Houston Construction News March 2017

Covering the Industry’s News

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Volume 14

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MARCH 2017

Chipping away

Cemented in Houston

General Chipping got together at the beginning of the year and put together goals for 2017 for a safer workplace.

AmeriTex Imaging and Services LLC. started with ground penetrating radar but has expanded into a turn-key operation for cutting and sawing concrete and excavation.

eneral Chipping staffers got together and laid out their plan for training this year to be safer in a tough job.

“One of our goals is that we want to improve on safety,” general manager Diego Medrano said. “One of the reasons why our industry came to be is because the companies needed someone specialized with safety training, so people don’t do damage to the equipment or have accidents.”

Medrano and his crew specialize in concrete removal from central mixers, silos and ready-mix concrete trucks.

“The history, as far as I know, started in 1984 or 1985. It’s always been necessary but it wasn’t safe,” Medrano said. “Instead of it being part of the driver’s daily job,

companies started to outsource it in in the ’80s. In the ’90s, there were one or two companies in the country.

“It didn’t make sense for a company to invest in the training and insurance if they only require service once or twice a year.”

Alejandro Madellin started the company in 2007, and now the nationwide service is busy at work, often times doing jobs overnight to avoid shutting down a business.

General Chipping will put the training to use, as Medrano expects a big year.

“There seems to be a big boom coming because of the remodeling of the national infrastructure: bridges and highways,” he said. “That means that there’s going to be a lot of concrete being continued on Page 18

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orn and raised in Houston, Wade Arnett can look around at the city and look at the places he saw when he was younger and the places where he now works.

Arnett owns AmeriTex Imaging and Services LLC, a company that he started in 2008.

“I wanted to do ground penetrating radar just to start out,” Arnett said. “I soon found that when we were scanning the concrete to find places where people can drill holes and saw areas that they wanted us cut the areas and drill the holes as well. I was one-man band trying to make a living for the first five years.

“We’re a small part of what makes it all go around. It’s pretty cool to see that and drive down the street and have your

kids say ‘Look at that cool building.’ You can say ‘Yeah, we worked on that on Tuesday.’”

Not only can Arnett see what he has worked on, but he can also look back and see how the city and surrounding area has grown.

“It’s grown big time,” Arnett said. “I remember the outskirts of Houston was Cypress and my dad driving out there to get shrimp from the guys on the side of road that brought it in from the Gulf.

“I didn’t understand it until I got older, looking back at it. We spent a lot of time in south Texas and I grew up in the suburbs of Houston. I never really understood the difference in it until I continued on Page 18

New digs

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ampered & Twisted open its second shop in January with the new location located in Pearland after a renovation a a former daycare.

Longhorn Maintenance was the general contractor on the project, and owner Ben Franklin is very happy with how it turned out. Longhorn has been in business for 11 years, but Franklin has been in the industry since 1985.

“This is probably my third or fourth retail job like this. I was really proud to be a part of it and I hope she does well,” Franklin said.

The new location had to change what was a bright and busy area, and the most challenging part for Franklin was covering up the yellow paint that covered the walls.

“The walls were bright, bright yellow so we had to put several coats of primer on, then paint it the color she wanted,” Franklin said. “Her color scheme was very beautiful and after we got the painting

Many coats of primer were used to cover up the bright yellow paint from the former daycare center that existed in Pampered & Twisted’s new location.

done, we didn’t do anything with the flooring because it was in good shape.

“The hardest thing was the paint because we had to kill that color. We probably had to use four or five more gallons of paint than what we expected to make it look right.”

Franklin created custom shelving for owner Topaz Montague to display her products and built dividing walls to separate the different sections of the 1,100-sf store.

“We built two partition walls that sectioned off the long strip center building and put doors in them,” Franklin said. “We had to tear down a wall to make the front showroom wide open.

“We added the partition walls, got rid of the bright paint, got rid of the lettering but we made sure it looked clean. It was a good job, and she was a good tenant to work for.”

Pampered & Twisted is an all-natural continued on Page 18 19

Page 2

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

Trio of services

Rise in retail

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L-R: Doug and Gina Keeney, America 9 Construction, are enjoying the growth in the company over the last few years.

fter starting with one truck and working from home in 2009, Doug and Gina Keeney have take America 9 Construction coast-to-coast and are making waves in Houston.

Doug started the business in 2009, and Gina joined the business in 2013 once it started to take off.

America 9 specializes in finished carpentry, interior build out and product roll out for retail stores and other commercial projects. When doing retail work, attention specifications are key.

“It’s the most important thing. It’s next to making sure your guys get there on time,” Gina said. “You have to make sure it’s 100 percent done the right way.

A lot of the time, we’re installing other peoples’ fixtures, so we have to make sure it’s not broken or messed up.”

Doug served in the Army from 198589, and is originally from International Falls, MN. His background from the north

set up jobs down across the country.

“Doug is from Minnesota and a lot of his clients were from up in that area,” Gina said. “It seemed like we were just working out of state, and over the last six months, we’ve seemed to get more local work. We have been in business a while.

People are starting to hear about us and our quality of work is there.”

With the increase of work, America 9 is expanding its home with a new office opening this year.

“We are working on building our own building on a piece of property that we’ve got here in Cypress,” Gina said. “We will probably begin moving out to that in the end of the April.

“It’s a little crazy because we went from Doug with one truck working out of our house, and in 2013, we rented an office space and now we’ve outgrown that space. It’s moving very quickly for us.” –cs

After increasing in size for the last few years, Andrade Concrete and Construction has expanded its services.

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tarting off doing just concrete work 14 years ago, Victor Andrade has increased in size the last three years and has expanded his services, as well.

The flagship service, Andrade Concrete and Construction, does commercial and residential concrete for Houston and the surrounding area. The growth has come from Andrade’s involvement in the projects.

“It’s pretty amazing that Victor does that,” office manager Dawn Peterman said. “He’s not the kind of boss to sit behind a desk and bark out orders. He’s very hands on and spends a lot of time in the field. He doesn’t sleep much.

“He’s a perfectionist and it needs to be done right. We have a group of guys that do a really good job and they care and pay attention to detail, too.”

Andrade started working in construction with his dad as a kid and in 2003 he started his own corporation.

Along with concrete, he had a custom

homes division under the name Andrade Customer Builders and an equipment rental company, RAM Equipment LLC. “Concrete was the focus, but now we do site work, underground work and the custom home division can do anything,” Peterman said. “That’s primarily what we deal with here.”

Andrade has 50 people working for him in his companies with more growth on the horizon.

“We’ve just grown in size,” Peterman said. “We’ve doubled in size the last two years and tripled in size from three years ago.

“A little bit has to do with the economy, obviously, but a lot of it has to do with his direct involvement with the customers and our people in the field. He stands behind his work and if there’s a problem he’ll go tend to it himself and make sure it is taken care of. That’s just what he does.”­–cs

Proud to be an American and a Texan too

There she goes again!

