Austin Construction News November 2022

CONSTRUCTION NEWS Happy Thanksgiving

Happy 20th

2002, after working in the electrical service industry, Ken Jahns and his then-partner Ricky Hendrick decided to start a service-oriented, custom er-based company of their own. With a handful of employees, KDR Electrical Services was born.

In

KDR stands for Ken and Rick, with the D being just a filler in between.

The company started in a small of fice in a rented warehouse. By its 10-year anniversary, the company had purchased a new office space located on the front age road of IH-35.

Since then, the company became a sole proprietorship in November 2017 when Jahns bought out his partner. To day, KDR Electrical Services employs ap proximately 20 full-time employees per

It’s

been a great 15 years for Ringer Windows which celebrated its 15th year in business on Oct. 6.

Ringer Windows started when founder Greg Ringer, a then-remodeling contractor, got tired of not being able to find a window manufacturer to deal with directly. “He hated having to go from per son to person to get a question answered or to order supplies,” says Stock Window Production Manager Eric Ringer

This frustration started Greg Ringer on his journey to becoming a manufac turer. Before getting started, he did his homework by visiting different window manufacturers, absorbing all that he could to be a successful manufacturer.

“He wanted to build a window that was made in Texas,” adds Eric. “And that’s what he did.”

The company started with a single series of windows – custom windows built based on measurements for the

forming electrical services from groundup construction to remodels, buildouts, service work, and emergency backup systems.

The company has withstood the test of time since it first opened its doors. It survived the recession of 2008, seeing expansive growth by 2012. And then again, in 2019-2020, with the outbreak of COVID-19, the company remained busy and again has flourished.

Jahns says that the electrical indus try is a lot more fast-paced than it was when he first started in the industry. And of course, with Austin growing at such a substantial rate, it’s no wonder why.

“Our revenue has probably increased 30 to 40 percent over the last year,” he says.

continued on Page 14

one’s company out to other products and expanding its horizons is very common, even if selling chicken at a burger joint sounds odd.

Branching

When it comes to TimberTown, they do one thing but do it well. Executive di rector Bill Hussong describes it thus:

“We’re very specific. If you really want to talk to someone who knows what they’re talking about, whether it’s resilient hardwoods or whether it’s com posite decking, then you come to us.”

Founder and principal owner Steve Anthony had a singular vision back in 2006. “Steve felt that if we just focused on this one part and we did it really well,” Hussong said, “[that our product] was go ing to show up, it’s going to be right, it’s

Right at your back door

going to look beautiful, there’s a real val ue to that.”

TimberTown provides the materials for the contractor to build everything from outdoor living spaces to all the ex teriors that cities use for decking, siding, railing, and everything else wood.

Hussong started with TimberTown in 2008, having much experience in manag ing warehouses and lumber yards. He had previously worked for Anthony and was the natural fit to do the same at Tim berTown.

Things are going so well in the Aus tin area that TimberTown opened a sec ond location in Atlanta in 2016, which has given them access to the woods more unique to the eastern part of the country.

homes for which the windows are specif ically built. By 2012, construction was completed on the company’s 40,000sf manufacturing plant in Taylor, Texas. Equipped with a four-point welder and additional manufacturing stations, new window and door products were added to the Ringer Windows portfolio to meet the needs of homeowners and contrac tors in Austin and Central Texas.

“We still build custom windows,” adds Eric. “We have three different series of stock windows that we can use that same profile and custom-make windows in any configuration. It takes a little bit longer to do that, but if somebody has a specific size or a specific configuration they want, we have the ability to make those as well.”

The windows are expertly manufac tured by Ringer Window’s team of manu facturing professionals. Vinyl is measured

The team at TimberTown with founder Steve Anthony (blue shirt in middle)

KDR Electrical Services team members gather together to celebrate the company’s 20 th year in business.

Relationships equal growth

Withroots going back as far as 1886, Travis Industries has been providing industrial painting and coatings throughout Texas and the South west as a family-owned business. In the first quarter of 2021, Travis Industries, one of several companies providing industrial soft crafts including scaffolding, insula tion, and coatings, was acquired by Axis Industrial Holdings dba Axis Industries.

“The Travis family of companies has focused on serving San Antonio and the Central Texas markets going back a very, very long time. We’ve done it well and are a multi-generational company because of it. But with this change, we’re expanding our reach and becoming part of a larger organization,” says Carlton Catalani, a fifth-generation member of the Travis family and president of Travis Industries. “We’re excited to join the Axis Industries platform. This will allow us to continue to offer best-in-class service, serve a broader geography, pursue larger and more so phisticated projects and clientele, and provide a better and more complete suite of services to the folks and facilities that we’re already serving.”

Catalani believes it’s a very positive development for the company stakehold ers, including their clients and employees, and commented that the change appears

to be part of a larger trend in the market today of smaller, family-owned, or private ly held businesses becoming targets of acquisition and becoming part of larger organizations.

Starting in 2020, Axis Industries has been adding to its industrial services plat form in Texas. The group specializes in providing industrial scaffolding, insula tion, fireproofing, abrasive blasting and painting, and abatement, and with its ac quisition of Travis, the footprint has ex tended to the inland Texas market from its Gulf Coast beginnings.

While disappointed to see the Travis brand name retired, the company rejoices at becoming a part of something larger and greater. “We’ll be operating under the new name, Axis Industries,” adds Catala ni. “Although all the customers that we’ve served will have to learn a new name, we remain the same great people serving the same clients in San Antonio and Central Texas and providing the same great ser vice that we always have. Now, we have the added benefit of being able to offer more and serve in other geographies. So, it’s our hope that the market won’t get spooked.”

The change comes with the rebrand ing of the company under the Axis Indus continued on Page 14

Oneyear ago, Metropolitan Con tracting (METRO) expanded its operations into Austin. Since then, METRO has flourished while expanding the company’s reputation as a solid com pany providing a full range of contracting services.

The strategic expansion into the cap ital city developed as several long-time clients asked METRO if they would con sider working for them in Austin. Seeing the value and respect of their clients, the expansion was a no-brainer. And finding the right people would be the key to suc cess.

“METRO success has always been within the relationships we have formed,” says METRO Strategic Development Offi cer Chris Charruth. “All of our hires are local hires here in Austin. We saw the val ue of having people that were in this mar ket and had experience with the market, the subcontractors, the clients, and the architects. And we think that has facilitat ed our growth because of those existing relationships.”

This time last year as METRO began its journey in Austin, the company had three dedicated employees. Today, MET RO has a team of 15 talented individuals that have embraced METRO’s relation ship-based philosophy. “We’ve had a consistent culture between our San Anto nio and Austin offices,” adds METRO Mar keting Director Alex St. Pierre. “Metro is not focused on endless growth for the sake of growth. We want to build a cul ture and environment within our offices that is a fun place to work, where you have dependable reliable people.”

Agreeing with both Carruth and St. Pierre, Managing Partner Taylor Jordan boasts, “We’ve been incredibly fortunate to find the talented individuals that have built our team. It’s been fun watching the culture here in Austin mirror that of San Antonio. We’re really big on relationships and maintaining those relationships. We are all growing in the same direction.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” says Project Executive Tyler Guest . “Having a team

continued on Page 14

Wiring San Marcos

Ted Breihan started his own electri cal company in 1953. Son Stacy has been working for Dad since he was a youngster. “I was running a jackhammer by 12-13 years old,” he said.

The senior Breihan has since passed, and now Stacy and wife Michelle run Ted Breihan Electrical Co., continuing the tradition of being part of San Marcos’ growth and providing electricity for fami lies and businesses.

“Everything has just exploded over the last 20-30 years,” Breihan said, with most of the expansion along the I-35 cor ridor.

“I would say 70-30, we do more com mercial work,” he said. “We do have a pretty good service network. We have a lot of clientele that have used for their whole lives.”

With San Marcos growing so much, there is little need to go elsewhere. “We don’t travel much out of San Marcos any more,” Breihan said. “We stay pretty cen tralized and I’ve been fortunate enough

to be able to do that and survive.”

Some of Breihan’s employees have been with the company for a good spell. “Most of the guys I have with me have been with me for 20 years,” he said. Mi chelle alone has been there 26 years. “We met and got married and she came to work for us.”

Breihan said that “about 25 percent of my work is at the university on campus. We’ve got a really good connection up there” at Texas State.

Breihan has been with the company in one form or another since he was a kid, but he has no plans on stepping away. “I’m just happy,” he said. “I enjoy doing it. I’ll probably do it longer just because I en joy seeing people, meeting people and watching things change and develop.”

With the university never going away, as well as no end to San Marcos’ growth, Ted Breihan Electrical will also be there to wire folks up.

Ted Breihan Electrical Co. is an electri cal contractor in San Marcos. -dsz

Your Metropolitan Contracting (METRO) team

Ted Breihan 1936-2021.  Living up to the Legend at Ted Breihan Elect. Co. LLC

Travis Industries employee show-off their new shirts with the new company name, Axis Industries Services.

family covers yours

From destruction to construction

Eventhough Carrie Lemaire has seen her company grow from its original two members to over 100, to her it’s just one large family.

