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CONSTRUCTION NEWS The Industry’s Newspaper
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www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 24 H Number 6 H JUNE 2021
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50/50 plan
Lady luck
L-R: E-Z Bel President Stephen Park and E-Z Bel CEO Michael Rodriguez are excited to celebrate E-Z Bel’s 50 years in business.
The RDR Flooring team
nitially offering surveying and construction consulting services, Roy and Lydie Rodriguez founded E-Z Bel Construction LLC in 1971. Roy began taking on construction projects, building them in-house. Fifty years later, E-Z Bel offers a complete line of horizontal construction services. Today, the company is still primarily owned and operated by the second generation, Michael R. Rodriguez. “Fifty years! I would have never thought that we would ever get to 50 years,” says E-Z Bel CEO Michael Rodriguez. “We are right in the transition period of my dad to me and then me to Stephen Park and the rest of the leadership group. What a year to do it in – at the 50-year mark. I am very grateful for the opportunity that my dad
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stablished in 1985, Western States Fire Protection (WSFP) originated with two offices – one in Denver, CO and the other, St. Paul, MN and quickly expanded to Los Angeles, CA. In 1989, Western States became a subsidiary of API Group in Minnesota. Today, the company has 24 branches throughout the United States. In 1990, Western States Fire Protection opened an office in San Antonio. Eighty-five employees strong, the San Antonio office services San Antonio and its surrounding areas. WSFP expanded their markets to Donna and Corpus Christi, TX, to service the South Texas region. “Our specialty is fire protection, fire sprinklers and fire alarms, as well as offsite fire alarm monitoring services,” says Don Salazar. “We bring innovation and design credits for reduced wastewater and improved tenant space flexibility.” Dedicated to building a safer envi-
presented to me and what he and my mom taught me. My mom, especially, taught me how to save money and save for the future. For them to be around to be a part of the celebrations is especially rewarding.” Throughout the company’s 50 years in business, E-Z Bel has enjoyed a steady profitable growth with Michael priding himself on continuing to build the company based on the vision his father created years ago. E-Z Bel continues to focus on building a strong foundation of people based on its core values by providing opportunities for future individual growth. “In 50 years, surely there might have been hundreds of thousands of feet of continued on Page 19
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fter about eight years of working as a laborer in the flooring industry, Rudy Reyna was ready to do more. He wanted his own business. In 2000, Rudy and his wife, Dina Reyna, started RDR Flooring. “We had just moved into our home and we didn’t have any furniture. Naturally, I wanted furniture. Rudy asked me if we should buy furniture or should we start the business,” laughs Dina. “I was like, ‘Hello, I want furniture.’ But he said no, and we started the business. Actually, we got lucky.” The very day Rudy and Dina registered their company, Rudy met with a contractor who gave the opportunity they needed to get started. RDR Flooring has been going strong ever since. In 2003, Roddy Reyna, Rudy and
Dina’s son, joined the company as Chief Operating Officer after returning from the Naval Academy. Around that time, RDR Flooring began expanding to their floor portfolio by adding polished concrete to their services. “RDR is a preferred contractor with Wal-Mart,” adds Jesse Vasquez, Jr., RDR Flooring Director of Preconstruction. “Since Wal-Mart stores pretty much have everything, as the flooring industry pivoted into polished concrete, so did we.” “Some contractors stick with hard tile like ceramic, granite or resilient tile,” says Roddy. “Some do polished concrete and epoxies. Fortunately for us, we have been able to do it all.” “We do it all,” agrees Rudy. “Ceramic, VCT, LVT, polished concrete, hardwood, continued on Page 19
Western-style protection
Western States Fire Protection San Antonio team members at the recent ASA Subfest L-R: Don Salazar, Jessica Tandy, Chris Tandy and Dillon Pecan
ronment, WSFP constantly identifies opportunities within their projects to contribute to a cleaner environment, whether it be through “Green Fire Protection” initiatives or by providing quality fire protection services. As the construction industry is under constant scrutiny to incorporate environmentally friendly practices, WSFP takes great pride in their green fire protection services and are frequently involved in the engineering, design, construction, and installation of projects striving to reach LEED certification. “Our company mission is quite simple,” adds Salazar. “Provide quality solutions for the protection of lives and property, providing an exceptional value to our customers. Everyone at WSFP takes great pride in providing such solutions to include offering free customer training in our fully-designed training room.” In addition to the company’s mission continued on Page 19