Commercial Brywall, Inc.
C@mm#rcial Craftsman
Volume I, No. 2
December 1979
Operation 3P
©OD to launch ‘work smarter5 program Commercial Drywall is opening a new dimension in the construction industry with the beginning of a pro gram to cut production costs by 10 percent. Operation 3P, as it will be known, is designed to accomplish this goal through a multiphase pro gram that emphasizes a “work smarter” philosophy. Positive Productivity Program Operation 3P, which stands for Positive Productivity Program, has been in its planning stages for nearly two months. Committees consisting of management, supervisory and field personnel, have been drawing up various parts of the program since late October. According to Bruce Marek, direc tor of construction, “With the money market tight, the number of smaller jobs which have sustained other con
tractors will decrease meaning more competition for the big jobs. As this happens, the bids on these jobs will become more competitive as everyone tries to land the work. “If Commercial is to remain in its leadership role in the industry and continue to offer our employees what we feel are the best benefits anywhere, we will have to cut our operating costs by the 10 percent," says Bruce. The “work smarter” slogan reflects the basic philosophy behind Operation 3P with methods to in crease worker productivity without necessarily increasing workload. However, everyone will be expected to pitch in on this effort by giving 100 percent on the job. Five committees are now finalizing plans to implement the program January 1. It will span all of 1980,
and will hopefully lay the ground work for a permanent company effort. One of the best parts of the pro gram will be that job and individual awards and incentives in the areas of productivity, safety and attendance will increase. We will also implement a number of moves designed to make jobs run smoother such as cleaner working conditions, sufficient supervision, clear-cut goals for every job, and procedures to help employees increase their productivity. Operation 3P is the type of pro gram that will benefit every employee who becomes a part. As planned, it will allow employees to reach their full potential, while being rewarded for it. And it will be one that gives a job more meaning, while adding a little fun doing it.
Meridien teafts budget 4th fme Even WOTdoir Woman fiakes n©tic©
Wonder Woman and Meridien supervisor James Foley hit it off with a dance number during her recent visit to the project, honoring the crew’s record fourth win in the weekly budget beater contest.
If you ask James Foley what it takes to make your fantasies come true, he might say “just beat your budget.” Because when the Hotel Meridien super visor and his crew won the budget beater contest for an unprecedented fourth time, they received a visit from a very special iady — Wonder Woman. However, it wasn't the volup tuous Linda Carter who plays the TV version, but rather a beauty named Elaine from Eastern Onion, the singing telegram service. But, it made little difference as Elaine por
trayed the real Wonder Woman well. James looked adorable too, with a coned-shaped party hat on his head and a party favor hanging from his mouth, com pliments of Wonder Woman. Shades of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire emerged as Wonder Woman and James kicked up a little sheetrock dust in a song and dance routine. Then to top off her visit, Wonder Woman planted a kiss firmly on the cheek of the Meri dien supervisor. And before departing she posed with the crew for a group shot.
From the Hill Country COMPANY NEWS
From tin® t©p
By Dick Phillips As 1979 draws to a close, I wish to express my thanks for the good year this has been for our company. It may be a little late for Thanksgiv ing, and perhaps a little early for Christmas, but the need to say thanks when it is due is important, and has always played a big part of our company’s success. And we have been successful. Commercial Drywall is number one. We are tops in our field in every catagory—size of organization, size of projects under construction and under contract, quality of clients (we only work for the best), quality of employees, and quality and speed of work performed. The level of achievement which we have reached makes me extremely proud, and it is reason to make everyone associated with us to be proud also. But remember that pride not mixed with a healthy dose of thankfulness can turn to arrogance. There are a number of reasons why Commercial Drywall has enjoyed such a successful year. Three of the big ones are: 1. The market. Houston is the hottest construction market in the country. 2. Our owners. To reach our potential, our owners have provided us with the materials, equipment and money necessary to be number one. 3. Our people. No company in our field can boast of the talent and skills that are possessed by Commercial Drywall employees. Add it all up, and you will see that we have been blessed with the market, the resources and the people to be the kind of company we want to be and are. No one person or group of per sons can build a dynamic company like CDI, but together we as a team did it again in 1979 and are continu ing to get even more productive as we move into the 80’s. Let's stop for a moment to reflect. . . and be thankful.
