Austin Construction News March 2017

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Volume 16

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Number 3

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MARCH 2017

Supplies multiplied

Tradition of service

Kris-Con staffers take a break for a picture in Round Rock on a Friday afternoon.

Hillery Sandberg, far left, Mike Pickel, fifth from left, and Gary Emory, second from right, pictured with their families, celebrated February’s Heart Healthy initiatives by outfitting their crews in red.

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ounded in the late 1970s in Houston, Kris-Con Supply & Fasteners opened a location on Central Commerce Drive in Round Rock in 2005, says branch manager Aaron Mickan, who has been with the company for two years.

“I’ve been in commercial and residential construction sales for 15 years,” Mickan, who is originally from Copperas Cove, says.

With 15 employees at the Round Rock branch, Mickan says the company stresses service.

“A lot of people carry the similar supplies and machines, but no one has the service we do,” he said. “We do what we say we are going to do. Usually we go above and beyond what the customer

expects. If we tell them we are going to deliver something at a certain time and date, it will be there.”

Teamwork and cross training are important to Mickan.

“We are like a working family,” he says. “Everybody here realizes that nothing would get done without everybody doing their part. It takes all of us to make the machine go around.”

The company promotes from within and Mickan said he believes in keeping employees and encouraging tenure.

“We do product trainings, safety trainings and training on all of our equipment,” he said. “Employees are encouraged to learn new skills. It’s a great idea to have employees be able to fill in for each other.” continued on Page 17

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t Texas Traditions Roofing, an emphasis on giving back has always been a part of the plan for founders Mike Pickel and Gary Emory.

Started in 2014, the Georgetown based commercial and residential roofing company services an area that encompasses all of Central Texas.

As part of the company’s passion for community, the company outfitted its crews – and family members – in red to underscore the importance of heart health. In addition to giving a portion of sales proceeds from February to the American Heart Association, Texas Traditions Roofing also used its social media to encourage people to spread the word and offered giveaways on its

Facebook page for sharing the message.

“My family has been affected by heart disease and we wanted to do something that would help educate the community about the importance of living a heart healthy lifestyle,” explained Emory. “Our crews are out in the community every day and the shirts are a great visual way to spread the word.”

The company’s employees volunteer with Community Restore in Georgetown to re-roof homes, typically once a year, for someone who cannot afford to do it themselves – and they get their labor for that project from local volunteers.

“We get high school kids to help us,” Pickel explains. “You give me high school continued on Page 17

Dream big

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t seems that almost every day we hear more good things about Austin’s efforts to turn its old Robert Mueller Municipal Airport location into a farsighted, mixed use urban village in the heart of the city. And now, a brand new facility for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization has opened its doors in Rathgeber Village, part of the Robert Mueller Development that includes a vision for responsible urban growth.

The Burt Group Inc., (TBG) headquartered in Austin, was the GC on the $3.5 million Bennett-Rathgeber Mentoring Center, which had its grand opening on Jan. 25, with several hundred people attending. The project took 12 months to complete.

“We were pleased when we had the opportunity to propose our contractor services for the BBBS Project,” says TBG president and founder Tommy Burt. “We have always been committed to

The $3.5 million Bennett-Rathgeber Mentoring Center for Austin’s Big Brothers Big Sisters had its grand opening on Jan. 25.

philanthropic efforts and supporting the common good in the Austin area and beyond.”

The new mentoring center for Big Brothers Big Sisters consists of a 21,500-sf wood framed, two-story structure with masonry exterior comprised of limestone and stucco with a standing seam metal roof. The facility serves as home for administrative offices, as well as meeting rooms and an activity center for their clients.

Primary construction materials included lumber, limestone, stucco, concrete, glass, and a standing seam metal roof.

Project manager was Daniel Bump; superintendent was Wayne Sankey; project coordinator was Alicia Gantt; and architect was O’Connell Robertson.

According to Gantt, some challenges that the team met and overcame during continued on Page 17

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Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Hanging gardens in Austin

Paving the way

The southeast entrance shows plants cascading down the sides of the building.

Austin Materials management team pictured L-R: Alex Flores, senior PM/estimating manager; Padraic Dillon, Austin regional manager; Lane Bybee, president; Steve Hullett, chief financial officer

or more than four decades, Design Workshop has been providing landscape architecture, planning and urban design. Established by Joe Porter and Don Ensign in 1969, the Austin location is one of 10 locations worldwide.

“Our founders, while professors at North California State, set a course to engage clients, staff and colleagues in a collaborative process that labeled ‘design workshop’,” says Phillip Koske, associate.

Originated in academia, Design Workshop has evolved as a learning organization, Koske says.

“From the beginning we have sought to be generalists,” he says. “Our guiding tenet has been that the work must take the most comprehensive perspective and use a collaborative approach to resolve issues.”

One of the firm’s recently completely projects in Austin, 70 Rainey, has been dubbed Austin’s own Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

“It’s no secret Austin has become an international destination for those in search of unique culture, abundant green space and a burgeoning food scene,” Koske says. “70 Rainey is intended to provide the user with an opportunity to interact with the landscape, rather than only view it.”

Plants cling to and climb the the podium façade, while simultaneously falling downward as if reaching to the streetscape below, Koske described.

At 11 stories high, the lush greenery is designed to create a one-of-a-kind experience for the multi-family residence.

–cw

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wo Austin companies under the same umbrella take pride in treating their customers with that downhome Texas friendliness that people love.

Austin Materials, the construction group, and Industrial Asphalt & Aggregates, the materials group, were formed in 2011 when Summit Materials, headquartered in Denver, CO., bought and combined the two family-owned companies.

In 2016, the company also opened their fourth asphalt plant in San Antonio, with Joey Biasatti as San Antonio regional manager.

“We basically treat every customer as our biggest customer,” Biasatti says. “We operate like a family-owned business. We are friendly and easy to do business with and we have flexibility in terms of getting creative and offering our customers things our competitors cannot.”

Biasatti says when people call, they will be dealing with a real person, not an automated system.

“We are very active and hands on from the top to bottom,” he says.

With 250 employees in both Austin and San Antonio, safety is of utmost importance. Paul Villareal is the director

of safety.

“He is registered in multiple facets of construction safety,” Biasatti said. “We also do trainings, have safety seminars where we invite our customers and do tailgate meetings. We expect every employee to feel free to speak out if anything is seen or noticed.”

Biasatti says the construction group’s work is a majority split between TxDOT highway projects and local city and county projects. The materials group supplies and sells asphalt and aggregates to the Central Texas Market.

“The Mopac Improvement Project, Comal County IH 35, Bexar County IH 35, and Willamson County FM 1460, are just a few high-profile projects over the last few years,” Biasatti says. –cw

Austin Materials does asphalt paving, parking lot maintenance, parking lot striping, sealcoating and driveway paving, while Industrial Asphalt & Paving provides unlimited access to asphalt and aggregate materials in the Central Texas Market.

Austin Materials/Industrial Asphalt and Aggregates has four asphalt plants and two limestone quarries in the Central Texas market.

Visitors to the amenities deck will be surrounded by a lush landscape.

There she goes again!

Every company has one like this.

Please help us keep Dana out of trouble by contacting her for print and digital ads in Construction News dana@ constructionnews.net or 210-308-5800 ext. 146

Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Page 3

Recon has green goals

L-R: Walter Biel, Ryan Biel and Ross Biel stand in front of the new robotic structure.

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ith the City of Austin continuing to advance a variety of initiatives towards its Zero Waste Goal, a local hauling and recycling firm is the only Texas company to automatically meet the city’s term of a “qualified processor.”

Recon Services Inc., founded in 2005 in Dripping Springs by Walter Biel, and Ryan Biel, is the only certified processor in the state of Texas through the Recycling Certification Institute in California. There are only about 20 companies nationwide that meet the tough standards set by RCI.

“It’s a really big deal,” Walter says. “It took us eight months to get that certification. It validates that we are a real recycler.”

The company is also breaking ground in another area with the introduction of robotic arms in the recycling process.

“We are the first in the U.S. to incorporate robotic waste separation technology,” Walter said.

The arms should be up and running this month – and no, they won’t take any jobs from the current 70 employees.

“The environment we work in is very hazardous,” Walter said. “We don’t know what kind of materials we might be handling. The employees and the robotics will work together.”

Sitting on 103 acres is Recon and two other companies Biel owns, including 973 Materials, a concrete and asphalt crushing service, and CD Metal Recycling, which buys and sells scrap metal from the public.

“Recon picks up construction debris such as concrete and we crush it up at 973 Materials and make a product out of it – aggregates,” Walter explained.

Ryan is Biel’s oldest son and oversees the metal recycling yard. His youngest son, Ross, oversees Recon Services.

“We are a family-run business,” Walter says. “We believe that service is number one and we pride ourselves on that.” –cw

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Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Soggy numbers: 6 common accounting mistakes to avoid

Five important issues to monitor in 2017

Landon McAfee, CPA, Assurance Services Partner Lane Gorman Trubitt LLC Dallas, TX

James Christ, Rodney Christ and Terrell Taylor Christ Taylor Insurance Houston, TX

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ou’re probably familiar with the term “crunch the numbers.” Well, in a tumultuous industry like construction, it’s all too easy to let crisp, timely financials go soggy with outdated data and flat-out mistakes. Here are six common accounting errors to avoid.

