May - Construction News

Transcription

CONSTRUCTION
™
The Industry’s Newspaper
www.constructionnews.net
2101 IH-35 South, #202
 (512) 447-2900
Austin, Texas 78741
Meals on Wheels
awards Rathgeber
May 2003

Volume 3, Number 5
W
holesale plumbing supply corporation, Winnelson, has grown by
allowing employees a piece of
the pie.
A newly-established branch,
Austin Winnelson, opened its
doors on Feb. 1, 2003. The company held a grand opening this
past Apr.
Owners Ryan and Melanie
Hay and Nasario Ortiz said they
are excited about their first-time
ownership. The corporation allows branch operators to purchase a percentage of the company.
“Winnelson gives us the freedom to do all ordering and establish accounts with customers,
along with the freedom to purchase from anyone,” said Ryan
Hay. “Winnelson operates with
the thought that, if I am putting
Employees of Austin Winnelson. L-R: David Reyna,
my own money into the compaRyan Hay, Ken Brock and Jimmy Moreno.
ny, I will work to make it successful.”
Established in 1875, Winnelson has “It is nice to be with a company that supports
grown to become the third largest whole- you with your company, and it is nice to be
sale plumbing supplier in the United free to structure the company as you like. As
States. The corporation also has supply lo- long as it is profitable, it is yours.”
cations for electrical and industrial needs.
To date, Austin Winnelson has five
Austin Winnelson has a range of prod- employees, four of which have previous
uct lines and inventory and plans to build a experience working in the plumbing supshow room in the future. It also is the far- ply industry. The company is open Mon.
thest location in southwest Texas.
through Fri., half a day on Sat., and delivers
Hay’s background in the plumbing all orders.
supply industry began 15 years ago in
During this first year in business, Hay
Oklahoma City. He moved to Marble Falls said he would like to establish more relain 1995 and worked for a plumbing whole- tionships with builders.
saler where he met Ortiz.
“I would like to see us become
Once Hay received the offer to open grounded, successful and to eventually
Austin Winnelson, he asked Ortiz, who has sponsor the establishment of a branch in
25 years of experience in the industry, to San Antonio, as a local branch sponsored
join him.
us,” said Hay. “This has been such an en“Starting this branch has been a reward- joyable experience, we would like to keep
ing and challenging experience,” said Hay. the tradition going.”
L-R: Dick Rathgeber, Southwest Constructors; Javier L. Garza, president and CEO of
Meals on Wheels and A. Elizabeth Colvin, board chair for Meals on Wheels.
A

Austin Winnelson arrives
Photo credit to Bette Mayfield & Associates Photography
ustin contractor and philanthropist, Dick Rathgeber, president of
Southwest Constructors, was recognized the evening of Mar. 30, 2003
with the Meals on Wheels and More 2003
Austin Community Keepsake Award.
According to a release from Meals on
Wheels and More, the award is presented
annually to a person who exemplifies the
spirit of giving back to the community
and improving the quality of life for the
people of Central Texas through work,
voice and vision.
Rathgeber is the seventh recipient of
the Austin Community Keepsake Award.
Most recently, Rathgeber was co-chair
for the Capital Campaign to build a new
central kitchen and headquarters for
Meals on Wheels and More. He and his
wife, Sara, also donated the Volunteer
Services Wing for the new building.
“The services of Meals on Wheels
and More keep people in their homes
and out of nursing homes,” said Rathge-
Fax (512) 447-2922
ber. “For many of the recipients of services from Meals on Wheels and More, their
main contacts with the outside world are
the volunteers who deliver the meals,
provide transportation to the doctor or
who pick up groceries. Yet, sometimes I
think the person who probably gets more
out of the service is the volunteer. Like
the Bible says, ‘in giving we receive’.”
Rathgeber and his company have
been involved with Meals on Wheels
since the organization began operating
in Austin in the early 1970’s. Southwest
Constructors provided demolition services to make way for the first building
for the organization.
“In a quote from author Bob Bufford,
‘we try to spend the first half of our lives
being successful, and we spend the next
half being significant,’” said Rathgeber.
“One of the things Meals on Wheels does
is offer people who make the deliveries
an opportunity to be significant.”
Hutchinson Construction refreshes Expo Center
A
rea concertgoers, rodeo fans and
sports enthusiasts can now enjoy
their favorite events in yeararound comfort, thanks to major renovations to the Travis County Exposition
Center, northeast of Austin.
Hutchinson Construction, Inc. led
the renovation efforts and worked with
the Austin office of Carter & Burgess,
Inc., which performed the heating/
ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) design work to modernize the Travis County
Expo Center. The facility had never been
heated or air conditioned before.
Keith Hutchinson founded Hutchinson Construction, Inc. in Austin in 1982.
The company performs a mixture of commercial, educational, municipal and government work, and design build projects.
Out of all the places he has worked
and lived, Hutchinson said Austin has
been his favorite.
“Austin is just a fantastic place to live.
My heart has always been in Texas. As this
company has steadily grown, we have always strived to serve our clients, promote
quality and build relationships. After 20
years, I still do business with some of the
same contractors I began working with
when I first started my company.”
Hutchinson Construction has worked
on projects in the $1 million to $6 million
range throughout Central Texas. Presently, the company is working on a new
ground-up Travis County Precinct 4 facility in southeast Austin. As well, the company is building the new Austin Christian
Fellowship Church.
This Month in Focus
P.O. Box 791290
San Antonio, Texas 78279-1290
General Contracting
Change Service Requested
Past projects for the company include the $4 million city of Fredericksburg Consolidated Warehouse and EMS
Station, the Central Texas Harley Davidson facility on Braker Lane and I-35,
which was a design/build project, and
renovation to the Crockett Center for the
Virginia College at Austin.
Working on the $4.1 million Expo
Center renovation was a project that resonated with Hutchinson. The Travis
County Exposition Center was built in
1985 as an open-air arena geared primarily to the livestock show and rodeo circuit. Six years ago, the facility was enclosed, but funds for central air conditioning weren’t available at that time.
“We wanted the project because we
enjoy working with Travis County and we
felt the project was interesting and challenging,” said Hutchinson. “My company
philosophy is to build a quality product
continued on Page 22
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Page 2 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Austin Construction News  May 2003
Spring signals barbecue for
Austin Lumber Co.
HOLT CAT modifications in
SA, Austin & D/FW
L
aura Culin, owner of Austin Lumber Co., combined
the celebration of her
birthday with the company’s
13th annual barbecue Fri., Apr.
11, 2003.
The traditional crew of construction professionals and a
few new friends gathered
throughout the day at the lumberyard to enjoy the pleasant
spring weather and delicious
barbecue and sides.
The yearly event began as
a birthday celebration, held
Henry “H” Johnson and Richard “Digger” Foster
May 3rd, for the company’s late
cook, season and slice the annual barbecue’s
owner and Culin’s father, Donfamed brisket and sausage.
ald E. Wilhoite. Since 1989,
Culin has run the family business.
good time for friends, new and old, to get
“This is an event I think many look together and eat some of the best barbeforward to each year,” said Culin. “It is a cue in town.”
L-R: Charlie Wolff, Bland Schroeder Archer, LP; Laura Culin, Austin Lumber Co.;
Richard “Digger” Foster; Danny Gauna, Bland Schroeder Archer, LP;
Henry “H” Johnson and Rodger Johnson.
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Serving Austin and Surrounding Areas Since 1996
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have one of our full service mechanic trucks come to your site.
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•
Our mechanics are knowledgeable in the engine repair of Caterpillar,
John Deere, Cummins, Perkins, Kubota, International, and many other
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We offer preventative maintenance programs for all equipment. This
includes SOS oil sampling at scheduled intervals.
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We offer complete A/C and Heating services on 134A systems for most
equipment.
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Our mechanics are knowledgeable in the repair and overhaul of all large
and small components.
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www.williamsmobilemechanic.com
MAILING:
PHYSICAL:
6425 S. IH-35
9315 Thaxton Road
Suite 105PMB246
Austin, Texas 78747
Austin, Texas 78744
UNTIL JUNE 30, 2003
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I
n direct response to its customer’s
needs, Caterpillar® dealer HOLT CAT
is modifying its rental operations in
Texas.
The San Antonio-based heavy
equipment dealer is moving its standalone San Antonio equipment rental location (Loop 410 S at Sinclair Rd.) back to
the company’s headquarters and full service facility (W.W. White and Southcross).
“When we entered the rental business in 1996, we believed that we needed separate organization and facilities
for the rentals services business. After
over five years in the business, we believe we can serve our customers better
by incorporating the rental services
business as a department under our machine division,” explains HOLT CAT’s Joe
Carreon. “In some cases that strategy
may lead to moving rental services operations back to the local full-service
store. In others, where traffic patterns
and customers needs dictate, we may
add services to what was a stand alone
rental facility.”
HOLT CAT is physically establishing
the rental department within the main
San Antonio facility, complete with
equipment rentals, repair, parts service,
and counter staff. Customers will pick up
and return their rented equipment and
machinery there. The new plan should
be seamless to the customer.
“All of the phone and fax numbers
for the former stand alone equipment
rental location have been transferred to
the South W. W. White store,” Joe added.
“The only thing that’s changing is moving the store a mile away.”
In Austin, the HOLT CAT full-service
facility is on the south side of the city,
and HOLT CAT Rental is in Pflugerville,
far north of the city. Traffic congestion
and road construction throughout the
Austin area has led HOLT’s management
to develop plans to further refine its
Pflugerville operation.
What HOLT will do is stock more
equipment parts at the Pflugerville location to serve those customers, reducing
the need for them fight the traffic.
In the spring of 2002, HOLT CAT expanded its operations into Dallas and Ft.
Worth when it acquired the Darr Equipment Co. operations. HOLT’s Dallas/Fort
Worth business includes two dealership
stores and two separate rental facilities.
“The same rationale that applied to
San Antonio is being implemented in Ft.
Worth,” Joe added. “The N. Freeway
rental store will be merged into the Ft.
Worth full-service store operations on
N. Jim Wright Fwy. However, following
our new model in Austin, the rental
store on Plano Rd. in north Dallas will
maintain its operations while offering
more parts for the general equipment
line.”
HOLT CAT’s management identified
a need to better serve its customers,
and as president/COO Allyn L. Archer
commented, “We will continue to have a
strong focus on the rental business. All
of our rental sales representatives will
continue to call on their customers and
we expect this realignment to increase
HOLT CAT’s ability to respond to and
serve our customer’s needs.”
The equipment dealer plans to implement the changes effective May 1st.
Formerly known as Holt Rental Services,
the newly-organized rental department
will be called HOLT CAT Rental.
“Simplifying our name recognition
leads to less confusion,” Joe clarified.
CONSTRUCTION
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Austin Construction News
2101 IH-35 South, #202
Austin, Texas 78741
(512) 447-2900 Fax (512) 447-2922
© 2003 Construction News Ltd.
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San Antonio Construction News
Austin Construction News  May 2003–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Page 3
Synergy proves fruitful
for Noack-Little
Jose I. Guerra, Inc.
marks 30 years
T
he Crimson restaurant, a renovation
of the former Gilligan’s restaurant in
the warehouse district, is just one of
many projects around Austin where Noack-Little Architects has placed its
touch.