That’s a topper

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

On Feb. 3, GC E.E. Reed Construction held a topping out for the Kirby Collection. Richard Keating Architecture is the design architect, Dianna Wong Architecture + Design is the interior designer, and Houston-based Kirksey is the architect of record. Walter P Moore is the structural engineer, and Houston-based WYLIE is the MEP engineer. The project, a 1,000,000-sf mixed-use development is scheduled for completion in September. Pictured, L-R: Jack Bousquet, Thor Equities and Richard Milby, E.E. Reed Construction –cw

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

Page 3

Safe stacking

A vigilant eye in the sky

L-R: David Kalinec and Christopher Cato head up Cato Industrial Group, which does permitting and general contracting services for high-pile storage, plastic storage and racking.

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he idea for Christopher Cato and David Kalinec Jr. to start Cato Industrial Group came from seeing a potential life-saving need that was being overlooked.

Cato, a retired Houston firefighter and former inspector with the Fire Marshall, has seen buildings go up in flames, leading to disaster for people in the buildings and firefighters themselves.

Cato Industrial Group is a turn-key business that takes care of permitting and getting the building up to code – one company to facilitate all areas.

The company does high piled, hazardous enterprise and industrial occupancy permitting along with post approval and inspections.

The need for Cato Industrial Group starts in the early 1970s when warehouses became taller, leading to high pile storage and racking, and plastics becoming popular. For 22 years, the Fire Marshall and the building department were trying to figure out how to enforce

Houston

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a changing storage issue.

“That all came to bear in 1995 in the city of Houston. We had three major warehouse fires, one of which poisoned an entire community,” Cato said. “It was at the end of that year when the Houston city council wanted the Fire Marshall’s office to create a specialized team of inspectors who would address high pile storage and hazardous material storage in Houston.

“Over the last 23 years, the Fire Marshall’s office and the building department have been on a very steep learning curve as they try to figure out a standardized approach to deal with this issue.”

Since 2010, Cato Industrial Group has been a turn-key operation into fixing those problems.

“We want to be a resource to landlords and to help them maximize their existing resources and streamline their high piled stored and hazardous material occupancy,” Cato said –cs

Wesley Johnson, area sales manager for Cameras Onsite, is bringing the company’s monitored security systems to more jobsites in San Antonio.

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s the new area sales manager for Cameras Onsite in San Antonio, Wesley Johnson has the unique perspective of having been a customer of the site security company.

Prior to joining Cameras Onsite, Johnson retired from his position as director of risk management at Joeris, where jobsite security was one of his responsibilities. In his 13 years with the general contractor, he notes that jobsite theft had been a continuous problem.

Johnson was dissatisfied with other companies they were using because intruders were getting missed, resulting in vandalism and theft, despite surveillance being present.

“When I found this company, they were spot-on with their detection,” says Johnson. “If we had a vehicle or a person show up on site, they caught it. That impressed me. I added more jobsites with their service, and within the first two or three months, we actually had an arrest using this company. In the first nine

months, they had arrested four thieves at two different jobsites. I was not getting that type of results with the other companies out there.”

After 19 years with Bexar Electric (IES) and 13 years with Joeris, Johnson searched for something that offered him flexibility of schedule so he could spend more time with his seven grandchildren.

With Cameras Onsite looking to grow in the San Antonio market where the company had a few existing clients, the opportunity was a mutual fit.

At 62, Johnson is happy that he is still working within the construction industry, having built relationships over his career of 30-plus years as well as serving on the AGC board and the ABC and AGC Safety Committees for over a decade and participating in every industry golf tournament he could enter.

Based in Houston, Cameras Onsite also provides monitored jobsite surveillance and security solutions in San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. –mh

Page 4

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

Alyse Makarwicz President AMB Architects

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lyse Makarwicz is president of AMB Architects and is using the coaching and lessons she has learned over the past four years to change the way she operates her business.

Makarwicz was a co-author for the book Phenomenal Success Stories: The Simple Path from Survival to Significance. The book tells of Makarwicz’s and other people’s journey to success in business.

What is your background?

I grew up in Newburgh, NY, and moved to Houston in the early ’80s. I spent the rest of childhood growing up in Kingwood and went to the University of Houston and got my architecture degree.

I’ve pretty much lived inside the loop ever since.

A lot of people that work in Houston are from Houston and went to college in Houston. What makes people want to stay in Houston?

I think there’s a lot of opportunity here. I feel like their regulations on business aren’t as tough. Texas has always been a business friendly state. People will do business with you here. It’s not like they don’t know who you are, and there’s more inclusion in Texas. There are more opportunities in Texas to succeed. There is no bias against being new and there are less taxes and that kind of stuff.

How did you get into starting your business with Michael Boykin?

Michael and I worked together at another architecture firm. After I graduated from college, I worked for a medium-sized firm here in Houston for eight and a half years. That’s where I met Michael. I was the vice president and team leader there. I had a niche that I worked in and really liked. It wasn’t something in the company’s focus or vision going forward. I like what I do. We focus on commercial interior architecture, so office space, doctor’s offices and retail.

We work with smaller and medium sized businesses. Being a business owner, I think it helps you relate to them and what their challenges and needs are. I was in tune with things where I could use technology and tools to improve the process on how I was working with my niche market.

How do you get into all these leadership roles? Have you always been comfortable being a leader?

In the DiSC profile, the behavior test, I’m a “D”, which means I have a dominant personality style. I’ve always been the way I am. I’m a very driven person. I like to learn to new things and improve on things. I don’t do well when someone tells me this is just the way it is, and I know there’s a better way to do it. That’s kind of what drives you to start your own business.

What is it like being a woman in this field?

It is still challenging. In architecture school, we had studio classes every semester. I never had one class with another female. In my graduating class of 70, there were only six women. I’ve been

out of school for 20 years this June, and things have changed a little bit but not a whole lot. That’s one of the challenges we have in our profession. I also sit on the board for the American Institute of Architects, the local one in Houston and on the state side. That’s something we talk about a lot too; why women leave the profession and how to keep women in the profession.

That’s one reason why I started my own business because there has to be a way to have an architectural firm and still have balance in life. It can’t be all about working 80 hours a week, nights and weekends to crank out these projects all the time. There has to be a balance where you can have a life and be healthy.

Three years after starting my business, I had my daughter, so I learned how to run a business and how to have a baby. You just make it work. With my business, I could make it work because no one could impose rules on me. I try to be very flexible with my work environment.

Last year, we ranked first in the Houston Business Journal’s best places to work. There were 54 businesses that qualified for it and we ranked first. That’s what I’ve been working on since I started my company. I wanted to be a place where professionals can work on being licensed. We all worked really hard to get where we are and I feel like we should all be treated like adults and professionals and that you have responsibilities, but there needs to be flexibility to go along with that.

We’re not put on this Earth to just work. I can leave and go and see my seven-year-old daughter at lunch. I don’t have to be chained to my desk. I created a place for myself as a woman in architecture so that I didn’t have to deal with the issues that other women are dealing with.

What do you like to do outside of work with your daughter?

Her and I, right now, like to go out and play Pokémon. We do get steps in doing that. We have fun at night walking around the neighborhood and playing the game. We like to play games on the computer together. I do a lot of crocheting. She hasn’t learned how to do it with me yet, but I like to do it.

