Austin Construction News February 2022

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Modern-day Fred Flintstone

Pop stars

John Schuler at the Heartland Aggregates plant in Jarrell, TX.

Beacon Building Products’ San Marcos Branch team celebrated National Popcorn Day with everyone who popped by the store.

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ohn Schuler has always had an interest in construction. As a young man, he studied landscape architecture in college. When his father passed away, he stepped in and took over his father’s company, Time Insurance Agency. But being in the insurance business didn’t derail Schuler’s interest in construction as working with contractors makes up a good part of their business.

Seeing a need in the Austin area for more aggregate, Schuler decided to open an aggregate yard of his own. In 2005, Schuler saw an opportunity in Jarrell, TX and opened Heartland Aggregates.

“We leased a piece of property that we knew had rock on it, hired a guy experienced in crushing rock, bought our first rock crusher and started crushing rock,” says Schuler. “There were three of us out there crushing rock. Today we have about 30 workers and three locations, all in Jarrell.”

The three locations produce crushed limestone from road base to pipe bedding to concrete rock, and they service a number of the ready-mix operations in Austin as well as most of the contractors working in subdivisions. Heartland also does work with most of the highway contractors performing Tx Dot work. “We’re

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eacon Building Products’ San Marcos Branch Manager Taylor Holm is thrilled to show her eight employees how valued they are at every opportunity. On Jan. 19, another perfect opportunity arrived: National Popcorn Day. Beacon recently appointed Core Value Leaders (CCLs) to assist branch managers in planning special days such as this. With the help of Inside Sales Representative and Core Value Leader Cindy Martin, a popcorn-themed day to show employees and customers appreciation was put into motion.

“Cindy Martin is incredible,” Holm says. “She has a monthly meeting with HR

continued on Page 14

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ike McAbery and his wife Karen both ended up with the green thumb gene, even though Mike’s father was an accountant, and Karen’s family owned an electrical contracting business. That’s why 13 years ago, Mike left his job and the couple opened Green Oasis LLC, which installs living green and moss walls in commercial spaces.

“I had a lot of contacts in the design industry and got that entrepreneurial itch,” Mike says. “I was in the office furniture industry, but I had always loved plants and horticulture, and knew what they did for spaces. I decided to follow that passion.”

Then, despite an immediate obstacle, they had to learn to grow the business.

“Karen and I started Green Oasis Oct. 1, 2008; we made the plunge right when the recession hit. I had already turned in my notice. Looking back on that, we were pretty crazy. The first year was just my

and the other Core Value Leaders in the area, and they discover what they have going on, any ideas they have. She sent me a list of national days. She and I met and discussed which ones we wanted to do and made sure everyone would be in the office that day, and we landed on National Popcorn Day. “It was fun to decide what we were going to do,” Holm adds. “We found a mom-and-pop shop in San Marcos called Over the Moon and we went with it.

Cindy found the little glasses and props, and we got some popcorn so that our customers, drivers, and anyone who came in could have a bag of popcorn if they wanted. It was fun for the customers. continued on Page 14

Living well with living walls wife and me. Her family owns electrical contracting company CNS, and they were kind enough to give us some space to work out of. We started off providing plants and their maintenance inside of buildings and offices for companies that wanted to improve their spaces with nature. As we grew, we started to get involved with new construction; architects were wanting to include nature with moss walls and green walls in their designs.”

Mike found ways to learn about the living and moss wall trend to meet his customers’ requests.

“I found a mentor in the UK.; I went over and spent time with him, and he came over and spent time with me. We started with a European slant to the business, and he taught me a lot. I really credit him for getting us going.”

Green Oasis’ first green wall installation was in the entry way of an The Green Oasis team

continued on Page 14

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Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

Two-day turnaround

Turn-key solar

Donnell Mays recently relaunched his trucking service business, this time as an LLC.

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en years ago, in a time span between a Wednesday and a Friday, Donnell Mays changed the trajectory of his life.

“After high school, I did various jobs like anybody else. I decided to pass on college and get into the working life,” Mays recalls. “I was working for a logistics and freight company driving box trucks. I did that for about a year, and then the manager came in on a Wednesday and hit us all with some crazy news: Starting the next Monday, they were shutting the business down. The guys that drove the box trucks could try to hurry up and get their CDLs – because we didn’t need the commercial driver licenses to drive the box trucks – and go about our business, or we could get our CDLs and do a leaseto-own on the current trucks we were driving.”

Upon hearing the news, Mays sprang into action.

“That Wednesday, I ran my route, stopped by the DPS, picked up a CDL handbook, and studied it that night. On Thursday, I ran my route and got to the DPS just in time, took the written test over the computer, and passed that. After I finished my route Friday, I had a CDL driver meet me and I used his truck to take my driving portion of the test, and I got my CDL – all in two days.”

Mays chose to leave the company to work for an asphalt company in Round Rock. Through 10 years of working with Wheeler, Mays continued to gain experience and knowledge of trucking and the construction industry. In 2012, he founded H3 Trucking under a dba as a single owner operator with one truck. Six years later, Mays took a break from running the business when his dad passed away and a hurricane impacted many of his contracts.

Last September, Mays felt ready to relaunch his company, this time under the name H3 Trucking Serive LLC.

“As a business, it’s new in the sense that it is an LLC now, but it’s not so new in the sense that I’ve been in the business before as an owner and built relationships prior to 2021 and 2022,” Mays says. “I revamped the company and started it as an LLC because I knew I would be taking on more trucks, not as far as company trucks, but contracted trucks; I wanted to take away some of that personal liability.”

Mays has two company vehicles, both at his personal yard on Howard Ln., and at another yard owned by a broker.

“The truck kind of serves as a mobile office,” Mays says. “I’m on the phone consulting with contractors, coming up with trucking rates, playing the middleman between the contractor and the 25-plus trucks that I have on my dispatch list that aren’t company trucks. I put the two together to see to it that I can fulfill the demands and requests of contractors needing materials delivered to their job sites and/or materials hauled off of their job sites.”

Upon his return, Mays has received a warm “welcome back” from his previous customers.

“Everyone was really excited to see me back out doing what they knew I knew how to do best,” he says. “It’s been really exciting and welcoming.

“My goal is to further build the fleet to better meet the demands of Austin’s fast-growing economy and infrastructure,” Mays adds. “Every day a new overpass, roadway/highway improvement, subdivision, high-rise condo or commercial development is starting, which means trucking is needed to help speed build completion times.

The more trucks and drivers that I can bring aboard, will allow H3 to continue providing trucking services to our clients in and outside the Austin Metro throughout Central Texas.”

H3 Trucking LLC is in Pflugerville. –mjm

In Austin, Holt Renewables built a 231.6 kWdc ballasted solar array which will generate 334,174 kWh/year of energy. The expected energy generated on site via the solar panels will offset 100% of the energy consumed onsite. L-R: Kevin Chavez and Director of Warehouse Operations at UPLIFT Philip Benavides on the roof of the UPLIFT Desk warehouse.

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bout two and half years ago, HOLT acquired PCI Solar to become HOLT Renewables as part of the company’s commitment to sustainability efforts.

“We have been doing this for about a decade,” says HOLT Renewables Sales Operations Manager Kevin Chavez.

“Originally we were PCI Solar under a different parent company. HOLT acquired us through various strategic partnership discussions.”

“We worked very closely with HOLT on various projects. We have solar panels on HOLT’s headquarters building and 13 different sites throughout Texas with plans to expand that over time. To diversify their business further, HOLT ultimately brought PCI Solar under their umbrella.

We have been working as Holt Renewables ever since.”

Not focused on any one sector of the construction, HOLT Renewables niche market is in commercial, industrial and institutional industries. Their customer base includes manufacturers, distributors, real estate developers, multi-family developments, schools and wastewater treatment plants to name a few.

“We look at projects of all sorts that span the different applications of solar – roof mounts and ground mounts,” adds Chavez. “There are different applications and as technology advances, we’re starting to see more and more battery projects in which there is storage tied to the solar as well.”

Unlike the residential market, HOLT Renewables install solar panels on a large-scale basis ranging from 3,000 to 20,000 modules. “We work to align ourselves in a partnership with our customers to ensure we are satisfying a strong business base alongside their sustainability efforts. We are nationwide and very familiar with the various utility markets throughout the US,” Chavez adds. “If you

are using a large sum of power, installing solar panels makes sense. Roofs are often used for solar panels because they aren’t typically used for anything else. It is a smart choice monetarily because many companies have roof space available and are using very little square footage, short of AC units and sky lights, so it makes a lot of sense. It’s for companies that are seeking ways to impact their bottom line via energy efficiency or self-generation of power.”

HOLT Renewables solar panel installation capabilities are not limited to new construction, solar panels can be installed on existing facilities. Most often, HOLT Renewables solar designs are retrofit when an existing facility needs a new roof, which is an ideal time to install solar panels.

“A solar array will last anywhere from 30-35 years. It’s not to say it turns off in 30 years, but the design life of a system is generally around 30 years.

“New construction is a great avenue to evaluate solar because you can find a lot of efficiencies based on how you run the conduit, certain gear selected and sizing of the electrical infrastructure,” adds Chavez. “All those details come into play. If you align yourself with solar early on in the design phase of a new building, there are a lot of efficiencies that come along in terms of costs and overall construction duration.”

With over a decade of experience in solar energy, HOLT Renewables has direct experience with energy storage, a newer cutting-edge technology that not many have had the opportunity to install as of yet.

HOLT Renewables is turn-key provider of solar solutions focused on commercial, industrial and institutional sector and is headquartered in Austin, TX. -cmw

Video News

WATCH VIDEO

Brackenridge Hospital Demolition - Austin, Texas, July 2021 Forced collapse of the last portion of the 10-story hospital building. No explosives were used.

JR RAMON Demolition

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

Page 3

A Radiant presence

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ince he was a young boy just entering his teenage years, Brad Casebier has been active in the plumbing industry.

Working as a plumber’s helper, Brad worked alongside his father. Now a master plumber himself, Brad and his wife, Sarah Cabebier, started Radiant in 1999.

In July of 2021, Radiant expanded into San Antonio with the purchase of Schmidt Mechanical and primarily serve the residential community. After the acquisition was complete, a rebranding was completed with Schmidt Mechanical taking on the Radiant name. All of the Schmidt Mechanical employees stayed on board to become part of the Radiant team.

Radiant’s services include plumbing, drains, heating and air conditioning services from maintenance to installation.

They have an in-house excavation team.

Depending upon the job, they can perform necessary excavation for jobs that require it.

According to Odalis Suarez, Radiant’s marketing director, San Antonio may not know Radiant, but they probably have heard of them. “We are fairly new to San Antonio. I wouldn’t say we are new to people because we have been heard of.

When people travel between San Antonio and Austin, they can hear us on the radio. It is inevitable you will hear a Radiant ad. We feel people know of us, we just haven’t been in San Antonio until last year.”

Radiant is not your average plumbing and heating company. As promoted on their website, they believe in giving their best to their customers every day and having fun along the way. “From shenanigans like our toilet stunts videos to

Demolition, a family tradition

Robles1 LLC leadership L-R: Andy Brumgard, Saul Robles, Isela Robles and Adam Robles

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t all began in El Paso, TX where Saul Robles’ father, Jesus Robles, started a demolition company. As Saul got older, he began working with his dad alongside his brothers.

