November - Construction News

Transcription

Covering the Industry’s News
Texas
Style
San Antonio Austin
Dallas/Fort Worth
P.O. Box 791290
San Antonio, Texas 78279-1290
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CONSTRUCTION
™
The Industry’s Newspaper
www.constructionnews.net
(210) 308-5800  P.O. Box 791290 San Antonio TX 78279  11931 Warfield San Antonio TX 78216  NOV 2009  Vol. 12  No. 11
Color of the future
Master of machismo
L-R: Mike Butler, foreman, and Charles Albert, management team/project manager,
with a solar panel
Rhett Stuman, Bravo Roofing, at Staples Falls during his June canoeing adventure.
I
n one of the antiquated buildings on
South Flores Street, something progressive is taking place.
Corbo Electric Company Inc. is putting into action its recently established
green division, with a hands-on approach.
“Everything we are hearing about is
‘going green’ and doing what you can to
contribute to the universe,” said Bob
Corbo, owner.
“The first thing we did was we went
through our whole office and converted
every light fixture to the energy-efficient
light fixtures in conjunction with the CPS
Energy Audit. We probably changed out
about 60 light fixtures to our building
and a building we have a tenant in.”
With green in mind, the fixtures and
bulbs are being recycled.
The green focus for Corbo doesn’t
stop with fixtures. The company is also
designing and installing a solar power
system. “We are aligning ourselves with a
large mechanical contractor here in town,
A.J. Monier,” Corbo said. “We are teaming up to do energy audits so we can
cover the whole spectrum of electricity
and mechanical, air conditioning, heating water – everything. We have a roofing company that is a partner, Samuel
Dean Roofing and Sheet Metal.
continued on Page 28
R
hett Stuman, founder of Bravo
Roofing in New Braunfels, thrives
on challenge. He started his roofing business in 1984 in the middle of a
recession, working from home with a
truck and a tar kettle.
“The work was slim to none,” Stuman
said. “I poured concrete and did landscaping in between the roofing jobs. I
took anything that I could get. That went
on for five years. I had no money and
stayed in debt forever, it seemed like.”
Despite the roadblocks, Stuman
stuck with it and built a commercial roofing company that now has 20 roofers and
sheet metal men, 12 of whom have been
with Bravo for 12 or more years.
“I still have the first two guys I ever
hired – Ramiro (Shorty) Urbina and
Jiminez Gonzalez,” Stuman said. “I have
my entire family in the company – my
wife, Penni; my son, Rhett (Hambone);
and my daughter, Jaqueline.”
A different type of challenge Stuman
seeks is in the outdoors. Besides hunting
and fishing, he participated for the third
year this summer in the Texas Water Safari, a 260-mile canoe race from San Marcos to Seadrift, TX.
“That is the toughest race in the
world,” he said. “It took me 97 hours. Out
of the 97 hours, I slept three. There were
115 boats that started and only 54 finished.”
Besides the grueling June conditions,
blisters and sheer exhaustion, Stuman
Building second chances
T
en years ago Tony Davila, president
of Davila Construction Inc., hired
Margie Bocanegra at the request of
the American GI Forum program that houses and rehabilitates homeless veterans.
Today she is part of the Davila Construction Inc. team that built a new SRO
(single room occupancy) building and
Work Center for the American GI Forum
at Medina and Martin.
“Margie is the assistant superintendent here on the project,” said Davila.
“She started with me on the first project I
did for the American GI Forum. They
wanted me to hire her. They would pay
half her hourly wages, and I would pay
the other half. She started cleaning out
apartments. I didn’t think she was going
to last a week.
“Ten years later, she is still with me,
and she knows what she is doing. Because of that program, I have a person
who has really come up in the ranks.”
The new $3.2 million project includes
two structures: an 18,000-sf two-story
new construction residence building, and
a 25,000-sf Work Center located in the
basement of an existing building, both
part of the Haven for Hope complex.
The Work Center will allow homeless
veterans to be trained to do manufacturing and other tasks, according to Davila.
“They will get contracts so they can
teach the vets some kind of useful skill so
they can get them re-acclimated to the
workforce again,” he said. “It’s a good
program, and it’s a good deal that they
are giving back to the veterans. I am real
proud to be part of this project.”
The project took nine months to
complete. The SRO building is structural
steel with a brick exterior. Inside, the
floors are polished concrete. “It’s pretty
standard construction,” Davila said.
Stainless steel and brick combine for a contemporary look
Page 2
San Antonio Construction News • Nov 2009
Constructing kids’ dreams
F
CAKC Toy Drive
or the 10th year in a row, the Friends
of the Bexar County Child Welfare
Board and San Antonio Construction
News invite individuals and companies to
collect and deliver unwrapped gifts and
monetary donations to the newspaper’s
offices at 11931 Warfield (at Nakoma) on
Fri., Dec. 4, from 10am to 2pm.
It’s an exciting day for us to see vehicles pull into the Construction News parking lot with loads of gifts and watch as
the level of presents in the bobtail truck
gets higher and higher. At the end of the
day, the final tallies are made and the gift
truck heads to the caseworkers, who sort,
wrap and distribute the gifts.
But the real excitement is the joy this
day will bring for the hundreds of foster
children throughout the city.
For the past nine years, the San Antonio construction industry has not forgotten them, and in fact, has played a major
role in bringing a happier Christmas season to these kids.
The children who receive the gifts
range in age from newborn to 18 years.
All money donated will be used to purchase more gifts and gift cards. And
please remember your gifts should not
be wrapped.
Many local companies and construction industry associations have already
started spreading the word. Some companies are challenging their employees
to bring in gifts that will be matched by
the company itself. Others are planning
holiday parties and inviting guests to
bring a gift or toy donation. –kf
Construction News ON LOCATION
T
here is a snowstorm headed right
for the Alzafar Shrine Temple, and it
will hit around Dec. 3. Not to worry:
it’s a good thing.
The theme for the 2009 Construct A
Kid’s Christmas Gala is “Winter Wonderland,” and according to Sandee Morgan,
Gala chairperson, it will be really cool.
“Guests won’t recognize Alzafar this year,”
she said. “The décor will be much more
elegant than we have done in the past.”
The Gala, which raises money to help
give Bexar County foster children a memorable Christmas, is also an evening to
remember for the construction industry.
The Gala will begin at 6pm and will feature silent and live auctions as well as a
mini-casino night. A buffet dinner, catered by Heavenly Gourmet, will be
served with beer and wine and setups for
mixed drinks.
Great outdoors
The cost is $55 plus an unwrapped
gift per person, or $600 per reserved table of 10 guests. Company sponsorships
are Corporate: $1,500; Diamond: $500;
and Program: $250. Contact Sandee
Morgan at [email protected] for sponsorships, tickets and more information.
Trade associations participating in
this year’s Gala are American Subcontractors Association (ASA), Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), Construction
Financial Management Association
(CFMA), Hispanic Contractors Association
de San Antonio (HCA), Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC), National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC),
Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors
Association (PHCC) and Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (RCAT). –kf
L-R: Dennis Jasik and Doug Livingston share the limelight with a few of their
trophies at the Douglas Glass headquarters on Wyoming Street in Pleasanton, TX.
Douglas Glass is a commercial and residential glass contractor. –kf
Page 3
PUTZ AROUND TOWN
JC Putz here . . .
We just love you folks out there, especially when you send us an interesting photo
like this one of Mike Zezula of Longhorn
Concrete.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
We try to keep an eye on her, but
sometimes Construction News production
manager Sue Johnson escapes.
Thanks Ben Reyna for showing us how a
person looks after eating fried lemons.
Drivers Ed, anyone?
After all that rain, someone still didn’t believe taking the golf cart to go get his ball
might be disastrous.
She said she was doing “construction
research” at a men’s kilt store in Seattle.
Yeah, right.
And I would never tell anyone that it was
Patrick Harris with Concrete Renovation
who did the deed or that the golf course
had to get the tractor to pull it out.
With that, I’m out’a here.
Page 4
Glass roots enterprise
L-R: Martin Laning, president, and Mike Harrelson, vice president of Bulverde Glass Inc.
M
artin Laning is a very considerate type of guy. When he started
Bulverde Glass Inc.18 years ago,
he was working out of his garage in Timberwood Park, but he would cut metal
during the day so as not to disturb the
neighbors.
“I welded my rack together in the
backyard too, and started with one truck,”
Laning said. “I would hire people at night
to help me if I had any sizable jobs.”
Bulverde’s first “sizable” job was Santa Rosa Hospital downtown, which he
says helped launch the company. L a n ing moved Bulverde Glass to a space near
the airport, which he shared with another
small business to save on rent. Despite
the new location, he kept the name Bulverde Glass.
“Finally I grew enough where I could
buy a building,” Laning said. “Now we
have a 12,000-sf building on Hackberry
and I have about 11 glaziers, a secretary,
an estimator and a field supervisor.
Laning had hoped to build a facility in
Bulverde, but things have worked out well
on Hackberry. “The location is excellent,
because you can go anywhere from here.
“I brought in two new pneumatic
saws, and every year we try to grow the
company,” he said. The largest project
Bulverde has tackled to date is the Overlook at the Rim.
“We’ve got a good group of people,”
Laning said. “Mike Harrelson, our estimator, has been estimating for a long time.”
Laning was especially accommodating when he hired his secretary, Maria
Guerrero. She came highly recommended, according to Laning. “We went over
and met her in the Academy [Sports]
parking lot because she had just taken a
job, and she didn’t have time to come for
an interview. We told her just give us 30
minutes. She ended up being an excellent secretary.”
Bulverde Glass is a commercial glass
contractor. –kf
Safe keeping
Garland Kennedy Jr. beside a proof test machine that has a 250,000-lb. testing capacity
K
ennedy Wire Rope & Sling Com- that we have,” Kennedy said. “We are gopany Inc. has much to celebrate ing to put in some newer equipment, and
these days – a 30th anniversary and the equipment will do some things that
a new location in San Antonio.
are new to the industry.”
Kennedy welcomed the construction The original San Antonio location
and industrial industries to the new 25,000- opened in 1998 following expansion in
sf offices and warehouse on Dividend Oct. Corpus Christi.
8, with an open house barbecue.
Kennedy Wire Rope & Sling Company is
More than 300 guests took part in a safety and lifting equipment supplier. –kf
raffles, a trade show and
product
demonstrations.
Kennedy supplies safety
equipment, fall protection
and lifting tools, such as
slings for cranes.
Kennedy Wire Rope &
Sling, a family-owned company, was founded in 1979
by Garland Kennedy Sr. in
Corpus Christi.
Garland
Kennedy Jr. now runs the
company and is looking forward to future expansion.
“We are continuing to
Kennedy Wire Rope & Sling Company staff
grow with this new building
San Antonio
CONSTRUCTION NEWS
San Antonio Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathie Fox
[email protected]
210-308-5800
Construction News Ltd. Home Office
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© 2009 Construction News, Ltd.
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Page 5
Multi-tasking
Lighting the way
B
Jesse Dominguez, Butterfield Colors, demonstrates technique.
C
MC Construction Services on
Whirlwind hosted a two-day open
house/training program/construction project Oct. 15 focusing on decorative concrete.
Niznik Concrete and Vulcan Materials donated concrete for the project,
which created a sidewalk in front of the
CMC building on Whirlwind that showcases different stamping and coloring
techniques. Jesse Dominguez, Butterfield Colors, conducted the training and
demonstrations.
“It was a two-day deal so you did
some the first day and could see the end
result on the second day,” said Gary
Woltersdorf, CMC. “They went through
several different procedures of how the
colors mixed in the trucks, how the colored hardeners were broadcast across
the top of the concrete and different
techniques for application. Then they
did their stamping and talked about how
it was supposed to be done. Some of the
contractors participated in those applications.
“We provided lunch and beverages
for the contractors that attended the
training program.” –kf
Moore know-how
L-R: Raymond Singer, David Lucio, Jesse Gaytan and Joe Avila at Moore Supply Company on North Frio Street keep things hopping at the sales counter and
warehouse. Moore Supply is a distributor of plumbing products as well as pipe
valves and fittings for commercial, industrial and residential construction. –kf
ell & McCoy, electrical
industry supplier, invited
the construction industry to its new offices and warehouse on Eisenhauer Road
Oct. 15 to introduce both the
new location and a new company division.
“In San Antonio, we just
started a new lighting division
called Bell & McCoy Lighting
and Controls,” said Scott
Shaver.
“We were very
pleased. We had a little over
250 people show up.”
The party was held in an
area of the building that will
be multi-purpose. “We are
real proud of our new training
facility,” Shaver said. “It can be set up as
classrooms for engineers and architects
and contractors where we can have presentations and training classes.”
The San Antonio location is about
16,000sf. Bell & McCoy also has locations
in Dallas and Houston, between 60,000sf
and 70,000sf each. The company has locations in Oklahoma and Arkansas as well.
“In the next year or so, we will be
looking to open an office in Austin,”
Shaver said. “It won’t be quite as big, but
it will be a sales office and training facility
like we have here.”
Bell & McCoy is an electrical manufacturers’ representative, founded in 1972. –kf
Networking at Bell & McCoy
L-R: Jason Jackovich, Rexell; Jim Martin, Bell
& McCoy; and Eric Scroggins, Rexell
Page 6
John E. Travis
J.E. Travis Painting Inc.
