Opportunity awaits This time for me Betco bounces back

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Volume 2
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Number 2
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FEBRUARY 2014
This time for me
Betco bounces back
Jennifer and Vernon Carr, owners of Coastal Bend Demolition
L-R: Chuck Daniels, yard foreman; Duane McGlothlin, estimator/draftsperson;
Margaret DeLeon, operations manager; Ben Cantu, branch manager; Jose Cedillo, yard;
Rey Gomez, office manager; Michael Landry, truck driver
A
bout five years ago Vernon Carr
was running a large demolition
project, the Corpus Christi Memorial Coliseum job. He liked the area so
much he decided to move his family here
and plan for his future.
On Jan. 1, 2014 Coastal Bend Demolition, Inc. began business with owner
and vice president Carr making his long
time dream come true.
“In the past I had done a lot of large
projects like Dallas Cowboys Texas Stadium and Reunion Arena with a previous
company,” said Carr. “That also included
some implosion projects.”
After finishing the Corpus Coliseum
project and helping Camacho Recycling
set up and establish a new demolition division it was time for him to become an
owner.
“Five years later they are doing great
and I just thought it was time for a change
and I wanted to work for myself. There
was no ill will. I had reached my pinnacle
with them and I was looking for a new
venture.
“I love getting things started up. I
figured I had done it a couple of times for
someone else so it was time to do it for
myself.”
The services the new company provides include site demolition, structural
demolition, asbestos abatement, site
preparation and clearing plus installation
of small amounts of concrete and asphalt
paving. The initial work area will be within 200 miles of Corpus Christi.
continued on Page 14
I
n 2013, Betco Scaffolds had a 60 percent growth in revenue, harkening
back to a few years ago before the
company began to feel the impact of the
economic downturn.
“I think the economy is finally stable,”
says Ben Cantu, branch manager. “Our
main focus is the commercial industry.
So, with the renovations and the new
construction, 2013 was a very good year
for us as far as revenue growth and as far
as profitability.”
However, Cantu adds that the company has endured a few unfortunate losses in recent years. The original founder,
Edward Gilbreath, passed away in the
‘70s, but his wife, Geneva Gilbreath,
served as chairman of the board. She
passed away in 2011, and the owner of
the company, her son, William Gilbreath, passed away in 2012. Now, the
company reins have passed to William’s
son, Stavis Gilbreath, who is an attorney
and was counsel for the company.
Since then, according to Cantu, the
company has become more structured
and organized, from the corporate headquarters in Houston to the branch levels
in San Antonio, Dallas, and Beaumont.
Also, the company has particularly focused on their existing customer base.
“As a result, our revenue sources have
increased, and our delinquent accounts
have decreased,” he says. “So, basically,
continued on Page 14
Opportunity
awaits
E
Rio Grande Valley Food Bank, McAllen, Tx.
Williamson Construction Company
ach month we reserve this premium space in our
publication to feature a recently completed project by a South Texas general contractor.
Our goal is to vary the project and contractor size to
afford everyone the opportunity to participate. We feel
a small- or medium-sized project constructed by a smallor medium-sized contractor is just as important as the
high profile projects that seem to receive all the attention by other media.
Finding those small to medium projects can be difficult at times. Some contactors might think we would
not be interested in their project because it may be a
modest one. Some may think because they are not a
huge company with a full-time marketing staff they
don’t have a chance to make the front page of our paper.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Since we began our first paper, the San Antonio Construction News in October 1998, we have always reached
out to everyone big and small.
CCC Group Offices, Corpus Christi, Tx
South Texas Building Partners
continued on Page 14
Animal Care Facility, Laredo, Tx.
Vision Construction Company, Inc.
The La Plaza Multi-Modal, Brownsville, Tx.
SpawGlass Contractors, Inc. and Jacobs Engineering
Page 2
South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
Forty years of success
I
Learn to fly in South Texas.
Start a new career or fly for fun.
U.S. aviation is expecting severe pilot
shortage for next several years.
We offer and conduct pipeline patrols
with qualified pilots at reasonable rates.
Alpha Tango Flying Services, Inc.
San Antonio, Texas 210-828-4480
email: [email protected]
L-R: Four generations of Bakers: Fort Worth president Bryan Baker, Luke Baker,
CEO Steve Baker and company founder Bob Baker
n 1974, Bob Baker launched not just
one dream but two: Baker Drywall and
Triangle Plastering. The two small
businesses were the perfect undertaking
for his sons; Steve managed the drywall
business and Brad oversaw plastering
operations.
In the four decades since, the brothers have successfully steered the company through economic downturns, a
merger, rapidly advancing technology
and a changing workforce, and have
grown Baker Triangle into a $120 million
company employing nearly 1500 skilled
workers.
It’s a success story worthy of celebration, yet there may not even be enough
time to plan one this year.
“We’re very excited, but I don’t think
we’ve formalized any plans,” says Steve
of the company’s 40th anniversary.
“We’ve been so busy, focusing on operations and getting the work done, that we
haven’t focused too much on that! We
threw a big party five years ago for our
35th anniversary so we may wait until our
50th anniversary, but I’m sure we may
come up with something to celebrate it
this year.”
Steve, Baker Triangle’s CEO, says the
company’s employees and leadership
deserve credit for the “business-is-good”
state of affairs.
“I think the secret to our success is
just having the right people in the right
place and having the team concept that
we’re in it for the greater good,” he says.
“Hiring the right people and making strategic moves I think are what helped us to
grow. We have a great group of experi-
enced leadership. We also have employees with many years of experience, several 25- to 35-year employees, but at the
same time we have a really nice infusion
of younger people and talent, and that’s
really exciting.”
“I think the challenge now is what do
we do to keep the company going,” Steve
continues. “Every year, we like to do strategic planning and look at one-year goals
and three-year plans. I’ve seen over my
lifetime so many companies that didn’t
have a plan in place, that didn’t have succession, and we’re planning for that transition now.”
As for the next 40 years, Steve envisions an even brighter future for Baker
Triangle.
“I’ve never been more excited about
construction than I am now; it’s just
amazing the efficiency that’s in construction and all that we can do and the people that we have in place,” he says. “Basically, I consider the greatest challenge for
a CEO is providing opportunity for really
good people to excel. We want those
people to stay here, and by giving them
opportunities we hope they will stay
here. I think we have an incredible employee base; our employees in the field
are very skilled and we have a training
program in place. I think our senior leadership in all of the different markets is doing a better job of that than they ever
have. I’m really excited for the future.”
Headquartered in Mesquite, Baker Triangle has locations in Austin, Fort Worth,
Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Tulsa, Oklahoma and a pre-fab facility in Sherman,
Texas. –mjm
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Houston
South Texas
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South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
Page 3
Consulting corporate citizen
Along with Paul Lampe, these San Antonio laboratory supervisor staff members of the Raba
Kistner team represent 88 years with the firm. L-R: Lampe; Kelly McClung, ACI, supervisor,
asphalt laboratory; Kathi Dixon, NICET IV, supervisor, geotechnical laboratory; Charlie Berger,
supervisor, concrete laboratory
South Texas
CONSTRUCTION NEWS
South Texas Editor: [email protected] – 210-308-5800
Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buddy Doebbler
Editorial/Production . . . . . . Reesa Doebbler
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Sales Representative . . . . . . . . Kent Gerstner
Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Hughes
Construction News Ltd. Home Office
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If you are a construction-related company
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©2014 Construction News, Ltd.
F
ounded in 1968, Raba Kistner, Inc.
has expanded into four main companies – Raba Kistner Consultants,
Raba Kistner Environmental, Raba Kistner Facilities of which Project Control is a
subsidiary, and Raba Kistner Infrastructure – and 11 offices in the firm’s 45 years.
Paul Lampe, executive vice president of Raba Kistner Consultants, who
has been with the firm for 33 years, reflected on its longevity. He observes that
one reason the firm has endured is the
complementary services these divisions
provide that allow them to work together
on a variety of projects.
“One of the reasons for our success
over the years is our people,” he adds. “In
fact, we have over 300 employees, and
we have over 150 employees that have
been with us at least five years.”