“I have really awesome people that have worked with me for the whole dura tion of 20 years,” she said. “We consider each other family; we love each other and just do the best we can for our customers.”

Her “family” works for her at Clear Choice Roofing, started by Lemaire and her late brother, Gavin Weathersby, 20 years ago. Previous to that, she was in the advertising world, but when he needed help with roofing, he called her, and she answered.

“There have been a lot of growing pains along the way,” Lemaire said, of her education in the roofing trade. “We’ve learned a lot over the years. You live and learn.”

Lemaire’s education doesn’t stop with her own growth. “We always like to educate our customers, but we’re not a hard sell kind of a company. We give you what you want, but we educate you as to the best options. We want to treat every

Clear Choice Roofing has about a 100-mile radius from Austin, with about a 60/40 percent residential-to-commercial split. Of the residential homes, Lemaire sees around a 30/70 metal-to-shingle split.

Even though she’s the boss, Lemaire gets up there on the roof and gets down and dirty as well. “I’m there,” she said. “I’m very hands on, especially the commercial jobs or the metal ones. I’m on the roof. I don’t ever leave them.”

Even with this past summer being hotter than most, every summer is in fact hot. Lemaire says “lots of water and Gato rade” gets them by.

Lemaire’s success has been the result of simple values. “It comes back to hones ty and integrity,” she said. “We’re just out there providing a great service and mak ing a living.”

Clear Choice Roofing provides roofing, repairs, and installation to the Austin area. -dsz

Travis Hawk learned a lot about con struction in the 10 years he was a catastrophe insurance claims agent. According to Hawk, he “realized the need for quality contractors for drywall and painting.”

Hence, in 2018, the Austin native started Austin Painting & Drywall. Do ing good work for his customers is priori ty number one for Hawk. “That’s some thing I’ve always taken pride in,” he said.

Hawk’s father was a builder, and he’s been involved with construction his whole life. “I started about seven years old in the trades,” he said. He started do ing claims out of high school.

While his turf used to be just about the entire United States, Hawk prefers to stay closer to home now. “Our territory is pretty much Austin and the surrounding area,” he said. “About a 50-mile radius.”

The early days of Austin Painting in volved a lot of ground-pounding in order to get his name out there. “It was kind of slow in the beginning,” Hawk said. “Even tually I started to gain a name and a repu

tation and started to get some phone calls.” It was just him “and a few guys I trusted.”

Now, “I’ve got a network of good, qualified contractors, trustworthy peo ple,” Hawk said

In Hawk’s world, not only do ev er-changing styles in tastes keep things interesting, but business dynamics like supply-chain costs do too, as that affects project estimates. “It’s ever changing,” he said. “You have to be competitive in a competitive market.”

It all comes down to the what’s most important to Hawk: “Helping customers and making sure they get good work.”

Hawk has gone from seeing build ings destroyed due to Mother Nature’s wrath, to pleasing end results for his cus tomers. “[It’s the] finished product on the house for the people personally” that makes it worthwhile.

Austin Painting & Drywall does com mercial and residential new and remodel ing in the Austin area. -dszsites devasted by Hurricane Ian in Florida.

body right. And we have a motto: We put on your house what we would put on our own house.”

Carrie Lemaire and her late twin brother, Gavin Weathersby

Travis Hawk takes a selfie while visiting sites devasted by Hurricane Ian in Florida.

in the

the

Fred, are you a Texas native?

not.

Where are you from and how did you get to Texas?

Orange County/Riverside California.

wife’s sister married a Texan who was in the Navy that was stationed in San Di ego. My wife came out to visit one time when she was about 14. When we got married, she asked me if I wanted to move out here to Austin. We got married out of high school when we turned 18 and moved out here two months after we got married.

What year was that? 1982.

What were Austin and the surround ing areas like back then?

It was a lot different and a lot smaller. You could see the capital from any high point around Austin. There were two lights on 360 and that was it.

What was driving on I-35 like, through the center of town?

It wasn’t bad at all. Traffic time was from probably a quarter to five to about 5:30. In the morning it was from about 7:30 until 8:15 or so.

I bet you wish you had bought a bunch of land back then because you could have sold it off, right?

Oh, yeah--I’d be rich now.

How did you get into plumbing, Fred?

My wife’s sister’s husband was a plumber and suggested I get into plumb ing with him because I can do that every where. That was probably May or June of 1982.

What was the motivating factor to start your own business?

I just wanted to be able to do my own thing and I had lots of people who wanted me to do work for them. So, I de cided to do it on my own. That was in 1999.

Shayne, how did you follow your dad in the plumbing business?

I grew up helping him when I was younger, and I worked consistently with him while I was in high school and col lege earning a degree in finance.

Where did you go to college?

Texas State, San Marcos.

You’ve worked in both white- and blue-collar fields. Which do you pre fer?

I actually enjoyed both. I’m primarily in the office now but go out with the guys in the field every once in a while, to help get projects done.

Fred: He can do everything out in the field, and he’s also very good at run ning things in the office.

Shayne, do you have a family and an up-and-coming son yourself?

I do. I have a wife and a son who just turned 10. Sometimes he hangs out in the office with me during the summer and he is interested in me showing him some of the things I’m working on.

Fred, in those early days, did your wife assist you in your new business?

Yes, she helped with the paperwork and managed everything in-house be cause I was focusing on growing the busi ness.

Shayne, how has automation in our computer or cell phone world helped you, or has changed things?

It’s made it a lot easier and stream lined things. I created a program on the computer for our estimates and have moved all our processes onto the com puter. Obviously, most everything’s done through email now. So, I’m on the com puter most of the day, communicating back and forth with people about the dif ferent projects we have going on.

Fred, how has the tech world changed since you got started in plumbing back in ’82?

I started with a pager, everything was on the ledger and all the proposals were written by hand. So, things have changed a lot.

Shayne, how has the actual plumbing changed, as in the materials or tech niques?

There are new tools out now that make it easier to do the work. When I first learned to plumb, we were soldering all our copper fittings. Now we have what’s called Pro Press which makes running copper a lot faster. All the guys need to do is put the fitting on the copper and press a button to join it together, so it’s

definitely gotten easier.

Also, the guys are using tablets in the field to pull up plans and communicate with the office. Technology’s not just changing in the office it’s also moving out into the field.

Fred, what’s different in the field be tween when you started and now, giv en the new equipment and tech niques?

The art of soldering for one thing. A lot of new plumbers out there don’t learn to solder because of all the new tools. We still teach all our techs how to solder though.

Fred, what is Classic Plumbing’s area of coverage? How far out do you go?

I mainly worked in the Austin area when I first started. and I did mostly resi dential. Shayne has taken us more into the commercial side, and that has kind of moved us out a little bit. We are still pri marily focused on the Austin metro area, but we do a lot of work in the surround ing cities in central Texas as well.

Shayne, how does the process work whereby you first get notice of jobs to bid on?

Most of our work is essentially wordof-mouth from existing contacts we’ve

developed over the years. Let’s say an es timator for one company moves to an other company. A lot of times they’ll ask for us to bid on the projects at their new company. So, the network just kind of grows organically, from the connections we’ve already made. We really don’t do a lot of advertising.

Can you give an example of this?

One of the projects that we have go ing on right now is a restaurant in a highrise downtown. The general contractor contacted us specifically because they knew it was going to be a more difficult project and someone from their compa ny recommended us because they knew we were able to handle similar projects when they worked for a different contrac tor.

Fred, you’ve been at this for a while. Any plans to make golf or fishing your full-time activity?

I’ve been in plumbing for almost 41 years of my life, and I still enjoy it. I’m not as involved in the day-to-day operations anymore; I just mainly help troubleshoot. That’s my retirement--to troubleshoot and drive around, checking on jobs so I’ll do that for a long time because I really en joy doing this. -dsz

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The Austin Construction News (ISSN 15477630) is published monthly by Construction News LTD., dba Austin Construction News, and distributed by mail to constructionrelated companies of record in Austin and surrounding counties.

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Vinlove, owner Shayne Vinlove, owner Classic Plumbing Cedar Park,

The father and son team of Classic Plumbing L-R: Fred Vinlove and Shayne Vinlove

Young and growing

After high school, Alexander Barrett Scott didn’t like the idea of college and his dad told him to get a job. He started waiting tables, but his dad had something else in mind. He want ed him to find a career. “A friend of my dad was an electrician,” says Scott. “Down the street from his friend, a new company had just gotten started. I went to talk to them and got a job. That was around 2003/04 and I have been doing electrical work ever since.”

After Scott got his master’s li cense, he started 3rd Rock Electri cal Contractors in 2019, with his mother and business partner Pha la Lee who has been a bookkeeper her whole life and oversees the of fice side of the business.

“We have been rolling ever since,” adds Scott. “We’ve done some pretty cool jobs for being as young as we are for some pretty cool customers,” says Scott. “Just this year, we did a pretty siz able lighting job for the historic district of the town of Lockhart and the original Black’s Barbecue. We did permanent Christmas lighting, spanning back and forth across the street with close to 2000 feet of Christmas lights. And now, we’re wrapping up a sizable job for an in ternational airport here in Texas. We’ve also done around 10 Bank of America jobs around the state for a contractor that we’ve established a good relationship with.”

