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CONSTRUCTION NEWS
The Industry’s Newspaper
www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 24 H Number 6 H JUNE 2022
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A generational thing
Toasting a new home
Riley’s Asphalt’ 3rd and possibly 4th generation
Catamount San Antonio team members cut the ribbon for their new San Antonio location
dward Riley made his living sealcoating driveways. He started Riley’s Asphalt in 1960 selling his services door-to-door in the New Braunfels area. Over time, the company began growing, evolving from sealcoating to actually installing driveways, parking lots and more. His son, Patrick Riley, joined the company and the growth of Riley’s Asphalt expanded even further. From sealcoating, the Rileys started installing asphalt. The more clients the Riley’s team picked up, the bigger the projects got. With its expansive growth, Riley’s Asphalt moved to Selma, TX As second generation, Patrick is approaching retirement. The third generation of Riley men are following in the footsteps of their father. Like their father,
at an early age, Derek, Joe and Eddie began working with him. “We learned the ropes very, very early,” says Joe.“ We were teenagers going to school. After we got out of school, we would go meet up with our father or mother who would take us to a job.” “I remember,” says Derek, “being with my dad when I was 7-years-old going out in the work truck and coming back. I remember my dad calling my mother from a payphone telling her he’d be late. Then cell phones came out.” Technology has definitely helped evolve the business between the internet and, of course, cell phones according to Joe. “Years ago, when you got a call from a client in a different part of town that you’re not familiar with and wanting an continued on Page 18
Dang ain’t he pretty?
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atamount Constructors Incorporated has a lot to celebrate in San Antonio. The general contracting firm started in Evergreen, CO and has grown to be a staple in the construction industry. In San Antonio, they have been steadily making their mark and recently found themselves in need of a larger space to house their growing family. “Catamount’s industrial group has experienced record growth as we continued to grow this group for the last 10+ years. We strategically maneuvered our way through the pandemic and continued to grow without missing a beat,” stated Scott Reynolds, Catamount Industrial Group (CIG) President. “Along those same lines, we also broke out a commercial group, which is run by Michael Dixon, to have some di-
versity amongst the concentration of industrial mix. That group has also experienced significant growth by focusing on Building Relationships.” With the increase of Catamount San Antonio’s industrial division and that of its commercial division, Catamount outgrew their existing real estate. The search for a new location began in the spring of 2021. After careful consideration, Catamount selected a location in northern San Antonio just inside Loop 1604 and Vance Jackson and began the construction process in November. “We outgrew our old space and actually had to acquire a smaller leased space on the fifth floor of the building which the commercial group occupied,” added Michael Dixon. continued on Page 18
The bonds that make us
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ou just never know what might happen at the ASA Subfest, and this year’s event was no exception. I was sitting with Ernest Wilborn of Wilborn Steel and his family when I made the suggestion that he get his faced painted like the rest of the kids and, if he did, I would put the photo on the front page. He smiled, looked around and said, “No, I don’t think so.” After I left the event, I got a text from his wife, LaShea, with this photo and the message, “He did it!” Come to find out his granddaughter, Emery Dee, got him to do it. So we now know that Ernest is up to ANY challenge and Emery Dee can probably talk him into anything. Buddy Doebbler Publisher Ernest Wilborn, Wilborn Steel
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Brett Yates, owner and president of The YATES Company LLC
rett Yates isn’t new to the automated controls scene. He has 35 years of experience in automated controls and previously risen through the
ranks of Alamo Controls. When his mentors were ready to retire, the company was sold, and Yates stayed on as presicontinued on Page 18
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San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
One year and running
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L-R: Robert Webb and Jerome Stewart, Superior Restoration & Sealants
or the past 18 years, Robert Webb has been in construction. He spent 10 years working for a specialty contractor who specialized in masonry, concrete, waterproofing and facade restoration. “I’ve done a lot of construction since 2004,” says Webb. “I used to do a lot of interior painting.” Last year, Webb and Jerome Stewart, his fellow co-worker with his previous employer, decided to venture out on their own. Celebrating one year in business, Superior Restoration & Sealants was started in May 2021. Superior Restoration & Sealants specializes in exterior restoration. “We do a lot of restoration of concrete, sealant work, brick, mortar, concrete patches, a little bit everything when it comes to the exterior,” Webb says. “We do a lot of coatings on driveways and concrete such as quartz coating, flakes and garage floors. “We do commercial and residential. Right now, we’re doing a lot of residential. Because of my past experience in commercial work, I’m slowly getting my foot
in that door. We’re licensed, bonded and insured. I’ve done a few commercial jobs. We’re doing a project in Del Rio so we’re willing to travel for commercial and/or bigger jobs. We do exceptional quality work. We try to do our best for all of our projects. We treat our projects like they are our own homes.” Superior Restoration & Sealants also does masonry work to include installation and repair. They offer pressure washing when applicable. They can build brick and stone walls. They can install concrete patios, driveways as well as extend sidewalks and driveways. One year of having their own company, Webb says there are no regrets. “We’ve been staying busy ever since we started. I haven’t had a day off since. I’ve had other job opportunities to go work for somebody else, but as long as I stay busy, I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.” Superior Restoration & Sealants specializes in residential and commercial exterior restoration. -cmw
Open book
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Five years, five stars
Chris Valot, president of Valot General Contractors
hris Valot was 14 years old when he started working in construction. He first started building formed and barbed wire fences in Bulverde, TX before moving on to home renovations and flipping houses. He gradually moved into commercial work as a project manager. After a failed venture in ’07, Valot realized he had a lot to learn. “I continued learning as much about project management as I could by working with different firms, building different buildings and learning the do’s and don’ts,” said Valot. In 2020, before the pandemic started, Chris and his wife, Susie Valot, started Valot General Contractors, a dba of Valot Investors LLC. “When we first started, we were going after commercial work,” Valot says. “Then the pandemic happened and commercial kind of tapered off and residential picked up a great deal. Fortunately for us, we stayed busy.” Still moving forward in the commercial arena, Valot General Contractors just finished a commercial tenant build out for School of Rock and currently has a
couple of ground-up small projects. With 30 years of experience, Valot is experienced in commercial ground-up primarily in San Antonio and its surrounding areas with some work in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. They specialize in commercial ground up, tenant buildouts, tenant improvements, live remodels, ground-up residential, residential remodels, and expansions. “We’re an open book,” Valot adds. “We don’t cut corners. We’re very upfront and honest, especially with material costs, and gas prices fluctuating. We’re honest with our clients, making sure they understand that in today’s market, the price you get today may not be the same 10 days from now.” With a strong passion for the community, Valot General Contractors surrounds themselves with partners and clients who have the same core values for community, ensuring that people they do business with also will in turn give back to the community. Valot General Contractors is in San Antonio. -cmw
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Adam Richards shows CN the technology of SunStyle solar shingles.
ince opening its doors in 2017, AR has been focusing on premium roofing and luxury remodeling in both the commercial and residential markets. It first started by performing storm work and has become highly experienced in insurance claims. AR can aid people experiencing property damage. After storm, water or fire damage, AR helps home and business owners through the initial process of estimating and dealing with insurance adjusters. AR celebrates its fifth year in business by partnering with SunStyle, a 10-year-old company based in Switzerland who specializes in solar roof shingles. “We knew of them and have been watching their products,” says AR President Adam Richards. “We’ve been anxiously waiting for them to come to America, so to speak. When we saw that they were starting to do installs here in the US, we contacted SunStyle and started talking with them about becoming their Texas installation partner.” AR and SunStyle just recently signed an agreement in late April to be SunStyles’ Texas installer. “This is exciting for us because we’re able to bring this revolutionary solar product to our customers in Texas,” continues Richards. “Because manufacturers couldn’t figure out how to integrate them, traditionally solar roofs required solar panels to be added to a roof surface, after the fact, to get the solar producing qualities of the panels. The SunStyle system integrates the actual solar production with the roof surface itself. It’s an aesthetically beautiful product. “The benefit of this product is that it
is the most beautiful solar product you can put on your home or building right now. However, the price point is high. It’s a luxury product. We’re trying to bring the cost down. That’s the next step. First, they had to bring it to the US. Now they’re setting up manufacturing in North Amerca to start driving the costs down.” Richards started AR after working for construction companies because, he says, “70 to 80 percent of people who hire a contractor to do a remodel in their home or business are not happy with the contractor when the work is done.” Their mission statement is to provide the utmost in white glove service. “Our customer service is unmatched in the San Antonio market,” boasts Richards. “Every single customer that we’ve had has gone away with a five-star experience. All of our reviews online are five stars, and that’s the motto that we have. We do not want to have an unhappy customer. “We are in that 20 to 30 percent of contractors that all our customers are happy with the product when we’re finished. If they’re not happy when we’re finished, we don’t get that final payment. We make sure that they’re happy throughout the entire process.” Ensuring AR maintains their five-star rating with their clients, AR concentrates on San Antonio and a 40-mile radius around the Alamo City. Five years ago, AR was a one-man show, today they employ eight full-time employees and contract with hundreds of subcontractors. AR is a family-owned general contractor specializing in residential and commercial construction, roofing, and restoration services in San Antonio. -cmw
San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
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Skeets & eats
The little machine that could
RSM presented the San Antonio Food Bank, and Director of Philanthropy Mary DeMarginy, a check for $62,854.96, because of the office’s 2021 Birdies Fore Love employee fundraising efforts.