He points out that the firm gives
back to the community, and he notes, “I
think that being a good corporate citizen
over the 45 years is very meaningful and
important to our people.”
Starting in San Antonio where the
employee-owned corporation is still
headquartered, the consulting engineers
firm was founded by Bunny J. Raba, Carl
F. Raba, and Ronald G. Tolson. In 1973,
Tolson left the firm, and the next year,
Richard W. Kistner came onboard and
expanded the business into construction
materials testing.
Today, the San Antonio office is working on the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention
Center expansion project downtown, Dallas is currently working on a major transportation project called the Horseshoe,
Houston has been doing work at the Port
of Houston, Austin worked on the Formula One project and is currently working on
the medical center for the University of
Texas, and in the Rio Grande Valley, major
projects have included levees and border
walls. In addition to locations in San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, and two in Austin,
the firm has offices in Brownsville, El Paso,
McAllen, New Braunfels, Mexico, and Salt
Lake City, UT. –mp
Page 4
South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
And the winner is
T
here were lots of special winners on
Friday, Jan. 24 as the Associated
General Contractors South Texas
Chapter held their annual awards and officer installation banquet.
The Corpus Christi Museum of Science & History was the location chosen
this year and proved to be a very interesting venue.
The several hundred members and
guests enjoyed the time to network and
honor this year winners. –bd
Building Envelope Subcontractor of the Year
Best Structural Fabricators Inc.
Will Klatt
3 years service on the Board of Directors
Tess Gonzales
3 years service on the Board of Directors
Shannon Reynolds
Service as 2011 Board President
Plumbing Subcontractor of the Year
Gentry Company
Construction Service Firm of the Year
Swantner & Gordon Insurance Agency
Supplier of the Year
Ferguson Enterprises Inc.
President’s Award
Bert Beecroft, Beecroft Construction
Electrical Subcontractor of the Year
Scott Electric Company
Interior Improvement
Subcontractor of the Year
Allison Flooring America Inc.
Service Award
Sue Ramsey, ARC Document Solutions
Office Support Staff of the Year
Mary Ellen Moore, Swantner & Gordon
Architect of the Year
Dykema Architects
General Contractor of the Year
Fulton*Coastcon
Superintendent of the Year
Larry Wallace, Fulton*Coastcon
Mechanical Subcontractor of the Year
Malek Inc.
Project Manager of the Year
Tim McCandless, Fulton*Coastcon
Estimator of the Year
Clay Provence, Fulton*Coastcon
Exterior Improvement
Subcontractor of the Year
Ambrose Construction LTD
Engineer of the Year
Naismith Engineering Inc.
No Photo
2014 Board of Directors:
President: Ray Jones, Fulton*Coastcon
Sec/Treasurer: Shannon Reynolds, Beecroft Construction
Mike Lippincott, Fulton*Coastcon
Matt Ezell, South Texas Building Partners
Derrick Seidenberg, Ferguson Enterprises
Brad Larza, Best Structural Fabricators Inc.
Bud O’Bryan, Gentry Company
Not present:
Vice President: Chris Hamilton, KJM Commercial Inc.
Trey Falk, Ewing Construction
Richard Dodson, Marshall Company
Don Rucker III, Haeber Roofing
Tommie Lee, TL MEP
Mike Johnson, Otto Dukes
South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
Page 5
Audit, compliance or review Which one is right for your
company?
Who ultimately pays for
hiring a subcontractor
without insurance?
Lance Trammell, CPA, Assurance Services Principal
Lane Gorman Trubitt, PLLC
Dallas, TX
Dane Wilhelm, Commercial Accounts
Catto & Catto LLP
San Antonio, TX
T
F
he financial statements of a Company are used for a
variety of reasons. For external purposes, the financial statements may be provided to bankers, bonding
agents and sureties to assist in lending and bonding decisions. For internal purposes,
the statements may be used by management to assist in performance measurement
and forecasting. Whatever the purpose is, if a company is engaging an outside CPA to
perform attest services, they need to make sure they have a good understanding of
the level of assurance they are receiving.
Three common attest services
proved by an outside CPA are compilation, review and audit services. Each of
these services provides different objectives to the user of the financial statements.
A compilation is considered the lowest level of attest services provided on financial statements. A compilation is intended only to be a preparation service
that the accountant provides to a Company. This attest service involves assisting management in compiling the financial information into a financial statement
that management has assumed the responsibility for ensuring that they are
presented in accordance with the applicable accounting framework. During the
process of performing the compilation
service, the accountant may offer suggestions as to the financial information that
comprises the financial statements, but
the fair presentation of financial statements are the sole responsibility of the
company’s management. Compilation
procedures do not require the accountant to understand the nature of transactions nor test the reasonableness of account balances. Accordingly, because no
testing is performed, there is no assurance given by the accountant that there
are no material modifications that should
be made to the financial statements in order for them to be accordance with the
applicable financial reporting framework.
A review can be considered the “middle of the road” in attest services. The
overall objective of a review is to provide
limited assurance that no material modifications should be made to managements’ financial statements in order for
them to be in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework. The
key phrase in a review engagement is
“limited assurance.” Limited assurance is
not the same as “reasonable assurance”
which is the objective of an audit. Limited assurance is provided due to the limited testing that is performed on the accounting information used in the prepa-
ration of the financial statements. These
limited procedures generally include analytical procedures performed on the financial information and inquiries of
management. During a review engagement, the accountant is not required to
apply testing procedures that require
obtaining and examining audit evidence
to support that transactions have been
properly recorded in accordance with
the applicable financial reporting framework.
An audit is the highest level of assurance that can be obtained. The objective
of an audit is to provide reasonable assurance that the financial statements are
free of material misstatement. The key
phrase in an audit is “reasonable assurance.” While the assurance provided by
the audit is not absolute, reasonable assurance is considered to be the highest
level of assurance provided by an auditor. As part of an audit engagement, the
auditor will apply procedures to obtain
an understanding of the entity’s internal
control, assess the fraud risk associated
with the entity and test the accounting
transactions through various procedures, in order to determine that they
have been accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework.
Even though a company engages an
outside CPA to perform attest services
on their financial statements, the users of
those financial statements should not
immediately assume the level of responsibility taken on by the accountant/auditor. Instead the user should understand
the level of services provided and use
their own professional skepticism when
placing reliance on those financial statements.
Trammell joined LGT in 1999, and has
10 years of service within the accounting
industry. His responsibilities include audit
project management and compliance auditing. He has extensive experience in the
construction industry, auditing both public
and privately owned contractors.
or most contractors the hiring of uninsured subcontractors is unavoidable and just part of the construction industry. If you are a contractor who is hiring subcontractors, and these subcontractors are uninsured, you should know what you need
to do to be sure the choice doesn’t turn out to be the most expensive subcontractor
you’ve ever hired. Understanding exactly how uninsured subs will affect your general
liability and workers compensation insurance policy is essential to reducing your risks
and costs.
There are many ways that the hiring of
uninsured subcontractors can put you at
risk. The first is issues at audit, the second
is the impact on your insurance renewal,
and the third is the uncontrollable large
loss problem. Let’s go over each one.
First up are issues at Audit. Generally
the two insurance policies for contractors
that are auditable are the general liability
and the workers compensation policy.
Most Contractors insurance policies compute the premium due by using payroll as
the rating basis. If you hire a subcontractor to work for you, you can provide a certificate of insurance for that subcontractor at audit and anything that you have
paid that subcontractor will not be
charged against you. Likewise, if you
can’t provide a certificate of insurance for
that sub, then you are going to have to
add the entire job cost paid out to that
sub as payroll. If you do hire an uninsured
subcontractor you can protect yourself
against the additional premium due at
audit by withholding an amount for insurance from the payment you make to
the subcontractor. But, beware; the general liability policy and the workers compensation policy both have different
rates for different kinds of work. If you
are a painting contractor who does all interior work and you are awarded a job to
paint the exterior of a multi-story building. You then subcontract this work out
to an uninsured subcontractor; you won’t
be protected at audit by using the rate
shown on your policy. That’s because the
rate for the exterior painting is higher
than that for interior painting. As you can
see, this can be tricky and leaves you
open to paying more than what you think
you owe for your general liability and
workers compensation policies.