Smaller and younger, 3rd Rock per forms work a lot cheaper than some of the big guys. “Maybe we don’t know any better yet. But I still feel, you know, we charged as we’ve always done, an honest day’s wage for an honest day’s work.

We’re just trying to do the right thing and it’s seeming to turn out for the good.”

Today, the company is six employees strong including Scott and Lee perform ing electrical services across Central Tex as and San Antonio north to Dallas, east to Houston, and south to Corpus Christi.

3rd Rock Electrical Contractors is a full-service electrical company. -cmw

A DACA first

It was a perfect afternoon for network ing and catching up while cruising around beautiful Lake Austin with cocktails and food for members of the Drywall Acoustical Contractors Associa tion (DACA). The event was held on Oct. 6 through Austin Party Cruises. “Everyone had a great time at DACA’s

first Lake Social,” says DACA Executive Di rector Eddie McCormick. “The weather was great, and the views of Lake Austin’s best lake houses were great. I think it’s safe to say, we will bring this event back. A special thanks to our sponsors L&W Supply, Rockfon, Lasco, 4MC, Parex USA, and DACA Education Foundation.” -cmw

DACA members set sail for a relaxing evening on Lake Austin

L-R: Shelley Conran, STI; Darren Clayton, Lasco and Parker Ausley, L&W Supply

L-R: Chuck and Kelly Hall, FBM

3rd Rock Electrical Contractors owners L-R: Alex Scott and Phala Lee

Beyond the Numbers

Alan Rich, Shareholder Fisher, Herbst & Kemble, P.C. San Antonio, TX

One of my favorite sayings of all times is “hindsight is 20/20”. While the saying may be true hindsight is 20/20 only if you look. What I want to discuss is the look ing back on your business practices and results to improve your bottom line and cash flow. The failure to look back and examine and consider can lead to diminished efforts both in business and in life. The review and analysis of financial statements is more than just numbers and its consideration could include input and commentary from carefully selected attorneys, bankers, insurance advisors and certified public accoun tants. Share your story and financials with these key advisors to form an informal board of directors. Interview a few of these professionals and make sure they fit with you and are familiar with your business. Consider a payroll company when you start payroll. Payroll companies are inexpensive and will prevent you from paying penalties for mistakes, which you will do at least once.  The payroll companies can also facilitate employee benefit programs which can help you be more competitive.  Choosing these professionals based on quality advice, connections and not just on cost can help you be more successful.

We encourage you to track every thing you can related to your business. This means prospects, customer demo graphics, estimated costs, budgets, bids, proposals and financial data. Tracking all data helps to determine what is being done right, wrong or what needs tweak ing. Businesses that are able to take fi nancial and non-financial data and un derstand what it means and how it cor relates will be better able to prepare for changes in the market place.

Be sure to set the framework of your general ledger and summary financials to best manage your business. Establishing this framework can be difficult but set ting it right upfront can help you look at the results quickly and effectively. Your financials will help you manage your busi ness and communicate your story to oth ers.

Ratios can help you tell your story and analyze your results with others. Some key measures include the follow ing.

1. The CURRENT RATIO is a liquidity ra tio that measures a company’s ability to pay obligations due within one year. This ratio communicates how a company can maximize the current assets on its bal ance sheet to satisfy its current debt and other payables. It is calculated by dividing current assets by current liabilities. Ac ceptable current ratios vary from indus try-to-industry and are generally be tween 1.5% and 3%.

2. The DEBT-TO-EQUITY ratio measures the ratio of total liabilities to total equity. It measures the value of a business rela tive to its debts. An acceptable debt-to-eq uity varies from industry-to-industry and are generally between 1% and 3% and is calculated by dividing all liabilities by to tal equity.

3. The NET DEBT-TO-EBITDA ratio mea sures the ratio of debt-to-earnings. It re flects how long it would take a business to pay back its debt if debt and EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, deprecia tion, and amortization) were constant. It is calculated by dividing debt by EBITDA. Lower ratios tend to reflect higher-per forming businesses. An acceptable debtto-EBITDA ratio varies from indus try-to-industry and a ratio of less than 3% is acceptable.

4. The FIXED ASSET TURNOVER ratio re veals how efficient a company is at gener ating sales from its existing fixed assets. It is calculated by dividing net sales by the net of its property, plant, and equipment. A higher ratio implies that management is using its fixed assets more effectively.

5. The RETURN ON ASSETS ratio deter mines if company assets are being effi ciently utilized to create profits. It focuses attention on the amount of assets used within a company, and frequently leads to

tighter management of the capital bud geting process. It is calculated by dividing net income by total assets.

6. GROSS PROFIT MARGIN is the sales revenue a company retains after incur ring the direct costs associated with pro ducing the goods it sells, and the services it provides. The gross margin shows the amount of profit made before deducting selling, general, and administrative costs. It is calculated by taking (sales less cost of goods sold) divided by sales. A healthy gross profit margin can vary by industry and it is good to compare to what your industry segment maintains.

7. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE DAYS mea sures the number of days that an invoice will remain outstanding before it’s col lected. The results are used to establish and improve the efficiency of a compa ny’s revenue collection process over a given time period. Less than 30 days is a great ratio. It is calculated by dividing ac counts receivable by average daily sales.

8. ACCOUNTS PAYABLE DAYS mea sures the number of days that a purchase will remain outstanding before it’s paid. The results are a useful tool in es tablishing creditworthiness. As a general rule, if your accounts payable days calcu lation is low in relation to your payment terms, it’s clear your company is making prompt payment for purchases made on credit. It is calculated by dividing ac counts payable by average daily cost of goods sold (expenses).

9. Check your solvency and cash cush ion by dividing cash by your average monthly expenses. This ratio shows how many months your business can operate if sales stopped and no accounts receiv able was paid. Maintain a healthy cash cushion to maintain flexibility and plan for surprises.

Plan for the future by budgeting and re vising your budget for expected revenue and expenses. This will help you maxi mize your flexibility and the ability to take on new opportunities.

The ways to analyze your business can be complex but pick some measures that make sense to help you best manage your business. But most importantly, re member to look.

Alan Rich is an experienced Shareholder with a demonstrated history of working in the accounting industry. Skilled in Custom er Service, Accounting, Team Building, Pub lic Speaking, and Internal Controls. Strong entrepreneurship professional with a Bach elor’s degree focused in Accounting from Abilene Christian University. He can be reached at: 210-614-2284

Cold Stress in Construction

As we are approach colder weather conditions, out door workers are required to have the correct prepa ration and equipment to perform their tasks in safely, free of hazards. In 2020, 55 fatal work injuries occurred where the primary or secondary source was weather and atmospheric conditions. Measures should be taken to ensure employees are protected. Training employees on the hazards of the job and safety measures to use, such as engineering controls and safe work practices, can pro tect workers’ safety and health.

What is cold stress:

Cold stress and its effects can vary across different areas of the country. In regions that are not used to winter weather, near freezing temperatures are considered factors for “cold stress.” In creased wind speed also causes heat to leave the body more rapidly (wind chill effect). Wetness or dampness, even from body sweat, also facilitates heat loss from the body. Cold stress occurs by driving down the skin temperature, and eventu ally the internal body temperature. When the body is unable to warm itself, serious cold-related illnesses and injuries may occur, and permanent tissue damage and death may result.

Core temperature - The body tries to maintain an internal (core) temperature of approximately 37ºC (98.6ºF). This is done by reducing heat loss and increas ing heat production. Under cold condi tions, blood vessels in skin, arms, and legs constrict, decreasing blood flow to extremities. This minimizes cooling of the blood and keeps critical internal or gans warm.

Employee training should include:

Cold stress

• Hypothermia

Normal body temperature (98.6°F) drops to 95°F or less.

Mild Symptoms: alert but shivering

Moderate to Severe Symptoms: shiver ing stops; confusion; slurred speech; heart rate/breathing slow; loss of con sciousness; death.

Frostbite

Body tissues freeze, e.g., hands and feet. Can occur at temperatures above freezing, due to wind chill. May result in amputation.

Symptoms: numbness, reddened skin develops gray/ white patches, feels firm/ hard, and may blister.

Trench foot

Non-freezing injury to the foot, caused by lengthy exposure to wet and cold en vironment. Can occur at air temperature as high as 60°F if feet are constantly wet. Symptoms: redness, swelling, numb ness, and blisters.

How to recognize the symptoms of cold stress, prevent cold stress injuries and ill nesses

The importance of self-monitoring and monitoring coworkers for symptoms.

First aid and how to call for additional medical assistance in an emergency.

How to select proper clothing for cold, wet, and windy conditions.

Acclimatization: Gradually introduce workers to the cold; monitor workers; schedule breaks in warm areas.

