Austin Construction News April 2018

Covering the Industry’s News

Texas Style

P.O. Box 791290 San Antonio, Texas 78279-1290

PRSRT. STD. U.S. POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT #1451

Change Service Requested

San Antonio H Austin Dallas/Fort Worth H Houston

Austin

CONSTRUCTION

™

The Industry’s Newspaper Downtown & April bluebonnets

T

www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 15 H Number 4 H APRIL 2018

Go team go

By all means

L-R: Jonathan Miranda, Ulises Moran and Rafael Resendiz Jr. in front of some acoustical stretch wall in downtown Austin.

The Reliable Air team - middle: Arthur Allen and Cheryl Espinoza

eam members from Heartland Acoustics & Interiors have started a new tradition. The Austin branch general manager, Randall Larson, says last year they went to the UT vs. Kansas State football game with selected clients and partners.

President of Heartland Acoustics & Interiors, Jason Gordon, accompanied them. “That’s a big deal for us because Jason is a K State alumni and all of us Texas boys out here are in huge support of UT,” said Larson. Did Mr. Gordon have his Wildcat gear on? Larson says, “Oh yeah!

He came dressed in purple and I was out there in burnt orange.” The Longhorns took that win.

Larson shares that this year they are

going to try to see UT vs. USC because that’s always a good game. He says they may bring out their San Diego counterpart because he grew up in LA, so they’ll have that friendly rivalry going on again.

In 1998 Jason Gordon started Heartland Acoustics & Interiors in Denver. The third branch, which is the Austin branch, opened Oct. 2016.

As Gordon was getting ready to open the office in Austin, Larson was working for a drywall company. Yet, for many different reasons, he decided to do something else. Larson and Gordon were put in touch through mutual contacts.

“He liked me and I liked him,” said Larson.

He admits he wasn’t the first one continued on Page 17

T

hey’ve been on the right track. Family, work, faith and speed are all important to Arthur Allen and Cheryl Espinoza, owners of Reliable Air, a heating and air conditioning company that was established in 1996.

She remembers when they first started because she was on maternity leave at the time.

As the business progressed from residential jobs to commercial projects, the Espinoza’s work with some of the same contractors today. “We still work for the same contractors because that’s the kind of relationships that we’ve been building long-term,” said Cheryl.

Right now they are finishing up a Hays County Barbeque in San Marcos.

They also do a lot of churches and design builds.

Juan Davila, an employee who is also a deacon at a church in Lockhart, had help from his workplace at the end of last year. Davila was donating time to help do renovations. Reliable Air donated all the equipment and materials.

“Whenever we get a chance to give back, we do,” Cheryl said.

She emphasizes that because they are a faith-based company they always try to service churches at a minimal profit.

This year the company will reach 22 years of business in September. Cheryl will not forget the day Arthur came home and said, “I think I’m going to start my continued on Page 17

Ready for play

N

covered open air pavilion, constructed with timber trusses with a stand and seam metal roof. It includes an outdoor fitness area with Norwell exercise equipment, a splash pad, basketball courts, volleyball courts and a playground with climbing cubes, a shade structure, rope towers, swings and other play structures.

The Green Lawn is an open area with artificial turf grass so it can be used yearround for outdoor resident events.

An unusually heavy seasonal rain created a challenge in the completion of the project, but the construction team re-arranged the sequences of the project to keep the project moving on time.

The Green is an expertly designed and built park space that elevates lifestyle, wellness and outdoor fun. The kid’s rope towers, climbing cubes and sports courts encourage healthy fun. State-ofthe-art fitness zones with Norwell Equip-

ow open for endless amounts of outdoor fun is The Green Play Park at Santa Rita Ranch just northwest of Austin in Liberty Hill, TX. The Green Play Park is a state-of-the-art playground building in the Santa Rita master-planned community.

Specializing in design-build construction, commercial and residential projects, Epic Design-Build LLC was selected for its experience and expertise to detail. Skip Tammen, co-owner of Epic Design-Build, has 35-plus years of construction experience in both residential and commercial building.

The Green Play Park project took five months to complete from start to finish at a cost of $1.8 million. It’s a complex that offers a variety of outdoor fun and activities.

The Green is anchored by a board and batt insulation, Texas native stone Front entrance of The Green Play Park

continued on Page 17

Page 2

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Tejas man

Industry FOLKS Stacy Justice Director of Service Titus Electrical Contracting LP Round Rock, TX

W

hat makes Stacy Justice excited to tackle each day?

“What makes me tick is the idea of creating something, letting it stand on its own two feet, finding things that are there and making them better,” the director of Titus Electrical Contracting says. “Those are the things I like doing the most.”

Growing up helping in the industry (his stepfather was involved in construction, and his father worked in the commercial flooring trade), Irvingborn Justice saw early on how he could help improve upon something. After moving to Lexington, KY and working in computer technology and communications for law enforcement, he transferred to Central Texas with his girlfriend-now-wife Sara and began working as an electrical contractor’s office staff member. The experience made him nostalgic for his construction roots and when he had the opportunity to join Titus he jumped at it.

“It was a chance to come into a company and really instill some things that I think matters,” Justice says. “The owner, Shelly Runyan, is a very kind and like-minded person and that has

kind of rekindled some passions I’ve had over some years about trying to build a really good service company.

That’s what I’m focused on right now.”

Justice doesn’t just better things through his work. He spends his personal time making a difference in his personal life as well, whether it’s founding Austin’s only Dallas Cowboys fan club (now over 400 members strong), restoring a black 1973 Charger and a candy apple red 1966 Galaxy or volunteering with the Red Cross after Hurricane Harvey.

“As far as hobbies go I like doing things on the weekends, but I am very work-devoted,” Justice says. “Titus has been around nearly 33 years and it’s been a staple here in Central Texas, specifically in the Austin area. I think people over time have kind of forgotten who Titus is or who they were. It’s reestablishing who they are back in this market. This is a really good project in front of me that, I think when we’re done with it it’s going to be something. That excites me the most.”

–mjm

Guys loading up equipment

W

hen Steve Spence, branch manager of Tejas Equipment Rental in San Marcos told me he was originally from Oregon, he promptly added, “I got here as fast as I could…I love it in Texas!”

Spence was actually born in California and grew up in Oregon. After high school he attended California State University, Fullerton. He has been in Texas 12 years.

“I worked for the Hertz Corporation for about 10 years, and decided I needed a new adventure and went into the equipment rental business,” Spence added.

Spence remarked on how the San Marcos area is booming and thriving and how there is plenty of competition every day in the equipment rental industry. His biggest daily challenge is to stand out from other rental companies in the area.

Luckily the building in San Marcos that houses Tejas has been an equipment rental location for a long time, coincidentally it was built in the 1970’s by the father of Tejas’ own inside sales rep, a fifth gen-

eration San Marcos native.

The San Marcos community is a source of pride to Spence. Tejas Equipment Rentals regularly supports many local organizations and their events including Gary Job Corps Job Hunt, 4H Dove Hunt, San Marcos High School Band Booster Club, to only name a few. You will often see Spence and staff at the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce mixers.

“We’re very local, we are definitely not just business,” says Spence.

He claims to really enjoy his work at Tejas, especially when he can help “do-ityour-selfers” select the equipment best suited for whatever they are trying to accomplish. They have a wide range of tools, forklifts, backhoe loaders, excavators, light towers and other construction equipment to offer to the general public.

Should they not have what a customer needs on site, it can be found through one of their other locations in South and Central Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.

Tejas Equipment Rental offers construction equipment for rent. –alk

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Page 3

On the scene

Deregulation coming to the electrical industry

I

Coffee break – far right: Mark Ford

T

hey were at Houston’s Super Bowl, the site of FEMA’s Hurricane Harvey’s relief efforts, the Circuit of The Americas Formula 1 series and will soon appear at music festival SXSW – but they weren’t the headliner or the headline.

Still, the portable restroom and temporary fence rental and services company United Site Services is key on the scene.

Mark Ford, vice president for the company’s South Central region, says USS’ nearly 100 U.S. locations position it to not only handle all sizes of events and emergencies, but also construction, industrial, agriculture, government and sports/recreation needs.

“USS has been in existence since 1999 but has grown through acquisition and organic growth,” Ford says. “We’re now the country’s largest site services provider including toilet, fence and roll offs.“ The local market is served through two full-service branches.

“Austin and Buda do portable restrooms, restroom trailers and special events,” Ford explains. “Austin has 40 employees doing everything from working the yard to preparing restroom trailers, to service and fence technicians installing fence on special events and construction sites. We have roughly nine employees on the Buda site; it’s really a home base for our event people who almost exclusively do special events support, fence installation and travel to cover major events.”

USS plans to be on more scenes.

“Just in the last year in this region, we had 12 locations and now we’re up to 15 locations,” Ford says. “We just expanded into Corpus Christi and Beaumont. We’re looking at doing work in the Huntsville, Waco and College Station areas and we’re reintroducing to the El Paso, Midland Odessa markets as well.”

United Site Services is a portable toilet rental and temporary fence rental and services company. – mjm

CONSTRUCTION NEWS

Austin

If you are a construction-related company in the Austin area and would like an article about your company, your personnel or your event, call us for an interview.

There is absolutely no charge for interviews, articles and photos.

Call 210-308-5800 or email information to: AustinEditor@ConstructionNews.net HoustonEditor@ConstructionNews.net Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buddy Doebbler Editorial/Production . . . . . . Reesa Doebbler Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carol Wiatrek Production Manager . . . . Helen Greenwood Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terri Adams Account Manager . . . . . . . . . . . Dana Calonge Editors

Carol Wiatrek Lexie Velasquez

Daniel Zulli Reesa Doebbler

Contributing Editors

Melissa Jones-Meyer Ann Keil Jesse Abercrombie Austin Area Counties Travis, Hays, Bastrop, Burnet, Blanco, Caldwell and Williamson counties Construction News Ltd. Home Office P.O. Box 791290 • San Antonio, Tx 78279 210-308-5800 Fax 210-308-5960 www.ConstructionNews.net

We support your world . . . www.ConstructionNews.net

DFWeditor@ConstructionNews.net SAeditor@ConstructionNews.net Visit our Website to sign up for a free monthly Digital Subscription www.ConstructionNews.net The Austin Construction News (ISSN 15477630) is published monthly by Construction News LTD., dba Austin Construction News, and distributed by mail to constructionrelated companies of record in Austin and surrounding counties.