How can hiring uninsured subs impact your insurance renewal? Hiring uninsured subcontractors is not looked
upon favorably by the insurance company underwriter’s. This is because the underwriter assumes that there are exposures that he or she cannot properly underwrite for. The underwriter will view
your uninsured subcontractors as liabili-
ties that make you a less attractive risk to
the insurance company. This means that
when your audit comes in with uninsured subs listed, the underwriter will be
less generous with discounts and you
may actually see your rates go up on
your general liability and workers compensation policies, sometimes this can
also mean a non-renewal of your insurance policy.
Last of all, we have the uncontrollable large loss problem. While it can be
argued against it, statistically it is true
that you have less control over your subcontractors. If you hire uninsured subcontractors, the losses that are caused by
these uninsured subcontractors will
cause losses on your policies; it also
means that they are more likely to generate losses which may not be covered by
your policy. Does your policy have an
exclusion for the type of work they are
doing? Will the losses they cause exceed
your coverage limit? The answer to both
of these questions could be yes. Ask
yourself, why does your subcontractor
not have insurance protection? Is it because they are deemed uninsurable by
underwriters? If so, why are you letting
them put your company at risk and damaging your ability to purchase insurance
in the future?
Prior to teaming up with Catto & Catto, Dane worked as a Commercial Lines
Underwriter with The Hartford Insurance
Group. His experience includes underwriting in the Small Business Unit, Marine and
Property Department, and Construction
Department. Before working with Hartford, Dane was employed by a national,
multi-family developer as an Assistant
Construction Superintendent. Dane’s responsibilities at Catto & Catto include providing commercial insurance and risk management solutions with a particular focus
on clientele in the construction field. Dane
holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Business Administration in Finance from the University
of Texas at San Antonio. He currently holds
the Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designation and is actively
pursuing the Certified Insurance Counselor
(CIC) and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designations.
Page 6
South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
E-Verify:
Friend or foe?
Richard A. Gump, Jr. , Shareholder
Lauren B. Allen, Associate
Law Offices of Richard A. Gump, Jr.
Dallas, TX
T
he three dreaded words that employers never want to hear: Notice of Inspection
(NOI). And with the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division hammering down more than 10,000 employer Form
I-9 audits in the last four years alone, these three little words pack an enormous
punch, including the threat of company dissolution. In order to protect oneself against
this governmental menace, employers must assume the role of “junior immigration
officers” to fight the battle against illegal immigration. Consequently, employers remain caught in legally questionable situations through their attempts to hire a legal
workforce while at the same time weeding out illegal employees from their current
personnel.
One of the best solutions to combat tive aimed at establishing a wholly legal
this formidable employment verification workforce.
Additional benefits to utilizing E-Verprocess is through the use of E-Verify, a ify
include
the following:
free, web-based program that allows
employers to further verify their employ- • Extra security for employers in knowees’ employment eligibility once hired. ing that the employee’s I-9 information
While federal law has yet to require all matches that in the government’s dataemployers to utilize E-Verify, it is an ad- base;
ditional procedural safeguard and is • Additional insulation from liability
aimed at further compliance with immi- should the employer be audited and an
gration laws. It is important to note that unauthorized worker be discovered;
E-Verify does not replace Form I-9 com- • Improved level of Form I-9 complipliance; the I-9, whether hardcopy or ance in that the employer would be alertelectronic, must still be completed. How- ed to any consistent errors being made in
ever, the added benefit of E-Verify usage its current I-9 completion processes; and
is that this government program com- • Provides documentation of good corpares the data from the employee’s com- porate citizenship and desire to promote
pleted Form I-9 with that of the Social positive change within the employer’s reSecurity Administration as well as the spective industry.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Nevertheless, employer implementa(DHS). Thus, this government initiated tion of E-Verify does carry with it addiprogram expands the compliance initia- tional concerns, which cannot be over-
looked when contemplating the program’s use:
• Further training for employees who
will administer the program, which can
be burdensome due to the required
timely management of verifications and
consequent actions;
• E-Verify is not perfect; therefore, mismatch problems as well as “false positives” for tentative nonconfirmations
could result;
• Possible liability exposure for employers who incorrectly utilize E-Verify to
pre-screen new hires or reverify current
employees; and
• Participation in E-Verify allows the government to track a company’s hiring data,
which in turn can warrant periodic governmental audits. (And these audits can lead
to referrals to other agencies, like ICE, in order to bring forth enforcement measures
to combat inappropriate hiring actions.)
Whether friend or foe, E-Verify is one
tool readily available to employers who
strive to maintain compliance in their
employment verification practices. And
with immigration reform being actively
pursued in Congress, current “optional”
programs could become federally mandated in order to further ensure the hiring of only authorized workers. Consequently, whether state mandated now or
federally mandated upon inevitable reform, immigration compliance is a foundational component in the United States
workforce and the trend is calling for
more stringent verification processes. So
what will E-Verify be to you?
Rick Gump, Jr. is the shareholder of the
Law Offices of Richard A. Gump, Jr. which
concentrates on worksite compliance and
business employment visas. Mr. Gump has
been practicing for 40 years, and focuses
his practice on the human resources area
of international law, with an emphasis on
immigration and authorized employment.
[email protected]
Lauren Allen is an attorney at the Law
Offices of Richard A. Gump, Jr. Her practice
involves assisting employers with worksite
compliance issues to minimize potential liability associated with employment verification. [email protected]
A-listers
S
even Texas construction companies
are counting their good fortune this
month after being named on FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For”
list, now in its 17th year.
TDIndustries (TDI) has made the list
every year since the list’s creation in 1998,
earning the company “All Star” status;
this year, the firm ranks 82nd. The facility
services and mechanical construction
company, which is headquartered in Dallas, also has offices in Austin, Fort Worth,
Houston, San Antonio and Weslaco.
“TDI has been honored for the past
17 years by FORTUNE, and we are grateful
for the recognition,” TDIndustries’ Chief
Executive Officer Harold MacDowell,
says. “For us, it is an outside benchmark
and confirmation that we have a workplace that attracts, retains, and develops
great talent. Our talented workforce is
the reason why our customers come to
us. In the construction industry, the war
for talent gets tougher every year, so our
strategy is to be a preferred employer.”
This is the eighth year that Houstonheadquartered David Weekly Homes
placed on the list. The company, which
operates out of 17 offices including Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San
Antonio, ranked 13th.
Commercial contractor DPR Construction, which features offices in Austin and Houston, moved up to #10 and
celebrated its fifth year on the list.
Burns & McDonnell, which has offices in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston, earned the 14th spot, making this
the third consecutive time – and the
fourth time in six years – the engineering
consulting firm has made the list.
PCL Construction Enterprises, a
group of independent construction com-
panies that includes locations in Dallas
and Houston, achieved the 59th position.
PCL has been recognized on the list for
nine consecutive years since 2006.
Kimley-Horn and Associates placed
73rd, making this the seventh year the
design consulting firm earned a place on
the list. The firm, which boasts several
national locations, has Texas offices in
Austin, Bryan/College Station, Collin
County, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Las
Colinas, Lubbock and San Antonio.
Rounding out the list in 99th place is
construction and mining organization
Kiewit Corporation, which has Texas locations in Austin, Clute, Fort Worth, Freeport,
Houston, Ingleside, Irving and Jourdanton.
The list, a collaboration between FORTUNE and the Great Place to Work Institute, reflects companies who earn top
marks in an employee survey about pay
and benefit programs, hiring practices,
training, diversity efforts, internal communication and recognition programs. –mjm
Structural Steel Products
Pipe & Tubing
Metal Building Materials
Ornamental Iron & Accessories
Cast Iron Spears
Fittings
Decorative Castings & Designs
Toll Free
Welders
Cutting Supplies
Fax
Welding Supplies & Accessories
Power Tools
Abrasives
2042 W. Thompson @ Port San Antonio
Shop & Safety Supplies
San Antonio, TX 78226
Paint & Machinery
Trailer Products
“GATE OPERATORS FOR
Access Control Products
RESIDENTIAL,
COMMERCIAL
Gate & Door Hardware
FARM and RANCH”
Gate Operators
210.431.0088
800.725.4776
210.431.0701
www.sss-steel.com
South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
Page 7
conservation mode” and would rather
eat one larger mullet or other type of
baitfish a day than chase much smaller
bait fish around disbursing lots of energy.