Buildbasematic mini-pile driver at work
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or the past 30 years, RSM US LLP (RSM) has brought clients, business partners, and friends of the firm together at their annual Skeets & Eats event to enjoy shooting, dinner, networking, and fun. Held on May 5 at the National Shooting Complex, the event was to show RSM’s appreciation for clients and friends of the firm. This year, the firm hosted nearly 250 guests who were treated to a fajita dinner, appetizers, ice-cold beverages, and skeet shooting with an option of five stand, regular skeet, or sporting doubles. “It’s a little way to say thank you to our clients and friends for what they give us throughout the year,” said RSM Partner Denise Bendele. “It is a way to bring friends together and celebrate another
year of success, both for our clients and for our firm.” Professional Shotgunner Travis Mears joined the event this year and gave the crowd a fun, action-packed exhibition shooting show, where he shot handthrown targets from the hip, over his head with the gun upside down, behind his back, between his legs and over his shoulder. He also shot targets while jumping on a trampoline and hanging upside down in an inversion table and shot all kinds of hand-thrown fruits and vegetables. The National Shooting Association provided instructors to novice shooters to learn the basics and make their first shooting experience an enjoyable one. -cmw
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oads from structures are supported by the subsurface material, i.e., soil or rock, underneath the structure. In many cases where subsurface conditions are not suitable for the structure loads, deep foundations are used to transfer these loads to more stable and competent soils at higher depths. In 2015, Buildbasematic started developing the mini-pile driver machines for precast concrete piles, timber piles and poles, steel pipe piles, and steel H-piles. The company first started selling the equipment and providing the pile driving services in Russia where weather-dependent soil challenges exist. “One of the factors driving this technology in Europe is permafrost,” says Buildbasematic Business Development Aleksandr Tumanov. “In Europe, you have very cold winters freezing the ground. Then you have the heating effect of spring. The ground expands during the winter and shrinks during spring. If you just build slab-on-grade, because of the uneven movement of the soil, the foundation will crack or worse. As a result, you need to go deep. To do so, you install piles to go through this unstable layer reaching the bedrock. That’s how the mini driver works. It gives you the possibility to stay in a land plot without any problems to your foundation. Here in Texas, there is no permafrost, but there is expansive, unstable soil.” Three years ago, Buildbasematic introduced the mini-pile driver technology to the Texas market. The equipment is compact and relatively quiet. The machine weighs less than 10,000 lbs. and can be transported in a bumper-pull trailer and maneuver easily in limited space conditions. Buildbasematic offers three mini-pile driver models. The model SGK-150 (small
Alexandr Tumanov educates expo goers on the uses of the mini-pile driver at the Austin Construction Expo
size) is ideal for small structures and fences. The models SGK-200 and SGK-300 (medium size) are used for larger structures. There is a larger machine model SGK-400 with a telescoping boom for driving piles up to 30 ft. A properly planned and effectively designed foundation system provides benefits to both the owner as well as the contractor. However, for these types of designs, it is important that the design firm has construction knowledge, and the constructability aspect is always considered during the design phase. Providing specialized consulting services including geotechnical and foundation engineering, specialty contractors support and value engineering, RBM Consulting Group, Inc. (“RBM”) creates partnerships with industry expert consultants to form strong teams unique to a specific project requirement. RBM has extensive experience in deep foundations design, construction, and testing. RBM has established a partnership with the manufacturer, Buildbasematic, to provide the mini-pile design and installation services. RBM Consulting Group, Inc. is a specialty consulting services company located in Converse, TX. Buildbasematic is the mini-pile driver machine manufacturer located in Philadelphia, PA. -cmw
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San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
Make a difference!
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Central Electric President Chris Martinez and team member Bill Ryan donate blood on behalf of the Gomez family.
his year, Central Electric kicked off a Weight Loss Challenge (WLC) to bring overall health to the forefront and established a Wellness committee. Several of Central Electric’s teams participated in WLC and at final weigh-in. Wally Esquivel and Kyle Reding won with 49lbs total weight loss. But the Central Electric family wouldn’t stop there. Everyone decided to evaluate what they ate and drank and how to make lifestyle improvements to stay healthy. These decisions helped some of the guys reduce or eliminate medications. Even small changes can make an impact on your health. On May 5th, the Central Electric family took an even bigger step by hosting a blood drive at the Independent Electrical
Contractors (IEC) Association’s offices for the wife of team member Jerry Gomez. Gomez has been a part of the Central Electric team since 2009. His wife, Elizabeth (Liz) is on the liver organ donor list. In 2017, Liz was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. After an accident in 2021, her liver enzymes became elevated, and her symptoms worsened. Her only hope is to find a living liver donor. All blood donations through this University Hospital Blood Drive will help when it’s time for surgery. Twenty-one donors showed up at the IEC offices to contribute to this worthy cause. With five children and five grandchildren, additional blood drives are being planned to help the Gomez family. -cmw
One year celebration
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ssociated Builders & Contractors (ABC) celebrated the one-year anniversary of ABC’s women’s peer group, Ladies Operating for Growth in Construction (LOGIC). The one-year celebration
was held at The Rustic at The Rim on Apr. 21. LOGIC founder Nancy Cagle came in from Houston to celebrate this momentous occasion with the ABC South Texas Chapter members. -cmw
San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
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Women in Construction? That’s every week at Cokinos | Young
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s an active member of the construction industry, not only does Cokinos | Young annually celebrate the contributions of women during Women in Construction Week – it has literally embraced women in construction at every level of the firm in record numbers. As the largest, longest standing full-service Texas construction law firm, the firm’s commitment to advancing women is evident – three female equity partners (authors herein), 6 total female partners, and 16 female associates, 13 specializing in construction, and its diverse workplace comprises more than gender. But leading construction law firms in diversity isn’t the firm’s only mission, these lawyers regularly give back to the industry through trade association leadership and education: Each has worked with and in the industry to shape, counsel, and navigate the evolving industry of construction and has some thoughts to share: Stephanie Cook is the AGC Austin Diversity and Inclusion Chair and working with TEXO to implement a diversity and inclusion program. She is on the AGC-TBB Legal Affairs Committee as one of the first females. “The construction industry and law have long been male dominated, but I don’t have to stop being a lady or wearing my pearls, to be successful in this industry. In fact, research shows increased profits when diverse people are at the table and making decisions—and I like to be at those tables—for my firm and for my clients. The last two years were remote “tables,” Zoom/Teams, late-night calls and I was there to guide, counsel, and lead difficult decisions, including keeping Texas construction workers on the job sites. I have testified in the Texas
And, you bet I am! I am excited to serve on local and national programs to further diversify the industry.”
L-R: Stephanie Cook, Stephanie O’Rourke, and Shelly Masters
House and Senate for contractor cure rights, and now I am building the tables to lead the conversations on diversity and its narrative—in and outside my office walls and I’m just getting started. But the greatest reward is that the construction industry has become a meritocracy—regardless of race, religion, gender, or education. I’m excited to be part of the next future leaders in our firm and in the industry. I’m privileged to work with smart, professional, and passionate clients and colleagues that are [quite literally] building a better Texas for my family and yours for generations to come.” Shelly Masters is a past Chair (1 of only 5 women in this role in almost 50 years) and active Board Member of the ABC Central Texas Chapter, ABC LOGIC (Women’s Leadership), Chapter Attorney for the CTSA and Vice Chair of the national FDCC Construction Law Section and
Diversity Committee. “I remember hearing years ago that Austin was going to double in size. I knew with growth meant construction. Even though less than 10% of the national construction industry was made of women at the time, I jumped all in on my construction practice. I loved the challenge then and I love being a construction lawyer now. When times are challenging, we fiercely protect our clients’ interests in and out of court. When times are good, we help our clients proactively manage risk through contracts. I take on clients’ unsolvable problems so they can focus on what they do best – build things! That leaves me to do what I do best –litigate and resolve disputes! To the person who once asked me if I was “tough enough” to be a construction lawyer, women absolutely have the specialized skill and experience to handle any “tough” issue in their chosen field in the construction industry.
Stephanie O’ Rourke is Board Certified in Construction Law, Chair of the Texas Bar Construction Law Section, Chair of the Construction Law Foundation, recipient of the Outstanding Lawyer by the San Antonio Business Journal , Litigator of the Year 2020 by American Institute of Trial Lawyers, Ranked by Chambers USA, Executive Board of Directors of ABC South Texas Chapter, Nominating Committee for the State Bar of Texas, Board of Directors for CFMA, AGC Consulting Contractors Council of America Educational Committee for AGC, and active leader in the ABC/AGC San Antonio Chapters. “I was introduced into the construction field in 1988 and have devoted my career to the representation of contractors in every aspect of construction law from the negotiation of contracts to the resolution of claims. I was fortunate to have female mentors who are leaders in the construction industry and have shown me that women have a voice, are accepted in this industry, and can make a difference. I look forward to continuing my involvement in this industry and making a difference for my clients and the industry.” Cokinos | Young has been representing the construction industry for over 32 years. Shelly Masters and Stephanie Cook are Principals in the Austin office. They can be reached at the following addresses: Shelly Masters: smasters@cokinoslaw.com (512) 615-1139 and Stephanie Cook: scook@cokinoslaw.com (512) 476-1198. Stephanie O’Rourke is a Principal in the San Antonio office and can be reached at sorourke@cokinoslaw.com and (210) 293-8714. -cmw
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San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
INSURANCE
ACCOUNTING
How Important is Your Experience Modifier?