At the age of 14, Saul began working full-time after dropping out of school. As the business grew, Saul went to San Antonio with his brother to start up a branch in the Alamo city. That was 1996. By 2006, Saul was burnt out and decided to take a break from demolition. He sold back his interest in the company to his family.

But demolition was in his blood. He began to miss it. Two short years after leaving the family business, Saul partnered with his brother Danny Robles to start a demolition company of their own in the San Antonio area. To distinguish their company from their dad’s company the brothers christened their company, Robles1 LLC. Robles1 operates with the same level of integrity Saul and his brother grew up with in his dad’s business. “If we say we’re going to do something, that’s what we’re going to do,” says Saul.

Despite starting a company during the downturn of the economy, the company flourished. Today, Robles1 has offices in Cibolo, Austin and in his hometown of El Paso. “I felt like we started with nothing. We had nowhere to go but up,” he recalls.

Like his father’s company, Robles1 is a family-owned and operated business.

Isela Robles, Saul’s wife who also worked for Saul’s father’s company, is now president and majority owner of Robles1. Two of Saul and Isela’s four sons, Adam and Matthew, work for the family business.

The ability to provide quality service to meet the demolition needs of their clients is what Robles1 takes great pride in.

Their projects are tailored to provide a safe, fast, and cost-effective approach to getting the job done right.

With a strong family dynamic, family encompasses not just blood relatives within the company, it encompasses all those who work for Robles1 and is extended to their valued clients. With that, they established a set of core values to

ensure safety, provide quality and maintain professionalism.

Safety - They believe in creating a safe work environment, working collectively to increase the changes of a safe, productive work environment. Having a proactive approach addresses potential dangers before they become an issue.

Quality - The key difference between one company and another is quality customer service. Great quality customer service maintains long lasting client relationships. To understand the needs of clients it is imperative to listen and take action accordingly.

Professionalism - An effective business image is nothing without a high level of professionalism – respect, honesty and staying true to commitments made.

Robles1 offers a wide range of self-performing capabilities, priding themselves on quality service to meet their clients’ demolition needs which include interior and exterior demolition, selective interior demolition, demo on or near historical structures, selective structural demolition in which the company removes structural supports and shores up load-bearing walls in preparation for development. They provide demolition services for general contractors serving commercial and industrial clients, hospitals, schools and municipalities.

Additionally, Robles1 works diligently to minimize their environmental footprint within their projects paying attention to wind direction so debris doesn’t carry, manipulate movement so buildings fall in a specific way and keeping a clean site. They separate and recycle everything they can including brick, aggregate, concrete, ferrous and nonferrous metals like copper, aluminum, steel and tin. The money made from selling those materials to recyclers is used to offset the cost of new tools, safety gear and equipment maintenance.

Roble1 LLC is a subcontractor located in Cibolo, TX. -cmw

giving back to our employees and community, Radiant’s reputation as both goofy and experts is well earned.”

The Radiant founders, Brad and Sarah, made a commitment to regularly give back to the people and community.

Through charitable donations and initiatives, Radiant provides assistance to dozens of local charities and families.

Radiant is a plumbing and HVAC company. -cmw

Radiant founders and owners, Sarah and Brad Casebier

Page 4

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

Larry Griffis President-Structural Division, Senior Consultant

Walter P Moore Austin, TX

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ifty years. That is how long Larry Griffis has worked at Walter P Moore, the first company to employ him straight out of grad school. In that half century he has seen buildings rise along with the use of technology and has been a pioneer in both wind engineering and retractable roofs. At 74, Griffis, who ultimately served as President of the company’s Structural Division, is starting to wind down, but his curiosity about his field isn’t.

Share about your early years.

I come from a family of six children – five boys and a girl. I’m number four in line; I was supposed to be a girl: Boy, girl, boy, and then me. I was born in Chicago, IL. How were you introduced to engineering?

My father was a mechanical engineer, and that is really what started my interest in engineering. I come from a family of several engineers, electrical, I was civil/ structural, Dad was mechanical, and my oldest brother was metallurgical engineer. My Dad was educated at CalTech in California, where he met my mother.

We came to Texas in 1959; Dad took a position as Dean of Engineering at Rice University until 1962. I went to high school in Houston when we moved, and when I graduated from high school, I probably would have gone to Rice, but Dad was just in the process of leaving Rice to go to Southern Methodist University as Vice Provost. Instead of getting a free education at Rice University, I went off to the University of Texas at Austin. My sister, older brother and I all attended UT at the same time and graduated from there. I marvel how my dad was able to put four of us through college at the same time!

I graduated from UT with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and then I got a master’s degree from UT Austin in Structural Engineering in 1971.

How did you get started in your career?

Some of my professors in the Civil Engineering department told me about a consulting engineering firm in River Oaks in Houston. My professor encouraged me to go interview and so I set up an interview with Walter Moore Jr. who took over the ownership of the firm for his father, Walter Moore Sr., who also interviewed me. I started there in January in 1972, and at the time, it was a firm of only 25 people – today there are over 700 now in 34 offices around the world – but it had an excellent reputation. I started on the drafting boards and worked my way up, and now it has been 50 years at the same company.

What positions did you hold in those 50 years?

I started out as a graduate engineer.

Then I went on to become an engineer and senior engineer, which you did in those days. Then, if you were a pretty good engineer with the firm, you got to be a Group Director managing a team of six to eight people, which I did. From there, I went to Division Manager of the structural division, which at the time had about 110 people; I held that position until 2010.

I started to slow down a little bit and

Larry Griffis celebrates 50 years at Walter P Moore, the first company to hire him out of grad school.

began working on forensic cases; at that time, we opened our diagnostics group. I did a lot of investigations on existing buildings, and this is where I spent a lot of the latter part of my career.

Walter P Moore continued to grow and became an international company.

Since I came from and knew a lot about Austin from my time at UT, we decided to open an Austin office, since Austin was growing. Right as 9/11 occurred, I bought a house in Austin and became a part of the Austin office. I still maintained my role as Division Manager of the structural division.

Who mentored you?

A lot of people on the faculty at UT, and Walter Moore Jr. He is someone I would say is my immediate mentor. He’s the one who really told me that I needed to get out there and start publishing papers and participating in professional committees. I came to meet a lot of people in American Institute of Steel Construction, the AISC Specification Committee, the American Concrete Institute 318 Code Committee. And then I was also part of the ASCE 7 Committee, which is another standard that makes its way into the International Building Code.

I made a lot of professional friends in the structural engineering community from being pushed by my mentor, Walter Moore Jr. He had a very strong influence on my career and provided a lot of guidance for me.

How did you come to specialize in wind engineering?

In the professional committees I started joining, the ASCE standard covered all the environmental loads: wind, earthquake, snow, tsunamis now and all the environmental loads that engineers design for. When Houston started growing in the 70’s, Walter Moore Jr. was excellent in marketing and had a lot of connections in Houston. We started landing a lot of commercial projects there, and I started doing a lot of highrise buildings in downtown Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta.

As I got into the design of high-rise buildings, I became very interested in wind loading, since tall buildings are mostly influenced by wind loads. I joined the ASCE 7 Wind Committee as a young engineer. Being part of that committee for all those years, I eventually worked my way up to be committee chairman. My interest in wind engineering came from the rapid growth in Houston high rise building in downtown that we designed.

I’ve been a member of the ASCE 7 Wind committee for almost 30-some years now.

Wind engineering is fascinating, especially as buildings become taller and more slender. I was fortunate in my career to do a few of those. Our headquarters building in Houston – called 4 Houston Center at the time – I was the engineer of record for that 52-story building. That was a nice accomplishment for me.

The design of tall buildings is still one of my strongest interests. In fact, I teach a class at Florida International University as a Professor of Practice, teaching the design of tall buildings.

You also were a pioneer of retractable stadium roofs.

That started when I was hired as a

consultant, and got to know some people at Schuff Steel, which was and is one of the biggest fabricating steel companies in the US. One of the committees I was on was the Code of Standard Practice. One of the committee members was Don Engler - the General Manager of Schuff Steel, and he was involved in the design of the first retractable roof stadium in the United States – Bank One Ballpark.

Walter P Moore was not the structural engineer of that, but I was called in because of my experience with erection and being part of the Code of Standard Practice. Schuff was getting into some trouble on the project; being the first retractable roof, it was very complicated with many challenges and way over budget. Whenever you are doing the first of anything, it’s certainly a challenge, and this certainly was. Schuff asked me to be a consultant to them in the lawsuit that they were involved in with the owner; I think it was the Arizona Diamondbacks at the time.

For a year-and-a-half, I went through every piece of paper that was involved in that project. I learned in that process all the things that can go wrong with a retractable roof. It was a wealth of experience for me to meet with all the people involved – the fabricators, erectors, engineer of record – and it gave me a tremendous background of information for how to do these roofs.

After working on that and collecting about three feet of paper, I had an excellent background on the design of a moveable roof. At the same time, I got to know the moveable roof contractor, UniSystems; the owner Cyril Silberman was also involved as a consultant. I met him and that relationship carried on for over 25 years. All the moveable roofs that Walter P Moore ended up designing, like the one at Minute Maid Park and Reliant Stadium next to the Astrodome, on which I was the engineer of record, were with UniSystems. That relationship with UniSystems has been very important. I’ve pretty much been involved with all these roof projects and was engineer of record for three or four of them. It’s been amazing to be a part of, but it was just being in the right place at the right time.

What has been the most exciting change you’ve witnessed in your 50 years in the industry?

I think computers have a lot to do with it. Back when I started, we worked with slide rules and hand calculations and paper. Then when Hewlett Packard came out with the first calculator, we all moved from slide rules to calculators.

And then it was automated calculators that could be programmed. Then IBM had the early desktop computers, and then we had laptop computers. I think the computer evolution has done a lot to lead the advancement of structural engineering because structural calculations can be very complex. But one thing I teach my students is that even though everything is done on the computer now, you want to avoid the situation where the computer becomes a black box, and you don’t know what the software is doing. That’s why hand calculations and approximate calculations on hand calculators are still extremely important parts of being a structural engineer.

What advice would you give to others who want to start in this industry?

If you’re going to be involved in structural engineering, or any field of engineering, you’d better be dedicated and willing to work hard. The hours are long, and it can be a strain on the family.

It’s not a 40-hour a week job; it’s 60 to 70 hours a week. What really motivates a lot of us is seeing these projects go from conception all the way up through design and going up in the air. That can be a very satisfying experience and it gives you the fire to go on to the next one. You need to understand what it takes and understand the importance of being part of a team because it’s really a team sport that we’re involved in, being a part of these projects.

What’s the most valuable lesson you have learned at Walter P Moore?

One of the things I try to pass on to young engineers is that there is a lot of risk involved in structural engineering.

These are complex projects, with complex shapes and complex calculations that must be done. The focus today is on “faster, better cheaper”, with an emphasis on faster. Engineers need to go into the process understanding that their calculations can affect people’s lives. If they mess up the calculations, and don’t get the project reviews accomplished in a timely manner, it can lead to serious problems.

How have you changed as a leader over the years?

