report

by Capt. Steve Schultz Sponsored by: Waypoint Marine/Waypoint Customs, Shoalwater Boats, Mercury Marine, 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.

W

OW!!

A lot has changed since my last article. By now, everyone has semi-recovered from the devesting blast of cold Mother Nature through at us last month. It is very evident by the bronze and brown colored trees and shrubs, and also the many pictures of dead fish along the shorelines that the Coastal Bend was hit very hard.

For many years I have heard of anglers talk about the freezes in ’83 and ’89.

Although I was a fisherman during those years, it was not my profession and means of income. I can’t tell you how troubled and worried I was during the week of freezing temperatures. Worried that what I heard from those “Ol Salts” about what happened in ’83 and ’89 was happening again, and I couldn’t do anything but wait and hope for the best. Thank God we never lost power at our house, so I spent countless hours watching the NOAA buoy website which gives your hourly readings on tide, wind and water temps along select spots in our bay system. I watch these temperatures slowly creep lower and lower with no rise during the daytime hours, and I knew we would have some sort of fish kill. Rumors quickly started to spread and early signs revealed that the damage wasn’t so bad. I, on the other hand, had other suspicions. The first chance I got, after the weather started warming up, I was in my boat headed

south to assess the damage for myself.

When the water gets cold, fish go deep.

These fish died in deeper water and it wasn’t until the water started warming up, that they begun to surface. The devastation was so sickening, I couldn’t wait to get off the water.

Now that it has been several weeks and most of the fish carcasses are gone, it’s not so depressing being on the water.

Texas Parks and Wildlife is assessing the damage and I’m sure we will see some sort of regulation changes in the near future. For now, myself and many of the

guides are doing our part and releasing what trout we do catch so that the recovery of our fishery is speedy. Redfish, Flounder and Black Drum were not hit as hard as the Speckled Trout were, so we are focusing our efforts towards those

Austin Construction News • Apr 2021

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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

Spring Break Wrap-Up!

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e just finished a Spring Break week that was better than we have had in several years here on Lake Buchanan. Most years Spring Break seems like more a human event than a fishing event. People are happy to celebrate milder weather and a chance to get outside with the kids. The fish usually don’t seem to care about that because they run on a feeding and spawning agenda. A lot of years the two events just don’t coincide to make up a strong fishing week, and we won’t even talk about the wild weather we can get that time of the year.

This year was a really good one though. The stripers and hybrids seemed to have gotten the memo to show up!

Last year, the looming pandemic had everyone concerned about travel and isolation, so we didn’t see as many anglers. By

April last year, everything was closed down, even the lake. April is one of the best fishing months of the year. A lot of fish that would have been swimming in someone’s frying pan just didn’t get caught. They stayed in the lake for another year and grew some more! This year we are getting to catch more and bigger fish! It was good to see our kids getting back on the water too. This is the kind of year we will get to see the kind of fast catching that kids love!

The weather has been weird and wild so far, but that is normal for this time of year.

Even with all the wind and that terrible bout of freezing, somehow, we are seeing a nice strong crappie bite this year. Some years just when it warms enough to lure the crappie into shallow water, we will get a cold snap or a bit of flooding to disrupt their

Spring Break Kickoff

H

What’s not to bike?

ealthy habits have taken a hit for some due to the pandemic, but Tami Lee, Business Development Coordinator at 1st Capital Certified Roofing in Austin, found a fun work-around.

“Prior to the pandemic, my boyfriend and I were in the gym five days a week. This past year, our physical activity has drastically declined, and we were looking for a way to be active while maintaining distance. Bikes seemed the perfect solution,” Lee says.

“Much like climbing on roofs, I haven’t had a bike since I was a kid. My inner child is in heaven!”

Extensive research led Lee to choose a Marin Kentfield commuter bike, which can take on street riding, bike paths, and trails.

“The quality is great, and I fell in love with the look of the bike,” she says. “She’s so pretty!”

Now, Lee and her boyfriend enjoy their gym days outside of the gym.

“We like to ride around South Congress, but I’ve heard great things about Veloway Trail and Walnut Creek Trail,” she says. “If

Tami Lee (right, with her boyfriend, left) is in deep like with her new bike.

you know a spot, I’m open to suggestions!

–mjm

spawning pattern. If the weather knocks them back repeatedly, you just won’t get much of a bite out of them. This year has been good for crappie though. We got the cold weather out of the way then it settled into a warming spell that has really had them biting steady. Once again, less fishing pressure last year may be letting us catch bigger fish this year.

Catfish have already been biting good too at times. They seem to just be beginning to come on strong in keeping with their seasonal patterns. We are seeing the return of our yellow-catfish continue too. Nothing gets your heart to racing like coming face to face with a 50 lb. yellow-cat on your jug line!

I am looking forward to good fishing this year. As we begin to overcome the pandemic and get out and about again its nice to know that the fish have been here all along just carrying on and getting bigger and hungrier. I figure that hunters will find a similar situation this year too. Deer, turkeys and birds will have had some extra growing time!

I’m excited! Let’s go fishing!

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Austin Construction News • APR 2021

ACCOUNTING Tax Policy Outlook for the New Administration Christian Wood, Principal RSM US LLP San Antonio, TX

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resident Joe Biden’s tax plan gained new life on Jan. 5, when Democrats swept the two Senate runoffs in Georgia. The victories positioned the Democratic Party to control the White House and Congress beginning Jan. 20, albeit by narrow majorities in both chambers.

With unified Democratic control, the Biden administration can pursue its agenda President Joe Biden’s tax plan gained new life on Jan. 5, when Democrats swept the two Senate runoffs in Georgia. The victories positioned the Democratic Party to control the White House and Congress beginning Jan. 20, albeit by narrow majorities in both chambers.