1. Inaccurate allocation of overhead For contractors that use the

To develop a realistic picture of your percentage-of-completion (POC) methjob costs — and, therefore, the profit- od to account for jobs, estimated job ability of your projects — you need reli- costs is a key factor driving revenue able methods for allocating overhead recognition. Errors may be caused by: among jobs. Overhead generally refers to • Poor estimating or forecasting, indirect costs that benefit more than one • Inaccurate recording of actual costs, or job. Examples of costs which may qualify • Mishandling of change order accounting. as overhead to be allocated to projects Among the best ways to avoid the efinclude rent, depreciation, salaries for fects of estimating errors is to reconcile actexecutives and clerical staff, insurance, ual to estimated costs on a monthly basis. payroll taxes, and fringe benefits.

5. Failure to recognize loss contracts

Construction companies often allocate Construction companies that use the overhead among jobs based on direct labor POC method sometimes fail to consider costs or direct labor hours. But, in some whether a job is likely to generate a loss. cases, this approach causes over- or under- Under such circumstances, Generally allocation of overhead, which creates a Accepted Accounting Principles require distorted picture of job profitability. them to fully recognize the loss at the

For example, if your projects tend to time it’s determined. be equipment or material intensive, rather If you’ve encountered this issue in than labor intensive, it may make sense to the past, be sure to stay informed. allocate overhead based on one of those Regularly review each project’s job cost costs or perhaps some blend of direct job schedule. In the event estimated costs costs. The key is to develop a method for exceed the contract amount, be prepared allocating overhead costs to the jobs to accrue a loss. based on the activities that drive them.

6. Improper treatment of joint 2. Improper cutoff of job costs ventures Many construction businesses use Joint ventures, like change orders, the accrual basis of accounting, which are potentially valuable opportunities means they record revenues when that come with their own accounting earned and expenses when incurred. rules. Without going into detail, the Cutoff errors occur when expenses which manner in which costs and profits are are incurred but unpaid are omitted from shared among the participants depends a period covered by a financial statement on the way in which the joint venture is — typically, because invoices aren’t structured and on the terms of their received until after the period is closed. agreement.

Are you susceptible to this problem? To avoid errors, leave nothing to If so, consider implementing a voucher chance. Be sure you and the other party system or some other mechanism to agree on the proper accounting ensure costs are recorded as liabilities or treatment before starting work. From accrued costs in the period in which there, implement procedures to ensure they’re incurred. that the venture’s activities are properly 3. Erroneous change orders documented.

Change orders represent both great Numbers matter opportunities and potential pitfalls for Construction is characterized by thin contractors. What’s more, the accounting profit margins and a high degree of rules for dealing with them are complex uncertainty. So accurate financial and can lead to errors. reporting is important not only to For instance, if you’re overly operating successfully, but also to optimistic that a change order will lead to looking good in the eyes of sureties, additional revenue, you may overestimate lenders and other stakeholders. And to profits — resulting in profit fade as the make the challenge even greater, job progresses. This may happen if you contractors should begin to prepare for begin out-of-scope work before the new revenue recognition rules that take change order is approved, or if you and effect in 2018. the owner agree on scope but leave Landon McAfee joined LGT in 1993. He discussions of price for another day. has extensive expertise in the construction 4. Inaccurate job cost estimates industry.

Austin

L-R: James Christ, Rodney Christ, Terrell Taylor

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ew administrations bring new challenges to the professional realm, and the Trump administration is no exception. Many of the former administration’s health care initiatives are being rolled back or halted.

This leaves employers in an uncertain place in regard to compliance regulations and reform laws.

The following are five important issues that should be closely monitored in 2017: 1. Unraveling of the ACA and ensuring employees are educated health care consumers: A new administration is now in office and President Donald Trump is vowing to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The first wave of this dismantling came in an executive order that directs federal agencies to waive, delay or grant exemptions from ACA requirements that may impose a financial burden. Health care consumerism will likely only increase under this administration, so focusing on employee education is a must.

2. Employee retention and engagement: Employee retention and engagement is more difficult now than ever. With millennials projected to make up the dominant demographic of the workforce by 2020, employers need to rethink their company culture. To underscore the importance of fresh retention ideas, 44 percent of millennials say they would quit their jobs within two years if given the chance. Sixty percent say they wish to leave their current jobs by 2020. Now is the time to consider new retention and engagement initiatives.

3. Paid family and medical leave: Paid family and medical leave is an important and enticing package for employees. In the United States, over 88 percent of private sector employees do not have paid leave options, according to the Department of Labor (DOL). And of the few that do have access, over 33 percent

believe taking leave would put their jobs at risk. States like California, New Jersey and Rhode Island all have paid leave laws in place, with other states working on their own legislation. This staggering gap in benefit offerings makes paid leave packages especially appealing for younger workers.

4. EEO-1 form update: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has formally adopted modifications to the Employer Information Report (EEO-1), effective March 31, 2018. Beginning at this time, employers will need to report their total number of workers, their gender and race, their pay grade and job classification.

The EEOC says this will help it more effectively investigate discrimination claims and pay disparities.

5. I-9 and E-verify updates: The latest version of the I-9 form is now effective, as of Jan. 22, 2017. This means that employers must use the latest version for all new employees or face steep penalties.

The form is not required for existing employees. The main changes include marking “N/A” in fields that would previously be left blank, verifying employment for individuals in person (not remotely via a webcam, for instance) and using a large blank field to leave notes instead of putting them in the margins.

As history shows, when there’s an administration change, employee benefits change as well. There will certainly be new legislation in the coming months, as promised by President Trump.

Business management needs to lead the way in communication and make adjustments to adhere to any new requirements.

Christ Taylor LLP is an independent, Houston-based employee benefits and brokerage firm doing business in Southeast Texas. Find them at http://christtaylor.com.

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Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Page 5

Sports’ world provides guidance for the construction project file

Stairways Used During Construction

Elizabeth H. Connally Connally Law PLLC San Antonio, TX

Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

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adly, football season is over. As we lament what our team’s season could have been and dream about what next year’s season will bring, we can apply two quotes from the sports’ world to the construction industry – specifically to the construction project file to support claims for changes: 1. “It starts with complete command of • Emails, texts & other correspondence the fundamentals.” – Jesse Owens with owner, architect, subcontractors 2.“The best defense is a good offense.” – & suppliers Vince Lombardi • Shop Drawings • Photographs and videos “It starts with complete command of • Schedules the fundamentals.”

• Time records With every construction project, • Material delivery and receiving changes can occur. But regardless of reports whether it is a change to the design or • Progress reports specification or just a change due to the • Payment records effects of weather, for a contractor to • Change Orders request time and/or money for that • Job cost account records change, the project file will need to • Bids from subcontractors support the request. For the successful • Chronology of events recovery of a claim, it is critical the • Inspection reports contract file supports the fundamentals • Minutes of meetings of the contractor’s claim. These fundamentals can be boiled down to two “The best defense is a good offense.” words – notification and documentation.

Up-to-date, well-maintained Carrying out the proper notification documents in the project file are, by far, procedures of a claim and preserving all the best defense for a contractor. Not necessary documentation can bring only can a well-organized and faster resolution of the claim and may documented project file enable a even prevent the issue from escalating to contractor to quickly respond to a minor arbitration or litigation. dispute in the field and, hopefully, The contract between a contractor prevent the issue from escalating, it can and an owner will likely have a provision also provide the best supporting relating to notice requirements. The evidence in the event of a claim. The purpose of notice requirements is to enable documents should also include copies of the owner to assess the scope of the any timely notices to the owner of problem and determine the course of changed conditions when the contractor action the owner wants the contractor to believes it is entitled to additional take. Further, it establishes a record of the compensation and/or time to perform dates and facts of the claim situation while the work. It is much easier to prepare the issue is still fresh in everyone’s mind. As requests for additional time and money you gather the facts to prepare the when the project file can clearly execute notification, also take the time to ensure the “plays” for the contractor’s claims. the project file contains sufficient However, if the contractor attempts to documentation of the events that took prepare a claim at the end of the project place on the project that support the claim. but has few documents to support the The contractor should prepare the claim, it is likely the contractor will be left project file in a manner that the with an expensive penalty – the inability documents will speak for themselves. to recover the time or additional This means that even if the people on the compensation. project change, the project’s history is Ms. Connally is the managing easily discerned from the documentation shareholder of Connally Law PLLC. in the file. Fundamental project file Ms. Connally is licensed to practice law in documentation should include: OH, DC, HI and TX and is a former • Contract documents warranted contracting officer for the U.S. • Geotechnical reports Dept. of State, where she handled • Daily reports contracts for the DOS’ largest • Requests for information procurement office in Frankfurt, • Phone logs (note: follow-up phone Germany. Ms. Connally’s email address is calls with emails to document ehconnally@eclegal.biz. discussions)

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he following requirements apply to all stairways used during construction:

Stairways that will not be a permanent part of the building under construction must have landings at least 30 inches deep and 22 inches wide at every 12 feet or less of vertical rise.

Stairways must be installed at least 30 degrees- and no more than 50 degrees- from the horizontal.

Variations in riser height or stair the stairs are fitted with secured temptreads and landings. tread depth must not exceed 1/4 inch in rary any stairway system, including any foun- Note: Temporary treads must be dation structure used as one or more made of wood or other solid material and installed the full width and depth of the treads of the stairs.

Doors and gates opening directly onto a stair.