One of the skills that I think I have learned over the years is how to manage people. We hire the best and the brightest from the top universities, so we’re blessed with a lot of talent. Everyone has a flaw, with things that they are not so good at and things they are really good at. The key for me is to overcome the person’s weaknesses and find their strengths and make them feel like they are collaborating and contributing as part of the team.

What do you enjoy about your work?

I enjoy managing these big projects and these big teams. That’s been very satisfying and has kept me going all these years. Engineering is just an exciting process! It’s been a fun ride.

What do you enjoy in your spare time?

Well, my wife, Barbara likes cats, so I’ve learned to love cats; we have one. We have become lovers of Lake Tahoe and the mountains there. We’ve been going there for summer vacations and have rented the same place on the lake for over 30 years now. Hiking, the mountain air, boating, water skiing and water sports is unwinding and how I recharge my batteries. My career has taken me around the world, so I try to take my wife with me when I can. She actually worked at Walter P Moore and was already there when I came.

What does your future hold?

I’m going to stay involved in Walter P Moore. I’m winding down now; I’m 74 years old, But I’m still going to stay involved with the firm as long as I can if I am healthy. I’ll probably go to half-time or quarter-time and then this summer, I’ll get more into a retirement mode and do some more teaching if I stay healthy.

Walter P Moore is in Austin. –mjm

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

Page 5

Holidays at Alterman

Alterman’s Capital Cookers prepare a BBQ spread fit for a king for the Alterman Field Party.

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n Dec. 15, Alterman got back to tradition and hosted their annual field party for the cherished field employees.

To say they had a great turnout would be an understatement. Two hundred employees showed up for an evening of food, gifts, raffle prizes and some really amazing grand prizes.

“This event gives us the opportunity to celebrate the season with our remarkable employees,” says Alterman President Greg Padalecki. “Thank you to all our office employees that volunteered to help make this happen, our purchasing department for getting all the great prizes, and of course our Austin Capital Cooker for cooking up some delicious BBQ. Most importantly, thank you to our field

Austin

employees for working hard every day, keeping Alterman a place of integrity and a safe place to work.”

Founded in 1923 in San Antonio, Alterman expanded its footprint and formed a presence in Austin in 2015. The company launched operations when a young Nathan Alterman purchased an existing electrical business at the age of 24. Since then, the company continued to grow under the leaderships of Richard Alterman, Jerry Kolinek, Don Kuykendall, John Wright and now, Greg Padalecki, laying the path for the future of Alterman, its valued employees and clients.

“Stay tuned,” says Padalecki, “for upcoming developments as we continue to accommodate our plans for the future growth of Alterman.” -cmw

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Fall back plan

COVID and a related accident made Cory C. Farris (front row, second from right) realize he had more than 70 reasons to create a crisis plan.

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eople think it could never happen to them. But Cory C. Farris, Chief Operating Officer at McCar Companies, says it can and he hopes others learn from his experience last year.

After COVID impacted Farris, his 70plus employees and their loved ones in a six-week time frame, Farris thought he was finally on the mend on Day 10 of his illness. However, an exhausting return to work, followed by a short walk into his kitchen that evening, proved otherwise.

Just as his youngest daughter noticed that Farris’ face had turned cartoon purple, Farris’ arms dropped to his sides, and he fell face first onto the Italian stone floor.

HIs fainting was a syncope event associated with COVID. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the worst of it. Upon arriving home from the hospital, Farris received urgent calls from a surgeon, insisting that he return. The news was not good: Scans showed that the fall had created a queso bowl-sized indention on the left side of his skull, masked by severe swelling.

Surgery was needed immediately before the crushed bones fused.

The one-two punch of COVID and unexpected surgery led Farris to a sickto-his-stomach realization: He was going to miss more work. Worse yet, McCar didn’t have a crisis plan in place for this scenario. Who would sign the checks, hire employees, or ensure that the staff that he so valued was taken care of?

“I’m an in-charge guy, and this was the first time in my life that I’ve ever felt

genuinely vulnerable. If I’m out, my job doesn’t get done, and this exposed that.

In my personal life, I have everything organized in case of an emergency, but I was running a company, and I didn’t have a ‘bench’ in place. What I am most embarrassed about is that I have more than 70 people whose families depend on McCar and I realized that there are things that would make us vulnerable. I’m a little hard on myself because we experienced it, but what I know is that most of my peers and most companies our size don’t have a crisis plan either.”

Farris missed a month of COO-ing as he recovered from COVID followed by a seven-hour surgery. As he healed from 780 stitches, black eyes, a broken skull, a shattered eye socket, a repositioning of his left eye, and an insertion of titanium plates and screws, his amazing team filled in the gaps. He knows he is fortunate to return to a company that didn’t fall apart as he put himself back together. Today, he feels great, and the company added more trucks, opened an office/truckyard/ maintenance facility in South Austin last December and are in negotiations for a second quarry.

Farris says creating a crisis plan is now a top priority. When the unthinkable happens – a car accident, an asteroid hitting Earth, or even death – Farris has peace of mind that his team and his aggregate manufacturing and delivery company will have a plan to survive it all.

McCar Companies is in Hutto. –mjm

Page 6

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

That’s amore!

T

he construction industry builds both structures and relationships. Some of the strongest relationships are those shared by couples who work together in construction.

Side-by-side, day-to-day, they’re at the office and sometimes in the car riding to and from, talking about the work they just did (or not, in the interest of keeping work and love separate). We wish a very happy Valentine’s Day to everyone in the industry and especially to construction couples! -mjm

❤

Gabe Gotsche & Jackie Gotsche, G&S Mechanical

❤

Mike Martin & Susan Martin, Austin Wood Recycling

❤

Nic Joslyn & Inez Escamilla, Loose Cannon Welding Company

❤

John Torrey & Lisa Torrey, Boulder Designs by TLI

❤

Kipp Koeppel & Brooke Koeppel, The Brothers That Just Do Gutters

❤

Loma Cox & Bernard Smith, Asphalt Care of Texas

Resource Guide Truck & Equip Dealers

Service Providers

Subcontractors

For info: Buddy Doebbler - Buddy@ConstructionNews.net 210-308-5800

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

Page 7

ACCOUNTING

INSURANCE

New Rules of Construction Accounting

Negligent Entrustment of Company Vehicles – Who is Responsible?

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

Reginald Mahadeo Agency Owner Reginald Mahadeo Insurance Agency, Inc. Austin, TX

I

f you’re a reputable construction contractor, there’s no doubt you’re precise with measurements, equipment, project timelines and other aspects of the business. But bookkeeping? Accounting? Tax strategies? Those areas aren’t likely in your wheelhouse. So let this be a reminder that you need to evaluate your method of accounting every year based on the projects you have in the works.

Here’s why: The accounting methods allowed for small businesses in the construction industry changed in recent years. The definition of a small business changed, too. Eligible small contractors can make up to $26 million in annual gross receipts in a three-year period (as of 2021). That threshold was $5 million not long ago and, once it was changed as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), a whole new world of tax savings opened for additional contractors.

If you engage in long-term home construction contracts or other contracts that span across two tax years (but not longer), it’s a big deal. Small contractors who qualify under the $26 million threshold can now use a cash method of accounting for tax purposes. The cash method is considered the most straightforward or “real-time” option because revenue is recorded when received, and expenses are recorded when vendors are paid. In short, you’re not taxed on income before you’ve received it, as you may be with the traditional accrual method.

A completed contract method is also a possibility for small contractors. The approach is best for projects that span two tax years because it allows the contractor to defer all project revenue expenses and profit for the completion of the project.

Additionally, small contractors now have flexibility in deducting certain capitalized costs, including inventory expenses and certain building materials or other items the IRS considers merchandise used in products sold to customers. Under the nonincidental materials and supplies method (NIMS), direct materials are deducted when they are sold. That means that you can deduct these inventory costs in the same year your project completes so that you can offset that income.

The more traditional accrual method of accounting that large contractors are still required to follow requires tax payment on projects while they progress (not necessarily as money exchanges hands). The most common type of accrual accounting is the percentage-of-completion method.

There are circumstances in which small contractors might still choose the accrual method. Manufacturing contracts and non-home-construction contracts that span more than two years must use the accrual method. Plus, if you have related businesses or your company is a flow-through business with losses allocated to passive investors, your ability to utilize small-business taxpayer account-

ing methods like the cash method could be questioned.

In short, you must pass the IRS gross receipts test to ensure your receipts within the past three years do not exceed the threshold. That’s not as easy as it sounds.

The IRS explains, “for purposes of the small business exemption, all taxpayers are subject to the section 448(c) gross receipts test. Taxpayers that would not otherwise apply the section 448(c) gross receipts test should apply it as if they were a corporation or a partnership, but should treat themselves as the type of entity that they actually are when applying sections 52(a), 52(b), 414(m), and 414(o) of the Code. For example, a taxpayer that is a partnership without a corporate partner should still apply the section 448(c) gross receipts test for purposes of section 163(j), but apply the partnership definition of controlling interest for purposes of the aggregation rules under §1.52-1(c) (2)(iii) and (d)(2)(iii) of the Income Tax Regulations.”

Clear as mud, right? Your personal alternative minimum tax rate (AMT) may also affect your ability to use a simplified accounting method. Plus, although it’s more complicated, the accrual method has its benefits when it comes to providing a more accurate financial snapshot of the business for potential financing, investors, buyers, or partners.

Before changing your method of accounting, talk to a tax advisor about the AMT factor and other concerns. The correct IRS forms must be completed, and some taxpayers must secure IRS consent before changing accounting methods for tax purposes.

It’s ironic that moving to a simplified accounting method can be this complicated, but that’s the IRS. A qualified tax advisor can help you decide what method of accounting is suitable for your projects and budgets. Do be sure, though, to reconsider the methodology annually.

While a cash method may offer advantages for tax purposes, for instance, accrual accounting might be better for other financial reasons. The pros and cons of each method should be weighed carefully. With expanded options come added considerations, and some of those considerations can be too complicated to master on your own.

Steven Bankler has more than 45 years of experience in the accounting industry.

Steven’s expertise liesin 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.

H

ow often has that fatal accident we’ve heard about on the evening news involved someone driving a company vehicle with a poor driving record?

Was the business owner aware of the poor driving record? Is the Owner responsible? The short answer is – Yes, the Business Owner is responsible. And of course, there are numerous commercials on TV advertising legal services for anyone involved in accident by a business vehicle. So, Business Owners need to be aware of this risk.

As an employer with drivers, you should be aware that your business is responsible for verifying and monitoring the qualifications of employee. Failure to do so, could be a case of Negligent Entrustment which arises when a business allows an “unqualified” individual to operate a company vehicle. The use of that vehicle by such a person creates a potential risk of harm to the general public, resulting in damages to third party claimant(s).

These damages can open up your business to significant financial damages as well as negative publicity. Accidents involving catastrophic damages may involve punitive damages which in some jurisdictions are not insurable, thus owed directly by the defendant business.

Those legal commercials on the news show large jury awards which can be devastating for small businesses.

Therefore, there is a duty imposed onto the business by tort law to conduct reasonable Due Diligence.In determining whether Negligent Entrustment exists, the main questions are as follows: • Was the driver property qualified at the time of hire? That is, did he have a history of accidents /violations or lack appropriate skills for the size and type of vehicle in operation?

• Did the employer know or should have known of these driver con- cerns?