All submissions should be emailed to our editorial offices. We reserve the right to edit any materials submitted. No fees for materials, copy or photographs submitted will be due unless agreed upon in advance in writing. Submissions will be published at our discretion on a space available basis.

Construction News, Ltd., dba Austin Construction News, will not be liable for errors in copy or in advertisements beyond the actual cost of space occupied by the error.

Publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement at any time. ©2018 Construction News, Ltd.

Help support ours Advertising 210-308-5800

n keeping with the current trend of cutting burdensome governmental regulations and red tape, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently announced that the National Electrical Code (NEC) will be eliminated soon.

The NEC has been in existence since 1897 and is normally updated every three years, 2017 being the latest update.

But after a cost-review analysis, it was determined that 2017 will be the last revision to the textbook for all things electrical. The expected savings in not only eliminating the code book, as well as all regulations, is estimated to be $247 million dollars annually.

“We feel this move will not only save money in the long run,” E.Z. Hertz, spokesman for the NFPA said, “but it will free up the local electrician in the field and their companies to be more flexible in meeting customers’ needs.”

Some, however, view this new direction by the NFPA as detrimental to the public’s well-being and safety.

“This is nuts,” one local general electrical contractor, who wished to remain anonymous, said. “Without the NEC, every Tom, Dick and Harry electrician will be able to basically wing it when it comes to wiring someone’s house or business.

Who knows what type of electrical work they will do in order to cut corners and save a dime?”

Still, others see this as a lifesaver when it comes to being able to do a job more quickly and efficiently.

“I can’t wait,” said Moby Short, an independent electrician. “All those rules and regulations were making a simple job 10 times more complicated, not to mention costly. Now, I can lower my bids, which will make it easier to compete for jobs.”

A random phone survey of local electrical companies seems to echo this sentiment.

“Why should some bureaucrat in an office somewhere dictate to me how I should be doing my business?” contractor Jose Watt asked. “I know how to wire a home.”

The NFPA also announced that its last code change will be to eliminate the color of electrical wiring. Instead of having differing colors like red, green, white or black, all wires will now be blue. The purpose, the NFPA said, to not discriminate against a person who wants to become an electrician who happens to be color blind.

Any new policy change, especially one of this magnitude, is sure to cause some people to blow a fuse. We will have to see how eliminating the electrical code standards plays out and say, “April Fools.” -dsz

Building buildings and lives Starting his own company was not something Christopher Copeland, founder and CEO of Copeland Engineering, LLC, ever thought of.

“I had a lot of bucket list items but starting my own company was never one of them.”

Copeland was a civil engineering major at the University of Texas, Austin, which taught him the allaround basics of engineering.

After graduation, he worked for a large engineering firm, which funneled him into structural engineering. There he was a company partner, shareholder and vice president of engineering with 85 people under him. Life was good and he was doing well.

Unfortunately, the company had more drama than One Life to Live, and Copeland decided it was Chris Copeland, owner and president of Copeland the best time in his life to make a Engineering, LLC. move.

Thus, he formed Copeland Engineer- rear of the plane. It’s “fighting forward ing in March 2016. and fighting going backwards.”

Even though it was “terrifying to The biggest thrill Copeland gets is leave a cushy job,” Copeland actually not in seeing a building go up as a result found the first year to be the easiest. One of his labor, it’s rather seeing lives change reason being there is a time-gap be- and helping people grow. When he tween doing a job, then getting the fol- works with a younger member of the low-up calls afterward. Copeland likens it team, he wants to “groom them to be the to the dust that comes after a car passes best person they can be,” he said. you on a country road.

“This company isn’t really an engi The most formidable challenge in neering firm, it’s a people growing firm,” starting his own business was going from Copeland proudly states. a manager to a worker. Copeland super- Someday he sees his company going vised a lot of people and assigned their to the successors of the five other current work; now he had to actually do the owners. It’s all about raising up the next work. But he has a talented core group of generation to eventually replace them. people who can do that which he’s not Copeland uses this “missionary point specialized to do or doesn’t have time to of view” to create not just more builddo, leaving him time to press on with ings, but the right people to build the new projects. buildings.

He uses the imagery of flying a Copeland Engineering, LLC, is a strucbomber, heading to a new target, but tural engineering firm in the Austin area. needing tail gunners to take care of the -dsz

Page 4

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

experience?

It gave me an opportunity to actually work with engineers and projects. It was a great experience meeting engineers that had been in the business for many years. It was new for UTSA and for SARPMA. I’m sure my co-op experience gave me an advantage and was a major factor in being offered a position at Brooks AFB right out of college.

Robert Hernandez President Jim Whitten Roof Consultants LLC Austin, TX

F

rom the top of a roof to the top of a company there is nowhere to go, but up. His career was formed through opportunities. Now the reigns are in his hands and he’s ready to continue.

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in San Antonio.

What is your family’s background?

My dad worked at Kelly Air Force Base and retired from there. He was also in the Texas Air National Guard and retired from there too. My mom stayed at home raising us kids until my youngest sister started school, then she went to work as a cook at an elementary school cafeteria.

How many siblings do you have?

I have two younger sisters, who both live in San Antonio.

What were your early years like?

I went to Jefferson High School. In 1990, I received a civil engineering degree from UTSA. After graduating I went to work for Brooks Air Force Base. That summer was the first year that the government started closing down military bases. I was a little nervous about all the rumors that were going around. I started looking for other opportunities and was able to get an offer from Law Engineering and Environmental Services in Austin.

I moved to Austin in September 1990 and I’ve been in Central Texas since then.

Did you do an internship while attending UTSA?

I did a co-op with the Air Force for a couple of years. It was called San Antonio Real Property Maintenance Agency (SARPMA).

What were the takeaways from that

What was your job experience like working at the Air Force Base?

I was working in the environmental engineering department which was my initial chosen career – to be an environmental engineer. I gained valuable experience learning about managing environmental waste and hazardous materials at an Air Force base. There were good people willing to train and educate me as I was getting my career started. I was there for five or six months until I moved to Austin.

Are you married?

Yes, I am married to Cindy. We’ve been married for over 25 years. She works at Jim Whitten Roof Consultants as our controller.

Do you have any children?

We have four kids. Our oldest son graduated from UT with a mechanical engineering degree; our oldest daughter is a junior at Baylor; our youngest daughter is a sophomore in high school; and our youngest son is age 9 and in elementary school.

What activities do you and Cindy enjoy doing in your spare time?

Whenever that comes around, we like going to the movies or more often than not renting movies. We try to make Fridays movie night when we can. We like to take winery and brewery tours when we can.

What activities do you do with your children?

We enjoy camping, fishing and going to the beach. We try to stay involved with our church, St. William in Round Rock. We also like to involve them in church activities such as festivals and volunteering. Our youngest daughter is a Tiger Dancer at Stony Point High School, so we make sure we attend those types of school events too.

What are your hobbies and interests?

When I can, I like to go kayak fishing down at the coast. I enjoy hunting and playing softball with the Knights of Columbus. I also have a 1983 Jeep CJ7 that I like to work on.

Has there been any recent traveling?

Yes, Cindy and I have been traveling

for the last couple years. For the first time, we did it without the kids, traveling to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, then to Cancun.

How did you and Jim Whitten meet?

Jim and I were working for the same engineering company (Law Engineering) in 1990. I was working in their environmental department and Jim was in their buildings and facilities department. During that time the environmental consulting business in Texas was in a down turn due to some state and regulatory changes and work was getting slow. So I was asked to help out with the buildings and facilities department. I found that I enjoyed standing on top of buildings and assessing roofs, and hanging off the sides of buildings inspecting waterproofing (properly tied off, of course), and wound up never going back to environmental consulting. I worked under Jim for about eight years.

Jim was my mentor in the roofing and waterproofing consulting business. He retired from Law in 2000.

What happened next?

Most of us thought Jim retired and was taking it easy. We found out he had gone to work for a roofing company as a project manager. He eventually retired from that company and started doing consulting work out of his house. Fastforward to 2001, I had left Law Engineering and was offered a position with a local roofing consultant. I worked for them for three years when I got the call from Jim out of the blue. I mentioned that I was considering a job change and was meeting someone for lunch to discuss an opportunity when Jim abruptly said, “Cancel your lunch date with that guy. I need you to come work for me.” I asked him what he was talking about because I thought he was semi-retired. He said, “Oh, man I’m so busy I don’t know what do to.” He had built an office in his backyard. I went to meet with Jim and he offered me a job as a roof consultant in January 2005, while the painters were putting final touches on his office.

What happened in 2007?

In 2007, Jim decided to incorporate and become an LLC. At that time, he made me vice president of the company.

How has the transition from vice president to president been for you?

It’s been kind of a natural transition.

It’s also been motivated by an increased awareness of opportunities in the business for minority-owned businesses.

Robert Hernandez

What are you looking forward to?

The Austin Independent School District is a major client of ours and over the years they’ve had Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) contracting goals, but never contracting requirements, until this past year. Since JWRC was not previously a HUB/MBE becoming certified went hand-in-hand with the transition of the ownership. We feel like the timing is right and we’re hopeful that becoming HUB/MBE certified will provide new business opportunities. Government contracts can be challenging, but very rewarding.

What’s been the response from the staff?

They’ve all been positive. Everybody is excited about new opportunities for new projects and different types of clients.

Is there anything you would like to add?

We are excited that the company is moving in this direction and to have the potential opportunities as a minorityowned business. We are looking forward to measured growth.

In November 2017, Hernandez transitioned to the role as president of JWRC.

In February, JWRC announced it had received its MBE certification from the city of Austin and its HUB certification from the state of Texas.

Jim Whitten Roof Consultants provides independent roofing and waterproofing consulting services for educational, institutional, governmental and private sector clients. –lv

Construction News ON LOCATION

Welcome to Reliable

The Reliable Air office in San Marcos has a friendly staff that you can rely on.

L-R: Allen Espinoza owner and Toby Carden -lv

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Page 5

Construction women unite

T

he National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) celebrated WIC week across the nation Mar. 4-10. The Austin Chapter celebrated by hosting fun activities all week including a blood drive, yoga happy hour, scholarship fundraiser with Kendra Scott, arts & crafts session, community involvement with the Central Texas Food Bank and a jobsite tour with students from Crockett High School Construction Technology program hosted by Flintco. -cmw

Jobsite tour by Flintco at their 70 Rainy Street project.

