2020 Summer Insights

INSIGHTS

Insights 3539 Oak Forest Drive, Suite 200 Houston, Texas 77018 ATLANTA Marek Interior Systems, Inc. (MIS)

A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE MAREK FAMILY OF COMPANIES

AUSTIN Marek Brothers Company (MBC) Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. (MBS) DALLAS Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. (MBS) Marek Brothers Company (MBC) FORT WORTH Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. (MBS)

MD ANDERSON PROTON THERAPY CENTER EXPANSION

HOUSTON Marek Brothers Company (MBC) Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. (MBS) Oak Forest Lumber & Supply Company (OFL) Stanley Construction Company

Proton therapy treatment centers are opening the door and giving new life to cancer patients. Facilities like this provide the most advanced external radiation treatment available, adding years to the lives of the patients who receive treatment. It’s this reason that we are excited to be a part of expanding the MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center to more than 160,000 sf, allowing more patients greater access to the most advanced and precise form of radiation therapy.

SAN ANTONIO Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. (MBS) SAN ANTONIO/RIO GRANDE VALLEY Marek Brothers Systems (MBS)

The expansion will increase the center to include a total of eight radiation therapy machines that rotate 360° around a patient to deliver a proton beam to the exact area intended for treatment. The new machines will deliver intensitymodulated proton therapy, the most precise form of image-guided radiation therapy available. Room is also being made for an additional synchrotron, the massive accelerator that creates the proton beam, and rooms that offer a better design for their patients’ experience.

MAREK was selected by GC Gilbane Building Company to complete the framing, insulation, and finishing throughout first floor areas A and B, second floor areas A and B, the bridge, and the roof. Architect for the project is Stantec. Construction will begin this year, with the overall work on the building slated to be completed November 2023.

Jose Turcios will be Drywall PM, with Miguel Mirees as Drywall Superintendent. Charlie Gremillion is the Insulation PM, Andy Chien is the Acoustical PM, and Art Villarreal is the Acoustical Superintendent.

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Other trades on the project include Paint - David Mauzy and Joey Buxton, Fabric Wall Panels - Kyle Ishimoto and Bradley Moore, Window Treatment Kyle Ishimoto and Krista Sayre.

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BIRTHS HOUSTON

Matt Grindstaff and his wife Katie welcomed baby girl Charlotte Ann (7lbs.

4oz.) on May 14,2020.

Charlie Gremillion and his wife welcomed baby boy Cody James (6lbs. 13oz., 18” long) into this world at 3:40am on June 6th (D-Day!).

MAJOR PROJECTS: DALLAS

To further transform their campus into a destination place for tourists and downtown residents as well as their employees, AT&T began work revamping their downtown Dallas headquarters. To that end, MAREK was hired to work on their executive entrance canopy. Across 2,000 sf, we supplied and installed Arktura 2’X4’ perforated stainless-steel metal panels on the exterior entrance canopy, and supplied and installed the exterior stainless steel fascia perimeter of the canopy. The final product extended over the sidewalk and a traffic lane, serving as a striking entrance for visitors and employees alike.

Work on this project began in June of last year and was finished February 7, 2020. Tommy Weeks was Supertintendent on the project, Gregorio Cardenas was Foreman , Ricardo Cardenas was Lead Man, and PM was Jeff Reeves. The Beck Group was GC, and Gensler was Architect.

AUSTIN Safety Manager Noe Vela welcomed his second grandson, Xavier Foster, on March 31, 2020. Congratulations to him and his family on this wonderful new addition!

SUMMER 2020

ATLANTA

Work has begun on the Chick-Fil-A Corporate IT Department at 725 Ponce. This full-floor tenant buildout to be used as office space is the first project we have done remote from Chick-Fil-A Corporate, where we have been working for over ten years.

Specialty products being installed include Arktura Soundstar Octagonal 3-dimensional ceiling panels that will be joined together in unique shapes, complementing the Turf Acoustic Design Drop and Straight acoustic ceiling baffles throughout the space.