The firm, established by Chris Noack,
AIA and Clay Little, AIA, has had a busy
first year and marked the occasion on
March 30th with a happy hour at Crimson.
“When we began, we spent the first
few months working in Clay’s apartment,
then began sharing space with Taniguchi Architects in June 2002,” said Noack.
The firm has worked on 47 projects
in that time including the Crimson restaurant, three retail projects for Goodwill
Industries, the Harmony Science Academy (a charter school) and many tenant
finish-out projects around town.
“We believe in having a diverse practice so we don’t limit ourselves to a specific project type,” said Noack. “Our primary expertise is in commercial and institutional projects which makes up the
bulk of our work. We are strengthening
our retail expertise and have attracted
several restaurant clients through our recently-completed Crimson restaurant.
We also have worked on a few residential
projects.”
For the Crimson project, which the
partners say is a unique spin on southern
cooking that is casual, yet upscale, Noack
and Little worked with the owners to establish a desired atmosphere.
“The owners clearly articulated their
desire to have simple, unpretentious and
fun space,” said Little. “We actually prepared a conceptual design before the
current location was acquired. At the
conceptual stage, we identified the use
of specific southern architecture icons
(doors, frames, ironwork) and the atti-
Clay Little and Chris Noack
tude of treating them in a stage-set mentality. Crimson clearly understood that
the dining experience was just that—an
experience.”
Including the clients with a project
every step of the way is something the
partners feel is essential.
“Directly involving the client in our
design process goes to the root of our
approach,” says Noack. “It’s an attitude
we each brought to our work in previous
firms so, in that sense, it has always affected our work. We have found that our
clients enjoy our stewardship. Our largest
repeat client recently hired us to design a
new 15,000-sf ground-up building. Their
confidence in our abilities is directly related to how we maintained clear communication and kept them engaged in
the design process.”
For the future, the partners have
plans to work wherever opportunities exist, and are presently working on a project in Houston. However, Noack and Little say they aren’t in a rush.
“Texas is a big state, so it may take us
a while to cross that line,” said Noack.
R.W. Burdett wins award
J
ust off the banks of the Colorado River in Marble Falls sits the Riverbend
Fine Art & Offices Suites.
Marble Falls contractor, R.W. Burdett
Construction Company, built the facility,
which houses an art gallery bordered by
two retail offices.
This Jan. at the International Builders
Show in Las Vegas, Nev., the National
Commercial Builders Council awarded
R.W. Burdett the 2003 Award of Excellence. Out of Division Two, R.W. Burdett
was awarded the Chairman’s Award for
the 5,000-10,000-sf category, for the
project.
The project was featured in the Fall
2002 issue of National Builder Magazine.
Architecture, Engineering and Landscape
Firm Terry F. Brewer & Associates contributed to the Riverbend project.
Roy Burdett, president of the company, said out of approximately 60 award
winners, the Riverbend project was the
only one recognized from the state of
Texas at the awards ceremony.
“This is the first award for R.W. Burdett,” said Roy Burdett. “The company
has been operating for eight and-a-half
years, even though I have been in construction my whole life.”
Construction for the 5,500-sf Riverbend project began in June 2001 and was
complete in Jan. 2002.
Because of the facility’s location, Burdett said he had to build 15 feet of concrete retaining walls and backfill attached
to bare rock. During the last few months
of the project, nine inches of rain fell
while Burdett was midway through completing the stucco portion of the project.
Burdett said he decided to shield the
project with a tent of plastic to protect
the building from any damage and further delays from rain.
By Dec. 2002, Burdett said the project was substantially complete to meet
the deadline for the gallery’s grand opening, which featured work from approximately 25 artists.
Burdett said he began his company
in 1995. Prior to that, he said he ran his
father’s company, B.W. Burdett Builders,
also based in Marble Falls.
“I received most of my training to
The principals of Jose I. Guerra, Inc., L-R: Joe Hernandez, P.E., R.P.S.; Joseph J. Luke, P.E.;
Jose Guerra, P.E., President and CEO; L. Lemar Porter, P.E.; and Ricardo J. Guerra, P.E.
(Photo credit to Greg W. Gould, P.E., Jose I Guerra, Inc.)
W
ith more than 40 experienced
engineers and support staff,
Jose I. Guerra, Inc. has grown
to one of the largest Hispanic-owned
engineering firms in Central Texas, and
one of the largest locally-based engineering firms in the region.
This year, the firm celebrated its 30 th
anniversary with an open house on Apr.
9, 2003 at its office.
“We’ve evolved from a small firm
with only Austin projects –– and being
very proud of that –– to taking on more
complex jobs across the state,” said Jose
Guerra, P.E., company president and
CEO. “Today, we are a stronger company
with a consistent focus on serving our
clients in a way that is responsive, exacting and innovative. Our past has been
interesting, but the future is filled with
possibilities for change and growth.”
As part of the company’s preparation
for the future, current leaders Guerra and
Senior Vice President L. Lemar Porter
have broadened ownership to include
three other senior executives, Rick J.
Guerra, P.E., Joe Hernandez, P.E., and
Joseph J. Luke, P.E., as shareholders.
In addition, services have been expanded in recent years to include a fullyintegrated range of structural, civil, me-
Team members of Jose I. Guerra, Inc.
(Photo credit to Patrick Y. Wong, Atelier Wong Photography).
Time Insurance
Agency
The Riverbend Fine Art & Office Suites in Marble Falls, TX.
chanical and electrical engineering consulting.
“Whether it’s a bridge, semiconductor fab facility or a museum, our designs
are based on the latest engineering concepts with a desire to always find innovative ways to do things better,” said Guerra. “Our people have a passion for engineering.”
The firm has been involved with
such high profile projects as the James D.
Pfluger Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge in
downtown Austin, the Austin Bergstrom
International Airport Parking Garage and
the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.
Over his own 40 years as an engineer, Guerra has built a reputation as a
mentor to young Hispanic engineers as
well as for service to his community and
profession. He currently serves on the
board of trustees for St. David’s Healthcare System, member emeritus of the
Texas Board of Professional Engineers
and member of the Engineering Foundation Advisory Council at the University of
Texas at Austin.
Guerra has served as president of
the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce and has been a member of
the board of the Great Austin Chamber
of Commerce.
Serving Austin since 1961
Insurance
•
Bonding
• Builders Risk
• Automobile
• Surety Bonds
• Homeowners
• Workers Comp
• Property
• General Liability
Give us a call today
1 5 0 7
S .
I H - 3 5
512-447-7773
A u s t i n ,
T e x a s
7 8 7 4 1
FTWOODS builds
SAAB dealership
IESI building new
maintenance facility
A
s the Austin area has grown, so has
waste management company IESI.
IESI is established nationally and provides collection, recycling, transfer and
disposal services. The company opened
its Austin branch in 2000 and, in that
time, has provided services to cities and
municipalities across the Austin and Central Texas area.
This past winter, the company added
four new cities to its list of clients: the
Tanglewood Municipal Utility District
(MUD); the city of Cedar Park; the city of
Pflugerville; and the city of Taylor.
Because of its rate of growth, in April,
the Austin branch began construction for
a new maintenance facility. Wunderlich
Builders, from New Braunfels, is constructing the design-build project, which
will sit on a 15-acre track of land next to
the Travis County Landfill.
Glenn Swisher, president of IESI in
Austin, said the branch runs a fleet of
around 45 trucks. He said the new 17,000sf facility will house all of the company’s
hauling operations and will better accommodate its needs.
“At our current location, we are parking trucks two or three deep. This company has grown quite a bit in the last few
years, from about 30,000 to 50,000 customers, in both residential and commercial markets. On the roll-off side, we run
about 14 trucks during the summer time
and are pulling over 100 cans a day. We’re
pretty busy, and we just need a larger facility to handle what we are doing.”
The Austin branch plans to move to
its new facility this fall. All phone numbers will stay the same.
Employees of FTWOODS and Roger Beasley SAAB.
F
TWOODS Construction added to its
wealth of automotive work, on
March 28, 2003, a groundbreaking in
Georgetown for Austin’s first, stand-alone
Roger Beasley SAAB dealership.
The 20,000-sf project is a design/
build for FTWOODS Construction. By
year’s end, they will have built 13 dealerships in the Austin area.
“Our main markets are automobile,
education and healthcare,” said Iain
Sproull, vice president of FTWOODS
Construction. “David Stein, one of the
project’s owners, and FTWOODS have
partnered to build this project. We will
start construction soon, and this dealership will be one of the newer facilities
around.”
Stein, managing partner with Roger
Beasley SAAB, elaborated on the importance of establishing a company presence in Austin.
“We have worked on setting up this
project for three years. SAAB has never
had its own stand-alone facility in Austin.
With this project, we wanted to work
with a local general contractor and keep
the profits in town.”
Earlier this year, the Georgetown
Chamber of Commerce named FTWOODS Construction the Chamber’s
‘Large Business of the Year.’ This honor is
bestowed on a chamber member’s business with 50-plus employees, deemed to
have gone ‘above and beyond.’
IESI Driver, Simon Martinez, stands with his truck at the company’s south Austin branch.
Inspiring young builders
T
he National Association of
Women in Construction, Austin
Chapter, is continuously spreading the word to young ladies across
the Central Texas area about the construction industry.
Every year, the association awards
scholarships to bright and energetic
students aspiring to become a part of
the construction industry. This year is
no different.
The association is accepting applications until May 23 rd and, after an interviewing process, will award the
winners of the Barnes Davis Scholarship in June.
For more information concerning
the Barnes Davis Scholarship, contact
Laura Culin at 512-476-5534 or email
her at [email protected].
San Antonio News
To read these and other stories in full, go to our Website at
www.constructionnews.net.
Prayers are answered for convent’s future residents
in the parochial school system through the eighth grade, Joe Cusack
Educated
and Mickey Corrigan, Concord Construction, were delighted when they were
awarded the bid on a very special project.
Located on land within the original 35-mile radius platted as San Antonio de
Bexar, the general contractors are building an Assisted Living Convent Residence for
the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. The consecrated women are fi nancing the $1,000,000 project from funds they have been saving for over fifty years
and from donations from people who appreciate their contribution to the religious
community.
One-Stop-Shop a welcomed city asset
April 10th, the 75,000-sf Development and Business Services Center,
On1901Thurs.,
S. Alamo St., was formally dedicated. After nearly one-quarter century of
waiting, dreaming and hoping for a one-stop-shop to streamline the permitting
processes, a huge sigh of relief is being breathed by the city’s construction industry.
Lyda Builders constructs Watermark Hotel & Spa
pride in its reputation as a quality general contracting firm, Lyda Builders
Taking
continually demonstrates its ability to construct difficult projects within pre-
0% Financing Available
SAN ANTONIO
(210) 337-6136
AUSTIN
(512) 251-3415
scribed deadlines and budgets. With that in mind, Lyda embraced the challenge of
transforming the historic downtown building known as the “L. Frank Saddlery/
Karotkins Building”, circa 1900, into the five-star, nine-story Watermark Hotel and
Spa, owned by La Mansion Development Company.