• Did the driver’s negligence cause the accident?

Employer knowledge is the key, since ignorance is not a valid defense The employer is responsible for initial screening and ongoing supervision of individuals entrusted with a vehicle. Standard operating practices should be in place to check a driver’s employment background, review Motor Vehicle Records annually, and to enforce compliance to established procedures. Recordkeeping of the prehire screening and ongoing supervision of the authorized drivers is needed.

Formalizing and documenting this process doesn’t have to be complicated.

A basic commercial safety program should consist of: • Written driver recruiting and selection criteria • New hire evaluation and review • Ongoing driver review and training • Post-accident reviews • Disciplinary standards One additional exposure to consider is an employee driving a vehicle, not owned by the company, but in the course of employment. In these situations, the business may also be financially responsible above and beyond primary insurance on that vehicle if an accident occurs.

Therefore, when assessing your complete operations, consider all vehicle uses including, employee personal owned vehicles, rental cars or borrowed vehicles.

In summary, if an employee or other party acting as an agent of the company is required to drive in the course and scope of company business, it is crucial that proper management practices be established and enforced. Set your standards and document your procedures.

Remember it is your organization’s assets that are on the line, so it’s up to you to reduce your potential exposures. Contact our agency, if you need any assistance or have questions. We are here to help!

Office of Reginald Mahadeo Farmers Insurance 13740 N. Highway 183, Bldg. S, Unit 3&4 Austin, TX 78750 512-879-4701 Office www.farmersagent.com/rmahadeo

Page 8

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

OSHA

LEGAL Delegated Designs Surprise Unsuspecting Contractors

Serious Injury Reporting Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

Shelly Masters Principal Cokinos Young Austin TX

T

here are several types of events that are required to be reported to OSHA. All employers are required to notify OSHA when an employee is killed on the job or suffers a work-related hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye.

C

ontractors and architects have long had a love/hate relationship especially when design collides with the means and methods. Texas law recently righted a long-standing wrong done contractors by making the owner – not the contractor – responsible for the risk of deficiencies in the architect’s design documents. While celebration is in order, general contractors and subcontractors must be more vigilant to avoid the risk of “delegate design” which is an increasingly popular trend.

Delegated design occurs when a contractor assumes responsibility for some aspect of a project’s design in the construction process. The transfer of design responsibility is a standard industry practice for certain subcontractors. However, unsuspecting subcontractors may run into the added costs of retaining of an architect or engineer to complete the delegated work or, if not blessed by a design expert, bear the risk of defective construction.

Design tasks are often passed on to contractors and subcontractors to reduce owner costs or pass on the responsibility to knowledgeable contractors who are considered the installation experts. However, some design professionals delegate design with the primary motivation of transferring risk to the contractor.

The first step to controlling this risk is to catch the transfer before contract execution. The following two steps will assist contractors in protecting against the unknowing acceptance of design scopes.

Review Plans/Specifications. Contractors must first carefully and thoroughly review the plans and specifications to identify design responsibilities.

Look for specifications or design notes which require shop drawings under a professional engineer’s seal. See examples below. Incomplete designs can also hide delegated designs.

Example in Specifications for Delegated Design Submittals. All shop drawings shall be signed and sealed by a registered engineer and identify each component and attachment to building construction. Shop drawings and calculations received without engineer seals and signature will be returned without review.

Example in Delegated Design Notes.

Design responsibility for the following engineered systems and components is delegated to a qualified specialty structural engineer selected by the contractor. Coordinate with the contract documents for professional licensure and sealing requirements, design criteria, details of the system, submittal and calculation requirements.

Review the Contract. The contractual vehicle for delegating design responsibility is rarely clearly labeled “Delegated Design”. Instead, the transfer can be subtle through a warranty, flow down or code compliance provision like the samples below.

AIA General Conditions to AIA A2012017, Section 3.12.10.1. If professional design services…are specifically required…, the Owner and the Architect will specify all performance and design criteria that such services must satisfy…. The Contractor shall cause such services or certifications to be provided by…licensed design professional, whose signature and seal shall appear on all drawings…prepared by such professional.

Design Professions provision from General Contract. Subcontractor hereby agrees that if portions of the work to be performed under the subcontract are to be designed by the subcontractor…subcontractor will have those portions of the work designed by a registered professional.

Through this process, contractors can evaluate the scope of the delegation, calculate the additional cost and time to

comply and revise the project scope and contract commensurate with what risk, if any, will be accepted in the contract documents. Contractors can include express language disclaiming responsibility for delegated design beyond what is being transferred. For example, an express exclusion could be included to: (a) exempt design responsibility for connected building systems installed by other trades; (b) limit the contractors requirement to provide professional services in violation of applicable laws and regulations; and, (c) limit the contractors responsibility for the adequacy of the design criteria specified by the owner or its consultants.

In many cases, a design scope may be discovered by contractors after contract execution. The best practice for performing in accordance with delegated design responsibilities requires contractors to take the following steps.

Licensed Professional Retention. The first thing a contractor should do is engage a licensed professional to perform the design work to ensure contractual obligations are met and provide required any necessary submittals to the architect of record for approval. While securing the approval of the architect of record on the delegated designs may not alleviate the contractor’s contractual responsibility, it can mitigate the risk of subsequent defect claims attributable to this design.

Carefully Prepare Submittals and Shop Drawings. Clear and precise submittals and shop drawings are meant to, and can, prevent misunderstanding or problems encountered during construction. Identifying and mitigating nonconformance early is usually less costly and time consuming than correcting errors after construction is completed. Because shop drawings are not typically a part of the contract documents, contractors should ensure owners and the design team are put on notice of any discrepancies which are discovered between the design and contract documents.

Keep in mind a contractor’s insurance may not cover design elements.

Contractors should consult their insurance brokers to determine if extra insurance coverage may be procured. Savvy subcontractors should include the added costs of design consultants and insurance coverage in their bids. Further, a professional review of the construction contract documents may further assist in identifying and limiting what your company is ultimately responsible for in the delegated design.

Note: Delegated design is not to be confused with “design assist” which may sound similar but applies to pre-design input from contractors for which the design team remains ultimately responsible for the design.

Shelly Masters is a Principal in the Austin office of Cokinos Young. She represents clients in the areas of construction, labor and employment, commercial and products liability law. Cokinos Young has been representing the construction industry for over 30 years. She can be reached by e-mail at smasters@cokinoslaw.com or by phone at (512) 615-1139.

Work related fatalities must be reported within 8 hours of the workplace incident. Employers are not generally required to report over the road traffic fatalities, or commercial train, plane or bus fatalities to OSHA, though these incidents would be required to be entered on the OSHA 300 log, if the employer is required to maintain the OSHA 300. If the motor vehicle accident occurred in a construction work zone, you must report the fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye. Employers are required to report fatal heart attack cases to OSHA. OSHA is required by law to conduct an inspection for all work-related fatalities.

Other serious injuries are also required to be reported to OSHA. An in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss must be reported within 24 hours.

An in-patient hospitalization is one where the worker is required to be formally admitted to the hospital due to his injuries. You do not have to report an in-patient hospitalization that involves only observation or diagnostic testing.

You must only report to OSHA each inpatient hospitalization that involves care or treatment.

OSHA defines an amputation as the traumatic loss of a limb or other external body part. Amputations include a part, such as a limb or appendage, that has been severed, cut off, amputated (either

completely or partially); fingertip amputations with or without bone loss; medical amputations resulting from irreparable damage; amputations of body parts that have since been reattached. Amputations do not include avulsions, enucleations, deglovings, scalpings, severed ears, or broken or chipped teeth.

To report these cases to OSHA, the employer can report the incident in person at the OSHA office, call the closest OSHA Area office during business hours, the 1-800-321-OSHA number, or file the report on-line at osha.gov.

You must only report a fatality to OSHA if the fatality occurs within thirty (30) days of the work-related incident. For an in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye, you must only report the event to OSHA if it occurs within twenty-four (24) hours of the work-related incident. However, the fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye must be recorded on your OSHA injury and illness records, if you are required to keep such records.

More information on reporting serious injuries and fatalities is available on the OSHA website at: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1904/1904.39 natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232

Industry FOLKS Jeremy Davis

Coordinator/Assistant to Branch Manager

Rent Equip Austin, TX

J

ust two months in to 2022, Jeremy Davis’ year has already been eventful.

Davis hopes that his story of being open to change inspires others who are unemployed or seeking a career shift.

To be of more assistance to his wife and kids at home, Davis left the up-anddown oil and gas industry after 17 years.

After working as a Delivery Associate for Amazon and taking on other side jobs, Davis started a new position as Coordinator and Assistant to the Branch Manager at Rent Equip in North Austin last December. Working in the construction industry is a new experience for him, but it is one that Davis has long been seeking.

“Between my wife and I, we have six kids – biological and stepchildrenwhich was another huge decision in pulling out of oil and gas and finding something stable locally so I can be home more,” Davis says. “I love oil and gas, and it was good to me while I was working in the industry. But now my role is to support my wife and kids and be home more than I have been in the past.”

In his new role at Rent Equip, Davis acts as Branch Manager when the current Branch Manager is not present, helps with the storefront, sales, loading, unloading, equipment delivery, and customer interaction. After years of weathering an uncertain oil and gas

industry, Davis is excited to now be part of the construction field. He feels especially fortunate to have a chance to learn and grow with a company that is passionate about what it does.

“I am in the equipment rental side to the construction industry,” Davis says. “So, I really enjoy troubleshooting and helping customers find the correct equipment they need to be successful on each one of their jobs and projects.

“What I really enjoy about working with contractors on the construction side is a lot of the same morals, mindset, and work ethics I saw in my 17 years in oil and gas are pretty similar in construction,” he adds. “So, the lingo and a lot of the skills I developed in my years with oil and gas were easily transferable and I felt like I have fit right in. Another thing I really like is the stability of it.”

Davis and his wife have moved into a new home and are both adjusting to new careers. When Davis isn’t working, he enjoys the good life outside of the office as much as he does inside of it.

“I am a huge sports nut,” Davis says.

“I love baseball, basketball, and football. I love to fish, try great food, and most of all, spend time with my wife and kids.” –mjm

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

Page 9

on the speckled trout limits. After the devastating freeze in February 2021, TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries Division enacted some emergency regulations cutting the limit of trout from five fish to three and changing the size limit from 15-25 inches to 17-23 inches. These regulations expired on September 27, 2021 and the limit went back to five fish and 15 inch min. Over the summer and fall periods, TPWD recognized the trout stocks would need additional assistance to recover to pre-freeze levels along harder hit areas along the bay system. They have made the proposal to go back the same emergency regulations for a period of two years. After the green light from the commissioners to take the proposal public, Coastal Fisheries staff conducted meetings along the coast to gauge the opinion of the public. If approved, we should see a change in the regulation sometime in the spring and expire in August of 2023.

Changes Proposed Again for Speckled Trout

by Capt. Steve Schultz Sponsored by:

Waypoint Marine/Waypoint Customs, Shoalwater Boats, Mercury Marine, Shimano Reels, E-Z Bel Construction, Costa Sunglasses, Simms Fishing, Columbia ForEverlast Fishing Products, PowerPro, Interstate Batteries, MirrOlure, JL Marines Power-Pole, and AFTCO Clothing.