With unified Democratic control, the Biden administration can pursue its agenda and ambitious spending plan on a clearer path than it would have if Republicans had maintained a Senate majority. That increases the likelihood of tax changes, although the extent, nature and timing of them remain uncertain due to continuing public health and economic crises as well as moderates’ influence in a Senate that is split 5050. (Vice President Kamala Harris is positioned to cast a tiebreaking vote.)

Despite lingering uncertainty at the onset of Biden’s term, his tax plan warrants in-depth consideration now that his party is positioned to control the legislative agenda and support it with Congressional majorities. Key areas and highlights of Biden’s tax plan from his campaign and administration have expressed include the following: Increase corporate tax rates Biden proposes to increase the corporate income tax rate from 21%, as enacted through the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), to 28%. He stated in a September TV interview: “I’d make the changes on the corporate taxes on day one.” However, his transition team has since downplayed that as a priority.

Biden’s proposal also includes a 15% minimum tax on corporations with global book income of $100 million or more.

In essence, this would reinstate AMT repealed with the passage of TCJA for those qualifying businesses. Under the proposal, corporations may claim deductions for net operating loss carryforwards and foreign taxes paid. When determining corporate tax liability, corporations would pay the greater of their regular corporate income tax liability or the 15% minimum tax.

Section 199A deduction TCJA introduced the section 199A deduction, which is a below-the-line deduction available to owners of sole proprietorships, partnerships, S corporations, and some trusts and estates engaged in qualified trades or businesses.

Under the current guidance, the deduction is limited to the lesser of 20% of qualified business income plus 20% of the combined real estate investment trust dividends and qualified publicly traded partnership income, or 20% of the taxpayer’s taxable income minus net capital gains.

While the section 199A deduction is set to expire at the end of 2025, the Biden proposal would maintain the current deduction for those making under $400,000 per year and phase out the deduction completely for those making $400,000 or more. That is on top of Biden’s proposed tax plan to restore the top marginal tax rate for non-corporate taxpayers to the pre-TCJA rate of 39.6%.

Tax proposals affecting individuals’ returns for flow-through entity consideration

Under Biden’s proposal, the top individual income tax rate of 39.6% would be restored. The current top individual income tax rate is 37%. The Biden proposal would also tax capital gains as ordinary income for taxpayers with over $1 million in income.

The Biden proposal increases social security taxes by imposing social security taxes on earnings over $400,000. Currently, social security taxes of 12.4% are imposed on wages or self-employment income up to $137,700 for 2020 (this is indexed for inflation). The proposal would

create a donut where the social security tax would stop on income over the normal threshold (i.e., $137,700 for 2020) and then apply to amounts above $400,000.

This increased tax would apply only to the employee at a rate of 12.4%.

The Biden proposal would reintroduce the Pease limitation on income that exceeds $400,000. That limitation reduces itemized deductions by 3% for every dollar that income exceeds $400,000. In addition, the plan could cap the benefit of itemized deductions to a tax benefit of no more than 28%. So if a taxpayer was in the 39.6% bracket, a dollar deducted would reduce taxes owed only by 28% instead of 39.6%. In 2019, Biden indicated that he would eliminate the $10,000 cap on the deduction for state and local tax. This item has not been officially included in his proposals.

Biden’s proposal could affect the taxfree transfer of property on death in two ways. Under current law, the first $11.58 million of an estate is not taxed, and estate beneficiaries or heirs receive the property with a basis equal to the fair market value of the property. That means an estate’s beneficiary could immediately sell the property with appreciation never being taxed. Biden’s proposal could reduce the estate tax exemption to $3.5 million, the exemption that was in effect in 2009. He has further suggested that he would consider eliminating the so-called “step-up in basis” or tax unrealized gains.

These potential changes could lead to a substantial increase in taxes on estate beneficiaries, complicating business transfers on death.

Under section 1031, taxpayers may exchange real property held for productive use in a trade or business or for investment for real property of like kind to be held for productive use in a trade or business or for investment without recognition of gain or loss. The TCJA amended section 1031 to exclude exchanges of personal or intangible property from like-kind treatment. Biden’s proposal allows for taxpayers with income under $400,000 to make a tax-free exchange of real property held for productive use in a trade or business or for investment for property of like kind. However, taxpayers with income greater than $400,000 must recognize in taxable income the capital gains from the sales of real property.

Global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) Companies headquartered in the United States currently pay a 10.5% mini-

Continued on next page (11)

INSURANCE The EXCEPTION to the rule; CG 2294 Exclusion and the General Contractor Douglas Lynch, Senior Vice President Brookstone Insurance Group Addispm, TX

D

o you remember when you were young and just learning to spell? There were so many rules and then “exceptions to the rules such as:

I before e, except after c or when sounded as ‘a’ as in ‘neighbor’ and ‘weigh’ unless the ‘c’ is part of a ‘she’ sound as in ‘glacier’ Or it appears in comparatives and superlatives like ‘fancier’ …. Likewise, insurance for contractors also has exceptions to the rule.

I will begin a series of three articles based on my pick of the three most harmful and misunderstood exclusions of the CGL OF WHICH business owners may not be aware.

Based on 35 years in the industry, the first exclusion introduced is the most detrimental commonly used exclusion in the overall builder industry. It is CG 2294....... let us see why... CG 2294 holds the number one position.