Caution: hardhats required for school!
uring the course of three days, over 2,300 high school students, teachers and
Dcounselors
from a six-county area attended the AGC-Highway Heavy and
Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Career Day in San Antonio. Located
on the ‘back forty’ of the expansive H.B. Zachry Training Foundation on S. Presa, it
was evident a lot of planning and forethought went into the execution of the outdoor event.
An enormous tent was raised to accommodate the student traffic and exhibitors representing numerous equipment dealers, engineering firms, highway contractors, surveying companies and others promoting careers within their own segment of the industry.
Beethoven welcomes Chase and Constructors, Inc.
ice president of Constructors, Inc., Mark Wohlfarth, has attended events at the
Vhistoric
Beethoven Haus und Garten since his boyhood. Those joyful memories
prompted him to reserve the Pareida Street facility, owned by The Beethoven Society, for a customer appreciation party to honor the upcoming completion of Westover II, a Chase Bank Credit Card Division project.
Hilti® shows off
Site Commander
A
new truck from Hilti®, the Site Commander, made an appearance on Apr. 14,
2003 at the Austin Hilti Center while on its first national tour.
The truck, which is stocked full of Hiliti® tools and products, will be raffled off
next Jan. Contractors who stopped by the Austin Hilti Center had the opportunity to
register to win the truck and the tools it comes with, both worth roughly $112,000.
“In all, we had about 100 people attend,” said Nemesio Galindo, Hilti Center sales
representative. “In addition to providing lunch for those who stopped by, we displayed different tools and equipment for contractors to try out.”
Hilti’s® products range from drilling and demolition, direct fastening, diamond
and anchoring systems, firestop and foam systems, installation, positioning and screw
fastening systems as well as cutting and sanding systems.
Stand Up and
Cheer . . .
0
DOWN
and 0% APR on certain models.
Certain restrictions apply.
Is Finally Here!
L-R: Gerald Ganselen, Hilti Central Texas regional manager; Patrick Batten,
Hilti sales representative; Lindsey Bruce, Hilti sales representative; David Walker,
Hilti sales representative; Nemesio Galindo, Hilti Center sales representative;
and Dennis Capizzi, Site Commander driver.
Architexas rejuvenates the
state’s historic
TEXANA
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SAN ANTONIO
AUSTIN
(512) 272-8922 (800) 615-3804 (210) 333-8000 (800) 483-9262
SALES • RENTALS • PARTS • SERVICE
www.texanamachinery.com
Page sings
national anthem
Members of the Austin office of Architexas.
A
rchitexas (Architecture, Planning
and Historic Preservation, Inc.),
celebrates its 25th anniversary this
year.
The firm, begun by Dallas natives,
Craig Melde and Gary Skotnicki, was
established in 1978 in what the partners
say was a response to alarming erosion by
demolition of Dallas’ historic structures.
“Preservation was not the popular
place to be back then,” said Melde. “Some
of Dallas’ finest buildings were falling,
and few were willing to take a stand
against it. We decided we had to do
something.”
In 2000, Architexas opened its Austin
office. The firm has six employees and is
run by Principal Larry Irsik, chairman of
the Regional Building Industry Council in
Austin and vice president of Strategic
Planning for Preservation Texas.
Presently, Irsik says Architexas is the
largest firm in the state that specializes in
historic preservation. Both the Austin
and Dallas offices have restored many of
the state’s county courthouses, furthering efforts of the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program.
“The Austin office has led restoration
efforts for the Ellis, Red River, Denton and
Robertson County courthouses and just
recently did work for McLennan County
and Gray County courthouses,” said Irsik.
“The Austin office also is concentrating
on restoring many of the historic houses
and buildings downtown, and looks forward to expanding its expertise to include church and university work.”
The Castleman-Bull house, located
behind the Austin Convention Center, is
one of the main projects where the Austin office is concentrating its efforts.
The two-story brick structure represents the last remnant of 19th century
residential architecture between Congress Avenue and Interstate 35.
St. David’s Church initially bought
the house in 1963. Later, after the church
determined it did not want to keep the
house, the city of Austin gave it to the
Heritage Society of Austin, along with a
long-term property lease for land behind
the convention center where the house
was relocated in 2001.
Irsik said the Austin office is working
on the master plan for the house, which
will be the new home for the Heritage
Society of Austin. Work will entail restoring the 1873 house and building an addition onto it.
To date, Architexas has found several
artifacts at the house, including original
wallpaper, a pair of 1870 spectacles,
stamps, a letter, old newspapers and
documentation mentioning the construction of the Texas Capitol.
“We have a really good methodology
in our work, which all begins with historic
research and learning how a structure is
significant historically to a local community,” said Irsik. “In our line of work, it is
important to look at every building on its
own merits and understand its history.”
Architexas co-founder Gary Skotnicki agrees.
“This firm completes planning and
preservation projects across Texas. The
more projects we complete, the more
people realize the value of preserving
the past.”
O
ne of the Austin construction industry’s own, Evelyn Page, wife of
Nick Page of Nicks Bricks Masonry,
stepped onto the Dell Diamond baseball
field on Apr. 10th to sing the national anthem before the start of that night’s game.
Nick Page said his wife has been singing since she was a child, but that the Apr.
10th game was the first time for her to sing
the national anthem in front of a large
crowd.
Page said she first heard about the auditions to sing before the games on the radio.
“The organizers of the games at Dell
Diamond needed to audition enough
people to sing at all the games throughout
the season,” said Page. “I think I tried out
with about 100 other people.”
Page said she sings at friends’ weddings, at church and where she can schedule engagements. However, Nick Page said
Evelyn had been looking for other places to
sing, and that performing before a ball
game was an opportunity she had never
tried before.
Page said that though his wife is a
modest person, he doesn’t mind sharing
the fact that, “an usher who goes to every
game stopped me after Evelyn sang to tell
me she sang the best rendition of the anthem she had heard,” said Page.
.
Pipe Ranch?
decision to move to
SW: There are three employees: myself; Central Texas.
my wife, Teresa; and Forrest McBride. For- ACN : Why did you
rest has been a great addition to the choose Georgetown?
company. He has a machinery back- SW: I just like the enviground and understands how to work ronment of the town
with metals very well.
and its slow pace. This
ACN : Tell me about meeting your wife. town has a great sense
SW: Teresa and I have been married 22 of community and
years this year. When we met, she was people that help one
working for one of my customers in Mid- another. It is a pretty
land.
charitable city and an
ACN : What drew you to her?
example of downSW: She is very pretty. She was a very home America.
quiet and inward person, and I guess it ACN : Do you have
Editor’s note: I met up with Steve Wil- was a challenge to draw her out of that children?
son, owner of The Pipe Ranch in George- inwardness.
SW: Teresa and I have
town, after he had celebrated his birth- ACN : Would you say you are an extro- three children. Teresa
day on March 10th. To mark the occasion, vert?
had a daughter when
he said he went to San Antonio for three SW: People say that I am, but I do not feel we married. Her name
days and played golf with friends from that way. I know how to make the first is Memorie, and she is
across the country. In the following inter- handshake. I was blessed with strong 30. I have two children:
view, I soon found that making time for mentors, which were not only personal Misha (31) and Brett
good memories is one of Wilson’s most friends, but people that I worked for. (27). And we have four
loved hobbies.
They helped me build a foundation for grandchildren ranging
how I deal with customers.
in age from 17 months
ACN : Where did you grow up?
ACN : What jobs did you have through- to 13 years.
SW: I grew up in Perryton, Texas. It is a out and after college?
ACN : Do your children
little town in the Panhandle, north of SW: I worked for an auto supply store. My live nearby?
Amarillo, with a population of about boss, at that time, was a strong part of my SW: Memorie lives in the Woodlands, direction. There are so many things that
7,000 people. I lived there approximately life. He showed me business ethics, and Texas and has her own company that can pull them astray. I feel a strong urg18 years.
he showed me how to accommodate provides marketing services for other ing to be an influence in children’s lives,
ACN : Tell me about growing up there.
people, not as customers but as people. companies. Misha lives in Broomfield, whether my children, grandchildren,
SW: It is a quiet little town with a wonder- My second job, out of college, was also in Colo., which is a suburb of Denver, and is those that belong to the church I attend,
ful education system. It was an oil field the auto supply business. I worked for a dental hygienist. And Brett lives in Guy- or in our educational process.
and agricultural-based economy. My dad two very different personalities. One was mon, Okla. and is a golf professional. We ACN : What other activities are you inworked in the oil industry. My mother was a strong salesman and one was a very all actually get to see each other often.
volved with?
a schoolteacher and a professional pho- strong businessman. My stepfather, Gene ACN : What are some of your hobbies?
SW: I worked with the Houston Golf Astographer. It was a nice place to be from.
Guinn, is probably the biggest business SW: I have played golf since the 1970’s. sociation for 11 years as a volunteer. We
ACN : Are you an only child?
influence I have ever had. He is in the oil My son and I started playing when he raised money for children’s charities. In
SW: No, I have a sister who is three years field/wastewater business.
was very young. We helped him through the time I worked with the association,
older and lives in Oklahoma City.
ACN : When did you enter the pipe indus- the junior programs, and he went to col- we held 14 tournaments in 11 years and
ACN : Is most of your family still in West try?
lege on a golf scholarship. He fulfilled his would net $2 to $3 million every year. I
Texas?
SW: I got my first job in the pipe business dream of becoming a golf professional. was involved with teaching golf to needy
SW: My mother lives
children who lived in children’s homes.
in 1980 in Midland, He also runs a golf club.
in Borger, Texas. It is
The Houston Golf Association is one of
Texas
for
an
oil
fi
eld
ACN
:
It
sounds
like
he
shares
your
enter“I got my first job in the pipe
about 60 miles from
the premier golf associations in the councasing
and
tubing
prising
spirit.
business in 1980 in Midland, TX
Perryton. She and
try. It was just a
company, William- SW: I’m afraid so. He
for an oil field casing and
my stepfather are
son Patterson. I and I also share a simi“I do go to Mexico once a year to blessing to be intubing company.”
just entering retirevolved with it.
worked for them for lar interest in restorbass fish with colleagues.”
ment.
Now, my wife and I
about five years. ing old cars and going
ACN : What did you do after you gradu- About the time the oil industry went bust, to car shows. I am in
work with the
ated from high school?
the company went out of business. I the process of rebuilding a 1959 Chevro- Children’s Hospital of Austin, the GeorgeSW: I went to college at Northwestern started my company, Tubular Marketing, let truck. It is a full-body off restoration town Circle Friends, and we mentor chilState University in Alva, Okla. and earned Inc. (TMI), about six months later in 1985. from the ground-up.
dren in the school district.
my Associates degree in Business.
It is our oil and gas casing and tubing ACN : When did your interest in cars be- ACN : What do you do on the weekends?
ACN : Why did you choose Business?
SW: Teresa and I usually take one or two
company we have had for 19 years. We gin?
SW: One of my favorite classes in high opened The Pipe Ranch in 2000.