The following general requirements stairway must have a platform that ex- tends at least 20 inches beyond the swing apply to all stair rails:

Stairways with four or more risers or of the door or gate.

Metal pan landings and metal pan treads rising more than 30 inches in heightwhichever is less- must be installed along must be secured in place before filling.

Stairway parts must be free of dangerous each unprotected side or edge. When the top edge of a stair rail system also projections such as protruding nails.

Slippery conditions on stairways must be serves as a handrail, the height of the top edge must be no more than 37 inches corrected.

Workers must not use spiral stair- nor less than 36 inches from the upper ways that will not be a permanent part of surface of the stair rail to the surface of the tread. the structure.

Top edges of stair rail systems used Temporary Stairs as handrails must not be more than 37

Except during construction of the inches high nor less than 36 inches from stairway,

Do not use stairways with metal pan the upper surface of the stair rail system landings and treads if the treads and/or to the surface of the tread.

Stair rail systems and handrails must landings have not been filled in with con- crete or other materials unless the pans be surfaced to prevent injuries such as of the stairs and/or landings are tempo- punctures or lacerations and to keep rarily filled in with wood or other materi- clothing from snagging. als. All treads and landings must be re- Ends of stair rail systems and handplaced when worn below the top edge of rails must be built to prevent dangerous projections, such as rails protruding bethe pan.

Do not use skeleton metal frame yond the end posts of the system. natarajan.joann@dol.gov structures and steps (where treads and/ 512-374-0271 x232 or landings will be installed later) unless

Construction News ON LOCATION

Bobcat territory

Construction News JOB SIGHT

Fenced in L-R: Bobcat of Austin rental manager Scott Tulloch, parts specialist Brian Voigt and service manager Jason Pace took a break from their afternoon to take a picture with Construction News. –cw

Halff Associates Inc. is busy working on several projects in the Austin area.

Above, workers install a fence at Veteran’s Park in Leander. The GC on the project is Lanat Enterprises and the project will be finished in spring 2018. –cw

Page 6

Richard Minyard Owner Minyard Sons Services and Centex Spiral Pipe

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ichard Minyard did not go to college, even though he was offered an athletic scholarship to Mississippi State University. By the time he was 15, he was already running his family’s business.

Having had the experience and headaches of running a family-owned business early in life, Minyard was pretty happy when he was someone else’s employee and actually had some free time on his hands. But, unfortunately, the cyclical rise and fall of the construction industry forced him into opening his own business again – two times.

For Minyard, a college education was not necessary to learn the ins-and-outs of the industry and running a successful business – he credits the school of hard knocks with that.

Tell me about your early life?

I was born in Mississippi in the Delta.

I spent my first years in Humphreys County and started high school at Humphreys County High School.

My parents were divorced and I, and my siblings, were raised by my father, Robert Minyard Sr. My mother’s name is Maryanne and we still keep in touch. She lives in New Orleans.

He moved us to Ocean Springs, which is right across the bridge from Biloxi. So I finished high school at Ocean Springs High School. I graduated in 1978 when I was 16 because I started school early.

In high school, I played both football and baseball and was offered an athletic scholarship to Mississippi State University.

What happened?

When I was a junior, my father developed cancer. I attended school and took over the business, Minyard Sons, in Biloxi. I took over the business and it took over me!

It was a smaller, very light commercial plumbing and electrical company. My brother, Robert Jr., also worked there.

My dad passed away in 1981. I was the sole supporter of my sister and brothers, so I ran the business until they were all old enough to be out on their own, except for my step-brother, who moved in with his mother. After that, I closed it down and I moved to Houston to work for Crown Plumbing. I was there almost a year.

How did you end up in Austin?

I ended up coming to Austin to take my Master Plumbers license. It was the only reason I came here and it was such a relief.

Being a country boy and moving to Houston, of all places, was crazy. Austin just seemed so quiet compared to Houston.

I was working for Crown Plumbing 120 hours a week and I happened to have a day off and I was hungry so I went to a fast food restaurant in Katy and the line was out the door.

I said to myself, you know, this is just too much.

When someone I knew asked me to come to Austin and work there, I did!

Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

So the only reason you were in Austin that day was to take the test?

Yes, and I was the last one to leave. I thought, man, I must be dumb or something but it turns out that they had me take the Journeyman’s test first since my license was from Mississippi and then when I passed that, they gave me the Master’s test.

Because I was the last to leave, I thought I had probably failed it, but I ended up with a 98 – the highest score Crown Plumbing had ever had.

After you moved to Austin, what did you do?

I went to work for B&M Mechanical.

They had me going behind other people on these 4-5 story office buildings, reworking the jobs and getting them straightened out and as soon as I did, they sent me to another jobsite that was a total wreck. I was doing HVAC and plumbing.

I was there about two years when everything started going downhill. That was about 1984. We showed up to work one day and there was a locked gate.

That’s awful! What did you do?

At that time, there was no job. I really did not want to go back to work for myself, but there were no jobs. I had gotten married and had one child by then.

It takes so many hours to work for yourself. When I was working for B&M, I could have had two more jobs, there was so much extra time. It was nice.

I began DBA Minyard Plumbing. I knew a lot of people in the industry that liked my work and what I was doing so I picked up over a half a million dollars of work. I was being a sub of a sub.

I was doing pretty good until they wrote me $280,000 worth of bad checks.

That was before they came out with the bad check law – or maybe it was because of it!

Another strike! These were not good times for you.

No. I took the money I had to pay off the materials and suppliers and started back at the bottom – handing out leaflets that said something like “I’ll do plumbing work for $25.”

All the banks were failing. It was a nightmare. Construction basically shut down and all there was really was service work.

The telephone book was the number one way to get work, but for a little sliver of an ad, they were so high priced!

Now it’s a whole different ball game.

Were you able to make enough to support your family?

I’ve always generated enough to support the family. I don’t spend much, I’m pretty frugal.

I never listened to the radio, I always listened to my engine to hear if it was going to make it through the day! I must have overhauled that same engine five times. I still don’t listen to the radio.

Did your dad teach you how to work on your truck?

When I was real young, that’s where my dad taught me to overhaul engines. I guess he was poor, too. Today you can just go get a new deal, but back then you had to rebuild it.

My dad was originally an electrician back when the only houses around us were all pier and beam houses - no slab foundations.

When I first started plumbing, everything was lead, cast iron and galvanized pipe. It was all outside the house. It was old school plumbing.

Dad taught me all the stuff you need to know to survive in life.

What about your siblings?

My sister, Rita, moved to Texas before I did. She now lives in Indiana. My brother, Robert Jr., passed away last year. My brother, David, actually moved in with

Richard Minyard has designed and is building his own airboat in Centex Spiral Pipe’s fabrication shop.

me in Texas when he was still a teenager.

He stayed two to three years and joined the Navy. After that, he came back and worked for me, but he got a job offer in St. Croix so he went there for awhile.

Now, he’s back in Biloxi.

So, as Minyard Plumbing, things were tough… how did it end up?

I started building with different contractors - real small jobs. The only construction was people moving from high price lease spaces to lower price lease spaces, there was a little bit of movement there. I was also doing service work and custom homes.

In the later 80s, there was more work and I was able to bring on a few more guys, then a few more crews, but I was working 20 hours a day, seven days a week.

My first marriage was a casualty of all the working.

I was Minyard Plumbing until I got tired every year of going to the IRS and getting a penalty $5,000. I thought I’m doing everything right, but every year, a $5,000 penalty.

Finally, I was talking to these guys one day and they said, ‘don’t you know if you are in a sole proprietorship, then you are in a 99 percent tax audit bracket?’, so then I opened the corporation Minyard Plumbing & Heating Inc. in the early 90s.

I was at more than 300 employees when I had to shut down during the next recession.

Oh no! What happened?

Business was picking up. We were on the threshold of trying to go from $250,000 to $1 million. That was a real tough threshold to get to $1 million. Then I hit $2 million the next year, then $3, then $4. It got easier as we went: you get your system down.

Minyard Plumbing & Heating was good up to 2008.

That’s when I got my next PhD - in banking. We lost everything. We were at $40 million per year. I built this building (fabricating shop for Centex Spiral Pipe), and put $1.5 million out of my own pocket on it.

I had a $4 million loan approved through underwriting, then they cancelled the loan and the bank called their loan on the line of credit. I saw over $4 million disappear in one day. It was devastating.

I sold my house for $250,000, added that to the last $250,000 I had, paid my last two weeks payroll, and shut the doors on Oct 10, 2008. It was a very hard time and humiliating. I always pay my bills. I missed one month.

I could have sold out for $40M two years before and I should have, but I was thinking about what I wanted to leave for my family.

Did you ever have any mentors helping you with your business?

I wish someone could have paved the way. It’s always been the school of hard knocks. I got all my PhD’s from life’s lessons.

Well, obviously you picked yourself up again and forged ahead, right?

Around 2009, I brought in $1.8 million worth of work. We reorganized the company as Minyard & Sons Inc. with my sons: Matt, Brian, Wesley and Ryan.

Now, Matt and Brian are co-owners.

We’ve almost doubled in work every year since then. Now, we have more than 120 employees.

Whew, what an up and down journey.

Tell me about your family.

I met my wife Christine in the early 90s – on that one day off I had! I was at a little dance hall with a buddy who plays shuffleboard and she was there with a group of friends from work. She had the prettiest smile. I asked her to dance and we started dating. We got married Mar. 31, 1995.