A
s a teenager, John Travis was adamant that he would not choose his
family’s commercial painting profession as his career path, even though
L.E. Travis & Sons Painting had been in
business more than 100 years.
He planned to attend Southern
Methodist University in Dallas with a different goal in mind – an engineering degree.
“I remember my grandfather, when
he was still alive, told me it was destiny
that I would be a commercial painter. I
said, ‘Oh, phooey. He doesn’t know what
he is talking about.’”
Life has a funny way of proving you
wrong sometimes. Travis’s career path
took a detour when he married, and realized the path was not right for his family’s
future. He came back to his hometown
and founded his own company, J.E. Travis
Painting, based on his years of experience growing up in the construction industry.
What is the history of the Travis family
in commercial painting?
Commercial painting has been in my
family since 1886. I am the fifth generation to do it. My uncle Eddie, L.E. Travis III,
has the contiguous company, L.E. Travis &
Sons, which is still in business.
James Travis actually started the
painting company in Galveston and got
wiped out by the hurricane in 1900, and
he moved his family and business to San
Marcos.
Which other relatives have been involved with L.E. Travis?
My Pa-Pa, who is my great-grandfather L.E. Travis, and my grandfather L.E.
Travis Jr. Then the three brothers took
over – my father, Ron Travis; Uncle Bill,
William Barrett Travis; and Uncle Eddie.
Uncle Bill and my dad have since retired. Uncle Eddie is still in business. So
you could call him up today and he would
bid on the same jobs I am. It’s respectful
competition. It makes for interesting
family holidays.
Is your family related to William Barret
Travis from the Alamo?
In terms of direct descendants, no.
We are apparently two levels above him,
sharing a grandfather. It is a great asset,
and we take it very seriously. It’s a very
big deal in our family.
I took my boys down to the Alamo
last November. It happened when I was a
child and when my father was a child and
my grandfather was a child. Everybody
gets taken down to the Alamo and you
go through it, and are explained the history.
We are tied to it. If nothing else, just
the ideals that the Alamo and Travis encapsulated – when all the odds are
against you, standing up when you knew
it was right, even though you are a minority instead of a majority, and being able
to follow that through. That is why the
story resonates with the rest of the
world.
What are your earliest memories of
the painting industry?
It’s what I grew up doing from the
time I was 4 or 5 years old: going down to
the shop and sorting out spray masks,
going out on jobsites when I was a young
boy, and learning to estimate and going
from there.
What high school did you attend?
Churchill High School.
Were you into sports at SMU?
I swam all the way through college,
competitively. Our senior year we were
sixth in the nation. We had a good team.
You had a lot of camaraderie building
that team.
What did you do after graduation from
SMU?
I graduated in 1996. I became an
electrical engineer, but I actually went
into business consulting. I didn’t use my
engineering degree. I worked for Ernst &
Young, flying around the country when
they still had a management consulting
business. I did mainly telecom work.
What brought you back to San Antonio and the construction industry?
I met my beautiful wife, Alisa. Everybody in the consulting business – at least
for the time I was there – was not married
or had a marriage that was in trouble because we flew out on Sundays and came
back on Friday nights and you were never
home. You worked 20 hours a day at that
time. When I married my wife, we came
down to San Antonio because that’s what
I knew.
Where did you meet your wife?
That was a weird deal. Her aunt went
to church with my mom and dad. She
was from Virginia. I met her probably
when I was 12 and then I met her again
when I was 16. It was one of those deals
where her aunt and my mom were fairly
close.
Just out of the blue, after I had
worked at Ernst & Young for a year or so,
she sent a postcard saying, “How are you
doing?” I called her and had the opportunity through my business (because I trav-
John E. Travis stands next to an important family symbol – The Alamo. His family’s link to a
well-known Texas name is evident in the historical Texas décor at J.E. Travis Painting.
eled so darn much), instead of going
home, I started flying out there to see
her. We have been married 11 years and
we have four children: Taylor, 10; Westley,
8; Wyatt, 6; and William, 2.
How did J.E. Travis Painting come
about?
Rather than join my dad and my uncles, I thought that I knew better and I
formed my own company. I rented some
space from my dad, borrowed some
money from him, hung up a shingle and
went to work. So Grandpa ended up being right.
That was about 12 years ago. I started in a barn stall out in Bracken. Literally,
it was a 10x10 room. From there we
moved to Rhapsody and a 4,000sf building. Then we moved to Valiant with a
6,000sf building and then moved here
and there is 30,000sf between all of these
buildings.
Then we started the millwork company in 2003. Why did we do that? I don’t
know. It was something that is honestly
quite interesting to me. I like the engineering aspect of putting everything together. It was something that the family
couldn’t tell me how to do because they
didn’t have experience doing it. We started that from scratch.
That business has done very well.
We make commercial casework selling to
many of the same customers – anything
you might find in a commercial millwork
environment.
Between the two divisions, how many
employees does J.E. Travis have?
There are still 100 people, millwork
and painting, but we are off about 30
percent from our highs. By the measures
of the world, we have had success. I will
tell you it is totally not my doing. We have
very good employees. Everybody has
their own abilities and how they fit in the
overall scheme. I am very thankful for the
people that have been able to come
across our path. Many of them have been
here since I have been in business.
At the beginning you spent an awful
lot of time getting the snowball big
enough so you could self-sustain. It might
have been easier being with a firm that
has been around for a hundred some
years, rather than trying to establish your
own identity. But you have the benefit of
the name and the benefit of the education growing up.
Who is your mentor?
In terms of business, my dad has
helped me tremendously, followed by
my family. It’s a real opportunity to have
people you can call. If you have an issue,
they have seen it all 5,000 times.
In terms of life and business, I will
latch onto anybody. I learn from customers, some that were Dad’s customers or
my uncle’s customers 40 years ago and
have taken me under their wing. They
have taught me tons. Some of my vendors, those guys have been good mentors. My employees, some of them
worked for my grandfather.
What do you and your family do for
fun?
I enjoy fishing. We go to the state
parks that are handicapped accessible.
Our first child is special needs. He is
handicapped. Blanco River state park is
pretty good. Guadalupe is close and is
pretty good. They are within a nice driving distance and you can get the wheelchair from the parking lot all the way
down to the river. That sometimes dictates what we can do.
I don’t have a lot of hobbies. I enjoy
reading and having a good time with the
family and kids, but between that and
work, I don’t have a real outlet.
I got into this hiking deal. I was trying to find an outlet where it’s exercise,
it’s outdoors, you get to see sights, and
hopefully it’s something we can do as a
family. Camping is involved.
What has been your biggest life lesson
so far?
Taylor’s accident. My son was born
fine, and when he was 2 months old he
had a tremendous, terrible accident and
it changes everybody’s life. His life, your
family’s life. It’s all for the good, but that’s
a hard deal. It totally alters how you function both as a person and as a family. You
can learn from that and it will all be
good.
What are your plans for the future?
Well family-wise, I think we are going
to try one more here. And then just try
and grow good citizens, especially this
day and age in this country.
In terms of business, we have a strategy of continuing to grow. There are a lot
of opportunities out there for us, even in
this economic downturn. It’s fun to think
about it and learn new things and figure
out how I can get from point A to point
B.
At this point in my career, all I really
do is move the pieces on the chessboard.
Whether we win or lose is dependent
upon how well I can support all those
other people. It’s all about everybody
else. If they do well, we look good.
Not only do we have wonderful people, we have wonderful customers that
we work with. We try and surround ourselves with the kind of folks that want relationships and those people have had a
tremendous influence on us. –kf
Page 7
Bigger is better
Birthday bash
Guests listen for lucky numbers during the door prize drawings.
Photo by Mary C. Haskin, photographer
Mid-Coast Electric Supply Inc. staff plus a drop-in customer
T
his time next year the staff at MidCoast Electric Supply Inc. on Sentinel will be preparing to move into a
new 60,000-sf central distribution center
on Nacogdoches.
“Our commercial business here in
San Antonio has been doing well, even
under the economic conditions, and we
look forward to strengthening the relationships we have throughout the electrical and automation industry,” said
Chris Hernandez, area sales manager –
Commercial Division.
The expansion comes on the heels of
the addition of a new commercial electrical supply division a year ago. Previously,
the San Antonio branch was strictly an
industrial supplier.
Hernandez, a 10-year Mid-Coast
staffer, was relocated to San Antonio
from the Corpus Christi branch a year ago
to head up the new division. He hopes to
grow the commercial division to equal
the industrial division.
“We have been hitting it hard for a
year,” Hernandez said. “Everything is
built on relationships. “
Hernandez says the company has
plenty of options for building relationships. “We have counter days and golf
tournaments.” The counter days include
a barbecue, product demonstrations and
door prizes. “We will start doing that
three times a year.”
Mid-Coast also has a 310-acre ranch
in Rock Springs where they take customers hunting.
Sports are another way Mid-Coast
develops relationships. “Some of the
warehouse operations people have their
own little softball club,” Hernandez said.
The new distribution center is expected to be open by December 2010.
Mid-Coast Electric Supply Inc. is owned
by Tom and Steve Barker of San Antonio
and is a “full-blown” industrial automation
and commercial supply house. – kf
T
ables draped in white linen and decorated with
fresh floral arrangements
were a sharp contrast to the
equipment yard background at
the Alamo Crane Services Inc.
30th anniversary open house
party Oct. 15 at company headquarters in Selma.
Behind the tables, extended cranes were flying flags to
commemorate the occasion.
More than 200 guests were
treated to a buffet dinner catered by Black Tie Affairs, while
the music of the Metheny Broth- L-R: Allyn Archer, Holt Cat; Marvin Ohlenbusch, Alamo
Crane Service Inc.; Joe Collins, Precision Resource
ers and Fiddlin’ Frenchie Burke
Company; Skeeter Collins, Link-Belt Cranes; Scott
played on a stage. Drawings for McDougle,
Holt Crane & Equipment –Photo by Mary C.
door prizes included a South
Haskin, photographer
Texas hog hunt for two.
“I would like to thank everyone for bittersweet thing.”
The 500-ton crane is the newest adcoming and helping us celebrate the anniversary and the new equipment,” said dition to the fleet of 33 cranes at Alamo.
Marvin Ohlenbusch, co-owner of Alamo “Over the past two years, we have bought
Crane. “I am sorry in a way our newest 15 new machines – seven Link-Belt and
machine, the 500-ton, wasn’t here, but eight Liebherr machines,” Ohlenbusch
thank goodness it’s out working. It is a said. –kf
Page 8
Young guns
T
First place team
he 20th Annual Marek Brothers
Systems Inc. Golf Tournament Oct.
16 at Canyon Springs Golf Club held
a few surprises.
The tournament is also the Second
Annual Dewitt Churchwell Memorial Invitational to raise funds for the Dewitt
Churchwell Scholarship Fund.
Two of Churchwell’s sons, David and
Nathan Churchwell, not only placed
third in the team competition, but also
won Closest to the Pin honors on separate holes.
“We had 136 golfers, and we were
blessed with beautiful weather,” said
Dennis Yanowski, Marek Brothers Systems. “Now that our tournament is 20
years old, we have a lot of new blood but
also a lot of familiar faces.”
The tournament raised $5,000 for
the scholarship fund from a silent auction, mulligan sales and a Tiger Tee. –kf
Winners are:
1st Place Team: Paul Scheel, ISC Building
Materials; Bobby Rios, Bartlett Cocke
General Contractors; Rusty Hastings,
Metropolitan Contracting; Clayton Reyes,
Drury South
2nd Place Team: Gerald Gaenslen, Hilti;
Brian Busby, SpawGlass San Antonio; Bob
Farmer, SpawGlass Austin; Matt Rothe,
Constructors & Associates
3rd Place Team: Bruce Marek, Marek
Brothers Systems Inc.; David and Nathan
Churchwell; Ethan Knollkamper
Closest to the Pin:
#3 Paul Pruitt
#7: Hector Carrasco
#13: David Churchwell
#17: Nathan Churchwell
Longest Drive: Brian Busby
Brian Busby, right, hit the longest drive.
Third place team
Industry incentives
B
L-R: Manuel Gomez, Silicone Sally and Bobby Estes with the custom Big Dog
arbecue, bikinis and a Big Dog Mastiff motorcycle raffle: not bad reasons to bring the construction industry to Silicone Specialties Inc. (SSI)
for a customer appreciation cookout and
fundraiser.
SSI held the industry event and open
house at its San Antonio location on Mannix Oct. 16.
Silicone Sally and her custom motorcycle were joined by the Sun Brü Custom
Body Lotions Bikini Team to help raise
money for terminally ill children in Texas.
“We are doing a raffle for this bike,
which goes to A Wish With Wings Foundation,” said Manuel Gomez, SSI San Antonio branch manager. “We sold 95 tickets, which beat Dallas.”
Gomez said more than 125 guests
took part in the event. BASF, The Chemical Company, handled the grilling duties.
All SSI locations in Dallas, Austin
Houston and San Antonio participated in
the raffle, which will culminate in a drawing Dec. 4. Silicone Sally, the cycle and
the bikini team toured all locations.