Changes to the Stretch IRA Melanie C. Geist Managing Partner Ridout Barrett & Co, PC San Antonio, TX
Stan Gregory Safety & Risk Consultant insurica San Antonio, TX
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n February of 2022, the IRS and Treasury released proposed regulations that provide updated guidance for the SECURE Act of 2019, including significant changes for beneficiaries of inherited IRAs and 401(k) plans. This article provides an overview of the changes and the associated tax implications. The backstory of the “Stretch IRA” strategy A traditional IRA enables an individual to make contributions to the retirement account pre-tax and grow tax-deferred funds. Income taxes are owed on the funds when distributed during retirement. In order to accelerate tax revenue, the IRS requires individuals to begin taking required minimum distributions annually once they reach age 72 (70 ½ if reached before January 1, 2020). The owner of a traditional IRA can designate a beneficiary to inherit the IRA upon the owner’s passing. In the original law, the beneficiary of an inherited IRA was required to take required minimum distributions, but the annual distribution amount was based on distributing the funds over the greater of the beneficiary’s expected remaining life or the original owner’s expected remaining life. This was known as a “stretch IRA” because it enabled the beneficiary to reap the benefits of tax-deferred growth from the IRA for an extended period of time. The SECURE Act 10-year rule The SECURE Act, which was signed into law on December 20, 2019, enacted a 10-year rule for distributions from an inherited IRA. Put simply, the rule says that individuals who inherit IRAs must take the full distribution of the account within ten years of the owner’s death. If a grandmother passed away on January 1, 2022, and left her IRA to her granddaughter, that granddaughter would have to distribute all funds by December 31, 2032, the final day of the 10th year after her passing. The SECURE Act was vague, especially in the language around the 10-year rule, and experts agreed that the 10-year rule did not impose required minimum distributions. In fact, in May 2021, the IRS clarified that minimum required distributions were not required under the 10year rule. This enabled a beneficiary to determine how much to distribute each year, as long as all funds are distributed within 10 years. The SECURE Act provided an exemption to the 10-year rule for “eligible designated beneficiaries.” The exemption includes surviving spouses, disabled or chronically ill people, minor children of the owner under the age of 21, and finally, a beneficiary that was no more than a decade junior to the account holder. Eligible designated beneficiaries can continue to base distributions on the stretch IRA formula. The proposed SECURE Act regulations In February of 2022, the IRS issued proposed SECURE Act regulations that provided some clarity but reversed the IRS’s position on the 10-year rule and required minimum distributions. If the IRA account owner dies before having to take required minimum distributions, then the qualified designated beneficiary must adhere to the 10-year rule but is not required to take required minimum distributions each year. If the IRA account owner dies after having to take required minimum distributions, then the qualified designated
beneficiary must adhere to the 10-year rule and is required to take required minimum distributions for years one through nine. There are several other related rules. For instance, if the beneficiary qualifies as an “eligible designated beneficiary”, then the stretch IRA rules apply. If the beneficiary is a spouse, then RMDs will be required, but don’t begin until the deceased would have had reached the required age for taking distributions. The tax implications Under the proposed guidance, if you inherited an IRA in 2020 and the owner was of age to take RMDs, you should have taken a minimum distribution in 2021 and will need to take distributions moving forward. Earlier guidance from the IRS in May 2021 stated that a minimum distribution was not required. The impact on taxes makes the rule change unwelcome for the average American. Unlike a ROTH IRA, which is after-tax dollars, distributions from a traditional IRA are treated as taxable income by the IRS. The additional income from receiving the required minimum distribution may push a taxpayer into a higher tax bracket in any given year. The new rules accelerate the government’s ability to collect tax revenue. Instead of enabling the beneficiary to determine when to take funds, the new guidance forces them to take a distribution each year and pay the related income tax. Does the same rule apply to inherited 401ks? Yes, the guidelines are nearly identical. For owners who pass away after 2021, beneficiaries must follow the same minimum distribution rules and empty the inherited account by the end of year 10. The same exceptions also apply to surviving spouses, minor children of the owner, disabled or chronically ill people, and people who are no more than 10 years younger than the owner. The timing The proposed regulations would apply to the 2022 tax year and beyond. However, the new guidance leaves many taxpayers wondering if they should have taken required minimum distributions in 2021 for an IRA or 401(k) they inherited in 2020. We can help This article provides an overview of the changes to inherited IRAs and 401(k) plans. We can assist in developing a plan on the timing of the distribution of funds, if you are the beneficiary of an IRA or 401(k). Melanie C. Geist, CPA, CGMA mgeist@rbc.cpa Melanie graduated from the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse School of Accountancy in 1998. She later received her Master of Taxation from University of Texas in San Antonio in 2003 and obtained her CPA certificate in 2004. Melanie became a shareholder of the firm in November 2014.
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he Construction industry is as fluid and dynamic as ever, things are constantly changing. We are all searching for the new normal as we emerge from a thirty-month pandemic & what that means for today and tomorrow. However, one thing that remains constant is the struggle many Contractors and Subcontractors have in the bidding process when it comes to their Experience Modifier (EMR). Oftentimes the General or Project’s owner will require an EMR that is less than or equal to a 1.00. This prerequisite will eliminate a lot of the potential bidders. At this point, it becomes clear to the policy holders that they need a little help understanding the process and the factors that can cause this rating to rise above the 1.00 (Neutral) rating.
With ELR rates and total Workers Compensation Premiums going down year after year, how is it my EMR went up? Great Question. If your payroll and claims remain consistent year after year your EMR will increase because of the lower ELR. With these lower ELR’s if your payrolls increase and your total cost of claims go down, you can expect a better or lower EMR.
Worker’s Compensation Experience Modifiers are calculated by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) for most States including Texas. The EMR has a direct effect on your Workers Compensation premium, if the rating is above 1.00 there is a debit to the total and exactly the opposite if the number is calculated below a 1.0, a credit is applied. Your experience modifier is calculated when a comparison is made between your actual losses & payrolls are compared to industry estimates for a particular class.
Stan joined INSURICA in 2015 as a member of the Risk Management Services team. He takes pride in providing risk management solutions for customers in all industries, with a special emphasis on behavioral safety solutions. Stan’s primary focus is working with large employers to improve their risk profiles and safety cultures by implementing custom-tailored safety and risk management plans. EXPERIENCE As a true life-long risk management professional, Stan has more than three decades of experience working with safety and loss prevention. He has built a wealth of experience working with national and regional insurance carriers, as well as large insurance brokers. Additionally, he has worked as a regional manager with several safety consulting groups. His work has always been client-focused, providing risk management services, including risk assessments, consulting services, and safety training. EDUCATION AND DESIGNATIONS Stan is a graduate from Oklahoma State University with a BS in Engineering Technology, focusing on Fire Protection and Safety. He obtained his Certified Safety Professional (CSP) designation, which is widely regarded as the premiere designation within the industry. He is a30-year member of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), and he has served in many roles including, Chapter President and Delegate and as Area Director, Deputy RVP and ARVP for Professional Development in Region III.
Projecting or predicting your EMR for the next policy year can be difficult without assistance from your insurance agent or insurance agency. The rating factors that affect the EMR rating the most are Payroll, Claims, and Expected Loss Rates (ELR; this is a rate that uses your dominant class code and compares your expected losses with other companies experience with similar payrolls.) A very nice trend that has been consistent for at least the last four years is that Expected Loss Rates have been going down, even in the heavy construction industry. This is primarily attributed to contractors improving their job safety and implementing a Return to Work program for their injured employees. These two characteristics have reduced claims cost significantly.
In closing, having a good Return To Work (RTW) program that limits the indemnity payments and also helps to get an injured employee back into the Workforce along with a good safety program that eliminates or reduces the frequency of on the job injuries can definitely improve your Experience Modifier.
Happy Father’s Day
Sunday, June 19
San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
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OSHA
LEGAL Implied Obligations in Construction Contracts
OSHA’s Heat Emphasis Program
R. Carson Fisk, Shareholder Andrews Myers, P.C. Austin, TX
Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX
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ontracts are valuable things. Based on promises, they set expectations for parties, and provide a legally enforceable framework within which a person can seek to enforce—or avoid—his or her contractual obligations. If someone does not do what he or she promises will be done, courts (or arbitrators) can provide relief. But a contract does not need to be set forth in a voluminous, multi-page document containing an immeasurable number of words to be valid and enforceable. In fact, at its core, a contract need only cover a few basic items in order to be enforceable, and may not even need to be in writing. The law can fill in gaps and overlay a thorough contract with additional obligations that must be adhered to by the parties. Thus, those involved in construction are well-served to understand the nature and requirements of such obligations. In Texas, a valid contract requires an offer, acceptance in strict compliance with the terms of the offer, a meeting of the minds, a communication that each party consented to the terms of the contract, execution and delivery of the contract with an intent it become mutual and binding on both parties, and consideration. With respect to material terms, to be enforceable a construction contract generally only requires: (1) a price; (2) time for performance; and (3) scope of work. Implied covenants can assist in outlining the respective parties’ contractual responsibilities. For example, when a contract does not contain a specific time for performance, the law will imply a reasonable time. Thus, absent express requirements related to timing, a party has an implied obligation to perform its work within a reasonable time, whatever that may be under the circumstances. If the basic elements of a contract have been satisfied and the material terms have been agreed upon, an enforceable contract is the result. With respect to performance of the contract, accompanying every contract is a duty to perform the contractual obligations with care, skill, reasonable expedience, and faithfulness. In other words, anyone who agrees to perform work under a contract must proceed in a manner reflective of quality work, timely performed. The failure to do so gives rise to a claim that the contract has been breached. Again, these are subjective standards, which may vary from case to case. Even in the absence of a general implied duty of good faith and fair dealing, a party to a contract has an implied obligation and duty to refrain from hindering, delaying, impeding, or obstructing the other party’s performance of the contract. This implied obligation to cooperate in the performance of a contract is similar to—but narrower than—the implied duty of good faith and fair dealing. In essence, a party is not permitted to take advantage of an obstacle to performance which it has created or which it could remove. Once again, the failure to abide by these requirements gives rise to a claim that the contract has been breached. And these are subjective standards. But not every implied obligation is unalterable. Some serve merely as gap fillers, applying only when a contract is silent on a subject. These implied obligations may be and often are altered by the express terms of a contract. An implied warranty exists to repair or modify existing tangible goods or property in a good and workmanlike manner. “Good and workmanlike” is that
quality of work performed by someone who has the knowledge, training, or experience necessary for the successful practice of the trade or occupation and performed in a manner generally considered proficient by those capable of judging such work. While such a warranty cannot be disclaimed, parties can agree to another standard for manner, performance, or quality. Thus, absent express contractual provisions addressing a differing standard, anyone who agrees to perform work under a contract must proceed in a manner reflective of quality work. All contractors impliedly agree to comply with relevant municipal and county codes when entering into building contracts, in the absence of a contrary agreement. Thus, unless expressly addressed in the contract (e.g., requiring strict compliance with construction documents), the failure to comply with building codes may give rise to a claim that the contract has been breached. If a contractor negotiates a term that it is not responsible for compliance with applicable codes, that term should generally be enforceable. A court cannot make a contract for parties. Thus, terms will not be implied simply to make a contract fair, wise, or just. Therefore, contractual covenants will be implied only when there is a satisfactory basis in the express contract making it necessary to imply certain duties and obligations in order to effectuate the purpose of the contract. While a high bar, there are a number of implied obligations that govern a contract. Some apply to contracts in general, without regard to express contractual language. Some will apply only in the absence of express contractual language. Regardless, ignorance as to what implied obligations might require may be problematic, exposing a contractor to unnecessary risk and liability. Contracts should be negotiated and entered into—and agreements performed—with these obligations in minds. R. Carson Fisk is a construction attorney, mediator, and arbitrator and shareholder at Andrews Myers P.C. in Austin, Texas, and is board certified in Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He may be reached at cfisk@andrewsmyers. com Andrews Myers P.C. is located at: 919 Congress Ave. Unit 1050 Austin, Tx 78701 Main# 512-900-3012
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SHA’s Heat Illness Prevention campaign, launched in 2011, educates employers and workers on the dangers of working in the heat. Through training sessions, outreach events, informational sessions, publications, social media messaging and media appearances, millions of workers and employers have learned how to protect workers from heat. Every year, dozens of workers die and thousands more become ill while working in extreme heat or humid conditions. There are a range of heat illnesses and they can affect anyone, regardless of age or physical condition. Under OSHA law, employers are responsible for providing workplaces free of known safety hazards. This includes protecting workers from extreme heat. An employer with workers exposed to high temperatures should establish a complete heat illness prevention program. • Provide workers with water, rest and shade. • Allow new or returning workers to gradually increase workloads and take more frequent breaks as they acclimatize, or build a tolerance for working in the heat. • Plan for emergencies and train workers on prevention. Monitor workers for signs of illness. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched a National Emphasis Program (NEP) to protect millions of workers from heat illness and injuries. Through the program, OSHA will conduct heat-related workplace inspections before workers suffer completely preventable injuries, illnesses or, even worse, fatalities.
