CE1
Commercial Drywall, Inc.
Craftsman
Vol. 4 No. 1
November 1982
RepublicBank C®nH©ir
ODD begins unique Commercial Drywall is just a few weeks into its portion of the work on the RepublicBank Center, a 56-story office building and headquarters for RepublicBank Houston in downtown Houston. This unique building consists of two distinct visual statements — the office tower and a 12-story banking hall and will be a stately addition to Houston’s already impressive skyline. It is bounded by Rusk, Capitol, Louisiana and Smith streets and will contain approximately 1.5 million square feet of office and retail space. RepublicBank Center was designed for Gerald D. Hines Interests by architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee who are responsible for the new art-deco style Transco Tower in the Galleria area as well as Pennzoil Place in downtown Houston. They chose the European Renaissance as the style for this building borrowing styles of construction popular during that period including the use of gables, spires and obelisks. The tower steps down in a series of three vertical segments. The exterior will be detailed in deep
russet color granite quarried in Sweden. It will also be used in the interior detailing. The stone finishes are used to create varying shadow patterns. Metal spires from every roof level creates a unique silhouette. The exciting entrance to the project from Louisiana is a massive 75-foot high arched granite doorway entering into the bank hall. The bank hall occupies almost the entire eastern half of the block. At its highest point, the stepped ceiling is 125 feet above the floor. Arched skylights run the entire length of the banking hall to provide natural light. The banking hall is to be completed by September, 1983. “The challenge for us lies in the banking hall,” explains CDI estimator Mike Holland, “we have a tough timetable for this part of the project, it will be tough finding the qualified manpower to tackle the roof, the access to the roof is difficult and there will be a maise of scaffolding in the bank hall to work around.” The scope of CDI’s involvement includes shaftwalls, arcade ceilings, door frames and doors and both sides of the bank hall roof which is
RepublicBank Center when completed will have a dramatic effect on Houston s downtown skyline.
The RepublicBank Center.
the “nuts and bolts of the job,” according to Mike. CDI is building the obelisks for each tier of the roof. Commercial is investigating the use of fiberglass reinforced gypsum plaster for the many arches in the bank hall. Daryl Hammons is supervising the project for CDI with Bobby Cocran overseeing the bank hall construction and Dennis Alford handling the construction of the tower. Turner Construction of Houston is the general contractor. The office space is already 70 percent leased. Due to the design, floor sizes will vary in size from about 5,000 square feet to approximately 30,000 square feet. RepublicBank Houston will occupy the first 15 floors of the tower. “Initially, everyone was awed by the project and perhaps a little afraid of it. We are ready to tackle it and are really getting excited about it,” comments Mike Holland.
The holiday season
Tome to return to Suites By Stan Marek The last few weeks before yearend traditionally carry that wonderful holiday spirit. With Thanksgiving just passed and Christmas just around the corner it certainly is a special time of year. We attend many festive parties and madly rush around purchasing our Christmas presents. Everyone you meet is in the holiday spirit. We should all, though, take a moment to remember what Christmas is special for. It is a time for remembering religious origins. It is a time for being with your loved ones, a time for sharing and caring. It is a time for reflection on the year past. It is a time to make plans for
V the coming year. It’s the Christmas tree, the smell of pine boughs and the singing of carols. Too often, we overlook these basics when strolling through our favorite shopping mall with all its decorations, its Santa Claus, its Christmas sales and all the other material goodies we associate with the Christmas season. This year, perhaps, we should reflect on the material abundance most of us have come to enjoy and expect over the years. I’m talking about abundance relative to what existed when the pilgrims first set foot on Plymouth Rock and years before at the time of the birth of Christ. Christmas then was a time of
rejoicing, of being with families. Through the years many of us have associated Christmas with only gifts given and received, not with the true reason for the celebration. For many Americans this year, however, there will not be a Christmas, no abundance of gifts, no abundance of food and drink. With the economy the way it is today, it is a good time to re-think what Christmas really means to us. Perhaps this year we can regain a truer holiday spirit, one not based on its material aspects. Maybe because of the lack of abundance for many, families and friends will draw closer together. Maybe relationships will be stronger, not out of what we give materially, but what we give one another spiritually. This year, let’s all of us gather with our families and loved ones and enjoy what we do have. I believe that each of us has a lot to celebrate, a lot to be thankful for and much to share with one another. * From all of us at CDI, have a wonderful old fashioned holiday season.