Kendra Gives Back Night – 20% of all purchases made from the event will go back to NAWIC for scholarships.

Crockett High School Construction Technology students get briefed before touring the 70 Rainy Street project.

Sassy’s So Shacky workshop

NAWIC member Stevie Morrison helps out at the Central Texas Food Bank.

Yoga Happy Hour – distressing with yoga and “happy” hour

LET US KNOW ABOUT YOUR COMPANY STORIES, EVENTS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AND PHOTOS

CALL: 210-308-5800 EMAIL: AustinEditor@ConstructionNews.net

NAWIC members and Crockett High School students engaged during the jobsite tour.

Page 6

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Giving ‘em Moore

In memoriam

Benjamin Dean Holt, Jr. (BD Peter) Moore Supply Co. San Marcos location L-R: Stephen White, DW Ballard, Ronnie Barrett and Kris Kagey

C

ustomers at Moore Supply Co.’s two Austin locations might never guess that the company giving them local, personal service is actually part of a plumbing, heating and industrial supply behemoth Hajoca Corporation.

They also might not know that Moore Supply Co. operates 51 traditional plumbing supply businesses in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The company reaches customers far and wide, but it prides itself on making each feel special, and Kris Kagey, general manager of the San Marcos location, credits Moore’s “decentralized” business model.

“Every location focuses on and distributes products and services according to what best meets the local market’s needs,” Kagey explains. “Our Austin North location will be heavily focused on commercial, residential and showroom customers, while our Austin South location is more focused on residential new

construction and service customers.”

The arrangement, Kagey says, has “really worked out.”

“The ability to allocate our business and focus on the multi-segment opportunities has afforded us the opportunity to grow and to partner with not only our vendor partners, but also our customers and contractors,“ he says.

Being big is beneficial, but being the best is what each branch strives for.

“We want to be a top distributor of premier plumbing products, pipe valves and fittings in Central Texas,” Kagey says.

“More specifically, we hope our customers, contractors and vendor partners would look at us as being not only the best at what we do every day but also their favorite supplier.”

Moore Supply Co. is a provider and distributer of premiere plumbing products, pipe valves and fittings. –mjm

Small but mighty

A flying HVAC at a job site in Downtown Austin

F

or years, Gabe Gotsche had worked in the HVAC industry, but felt he wasn’t serving the community in a way that was important to him. To solve that, he founded G&S Mechanical with his wife Jackie in 2008.

In the decade since, his staff has grown to 16, but Gotsche still prefers to be out in the field personally checking on jobs. It’s important to him to make sure that his locally owned and operated company provides the quality of services he envisioned.

“He’s very much active on a day-today basis, and so is Jackie,” office manager Lei Lavea says.

The couple’s next step is expanding the company’s services in south Austin.

Because G&S Mechanical offers commercial, residential and multi-family services, they feel more than ready.

“You will not find [all three specialties offered] in Austin; usually you will find residential, multi-family or just commercial,” Lavea says. “We really pride our-

selves on dipping into all of the areas of the HVAC industry.”

Even though their goals get bigger, the company refuses to abandon its personal feel both inside and outside of the office. Annual parties at TopGolf, overthe-top birthday celebrations and Easter egg hunts for the workers in the shop are part of the fun. G&S Mechanical, a Chamber of Commerce member, gives back to its community too, recently installing a free HVAC system for an elderly woman in need (actually, they did accept a few of her delicious homemade cookies).

“Our employees have families, so the company is very family-based and our customers are our neighbors,” Lavea explains. “We’re not a huge company; we just provide that down-home quality customer service to each and every person. We treat people the way we would like to be treated and I think we do that by having a smaller company.”

HVAC subcontractor G&S Mechanical is located in Hutto. –mjm

B

enjamin Dean Holt, Jr. (BD Peter) passed away Sat., Mar. 10. He was born in Oakland, CA to Benjamin Dean Holt, Sr. and Loretta Wahl Holt on April 21, 1925. He graduated from Stockton High School in 1943, enlisted in the US Marine Corps and was promoted to Lieutenant after graduating from Officers Training School. After WWII, he entered the University of California at Berkeley.

He married his first love, Corinna Knapp in 1947 and graduated from CAL-Berkley in 1948 with a degree in Agricultural Economics.

After Corinna passed away in 1990, he fell in love again and married Kaye Durham in 1992. BD (Peter) would say, “How lucky I’ve been to have two women who loved me!”

In 1948, BD (Peter) went to work for Caterpillar Tractor Co. in Peoria, IL and after completing his training there; he became the Caterpillar District Representative in Mississippi.

He was then recalled to the Marine Corps during the Korean War. After the Korean War, he returned to work for Caterpillar. In 1954, BD (Peter) moved his family to San Antonio to work for his uncle, William K. Holt at his Caterpillar dealership in South Texas. In 1961, his uncle sold him the southern portion of the Wm. K. Holt Machinery Co. BD (Peter) established his headquarters for B.D. Holt Co. in Corpus Christi.

In 1969, he established Energy Industries to manufacture gas compressors. That business expanded into several states and Canada. In 1978, he was able to fulfill a lifelong goal when he purchased a ranch in the Texas Hill Country near Blanco, running a cow/ calf operation and growing oats and hay crops. In 1987, BD Holt Co. and Holt Machinery Co. in San Antonio merged, moving the headquarters to San Antonio and what is now Holt CAT. He never lost his Caterpillar connection, driving to

the office almost every day when he was not at his beloved ranch.

He supported many community causes in both Corpus Christi and San Antonio including the Texas Aquarium, San Antonio Children’s Museum, the United Way and the San Fernando Cathedral.

BD (Peter) was the father of Peter M. Holt (Julianna), Anne Holt (Christian Schultz) and Ben Holt (Lisa). Not many fathers have two son’s names after them, Peter and Ben! He also had three children by marriage, Edie Durham Sapp (Henry), Mary Durham Clark (Jimmy) and Eleanor Kaye Durham. He was most happy to be the grandfather to his eleven grandchildren, Corinna Holt Richter (J.B.), Peter John Holt (Lauren Kate), Benjamin and Harrison Holt, Clay Sapp, Mimi Sapp Brown (Zachry), Travis Clark (Katharine), Edwin Clark (Megan) and John, Virginia and Mary Park Durham. He was fortunate enough to have four great grandchildren, Holt and Charlotte Richter, and Hazel and Penny Holt.

BD (Peter) is survived by his sister Catherine Holt; brothers-in-law Harry Phillips and George Knapp; and sisterin-law Penny Holt.

He is predeceased by his parents, his first wife Corinna Knapp Holt; second wife Kaye D. Holt; and his brothers Donald and Nicholas Holt.

BD (Peter) and his family are grateful to all of his dedicated caregivers: Dr. Mark Thorton, Alejandra Rivas, Karel Hoffman, RN; Maria Martindale, Flor De Maria Smith, Caitlyn Gomez (chef), Linda Mallard, Toi Montelango, Tina Pena and Regina Lucio. Also, most grateful to his office staff: Charles Strickland, Juliet Williams, Gayle Cuellar and Elisa Ellington and to his ranch staff: Harold Lord, Scott Grote, Tony Floerke, Anita Ramirez, Juan Lopez, Eladio Cortez, Joe Torres and David Gonzalez.

–cmw

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Page 7

New year, new ideas for recruiting and retaining employees in the construction industry

Managing your fleet exposuresdriver qualifications

Cyndi Mergele, Senior Director RSM US LLP San Antonio, TX

Mark Gaskamp CSP, CRM, CIC, CPCU, ARM, ALCM Managing Director Wortham, L.L.C. Austin, TX

F

W

or the U.S. economy, the positive signs continue: unemployment rates are at historic lows, consumer spending is increasing, the stock market–while volatile at times–continues to set new records and optimism is at an all-time high.

The construction industry is expected to flourish right along with the rest of the economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry added 210,000 jobs in 2017, which is a 35 percent increase over the previous year. In addition, construction spending is on the rise. The Commerce Department reported that construction spending was up approximately 2.4 percent in 2017, including a record $1.257 trillion in November.

The robust economy and the surge in spending are anticipated to boost construction hiring even more in 2018. Not only is the industry expected to create new jobs, it will need to replace an aging workforce, which will begin retiring in record numbers over the next decade.

Studies have estimated the industry is only producing one replacement worker for every four workers who leave. If this trend continues, it’s expected the industry will face a shortage of nearly two million workers in just the next few years.

Uncertainty regarding immigration policies and the estimated 1.3 million undocumented immigrants working in construction could cause those numbers to rise.

So what should contractors do to fill the gap and attract more workers? One of the biggest challenges is capturing the interest of younger people and, overall, society still heavily stresses the value of higher education.

But there are changes which contractors should consider to shift this traditional mindset:

Be competitive: If construction companies want to attract a different and new demographic, they have to re-imagine the needs of that population. That means providing skilled trade workers with competitive compensation and benefit opportunities. Candidates new to construction need to be confident they will get similar leave and group benefits as their college-educated counterparts.

Rethink recruiting: Construction companies should be purposeful in their recruiting efforts. Part of that effort will be identifying the best company representatives to share positive messages about the industry with potential workers, especially those just coming out of high school.

While human resources and corporate recruiters should take part, who is better at sharing positive experiences than a recent, high-performing high school alumnus? Quantifying the benefits of a career in construction is key— work hours, income potential and the opportunity for advancement should not just be discussed, but detailed in collateral material that is provided to candidates. Using these peers to represent the company is one of the best ways to illustrate the value of this type of career and to demonstrate that expensive degrees are not necessarily required for success.

Engage employees: The most costeffective method to alleviate a worker shortage is to retain the ones you already have. While that’s not always possible— there will always be employees who find reasons to quit—it’s important not to overlook the importance of engaging employees. Yet, on average, only 39 percent of construction firms measure employee engagement. Companies that have shown positive steps in retaining employees find ways to frequently (and informally) get employee feedback, host in-house classroom training and even coach employees. While these might not produce instant engagement, it can show employees the company is invested in them and cares about their future with the organization.

Regardless of position, employees want feedback on performance and opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge. Studies have shown that companies with the highest employee retention rates have committed to rich professional development cultures and have effective performance management processes. Yet 55 percent of contractors do not have any formal processes in place for identifying and developing high-potential employees.