We each brought two children into the marriage. I had a son and a daughter, Tara, who works in the construction department, and Ryan, he did work here but is now attending school. She brought Brian, who is an owner and is running the plumbing division, and Wesley, who is deceased.

Did you and Christine have any children together?

No, but we got a big surprise that came from Mississippi. I found out that I had a son from a previous relationship there. He tracked me down and called me when he was 19. I sent him a plane ticket and he never left. He is now an owner and runs the electrical division.

You have another company as well, right?

Yes, Centex Spiral Pipe.

Earlier on, I started losing my bids because I was plumbing only. The contractors were getting bids from companies that offered combo services, so I decided I was going to give them, not only mechanical, but also electrical.

When we started getting the bigger jobs, I was having big problems with the suppliers of ductwork – it took too long to get and they wanted too much money up front. I decided, well, I’ll make my own!

We have seven to eight employees in the fabricating business and we also sell to different mechanical contractors all over the state.

You’ve earned some time off! What do you like to do when you can get some time?

We like to go down to our beach house in Port Aransas. We love to fish – both bay and deep sea.

Sometimes we take employees down there with us. Right now, I’m designing and building my own airboat.

Who would you buy a beer for?

Donald Trump! I’d like to talk to him because I definitely need to tell him some things we need to fix! –cw

Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

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A nod to the best

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ssociated General Contractors (AGC) Austin Chapter held its outstanding construction annual awards program and banquet Feb. 3 at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center.

Projects are judged on difficulty in construction resulting from design, location, materials, etc.; unusual construction techniques involved; final appearance and quality of the finished product; and timeliness of completion.

Congrats to the winners! –cw (Photos by JJ Photography

Building 2 ($2-5 million): Braun & Butler Construction Inc. Wells Branch MUD Recreation Center Renovation and Expansion Project

Residential Multi-Family: JE Dunn Construction Company The Corner Student Housing

Building 3 ($5-10 million): Bartlett Cocke General Contractors Southwestern University – Fondren Jones Science Hall

Design Build 1 ($0-10 million): Sabre Commercial Inc. CHIP Semiconductor

Health Care 1 ($0-10 million): Austin Canyon Corporation Austin Regional Clinic Cedar Park

Building 4 ($10-30 million): Bartlett Cocke General Contractors Dr. T.C. McCormick Jr. Middle School

Design Build 3 (Over $30 million): The Beck Group Center of Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing

Health Care 2 ($10-30 million): Hill & Wilkinson General Contractors Armed Services YMCA Harker Heights Center

Building 5 ($30-75 million): Rogers-O’Brien Construction Company - University House Austin

Interior Finish-Out 2 ($500,000-$2 million): Sabre Commercial Inc. Westlake Dermatology, Lamar Central

Specialty Construction: Joeris General Contractors Ltd. JD Abrams Corporate Office Headquarters

Health Care 3 (Over $30 million): The Beck Group The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School Health Learning Building

Interior Finish-Out 3 $2-5 million): Rogers-O’Brien Construction Company - WeWork University Park

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Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Emphasis on customer satisfaction

L-R: The Dripping Springs Rental Center crew, L-R, Clinton Lewis, Buddy Lewis, Jeff Wallace, and Michelle and Chris Hinojosa are ready to help with your rental needs.

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uddy Lewis was born near Fort Worth in Azle, but decided he liked the Hill Country enough to move closer. In 1993, he opened Dripping Springs Rental Center.

The business rents equipment from weed eaters to backhoes, with an emphasis on large equipment, including tractors and plenty of Bobcats.

He and his staff of three full-time employees and one part-time are big on customer service.

“That’s number one,” Lewis says. “We treat people the way we want to be treated. We’ve always done that and it works out well.”

Lewis says he knows a lot of people in the area.

“I know a lot of people in town,” he says. “Most of our business is word of mouth and we have loyal customers and lots of repeat business.”

Currently working at Dripping Springs Rental Center are Jeff “Wally” Wallace, manager; Michelle and Chris

Hinojosa, and Buddy’s son, Clinton.

Michelle takes care of the front office.

According to Lewis, the staff gets together for a Christmas party every year and tries to make time to take the boat out together now and then.

The work atmosphere is family oriented and Lewis says everybody gets along well and has a good time at work.

“When I hire people, the number one thing I teach is that we treat people right,” Lewis says. “That’s what I expect. I don’t like drama.

“We make sure that people don’t leave here dissatisfied. We’ll bend over backwards to make things right.”

Besides his son, Lewis has two daughters, one is a nurse and the other is in college. When’s he’s not working, he likes to travel, especially to go snow skiing and to the beach whenever he can get away. In February, he went on a fishing trip to Costa Rica with friends – the first time he’s ever been there. –cw

Industry FOLKS Katarina Villasenor Principal Sixthriver Architects

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Members of Chamberlin’s Austin and San Antonio staff

he year was 1897, and John Chamberlin had a patent for one of the country’s first metal weather stripping products and a dream. When he incorporated Chamberlin Metal Weather Strip Company in Detroit (later renamed Chamberlin Company of America), could he have imagined it would grow to 100 branches nationwide in 120 years?

Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing was an extension of that dream. After the company established a Missouri office in 1967, current president John Kafka opened Chamberlin’s first Texas office in Houston in 1978. With great momentum, Chamberlin then opened Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and two Oklahoma offices.

Chamberlin has no plans to stop growing; last year, nearly 100 new team members were added.

Operations manager Adam Matthys and executive vice president Art Canales oversee the Austin office, which has 14 office and 150 field employees. In February, the Austin and San Antonio offices were reconfigured. The operations team will remain in the San Antonio office, while the remaining San Antonio office staff will join the entire Austin staff in Buda. The company will continue to serve both markets.

The staff enthusiastically gives back

to its community; the team regularly volunteers at Community First! Village, and was involved with Morgan’s Wonderland. They’re also always up for a little fun: The women in the office recently participated in a team building/ employee appreciation event at iFly and hosted a customer clay shoot.

The Austin office takes enormous pride in its work. Major projects include Austin’s Great Hills Baptist Church, JW Marriott, Austin Public Library and the Texas State University Sabinal Building.

The team’s most recent awards include Associated General Contractors’ Outstanding Construction Project for Austin Bergstrom International Airport Consolidated Rental Car Facility. This milestone is not lost on those who have been a part of the company’s journey.

“We are very excited to be celebrating our 120th anniversary,“ executive vice president David Neal says. “Chamberlin has a rich history. I believe our values and the team we have developed have been the keys to our success. I look forward to seeing Chamberlin continue to evolve and grow in the years to come.”

Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing offers roofing and sheet metal, waterproof-ing and caulking, building and garage restoration and roof maintenance and leak repair. –mjm

On board

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anstruction® was founded in 1992 by the late Cheri Melillo and her colleagues from the Society for Design Administration (SDA) with a vision of uniting design and engineering through a unique and fun medium that will improve the lives of the underprivileged and underserved.

Canstruction competitions are held annually in over 150 cities around the world – and someone has to organize them.

For the last nine years in Austin, those organizers have been Katarina Villasenor, COO and principal at Sixthriver Architects, and James Foster, architect at CTA Architects Engineers.

Sixthriver is in its 22nd year and Villasenor has been there for 15.

“I worked my way up to where I am, I started doing administrative work for dot.com companies,” Villasenor says. She says that with that previous technology experience, it has only enhanced the data driven responsibility that is required in managing a design firm.

Villasenor was born in Sweden and moved to Mexico where she also grew up. She moved to Texas in 1994 and has lived here for 17 years before pulling up stakes again. She now calls San Francisco home, although she spends two weeks out of every month in Austin and works remotely the other two weeks.

“I don’t mind traveling back and forth at all,” she says.

Villasenor became part of Can-

Chamberlin celebrates 120

struction when she belonged to SDA, an affiliate for the American Institute of Architects (AIA). At the time, she was president of SDA, Central Texas chapter.

“It really pulls at my heart to see the community come together industry wide – even competing architectural firms,” she says. “When we come together for Canstruction, I am working hand-in-hand with a variety of design firms. It’s great that we all can come together, to do this competition, and see the design structures that have been built out of cans which we then donate to the Central Texas Food Bank.”

Villasenor says even though pulling the event together is a significant commitment, she understands the need to help with addressing hunger in the community. She’s also been involved with Meals on Wheels and Fishes and Loaves.

In her spare time, Villasenor loves to travel and says some of the places that stand out are Hawaii, Austria, Germany, France and Spain, although she is very much looking forward to an upcoming trip to the Galápagos Islands next month. This trip will allow her the opportunity to focus on her other hobby, photography.