Risk considerations: Dressing improperly

Wet clothing/skin

Exhaustion

Controls:

The best protection against cold-relat ed health risks is to be aware and be pre pared. Workers should recognize the signs and symptoms of overexposure in themselves and others. Pain in the ex tremities may be the first warning sign. Any worker shivering severely should come in out of the cold.

General

Ensure that wind-chill factor is under stood by workers, especially those work

ing on bridges or out in the open on high buildings.

Ensure that workers are medically fit to work in excessive cold.

Make sure that workers understand the importance of high-caloric foods when working in cold environments. Warm sweet drinks and soups should be ar ranged at the work site to maintain calor ic intake and fluid volume. Coffee should be discouraged because it increases wa ter loss and blood flow to extremities.

Personnel working in isolated cold en vironments, whether indoors or out doors, should have backup.

Provide hot drinks and regular breaks under extremely cold working condi tions.

Clothing

Select protective clothing to suit the cold, the job, and the level of physical ac tivity.

Wear several layers of clothing rather than one thick layer. Air captured be tween layers acts as an insulator.

Wear synthetic fabrics such as polypro pylene next to the skin because these whisks away sweat. Clothing should not restrict flexibility.

If conditions are wet as well as cold, en sure that the outer clothing worn is wa terproof or at least water-repellent.

Encourage the use of hats and hoods to prevent heat loss from the head and to protect ears. Balaclavas or other face cov ers may also be necessary under certain conditions.

Tight-fitting footwear restricts blood flow. Footwear should be large enough to allow wearing either one thick or two thin pairs of socks. Wearing too many socks can tighten fit and harm rather than help.

Workers who get hot while working should open their jackets but keep hats and gloves on.

In closing, employers should ensure that proper training and equipment are provided for employees during this cold weather season. Conducting a hazard analysis of the job is always a good tool to understand the hazards of the job to in clude weather.

Prior to joining the team at Catto & Catto, Carlos gained diverse knowledge in the construction, manufacturing, oil & gas, and food safety industry while working as a Safety & Loss Control Specialist and as a Quality, Health, Safety & Environmental Manager. While serving the industry, he conducted a multitude of inspections, as well as accident investigations and devel oped risk management controls with prov en results. Carlos received his Associate in Applied Science from the Community Col lege of the Air Force. Continuing his educa tion, he obtained a bachelor’s degree of Science in Business Quality Management from Southwestern College. Currently his responsibilities include assisting clients and Account Executives in analyzing injury and loss data, identifying injury and accident trends, providing technical support to poli cyholders and other customers to comply with safety and health regulations and making recommendations that will reduce losses and solve business problems.

Carlos A. Guzman Planas, Risk Consultant Catto & Catto, a division of HUB International Texas, Inc. San Antonio, TX

LEGAL

Don’t “Waive” Goodbye to Your Rights

Kyle A. Zunker, Attorney Cokinos | Young San Antonio, TX

What’s

in your contract’s dispute-resolution clause?

A few recent cases reveal how you might be waiv ing rights in the clause or, alternatively, waiving the rights you bargained for in the clause.

You may be familiar with Texas Busi ness and Commerce Code § 272.001, known as the Home Rule Statute. The statute is commonly regarded as a prohi bition against foreign (i.e., out-of-state) forum-selection clauses in contracts re lated to Texas construction projects. However, In re MVP Terminalling, LLC, No. 14-21-00399-CV, 2022 WL 3592303 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] Aug. 23, 2022, no pet. h.) reveals that prohibition is not absolute and can be waived. In MVP Ter minalling, the prime contract contained a forum-selection clause identifying state or federal court in Tulsa, Oklahoma as the exclusive venue. 2022 WL 3592303 at *3. Moreover, the clause stated, multiple times, that the parties “waiv[ed] any ob jection” to venue in Oklahoma. Id.

The Fourteenth Court of Appeals noted the Home Rule Statute makes for eign forum-selection clauses “voidable” rather than “void.” Id. at *5. The court ex plained the ability to challenge a void able forum-selection clause can be waived, including preemptively in the contract. Id. at *6. The subcontractor, also involved in the dispute, argued the Home Rule Statute must be interpreted as a non-waivable right or the underlying public policy of having Texas construc tion disputes resolved in Texas would be defeated. Id. However, the court rejected this argument, nodding to the oft-cited “strong public policy favoring freedom of contract” and noting the Legislature did not intend to prohibit contractual waiver of the right to void foreign forum-selec tion clauses. Id.

In application, the court held the contractor waived its right to void the for eign forum-selection clause given the specific waiver language in the clause (“waives any objection” and “irrevocably waiving any objection to venue or conve nience of forum”). Id. at *7. In a separate but related issue, the subcontractor ar gued the forum-selection clause in the prime contract did not bind it via the flow-down clause in the subcontract. Id. at *8. However, the court held the sub contractor waived any argument against the applicability of the flow-down provi sion in the subcontract by not raising the argument in the trial court. Id. at *5, 8. As such, a double-waiver (waiver of objec tion to foreign venue in the forum-selec tion clause and waiver of its challenge to the flow-down clause in litigation) bound the subcontractor to venue in Oklahoma. Id. at *8.

While MVP Terminalling defined how parties can waive rights while drafting a dispute-resolution clause, the Supreme Court of the United States clarified how parties can waive rights contained within such clauses, at least under federal law. In Morgan v. Sundance, Inc., 142 S. Ct. 1708 (2022), the Court considered whether, un der federal law, a party arguing the other side has waived the right to arbitration must show the waiver caused it preju dice. As a starting point, the Court noted federal courts do not generally ask about prejudice when evaluating waiver. Id at 1713. However, in the context of motions to compel arbitration, some federal courts had required a showing of preju dice to find waiver in light of the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”)’s “policy favoring

arbitration.” Id. The Court held this prac tice was incorrect, noting the FAA “does not authorize federal courts to invent special, arbitration-preferring procedural rules.” Id. Thus, the Court held “[p]reju dice is not a condition of finding that a party, by litigating too long, waived its right to stay litigation or compel arbitra tion under the FAA.” Id. at 1714. The Court did not analyze whether the movant’s conduct in the case constituted waiver but remanded the case back to the Court of Appeals to make that determination. Id.

As of the writing of this article, Texas law continues to recognize prejudice as a requirement of waiver by litigation con duct. See LaLonde v. Gosnell, 593 S.W.3d 212, 219 (Tex. 2019) (“To effect waiver by litigation conduct in the arbitration and forum-selection cases, we have also re quired a showing of prejudice[.]”). A re cent case offers guidance on what it takes for a party to waive its rights by litigation conduct. In In re Great Lakes Ins. SE, the Thirteenth Court of Appeals found a par ty moving to enforce a forum-selection clause had waived its right, and caused the opposing party prejudice, based on the following “key factors:” (1) the mo vant offered no rationale for the delay in seeking to enforce the forum-selection clause; (2) the movant propounded re quests for disclosures, sent requests for admissions, filed a motion to compel, and took several depositions before moving to enforce the forum-selection clause; and (3) the movant filed a traditional mo tion for summary judgment and set it for hearing—the court denied it—before moving to enforce the forum-selection clause. No. 13-22-00124-CV, 2022 WL 3693534, at *4-7 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi–Edinburg Aug. 25, 2022, no pet. h.).

What is the upshot of these recent cases? Pay attention to your disputeresolution clauses when drafting them and when disputes arise. The words you select when drafting and your conduct when litigating will determine whether you have waived your rights.

Kyle A. Zunker is a rising star at Cokinos | Young, one of the largest constructionfocused law firms in Texas. He focuses his practice on construction disputes and appellate issues.

He has represented many different players in construction, including general contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, engineers, and owners. Kyle takes pride in persuasively articulating his client’s position and is driven by his passion to provide clients with common-sense solutions to complex problems.

Zunker is a member of the Associated Builders and Contractors, South Texas Chapter, Future Leaders’ Initiative, Chair 2021 and United Way of San Antonio, Emerging Leaders Council (2018-2020)

He can be reached at 210-864-8309, or at kzunker@cokinoslaw.com

Workplace Violence

Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

Workplace violence is any act or threat of physical vi olence, harassment, intimidation, or other threat ening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. It ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even homicide. It can affect and involve employees, clients, customers and visitors. Acts of violence and other injuries is currently the third-leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, of the 5,333 fatal work place injuries that occurred in the United States in 2019, 761 were cases of intentional injury by another person. However it manifests itself, workplace violence is a major concern for employers and employees nationwide.

Many American workers report hav ing been victims of workplace violence each year. Unfortunately, many more cas es go unreported. Research has identified factors that may increase the risk of vio lence for some workers at certain worksites. Such factors include exchang ing money with the public and working with volatile, unstable people. Working alone or in isolated areas may also con tribute to the potential for violence. Pro viding services and care, or working where alcohol is served may also impact the likelihood of violence. Additionally, time of day and location of work, such as working late at night or in areas with high crime rates, are also risk factors that should be considered when addressing issues of workplace violence. Among those with higher-risk are workers who exchange money with the public, deliv ery drivers, healthcare professionals, public service workers, customer service agents, law enforcement personnel, and those who work alone or in small groups.