SW: I have always liked cars. When I was trips a year. We have a traditional trip we
school was Business Law. I had a wonder- ACN : Where did the gumption arise to in high school, I was in a bad car wreck, take to northern New Mexico. As a child,
ful teacher who made that subject very go into business for yourself?
and so I didn’t get to play sports. Instead, she spent a lot of time in that area. We
interesting for me.
SW: I think I gained the confidence to go I worked on cars. Other than that, I enjoy have been to Maine and Canada as well.
ACN : Did you know what kind of job you into business from the independence my watching basketball. That is one thing As The Pipe Ranch becomes more estabwere looking for?
mother taught me. I told my wife that, if people probably wouldn’t know about lished, we will take more trips. I do go to
SW: I wasn’t sure. I had worked since I there was another bankruptcy in our life, me. I follow the Georgetown High School Mexico once a year to bass fish with colwas old enough to get on a bicycle and it would be our own.
girl’s basketball team pretty closely. I leagues around this time of year. We go
deliver papers. I was probably about sev- ACN : Would you have foreseen this type never played basketball and it wasn’t until to Lake Guerrero, which is about 250
en or eight years old and have worked of growth for your business when you after my kids graduated that my wife and miles south of Harlingen. The group has
ever since. My sister and I were raised to first began?
I joined our friends in supporting their been going for about 16 years to the
be very independent and self-sufficient.
SW: Because of
children who play. I same place.
ACN : What gave you the idea to start The the economy, I
realized the kids are ACN : When does your day begin?
“I realize it is not what we take
Pipe Ranch?
know we haven’t
playing for the love of SW: My day begins about 6 am everyday.
with us in life, it is what we
SW: The Pipe Ranch was an idea I had reached our full
the game and not the I wake up thinking at 6 am, and often I
leave behind.”
when I was in Houston. I did and still do potential, but we
money. They give 110 will go walk or ride my bike at that time. It
sell oil and gas casing and tubing that go are satisfied with the support of the com- percent all the time. It is a really nice social is a good time to spend with myself to
in oil and gas wells. In that business, a munity and the construction industry. circle. And the girl’s team made it to the watch the sun rise and to see all of God’s
great amount of secondary material is We feel like we have some nice growth in finals in Austin this year.
creatures moving around. You would be
created that is not suitable for oil and gas front of us.
ACN : Why is it important for you to lead in surprised about the wildlife you see at 6
applications, but it is good for the struc- ACN : Where all have you lived through- life, both professionally and personally?
am that you don’t see at 7 am. It’s during
tural industry. When I came to George- out your career?
SW: I think the world is short of people moments like that when I realize that it is
town, I found there wasn’t an immediate SW: I got transferred to Oklahoma City who lead by example. I guess it goes not what we take with us in life, it is what
supply source of piping in this area and so and Houston and, in 1985, I started my back to my passion for children of all we leave behind. I don’t know who
I decided this would be a good place to company. I never felt at home in Hous- ages. I think there are so many opportu- coined the phrase, but it rings over and
open a business to supply the material.
ton. It was a good place to get a business nities for us as adults and business lead- over in my mind. I think it is something
ACN : How many employees are with The started, but I wanted out. So, I made the ers to lead our young people in the right we all need to be more aware of.
Spotlight
Steve Wilson
The Pipe Ranch
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N.R. Concrete is four years
and thriving
Mixer provides springboard
V
of Flynn Construction. “This was something to say, it is time to get projects going and to put a spring back in our step.”
Attendees arrived in the late afternoon as the sun was setting on the Austin skyline. The view of downtown from
the terrace of the clubhouse provided an
appropriate pallet to observe the timeline of Austin’s growth.
“Opportunities like this provide a
good time and a fresh start to a new
year,” said Bill Imhoff, president of Intertech Flooring. “This event allowed for a
light-hearted and relaxing atmosphere
to talk with clients and partner companies and get business flowing.”Ω
arious construction companies organized a Spring Mixer on Mar. 27,
2003 at the Zilker Clubhouse, resurrecting the once-common casual exchange of ideas and contacts in Austin.
Employees of Flynn Construction,
Intertech Flooring, Furniture Marketing
Group (FMG) and Haworth, along with
architects, engineers, and company clients, came out to mingle and find out
what new projects and opportunities
abound.
“This event was something each of
the companies felt was needed after the
rainy season and slow times the economy
has seen,” said Patrick Flynn, president
N
orma Rangel likes to take a challenge and raise the bar. She is the
owner of N.R. Concrete, which
celebrates its fourth year in business this
month.
With a strong will to thrive and transcend limits, Rangel has shown that a
woman-owned business in the concrete
industry not only survives, but is successful.
“I am the type of person that when
someone says I can’t do something, I end
up doing it no matter what,” said Rangel.
“It is not so much to prove a point as to
prove to myself that I can do it.”
Members of Rangel’s family have
worked in various trades of the construction industry over the years. Learning
from their experiences, Rangel found the
confidence to begin her own business.
Four years later, word of mouth and
a number in the phone book have led
N.R. Concrete across the Austin area providing flatwork and foundation services
to homes and businesses.
“I started with small jobs and tested
myself,” said Rangel. “I have progressively taken on larger jobs. Yet, no matter
how small the job, the company still performs flatwork.”
N.R. Concrete is a member of the
Hispanic Contractors Association and is
licensed and bonded through the city of
Austin. On average, the company has 20
projects going at one time. For the future, Rangel says she wants to pursue
more foundation work.
“I have done just about any type of
flatwork or foundation work in both commercial and residential markets,” said
Rangel. “I have poured concrete for decorative projects and provide staining,
stamping and custom designs. Most of
all, I enjoy working with the customer
and being out at the jobsite. I actually
find that I get more done when I am on
site. Running this company is what I was
meant to do.”Ω
Holt named
“Dealer of the Year”
S
L-R: Malenda Miller of Haworth, Bill Imhoff of Intertech Flooring,
Patrick Flynn of Flynn Construction and Robert Keeton of FMG.
CSHI graduates trainees
C
onstruction Safety and Health, Inc. (CSHI) graduated eight students from the
OSHA 501 General Industry Train the Trainer class held the week of Mar. 24-28,
2003 at CSHI.
The class instructor was
Jorge Pena from the OSHA
Training Institute out of
Mesquite, Texas.
The following is a list of
the graduates: Gilbert Solis,
ASML; Clinton Brown, Rio
Grande Electric COOP; Jerry Melton, Tyler Steel Company; Ricardo Solias, GATX
Rail; Nathlon Jackson, Department of Defense; Winifred Hall, LCRA; Ferald
Rose, self employed; and
Paul Louviere, Seaway.
Hull
Supplyo.
C
•
•
•
•
•
an Antonio -based HOLT CAT,
one of the largest Caterpillar®
dealers in North America, was
named 2002 “Dealer of the Year” by
one of the largest construction and
mining companies in the world.
A Fortune 500 company, Peter
Kiewit Sons, Inc. selected HOLT CAT
from more than 450 manufacturers
and equipment dealers worldwide,
citing excellence in customer service,
work quality and professionalism.
“HOLT CAT did the best to help us
achieve a new level of satisfaction in
our construction, mining and material
business,” said Neal Ferry, corporate
equipment manager for Kiewit. “Holt
did many things to significantly impact our business.”
Selection for this award is based
on selected criteria and nomination
from Kiewit’s districts and corporate
equipment management. HOLT CAT
was noted for its excellent sales and
service support, improved customer
relationships, parts and service coverage, excellent machine rebuilds and
machine issues support.
“It really means a lot any time
one of our customers recognizes us
for our contribution to their success,”
said HOLT CEO, Peter Holt, greatgrandson of Benjamin Holt, who in
1904, developed the first successful
track-type tractor which he named
the Caterpillar. “To be acknowledged
by a company that does business
with dealers all over the world is especially gratifying.”
Holt’s ‘Values Based Leadership’
helps each employee to focus on operating and managing by a clear set of
business values: ethics, success, excellence, commitment and dynamic.
HOLT CAT sells and services Caterpillar machines and engines in a 118county Texas territory spanning from
the Red River to the Rio Grande. Holt
also offers machine rebuild capabilities, sells used equipment around the
world, and operates an international
pipeline equipment company.
Further supporting its broad range
of products and services, Holt also fabricates its own line of land clearing
equipment and water tankers.
5117 E. Cesar Chavez (E. 1st.) Austin, TX. 78702
Commercial Doors, Frames, Hardware, Toilet Partitions,
Accessories, Access Doors & Supplies Featuring the following
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Member of NRMCA, HCA, and AGC
7900 OLD MANOR ROAD • AUSTIN, TX 78724
TEL: (512) 928-0408 • FAX: (512) 928-0385
INSURANCE
ACCOUNTING
Bonding Tips Part 2 of 4:
Score your bondability
Term conversion:
A “permanent” solution
By Steve Dobson, AFSB
By Donald M. Read
F
T
rom my first article, you now know what items you
need to start the underwriting process with a bond
company. The same items need to be updated by the
bond company on an annual basis and some on a quarterly or monthly basis, depending on how much and
how large are your bonding needs. Bond underwriting
is not rocket science and has a lot of gray area. Thus, it
cannot be plugged into a computer formula and voila, you are bonded. However,
there are some key items underwriters like to see. The following will let you score
yourself to see if you possess some of those elements to solidify your bonding.
1.) Your year-end financial statement is
prepared by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). (10
pts.).
2.) The Scope of the CPA’s year-end financial statement is “Audited” (15 pts.), “Reviewed” (10 pts.), Compilation (5 pts.).
3.) The financial statement is prepared on
the Percentage of Completion method
(15 pts.), Simple Accrual or Completed
Contract methods (-5 pts.) Cash method
(-100 pts.).
4.) You prepare interim schedules of
Completed Jobs and Jobs in Progress.
Monthly (10 pts.), Quarterly (5 pts.).
5.) You prepare interim Balance Sheets
and Income Statements, Monthly (15
pts.), Quarterly (10 pts.), Semi-annual (5
pts.).
6.) You have been profitable for each of
the last three years. (15 pts.).
7.) Your company has been in business
for five years or more (20 pts.), Three to
five years (10 pts.).
8.) You have a written Buy/Sell Agreement, funded by life insurance, and regularly updated, or if you are the sole owner,
you have life insurance of $25,000 or 10
percent of sales, whichever is greater,
naming the business as beneficiary. (10
pts.).
9.) Your customers will give positive references on your performance. (15 pts.).
10.) Your subcontractors and suppliers
will confirm you pay within terms. (10
pts.).
11.) You take discounts from suppliers
whenever available. (10 pts. ).
12.) You have bank line of credit. Unsecured (15 pts.), Secured (10 pts.), Fully
used (-25 pts.).
13.) Your backlog (estimated cost to complete all open jobs) is no more than 10
times your Working Capital (Total Current
Assets minus Total Current Liabilities) (15
pts.), Backlog between 10-20 times
Working Capital (5 pts.), Backlog greater
than 20 times Working Capital (-25 pts.).
14.) Your ratio of Current Assets to Current Liabilities is 2:1 or more. (10 pts.)
15.) Your Debt-to-Worth ratio is 2:1 or
less. (10 pts.)
16.) You normally work within a 100-mile
radius of your main office. (10 pts.).