Actual endorsement below: THIS ENDORSEMENT CHANGES THE POLICY. PLEASE READ IT. EXCLUSION - DAMAGE TO WORK PERFORMED BY SUBCONTRACTORS ON YOUR BEHALF This endorsement modifies insurance provided under the following: COMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY COVERAGE PART Exclusion I. of Section I - Coverage A - Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability is replaced by the following: Exclusions: This insurance does not apply to: Damage To Your Work. “Property damage” to “your work” arising out of it or any part of it and included in the “products-completed operations hazard.”

CG 2294 Exclusion Damage to Work

“Excludes Property damage for Work Performed by Subcontractors on Your Behalf in the Completed Operations Exposure.”

This exclusion was introduced by ISO (Insurance Services Office) as the 10/01 version of the CGL Policy. It is now widely by insurers of contractors, especially home builders. This endorsement removes nearly all coverage for virtually any claim involving the damage to a General Contractor’s work (see attached wording)

When an insured loss happens after the policy term, and the Occurrence form does allow this. If subcontracted, there is no coverage for the property damage. A claim after the policy refers to Completed Operations, and with the CG 2294 attached, there is no coverage. Please note that most home builders and general contractors sub out 100% of their business . . . and . . .there is NO coverage for their work that was sub-contracted! Think about that ……The CG 2294 endorsement takes away the completed operations, which is where many, if not most, claims fall.

Here is something you may not know and is commonly referred to as the “Exception to the rule:” Exclusion I. Section 1, Coverage A. Damage to Your Work gives this coverage back to the GC. It states: this exclusion does not apply if the damaged work or work out of which damage arises was performed on your behalf by a sub-contractor.”

• The CG 2294 goes back in and REMOVES the “exception to the rule,” which is WHERE 100% of GCs gain coverage for their work. Builders and GCs sub-contract 100% of their jobs. Given that, this exclusion renders the policy coverage deficient at best and should be avoided 100% of the time.

Example 1: Let’s assume six months after completion, water leaks in the home and all the damaging wood drywall, paint, and wood floors. Upon closer inspection, the cause was a Trim carpenter’s nail that had hit a pipe and wiggled loose. This resulted in significant water damage on the house’s wood floors. Can you see my point? Precisely . . . it IS excluded in full because the work was subcontracted, and the policy has the CG 2294. So, the “Exception to the rule” and where a GC obtains coverage under the CGL is reversed, rendering coverage null and void. You can use this scenario with almost any example of property damage, and the outcome of claims denial is commonplace.

Example 2:

A home burns down two years after completion. The electrical inspector infers that the electrical malfunction is the fault of the electrician. The homeowner policy pays the claim and subrogates (goes back against) The electrician. But wait, this gets even better – the electrician is no longer in business and GL policy was canceled. His policy was supposed to cover the GC by Additional Insured (another topic to discuss) and contractual liability for the Hold Harmless per their written agreement. The GC must now pay a claim of fire damage 100% – So, the GC is left holding the bag.

No coverage due to...MY NUMBER ONE PICK FOR MOST HARMFUL EXCLUSION, namely the CG 2294, was in force.

Is there a solution?

Agents are supposed to abide by a code of conduct / ethical practices. Therefore, the agent should specify those exclusions at the forefront of their proposal and have the insured sign that they understand this exclusion will be on their policy and the agent has explained the ramifications in full. And that is done even if it voids the sale of a policy. Each policy needs to be presented to the insured, and the exclusions that substantially alter coverage should be made clear. Unfortunately, my experience on this is that it is NOT the norm in the industry as I review all my potential customers’ policies and routinely find CG 2294 in the policy. The customer seldom knows it unless they have a claim. Solution? AS AGENTS, let us all step up to the plate and give this industry the honestly and integrity they deserve.

I review the current policy of all new potential customers and go through the exclusions in detail. This REVIEW is before any business being written. Then once I propose my plan, we go over the difference in the exclusions and talk about why I have them removed. I also do this same service for any that as with no obligation for business.

Next month we will explore Harmful Exclusion #2: Subsidence Douglas Lynch, Senior Vice President, Austin Branch Office, Brookstone 512-626-0329 dlynch@brookstone-group.com www.brookstone-group.com www.doublaslynch.com

Austin Construction News • Apr 2021

Page 11

OSHA

LEGAL So, you think you have trapped the retainage funds, now what?

Edgar Garcia E. Garcia Law, PLLC14400 San Antonio, TX

OSHA’s Fall Stand Down Week Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

O

O

ften, subcontractors who perform early in a construction project do not think about trapping construction funds for the payment of their contractual retainage because retainage is seldom paid until the end of the project as a whole, which may be many months away. However, as the end of the project approaches, subs begin to worry if their retainage will be paid. They begin to hear rumors about the souring relationship between the general contractor and the owner of the project. So, what should they do?

Send a funds trapping notice letter to the owner in hopes of trapping those funds still in the owner’s possession? Because, after all, they are trust funds available to be paid to subcontractors only. The owner cannot keep the funds for themselves; nor can the general contractor, for that matter.

But what if there aren’t enough funds to go around because the job is not yet finished and the owner and general contractor are fighting over the funds necessary to complete the job. Under those circumstances, who has first dibs on the retainage funds?

Although it would only seem fair that the owner pay the subcontractors the contractual retainage held back from them by the general contractor, owners are reluctant to come out of pocket for the completion of the job and the contractual retainage if the 10% that the owner held back from the general contractor just isn’t enough to cover both.

So, the owner or its lawyer will scrutinize those fund trapping notice letters it received from the various subcontractors trapping their share of the retainage funds in the hands of the owner and compare the date of the notice letter to the date the subcontractor completed its share of the work on the project. If it is more than 30 days, watch out!