Austin’s Canstruction event has been postponed until sometime in the fall. –cw

O

n Jan. 19 at Abel’s North in Austin, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Austin Chapter installed its newly-elected 2017 board of directors. Chairman is Corey Taylor, American Constructors; first vice chair is Sergio Montoya, Baker Triangle; second vice chair is Ryan Krogstad, DPR Construction; secretary is Shelly Masters, Cokinos, Bosien & Young; treasurer is George Bubba Sykes, Wortham Insurance & Risk Management. Board members are Bob Duda, Construction Metal Products; Matt Sullivan, Dubois, Bryant & Campbell LLP; Robert Notley, Padgett Stratemann & Co.; Jesse Beckett, Beckett Electrical Services LLC.; Barry Wurzel, Wurzel Builders LLC.; Jeff Eubank, SpawGlass; Shad Zapalac, Zapalac/Reed Construction; Dutch DeHart, Lasco Acoustics and

Drywall Inc.; Steve Dobson, Time Instance Company; Trevor Spring, Ryan Companies; and Jason Beers, Harvey-Cleary Builders. –cw

Swearing in ceremony

Corey Taylor

Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Trout fishing in early spring

by Capt. Steve Schultz Sponsored by: Evinrude Outboards, Fishing Tackle Unlimited, E-Z Bel Construction, Costa Sunglasses, Diawa Reels, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, ­­­ForEverlast Fishing Products, Interstate Batteries, MirrOlure, and AFTCO Clothing.

S

ince mid-January, I have noticed an unusual amount of boats on the water. It may be because we have had a Chamber of Commerce winter and water temperatures have not fallen low enough to drive our fish into deeper areas, or maybe because fuel prices are back to an affordable rate so folks can enjoy a day of recreation without having to apply for a small loan. Whatever the

Page 9

reason, it sure is nice to see that the economy is starting to turn around and people are starting to enjoy the outdoors.

I’m sure some of you folks are waiting for warmer weather before getting on the water, but if you’re serious about catching trophy size specks, now is the time to be looking for that fish for the wall.

Forecast for the months of February and March looks promising for those who don’t mind grinding out days in subpar conditions for bruiser specks. I’ll be wading every chance I get for the next few months throwing every type of lure known for tricking these elusive giants.

Slow retrieving, walking the dog, jigging worms off the bottom or live shrimp under a cork are some of the techniques one must be familiar with. Fishing this time of the year can be very challenging.

Hours without a bite can drive a man to insanity and wonder why he’s wasting his time on fish that won’t eat or that are not even in the vicinity. All I can say is be confident with your efforts and your determination will payoff with great rewards.

If you’ve been browsing the isles of your favorite tackle shop or flipping the pages of some of the popular fishing magazines like I have, you will notice all of the latest lures and color combinations out there. One of the hottest on the water this time of year is the slow sinking soft plastic mullet imitation such as the Brown Lure, Devil Eye or Flappin Devil.

Whether fishing these lures weedless or with a jighead they can be deadly on a slow retrieve over Baffin structure. Another proven favorite of mine is the MirrOlure Corky and the Corky Fat Boy. These lures can be custom altered by

Let’s go fishing!

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t Minyard & Sons Services and Centex Spiral Pipe, owned by Richard Minyard and his sons, Matt and Brian, the whole gang loves to go to the coast and fish. In January, the staff was invited to come along and do some serious angling with Gulf Coast Sport Fishing. –cw Gulf Coast Sport Fishing’s Capt. Zach and Minyard & Sons owner Richard Minyard look for the best spot to toss a line in.

Employee Dewar Gardner displays a great catch.

It seems that plenty of folks from the company took home lots of fresh fish.

San Antonio angler Josh Aljoe put a smack down on a limit of trout and reds last week fishing with Steve Schultz Outdoors. Fish were caught using Kwigglers bone diamond and Brown Flappin Devil soft plastics.

shaping them to dive or stay shallow simply by binding the internal wire up or down. It takes a bit of patience fishing this baits so if you’re not willing to stay put and work the area, best leave these lures in the box and stick to soft plastics.

With this warm winter water temperatures don’t over look a slow twitching topwater plug. Sunny days after a strong northern can warm shallow waters where trout can recover quickly. A Super Spook Jr. is a perfect size plug to cast up shallow, work shorelines and shallow structure. A presentation of slow twitches and frequent pauses usually triggers lethargic trout to attack the wounded bait imita-

tion. When you start your day always pick a lure you have done well with and have great confidence in, then venture to other baits you have been dying to try.

Remember the key to catching during winter months is confidence and patience.

I have already started to fill the calendar for the upcoming 2017 season.

Don’t wait until all the good dates are gone! To schedule your next bay fishing trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361813-3716 or 361-334-3105 or e-mail him at SteveSchultzOutdoors @ gmail.com.

Good luck and Good Fishing.

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Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

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

Do you have a crappie problem?

I

f you are a fisherman, or know people who like to catch a fish or two, then you probably know someone who has a crappie problem.

Crappies are tasty little freshwater morsels that are loved for their flesh and their fast bite. No matter what kind of fisherman you are, if you have ever had a crappie cross your dinner plate, your ears perk up at the first mention that the crappie are biting!

I know a fellow who doesn’t see Christmas trees in people’s front windows. He sees which neighbors he needs to offer to help dispose of said Christmas trees in order to get his hands on some good quality cover to sink in the lake for crappie to hide in. He has a crappie problem. He can hardly stand it when they cut the cedar out of the highway right of way if they chip it up with the grinder before he can get his hands on it.

He can’t pass the lake without wetting a hook to see if the crappie are biting. Even on days when they shouldn’t

bite, they will surprise you and bite anyway. If they bite, all plans for the day are put on hold until they quit. He’s a good solid worker and friend as long as the crappie don’t bite.

The crappie freak will try live minnows, lures, jig and grubs. He will use them on cane pole, Zebco rigs and or fly rods, often on the same day. If he finds some funky little critter that the crappie can’t resist, then he’s off to the tackle shop to buy every single one like it they have in stock. The better to become the Crappie King.

He counts as one of his most prized possessions, years and years of wall calendars given to him by his Grandfather.

These calendars hold the crappie fishing history of dates, weather and catch. This is priceless information because it seems crappie addiction is highly hereditary.

The little notations on some days like, “Too damn cold”, and “Henry caught 4 more crappie than I did!” make it just like being in the boat together again.

And then there is the weird Lake Record phenomena. If you look up Texas Parks and Wildlife records for crappie on most bodies of water you might be surprised at how small the record fish are.

It’s not that they don’t get big. I know of a 19 inch crappie someone caught. Is it in a record book somewhere? No, it got eaten. The crappie fiend in our family has eaten three lake records already this week before he finally got one weighed and certified for the record books.

In case you hadn’t already figured it out,

Lake Buchanan is coming on strong

after the drought. All the amazing lakebed brush has created the perfect crappie habitat now that the lake is back.

I bet there are lakes like that all over the state too.

If you like crappie fishing and especially if you have a crappie problem too, this is the time to get out there and scratch that itch. Go get ‘em while they’re hot!

Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Page 11

Fishing is patriotic

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atriot Erectors in Dripping Springs took a 60-hour deep sea fishing trip Feb. 7-10. Pictured left, Jason Puckett, Drew Campbell and Ralph Dixon apparently had a great haul, bringing in Wahoo, Amberjack, Black Sand Tuna, Barracuda, Snapper, Hammerhead Shark and Grouper. Right, Campbell gets into a fight with whatever is on his line. –cw

E

Winter break

very year, ICON Plumbing, Heating & Air Ltd. takes trade and project managers and their sons and daughters on the annual Winter in Texas Father-Son Dove Hunt (with a little fishing thrown in!) in Hondo, TX. This was the third annual event on Jan. 6-8. –cw

Great season

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.T.C. Contractors James Roppolo’s grandchildren had a banner hunting season this year, with Jessica, 13, grabbing a turkey and an 8-point deer, and Kyle, 11, snagging a 9-point buck. The kids were hunting on their grandfather’s ranch in Lake Victor. –cw

Project manager Jason Smith and his stepson, Hunter

Sr. project manager Dennis Anderson and his son, Blake.

Owner of Icon Chuck Paxton and one of his twin girls, Nikki

Submitted to Construction News

First timer

Estimating manager Erik Christiansen and his stepson, Austin

Jesse Beckett of Beckett Electrical Services enjoyed a very special time with his 9-year-old son Mackey Beckett and his son’s first buck on a recent hunting trip. –cw.

An evening fire helps to warm everybody up.

Erik Christiansen, estimating manager, takes a break from the freezing cold to do a little fishing.

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Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Page 13

What book, movie or TV show would you recommend?

Hands down, “The Carpenter” by Jon Gordon! That book is great for all business owners and individuals. I believe anyone who owns a company should read this book. It is one I pass along to my friends and other business owners. It is a quick and easy read, but so great on how to treat employees and just people in general.

Melanie Knox Alden Roofing

feel like we could all use more empathy during this divisive time.

Stacy Johnson Austin Canyon Corporation

I’m all about Netflix. I like it because of the price, the variety of movies available, and no commercials! Jill Wedel Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing

My favorite author is Vince Flynn with his Mitch Rapp series. He’s a CIA agent that just straight up kicks ass on international covert operations. There are eight or so books in the series, so it allows for continuing characters. Good stuff.

Jake Thomas, Travis Roofing Supply

TV Show: “This is Us.” It’s a phenomenally fantastic TV show on NBC, which is truly a breath of fresh air. Love, love, love it!

Terri Fleming Rogers-O’Brien Construction The movie “Machine Gun Preacher” – it’s a heart-breaking true story about a man who fights terrorists in Sudan to free enslaved children.

Sandra Johnson, Edge Electric I would recommend the book “Show Me the Love”, because I co-authored it.

Monty McMillan, Hidell Builders Supply I would recommend the book as well as the movie “The Help”. I read the book, written by Kathryn Stockett, a year or so before the movie came out and thought that was the best novel I have ever read.

Then when the movie came out I never thought it could not be as good as the book.