In most workplaces where risk fac tors can be identified, the risk of assault can be prevented or minimized if em ployers take appropriate precautions. One of the best protections employers can offer their workers is to establish a ze ro-tolerance policy toward workplace vi

Industry FOLKS

Nicholas Pisano Sales Representative LDJ Gutters Austin, TX

Nicholas Pisano was born in Manhat tan and raised in Staten Island, NY surrounded by a close-know, fami ly-oriented, Italian community. He graduated from St. Peters High School and then attended the College of Stat en Island.

With a good background as an op erating engineer, Nicholas found a sales rep opening and thought he would be a good fit for that position. There he would be introduced to the world of construction.

Even though he is a sales represen tative for LDJ Gutters, he is responsible for sales, scheduling, and pricing. A task that requires good communication and organizational skills.

“I really enjoy collaborating with the builders, working with our internal team, and seeing everything come to gether.”

Married only four short months, Nicholas met his wife, Christina, at a fu neral in 2016. Christina is from the gold en state of California and was a friend of the family. She is currently a recruiter for a local tech company.

Still newlyweds, Nicholas and his bride, Christina, have no children but they do have a dog. They have an 85-lb

olence. This policy should cover all work ers, patients, clients, visitors, contractors, and anyone else who may come in con tact with company personnel.

By assessing their worksites, employ ers can identify methods for reducing the likelihood of incidents occurring. OSHA believes that a well-written and imple mented workplace violence prevention program, combined with engineering controls, administrative controls and training can reduce the incidence of workplace violence in both the private sector and federal workplaces.

This can be a separate workplace vio lence prevention program or can be in corporated into a safety and health pro gram, employee handbook, or manual of standard operating procedures. It is criti cal to ensure that all workers know the policy and understand that all claims of workplace violence will be investigated and remedied promptly. In addition, OSHA encourages employers to develop additional methods as necessary to pro tect employees in high-risk industries. For more information, visit https://www. osha.gov/workplace-violence.

natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232

Bernedoodle named Dallas whom they got during the pandemic. And because their dog is from Texas, they wanted to keep that as a part of her identity, thus the name Dallas.

“Dallas is the biggest mush. All she wants to do is cuddle, be hugged, and lay on top of you all day.”

Nicholas’ dad has always been his role model and life mentor. He taught Nicholas the balance between hard work and enjoying one’s life.

When Nicholas is not working, he enjoys taking time to relax. He enjoys going to the gym for a good workout. And as you can imagine, with a fourmonth-old puppy there is plenty of en tertainment around including going on long walks with his wife and their dog, Dallas.

He keeps to his Italian roots where family is everything and enjoys spend ing time with family. -cmw

Shotgun Shooting Growing Strong

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 Sportswear, ForEverlast Fishing Products, PowerPro, Interstate Batteries, MirrOlure, JL Marines Power-Pole, and AFTCO Clothing

Hunting plus fishing is a big activity in our household and is what my business is all about. Another popular outdoor activity that we are highly involved in is competitive shotgun shooting. I got my boy involved in 4H shooting at the age of 8 years old and it has been an awesome adventure. I could write an entire article on all the benefits that the 4H offers young kids these days, but that’s for another time. I’ll tell you a little about shotgun shooting and what the difference is in each game.

Shotgun shooting is a growing sport with three popular shooting clay games: trap, skeet and sporting clays. More than just good fun, shooting clays can help prepare you for bird hunting. Trap prac tice and skeet shooting get you ready for upland birds like quail, dove and pheas ant. Sporting clays are more wild and crazy, with special courses that challenge you to shoot more varied targets coming in at every angle and speed. Live pigeons were originally used, long ago replaced by bright orange discs about the size of your palm, called clay pigeons. This sport

can be enjoyed by both make and fe male, young and old and is something the whole family can enjoy.

battue and two smaller targets called the midi and the mini, which add a degree of difficulty. All sporting clays courses are unique, limited only by the imagination of the course designer and target setter. If you have any questions about getting your kids involved in 4H and shotgun shooting, feel free to call me at the number below. My fishing will come to a halt for this season at the end of Oc tober, and I will turn to hunting. If you need a referral for a guide, don’t hesitate to call me. My 2023 calendar is open, so if you have a date in mind shoot me a text. I’m also booking South Texas whitetail hunts for the coming season. Don’t wait till all the good dates are gone! To sched ule your next bay fishing or hunting trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-8133716 or e-mail me at SteveSchultzOut doors@gmail.com. Good luck and Good Fishing.

Trap

Trap is the oldest shotgun shooting sport in America and is practiced around the world. One trap machine throws targets into the air in a variety of angles: going away, angling to the right and left and soaring straightaway. The shooter stands in one of five positions (or stations) to fire at five “birds” and then moves to the next station. Teams (or squads) usually consist of five people. Trap shooting is typically done with a 12-gauge shotgun. Shooters wear a vest or pouch to hold extra shells, and all shooters should have eye and ear protection.

Carson Schultz shoots for the Nueces County 4H Trap and Skeet club and looking to join a college shooting team as he completes his senior year at Flour Bluff HS in Corpus Christi. the machine sits), one on either side; both throw at fixed angles. The house on the left is called the high house, while the one on the right is the low house. Some times, two birds are thrown at the same time (a double). There are eight stations on the field, arranged in a semi-circle with the last shot in the middle. Like trap, skeet is usually shot in squads of five shooters, and a round of skeet consists of 25 targets.

Sporting Clays

Skeet

Skeet shooting is a lot like trap shooting, except there are two trap houses (where

It’s sometimes called “golf with a shot gun.” Sporting clays is the fastest-grow ing clay target game and uses a variety of targets and angles. The sport was de signed to mimic hunting conditions, so targets thrown simulate ducks, geese, pheasants, rabbits and teal. Most targets are the standard size used for trap and skeet, except the larger rabbit target (rolled across the ground), a flat-edged

Starting kids out early gives them a slight advantage in hand to eye coordination skills. Connor Schultz started shooting at the age of 8 years old and has developed into a Class B shooter.

Fishing is still great, but I’ve got hunting on my mind!

Dadtold me about his first hunting trip. He was about six years old and after a long hike up a hilltop, his dad stashed him in a rock outcrop ping and went off to make a circle and try to scare up some deer. The next thing Dad knew, he was getting startled awake by his old’ man screaming at him, “Shoot ‘em!” Dad looked up just in time to watch an old doe’s belly flash right over the top of his head as she jumped the rock pile.

My first hunt was only a slight im provement on the theme. My Dad and I bundled up and scrunched into his little deer blind, side by side in a couple of old ladder back chairs. The blind had a lot more in common with an outhouse than anything else. Instead of windows, it was just all open and airish at the top. That made for real good visibility for the hunt er and the prey alike. Dad’s solution to this was to help me lean my chair back against the wall, and he did likewise. Af ter a little nap, we woke up to find a cou ple of does nosing around close enough for a shot. Dad coached me through tak ing my first deer. It was a clean neck shot with an old open site rifle, and I don’t know which one of us was the most proud!

Now comes the most recent iteration of our clan to the pasture. My son took his first deer, sitting in his Grandpa’s lap at the age of four. Grandpa held the rifle

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

to steady it and take the recoil, and kiddo placed the crosshairs and pulled the trig ger. Seems like my Dad was a pretty good coach once again, and once again, he was awful proud. By the age of eight, my son had taken a local buck that made the newspaper. In the next few years, he joined me on cull hunts in South Texas. That kid has bagged far better deer than me.

What’s next? Where does a fellow go with his hunting expectations after that kind of track record? Well, he goes high tech, of course.

He starts preparing months ahead of hunting season. Summer time finds him studying game trails, and cutting over growth out of his shooting alleys. Feed ers have to be revamped and food plots planted. Game cameras are placed and he gets to know the full cast of characters visiting his feeders and mineral blocks. He knows just how many fat raccoons are line dancing up to the feeder each night and what kind of feral hog activity to ex pect. There is even a game camera that will text you a picture each time some thing activates it, but he hasn’t sprung for that one yet.

You should see the preparation that goes into the hunt itself. When he leaves the house, you can’t smell him because he has been de-scented from head to toe. He is so cammoed up, the pet par rots freak out as he passes by, ‘cos they are not sure if they saw something or not. In the blind, the squirrels all but run right over him, on their morning rounds. The deer almost never pick him out and he gets his deer. Without even taking a nap!

The moral of this story is, get your kids out in the pasture and keep passing the tradition down. They might not do it old school, but buck fever’s always the same!

Get your motor running

Wilborn and his son, Caleb, got their motors running, and headed out on the highway as they jumped into their motorhome with Ernie’s Harley in tow. Headed for Sturgis, South Dakota for the 2022 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, they left their cares behind as they made their way from San Antonio to Sturgis, SD.

Ernie

Approximately 500,00 bikers attend this 86-year-old event. This was the Wil borns’ son’s first time in Sturgis by car Er nie told Construction News. “Sharing six days on the road with my son was my fa vorite memory of the whole trip,” says Ernie.

