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CONSTRUCTION
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(210) 308-5800
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Volume 16
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Number 5
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MAY 2017
Set in stone
Opening the floodgates
L-R: Sunil Palakodati, Layne Fulero and Tim Way are excited about recent and upcoming changes at Architectural Granite & Marble.
L-R: Brandon Knapp, Warehouse Associate; Jon Millican, Inside Sales Representative; Don Wilhelm, Warehouse Associate; Quinn Kupish, Branch Manager; Wayne Sandel, Warehouse Associate; Dillon Spahn, Warehouse Associate; and Jeff Fields, Estimator.
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n Austin-based premier supplier of granite and marble – and other products – that was founded in 1992 has released exciting news on several fronts recently. Founder Jack Seiders recently retired from Architectural Granite & Marble LLC and Sunil Palakodati has assumed the reins. The company moved into a brand new, much larger facility to encompass its growth, and recently merged with West-coast based Pental Surfaces. These changes have been positive for the company, according to Seiders. “Sunil has the traits needed to guide AG&M to future growth and success,” he says. “He’s smart and personable, a big
picture thinker, a great communicator and has a ‘roll up your sleeves’ work ethic.” The new facility receives products from 26 countries, says Layne Fulero, marketing manager, adding that the company has the largest free-standing overhead crane in Texas, to better move the slabs of granite and marble. The company also sells tile, flooring, sinks, glass, porcelain and more, and has its own line of quartz called Metro Quartz. Palakodati, Fulero and Tim Way, VP of sales, are excited about a new feature rolling out on the website soon that will enable customers to design a space using the various products available.
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ortiline Waterworks has recently increased its Texas presence with a new location in Austin. The Austin office joins two in San Antonio, one in Friendswood and three in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Headquartered in Concord, N.C., Fortiline is a wholesale distributor of underground water, sewer and storm utility products with 49 branches nationwide. Quinn Kupish is the branch manager for the new location after years of working with the company, most recently at the San Antonio location. “The nice thing about this industry is that you’re always going to need water
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and you’re always going to need sewer,” Kupish said. “Even during a recession, it slows down but there’s always a need for that stuff. There’s not a whole lot of poor weather in Texas. In this industry, a lot of states in the north can shut down due to inclement weather in the winter. In Texas, you see growth and development going year round.” Kupish, a Kansas State graduate, sees Texas as a prime area to grow the business. “I think it opens a new market for us,” Kupish said. “We already have a strong presence in Texas. I think that is really helping us grow, as a company, in Texas. It should be good for us. continued on Page 17
Cleaning up on S. Lamar
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ustin’s South Lamar Boulevard is a highly-traveled roadway and a primary route to and from downtown Austin. This corridor is home to a diverse group of residents and businesses and its auto-centric nature has given the City of Austin a desire to develop the area with improvements. Recently, Datum Commercial Contracting LLC and ZIPS Dry Cleaners teamed up on a project that is a perfect fit for efforts to make this part of Austin more attractive. Starting with an old mechanics shop built in the 1950s, Datum – with the help of the owner, architect, City of Austin and subcontractors – transformed this old eyesore into a brand new ZIPS – the first of potentially 40 more in Austin and an additional 50 planned for the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The signature bright yellow and black color scheme, with plenty of glass on the exterior adds a welcome and fresh splash of color to this up-and-coming neighborhood.
“This is their first franchise location in Texas,” says Datum Estimator Sean Dalle, who was also Primary Project Manager. “There were plenty of problems with the place, but we managed to overcome them and finish in seven weeks. What sets the ZIPS franchise apart from many dry cleaners is the inclusion of its own physical dry cleaning plant, which means dry cleaning is not outsourced, is done faster and can be done for lower cost to the consumer. Started on Dec. 14, 2016 and completed Feb. 7, Dalle says the fact that the project was finished in such record time was due to many factors. Some of the challenges Datum and the team faced with the existing building was to bring light into a dark interior, and deal with leveling an existing concrete floor, and aged infrastructure. Job superintendent Bob Delosh said there was a lot to overcome with the The bright yellow and black color scheme of ZIP Dry Cleaners is a welcome splash of color to the neighborhood.
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