Austin, Saw Antonio ©m top Commercial Drywall activities in Austin and San Antonio are moving right along. Both cities are enjoying projects that are on or ahead of schedule, with new projects coming aboard. Austin’s vice president and general manager, Larry Hanvey, reports that the five-story Data General building is on schedule and should be completed by December 15. Foreman, Chris Sylvester, and crew have done an outstanding job and deserve a lot of credit for mak ing the job a success. Also nearing completion is the two-story Farmer’s Insurance building which has been in progress for over a year now. Remodeling of the old part of the building has been underway, headed up by job foreman Bob Fritz. Our IBM project in Austin is in good shape with approximately 10 percent of the work completed. We recently started work on the new manufacturing building going up with
foreman David Kovar running the field operations there.
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CDI in San Antonio wrapped up activity at the Riverwalk Marriott a 500-room hotel facility and has just received a contract on the Holiday Inn to be built on the north side of the city. The 11-story structure should begin construction in January. San Antonio manager, Jerry Bonds, also reports that CDI has received a letter of intent for the nine-story San Antonio Savings office building to start construction in January. The San Antonio office was the scene of a beer and tamale ap preciation party November 2. The party was held to show the office’s appreciation for the fine job being done on everyone’s part. The Craftsman extends its appreciation to those people and also to everyone in Austin for their continued good work. Keep it up guys and gals! ! !
Peak on tSUB 0h@@k . ° „ Wonder Woman leaves James Foley with a kiss to remember her by while part of the Hotel Meridien crew look on. Wonder Woman celebrated with the CDI crew for winning the Budget Beater contest for a record fourth time.
Holiday work w€lhi<B(o][uiO<B outlined In observance of the Christmas holidays, Commercial- Drywall employees will not work on Monday, December 24, as well as Tuesday, Christmas Day. Work will resume Wednesday the 26th. New Year’s Day will also be observed as an official holiday,
however, Monday, December 31st., is scheduled as a normal work day until further notice. # The Commercial Craftsman wishes all Commercial employees and their families a happy and safe holiday celebration!
Project ©f the month
m , “a,!s.hall Field^displays CD! quality store in the Galleria is this month s project of the month. The three-story fashionable department store of the Chicago-based company is perhaps Houston s most elegantly decorated shopping place. It may also be the most complex in design. To our credit, Commercial Drywall was the contractor selected to take the complex design from drawings to reality. It took many hours of negotiating up front to get the job. Special credit for this achievement goes to the CDI people who handled this portion of the project—Al Jones, manager of Commercial Paint Group, and Barry Nieman, project coordinator. Both men did an outstanding job in getting the job, keeping it going, and making it a success. And, a brief walk through the store attests to our success. The store, which boasts some $10 million in store fixtures was a demanding effort. As job supervisor, Chuck Grogan put it, “it made you think with every move.” Paint supervisor Ben Boatright III agreed. “Very little work was repeated. Each time we moved to a different part of the building, we had to start over again. It wasn’t the kind of job where you apply the same methods throughout.” “Every one of our people who worked on this job deserve a lot of credit,” said Chuck. “I don’t think we were doing anything we hadn’t done before, but we were doing it all at the same time. To give you an idea of the complexities involved, we had three laser levels going at once,” said Chuck. “And the number and difficulty of drops was incredible.” According to Chuck, there were no ordinary, rectangular rooms. “It seemed that every area had unusual furr downs or drops, either at terrific angles or in unique shapes.” On the painting and wallcovering end of it, Ben felt like it was perhaps his most challenging job. “We used 42 different wallcovering materials, and even more paint colors. We hung suede, leather, burlap, silk, and W gold-leaf coverings. And we did not only walls, but we wrapped cabinets, jewelry displays, even shoe racks.” The gold-leaf material mentioned by Ben was hung on the top ceiling
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Paint supervisor, Ben Boatright III, left and Chuck Grogan, project supervisor teamed up with other CDI production and coordination personnel to make the Marshall Field job a remarkable achievement. Above the two is the $9000 gold-leaf ceiling hung by CDI people.
of the store. It consisted of 14kt. gold on a foil type material, costing $9,000. Ben believes that cooperation among he, Chuck and Mike Woodruff, who headed up much of the finishing work, contributed to the success of the project, but again it was the men on the job who got the work done. “It kept us mentally working. The men really put a lot into it, and they deserve all the credit they can get,” said Ben.