What has been the most difficult thing about starting your own company?

Getting work and building relationships. We do really well at maintaining the relationships we have and do great work.

How do you go about starting relationships with people?

I actually joined a coaching program.

I graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program.

That was the first time where I shifted from a business owner working on projects to actually managing them and working on my business. I’m not the lead on anything. I help on any project that needs help. That was a big shift for me and my company. I was able to see what part of my business wasn’t being filled.

In business development, we were working with our existing clients but not building new relationships. In the coaching program I learned about referral marketing and building relationships, and we go through a process of figuring out where your work comes from and where those referrals partners are.

chapter, and I had trouble getting small stories in there to make a point. I started on the process on how to explain something by telling a story. That’s a new skill I’m developing.

How often does you last name get mispronounced?

I’ve only had two people in my life, that weren’t family, pronounce it right when they met me. I’ve met two Polish people that knew how to pronounce it.

What was Super Bowl week like for you guys?

It’s actually not been too bad. I, personally, have tried to not go downtown. We actually have an office in a building that is attached to the Galleria Mall. Some people didn’t come in and they worked from home. It’s been kind of calm.

There’s a lot of stuff going on downtown and they shut down some roads. It’s been cool because they have added more public transportation. The city has done a lot to support it. Some of my small business friends, that I have roundtables with, have been hired by the NFL to participate. They’ve done a great job supporting the local economy here.

Do you and other small businesses have camaraderie with each other?

As a small business owner, you tend to be alone because if you’re at the top of your company, there’s no one for you to go talk to. There’s not a mentor above you. To get mentorship and find out what other people are doing above you and find out about other ideas out there, you have to get with other small business owners that are interesting in learning and growing and are willing to share.

Most architectural firms are small businesses. If you’re an architect and trying to grow, architects that can come together, share and learn how to run your business a little better is huge. That’s in a competitive market.

We’re all competing against each other but a lot of us have niche markets that the others don’t work in. I always feel like there’s plenty of work to go around.

But to share that knowledge of what tools I’m using, what is working better for me now is big. You can’t go to school and take a class about what modern marketing is and what podcasts are out there and what kind of new software is out there that can streamline your business. The way you learn about that is learning what kind of things these other firms have done and why. Then you figure out how to do it in your business. I do that a lot with another roundtable I’m on.

We don’t really compete in businesses in there, so I don’t have to worry about competition. We just share and have a confidential platform. If you’re in a room with 10 smart, successful business owners, it is an invaluable resource.

I feel like most small businesses owners don’t find that community to be a part of. It took me a really long time. Six years into it, I was still searching to find a

Alyse Makarwicz

place to connect with other small businesses. I wasn’t having success until I joined the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, and after I got into that group, I was able to find coaching programs, which is more peer learning. We have conferences every quarter and have a bunch of smart, like-minded people focused on growing their businesses. I have had exponential grown in the last four years because of it.

Where do you see your business in five years?

I’m trying to think about how it cannot be traditional architecture.

Yeah, we do what we do, but I am working on ideas for passive income and selling things online, maybe I’ll write a book. I’m looking at starting a blog and not just a blog on architecture but about small business. When it comes to that arena, I can share and blog about running a firm and small business. I think it can help other owners out there and I can become a resource. That way, hopefully when they’re ready, they’ll remember me and consider us as their architects.

I want to do marketing differently.

Instead of just doing referral marketing or trying to go directly to the source, I want to do it more subtly and add value to the world out there. That’s just seems to be the way things are working with a lot of free content, and advertising on TV and things like that are going away. It’s headed more toward the blogs and podcasts where you have a really good niche market, and advertisers get more value out of that.

Things change, and I feel that architecture is very antiquated. Things that I did 20 years ago are pretty much what I still do today. The only difference is we’re using a 3D platform instead of a 2D. I didn’t have email in the beginning. It’s not like a lot of businesses that have changed significantly how they do business. Architecture could move forward into the future and do things a little different. I’m still trying to test the waters. –cs

Submitted to Construction News

Almost Dunn

What is the book that you co-authored about?

Howard Partridge is the main author and he’s my coach. He asked some of us that have been in the program to help, and the eight of us wrote a chapter of our story about what we went through. It’s a fun book because the personalities of the people who write the chapters really come out. Some are more inspirational stories and mine is very how-to.

What did you find out about yourself once you put your story on paper?

Some peoples’ stories were a whole

JE Dunn Construction is closing on finishing a new parking garage and office building for Rice University. The company celebrated with a “topping-out” as it gets ready to complete the top floor of the six-story, 67,000-sf office facility, which is connected to a seven-level, 159,000-sf above-ground garage. –cs

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

Page 5

Chamberlin celebrates 120

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Chamberlin’s Houston 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.

Kafka oversees the Houston office, which has 43 office and 216 field employees.

The staff enthusiastically gives back to its community; the team has volun-teered at WorkFaith Connection since 2007, hires from their program and raises money for the organization through its annual customer appreciation event. They’re also

always up for a little fun: The company annually hosts an event at an Astros game.

The Houston office takes enormous pride in its work. Major projects include Houston’s Discovery Green, Hobby Airport Renovation, St. Luke’s Methodist Church, Texas Children’s Hospital and The Hallmark Restoration. The team’s most recent awards include Associated General Contractors’ Houston Chapter Award for Project Excellence for the Kirby Towers Renovation and the Associated Builders & Contractors of Greater Houston’s Excellence in Construction Award for Project Delta.

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

New roles at Baker

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Character in customization

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,

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 (Mesquite), Fort Worth, Houston, College Station and San Antonio, and also has an office in Tulsa, OK. –mjm

L-R: Tommy Pier and Desi Rubio, Brochsteins, put together a custom piece for a customer.

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or 82 years, Brochsteins has been a leader in quality and craftsmanship for interior, custom millwork in Houston.

The company holds onto three pillars that keep it going strong in a busy and growing city.

“I think it’s a focus on quality, people and family,” VP of Business Development Richard Shelley said.

Brochsteins’ services include preconstruction, project management, drafting, manufacturing its own products, installation and maintenance.

“The essence of our business is production and installation of monumental grade architectural wood work projects,” Shelley said. “We do manufacture and install, which makes us somewhat unique in the industry. We see it as a quality differential since we take it from the beginning to completion.”

Doing its own manufacturing to the specifications of the architects means Brochsteins can create the perfect piece

for an office, kitchen, conference room or wherever it is needed.

“Every single piece that we do is custom. We don’t have any stock items,” Shelley said. “We’re taking an architects design or vision and helping them create the details in order to get it fabricated.

The work that we are doing is primarily corporate interiors, high end hospitality, things of that nature where you’re walking into a space and it needs to feel luxurious.”

Shelley has been with the company for just three months, after spending 12 years as a competitor, and has already seen, first hand, what makes the company successful.

“I think the order of priorities has surprised me a little bit,” Shelly said.

“They are constantly reiterating safety first, quality, schedule, and finally, our last consideration is cost. It’s a different culture than a lot of companies that are cost driven.”–cs

Page 6

Houston 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.