What we can do to help this situation is to be more conscious of water we keep and what we can release. Practicing catch and release is proven to promote the survival and continue spawning of these highly sought-after fish. Bottom line is that they will all die in the bottom of an ice chest, so by turning some lose, we all can be a part of conserving this fishery for the future.

F

ebruary has finally arrived and so has some colder weather to the Coastal Bend. Deer camp is closed and all the blinds are locked up for another summer.

It was great hunting season with lots of deer harvested and memories made at the Chaparrosa Ranch.

My new 2022 Shoalwater rig should be ready by the time this column reaches your hands and I’m excited to get behind the helm of this machine powered by the powerful Mercury 300 Pro XS. I will also be field testing some new gear throughout the year and contemplating changing boats for the 2023 season. Stay tuned!!

It’s an awesome break for me being at the ranch, off the water, to be able to reset my season during this break. Lots of time to reflect back on the year with many great clients and friends on the boat. As we start the new fishing season, I kick off my 24th year of guiding customers on the Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay complex.

Never in my dreams did I ever think this would turn into such a profession that will hopefully take me to my retirement years. I can honestly say that I really enjoy what I do and look forward to every day on the water.

As we start the new fishing season, we are waiting on possible changes from the Texas Parks and Wildlife folks

I have already started to fill the calendar for the upcoming 2022 season. Don’t wait until all the good dates are gone! To schedule your next bay fishing or hunting trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361813-3716 or e-mail him at: SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail.com Good luck and Good Fishing.

Rick Ullmann of San Antonio battled this 28-inch redfish for what seemed like 15 minutes before getting to the net. Photo taken by Steve Schultz Outdoors.

Page 10

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

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

Valentine’s Day is a Fishing Cue?

Y

ou bet! A savvy fisherman knows that when you see all that pink heart candy start showing up in the stores, you better start paying attention to your fishing information network.

About a week or two on either side of Valentine’s Day is when the white bass runs on the rivers and lakes really get strong.

It can be early if the winter has been mild, or late if winter has come off really cold.

The best bet is to keep an eye on your online fishing reports and forums or your local tackle shop for the latest info.

White bass are good eating and fast catching especially during their spawning run. This makes them one of the best fish to go after with your kids. You can use any lure that looks like a shad and troll for them or cast for them. The upside here is that they get plenty of practice with their rod and reel and lots of catching satisfaction too. That should help keep a kid’s attention.

Crappie are really starting to haunt the shallow water on these warm sunny days. They love to hang about in structure. You can tempt them out with live minnows or use jigs to tease them out of hiding. Most anglers agree that crappie are the best eating fish. I know lots of people that save their used-up Christmas trees and those of their friends, just to sink them in a secret spot to create a nice crappie hole to fish.

getting some nice bluecats by bank fishing and using jug lines.

Stripers and hybrids are schooling up nice. This time of year, they are also found more upstream than during the later months of the year when they head back downstream to stay in cool deeper water.

Birds working the water’s surface can be a good way to find them feeding. Just don’t expect them to bite too soon after a cold front comes in. High barometric pressure seen on cold, windy, cloudless days will shut down the bite. Give them a day or two and they will go back to normal.

As long as we don’t have another major winter storm like the one that walloped us last February, we should be all set for some fine spring fishing. A strong late season cold spell like that can throw a monkey wrench into everything! There is nothing more frustrating than watching the fish get all wound up to go crazy spawning only to get shut down by suddenly frigid water temperatures. Last year was doubly bad because is caused fish to die out in some places, especially along the coast. It can take some time to recover from that kind of damage.

I’m hoping for a nice normal second half of winter this year. The kind where you fish 2 or 3 days and take a day or two off to let a cold front blow through, then get back to fishing. It has a nice balance to it!

Catch Striper Fever with Ken Milam Guide Service on Lake Buchanan in the Central Texas Hill Country. Bait, tackle, and equipment are provided and we will clean your catch for you on our chartered fishing trips for striped and hybrid bass.

Catfish are going strong right now too! Our local fishermen are doing well on trotlines, bringing in some solid yellow catfish, and our cabin customers are

VALENTINE’S DAY FEBRUARY 14

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

Page 11

Sunrise, sunset

T

he construction industry’s early mornings and late hours have a silver lining: the chance to catch amazing sunrises and sunsets during work. Some of these sky shows were so stunning, these industry members couldn’t resist shooting their shot! –mjm

His-and-hers hunting

D

riving through the gates of Wimberley’s Calhoun Ranch, it didn’t take long for Pinpoint Strategies President Collins Johnson and his girlfriend, Trisha Trantham, to call dibs on the beautiful animals they would hunt that late November day.

Broaddus Construction’s EVP David Bowlin snapped this sunrise shot from the company’s Austin headquarters at Capital View Center.

Collins Johnson and Trisha Trantham proudly show off Johnson’s Red Stag.

Grind Time Rock Milling President Luke Schilhab took a photo of this sunrise as he kicked off a project at Blanco’s Red Oak Mountain.

Mark Robertson, Central Field Technology Group Leader at DPR Construction, was teaching his son about his surveying work when a photo op of a herd of deer before dusk presented itself.

Central Texas Stone & Aggregate General Manager Cole Bland loves to park his truck on top of a stockpile, watch the sunset, and reflect on his day’s work. He captured this one as a cold front was quickly moving in.

“Once we got out there, it’s like you kind of just go shopping,” Johnson, who purchased the exotic animal hunt at a banquet, explains. “You drive around and see a wide variety of animals.”

For his part of the hunt, Johnson was taken with a Red Stag.

“I’ve never seen a Red Stag this big, not even in pictures,” he says. “It just got my attention.”

Trantham found herself besotted with a gorgeous Watusi Bull.

“When we first pulled through the gate, I saw it in the corner and I couldn’t get my mind off of it either,” Trantham says. “I drove around and saw all of these beautiful animals but at the end of the day, I wanted that Watusi Bull!”

Both had successful hunts, but Johnson’s stag was more difficult to nab than Trantham’s bull.

“We hunted that Red Stag safaristyle. It took us a while to get on it. It was elusive once it knew it was being hunted and I wound up finally getting a shot when it was behind some trees and a thicket. It took us a good solid hour chasing it before we got on it and got the shot,” Johnson says.

“The Watusi was a little easier to get on,” Trantham adds. “I shot it from a good distance.”

After the hunt, the stag and bull yielded both dinners and décor. Using the meat from both animals, the couple has enjoyed steaks, chili, goulash, and summer sausage. Both animals will be shoulder mounted and featured in a guest house and a new house the couple is building on their horse farm, and Trantham plans to make a beautiful rug from the bull’s hide. –mjm

A Watusi Bull was Trisha Trantham’s prize on her hunt with boyfriend Collins Johnson.

Page 12

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

See it solo

Wild ways

L-R: Finn Wood Flooring’s Dylon and Laisha Nielsen and Levi and Elizabeth Bones at the booth that inspired their new showroom.

W Wright caught this 25.10 lb. Blue Cat at Canyon Lake.

D

arby Wright sure is getting his share of hunting and fishing in these days!

The owner of Servpro of San Marcos recently harvested a huge hog on a hunting trip in Gonzales County. He also caught a 25.10 lb. Blue Cat on rod and reel at Canyon Lake.

“It barely missed beating the existing lake record by seven ounces,” Wright says. “When the fish first hit, she pulled the rod and reel out of the boat and underwater. I was able to hook the rod with another rod and pull in the cat. CPR was used: Catch, Photograph, and Release!” –mjm Darby Wright was high on this hog, hunted in Gonzales County.

hen Finn Wood Flooring Owner/ Founder Levi Bones, his wife (and business co-owner) Elizabeth (Lizzie), his sister Laisha Nielsen and brother-inlaw Dylon Nielsen set up their booth at Austin’s Build Expo last August, it inspired the company’s next milestone. The response to the booth was so positive, that the group decided to open a showroom in January to show its latest samples.

An invitation to a Jan. 15 grand opening was posted on social media.

Guests were encouraged to bring their textiles for color comparisons to the new wood flooring that the company had begun manufacturing last year. It promised to be an afternoon of food, fun, and music, with dogs also being invited as plus-ones. Unfortunately, by Jan. 6, Austin had moved into Stage 5 COVID-19, forcing the business to postpone the showroom’s grand opening to a safer time.

The new showroom, however, still opened Jan. 15. Located at 503 W Mary St. in Austin (with free parking!), visitors can visit the new space and view the samples by appointment only, which can be

booked via email, phone call or private messaging. Dogs who had planned on attending the grand opening are welcome, too!

Party or no party, Levi says he hopes customers will come check out the wide selection of locally manufactured hardwood flooring.

“We have 37 colors on sustainably sourced European French White Oak to view and feel in person,” Levi says. “Come discuss with a professional on our team that can help you decide on what look and feel you desire. We look forward to your visit!”–mjm

Even though COVID-19 postponed the grand opening, the showroom is open to visitors by appointment only.

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

Page 13

Association Calendar

What is your favorite tool?

Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC Associated Builders & Contractors Feb. 22: Lien Law Update, ABC Offices, 2600 Longhorn Blvd. #105, 11:30am-1pm.

For more info, call Brian Bisgard at 512719-5263 or email bbisgard@abccentraltexas.org ACEA Greater Austin Contractors & Engineers Association Feb. 10: Membership Luncheon, Norris Conference, 2525 W. Anderson Ln., 11:30am -1pm.

Feb. 21: Frostbite Golf Tournament, River Place Country Club, 4207 River Place Blvd., 10:30am Registration, 12pm Tee Time. For more info, call Silvia Pendleton at 512-893-7067 or email silvia.pendleton@aceatx.com.

AGC Associated General Contractors Feb. 18: Outstanding Construction Awards Banqet, AT&T Conference Center, 1900 University Ave., 6-9pm. For more info, contact Toni Osberry at 512-9944401 or email tonio@agcaustin.org ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers Texas Section Feb. 26: Engineer’s Week, Science Mill, 101 S. Lady Bird Ln., Johnson City, TX, 10am-2pm. For more info, contact Jenni Peters at 512-910-2272 or jpeters@texasce.org

CTSA Central Texas Subcontractors Association Feb. 18: Monthly Lunch Meeting For more info, contact Wendy Lambert at 512-255-6373 NARI National Association of the Remodeling Industry Feb. 1: Builders Roundtable Event, Facets of Austin, 8740 Shoal Creek Blvd., 11:30am-1pm. For more info, Kayvon Leath at 512-997-6274 or email kayvon@ austinnari.org NAWIC National Association of Women in Construction Feb. 2: February Chapter Meeting, Rosendin Electric Training Room, 1033 Meister Ln., Pflugerville, TX, 5:30-8pm.

For more info, email Kaitlyn Powell at Kaitlyn.powell@ryancompanies.com SEAot Structural Engineers Association of Texas Feb. 24: Chapter Meeting via Gotowebinar, For more info, call 512-301-2744 or go to www.seaotaustin.org TXAPA Texas Asphalt Pavement Association Feb. 1-17: TXAPA Inspector Asphalt Education Program. For more info, contact Emily Adams or email eadams@texasasphalt.org

Submitted to Construction News

Round-Up

AGICM has named Marty Schmitt CCM as President and Chief Operations Officer.