As part of the program, OSHA will proactively initiate inspections in over 70 highrisk industries in indoor and outdoor work settings when the National Weather Service has issued a heat warning or advisory for a local area. On days when the heat index is 80 F or higher, OSHA inspectors and compliance assistance specialists will engage in proactive outreach and technical assistance to help stakeholders keep workers safe on the job. Inspectors will look for and address heat hazards during inspections, regardless of whether the industry is targeted in the NEP. Compliance officers who are investigating for other purposes, shall open or refer a heat-related inspection for any hazardous heat conditions observed, recorded in the OSHA 300 logs or 301 Incident Reports, or where an employee brings a heat-related hazard to the attention of the compliance officer (such as, employees or temporary workers being exposed to high temperature conditions without adequate training, acclimatization or access to water, rest, and shade). Compliance officer should inquire during inspections regarding the existence of any heat-related hazard prevention programs on heat priority days. A heat priority day occurs when the heat index for the day is expected to be 80°F or more. Employers can learn more about this emphasis program at: https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/ files/enforcement/directives/CPL_03-00024.pdf natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232
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San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
Did you go to college? I went to the University of Texas in San Antonio. I got my degree in business administration and marketing.
Fernando Lozano, President, X-Press Wallboard, Comfort, TX
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rowing up around drywall his entire life, Fernando Lozano’s ambitions went beyond the art of drywall. That is until he stepped into the corporate world and realized he enjoyed working with his hands more than he did pushing a pen. Are you from the San Antoni area? I was born in Mexico, but my parents immigrated to Texas when I was around one year old. I always tell people I was born and raised in Comfort because I’ve been here all my life. What was it like growing up in Comfort? Comfort is a small community where everybody knows everybody. As a young boy, I thought it wasn’t as pleasant as I do now because everybody knows you and everybody knows what you’re doing. But eventually you start growing into that small town mentality and realize it’s not a bad thing because everybody is just looking out for one another. I take it you went to school in Comfort. Yes, from elementary to high school. What did your parents do? My mom stayed home and raised me and my brothers. She had her hands full with four boys. I guess we were her fulltime job. My dad started doing drywall after immigrating to Texas. That was the first job he landed. He started off as a helper, cleaning up all the drywall scraps. He stuck with it and made it his career. He started doing drywall on his own around 1980, just installing drywall. He started dabbling with floating and textures, not as extensive as we do now, when I came on board in 2006. In 2006, we started focusing more on the finishes and now we are offering residential and commercial painting. Do your parents still live here in the States? Yes, they do. We are a close-knit family. We, my brothers, and my parents, all we all live in Comfort.
Growing up, did you help your dad in the drywall business? Helping my dad made up our summers. When we weren’t in school, we helped our dad. We grew up around the jobsite and around the trades. After high school, I helped my dad for a bit and then started getting other ambitions, so I went off to college. But after I finished my degree, I went out in the corporate world. After a couple of years, I realized it wasn’t for me. I liked a more hands-on type of approach and being out in the field, getting my hands dirty. In 2006, I went back to my dad and said, “Hey Dad, what do you think about me coming on board and trying to grow the business and expand on what we do?” He liked the idea and that’s where it all started. What do you like about the drywall business? For me, it’s the foundation of what everybody sees when they walk into a house or business. They see the walls and ceilings. Once the walls are in place, everything else falls into place. I like interacting with the clients and the home builders, trying to get them what they want. Are you married? I’ve been married almost 11 years. We have two small kids. Alexandria, our daughter is 9 years old and our son, Ayden, is 6. They are at that age where they get on each other’s nerve. Tell me about your wife. What is her name? How did you all meet? My wife’s name is Ruby. It’s kind of a strange ordeal or I guess you could call it fate. I had seen her a couple of different times somewhere, but I couldn’t remember where. And then we kept running into each other. A friendship developed and it just blossomed from there. I used that generic line, “Hey, I know you from somewhere?” But in this case, it was true. Is she from Comfort as well? She is from San Antonio. I met my wife in San Antonio. It took some coaxing to get her to move to Comfort because she had lived in San Antonio her entire life and had never ventured out of San Antonio, so moving to Comfort was a bit of a change. We had to move in stages. First, we moved to Boerne and then to Kerrville, but Kerrville was too far. So here we are, back in Comfort. What does Rudy do? Ruby stays home with the kids and takes care of the house. There’s something to be said for stay-at-home moms. It’s hard work. Ever-bit as hard as working out in the field, especially when you have two kids that change three, four times a
Fernando Lopez with his family L-R: Ayden, Alexandria and Ruby Lopez participate at UTSA’s Game Day festivities
day. I admire what she does because it’s not easy. Is your dad still involved in the business? My dad is 70 years old, and he’s been working drywall for 46-47 years, and he’s not ready to quit. Are your brothers involved in the business? What are their names? All three of my brothers work here. Two of them are twins, George and Ruben. They’re two years younger than me. My youngest brother Frank, he’s 13 years younger. How do y’all get along working together? Is it difficult? In the beginning it wasn’t easy because we were trying to read each other and learn from each other. The important thing is we stuck together during the hard times. Now we get along great. I guess we read each other and feed off that. We know what’s going on and to this day, I thank the Lord everything is where it should be. We all have the same goals in mind and that keeps us together, away from the bickering and the fighting we did in the beginning. Somehow, we made it work. What do you do to relax? Good question! I try to go out in the community. We try to contribute to the Comfort fire department and Comfort library through donations. We try to volunteer as much as we can. I, myself, am more involved in with the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo which takes up a lot of my free time. But when I’m home, I just enjoying being with the kids and watching them grow up. I enjoy that most of all.
San Antonio
Fernando and Ruby Lopez, San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo
What would you like our readers to know about you? That’s a very broad question. I wouldn’t know how to narrow it down to just a couple of sentences. I guess, at the end of the day, I’m happy that I have the opportunity, with the help of my family, to provide for my family and we enjoy, truly enjoy, what we do. We have the opportunity to work we can grow and we’re all still together. Working with my family, being with my entire family and seeing them every day is a blessing and I couldn’t ask for anything better. X-Press Wallboard is a drywall contractor in Comfort, TX. -cwm
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San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
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Packed house at annual banquet
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he Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) San Antonio Chapter held its 43th Annual Banquet on April 28 and the number of attendees continues to grow. Held in Expo Halls A & B at the Freeman Coliseum Grounds, there was plenty to eat and drink while folks decided what live auction item they were going to bid on. The construction industry had a huge presence as usual and participated in all the great live and silent auctions and the many raffles which made the event a great place to be. The goal of the event was to raise funds for the continued efforts of CCA Texas by supporting fisheries, bays and estuaries, law enforcement through continued support of Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), scientific studies, and all of the very successful habitat restoration projects they have completed and plan to proceed with in the future. All money raised at this event will go toward Texas projects. -bd
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San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
Golf anyone?
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embers of the Hispanic Contractors Association de San Antonio (HCAdeSA) hit the greens at The Golf Club of Texas for HCAdeSA’s Spring Golf Tournament. The event was held on Apr. 8 where golfers, sponsors and other guests enjoyed a beautiful day and the camaraderie of one another. -cmw
Tournament winners: 1st Place Gross: Casias Construction – Ray Howton, Tim Czech, Jason Howton and Reed Mainz 1st Place Net: Turner Construction – Ram Casiano, Henry Villarreal, Andrew Alvarado and Bam Lavigne 2nd Place Net: Guido Construction – Albert Gutierrez, Bryer Belk, J. Winkler and Jared Jenkins 3rd Place Net: Central Builders – Cory Trimyer, Bryan Ehrlich, Carl Ehrlich and Kyle Dausin
Casias Construction
Turner Construction
Resource Guide Associations & Education H General Contractors H Subcontractors H Service Providers H Subcontractors H Supplies H Truck & Equip Dealers
Associations and Construction Education
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For Information on Resource Guide Ads, contact Buddy Doebbler, 210-308-5800 or email at Buddy@ConstructionNews.net
San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
Page 11
Mid-Season Fishing Report 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. Johnny B. and Greg W. of Houston made catching look pretty easy on they’re last outing with Steve Schultz Outdoors. Both caught well over 20 trout releasing them back to the bay.
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y now, hopefully most of you readers of the Construction News have made it down to the coast for a bay fishing outing. If you have, you know it’s been pretty darn windy, and water conditions have not been the best for fishing. As of the middle of May, conditions have improved and so has the fishing. Wind speeds have decreased opening so much more of our bay system and allowing us to get to areas that were not accessible. Most of you, who have been keeping up with my columns know about the fish killed that we had in Feb. 2021. Every few months, I try and report how things are going on the water and try to keep the public informed on what is happening with our fish populations. As most of you are aware, the state made a major change in March this year reducing the bag limit from five trout to three trout per angler per day. A minimum size of 17 in. with a maximum size limit of 23 in. was put in place and no fish over the maximum length can be retained during this time. In my opinion, I think these regulations have already started to make a change in our bay system. Trout fishing is twice as good or better than it was last year at this time. We are seeing plenty of slot fish in the 17 to 23 in. range that make up a good box so clients can take home some fillets. Even though the trout limit is only three per
freezer should be a thing of the past. Believe me, I was guilty of doing this myself. Let’s all be conservationist and get our fishery back to where it needs to be.
