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The Industry’s Newspaper www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 17 H Number 1 H JANUARY 2019
A good front
Bravo, sir - well done
Ed and Robyn LeGris in front of some stone and cast stonework they did in their home.
Stephen Moreno, owner of 12 Bravo Construction
E
ver hear the expression that someone is putting on a good front? The meaning is: the person may look happy or sincere on the outside, but not so much on the inside. Usually, that expression denotes some type of hypocrisy. But in the case of Ed and Robyn LeGris, when they put on a good front, that’s good. As owners of First Choice Plastering, the couple has been at it for years, know their stuff, and will make any structure look great. Robyn’s father started the company back in the ‘50s, calling it Do All Plastering. Ed worked for him for about 10 years and ended up marrying Robyn. Robyn’s mother wasn’t too keen about her daughter getting hooked up with another bluecollar construction worker, but in the end
she accepted and loved Ed all the same. Her father wasn’t doing too well physically toward the end, and was secretly grooming Ed and Robyn to take over Do All Plastering once he was not there. He passed away in 1994, and the pair did take it over, changing the name to First Choice Plastering. “When he passed, [taking over the business] was a pretty seamless transition,” Robyn said. Since the plastering circuit was a tight-knit group, they all knew everyone, and the LeGrises maintain many of these life-long relationships to this day. Robyn’s father trained many of those who went out to start their own companies. “Plaster and lath are almost an art,” continued on Page 14
F
rom VA counseling and medications for PTSD to running his own construction company - Stephen Moreno of 12 Bravo Construction is motivated. At 17, with a young son and working two jobs, the high school dropout joined the Army. His entrance exam scores weren’t good, so the only jobs offered Moreno were infantry and combat engineer. He chose the latter. The three main aspects of combat engineer are mobility, counter mobility and survivability, all three of which he did during his eight years enlisted and his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. But after eight years, the Army told Moreno he had to be medically retired as an E-6. He wanted to stay in, but no.
“I’ve always been an entrepreneur,” Moreno said. He took this can-do attitude and started his own handyman service while studying HVAC. Via networking with other vets and contacts, Moreno found steady work in construction and repair. Moreno worked as a roofing supervisor in 2014, then as a project manager for an AC company in 2015. He was this company’s top project manager. Even though this job didn’t go well in the long run, Moreno was taught a valuable lesson: getting out of his comfort zone. “I learned how to deal with customers,” he said. The result was personal continued on Page 14
Bernard Johnson Coliseum gets a facelift
W
hen Charles N. White founded White Construction Company (WCC) in 1971, he understood that the best way to achieve his clients’ goals was by sharing their vision of success, not just in the terms of the final project, but at every single stage of the process. With a strategic mix of both private and public clients spanning several market sectors including corporate office, corrections, education, healthcare, highend residential and multi-family housing, historic preservation, religious, retail, senior living and more, they remain a family business. WCC was sought after to help modernize Sam Houston State University’s Bernard Johnson Coliseum, including significant architectural and mechanical renovations. The coliseum, which was originally completed in 1976 hosts a variety of sports activities and university events including graduations, concerts,
campus organization events, summer camps, and family shows. The estimated 90,000sf-facility took five months to renovate at an estimated cost of $11,500,000. Concrete, HVAC AHU’s and associated steel piping systems, metal studs, gypsum drywall, paint, tile, flooring, millwork, 6,200 coliseum seats and an athletic wood flooring system were the primary construction materials used throughout the project. Renovation of the HVAC system proved to be very challenging. The mechanical space for the coliseum is 60ft above the floor of the facility. The space was 3,500ft in circumference and only 10ft wide. Access was limited to three small doors only 3ft wide and 7ft high. Removal and installation of 10ton air conditioning units the size of a pickup truck and 21-ft pipe lengths were daunting. Special scaffolding was custom designed Inside look of the renovated Bernard Johnson Coliseum, Sam Houston State University
continued on Page 14