In addition to Silicone Sally’s public
tours, she serves as a tour guide on the
SSI website, providing product and company information.
SSI is a distributor and supplier for waterproofing products such as epoxy and
caulking. Gomez said, “We have a saying
that represents SSI: ‘If it seals it, we sell it.’”
–kf/kg
Page 9
What are you most
thankful for?
This year I'm thankful to still have a job
with a company I love. The economy hit
hard across the nation, but it seems that
San Antonio was spared in the construction field. The Man above must be watching out for our men in tool belts here in
Texas!
Glenda Gonzales,
Marek Brothers Systems Inc.
I'm thankful for the people in my life…
family, friends, co-workers, even my
spoiled rotten cats. Also for the people
that I have had the privilege of knowing
that are no longer with us, but will always
be remembered and for a job I love with
a company that is great to work for. I
would be especially thankful if my team,
the Tennessee Titans, would win at least
one game this season!
Coni Tutwiler,
I am thankful I didn't have to take the architect's exam after they invented AutoCAD and BIM!
Michael Burrill, AIA, AICP, PARSONS
Infrastructure & Technology Group
I am thankful for life.
Jose A. Gonzalez, Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Inc.
What am I thankful for? Life, family and
friends.
Corrie Shannon
A & S Electrical Services Inc.
Finally having my little dream place in the
country – and all the people who helped
me get there!
Kathie Fox, Construction News
Correction
Joeris General Contractors won the Safe General Contractor of the Year,
Category I, award at the Associated General Contractors (AGC) Safety Fair
and Barbecue Cook-off. The identity of the winner was incorrect
in an article published on Page 9 in October’s Construction News. –kf
Special delivery
Mike McKee, in Volvo Construction Equipment’s service department in New Braunfels,
shows off his new “baby.” McKee says the new L50F is currently one of three in the country. –kf
I am thankful for my beautiful, healthy
granddaughter.
Paul Galloway, Alamo Iron Works
Family, life, friends.
Carrie Gaona, Alamo Iron Works
I am always thankful for electricity so we
have air conditioning and I can charge up
my chair.
Debbie Mason, San Antonio Masonry
Contractors Association
I am thankful for being alive and I can see
and open up my eyes, and I can hear, and
communicate; and thankful my children
are with me. I am thankful I have a job.
That’s the bottom line, because there are
people struggling right now out finding
jobs – and finding orders, also. When you
find them you’ve got to take care of your
customers.
Danny Rodriguez, Equipment Depot
My daughter, Lauren Elizabeth.
James Garza,
Professional Flooring Supply
Page 10
FIN 48: Accounting for
uncertainty in income taxes
Eric D. Abati, CPA, Senior Manager
BKD
San Antonio, TX
I
n July 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board
(FASB) issued Interpretation No. 48 (FIN 48), Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes: An Interpretation of
FASB Statement No. 109, which may significantly change
the way you evaluate your tax positions for recognition in your financial statements.
FIN 48 was effective for fiscal years
beginning after Dec. 15, 2006. However,
for certain nonpublic enterprises,
there have been several deferrals, the
most recent being FSP FIN 48-3, delaying the effective date until years beginning Dec. 15, 2008 (FSP FIN 48-3).
Please consult with your independent
auditor (CPA) to determine what the correct adoption date is for your company.
The accounting for all material positions taken (or expected to be taken) on
any income tax return is governed by FIN
48. Income tax returns include those that
were filed or that should have been filed
with local, state, federal and international
taxing authorities.
FIN 48 applies to positions such as:
(1) excluding income streams that might
be deemed taxable by the taxing authorities, (2) asserting that a particular equity
restructuring is tax-free when that position might be uncertain, (3) the decision
not to file a tax return in a particular jurisdiction for which such a return might be
required, or (4) positions that have only
timing consequences, such as positions
involving depreciation.
Recognition
In applying FIN 48, companies will
need to determine and assess all material
positions taken in any income tax return
as of the date they adopt FIN 48, including all significant uncertain positions, in
all tax years that are still subject to assessment or challenge by relevant taxing authorities.
FIN 48 addresses the recognition and
measurement of income tax positions using a “more-likely-than-not” (MLTN) threshold. The MLTN threshold means that:
• A benefit related to an uncertain tax
position may not be recognized in the financial statements unless it is MLTN the
position will be sustained based on its
technical merits
• There must be more than a 50 percent likelihood the position would be
sustained if challenged and considered
by the highest court in the relevant jurisdiction
Measurement
The tax benefit of a qualifying position is the largest amount of tax benefit
that is more than 50 percent likely to be
realized upon ultimate settlement with a
taxing authority that has full knowledge
of all relevant information. This poses
potentially significant challenges in evaluating tax positions in various state, local
and foreign jurisdictions.
Interest and penalties
A taxpayer is required to accrue interest and penalties that, under relevant tax
law, the taxpayer would incur if the uncertain tax position ultimately were not sustained. Accordingly, under FIN 48, interest would start to accrue for financial
statement purposes in the period in which
it would begin accruing under the relevant tax law, and the amount of interest
expense to be recognized would be computed by applying the applicable statutory rate of interest to the difference between the tax position recognized in accordance with FIN 48 and the amount
previously taken or expected to be taken
in a tax return. Penalties would be accrued in the first period in which the position was taken (or is expected to be taken)
on a tax return that would give rise to the
penalty. How a company classifies interest and penalties in the income statement
is an accounting policy decision.
Common potential uncertain tax positions
Following are some general examples of potentially uncertain tax positions
as defined in FIN 48:
• State income tax filing requirements
(nexus)
• Research credit computations
• International transfer pricing methodology
• Inventory methodology, e.g., LIFO
• Accounting methods, e.g., improper
timing of accrual of income or expenses
• Sophisticated tax reduction strategies
• Unintentional termination of S corporation election
How will FIN 48 affect you?
The only way to determine the effect
FIN 48 will have on your company’s financial statements is to go through the exercise of identifying your uncertain tax positions and applying the recognition and
measurement criteria. Some companies
will see little, if any, impact, while others
may record significant liabilities. Consult
with your CPA to quantify the impact FIN
48 will have on your company's annual
financial statements.
Eric D. Abati is a senior manager in the
BKD National Construction & Real Estate
and Not-for-Profit & Government groups.
He can be reached at [email protected].
Risk management of your
biggest assets . . . your employees
Jenni Whitaker, Principal
Wortham Insurance & Risk Management
San Antonio, TX
F
or every 100 employees:
60 are overweight
60 are sedentary
50 have high cholesterol
24 have high blood pressure
25 smoke
Believe it or not, 70 percent of the illnesses that employees are being treated
for are preventable diseases, meaning
that they could have been prevented had
they made different lifestyle choices.
Smoking, lack of exercise, poor eating
habits, stress and alcohol abuse are all individual behaviors that contribute to
overall health care costs.
So it is no surprise that many of us
have unhealthy employees, but unfortunately that is not our only problem. In addition to our concern for the well-being
of our employees, it is productivity that
hits us where it hurts. Annual lost workdays due to chronic diseases have a $1
trillion impact on United States productivity each year.
Health insurance premium increases
are greater than overall inflation and/or
employee wage increases. Therefore, everyone is affected by it.
It should be no surprise then that
corporations of all sizes are pursuing innovative strategies that attempt to improve the health of their employees. It is
the new face of “Corporate Wellness” and
employers of all shapes and sizes are
stepping out of their corporate boardrooms, picking up their own banners and
walking alongside their large corporate
peers, instead of watching the parade
march by like they have in past years.
Great news for unhealthy employees …
in a recent study 57 percent of employers
indicated that they are considering implementing a wellness program.
We have seen employers exhibiting
remarkable commitment levels when it
comes to promoting better health for employees. Employers now realize that in order to have any chance of lowering premiums, they must have a vested interest in
understanding the connection between
wellness initiatives and lowering insurance premiums. It is risk management
through employee education and aggressive disease management. By engaging
the employees in their own health and
that of their families, it is a joint effort, an
effort that will pay off in the long run.
Not only do we have to manage the
employees who are currently being treated for disease such as Type II diabetes,
high blood pressure and high cholesterol
through disease management programs,
but equally as important is to help keep
our employees who aren’t being treated
for any conditions yet, the healthy employees, in good condition.
“The largest portion of a company’s
healthcare expenses (both in claim dollars
and lost productivity) comes from worker
illnesses that have already taken place. It is
imperative to determine high-risk individuals who are potentially high-cost claims
before they happen,” says Kathy Corder,
VP of Personalized Prevention, a San Antonio-based health risk management firm.
“Employers need to focus on the underlying causes of healthcare cost increases
and have strategies in place to drive improvements in employees’ overall health
and wellness. This is how to achieve maximum efficiency and value.”
Wellness comes in many packages,
from Biggest Loser weight-loss challenges to robust wellness programs to include
Health Risk Assessments, Disease Management, Employee Seminars and Predictive Modeling. Wellness Programs are
offered through most insurance carriers
through their websites or you may opt
for a more tailored program that may require the hiring of a wellness consultant.
In either case, your insurance agent is the
best place to start your search for knowledge about this subject.
Typical results once a wellness program is implemented:
• Decreased sick leave absenteeism
by an average of 28 percent
• Decreased workers comp and disability costs by an average of 30 percent
• Overall increased job satisfaction The good news is that while there is
an initial employer cost, ex. $5 per employee/per month, the return on investment and the long- term payoff is extraordinary. It is evident that taking care
of ourselves not only gives better quality
of life, it also improves everyone’s bottom line.
Healthy Employees = Happy Employees
Jenni Whitaker is a principal with
Wortham Insurance & Risk Management.
She specializes in employee benefits and
may be reached at 210-249-2346 or
[email protected].
Mechanically inclined
Every month
people across Texas read
Construction News...
Dallas/Ft. Worth
Austin
San Antonio
Houston
It pays to
advertise!
L-R: Brothers Leroy and Troy Zinsmeyer, Zinsmeyer Mechanical & Welding in
Castroville, are looking forward to the company’s 50th anniversary in 2010. They
are partners in the business along with their other brother, Kevin. –kf
Page 11
OSHA revises enforcement
policies for fall protection
during steel erection
Indemnity clauses why so much fuss?
Richard L. Reed, Director
Coats, Rose, Yale, Ryman & Lee, PC
San Antonio, TX
Joann Natarajan, compliance assistance specialist
OSHA
Austin, TX
I
ndemnity clauses generally impose a duty to make
good a loss, damage or liability. In Texas, indemnity
clauses can provide one party will defend, indemnify
and hold harmless the other against liability even if it is due to the other’s negligence,
but only if certain conditions are met.
Such clauses are sometimes called
“broad form” indemnity agreements. An
indemnity is very broad indeed when
one must defend against and pay the liability for the sole or concurrent negligence of another. It is wise to seek legal
advice about the scope, enforceability and
effect of any broad form indemnity clause
before agreeing to it.
Broad form indemnities are narrowly
construed by the courts, and will not be
enforced if any ambiguity exists in the
language requiring one party to assume
responsibility for the other’s negligence.
To be enforceable, broad form indemnities must satisfy the requirement for “fair
notice.” They must: 1) be conspicuous
and; 2) meet the express negligence doctrine, i.e., expressly and clearly state that
the party being indemnified is to be indemnified even for that party’s own negligence.
Conspicuousness: To be conspicuous, a broad form indemnity clause must
stand out in the contract so as to attract a
reasonable person’s attention. This is
done by a prominent caption identifying
the indemnity clause as such and showing the text of the clause in bold capitalized letters, so the clause will stand out in
contrast to the surrounding text of the
contract. The conspicuousness requirement may not be satisfied if the provision
is hidden among the terms stated in fine
print on the back page of a single-page
form. Courts decide conspicuousness on
a case-by-case basis.
Express Negligence Doctrine: The
“express negligence doctrine” requires
indemnity clauses to expressly state with
specificity the intent for one party to cover the other’s negligence.
Many standard form contracts use
broad form indemnity clauses that are
unenforceable in Texas courts. For example, the broad form indemnity clause
used in the American Institute of Architects form does not meet the express
negligence doctrine. The Texas Supreme
Court held the following provision was
insufficient to show a subcontractor’s intent to cover the negligence a general
contractor for its own negligence:
“Subcontractor shall indemnify and
hold contractor harmless against any loss
… as a result of operations growing out
of the performance of this contract and
caused by the negligence or carelessness
of the subcontractor.”
Scope: Indemnity clauses usually
cover claims that “arise out of,” are “occasioned by,” or are “due to” the contracted
activity. However, a claim must fall within
the intended scope of the indemnification obligation for the provision to be enforced. For example, one court found a
contractor employee’s injury did not
“arise out of” the contractor’s performance where the injury occurred long
after the contractor’s work was complete
and no further work remained to be
done.
Statutory Prohibitions: Broad form
indemnity agreements are prohibited
outright in many states, and are currently
prohibited by certain Texas statutes in
limited situations. A contractor or subcontractor cannot be required to indemnify a designer (architect or engineer) for
personal injury, death or property damage caused by or resulting from the designer’s negligence in rendering defective plans or specifications. Commercial
owners cannot require designers to indemnify them for liability due to their
own negligence.