Schmitt’s responsibilities will include overseeing the company’s direction and operation, as well as its overall growth and expansion efforts.

Schmitt has been employed by the company for 15 years, previously serving as Chief Operations Officer and Vice President of the East Texas region. –mjm

Burns & McDonnell announces the addition of Jennifer Guigliano as a Environmental Program Manager, Guigliano, a subject matter expert in complex renewable energy projects, has 25 years of crosssector environmental experience and will manage siting, permitting, and compliance for wind, solar, storage, and green hydrogen facilities. –mjm

Balfour Beatty announces the hiring of Zane Drummond as a Senior Project Manager in the company’s Austin office. A Texas A&M University graduate, Zane brings 10 years of experience in Texas to his role, completing commercial, corporate, healthcare, and higher education projects. He recently worked on the downtown Austin’s RiverSouth office building. –mjm

Dan McClure has rejoined Structure Tone Southwest as S e n i o r Superintendent in the firm’s Austin office. McClure, who previously worked for the company in 2005, has nearly 30 years of experience as a senior superintendent, overseeing large ground-up projects, including the Oracle Waterfront office building and the University of Texas’ Activity Center. –mjm

Steven Meyer joined Martines P a l m e i r o Construction to head up the company’s Austin office as Regional President.

Meyer, who earned a bachelor’s in business management from Sawyer College, entered the industry as a laborer and union carpenter and progressed in the industry to commercial construction company owner. In his new role, Meyer will use his more than 36 years of industry experience to lead the Austin team and implement a strategic plan. –mjm

HDR announces the promotion of Shane Valentine PG to Office Principal of the company’s Round Rock office. For the past six years, Valentine has served as a Senior Environmental Project Manager for the firm in the South Central Region. A registered Professional Geologist, Valentine’s technical specialty is NEPA documentation and compliance. Valentine graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a master’s degree in Geological Sciences and earned a bachelor’s degree in Geology, Biology, and Chemistry from Cornell College. –mjm

My favorite tool would be anything cordless. On construction sites, there is a cordless vacuum we use that we didn’t used to have, and it’s always so handy.

The final clean-up is always kind of a fun process on a construction site, trying to make it a clean, neat space.

Mike McAbery, Green Oasis Ever since I got into roofing, I really like the core cutter. I just think it’s so cool that you can jam it into a roof and pull out and see everything that has been done to that roof. I never knew that there was a tool like that!

Taylor Holm, Beacon Building Products Honestly, this may sound kind of weird, but I think my favorite tool is myself.

Without me, since I’m kind of the glue to the company, with the business set up the way it is right now, it doesn’t function.

Without me being behind the wheel, spearheading the direction the company goes in, and making sure the team behind me is going in the right direction, it kind of fails.

Donnell Mays, H3 Trucking That’s a tough question, considering my livelihood depends on so many different tools! I have everything from screwdrivers to huge excavators. I love getting on the excavator. I tied a rope on the end of it one time and swung kids out over the pond at the ranch. An excavator is a fun machine to get on. I think a Bobcat 790 Skid steer is a very versatile piece of machinery that can accomplish a lot. I love that piece of machinery.

Collins Johnson, Pinpoint Strategies

My wife and I bought a house on Lake Austin, which we just sold, and we did an enormous upgrade. It sits 80 ft. up on a limestone cliff overlooking the lake.

Together, Barbara and I cleared a lot of that property, and remodeled the older house that was there, and we did an enormous amount of landscaping, patios, a lot of outdoor stuff, upgrading and maintaining that house. I got interested in building fountains and built a big waterfall that drops 80ft. into the lake. I guess landscaping tools – the shovels and picks and all of the stuff that do thatare my favorite tools.

Jerry Griffis, Walter P Moore My favorite tool is a bench vice. I restore bench vices; I find old bench vices from the 1800s and early 1900s and I restore them to museum quality. I’ve been doing it for years because I can’t afford classic cars. In my office, I have a collection of Civil War-era/early 1990s-era, American made mostly out of New York and Pennsylvania bench vices that were in somebody’s barn for 150 years. It was a big rust bucket before I restored them to museum quality or better-than-original quality. What I love about a bench vice is that it creates a foundation. Whatever you’re working on, if you put it in a vice, the vice holds it still so that you can mold, bend, and shape it into something productive. I have about 200 of them. I keep waiting for my garage to sink down into the earth because there is 500,000 lbs. of old American made steel bench vices in there.

Corey Farris, McCar Companies

Still loving it!

Larry Puckett, President of Trimbuilt Construction Inc., started his construction career in 1981 working for a small Caldwell, TX drywall company. Forty years later, Puckett still loves what he does! –mjm

In memoriam...

Bobby Finley passed away Jan. 11 from complications from COVID. After serving as a Supervisor for Hayden Concrete and as a Concrete Division Manager for Joe McDaniel Company, Finley founded A Greater Austin Development Co. LLC in 1984. As of October 2021, he continued to serve as a consultant and board member for the company. From 19961997, Finley was the Austin Contractors & Engineers Association (ACEA) President.

He also served on the Board of Directors for the Star of Texas Rodeo. –mjm

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Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

continued from Page 1 — Heartland Aggregates approved by Tx Dot for all of our products,” adds Schuler.

As the Austin and its surrounding areas continue to grow, Heartland continues to strive to meet Austin’s aggregate needs. “We have a lease on a quarry in Granite Shoals and will be providing decomposed granite,” Schuler says. “We’ve been selling decomposed granite but now we are going to be producing it ourselves versus reselling it. And we’re also currently working on another lease for a sand and gravel deposit.”

Serving a 100-mile radius of Austin, Heartland has six rock crushers and approximately 30 pieces of support equipment – loaders and haul trucks-can deliver some of the products themselves.

“This is his passion project that really turned into a very successful business for him that he loves,” says Schuler’s daughter Jennifer Schuler. “We call him a modern-day Fred Flintstone.”

Heartland Aggregates is a supplier of aggregate limestone in Jarrell, TX. -cmw

Schuler presents Heartland’s 3/8-in. crushed limestone

Schuler stands among his crushers and conveyors.

continued from Page 1 — Green Oasis LLC office furniture showroom in Austin.

“We had to be handy to adapt these walls to each space, but there are predesigned systems or structures available that carry the irrigation and hold the plants,” Mike says. “Green Oasis improved on that and has since created its own system and now we install green and living walls across the country. Our favorite projects include an air plant/log wall system at DPR Construction’s headquarters, which has won awards, and a preserved moss wall/live wall installation at 405 Colorado.”

Today, Mike serves as the company’s General Manager and Karen oversees the

accounting and back end of the business.

Green Oasis has grown to 21 employees, with half in Austin and the rest in San Antonio.

While plant care remains an important part of the business, Green Oasis’ living wall installations continue to be the growing part. The living wall trend was heavily influenced by the pandemic as more people incorporated nature into their spaces.

“Our main business had been plants inside of offices, which you could imagine did get turned upside down pretty heavily, and our business shrank on that side of things,” Mike says. “But the

continued from Page 1 — Beacon Building Products I wrote on all the bags ‘Just popping in to say thank you’ for whatever they did, whether it was bringing us materials or putting in orders. It was our way of thanking everybody” Holm has served as Branch Manager for the roofing supply company since last April, and has worked with Beacon since April 2018. She started at the Lamar location in North Austin as an Inside Sales Rep and moved to Assistant Branch Manager. Now that she is the Branch Manager at this new location, she wants her team to know she values them.

“As a new Branch Manager, I have been trying to find my own ways to support my team. I worked with Director of Beacon’s Private Label Chelsea Oesch, who is great at employee engagement and events, and Jon Vistine, the Branch Manager at the North Austin location, who is really good at getting to know the warehouse team.”

Holm recently started hosting what she calls “mini meetings” every other week. It allows her to meet one-on-one with each team member and talk about any issues an employee may need to discuss.

“I really get to know my team rather

than them think that I am just the Branch Manager, and they never see me,” Holm explains. “It’s really important for me to see them, especially the warehouse team who doesn’t come in as often. Having these meetings shows that it’s important to me, and with the outside team; they come in and talk with everybody inside as well.”

Holm says the company culture is “work hard, play hard,” but she doesn’t want to miss those moments to connect.

“We have friendships, chat about things outside of work. It’s not just strictly business,” she says. “We do a really good job of celebrating the little things: birthdays, work anniversaries, anything that is going on at home if we hear about it; we try to celebrate those things as well.

Holm says that she can tell that her team takes her gestures to heart. At the end of National Popcorn Day, an employee let Holm know she was appreciated as well.

“It was really touching,” Holm says.

“One of my drivers, Philip Villegas, came in after and gave me a big hug, saying ‘I really appreciate you. I’ve never had a manager care as much as you do and do this type of stuff for us.’” - mjm

construction side of our business has boomed in the last couple of years, with architects and designers including that in their designs. For many building owners, it’s now more important than ever to make the office space or interior space more like home and a comfortable setting to get their staff back into the office. It’s transformed our business.

“We also preserve moss from Europe and create preserved moss walls, which is a maintenance-free option to a green wall, and it looks realistic,” he adds.

“Architects and designers are specifying these into new builds and remodels.

That’s where our growth has been for the last few years.”

Wall installations often only take a few days, with most of the work

performed in the company’s production facility and greenhouse ahead of time.

“I love to see reaction to the transformation that bringing in greenery makes,” he says.

Two of Mike and Karen’s three sons have graduated high school and are in the business: Kyle works in operations and Stuart is in project management.

They appear to have inherited the green thumb as well.

“It’s awesome to work with my family; we enjoy it,” Mike says. “Our whole team, really, is family. We have employees that have been with us for more than 10 years.

We plan to continue to grow the construction side of our business across the country.”

Green Oasis LLC is in Austin. –mjm

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

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Page 15

And Austin makes four

hakeel Ahmed PE had years of experience performing work as a Senior Project Manager for the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA), and he sought out firms that shared his understanding of owners’ needs, and how a project should be constructed.

Realizing he should start his own firm instead of seeking one, he founded professional engineering services and construction management firm IEA Inc. in 2007.

The firm’s first project was the proposal phase of the DFW Connector Design-Build (D-B) for the Texas Department of Transportation. Ahmed did not yet have an office, but a Dallas Braum’s had a booth available for use, and from there he hired his first employee.

He soon secured a space in Georgetown, hired one employee a month for two years and utilized a series of offices as his firm and project requirements grew.

Today, the firm has more than 90 employees offering a range of diverse services, including engineering, project management, asset and construction management, and inspection. The firm has 12 design-build projects in Texas to its credit, and has performed work on numerous federal, state, and local agencies and municipalities.

A far cry from the Braum’s booth Ahmed once used for his “office,” IEA Inc. now offices out of four Texas cities: Dallas (IEA’s headquarters), Fort Worth, Houston and most recently Austin. The new location at 13809 Research Blvd., Ste. 812 opened in January.

“I think the new Austin office will allow us to continue hiring strong engineers in a new location,” IEA Director of Marketing Jennifer Nelson-Smith says. “We have clients that we have

IEA Inc. Chief Executive Officer and Principal Shakeel Ahmed PE has opened his fourth office in Austin.

served in Austin, but we haven’t had a stage; we’ve worked for TX-DOT in the area, and we’re excited to have the opportunity to live and work there - like we have in all of our other offices - and bring valuable infrastructure design.”