17.) You have and use a Surety Bond Professional Agent (10 pts.).
18.) You have and use a construction-oriented attorney (10 pts.).
19.) You normally bond major subcontractors (10 percent of your contract or
subcontractors $100,000 and above) (15
pts.).
20.) You have no significant problem receivables. (10 pts.).
21.) Your company has outside business
investments unrelated to your construction company (-25 pts.).
22.) If any owner of your company has a
prior bankruptcy, or business failure (-75
pts.).
23.) Subtract 25 points for each of the last
three years in which your company has
lost money.
24.) If you have been bonded in the past,
subtract 10 points for each claim (valid or
not) made against your bond(s).
A score of 200 and above signals
bonding should be very easy.
A score of 150 to 200 signals bonds
are obtainable with little difficulty.
A score of 100 to 150 signals bonds
are obtainable, but may be limited.
A score of below 100 signals bonding is not impossible, but you have work
to do.
The above is not exact and I only
prepared it to give you an idea of items
underwriters are looking for when reviewing your account for bonding. I have
only listed 24 items, but there are plenty
more which may be considered positively
or negatively. However, this will give you
a general idea as to where your company
stands and some items you may improve
upon.
Steve Dobson is the owner of Statewide
Bonding Agency, which specializes in
bonding of contractors. He is a member of
the Austin Chapter AGC and a past president of the Houston Surety Association.
You may reach him at 512-394-9700, or by
email at [email protected].
KING & HARDESTY
Attorneys at law
Providing general legal services to
the construction industry
Skip King
Bruce R. Hardesty
Ami M. Huff
Call us today.
512.479.9500
king&[email protected]
1411 West Avenue, Suite 100 Austin, TX 78701
Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
erm Insurance is typically purchased to protect a
growing family from the catastrophic loss of a
“breadwinner.” Lower initial premiums offer the flexibility to fit immediate needs. However, over time, a more
permanent and valuable life insurance contract may be
needed to help provide security and the potential for
more stable premium payments for the future.
The low cost/high benefit of term insurance is its most attractive feature. However, typically, term insurance premiums
continue to rise with age. Some term contracts do offer premiums that remain level
for a predetermined number of years, but
these contracts can experience significant
premium increases in the future, or death
benefits that decrease yearly. A policy that
has long-term value and benefits, and the
flexibility to help cope with change, is important. Therefore, converting a term policy to a permanent contract may make
sense depending on your needs.
Converting your term policy to a permanent life insurance contract may be
important to your overall financial program depending on your goals and objectives. Like term insurance, permanent insurance provides a guaranteed death
benefit. There are also some other appealing benefits:
• Premiums can remain level for
the life of your policy.
• A portion of your premiums accumulate tax-deferred (cash value), and
can be borrowed at favorable rates or
withdrawn.*
• You can use the policy’s underlying cash values to help supplement retirement, college expenses, or other future
cash needs through the aforementioned
loans and withdrawals.
The conversion privilege in most term
policies offers those who cannot initially afford permanent insurance a great opportunity to convert to a permanent contract at a
later date. Some term policies may offer a
conversion credit that makes converting to
permanent even more economical.
One particular advantage of converting from term to permanent, rather than
purchasing a new permanent policy, is
that there is no need for medical or financial requalification. (Note: This holds true
if coverage amounts are to remain the
same. If coverage is increased there may
be a need to provide additional medical
and financial information).
Converting your term insurance to a
permanent contract may help provide additional security and protection. You may
be comfortable knowing that the contract’s death benefit will be there to help
provide for your family in the event of
your untimely death. In addition, you may
feel a great sense of confidence knowing
your premiums have the potential to build
on a tax-deferred basis that may be important in the years to come. While this
approach may not be for everyone, it is
always wise to review all your insurance
options. A representative can help you
determine if converting an existing term
policy to a permanent policy makes sense
in your situation.
*Keep in mind that loans and partial
surrenders from a life insurance contract will
reduce the contracts death benefit and cash
value. In the case of loans, interest will be
charged on the amount borrowed.
This article is provided for general information only. It is not intended to offer
specific advice or recommendations for
any individual. You should consult with
your financial representative, attorney or
accountant with regard to your individual
situation.
Donald M. Read is a Registered Representative of New England Securities. He has provided services to those in the financial industry for years. Don can be reached by telephone at 512-637-6261. For more information, please visit www.nefrep.com/
DonaldMRead.
NATCO starts up
R
ecognizing the need for a company and recently installed doors and ceiling
that specializes in installation of grids at the new Canyon Creek Baptist
doors and ceiling grids, Nathan Church for DPR Construction.
Garrett, owner of NATCO, took charge of
“We hung 160 doors for the DPR
his professional destiny and started his project,” said Garrett. “We also put up
company last Oct.
the ceiling work, through the drywall
“Drywall companies usually handle contractor, which was about 25,000-sf of
the installation of doors and insulation, ceiling grid.”
but they don’t always have employees
Garrett says he and Brown have
that know how to handle door hardware grown their business steadily, one projalong with quality, fast installation of ceil- ect at a time, and are willing to travel to
ings,” said Garrett.
other Texas cities for jobs.
Garrett says he has worked in con“No matter the job, we always follow
struction for the past nine years. “A guy in the same motto, ‘to provide quick, qualiNew Mexico, who was a third generation ty installations’.”
ceiling mechanic, trained me to do the
work I do now.”
Jacob Brown, Garrett’s partner, has worked
in construction for four
years. He and Garrett
share a friendship of 15
years.
“We install acoustical
ceilings,
commercial
doors and installation.
We also are planning to
break into working with
more finished carpentry,
including FRP panels,
acoustic wall panels and
blocking,” said Garrett.
The company works
Jacob Brown and Nathan Garrett display their work in the
in the commercial market administration building for the Canyon Creek Baptist Church.
LEGAL
Try mediation before you
file that claim or suit . . .
it works!
By Steve Nelson
M
ore and more contractors are using mediation to
resolve construction disputes without going to
court. And, they are using it earlier and earlier in the
dispute resolution process.
Mediation is a dispute resolution
technique that lets parties solve their
own disputes. It involves the use of a
third person, a mediator, to help two or
more sides to a dispute resolve their
own differences. The mediator does
not render a decision. The mediator
merely facilitates discussions. In construction mediations, the mediators
are often highly evaluative, probing
the depths of each side’s position, and
asking tough questions in private to
determine where the real interests lie.
Mediation is quick; most often
completed in one day. It is relatively
inexpensive. It works. Experienced
construction mediators report settle ment rates of 85 percent or better.
Mediation reduces hostilities and gives
the parties a chance to resume normal
relationships.
While most courts will order parties to mediation before setting a case
for trial, savvy construction executives
and their counsel are increasingly using mediation before a lawsuit is even
filed. They are even using mediators to
help negotiate construction contracts.
Think about it. How many times
have you been involved in a dispute,
even a simple one, where a knowledgeable neutral third party could
have helped focus you and your adversary on the real issues and helped
bridge a gap? Examples of issues that
might benefit from early mediation include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Contract negotiations – especially
those involving tough issues be tween parties who desire to maintain a good working relationship.
Change order disputes
Differing site condition disputes
Delay claims
Allegations of defective design
Threatened termination actions
Austin’s SAM, Inc.
extends to Big D
S
urveying And Mapping, Inc. (SAM,
Inc.), headquartered in Austin, has
announced the opening of its Dallas office in response to the growing
demand for the company’s integrated
approach to land surveying, aerial mapping, GIS and Subsurface Utility Engineering services.
Since the company’s inception in
1994, founder and President Samir
Hanna, RPLS, has established SAM, Inc.
as a regional leader in the surveying industry.
The Dallas office will support the
full spectrum of SAM, Inc.’s services.
Joining SAM, Inc. as vice president is
Mickey Nowell, RPLS, who will oversee
all aspects of the new Dallas office. Prior
to joining SAM, Inc., Nowell was second
vice president for the State Office of the
Texas Society of Professional Surveyors.
Also joining SAM, Inc. in Dallas is
David Dallas as senior project manager.
Dallas brings 30 years of experience in
the areas of aerial mapping and project
management.
The process of initiating a mediation is
simple. The parties first agree that they
want to attempt a settlement with help
from a third party. They agree to mediate.
They agree to commit a day to the effort.
They commit to send someone who has
the authority to reach an agreement.
And, they select a mediator.
In selecting a mediator, the parties
should be looking for someone with construction experience, knowledge of construction law, and training and experience in the mediation process. A mediator who knows construction first hand
will readily understand the facts and issues at stake, and appreciate their signifi cance to the outcome of the dispute.
You can locate experienced construction mediators in Central Texas by contacting your local construction trade association, the Travis County Bar Association’s Construction Law Section, or the
Central Texas Chapter of the Association
of Attorney-Mediators. Your lawyer, bonding agent, insurance agent, or accountant
may also be good referral sources.
A construction mediator usually charges a flat rate for the mediation. The cost will
vary with the experience of the mediator,
the complexity of the case, the amount involved, and the number of parties.
Every construction professional
owes it to himself or herself to become
familiar with the mediation process, and
to consider its use in appropriate circumstances. Whether ordered by a court on
the eve of trial, or attempted in the middle of a construction project as a means
of keeping a project on track, the process
works. It helps parties settle disputes.
Steve Nelson is General Counsel for SureTec
Insurance Company, a Texas based bonding company. He also teaches construction
industry dispute resolution and avoidance
at the University of Texas School of Engineering. You may contact him by calling
(512) 732-0099 or by e-mail at
[email protected].
OSHA
Erecting a Safe Scaffold
Joann Nataranjan
A
n estimated 2.3 million construction
workers, or 65 percent of the
construction industry, work on scaffolds
frequently. Protecting these workers from
scaffold-related accidents would prevent
4,500 injuries and 50 deaths every year, at
a savings for American employers of $90
million in workdays not lost.
• Fabricated frame scaffolds are the
most common type of scaffold because
they are versatile, economical, and easy
to use. They are frequently used in one
or two tiers by residential contractors,
painters, etc., but their modular frames
can also be stacked several stories high
for use on large-scale construction jobs.
It is impossible for a stable structure to
be built upon a foundation that does
not start out square and level. OSHA
has standards that apply specifically to
the steps that must be taken to assure
a stable scaffold base. In order to assure
stability, supported scaffolds must be
set on: base plates, mud sills, or other
adequate firm foundation.
• Footings must be capable of
supporting the loaded scaffold without
settling or displacement.
• Unstable objects may not be used
to support scaffolds or platform units).
Front-end loaders and similar pieces of
equipment shall not be used to support
scaffold platforms unless they have
been specifically designed by the
manufacturer for such use.
• Forklifts shall not be used to support
scaffold platforms unless: the entire
platform is attached to the fork, and the
“Makes a lovely
gift.”
forklift is not moved horizontally while
the platform is occupied.
• Supported scaffold poles, frames,
uprights, etc. must be plumb and braced
to prevent swaying and displacement.
In general, a level is the easiest way to
achieve the desired right angles.
• Scaffolds and scaffold components
must be capable of supporting, without
failure, their own weight and at least 4
times their maximum intended load.