The incredible happens just often enough to make life either disturbing or delightful.
I
Two CDI Systems office personnel recently were awarded belt buckles for their contributions. Roger Smith (left) and Frank Zecca (right) received the awards from Chuck Grogan at a recent supervisors' breakfast. ' ' “
Craftsman
[Holodlays CDI has set its holiday schedule for the remainder of 1982. All employees will enjoy Christmas Eve, (Friday, December 24) and New Year's Eve (Friday, December 31) as holidays. The field Christmas party will be held from noon until 3:00 p.m. at the SPJST Lodge at 1415 Beall. All field employees are invited to attend
CDI
where plenty of beer, food and entertainment will be happening Junt eT30 a°m Wh®n time stoPs at 11.30 a.m. and head up to the lodqe located just west of Shepherd at 15th and Beall in the Heights '5th Special activities at the party will include the distribution of several craftsmen of the era year awards.
Editor: Larry Williams Asst. Editor: Maureen MacAuley The CDI Craftsman is published monthly by Commercial Drywall, Inc. for its employees and their families. Employees should send their news contributions to Larry Williams, Commercial Drywall, Inc., P.O. Box 10686, Houston, Texas 77018.
Dallas Galleria project I he Dallas Galleria Mall opened its , doors to the public October 30. The ^ Gerald D. Hines product, fashioned much like its Houston counterpart, is part of the more than two million square feet of shopping, hotel , club and office space located on the 43 acre site in North Dallas. CDI craftsmen can claim credit for their fine efforts on the structure’s interior which included work on furrdowns, drops, bulkheads and an intricate skylight system. With its central atrium spanning its length, furrdowns along each side of the mall’s four levels were required. CDI craftsmen performed excellently in producing outstanding quality in these highly visible areas. In addition to the central mall area, CDI’s scope of work included the demising walls separating the various shops and stores. Ceilings were also installed for many of the different tenants in the mall. Other work included a radius ceiling for the Marshall Fields corridor and the elaborate athletic facility which consists of a restaurant, ^^exercise rooms, swimming pool, ^PFjOgging track and tennis courts. Special thanks to to Jim Hanson, CDI’s foreman on the mall area; “Ike” Eisen who headed the demising wall crew and Ed Bailey who handled the athletic facility.
completed
CDI Systems recently completed the interior construction of the Dallas Galleria. The four-level mall, which opened October 30, was a year-long project for CDI craftsmen.
Supporting these people were some excellent craftsmen in Barry Verner, Donald Gayford, and Dwight Douglas involved on the furrdowns; Thomas Stephens who built the radius ceiling; and Xavier Perez who played a key part in the construction of the athletic club. In all, the Galleria crew averaged some 25 craftsmen. Their hard work
earned them a barbeque lunch earlier this year and their fine work is in view of thousands of shoppers everyday. CDI’s Philip Santeiu provided the office/field coordination on the project while Alan Smith served as project manager in working with general contractor Harvey Construction.
Pleas® note! Because of the upcoming holidays, please be aware that pay periods will change slightly during the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s. With Friday, December 24 being a holiday, all checks will be distributed on Thursday the 23rd at the jobsites. Also, the following Thursday will be a payday due to the New Year’s Eve holiday.
«belt buckle ,^SSS!SevS^S!SliSSan
Two of CDI Systems' rece Billy Crismon (right). The carpenter duo Keating on the Lincoln Center project.