According to Ben and Chuck, all the men earned distinction for their effort at Marshall Field. However, special congratulations for a job well done goes to Dudley Chisholm, foreman, Pedro Cerda, who did the complex layout work, and Cecil Bevill, who played a big role in the painting operation. The Commercial Craftsman com mends those associated with the Marshall Field job for their excellent effort. And we recommend that everyone visit the store to fully ap preciate their accomplishments.
Birth ©f a fo§® Commercial Dry wall’s logo was developed six years ago by a design artist working in conjunction with company president, Dick Phillips. When the work began the primary objective was to develop an illustration that would sym bolize Commercial Drywall and the nature of our business. The series of illustrations above depict the steps taken in the process that took a single shape and evolved it into a symbol denoting who we are and what we do.
EMPLOYEE NEWS Field employees Christmas party sohedyDed This year's Christmas party for Commercial production employees has been slated for Friday, December 21st. from noon until 3:00 p.m. at the SPJST Lodge, 1435 Beall. Highlighting the afternoon affair will be plenty of barbeque, beer, enter tainment, and of course, paychecks. The get-together will be held in the spacious ballroom of the lodge located at 15th. and Beall streets in the Heights. A barbeque buffet of beef, ham and links with all the trimmings will be served in fast-moving lunch lines to allow plenty of time for the “fun” part of the day. Following lunch, entertainment will be provided to the tune of Pappy Self and his fiddle. Two bars will be set up to provide a constant flow of cold keg beer. So start preparing yourself for an afternoon to eat, drink and be merry! (To reach the SPJST lodge, take North Shepherd north from the Katy Freeway or south from the North Loop to 15th street. Turn west on 15th to Beall.)
On the job Ben displays his knowledge of painting and wallcoverings, as well as his ability to run a fast, quality-conscious crew.
Supervisor ©H the m©nth
Boatright: December’s award Ben Boatright ill, assistant superintendent and supervisor over Commercial’s painting operations, has been named the supervisor of the month for December. Ben, who has been with Commercial for the past year and a half, is known to the painting trade in Houston as one of the most knowledgeable men in his field. Ben’s prominence in Houston’s painting circles includes general con tractors, both superintendents and
Q Service amsuoweiTBaiToes Commercial employees (I to r) Joe Woodruff, Henry Freeman and D.K. McDonald recently celebrated 10 years of service with Commercial Drywall. The trio was treated to a barbeque lunch, and then each received a personally engraved dress watch to honor his 10 years of dedicated service to Commer cial. Joe, who is a paint foreman, works in the Transco remodeling job, while Henry serves as a laborer on our Two and Three Allen Center projects. D.K., a labor foreman, has been working at Yorktown Center.
management, other contractors, paint suppliers, and salesman. He came to Commercial from Courtney Painting, a well known con tractor with activities in several . states. He was associated with the company for 13 years, most recently^ serving as a paint supervisor there. For Commercial, Ben has shown outstanding ability in making our painting operation a growing and profitable part of the company. Among general contractors, he is known for his excellent communica tion abilities, as well as his ability to run a fast, efficient crew. One of Ben’s most recent under takings was heading up the painting crew at the Marshall Field project. Because of the job’s special demands, Ben’s painting expertise was needed to get the job done. And, as expected, he proved himself by producing a high standard of quality under complex working conditions. Paint superintendent, Jerry Featherston, offers only praise for Ben. “He’s probably one of the best in the business. When he heads a job, I know that it will go as smoothly as it possibly can. He has a knack for looking ahead and planning, and is always in control no matter what point the job is in.” A Al Jones, Commercial Paint Groups Manager, has the utmost admiration for Ben’s abilities. “We're fortunaie to have someone like Ben working for us. The guy is fantastic,” says Al.