Debbie Richardson Hidell Builders Supply George Orwell’s “1984”. Because … well … Trump.

Alternate answer is “The 13th” - an incredible documentary that is informative and empathy-inducing. I

New roles at Baker

Book: “It’s not what you sell. It’s what you stand for” by Roy Spence (Austenite), owner of GSDM. Catherine Case Larson, DCA Construction

“Eastbound and Down” - because Kenny Powers teaches you how to not back down from anything.

Ryan Wade, Travis Roofing Supply My favorite move is “The Princess Bride” - it’s an incredible movie for all ages that stands the test of time. The book “As You Wish” by Cary Elwes, who plays Westley in the movie, explains the behind-thescenes of the making of the movie.

Michael Boy, Travis Roofing Supply I like books on tape: “The Whistleblower” was given to me by my daughter-in-law for Christmas. That was very good.

Richard Minyard, Minyard & Sons and Centex Spiral Pipe I love the show “The Profit.” Marcus Lemonis invests into failing companies and turns them around. Some deals work, some are fails...but because the show allows you to see inside so many businesses, one can really get some perspective. Great show.

Matthew Lamz Dimensional Roofing & Diagnostics Inc.

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L-R: Bryan Baker and Steve Baker

akerTriangle’s Steve Baker and Bryan Baker took on new challenges in the New Year.

Beginning Jan. 1, Steve Baker became chairman of BakerTriangle and Bryan Baker was promoted from president of the Fort Worth division to CEO. The upward shift in leadership is the latest in the 43 years since BakerDrywall and Triangle Plastering were founded.

Steve has dedicated more than four decades to the wall and ceiling industry – all at BakerTriangle. He started out at Triangle Plastering in 1975 after earning a business administration degree at Texas Tech. He bought the business from his father in 1983, managing and expanding it for 23 years. In 2005, Baker Drywall merged with Triangle Plastering, which was owned by Steve’s brother Brad, and Steve became CEO of BakerTriangle in 2006.

Bryan began his career at Baker Drywall as an estimator after graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a business administration degree. He went on to oversee the Fort Worth office for nine years.

Under their direction and with the help of more than 1,300 employees,

Winners advancing

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ational Association for the Remodeling Industry (NARI) Austin Chapter is sending seven regional CotY winners on to the final round of competition in Scottsdale, AZ in April.

Congrats! –cw Residential Kitchen $100,001 to $150,000 Soledad Builders LLC Residential Bath Under $25,000

Adams Company Residential Bath $50,001 to $75,000 CG & S Design-Build Residential Bath $75,001 to $100,000 CG & S Design-Build Residential Bath Over $100,000 Top-Notch Renovations Residential Addition $100,000 to $250,000 Clark Richardson Architects Residential Exterior Over $200,000

Soledad Builders LLC Entire House $250,000 to $500,000 Clark Richardson Architects Entire House Over $1,000,000 RisherMartin Fine Homes Residential Historical Renovation & Restoration $250,000 and Over Avenue B Development LLC Landscape Design / Outdoor Living $60,000 and Over CG & S Design-Build

BakerTriangle has contributed to a range of projects, including hospitality, healthcare, education, sports facilities, retail and worship and has built a reputation for being safety-focused.

“We at BakerTriangle are excited about the recent promotions and succession plans put in place over two years ago,” Steve says. “Our strategic plan (over 10 years ago) included an emphasis on developing our leadership to succeed our long-term senior managers. Part of this plan involves keeping the senior leaders, many with over 35 years in the business, engaged with the new leadership.

BakerTriangle has experienced tremendous growth within the state of Texas, including the manufacturing of prefabricated finished panels for multiple hospital and hotel projects. I am excited about Bryan’s leadership and his focus on customers, employees and innovation.”

BakerTriangle, an award-winning wall and ceiling contractor specializing in drywall and plaster, has six Texas locations in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, College Station and San Antonio, and also has an office in Tulsa, OK. –mjm

Construction News ON LOCATION

Go Lady Rattlers!

Keri Wilson holds down the fort at Hopson Builders Inc. in San Marcos.

She has a freshman daughter at San Marcos High School who is proud to be a Lady Rattler. –cw

Page 14

Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Woman behind the scenes

Association Calendar

Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ABC Central Texas Associated Builders & Contractors

Mar. 8: ABC New and Prospective Member Reception – Location TBD Mar. 9: Chili-BBQ Cook Off (ABC/OSHA Partnership) – 500 VFW Road, 11am-2pm Call 512-719-5263 for more info

ACEA Austin Contractors & Engineers Assn.

Austin Contractors and Engineers Association Mar. 9: March membership luncheon, 11:30am at Dave & Busters

P

Johnson received the creative materials necessary to help keep her busy in her retirement.

apers don’t just put themselves together. Someone labors tirelessly to take the stories all the editors write and submit to the production department and make them look good.

At Construction News, Sue Johnson helped put the papers together every month as production manager, but as of Jan. 31, she has officially retired.

“It is just amazing how quickly the time goes by,” says Buddy Doebbler, publisher. “It only seems like yesterday when Sue came to work for us. But it has been 13 years. She started as our receptionist but wanted to learn more about the graphics/layout side of the business. She worked her way up to production manager and was the force behind getting the papers out each month. She will be missed by our entire staff.”

Johnson started part-time in 2002 and became full-time in 2003. Through her work at Construction News, she met many members of the construction community. During the early years in her tenure here, she often attended events in San Antonio as well as expos in Houston and Dallas.

“Since 2004, Sue’s been my partner in production,” says Reesa Doebbler, publisher. “I very much enjoyed working with her but, more importantly, is the friendship we developed along the way.

We’ve been through a lot of good times together over the years. The good news is she’s still around here and there, and all

of us here at Construction News know where to find her!”

In retirement, Johnson says she will be organizing to stay busy, and she and her husband look forward to traveling often.

“I loved not only doing the layout and design for the papers each month, but I also liked reading about the people in construction all over Texas and meeting them,” says Johnson, who adds that she appreciates Buddy and Reesa taking a chance on her 13 years ago. She loved putting in the content and doing the layouts as well as working with everyone.

“Everybody was a great team.” –mh

AGC Associated General Contractors

Mar. 2-3: OSHA 10-HR/30-HR at AGC office Mar. 9, 10, 16, 17: OSHA 30-HR at AGC office Call 512-442-7887 for more infotute

CTMCA Central Texas Masonry Contractors Assn.

Mar. 30: Bi-Monthly General Membership meeting at Texas Land and Cattle Steakhouse, 6007 N. IH-35, Austin.

6pm Meet Up and 7pm meeting and dinner

IEC Independent Electrical Contractors

Mar. 27: Power Drive 18 Golf Tournament at Avery Ranch, 12:30-6pm

NARI Nat’l Assn. of the Remodeling Industry

Mar. 8: Monthly luncheon, 11am-1pm at Sunshine Camp, 2225 Andrew Zilker Rd. Speaker: Don Hobbs; Tpoic: 3 Keys to Building your Business Call Kayvon at 512-375-2601 for more info

As part of her farewell party, Sue Johnson received a shirt signed by all of her co-workers at Construction News.

Lone stars

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ased on feedback from more than 100,000 employees, Fortune Magazine recently released its annual “50 Best Workplaces in Texas” list. Several construction-related companies ranked on the 2017 list, and were distinguished by their ability to create a “Great Place to Work for All” regardless of gender, race/ethnicity, job role or other personal characteristics. –mjm 7: David Weekly Homes (Houston headquarters, offices in Dallas, Austin and San Antonio) 12: TDIndustries (Dallas headquarters, offices in Austin, Fort Worth and Houston and San Antonio) 13: Transwestern (Houston headquarters, office in Dallas) 16: Kimley-Horn (office in Dallas) 26: Granite Properties (Plano headquarters, offices in Houston and Dallas) 33: Power Design (office in Houston) 50: Power Home Remodeling Group (offices in Houston and Dallas)

purchases made in this store (not online) will come back to NAWIC for its scholarship fund. Drinks and sweet treats will be served during party hours. Mar. 7: Members only DIY Build & Paint Class, 6-8pm at AGC, 609 S Lamar Blvd.

Mar. 8: Yoga Happy Hour, 6-8pm at AGC, 609 S Lamar Blvd. Email jleonard@ smairtx.com for more information.

Mar. 9: Community Involvement and Chapter Meeting for members only, 5:308:30pm at Central Texas Food Bank, 6500 Metropolis Dr. Dinner meeting and sort and pack meals.

Mar. 10: Job Site Tour, 9:30am-1pm at Oracle Campus, S Pleasant Valley Rd. & S Lakeshore Blvd.

PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors

Mar. 24-26: 24-hour Responsible Master Plumber Training at PHCC office in Buda.

Cost: $450 for non-members, $360 for PHCC Members. Call 512-523-8094 for more information.

TACA Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association

Mar. 2-3: Short Course at Calvary Court Hotel, College Station, TX. For more information, check https://www. regonline.com /builder/site /default. aspx?EventID=1926817

TSPS Texas Society of Professional Surveyors

Mar. 16-18: Heart of Texas Boundary Retracement Seminar, Wulff Cedar Creek Ranch, Brady, TX. Contact Brenda Null at 512-327-7871 or BrendaN@tsps.org for more information or visit: www.tsps.org/ HeartofTX17 Early bird registration deadline - Mar. 7

NAWIC

USGBC

Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

U.S. Green Building Council

Mar. 5-11: National Blood Drive. All week long stop by any We Are Blood donation center to participate in the industry-wide blood drive. Mention you’re donating for NAWIC. Mar. 6: Kendra Gives Back Party from 6-8pm at Kendra Scott, 3800 N Lamar Blvd.