Perfecting the funds trapping lien

Soon, the lawyer for the owner will send out a Dear John letter to the various subcontractors who believe they have trapped the retainage funds still in the hands of the owner via their funds trapping notice letter and their recorded lien on the property in completing the process. The owner’s lawyer will point out to the subcontractor that their attempt to perfect their lien is deficient due to having

SHA’s falls stand down week is May 3rd to 7th, 2021.

OSHA is encouraging employers to train workers on fall hazards. Fall hazards exist whenever a worker can fall from one level to a lower level, such as off a scaffold waited longer than 30 days after the sub- or ladder, or falls off a structure. OSHA requires that falls of six feet or more be concontractor finished their work to send their fund trapping notice letter to the can help the group see how the topic is owner. See section 53.057 of the Texas trolled in construction. relevant to them. You could ask: Has anyCarrying out the training Property Code. one here fallen off a ladder? What happened?

Short and direct Toolbox Talks can

But all is not lost. There are plenty of Make sure everyone has a chance to be a very efficient way to reach workers owners and their lawyers, who in recognitalk. If a crew member is talking too much, with health and safety information.

Like tion of the equity owed to the subconinvite someone else to speak. all training, delivering the information tractor who labored to complete their effectively takes preparation and a dework in total, understand that the subNever make fun of anyone or put anycontractor’s likely profits are contained in sire to involve the workers in health and the 10% retainage that was withheld from safety at the workplace. Employers may one down, especially for asking questions. them by the general contractor and thus, train workers to lead the training or have Don’t fake it. If you don’t know the answer payment of their retainage is what keeps supervisors provide the training. Studies to a question, don’t guess. Write the questhem in business. Although there may have shown peer-to-peer training is ef- tion down and promise to get back to them. also be other legal maneuvers available fective, participatory and well-retained.

Stick to the topic. If the crew’s questo the unpaid subcontractor (beyond the tions and comments move too far from Follow these three steps to prepare scope of this article), throwing itself at the the topic, tell them that their concerns can and present a Toolbox Talk: mercy of the owner who received the be addressed later, either privately or in a benefit of their labor at a 10% discount, may reveal that the owner has a heart and 1. Read and become familiar with the future safety meeting. some of the retainage left after paying all next section, “How to use Toolbox Talks.”

OSHA has free tool box talks for fall timely perfected liens. Moreover, any 2. Give one of the Toolbox Talks. hazards in English at https://www.osha.

3.

Get feedback from the other workmonies left over cannot be kept by the gov/Publications/OSHA3666.pdf and also ers.

Did they understand the material? owner without violating the trust fund in Spanish at https://www.osha.gov/PubliWas it well presented?

How could the statute. training be more relevant to their work? cations/OSHA3727.pdf Moral of the story

Send out your funds trapping notice letter for contractual retainage to the owner and general contractor immediately, but certainly no later than 30 days of the earlier of, completion of your portion of the work or the termination or abandonment of the general contractor’s contract. Then, record your lien not later than 30 days of the completion of the overall project. These are deadlines, not dates. You can do either or both well before the deadlines.

Advice for trainers Safety meetings work best if the whole crew actively participates. This makes it more interesting and more likely that people will remember the information you’ve given them. Here are some ways to encourage everyone to get involved:

Ask questions instead of simply giving them the information. After you ask a question, wait a short time to let people think. Then, call on volunteers to answer.

Ask about personal experience. This

OSHA provides additional training resources at https://www.osha.gov/stopfalls/trainingresources.html

The Center for Construction Research provides free training materials as well at https://stopconstructionfalls.com/online-ordering-form/. Both printed materials and downloadable training materials are available. natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232

Real moral of the story

Continued from Page 10 – RSM US LLP Please, rely on your favorite lawyer to Tax Polity Outlook for the New Administration

get the funds trapping notice/lien perfection of contractual retainage right, and not just on the simple straightforward insights expressed in this article. For all your hard work, the certitude of legal deadlines can be humbling as some of you may have experienced the hard way in the past.

Edgar Garcia has practiced as a construction attorney in his own law firm for the past twenty years at E. Garcia Law, PLLC.

He may be reached at his office at: 210) 308-6677 Edgar@egarcialaw.com

mum tax on the unrepatriated low-tax profits earned by their foreign subsidiaries from intangible assets such as patents, trademarks, and copyrights. The TCJA introduced the GILTI tax in an attempt to discourage corporations from shifting intangible assets and related profits to low-tax jurisdictions. Biden’s proposal doubles the GILTI tax rate to 21% and applies it on a country-by-country basis.

Additional Biden proposals

Much of Biden’s proposal focuses on moving the United States towards more reliance on renewable energy and away from fossil fuels, as well as encouraging investment in the United States. In order to achieve these objectives, Biden released limited details regarding the establishment or expansion of certain tax incentives including, but not limited to, the Manufacturing Communities Tax Credit, New Markets Tax Credit and Solar Investment Tax Credit.

The Manufacturing Communities Tax Credit, originally proposed during the Obama administration, targets communities that have suffered economic disruption due to manufacturing plant closures or government office closures that provided the community with significant employment opportunities.

The New Markets Tax Credit currently provides investors with a federal tax

credit in exchange for investment in low-income communities.

The Solar Investment Tax Credit rewards businesses that invest in solar facility construction. Congress extended the credit in 2015; however, the deduction in 2019 was 30% and will be further reduced in 2020, 2021 and 2022, without additional action.

In addition to the like-kind exchange limitations, Biden has also proposed to eliminate certain tax incentives for the real estate industry, including eliminating the passive loss rules for $25,000 of rental losses and accelerated depreciation on rental housing.