Bobby Cocran
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♦
Putting everything
into what he does Dedicated is a good word to describe Commercial’s Bobby Cocran. A carpenter with Commer cial for the past three years, Bobby has always shown great dedication —to his job, his community and his family. Currently, Bobby is leading the way on work on the seven-story bank lobby at First International Plaza. His mechanical aptitude has proven a valuable asset in working the unusual design of the banking facility whose ceiling stairsteps from 115 feet at its highest point to a single story which runs some 185 feet in length. The working conditions, themselves, are demanding as room dwindles almost to a crawl space under beams, though virtually everything is being done off an enor mous and intricately erected scaf folding system. Bobby likens the bank lobby job to work he was involved in at the University of Houston last summer. The work at the school, a lecture auditorium, involved a great deal of tricky angles, unusual cuts, and scaf folding work, much like what is being required at the bank. But like the U. of H. job, Bobby is confident that with a lot of hard work everything will come out fine. “If the blueprints are right, and the structure work is close, then I can hang it,” claims Bobby. Bobby emphasizes the importance of pre-planning when beginning a job,
especially one like this. “I like to get the blueprints a little in advance, so that I can figure out the best way to tackle the job. By looking at the prints, I can usually spot any poten tial trouble spots and work out a solution before I get there,” he says. Bobby also feels a strong commit ment to the community, which he carries out by serving as a deputy constable for Harris County. His duties include serving arrest warrants and traffic enforcement. With this much time on the job, one wonders how he finds time to spend with his family. But he does. Because in the last 12 years, he and his wife have had 26 kids. Actually, only four are theirs. The others have been part of the foster parent program in which Bobby and his wife are extremely active. Since becoming involved, they have pro vided a home for a total of 26 children—from 1 month to 17 years in age. And, of these, they have adopted three—two boys and a girl—which gives them a family of four with a son of their own. According to Bobby, the foster children have stayed from periods of a few days to a few years. And always, “it's tough to say goodbye when the time comes.” Currently, the Cocran family stands at five, as they are now taking care of one foster child. And, as Bobby says, “we have everything we need, why not help the kids out.”
W@ need your address see that we have the current one on In order for employees to receive file. It is also imperative that you your newsletter in the mail each include your zip code, as our month, we need your complete newsletters cannot be mailed without present home address. Those who it, due to post office requirements. have changed addresses this year We want you to receive the Craftsand have not turned in the new ad dress can do so by calling Barbara man each month and on time. Your COOperation in this effort will be Smith at 681-9287, or by giving the greatly appreciated. And besides, information to your foreman. In addition, those whose permay0U may mjss something impornent mailing address is different from tant_|j|<e a story or photo on you. their present mailing address should_______________
A maze of scaffolding surrounds Bobby at the First International Plaza bank lobby.
M note ©f thanks Commercial Drywall wishes to thank employees who donated part of their paychecks to the family of Calvin Cherry. Through your generosity, Calvin’s wife, Debbie, is receiving $400.00 a week for eight weeks. In this way, the Cherry family can take care of their needs until the insurance takes effect. Calvin, a carpenter’s foreman for Commercial, drowned last September while fishing in San Luis Pass. He is survived by his wife and two children, ages two and four. In response to your gift, Debbie extended her gratefulness in a note of thanks which is included below, and goes to each of you who gave so generously.
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Our ‘key person1
Rite i sw®®t smiD® up front
Being happy at her job shows with Rita and spreads to anyone who drops by or calls.