Nelson-Smith says the services offered at the Austin office will be similar and that a permanent office leader is being sought (Nelson-Smith and Bobby Ramthun PE currently oversee the new office).

“We have gotten good feedback from our clients,” Nelson-Smith says.

“Some are saying, ’Oh, you’re just down the road!’ It will be nice to have space down there. We have a nice family-style culture here, and we’re looking forward to being able to expand that and work with other good people. We’re excited to get there and become part of the community.”

IEA Inc. is in Austin. –mjm

Watch what happens live

The building as it appears pre-mural

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he building that houses the Associated General Contractors of America’s Austin chapter gets plenty of traffic, as the city’s bustling population passes by it daily. Now, it will be getting a different kind of traffic, and a colorful new look.

A mural designed by Emily Mente, called “Build a Great Life,” is being painted on part of the building’s façade. Anyone curious can watch its progress by visiting the chapter’s website, which utilizes a construction camera supplied by Evercam, to watch the painting live. Depending on the weather, the painting of the mural, which began in late January, should be completed in two to three weeks.

Featured in the constructionthemed mural are buildings built by AGC members as well as older iconic buildings in Austin. Signs of the construction industry – tower cranes, a concrete mixer truck, and industry professionals – also appear in the mural, interspersed by the native beauty the city is known for.

“Build a Great Life” is not just a line included in the mural, but also a reminder of what construction professionals achieve: building a better life for themselves and their communities through all that they construct for everyone to enjoy. It’s a beautiful thing. –mjm

The proposed mural as it will appear when complete

Leading the way

Embree Construction Group’s new senior leadership: President Cory Delz and Frank Krenek

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mbree Construction Group Inc., a company under the umbrella of Embree Group that provides national turnkey construction, recently announced new senior leadership. In January, Cory Delz was promoted to President and added as a member of the Board of Directors and a shareholder for Embree Construction Group Inc. Simultaneously, Frank Krenek assumes the role as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer.

For Delz, the rise to this level of leadership has been 16 years in the making. Educated at Texas A&M University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Construction Science, Delz entered Embree Construction Inc. as an intern. He joined the company full-time as an Assistant Project Manager in 2005, progressing as Project Manager, Sr. Project Manager, Division Manager, Vice President and Sr. Vice President of Construction. He was promoted to Executive Vice President of Construction in 2019. During his time at Embree, he has completed projects in a wide range of markets including banking, medical, restaurants and retail. As President, Delz

will oversee more than 150 construction professionals at the company.

Krenek, a fellow Texas A&M grad who earned a bachelor’s degree in Construction, worked for two Dallasbased national contractors before joining Embree. Krenek first served as Division/ Project Manager for four years, beginning in 1985, overseeing work for the company’s largest retail clients. Krenek served as Vice President and General Manager since 1989 and President since 1996. He was then named President of Embree Construction Group in 2000. As CEO, Krenek will continue to guide the company and offer a seamless transition of leadership.

Embree Capital Markets Group Inc. also recently announced new senior leadership. Former Executive Vice President Josiah Burns was promoted to President and added as a Board of Directors member and a new shareholder.

Rocky Hardin assumes the position of the company’s new Chief Executive Officer.

Embree Construction Group Inc. is in Georgetown, TX. –mjm

Page 16

M

ike Schweiss invented his first bi-fold door over 40 years ago giving birth to Schweiss Doors.

His innovative team of designers have been manufacturing doors of all shapes and sizes ever since.

Before moving to Fredericksburg from Horseshoe Bay, Bill Lucy built a hangar and a 1,600-ft-long grass runway for his PT-17 Stearman. The new hangar, a metal building, is complete with a Schwiess 40 ft. x 14 ft. bifold liftstrap door.

Lucy made his decision to purchase a Schweiss Bifold liftstrap door after reading a “must see photo” story on the Schweiss Doors website about old-timer pilot Gene Fuchs of Morgan, MN who owns three Schweiss doors. “The ‘must see photo’ Schweiss website profile on Mr. Fuchs sold me,” says Lucy. “I printed the article, put it in my hangar file and called Schweiss. The experience has been great since day one. Jeremy and others at Schweiss Doors were available and very helpful. Schweiss was always available to answer questions and provide needed details, even on weekends.

Time was a big factor in Lucy getting his boots on the ground in Fredericksburg. His love of flying began 43 years ago at Horseshoe Bay and has led him to a career flying a mid-size cabin eight-passenger Citation Sovereign for NetJets.

Once the door arrived, Lucy and his team found the “yellow book” (installation manual). Installation went exceptionally well. In fact, it became a frequent phrase whenever they had a question “It’s in the book!” And it always was. “The details; the pictures; the how- tos; the not this way, but this way; the book chapter-by-chapter was amazing,” adds Lucy.

The bifold door on the Lucy hangar measures in at 40 ft. x 14 ft. clear, more than adequate to hangar his plane. The

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lintco continues to change the Austin skyline with the addition of 44 East Avenue. Located along Lady Bird Lake in the Rainey Street District, this 50-story, 695,292sf multifamily project includes 309 units, a wide range of amenities, and ten floors of above ground parking. Now topped out – and sold out – Intracorp’s tower, designed by Page with sales and marketing by Urbanspace, is the third tallest building in Austin’s Central Business District.

The story of 44 East is as grand as the building itself. Flintco began work as the construction manager in November 2019 with Robert Smith as Project Director, Bubba Swink as Construction Director, Chris Moyes as Senior Project Manager, and Bhavna Nim as Virtual Design and Construction Manager. The building topped out in September 2021.

The project had faced a share of challenges in the past two years, including the congested downtown location and impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. The team faced a significant challenge before officially topping out, pouring the final concrete slab at level 50 – standing tall at 535 feet.

To get ready for the pour, the project team used prefabricated standing column frames. Then, after the columns were poured, framing crews installed the “falsework.” Next, the team adjusted the formwork to the proper level and elevation using laser leveling, an adjustable shore pole, and gauge stick.

“When we talk about shoring and framing, you can compare that to baking a cake,” Tanner Stefka, the Structural Assistant at 44 East Ave. for Flintco, says.

“Concrete conforms to whatever form is below it, similar to what a pan is in a cake process is exactly what we are doing here.”

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

Lucy Hangar

The Lucy hangar with a 40 ft. x 14 ft. Schweiss bifold liftstrap door.

Four bifold liftstraps and a Schweiss autolatch system open and lock the door weather tight.

bifold door opens and closes quickly and quietly with the four strong liftstraps and locks weather tight with the patented auto latch strap system that Schweiss bifold doors are known for.

His new steel 85 ft. x 40 ft. red and white hangar stands out like the colorful wildflowers that emblazon the hills around Fredericksburg. His plan all along was to build it for a Stearman, but he did research the dimensions of Huskey’s and Cessna 180s. Their adjacent ranch home was designed and built by his architect son, Travis, with Bercy Chen architects of Austin, TX. It is contemporary and compliments the ranch setting. “The design for the hangar started with our desire for it to include a bunkhouse for the grandkids, an office and a workshop. My wife, Cheron, picked the color - the red barn look for our ranch,” explained Lucy.

The hangar is a weld-up, design with materials by Metal Mart in Burnet, TX and constructed by Rios Construction of Marble Falls, TX. Lucy flies a Stearman. The Boeing/ Stearman Model 75 was the primary trainer and is probably the best-known biplane in aviation history. The biplane introduced more of World War II’s “greatest generation” to flight than any other airplane. Commonly referred to as the Stearman PT-17, it was manufactured by the Stearman Aircraft Co. in Wichita, KS from 1934 through 1945. Knowledgeable enthusiasts estimate about 1,000 Stearmans around the world are still flying.

The actual total of Model 75s that were completed from the prototype X-75 to the final E75 built in 1945 was 8,428. -cmw

Bill and his wife, Cheron, are both licensed pilots and fly this restored Stearman biplane.

Schweiss Doors San Antonio, TX

44 East Avenue Condo Tower Unique to level 50 are prefabricated steel beams, W12x45, that were embedded in the deck to support the building’s cooling towers installed on top of the building. Before the pour, edge forms, steel rods, rebar, post tension cables, and spaces for MEP were added to the framing.

The level 50 concrete pour commenced at midnight with Keystone Concrete as the concrete trade partner.

For concrete pours, it is typical for a highrise to use an 800-horsepower pump system, but the logistics for the top level of 44 East posed a challenge. The team decided that instead of a spider pump system that would have delivered wet concrete at a rate of 50 cubic yards per hour, they needed to bucket up the concrete three cubic yards at a time.

Bucketing the concrete took twice as long as a spider pump would have, but it was best suited for the parameters of 44 East and the safest choice. The Flintco/ Keystone team led a safe and successful pour of 59 buckets in 11 hours, amounting to 176 cubic yards of concrete.

With the completion of level 50 and the ring beams on levels 51 and 52, the building was officially topped out on time and with much fanfare and celebration. The topping out ceremony featured two events in a park adjacent to the site – one for the crew and trade partners, and a second event for new homeowners, financial partners, and the design team. Both events offered plenty of food, festivities, and local Austin music.

To learn more about 44 East Ave. and the project team, be sure to check out Flintco’s running documentary series Beyond The Fence: The Story of 44 East Ave. on YouTube. The unique video series chronicles this extraordinary project and the people who are making it happen!

Flintco is in Austin. –mjm

Flintco served as construction manager for 44 East Avenue in Austin’s Rainey Street District.

44 East was recently topped out and celebrated with two different events.

Flintco overcame significant challenges during construction of the 50-story, 695,292sf multifamily project.

Flintco Austin, TX

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

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eremy Koomler NCARB and Marvin Bonilla NCARB are co-founders of Framework Architects, a new architectural design practice in Austin dedicated to local commercial and institutional design. The company was established with servant-based leadership in mind and innovative problem solving at its core. Koomler and Bonilla aim to lead clients through the challenging design and construction process, with continual, predictable outcomes. The company provides full design services from site selection and design development through construction documents, permitting and construction administration support.

“Framework’s logo is a triangle, that derives from the delta symbol used in architecture to denote something has changed,” Bonilla says. “Our goal is to change the framework of the owner/ contractor/architect relationship and make them aligned. The two pieces symbolize two entities coming together.”

“We have created an architectural studio built on collaboration and with a culture of mentorship,” Koomler adds.

Our non-hierarchical studio will invite the brightest talent, and in doing so, become a respected competitor in commercial architecture in Austin.”

Recently, the team was referred to a new client, Gathered Foods, by general contractor Cooley Capital Construction.

Gathered Foods, an innovative company and the makers of Good Catch, an awardwinning brand of plant-based seafood,

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he Summit Lofts at 201 Wolf Ranch Parkway will offer Georgetown a new lease on life – literally. The five-story, 256-unit mixed-use apartment building wrapped around a six-story parking garage includes a lower-level retail space, a rooftop pool cabana and fitness center, and 220,000sf of rentable MF. Because the whole parcel is built on 3.02 Ac parcel, parking is generous with a 451-space parking garage.

According to Cade Novak, Director of Land Acquisition for Novak Brothers, many of his company’s projects are selfperformed with construction group Novak Commercial Construction.