Configuration of this space is typical of the corporate Chick-Fil-A openoffice plan, featuring an uber-modern design with exposed structure above office spaces; sleek, modular office furniture; and low walls surrounded by “Huddle Rooms” that provide collaborative environments for CFA team members.

Work began May 2020 and will be completed in October of this year.

Brian Skinner is Estimator/PM, and Thomas Purdue is Supervisor.

Choate is GC on the project, while Architect is Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart, & Associates, Inc.

HOUSTON Lazy Lane is one of the nicest streets to live in the entire country, with posh mansions and sprawling manors.

Construction has started on a new home in this neighborhood near downtown Houston, and we are proud to announce our involvement with it. Elegance and quality are words that will describe this home upon completion. MAREK will complete the drywall, acoustical, and metal framing throughout the property, including the main house, pool house, and garage.

The project began this year and will be finished in 2021. Sebastian Construction Group, LLC is the GC, and the Architect is Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects. Kyle Busa is Drywall PM, Robert Weed is Drywall Superintendent.

Work has begun on the redesigned Heritage Plaza Common Area.

MAREK will complete the drywall throughout the main lobby and Sky Lobby of the Heritage Plaza Common Area. The lobby will be redesigned to encourage tenants to make use of the space, as it will now have seating areas, a plant wall, and a “social stair.”

Visitors and employees will be able to appreciate a brighter material palette and softer, lighter finishes.

The 13th floor Sky Lobby will give everyone an unobstructed view of Buffalo Bayou Park, a winding, 160acre green space west of downtown Houston. Tenants can also look forward to new boardroom-style conference spaces and collaborative seating areas in the lobby. Architect on the project is Kirksey, GC is O’Donnell Snider. Jose Turcios is the Drywall PM.

AUSTIN MAREK Austin was called to work on a two-floor finish out in Chase Tower, specifically for ProCore on levels 11 and 12. This featured numerous specialty ceilings, such as Armstrong Soundscape Shapes, Armstrong Metalworks Mesh Panels, Armstrong 360 Grid, Fry Reglet reveal design, and Polygal panels in the bathroom.

Work began January 6, 2020, and was completed June 30, 2020. Fernando Martinez was Superintendent, GC on the project was Harvey-Cleary, and Architect was Interior Architects.

MAJOR PROJECTS: DALLAS

MAREK has been working with Bellows Construction on multiple projects in Midland, TX since the summer of 2017, with the most recent being Concho Tower III, a six-story office building and parking garage totaling 250,000 sf.

This building will further expand the campus of Concho Resources, a company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration.

Concho Tower III is a combination project for our MAREK Dallas and Houston offices, with Houston handling the painting. In addition to the work done on the exterior, we are also responsible for the interior metal stud framing, drywall, insulation, specialty wood ceilings, and acoustical tile ceilings. MAREK was also awarded the interior acoustical plaster, exterior direct-applied plaster, window treatments, acoustical fabric-wrapped panels, finish, paint, and fire spray insulation for a combined contract amount. We are always happy to collaborate and work together for a project like this with our Houston brothers and sisters.

On the Drywall Team, David Sparacino is Production Manager, Moises Sanchez is Jobsite Supervisor, and Alex Vargas is Sr. PM. On the Special Products Division Team, Tommy Weeks is Superintendent, Gabriel Enriquez is Jobsite Supervisor, and Jesus Roman is PM. Bellows Construction is GC, and RWA is Architect.

Work began May 1, 2019, and will be completed June 30, 2020.

We are currently undertaking a renovation of the second floor at Hewlett Packard Enterprises in Alpharetta, GA. GC for the project is the Conlan Company. Brian Skinner is Estimator/PM, Thomas Arckivy is the Drywall Superintendent, Eduardo Ibarra is the Finishing Superintendent, and Layout Superintendent is Rick Jecker.

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of MAREK since the beginning. What would have happened if John had not found a job hanging sheetrock? What would have happened if Ralph had not stepped forward to volunteer to hang sheetrock in the Navy? What would have happened if Ralph had not had the opportunity to learn about business by running the Chief’s Club and Officer’s Club? Where would we be without the skills that John and Bill learned about the working man they picked up while serving in the South Pacific? And where would we be without the services of all the cousins, friends, etc., that joined us off the farms of central Texas?