Texas law bars broad form indemnity
agreements in contracts related to oil,
gas, mineral, and water well related activities, and certain governmental entities
cannot insist on being indemnified for their
own negligence. Many predict that when
the Texas Legislature convenes again in
2011 it will declare broad form indemnity
agreements void as against public policy.
Richard L. Reed is a director in the law
firm of Coats, Rose, Yale, Ryman & Lee, P.C.,
which concentrates its practice in construction law and real estate. He is a past chair of
the Texas State Bar Construction Law Section. More information is available at www.
coatsrose.com.
T
he Occupational Safety and Health
Administration recently revised the
steel erection compliance directive the
agency's Steel Erection Standard to
change two enforcement policies related
to tripping hazards and installation of
nets or floors during steel erection.
One of the revised policies addresses
the standard's requirement that employers install a floor or net within two stories or 30 feet, whichever is less. Section
1926.754(b)(3) allows an employer to
choose among two options for complying with the provision: install either a (fall
protection) net or a floor within two stories or 30 feet (whichever is less). These
options provide different safety benefits.
A net provides effective fall protection for
workers engaged in certain steel erection
activities (initial connecting and decking)
who, under 1926.760(b)(3) and (c), are
permitted to work without using fall protection. It also provides fall protection in
the event of non-compliance with the fall
protection requirements in 1926.760.
Although a floor in this context does not
provide effective fall protection, it limits the fall distance. Also, unlike a net, a
floor “can be used as a staging area for
emergency rescue.” (see volume 66 of
the Federal Register, January 18, 2001,
at page 5213). Finally, another provision,
1926.759(b), requires falling object protection if other construction processes
are permitted to work below steel erection activities. The installation of a floor
provides such protection and therefore
can serve as a means of complying with
1926.759(b).
The other policy states that employers
must comply with the requirement that
steel studs, known as shear connectors,
be installed at the worksite. Shear connectors bind concrete to the steel. Section 1926.754(c) is an engineering control designed to help prevent tripping,
and therefore reduces the risk of injury
from falling on a shear connector as well
as from falling from structural steel. While
it is not a comprehensive method of protecting workers from falls, it is a means of
reducing the risk of a fall occurring.
"Falls are the leading cause of death
among construction workers," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA
Jordan Barab. "We are intent on reducing the number of injuries and fatalities
in the construction industry and believe
these policy revisions will help us attain
that goal."
Bureau of Labor Statistics 2007 data show
that 1,204 fatalities occurred in the construction industry, 447 of which resulted
from falls. The steel erection standard sets
forth requirements to protect workers
from the hazards associated with steel
erection activities when constructing, altering, and repairing single and multi-story buildings, bridges, and other structures
where steel erection occurs.
OSHA’s revised policy is located at:
https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/Directive_pdf/CPL_02-01-046.
[email protected]
512-374-0271 x232
Page 12
World series
of construction
W
ith images of baseball greats,
like Babe Ruth and Jo DiMaggio,
playing on giant video screens,
the construction industry honored their
own champs at the Omni Hotel Oct. 7.
The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) 2009 Excellence in Construction (EIC) Awards theme was “For
the Love of the Game,” and featured Joe
Reinagel, KENS5 Sports anchor as master
of ceremonies.
The program honors all members of
the construction team, including the contractor, owner, design team, subcontractors and suppliers.
The EIC awards are presented for
outstanding projects completed in the
last 12 months, and local winners are eligible to compete for national awards.
ABC also presented South Texas
Chapter awards and Safety Training and
Evaluation Process (STEP) Awards. –kf
Industry Professional of the Year
Wes Johnson, The Gardner Law Firm
Supplier of the Year
Rudy Fuselier, Alamo Iron Works
Subcontractor of the Year
Dennis Yanowski,
General Contractor of the Year
Mike Leonard, Leonard Contracting Inc.
Volunteer of the Year
Kathleen Acock, Alpha Building Corporation
Chairman’s Award
Buddy Doebbler, Construction News
Commercial: $10-$25 M
Middleman Construction Company LLC
Plaza Las Campanas
Healthcare: Under $10 M
Koontz McCombs Construction Inc.
KCI Health and Wellness Center
Healthcare: $10-$25 M (tie)
Metropolitan Contracting Company Ltd.
The START Center for Cancer Care
Healthcare: $10-$25 M (tie)
Skanska USA Building Inc.
Methodist Children’s Hospital of South Texas,
Emergency Department Addition
Historical Renovation: $2-$10 M
The Sabinal Group
Museo Alameda del Smithsonian
Industrial: $10-$25 M
SpawGlass Contractors Inc.
Union Pacific Railroad San Antonio Intermodal Facility
Mechanical: Commercial $2-$10 M
TDIndustries
Embassy Suites Hotel
Mechanical: Commercial Under $2 M
A/C Technical Services Ltd.
Haven for Hope
Renovation $4-$10 M
The Sabinal Group
Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum
Residential: Single Family
Troy M. Jessee Construction LP
520 Geneseo/Grinnell Residence
Other Specialty Construction $2-$100 M
Brownsville Sports Park
Page 13
S.T.E.P.
Awards
A
Institutional: $25-$100M
Skansak USA Building Inc.
Alamo Colleges, St. Philip’s College Multi-Purpose Building
Mega-Project: More than $100 M
Skanska USA Building Inc.
Methodist Stone Oak Hospital and Medical Office Building
Historical Renovation: $10-$100 M
W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company
Mitchell Properties Historical Restoration
Institutional: $25-$100 M
Joeris General Contractors Ltd.
Concordia Lutheran Church New Sanctuary
Residential: Multi Family
Galaxy Builders Ltd.
The Park at Brushy Creek
Interiors: Millwork
The Koehler Company
Concordia Lutheran Church New Sanctuary
ssociated Builders and Contractors
(ABC) South Texas Chapter also presented its annual safety awards at
the Excellence In Construction Awards Banquet Oct. 7.
The Safety Training and Evaluation Process (STEP) program recognizes four levels
of performance – bronze, silver, gold and
platinum. Receiving honors were:
Platinum STEP Award winners
Alpha Building Corporation
Baker Triangle
CCC Group Inc.
Flasher Equipment Company
G.D. Interior Construction Inc.
Huser Construction Company Inc.
Leonard Contracting Inc.
Lyda Swinerton Builders Inc.
MK Marlow Company, San Antonio LLC
Moore Erection LP
W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company
Gold STEP Award winners
Renovation Under $4 M
San Antonio Country Club Men’s Locker
Renovation
Commercial: $25-$100 M
Stone Ridge Market Retail Center
A/C Technical Services Ltd.
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors
Betco Scaffold
Browning Construction Company Ltd.
CMC Rebar San Antonio
Galaxy Builders Ltd.
I E S Commercial Inc.
The Keller-Martin Organization Inc.
Keystone Concrete Placement
The Koehler Company
Koontz McCombs Construction Ltd.
Kunz Construction Company Inc.
Lattimore Materials Company
Marek Bros. Systems Inc.
Middleman Construction Company LLC
Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Inc.
TDIndustries
Page 14
Page 15
Use the weather and
moon to your advantage
by Capt. Steve Schultz
Kevin Howard with Alamo Concrete in San Antonio landed
this redfish while fishing the Upper Laguna Madre with
Capt. Steve Schultz.
Sponsored by:
Trans Sport Boats, Mercury Outboards, Chris’s Marine,
MotorGuide Trolling Motors, Power-Pole Shallow
Water Anchor, Pure Fishing, Pflueger Reels,
All Star Rods, MirrOlure, Bass Assassin and
Columbia Sportswear
T
he weather and moon have a huge impact in the
activity level of fish, and knowing how this works
can be a big advantage to you as an angler, and it's
not necessary to become a meteorologist or astronomer
either. The basic information of how these two forces of
Mother Nature impact fishing trips is all that is necessary.
The information can be learned in a few minutes of study,
and will pay dividends for many years to come. In this
article, I'm going to outline some tips and techniques to
help you catch more fish using the weather and moon
phases.
Every fisherman knows that the best fishing times
are when the fish are feeding. This tends to be during
dawn and dusk, but what often goes unnoticed are
the two periods elsewhere in the day, moonrise and
moonset. Because the moon has an effect on a variety
of factors surrounding the fish, including the bait fish
they hunt, these periods, combined with the moon's
phases, are what trigger feeding. By understanding this
and choosing times when sunrise/sunset and moonrise/
moonset coincide with new or full moon phases, you'll
increase your chance of a good fishing catch. Assuming
there are fish in the area, of course.
There’s really is nothing complicated about this at all:
it's just a matter of knowing ahead of time exactly when
the sun and moon will rise and set. Fish are most active
during 90-minute windows surrounding each of these
four daily events; that's 45 minutes before and after these
four daily points. Fishing during these four periods will
Jody Swann, Urban Concrete Contractors, landed this
42-in. redfish on Oct. 14 fishing with Steve Schultz Outdoors.
Swann released the fish to fight another day.
help increase your fishing catch, but if you plan wisely
so as to ensure you're at the water's edge on the days
of new or full moon, you can use these windows to reel
in a catch like you've never done before. If you have to
choose between sunrise/set and moonrise/set, always go
with the moon as the moon is the stronger influence.
Hunters have always known that fish and game are
most active at dawn and dusk or sunrise and sunset,
but their activity surrounding moonrise and moonset is
less noticeable because these events are likely to occur
without effecting any change in the perceived light. The
rise and set of a new moon are invisible anyway, and
overcast weather often hides the moon. Without prior
knowledge of setting and rising times, two of the best
fishing times will be missed every day! When planning your fishing by moon phase, there are
certain other factors that should also be considered.
Weather: Severe weather changes have an impact
on the way fish feed. When a storm's brewing, or just
after one has passed, is a good time. If this happens
while you're in place, you'll be in for a treat! However,
if there's a cold front approaching, the fish are likely to
move deeper into the water and become inactive.
Season: Most fish are more likely to bite willingly
during seasonal transitions with the transition from
winter to spring and summer to fall being the two best
fishing times.
Now that you know that moon phase fishing really
works, there's no reason why you shouldn't utilize this
knowledge to increase your own fishing catch by being
at the ready with your rod during the best fishing times
available. It's easy and it works!
For information in booking your next fishing trip,
give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-949-7359 or visit
Baffinbaycharters.com. Also please make note of Steve’s
new email address: SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail.
com. Good Luck and Good Fishing.
Zach Warren and Mark Spielman of G.W. Mitchell in San Antonio on a recent outing with Steve Schultz Outdoors.
Warren’s redfish measured 27-in. and Spielman’s trout stretched to 23-in.
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 16
Ken Milam’s Fishing Line
Sponsored by Tropical Marine and Honda Marine
My name is Ken Milam and, for the past 26 years, I have been guiding fishing trips for striped bass on
Lake Buchanan in the Texas Hill Country. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity of getting to know
a good many folks in the construction trade.
A
hhh…it finally started raining and cooling off! I
think this whole part of the world is breathing a
sigh of relief and contentment. The countryside is
back from the brown cracklies of the dusty drought.
Now everywhere you look there is every shade of
green.
Although we have had enough rain to bring us some
relief and in some places even enough to do some flooding, the watershed for the Highland Lakes hasn’t caught
enough water yet to help much with the lake levels. The
ground is plenty damp, though. Nowadays a passing
shower leaves puddles and swelling creeks, so the earth
around here has drunk its fill. It is just a matter of time
until the right storm system does come to rest over the
watershed and the lakes do begin to refill. So far we have
come up a little better than a foot on Lake Buchanan.
We still have plenty of fish to be caught, and only 40
percent of the lake to catch of them in, so we look forward to some great fall and winter fishing trips. The only
trouble is, a lot of our fishermen are more interested in
hunting this time of year.
Now for the good part…We now offer deer hunting
packages, too! You can hunt along the Concho River
near Paint Rock. We offer management or trophy hunts,
high fence or low fence.
One package we offer is $1,595 for one 8 point buck
under 130 Boone and Crockett points, plus two does.
This is a 2 1/2-day hunt with meals and accommodations
provided. This is a management hunt using MLD tags,
so you don’t even have to use your deer tags. All you
need to do is bring your gun and your clothes and ice
chest. Deer processing is available for an additional
charge.
This is a beautiful place to hunt. Besides deer, there
are ducks and you can even fish on a dammed-up part
of the Concho River for catfish, crappie or whatever else
will take your bait. You could even get a combined package of Lake Buchanan striper fishing and West Texas
deer hunting if you like. Just contact me at 325-379-2051
or email me at [email protected] for more details.
Whatever you do, I hope you find the time to get
outside and enjoy some of the best weather we have
had all year!
Even with the drought, Fall Creek on Lake Buchanan still flows and keeps its little
pool of water. Picture taken at the worst of the drought.
Mickey Sanders and group from Taylor Morrison home builders.
Page 17
Howell-ing good time
Submitted to Construction News
Laguna Madre adventure
F
or 15 years Howell Crane
& Rigging has hosted an
event that combines a
skeet shoot, a dove hunt, an
Annie Oakley shooting competition and a barbecue for
industry friends and clients.
More than 200 guests
traveled to the Howell Ranch
in Olmos, TX, Oct. 3 to carry
on the tradition.