Therefore, in the colder months we tend
to use a larger lure and slow the presentation down, to make it appealing for
those big gals to get up off the bottom to
eat.
Gearing up to
grind it out
by Capt. Steve Schultz
Premier Yamaha Boating Center, Majek
Boats, E-Z Bel Construction, Power Pole
Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, Interstate Batteries, Pure Fishing,
Mirr-O-Lure and Columbia Sportswear.
A
s we pushed away from the dock
this morning, the darkness of the
night slowly became a light shade
of orange and blue. I eased the throttle
forward and the big Yamaha came to life.
As the boat got on plane, I glanced over
my shoulder at the eager anglers behind
me and all I saw was smiles. The anticipation of the first wading trip of the year for
these folks made the ride seem a bit
long. Big fish were on our minds, and
Baffin Bay was our destination.
February is a great month for wading the
shores of the Laguna Madre and Baffin
Bay for trophy class specks. From the
time I step out of the boat to the last cast
of the day, I literally have one objective
on my mind when fishing this time of the
year. To catch a big fish, you have to think
like a big fish. Usually when the water
temperatures are in the 50s or low 60s
your bigger fish will typically eat one
large meal per day, or maybe every couple of days. They’re in what I call “energy
The Catch 5 lure is a suspending lure with
a wide body profile that produces a large
holographic flash, which can be detected
by game fish at great distances. Catch 5
also emits a low frequency sonic rattle
similar to the famous Top Dog, for additional vibration and effectiveness. Each
Catch 5 features a natural baitfish pattern
for unmatched realism and 3X MirrOred
hooks, which trigger aggressive strikes.
Use a twitching retrieve and Catch 5 will
come “alive” in the water, darting side to
side and suspend at 12 in. to 18 in. mimicking a wounded shad, pinfish or croaker, ideal for catching trophy trout and
redfish. This lure has already become
one of my most favorite go to suspending lures in the box. Another proven favorite of mine is the Original Corky and
the Corky Fat Boy. These lures can be
custom altered by shaping them to dive
or stay shallow simply by binding the internal wire up or down. They are slow
sinking lures and require a bit of patience,
so if you’re not willing to stay put and
work the area, best leave these lures in
the box and stick to soft plastics. As the
day gets warmer and water temperatures
rise, don’t overlook a slow twitching topwater plug. Sunny days after a strong
norther can warm shallow waters and
trout will move up shallower to absorb
this heat. A Super Spook Jr. is a perfect
size plug to cast up shallow, work shorelines and shallow structure.
To schedule your next bay fishing trip
give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-9497359 or 361-813-3716, or e-mail him at
[email protected]. Already booking for the 2014-fishing season. Good luck and Good Fishing!
Submitted to Construction News
Deer boys
Chris
Christians
IV, Lynwood
Building
Materials,
shot this
buck
with Doug
Niznik,
Niznik
Concrete.
The hunt
was
purchased
at the
Downtown
Youth
Center
Sporting
Clay Shoot.
–mp
Cheryl Holt Rodriguez proudly hold up her 8-lb. speck caught in Baffin Bay on
a pumpkinseed/chartreuse bass assassin. Fish measured 29” and was released
after photo by Steve Schultz Outdoors
STEVE SCHULTZ OUTDOORS, LLC
BAFFIN BAY –– LAGUNA MADRE –– LAND CUT
SPECKLED TROUT –– REDFISH –– FLOUNDER
FISHING AND HUNTING TRIPS
(361) 949-7359
www.baffinbaycharters.com
[email protected]
U.S. Coast Guard &
Texas Parks and Wildlife Licensed
Page 8
South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
Ken Milam’s Fishing Line
Since 1981, Ken Milam has been guiding fishing trips for striped bass on Lake Buchanan in
the Texas Hill Country,. You can hear Ken on radio on Saturday and Sunday mornings, 6-8
AM on AM 1300, The Zone – Austin, or http://www.am1300the zone.com
Just what kind of
fisherman ARE
you?!?
PART 1 of 2
I
’ve been fishing all my life. I have
known fishermen all my life. I grew up
listening to fish stories and learning all
I could from every fisherman I met. One
thing I know for sure is that no two fishermen are alike.
There is the Snuck-off Fisherman.
Here is a quiet sort of guy who in some
way lives a hectic life that must be escaped every once in a while. He might be
sick from work today. Maybe his wife
thinks he’s out of town today on business, or he just might be wetting a hook
on his lunch break. Whatever the case
may be, this man knows how to savor a
little bit of time on his own just sitting on
the bank fishing quietly and loving every
stolen minute of it whether the fish bite
or not.
Then there is the Advertising Fisherman. There is nothing quiet about this
fellow. By gosh, he has the day off and
he’s going fishing and he is darned proud
of it. Just ask the clerk who sold him his
shiny new reel, the folks at the conve-
nience store who sold him his gas, the gal
at the bait shop and everybody in line at
the boat ramp. He is a likable enough
fisherman who can talk your ear off if the
subject is fishing. He is the sort of fellow
that you can’t help hoping the fish will
bite for. If enthusiasm were bait there
would be no stopping this fisherman.
SHARE YOUR PHOTOS . . .
fishing, hunting, skiing,
biking, racing, or
any outdoor activity or sport.
Shhhhhhh…now there is the Stealth
Fisherman. He doesn’t look like a fisherman at all. He just looks like any old guy
out and about. You would never know
that he is almost rabidly serious about his
fishing. He almost smuggles his fishing
gear down to the boat, holding it close to
his body so as not to draw attention and
silly questions and small talk from other
fishermen. If you meet him on the water
he will likely be in some tired, ratty looking little old boat. You would never know
he has owned flashy, state-of-the-art
boats before, but prefers this one so he
can stay below the radar. If you can spot
this man and observe him from a distance (a long one), you will probably find
out where the really good fishing is. Be
careful, he doesn’t like to share and he
dearly loves to pull in lunkers in plain
sight of envious tournament fishermen.
I bet everybody knows a Fishing
Drinkerman. Here is a guy who is always
ready to go fishing no matter what’s biting or how rough the weather is. You see,
to him fishing equals drinking and while
he may not be a true fisherman by motive, he will always go fishing with you if
you will buy the beer. You can’t count on
him to remain sober, but you might get
him to pony up for half the gas money
and you might get to keep his limit too.
Just assure him he had a good time, feed
him some fried fish now and then and everything’s good.
There are more kinds of fishermen
than we have room for this month, so you
will just have to stop by next month to
meet the rest of the crew. Until then, I
hope you get out and enjoy some of the
pretty days we are starting to get on the
water! Tight lines!
Submitted to Construction News
First and 11
President of
International
Mechanical
Services Edgar
R. Kleck III
“Kip” took
his son Edgar
R. Kleck III
“Cole” on a
hunting trip 20
miles south of
Uvalde where
he shot his
first buck – an
11-pointer!
Everyone on
the ranch
was excited,
including
Cole, who
exclaimed,
"Dad, I really
shot it!" –mp
Email to:
[email protected]
or call 210-308-5800(home office)
Half or Full Day Fishing Trips
All Bait, Tackle & Equipment
Furnished
Your catch Filleted and
Bagged for You
Ken Milam Guide Service
(325) 379-2051
www.striperfever.com
Furnish your TPWD Fishing
License & Refreshments,
and WE DO THE REST!
South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
Page 9
Gary in the mist
W
ith previous adventures around
the globe including treks to Machu Picchu and Antarctica, Gary
Weaver, president of Timber Tech Texas,
embarked upon his latest journey a few
weeks before Christmas. He traveled to
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda to
view the endangered mountain gorillas.