The good Lord had a plan, and the brothers and those who joined them made it happen.

Ralph told me on several occasions how important this singular product was to our success. It gave literally thousands of men and women an opportunity to learn a trade and make a good living, raising families able to see their kids become the first in their line to attend college.

Many through the years left jobs that weren’t fulfilling to learn a trade and embrace construction as a career.

And how many became homeowners for the first time because of a job that provided stability?

more important to Ralph was you: his team that built them. Each of you held a special place in his heart. He used to pride himself on knowing every employee. The number may have got too large, but he never stopped trying.

Ralph was peaceful in passing. Though he is gone from this mortal world, he and his brothers watch us from above.

The heritage and values they have given us must weather the ravages of time. It’s up to all of us to continue as they did, never forgetting the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be treated. I know he is confident in our ability to carry the legacy he and his brothers built for us all.

Stan

To honor Ralph’s wishes, I placed a piece of 5/8” Sheetrock in his casket.

I think he wanted us all to know how one product has changed so many lives throughout the years.

Many of you know Ralph’s devotion and partnership with the Holy Spirit. In honor of that, the piece of sheetrock in his casket was cut into a triangle to represent the Holy Trinity.

His faith was very important to him.

I can visualize his calling on the Holy Spirit in time of need, and there were many…an example for us all.

MAJOR PROJECTS: ATLANTA

Nestled on the northwest edge of Midtown in downtown Atlanta, Atlantic Station is a flourishing and eclectic assortment of commercial and residential properties, along with a park and even an ice-skating rink (weather permitting, of course). The newest addition to this neighborhood will be the Atlantic Yards, a progressive Class A office space comprised of two separate buildings.

Comprised of 15 floors, Atlantic Yards will total over 500,000 sf of office space. MAREK’s involvement in the project is a core buildout involving the installation of interior and exterior heavy gauge framing and wallboard at elevator and duct shafts, restrooms, stairwells, and numerous bulkheads throughout both buildings. We will also be installing several specialty finishes, such as Defis direct-applied exterior systems at the 1st floor Plaza-level ceilings, USG exterior ceilings in the three-story parking deck, and a complicated exterior skin on the Penthouse, which will provide the foundation for a unique green-space feature designed for the rooftop of these buildings, featuring shaded covers, urban greenery, and of course, sweeping views of the Atlanta skyline. The overall aesthetic of the Atlantic Yards will also echo the site’s former industrial use.

Don Cerlanek is Estimator on the project, Derek Marzak is PM, Jody Spencer and Andres Diaz are Superintendents, Diego Martinez is Layout Coordinator, and Dan Williams is Safety Advisor. Hines is the developer, New South is the project GC, and Architect is Wakefield Beasley & Associates. Work began in November 2019 and will be completed December 2020.

Dad was enormously proud of the thousands of projects MAREK’s skilled workers built all over the USA. From massive skyscrapers to hospitals, hotels, churches, and houses and apartments that number in the hundreds of thousands. But Page 7

MESSAGE FROM

STAN

An era has come to an end: the last living member of the original Marek brothers has passed. Ralph, the youngest of the three, followed John and Bill. Having attained the age of 95, Ralph broke all records of longevity for Marek males.

Through the years, I was fortunate to spend a lot of “business” time with Dad, and believe me, business was a huge part of his life. He always said, “God first and family second,” but that’s not the way it always played out. Dad was a great mentor not just to me, but to several within our company. Everyone has a Ralph story and they’ve enriched us all.

The story I’d like to tell is my version of how this company started and how we gravitated into a relatively new industry and prospered to such an extent as seen today.

It starts on the farm. The story’s been told many times, but the work ethic of that generation and the trials and tribulations of growing up during the Depression had a profound effect on the three brothers. They didn’t have time to fight like brothers sometimes do, they were fighting for survival.

When John came to Houston in 1938, the best paying job he could find was hanging a relatively new product called sheetrock. It was hard work because the sheets were heavy, and he had to hang a bunch of them to make a decent wage, based on how many he put up. Daylight to dark were the hours, but that didn’t bother John, used to the same working as a farmer.