The weather cooperated
on Saturday for the event, according to Charles Mikolajczyk Jr., Endeavor Real Estate
Group. “These holes in the
sky explain why the bottom
fell out Sunday morning with
all the rain!” –kf
L-R: Texas Hog Trap & Company – AKA Robert Fox, SARA;
Randy Artz, Texana Machinery; Audie Howell, Howell
Crane & Rigging; Billy Kotara CCC Group; Dean Fritz,
Redondo Manufacturing; Kenny Brett, Moore Erection;
and Harvey Wright, Age Refinery – cooked the briskets
and Kosciusko sausage with all the trimmings.
DeWitt Bebout, Kennedy Wire Rope & Sling Company, caught and released this 28-in.
speckled trout while kayak fishing in the Laguna Madre on Oct. 3. –kf
Red hot
L-R: Finalists in one of the Annie Oakley rounds are
Audie Howell, Tamera Odell and Kayla Meyer.
Greg and Sylvia Myers, Myers Plumbing, show a whopper red
that Greg caught while fishing at Port O’Connor in September. –kf
Page 18
Champions of the game
T
he construction industry proved once again to be a
key supporter of San Antonio Ducks Unlimited at
the 47th Annual Banquet Oct. 1 at Alzafar Shrine
Temple.
Jason McKey, regional director of the Central and
South Texas Ducks Unlimited, said, “Without the support of the construction industry, there is no San Antonio Ducks Unlimited. If you look around the tables, I
would say 90 percent were construction industry companies.”
Guns up, birds down
Hunters wait in the wings.
More than 400 hunting enthusiasts and guests enjoyed an evening of silent and live auctions, raffles,
games, live entertainment and dinner.
An estimated $100,000 was raised for conservation
and restoration of wetlands and associated habitats for
North American waterfowl. Among the live auction
items was an African Plains game hunt. Other auction
items included deer, duck and dove hunts, fishing trips
and a Western getaway. –kf
T
he Bukowski Ranch in
Karnes County was the
setting for the Bukowski
Properties
Inc.
Custom
Homes Fifth Annual Dove
Hunt Sep. 29.
Phillip Bukowski welcomed members of the construction industry and service
providers for the event. “Most
of us have known each other
for many years, so it’s great to
be able to get together once a
year,” said Bukowski.
“Old friends get together
and the conversations pick up
right where they left off last
year,” said Larry Webb, project manager for Bukowski
Properties
Inc.
Custom
Homes.
According to Robin Bukowski, the rain held off for
the hunt. “Many came out for
the fun, food and laughter.
The birds were a bonus!” –kf
L-R: Robin Bukowski and Vanessa Young,
ready for four-wheeling
Page 19
Ccino needs a home
F
or the past six months Ccino has waited patiently for my little white truck to come up the driveway at the end of each day. As I near the house I
can hear his soulful cry, so glad I am finally home.
Not long ago Ccino stood wait in a similar way for
a soldier, SSgt. Clay Bowen, his owner, to come home.
Clay planned to visit Ccino in September and take him
home with him in January, when his deployment
ended. Ccino was his baby. But he is not coming
home. Clay lost his life in Afghanistan in August.
Ccino needs a home. I have fostered the amazing
dog and his stepsister, Coco, since April. I have loved
every minute of it. Just months ago, Clay asked if I
would keep Coco. I would love to keep both dogs,
but I feel I can only do one dog justice. Coco suits my
lifestyle and is content just being outside, chasing
squirrels and looking for deer. She doesn’t mind if I
have to attend an event in the evening and come
home late.
Ccino just wants to be loved. He really wants to
be a lap dog or your shadow. He is an 18-month-old
AKC registered pit bull and weighs about 65 lbs., but
he is not the aggressive, dog-fighting kind of pit bull.
He might lick you to death, though, or accidentally
hit you with his wagging tail.
He is crate-trained and neutered. He loves to
fetch anything and play. The amazing thing about
Ccino is his personality. He will carry on a conversation with you. I have the recordings to prove it! He is
very smart, but he is also very funny. Sometimes I
just sit in the den and watch him on the deck doing
silly things, like putting pieces of carpet on Coco’s
head to entice her to play. If you throw a stick, the
two dogs retrieve it in tandem.
Ccino would make a wonderful companion dog.
He is the most affectionate and loyal dog I have ever
known. Help me find him a new, loving owner who
can appreciate him the way I do and the way Clay did.
–Kathie Fox, San Antonio Editor
Laguna excursion
The name Ccino is short for cappuccino, relating to his color.
Josh Colvin, C&C Erection Inc., caught this
nice 26.5-in. trout on a recent fishing trip at
Laguna Madre. L-R: The crew on the trip are
Greg Foy, Keith Colvin, Josh Colvin, Arnold
Jasso, Brian Burrier and Angel Berganzo. –kf
Katz meow
Barbara Katz, wife of Jerry Katz, Alterman Inc., poses with 6 x 6 elk from West Texas.
The elk weighed in at 850 lbs. –kf
Page 20
Have gun, will compete
Case study
A
T
L-R: Jay Bridgewater, Gabe Aguilar and Chad Fisher, Performance Contracting,
and Bennie Malish, retired
he construction industry
journeyed to the Bexar
Community
Shooting
Range in Marion for the 32nd
Annual Hunters Symposium
Oct. 1.
“This was a great time
spent networking and fellowshipping and just plain having
fun,” said Bob Pisors, new executive director of the Mechanical Contractors Association
and Sheet Metal & A/C National
Association (MCA-SMACNA),
that hosted the event.
L-R: Kurt Mosel, L.C. Mosel Co., presents
Rudy Klein, retired MCA-SMACNA executive director,
Along with shooting comwith a signed plaque for his 32 years of involvement
petitions, participants took part
with the Hunters Symposium.
in a raffle for more than $6,000
in prizes and an awards dinner. –kf
2nd: Larry Wunsch, LWA
Skeet
3rd: Michelle McNatt, Mechanical Reps
Expert Division: Louis Mosel, L.C. Mosel Co.
Member:
Guest Division:
1st: Mike Nobels, Dynamic Systems
1st: Bennie Malish, retired
2nd: Chris Solis, Dynamic Systems
2nd: Bill Allen, retired
Terrible Trap: Tyler Chapman, Johnson
3rd: Eddie Mueller, retired
Controls
Associate Division:
Rifle
1st: Ken Brothers, Siemens Tech
2nd: Scott Hutcheson, Texas Air Systems Bullseye Division: Rick Barrera, Goetting
& Associates
3rd: Scott Wunsch, LWA
Expert: Frank Tuttle, Texas Air Systems
Member Division:
Guest:
1st: Debbie Wertheim, L.C. Mosel Co.
1st: Brian Goebel, Goetting & Associates
2nd: Heyward Decker, A.J. Monier & Co.
Shoddy Skeet: Preston Sartain, Brandt 2nd: Tom Pulliam, Goetting & Associates
3rd: Rudy Garcia, Goetting & Associates
Engineering
Associate:
Trap
1st: Danny Grammer, Morrison Supply
Expert: Ross Lowery, Dynamic Systems
2nd: Klint Kingsbury, Texas Air Systems
Guest:
3rd: Bud Hurta, TNT Crane & Rigging
1st: Brian Cope, Klein Engineering
Member:
2nd: John Scott, retired
1st: Jonathan Wilson, M & M Metals
3rd: Rudy Klein IV, Klein Engineering
2nd: Charles Wolff, L.C. Mosel Co.
Associate:
1st: Jay Bridgewater, Performance Con- Ridiculous Rifle: Dwayne Blevins, Trane
Company
tracting
little friendly competition headlined Texana
Machinery’s Case Rockin’ Block Party Oct. 8 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of
the Case Skid Steer.
Participants maneuvered
a skid steer through a tricky
obstacle course, balancing
tires and then a barrel, in separate rounds.
Darrell Lawson, Creative
Components, won the $500
VISA gift card grand prize.
The party also raised
$2,065 for Habitat for Humanity.
“We were excited about
the turnout and had a great
time with everybody that
showed up,” said Kyle Smith,
Texana.
“Darrell was the smoothest guy out
there. We enjoyed the competition with
the varying styles of operators. We had a
Aloys Dziuk tries his hand
at the skid steer obstacle course.
couple of people get a little wild, but
nothing out of control.” –kf
A crowd gathers for refreshments and prize drawings.
Industry FOLKS
Matt Harwood
AmeriCRANE Rentals LP
M
att Harwood, AmeriCRANE Rentals LP, says his best friend is also
his boss: his father, Tom Harwood,
AmeriCRANE partner.
“My dad has helped put me where
I am,” Harwood said. “Not many people can work with their dad, but we
enjoy working with each other.”
After Harwood graduated from
MacArthur High School and attended
college in College Station, TX, and Corpus Christi, TX, he had the opportunity
to return to San Antonio and join the
company his father and Steve White
founded.
“It was great to be able to come
back and work for my dad. I ran a crane
for a little while, and I am still in a crane
once or twice a week. One thing my
dad wanted me to do was put some
time in, in the seat. He worked for John
Deere for 25 years as a vice president,
and he always told me some of his best
salesmen were mechanics at one time,
or spent some time in the field.
“It has really paid off. I have good
knowledge of what I am selling, plus in
this industry, everybody is a lot older
than me. It helps earn a little respect
with people when they see you out on
a job running a crane. I know where
the cranes need to be set up. I know
what’s going to be in the way. It makes
a big difference when sizing up a job.”
Harwood lives in Schertz with his
wife of two years, Michelle. The couple
travels to Europe often to visit her military family. Her father is a colonel in
the Air Force and is based in Germany.
“Last year I went to Germany,
France and Switzerland,” Harwood
said. “I was in Paris for New Year’s last
year.” He also did a little snowboarding in the Swiss Alps.
Harwood’s other interests include
fishing at the coast and working on
the family’s 1,100-acre cattle ranch in
Cuero.
“It’s a real working ranch. We run
about 100 cows and four bulls. It’s a
family ranch and has been in my family
for about 120 years. It came from my
great-great-grandmother on my dad’s
side.
“We do a lot of partying out there.
We have a great big barn that used to
be a hay barn, and we have concreted
the floors and it’s got fire pits in it now.
It doesn’t look like a barn now when
you go in it. It has neon lights all in it. I
used to play in it when I was little,
when it was full of hay and snakes. We
have added something new to it each
year for 25 years.” –kf
Equipment
wonderland
Page 21
T
he newest, the biggest and the most powerful in
construction equipment were on display during Associated General Contractors of Texas’ 26th Annual
Trade and Construction Equipment Show held Oct. 19-20
at the Austin Convention Center. Exhibitors from Texas
and beyond shared with show-goers how the various
FOR LEASE
Office/Warehouse
with Yard
6000 SqFt
Total
Location
13313 Western Oak
San Antonio, TX
Contact
Gary Wade
210-695-3451
pieces of equipment on display could be used, and how
they have become more efficient and earth-friendly.
A grand opening luncheon featuring Speaker of the
House Joe Straus III kicked off the two-day event, followed
by live and silent auctions, an opening reception, seminars, summits, workshops, and a closing fish fry. –va
Page 22
Desert life
Happy days
Members of the construction industry headed to Terlingua, TX Oct. 15-18 for a
four-wheeling adventure. They saw the results of recent rains with blooming
plants and an assortment of animals in the desert. L-R: Eddie and Maria Rodriguez, Equipment Depot; Tracie and Jerry Martin, Acme Brick/Featherlite; Terrie and Tommy Dechert, Lundberg Masonry –kf
South Texas Plumbing Inc.
in Pleasanton, TX, is celebrating
35 years in the plumbing
and HVAC contracting business.
L-R: Jerry Mulder
and President George Allen. –kf
Green party
T
he inaugural Going Green Awards
were presented Oct. 22 at the
Pearl Stable.
Event hosts were the San Antonio Business Journal, American Institute of Architects, Build San Antonio
Green and the U.S. Green Building
Council – Central Texas, Balcones
Chapter. –kf
Construction industry related
awards are:
Leadership: Public Sector
CPS Energy
Entrepreneur
Cinco Solar Inc.
Innovation
VRTX Technologies
Marketing Campaign
San Antonio Water System
Building Management
Concord Property Corporation
Commercial Builder
SpawGlass
Residential Builder
Imagine Homes
Architect
Lake|Flato Architects
Wildcard: Visionary
Bill Sinkin,
Build San Antonio Green
Wildcard: Commercial
Overlook at the Rim
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Page 23
Architects & Engineers
Green machine on the move
Greg Garteiser, Associate
LK Design Group Inc.
San Antonio, TX
W
hat have been the positive changes in architecture and construction in the past year?
The economy has put a lot of focus
on economical, sustainable, recycled and
energy-efficient products and construction methods. Building owners are starting to look more closely at energy paybacks and more sustainable materials in
order to make their projects a better
overall investment.
What is everyone talking about?
Green building and sustainable design is a big topic from the manufacturing process all the way to the construction equipment being used.
It’s not just about selecting a sustainable product: the manufacturing footprint and the construction means are
now a factor.
BIM [Building Information Modeling]
has really taken off lately, with govern-
ment entities and facility management
groups now starting to require deliverables in BIM format for their use in postconstruction management.