After four commercial flights, including the 16-hour trip across the Atlantic, a
Cessna flight from Entebbe, a bumpy
Land Rover drive, and a strenuous twoand-a-half-hour climb into the mountains, Weaver observed the Mubare family, a small family of 10 gorillas, from a
distance of about four to six feet.
“Now, [having seen] these gentle giants barely visible through the undergrowth has made it all worthwhile,”
Weaver recalls. “There are under 1,000
mountain gorillas on the planet, all in the
The group located the Mubare family, and Weaver got his first glimpse of the
endangered mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
wild. The endangered mountain gorillas
do not survive in captivity.
“Although they are no longer
poached, they are still endangered because the population grows very slowly
and disease or a resumption of poaching
could still wipe out these magnificent
creatures.”
According to information Weaver received, the silverback, Kanwonyi, and his
family of nine are among the estimated
326 gorillas in Bwindi, which is estimated
to be half the world’s population of
mountain gorillas.
“For conservation reasons, humans
are allowed an hour with the gorillas; this
is adequate,” he adds. “Everyone was
very happy during the hour trek down
the mountain. Most of us felt we had just
topped our lists of the most interesting
places ever visited on the planet.” –mp
Some photos provided by
Stefan Lohmander, a Swedish gentleman
Weaver met on his trip.
After seeing the gorillas, Weaver sat and rested as the group
took a lunch break on the way back down the mountain.
This shot illustrates not only the gorilla’s sheer mass and
muscle, but also why this endangered mountain gorilla is
known as a silverback.
STEEL BAR GRATING
Metelmex International
We are your Steel Bar Grating
Headquarters. We are the
manufacturer so we can pass
the savings on to you.
We offer the following:
•
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Ladders & Platforms
Skids
Stair Treads
Cut to fit fabrication
All products are bare or
galvanized with serrated
or smooth surface.
Contact us at 210.390.1618 or
855-USGRATING
Come by and visit us at
8799 Crownhill Blvd.
San Antonio, Tx 78209
At the relatively young age of 15, Kanyonyi is the head of the
Mubare family of 10 mountain gorillas.
Page 10
South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
Page 11
CONSTRUCTION SAFETY
The next evolution in
construction safety
Chris Williams, Safety Director
Associated Builders & Contractors Inc.
Arlington, VA
“H
ow does it feel to be changing an entire industry?” remarked a safety colleague from a Fortune
50 company following the first-ever STEP Plus Safety Excellence Academy back in April 2012.
I pondered his remark which, after 3
mentally-grueling days exploring the intricacies of world-class safety performance, left me speechless. It wasn’t until
I spoke with one of the Safety Academy
attendees that I understood my colleague’s revelation.
“I learned more from this course
than any other safety class I’ve taken,”
said Skip Wolfford, President, David M.
Wolfford & Son, Inc., an electrical contractor from Culpeper, Va. “I’m a former
EMT and instructor and, with my credentials, I knew it all about safety. This course
proved me wrong—and thankfully so.”
I asked Skip why the Safety Academy
had been so impactful. Simple—“the
knowledge gained was so special because it wasn’t a recipe of do this and
that. It was concepts and guidelines. It
was about developing Safety Climates
and Safety Cultures. It was about creating practices that will assure that none of
us will ever have to tell an employee’s
loved one that they will never be coming
home due to some preventable accident
or incident.”
“It focused on the emotional impact
of safety.”
In short, it wasn’t about compliance.
It was about believing—and making
sure—that every incident is preventable.
It was about transforming how we think
about safety, from measuring success on
how few employees are injured on the
job to measuring success by how many
incidents we prevent. About developing
a culture where accountability isn’t measured in how safe you are, but in what
you do to keep others safe.
The STEP Plus Safety Excellence
Academy is part of a broader concept being developed by ABC that is designed to
radically alter how the construction industry approaches safety management.
STEP Plus, launched in 2013, takes the
To everyone,
train, train, train
Ted Dunnam, Vice President
ESC Safety Consultants
San Antonio, TX
A
s vice president of ESC Ted Dunnam’s mantra is simple:
“Just train, train, train,” says Dunnam.
“I know that’s redundant, but it’s very important. Employers get complacent, and
we have to remind them that training is
important to make sure that their employees are cognizant of what’s going on
in their surroundings.”
With new safety standards that were
already in place before the New Year,
Dunnam cannot overstate the need for
proper training and the impact that training has on safety in the construction industry.
The latest essential training came as
a result of changes made by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration
(OSHA). As of Dec. 1, 2013, all employees
had to be trained under the new Globally
Harmonized System (GHS) standard dealing with revisions to the Hazard Communications standard, commonly known as
HAZCOM. The purpose of GHS is to promote common, consistent criteria for
classifying chemicals in the workplace,
according to their health, physical and
environmental hazards. Also to encourage the use of compatible hazard labels,
safety data sheets for employees.
Also, information sheets for all
chemicals in the workplace were known
as Materials Safety Data Sheets, but now,
the terminology will be Safety Data
Sheets (SDS). Dunnam notes that the
SDS information will be basically the
same and all employees will have to understand how to read these sheets.
“Basically, it’s a sheet that has all the
hazardous information about the particular chemical that’s in use,” he details.
“What are the first aid procedures to follow if you’re exposed to this chemical?
How to handle the chemical safely. How
to clean up any spills. And emergency
contact information. There is much more
information on the SDS sheets for use.
“It is the responsibility of the em-
core concepts of ABC’s industry-revolutionizing Safety Training Evaluation Process (STEP) and presents a systemic approach to altering a company’s safety
culture and program. The program provides a “road map” for participants to use
as they progress from basic safety compliance to a culture where safety is the
core value by which every employee operates.
The STEP Plus program centers on
four key phases:
Leadership Commitment—companies entering the STEP Plus program
must first sign a commitment pledge
stating that they believe all incidents are
preventable; safety is an “owned” value
that starts with senior management but
also extends through every employee;
that every employee of the company is
committed to the STEP Plus process; and
that the company will achieve worldclass performance in both leading and
lagging safety indicators. Then, every
employee will participate in a STEP 20
Key Components “perception survey”
that identifies gaps in the current safety
program. These gaps form the need for
cultural transformation.
Cultural
Transformation—after
identifying the safety “gaps”, each employee—from the CEO down to craft employees—signs the “Safety Contract”
stating that every incident is preventable,
and that an open safety culture and dialogue will be embraced. This includes
relatively new concepts to the industry,
such as: employees being openly encouraged to stop work when they identify a
potentially unsafe condition and being
rewarded for reporting incidents, helping fellow employees understand safe
work habits, etc. The goal of this cultural
transformation is to move a company
and its’ employees from embracing selfcompliance to company/OSHA safety
rules, to embracing a culture of “safety
interdependence”—where we can depend on ourselves and—more importantly—each other to keep the workplace safe.
Safety Systems & Processes—once
the cultural transition from “safety is a
priority” to “safety is the core value by
which every other decision is made” is
complete, companies begin implementing the “meat and potatoes” of a successful safety program—the means and
methods by which world-class performance is achieved. Using mentors assigned through the STEP Plus program
(and who have completed the STEP Plus
journey), participants will revisit their
STEP 20 Key Components perception surveys and identify the technical gaps in
their safety programs. Are they using
Jobsite Safety Analyses effectively? What
leading indicators do they track, and how
do they use that information? Do they effectively engage other contractors on
the jobsite to coordinate tasks and engineer out potential safety hazards before
ployers to ensure that their employees
understand the GHS standard that went
into effect in December, that being just
the training aspect of it,” he states.
“I’ve been involved within this safety
community for probably 25 years, and
we have a tremendous group of safety
professionals in San Antonio. We may all
work for separate companies, but we all
have the same goal in mind and that’s to
protect the employee, and training is
how we accomplish that.
“Most contractors that I’m familiar
with – general contractors, subcontractors – they’re aggressive with their training program, whether they do it in-house
or do it through associations like ESC,
ABC [Associated Builders & Contractors],
AGC [Associated General Contractors],
IEC [Independent Electrical Contractors],
or the various other organizations around
town. There’s no shortage of places that
training can be acquired.