This is Ernie Wilborn’s fifth Sturgis Rally. They left San Antonio and headed west driving to Clayton, NM, up to Den ver, CO, and then into Cheyenne, WY. From there, Ernie and his son hopped on

their hogs, and made their way to Sturgis, arriving on Aug. 5 after sightseeing for three days.

While in Sturgis, they visited Mount Rushmore and rode Spearfish Canyon and Iron Mountain Road.

On Aug. 9 they began their journey back home. This time they would take a different route beginning in Spearfish, SD over to Sioux Falls, SD down to Oklahoma City, OK. From there, they headed south into Texas, arriving back home in San An tonio on Aug. 14.

A month later, Ernie and his wife, LaShea, with their little chihuahua, Twinkie, made their way to the Golden Aspen Rally in Ruidoso, NM held on Sept. 16. “The best part of this trip, my wife and I say Fog Hat in concert. Best Ever!” -cmw

Foghat

Twinkie even made the trip to Ruidoso, NM

Ernie Wilborn at the 2022 Sturgis Bike Rally in Sturgis, SD

Welcome riders!

Ernie and Caleb visit Mount Rushmore

Ernie and LaShea on the road to Ruidoso, NM for the Golden Aspen Rally

Ernie and Caleb in Colorado

Ernie and LaShea take it the sights

Preparing for the future

Alterman has been in operation since 1923 and is one of the premier elec trical contractors in San Antonio and Austin. Their new Corporate Campus is just beginning construction and they took Sat., Oct. 1 to invite families for Dig Day at the site at 1604 and IH-35 in Live Oak.

The event included KIDSTRUCTION Dig Day which gave the kiddos their own Dig Zone where they could do excavations in their own hard hats and vests. This event was the first in a planned series of family and community engagements as the con struction of the new campus proceeds.

Hundreds of people attended the event which also included a photo station, face painting, Kona Ice, coffee and donuts. The mood of the attendees was extremely festive.

“The site work today was a great show for the kids,” said Greg Padalecki, Presi dent/CEO. “We loved displaying how in teresting and fun construction can be. Ca reers in the trades are huge opportunities for youth and today’s event provided a great place to let the kids get close and ex perience it.”

“We see our new campus as a site to hold various community activities that will open our doors to the public to give peo

ple a chance to know what our capabilities truly are. We were happy to hold this event and look forward to all future events where everyone can enjoy what our cam pus has to offer.” concluded Padalecki.

Alterman is a Texas electrical contrac tor that performs the full scope of electri cal construction. Starting in 1923, Alter man focused on building the city of San Antonio with electrical construction and service. In the past two decades, Alterman has expanded its capabilities through low voltage technologies along with industrial construction and system automation. More recently, the company has turned its sights on growing geographically across the state of Texas and being a progressive and innovative contractor.

The design and construction team for the new campus includes Studio8 Archi tects, Project Control as owner’s represen tative, Whiting-Turner Contracting Com pany GC, Pape Dawson as the civil engi neer, Rialto Studio as the landscape archi tect, Cleary Zimmerman as MEP engineer, Dun away as structural engi neer and M&M Contract ing. Planned completion is January 2024. -bd

Welcome to the party

Learning a trade

Lots of young ladies in the kid group. Better watch out boys.

Enjoying the morning.

Face art

Coooool

Big scoop

Nice crowd

Associated Builders & Contractors

Nov. 2: Annual Membership Lunch and Economic Outlook, 1836 San Jacinto Blvd., 10am-1pm.

Nov. 11: The Lean Builder Workshop, OES Equipment, 7900 E. Riverside Dr., 8amFor more info, contact Mandi Farabaugh at 512-719-5263 or email mfarabaugh@ abccentraltexas.org

ACEA

Greater Austin Contractors & Engineers Association

Nov. 10: Monthly Membership Lun cheon, Norris Conference Center, 2525 W. Anderson Ln. #365, 11:30am-1pm. $40 Member, $45 On-site Member, $55 Non-member. For more info, call Silvia Pendleton at 512-893-7067

AGC

Associated General Contractor Texas

Nov. 19: 2nd Annual Rodeo & BBQ Cookoff, Mayfest Park, Bastrop, TX, 11am-4pm. Register by Nov. 11 - $500 BBQ Member Team, $600 BBQ Non-Member Team, Bull Riding Competition $250.00, Rodeo Entry Member $30, Rodeo Entry Non-Member $40, Reserve Exhibit Booth w/Two Wrist bands $300 Member, $400 Non-Member. For more info, email Toni Osberry at 512994-4401 or email tonio@agcaustin.org

CENTEX IEC

Central Texas Chapter Independent Electrical Contractors

Nov. 19: CE Class, CenTex IEC Chapter Of fices, 8868 Research Blvd. #502. Pre-regis tration & payment $40, At the Door/Walkins $50. For more info, contact David Johnson at 512-832-1333 or email djohn son@centexiec.com

CTSA

Central Texas Subcontractors Association

Nov. 3: CTSA 2022 Clay Shoot, Reunion Ranch, 850 CR 255, Georgetown, TX. $600 Team, $150 Individual, $20 Flurry/Golf Shoot Game, $20 Mulligan.

Nov. 15: Lunch Meeting, Location TB D,11:30am-1pm. For more info, contact Wendy at 512-535-6202 or email wendy@ ctsaonling.org

HBA

Home Builders Association

Nov. 3: Fall Fest & Chili Cook-Off, Haute Spot Music Venue, 1501 E. New Hope Dr., Cedar Park, TX, 4:30-7:30pm For more info, contact Erin Scott at 512-982-9187 or email erin@hbaaustin.com

NAWIC

National Association of Women in Construction

Nov. 2: Chapter Meeting, Location TBD, 5:30-8pm. For more info, contact Misti Shafer-Webb at 512-930-7733 or email mshafer@complianceresourcesinc.com

NARI

National Association of the Remodeling Industry

Nov. 4: Contractor of the Year Awards, Renaissance Hotel, 9721 Arboretum Blvd., 6-11:30pm. For more info, Kayvon Leath at 512-997-6274 or email kayvon@austin nari.org

SEAot

Structural Engineers Association of Texas

Nov. 3: 2022 SEAoT Charity Trivia, Hop squad Brewing Co., 2307 Kramer Ln., 6-8:30pm, Member $45, Non-Member $50, Student $25, Day of Event $55. For more info, call 512-301-2744

TSPE

Texas Society of Professional Engineers

Nov. 2: Monthly Luncheon, Maggiano’s Little Italy in the Domain, 10910 Domain Dr., 11:30am-1pm.

Nov. 16: Trivia Night, Easy Tiger. For more info, email tspe.travis@gmail.com

TXAPA

Texas Asphalt Pavement Association

Nov. 1-17: Inspector Asphalt Education, Tuesdays & Thursday, 8-10:30am.

Nov. 17: TXAPA Live! Explaining the Tx DOT Liquid Asphalt Quality Control, Field Sampling, and Testing Program. For more info, Beck Schaeffer at 512-312-2099 or email bschaeffer@texasasphalt.org.

Returning home

Located at 6300 Bridgepoint Parkway, Structure Tone Southwest occupies 7,000sf, negotiating an additional 1,500sf to give them 8,500sf to house its Austin family.

“It’s pretty cool to move back into a building that we built back in the day,” Mc Coys continues. “We can see some of Aus tin’s iconic areas. The Pennybacker Bridge which about 800 yards from us. We can see the downtown skyline as well as the Austin Country Club. It’s a beautiful view of the hill country here in Austin, Texas.”

Structure Tone Southwest is one of 13 companies, which is part of STOBG. Al though is part of a large organization, Structure Tone Southwest still has the family feel about it.

“Structure Tone Southwest is an awe

some company with a great culture, with great team members that are client-cen tric,” McCoy adds. “We are a respectful, professional, construction company that enjoys collaborating with our clients and our trade partners. We’re a force to be reckoned with and we just want to do con struction. Our backlog is pretty strong. We’ve got great resources around the country and abroad. We’re in the major markets in Texas. We’re growing and look ing for new team members to help us meet our growth expectations. We’ve got a culture of work hard, play hard. We like to have fun at our work if we can have fun at work. What’s the point of going to work?”

Structure Tone Southwest is a global construction management and general con tracting firm with Texas offices in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. -cmw

Round-Up

Balfour Beatty is pleased to welcome the following to Balfour Beatty family: Kaitlyn Powell re cently joined Balfour Beatty as a Marketing Project Lead. She will be responsible for working with her teammates to win work by developing proposal materials and managing the presentation process. Powell also creates branded materials, assists with digital marketing and event management ef forts. -cmw

Tara Drummond joins Balfour Beatty’s special projects team as a Project Engineer. Drummond adminis ters project activities from preconstruction services through proj ect close-out. Daily she manages esti mates, schedules, submittals, RFI’s, and pay applications. A graduate of Texas A&M University, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in University Studies Ar chitecture. -cmw

Kendall Wingrove joins the team as Ex ecutive Assistant to Central Texas Vice President, Justin Gar rett. In her new role, she will be responsi ble for event planning to expense management, travel arrange ments to document organization. Wind grove holds a Bachelor of Business Ad ministration in Finance from Concordia University. -cmw

Jack Madigan joins the Balfour team as a Lead Estimator. He has over five years of preconstruction ex perience and works with Balfour’s opera tions teams, subcon tractors, and suppliers to support their interiors and special projects group. He is responsible for providing constructabili ty reviews, identifying value engineering opportunities, and delivering accurate cost estimates. -cmw

Originally established in 1977 as Constructors & Associates, Struc ture Tone Southwest has been serving Austin since 1984. Constructors & Associates opened its first office in Dallas in 1977, specializing in interior construc tion. As the company grew, it opened of fices in Austin, Houston, and, in 2001, San Antonio. Constructors joined the Structure Tone Organization in 1986, expanding its services to provide general construction, construction management, and project management services throughout the United States.