Manufacturers have also embraced
BIM and are providing a wide range of
their products as components for download and use in model files, which helps
at the design-process level. There are also
some great products coming out that allow us, as designers, to perform energy
use analysis, green building compliance
and interference checking, by just running the software on the BIM file, making
adjustments and running again to see if
improvements were made.
We can see other areas where BIM
analysis tools could really help the process of information modeling to be more
efficient in the future – Building Code
checking, product material compatibility
issues, utility grouping/stacking, just to
name a few.
Are there significant differences in the
2006 and 2009 International Building
Codes?
Yes, there are quite a few changes
that bring the building code in line with
the NFPA life safety code. Most of the
changes concentrate around building
construction types and fire protection.
The changes make buildings safer
during a fire or disaster situation, and also
make it easier for first responders to find
equipment shutdowns, fire control equipment and occupants caught in the building.
How have the changes affected how
your firm conducts business?
We are adopting standards that we
typically use for our healthcare projects
to all of our projects in order to meet the
new building code requirements.
The existing life safety code required
many of the provisions be incorporated
into healthcare facility design for the past
decade. The changes to the building
code are adapting these requirements to
a broader range of building occupancies,
such as office buildings and retail. Our
broad healthcare experience will allow us
to quickly adapt to the new requirements.
BIM and Texas
Chris Tisdel, Director of Building
Information Modeling
Texas Facilities Commission
Austin, TX
W
hat was the impetus for the Texas Facilities
Commission to adopt Building Information
Modeling (BIM) for state design and construction
projects?
As an owner of many existing state buildings and
the project manager for many new construction projects for the state, the Texas Facilities Commission believes that BIM is the catalyst for a new and greater level
of collaboration.
Greater collaboration between architectural and
engineering disciplines, along with the constructors of
the buildings has a huge, cumulative effect on any and
all projects where BIM has been implemented.
The benefits of BIM for the state come in many
forms, including greater quality control over state projects, efficient use of taxpayer dollars through coordinated schedules and budgets, and the capture of data
pertaining to a project during the design and construction process.
For an owner, the capture and use of data for the
lifecycle of a building can prove to be invaluable. Although the initial project cost varies greatly, it is never
more than the lifecycle costs associated with the buildings’ maintenance and energy usage.
By utilizing a virtual building or BIM model, constant
analysis and monitoring can be done that informs TFC
and other stewards of state buildings as to its constant
performance or occasional problems and by doing so in
real-time with good information, adjustments and solutions can be formed and implemented quickly.
Wisconsin was the first state to mandate BIM for new
projects with budgets of $2.5 million or more. Why
did Texas, the second state to adopt BIM, choose to
mandate it for all new construction?
Texas chose to adopt BIM for all new construction
projects, regardless of a dollar amount. The main reason
for this “full adoption” centers on the capturing of as
much data as possible for all state building projects.
Further, TFC contracts with design professionals
and constructors of all sizes and portfolios and truly believes that there is no limitation on the benefits the BIM
process allows. As proficiency grows, BIM simply allows
one to do more with less; whether it is in the form of
drawings and deliverables, analytical analysis, or number of people allocated to a given project.
All projects for the state of Texas should take advantage of the best practices of the design and construction
industries, and BIM is the technological culmination of
those best practices.
At present, the BIM requirement adopted by TFC
concerns new construction only, but does not preclude
BIM being used on renovation projects or the eventual
collection of as-built data in the form of existing buildings, being modeled in BIM.
Tell me about the interoperable BIM template that
all private sector partners will have access to prior to
any involvement in a state project. How does that
work?
In an effort to enable the BIM collaborative process,
What is the most significant challenge
your industry faces?
Keeping a steady project development backlog during the economic
change. We have managed to stay busy
over the past year. However we have not
had the project backlog that we typically
have had in the past.
What is on the horizon for your industry?
Sustainable design and green building has become much more attainable
without a great deal of additional project
cost. This has made the length of time to
payback on investment shorter for owners, making sustainable design more viable for projects with tight budgets.
Many manufacturers are building
sustainability and recycling into their
process, which by default builds it into
the design and construction process. In
the near future, sustainability will be part
of the project because it’s a more economical choice.
LK Design Group was founded by Lynn
Kuckelman Peters, AIA, IIDA, in 1996. Working in both the private and public sectors,
LK Design Group has experience in corporate office, healthcare, retail, hospitality
and restaurant projects. –kf
TFC has developed a clear set of standards and guidelines for the architect/engineer professional community,
along with a BIM template.
The standards and guidelines were developed to
give design professionals a clear level of detail for required BIM models and will be updated on a quarterly
basis, if needed, to reflect any additions to the TFC BIM
template.
The document walks a BIM beginner or seasoned
BIM user, alike, through the phases and required deliverables of any new construction project for TFC. The TFC
BIM template was created to aid design professionals in
delivering exactly what is being asked for in TFC contract requirements.
The template includes typical libraries of BIM elements such as standard interior walls, with data embedded in these objects that TFC will later use and analyze
during the life of the building. Schedules, detailing and
sheet layouts are also standardized, where possible, and
ready to use by project team members.
The TFC BIM template will, initially, be given to project teams for their explicit use on state projects, but the
template will likely be published for public use at a later
date.
Beyond the template, TFC is currently developing a
wide area network (WAN) solution where all project
team members work in a single, BIM model file. This
centralized file would contain object data only and
would be hosted on TFC servers from its inception.
While the BIM model is holistically shared, the contract
documents or “instruments of service” based on the BIM
model would be delivered in the traditional method
where only a particular discipline would be able to edit
its documentation.
Chris Tisdel, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, is developing standard practices and procedures for the adoption of BIM for
all new construction for the state of Texas.
Want to know more? Tisdel provides a four-minute
video introduction to BIM in Texas at:
http://www.tfc.state.tx.us/communities/facilities/prog/
construct/bim.wmv
Page 24
Accepting change
in engineering
Elbert “Bert” Link, P.E.
Othon Inc.
Houston, TX
W
hat is your perspective on the current state of
the Houston construction industry?
From what I see and where I have been, it appears the
recession is not hurting us right now. I think the climate is good for construction in
Houston.
What types of changes have you seen
in engineering?
There are new areas the licensing people are going into. For instance, they now
license software engineers, which is entirely different from what we used to do.
The licensing board has now added
construction management to the civil engineering licenses. Those people who
are out doing construction management
can now use that experience in gaining
their professional license.
I remember working at Houston engineering firm in 1978. The company had
well over 100 engineers. We had two or
three computers in the office. It took the
next 10 to 12 years before every engineer
had a computer on his or her desk. Who
knows what will be next. We may have
computers the same size of an iPod.
Do you think more young people are
getting involved in engineering?
Not enough. I am a member of Texas Society of Professional Engineers
(TSPE) and we do all we can to encourage
young people to come into the profession. I am involved in two programs
Politics affects planning
Rod Booze, Principal
Ascension Group Architects LLP
Arlington, TX
H
ow would you describe the state
of the construction industry in
general terms?
The industry is adjusting and experiencing a contraction relative to the overall conditions of the economy. We have
seen and felt a slowdown generally. Specifically, many projects cannot materialize due to inability to achieve financing.
What factors are driving this slowdown?
Uncertainty in Obama’s health plan
has placed significant risk within all players in the healthcare community and financing has been a significant challenge
in tandem with this uncertainty.
How has this slowdown affected your
company and how you conduct business?
We have tightened our belt as you
would expect, and we have heightened
our responsiveness to existing clientele
and enhanced our marketing efforts.
What are the “hot button” issues in
your industry?
All issues affecting costs, i.e., seed to
market, completeness of documents,
evaluation of alternatives, etc.
What are the major changes relating
to the type of work you do?
The general public is more educated
called Future Cities and Mathcounts. The
programs are for middle schoolers. We
are trying to get the kids involved before
high school. If we wait to encourage the
kids when they are juniors and seniors,
they will miss some of the prerequisites
they are going to need in college.
What are the challenges in engineering?
About five years ago, I talked to the
dean of engineering at Rice University.
He said at the time that they had no idea
what to teach civil engineers because by
the time they graduated, most of what
they have been taught was obsolete and
they were into something different already.
This is an example of what is happening all over the profession. We are progressing in the amount of knowledge we
have and the way we work, that it is almost impossible to teach it at school.
What does it take to be a good engineer?
First of all, it takes brainpower. You
relative to “green” building design and
construction. We have a heightened sensitivity to these issues in healthcare,
which we have not seen before. Additionally, we are seeing the advantage and the
hype of building information modeling.
What is the most significant challenge
you face?
Change. Healthcare environments
and developments demand change consistent with the change in overall healthcare delivery models and the reimbursement structures thereof.
How about cost increases?
Complexity and infrastructure of
medical equipment and medical environments increase cost, and competition reduces fees supporting deliverables and
level of service.
How are you dealing with these challenges?
Deliver a better product. Enhance
service. Bring expertise to the table. Bottom line – the industry will value and pay
for expertise.
have to study and know what you are doing. You have to know how to treat other
people. You have to be a leader and express leadership qualities.
In my opinion, you must have an outstanding ethics and moral background.
The profession changes so fast that
sometimes we do things without having
total knowledge of the result of the situation. For example, I worked on the Sam
Houston Toll Road project. In many cases, we would have to make changes on
the spot because of the drainage situation or bridge beams. The engineer in
the construction area has to be ready to
accept change.
Why is the profession rewarding?
We are tasked with the health, safety
and welfare of the public. If we can do
that, then we have done a good job on
this Earth as human beings.
Othon Inc. is a consulting engineering
firm specializing in civil and structural engineering, transportation and construction
management. –ab
What do you see on the horizon?
Changes in technology, changes in
codes, ordinances or laws, other?
Change is inevitable in technology,
codes, ordinances, etc. We fully expect
that healthcare environments will continue to be the most complex and highly
regulated environments in the building
industry for the right reasons. The healthcare industry can heal no one except the
tools and protectives be in place to provide the care required.
What are the rewards of the industry?
Our buildings give back and support
the efforts of the medical industry to provide compassionate care to our communities.
What are keys to being successful?
Expertise, intelligence and responsiveness.
Located in Arlington, TX, Ascension
Group Architects LLP is an award-winning
architecture/planning/interior design firm,
specializing in healthcare, science and institutional facilities. – mjm
Page 25
Measures for weathering
recessionary storm
Aaron Googins, P.E., Vice President
King Engineering
Austin, TX
W
hat is your observation about the
construction slowdown?
It has become extremely challenging. We have noticed through our bidding process that construction prices
have dropped on the average about 30
percent, which is in line with our revenues
for engineering services.
How do those price drops affect the
building process?
I recall that about two years ago we
bid a project and the average bids came
in close to our estimate, but there were
two bidders who were 25 percent lower.
When I see that it makes me nervous
as an engineer. I think, “How was the contractor able to get his numbers so low?
Was there something in the plans that he
overlooked? Were our plans clear?”
Our concern for our clients is that
they have an unqualified or desperate
contractor on board. Sometimes clients
think that when they open the bid and
the average number is $1 million and the
low bid is $600,000, they are saving
$400,000.
We are happy if our client can save
$400,000, but we need to take a step
back and make sure that the low bidder is
qualified to do the work. You don’t want
to be 60 percent complete and have the
contractor walk away.
How has the downturn affected your
firm?
It has affected our company in a couple of ways. We provide construction
staking here in Austin, and we also provide construction observation. Not in
Austin, but in our other offices we provide full-time, on-sight inspection.
Construction staking and inspection
revenue is a fraction of what it once was.
How are you protecting your clients’
and contractors’ interests?
We’ve tightened up our bidding
Here’s what a blogger had to say about
Texas Facilities Commission’s adoption of BIM this summer:
“Texas has pulled the trigger, officially adopting BIM for use on TFC projects. This
will have a HUGE impact on the AEC industry in Texas and around the country.
Laggards who fail to formulate a BIM implementation plan – as well as integrated
project delivery strategies and lean construction processes – will be in a real bind
in the very near future. The BIM horse has officially left the barn in Texas.”
James L. Salmon, President
Collaborative Construction Resources
CollaborativeConstruction.Blogspot.com
Aug. 19, 2009
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practices and our pre-qualification practices. While I can’t begrudge someone
who is looking for a way to put food on
his table, there is too much at stake for
our project to be subject to a new company’s learning curve.
How will the engineering industry
change once the market picks up
again?
For us, this is an opportunity. We’ve
opened up a couple of new offices and
have found some great people to lead
them.
For the industry as a whole, there are
so many talented people out there who
have been laid off, so I believe that there
will be a lot of new firms starting up,
some good start-ups, that will come out
of this.
There may also be some mergers between companies who had to do so in
order to keep their companies alive.
It will be interesting from the client
makeup as well. While work is slow between clients and engineers, that relationship may go stale. This gives other
firms the opportunity to establish a new
relationship and possibly become the
firm that the client chooses in the future.
What are some other keys to staying
successful?
Hard work and communication with
both clients and contractors is key.
With clients it’s key so that we provide what they want, when they want it.
For example, “Client, I know I said I would
have this done today, but it will be
Wednesday instead,” versus not making
that call.