“But training is so important to get
these guys to perform safely. They know
how to do their job. They’re good at what
they do. What we can do is help them do
it in a safe manner.”
Is all training created equal? In this
age of electronics where information and
learning opportunities are increasingly
going online, people can do their training on the Internet. But should they take
training for jobsite safety as a class on
their computers? Dunnam favors hands-
on training as opposed to the online
classes.
“That’s great if someone needs some
sort of training overnight to be admitted
to a project or something, but I’m a bit
old-fashioned where I like the instructor
classroom-type training with hands-on
training in the field with a particular piece
of equipment,” he explains. “Say it’s scissor
lift training. You have classroom time
training with a lecturer and hand-out materials, and then you go to the actual piece
of machinery and each individual student
will run through the machinery inspection
checks and actual skills training.”
Believing that online classes are impersonal, Dunnam points out that online
training does not allow for an exchange
of dialogue so students can ask questions. The lecture process, he notes, is
passive rather than interactive. He prefers engaging students in discussion. He
feels it is conducive to a good training
environment to have students participating in both the class and the hands-on
skills training with the machinery.
“Within the safety community and
the safety professionals in San Antonio,
we have a great working relationship
with the local OSHA office,” he says. “We
all want to accomplish the same thing;
make sure all employees get home safe
at the end of the day. With that kind of
relationship, I think the working environment will continually improve.” –mp
continued on Page 14
NEXT MONTH
MARCH 2014
Support Your Industry’s Feature Issue
Construction Education
2014
Schedule
Jan: Construction Forecast
Feb: Construction Safety
Mar: Construction Education
Call for Ad Space
Reservations
Apr:Women in Construction
May:Concrete Industry
Jun: HVAC & Plumbing
•
•
•
•
San Antonio
Austin
Dallas/Ft. Worth
Houston
July:Electrical Industry
Aug:Service Providers
Sep: Green Building Trends
(210) 308-5800
Oct: Specialty Contractors
Nov: Architecture & Engineering
Dec: Construction Equipment
Page 12
South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
Annual celebration
T
he weather couldn’t dampen the
spirits of the members of Associated Builders & Contractors, (ABC)
Texas Mid Coast Chapter as they gathered for the Annual Installation of Officers and Awards Banquet.
Held at the Victoria Country Club
Jan. 23, the event took on extra importance since longtime Chapter President/
CEO Kathy Autry has retired and was being honored this night for her many years
of service.
Phil Hoppman, Big D Metalworks,
and 2014 ABC National Chair-Elect, presented Kathy with a Tiffany bracelet on
behalf of ABC National and Mike Weaver, secretary of the local board presented
her an engraved diamond watch on behalf of the membership.
Deedra Haeber, plans room coordinator, also presented Kathy with a special
copy of The Crossroads newsletter that
featured photo of Kathy on horseback
and “Thank You” remarks from the Board
of Directors. –bd
S.T.E.P. AWARDS:
Silver: Don Krueger Construction Co.;
Mirage Industrial Group LLC
Gold: MK Marlow Company LLC;
Regional Steel Products;
Turner Industries Group
Platinum*: SC Constructors LLC;
Lauger Companies Inc.;
Miken Specialties Ltd.
Diamond*: MMR Constructors Inc.;
Repcon Inc.
*180 companies in the United States
achieved Platinum/Diamond distinction
last year, five are from this single chapter
Commemorative Award:
Talbot Kelly, Kelly Painting & Decorating LP
(Member for 54 years)
Star Recruiter of the Year:
Ken Lester, Lester Contracting Inc.
Chapter Ambassador: Stephen Turek,
Hall Electric Company
Chapter Superior Service:
Bill Johnston, Lauger Companies Inc.
2014 Board of Directors
Chairman: J.R. Hartman, Jr.,
VCS Security Systems Inc.
Vice Chairman: Jared Tomanek,
K&T Construction Co. Inc.
Secretary: Mike Weaver,
Weaver & Jacobs Constructors Inc.
Treasurer: Tom Stocker,
NewFirst National Bank
Directors: John Burgman, Victoria
Insurance Group; Henry Hayes, Hayes
Electric Service; Bill Johnston, Lauger
Companies Inc.; Ken Lester, Lester
Contracting Inc.; Scott Lewis, MMR
Constructors Inc.; Randal Ruiz, Miken
Specialties Ltd.; Steve Seekamp, SherwinWilliams Co.; Stephen Turek, Hall Electric
Company; John Wallace, Detar Healthcare
Systems
New officers installed
T
he Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (ABC) Texas Coastal Bend
Chapter held its annual officer installation luncheon Jan. 23. The event
was held at the Solomon P. Ortiz International Center.
The special guest speaker for the day
was Dan Brodbeck, president and CEO
of Compass Partners, LLC in Tennessee.
He is the 2014 chairman of the National
ABC Executive Committee.
Chapter Champion:
J.R. Hartman, Jr.,
VCS Security Systems Inc.
In addition to the installation of the
board and officers for 2014, a special presentation was made to Dottie Fowler.
The long time board treasurer has served
on the board since 1985 and will not be
returning in 2014. The chapter presented
her a crystal Bowl in appreciation for her
time and expertise over the many years.
–bd
2104 Officers and Board
Chairman: John M. Davidson, J.M. Davidson Inc.
1st Vice Chair: Randy Lew Larson, Larson Plumbing & Utility
2nd Vice Chair: Lawrence Wilcox, Large & Sons Foundation Drilling
Treasurer: Mark Roach, Dealers Electrical Supply
Secretary: Shana Hofmeister, Investment Strategies LLC
Immediate Past Chairman: Jonna Davidson, Analytical Testing of Texas Inc.
Board of Directors: Mark Adams, Rabalais I & E Constructors; Jeff Munro, Munro’s
Safety Apparel; Billy Cain, Fishbone Solutions; John Baldree, Progressive Structures Inc.; Jeff Harper, Waukesha-Pearce Industries Inc.; Bob Parker, Repcon Inc.;
Mike Garza, Swantner & Gordon Insurance Agency; Carla Moore, Prosperity Bank;
Jerry Lipstreu, Kleinfelder
This says it all. Bye Kathy.
Awards for the Valley
T
he Texas Society of
Professional Surveyors (TSPS) held its
62nd Annual Convention
and Tech Expo in Arlington. The four-day event
had many scheduled activities including the annual golf tournament, educational sessions, the
technology exhibition,
Cowboy Stadium tour, as
well as several other
meetings and lunches
and awards presentations. This year over 700
surveyors were in attendance.
Representing
the
South Texas area, two individuals from Melden
and Hunt, Inc. received
awards. Robert Tamez,
vp, was honored with the
Young Surveyor of the
Year and Manny Carrizales, project surveyor/engineer/manager, received
the award for the Chapter
President of the Year.
In addition, under
chapter president, Manny
Carrizales, the TSPS Rio
Grande Valley Chapter 19
received the coveted and
prestigious Star Chapter
award for a magnificent
and dynamic area chapter.
–bd
Robert Tamez (L) is presented the Young Surveyor
of the Year award from Shane Isbell.
Manny Carrizales (L) receives the 2013 Chapter of the Year
Award from TSPS president Curtis Strong.
South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
Page 13
Round-Up
The future weighs heavy
Students, such as these from MacArthur High School in San Antonio who toured the HOLT
ProTech facility, could benefit from the new Alamo Academy program.
Association Calendar
Content submitted by Associations to Construction News
ABC- Coastal Bend
CSC-Mid Coast
Associated Builders & Contractors
Contractors Safety Council
Feb. 5: 1st Wednesday Mixer, 5:30 – 7pm,
sponsored by Munro’s Safety Apparel,
Location to be determined
Feb. 12: Management Ed Lunch Break,
11:30am–1pm, contact the ABC office for
more details
Feb. 20: Quarterly Safety Meeting, 2–
3pm, Contractor Safety Council Board
Room, Topic to be determined
Feb. 11-14: Safety Health and Environmental Risk Management (SHERM) principles, Class code RM101
Call or email Betty Berdwell for more info:
[email protected] or 361-5527823 x 6
ACCA - Coastal Bend
Air Conditioning Contractors of Amer.