John had Bill and Ralph join him in 1941; Ralph was only 16 and had to lie about his age to work on some of the union jobs. Soon, the three boys hanging sheetrock were making more money than they could imagine, compared to a black dirt farm back in Yoakum.

Fast forward to WWII. John joined the Seabees and headed to the South Pacific to build roads and airstrips. Bill was right behind him and heading that

way as an aircraft mechanic. Ralph turned 18 in April 1943 and joined the Navy. This is where the story of our company begins to take shape.

Ralph’s basic training consisted of a lot of marching on the tarmac at the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi; it was the policy of the government to never send all the members of a family into a war zone. One day as Ralph marched with his rifle, he heard an announcement asking if anyone knew anything about hanging sheetrock. Dad felt that anything would be better than what he was doing, so he raised his hand and stepped forward. The chief, a non-commissioned officer, said he had a large building that needed sheetrock to be installed and asked Dad if he could do it. “For sure,” he said, and was asked to pick a few sailors out of the brig being held for some minor offense. He made quick work of the job and impressed the chief, then asked if he could become the manager. The chief was taken aback by the 18-yearold sailor who had little education and no experience, but he took a chance based on Ralph’s ability to run a crew.

Ralph said this experience made the difference in the success that MAREK has to this day. He had to learn accounting to be sure more money was coming in than going out. He had to put in security measures to be sure product wasn’t leaving without being paid for. He had to develop a group of workers who understood the need for teamwork, setting goals, and making them happen. His vendors appreciated his straight talk and the way they were treated. He also had to please his customers, the non-commissioned officers who came there for their meals. It was hard work and long hours, but Ralph thrived as he learned about business without the benefit of college or business school.

As WWII came to an end, all the pilots and naval officers in the South Pacific were recalled to the Naval Air Station in Corpus. Ralph’s two-year enlistment was coming to an end, as well.

One day he received a call from the Commandant of the base. He asked if Ralph would stay on as a civilian and manage the Officer’s Club, which was a huge operation with over 200 employees. Ralph had done such a great job with the Chief’s Club, his reputation as a good businessman was well known. Ralph took the job and often Page 6

commented to me it was the most exciting job of his life. He was given a budget, and his job was to make sure that every officer and their families were treated with great service, the best food, and anything they wanted as a thank you for their service in the war theatre.

Eventually Ralph joined his brothers in 1948 and the growth of the company began in earnest with the postwar boom and the need for housing for the returning soldiers. The Marek family knew that the farm boys were going to be excellent construction workers, and they were, used to hard work and picking up the trade quickly.

Back to what got us here. Sheetrock® was invented in 1894 by August Sackett and Fred Kane, both graduates of the prestigious Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, but as far back as 3700 BC, gypsum was burned to make plaster.

The ancient Egyptians used gypsum and plaster in the pyramids. They would install woven straw and then cover it with a combination of gypsum blocks and plaster.

In 1917 United States Gypsum patented the product and applied for the trademark ‘sheetrock.’ The product did not catch on at first. Builders used plaster and brick and felt that sheetrock was cheap. The product was showcased in the World’s Fair of 1934, and even though it generated a lot of interest, it was not until after WWII that its use exploded. With all the housing needed, a product that was easier to install at a lower price really took off.

The three brothers really were pioneers. Initially the homebuilders would buy and stock the sheetrock, then get someone to install it by the sheet. That was the original independent subcontractor. With the labor shortage after the war, homebuilders were having difficulty finding workers who had the skill to install and finish sheetrock, or drywall, as folks were starting to call it. The brothers solved the problem by getting labor from the farms and providing an hourly wage with benefits to attract and retain workers. It worked then and it works today, even though there are a few more challenges.

So, to bring this to a close, sheetrock or gypsum board has been in the DNA

ATLANTA Work will begin in June 2020 on the Montgomery Bell Field House, located in Nashville, TN. We will install 30’ and 40’ motorized shades at this private school gymnasium. Bart Domino is Estimator/PM, Brasfield and Gorrie Construction is the GC, and Architect is Hastings Architecture LLC. Work will be completed in December 2020.