It’s a critical time: Approximately 89 percent of construction firms report facing talent shortages. As economic trends indicate, the construction industry can expect strong performance for years to come and with that, rewarding careers with competitive pay. It’s time to get that message out to the next generation preparing to enter the workforce.

Cyndi Mergele is a Senior Director with RSM US LLP’s Human Resources group.

Focused

Aiming to shape the future of the construction industry, Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) Central Texas Chapter has formed an Emerging Leaders Group by supporting the growth of the emerging leaders that are employed by ABC member companies. -cmw

hat is the biggest risk for your operations? A worker injury, a big liability claim, a large property loss?

Every construction operation must deal with an exposure that creates this potential risk multiple times every single day… vehicles and drivers. There are very few exposures that can have the financial impact of a serious vehicle accident. Many insurance carriers have increased auto rates recently due to poor performance in this area due to increased claim frequency (largely due to distracted driving), higher litigation costs, and injury settlements. In order to reduce liability exposures and insurance costs it is imperative that policies and procedures be developed to address your vehicle and driving exposure.

Every time a driver gets behind the wheel of a company owned vehicle or drives a personal vehicle on company business they are putting the organizations assets at risk. It starts with determining who gets to drive on company business. Failure to properly vet these individuals can lead to “negligent entrustment” should the individual involved in an accident happen to have a poor driving record. Negligent entrustment means you “knew or should have known” that the individual you put behind the wheel of a company car or allowed to drive their personal vehicle on company business had a poor driving record and should not have been allowed to drive. In other words, you should have run a motor vehicle check and you should have disqualified the driver after reviewing their driving history. If negligent entrustment can be proven by the plaintiff the liability exposure and potential legal costs can increase exponentially.

Many organizations historically have relied on their insurance company to help manage the driver qualification process. Changes in privacy laws and defini-

tions of credit reporting agencies have resulted in a shift in mindset in this area.

Most insurance carriers are now only willing to provide an approved drivers list or a list of those drivers that are excluded, without any explanation. It is your obligation to figure out why there is a problem with their driving record. Just to confirm, when the insurance carrier excludes a driver this means there is absolutely no insurance coverage should this individual be involved in an accident either in a company vehicle or their personal vehicle.

From a liability standpoint, this really is a process that each organization should “own.” After all, do you really want your insurance company to completely control your fleet safety policy? Developing a written criteria for new hires and existing drivers is the key component to any fleet safety program. This policy should align closely with what insurance carriers are looking for, but can include additional criteria such as training and probation for certain violations.

Taking the time to develop and update your fleet safety policy on a regular basis is an excellent way to reduce the liability exposure for any organization. As an added benefit it looks really good when presenting each risk to the insurance marketplace.

If you would like sample fleet safety policies, procedures or have other questions regarding fleet safety or other risk management issues, do not hesitate to call or drop me a note.

Mark Gaskamp can be reached at Wortham Insurance: 512-532-1536 mark.gaskamp@worthaminsurance.com www.worthaminsurance.com

Page 8

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Effective emergency planning critical to managing OSHA investigations and rising incident penalties

April is “Safe Digging Month” Joann Natarajan Compliance Assistance Specialist OSHA Austin, TX

Ian Faria, Partner Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Houston, TX

B

efore starting work, the OSHA Excavation standards require employers to do the following:

T

he stated purpose of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is to “assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.” OSHA has promulgated various standards to create rules employers must use to protect their employees from hazards.

Paramount to OSHA’s standards is OSHA’s General Duty Clause, which provides that each employer: • SHALL furnish employees place of employment free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious harm; and • SHALL comply with OSHA standards.

The General Duty Clause also provides that each employee: • SHALL comply with OSHA standards and rules applicable to his own actions and conduct.

Typically, OSHA utilizes the General Duty Clause as its “catch-all” standard when no other standard applies. This clause and others are used to assess citations and penalties against employers for violations. The penalties themselves have significantly increased in the last three years.

In November 2015, Congress enacted legislation requiring federal agencies to adjust their civil penalties to account for inflation. That new law directed agencies to adjust their civil monetary penalties for inflation every year, limited to any penalty for a specific amount or maximum amount set by federal law that is assessed or enforced by a federal agency. As a result, the Department of Labor adjusted penalties for its agencies, including OSHA.

OSHA’s maximum penalties, which were last adjusted in 1990, increased by 78 percent. Going forward, the agency will continue to adjust its penalties for inflation each year based on the Consumer Price Index.

The increased penalties mandated

by OSHA took effect after Aug. 1, 2016.

Any citations issued by OSHA on or after that date were subject to the new penalties if the related violations occurred after Nov. 2, 2015. For serious violations and for failure to abate (per day beyond the abatement date), the maximum penalty per violation increased from $7,000 to $12,934 (the latter amount is adjusted for inflation as of Jan. 2, 2018).

For willful or repeated violations, the maximum penalty per violation increased from $70,000 to $129,336 (also adjusted for inflation).

With the citation penalty amounts ever increasing, along with even more activity by OSHA in Texas, employers have to be proactive in their culture of safety, documentation and training. In the event that there is an event that requires notification of OSHA, there are

several opportunities to improve the inevitable investigation and penalties that flow from the event.

Your company’s emergency action plan should be regularly reviewed and utilized when an incident occurs. It is important that a company craft a useful emergency action plan and not use a “canned” plan that it may find from a third party or on the Internet. Emergency action plans need to be company specific taking into account the company’s resources and needs. If a company does have an emergency action plan, then it should be followed by all individuals who are part of the investigation team.

An emergency action plan should, at a minimum, include the following: • Selecting an internal investigation point person; • Securing the scene; • Determining OSHA reporting requirements and reporting the incident as required; • Determining if other entities must be notified (Police, Fire, EPA, NTSB, etc.); • Talking to witnesses; • Potentially taking witness statements; • Taking photographs of the scene; • Preservation of the scene and evidence; • Implementing protocols for unauthorized photography/social media interactions; • Identifying all personnel/contractors onsite; and • Identifying all personnel/contractors involved with incident.

Combined with proper safety training, an effective emergency action plan can be of great importance in how OSHA investigates and determines citations and penalties. Of course, continuing review and improvement of all safety programs and policies to avoid incidents should be of paramount importance.

However, when accidents occur, companies and employers should be diligent in their investigations with OSHA to prevent reoccurrence.

Ian P. Faria is a member of the Construction and Government Contracts Practice Group and Managing Partner of the Houston office of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. He represents developers, general contractors, subcontractors, homebuilders, business owners and individuals in a variety of disputes, as well as in OSHA compliance and investigation matters. He can be reached at ifaria@bradley.com.

• Determine the approximate location(s) of utility installations — including sewer, telephone, fuel, electric, and water lines. One common industry practice is to call 811, the “Call Before You Dig” number, to establish the location of any underground utility installations in the work area.

• Contact and notify the utility companies or owners involved to inform them of the proposed work within established or customary local response times.

• Ask the utility companies or owners to establish the location of underground installations prior to the start of excavation work. If they cannot respond within 48 hours as required by state law, or cannot establish the exact location of the utility installations, employers may proceed with caution, which includes using detection equipment or other acceptable means to locate utility installations.

• Determine the exact location of underground installations by safe and acceptable means when excavation operations approach the approximate location of the installations.

• Ensure that while the excavation is open, underground installations are protected, supported or removed as necessary to safeguard workers.

OSHA generally requires that employers protect workers from cave-ins by: •

Sloping and benching the sides of

the excavation; • Supporting the sides of the excavation; or • Placing a shield between the side of the excavation and the work area.

The “Damage Prevention Councils of Texas” are dedicated to underground utility damage prevention, along with the promotion of the “811 – Call Before You Dig” message and the Common Ground Alliance Best Practices. Currently, there are 23 Regional Councils encompassing the State. These councils hold free to attend Annual Safety Days that include live equipment demos, industry networking, and live Mock Line Strikes across the State of Texas. Each Damage Prevention Council holds a monthly meeting which is open to all who are concerned with damage prevention. To locate your local council meeting or to attend a free safety day event: http://dpcoftexas.org/ Additionally, the National Utility Contractors Association has set June 18 – 23 as Trench Safety Stand Down week.

NUCA is asking all contractors that do trenching conduct a training session on excavation hazards. Free training materials are available on their website at http://www.nuca.com/tssd NUCA has made available free tool box talks, a PowerPoint presentation, sign-in sheets, and worker handout materials. natarajan.joann@dol.gov 512-374-0271 x232

No more harsh winters

A

pet longhorn is no ordinary pet.

Mark Erickson, owner of Longhorn Concrete & Foundation Repair is no ordinary guy. Erickson comes all the way from South Dakota. He’s been doing lift and leveling for about 14 years through his sister company, Spark’s Concrete Lifting.

His right-hand man is Albert Goslin who has been with him for a number of years in South Dakota and now in Austin.

Erickson says he came to Texas after last winter. They spent the winter lifting a couple of grain elevators west of Williston, ND.

While out there he told Goslin, “This is going to be the last winter of this.” After the brutally cold winter, Erickson brought his cowboy hat to Texas. “In Texas, I wear my cowboy hat because the sun is too damn hot.” Erickson wears shorts and hiking boots every day instead of cowboy boots. Except when we had our interview, it was a cold day in Texas and he shared he had to put his long pants back on.

Longhorn Concrete & Foundation Repair is revolutionizing concrete with polylevel foam. “The foam is hydrophobic so it doesn’t dissolve or have any issues in areas where there is a lot of water or dampness,” said Erickson. He started working with polylevel foam because over the years he’s seen a need. “I’ve seen a lot of positive aspects with it.” He adds they also focus on micropiles.

Their office manager, Sharron Taylor, helps run things. She also came from

Mark Erickson’s crew lifting, leveling and stabilizing large structures.

South Dakota with Erickson and Goslin.

We asked why he chose the name he did for his new company. Erickson explains that he has always had longhorns.

“I actually had one as a pet. I would haul her around different places. I had her for probably 10 or 12 years.” Her name was Rosie. So, when Erickson arrived in Texas his son gave him the inspiration to go with the longhorn theme.

Longhorn Concrete & Foundation Repair is a concrete level and lifting contractor. –lv

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Page 9

coast. The influx of bait and warmer water tends to invigorate predator species such as speckled trout, redfish, flounder and even snook. As a result, many bay systems experience a good topwater bite during these months. Of course, spring can be windy and the resulting rough water often dictates using a topwater plug big enough and noisy enough to gain attention over the roiled water.