A small boy was refusing to eat. The father, whose temper had grown short, yelled, “Twenty years from now you'll be telling some girl what a great cook your mother was. Now eat your dinner.’’
Project of the month
Late on Post Oak near
The Lake on Post Oak project is nearing completion, (left to right) Charlie Duncan. Becky Jones and Brad Buescher pose with the difficult monumental staircase in the background.
Emptoy®® spotlight
CCom Luttrell always keeps busy As CDI has grown, so have the duties of billing clerk, Kim Luttrell. A three year veteran of the company, Kim started as a timekeeper in the time department, a position she kept for about two years. Kim then was trar sferred to the billing department under Melva Weggemann where her duties included the billing of small work orders and small bid jobs as well as assisting Melva with the large job of monthly draws. Kim feels that working in the time department first has really helped her in her current position. “It helped me because I now understand all the codes. It made the transition easier and Melva has really assisted me with learning of the billing system." Kim is not one to sit around when she finishes her assigned duties. She will find something to keep her busy. Kim assists Vicki Edwards with bank statement reconciliations and she often will do an accounting project for Dave LeTourneau. “I just want to keep busy and am game to learn new aspects of the company so I help with anything that needs to be done," Kim adds. “Kim is a real good worker and a big help to me," says Melva, “she has taken a lot of the workload off me. When you give her a project to do, you know it will be completed. She is very dependable.”
In the construction business, rarely r\ do you find a high rise construction k project that has run as smoothly as ^ CDI’s project of the month for November, Lake on Post Oak. This striking black glass exterior building is the third to be completed in the group of buildings which include Natural Gas Pipeline Tower and CE Lummis Tower. The three, located at South Post Oak and Richmond in the Galleria area, are surrounded by a picturesque threeacre lake. CDI work on the project is about 90 percent completed at this time with the core work on the 22nd floor of the 22-story building just being finished. The tenant work is progressing steadily. DeWayne Keeney, who was the supervisor at the onset of the project, says, "This building was one of the best cores I’ve done. The job has run smoothly since its start.” DeWayne has since left this project to head Westlake III construction leaving Brad Buescher to supervise Lake on Post Oak. Brad who has worked on the job since its start says, “There have been no real problems. It has been a pretty clean cut job.”
CDH — Austin
Contract awarded for
Billing clerk Kim Luttrell. enjoys doing a variety of projects.
Prior to joining the CDI staff, Kim was employed by the Houston Area Teachers Credit Union for a year and a half where she gained computer experience. This has proven very helpful to her in her current position. Kim has lived in Houston since moving from Illinois with her family when she was 12 years old. She and her husband, Keith, make their home in north Houston. Her time away from the office is spent keeping busy doing a variety of things. She enjoys playing softball, bowling and just being outdoors.
CDI Austin has just been awarded the contract for the First City Centre building — a new landmark in downtown Austin. It is located in the heart of the city’s financial and business district on Congress Avenue two blocks from the State Capitol. Tenants of the building will enjoy a view of Town Lake to the south, the Governor’s mansion and capitol building to the north and to the west a splendid view of the hill country. The major scope of CDI’s work on the project will include drywall insulation and finishing, acoustical ceilings, metal linear ceilings, doors and hardware and glass welds. Johnny Kovar is the project foreman-, CDI’s construction on the 21-story building is scheduled to start December 1.
