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South Texas Construction News • Jan 2015
Cactus flowers in Pleasanton
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Civil treatment
Cactus Wellhead has grown in the Pleasanton area by leaps and bounds.
hen Cactus Wellhead’s first branch manager at its new location in Pleasanton walked into work the first day, he found a folding chair in the front office and a forklift in the shop. But times have changed for the branch that opened in 2011. The Pleasanton branch now has 75 employees and nationwide, the company boasts 226 employees, according to administrative assistant Casy Carrell. “The Pleasanton branch has doubled its size since we opened in 2011,” she says. “There are plans to expand the front office and build a new warehouse to house our frac equipment in the very near future. We now service over 30 oil and gas companies, providing wellhead and frac equipment in the Eagle Ford Shale as of today.” According to Carrell, Cactus’ roots in the oilfield reach back three generations to 1957.
Currently, CEO is Scott Bender of Houston, VP is Joel Bender of Houston and CFO is Brian Small of Houston. In the Pleasanton office, branch manager is Chad Allo, operations manager is Adan Campos, shop foreman is Randy McMullin and field sales supervisor is Larry Gollnick. Service managers are Noe Villareal, Chris Sullivan and Raymond Tosh. The admin staff includes Carrell, Amanda Bures, Suzanne Schendel and Laura Ryan in human resources. And, according to Carrell, they are hoping to expand that work force with some experienced field service technicians. “Anyone who is qualified is welcome to come into the office and apply.” –cw Cactus Wellhead LLC is a manufacturer of pressure control equipment used during drilling, completion and production operations on land and offshore.
Some of IOC’s 120 employees take a short break to pose for a company photo.
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OC Company LLC is a full-service civil contractor established in 2005 and is a family owned company located in South Texas. Since its establishment, the company has completed over 215 projects worth $130 million. IOC Company’s primary market is the highway and road industry, with a majority of the projects contracted through TxDOT. One of the company’s current projects is the U.S. 83 Inspiration Project located in Hidalgo County. IOC Company partnered up with J.D. Abrams to widen lanes as the subcontractor. The overall contract amount is approximately $30 million, with IOC’s part estimated at $12 million, according to Nancy Davenport. IOC Company’s reputation has been built on the owner’s core values of integrity, honesty and dedication. The owner’s previous experience and knowledge have equipped them to manage a suc-
cessful operation. IOC Company also has two sister companies: IOC Trucking and Terra Firma Materials. IOC Company’s focus is on the heavy civil construction side that includes utilities, earth moving and grading, concrete structures, paving and site work. IOC Trucking handles the materials and hauling aspect, while, Terra Firma Materials, LLC is a hot mix, sand and gravel operation quarry that handles crushing, recycling and screening. The staff between the three divisions consists of 120 fulltime employees. Safety is a major emphasis for IOC, Davenport says. “We have a companywide safety meeting every month,” she said. Additionally, daily “toolbox” meetings are held at every job site. According to Davenport, IOC Company considers their employees to be their most valuable asset. –cw
Construction News ON LOCATION
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Alls ‘Wells’ in Pleasanton
Ralph Kurz, owner of Bloch Construction, and Janie Mondragon, administrative assistant, take a peek at the December issue of South Texas Construction News in Corpus Christi. –cw
Office manager Sandy Haiduk, center, keeps things running smoothly say Roger Wells, left and Jess Kemp, right.
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ells Construction in Pleasanton has been around long enough for the company to experience the ups and downs of the construction industry. Started by Ted Wells in 1979, the company is now owned by son, Roger Wells. “We’ve been steadily growing,” Roger says. That growth can be attributed to several key factors – most obvious among those is the growth associated with the Eagle Ford Shale, but also the fact that Pleasanton just isn’t that far from San Antonio. “Sometimes Pleasanton is perceived as being farther than it is from San Antonio,” he says. “We can be at the Alamodome in 30 minutes.” Being located halfway between the oilfields and San Antonio has helped not only the community as a whole and contractors, but sub-contractors, too.
“It’s been a direct benefit to the subs,” Roger said. The company handles about 60 percent commercial construction and 40 percent residential. “It ebbs and flows,” says project manager and estimator Jess Kemp. “Commercial is the bigger, volume wise.” There are roughly 10 fulltime employees, including Wells and Kemp, plus Clifton Herber, project manager and Sandy Haiduk, office manager. The employees get together regularly for after hours fun, including fish frys, barbecues and Christmas parties. Unlike some companies in the region that are finding it difficult to attract and retain employees, Roger says most of Wells employees are fairly long-term. “We try to be fair,” he says. “They have free reign to do what they do best.” Jess agreed, saying, “We try to have some fun. It’s not sterile or rigid.” –cw