Great friends Pat and Denise Bendele always enjoy fishing with their Jack Russel Abe. As a reminder, Steve Schultz Outdoors is a pet friendly guide service.
person, we are still catching plenty of fish throughout the day making it more adventurous while being very selective on what we put in the box. This also opens up the possibilities of targeting other species in our bay system such as drum redfish and flounder. While on the boat and during my charters, I remind my clients to be consciousness of our situation and to be mindful that we need to be good stewards on the water. Take enough fish home to feed your family and leave some for the next time you come fishing. The days of taking gallon Ziploc bags full of fillets home and throwing them in the
By the time you read this column, we will be starting with our summer fishing patterns. Hotter than normal days are ahead of us with no end in sight to these drought conditions. Some rain would really go along way right about now. Croakers have arrived, so from now through September, we will be starting out the mornings with natural bait and possibly switching to artificial lures to round out the day. Hope to see y’all on the water soon. I’m starting to work on my fall dates for fishing. We still have fishing dates in Aug., Sept. and Oct. I’m also booking South Texas whitetail hunts for the coming season. Don’t wait untill all the good dates are gone! To schedule your next bay fishing or hunting trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or e-mail him at SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail.com. Good luck and Good Fishing.
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San Antonio Construction News • JUN 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
Traditions
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raditions are important. Have you ever noticed that when you find yourself in a conversation with a new acquaintance your topics usually lead to where you are from and who you are? Pretty soon you get to “we used to have a hunting lease near there” or “when I was a kid, my Dad and all my uncles used to go camping and fishing close to there”. Traditions are touch stones in our lives. We may not all have the same traditions, but they are similar enough to help tie us to each other. As a fishing guide I have seen so many traditions carried on by the people that fish with me. It starts out with a group of young guys sharing a fishing trip before they go their separate ways for work, college or military service. Then they become young lovers bringing their sweethearts. Before long they come back again with a 3-year-old to introduce to fishing. Then Little League makes hectic schedules, but they still manage to get in a fishing trip. It doesn’t take too long for the little one to get his own fishing trip as a graduation present. And so it goes! My wife’s family has owned a local fishing camp since 1942. To this day, they still see the great grandchildren of treasured old customers, coming back to stay and fish and enjoy the lake. We live, grow old and die, but our traditions live on through our kids. That we took the time
out from trying to make a living to just go somewhere and be with our families for a little while seems to be what makes the impression. It doesn’t seem to matter if it is hunting, fishing, camping, going to the races, or standing in line to see the latest movie, just that we had a good time together and want to do it again. That is how traditions get started. The food for thought is this. Think about someone special from your past. When you talk about them to someone else, you usually don’t speak about their favorite color or how they voted, probably not even so much what they looked like. You don’t discuss how much money they did or didn’t make. You tell of the places you went and the things you did together and the stories they told. That is how we are remembered and traditions are the index cards to those memories. Young people in particular need traditions and memories to hold on to when the world starts to move them around like an anchored boat in the wind. It helps them to know how special and valuable they are in the big picture of life. That way it’s not so easy to get lost. When it’s your turn to carry on a tradition can you? Sure you can! Even old time traditions can translate to modern times. Start a new tradition if you have to, but pass something on down. 0Wet a hook, take a walk, fly a kite, tell campfire tales or share old family folklore. Just don’t forget to do it!
San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
Page 13
Have an Outdoor Story or Photo?
Share them with us! Send to: mEditor@ConstructionNews.net or call 210-308-5800 today! San Antonio H Austin www.ConstructionNews.net
Our matching luggage tags
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ach year, Reesa Doebbler, Construction News, and four very special friends take a week’s trip to a different state. We call ourselves “the Golden Girls” as we are all Gold Star Moms (not to mention our ages). In May, we went to the western part of South Dakota, both north and south of Rapid City. So many things to see — numerous very small cities out in the middle of nowhere, all looked like the old west. Here are a few of the hundreds of photos we took.
Crazy Horse L-R: Marcy, Candy, Marte, Ruth, Reesa at Mount Rushmore
Buffalo trippin’ in Custer Park The Badlands
Chubby Chipmunk Chocolate Shop
Along Needles Hwy
Sturgis
Wild Bill HickcockSaloon in one of the many western towns
We’re already beginning to plan for next year’s trip - we started on the plane back to SA. It takes us that long to get ready — you know, five carry-on luggages and on the same planes, what to wear there, which airbnb, no bears and, of couse, “where’s the wine?” -rd
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San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
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ash Barrett, son of Jason Barrett, 2M Lighting Inc. and Shavawn Barrett, Newson Construction, was fortunate enough to have harvested this gold medal class Axis buck at their family farm. The uniqueness of this buck is its exceptionally long secondary tines, called caudal tines. In the case of this buck, one side is even longer than his main beam which is not common for this species. It started on a Sunday evening with Cash and his brother Case Barrett telling his parents about a really, nice Axis Buck they had seen while coming back to the house from feeding the livestock. Excited to show the buck to their dad, the boys and their father headed out to look for him. They found a large thicket of cedar trees where Axis deer have been seen before when Case spotted him. His young eyes were no match for Jason’s as he grabbed a pair of binoculars. Once spotted, Jason told the boys they would need to quickly work on a game plan for another day to catch him moving around as Axis like this one don’t hang around too long, sometimes by deer’s choice, or other hunters. Cash had already staked claim on him since Case had shot the last deer. Between Jason’s schedule and school, they were limited on how soon they would get the next chance to hunt this unique Axis buck. Unfortunately, the weekday mornings are when the boys are “supposed” to be getting ready and going to school, and Jason for work. While sitting out hunting one evening, they spotted the same heard of Axis they had seen the buck with prior. However, he was not participating in their evening feeding. Not surprising as he was the
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A hunt worth telling
heard bull and typically is the last to come out. The next morning while Jason was in town working and the boys were on their way to school, there he was in a hay field 300 yards away. Jason immediately got a call from the boys letting him know the big buck was still around and how frustrated they were that they had to go to school instead of getting to go hunt him. The next day Cash and Jason were eager to try and harvest this buck. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt if Cash was a little late to school, although his mom didn’t see it that way,” says Jason. “We decided to see if we could get lucky and catch him at first daylight. The buck was a no-show, and the boys were late to school.”
They hunted that evening. Two different herds of Axis come out to graze. As luck would have it, he came out last with one of the herds and managed to stay in the middle of them all, presenting no clear shot. The weekend was finally upon them and Cash, as well as his dad, were growing more anxious. The plan was to get an early start Saturday morning. Around 7:30, a heard of Axis stepped out of the tree line about 200 yards away, moving towards Cash and Jason. One after another, they kept walking out of the trees in a line following right behind the other. The last one to walk out with the main heard was a mature doe. Knowing that bucks/bulls are
Hullabaloo
he National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) had a great turnout for its inaugural NUCA San Antonio Crawfish & Cornhole Hullabaloo. The event was held Apr. 29 at Pesado Construction’s Sinclair Rd. “We’d like to extend a special thanks to all our sponsors including Ferguson Waterworks, Texas Sterling Construction Co., HDW Construction, Polaris Services, Xylem, Pesado Construction Company, Miller Bros., Tenoch Distribution LLC, RAM2, Ritchie Bros., Buyers Barricades San Antonio LLC, Alterman Inc., B2W Software, Precise Contractors, Gajeske Inc., RDO Equipment Co., AmeriTex Pipe & Products and to all the players and teams,” says Chapter President Stephen Parks, E-Z Bel Construction. “A Hullabaloo was had by all! Special thanks to our hosts Pesado Construction Company and to Crawfish Cajun Chef Brad McDavid, Miller Bros. And, thank you everyone for attending!” -cmw
the last to show, they were excited, yet worried that he may not show. Jason started scanning the brush for any movement. Standing in the cedars watching was the big Axis buck with his head tilted back and nose in the air. “Once we saw him, we knew he was glued to the doe and would follow,” Jason says. “When he stepped out and started his way towards the group to catch up, ‘Buck Fever’ started to set in for Cash. What made it even worse is that he had to watch him slowly make his way all the way up the field until he was in range and broadside to present a good shot.” Once he was in range, Jason told Cash he would get him to stop. He reminded him to relax, get a good rest and squeeze the trigger. Within a split second of Jason stopping him, the gun went off. “I guess he was afraid he’d get away,” Jason said. Jason could tell Cash had made a good shot and that the buck was hit by the way he lunged and ran about 20 yards before stopping and lowering his head. Jason had Cash chamber another round and told him to hold it on him in case he needed a follow-up shot. After about a 10-minute wait, they walked over to pay respect and admire the beautiful animal Cash had just harvested. As most hunters know all too well… this is where the fun stops and the work begins. “Cash and Case have been fortunate enough to have been brought up around hunting and have been taught the process of field dressing. They’ve fortunate enough to say their family processes their own animals for sausage, meat, jerky, etc. There’s a greater level of appreciation for wildlife when someone can experience the full circle of stewardship and hunting. Job well done Son!” -cmw
Golfing at SilverHorn
1st Place Gross: Ron Saucedo, All-Tex Pipe & Supply; Raymond Limegrover, Brandt; Dustin Graves, All-Tex Pipe & Supply and Andy Carne, Brandt
1st Place: Brad Real and Shane Aherns, Pesado Construction
Cornhole winners: 2nd Place: Nik Gray, South Texas Traffic Alliance and Jason Boney, Texas Materials 3rd Place: - Raymond Limegrover, The Brandt Companies and Zac Patrick, EquipmentShare
1st Place Net: Gary Stevenson, Texas Air Systems; Chris Finger, Texas Chiller Systems; Mike Andreason, Texas Chiller Systems and Scott Sedor, Texas Chiller Systems
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pproximately 100 golfers turned out for the Mechanical Contractors Association and Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning National Association’s (MCA-SMACNA) 28th Annual MCA-SMACNA Golf Tournament. The fun-filled event was held at SilverHorn Golf Club. Proceeds from the annual tournament are donated to Habitat for Humanity. Photos courtesy of Mary C. Haskin Photography. -cmw
Tournament winners: 2nd Place Net: Rory Preiss, Brandt; Branon Scheel, Brandt; Chris Phillips, Viega and Terry Collins, MAVA Engineering 3rd Place Net: John Gargotta, Service Mechanical Group; Scott Naab, Trane; Dennis Luster, FSG and John Murnane, GE Longest Drive: Josh Bailey and Raymond Limegrover Closest-to-the-Pin: Justis McNeil and Scott Wunsch Putting Contest: Andy Carne
San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
Page 15
New construction-oriented trucking services
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he Nitsche Group, a family-owned and operated independent insurance agency headquartered in Giddings, TX, is launching a new, construction-oriented insurance program to better serve companies that utilize trucking and operate within the trucking industry in Texas. A focus on our highways, construction, and trucking industries will be crucial to the continued success of Texas as a business hub, and The Nitsche Group’s new services will play an important role in meeting those needs. “As our agency has continued to serve the construction industry, we’ve noticed a great need to grow services catering to the trucking companies that work alongside them,” Robert Nitsche, CEO of The Nitsche Group said. The Nitsche Group has offered coverage options and fleet services to clients for decades. However, through working with and learning from clients, the agency has noticed a unique gap in offerings for truck carriers serving the construction industry. “We’ve been offering these types of services for a long time, and now is the exact right moment to create and launch a specialty group to truly cater to and fill those needs.” After navigating the disruption and uncertainty of the pandemic, experts are predicting the construction sector to boom over the next four quarters. Moreover, the trucking carriers serving the construction industry are also expected to experience a similar explosion in growth that will help the industry thrive for years to come. “With the immense growth of the industry and based on feedback from multiple trucking company owners, we felt that there was a gap of accountability and quality service that The Nitsche Group could provide to continue growth opportunities and stability for compa-
The Nitsche Group now offers construction-oriented trucking insurance services.