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.

Submitted to Construction News

Show the way

On Jan. 19, VLK Architects in Houston hosted students from Klein Collins High School for Job Shadow Day. Students learned the process of an architecture contract from beginning to end. –cw

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

Page 7

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 the fundamentals.” – Jesse Owens 2.“The best defense is a good offense.” – Vince Lombardi “It starts with complete command of the fundamentals.”

With every construction project, changes can occur. But regardless of whether it is a change to the design or specification or just a change due to the effects of weather, for a contractor to request time and/or money for that change, the project file will need to support the request. For the successful recovery of a claim, it is critical the contract file supports the fundamentals of the contractor’s claim. These fundamentals can be boiled down to two words – notification and documentation.

Carrying out the proper notification procedures of a claim and preserving all necessary documentation can bring faster resolution of the claim and may even prevent the issue from escalating to arbitration or litigation.

The contract between a contractor and an owner will likely have a provision relating to notice requirements. The purpose of notice requirements is to enable the owner to assess the scope of the problem and determine the course of action the owner wants the contractor to take. Further, it establishes a record of the dates and facts of the claim situation while the issue is still fresh in everyone’s mind. As you gather the facts to prepare the notification, also take the time to ensure the project file contains sufficient documentation of the events that took place on the project that support the claim.

The contractor should prepare the project file in a manner that the documents will speak for themselves.

This means that even if the people on the project change, the project’s history is easily discerned from the documentation in the file. Fundamental project file documentation should include: • Contract documents • Geotechnical reports • Daily reports • Requests for information • Phone logs (note: follow-up phone calls with emails to document discussions)

• Emails, texts & other correspondence with owner, architect, subcontractors & suppliers • Shop Drawings • Photographs and videos • Schedules • Time records • Material delivery and receiving reports • Progress reports • Payment records • Change Orders • Job cost account records • Bids from subcontractors • Chronology of events • Inspection reports • Minutes of meetings “The best defense is a good offense.”

Up-to-date, well-maintained documents in the project file are, by far, the best defense for a contractor. Not only can a well-organized and documented project file enable a contractor to quickly respond to a minor dispute in the field and, hopefully, prevent the issue from escalating, it can also provide the best supporting evidence in the event of a claim. The documents should also include copies of any timely notices to the owner of changed conditions when the contractor believes it is entitled to additional compensation and/or time to perform the work. It is much easier to prepare requests for additional time and money when the project file can clearly execute the “plays” for the contractor’s claims.

However, if the contractor attempts to prepare a claim at the end of the project but has few documents to support the claim, it is likely the contractor will be left with an expensive penalty – the inability to recover the time or additional compensation.

Ms. Connally is the managing shareholder of Connally Law PLLC. Ms. Connally is licensed to practice law in OH, DC, HI and TX and is a former warranted contracting officer for the U.S. Dept. of State, where she handled contracts for the DOS’ largest procurement office in Frankfurt, Germany. Ms. Connally’s email address is ehconnally@eclegal.biz.

Submitted to Construction News

Big start to the year

At its annual meeting on Jan. 26 at the Marriott Marquis Houston, the Houston Chapter of Associated General Contractors (AGC) got together to welcome it 2017 Officers and Board of Directors. Ken Simonson, AGC of America’s chief economist, spoke to the crowd and presented his annual Construction Spending, Labor and Materials Outlook for the year. –cs

T

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

Commercial appeal

B

eing just two years old, Leon Concrete LLC. is transitioning into bigger projects as contractors and businesses have seen its work.

Started in 2015 by Angel Leon, the business has been growing fast from its small beginnings.

“We started out small, getting small projects like little driveways,” vice president Miguel Leon said. “From there, we moved on to more commercial. We’ve done small buildings and things like that.”

Angel Leon used his background working for other companies and himself to establish Leon Concrete.

“It was just time. Back then, it wasn’t Leon Concrete LLC. It was a different type of company and that’s when my dad only worked by himself doing small projects,” Miguel Leon said. “He used to work for a construction company where he was a supervisor. He learned a lot about construction from them. He learned blueprints and everything else you need

to be a supervisor. From there, he went out on his own.”

One of the projects at the top of Leon Concrete’s portfolio is the Char Dham Hindu Temple in the Woodlands.

“That was one of the big projects that we had,” Miguel Leon said. “We really got a chance to demonstrate to our GCs who we really are. It turned out perfectly in time and in schedule.

Nothing was wrong with it.”

As a small company, Leon Concrete is going through the normal growing pains that companies go through, but Miguel is remaining optimistic.

“Since we’re just starting, it’s a bit tough for us to get credit from suppliers and get more projects from different GCs,” Miguel Leon said. “It’s tough but we’re hanging in there.

“To stay competitive, we have to work on our prices. So far, from what I’ve seen, we’re not that bad. We’re always top three. Besides that, everything else is great.”–cs

Page 8

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

Floor fanatics

Teach a man to fish

L-R: Cynthia Schofield and Elaine Kidd own and operate MEK Interior and Floors LLC.

Crewmembers of Angler Construction look to place rebar on a job site.

M

EK Interior & Floors LLC has been around for four decades, and owner Elaine Kidd has seen a lot since day No. 1.

Kidd started the business in 1974 after seeing the opportunities for business in multi-family homes.

“I started out selling to apartments because apartments were extremely plentiful construction opportunities back in the ’70s,” Kidd said. “We started out doing that, and the first couple of years I was in business, I had one of my major customers go bankrupt. I sold my house, paid off my creditors and decided to go more into the commercial end of the business.”

MEK Floors is now a successful business that sells and installs flooring and does interior work for, largely, commercial businesses.

“We’ve done things out of state and all over,” Kidd said. “We do a lot of city and government work.

“We’re about 90 percent commercial.

We do some of the retirement communities, high-rise condos and some higherend houses.”

MEK has its own crew but will sub out certain jobs, depending on the workload.

Kidd’s daughter, Cynthia Schofield, joined the company around 20 years ago after moving back to Houston from Alabama and is a co-owner.

“She takes care of the accounting end of the business: pays all the bills, sends out all the bills, collecting the money, paying the payroll,” Kidd said.

Being a woman in the ’70s, Kidd had an uphill battle to get her business rolling.

“It’s been tough,” Kidd said. “I have a million dollar education, believe me, because when I went into the business, every crook in Houston was building apartments. It’s a tough business. I don’t think it’s as bad now, because there are more women in it, but when I first started, there wasn’t anybody. It was just me and the guys.” –cs

T

orrey Hawkins’ path to starting his company had a few twist and turns, but ended with a growing company in Houston.

Hawkins, a marketing major from the University of Alabama, is the founder of Angler Construction. Born and raised in Washington D.C., Hawkins went to Alabama, and back to D.C. before landing in Houston to be with his wife.

Growing up, Hawkins had an interest in construction and worked summer jobs within the industry. Out of college, he joined the Toll Brothers’ management training program.