Takeaways President Biden’s campaign promoted a $5.4 trillion spending plan over the next decade and a framework to generate $3.4 trillion in new tax revenue, according to an analysis by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business Budget Model. It remains to be seen how successful the Biden administration will be in pursuing its agenda, but having the support of a Democratic-controlled Congress will certainly help.

While numerous uncertainties shape the environment at the dawn of this new era in American policy, taxpayers should familiarize themselves with Biden’s plan, remain vigilant for developments and position themselves to act at the appropriate times.

Page 12

Austin Construction News • APR 2021

Association Calendar

Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC

Associated Builders & Contractors

Apr. 7: Meet the GC, 2-3pm Apr. 21: Spring Golf Tournament, Avery Ranch Golf Club, 10500 Avery Club Dr., 9am Shotgun Start. For more info, call Jodi Bunyard at 512-719-5263 or email jbunyard@ abccentraltexas.org ACEA

Greater Austin Contractors & Engineers Assn.

Apr. 1: Scholarship Application Deadline.

Application can be found online: aceatx. com Apr. 5: Frostbite Golf Tournament Rescheduled, Forest Creek Golf Club, 99 Twin Ridge Pkwy., Round Rock, TX Apr. 8: Membership Luncheon, Speaker: Kevin Ramberg, Environmental Outlook for Central Texas, Norris Conference Center, 2525 W. Anderson Ln. #265, 11:30am-1pm.

For info, call Silvia Pendleton at 512-893-7067 ASCE

American Society of Civil Engineers

Apr. 15-17: 7th Annual ASCE Texas Student Symposium Virtual. For more info, go to www.texasce.org/student-symposium or contact Jenni Peters at 512-910-2272 or jpeters@texasce.org or go to www.texasce. org/student-sypmosium CTSA

Central Texas Subcontractors Assn.

HBA

Home Builders Assn. Greater Austin

Apr. 20: Speed Networking, Customer Builders 9-11am; Volume Builders 12-2pm.

Apr. 22: HBA Social Happy Hour, Ironwood Connection, 481 Texas Ave., 4-6pm. RSVP

by Apr. 15 kprice@ironwoodsa.com. For more info, contact Erin Scott at 512-9829187 or email erin@hbaaustin.com NARI

National Assn. of the Remodeling Industry

Apr. 14: General Membership Meeting, Sunshine Camp Zilker Lodge, 2225 Andrew Zilker Rd., 11am-1pm. For more info, contact Kayvon Leath at 512-997-6274 or email kayvon@austinnari.org NAWIC

National Assn. of Women in Construction

Apr. 8: 2021 Annual Clay Shoot, Reunion Ranch, 850 CR 255, Georgetown, TX, 8am2pm. For more info, contact Kaitlyn Powell at kaityln.powell@ryancompanies.com RCAT

Roofing Contractors Assn. of Texas

Apr. 29-May 1: RCAT Fishing Tournament/Spring Board Meeting, Woody’s Sports Center, Port Aransas, TX. For more info, 512-251-7690 or email rcat.admin@ rooftex.com SEAot

Structural Engineers Association of Texas

Apr. 13: Lunch & Learn, Location To Be Determined. For more info, email Wendy Lambert at wendy@ctsaonline.org or go to www.ctsaonline.org

Apr. 22: Virtual Chapter Meeting –For more info, call 512-301-2744 or visit www. seaotaustin.org

DACA

Texas Society of Professional Engineers Travis Chapter

Drywall Acoustical Contractors Assn.

Apr. 12: DACA DFW Golf Classic, Indian Creek Golf Club, 1650 W. Frankford Rd., Carrollton, TX. For more info, contact Eddie McCormick at eddie@dacaaustin.org

s

TSPE

Apr. 7: TSPE Travis Online Luncheon, Brushy Creek Regional Intake Facility, 12-1pm, $10.

For more info, go to www.tspe.org

continued from Page 1 — Poised to take the Hull world’s largest office furniture manufacturer, to aerospace and defense, and into commercial and residential building products.

“Chad and I run day-to-day operations and have profit and loss responsibility for the Hull Supply Company,” Johnson says.

“As an executive team, we have been tasked with implementing long-term goals and strategical growth plans while increasing profitability and ensuring the company’s

continued from Page 1 — Rudick Construction Group Inc. pipeline that will support its growth and the hiring of a few key team members in the coming months.

Rudick says, “We are taking the same approach in Austin as we have done in Dallas. Meaning, our platform will create leadership opportunities for professionals to grow into seasoned construction executives. Together, they will derive their vision and how they will serve the market and community.”

South Louisiana-born Rudick grew up in construction, often visiting job sites of banks, schools and industrial offices his father helped construct. After earning a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in

quartz, urethane slurry, stained concrete, overlays and all concrete flooring.

Their youth and continuous thirst for improvement is what they believe makes them unique with an attitude that is simple - provide superior quality service to the construction market by offering the best value on decorative and functional concrete flooring systems. Emphasis is given to continuous and extensive training to all their staff, obtaining top certifications in the industry, and excelling through productive and creative corporate values. “It is our commitment to be ‘The Concrete Floor Experts’ delivering

Scott Brady PE, the current President of DynaTen, was named the President of Mtech-Icon. In his role, Scott will manage the Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth offices for both companies. Prior to his work at DynaTen, he served as President of BLP Engineers Inc. for 20 years. –mjm

Terracon Consultants Inc. announces the following: Brett A. Pope has been promoted to Senior Principal. Pope brings 12 years of experience to the role and serves both as Transportation leader and Client Experience team leader for the company’s Texas Division. During his time at Terracon, Pope has also served as Principal/Senior Engineer and Staff Engineer to Principal/Senior Engineer of Geotechnical Services. –mjm Kevin O’Brien has joined Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Inc. as Vice President of S&P’s Mission Critical Center of Excellence (COE). O’Brien brings more than 30 years of mission critical engineering and construction experience to the role, and previously served as Director at Turner & Townsend. Previously, he was the Director of Mission Critical for Gilbane Inc. and Structuretone Mission Critical. –mjm

Ann M. Scott Ph. D. RPA has been promoted to Principal. Scott, who has more than 25 years of experience, serves as manager of Terracon’s Environmental planning group in Austin. Previously, Scott served as a Senior Scientist/Principal Investigator with Terracon, a Principal Investigator/Archeologist with J and L Consulting and Director of Cultural Resources for aci consulting. –mjm

Round-Up Submissions

Brief company announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of charge, as space allows.