Frames and panels must be connected by
cross, horizontal, or diagonal braces,
alone or in combination, which secure
vertical members together laterally.
Scaffold components manufactured
by different manufacturers must not
be intermixed, unless they fit together
without being forced and the scaffold’s
structural integrity is maintained. Scaffold
components manufactured by different
manufacturers are not allowed to be
modified to make them fit together,
unless a competent person determines
that the resulting scaffold is structurally
sound.
• Workers are most vulnerable to
fall hazards when climbing on or off
a scaffold. Therefore, employers are
required to provide safe scaffold access.
Erectors and dismantlers face additional
access problems due to the incomplete
condition of the scaffolding. Employees
must be able to safely access any level
of a scaffold that is 2 feet above or
below an access point. OSHA standards
specifically forbid climbing cross-braces
as a means of access.
Reprints.
In Color.
20
$
g
.
(+ $1.58 tax)
Reproduction of articles in
color on front page with
masthead. Ready for framing.
Add’l copies $5.
CONSTRUCTION NEWS
raphics
Austin (512) 447-2900
San Antonio (210) 308-5800
Page 10 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Austin Construction News  May 2003
John King, Jackson Galloway
unite for church expansion
A
fter two years of careful planning
and faith, the congregation of Covenant United Methodist Church, in
north Austin, saw a much-needed expansion come to fruition last month.
A groundbreaking ceremony was
held on Apr. 13, 2003 for the first phase of
a multi-phase expansion project. The
first phase will consist of a new 10,000-sf
worship center for the church, located at
4410 Duval Road.
Church member John King, founder
of John King Construction, Inc., is the
general contractor on the project. He and
architect Bob Galloway, of Jackson Galloway Architects, began working with
the church to plan its expansion two
years ago. The project cost for the first
phase is estimated at $2 million and is
expected to be complete by the summer
of 2004.
“When we first met with the members of the church, we gave them art supplies to build with so we could get a working list of ideas, memories and things they
would like to see in the project,” said Galloway. “It is a chance for us to get to know
them better and vice versa, and this is
something that can provide them an active sense of ownership in the project.”
Covenant United Methodist Church
opened its doors in 1982. For the expansion, it was able to obtain the property
next door and double its land, not only
expanding its building space, but parking space as well.
New name,
owner for
brick plant
T
Members of Covenant United Methodist Church, Bob Galloway and
John King commence with the traditional groundbreaking.
“This project means a lot to the
church and to the folks who have been
here for 20 years that will finally see their
permanent worship facility expanded,”
said King. “The worship center expansion will double the church’s current capacity and seat about 500 to 600 people,
with some expandability to accommodate future growth.”
Once the worship center is completed, two more phases of the expansion will
include new offices, classrooms and youth
meeting spaces, as well as a series of reno-
vations inside to the current facilities.
Galloway said the project is representative of the religious work his firm
does, and he was delighted to receive the
call to work with King.
“We have worked with John King on
other jobs, and have always enjoyed the
experience. This project is similar to others we have done in that we work with
many local congregations that are in
growth modes, many expanding on their
current facilities.”
he Elgin-based plants of U.S.
Brick, Inc. have a new name
and are now, according to a
company news release, part of the
largest North American brick production operation, Hanson Brick.
In all, seven major brick companies from across the continent became part of the new Hanson Brick.
Aside from the new name, employees in Elgin shouldn’t notice
any other changes, said a Hanson
Brick spokeswoman.
“There are no plans for any staff
changes,” said Hanson spokeswoman Subha Chandran. “Business will
continue as usual in Elgin and all the
other plants that are part of the
sale.”
Hanson Brick employs 74 people in Elgin. The Elgin plant opened
in 1955, covering 118,000 -sf and
produces about 35 million bricks a
year.
Three other Texas U.S. Brick
plants, two in Ogden near San Antonio, and one in Mineral Wells near
Dallas, were included in the sale.
More information about Hanson Brick can be found at the company’s website:
www.hansonbrick.com.
San Antonio Construction News
What would you like to see
on our web site?
Let us know . . .
[email protected]
Austin Construction News  May 2003––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Page 11
The Great Outdoors welcomes your photos and stories.
We will print on a first-come, first-available basis, so call us at (512) 447-2900 to make arrangements.
MS 150 Bike Tour fights for cause
By Tara De Lange, special to Austin Construction News
I
t is not everyday that 10,000 people
come together to fight a disease, but
that is just what cyclists did during
the MS 150.
Bryan Kent and Weston Voss of
SpawGlass Contractors, and Matt
Delahoussaye of J.E. Millard Industries, joined together to participate in
the largest MS 150 Bike Tour in North
America.
The BP MS 150 is a two-day cycling
adventure organized by the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society. It challenges
riders of all ages, level and abilities. Participants raise money through pledges
and donations that aid in the fight to
end the devastating effects of the disease.
As the largest MS 150 Bike Tour in
North America, the tour attracts more
than 10,000 cyclists and more than
10,000 volunteers.
“When you enter a race as large as
this, it is not just about the ride, it’s
about coming together to support an
important cause,” said Voss.
“We
weren’t just out there riding a bicycle,
we were out there fighting a disease.”
This year’s race took place on April
12th and 13th. Race participants loaded
bikes onto 18-wheelers on Friday afternoon. Riders were then bussed to Tully
Stadium in Houston. The race kicked off
Saturday morning with a staggered start
of 500 riders at a time. Saturday’s 100mile race saw a lot of accidents along
the way, but none that were too extreme. Racers were exhausted by the
end of the first day. However, they were
able to enjoy festivities in La Grange, including food, music and even a climbing
wall.
Sunday began with a pancake
breakfast in La Grange and then another
staggered 500-rider start. The SpawGlass team had to work together to stay
motivated. Bryan Kent said, “It was diffi cult motivating ourselves to get up and
go on Sunday. We had to really push
L-R: Bryan Kent, Weston Voss of SpawGlass and Matt Delahoussaye of J.E. Millard Industries.
The cyclists reach the finish point.
ourselves to do it. They key, I think, was
all of the support and cheers on the side
of the road. People who were fighting
the disease were right there to lend help
and support. It was a great feeling.”
Another part of participating in a
race such as this is in the event organization itself. The event was setup so that
riders had the benefit of a rest stop every 10 to 12 miles. In addition, event
organizers were able to provide food,
water and Gatorade.
“The is was one of the most organized and well thought-out rides I have
ever been a part of,” said Kent. “Anything riders could possibly want on a
bike ride was at our fingertips. For a
rider, that makes a world of difference.”
SpawGlass was the official sponsor
of the three-man team. The company
provided the jerseys and then each
man was responsible for raising $300
dollars. Matt Delahoussaye joined with
the SpawGlass team to ride in the race.
“It was a lot of fun riding with
SpawGlass. I think the biggest highlight
for me was riding through Bastrop
State Park. The hills were extremely
challenging and the scenery was also a
plus.”
Some of the more humorous parts
of the race involved rider Weston Voss.
After riding approximately 180 miles,
riders are expected to experience some
type of soreness but, for Voss, the pain
wasn’t related to the actual ride.
“When you ride that amount of distance, you are bound to experience
pain. What I didn’t expect was the excruciating burn I received from being
out in the sun. That was more painful
than anything else.”
The race concluded in Austin at the
Samsung building off of Palmer. The
SpawGlass team finished the race with
only one flat tire and a collection of
memories to take home with them.
Bryan Kent said, “The highlight of
this ride was when we were nearing the
finish line in La Grange. One of the
other teams stopped and picked up a
supporter in a wheelchair with Multiple
Sclerosis, put them on their bike and
carried them over the finish line. It was
really neat to see other teams taking
the real meaning of the race to heart.”
COA seeks outdoor experts
T
he Christian Outdoor Alliance is seeking top experts in a range of hunting
and fishing-related disciplines to help
teach campers at this summer’s Hunting
and Fishing Adventure Camps.
Already on tap to teach at the 10-day
camp sessions are top outdoor TV personalities Dave Watson, Keith Warren
and Jimmy Sites, plus author Jim Darnell; Jim Carpenter, president of Rattlemasters of Texas; taxidermists David and
Nancy Boerner; Mike Schwiebert of
Weatherby Firearms; Campfire Chef
Ralph Winningham; and U.S. Special
Forces surgeon Dr. Sonny Arkangel.
Campers will get hands-on, in-thefield instruction from the experts on subjects from fly fishing, game calling, marksmanship, to game processing and cooking.
“We’re always looking for more outdoor pros to help teach the kids,” said
camp director Mike Marbach. “The purpose of the camp is to get kids hooked on
an outdoors lifestyle and take them to a
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skill level where they can leave camp,
equipped to succeed in all types of hunting and fishing pursuits.”
Guest expert teaching availabilities
are open throughout the summer and,
depending on the subject matter, experts may stay for one or several days,
meals and lodging provided. Volunteers
are selected based on their level of expertise in their given specialty, and must
undergo a formal background check.
Open to boys and girls ages 11–16, the
camp will offer four sessions for boys,
and one for girls. All sessions are on luxury exotic game ranches in the Texas Hill
Country. Camp tuition is $1,395 per
camper. The non-profit organization offers need-based scholarships as well as
fundraising opportunities for campers.
For information about the camps, log
in to www.coacamps.org. To volunteer as a
guest expert or register for camp, contact
Mike Marbach at [email protected]
or call 210-827-9802.
STEVE SCHULTZ GUIDE SERVICE
BAFFIN BAY –– LAGUNA MADRE –– LAND CUT
SPECKLED TROUT –– REDFISH –– FLOUNDER
FISHING AND HUNTING TRIPS
1-888-724-FISH (toll-free)
11111 Bluff Bend Drive
P.O. Box 140405
Austin, Texas 78714
(512) 834-8611
FAX (512) 834-8992
www.baffinbaycharters.com
U.S. Coast Guard &
Texas Parks and Wildlife Licensed
by John Jefferson
Need a place to hunt?
All photos by John Jefferson
N
ow’s the time to find out where you’ll be hunting next season. Some started
working on that before last season ended. If you didn’t, at least start before the
wildflowers fade.
It’s supply and demand. If you wait
until the first frost, there just simply won’t
be as many available as there are right
now. Don’t wait.
So how do you do it? Well, there’s no
one sure way, but in a word, it’s all about
networking. Start by letting people
know you are looking. The more who
know you are in the market for a lease,
the more likely someone will say something to someone that will get you on
good ground.
I was at a barbecue one night and
mentioned to a man I had just met that I
sure liked the country around the ranch,
and wondered if there were any available
leases. He said he didn’t know of any, but
that his wife worked in a feed/
convenience store, and that people occasionally put up notices about things
like that. I gave him my card. The next
morning, his wife called to say that a man
had just put up a note about a lease that
sounded interesting.
It helps if you mention it to landowners and other people close to the land.
Game biologists, game managers, game
wardens, county agents and N.R.C.S. employees, are good resources. Other hunters are, too. Some realtors who specialize
in farm and ranch land may also be of
help. I called a game biologist one day to
ask if he knew anything about a place I
was looking at. He said he didn’t, but that
a lady had just called him about leasing a
nice place that had never been leased.