However, on calmer days - or when fish are dialed in to smaller baitfish - try tossing a smaller topwater.

Among the best ‘junior’ surface plugs is the MirrOlure She Dog and Top Dog Jr. These plugs have enough weight and make a loud enough sound to irritate the stubbornness trout or redfish. I have found that down sizing lures often produces a better bite than using full size lures of the same color patters.

Again, although standard baits will still produce this time of year, there will be those days when the fish are feeding strictly on certain sized items. At times like these, it can pay off to have a few ‘kid-size’ baits to save the day.

My 2018 calendar is now open for bookings throughout the year. Don’t hesitate in booking your fishing trips because my dates usually go pretty quick, especially during the more popular months. To schedule your next bay fishing trip or hunting adventure give Capt.

Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or 361-334-3105 or e-mail me at SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail.com. Good Luck and Good Fishing.

Think outside the box

by Capt. Steve Schultz

Sponsored by: Waypoint Marine, Shoalwater Boats, Evinrude Outboards, Fishing Tackle Unlimited, E-Z Bel Construction, Costa Sunglasses, Diawa Reels, Simms Fishing, ForEverlast Fishing Products, Interstate Batteries, MirrOlure, and AFTCO Clothing.

A

pril is the month that ushers in spring. Spring’s warmer weather and water welcome new life to Texas’ inshore bays. Shrimp, crab and finfish have, or soon will, released this year’s crop of younglings. When this happens, the bay’s resident predators will shift their focus from large, hard to catch adults to the young, naïve hatchlings populating the flats.

This transition doesn’t happen all at once. Rather, the spawn of various species is staggered throughout the spring and early summer. But, April marks the start of a three-month run of hatchlings in our bays. To up their odds for success during this time period, anglers should `match the hatch’ by downsizing lures, baits. Anglers should also shift their focus to areas where predator fish are most likely to be able to ambush or attack the small bait fish.

WHERE TO LOOK

As is typically the case, predator fish will be found where the food is. During

Jim Crosby of San Antonio tricked this 26-in, 6lb trout into smashing his lure last month while wading the Lower Laguna Madre with Steve Schultz Outdoors. Water temperatures should be right during the next high tide to start seeing some of the fatter trout.

spring and early summer, the majority of the food is located near where it was hatched. For shrimp, crabs and a myriad of baitfish, this typically means shallow grass flats and back lakes. When spring tides push extra water into these nursery areas, redfish and speckled trout will ride the tide right into a dinner buffet. Anglers should do the same, following the water and currents into these areas holding all of the bait. When tides recede, fish

will usually fall back into channels that lead into these backwaters and shallow flats. But, if there is enough water to allow them to stay in these areas to feed, they will.

WHAT TO THROW

Late March and April not only usher in the start of spawning season for many marine species, it also sees warmer tides lapping against the shores of the Texas

Page 10

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

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

Wow! That was some Spring Break!

W

e all know how Mother Nature seems to have something against Spring Break. How many times have we just really needed to get the family out and about for a few days, only to have it turn off cold and windy, or stormy and just downright nasty? Not this year!

We seemed to have the full spectrum of Texas weather this year. It reached the 90s and then fell to the 30s.

We had high windy days and dead calm days. We even had a couple rip roaring thunderstorms that we were lucky to miss. It made for unpredictable fishing, but at least most of the weather changes

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

were pretty brief.

For the most part we had good stringers sometimes consisting of several species, but happy fishermen were coming back to the dock. All the fish are healthy and well fed because of good baitfish populations, so it looks like we will be in for a good fishing year.

Early spring fishing can be challenging because of the weather, but it can also make you a better fisherman. This time of year the water temperature is what drives fish behavior. They need to eat a lot and spawn, but if the water is cold and the bait fish are scattered, the fishing will be tougher. The more warm and steady days we get the better the fishing will get. The biggest mistake I see fishermen make is to get set in their ways.

Just because something worked for you one day and you caught a bunch of fish, doesn’t mean it will keep working from now on. Fish are always swimming, moving and reacting to weather and water conditions – always in motion. A good fisherman understands this and learns to follow suit.

If you are just getting your boat and motor ready to head out, you need to pay close attention to your fuel system. If you ended up with some fuel still in your system when you put it up for the winter, and hadn’t been using a fuel stabilizer, you will likely be having trouble. The ethanol in today’s fuel has a nasty habit of turning to a jelly like sludge that will gum up carburetors and fuel lines. Just do yourself a favor and take it on in to your marine mechanic and get it cleaned out and start using a good fuel stabilizer at each fill up. That way you don’t lose any fishing days to messing with a motor that just won’t go!

Of course, if you just don’t want the hassle, you can always book a trip with a local guide. It is just like charter fishing at the coast, except that it will cost you a lot less and only takes a few hours. You get on the water to fish, without the headache of messing with the boat.

If you haven’t already hit the water this year, you better get to it! Dust off your rod and reel, wind you on some new line and come on. You don’t want to miss this!

Hitting the slopes

Construction News’ Dana Calonge shared this photo of her and husband Dick in Breckenridge, CO where the two escaped to celebrate Dana’s birthday. -cmw

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Page 11

Get on up here

T

he Construction News editors Lexie and Dan had the pleasure of meeting “Tex,” the longhorn at the ABC chili cook-off. Tex is great around people and loves him mom Charlotte Browning. –lv

Lexie was eager to get on.

Dan was eager to get off.

Triple hunt fun

C

ollins Johnson, owner of Pinpoint Strategies Inc. in Buda shared these photos from a recent pheasant-quail-chuckar hunt. -cmw

L-R: Josh Gothia, Collins Johnson, Skybeck Construction President Adam Nyer, Parker Payne, Jimmy Villarreal and Derek Sain

L-R: Pinpoint’s Nick Provopulos, Kristian Lopez, Huffman Builders’ Anthony Dahdah, Pinpoint’s Zach Huyge, Collins Johnson, Huffman Builders’ Ron Evans and Charbel Dahdah

Who’s the boss?

M

att Litton, owner of GoBoss, LLC, hunting and fishing with his son. -dsz

L-R: Anthony Dahdah, Huffman Builders and Mike Schumann, hunting guide and owner of Quail Hunt Dime Box Texas

Litton with his 32-in. Axis Deer.

Litton and his son night fishing in Port Mansfield, TX.

Have an Outdoor Story or Photo?

Send to: AustinEditor@ ConstructionNews.net or call Lexie at 210-308-5800

Page 12

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Page 13

THIS TH MON Jan: Construction Forecast Mar: Construction Education May: Concrete Industry July: Electrical Industry Feb: Construction Safety Apr: Women in Construction Jun: HVAC & Plumbing Aug: Service Providers

Making construction a woman’s career Taryn Ritchie, Chapter President

National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Estimator

Ryan Companies Austin, TX

A

mother of two beautiful daughters, Taryn Ritchie is proudly a fifth-generation Texan who learned through experience that creating strong, productive relationships with subcontractors and other team members is the key to success in the office and on the job site.

How did you get started in construction?

I guess you could say it is a family thing, both of my parents work in construction and I grew up going to the yard that they worked at a lot. Through their connections and guidance I got my foot in the door and have been in the industry for about 17 years.

When did you decide this was the career for you?

I don’t think I was convinced when I first applied for a receptionist position, but I was given several great opportuni-

ties very early on and saw the potential for a lifelong career.

How would you describe your experience working in the industry as a young woman?

Overall, I would describe it as an engaging and satisfying experience. Have there been hurdles along the way? Yes, but I persevered, and learned as much as I could from my peers, mentors and subcontractors/suppliers and kept climbing the ladder.

Do you have a mentor?

I have had many amazing mentors.

They have guided me, challenged me and given me opportunities that I might not have been considered for if not for their recommendations. I highly recommend seeking a mentor, even if it is an informal arrangement. There is something to be said from learning from other

Living the dream Iris Luna, Owner Proficient Constructors LLC San Antonio, TX

S

everal years after attending college, Iris Luna went to work for a masonry contractor as a superintendent, until one day her grandpa asked her why not try to start your own company?

To answer that, Luna recalls that as a youngster she would accompany her grandpa to jobsites, learning the ins and outs of masonry. Her grandpa knew she had the talent and drive to run her own company and encouraged her to do so.

So she went for it. Luna says that she learned a lot from her grandpa, but as a woman in the construction industry there was a lot more for her to learn and learn quickly she did.

What is your background in the construction industry?

My family has always been part of the construction industry. My experience came from the field, first by gaining knowledge about the scope of work and then learning how to put that knowledge into practical use. In 2007, I founded Proficient Constructors LLC focusing on providing and installing all types of masonry applications.

Why did you choose a career in the construction-related industry?

My grandfather owned a masonry company and since I was his little sidekick I developed a passion for wanting to create and build. I was fascinated with what my grandfather and his teams built and I wanted to be part of that somehow.

Do you have or have you had a mentor?

Yes, and thankfully we have had a handful of people that have guided us along the way. Currently we have a mentorship with EVENT Professional Services LLC. This is through the City of San Antonio’s Transportation & Capital Improvements Department. It is called the Management & Technical Assistance Program and we are in Phase II. My mentors are Eugene Walker from EJ Smith Construction Company LLC and Elsa Brown of the Copeland Contracting Company Inc. What are the benefits of women pursuing a construction career?

In my opinion the main benefit may be for a woman to open a construction

www.constructionnews.net publishing the industry’s news

Texas Style

★ San Antonio ★ Austin ★ Dallas/Fort Worth ★ Houston

WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION Sep: Green Building Nov: Architecture & Engineering Oct: Specialty Contractors Dec: Construction Equipment

people’s knowledge and experience.

What opportunities has the industry given you to broaden your horizons or take on new challenges?

I have been very lucky. As I mentioned I had a great mentor early on that saw potential in me and pushed me in the right direction. He was instrumental in my decision to continue my career path in estimating. From there I went from an estimating assistant to estimator.

What are the benefits for women pursuing a career in construction?

It is a booming industry and there are so many different career paths in construction from development, design, engineering, project management, trades construction to building maintenance, just to name a few. There are jobs with opportunities to travel locally or internationally. If you like a challenge it offers that on a daily basis.

What challenges have you seen?