Since its arrival in Austin, Structure Tone Southwest has grown, finding itself

in need of large accommodations to house its growing family. While this has hap pened many times over the past 38 years, Structure Tone Southwest has had to re group and move into yet another space.

Formerly located in the Barton Springs/South Lamar neighborhood, the Structure Tone team focused on an area that would be centrally accessible to its employees, selecting an office space west of downtown Austin.

“An interesting fact about this loca tion,” says Regional Vice President Ray Mc Coy, “we actually built this building back in the late ‘90s. It’s kind of serendipitous that we’re returning home to the building that

Gonzalez Shah Smith is pleased to Jaime Gutierrez has joined Gonzalez Shah Smith as Commission ing Agent for the firm. Gutierrez has over 20 years of experience in the electrical trade, with a vast array of knowledge in various mechanical sys tems, functions, and control systems. He has overseen projects to ensure that they follow budgetary constraints and meet high-quality standards and is experi enced in the installation of substation equipment and start-up processes; com missioning processes including switch gear. -cmw

Urban Foundry Ar chitecture proudly appoints Leanne Sil va to Associate after four years of dedica tion to commercial and multi-family inte rior design. Silva’s at tention to detail and team player mindset has allowed her to guide coworkers and clients through all design phases and lead urban projects in Austin. Her experi ence includes residential, national restau rant and fueling facility architecture & design. -cmw

s Submitted to Construction News

Structure Tone Southwest Austin team

ABC

Bridgepoint Square One, home of Structure Tone Southwest’s new Austin offices. we built under the Constructors’ flag.”

from Austin has introduced us to the sub contractor market here. A lot of people were able to feel comfortable bidding us from the beginning which really made a difference. As a general contractor, you’re nothing without your subcontractors.”

Many of the relationships METRO es tablished since its inception in 1986 had

Austin ties and with its reputation for quality, those relationships sprouted new growth within the company as a whole but, more importantly, as a solid, reputa ble contractor in the Austin market.

Metropolitan Contracting (METRO) has offices in San Antonio and Austin. -cmw

The stuffing. That’s the flavor of Thanks giving for me.

I just like the turkey because it tastes good.

I’m just going to be really boring and say turkey, just because I’m really fond of tur key and you never really have an option.

Bill Hussong TimberTown

A fried turkey and dressing. It’s just tradi tion with me. A deep-fried turkey is really good. And peanut oil is the best thing to use for it, by the way.

Stacy Breihan Ted Breihan Electric

Fred: Turkey sandwiches. My wife makes the turkey and the corn casserole. I live for that more than just the turkey. Shayne: I’d say probably the corn casse role and then there’s the cranberry jello with fruit.

Fred Vinlove & Shayne Vinlove Classic Plumbing

My favorite Thanksgiving meal item is the green bean casserole because you don’t want to forget your vegetables. There’s

just something about the green bean casserole that makes you want to go back for more.

Alexander Scott, 3rd Rock Electrical Contractors

Mashed potatoes and gravy. There’s nothing better than a Thanksgiving meal with a gigantic plate or bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy. It’s one of my all-time favorites.

Eric Ringer, Ringer Windows

I’m a mac and cheese guy. So, my favorite Thanksgiving meal item is good ol’ mac and cheese. I think it makes for a big side dish.

Tyler Guest , Metropolitan Contracting (METRO)

I’m going to have to go old school and say pecan pie. Every Thanksgiving I al ways save room for that one piece of pe can pie. I love pecan pie. And there’s nothing better than eating piece of pe can pie and watching the Cowboys play football. It’s tradition.

Ray McCoy, Structure Tone Southwest

The turkey of course. I like fried turkey. I fry one every year.

Ken Jahns , KDR Electric Services

It’s all in the patch

During the real estate crash of 2008, Neil Goldberg lost everything. At the time, he was building skyscrap ers in New York. Desperate to reformulate himself, he started going around Brooklyn patching drywall. He did no painting, just drywall repairs, becoming known as The Patch Boys Goldberg later opened two franchises in 2014.

In 2018, James Liburdi after moving to Austin from Florida was looking for a change. Leaving the corporate world be hind him, Liburdi was ready to work for himself and opened the third Patch Boys franchise in Austin.

The first year, Liburdi struggled be cause he was very green his experience in patching drywall was very limited. His only experience in patching drywall prior to starting the Austin Patch Boys was as a kid when he put a hole in the wall and his fa ther told him he had to fix. As time went on, he learned how to network, how to get jobs and how to work with different con tractors.

“We really just focused on drywall re pair,” says Liburdi. “It’s literally in the name, Patch Boys. We don’t paint. We don’t do trim work. We focus on one thing that we do well, and we don’t deviate from it.”

The finished work performed by Li burdi and his team is paint ready. “There are different variations of texture from or ange peel, knockdown, slap brush to pop

corn, and others, all of which require dif ferent application methods. We will do that and generally make the wall surface or ceiling ready for paint within 24 hours,” Liburdi adds.

“We are a company that answers the phone before and after completing the job. If there’s something wrong, we don’t shy away from it. We deal with it head on. We’re somebody you can trust. We don’t have a sales pitch. We pretty much tell you what the job is and what our fee is. If we’re not the right fit for you, you’ll never hear from us again. We are a family-owned business, and very friendly.”

The Patch Boys specializes in drywall patching, repair, and installation. -cmw

continued from Page 2 — Travis Industries

tries name, and for the first time in a long time, the large red, white, and blue sign that local San Antonians have become ac customed to seeing along Southeast Loop 410 is about to get a makeover.

However, Catalani was quick to em phasize that there has been no change in the operations team and indicated he will continue in his leadership of the original Travis group on a local level and has even been asked to provide leadership to a larg er portion of the company as it tries to

grow and expand. “I’ll be providing direc tion for not only the San Antonio and Cen tral Texas areas but also our existing branches in North Texas, Corpus Christi, and hopefully places to be named later,” adds Catalani. “We’re excited and look for ward to continuing to grow and adding to the services we are already providing.”

Travis Industries, now known as Axis Industries, will continue its day-to-day op erations and looks forward to a new fu ture. -cmw

KDR offers cost analysis and consul tation to help guide their customers with the right services to meet their needs at the time of service and in the future. They are experienced in remodels, buildouts, design-build, modular furniture installs, minor construction projects, and cost analysis.

KDR celebrated its 20th anniversary with a party on Sept. 30. Attending the event were many of their contractor cus tomers, employees, and longtime busi ness associates.

“We’re excited to make it 20 years and plan on another 20,” says Jahns. “We’ve had a lot of success. We have some great employees and work for good

continued from Page 1 — TimberTown

The Atlanta office services all of Georgia and into Tennessee, while the Austin lo cation handles a lot of Texas (Dallas, Kerr ville, Houston, San Antonio).

Hussong manages both locations, sometime remotely but he does go to At lanta in person to do what’s needed there. “I’ll go there and meet with cus tomers,” he said. “We’ll set up for a couple of days and meet with all of our big cus tomers and I’ll just check in to see how we’re doing. We do inventory. We do in ternal training. There’s just lots of differ ent reasons that I would need to go.”

The Austin and Atlanta shops are ba sically the same but have slight differenc es. “Atlanta uses treated pine decking, and we don’t use any treated pine deck ing here,” Hussong said.

With wood being its bread and but ter, Hussong explained the dynamics of using it as well as the future of it.

“Wood is going to deteriorate be cause of a couple of reasons. One is be cause it gets fungus in it; it rots. But if you modify it, you treat it, you’ve basically eliminated all the cellulose. So you have nothing for mold, you have nothing for insects. It becomes completely function ally stable so it doesn’t expand or con

people. The last five years have been amazing for us and it’s just getting bet ter.”

Located in Austin, KDR specializes in security lighting, electrical design, and aeri al lighting. -cmw

tract. It becomes impervious to water so it doesn’t absorb it. It’s just an incredible product.”

This wood modification can be done thermally or chemically. The result is sim ply, the wood lasts much longer.

“That’s the future,” Hussong said. “It stabilizes the wood, so you’re looking at 50 years of use instead of five to 10 years.”

TimberTown supplies wood for both commercial and residential uses, about a 50-50 split. However, “All our growth is in commercial,” Hussong said. “That’s our future.”