ng DeWayne and Brad agree that the W most difficult and challenging part of the project is the monumental staircase from the basement to the lobby on the first floor. The desiqn of the circular staircase has chanqed several times since the original plans for the project. The success of the project has been due to many factors. “We always had top quality workers on the job, Brad added, “and everyone worked together and is satisfied with the job.” The fine efforts of carpenters Joe Sykora, Carl Carson, Orphus Keeney, Mark McKinney, Mike Crick and Becky Jones helped the project run smoothly. Finishers under the supervision of foreman Charlie Duncan are Humberto Vargas, Esteban Castilla and Juan Trevino. John Samuels was the labor foreman during most of the project. According to Charlie Duncan, the finishing is proceeding without difficulty. “We haven’t had to jump out of sequence to do leases, we are working behind very high quality ^^carpenters which makes our job easier and there have been no big time demands.” He adds, “By working with a smaller crew, it is
easier to keep the quality.” Brad feels that good communication with the office adds to the success of any project, and he says that “Harvey’s superintendent Hon Murray has been easy to work with on this one.” There was one minor problem CDI craftsmen faced on this job — no air conditioning in mid-summer after all the windows had been installed. “It was a little unbearable at times to work in that heat,” Charlie said, "But that has been the only problem, or rather inconvenience, on the project.” “The success of this project has been a combination of many things — our top notch supervisors and
craftsmen, our good working relationship with Harvey Construction, the fine work of the job superintendent,” commented CDI project manager Joe Gilligan. CDI has been on the job since February of this year and should be finished in another two months. Lake on Post Oak is a development of Gerald D. Hines Interests with the general contractor being Harvey Construction of Houston. The Craftsman is pleased to highlight this project as our project of the month as it does exemplify CDI’s high standards of quality and the fine work done by CDI craftsmen.
ustin landmark The building is actually two interconnected towers of 10,000 to 30,000 square feet per floor expanding a full city block. Other design aspects include earth toned exterior color and non-reflective glass. The focal point of First City Centre’s lobby will be a 50-foot waterfall spilling into multilevel
I
rtt;9nePoMhe most previous jobs in town and I'm looking forward to doing it,” western division president Larry Hanvey says about First City Centre. The project, designed by the architectural firm of Holt, Fatter, Scott Inc. of Austin, is a . development of The Watson-Casey ^Companies. Turner Constr“c®°" ,
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First City Centre, located in the heart of downtown Austin, expands a full city block. It will be the headquarters for First City National Bank of Austin.
Few things help a person more than placing responsibility upon him and letting him know that you trust him. No matter how right you are no matter how wrong the other fellow is, no matter how much evidence you have to prove it, you will never get him to agree with you by arguing him down. It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
Alfred Adler
Two things worry most people these days: one, that things may never get back to normal, and the other, that they already have. It isn't what you know that counts. It's what you think of — in time. It seems so easy to be goodnatured, I wonder why anybody takes the trouble to be anything else. Douglas Jerrold
Ronnie St. Lawrence
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CDI's outstanding supervisor award for October has gone to Ronnie St. Lawrence who recently completed a tough tear out and remodel job the Catholic Charities. It took about two months to tear out the existing interior of the 27-year old Catholic Charities building, located at 3582 Montrose, and three and a half months to rebuild it. “Ronnie did a super job on a tough project. He is dependable and always stays right on top of his job,” says superintendent Ted Hajdik about Ronnie. On this particular project, CDI acted as the coordinating contractor. Accordingly, the scope of Ronnie's work included the coordination and sequence of all trades as well as overseeing the smooth running of CDI’s construction. Ronnie attributes his success as a supervisor to “working with the best hands. The guys are everything to
A |©b well ©toe . . . We are always proud of the fine work done by our employees on the job. It is especially nice when one of our customers takes the time to let us know they appreciate the good work too. The letter below displays appreciation for the fine efforts of Ronnie St. Lawrence. Congratulations Ronnie and keep up the good work.
fDYJkDl 8505 HOLT STREET HOUSTON TEXAS 77054 (713) 747-8030
Novenbor 3. 1982
Mr. Bruce Harck Coiaaeici.il Drywall, Inc. r. 0. Box 10686 u 77292 Houston, Rc:
Mr. Ronnie St. Lawrence
Dear Bruce:
lease tli.it VC are building on the 6th floor of th.- 1600 West Loop joyed working with hln. thank you for assigning Ronnie to our Job, we really appreciate Sincerely, DYAD, INC.