“They teach you the business aspects of running a construction business, but on the residential side,” Hawkins said. “As a project manager, you are in charge of sales, accounting, and construction with full P&L responsibility for your project and office – really all aspects.”

Founded in early 2010, Angler Construction provides commercial general

www.constructionnews.net publishing the industry’s news

Wonderful week

M Tracy Shoemaker working hard at Rodzina Construction.

arch 5-11 marks Women in Construction Week for women in the industry across the country, including the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Houston Chapter. NAWIC holds the week nation-wide to celebrate and encourage growth for women in con-struction.

The week is not all about parties, but rather helping out other women and the community with fundraisers and education.­ –cs

South Central Region NAWIC members at their annual meeting and education conference in San Antonio.

contracting for industrial, manufac-turing, retail, health care and technology facilities.

“Overall, it’s been like a rocket ship.

We’ve grown from doing $2 million in revenue the first year to our highs of $35 million,” Hawkins said. “That growth yearafter-year has been incredible.”

Angler Construction is focused on providing high quality construction along with excellent customer service, which means using the best subs it can find.

“Our subs are really the front line of how Angler Construction looks, and if we put guys out there who don’t deliver or are making projects more difficult than they need to be, it reflects poorly on me and the company,” Hawkins said. “I’m not willing to do that to save a few bucks.” – cs

Angler Construction is a full service GC that specializes in ground-up construction and corporate interior projects.

Texas Style

   

Cool casino

P

lumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) Houston Chapter held a casino night to give its members a chance to relax and network on Jan. 27.

The event was held at Cadillac Bar and Grill with over 100 people attending. Attendees had a chance to play different casino games, bid on items in a silent auction, raffle drawings and a photo booth, along with being served dinner. –cs

San Antonio Austin Dallas/Fort Worth Houston

Houston 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 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 catch-

Page 9

ing 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 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,

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.

work shorelines and shallow structure. A presentation of slow twitches and frequent pauses usually triggers lethargic trout to attack the wounded bait imitation. 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 win-

ter 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.

Page 10

Houston 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!

Share YOUR photos . . . fishing, hunting, skiing, biking, racing, or any outdoor activity or sport.

Half or Full Day Fishing Trips All Bait, Tackle & Equipment Furnished Your catch Filleted and Bagged for You Furnish your TPWD Fishing License & Refreshments, and WE DO THE REST!

Ken Milam Guide Service (325) 379-2051 www.striperfever.com

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

Page 11

Around the State Helping heroes

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ast July, a sniper used a semiautomatic rifle to ambush and fire upon a group of Dallas police officers and Dallas Area Rapid Transit officers. Five officers were killed and nine others, including two civilians, were injured.

During the incident, the Dallas Police Department immediately called upon neighboring police forces – including the police in the small town of Double Oak, TX – to be ready to assist if needed.

Double Oak’s force bravely stood ready to answer the call, but because the resources of the 2,900-resident town were limited, the officers did so without the kind of body armor needed for sniper situations or potential riots.

When Supreme Roofing CEO Tim Rainey learned of the Double Oak Police Department’s need, he quickly made a generous donation to purchase three sets of high quality body armor, which consists of a bullet-proof vest, a helmet and a ballistic shield. He also lobbied others in the roofing industry to donate a set of body armor for the Double Oak officers. The North Texas Roofing Contractors Association (NTRCA) purchased a set, as did C-CAP’s John Gipson, Empire Roofing’s Ronnie McGlothlin, Frazier Roofing & Guttering’s Rich Frazier, Sun Commercial Roofs’ Hector Castro and Texas Roof Management’s Kelly Lea. “We are grateful for the sacrifices that police officers and their families make on a daily basis to protect our communities,” Rainey says. “It’s an honor to join with other leaders in the roofing industry to give back in a meaningful way to a local police force.”–mjm Dallas

Get growing – grow greener

Sam Sitterle in the planning stages

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The Double Oak Police Department now has the body armor they need, thanks to Supreme Roofing’s Tim Rainey and generous roofing industry members.

herever you go or wherever you are, how can one not notice and appreciate beautiful, healthy landscaping?

Since 1991, Sam Sitterle, owner of MetroScapes Landscaping Inc., has been transforming or creating beautiful and unique settings for residential, commercial and industrial clients.

His landscape design-build company can both design and install hardscape, including brick, stone and boulder retaining walls. Sitterle also designs and installs low voltage lighting systems.

Project types range from private clubs, entry gates, clubhouses, private estates and atriums to storage units and rangeland restoration.

In 2012, Sitterle founded Green Grow Organics, Inc. to provide an all natural, 100 percent organic lawn care service, designing a custom truck rig with aerators and custom sprayers to keep the active bacteria and fungal elements alive for delivery to the site.

Sitterle states that, “Over the years,

the South Texas landscape has been depleted of soil nutrients by periods of drought and excessive use of chemicalladen products. The solution to this problem is actively-aerated liquid biological amendments and our naturallyderived compost tea.”

He says the compost tea, as well as their dry application of minerals, have endless benefits. Results have been measured and recognized by gardeners, horticulturists as well as turf managers. Compost tea is derived from a proprietary blend of compost steeped in oxygen-rich water, resulting in a custom balanced for-mula that restores individual ecosystems.

Sitterle is working with policy makers and the construction industry to demystify the chemical-free project delivery method. Our process has proven ROI on water and soil conservation so vital to our region.

MetroScapes Landscaping and Green Grow Organics are working hand-inhand to save the world, one organic landscape at a time. -rd San Antonio

A team forged in steel

Supplies multiplied

Veterans of the Vestal Steel Specialties team L-R: (back row) Kevin Vestal, operations manager; Gerald Kosub, general manager; Tony Pena, shop supervisor; (front row) Walter Vestal, president; Betty Addie, office manager; David Padalecki, vice president

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

F

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.”

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 Austin

W

ith 37 years and 2,025 structural steel buildings under his belt, Walter J. Vestal’s company, Vestal Steel Specialties, has come a long way from his first job on his own, the parking structure at the San Antonio Airport.

Now, that structure has been torn down to make way for the CONRAC facility, but Vestal’s legacy started there and continues today.

“We have done everything from most of Sea World, a lot of Fiesta Texas, a lot of San Antonio Airport,” recalls Vestal, 63. “I built the tower that’s on the top of the Tower of the Americas right now. We rebuilt the courthouse when they remodeled it. I rebuilt the municipal auditorium when it burned down, and we just did the GE Oil & Gas Test Facility out here in Schertz and the City of San Antonio District 2 Library.”

After establishing the business in 1980, Vestal and his growing team were working out of a 4,000-sf shop on a small half-acre lot on Seale Road with no room

to expand. As jobs got bigger and bigger, Vestal ended up moving to Schertz where he now has a 20,000-sf plant on an 8-acre lot.

With about 30 people working for him today, Vestal notes that the people in his office are outstanding and have mostly been with the company for more than 25 years. David Padalecki, vice president, came from steel sales, but he and Vestal have known each other since working together at a little icehouse on Rigsby in high school. Tony Pena, overall foreman; Betty Addie, bookkeeper/ secretary; and Gerald Kosub, who purchases all the material, round out what Vestal calls “a magical team.” His nephew, Kevin Vestal, a graduate of Texas A&M, has also joined the company as operations manager and is Vestal’s heir apparent to take it over one day.