I think early on a lot of the positions for women in construction were clerical or administrative in nature, but there has been a large shift in the last 10-15 years where women are stepping outside of those roles and changing the perception of what we as women are “capable” of doing. And although we aren’t quite there yet, we are making steps in bridging the gender salary gaps and in providing training and opportunities for wom-

en to step into managerial and upper management positions.

Have you found associations to be helpful for women?

Yes, as the President of the Austin Chapter of National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) I would say they have been extremely beneficial. My suggestion is to find an organization that best aligns with your goals and needs; and then go to a few of their events, seminars or meetings before joining. I would also suggest joining their committees that focus on areas that might be interesting or meaningful to you.

How has being a part of the construction community changed or influenced your life as well as your perception of the industry?

There is definitely a sense of pride when you see a building completed that you have spent years working on, and that it will most likely be there after I am gone. Also, that I can’t stress enough that there are many opportunities for women in this industry. It’s an industry where women can grow, learn and have a long lasting career.

National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) is an association network for women in the field of construction.

Ryan Companies is a national builder, developer, designer and real estate manager with offices across the nation. -cmw

company. In the past there has been a disparity in our public sector and now there are local agencies and programs advocating women owned businesses.

believe and hope this is helping women by giving them insight and information on the opportunities in the construction industry.

What do you enjoy most about your career?

I enjoy the building process and how all of the scopes of work come together as a finished product.

What areas do you see the most increase in jobs for women?

I have seen an increase in women project managers, estimators and engineers. I am not aware of the percentages of women completing trade educations, but I do feel that there are not many women in the field. For example, in my opinion, my mother is an anomaly that works as a tradesman’s HVAC technician who has been in the industry for 20 years, currently working for Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning.

What specific challenges have you faced in your career?

Some of the challenges we have faced have been increased competition and a limited skilled work force per our trades.

In your experience, are there more opportunities opening up for women?

I have seen a slow increasing amount of women in the construction offices, but not really in the field performing trade work.

Is this due to the overall shortage of construction professionals and workers?

No, I believe that women are more aware that they can have a nontraditional profession. My mother and I have participated in a program called WINTO – Women In Non-Traditional Occupations and I

What advice can you offer women who want to pursue a construction career?

If you have ever been fascinated with how buildings are constructed, why they are built, what holds a building together and what it takes to complete the process, then go for it! Try your best because there is a place for you in this industry!

Proficient Constructors LLC is a professional masonry and concrete contractor in San Antonio. -cmw

Page 14

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

THIS TH MON

WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION

To represent your company in an upcoming FOCUS, contact AustinEditor@ConstructionNews.net (210) 308-5800

NEXT MONTH (MAY ISSUE) CONCRETE INDUSTRY

Signature of a woman Melanie Kuhr, Partner Signature Millwork

fessional Women in Construction (APWC), American Subcontractors Association (ASA), and Dream Team Women’s Network to be extremely helpful for women working in this industry.

Dallas, TX

I

n 1984, Melanie moved to Dallas, leaving behind all she had known to join the ranks of the corporate world.

Little did she know then that Dallas had an unforeseen destiny for her away from corporate America.

What is your background in the construction industry?

I grew up in a construction family in Cincinnati, OH, so I was familiar with the cyclical nature of the business and also developed an appreciation for doing it right the first time.

What advice would you have for women who want to start their own businesses?

Have a solid business plan and review it with a diverse group of people – banker/industry expert/family member/ business coach.

What resources are available to women who would like to start their own businesses?

Southwest Women’s Business Council, Chamber of Commerce, business banks that focus on small businesses, and City of Dallas Economic Development Women’s Foundation are all great resources for women who want to start their own businesses.

Have you found associations to be helpful for women?

I have found the Association of Pro-

How would you encourage women to broaden their knowledge of owning a business or working in the industry?

Get as many opportunities to understand the many stakeholders in the business and understand what their greatest need is and how you can meet and/or exceed that need.

What lessons have you learned along the way?

I learned to remain relevant, be flexible, know your people, keep in touch with all the stakeholders in your industry, strive for continuous improvement and have a passion for quality. Finally, you only have one chance to build your reputation, safeguard it!

What do you hope the future holds for your business?

A woman’s legacy

ing, but to see the progress that has been made makes it all worth it.

Lindsey Sutherland, Owner G.D. Interior Construction

What specific challenges have you faced in your career?

From the start of this transition, after my dad died back in 2014, it was very overwhelming. There was no succession plan in place. All I had was some basic knowledge of the business working here in the office during the summer for many years - but I can say that being around it my whole life has given me a sense to the nature of the industry and how to navigate through the pitfalls and recognize the safeguards.

San Antonio, TX

M

emories of working along side her mother and father in the family business is something near and dear to Lindsey. Although she did not set out for a career in construction, this is where the path has led her.

S

utherland once told Construction News, “I never would have expected that I would be enjoying it so much;” it being the construction industry.

Which is more important for a construction career - education or experience?

Ideally, both are important. Experience just comes with time and education should be ongoing, but I believe one’s ability and attitude play a major role from the get go.

What advice can you offer women who want to pursue a construction career?

Go for it! Do good work and be a decent human being. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Keep learning and get involved.

Try not to go around thinking you have something to prove.

What do you enjoy most about your career?

I enjoy the work and the big picture of it all. There is something to say about people working together, collectively. It’s way more effective than a bunch of great people working on their own. We have a solid team and I look forward to working with them every day. It’s super challeng-

How did you overcome those challenges?

I threw myself into it learning as much as possible through different programs and resources that are available.

There’s been a lot of hard work from everyone here at GDI.

Things needed to be revamped and modernized in a big way. The good thing is that there was something great to build on which made everything possible to

I’m fortunate to be in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area with as much growth as we’ve had and continued to forecast. We continue to meet and build relationships with new GCs and industry partners. I hope to see more national and international companies looking for alliances with local providers.

From your perspective, has the construction industry changed over the years?

Change is the one constant, and yet the appreciation for craftsmanship and quality has not changed. During the downturn there was price compression and an onslaught of the “low bidder” mentality. That tide turned once there was a cycle of seeing how the product endured the test of time. The cost of the “re-do” is more than doing it right the first time.

Signature Millwork is a certified WBE, HUB and FSC architectural millwork provider based in Dallas. -cmw

get the company back in shape and working order. It hasn’t been easy, but nothing worth having comes easy.

What are your goals for the future in the construction industry?

My goal is to keep this business moving in the right direction, maintain steady growth and efficiency while continuing to plan for the future.

In your experience, are more opportunities opening up for women in construction?

I definitely see more opportunities and they are open to all of us. There’s a quote that says… “Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work so people don’t recognize them.” Before my parents passed away they were always trying to get me interested in the business, but I chose a different career path. I never saw the opportunity back then. Funny how life works!

G.D. Interior Construction is a specialty contractor in San Antonio. -cmw

Construction News ON LOCATION

Please excuse me

Facility Response Group (FRG) is now located in San Marcos off of Hwy. 123 North.

L-R: Jamie, Nolte, branch manager and Scott Thompson, chiller operations manager -lv

Jody Davila the director of training and curriculum for Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) stays focused on her work. –lv

Knock knock

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Page 15

Five down …

W

Hook ‘em paint

Lucas Novak

hen Lucas Novak’s co-ownership of San Marcos (SM) Air Conditioning Inc. hit the fiveyear mark last year, he breathed a small sigh of relief.

“That’s a huge milestone,” he acknowledges. “You hear that all the time in business, that if you can make it five years, you’re doing well.”

While the milestone is notable, his reaching it comes as little surprise. He is part of three generations who worked in general construction and grew up helping dad Mike Novak in his construction-related businesses. After graduating from Baylor University with a finance degree, Lucas worked in energy savings construction with a focus on energy upgrades in air conditioning. This led him to launch a division at Mike’s general construction company concentrating on energy performance upgrades.

Although business was good, Lucas was subcontracting much of the mechanical work and wanted to increase

cash flow. With Mike, he purchased San Marcos Air Conditioning Inc. from William Mann, who had owned the mechanical contracting business for 26 years.

Without uprooting any of Mann’s original employees in the transition, Lucas set about accomplishing his vision. In the five years since, he has doubled employee size to more than 50, quadrupled revenue (with the bulk of that being in construction), updated technology and processes and significantly grown the business’ residential service side.

With Mike as board chairman assisting him with a strategic vision, Lucas is ready for the next milestone.

“There’s a huge emphasis on the next five years; we’re trying to double the size,” Lucas says. “We’re really wanting to grow, to have a better ratio on the service side of business. We’re putting a lot into that.“

San Marcos (SM) Air Conditioning Inc. is a commercial and residential HVAC contractor. –mjm

Covering Texas

Dan Schaeffer, owner of Five Star Painting (second from left) with his team.

O

ne thing that is true of Texas is: the Lone Star State attracts a great deal of people and business from other states. According to the Office of the State Demographer, from 2005 to 2013, an estimated 4.8 million people moved to Texas from the other 49 states. (https://www.texastribune.org/2016/04/20/ texas-top-destination-domestic-migrants/)

If one were to go back to 2000, one such person was Dan Schaeffer, owner of Five Star Painting in Austin.

Schaeffer was born in Paramus, NJ, went to college at Boston University (a good place to be for an 18-year-old, he says), worked in New York City after college, but came to the University of Texas for his MBA. Why? Well, he had heard of the school’s good business program. And— this is critical—he was tired of the winters. Schaeffer also liked the Austin culture and vibe.

While in New York, Schaeffer was in the hotel, restaurant and service industry.

But his MBA program at Texas concentrated a lot on entrepreneurship, and this bug stayed with him.

“Whatever I did, I wanted to be the best at [and] leverage my background in the service industry,” Schaeffer said.

Thus, the franchise model was the route he took. He bought into Five Star Painting, owned by the Dwyer Group out of Waco, in the fall of 2009. There are about 180 Five Star Paintings throughout the country. He is the Austin franchise.

“My goal is to try to be the best at delivering great service and great experiences to customers,” he explained. Even though Five Star is a painting company, “We are above everything else a customer service company.”

The franchise model worked well for Schaeffer. A primary reason is he didn’t have painting or a trade in his background. The franchise model comes with a built-in support network, training and already-established things like pricing and peers.

Including himself, Schaeffer’s team has a total of six members.

One of the benefits of owning his business is its flexibility. Another is the satisfaction that comes with creating something and then seeing it grow.