In October 2020, MAREK-Nashville Shade Division will begin a project that will involve motorized and manual shades on a pair of buildings. These buildings will be tied together with an elevated Airwalk bridge. Work will be completed in May 2021. Bill Alaniz is the Estimator/PM, Brasfield and Gorrie Construction is the GC, and Architect is Hastings Architecture LLC. HOUSTON Marathon Oil Headquarters is moving into a newly-renovated office space that will help improve productivity and is expected to bring the employees into the 21st Century.

MAREK is proud to have been awarded the drywall contract covering seven floors. Work began this year and is slated to be completed in 2021.

Jim Morton is the PM, while Larry Vance, Jr. is Superintendent. GC on the project is DE Harvey Builders, with Page as the Architect.

SAN ANTONIO We are excited to be working on the Floodgate Apartments, a 17-story, octagonal mixed-use luxury apartment and retail tower, located downtown on E. Commerce St. along the San Antonio River Walk. Construction will begin October 2020.

It will feature the city’s first automated parking system that will lift tenant’s vehicles to the second through fourth floors. The Floodgate will include 53 luxury apartments and 15,000 sf of restaurant space at the river level and street level. The octagonal shape serves several purposes: keeping the tower compact, emphasizing views for the residents, and bringing more light into the River Walk space below. The stone from the 150-year-old historic floodwall, which currently runs along the site at the River Walk, will be incorporated into the landscape to separate the outdoor dining area from the River Walk level.

AUSTIN Music Lane on South Congress in Austin will be a mixed-use project featuring restaurants, retailers, and businesses. Our involvement in this is working with Deliotte for a threefloor tenant improvement, totaling 18,900 sf of modern design. Work began May 5 of this year and will be finished September 30, 2020. Kevin Mathews is Superintendent, also involved in this project are James Hood, Ernest Garnica, Jose Orduno, and Miguel Ruiz. GC on the project is Rand Construction, and Architect is Gensler.

Randy Miller is the Senior Estimator, with Jordan Foster Construction, LLC as the GC. Architect is Rhode Partners Architects.

MAJOR PROJECTS: AUSTIN

DALLAS Work on a new animal shelter for the city of Hurst, TX, will begin in August 2020. MAREK’s involvement consists of cold-formed metal framing and sheathing at exterior walls, coldformed metal framing at the roof, and installation of thermal and sound insulation, interior gypsum board, and acoustical ceilings. This project will be completed March 2021.

Project Superintendent is Robert Brazel, Joe Rodriguez is the Foreman, and Frank Suarez is PM. GC is Steele & Freeman, Inc., while Architect is Ron Hobbs Architecture & Interior Design.

The Victor, a 39-story residential high-rise in downtown Dallas, is under construction at 3039 Olive St., across the street from the American Airlines Center. MAREK Dallas will be furnishing and installing approximately 3,000 Hunter Douglas manual roller shades, with work to be completed April 2021.

Tommy Weeks and Manuel Villagran are the project Superintendents, and Alan Alfaro, Jr. is the PM. GC is Archer Western and Architect is House Partners Architecture.

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The Gary L. Thomas Energy Engineering Building on the University of Texas campus will be the latest state-of-the-art building in one of the nation’s premier universities offering energy-related research and degrees. Located in the heart of the UT Campus, this 164,000 sf project will include several different facets of work, teaching, and research, and after 18 months of preplanning, budgeting, and negotiating, we were awarded the contract to aid in its construction.

This building will consist of six floors, 75% of which will be for multidisciplinary research space featuring cutting-edge high-temperature labs. A lounge and lecture hall will be on the fifth floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Our involvement in this project includes a CFMF-engineered exterior, standard interior framing/ QXP/acoustical ceilings, some stadium seat framing in large lecture halls, a large amount of abuse impact board, and some lead-lined gypsum.

Work began in February of this year and will be completed in April of 2021. Doug Prew is PM, Behrnes Baca is Lead Man, with Frank Cordova, Sebastian Dominguez, and Jose Sigala also contributing. Beck is GC on the project. We are excited to contribute to this hallowed institution that will continue to enrich minds and shape the future of energy for years to come.