For now, however, a lot of deck build ers use TimberTown for the private home owner. “We work with a lot of custom homebuilders. The usually do large out door living projects.”

The company that stated with “three guys in a field in Leander with the forklift and two trucks” has done very well in one state and has branched out to another by staying true to its original vision. If you want great-looking, long-lasting timber for your project, come to TimberTown. Just don’t come if you want bricks.

TimberTown is a supplier of wood and lumber products, located in Austin and At lanta. -dsz

continued from Page 1 — Ringer Windows and meticulously cut, welded and trimmed with precision craftsmanship so grids and sash lines meet, making for beautifully crafted windows. Of course, a window is not a window without its glass. The glass and window glazing are the fi nal processes. Even the window screens are manufactured onsite.

“We get a lot of calls every day from people wanting our windows,” says Eric. “And we have people coming from many states away to pick up windows because they cannot find them anywhere else.”

To continue performing all the func tions that Ringer Windows performs, the company is currently leasing a second lo cation while they await the expansion of their manufacturing facility. “We are ex panding and growing so rapidly that we had to obtain a second facility to accom modate our stock windows,” Eric adds.

Ringer Windows currently offers 68 stock windows of different shapes and configurations which was recently ex panded upon from its previous offering of around 50-55 windows.

As Ringer Windows quietly cele brates its 15 years in business, the compa ny continues to look into the future with new offerings. “We’re here to stay,” con tinues Eric. “We have a very large selec tion of in-stock windows available for im mediate purchase. Probably one of the largest selections, not only in Texas but throughout America. We take a lot of calls. We sell a lot of windows, and the quality is really top-notch, second to none. It’s amazing how many people lo cally who get in a bind and need win dows, don’t know that we are right here at the back door of the Central Texas area.”

Located at the Ringer Window man ufacturing plant is Ringer’s Walk of Win dows where over 40 windows and doors are displayed showcasing window op tions, styles, colors, and window combi nations offered for their custom vinyl windows.

Ringer Windows is a window and door manufacturer in Taylor, TX. -cmw

KDR team members and guests partake in a game of cornhole

Metropolitan Contracting (METRO)

James Liburdi, owner of The Patch Boys in Austin

What is your favorite Thanksgiving meal item and why?

Travis Hawk

Austin Painting & Drywall

Carrie Lemaire Clear Choice Roofing

Outstanding construction

Volunteer Day

supporting the communities where we live and work,” said Scott Haigler, RSM Austin

Leader. “While our people have always been involved in their communities,

has enhanced the energy around our

relationships – with

colleagues, friends

all while supporting those in need.”

RSM has volunteered more than 73,000 hours and donated more than $921,400 through Dollars for Doers to charities that support education and organizations that

children

in the areas of hunger, housing and health. -rd

General Contractor

University of Texas

South Wings

of the Anne Hiss Gymnasium

General Contractor Building

Million to

Million: Rogers-O’Brien Construction

Villas on Rio

General

Medical Center of Central Texas Specialty Pavilion and Parking Garage

General

Finish-Out 3 - $2 Million to $5 Million: Braun Butler Construction Inc. – McNeil High School Admin Area B

General Contractor Interior Finish-Out 4 – Over $5 Million: Hill-Wilkinson General Contractors –Life Austin Mueller

General Contractor Residential Multi-Family

ANDRES Construction – Korina at the Grove

General Contractor Specialty Construction:

Dunn Construction

Texas Facilities Commission (TFC) Capitol Complex, Phase One, Packages

Specialty Contractor Other Specialty – All Contract Amounts: Jay-Reese Contractors Inc. – CMTA Downtown Multimodal Stadium

Thehigh-rise apartment complex, 21 Rio, with a parking garage and retail storefront below, exemplifies a col lege lifestyle like no other. Situated in Austin’s central West Campus neighbor hood, 21 Rio offers luxurious and pet-friendly student apartments near The University of Texas at Austin. It offers ex ceptional amenities, including a pool deck with one-of-a-kind views and a state-of-the-art fitness center. With a great location to the UT campus, ample amenities to offer students, and a vision for green living in the community, 21 Rio puts a unique spin on apartment living.

Originally constructed in 2009, time and weather had taken their toll on the building. 21 Rio was struggling with wa ter intrusion and in need of rejuvenation. Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing was selected as the prime contractor to restore the skin of the building by face-sealing the envelope. The resto ration crew began by pressure washing the building to prepare the substrate for the new MasterProtect EL 750 elastomer ic wall coating they installed by hand roll ing and spraying. High-performance hy brid sealant was installed at control joints and perimeters of the stucco prior to the coating, aging, and compromised hori zontal and vertical joint sealant was also replaced across the stucco and masonry façades. A cutout and re-caulk was per formed on the window perimeters, which began with the removal of existing seal ant from the metal frame to stucco condi tion and preparation of the joints for in stallation of new sealant.

Chamberlin’s skilled craftsmen then installed new backing material where needed to the manufacturer’s specified depth-to-width ratio, filled the joints with high-performance silicone sealant and

MK Marlow Company is thrilled to have been part of building the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

On a compact 7.5 acres of land, this $375 million luxury venue was built as a re placement for the Frank Erwin Center.

MK Marlow provided the interior and exterior framing, gypsum wall assem blies, and cold-formed metal framing, in cluding the full interior and exterior up per concourse CFMF support for the Pro dema soffit panels.

Outside, the 70,000-sf canopy’s fram ing is support for the Parlex Prodema, a wood product suitable for indoor and ex terior uses. It included over 200,000 linear feet of structural framing and over 200,000 linear feet of Armstrong drywall grid. The interior drywall grid radius was fabricated in the field using over 50,000 radius clips.

Another striking part of the building design is a 360-degree glass curtain wall that surrounds the entire building. The transparency of the glass provides a visu al effect, bringing the outside in, and in viting onlookers to view artwork and fes tivities inside the center. MK Marlow pro vided the vital cold-form metal framing structural supports for the Armstrong drywall grid which attaches this incredi ble glass curtain wall, allowing the entire structure to come together as designed.

Due to the long lead time and preci sion of so many elements of this project, MK Marlow facilitated a mockup, located on-site in the MK Marlow office. In a col laboration with AECOM Hunt, Gensler, and MEP trades, a scale model was de signed and constructed to use as a re al-life application showing how all the pieces would fit together. This 3D model was an important point of reference for all the trades to reference in the comple tion of their particular scopes of work.

21 RIO

hand tooled the sealant for proper joint configuration, adhesion and a watertight seal. The crew cleaned the entire building envelope and covered the compromised existing stucco with a new elastomeric wall coating for water intrusion protec

elastomer

ic coating is a water-based, high-build, elastomeric, 100% acrylic waterproof coating for above-grade concrete, ma sonry, stucco and EIFS. -cmw

Moody Center

Unique projects like this arena are challenging because no two areas alike. Each floor, concession, and suite area had several different features which all re quired special attention. One example is inside the North Sideline Club. The ceil ing design included Armstrong Metal Works Blades and this item had the dis tinction of being the longest lead item of the project. The blades could not be cut in the field and had to be measured within 1/8-inch of the frame and dry wall. This required extensive shop draw ings, precise measurements, and field verification.

The work paid off with the awarding of ABC Central Texas’ 2022 Excellence in Construction Merit Award. This Merit Award is MK Marlow’s first in the Austin market. -cmw

A portion of the 360-degree glass curtain wall surrounding the Moody Center

MK Marlow Company Austin, TX

North Sideline Club, a private club within the Moody Center

Moody Center

Moody Center concourse

Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing Austin, TX

Rio 21 parking garage view

Crews apply new MasterProtect EL 750 elastomeric wall coating

Re-caulk performed around perimeter windows

Fish fry fun

Membersand guests of the Austin Contractors & Engineers Associ ation (ACEA) packed into the Tra vis County Expo Center on Sept. 29 for a good time while raising funds for the ACEA. This fun networking event brought engineers, contractors, and suppliers to gether to enjoy fried fish and an opportu nity to catch up with friends and col leagues.

ACEA members generously donated items, construction materials, and ser vices to the live and silent auctions. Oth er fun games kept things lively including

the photo booth which was a big hit. Ev eryone seemed to be happy to have an excuse to gather and visit after the last few years of limited interactions.

“Committee members went above and beyond to gather the auction items, contact members, and set up for the event,” says ACEA Executive Director Sil via Pendelton. “A big shout out to the sponsors and donors who made this event possible and, of course, to the more than 600 people who purchased tickets. Thank you for your support!” -cmw

ACEA members and guests enjoy some delicious catfish

Which

It’s a full house for Auctioneer Billy Higgins who leads the ACEA auction

Waiting to start the fun

Raffle

Blake West,

Shannon Nettles,

Gabe Vaughn,

manager; James Grizzard,

Chris Maxwell-Gaines, owner

HD Supply Waterworks team

hard at the Pflugerville location.

Debbie Kenke

Warehouse worker Keith Franks and Kevin Waldren

the

Timbertown Austin

Pflugerville.