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CONSTRUCTION
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Volume 13
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Number 12 H
DECEMBER 2016
Mechanically inclined
Building together
L-R: James Newsome and Ruben Zambrano
L-R: Rahman Rogers, Jeremy Tedrick and Andrew Gardner
F
ounder Jerry Busch opened Mesa Mechanical Inc. in 1981. Now retired, Busch is still a part of the company and visits the office on occasion. Vice president Ruben Zambrano joined the company in 1982. Zambrano began working in the field as a construction and sheet metal worker. He worked his way up over the years. Today, Zambrano and Mark Johnson manage the company. “For the past few years we have been very fortunate to have a good work load in the Houston area,” Zambrano said. “There have been several work opportunities in 2016.” Operations manager James Newsome came on board in 2011. Newsome
has 42 years experience in the construction industry. He helps Zambrano run the construction side of the business. “We have quality people working with us and they do a great job,” Newsome said. “We try to get them the resources they need to continue to be successful.” Newsome says if a young person is interested in working in the construction industry, his best advice is to take a construction class and attend apprentice programs. “Several school districts offer construction classes in high school,” he said. “We have noticed the guys right out of high school are eager to learn. continued on Page 18
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eeing potential for growth in Houston, Alston Construction added an office at Haddington Drive in 2013. Radie Stroud II is the preconstruction director and manages the office, Andrew Gardner is the project engineer, Rahman Rogers is the project manager, Ian Farmer is the senior project manager and Jeremy Tedrick is a project superindendent. “Most of our work in Houston is tiltwall distribution warehouses and preengineered metal building projects,” Gardner said. “Things have been so busy lately. Right now we have projects spanning through 2018.” According to Gardner, the company hired three additional people in 2016
and are looking to hire more by the end of the year. Gardner says when employees from different locations across the U.S. visit the Houston location, they will all go out for dinner at a local restaurant. “The last place we all went out to dinner together was Pappasito’s Cantina on Interstate 10,” he said. When the folks get free time outside the office, they enjoy going hunting, fishing and watching football on the weekend. “We have a fantasy football league here at the office, too,” he said. “We keep up with the league when we have extra time.” continued on Page 18
Right on schedule
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.T. Leach Constructors LLC (GT Leach) took its client’s vision and made it a reality with the new ASTORIA Condominiums (Astoria) in Houston. The owner is Randall Davis, DC Partners. According to senior project manager Dallas Hardcastle, the $55 million project took 33 months to complete. The Astoria is a 75 unit, luxury condominium building. The 375,502sf, 21-story condo tower is over an eight story garage. “Many aspects of the exterior were defined on paper as ideas and concepts,” Hardcastle said. “GT Leach had the ability to complete the concepts, and then build the vision of the owner into the real world.” GT Leach managed to pour each floor consisting of 12,600sf of concrete in a single concrete pour which kept the project on schedule. “A restricted site in the upscale Gal-
leria/Uptown district bounded by Post Oak Blvd, Garretson and a 24/7 restaurant neighbor complicated the building process,” Hardcastle said. “GT Leach, along with a superb subcontractor team overcame this mobility challenge while providing a safe environment for all. “All interior finishes are of a high quality which necessities a close relationship between GT Leach and the expert tradesmen selected to install the finishes.” Hardcastle says the Astoria was GT Leach’s first project with balcony pools located off floors 26, 27 and 28. “The balcony pools were challenging in that it was designed to cantilever a concrete box at each corner of the building that was suspended above a patio and pool below,” he said. The four-story building marque is an adaption of the 1924 Esquire Theater in Los Angles, CA. ASTORIA Condominiums (center)
continued on Page 18