For his commercial paint jobs, Five Star does a lot of schools, churches, doctors’ offices and restaurants.

“We take on things the large commercial companies don’t want and the small guys are too small to deal with,” he said.

He’s also done work at his alma mater’s football and baseball stadiums, putting more fresh burnt orange paint down for new students.

As to the future, “We’d love to grow our commercial business. [There are] a lot of opportunities in Austin,” Schaeffer said. “It’s a very strong market.”

If the trend continues for Texas to receive more and more people from colder states, there shouldn’t be any shortage of work in the commercial painting businesses. And, it’s a good bet that the University of Texas at Austin won’t be getting smaller any time soon.

This bodes well for Five Star Painting and gives Dan Schaeffer more opportunities to continue providing outstanding customer service.

Hook ‘em paint.

Five Star Painting is a residential and commercial painting specialist in Austin. – dsz

Construction News ON LOCATION Brendan Doyle

W

hen it comes to the construction industry in Texas, Brendan Doyle, division president for Marek Brothers Systems, says that things weren’t always so good.

When the Houston native graduated from college in 1985, not much was happening in construction in Texas, due primarily to the oil bust of those days.

The place to be, Doyle recounts, was in Atlanta, where Marek had an office.

Doyle began working for Marek in 1987, spending the next 15 years in Georgia.

The 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta helped the company as well. They did a lot of work in the 1993-94 time frame, in preparation for the summer games.

But things got better in Texas, and Marek transferred Doyle back to Houston for a couple of years, then finally to Austin in 2003 where he became the division president.

With offices in San Antonio, Austin and Dallas, Marek has clear lines as to which office is responsible up and down

the I-35 corridor. San Antonio will go up to New Braunfels; Austin will go down to San Marcos and up to Waco; and Dallas takes everything from Waco up and west to the Midland area.

But Doyle has found a home in Austin, where his money and his kids all go to the University of Texas. The oldest has already graduated, while he has a senior and a sophomore still wearing burnt orange. Doyle’s horns are well hooked.

When he’s not busy in his Buda office working on Marek’s next big project, like the federal courthouse in the state’s capital, he likes to spend time with the family as well as time on the links, as golf is his main pastime.

With construction booming in Texas these days, it’s good to have it well covered.

Marek Brothers Systems, Inc., is a drywall, acoustical ceiling/sound control and metal stud framing business in Houston, Austin, Dallas San Antonio, Harlingen (TX) and Atlanta (GA).-dsz

Hola Tejas

Branch Manager, Steve Spence, takes a moment to visit with Construction News at Tejas Equipment Rentals in San Marcos. -cmw

Page 16

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

JOB SIGHTS

Industry FOLKS Lori J. Drake, CBA Credit Manager MORSCO

I

t’s rather hard picturing the personable Lori Drake to be the kind of person who will repossess your car if you don’t make the payments.

But she will.

“My nickname is ‘Sunshine’,” she said.

Drake has been in the credit business since 1993, back in her native Seattle, WA, when she worked for several car dealerships in the credit department.

“I’ve always loved credit,” she stated.

“My daughter says I’m psychotic.”

The mother of two daughters and grandmother of one grandchild (with another on the way) really is nice. She loves meeting people and working with them to help them make payments if they experience difficulty.

“I really like dealing with people,” she said. “If they meet me, they pay.”

But if Drake meets with resistance, well, the kid gloves come off.

“I love making people pay or taking the money from them when they won’t,” she said. In the car repo business, this includes anything on or in the car.

“We repo’ed a guy who delivered pizza and we got all his pizzas.”

Drake moved on from repossessing cars to working for a credit agency in Seattle. Her boss told the woman who was interviewing her, “If she didn’t hire me, she was stupid.”

In the construction supply business, sometimes the money due her company doesn’t get trickled down to them. Hence, the need for Drake’s job.

“If everyone did what they are supposed to do, I wouldn’t have a job,” she said.

Drake has been with the National Association of Credit Management since ’93. She’s now the Treasurer/President for the Texas Statewide Construction Credit Group.

Education and training are an ongoing process, with quarterly training sessions in Texas, and week-long conferences in differing locations annually.

This year it will be in Phoenix. Right now Drake is studying business law.

When it comes to the differences between Seattle and Texas, Seattle is a lot cooler and has many more trees. But, in Texas, “you can see forever.”

And when it comes to sports teams, Drake has not converted yet and will still root for the Seahawks over the Cowboys.

When she’s not collecting money from a sub-contractor, Drake plays the violin with a band as well as in her church’s praise team. “I guess it’s called ‘fiddle’ in Texas,” she laughs.

Make no mistake: Lori Drake is one very nice person. But should you ever owe her money, a word to the wise would be to guard your pizza, because she’s coming for it. -dsz

These guys are working on the Baylor Scott & White Clinic at Onion Creek in Austin.

KDK Group is the general contractor. Micah Garnick is the superintendent. –lv

The guys are on excavators working on the Park at Plum Creek, a retail/medical space.

The general contractor is Sabre. –lv

Hoc Nguyen, Hai Tran, Andre Huynh (Dr. Dre), Thang Nguyen and Dung Nguyen with AirCo Mechanical pose for a photo at the Living Spaces Central Texas Distribution Center, Pflugerville, TX. -cmw

A

pril Fools’ Day (sometimes called All Fools’ Day) is an annual celebration in some European and Western countries commemorated on April 1 by playing practical jokes and spreading hoaxes.

The jokes and their victims are called April fools. People playing April Fool jokes expose their prank by shouting “April fool.” Some newspapers, magazines and other published media report fake stories, which are usually explained the next day or below the news section in small letters. Although popular since the 19th century, the day is not a public holiday in any country.

As well as people playing pranks on one another on April Fools’ Day, elaborate practical jokes have appeared on radio and TV stations, newspapers, websites, and have been performed by large corporations. In

one famous prank from 1957, the BBC broadcast a film in their Panorama current affairs series purporting to show Swiss farmers picking freshlygrown spaghetti, in what they called the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest. The BBC were later flooded with requests to purchase a spaghetti plant, forcing them to declare the film a hoax on the news the next day. On April Fools’ Day 2016, online football news channel Goal.com falsely reported that FC Barcelona winger Lionel Messi agreed to a $500 million deal to sign with Real Madrid for five years. The reporter’s name used in the article was “Lirpa Loof”, which is “April Fool” with each word spelled backward.

With the advent of the Internet and readily available global news services, April Fools’ pranks can catch and embarrass a wider audience than ever before.

L-R: Mac McKinney, Dylan Plummer and Justin Hatchett with JBK Electric at the Biolife Plasma project at 906 Seton Pkwy, Kyle, TX. -cmw

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Page 17

continued from Page 1 — Go team go hired in Texas. Their first employee was estimator, Daniel Gonzalez. “He has done a fantastic job of being our salesman and getting out, bidding and closing a lot of jobs we’ve been landing. He’s someone who has been with the company from the very beginning.”

The Austin branch is working with Hensel Phelps at the airport, replacing all the ceilings in the existing concourse.

They are also finishing up a project with Ryan Companies.

Larson and his team have strived to launch the Texas branch of Heartland Acoustics. “Now contractors in the area are starting to break out the ceilings from the drywall package a little bit more.

They are starting to see that we bring something to the table; we can bring additional manpower, expertise and sometimes we can add cost value.”

He mentions their newest hire, project manager Brian Stackhouse. Stackhouse comes from the communication

world as an operations manager and project manager. “He’s been a great addition to our team.”

Out in the field, they have a young superintendent named Ulises Moran.

Even though he is the young one of the group he brings his own cleverness to the big boy table. Moran is tech savvy and in his spare time likes to make videos and record music. “One of the things we had him do in addition to being our superintendent is working with our safety manager to develop some instructional and safety videos,” said Larson. “He’s got a lot of energy and great ideas.”

There has been a great start for the Austin branch. In April the team will be having their annual Spring company picnic, bringing all of their field and office employees together. This will be the first company picnic in Texas.

Heartland Acoustics & Interiors are an acoustical and specialty ceilings subcontractor. –lv

continued from Page 1 — By all means own business.” She replied, “I’m on maternity leave, but okay I’ve got about six weeks to help you get it started.”

In terms of growth this year they have a 60% new construction growth goal. Which is why they decided to bring in an additional estimator. That person will be trained to estimate in both residential and commercial.

The company has 16 employees who are a part of the company traditions, such as praying together on a regular basis. Of course, birthdays are celebrated and the Espinozas will bring in breakfast and a cake.

The Reliable Air team also fishes together at their annual fishing trip down at the coast. Around October is when they take whoever would like to go and bring along their families.

Now we talk about the importance of speed within the company. No, not working faster, but the company logo travels fast on a 2015 Chevrolet Copo Camaro. “It’s a rare car and anybody who is a car enthusiast knows what that means,”

said Arthur.

The Camaro is Arthur’s passion. He’s always been involved with some sort of motorsports. He got his first motorcycle when he was only 8 years old. “I remember my dad bringing it home.” Espinoza no longer races on motorcycles, but he does still have a Harley.

Now his company sponsors his race car. In fact, just this year Arthur received his National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) license. So, he’s raced locally and they’ve traveled to Oklahoma a couple of times.

Arthur’s first NHRA event was on March 23rd. He wants to try to qualify for a national event. “Maybe that Reliable Air car logo will be on TV,” said Cheryl.

People ask them all the time “What do you all do? What is Reliable Air because you must be doing good to have this car?” Espinoza always responds by saying, “I do air conditioning and heating, but I have this car because God has blessed me with my business.”

Reliable Air is an air conditioning and heating service in San Marcos. –lv

Association Calendar

Content submitted by Associations to Construction News ACEA

Greater Austin Contractors & Engineers Assn.

Apr. 12: Membership Luncheon, Dave & Buster’s, 9333 Research Blvd. For more info, call 512-836-3140 AGC Associated General Contractors

Apr. 4: CLC Crawfish Boil & Job Walk, Ziker Club House, 200 Zilker Club House Rd., 3pm.

For more info, email clcaustinchapter@gmail.com ASCE

American Society of Civil Engineers Texas Section

Apr. 11: 2018 ASCE Texas Student Symposium, Texas A&M University, Bryan/ College Station, TX. For more info, call 512-472-8905 Apr. 19-21: ASCE Structures Congress 2018. For more info, visit www.structurescongress.org ASSE

American Society of Safety Engineers

Apr. 16: Joint Chapter Meeting, Texas State University – LBJ Student Center, 700 Moore St., San Marcos, TX, 9am-12pm.