Vestal Steel Specialties does structural as well as miscellaneous and custom steel fabrication, shearing, forming, plate rolling, pipe bending and CNC cutting. – mh

Page 12

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

Bird call

Fast off the blocks

Raven Air Conditioning & Heat is expanding its reach throughout Texas in the upcoming year.

Walter P. Moore is enjoying an exciting to start to 2017.

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he new year has been a busy and productive time for Walter P. Moore. The 86-year-old company is an engineering form that specializes in innovation in the business along with structures, infrastructure and traffic and transportation systems.

Moore has had its hands in multiple NFL stadiums, the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia and the Orlando Regional Medical Center, along with a plethora of different projects.

With the Super Bowl taking place in Houston this year, national sports market lead Bart Miller was excited to see projects the company worked on being used throughout the week for events.

“First of all, it’s always extremely awarding for us to see our projects being used and being used by huge crowds of people,” Miller said. “It’s such a high profile event, and it’s very rewarding for us, personally and professionally. It also gives us a chance to showcase our work.”

The venues being used include Discovery Green for Super Bowl LIVE, George R. Brown Convention Center for NFL Experience, Minute Maid Park for NFL Opening Night and NRG Stadium for the big game.

“One thing we did is have our members get involved with some committees to formulate the big ideas and prepare the city,” Miller said. “We’ve been able to do some of that and other than that, we stand ready to help out with all the venues and the types of crowds that

will be at shows and events.

“We were the structural engineers for NRG Stadium. Like all of our stadium projects, we worked hand-in-hand with the architects and owners to make sure their vision was met.”

Walter P. Moore took off in 1965 with the construction of the first major domed stadium – the Astrodome.

Not only is Moore making large, unique projects, but the firm is also trying to make sure it has minimal effect on the environment, which has been reflected in its work and by the city.

“We have a team that focuses on how our design lines up with sustainability,” building envelope consultant Joe Fong said. “We look at materials, how we impact the environment, how energy saving can we be in our design, although we are not architects. We also work along with the architectural designs.”

The city of Houston named Walter P. Moore the first place tenant for its 2016 Houston Green Office Challenge.

“We had already made our office as green as we could, even before the challenge, and since then, we were already meeting all the requirements and getting all the points,” Fong said. “Recycling is something we pay attention to: aluminum cans and electric batteries. We also pay attention to our printing. I would say we also have a group of people that try to promote a sense of green. We meet every month and discuss how we can implement strategies and we made a newsletter called Moore Green.”–cs

T

he story behind the name isn’t a nod to Edgar Allan Poe or even a deeper meaning. Raven Air Conditioning & Heat owner Juan Silva just likes birds. The company has taken the name and run with it as it starts to expand outside of the Houston area.

Started in 2010, Raven began on the residential end but has now transitioned to the commercial side.

“I know that, like most companies, there’s a supply and demand issue and Raven decided to move forward with that need in the community, starting in residential,” estimator Edward Canche said. “It expanded to commercial.

Basically, it’s an on-going need to supply customer service.”

During his time at Raven, Canche has seen and been part of a lot retail jobs, leading to an increase of revenue every year.

“We are a six-year old company and we specialize in commercial refurbs and new construction,” Canche said. “We

handle new projects that are less than $500,000, not bonded. We have done four Advanced Autos, three Caliber Collisions, O’Reily’s, seven Walgreens, two CVS’s, three Academy’s, three Neighbor’s Emergency Centers.

“My first year, three years ago, we did roughly $1.3 million and last year, we did $2.5 million. Right now, we’re on track for $4.5 million.”

After being in the Houston market for six years, the company is starting to expand its reach with jobs in two other major Texas cities.

“We just picked up two jobs: one is a Forever 21 in San Antonio and a Guitar Center in Austin,” Canche said. “I see, potentially in four or five years, more state-wide growth and more diversity in projects and crews.

“We’ve done things in Texas City, Katy, Galveston and things like that but nothing with a 300-mile stretch between us.”

Expanding the brand

Chaparral Industrial Services opened up in early 2016 and is focused on customer relationships as it grows.

I

n early 2016, Chaparral Insulation launched Chaparral Industrial Services (CIS). Now not only is the Chaparral name connected with insulation, it now does industrial/commercial painting, abrasive blast, electric heat trace, general maintenance, and scaffolding.

“Chaparral Insulation has been very successful in the commercial market and wanted to expand into industrial market opportunities,” senior vice president Nick Vonas said. “David Akins, owner of Chaparral, utilized an opportunity to purchase a small local Houston company and rebrand it with the Chaparral name and infuse it with the Chaparral family culture.

Vonas and Jimmy Pearson are senior vice presidents for CIS and have backgrounds in the industrial, large-scale EPC market. They place an emphasis on pre-planning work and having detailed plans for the client at an early proposal stage that follow into the execution phase.

CIS is starting to show that it can do

well in a very competitive Houston-area market.

“We have a very detailed business strategy for success that begins with a foundational ‘core’ approach to our operations and project execution,” Vonas said. “We have initially been doing scaffolding work primarily but both insulation and blast/paint projects are increasing, as our name recognition increases.

Being a new company comes with challenges and problems, and CIS is no different almost a year into development.

The presidential election also complicated matters.

“No one knew what was going to happen,” Vonas said. “Also, a lot of companies have been sitting on capital funds and they’re looking at what they need to do, but are very selective about the projects they’re doing. Our approach must recognize safety, cost efficiency and client requirements/deliverables to make the most of the allocated funds.”–cs

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

Page 13

What ????????? movie, book or TV show would you ???????? recommend?

“The Sopranos.” I love that show. We’ve watched it at least twice from the beginning to the end and we’re right in the middle of it again. We go home and watch an hour of it a night.

Gina Keeney, America 9 From a business standpoint, probably “Scaling Up” (Mastering the Rockefeller Habits 2.0) by Vern Harnish. It’s one we spend a fair amount of time looking at.

Richard Shelley, Brochsteins “Deep Water Horizon.” That was a great movie. That movie is all about when you put profit over safety, but it’s also a great movie.

Christopher Cato, Cato Industrial Group “Cradle to Cradle.” It’s about how we can take care of the environment.

Joe Fong, Walter P. Moore “Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett. It’s a drama set in the middle ages, but it’s set around the construction of a cathedral.

There’s a lot of engineering, construction and architectural methods from that time period that are very well described.

Bart Miller, Walter P. Moore “The Big Short with Steve Carrel.”

Miguel Leon, Leon Construction The one book that has had a big impact on me lately is “The One Thing” by Gary Teller. It’s about getting focused and finding your one thing. I know what my one thing is but I have a hard time getting focused every day and working on that

one thing. If you can grasp that, you can do anything in life for anybody. Whether you’re a small business owner or working in an office, it’s beneficial for everybody.