That worked out well for all of us.
And then there’s the press. The classified sections of most newspapers carry
a listing for “Hunting.” The big city papers have the most listings, but don’t
overlook smaller papers. You might also
consider running an ad yourself, stating
what you are looking for and where. This
has worked for me. Any sportsman association newsletter could pay off, too. In
its newsletter, the Austin Woods & Waters
Club carries a section called “Member to
Member” that hooks up its members
with hunting opportunities. They also
carry ads.
The magazines have well-read classified sections, too. It might pay to run an
ad in Texas Wildlife, the magazine of Texas
Wildlife Assn., or The Cattleman, published by Texas and Southwestern Cattle
Raisers Assn. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine and Texas Monthly might also reach
some landowners that might want to talk
turkey with you. One entire magazine is
devoted to hunting leases. Texas Hunting
Directory is published in Fredericksburg
by Kim Hicks, and is available on most
newsstands.
Finding a place to hunt is not that hard to do, provided you start early enough.
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The only drawback to choosing a lease in the spring or summer is that
antlers will not look they will in the fall (above) since they will still be
in velvet and developing.
But one of the best sources is the
Chamber of Commerce in the area in
which you are interested. Hunting is
such a vital part of the economy of many
small communities that chambers often
maintain lists of hunting leases. Most
chambers are closed on weekends, so
you need to contact them during the
week or by mail. Your chances may be a
little better if you can establish some sort
of a relationship with them. Like, maybe
ask them to recommend a nice Bed &
Breakfast that you and your wife can stay
while you are there looking for a lease.
Ask about antique shops, restaurants or
other places where she might spend
some money. Their business is bringing
commerce to their community. They can
help. If an opening for a lease comes in
and you have done something to help
them remember you, you may just get a
call.
Remember, it’s all about networking.
JJ
Legislature considering raiding
sportsmen’s funds.
W
hen hunters and
fishermen buy
licenses,
that
money goes into what
is called a dedicated
fund. That means it is
supposed to be used for
a dedicated purpose - in
this case, game and fish
conservation, restoration
and law enforcement.
State park user fees go
into similar funds. Now,
with legislators looking
for money behind every
lobbyist and loblolly
pine, they are reaching
out for any funds they
can seize. If they are
successful, Texas Parks
& Wildlife will not only
lose the funds they take,
but will also lose federal
matching money that
comes from excise taxes
paid for firearms and
ammunition. This could
amount to as much as
$30 million. And it could
result in curtailment of
TPW services, public
hunting, youth hunting,
As the sun sets on the current legislative session,
there is still time for eager money grabbers to
and could close some
raid dedicated Parks & Wildlife funds.
state parks. It could also
affect state park construction contracts. The raids are em- tative and senator. You can find their
bodied in riders to House Bill 1, which addresses and phone numbers at
will be voted on in May. If you disagree www.capitol.state.tx.us/.
with this, contact your state represen- JJ
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Ph. 512.581.7007
Fax. 512.581.7700
email. [email protected]
Great Fishing in Store This Summer
By Capt. Steve Schultz- Baffin Bay Charters
M
other Nature has been kind to
the Coastal Bend Bay System for
yet another year. Timely rains
and lack of extremely cold weather are
two of the key reasons our spring fishing
has been better than the last several
years. Water temperatures reaching the
magical 70-degree mark and the arrival
of shrimp into our bays, are key factors in
catching fish.
During the week of April 14th, we were
able to find plenty of trout action along
the drop-off of the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW). On several different occasions at opposite ends of Baffin Bay we
encountered shrimp moving through the
deep water of the ICW. From Corpus
Christi Bay to the JFK Causeway trout action was as good as it gets, and down
south in the Landcut, both trout and redfish have made fishing seem like catching. With the month of May just around
the corner, the availability of croakers for
bait should make this fishing season one
to remember.
Fishing with croakers can get a feeding
frenzy started. Most trout caught using
croakers are in the 16-to-23-inch range,
but it is not uncommon to catch a trophy
trout or two in the 25-to-30-inch range.
A croaker feeds on trout eggs, and is the
only enemy that a trout has. If you are in
an area where there are trout, no matter
what the size, the fish will hit a croaker.
Juvenile croakers about 3-to-5-inches
long hooked just above the anal fin and
What began as jerry-rigged welding parts
or medical components has been refined.
Landy Smith and Floyd had no problem catching limits of trout with Capt. Steve Schultz
during an April outing. Fish were caught on live shrimp and soft plastics.
free-lined on an 18-in. leader with a 5/0
or 6/0 Kahle hook is the most common
method. Cast the croaker as far from
your boat as possible, and when a thump
on the line tells you a trout or red has
picked up the bait, let the fish run for a
count of 8-10 before setting the hook.
At 50 cents each, the frugal angler has
trouble justifying the expense of live bait.
But, if he suspends reason - and what respectable angler doesn’t when it comes
to spending money on fishing supplieseven the thriftiest fisherman will pur-
chase a couple of dozen perch or croaker
if he believes doing so could improve his
odds. At these prices though, lethargic
bait is not an option. Thankfully, there
are potions and gadgets to ward off belly-up bait. But regrettably, only a handful
of these products are affordable or effective in the South Texas heat. And frankly,
even fewer are both. But with the price of
one-dozen baitfish reaching the $6 mark,
the more expensive of these gizmos is
starting to look more cost effective. I’m
speaking, of course, of the more sophisticated oxygen systems on the market.
Oxygen systems, such as the Salty Air O2
System that I use, range in price from
about $300 for a do-it-yourself kit to
$450 for a deluxe complete system with
live well, regulator, tubes, brackets and
the finest bubbles money can buy. You
can even get one to mount on your jetty/
pier cart, strap to your bait bucket or to
carry in a fanny pack. Consider these
systems insurance against gasping bait,
mistakes and neglect. If you buy so-so
bait, oxygen will help revive it. If you forget to change your water, oxygen will
buy you some time. And if the temperature outside nears 100 degrees, oxygen
will cool your live-well water to a livable
range. Some anglers use oxygen in conjunction with sealed ice and chemicals,
such as Pogey-Croaker Saver, which removes ammonia from the water, reduces
the effects of stress and replaces slime.
Or there’s potassium chloride, which simply reduces the effects of stress on fish.
Whether you fish with a guide or fish on
your own, croaker fishing can be a sure
way of replenishing fillets in your freezer.
After all, fish can be a lot more fun when
you’re catching. Capt. Steve Schultz can
be reached at 1-888-724-3474 for a fishing trip. Several good dates are still available in May, June, July, and August.
Good Luck and Good Fishing.
Bell lips a beauty
H
anging out in his backyard, Alan
Bell, AIA, corporate architect for
Dell Computer Corp., caught a
10.6-pound bass on Sun., Mar. 30 on the
lower end of Lake Austin.
The fish was 27-inches long with a
20-inch girth, and almost qualified for
the Share-A-Lunker program put on by
the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
“If you catch a largemouth bass over
13 pounds, it will be placed in the hatchery program for the state,” said Bell. “The
state department breeds the fish to replenish lakes. “
Bell says in exchange for donating
the catch, a fisherman receives a fiber-
Hunting Humor
glass replica mount of the fish worth
about $400. After the fish spends its tour
at the hatchery, it is released back in its
lake of origin.
“It’s a badge of honor with bass fisherman to have a fish in the program,” said
Bell. “I caught this fish with a 6-inch
Senko, but it had already spawned. It
probably was two pounds heavier a few
days earlier and may have been big
enough for the program.”
For more information about the
Share-A-Lunker program, visit
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish/
hatchery/tffc/sharelunker.htm.
T
wo men went bear hunting. While
one stayed in the cabin, the other
went out looking for a bear. He soon
found a huge bear, shot at it, but only
wounded it.
The enraged bear
charged toward him, he dropped his
rifle and started running for the cabin
as fast as he could.
He ran pretty fast but the bear
was just a little faster and gained on
him with every step. Just as he
reached the open cabin door, he
tripped and fell flat. Too close behind
him to stop, the bear tripped over
him and went rolling into the cabin.
The man jumped up, closed the
cabin door and yelled to his friend inside, “You skin this one while I go and
get another one!”
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HBA honors best in
Austin building
AGC/YCF golf tournament
O
n a quintessential spring day,
members of the Austin Chapter
Associated General Contractors
(AGC) and the Young Constructors Forum (YCF) held its first annual golf tournament on Mon., Mar. 24, 2003 at the
Forest Creek Golf Club in Round Rock.
The winners are as follows:
Closest to the pin #8: Bob Henry,
Crescent Machinery.
Longest Drive #12: Jason Nichol,
Texas Air Products.
First Place: Tommy Burt and Shane
Watts of Burt & Watts; Chip Chambliss
and Philip Shultz of Fox Service.
First Place Net: Jay Conner, Butch
Kunco and Robert Kunco with MLAW/
MLA Labs and Rebecca Newell with Alamo Tile.
Second Place Net: Mark Bounds,
Art Blakely and Mike Ward of GFCS and
Kevin Driskel of Swift-Train.
Last Place: Brian Buck, John Glenn,
Marc Shepard and Kyle Workman of
T
First Place winners from Burt & Watts and
Fox Service.
Workman Corporation.
The Young Constructors Forum is a
program of the AGC and is an outlet for
members, especially young professionals
in the construction industry, to network,
exchange ideas and receive support.
First Place Net winners: employees of MLAW/MLA Labs and Alamo Tile.
he Home Builders Association of
Greater Austin (HBA) honored its
best at the 2003 Max Awards Gala
on Apr. 8, 2003.
The prestigious Max and Silver
awards recognize HBA members for their
excellence in marketing, merchandising,
product design, community development and individual efforts throughout
the Austin homebuilding market.
“This year’s show generated more
entries than ever before,” said Ken Blaker, HBA president. “Our 700 members
represent the most dedicated professionals you will ever find. The Max awards
recognize that the local homebuilding
industry has continued to push itself to
higher levels of excellence.”
Hosted by Ester’s Follies favorite Kerry Awn and “HotOn!” anchor Natalie
Woods, the black-tie awards gala was
held at the Renaissance Hotel.
David Weekley Homes and Sereno
Homes each received Grand Max Awards,
judged by their peers to be the two companies that best demonstrated overall
achievement. In addition, Brian A. Bailey
Homes was given a “One of a Kind” Max
Award for a home that was deemed so
exceptional, judges created a special
award to honor it.
On the way to the Grand Max Awards
for Volume Builders, David Weekley
Homes won among others, Best Sales Brochure, Best Outdoor, Best Sales Office and
Design Center. Weekley also won Best
Product Design and Interior Merchandising in the $325,000 to $375,000 category.
Ron Bell was named Sales Manager
of the Year, Tori Harkrider was named
Marketing Professional, and Ashley
Thomas was named Construction Superintendent of the Year, all representing
David Weekley Homes.
Greg Hurd (right), Sereno Homes, celebrates
with HBA President Ken Blaker as he took
home the 2003 Grand Max Award for
Customer Builder. (Photo credited to HBA).