Feb. 11: Educational Summit and Vendor
Fair, For more info email Priscilla Soliz:
[email protected]
NAWIC - Corpus Christi
Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction
Feb. 18: Dinner Business meeting, public
welcome, The BBQ Man Restaurant,
5:30pm Networking, 6pm meeting, $20,
for more info contact Vickie Thompson
361-299-6778
AIA - Corpus Christi
American Institute of Architects
Feb. 12: Board meeting, WKMC Architects, noon
Feb. 18: Chapter meeting, Water Street
Seafood Co., 309 N. Water St., 5:30pm,
Retro Plate Presentation
Contact Debbie Montez for more info,
[email protected] or 361887-2124
To be included in the
Calendar, send your
events to:
[email protected]
SpawGlass announced the following:
Roger Berry has
been promoted to
president of the
company’s Senior
Living and Campus
Housing Division.
With the company
for 29 years, he has
served as chairman
of the Associated
Builders & Contractors (ABC) of Greater
Houston and state chairman of the ABC
of Texas. He also participated in the inaugural ACE Mentor program with the Association of General Contractors (AGC)
Houston and the University of Houston
Advisory Council. He earned his bachelor’s degree in building construction
from Texas A&M University and is an
American Institute of Constructors Certified Professional Contractor Level 2.
Michael Emmons
has been promoted
to chief operating
officer. With the
company for his entire 29-year career,
he most recently
served as president
of the Houston Region. He earned his
bachelor’s of science degree in building
construction from Texas A&M University
and completed the advanced management program at Harvard Business
School. He serves on the board of directors for SpawGlass and the Association of
General Contractors (AGC) Houston, and
on the Texas A&M University Construction Industry Advisory Council.
Ahern Rentals is pleased to announce that Scott Selby is the new
branch manager for the Corpus Christi location. He has 25 years in
the equipment rental business with a major firm in Arizona. Selby
loves living in the Coastal Bend as he is a big fisherman and has
learned to sail.
Submissions
Round-Up
S
tarting this fall, Alamo
Academies will offer
its fifth program, the
Heavy Equipment Academy. The program is geared
toward giving the next generation of the construction
industry a jumpstart.
HOLT CAT, ASCO, ROMCO, RDO, Zachry Construction, Dean Word Co., Martin Marietta, Closner, and
other heavy equipment
dealers and construction
businesses initiated this coalition with the Alamo Academies after the Heavy
Members of the Heavy Equipment Industry Consortium
Equipment Industry Consortium meeting hosted by HOLT CAT last skilled-labor shortage is precisely what
September.
this track is meant to address, and the
This new program will provide a tu- companies seeking the skilled employition-free college track for high school ees support the model by providing the
juniors and seniors to earn industry cer- paid internships for the junior and senior
tificates that will open opportunities for high school students
careers as technicians and to further their “They agree to help develop the curcollege educations.
riculum, help be there in an advisory role
The Heavy Equipment Academy will to make sure that what we’re producing
award two Level I Certificates of Comple- is what they need,” said Bowman. “They
tion aligned to the Diesel/Construction go do an 8-week, 40-hour-a-week paid
Equipment Technology Associate of Ap- industry partnership internship with
plied Science degree, which will meet the these industry partners that are part of
job market needs of the local heavy this cluster, part of this consortium. That
equipment industry.
is the academy. It is a college grade.”
“One of the biggest problems for Jim Perschbach, chairman of the
heavy equipment dealers and their cus- Alamo Area Academies board, stated,
tomers is a shortage of qualified techni- “The success we have had in developing
cians,” said Peter John Holt, General Ser- skilled employees for Aerospace, Manuvice Manager at HOLT CAT. “This new facturing, IT and Health will now be extrack at Alamo Academies will help sup- tended to a fifth academy to meet the
ply our industry with a steady stream of demand for Heavy Equipment Technitechnicians equipped with the skills re- cians. Area high school students now
quired for entry level jobs at good wages have a new option for college credit, inand benefits.”
ternships and industry certificates that
Gene Bowman, executive director will prepare them for good paying, high
of Alamo Academies, explains that the demand jobs.” –mp
Email (w/digital photo, if available) by the 15th of any month,
for the next month’s issue (published 1st of each month).
Email info to appropriate city issue, with “Round-Up” in the subject line:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
San Antonio:
[email protected]
Austin:
[email protected]
Dallas/Ft. Worth: [email protected]
Houston: [email protected]
South Texas:
[email protected]
Page 14
South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
If you retired today,
where would you
live?
Oh man, I would probably stay in Texas.
If out of the country, Ireland or Germany
because of our history. We have a lot of
Irish or German in our family but Texas at
heart.
Stephanie Sasser, Precision Masonry
I would probably just stay here. I love the
weather, except for this time. This is the
coldest it has been since I have lived
here. For the weather, the slow pace and
my son and grand children are here.
Teresa, Malek, Inc.
I would live here to be honest with you.
It is where I was born and raised.
Joey Yzaguirre, Scott Electric
Where our daughter lives in Houston. No
quite in Houston I would rather live by
the lake there in Houston.
Ronnie Klepac, Malek,Inc.
That is a hard question. Honestly I would
like to go to Europe.
Christopher Forrest,
SOLKANAVATORNO Architects
I’m going to go with him right by his side.
I like the idea of Europe. I would pick
something more beachy and relaxing.
Merida, Christopher’s wife
The Caribbean because of the water and
serenity.
Jennifer Carr, Coastal Bend Demolition
Construction News: Does Vernon get to
go? Vernon, where are you going to go?
I am going to buy a ranch is South Texas.
She can stay there and I can hunt while
she is enjoying the beach.
Vernon Carr, Coastal Bend Demolition
I would watch a lot of Geo Network and
Debbie and I have talked about South
Carolina. It’s like Corpus Christi, it is on
the water and we hear it is really nice. It
got the 5th city in the United States as the
ideal retirement place.
Charles Schibi, Apex Engineers
Right on North Padre Island, right on the
channel where I live. I would stay there
forever. It’s my home and I love it. It’s
about as good as it gets.
Sue Ramsey, Arc Document Solutions
continued from Page 1 — This time for me
“We are sharing office and yard
space with Precision Masonry and we
just finished remodeling the facilities.”
When asked about his growth plans
for the company, Carr has some specific
goals in mind.
“My basic plan is not to grow too big.
I would like to grow the company to $2.5
to 3 million a year in revenue. We have
five to 10 employees right now and we’re
fully insured and bonded.
“From the contracts we are getting
already it looks like we will be well over a
million the first year. Three weeks into
the company we have $400,000 booked
Terra forms
and have already completed two projects and will be starting three more in
the next two to three weeks.
“I am thrilled with the reception I
have been getting from everybody. It
has been wonderful.
“I believe there was a big gap in the
market and I am looking to fill the gap. I
would just like to get my fair share of the
business available,” stated Carr.
Coastal Bend Demolition is a Veteran
Owned Small Business and just become a
member of Associated General Contractors South Texas Chapter and plans to be
active in the association. –bd
L-R: A.J. Govindan, president, and James Jimenez, vice president of operations in San Antonio
W
hen James Jimenez opened
the San Antonio office of Terra
Testing, he hit the geotechnical
ground running. Originally from Lubbock, where the company is headquartered, Jimenez worked for Terra from
1990 until 1998, when he relocated to
San Antonio. But, he and president Ajit
"A.J." Govindan remained close friends.
When Govindan wanted to expand,
he reached out to Jimenez and made him
vice president of operations in San Antonio. Opened in Sept. with four people in
the office, Jimenez’s branch handles work
from Temple to the Rio Grande Valley.
“In San Antonio, we’re a full-testing
lab,” explains Jimenez. “We have geotechnical, where we do soils testing,
earth work, site work, and work on materials testing – everything that goes into
construction: concrete testing, soil testing, asphalt, red iron, all that.
“We also provide geotechnical drilling.