WORKFORCE

DEVELOPMENT ATLANTA

by Jody Klodner, WFD Coordinator

To address the continuity of our WFD program training efforts while abiding

by MAREK’s COVID-19 protocols, WFD Head Coach Reggie Coleman has taken a difficult situation and turned it into something positive. He realized that embedding with trainees and coaches for an extended time on one project would not only reduce potential exposure, but also reduce the chance of spreading the virus between active job sites. Shortly after implementing his plan, he realized several benefits in three key areas: 1. Increased accountability for training, attendance, and safety 2. More thorough vetting and on-boarding of new candidates 3. Opportunities to get to know WFD participants on a more personal level Beginning with the CHOA Support Building 2 project, where he spent approximately three weeks with five drywall helper trainees, he has since transferred to the Atlantic Yards project, where he is conducting labs and monitoring the training of three drywall helper trainees. Hats off to “Big Redge” for seeing and acting on an opportunity to keep our WFD trainees progressing forward while we all strive to keep our people and projects Corona-free.

for everything, we can help to prevent future problems. In this current time there has been an outbreak of a new problem for this generation: COVID-19.

MAREK has done an excellent job in keeping us informed of new preventative rules and protocols. We have all been fortunate to continue working through this pandemic, supporting our loved ones at home. Our employees have demonstrated an excellent level of social integrity and collaboration by following the new health and sanitary rules. Although some are more fearful than others, we are working every day, facing the risk for one common goal: to move the contract forward and meet the established goals. Everything good we do is not an act of magic, it is the capacity we all have within us to imagine and create a better company.

We are team players and we are fighting, inch by inch, screw by screw, to get out of this situation. We can do nothing and stay there, or we can adapt to a new sanitary way to work in a better environment.

We are MAREK, and we are in this TOGETHER. HOUSTON

By Whitney Martin

We are proud to announce Chris Gonzalez recently joined our team as Instructional Designer. Chris joins us with 17 years of experience in marketing and instructional design.

Chris will be working alongside Talent Development and Craft Training Superintendents Ricardo Menchaca and Stacy Gunderson in developing MAREK’s craft training and development programs across the company.

He will be based out of MAREK’s Houston office. Please join us in welcoming and congratulating Chris!

Workforce Development Corporate

By Sabra Phillips, Director of Talent Development

DALLAS

By Pablo Zarate,Workforce Development Coach

Just like in sports, keeping the team motivated is critical to performance.

Day by day, we encounter unexpected difficulties, but it’s important to remember that everything has its end. While we don’t have solutions

Workforce Champion Retires MAREK Workforce Development champion Arthur Ehmling has retired after 38 years with MAREK to spend more time with his beloved wife, Sherry, children Gennifer and Arthur, Jr., and his four cherished grandchildren, Christian, Joseph, Samuel, and Eden. On Arthur’s first job as a Drywall Foreman, a mentor Page 4

challenged him to train and grow other craft professionals. From then on, Arthur dedicated himself to leaving a legacy in the lives of others, building leaders who are also great craft professionals.

He later moved into Workforce Development where he was instrumental in building MAREK’s craft development programs. Last year, Arthur designed the curriculum for MAREK’s new high school training program in partnership with HISD and HCC. Training runs in the family; both his children are HISD teachers. Arthur Ehmling, Jr., a longtime MAREK Foreman, now leads the MAREK Construction Academy for Austin and Milby High Schools. Gennifer teaches and coaches at Heights High School.

While the pandemic interrupted his early days of retirement, Arthur and Sherry have been staying active: walking five miles a day, spending time with family, and working around the house.

Once it’s safe to travel again, he’s looking forward to visiting friends and family in the Pacific Northwest and Mexico. Arthur plans to stay connected with his MAREK family and keep up with our progress as we carry his legacy forward. This isn’t goodbye, Arthur, we will see you soon!