Alyse Makarewicz, AMB Architects My favorite thing to read is Mike Rowe’s Facebook post. I’m a huge proponent of what he does for the blue-collar worker and the gap in skills between your white collar and blue collar workers. He tries to educate people because, currently, people in America think you need to go to college and be a white-collar worker to make a living. It’s definitely not true.

Everyone wants to be rich and they think college does that for them.

Wade Arnett, AmeriTex Imaging “Dirty Jobs.” It’s not on anymore, but I love it. There’s an episode when they show concrete chipping and even Mike Rowe said that was one of dirtiest and toughest jobs he’s done.

Diego Medrano, General Chipping “Seize the Day” by Joyce Meyers. I have a lot of them I like. It’s about taking advantage, knowing your purpose and making every day count.

Elaine Kidd, MEK Floors “The Prophet” on CMBC. From being able to watch that and being able to extrapolate that into the business the next day, you don’t get that from a lot of TV shows. It really talks about people processing, how you move through a difficult situation and those types of things.

Torrey Hawkins, Angler Construction

Thinking inside the box

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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

Chili-ing out

T

he International Interior Design Association (IIDA) held its annual football themed chili cook off at the Quality Service Floor Covering warehouse Feb. 2.

The event benefited the Texas Association of Interior Design and featured 31 teams with five to seven members per team. Two interior designers and two chefs chose the winners of six categories. –cs Best Overall Chili: Quality Service Floor Covering/ Mohawk Best Traditional Chili: Quality Service Floor Covering/ Mohawk Best Hangover Chili: Inventure Design & MDI Resources Spiciest Chili: Abel Design Group Most Unusual Ingredient: Quality Service Stone & Marbele Most Spirited Team: Inventure Design and MDI Resources (Photos provided by Andy Phan)

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

Page 14

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

Page 15

Construction Education Spreading the word Byron Parffrey Builder’s Academy Houston, TX

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uilder’s Academy has come a long way from its humble beginnings of just five students as a consumer advocate training for owners in 1994.

Now the education center has over 85 students taking a 40-hour, six-week class.

“It was a part-time, six week homebuilding course and now it’s a full-blown career changing entrepreneurship with internships available,” founder Bryon Parffrey said.

The classes allow students to obtain licenses for home inspection and commercial properties. The students also learn home building and renovation in the different programs that are offered.

“Today, thousands are quitting their jobs and building, not only homes, but townhome projects, pocketing $100,000 a year in home profits,” Parffrey said.

Some of the challenges facing con-

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

S

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

struction education are getting people involved and the correct education.

“The I-don’t-have-time-for-classes type who think they can watch a TV program and become a pro builder or inspector watching TV,” Parffrey said. “Many end up here after a major problem on site. They need education and experience.”

The Builder’s Academy has a mix of classroom and hands-on approach to give a complete education.

“In class, online and onsite and in our building and inspecting offices, you learn, see and take part in the real deals and experiences like no other,” Parffrey said.

“Ask any student and graduate; it’s an eye opener and life changer. High schools and colleges should have a course in building and basic knowledge for all.”

Going forward, Parffrey wants more ways to connect with the students and different ways to learn.

“We will be adding more radio shows, podcasts and tubes as well as webinars to help many build on solid foundations and careers,” Parffrey said.

With all the construction projects and construction companies in Houston, graduates from the program have a chance to find jobs or start their own companies after graduating.

“We had the greatest deal (in Houston),” Parffrey said. “Land and labor was cheap compared to rest of nation, not so much anymore. We do have a great supply of labor. We just weed through to find the quality.”–cs

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.

ferent 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.

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 dif-

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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Page 16

Houston 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.

Best of the year

The Texas Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE) chose Harold “JR” Reddish as the 2017 Houston Engineer of the Year. Reddish is president of S&B Infrastructure, LTD.

Mark Hoffman, Walter P Moore, was named 2017 TSPE Houston Young Engineer of the Year. –cs

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

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

Page 17

Association Calendar

Round-Up

Content submitted by Associations to Construction News Associated Builders & Contractors

Houston Area Glass Association

Mar. 17: Membership breakfast from 6:309am at Brady’s Landing, 8505 Cypress St. Topic: Workforce Development Shortage: How did we get here and what is the solution?

Mar. 24: Walk, Talk & Negotiate Like A CEO, presented by Linda Byars Swindling, 8:30am-3:45pm at ABC office. Lunch provided.

Mar. 27: Spring Golf Tournament benefiting the ABC Scholarship Foundation, 9:30am5pm at The Clubs of Kingwood, 1700 Lake Kingwood Tr., Kingwood.

Mar. 30: CMEF Open House, 3-6pm at CMEF, 2950 East X St., La Porte.

For more information call 713-523-6222

Apr. 6: 2017 Golf Tournament Fundraiser at Houston National Golf Club, 16500 Houston National Blvd., Houston beginning with registration at 11am, lunch at 11:30am and shotgun start at 1pm.

For more information, contact John Linhart at 713-206-5667.

AGC Associated General Contractors

Mar. 7: 2017 AGC Houston Sporting Clays Tournament benefiting the AGC Advocacy Fund, 8:30am-12:30pm at Greater Houston Gun Club.

Mar. 24-25: 26th annual Barbecue Cookoff & Fair, Sam Houston Race Park For more information call 713-843-3700

AIA American Institute of Architects

Mar. 27: 2017 Gulf Coast Green event at John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science, 1515 Hermann Dr. For more info., www.aiahouston.org

ASA

IEC Independent Electrical Contractors

Mar. 9-30 (Thursdays): OSHA 30 Mar. 15: CE 914, 6-10pm Mar. 22: CE 917, 6-10pm Mar. 23: Safety Orientation Apr. 1-May 6 (Saturdays): State Masters Exam Prep, 8am-noon Apr. 6-May 25 (Thursdays): State Journeyman Exam Prep, 8am-noon For more information call 713-869-1976

MCA Mechanical Contractors Association

Apr. 7: 12th annual Shotgun Invitational, Greater Houston Gun Club For more information call 281-440-4380

NECA National Electrical Contractor Assn.

Mar. 9: Coastal Sabine Division Meeting Mar. 21: Houston Division Meeting Mar. 23: Board of Directors Meeting Mar. 27-29: NECA Now Convention For more information, 713-977-2522 Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Mar 17: Building Leaders Dev. Group (BLDG) Happy Hour, Karbach Brewing, Co., 2:30-5:30pm, cost: free. Connecting individuals under the age of 35 who are employed in the construction industry (GCs, subcontractors, architects, and those who provide a product or service to construction companies).

Mar 23: General lunch meeting, HESS Club, 11am.

Topic: Construction Career Collaborative. Cost: $35 members, $55 non-members.

Apr 7: Annual Spring Golf Tournament, Cypresswood Golf Club, 10:30am-5pm.

See Calendar of Events at www.asahouston. org or call 281-679-1877 for more information.

Mar. 14: The Houston Chapter meeting at Maggiano’s, 2019 Post Oak Blvd, 5:30pm.