With contractors it’s key so that we
can identify questions/conflicts early, before they become problems. You may
produce a set of plans that will be seen by
12 contractors who are all experts in their
fields. You want them to be able to tell
you, “These plans are horrible” if they are
horrible. If you are unaware of a problem
with the plans, it can’t be fixed, so communication between everyone involved
is a must.
Established in 1977 in Tampa, FL, King
Engineering is a full-service engineering
and surveying firm for master plan communities, and for water, wastewater and stormwater facilities. –va
Page 26
BIM industry’s “key change”
Jeff Fry, Principal
The VDC Group and Legacy Architecture
Dallas, TX
H
ow has the recession affected your
company and how you conduct business?
Our focus took a major shift in late
2008. We found that one of our most
valuable commodities is our knowledge
of and experience using Building Information Modeling (BIM) technologies. We
have been a leader, and in fact an early
adopter, of 3-D BIM in our design work.
Therefore, it was a natural extension
of our core business to offer that experience to our partners such as general contractors, subcontractors, owners and developers.
What are your “hot button” issues?
The design and construction industry
is buzzing about building information
modeling and sustainable design and
construction. Technology is finally catching up to the dreams and aspirations of
architects and engineers whereas smarter
documentation, analysis and evaluation
can be done for a design project much
earlier and much easier than ever before.
Going hand in hand with this are the
emphasis and demand for more energyefficient buildings and eco-friendly building materials. The real bang for the buck
is merging energy analysis, sustainable
design and building lifecycle management within the available toolset offered
by BIM.
Additionally, we adopted two software applications to offer energy analysis
and decision-making tools – one for conceptual design and the other for our final
design documentation. Most intriguing
about these tools is at the conceptual design phase. We offer a service to analyze
site, building and energy data at the conceptual design phase to give building
owners better information earlier in the
process to determine whether their building project should or should not be built.
What are recent major changes relating to your work?
Business operational costs have risen
dramatically over the last several years
making it very challenging for business
owners to remain competitive without
raising billable rates. Insurance costs for
employees and project liability insurance
continue to rise. Additionally, contractors
are faced with rising insurance coverage
requirements that impact how competitively they can bid their projects.
Perhaps the most rewarding industry change that impacts the work we do
is with the technology advancements of
BIM. We can do 25 to 50 percent more
work, more accurately, with better results
through our use of BIM over CAD. We’ve
used 3-D in our design process for many
years, but what it allows us to do is better
collaborate with our partners and assist
other companies in the use of this technology.
What changes do you see on the horizon?
The key change in this industry is the
use of BIM. It is changing contractual relationships, legal responsibilities and the
delivery methods for the project teams.
Many have heard of Integrated Proj-
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ect Delivery (IPD), which is a project delivery process that integrates people, systems and business practices into a collaboration to optimize project results and
value to the owner.
IPD at its core is not a new approach,
it just happens to have the technology
behind it to make it more possible than
ever before. The manufacturing industry
adopted concurrent engineering practices coupled with digital prototyping
years ago.
This is achieved now in the building
industry with the use of BIM to virtually
design and construct a building. The impact of this will be felt throughout the
industry and should ultimately prove to
increase efficiencies, reduce costs and reduce risk. This is a change that has very
little downside to it.
Headquartered in Dallas with a regional office in Greenville, SC, The VDC
Group offers virtual design and construction services utilizing building information
modeling (BIM). Legacy Architecture in Dallas offers design services for commercial,
educational, retail, religious, restaurant and
industrial and multi-family projects. –mjm
Dallas/Fort. Worth
Austin
San Antonio
Houston
Home Office
(210) 308-5800
Page 27
Cheers to 70 years
Strength in numbers
E
xhibitors showed architects from
across the state the newest technologies, systems and materials at the
Texas Society of Architects (TSA) 70th Annual Convention Oct. 22-24.
The convention and the Design,
Products & Ideas Expo took place at the
George R. Brown Convention Center in
Houston.
On the last day, TSA presented the 2009
Design Awards to recognize outstanding
projects and architectural firms. –ab
Bonded Systems Ltd.
Here are the winners:
Elements
by Buchanan Architecture, Dallas
House in the Garden
by Cunningham Architects, Dallas
A
ImageNet
by Elliott + Associate Architects, Houston
International Terminal D, DFW Airport by
HKS, Corgan Associates and HNTB, Dallas
Lenora & Walter F. Brown Asian Art Wing
by Overland Partners Architects,
San Antonio
The Chism Co
Light & Sie Art Gallery
by Laguarda Low Architects, Dallas
Linda Pace Foundation Offices
by Poteet Architects, San Antonio
Long Gallery Carport & Parking Plaza
by Dillon Kyle Architecture, Houston
Museo Alameda
by Jackson & Ryan Architects, San Antonio
1400 South Congress
by Dick Clark Architecture, Austin
University of Texas Center for Brain
Health by HKS, Dallas
Wolfe Den by MJ Neal Architects, Austin
Rooftech
L-R: Chris Story, P.E.; Justice Edge, P.E.; and Charles Raajan Mehta, P.E.
year ago Mehta West Brashear
(MWB Group) was just officing
with Jaster-Quintanilla (JQ) in its
Dallas location. Today MWB is part of the
JQ family.
JQ and MWB Group are joining up to
provide a wider range of services and a
larger talent pool, according to Raajan
Mehta, P.E., who will assume leadership
responsibilities for the newly formed JQ
Infrastructure Division.
JQ is celebrating its 25th anniversary
as a structural and civil engineering firm,
with recent expansion into infrastructure
at its Dallas office.
As a consulting engineering firm, MWB
Group’s focus has been primarily public
and government infrastructure projects.
Together the goal is to take on more “pieces” of a project, according to Mehta.
But the two firms’ compatibility isn’t
strictly business. “Our cultures are very similar. Demographically, at least in this office,
they are a fairly young group, and I have a
fairly young group as well,” Mehta said. “So
the mix of personnel is very good.”
Justice Edge, P.E., JQ San Antonio
principal, says the family-like atmosphere
has helped attract employees and landed
the company awards in several “Best
Places to Work” competitions.
“We do all sort of things together
outside of the workplace,” Edge said. “We
have our own AIA softball team made up
entirely of JQ employees. We actually
placed first this year. We have two teams
in the AIA bowling league and we are often out at McAllister Park playing soccer,
either in the six-on-six community league,
or just on a pick-up game with some of
our clients.”
For Halloween, all the offices do
pumpkin carving. “We put together
teams and have a little potluck, so to
speak, and spend an hour carving a
pumpkin in each team,” Edge said. “Then
we invite some of our clients to come in
and be the judges and choose whose creation was the most unique.”
The JQ staff also takes a break now
and then to do a little paintball competition. –kf
Page 28
continued from Page 1 — Color of the future
Reel winners
A
record was set at the 2009 Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors
(PHCC)-San Antonio Saltwater
Fishing Tournament at Rockport Oct. 3,
according to Heidi Trimble, executive director.
“It was a really successful tournament,” Trimble said. “We had 125 participants fishing. This was a record year also
for ladies participating – 16! That's awesome to see!”
Awards were presented at a dinner
banquet following the tournament at the
Rockport Saltwater Beach Pavilion. –kf
Winners are:
Heavy Stringer
1st ($150 ea.): Hertz Equipment/RDO
Equipment, 15.59 lbs. – Chris Wiatrek,
Darrell Lyssy, Tommy Kotzur, Scott Wiatrek
2nd ($100 ea.): PMI Sales & Marketing,
10.66 lbs. – Buster Williams, Mike Mannis,
Terry Collins, Rudy Garcia
3rd ($75 ea.): Shafer Services team #4,
10.47 lbs. – Frank Lujan, Daniel Lujan, Jimmy Shafer, Joshua Moore
4th ($50 ea.):A & A Plumbing,10.09 lbs. –
Joey Suarez, Delanah Suarez, Patrick
Smith, Brian Gravell
Individual Awards
Ladies’ Division
Red ($50): Kelly Rigsby, Kohler, 7.02 lbs.
Trout ($50): Judy Comer, CPS Energy, 1.46 lbs.
Flounder ($50): Delanah Suarez, A & A
Plumbing, 2 lbs.
Men’s Division
Red ($50): Doug Trimble, Ferguson Enterprises, 6.64 lbs.
Trout ($50): Steven Stanush, S & S Plumbing Contractors, 3.57 lbs.
Flounder ($50): Rick Martinez, Air Jireh,
4.41 lbs.
Heaviest Other Fish ($50): Manuel Garza,
Gibson Plumbing, Black Drum, 4.42 lbs.
Most Spots on Redfish ($100): Jim Ziehmke, Steve Mechler & Associates, 10 spots
Shotgun Winner: Bobby Randolph, Ferguson Enterprises
Henry 22 Winner: Dan Knight, Steve
Mechler & Associates
Flatstalker fishing watercraft: $1,400 value, winner: Fred Collazo, Fred’s Plumbing
“We want to put our money where
our mouth is. We are doing it to show our
customers and other people that here is
what it looks like, and here is how it’s going to work, and here is what you are going to get out of it. We are documenting
what we are doing every step of the
way.”
Corbo says the byproduct of the focus is cost savings down the road on energy bills, along with being good for the
planet.
As a member of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), Corbo Electric has benefited from the association’s research and development foundation on solar energy and sustainable
power, he says. The company is also
seeking certifications through training,
and has received assistance from other
green-conscious electrical contractors.
–kf
continued from Page 1 — Master of machismo
Sarah and Nathan Cernosek, Frost Bank
and Insurance One team, caught
their limit by 10am.
Team Shafer Services
says paddlers must also deal
with the natural inhabitants
of the river and the banks: insects, snakes and alligators.
Nearing the end of this
year’s race, as he was paddling across San Antonio Bay,
Stuman had a close encounter with a 12-ft. reptile.
“You start seeing alligators about Victoria. When
you paddle through the night,
between Victoria and Tivoli,
they come out and there are
Rhett Stuman describes his encounter
hundreds of them. At night
with a 12-ft. alligator.
they have bright red eyes and
In his roofing career other challenges
you can see then from a ways off. This particular one climbed over the bow of have come in the form of projects, like
helping rebuild along the Texas Coast afthe canoe.”
Stuman had pushed his canoe to ter Hurricane Ike. He went to League City,
shore to empty water he took on from a TX, to help some of his relatives, and the
wave, when his feet became mired in neighborhood wouldn’t let him leave.
about a foot of mud. The alligator lunged They needed roofing, too.
“We ended up in Surfside, TX. We
across the bow of the canoe.
“He put two paws and his head over worked there all last fall and stayed for six
and snarled at me. I couldn’t go any- months. We did about 35 or 40 metal
where because I was stuck in the mud. I roofs between there and Galveston.”
In Surfside, Stuman said the water
slapped him in the head with my paddle, and he jumped in the water and took from the storm surge reached 14 ft. and
took out entire rows of houses. –kf
off.”
Why does Stuman do it?
“It’s a challenge. On this race, you
don’t try to win it, you try to finish it.”
continued from Page 1 — Building second chances
Davila is the project manager, and
the superintendent is Leroy Kessler.
Davila has worked on projects with
architect, Alex Gonzalez, and the executive director of the American GI Forum,
Carlos Martinez, for 10 years.
“We did the first phase of the Work
Center back three years ago,” Davila said.
Davila also used most of the same subcontractors on the new project. Subcontractors are Air Mechanical, Allied Fire,
Beldon Roofing Company, Enviro-Arts,
Jay’s Welding, J.D. Glass & Tinting,
Klinger Specialties, Phoenix Masonry,
The Cabinet Corner, ThyssenKrupp Elevator, Tile Works by J&E and United
Cleaning.
“The biggest challenge was getting
it started with the financing,” Davila said.
“There weren’t enough funds to do what
they wanted. We had to go back to our
subcontractors and engineers and value
engineer. That took probably two months
of changing plans and resubmitting
them. We finally got it to the budget. It’s
tight, and it didn’t leave us much money
for contingency.”
Davila Construction actually started
out as Davila Plumbing, founded by Albert Davila Sr. in 1956. In 1982 Tony Davila took over the business.
“I started moving more toward general construction. By 1990 it was 100 percent general construction, and we
stopped doing plumbing.”
The company is located on Bonham
Street in a historic building Davila bought
and remodeled. Davila Construction focuses on commercial construction and
multi-family. –kf
Dormitory restroom
Page 29
Association Calendar
Content submitted by Associations to Construction News
ABC
Associated Builders & Contractors
Unless otherwise noted, all events are at the
ABC offices, 10408 Gulfdale.
Nov. 2: New Employee Orientation,
8-11am, $45 person. Class will cover safety issues, employee responsibilities and
the construction process.