AUSTIN

By Ed Cheney, Workforce Development We currently have thirteen trainees enrolled in our Workforce Development program. Fortunately, we are still able to do on-the-job training at the jobsites even while practicing social distancing. We have plans to hold math and blueprint classes in the future and will also be conducting foreman classes.

CONDOLENCES SAN ANTONIO Our deepest condolences go out to Dennis Yanowski and family on the passing of his brother, Danny Yanowski.

Danny worked at the Oak Forest Lumber warehouse in Houston, assisting in loading and unloading trucks in both receiving and sending out materials. He worked for MAREK for 36 years from 1983 until he retired in June 2019. He had a good heart, was a friend to all, and will be greatly missed.

PEOPLE

NEWS ATLANTA We’d like to welcome Gregg Dufford as our new Purchasing Agent and Warehouse Manager. Recognized for the organizational skills and “can-do” attitude he brought to the Administrative Assistant position at the massive NCG project, we wish Gregg good luck in his new position, and continued success as he fills a critical role within the company.

in Chapple Hill, TX, was established by Jenny and Kris Williams to shelter and protect young women aged out of foster homes after reaching 18 years old. Since early April, MAREK women and men have volunteered their time on Saturdays to sheetrock, tape, float, and paint this nearly-4,000 sf house, built to be a residence for as many as twenty young women with no other place to go.

The MAREK family has contributed all the necessary materials, tools, and equipment to make this project possible, and truly describes the values of the MAREK organization and our people. We salute and wholeheartedly thank all our volunteer workers for their sense of caring and selflessness.

HOUSTON Jorge Castro has joined our Acoustical Department, while Sarah Hilsher has joined us as Houston’s Field HR Manager.

Congratulations and welcome aboard!

ATLANTA

We would like to recognize the efforts of Andres Diaz, who was recently promoted to Drywall Foreman.

Andres celebrates ten years of continuous service with the company this year, and is an excellent role model for trainees participating in our Workforce Development program. Some of the high-profile projects in which he has been involved include the Mercedes Benz Stadium, FEMA Rhodes, and is currently assisting PM Jody Spencer at the Atlantic Yards project. We wish him success in his continued growth with the company.

Company Happenings and Events HOUSTON When Richard Morris of M Strategic Partners, a great industry friend and partner of MAREK, reached out to ask for help from our organization in support of a worthy cause, the decision was easy. Our Daughter’s House, a nonprofit organization

CONDOLENCES HOUSTON

Gale Hickman passed away on March 12, 2020. For those who knew Gale, remember her for her exemplary cheesecake skills, her impeccable taste, and a remarkable work ethic. Gale was the devoted Remodel Secretary for 25 years and could be counted on to lend a hand whenever possible.

James Owens passed away this past December.

James was a dedicated Drywall Finisher who loved to hunt, bowl, trail ride, and participate in water sports.

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MAJOR PROJECTS: HOUSTON

Ben Taub Hospital is one of just four Level 1 trauma centers in the Houston area. Ben Taub has launched phase one of an upgrade by relocating the radiology department to make way for the expansion of the emergency room.

Our involvement in the Ben Taub project is the emergency center renovation, a seven-phase project that is spread out over the next 2 ½ years with GC SpawGlass Construction. MAREK’s involvement will include completing the drywall and ceilings (ACT) there. We are renovating office spaces, treatment rooms, triage areas, prisoner holding area, radiation rooms, CT scan rooms, and psychiatric exam rooms.

The health and wellbeing of every MAREK worker is always paramount, and a daily challenge specifically with this project. This renovation is all going on in a continuously operational Harris County Emergency Hospital during a pandemic, but we are taking every step to protect our workers while completing a project that will allow for 6,600 more surgeries each year. Currently, Ben Taub handles roughly 10,000 surgeries annually ranging from routine orthopedic and cardiac interventions to unexpected trauma procedures for patients injured in vehicle accidents or by firearms, so this expansion will greatly increase their ability to treat the people of Houston.

Work on this project began late last year, and will be completed in 2022. Architect is HDR. Drywall PM is Scott Wesley, and Drywall Superintendent is Edilson Merlos, Acoustical is Davis Sprague and Art Villarreal.