Come shop! All day long, 20% of all

Mar. 13: USGBC Texas Chapter - Central: Network and Learn “LEED 2009 http://bit.ly/2lQRAKR Mar. 23: USGBC Texas Chapter - Central: Luncheon “CodeNEXT Update” http://bit.ly/2kKdU8D Mar. 4-Apr.1: ACC LEED Green Associate Exam Preparation http://bit.ly/2kqbb86

Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Page 15

Construction Education Meeting industry demands through rapid workforce training Kevin Brackmeyer, Executive Director Skillpoint Alliance Austin, TX

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evin Brackmeyer, executive director at Skillpoint Alliance, is a former educator of 30 years who believes that closing the poverty gap by providing valuable, rapid, industry recognized certifications to some of our community’s most vulnerable citizens is their most important mission.

“We know for certain that the construction industry is experiencing rapid growth and there is no question that Central Texas, as well as the rest of the country, is struggling to find ways to meet the current demands for qualified workers to fill middle skills jobs,” Brackmeyer says.

The current workforce shortage is expected to get worse, right? What is your organization doing to help?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for skilled labor in construction will increase an estimated 25 percent by the year 2022. To meet this upcoming surge in employment, Skillpoint Alliance has ramped up their programing and expanded their services by opening a second training facility in Waco.

Is construction education out of reach for many people in terms of money and/or time?

The programs Skillpoint offers are all termed “Gateway”, which provides rapid job training and education that prepares participants for entry-level employment in as little as four to 12 weeks.

Gateway courses involve a combination of hands-on and lecture-style instruction. This instruction directly translates to the tasks and skills graduates will be asked to perform on a daily basis when they are hired into their field. Under Skillpoint’s most popular training model, every student will spend 40 hours per week in class, with the same punctuality and etiquette expectations of a regular job.

What are some of the courses Skill-

point offers?

Skillpoint implements a rigorous curriculum from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER).

The NCCER is well known worldwide as the standard for construction training.

Within the construction industry, Skillpoint offers electrical, HVAC, plumbing, welding, and machine operator certifications and will soon expand to provide carpentry later this year.

Each of the trainings provides opportunities for entry into a career that will lead to upward mobility and increased wages. Training schedules and programming may differ each year in response to fluctuations in the regional job market and the needs of the community.

Skillpoint responds to community needs by working to bring industry leaders together for a better understanding of the needs of employers.

You mentioned not only providing workers for the construction industry, but giving a hand up to some of the area’s more vulnerable citizens. How does this work?

With leadership from industry partners, every course includes training that is directly connected to what Central Texas employers are seeking in their employees. Skillpoint is currently exploring

other delivery models, including providing trainings in the evenings and on weekends in order to provide more opportunities for individuals to be able to attend classes.

Our staff is looking forward to increasing Skillpoint’s programming and helping our most vulnerable citizens access the workforce in viable sustainable careers that will propel them out of the poverty cycle while at the same time increasing economic growth and filling the needs of the area’s workforce.

We have an incredibly supportive and engaged board of directors who truly want to make a social impact in our community.

Do your students typically finish successfully?

Skillpoint Alliance touts a graduation rate of over 89%. -cw

Skillpoint Alliance is a 501(c)3 social enterprise that builds partnerships with area industries, educational institutions and the community in order to meet this challenge.

The organization was started in 1994 when Austin Mayor Bruce Todd called upon the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and the City of Austin to collaborate together in forming a task force that eventually led to the recommendation and development of the Capital Area Training Foundation (CATF), known today as Skillpoint Alliance.

Controls in the classroom Greg Schulmeier Automation Project Manager/Instructor Texas Chiller Systems/UAPP Local 142 San Antonio, TX

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tudents coming up through apprenticeship programs in various trades will have to deal with building automation systems (BAS) at some point in the field, especially as they become more common, explains Greg Schulmeier.

As an instructor for UAPP Local 142, he has enjoyed passing on what he has learned in the industry over the past two decades, as well as seeing several apprentices become journeymen who were so interested in his BAS class that they decided to go into that field.

With more people wanting to control various aspects of their building or home digitally, HVAC especially and lighting and door access as well as other trades are affected.

How do you teach students about building automation? And what are the most difficult aspects of teaching it and for the students to learn?

Since the BAS industry is so diverse and you have different vendors, I try to teach more of an open, overall [view of] how everything kind of ties together. I don’t teach the specific vendor, like a Honeywell or Johnson – we strictly do Honeywell [in his work], but I try to show everything there.

I try to show them the programming

of what’s behind the scenes, what’s on the computer as far as the programming and the graphics. And I think the hardest thing for them to understand is the actual programming of it and how that’s done and how that links with the graphics that the user ends up manipulating on a dayto-day basis.

Is that something that they need to know for their jobs or does that help them to understand it better?

I think nowadays, with as much diversity as there is coming as more and more companies are going with the BAS, I think it’s something that they need to understand.

A problem we have in the industry is that a service technician who is not familiar with BAS goes out on a service call and as soon as they see a BAS, “Oh, it has to be controls.” So, they’re passing that on to somebody else, and I’m trying to teach them that instead of seeing that and getting worried about it, understand what’s going on.

Maybe you can look at that, and you may not be able to understand everything about the system, but maybe you can go in there and troubleshoot and realize, “It isn’t the program. It is a mechanical problem.” Because we have a lot of times

where a service tech will be out there and say, “It’s controls.” And we go out, look and say, “No, the controls are just fine. It’s a mechanical issue that needs to be fixed,” and now the mechanics side has to go back out there again. That’s the biggest issue we’ve seen in the industry when it comes to [BAS] – people who don’t understand how it works.

Is the training for building automation especially important or widespread today? Will your service techs be dealing with this so often that they will need this training?

I think they’re definitely going to need it. I’ve been doing this for a while, and when I first started doing this, BAS, as far as computer-based was more of a luxury, an option. And nowadays because of energy conservation and stuff like that, more and more buildings are moving away from the older pneumatic styles and are going to the computer digital control field.

I think the more that an apprentice is going to be in this field, he’s going to see this more and more. And it’s becoming more and more prevalent than it was 5, 6 years ago. So instead of them being able to work on pneumatic controls – which if you know pneumatics, you don’t need to have any special training – whereas nowadays, because everyone is going to [BAS] and it’s becoming more of a necessity, they’re going to see that a lot more in their industry.

What have you seen evolve in building automation in your 20 years working in this particular field?

The biggest change I’ve seen is how open everything is becoming, whoever the vendor is, and how everything is

starting to become more and more communication-friendly between different vendors. When I first started doing this, it was very proprietary. Now, I’m seeing it become more and more open because vendors are actually building stuff that communicates with each other.

Why is hands-on training important in automation?

Most of the manuals that we get are very vague. I build a small project there in the classroom, all computer-based, and I give them each a laptop that the school supplies, and I let them go into that system that I built and develop their own program so they can see how to control or how this is controlled, so they can see how the program coincides with what they’re actually controlling.

What areas of education in BAS do you feel need improvement to better serve the industry and customer?

I think one of the biggest things is computer skills. The biggest problem I have when I’m teaching this to people is they don’t understand how a computer works. They get kind of swamped being on the computer, but I think, for our industry, we need [to teach] basic computer skills, because there are mechanics that work with their hands – they’re using tools, pipe wrenches – but when it comes to a computer, the biggest obstacle I have is getting them to feel comfortable behind the computer and [teaching them] how to work with a computer.

Greg Schulmeier has been automation project manager with Texas Chiller Systems for two-and-a-half years. He has been an instructor at UAPP Local 142 since 2005. –mh

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Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Construction Education Redefining success Kirstyn Quandt, Communications Manager National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) Alachua, FL

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rom the time we are young, parents, teachers and even society’s most opinionated strangers encourage the pursuit of a college education. Students have been taught that a four-year degree symbolizes a critical, expensive stepping stone on the model pathway of achievement. With such heavy influence coming from numerous sources, the future workforce is presented with one, uniform image of success and few variations in the course to get there. Unfortunately, what is absent in predetermined curricula and standardized testing is the option of non-traditional career pathways.

Careers in the construction industry are not presented on the cookie-cutter, sampler platter of ideal majors to pursue.

If you were to ask a class of high school seniors to identify the many benefits gained from enrollment in career and technical education programs or the numerous opportunities for employment in the construction industry, you’d be greeted with a mixture of intrigue and confusion. While today’s most popular media portrays doctors, detectives and corporate tycoons as America’s most successful professionals, it is the men and women who build society’s infrastructure that make modern life possible.

Students everywhere crave a career

that combines happiness and professional growth; however, they are often not provided with enough information or the proper guidance to achieve just that. One study in Butler University’s The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal reported that of the 20-50% of students entering college without a designated course of study, 75% switched their major at least once before graduation.

While today’s education tends to focus heavily on teaching to college admittance exams, it fails to prepare students for the skills and insight necessary when the timer stops and pencils go down. We all remember the routine: sit in class, learn, memorize and repeat. With this

teaching style, it’s difficult to forge the connection between textbook material and real world application, leaving many unsure of their next steps after graduation.