Submit Info & Photo: Austineditor@ConstructionNews.net (210) 308-5800

competitive prices and high-quality concrete flooring installations, and at the same time enhancing the care of a green environment,” Gutierrez says. “The result we strive to achieve is complete satisfaction for our staff, our clientele, and the communities in which we live.”

Modern Day Concrete has over a dozen certifications from manufacturers in the business that require hours of training to receive. Their next goal is to open branches in Houston and Dallas in the next year.

Modern Day Concrete is a decorative concrete subcontractor. -cmw

What was your favorite Super Bowl LV commercial?

Round-Up

Doug Savage has been promoted to the Regional Vice President role in supporting Mtech-Icon, Dyna Ten, and South Central Region 4. He previously served as President of Mtech-Icon in Austin and as Director of Business Development, Project Executive, and Vice President of Operations for KK Mechanical Inc. –mjm

2007, Rudick moved to Dallas to work with a respected general contracting firm. Ten years later, he founded Rudick Construction Group Inc. to build his own projects in DFW. Rudick says his clients have been “jaw-dropping excited” over the news of RCG’s new Austin office, “and those reactions made it an easy decision.” Since my initial meeting here months ago, the AEC and commercial real estate community has been welcoming and heartwarming. RCG is excited to serve this community.”

Full-service general contracting firm Rudick Construction Group Inc. is in Austin and Dallas. –mjm

continued from Page 1 — Modern Day Concrete

Submitted to Construction News Comfort Systems USA announces the following:

main focus remains on the service and culture created over 35 years.”

“Hull Supply Company was born of humble beginnings and has grown responsibly over the last 35 years,” Thiel says. “A large part of the business is building relationships in the market and we look forward to more opportunities to promote Hull Supply’s culture and capability.”

Hull Supply Co. Inc. is in Austin. –mjm

Good question. I enjoyed the Wayne’s World commercial with Cardi B. Think it was Grub Hub. William Gutierrez, Modern Day Concrete I didn’t watch the Super Bowl. As a whole, I don’t watch football, which is a tough one in Texas!

Peter Kuehn, Bulldog Construction I didn’t watch the Super Bowl, and only have streaming platforms so I don’t see commercials anymore. Were there any with cute dogs? I have four at home, so if I had seen, those would have been my favorites!

Do you ever watch the Puppy Bowl? So much better than the actual Super Bowl, and the halftime show is kittens!

Tami Lee, 1st Capital Certified Roofing I’d have to say the “Drake” from State Farm ad. I’m a Drake music fan and I liked the play on names, Jake from State Farm along with Drake from State Farm.

Myron Marshall, Red Ball Oxygen Company I’m not really even into sports at all so I don’t know. I didn’t even watch it. I never really do. I think the last time I watched was when Prince played the half-time show. That was awesome.

Colten Perry, Goodtimes Backyard Construction Admittedly, I didn’t watch the Super Bowl this year, so I will go with one of my favorites from previous years and it basically parallels our culture: Reebok – “Office Linebacker” Terry Tate!

Clay Rudick, Rudick Construction Group Matthew McConaughey and the Doritos commercial. It keeps Austin on the map. He’s

Joe Austin and he will probably end up being our governor. I think any time you see Texas culture promoted on a national broad-cast, it makes me happy, especially in a time when the country is so divided, it’s nice to see a man from Texas send out a positive message.

Cory Farris, McCar Materials My favorite Super Bowl ad from this past year was by far the M&M’s commercial where M&Ms were being offered as “peace offerings” with apologies. The part that had me laughing out loud was when the gentlemen reached back into the confession vestibule saying to the priest, “Sorry you had to hear all of that.” Growing up Catholic, that really resonated with me and there was something so real and genuine about it that I found it absolutely hilarious. It was a great commercial all the way around and very well done.

Jeremy Gauche, The KYA Group I didn’t get to watch it, but a past favorite is the Career Builder Monkeys Super Bowl XL commercial. They had a couple of different ones that were pretty dang hilarious, but this one was my favorite!

Raif H. Castello, Running C Construction LLC I don’t follow football. At. All. The Super Bowl commercials, which I watch on YouTube, are about as close as I get to the sport.

My favorite this year was the Tide Commercial featuring Jason Alexander, whose face is on a teenage boy’s hoodie. I thought the changing expressions on Alexander’s face in relation to what was happening to the hoodie was clever and attention-getting.

Plus, I secretly like Joey Scarbury’s song “Believe It or Not,” which was playing in the background. That’s a good tune (but don’t tell anyone I said so).

Melissa Jones-Meyer, Construction News

Austin Construction News • Apr 2021

Three times twenty

Page 13

Industry FOLKS Tara Gray-Hyzak Safety Manager

Harvey-Cleary Builders Austin, TX

T

BakerTriangle had a succession of celebrations in its Austin office in March.