nies,” Paul Biehle, director of sales for The Nitsche Group, said. The Nitsche Group will focus on service offerings designed to increase marketability for clients to insurance carriers, recommendations for safety and loss prevention, and compliance guidance to keep clients on the road. “Our agency’s culture is known for offering solutions while providing unique customer service,” Chyrl Sherrill, commercial insurance manager for The Nitsche Group, said. “Our team recognized the growing need in the transportation and logistics industry and wanted to expand our offerings and expertise to help bridge the gap.” In the current climate, conditions in the constructions and trucking industry are favorable and offer the opportunity for growth and success, but only with a well-thought-out plan in place that can be executed. “Our hope is that launching this division will provide an avenue to those experiencing difficulty in growing their business, by offering a new and refreshing experience,” said Biehle. Having the right guidance and cov-
erage in place can be just as impactful to a business as the equipment on the road and training for employees. And finding the right insurance for your truck or fleet has never been more important. Laws, regulations, and compliance requirements are constantly evolving. As of January 1st, construction laws in Texas have changed for new contracts, and will impact lien filing, the Statute of Limitations, and some notice requirements. Ensuring a company stays compliant can be tricky, and violations can be costly. In some cases, violations can cause the closure of a business indefinitely. Having
the right guidance and coverage program in place can help companies avoid mistakes that could damage their business. To better serve customers, The Nitsche Group team stays up to date on new and pending regulations through education and involvement in industry organizations including The Texas Trucking Association. Navigating restrictions and policies while achieving full compliance can drain resources for a business. The Nitsche Group diligently trains team members on safety practices, Department of Transportation policies, and specific Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations and requirements. With the addition and launch of its new services, The Nitsche Group is equipped to advise trucking and logistics clients on regulatory changes that will save customers money, frustration, and manpower. “For more than 70 years, The Nitsche Group has served the needs of companies across our state,” Biehle said. “Right now, we see an opportunity to offer businesses that operate trucking and logistics companies a unique level of service designed with each company’s individual needs in mind that the market has been crying out for.” For more information on this and other services, call 1-800-258-8302 or go to www.thenitschegroup.com The Nitsche Group is is a family-owned andoperated independent insurance agency with offices in throughout Central Texas. -cmw
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San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
San Antonio State Hospital
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asco Acoustics and Drywall Inc. has been servicing the commercial construction industry since 1988 with offices in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. They believe that each team member contributes directly to their growth and success. It is why they
have a unified team of people focused on a common goal – to be the best drywall contractor in America in the eyes of their customers and their industry. Recognizing the growing need for psychiatric and behavioral care in South Texas, The State of Texas, Texas Health
Aerial view of the new San Antonio State Hospital
to look ahead, predict and plan to meet scheduled deadlines and stay on schedule. With teamwork and dedication things are on track as everyone is eager to reach the final goal of seeing the San Antonio State Hospital operational. Several of the goals to come for the hospital are working with patients, family, and peers so patients attain skills for living outside of the hospital, alleviate post-traumatic stress disorders, physical fitness for behavioral support, after care transitioning, substance abuse help and proper medications. The hospital will also create hundreds of jobs benefiting the community and the state. Lasco is honored to be a part of its development. Lasco Acoustics and Drywall Inc. is an interior contractor in San Antonio. -cmw
and Human Services, united with UT Health San Antonio obtained the funding needed to construct a modern care hospital. In December of 2020, Lasco began work on the three-story, 476,000-sf San Antonio State Hospital for Vaughn Construction. The new 300-bed hospital will have private rooms with a floor plan that includes open courtyards that incorporates natural light throughout the buildings. It will also contain areas for administration, patient therapy and support, pharmacy, full kitchen, chapel, and gymnasium. The state-of-the-art environment and updated technologies will enhance recovery for the patients. Project Manager, Chris Montez and Foreman, Mario Lopez, are passionate about every detail for the 19 sequences of exterior framing and sheathing and the interior core work which includes the framing of stair walls and mechanical shafts. Planning and timing are crucial and that includes coordinating with the abounding trades also operating on the project. Lasco strives to have the best relationships with their customers by making safety their top priority of every project and had to overcome unforeseen issues that arose during the Covid-19 pandemic. Not only monitoring and keeping employees safe but maintaining the material deliveries changed overnight from a couple of days to a month’s time. Prolonged periods of rainy weather caused a muddy terrain making it difficult to maneuver equipment. Due to this, the management team that included the project manager, foreman, superintendent, and contractor had to meet on a weekly basis
Side view
Lasco Acoustics and Drywall Inc. Austin, TX
Innovation Center, Port San Antonio
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or more than 20 years, Allegiance Floors has been offering commercial flooring solutions to their clients. Through their “no-surprise” approach, they promote proactive communication, award-winning execution, and consistent delivery for all their projects. Allegiance Floors was proud to be a part of the team with Sundt Construction for the construction of the new Innovation Center at Port San Antonio. It is a leading destination and community gathering space for a wide range of users. The facility will feature a large 24hour electronic gaming area and a fullscale food hall including catering support for the various events hosted at the center. It’s a research and development lab that will provide scalable space and prototyping/fabrication equipment to support the work of start-ups.
Allegiance was responsible for all the hard and soft flooring, and the exterior thin brick, which is the main focal point for the outside of the building. The Innovation Center is destined to be a landmark for the San Antonio tech industry, and they are proud to have been the chosen subcontractor to perform the work. Allegiance Floors is a certified SBE/ WBE and HUB flooring contractor in San Antonio. -cmw
Level 2 concession area
Restroom
Concession area
Concession
Allegiance Floors San Antonio, TX
San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
Page 17
Crystal Hill Trailhead
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CO Construction LLC is currently putting together the finishing touches on another successful trail project; this time, the “Crystal Hill Trailhead.” Located near Ingram Park Mall, this City of San Antonio trailhead provides a much-needed trail connection for the Crystal Hill neighborhood that is affluent with walkers, bikers, and recreational activities along the Leon Creek Greenway. The general scope of work consisted of three main phases of work: trailhead and trail connection, LID features, and tree and irrigation. Trailhead work con-
sisted of a “Solochrome” integral color concrete mix that works to reflect the suns heat off the surface of the concrete allowing a much cooler-to-the-touch feel on the trail. It also included new limestone seating boulders, trailhead signage, trail lighting, pedestrian drinking fountains, and a custom steel shade structure designed with modified ash wood cladding and a parasoleil cover plate. The other major scope included the installation of a LID feature, an 8,000-sf bioretention that included underdrains, inlet structures, outfall structures, drain-
age layers, soil media, and plants to complete the BMP. Bioretention basins are used to slow and treat on site storm water runoff by collecting the storm water, allowing it percolate through the system treating it, and then convey the treated water to the storm drain system. R.J. Delagarza, RCO Vice President states, “The goal of this project was to effectively treat the storm water runoff in this area, while providing a space where the public could access the existing Huebner/Leon Creek Greenway. The city ultimately turned a wasted space into a purposeful and highly functioning area
that benefits the city and the environment. “ RCO’s team included VP of Construction Richard Martinez, Construction Manager Daniel Ortiz, Terra Design Group, and T-CORE Engineers. “This trailhead is another investment by the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, and San Antonio River Authority,” Delagarza said. “The more the city builds, the more opportunities it creates, not just for recreation, but for a viable option as alternative transportation.” RCO Construction LLC is a general contractor in San Antonio. -cmw
Drone view of the BMP and Trailhead
Trailhead Walkway with access to Leon Creek Greenway
RCO Construction LLC San Antonio, TX
Drone view of the Biorention area
Microsoft Data Center - SAT 13
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iver City Excavation (RCE) is currently in the process of completing a full remodel of excavation work for the electrical underground utilities at the Microsoft Data Center in San Antonio. This project is one of River City’s biggest
and most complex projects to-date and proves their expertise in all areas of excavations for underground commercial utilities. With safety at the forefront, River City is an expert around live utility lines.