We have a fleet of three drilling rigs. There’s
one in San Antonio, one in Dallas, and one
in Lubbock. But no job is too big for us, because we can mobilize all three rigs.”
Terra is qualified through TxDOT to
do TxDOT work and drilling. The firm is
also accredited through American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, and it’s DBE and
HUB-certified by the state.
“We participate in the proficiency
samples program instituted by AASHTO
Materials Reference Laboratory (AMRL),”
he states. “We also participate in the proficiency samples for Cement & Concrete
Reference Laboratory, which is (CCRL).
They send all the labs samples, and so we
run the tests, submit them, and then they
grade us, and we’ve got to be within a
certain plus or minus.”
When he’s not testing the terrain,
Jimenez is very involved with his community church. He and his wife of 25 years
have two children and three grandchildren,
and he enjoys fishing with his grandson.
Incorporated in 1977 by C.V.G. Vallabhan, Ph.D., P.E., the firm began as Terra Engineers and was opened because
Vallabhan, a professor at Texas Tech, saw
a dire need for engineers in Lubbock at
the time. When Govindan bought the
firm, it was renamed Terra Testing. Vallabhan is still one of the principal engineers
along with Jerry Sayson, who is vice
president.
With an 80-percent commercial
workload, Terra’s jobs in the San Antonio
area includes two hotels in Kenedy and
one in Seguin as well as drilling for new
telecommunication towers. –mp
continued from Page 1 — Betco bounces back
financially, we’re strong. This affects us
companywide, but it also affects San Antonio. We just ordered $3 million worth of
new scaffolding.”
San Antonio is one of Betco’s largest
geographical areas, covering Fort Hood
to South Padre Island. Currently, the
branch is working on the Austin Triangle
project, a six-story, multiplex condominium office space in Austin. The company
has done work in San Antonio at Santa
Rosa and recently completed the Old
Main renovation project at Texas State
University in San Marcos. –mp
continued from Page 1 — Opportunity awaits
Specializing in Industrial Scrap Metal
& Container Service
In this tough economy we want to
highlight our Texas-based general contractors who are in the game and competing with the out-of-state contractors
who have come to our great state.
Do you have a recently completed
project you would be proud to see on
our cover?
Give me a call or send me an email
and lets get you covered.
Buddy Doebbler, Publisher
[email protected]
210-308-5800
continued from Page 11 — The next evolution in construction Safety (Focus)
We buy Aluminum, Brass, Copper, Iron, Stainless Steel,
Steel, Brass & Radiators
2300 Frio City Rd.
210-927-2727
www.monterreyiron.com
they develop? By the end of this phase,
STEP Plus participants will have a safety
program that incorporates their cultural
transformation and commitment to a zero-incident workplace.
Long-Term Results and Monitoring—as part of the STEP Plus journey,
companies use their STEP participation
record as a benchmarking and performance evaluation tool. This annual participation in ABC’s flagship safety program provides an overall picture of lagging indicator (incidence rate, EMR, 20
Key Components scores, etc.) performance from year to year so that STEP Plus
participants can track this aspect of their
transformation and, as years go by, identify potential areas of improvement and
work to continually improve and evolve
their safety transformation.
Companies that complete the four
phases of STEP Plus will help instill the
lessons learned from their safety journey
on future STEP Plus participants, by serving as mentors and instructors at STEP
Plus Safety Excellence Academies. Their
experiences—the positive impacts, the
difficulties in transitioning their total
safety culture—will help guide future
participants to succeed in embracing
and achieving a zero-incident workplace.
As I began to understand the gravity
of what we’d undertaken, with STEP Plus
and the Safety Excellence Academy, Gary
and Skip’s message became clear:
“Safety will never be viewed, implemented and supported in the same way
again.” -bd South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
Page 15
Growing beards for babies
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Rising to a friendly challenge, RDO managers gave up their razors
and got a little scruffy to raise money for St. Jude’s children.
B
ack in September, during a regional
training event, a beard growing
challenge was issued between
RDO Equipment Co. Texas managers. In
true “Play to Win!” spirit, the group decided to make it a friendly competition –
for charity – to see who could grow the
“best” beard.
The rules were simple: managers
could start growing their beards that day,
and the contest would wrap up at the
end of November. To participate, each
manager pitched in $100, and they could
receive pledges from friends, family
members, and coworkers for as long as
they kept the beard. At the end of the
timeframe, the judges would review a
“before and after” photo to select the
best beard.
Thirty percent of the donation pool
would be donated to the selected charity
in the first place winner’s name, twenty
percent of the pool would be donated in
the second place winner’s name, and the
remaining donation would be made on
behalf of RDO Equipment Co. employees.
The group decided to donate all
funds raised to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This children’s hospital
provides care for children across the state
of Texas and impacts a large number of
families.
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After weeks of pledges and beard
growing, the challenge came to a close.
J.R. Gilliam, general manager in Irving,
was named the overall best beard winner, with Mike Miller, RDO Integrated
Controls regional sales manager, in second place.
In total, the friendly beard growing
contest raised $9,480 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Jennifer Kimble, regional marketing manager for St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital, commented, “This is an amazing number! We
are so appreciative of RDO Equipment
Co. and look forward to our continued
partnerships.”
Daryl Shelton, Texas vice president,
stated, “The Beards for Babies challenge
was an awesome event for the Texas
management team and the charity it
supported, St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital. We are all proud of the support
that was shown throughout the months
of competition and how the fundraising
success exhibited strong teamwork within the region.”
RDO Equipment Co. has John Deere
Construction dealerships in Austin, Fort
Worth, Irving, Laredo, New Braunfels, and
Waco. They will open a new store in McKinney in fall 2014. –mp
Alamo Crane is equipped to
handle any petroleum
related work in
the Eagle Ford
Setting
Shale.
electronic
device
at wind
farm
From El Paso
to Beaumont,
Amarillo to
Brownsville
34 Years of Service
to Texas
www.alamocrane.com
San Antonio (210) 344-7370
Austin
(512) 282-6866
Toll Free
(800) 880-0134
Woman-Owned Business
City–94–020011/WBE
State–13580/WOB
Page 16
South Texas Construction News • Feb 2014
Doing more than their share
I
Part of the JCB of South Texas team
L-R: (front row) Belinda Mayen; Cesar Hernandez, San Antonio branch manager;
Kellie Fernandez; Pablo Castro; (back row) Alex Garza; Tony Uriegas; Zack Irizarry
n the three years since JCB of South
Texas opened in San Antonio, the
dealership has sold or rented approximately 105 machines.
After starting in 2011 with an inventory of zero, JCB of South Texas’s current
inventory includes backhoe loaders, compactors, excavators, forklifts, loaders, offhighway trucks, skid steers, telehandlers,
tractors, and attachments. With three
people on staff when the dealership
opened, there are now 16 employees, including a new branch manager, Cesar
Hernandez, who was hired in October.
Owned by Francisco Zorrilla, who
has been a JCB dealer in Mexico for 20
years, JCB of South Texas is committed to
the brand and to its territory of about 23
counties in Central and South Texas,
which include Austin and San Antonio.
“We’ve exceeded or met our company goals and manufacturer’s goals for
market share,” says Jacob Rodriguez,
general manager. “When we opened JCB,
our territory had a market share of 0.2
percent. Right now, we’re at 3 percent.
So, from less than 1 percent, we went to 3
percent in a year and a half basically. Our
goal for this year is to be at 4-percent
market share.
“What we tried to achieve here in the
last three years is to become a full-service
dealership integrated with service mechanics, field mechanics, and offering
parts and service, because at the end of
the day, we can rent and sell machines,
but our customers come back because of
our service and our parts availability. We
were fortunate, last year, to sell to different municipalities; Boerne Independent
School District, SAWS, the City of Pleasanton, and others.”
The dealership started in a temporary location in December 2011 and
opened in its 4.5-acre permanent location on SE I-410 a year later.
They are currently building a dealership in Austin, aiming to have a temporary
office and shop in April and a full-service
facility by the end of the year. The company
is also planning to open locations in Corpus
Christi and Brownsville in 2015. –mp
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