Competition picks
yp for B.B.Q. to©Gi®s Commercial Drywall has awarded five budget beater lunches since the November Craftsman. During this period, the contest was won for a record fourth time by the Hotel Meri diem Also, during the five-week period, one newcomer entered into the picture, and a previous winner got hot and won the contest twice. The last five budget beater win ners were: ° Natural Gas Pipeline Building ° Hotel Meridien ° Natural Gas Pipeline Building ° Hotel Meridien ° Northwest Atrium II Core The Natural Gas Pipeline building is a 17-story project for Commercial in the City Post Oak area by Harvey Construction. Job supervisor there is Roger Warman, whose crew stocked 10 flatbed truck loads of sheetrock in one day to help win its third lunch. The Hotel Meridien in the Allen Center complex holds the record for the most budget beater lunches with four. Job supervisor on the project is James Foley. The Northwest Atrium I Ms a threestory atrium office building in Northwest Crossing by Houston Construction. Led by David McGuire, the crew broke into the "lunch line” with its first win the second week in November.
December’s "key person” is skin diver extraordinaire Rita Jones, who, when not in her wet suit and strapped with air tanks, serves as the secretary/receptionist for Commer cial’s field operations, headquartered at 2117 Judiway. Rita, a six-year veteran with CDI, began with our sister company, Blue Bell Builders, as a leasing agent in their rental property operation. In 1976, she came to Commercial in the timekeeping department and two years later moved up to her present position at the front desk. Like almost everyone in the office, Rita’s job is not confined to a small number of responsibilities. In addition to greeting visitors and answering the phone, she handles the two-way radio operations from the base sta tion and types a multitude of cor respondence including interoffice memos, letters, news copy for the Craftsman, and job proposals for the sales force. And on Tuesday and Thursday, she finds the time to assist payroll and timekeeping by recording time from various jobs and posting it in the payroll ledgers. But the phones and the radio are enough to keep the average person busy. With approximately 60 radio units in the field, plus the dozens of lines coming into the office, little
time goes by without one of them grabbing her attention. And often, you’ll find her with the telephone and radio going at once with Rita serving as the middle man in a conversation on the two. But, according to Rita, you couldn’t tear her away from her job. She says that she enjoys greeting people at the front desk and over the phone. And, she claims that talking on the radio doesn't bother her, although "it did a little at first.” Rita's home life is just as active as her work life. She is married and has three daughters ages 22, 20, and 11—all single and living at home. Rita’s husband, to whom she has been married for 24 years, is a junior plant manager for General Electric, as well as her skin diving partner. Their skin diving adventures usual ly take them to the spring-fed waters around San Marcos. But, Jacques Cousteau has nothing to fear from Rita, as she stays away from the Gulf and rarely goes in water that’s over her head. Even if she hasn’t mastered the deep dive yet, we are happy to have Rita on our side to keep the front desk from going under. Her warm smile, friendly attitude and positive outlook brighten the entire office. Congratulations Rita!
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Members of the Natural Gas Pipeline building crew surround a German Chocolate cake which joined a barbeque lunch in honoring their third win in CDI's Budget Beater contests.
Grogan addresses seminar
Mike Grogan, Commercial s vice president and general manager recently spoke to a group of budgeting representatives from various construction companies in the Houston area. Mike's topic centered on the design of budgeting systems, and was one of three that made up the seminar sponsored by the Associated General Contractors association.
Drivers steering from accidents A group of Commercial employees who drive company vehicles recently attended the Defensive Driving Course offered by the Safety Council of Greater Houston. An eight-hour course of classroom teaching, DDC provides instruction with primary emphasis on accident and traffic ^violation avoidance. ▼ More than 30 employees par ticipated in the program which was held in four two-hour sessions each Monday during November. Upon
finishing the course, individuals received a certificate of completion which entitles them to a 10 percent discount on personal automobile insurance. The defensive driving course is offered to the public year-round by the safety council for a cost of $12.00 per student. Anyone interested in the course should contact David Holl at the Safety Council of Greater Houston. The telephone number is 523-2228.