“But for this project,” Cade says, “we went with Wade Construction.

Overseeing the project were Wade Construction Superintendent Sean O’Barr and Project Manager Rick Harrell, with Owners team Novak Commercial Development’s Jeff Novak, Jim Cramer and Andy Heard.” Construction began in March 2020, whereupon several challenges immediately faced the team.

COVID hit the area just as Novak Brothers broke ground. Then, there was “The 100year Freeze” to contend with. Especially challenging was the spike in material costs due to the pandemic. Purchasing materials in bulk before they were needed on the project became essential.

Other materials required a bit of gambling on whether prices would go up or down

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Gathered Foods headquarters

The space includes a culinary lab, test kitchen and studio kitchen for filming.

Framework suggested an improved layout for the space for better functionality and efficiency.

wanted a unique and creative new headquarters space to include a culinary lab and studio kitchen for video production, among other unique needs.

The company’s mission, which is focused on sustainability, was used as a compass to begin looking for fit-out space in the Austin area.

With help from Framework, Gathered Foods ultimately selected space at The Yard, a new development in a revitalized warehouse district, housing communityminded businesses, local entrepreneurs, fresh technology ideas, and South Austin culture. A previous tenant began renovations on what would become the Gathered Foods space and, luckily for Frameworks’ client, a large percentage of

Framework Architects designed the renovated space for Gathered Food’s new Austin headquarters.

the existing framed restrooms and office spaces were incorporated into the new design. The creative and collaborative spirit at The Yard, and how well the existing space overlapped with Gathered Foods program, were two big draws for the client.

The new Gathered Foods headquarters is 14,000sf and includes executive and communal workspace, meeting spaces, a culinary lab and test kitchen, back-of-house kitchen support, and a studio kitchen for filming and photography. The architecture and engineering design team creatively incorporated multiple kitchen hoods with a makeup air system into the overall building HVAC, to accommodate the

existing low ceiling structure and enhance air quality. They also faced the challenge of little exterior equipment space (including no available rooftop space), so this creative approach to balancing the kitchen exhaust provided multiple benefits for the client.

During the first site visit, Framework challenged the owner’s existing programming, offering ideas on how to lay out the space to achieve better functionality and efficiency. Framework’s straightforward, transparent approach led to a spirit of open dialogue among the team which continued throughout the project. Given the tight schedule, permit challenges, and budget restrictions, the team instituted reoccurring weekly meetings to share real-time information and keep the project moving forward.

The project finished construction on time in late November 2021. The Framework team is proud of the final product, a sentiment shared by Gathered Foods’ CEO Christine Mei. “Our new space is more than an office. It’s a workspace, a meeting place, an event space, and a creative space, with a kitchen at its heart,” Mei says. “We’re incredibly happy with the end result, and it’s a testament to the creative, thorough and thoughtful work of the Framework team.”

Framework Architects is in Austin. –mjm

Framework Architects Austin, TX

The Summit Lofts

A rendering shows the walkable mixed-use experience of The Summit at Rivery Park.

when buying them out.

In the end, it was a project worth the challenges. Among other notable features, the project has the distinction of having Georgetown’s first roof top pool and first multifamily wrap.

“This was the final piece of the mixed-use development The Summit at Rivery Park, the entirety of which was developed by Novak Brothers,” Cade says. “The Summit at Rivery Park provides a walkable mixed-use experience that Georgetown has never seen before.

Expansive views from Summit Lofts capture all of downtown Georgetown and most of central Georgetown.”

The first units will be turned over to management in April 2020.

Novak Brothers is in Georgetown. –mjm

Construction began March 2020. The first units will be turned over to management this April. The project boasts Georgetown’s first rooftop pool and multifamily wrap.

A second rendering reveals the entry to the plaza.

Novak Brothers Georgetown, TX

Page 18

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

The whole gamut

A moving experience

WillScot Mobile Mini’s Austin team L-R: Vicki Griggs, Lillie Fish, Shane Alexander and Tiffany Nunis

SSR’s founding four in 1985

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hen it comes to starting up a project, you are sure to see two common fixtures on every job site – portable offices and storage containers.

In July of 2020, Mobile Mini Inc. became part of the WillScot Corporation and is now known as WillScot Mobile Mini.

Mobile Mini, who has been in business since 1982, has provided portable storage solutions for customers across the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. They started out as a manufacturer of the mobile storage containers with a patented locking system called the Tri-cam in which all the security is on the inside of the container.

“We have the most secure locking system in the industry,” says Outside Sales Manager Tiffany Nunis. “And, we are the only one in the industry to carry a 10-ft wide container.”

The merger with WillScot, a specialty rental service provider of innovative modular space and portable storage solutions, now allows Mobile Mini to provide the whole mobilization package mobile offices and storage containers.

Completing the mobilization package, Mobile Mini has a managed service de-

partment that can supply job site fencing, port-a-potties, hand-washing stations, dumpsters, generators and small equipment like backhoes and excavators.

“We’re here to provide amazing customer service to our customers,” adds Nunis. “We know how hectic it is at the beginning of a project. We’re really trying to make their lives easier by being a onestop-shop for their step-up needs. They can check off multiple items that are needed before they can even break ground. And the same can be said at the end of the project. There’s one call to call everything off.”

Now one company, Willscot Mobile Mini and WillScot continue to on different platforms when it comes to billing.

Willscot will continue to offer modular offices from as small as an 8’x20’ up to 4-plexes and 6-plexes complete conference rooms, bathrooms and private offices. Mobile Mini will provide all the ground level office and storage options and will be soon offering office/furniture packages to go along with the ground level offices.

WillScot Mobile Mini is a mobile storage unit provide in Austin and San Antonio. -cmw

Mutually-beneficial merger

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all it divine inspiration: In October 1967, Tom Seckman was sitting in church when he was moved to leave his employer and explore a new engineering venture. Soon, three kindred engineering spirits – Andy Reid, Lester Smith, and Bobby Smith – turned in their resignations as well to join Seckman on the journey.

On a Saturday night in January 1968, the four men gathered around Seckman’s dining room table and planned a firm based on 16 tenets they agreed upon, including the company’s name: Smith Seckman Reid Inc. With $39,000 raised in capital by the four men and a loan from Tom’s brother Randy, SSR opened Nashville, TN office Feb. 1 of that year.

Helmed by CEO and President, Steve Lane PE, BCEE, FACEC, SSR today boasts approximately 400 team members in 14 offices throughout the country. The 100% employee-owned firm offers engineering, commissioning, sustainability, and technology solutions to public and private clients and tackles both new and pre-existing spaces.

Recently, SSR expanded its Texas presence with a new Austin office.

Located at 1250 Capital of Texas Highway South, Bldg. 3, Ste. 400, it joins SSR’s Lone Star locations in Dallas, Fort Worth and

Houston, SSR’s first Texas office opened in 1984. The new office is SSR’s response to Texas’ (particularly Central Texas’) rapid growth. The addition allows SSR to expand its services to the company’s growing client base, especially in the vertical market.

Plans for SSR to expand its reach have been in the works for a while.

“SSR has a long history of serving clients in Texas, specifically in Houston and Dallas,” says Kevin Wolfford, Principal. “These relationships have carried us into other areas of Texas, and we’ve been successful winning work with owners and industry partners in Central Texas. To better serve these clients, we’ve opened an office in Austin. Our intention is to provide local resources, backed by SSR’s national expertise, to better serve the Austin community and Central Texas as a whole.”

SSR’s Texas projects have included Dallas’ UTSW Medical Center, Clements University Hospital and Tower II, Fort Worth’s Cook Children’s Medical Center and Dickies Arena, Houston’s Memorial Hermann Susan & Fayez Sarofim Pavilion and Christus Children’s Hospital of San Antonio.

Smith Seckman Reid Inc. is in Austin. –mjm

Holding down the fort

LDC Partners Bill McDonald, Judd Willmann PE, Mark Kuss, and Kevin Azzarello

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ith Austin’s explosive growth, especially in the construction market, more companies are joining forces with firms that have an existing presence. In January, Austin’s LDC, formerly known as LandDev Consulting, LLC, merged with HR Green Inc., a technical and management consulting firm with civil engineering roots.

Founded in 2014 and serving the Austin and the surrounding areas through its two Austin offices, LDC offers consulting services in the public and private sectors, including commercial, industrial, residential and telecommunications markets.

HR Green Inc., founded in 1913, has established offices in Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. The firm has targeted Texas as a strategic growth region and will benefit from Austin’s construction boom and LDC’s presence in the construction market.

“The combination of our firms is extremely dynamic,” says HR Green CEO Jason Poppen. “We are excited to

leverage the talent across our organization and build the team to be stronger together in a way that benefits clients in the Austin metro. The merging of our firms, first and foremost, provides clients with a deeper bench of professionals across our businesses and a broader range of experiences to solve their challenges. With professionals throughout the nation, we are able to bring ideas and solutions to our clients that may be able to be applied in new and unique ways.” –mjm

HR Green Inc. CEO Jason Poppen

Rock Solid USA’s L-R: Gerardo Medina and Russell Trotti hold down the fort and take a moment to say “hello” when Construction News drops by for a visit. -cmw

A lunch to launch 2022

Garza EMC’s South Austin team members celebrated the new year with the first team lunch of 2022. –mjm

Austin Construction News • FEB 2022

JOB SIGHT

Tape and floating, Alberto Saucedo, Bates Painting is hard at work at the new Buckingham Center for Facial & Plastic Surgery facility in, Austin, TX. -cmw

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Goodwin’s off the ground

On Jan. 20, team members of general contractor Cadence McShane and repeat client Sabot Development broke ground on Goodwin Apartments in Austin. The mixed-use development, slated for completion in early 2024, will feature 364 residential units with 5,000sf of commercial space. –mjm

Safe start

Devil Dog’s L-R: Justin Chavez and Maverick Hendricks look over the work performed in an electrical panel box at the Buckingham Center for Facial & Plastic Surgery project on Bee Caves Road. –cmw

SpawGlass started off 2022 with safety as a priority. The company hosted Safety Stand Downs at its jobsites and offices across Texas to emphasize the importance of safety, how to avoid incidents and their leading causes. –mjm

Setting up survey camp

Cristian Rodriguez, Precision Builders, installs drywall at the Buckingham Center for Facial & Plastic Surgery in Austin, TX. HB Construction is the general contractor on the project. -cmw

In mid-January, G4 Geomatic Resources traveled to Moore Ranch in Waelder, TX to assist with Corpus Christi Texas A&M’s annual survey camp. Nine students enrolled in the Geographic Information Science programs at the university gained a week’s worth of hands-on experience working with G4 surveyors and using Leica Geosystems Total Stations and GPS systems. –mjm

Size it up The biggest BigFoot at BigFoot Concrete Pumping is a whopping 66 meters. So, if you want to see it (all of it), you’ll need to reach out to company Owner Paul Landreth (pictured in the behemoth’s cab) to book it– it’s simply too large for the photo! –mjm

Wolff Concrete team members form-out a concrete drive at the new Buckingham Center for Facial & Plastic Surgery L-R: Juan Alarcon, Guillermo Medrano, Tomas De La Torre, Juan Alarcon, Jr. and Julio Alarcon. -cmw

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Austin Construction News • FEB 2022