For more info, go to www.centraltexas. asse.org CTSA

Central Texas Subcontractors Assn.

Apr. 10: Monthly Meeting, Crowne Plaza, 6121 N. IH-35, 5:30-8pm. For more info, call Wendy Lambert at 512-225-6373 IEC CENTEX

Independent Electrical Contractors Central Texas

Apr. 27-28: IEC of Texas Meeting, Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel, 701 Congress Ave. For more info, call David Johnson at 512-832-1333 IEC

Independent Electrical Contractors

Apr. 27-28: IEC of Texas Meeting, Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel, 701 Congress Ave. For more info, call 512389-0006

continued from Page 1 — Ready for play

ing Show, JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, 23808 Resort Pkwy.

For more info, call 512-472-1194 NARI

National Assn. of the Remodeling Industry

Apr. 11: General Membership Meeting, 11am-1pm, Sunshine Camp/Zilker Park Lodge, 2225 Andrew Zilker Rd. For more info, contact Kayvon Leath at 512-3752601 or kayvon@austinnari.org Apr. 25: Sip-n-Swing, Balcones Country Club, 8600 Balcones Club Dr., 3-6pm. For more info, contact Kayvon Leath at 512375-2601 or kayvon@austinnari.org NAWIC

National Assn. of Women in Construction

Apr. 4: Chapter Meeting, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, 6319 N. I-34, 5:30-8pm. For more info, contact Taryn Ritchie at taryn. ritchie@ryancompanies.com RCAT

Roofing Contractors Assn. of Texas

Apr. 7: RCAT Licensed Roofing Contractor Boot Camp & Testing Session, Texas Star Conference Center, 1400 Texas Star Pkwy., Euless, TX. For more info, call 512251-7690 Apr. 17: HARCA/Houston Area Roofing Contractors Association Golf Tournament, Longwood Golf Club, 13300 Longwood Trace Dr. For more info, call 512251-7690 SEAot

Structural Engineers Association of Texas Austin Chapter

Apr. 26: Monthly Meeting, Maggiano’s LIttle Italy, 10910 Domain Dr. # 100, 11:45am.

For more info, go to www.seaot.org/austin/austin.cfm TSC

Texas State Council Building & Construction Trade Department

Apr. 15-18: NABTU Legislative Conference, Washington Hilton & Towers, 1919 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC. For more info, go to www.texasbuildingtrades.org

LAT

Lumbermen’s Assn. of Texas

Apr. 4-5: 132nd LAT Convention & Buy-

s

Submitted to Construction News

Round-Up

RDO Equipment, Texas region, is please to announce the following two promotions:

Rope play tower and fitness zone

ment, shade structures and a pavilion perfect for celebratory gatherings ensures adults have the opportunity to enjoy the fun filled space as much as the kiddos. Smaller than an acre, The Green is a prime example of doing more with less.

It is a place where one can bond with their family in the play zone with climbing cubes and play structures for all ages.

The Developers of Santa Rita Ranch, Ed and Elizabeth Horne have hand selected a great cohesive team of professionals that diligently collaborate to design and build. “Landscape architect, Robert Belanger Associates and Steve Brenner, Brenner Design Build Inc., the building’s structure designer were instrumental in the overall design and completion of the

project,” says Epic Design-Build co-owner, Debra Tammen. “Epic Design-Build is thankful and privileged to be part of that team.”

Epic Design-Build LLC is a general contractor in Round Rock, TX. –cmw

Obstacle course

Daryl Shelton has been promoted to executive vice president and will oversee construction, technology and used equipment teams in the Texas Region. Shelton joined RDO in 2010 as general manager of the Fort Worth and Irving locations. -cmw

Round-Up Submissions

Submit Info & Photo:

Cory Kosse has been promoted to vice president. He is responsible for the growth and success of all seven RDO stores in the state.

Kosse joined RDO in 2006 as store manager of the Waco location and soon after was promoted to general manager of the Austin and Waco stores. -cmw Brief company announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of charge, as space allows.

AustinEditor@ConstructionNews.net

(210) 308-5800

Page 18

T

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Bringing it all together

hat’s what happened on March 21 at the Freeman Coliseum Expo Hall when HOLT CAT invited customers from San Antonio and Austin to the unveiling of the Next Generation of CAT Excavators.

The Next-Gen is the 320GC, 320 and 323, which happen to be Cat’s largest new product introduction in the company’s history.

“We wanted to create an atmosphere for reps to be able to connect with the customers,” said Sr. Marketing Manager Mike Colglazier.

“We have 57 companies that confirmed with over 125 people associated with the companies.”

Colglazier also said, “Come to our event and also enjoy a basketball game on us. We will buy you dinner, buy you a

drink and go see a basketball game in a premium seat.”

Earlier in the day, product and sales training for Holt staff was held. This included the other divisions of the company IRONPRO, HOLT Truck Centers, E-Solutions and SITECH Tejas who were also on hand to answer questions for customers.

“Since we are getting to be a pretty good sized company with over 2,500 employees it’s hard for everybody to know all the things we do so this was a good opportunity,” stated Colglazier.

Since this new generation of Caterpillar excavators introduced so many new features and systems, this event was the perfect laid-back venue for customers to relax and learn about the new products and see the Spurs beat the Washington Wizards 98 to 90. -bd

Showtime for the NextGen excavators

Holt staff ready to help

A closer look at the new products

Ten years ago, April 2008 Construction News ON LOCATION

Construction News ON LOCATION

Drywallers with attitude

No complaints here!

L-R: Working side by side, Jerry Smith, Sergio Montoya, Keith Elliott, Cody Louma and Jon Allison, Baker Triangle, have managed to keep themselves pretty busy drywalling Texas. As for the ‘tudes, well…that’s nothing a little lath and plaster can’t take care of! -va

L-R: Danny Hanna, Ralph, the complaint manager and Sam Campbell, Suncoast Post-Tension thought they’d pose for a picture together. But with no complaints to check on, Ralph disappeared so fast, he left his coat and hardhat behind! -va

Construction News ON LOCATION

Construction News ON LOCATION

Staying out of the doghouse

Infant forecast

Steven “Bear” Salfelder, owner/president, Bear Fix, LLC, and smart daddy, was sure to call his daughter, who is also the office manager, Katherine Brown, (in the picture frame), before he and Brandi Cummins, took a picture break.

General contractor servicing Round Rock and the surrounding area, the Bear Fix team decided that bringing in a framed photo of Brown would keep them out of the doghouse! -va

Eleven-month-old Jack Henderson isn’t shy about pointing to the direction he sees his grandpa’s business heading. After all, Aaron Thomison, Sr. (not pictured) owner, Aaron Thomison Masonry, Inc., has his grandson and children, Aaron Thomison, Jr. and Teri Lynn Henderson, in charge of handling business while he’s out…and little Jack has some pretty sharp decision-making skills! -va

Austin Construction News • APR 2018

Page 19

Living a dream

L-R: Residential department associate Paul Guzman, owner Jerry Morales, accounting manager Maria Vides and general manager Daniel Aguilar

O

ne of the first things you notice when you walk into Alpha Glass Company is the “big beautiful saltwater fish tank.” The general manager Daniel Aguilar said it was his stepbrother’s childhood dream to have one.

The story behind the glass starts with their father who has been a glazier for 45 years. Jerry Morales, the current owner of Alpha, picked up the trade from his stepdad at an early age. He became a second-generation glazier.

Back in the late 1990s and mid 2000s, their father owned the company and it was named Alpha Glass Services. Just four years ago Morales decided to reopen as Alpha Glass Company. So, four years ago on a small budget between Morales and his wife they bought a small pick up truck. Morales started with small residential jobs. Eventually, he was able to get in contact with a couple of small commercial project managers.

The first commercial project was somewhere around $5,000 total, which we know is significantly small in the commercial world. “To him he was on top of the world because the only time he would see a paycheck like that was from the income tax return when his kids were small,” honestly said Aguilar.

Organically the business started to grow as they rented a small office off Bastrop HWY. As word of mouth spread and industry connections connected the business was thankfully able to get to where it is today.

Now they are located off Burleson Road with a little over 20 employees.

There are two teams: residential and commercial.

Aguilar joined the family business at the beginning of 2016. Their father is on the team as their “senior commercial master (if you will).” Aguilar’s brother Edward is a junior estimator in the commercial department. Aguilar’s sister Maria is

their head of accounting. His mother is a retired San Antonio Independent School District accountant, who comes in, helps and teaches his sister.

Aguilar adds that several of their employees were his father’s employees when he had his business.

A company celebration they have is celebrating each other’s birthdays. Loretta Menchaca is in the commercial department and knows how to decorate when the time calls for it. “She will set up a photo section of props and things like that,” said Aguilar.

Every now and then the company will host a lotería night. For those who haven’t played lotería, it is similar to bingo, just as addicting and a great way to pick up the Spanish language.

This business and the people involved is an American dream for Morales.

“One of the things that Jerry is proud of is our company to this day has been able to operate on a liquid funds basis,” said Aguilar.

Aguilar sees that the next step for the company to continue evolving involves adopting business tactics to continue to grow. “Long term for us is to be able to grow enough where we can open a branch in San Antonio.”

When looking at the glazier industry as a whole, Aguilar says they don’t see anyone as competition, but rather a skilled glazier because there are few qualified experienced glaziers. “It’s great that even a small company like us, somebody that literally started with $2000 and a little pick up truck and a dream, have been able to flourish in Austin’s economy.”

Every now and then Morales will work from the conference room where he is able to view the big beautiful saltwater fish tank. A childhood dream, come true.

Alpha Glass Company serves Austin and surrounding areas. –lv

Thinking outside the box

Cody Gaines, AirCo Mechanical in Round Rock shared this photo of the lift and set of 22 RTUs in 41 minutes at the Living Spaces Central Texas Distribution Center in Pflugerville.

“There were no accidents, near-misses or recordables,” says Gaines. -cmw

Construction News ON LOCATION

Not camera shy

The Brundage-Bone Concrete Pumping location in Buda said hello to Construction News. L-R: David Teran, Jason Benson and Brian Anders –lv

Page 20

Austin Construction News • APR 2018