vvwv Cary L. Ferguson CI.F/lh Ed Barker
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the smooth operation of a project." At Catholic Charities, he had several fine carpenters assisting him including Charlie and Donnie Kennerly, Dave Stang, Al Jones, Bill Culver, Jerry Roberts and Red Davis. Finishers Ed and Bryan Robins did an excellent job as did the painters on the job. “Each person had to be versatile on the job and be able to do a variety of tasks from building exterior fences to cutting door frames in brick walls to cutting skylights in the roof,” says Ronnie. Ronnie, a two and a half year veteran of CDI, has several years of experience in the construction business. He feels the industry knowledge gained over the years has really helped his supervisory skills. By anticipating problems before they happen is another key to his success. He is able to work them out and still remain within budget. “The supervisory training sessions offered by CDI also helped my supervisory skills on the job,” Ronnie adds. Ronnie’s brothers, Harold and Richard are also employees of CDI. Harold works for the most part on the job with Ronnie and they “work well together.”
Ronnie St. Lawrence was chosen as supervisor of the month for October for his fine work at Catholic Charities.
# Ronnie, a native Houstonian, his wife, Cindy, and their four children, make their home in Pearland. His favorite pastime is goose hunting.
What is good about work? What is good about work? First of all that it changes something and you can see the change. Something runs that didn’t run before. Something is cut and baled or packed or boxed or built or stacked. Something is clean that was fouled, something is put up, lit up, painted’, cured. And you can see the benefit. Second of all what is good about work is knowing you can do something well and doing it. You dwell in your knowing. You pour the steel, set the beam, teach the lesson There is a sequence to it, and you know it as you know your own heartbeat. And the third good thing about work is that the doing of it is a
composition. Whatever it is it has to look a certain way, it has a form, and you have to fulfill it. You work for its composition, whether it's a shoe, or a table, or a bread. And when people who work can see the benefit of what they do, and when they can enjoy the feeling of themselves in the doing of it well, and when they can make the composition, they will say the work is good. But when they have none of these things the work is bad and it doesn’t matter what it pays. It can pay in the six figures and you will sit there suspended in your misery, with 0 your head in your hands. — E.L. Doctorow, “American Anthem
—-H
Warwick painters Ffi©©d With many challenges Luxury condominiums always pose a challenge for CDI’s craftsmen. The Warwick Condominium Towers project located at Fannin and Hermann Drive is no exception. CDI is doing all the paint and wall covering on the project for McGregor Construction of Houston. CDI has been on the project for five months under the supervision of Tony Cuellar. Foreman Freddie Cuellar is overseeing the east tower while foreman Manuel Rodriguez is in charge of the west tower. “Both Freddie and Manuel are doing a fantastic job keeping on top of the work. The painters we have on the job are top notch. They have to be versatile in this type of luxury condominium project,” says Tony. Working on the project are painters Ruben Cuellar, Emmett Berlanga, Roger Volk, Ruben Rodriguez, James St. John, Delson Young, Domingo Lara, Tim Cruse, Bobby Haynes, Ed Sampleton, Frank Martinez, Ernest Garcia, Angel Jimenez, Bobby Papevies, Dan Banet, and Eddy Carsten. There are a total of 127 individual condominium units with seven penthouses in the two 30-story towers. Each of the units is custom finished with several of the units having as many as six or seven different wall coverings. This proves to be challenging and it takes much more time than if they were painting all one color. Further, the painters are not finishing one floor at a time but rather working throughout the buildings.
^ note of thanks . . . rm/ Qinrprp
(Top) CDI painters Eddie Sampleton (left) and James St. John are seen here painting one of the condominium units at Warwick Towers. (Right) Painter Delson Young adds finishing touches with his brush at Warwick Towers.