Jerry Smith (left) recognized Sergio Montoya (right) for 20 years with the company. Days later, Julio Zaragoza and Jesus Valdez’ 20-year milestones were also honored. –mjm

Kits of kindness

Associated Builders and Contractors of Central Texas’ Emerging Leaders Group volunteered in late March, assembling meal kits for Community First.

AiRCO Mechanical Ltd. hosted the event. –mjm

ara was born on the island of Oahu and the town of Kailua and lived a fast-track nomadic life. “My father worked for Continental Airlines. His job had us moving every one-and-a-half to two years.

“For the most part, I liked moving around and experiencing different things. I have three siblings. Two are close in age to me, so we always had a friend wherever we moved. My favorite place was American Samoa. The culture and the ocean made it a memorable place to be.”

She did not go to college after high school but takes classes with The University of Texas at Arlington. She is SSH, CSHO certified and has almost completed her SHEP certification.

Tara started in construction working for TU Electric in 2005 as a meter reader. She worked her way up on the electrical side and then moved into the gas side. She then went on to build homes as a construction manager for Kimball Hill Homes. She left there as a senior construction manager.

In April of 2008, Tara came to work for Harvey Cleary Builders as an assistant superintendent. By 2011, she switched from an assistant superintendent to a safety coordinator and now, safety manager.

As safety manager, Tara helps train and is part of several Harvey-Cleary training committees. “We are, as a company, in partnership with ABC/OSHA. I love participating in their events and making a safety difference to those who

want to learn. I spend time on each of our projects working with our employees as well as subcontractors. We offer our assistance wherever we can and try to build ‘team minded’ environments.

We have a great small team of safety coordinators that I work with and mentor where I can.

“When talking about safety, I’ve always liked seeing someone ‘get it.’ when we’re talking about safety. Not just doing what they’re told, but actually understanding safety and embracing it, and becoming a safety advocate for their team. I truly love making a difference in their lives. Even if they don’t like me much for it, they usually come to see that we are looking out for them and their families, not just the job.”

Tara has had several mentors over the years, but specifically in her safety career, her first mentor was Rick Segura.

“We worked closely together for eight years. He guided me through so much of what I know now. David Stanton, Harvey-Cleary’s director of safety for Austin and San Antonio, is another strong mentor. “When we first met, he was in Houston as a Senior Safety Manager but worked closely with me in Austin.

Little did I know, this person that I looked up to, would one day come to Austin as the Director of Safety, continuing to guide me and mentor me as I grow in my career in safety.” -cmw

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Elevator and deck

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hen Goodtimes Backyard Construction Owner Colten Perry answered his phone recently, he expected the usual request – a pergola, a skate/BMX ramp, or maybe a treehouse. The woman on the line’s other end, however, surprised Colten with a unique challenge.

The caller struggled to haul groceries up the long staircases on either side of her Austin home. After fielding contractors’ quotes, she found Goodtimes Backyard Construction’s good reviews on Angie’s List. Could Colten renovate her worn decks, install an elevator on the outside of her house and repaint the decks?

“I did some research on the elevator,” Colten said. “There were many different options from which we could choose. I found a cargo lift and elevator company three hours away in Mabank, TX that

The client chose an eye-popping navy and off-white paint for the newly restored deck.

Goodtimes Backyard Construction installed an elevator to allow a client easy access.

custom makes them. The elevators can lift 1,000 lbs. and be installed in a couple of days. They had good prices, and it was probably the best option to get it prefabricated. I gave her a price that was doable, and that’s how it started.”

While Colten waited for a month for the elevator to be fabricated to spec, he planned his approach to the project.

“She bought the house used in the 1990s, and it had the original decks. It’s on a hill and built like a bay house on stilts; the driveway drops down. The first floor is like the second floor,” he says.

“She had an old deck in the front and back, and some stairs were rotted and unsafe. We framed the front stairs, redid the handrails, re-decked it, and re-supported the joists and blocking.”

With the decks shored up, Colten was

excited to tackle the elevator.

“We knew we would make the elevator work and make sure the customer was 100% satisfied,” he says. “There were certain challenges, but once the elevator was delivered and we put it together, it worked out well.”

Colten, his brother Flint Perry and welder Matt McDaniel assembled the elevator per the instructions, installed its electrical components and made sure it could be safely accessed.

“We ran conduit and a new breaker for it. We poured a slab so that it is wheelchairaccessible and built to code for ADA regulations. It’s an even threshold from the slab and bottom level to the elevator.

Setting the stop marks to limit the elevator on the second floor was tricky, so we calibrated it. We also fabricated a gate on

10 Years Ago

top for where it’s entered through the back deck. We welded a gate that latched; if someone is on the top of the back porch and the elevator is down on the first floor, it blocks off that dangerous drop.”

With the elevator installed, Colten’s second surprise came when the client chose to paint the deck navy and off-white to compliment her pistachio-hued home.

“I thought it looked awesome! It’s cool when someone chooses something different,” Colten, whose customers often choose white or gray for projects, says.

“We used a Behr’s Deck Over, a thick durable paint that’s used for exterior decks, siding and fascia. This finish seals and coats the material for a longer-lasting lifespan but it also adds grip and texture for a safe, non-slip surface.”

Pleased, the client recently followed up with Colten full of praise for the elevator.

“She emailed and said it worked awesome during the snowstorm. She didn’t have to go down the icy, snowy steps to get out of the house. She just pressed a button and went down. She was also excited that, when she can have get-togethers again, she can have friends and family – some of whom are in wheelchairs – over. She could never do it before because of the staircases.”

With an elevator project successfully completed, Colten says he would “love to install more.”