Nov. 10: Safety Smarts & Lunch, “OSHA
Update – What is Cooking Up Now,” Clear
Springs Restaurant, $15 member; $25
non-member
Nov. 16: New Employee Orientation,
8-11am, $45 person
Nov. 17: First Aid Certification, Engineering Safety Consultants offices, 12758 Cimarron Path, Ste. 127, 5:30pm, $20 member; $30 non-member
Nov. 18: CPR Certification, Engineering
Safety Consultants offices, 12758 Cimarron Path, Ste. 127, 5:30pm, $20 member;
$30 non-member
Nov. 17-20: OSHA 30 Hour, 8am; $500
member, $650 non-member
Nov. 18: OSHA Record Keeping – Friend
or Foe? 9-11am, $25 member; $50 nonmember
Nov. 19: Wild Game Cook-off & Quail Fun
Shoot. Cook-team registration $200; limited to first 10 teams; free admission;
shoot fee $10 person
For more info or to register for all classes
and events, call the ABC office, 210-3421994 or visit the website at www.abcsouthtexas.org.
Unless otherwise noted, all events are at the
IEC office
Nov. 17: A&T Committee meeting,11am
Nov. 18: Board of directors mtg, 11am
Dec. 11: Holiday Open House/Casino
Night/Board Installation, 6-11pm
ACCA
Nov. 17: Board of Directors meeting,
O’Krent Abbey Flooring Center, 2075 N.
Loop 1604, 4:30pm
Nov. 19: Membership meeting, Embassy
Suites, 7750 Briaridge, 11am
AGC
Associated General Contractors
Nov. 12: Casino Night and Construction
Industry Awards, San Antonio Airport Hilton, 6-10pm, business- casual attire
Nov. 12-13: Project Manager Development Program: Project Administration,
AGC office, 7:30am-5pm
Nov. 19: Safety and Health Committee
meeting, AGC office, 11:30am
Nov. 20: Board of Directors’ meeting,
The Petroleum Club, 8am
Nov. 24: YCF Steering Committee, AGC
office, 4:30pm
Dec. 10: Holiday Open House, AGC office,
4-7pm; hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be
served. Ericatures will be on hand to provide some addition fun. Dress is casual.
For more info contact AGC office 210349-4921
AIA
American Institute of Architects
Nov. 4: Design Awards, Pearl Stable
ASA
American Subcontractors Association
Nov. 17: Dinner meeting; location to be
determined; topic: Are We Still in a Recession?
For more info contact Heidi Davis at
[email protected] or 210349-2105
Construct A Kid’s Christmas
Dec. 3: Construct A Kid’s Christmas Gala,
Alzafar Shrine Temple, 6-11pm
Dec. 4: Construct A Kid’s Christmas Toy
Drive, Construction News offices, 11931
Warfield (corner of Nakoma & Warfield);
10am-2pm
HCA
Hispanic Contractors Association
Nov. 2: Project Management Program,
UTSA, 501 W. Durango, Rm. 2.316, 6pm
Nov. 9: Project Management Program,
UTSA, 501 W. Durango, Rm. 2.316, 6pm
Nov. 16: Project Management Graduation, Vaughn Construction, 1400 Universal City Blvd., 6pm
Nov. 18: General meeting, Doubletree
Hotel, 6pm; $25 non-members, $20
members; RSVP to [email protected] Dec. 2: Board of Directors, Doubletree
Hotel, noon
For more info on events and classes, or to
RSVP email [email protected]
On course
IEC
Independent Electrical Contractors
Air Conditioning Contractors of Amer.
MCA–SMACNA
Mechanical Contractors Association
Sheet Metal & A/C Nat’l Assn.
Nov. 4: Regular and Associate Member
firms meeting, Oak Hills Country Club,
11:30am
Nov. 18: Joint Industry Fund Forum and
Business meeting, Oak Hills Country
Club, 11:30am
Nov. 25: Secretaries Luncheon, Oak Hills
Country Club, noon
NARI
Nat’l Assn. of the Remodeling Industry
NARI SA meets monthly for general membership meetings, with mixers, and
Roundtable discussions. For more info on
events visit http://www.narisanantonio.
com or call 210-499-4694
NAWIC
Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction
Nov. 4: Regular business meeting, The
Petroleum Club, 8620 N. New Braunfels;
networking 5:30pm, cash bar; meeting
and dinner 6:15pm; $27 members, $32
non-members; Maryanna Christensen,
Harding-Conley–Drawert-Tinch Insurance
Agency Inc. to speak on networking; reservations required, contact Jennifer Swinney 210-695-8701, ext 101, [email protected] or Sandee Morgan 210-4025423, ext. 3379, [email protected]
The Ridout Barrett & Co. P.C. team, first place net, shows off trophies from the 17th
Annual American Subcontractors Association (ASA) Golf Tournament at Republic
Golf Club Oct. 5. Other winners were second place net, Bartlett Cocke General
Contractors; first place gross, KCM Cabinets Inc.; second place gross, Wilborn
Steel Co. Ltd.; ladies’ longest drive, Michelle Seward-Davis, Joeris General Contractors Ltd.; men's longest drive, John Rodriguez, Wilborn Steel Co. Ltd.;
closest to the pin, Jeremy Jones, M&M Metals. –kf
Serious BBQ
PHCC
Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors
Nov. 12: Chapter contractor lunch meeting, Water Street Oyster Bar, 11am-1pm;
topic: Preparing for an IRS audit in the
Construction Industry presented by
Padgett/Stratemann
Call 210-523-1540 or visit www.phcc-sanantonio.org for more info or to register
for events
SAABE
San Antonio Assn. of Building Engineers
Nov. 18: General meeting, Embassy
Suites Hotel, 7750 Briaridge Dr., 11:30am
SAMCA
San Antonio Masonry Contractors Assn.
Nov. 18: Monthly general membership
meeting, noon, Pappadeaux Restaurant,
76 NE Loop 410; guest speaker: Rudy Garza, Brick Industry Association; topic: Local
Government Zoning Ordinances; lunch
$25 person; For more info or reservations,
call Debbie at 830-606-5556.
SDA
Society for Design Administration
Nov. 5: Networking/board of directors
meeting, hosted by Christine Flick, Ford,
Powell & Carson Inc.
Nov 7: Design Treasures Seminar, 9amnoon, P.F. Stewart Elementary (SAISD),
1950 Rigsby Ave
Nov. 19: Chapter meeting, Culinary Institute at Pearl Brewery, Tour Culinary Institute of America: contacting party Jessica
Hamm, SA Partnership, LLP, and Laura
Smith, AIA
Dec. 4: Christmas Party, hosted by Stella
Bustos, Spectrum Lighting
Dec. 5: Annual Retreat, hosted by Jessica
Hamm, president elect
TSPS
Texas Society of Professional Surveyors
Nov. 5: Chapter 11 board meeting, noon,
Jacobs Engineering
Nov. 19: Chapter Business Meeting, Hungry Horse Restaurant, 11:30am-1pm
Dec. 3: Chapter 11 Board Meeting, Jacobs
Engineering, 12-1pm
USGBC
U.S. Green Building Council
Nov. 6: LEED for General Contractors,
half-day program, International Center,
203 S. Saint Mary’s, 8am-12:30pm; Registration $205 national member, $275 nonnational member; for more info visit
www.usgbc.org
Attendees line up for barbecue with all the fixin’s prior to a safety seminar at Leon
Valley Community and Conference Center Oct. 15. More than 100 people signed up
for the event presented by CPS Energy and Texas Excavation Safety Systems. –ld
Page 30
Easy rider
J
oe Ossorio owner of Texas Steel Welding and
Erectors, describes himself as “your typical tattooed ironworker biker.” When work stress gets to
him, he hops on his 2003 Harley-Davidson Softail
Deuce – the 100th anniversary edition, of course –
and the stress is gone.
Ossorio started out in the steel industry at the
young age of 20 at Hans Steel. “I was a certified welder, just came out of trade school and nobody would
give me a job,” he said. “I had no experience, but
Hans Steel gave me a shot. They hired me for $5 an
hour.
“By the time I was 21 or 22, I had a 10-man crew
and was a foreman. It just came to me, I guess. I caught
on like that. Blueprints were like nothing. I learned
pretty quick.”
Ossorio worked for a company out of Houston for
about 10 years, but got tired of living out of a suitcase
and working for somebody else.
“The only thing I wasn’t doing was handling the
money,” Ossorio said. In 2003 he started Texas Steel
Welding and Erectors with a friend, Baron Hunt.
Today Ossorio and company work on a variety of
commercial projects around the state. “We usually have
about 10 guys,” he said.
On a recent project in Houston, thieves stole Ossorio’s truck, three welding machines and hand tools. “I
got my truck back, but those machines are gone. They
even stole my clothes.”
He hasn’t let the incident change his plans for the
future. “I am going to keep going until I can’t go no more.
What else is there to do?”
Ossorio said work typically slows down late in the
year, and he and the employees spend time hunting and
fishing.
Texas Steel Welding and Erectors is a certified structural
steel and miscellaneous erector. –kf
Joe Ossorio rides around Texas when time allows.
The Sweet life
F
or Ryan Sweet, owner of WS Steel
Erection LLC, steel is in his blood.
“My dad, Weedie Sweet, was in the
industry, so I grew up in it my whole life,”
he said.
“We got started back in 2001 under
the name WS Steel Structures, and the
erection business grew quite rapidly.”
In 2006 Ryan and his wife, Lynda,
bought out Ryan’s father’s interest in the
business and created WS Steel Erection
LLC. “I have been pretty much the general manager pretty much the whole
time. Lynda is my partner and runs the
office.”
During his career, Ryan has seen
some interesting projects like construction of Community Bible Church on Loop
1604. “That is the neatest project we
have ever done,” he said.
But one out-of-town project had its
surprises. “We did the Las Vegas Speedway,” Ryan said. “We got to sit right there
on the track in the Presidential Suite. I actually got to eat lunch with Nick Lachey,
and Magic Johnson was there in the same
room. I was there for a week and a half because I got snowed in. It was the only
time in 25 years that Las Vegas got a foot
of snow in the city.”
At present, projects in Texas are
keeping the company on the move. “We
are going in a bunch of different directions. We have landed four or five large
schools,” Ryan said. “We also do petrochemical refineries. They keep us busy.”
WS employs 50 people currently,
which is down from last year when there
were 85 employees, but Ryan sees plenty
of growth in the future.
W h e n
asked what he spends time on when not
working, Ryan said, “I live to work. I don’t
work to live. We work all the time. “
WS Steel Erection LLC is a structural
steel erector. –kf
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Job Sights
L-R: Mike Gomez, Automatic Fire Protection Inc.; Carlos Gonzales, Crownhill Builders Inc.;
and Anthony Celestino, Automatic Fire Protection Inc., are working
on the new multi-purpose building for the city of San Antonio next
to the Frank Garrett Multi-Service Center on 18th Street. –kf
Like riding bumper cars, workers from Richard’s Rebar Concrete Finishers
glide across wet concrete on riding troweling machines. The F.A. Nunnelly Company project
is a new gymnasium and library for Castroville Elementary School,
expected to open for the fall 2010 school semester. –kf
The Goodwill store on Highway 281 near Bitters is undergoing an expansion and renovation.
A crew from The Burns Company, the project’s general contractor, completes stucco
and concrete work. L-R: Daniel Espinoza, Jorge Huerta, Israel Espinoza,
Larry Hewtty and Robert Morena –kf
Tino Rodriguez and Jose Flores, Suspended Forms, prepare column forms at the new
125,000-sf Bobbye Behlau Elementary School in the Northside ISD. The school’s exterior will
be finished in brick. Kunz Construction Company Inc. is the general contractor. –kf
Page 31
Page 32
S
Faces of freedom
an Antonio is known as Military City, USA, so it’s no surprise to find many veterans
working in the local construction industry. In honor of Veteran’s Day, Construction News salutes all members of the military who have served our country. Here
are a few former soldiers who work beside you and shared their photos with Construction News. –kf
Albert Schooler, Associated Builders and
Contractors (ABC), joined the Army in
1954, and retired as a major in 1980. He was
stationed in Germany, Korea, various U.S.
spots, and completed two tours in Vietnam.
This photo of Russ Floreske, Clark/Hunt,
A Joint Venture, was taken at the Pentagon
Commemorative Ceremony one year after
the plane hit the building on 9/11. He was
the MEP QC manager for the Pentagon
emergency repairs project with AMEC
Construction at the time.
Jeremy Hertel, Clark Construction, served
in the Marines as a sergeant and drill
instructor from 1994-1997 at Marine Corps
Recruit Depot in San Diego, CA.
Billy Nelson, Joeris General Contractors,
completed seven combat tours in Iraq and
Afghanistan as an AC130 aircraft commander.
In the photo below he flies
a night mission over Iraq.
Jim Writt, Clark Construction Group, mans the post
at an artillery gun park in Rawa, Iraq, in 2007.
Shane Long, Clark/Hunt, A Joint Venture,
was in Bravo Battery 1st of the 3rd Field
Artillery 2nd Armored Division out of Fort
Hood. He served in Saudi Arabia during the
first Desert Storm. In the photo he is visiting
a girl who wrote letters to him while he was
in Saudi Arabia.
Robert (Bobby) Corbo, Corbo Electric
Company Inc., served in the Army Air
Defense, 1965-1969 on active duty, and
remained in the reserves until he retired as a
major in 1986. His service included a year in
Vietnam.
Bernie Sublett,
Clark/Hunt, A
Joint Venture,
shares this
photo from the
Mojave Desert.
He served in the
Marines from
1976-1979.

November - Construction News

Transcription

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