The scope of the painters work includes the individual units, corridors, stairways, parking garage, wood finishing and the lobby. In the lobby, they will be working with wood panels covered in fabrics. All trim and woodwork has to be back primed before installation. “Another problem we are faced with is that we are working behind other crafts. We cannot go into a unit until everyone else is out and there are always changes to work out in a luxury project,” adds Tony. CDI project manager, Scott Bauer
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away from the job. It was c y appreciated. I n i ambprt j. u. Ldinuc
conc|ominium project the sharpest in town. To date, the challenge of using all different wall coverings has not presented a problem to the painters.” M The fine efforts of all the painters ^ indeed appreciated by CDI. W rwick Towers is scheduled for completion during the « par, o,
Editor's Note: J. D. was injured when the automobile he was work ng on « or, lop of ^^^now returned ‘to
1983. work at Allied Bank building.
Birth Congratulations are in order to Mr. and Mrs. Daryl Hammons on the recent birth of their daughter, Sarah Ann. Sarah was born on November 8 at 9:44 a.m. at Women’s Hospital of Texas. She weighed in at 9 pounds, 10 ounces and measured 21 inches. Mother and daughter are reportedly doing fine. The secret of patience is finding something else to do in the meantime. The more you say, the less people remember.
Som® thoughts ®n raising a faraiy The words burst from the man sitting across from me, his eyes pleading for help: “What should I have done differently? If your children were young again, what would you do?" Fie was suffering the empty, deathlike feeling of a man whose children have strayed. He felt he had failed as a father. His questions stayed with me. What insights had I gleaned from my own experience as a parent and from my years of counseling others? If I were starting my family again, what would I do to improve relations with my children? I would love my wife more. In the closeness of family life it is easy to take each other for granted and let a dullness creep in that can dampen the deepest love. So I would love the mother of my children more-and be freer in letting them see that love. I have found that a child who knows his parents love each other needs little explanation about the character of God’s love or the beauty of sex. The love between father and mother flows visibly to him and prepares him to recognize real love in all future relationships. When a mother and father joins hands as they walk, the child also joins hands. When they walk separately, the child is slow to join hands with anyone. I would develop feelings of belonging. If a child does not feel that he belongs in the family, he will soon find his primary group elsewhere.
CDI Craftsman Commercial Drywall, Inc. 3539 Oak Forest Drive RO. Box 10686 Houston, Texas 77018
Many who live in the same household are worlds apart. Many children see their father only at the dinner table. Some never see him for days at a time. For others, fatherchild time together may be only a few minutes a week. When a child feels he belongs to the family, he has a stability which can stand against the taunts of the gang and the cries of the crowd. I would laugh more with my children. It has been said that the best way to make children good is to make them happy. I see now that I was, many times, too serious. I remember the humorous plays our children put on for us, the funny stories they shared from school and the times I fell for their tricks and catch questions. Such happy experiences enlarged our love, opened the door for doing things together—and still bind us together. I would be a better listener. To most of us, a child's talk seems like unimportant chatter. Yet, I now believe, there is a vital link between listening to the child’s concerns when he is young and the extent to which he will share his concerns with his parents when he is in his teens. I was once with a father who did not answer when his young son called to him again and again. “It’s only the kid calling,’’ the man said. And I thought, it will not be long until the father will call the son and he will say, “It’s only the old man calling.” I would do more encouraging. Probably nothing stimulates a child
to love life and seek accomplishment more than sincere praise when he has done well. I know now that encouragement is a much better element of discipline than blame or reprimand. Fault finding and criticism rob a child of self-reliance, while encouragement builds a self-confidence and moves a child on to maturity. Deep in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. And when this need is met by those we love we also will grow in other graces.
A anew f@c® . . . Maureen MacAuley has recently joined the Craftsman staff as assistant editor. Maureen works on a part-time basis while attending the University of Houston studying journalism. She currently holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Wyoming. Maureen and her husband, Ian, have made Houston their home for the last year and a half after living a few years in Canada.
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Maturity begins when we’re content to feel we're right about something without feeling the necessity to prove someone else wrong. —Sydney Harris
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