Williams to head employee relations Commercial Drywall has named Larry Williams manager of employee relations and editor of the company’s new employee newsletter. Larry, who joined Commercial in September, fills the newly created position where he will be responsible primarily for the publication of the Commercial Crafts man. As manager of employee relations, Larry will be involved in the establish ment of employee incentive and safe ty programs, some of which are cur rently underway. In addition, Larry will work in the areas of advertising and public relations with the prepara tion of company brochures and sales literature. Prior to joining Commercial, Larry served in the public relations depart^ment of First Marketing Group, a ^^local advertising agency. He began his journalism career as a feature writer for the Houston Chronicle. Ad ditionally, Larry comes to Commer cial with more than five years ex-
perience in drywall work which he pursued while attending school. Larry is a 1975 graduate of the University of Texas School of Jour nalism. He is married and has a four year-old daughter.
Larry Williams joins newsletter.
Mike Grogan, Commercial’s vice president and general manager, was a recent speaker at the Associated General Contractors seminar on jobsite cost control. The half-day seminar was held November 15 at the Continuing Education Center on the University of Houston campus. Mike was among three guest speakers who addressed approx imately 50 representatives of con struction companies from the Houston area. Joining the Commercial executive on the speakers panel were W.W. Smith, vice president of MinerDederick Construction, and Art LeBlanc, president of Lebco, Inc. The purpose of the seminar was to provide information on establishing and implementing cost control and budgeting systems for companies in related operations in the construction industry. Such topics included the considerations of establishing such systems, the type of budgeting systems, and their advantages. Mike spoke on the design of a cost control system to fit a given company, using Commercial as an example of a large company using a sophisticated computerized system. The seminar concluded with the three speakers forming a panel to field questions raised by the au dience.
Deeember birthdays
f (I to r) Mike Grogan, Harry Dufresne, United Way campaign volunteer, Bruce Marek and Dick Phillips display plaque awarded CDI employees for our excep tional effort in the recent United Way fund raising campaign.
United Way recognizes CDS ‘excellence’'
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As a result of your unselfish con tributions in the recent United Way campaign, Commercial Drywall employees earned the Award of Ex cellence, the United Way’s highest honor. The award is presented by the United Way to organizations who achieve levels of excellence in pledges and participation in its annual fund raising campaign. The more than $70,000 raised by CDI employees is the largest percentage increase in donations registered by any Houston company this year. In
Commercial Craftsman Commercial Drywall, Inc. 3705 Piney Woods P.O. Box 10686 Houston, Texas 77018
addition, company-wide involvement in the campaign was an impressive 81 percent. The Award of Excellence, a special plaque presented to Commer cial in late October, is currently be ing placed on job sites for a period of a week.
Commercial employees can feel proud of their support of such a wor thy effort. Your contributions demonstrate the concern each one of you have for others who are less fortunate.
Charles Aldrich . . . Freddy S. Back .. . Donald Barr.. . Sidney Bartlet Jr. . . . Anthony E. Belt . . . Gary Brookshire . . . Harold T. Carter. . . Martin Clawson . . . Cecil R. Cohen II... Thomas A. Floyd . . . Stanley A. Frey, Jr. . . . Antonio Garcia . . . Matthew Garlington . . . Thomas E. Garrett .. . Richard W. Gerber. .. Ruben Gonzales . . . Ernest Gonzales . . . David Hernandez .. . Rosalio Jamarillo . . . Edward L. Jones . . . Jose Lara . . . Ernest L. Lawrence . . . Randall D. Manning . .. Dwayne M. Miller.. . Johnnie 0. McCrary . . . Nicholas Sukup . . . Steve Vasquez. . . Murray B. Vaughan ... Fernando Villarreal. . . Wesley T. Want. . . Tommy A. Whitten ... Darlene Wooster.
P®wd@r5 baby When "popping a line" on carpet or other finished work use baby powder in your chalk box to avoid rub out problems. Baby powder is easily wiped or # blown away, says Grady Atnip, Commercial foreman in Austin, and leaves no trace of the line. According to Grady, the powder works especially well in remodeling situa tions where neatness is essential. A word of caution though—use baby powder only in new chalk boxes to prevent previous chalk residue from creating problems. "It’s a good idea to keep one box for powder only,” suggests Grady.
BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE
PAID HOUSTON, TEXAS PERMIT NO. 2840