“There are people who don’t know this is an option. There is a need for it, especially around the bay area, by the beach, and in the Hill Country,” he says

Austin contractor Goodtimes Backyard Construction provides outdoor living solutions. –mjm Goodtimes Backyard Construction Austin, TX

April 2011

Construction News ON LOCATION

Construction News ON LOCATION

Construction News ON LOCATION

Account Manager Art Lopez makes it a great day at Kelly-Moore Paints in San Marcos, TX. –ab

L-R: Salesman Nathan Jefferson and Larry Jefferson, store manager at City Electric Supply in Kyle, TX, interact with electrical contractors on a daily basis.

L-R: Garrett Moxley, Wade Carter, Andrea Wilhite, Brad Klepac and Danelle Hargraves enjoy the sunshine at Central Texas Metal Roofing Supply Co. Inc. in Austin, TX established in 1985. –ab

Construction News ON LOCATION

Construction News ON LOCATION

Construction News ON LOCATION

Ready to paint

Always open

Commercial and residential door sales and service is what Richard Cordes, owner of Fast & Fair Door Works, does best.–ab

Electric avenue

No pinching here

L-R: Manager Pete Munoz and Tex Cordova, inside salesman, wear green on Mar. 17 at Solar Supply Inc., an air conditioning and heating supply company in San Marcos, TX. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! –ab

Central station

Safety first

Matthew McKinney is the superintendent and safety coordinator at Bilt Rite Scaffold in Austin, TX. He says he has built scaffolds for 19 years. –ab

Austin Construction News • Apr 2021

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Life Flight Network New Emergency Response Hangar

ver 40 years ago, Mike Schweiss invent “The bifold door works great,” says Justin ed his first bi-fold door and the birth of Dillingham, Life Flight Chief Customer OffiSchweiss Doors. Since then, Schweiss and cer. “It’s heavy-duty and easy to operate. A his innovative team of designers have manufacsmall amount of education was required so tured doors of all shapes and sizes by literally staff know not to leave it open during windy listening to their customers. days, but the door is exactly what we needed.

Averaging 300-400 emergency flights a year, We had windows installed to let light into the about one flight per day, the Life Flight Network building and make sure the area outside is (LFN) and the nation’s largest not-for-profit air free from obstructions. It works great for us.” medical service decided to construct a new han “What I like best about Schweiss Doors, is gar of their own. The 108-ft by 85-ft hangar would that they have it figured out. Schweiss knows house two aircraft, a helicopter and a fixed wing how to build a bifold door and not trying turbine aircraft and quarters for the crew. to figure it out on the fly,” says Mark Hewett The Life Flight “Koala” helicopter stands ready at the landing pad at Similar to a fire station where firefighters General Contractor’s senior project manager Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport in Lewiston, Idaho.

Behind it is the new 108-ft by 85-ft hangar that sports a reside during their shift, the hangar has sleep Chance Chacon. “The install went well withSchweiss Doors 70-ft by 17-ft bifold liftstrap door. rooms, TV lounge area, restrooms, showers, a out any issues and we were pleased with kitchen, maintenance tool area and an office. how everything came together. We had Coming highly recommended by the general clear instructions and the pieces were where contractor, Mark Hewett General Contractor Company, Schweiss Doors did not disappoint. they were supposed to be. One of the things I really appreciated while working with Attached to the hangar is a Schweiss Doors 70-ft by 17-ft bifold liftstrap door. The Brent at Schweiss Doors was that I could put him directly in the email with myself and custom-made door is equipped with autolatches and was framed for four 4-ft square the metal building company. It was important that we all could work and look at windows which allow a considerable amount of natural light into the hangar. It is also things together, eliminating any possibility of something getting lost in translation. wind-rated at 120 mph. The well-insulated door was clad with 26-gauge metal sheeting.

The shop drawings matched exactly.” -cmw Schweiss Doors Supplying doors nationwide

The Life Flight liftstrap door with autolatches is well insulated. Inside the hangar are 24/7 crew quarters for flight crew and local administrative staff.\

The Schweiss bifold 70-ft by 17-ft liftstrap door is equipped with autolatches and is wind-rated at 120 mph.

All photos taken and content assembled in March 2011 Submitted to Construction News

Finding a rhythm

Job Sight

The owners of McCoy’s Building Supply turned their Manchaca lumberyard in South Austin into a concert venue for the benefit of Mobile Loaves & Fishes.

Austin musician, humanitarian and philanthropist John Pointer sang at the event. L-R: Alan Graham, Bruce Agness, Meagan McCoy Jones and Brian McCoy –ab

L-R: Nathan Smart and Edgar Torres, Seal Tex, handle the stainless steel fabrication at a Furr’s in San Marcos, TX. –ab

Frame of reference

Glass act

L-R: Rick Salinas, Superintendent and Foreman; Leonel Hereza, and Larry Pinkard, Foremen Hill Country Systems has worked on framing and drywall projects in the Austin area for the past 25 years.

L-R: Daniel Monzon, Ken Poehl and Merle Davis Reinhardt’s Glass Co.

The bifold hangar door is mostly kept closed. Aircraft are usually kept outside during good weather for faster response times which average about one a day.

for April 2011 Issue Submitted to Construction News

Southwest charm

Billy McDonald, Southwest Equipment Rentals Inc. and Atlas Equipment Rental Inc. in Houston, shares a photo he snapped of this colorful antique car in New Mexico. –ab

Submitted to Construction News

Legislative contacts

Members of Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association (TACA) headed to Austin Feb. 9 to present constituent views on aggregate, concrete and cement industry issues to Texas legislative members. L-R: Steve Kosinski, Holcim (US); Jackie Clark, Ash Grove Cement; Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo); and Christopher Iaccio, Cemex –dn Photograph by Jonathan Garza

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Austin Construction News • APR 2021