RCE has developed a system of digging around known and unknown utilities that greatly reduces line strikes and eliminates down time. River City really has the chance to shine light on these systems and processes throughout the course of
the SAT 13 project. Over the last 10 years, River City has put a focus on this type of excavation to be a true force in the excavation industry. Due to the size of this complex remodel, the scope of the SAT 13 project is being completed in phases. River City has successfully excavated almost 5,000 feet on the outside of the already standing data center to lay new electrical utility lines. Ten additional 40ft-wide, 12ft-long, 6ft-deep pits were safely hydro excavated on the inside of the data center to set and secure the duct banks for electrical cables. River City is also set to excavate another 3,000ft for onsite lighting around the data center as part of the renovation project. River City Excavation is an excavation contractor in San Antonio. -cmw River City Excavation (RCE) San Antonio, TX
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San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
continued from Page 1 —Riley’s Asphalt estimate, it was hard to find that address back then. You have to go through a bunch of different tasks. Nowadays, if somebody calls up, you pop the address up right there on your phone,” continues Joe. “There’s so much more technology. Even down to square footage on the driveway. If somebody calls and needs an estimate, you used to have to go out to the place and actually see it in person and wheel it off. Now, if it is a long ways away, you can go to Google Earth and measure the driveway right off your phone and give them an estimate. Technology. Yeah, that’s awesome. “It all developed from seal coat,” says Derek. “Throughout the years, the products got better. Technology got better.” “We went from a sealcoating a machine to adding asphalt pavers and rollers,” adds Joe. “The whole business changed. Now we have double the business with two whole crews that evolved from our grandpa with one guy helping him out.” “Our grandpa had a machine on the back of his truck,” continues Derek.“ When he would get a job, he would unwind the hose, start the motor up and seal the driveway. It went from sealcoating to buying a big machine.” “It’s changed throughout the years big time, especially with social media,” adds Eddie. “That’s where we find most
continued from Page 1 — The YATES Company LLC of our work. That, and repeat customers or word of mouth.” Riley’s Asphalt serves the Central Texas area from Kerrville down to San Antonio and its surrounding areas. Of course, if the job is big enough, the Riley’s team will go where needed as long as the project is big enough and there’s enough square footage. The Riley family believes in giving back to their community any way they can. “We give back to the community and have done some charity work,” says Derek. “We give discounts to the elderly, churches and veterans. We try to work with anybody that has an issue. If we can help them, we will do our best.“ From the simple days of hauling a sealcoating machine in the back of Edward Riley’s truck to today, the company has definitely evolved. Today, Riley’s Asphalt offers a wide array of paving services which include asphalt paving, new asphalt installation, asphalt overlay, asphalt repair, chip and tar paving, asphalt milling, hot rubberized crack filling, driveway paving and maintenance, parking lot paving and maintenance, grading and dirt work, asphalt seal coating, and asphalt striping and marking. Located in Selma, TX, Riley’s Asphalt offers residential, commercial and industrial asphalt and concrete services. -cmw
continued from Page 1 — Catamount Constructors Incorporated
dent and general manager. The corporate mentality undermined everything he and his mentors had built. “The corporate offering eroded everything that made us what we were. So, I left,” says Yates. “I had no intentions of getting back into the game, but our customers, whether mechanical contractors or end users, started reaching out to me looking for that quality and customer service level that we had provided in the past.” That’s what got Yates and his wife, Susan Yates, back into automated controls. In Dec. 2011, they started The YATES Company LLC. While YATES is their surname, it is an acronym for Your Automation Technologies Energy Solutions. “We went out and got products to satisfy the customers. Our whole business is based on repeat business. It’s all about employees and, customers - employees that take care of our customers, and us taking care of employees,” he adds. The company started as a husbandand-wife team. “We had a subcontractor that did our installation for us, and then I would do the tech work,” he says. “At night, I would work on sales and fast forward to now and we’re up to 30 employees. We own our building. That’s the difference between us and other companies like us. We are probably the only privately held company that competes at the level of big corporations like Trane, Johnson Controls, Automated Logic, Climate Tech which are all big stockholder companies. “There are other control companies. There are mechanical contractors that do controls, but not to our level. We specialize in it. We’ve got an engineering department, installation department, and service departments, all dedicated to customer service.” While building automation systems are generally associated with controlling HVAC equipment in a building, their abilities are much farther reaching than that.
On a good path with their controls offering, they are starting to offer more HVAC services. “It’s not our intention to compete with our customers, the mechanical contractors that we typically work for, but we have these deep tenured relationships with a lot of our customers that just want us to fix it,” adds Yates. “They call us out for controls problems on the site and when it turns out to be an air conditioning equipment problem, well they’re like, ‘Can you just fix it?’ A good business has good service behind it. It doesn’t really make sense for us to keep pushing them away.” Yates is grateful to those deep tenured relationships, many of which are the Who’s Who in San Antonio such as those of Valero, NuStar, the San Antonio Food Bank, SA Gastro, Holt CAT, UIW, Northside ISD, Comal ISD, East Central ISD and a lot of the surrounding school districts. Just like with construction, their negotiated territories, if you will, are from Waco to the south of Houston, over to Del Rio, West Texas, down to the Rio Grande Valley and Corpus Christi. They currently have about 40 active projects including the new high school in Sinton and the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. December 2021 marked the company’s 10th year in business and as it makes its way through its 10th year, the company continues to be true to its commitment to service. “We’re known for our commitment, finishing jobs, and customer service and even though we’re a mom and pop, privately held company, we run like a miniature corporation. We have succession plans,” Yates explains. “My wife is stepping more out of the business now. And we’re looking towards the future. Thus far, two of our three sons work here. They’re the future of the company. So even when I’m done, the name carries on and that’s why we call it Yates instead of X Automation Compay.” The YATES Company LLC is a building automation system and energy solutions provider/installer in San Antonio. -cmw
Blueprint of success An inside view of Catamount’s open floorplan, pre-construction and marketing departments
The Catamount team is back under the same roof having moved from a collective space of about 11,000sf to 19,000sf in their new facility, giving them plenty of room for future growth. The new facility presents an open floorplan to create a more collaborative work area for meetings or inter-departmental communication. Additionally, it is abundant with natural lighting from windows and skylights that allow the exterior light to filtrate throughout the building without being blocked by interior walls. From a major artery corridor perspective, the new location was strategically selected with Loop 1604 and I-10 being relatively close and Loop 410 not too far away. “It’s so good to be under the same
roof again with the two different business units associated with Catamount located here in San Antonio,” Dixon adds. “It’s a sign of where we’re headed.” On May 19, Catamount San Antonio toasted their new location by hosting an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony. The event was held at their new location with over 150 company employees, friends, colleagues, clients, and guests. Mariachis entertained guests as they partook in tours of the new facility, delicious food, refreshments, giveaways and more. Catamount is 100 percent employee owned. They provide construction management and general contracting services and do work all over the continentals US. Catamount Constructors Incorporation has offices in Atlanta, Denver, and San Antonio. -cmw
McKinney York Architects leadership Front L-R: Al York, Michelle Rossomando and Heather McKinney. Back L-R: Brian Carlson and Will Wood
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cKinney York Architects built its foundation based on building long lasting relations. It is the blueprint of the firm’s 39 years of success. The firm’s first commission came through some San Antonio school friends of Heather McKinney, FAIA, founder of McKinney York Architects. “Michelle Rossomando, AIA, RID; Al York, FAIA, RID; Brian Carlson, AIA, LEED and Will Wood, AIA, RID, all have clients who really are friends at this point,” says McKinney. “We built our firm on our relationships and because we want to create places that inspire, engage the people that use them and create a sense of belonging for the people for whom we make them.” With a personal connection to San Antonio, the firm’s footprint expanded to San Antonio off and on for years. In 2019, McKinney York officially opened its second office in the Alamo City. In 2020, Michelle Rossomando was named the firm’s second president in its 30-plus years in business. As part of a sixyear transition plan to ensure sustained leadership and promote innovation and
growth, Rossomando has assumed leadership responsibilities as president of the Austin-orignated firm, while McKinney continues to serve clients in her role as a firm founder. “Heather is the guiding force behind the firm’s design voice and has been since day one,” adds Rossomando. “She founded this firm on what we call ‘concept-driven design,’ which allows projects, regardless of which partner leading, to have a strong vision that ties all our work together through our collaborative process with each of our clients.” With a wide range of architectural services in new construction, renovation as well as interior design, McKinney York Architects recently received four design awards in commercial design/building architecture, commercial design/community project, commercial design/landscape design, and commercial design/ lobby through Austin Home & Design Magazine. McKinney York Architects is an architecture and interiors firm with offices in Austin and San Antonio. -cmw
San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
Page 19
Association Calendar
What is your favorite dessert and why?
Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC Associated Builders & Contractors Inc. Jun. 9: Membership Happy Hour & Cookout, ABC Offices, 814 Arion Pkwy. #111, 4-6:30pm Jun. 13: LOGIC Meeting w/Speaker Tricia Kagerer, ABC Offices, 814 Arion Pkwy. #111, 3:30-4:30pm Jun. 13-15: 2022 ABC Legislative Conference, Washington, DC. For more contact Jennifer Galarza at 210-342-1994 or email jgalarza@abcsouthtexas.org AGC Associated General Contractors Jun. 2: AGC Fun Shoot, National Shooting Complex, 5931 Roft Rd., 10:30am12pm Registration, 12pm Flight, $175 Shooter w/100 targets. Jun. 15-16: Practical Construction Scheduling Workshop with Field Application, AGC Offices 10806 Gulfdale, 8am-4pm Jun. 16: CLC Hard Hat Tour, Rogers-O’Brien Jobsite, 3:30pm Jun. 20-24: OSHA 30 Hour (TDI), AGC Offices, 10806 Gulfdale, 8am-4:30pm Jun. 27-29: Construction Supervision Fundamentals (Virtual), AGC Offices, 10806 Gulfdale, 10am-6pm. For more info, call Kelly Wilson at 210-349-4921 ASA American Subcontractors Association Jun. 1: ASA Baseball Night, Nelson Wolff Stadium, 5757 US-90 W, 6:30pm Jun. 14: General Meeting – Association Celebration, The Petroleum Club, 8620 New Braunfels 7th Flr. Jun. 15: Safety Update, ESC Safety Consultants, 12758 Cimarron Path #127, Members Only Jun. 24-25: Fishing Tournament, Paws & Taws, 407 N. Fulton Beach Rd., Rockport, TX. For more info, contact Jennifer Swinney at 210-349-2105 or email jennifer@ asasanantonio.org ASSP American Society of Safety Professionals Jun. 20: Chapter Virtual Monthly Meeting - Microsoft Teams, 11:30am-1:30pm. For more info, go to www.southtexasasse.org CFMA Construction Financial Management Association Jun. 1: Succession & Exit Planning for Construction Contractors – Virtual, Members Free, Non-Members $69 Jun. 14: Scholarship Celebration Jun. 15: Cash Management, Members $150, Non-Members $209 Jun. 28: Advanced Cash Forecasting, Members $105, Non-Members $155. For more info, go to www.sanantonio.cfma. org