Education needs to incorporate a greater hands-on approach where learning is no longer confined to a desk or limited to a word count inside the lines of a spiral bound notebook.

NCCER’s Build Your Future (BYF) initiative focuses on enhancing public perception of the construction industry and encouraging the inclusion of career and technical education (CTE) programs in secondary schools across the country.

CTE programs have shown that when academic learning is combined with hands-on, real world application, students are undoubtedly developing a skill set built for success. According to the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), 6 in 10 students are planning to pursue a career in the CTE area they are exploring in high school.

When this level of assurance is viewed alongside the alarming statistics of new high school graduates actively pursuing degrees unsure of their major or career path, it is clear that rote memorization and high-pressured testing is no longer the most effective way to educate and train our future workforce.

As an industry, we must recognize that successful learning is more than es-

say writing and mathematical equations.

Effective education and professional growth stem from on the job experience and a refined skill set. Our industry is one of few capable of tailoring one’s passions to the task at hand and as a result, our workforce reports extremely high job satisfaction. According to the 2015 Best Industry Ranking Report published by TINYpulse, 34% of those in the construction industry say they work with great people, which is the number one indicator of job satisfaction.

Students must be made aware of the vast opportunities for employment, growth and happiness that accompany a career in construction. Only when we effectively recruit, train and place these individuals, will our construction workforce grow, thrive and continually surpass our own standards of excellence.

It is the responsibility of industry leaders, educators and everyday influencers to create a new, all-encompassing image of the successful, young professional.

Then, with full insight and confidence in their designated career path, students will pursue majors, crafts and careers that speak solely to their passions and eliminate any semblance of bias from others.

Through effective education and enhanced recruitment efforts, we can revolutionize the construction industry and redefine success, making four-year degrees merely one option amongst many.

NEXT MONTH APRIL 2017

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A bear-y happy Valentine’s

Reesa Doebbler, publisher of Construction News, received a big cuddly surprise for Valentine’s Day, from her husband and co-publisher, Buddy Doebbler. The 4-foot-tall teddy bear kept her company in the office as production on the March issue kicked into high gear. –mh

Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Page 17

continued from Page 1 — Supplies multiplied Mickan is married to Lynn and the couple has two children, Henley, 8, and Brooks, 4.

“We are an outdoor family,” Mickan says. “We like to hike, go to the lake, and I like to hunt. We are also involved in school activities.”

Kris-Con supplies the construction industry with a large variety of items including hand tools, rollers, plates, pumps and generators. They also carry a full range of concrete repair products and offer sales and rentals. –cw

Construction News ON LOCATION

Fireside chat

continued from Page 1 — Tradition of service guys and girls and we’ll roof a house and do whatever else is needed on the exterior.

“The hardest workers are always the girls!” he laughs. “The guys are up there showing off, and the girls are like, ‘let’s just get this done!’”

Community Restore started in Georgetown in 2009, and Texas Traditions Roofing is proud to be a part of their good work.

With plenty of experience in the construction industry, both Pickel and Emory wanted their roofing company to stand out from the competition.

“We wanted to be different,” Pickel says. “We didn’t want a sales process just like any other roofing company. We wanted to treat people like we wanted to be treated.”

The company uses basically the same three crews they’ve had since they opened, each specializing in either TPO, metal or shingles.

“For the first six months, I stayed on the job with the crew to ensure they understood our standards,” Pickel said.

“We didn’t want job sites left in a mess.

We always try to take care of people as if they are the only person we are dealing with and we give them the respect they deserve.”

The company has three fulltime employees, with Pickel, Emory and Hillery Sandberg, senior estimator.

Recently, Texas Traditions Roofing received its license in the state of Texas from the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (RCAT).

“Obtaining our license through the RCAT voluntary licensing program demonstrates to our customers that we have been vetted by a third-party industry association, that we are knowledgeable in roofing principles and that we carry the proper general liability and worker’s compensation insurance,” Pickel said. –cw

Texas Traditions Roofing handles residential and commercial work, including new construction, roof replacements, commercial and residential repairs and metal roofs.

Wade Woodford and Bob Trippe of FireCon Inc. get ready for a day’s work in North Austin. –cw

Submitted to Construction News

Capitol idea

continued from Page 1 — Dream big construction included weather.

“Weather was a factor in getting this one out of the ground,” she says. “In addition, after framing starting on the project, we had to adjust to the addition on a tenant space for SAFE Alliance, which needed to be completed at the same time the Big Brothers Big Sisters would and this required some rework of framing and rough in already in place.”

Despite these setbacks, the relationship between the teams involved in the project was positive, Gantt said.

“We worked directly with Brent Fields, CEO of BBBS of Central Texas and Nancy Reiter, the VP of Finance and Operations,” she said. “They were absolutely fantastic to work with and were always there to make necessary decisions quickly to keep work progressing. TBG has worked with O’Connell Robertson in the past, notably on Rise School of Austin in the same Rathgaber Village development, so the expectations of the team as a whole to produce a quality building have already been set. TBG looks forward to future projects working with them.”

TBG has worked for several of the top

non-profit organizations in Austin and has completed many successful projects with the following organizations: The Rise School of Austin, Goodwill Industries, and Emancipet. Additionally, TBG is working on kicking off three Salvation Army projects this year.

“We have extensive experience in projects of this nature and understand the commitment it takes to successfully complete projects based on humanitarian measures,” Burt says. “Furthermore, our experience in Rathgeber Village has allowed us the opportunity to future develop and cultivate our relationships with those individuals involved in funding these non-profit organization’s construction projects.” –cw

The Burt Group is a leading general contracting firm specializing in ground-up, new, adaptive reuse and remodel construction in healthcare, restaurant, hospitality, corporate, manufacturing, and industrial. Founded in 2002, TBG has built a reputation as an award-winning leader in construction with its resolute focus on integrity, safety and agile project completion.

The facility serves as home for administrative offices, as well as meeting rooms and an activity center for clients.

On Feb. 1, Associated Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors of Texas (PHCC) did its annual Walk on the Capitol in Austin. Pictured with Representative Lyle Larson. –cw

Rocking the block

On Jan. 24, National Women in Construction (NAWIC) Austin Chapter visited McCoy Elementary School in Georgetown to put on yet another successful Block Kids Event.

The program introduces children to the construction industry in an effort to create an awareness of and to promote an interest in future careers in one of the many facets of the industry. Pictured, Gabby Wade, far right, took first place with a structure that was a shelter for homeless children. Coming in second place was Luella Sikorski, far left; and third went to Aubrey Bryant, middle. –cw

Page 18

Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

Construction News ON LOCATION

Construction News JOB SIGHT

Shingle mingle

Signed in

At Southern Shingles Roofing Materials and Supplies, Calvin Johnson, warehouse superintendent, Rob Welborn, branch manager, and Joe Black enjoy the sunshine on a day that started off with heavy rain. –cw Danny Harper, with Lewis Sign, fixes up a lighted letter at the San Marcos Outlet Mall on a windy day. –cw

Construction News JOB SIGHT

Fit and trim

Construction News ON LOCATION

Top quality

Ricky and Ron with GC The Struthoff Co. Inc. trim walls at a new Panera Bread location in North Austin. The project should be completed by Mar. 2017. –cw

At Quality Hardwood Floors Inc. in San Marcos, June Gasiorowski and Bonnie Bryant are ready to help customers select that perfect flooring. –cw

A

Thinking inside the box

s EPI Electrical Enclosures & Engineering celebrates its 50th anniversary, Rudi Rodriguez, CEO, reflects upon the business that he owned and operated with his father for over three decades.

“I guess many things could be said about what you’ve done right to still be in business 50 years later,” says Rodriguez.

“But one of the other things in my mind is the partner that I had for almost 35 years of my time here and that was my dad, Ted Rodriguez.

“His conservative approach and steady hand really helped contribute to the success of the business model that we developed along the way. Being able to work with him for that period of time as a mentor was obviously very important to me and the development [of the company].”

Rodriguez explains that the business started as a sheet metal shop operation in 1966 and was then incorporated by one of the original founders in 1967. His father joined the company in 1969 in the role of management consultant. Ted was given one-third of the stock, and then in 1974, his son, Rudi, joined the business as vice president of sales and product development as well as becoming a corporate officer.

In 1975, Rudi and his father bought out the last remaining shareholder to claim 100 percent of the stock. Ted retired about eight years ago, and has passed away since then. Today, Rudi is the sole owner.

Partnering with large companies in the industrial and utility industries among

L-R: Rudi Rodriguez and his father, Ted Rodriguez, helped bring EPI Electrical Enclosures & Engineering to the milestone it has reached today.

others, such as GE and Westinghouse, gave EPI the opportunity to diversify and develop its products. They manufacture enclosures from as small as 4x4x4 to a 10,000-amp entry bus secondary, which is 102 inches wide, 8-ft tall and 4-ft deep, that they did recently for a customer service center in Arlington.

EPI has done enclosures all over Texas, including the Alamodome in San Antonio.

They’ve also done work for Southwest Research Institute that included manufacturing products to protect the wires and programmable controllers on the Space Shuttle Endeavor.

Based in San Antonio, EPI Electrical Enclosures & Engineering designs, develops and manufacturers electrical enclosures, wireways and bus secondaries as well as custom designs. –mh

Austin Construction News • Mar 2017

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Austin Construction News • Mar 2017