Speaker Robert A. Zabcik, PE, LEED AP with NCI Building Systems. Reservations: Sandy Field, rsvp@nawic-houston.org

ASCE

Society of Women Engineers

American Society of Civil Engineers

March 14: SWICA Expo & Craft Competition; Seminars include Acoustics/CUI/ Cryogenics. 10am-6pm, admission free at Marriott Westchase,- Houston.

For more information, check www. swicaonline.org

CFMA

PHCC Mar. 8: Monthly lunch meeting with vendor displays, 11:30am-1pm at Cadillac Bar, 1802 Shepherd Dr. $30 per person with advance registration. Title: 2017: A Blend of Optimism and Uncertainty with Pat Kiley and Candace Hernandez. Register http:// gulfcoastphcc.org/events.htm.

For more information, call 281-702-2955.

SWICA

TACA

Mar. 22: March Membership Meeting, 10am-1:15pm at Federal Reserve Bank, 1801 Allen Pwy, Houston. Topic: The Economist Who Loved Me by Anirban Basu.

For more information visit www.houston. cfma.org

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

Texas Society of Professional Engineers

WCA

Construction Specifications Institute

Women Contractors Association

Mar. 27: Monthly chapter meeting, 5:30-8pm at the H.E.S.S. Club, 5430 Westheimer Rd. For more information go to http://www. csihouston.org

Women Contractor Association Apr. 6: Monthly luncheon at Maggiano’s Little Italy, 2019 Post Oak Blvd, 11:30am1pm. Topic: TMC Research Project by Abbey Roberson with Texas Medical Center.

For info: www.womencontractors.org

FPA Foundation Performance Association

For more information: www.foundation performance.org

This is a monthly section for brief company announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of charge, as space allows.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Email (w/digital photo, if available) by the 15th of any month, for the next month’s issue (published 1st of each month).

Email info to appropriate city issue, with “Round-Up” in the subject line: ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

San Antonio: saeditor@constructionnews.net Austin: austineditor@constructionnews.net

Dallas/Fort Worth: dfweditor@constructionnews.net Houston: houstoneditor@constructionnews.net

CORRECTION In the February issue Construction News Houston, the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Houston Chapter was incorrectly identified. Construction News regrets the error.

Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors

Construction Financial Management Assn.

CSI

Gretchen Diesel, RID, LEED GA, has joined Stantec as a senior interior designer in the firm’s Texas Buildings Group.

Diesel brings more than 20 years of experience providing interior design services for a variety of projects. Diesel earned her MFA in interior design at the University of Houston. Her background includes a concentration in commercial and healthcare design, specializing in conceptual design, art installation, and furniture selection and specification. Her past multidisciplinary coordination and project management experience will enhance Stantec’s Buildings practice in the South.

NAWIC

American Subcontractors Association

Mar. 31: Geo-Houston Conference, 7am, Rice University Ley Student Center For more information visit www. ascehouston.org

Johnston recently promoted Paula Gaviria from senior associate to associate partner.

Gaviria, Practice Leader - Project Delivery, brings 18 years of architectural design and production experience, specialized in the healthcare field with its unique complexities and requirements for hospital facilities throughout Texas. Gaviria is highly respected by clients, consultants and colleagues. Johnston is proud to have her as part of the leadership team with her commitment to excellent project delivery and mentorship.

Submissions

HAGA

Round-Up

ABC

Lone stars

B

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)

Page 18

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

Woman behind the scenes

continued from Page 1 — Chipping away poured across the country.”

Medrano said the chipping industry has seen its challenges and changes through the years, but there will always be a need for the service.

“There are technologies that are emerging for the industry and certain chemicals you can use so there’s not as much build up,” he said. “Regardless of what you use, you will have a need for someone to come in.”

Madrano, a 2011 Texas A&M grad, was born and raised in Houston.

The job itself is hard work, and when

a company covers the country, the mental strain is there, too.

“The job requires the guys to travel a lot,” Medrano said. “You are spending 24/7 with four other guys that you don’t know that well. You spend more time with them than your family. Obviously, the job isn’t easy. It takes a lot of skill and physical strength to do the job. I would say the hardest thing for the guys is remaining concentrated on what they’re doing. It’s a lot of physical work but you need to know how to do the job, how to do it faster and how to do it safely.”–cs

continued from Page 1 — Cemented in Houston

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

P

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

started construction and saw what growth really is.”

AmeriTex’s services include concrete drilling and sawing, paving repairs, ground penetrating radar and excavations.

“The majority of our work is the sawing and the drilling,” Arnett said.

“We’re also geared toward working with NAP contractors to basically make their life easier, so we’re the turn-key sub on underground projects.

“We let them specialize in what they do: laying pipe. We’ll do everything from saw cutting the concrete and digging it out. Then they’ll lay their pipe and we’ll do the backfill and pour the concrete back.”

Arnett realized he could make imagining a business after college when working on site that needed the concrete tested.

“We had to drill some holes without any rebar in it,” he said. “I must have drilled three or four holes and hit rebar every time. I just got back from school learning this stuff so let me grab this thing and scan it. Within a matter of

hours, we had a bunch of holes that they could get tested.”

AmeriTex uses GSSI ground penetrating radar, which is used for archaeology, mining, forensics and other applications, as well.

Arnett and his team have used their experiences and knowledge to inform customers about the need for the services.

“People had to find the need for it.

It’s a niche, for sure,” Arnett said. “Back in the day, they put a ton of rebar in a building and built it. We had to convince people that through the years, while they are doing tenant build outs, over time they are drilling holes in the concrete and taking away from the structural integrity.”

As the company has grown over the last four years, Arnett can now set more goals going forward.

“We’re currently running six service trucks but our goal is to double that in the next five years,” Arnett said. “We just want to offer our services to more people and have a strong homegrown based company that people enjoy working for.” –cs

continued from Page 1 — New digs

Pampered & Twisted owner Topaz Montague says she and Longhorn Maintenance owner Ben Franklin saw eye to eye on the vision for the new location.

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

and organic beauty supply shop and in the new location, it is opening a salon to cater to its customers and show its products in action, as well as an event room for education on the products and holistic lifestyles.

“As our second location, I had more flexibility financially to really have a vision about what I wanted, unlike our other location because we were just starting out,” Montague said. “What I liked about Ben is that he was able to translate my vision into exactly what I wanted. We just saw eye-to-eye throughout the project.”

With the strict codes enforced by the city, Montague had to shell out an extra $6,000 to alter the existing sprinkler system with the dividing walls creating problems.

“The most challenging part for me was the permit process,” Montague said.

“My exposure was from the Houston perspective and all you had to do was drop off the form, pay the fee and when you’re scheduled, they come and inspect and you’re good to go.”

The renovation itself cost $13,000, plus the fire system, and took just 10 days to complete.

Montague chose the location in Pearland with a large percentage of her customers from the area and the businesses in the surrounding area.

“About 35-40 percent of our customers in our Houston boutique have zip codes within that range, so I knew it was going be in Pearland,” Montague said.

“When I was trying to scope out a location, I saw our next door neighbor was an alkaline water place. It seemed like a good fit.”–cs

Houston Construction News • Mar 2017

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Houston Construction News • Mar 2017