Jun. 10-11: 6th Annual Tres Amigos Fishing Tournament, Drifters Resort RV Park & Cabins, 4401 TX-35 BUS, Rockport, TX, $500 Team, $25 Non-Angler Guest Meal. Jun. 15: Monthly Meeting & Mixer, 5:307:30pm. For more info, email admin@ hcadesa.org IEC Independent Electrical Contractors Jun. 10: IEC San Antonio Apprentice Graduation, Norris Conference Center, 618 NW Loop 410 #207, 6:30-8:00pm. For more info, contact Julie Tucker at 210431-9861 or email jtucker@iecsanantonio.com MCA-SMACNA INC Mechanical Contractors Association Sheet Metal & A/C Nat’l Association Jun. 8: Regular & Associates Meeting, The Petroleum Club, 8620 New Braunfels 7th Flr., 11:30am Jun. 22: Joint Industry Fund Meeting, MCA-SMACNA office, 206 E. Nakoma, 11:30am. For more info, call Sandee Morgan at 210-822-3763 or email sandee@mca-smacna.org NAWIC National Association of Women in Construction Jun. 23: 3rd Annual Burger Bash, Koehler Pavilion – Brackenridge Park, 3700 N. St. Mary’s St., 4:30-8pm, Admission $5, Team $75. For more info, contact Shenel Rimando at shenelrimando@ gmail.com or register at nawicsatx.org NUCA National Utility Contractors Association Jun. 22: Live Trench Training, HOLT CAT, 5665 S. East Loop 410, 7am. For more info, contact Mary Jane Debenport at 817-688-8347 or email maryjane@nucatexas.com PHCC Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Jun. 9: Membership Meeting, Location TBD, 11am-1pm. For more info, call Heidi Trimble at 210-824-7422 or go to www. phcc-sanantonio.org SAMCA San Antonio Masonry Contractors Association Jun. 24-25: SAMCA Fishing Tournament, Redfish Bay, Aransas Pass. For more info, contact Debi at 210-347-2423 or email thesamca@gmail.com TACCA Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association Jun. 22: Member Meeting, Alamo Café, 14250 San Pedro Ave., 11:30am-1pm. For more info, call Dawn Thompson at 210901-4222
HCAdeSA Hispanic Contractors Association de San Antonio
Submitted to Construction News
Round-Up
Joeris General Contractors is pleased to announce the addition of Joel Benavides, AIA, MBA to the Joeris family. Benavides brings 10 years of experience as an architect working on projects on a local, national, and international scale. He most recently served as vice president of HKS architecture firm in Dallas. His experience will solidify Joeris’ commitment to portfolio diversification as the company looks to enhance its strong reputation as a K-12 and retail builder by expanding its focus on higher education, industrial, medical, office, recreation and more. -cmw Pape-Dawson Engineers is pleased to announce the promotion of Carol Skloss, PHR, SHRM-CP to Vice President, Human Resources. Skloss has been a valued member of the Pape-Dawson family for seven years and has been integral to maintaining a healthy work atmosphere for all employees. -cmw
Crème brûlée. It’s a dessert that I had for first time on a honeymoon with my wife about five years ago. The chef made it differently. He heated the bottom of it which, apparently, that’s not normal. Every restaurant we go to, we ask them to make it that way and everyone looks at us like we’re crazy, but that’s the way we like it. Jeremiah Hobbs, UNINTECH Consulting Engineers Tres Leches and I’m sure why. I’m a baker so I don’t eat cake. Tres Leches is the one cake that I will eat. Susie Valot, Valot General Contractors If I must pick, it would be chocolate chip cookies with a glass of cold milk. It’s a lifelong favorite. Adam Richards, AR General Contracting My favorite is probably ice cream because it’s a great way to cool off, especially when it is hot. Brett Yates, Yates Company LLC I’m always going to say the last thing I ate. My favorite dessert, right now, is Trader Joe’s mini-ice cream cones. They’re tiny. Not too many calories and they’re delicious. They’re the perfect size. Heather McKinney, McKinney York Architects Bread pudding. My grandma used to make it when I was little. Whenever I eat bread pudding, it just brings back memories. It’s not the same as my grandma’s, but it brings my grandma back to me. Abram Jabbari, MK Marlow Company LLC My favorite dessert is a bowl of vanilla ice cream. It’s simple, yet delicious. Jorge Villarreal, Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing A fresh baked chocolate chip cookie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. My grandma used to make homemade ice
cream and fresh baked chocolate cookies so when I taste a fresh baked cookie with vanilla ice cream, it’s like a little bit of grandma. Talon Bauer, Fazio Floors Peach cobbler. I just like peaches. Javier Barbosa, A/C Technical Services Ltd. Apple crisp pie has been my favorite since I was young, but you can’t find it just anywhere. When I do find it, I have to have it. Fernando Lozano, X-Press Wallboard My favorite dessert is coconut cream pie with whip cream on top. It has to have whip cream on top. That’s how my grandma used to make it. It was my favorite growing up. Steve Dobson, Time Insurance Agency Inc. I don’t have a favorite. Anything that is baked – cookies, cakes, pies – I like them all. Debbie Hannasch, San Antonio Fire Alarm Controls Systems Inc. Swedish pound cake is my favorite. It was my grandmother’s recipe and my mom makes it for my birthday every year. Heather Osborne, MEMCO Staffing My favorite dessert is a whoopie pie. My used to make it all the time growing up. Devil’s food chocolate, one on top, one on the bottom with marshmallow cream in the middle. Mike Grendell, Midco Sling of San Antonio Strawberry shortcake. My mom used to make it for me when I was a kid. Billy Black, H&E Equipment Reese’s peanut butter cups, sweet potato pie, buttermilk pie and bread pudding all in a bowl. The boys at F.A. Nunnelly
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San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
May the force be with you Keeping the force, the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) hosted their annual Industry Appreciation Night, May 4, with a Star Wars based theme at the Petroleum Club. Each year this event celebrates the chapter’s successes, local corporate sponsors, and the leaders along with supporters who have stood behind the association for the past 12 months. Photos courtesy of Mary C. Haskin Photography. - cwm
Jumping In Award: Patty Wylie, Johnson Controls
Past Chapter President and Parliamentarian, Celeste Rowe, CBT, CDS, CIT with Keller Martin Construction Inc. is presented a 25-year gold necklace for her years of service to the San Antonio NAWIC Chapter
Riki Lovejoy is presented a plaque and flowers for her 35 years of service with NAWIC San Antonio
Forging Ahead Award: Veronica Gonzales, Bryne Construction
Guiding Hand Award: Riki Lovejoy, RFL Consulting Solutions
Rising Star Award: Christina Gonzalez
Step Up Award: Stephanie Garcia, Rogers-O’Brien Construction
Above & Beyond Award: Courtni Navarro, Rogers-O’Brien Construction
San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
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Fishing for scholarships
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iznik Concrete Contractors hosted the 25th annual Mr. & Mrs. Big Trout Tournament in memory of Kelly Durham, Bubba Storbeck and Wayne Mosley. The tournament, benefiting the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Summer Internship program was held Apr. 29-30 at Doc’s Seafood & Steak with 49 boats participating in the event. Four $6,000 scholarships were presented during the event’s awards presentation. -cmw
Pro Division winners: 1st Place: Leinneweber Concrete Justin Leinneweber, Jeremie Faldyn, Francis Garner and Jerad Watson 2nd Place: All Out – Dustin Durham, Travis Land, Coby Young and Berry O’Bryan 3rd Place: Chandler Faickney and Johnny Blackwell Amateur Division winners: 1st Place: Team Fresh Dead – Daniel Garcia, Monica Garcia, Darren Mota and Jonas Mota 2nd Place: Salty Stringers - Art Soto, Jonathan Sota, Bobby Joe Garcia and Omar Sahadi 3rd Place: D&D Contractors Kelly Dickens, Michael Chapman, Luke Harms and Donald Castro Women’s’ Division winners: 1st Place: Mrs. Big Trout - Dwayne Clark, Kim Olson, Ori Elsworth, Lori Hidy and Sheridan Bezner 2nd Place: Saltwater Sassies Keith Mock, Kourtney, Polly, Nicole and Cortney 3rd Place: Kelly’s Girls – Adam Doelle, Kendall Durham, Sydney Durham, Lauren Durham and Dawn Land
Dylan Mack, Scholarship Recipient – Sponsored by Capital Pumping/ Basse Truck Lines and Slaughter Construction
Kaila Flamasn, Scholarship Recipient – Sponsored by Performance Equipment
Lade Rector, Scholarship Recipient - Sponsored by E-Z Bel Construction
Evy Me, Scholarship Recipient - Sponsored by Great Northwest Concrete
1st Place Amateur Heavy Stringer
1st Place Amateur Redfish
1st Place Amateur Trout
1st Place Pro Heavy Stringer
1st Place Women’s Heavy Stringer
1st Place Women’s Heavy Stringer
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T
San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
Whiskey trip
here’s nothing like a good whiskey and if it’s bottled in Texas, that’s even better. On May 5, The South Texas Chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) hosted their Whiskey
Happy 30th
Festival at Rebecca Creek Distillery. Around 70 members and guests enjoyed tasting the various whiskeys. Rebecca Creek also offered drinks and tacos. -cmw
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Lion dance performers entertain guests at UNINTECH Consulting Engineers 30th anniversary celebration
elebrating 30 years in business, UNINTECH Consulting Engineers hosted a 30th anniversary open house celebration for their clients, partners, friends, family, and employees. The event was held on Apr. 29 at the UNINITECH offices. “We’re celebrating 30 years of excellence and mostly our employees, but
President & CEO Elisa Chan and Chief of Engineering & Co-Owner Clifford Hew welcome guests to UNINTECH Consulting Engineers 30th anniversary celebration
past and present who have helped build the company,” says Jeremiah Hobbs. “It’s a party for them.” Festivities included barbecue, Asian appetizers, drinks, employee recognition for years of service and a lion dance performance. UNINTECH Consulting Engineers is in San Antonio. -cmw
San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022
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Subfest 2022
T
he American Subcontractors Association (ASA) put on another great event. On May 13, the Helotes Festival Fairgrounds were packed with over 700 ASA members, guests, and friends for the association’s annual Subfest & Barbecue Cook-off. There were plenty of activities for all to enjoy including face painting, balloon artists, caricature drawings and more. Thirty-five teams completed in ASA’s barbecue cook-off with visions of taking home the coveted grand champion award. -cmw
Chicken Category 2nd Place: Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing 3rd Place: MEMCO Staffing
Ribs Category 2nd Place: Wilborn Steel Company 3rd Place: Bartlett Cocke General Contractors
Brisket Category 2nd Place: Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing 3rd Place: Comfort-Air Engineering/ Primo Plumbing
Chef’s Choice 2nd Place: Intertech Commercial Flooring 3rd Place: Team Mechanical of Texas, LLC
1st Place Chicken: JR Ramon
1st Place Ribs: Equipment Share
1st Place Brisket: Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing
1st Place Chef’s Choice, Bloody Mary, and Best Camp: MEMCO Staffing
Reserve Grand Champion: EquipmentShare
Grand Champion: Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing
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San Antonio Construction News • JUN 2022