In the Custom Builder category,
Sereno Homes, Inc. garnered Max
awards in several categories, including
color magazine ads, Product Design in
the $500,000 to $750,000 category, Interior Merchandising in the $750,000 to
$1,000,000 category, and Best Landscape, Poolscape and Community under
100 units.
In addition to winning a special “One
of a Kind” Max Award, Brian Bailey
Homes’ Ken Adney was named Construction Superintendent of the Year in
the Custom division. Individual Max
Awards were also given to Linda Takenaka for Salesperson of the Year and
Mike Hellmund for Rookie Salesperson
of the Year, both with Newmark Homes.
Josie San Miguel of Stewart Title
was named Title Industry Professional of
the Year, and Michele Bell of Technical
Mortgage, was named Mortgage Industry Professional of the Year.
Eight judges from around the country looked at all entries to the show.
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The David Weekley Homes team celebrated winning the Grand Max Award for Volume
Builder. L-R: Dave Mire, Mandie Thrash, Jim Rado, Tori Harkrider and Ken Swisher make their
final stop of the night at the podium. (Photo credited to HBA).
Wright to be
“brought back to life”
T
he combined efforts of three local
design and construction organizations in Austin, Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), Associated
General Contractors (AGC) and the
American Institute of Architects-Austin
(AIA), will bring the ‘reincarnation’ of
world-renown architect Frank Lloyd
Wright to Austin on May 13, 2003.
Lyman Shepard will lead the program, acting as Wright at 6:30 pm at the
Dell Jewish Community Center.
According to a news release from
AIA, Shepard will dramatically evoke the
Master Architect and the Man. In authentic costume, flowing cape and porkpie
hat, Shepard will depict Wright’s long,
prolific and stormy career, his controversial and often melodramatic personal life,
his challenging views on the Victorian
milieu, unorthodox cultural attitudes and
his belief in a democratic American archi-
tecture will all be brought into focus.
Historic slides with incisive narration
will pictorially project Wright’s creative
journey from his early Wisconsin years to
his formative apprenticeship with Louis
Sullivan and onward into the golden Oak
Park years of the Prairie Style.
Anthony Alofsin, Associate AIA and
editor of Frank Lloyd Wright, Europe and
Beyond and author of Frank Lloyd
Wright—the Lost Years, 1910-1922: A Study
of Influence, will introduce Shepard.
A wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres
from local caterers will be enjoyed prior
to the presentation.
Tickets are $15 in advance, $25 at the
door and are available online at
www.aiaaustin.org, or by calling 512454-4332. Proceeds will serve to fund
scholarships for the local CSI, AGC and
AIA chapters.
ARCHITECTURAL ACCESSIBILITY IN TEXAS
FOCUS ON ACCESSIBILITY LAWS & STANDARDS
The Fair Housing Act
Title VIII of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1968
(amended 1988)
The design and construction requirements of the Fair Housing
Act apply to all new multifamily housing first occupied after
March 13, 1991. Covered multifamily dwellings are: (1) all dwelling units in buildings containing four or more units if such buildings have one or more
elevators, and (2) all ground floor dwelling units in other buildings containing four or
more units.
REQUIREMENT 7, Part B:
Usable Bathrooms:
“…covered multifamily dwellings with a
building entrance on an accessible route
shall be designed and constructed in such a
manner that all premises within covered
multifamily dwelling units contain usable
… bathrooms such that an individual in a
wheelchair can maneuver about the
space.” Fair Housing Act Regulations,
24 CFR 100.205
Recommendations for
Increased Accessibility
While the builder or developer of multifamily housing is not required
to address all the design
concerns faced by people
with disabilities who may
live in a development,
there are certain aspects
of bathroom design
which should be considered when selecting fixtures.
ANSI 4.32.4.2 specifies that toilet seats
“shall be at least 15 inches and no more
than 19 inches measured to the top of the
toilet seat.” Standard toilets with 15-inch
high seats are widely available in the
marketplace and offer the best flexibility
for adaptation for a wider range of people. For a user who may require that the
seat be higher, it is relatively simple to
install a seat spacer or thick seat. By contrast, to lower a toilet usually requires replacing the entire toilet fixture usually
requires replacing the entire toilet fixture. It is recommended that standard
low 15-inch toilets be installed in all
dwelling units covered by the Fair Housing Guidelines.
standard seat
seat spacer
Toilet Seat Height
There is no single seat
Elevated Seats at Conventional Toilets
height which would suit
all users. Low toilet
seats are difficult for people who have Robert Buck, AIA, has provided architecturtrouble getting up on their feet and for al accessibility plan reviews/inspections for
people who use wheelchairs who may be over 3310 projects in 17 states. He is a Texas
able to transfer onto the seat but not get Department of Licensing & Regulation Regback into their chair without assistance. istered Accessibility Specialist (RAS); conHigh seats may be difficult for some sultant to the U. S. Department of Justicewheelchair users to get onto and for Housing and Civil Enforcement Section;
shorter people because their feet do not and Fair Housing consultant for the City of
touch the floor, making it difficult to Austin. 13438 Bandera Road, #104, Helotes,
TX 78023 (210-695-5326)
maintain balance.
Construction
Pros support
ATA
W
illiam Parker of William Parker
Interiors, and Marie Betcher,
wife of Jon Betcher, CEO and
president of the Austin Chapter Associated General Contractors, will be part of
a quartet to perform Sun., May 5th at the
Scottish Rite Theater at 207 West 18th
Street.
The performance will benefit the
Animal Trustees of Austin, and is entitled,
“A Musical Journey Through Time.”
Marie Betcher, an accomplished pianist and cantor, will perform in opera and
classical soprano, accompanied by Rebecca Ryan, Parker and Kevin Ahart both
playing baritone.
Tickets are $25. For reservations call
512-450-1504.
Two Austin contractors
receive national safety awards
T
he Associated General Contractors of
America (AGC) recognized the outstanding
safety programs of contractors across the country
during the fourth annual
AGC/Willis Construction
Safety Excellence Awards
Breakfast at the 84th Annual AGC Convention on
Mar. 19-22, 2003 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
This program, according to a release from AGC,
Members of Capital Excavation Company who
examines each contracaccepted the company’s AGC safety award include:
tor’s commitment and apL-R: Paul Cradeur, safety officer; Odean Slaton,
proach to safety and
safety director; Larry Gaskins, AGC president;
and Jim Bradley, president of Capital Excavation.
health as well as statistical
results for the year. Special
attention is given to the
contractor’s safety training
program, active employee
involvement, evidence of
management
commitment and innovation.
Two Austin area contractors, Tremur Consulting Contractors, Inc. and
Capital Excavation Company, were recognized
with
national
safety
awards in their respective
categories. Tremur was
Members of Tremur Consulting Contractors, Inc. who
recognized with a third
accepted this year’s award include: L-R: Chris R. Murray,
place award in the Build- president of Tremur; Rocky Bleier, speaker and Hall of Fameing Division Under 100,000 Linebacker for Pittsburgh Steelers; San Juanita Ramos, CEO
and safety manager for Tremur; and Kevin Wilson,
work hours, and Capital
utility division supervisor.
Excavation was recognized
with a second place award in the catego- work), Streets and Roads (private work),
ry Highway Division 500,000-plus work Fleet Operations and a Maintenance
hours.
Shop.
As well, William Wallace of Austin
“The Capital Excavation Safety ProCommercial’s Building Division was pre- gram strives to meet all of the standards
sented with a Superintendent Safety for each division and provide all personAward, and the Austin Chapter AGC and nel a safe and productive work place,”
AGC of Texas, Heavy Highway, Utilities said Odean Slaton, CSP and safety diand Industrial Branch were both recog- rector for Capital Excavation. “These are
nized with AGC Chapter Safety Awards two core principals within Capital Excawithin their respective membership cat- vation Company that explain its success
egories.
among its peers.”
Tremur Consulting Contractors, Inc.
Each AGC member eligible for the
has been in business for 18 years and has awards had to be nominated by its home
received numerous safety awards in that chapter. The Construction Safety Exceltime. For the past two years in a row, lence Awards is a qualitative program
Tremur has attended the AGC conven- that examines each company’s committion as finalists.
ment to safety and health. This program
Capital Excavation Company con- highlights direct evidence of corporate
sists of six divisions: Bridge/Structures commitment, worker training, active parand Concrete, Utility, Highway (public ticipation and safety innovation.
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Heavy Highway research
presented at symposium
How to handle the
difficult customer
Paul Montelongo
H
ave you ever felt like this famous movie line, “Houston, we
have problems,” applied to you and one of your customers? If you have been in business any length of time, I am sure
you have had to handle situations with the occasional difficult
customer. Here are seven ways to manage these rare and infrequent circumstances.
L-R: Ben Streetman, Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin;
Dr. Randy B. Machemehl, director of CTR; Dr. B. Frank McCullough, past CTR director; and Dr.
Clyde Lee, founder of the Center for Highway Research, predecessor to the CTR.
(Photo credit to Clair Lavaye, CTR).
T
hose with an interest in heavy highway and infrastructure met on Apr.
9, 2003 at the University of Texas at
Austin J.J. Pickle Research Campus for the
Center for Transportation Research (CTR)
annual symposium, ”Transportation Corridors: Innovation and Future Needs.”
The event also marked CTR’s 40th
anniversary.
During the symposium, researchers
and engineers gave seminars covering a
range of topics pertaining to the Texas
heavy highway industry.
Two seminars in particular, The Trans
Texas Corridor: Research Findings, presented by Khali R. Persad, P.E., research
associate at CTR, and The Evaluation of
the Use of PuriNOx Emulsified Diesel Fuel by
TxDOT, presented by Matthew Hall, P.E.,
associate professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, gave insight into changes the heavy
highway industry in Texas may expect to
see in the future.
Since the creation and approval of
the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Persad said traffic through
Texas has increased, specifically trucking.
Gov. Rick Perry’s proposed Trans Texas
Corridor is slated to build traffic channels
for each type of traffic mode (ie: cars,
trains, light rail, trucks) throughout Texas
to help alleviate congestion and improve
overall transportation quality.
Persad noted that toll roads and investors are proposed to make up a large
portion of funding for the corridor project. The goal, at present, is to design each
mode of transportation to cater to industry needs and investors. As well, Persad
and other researchers are investigating
ever-changing industry supply chains
across the state to gauge interaction between traffic modes. This information is
believed to yield a better understanding
of where to build which transportation
mode, and which to build first.
Last summer, Gov. Perry also requested that the Texas Department of
Transportation use cleaner burning fuel
beginning in 2003. One of the develop-
ments so far is the new fuel, PuriNOx.
The request is in keeping with the
Texas Legislature and the Environmental
Protection Agency, which request Texas
lower its noxious emissions. As well, the
Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP),
established by the Texas Legislature in
2001, is a related, comprehensive set of
incentive programs aimed at improving
air quality in Texas.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) administers TERP
grants and other financial TERP incentives to assist vehicle owners in purchasing newer engines and vehicles, or updating vehicle engines to newer models,
which run more efficiently. More information on those programs can be found
by visiting the following Web site:
w w w. t n r cc . s t a te . t x . u s / o p r d / s i p s /
grants.html, or call the TCEQ directly at
512-239-2934.
Matthew Hall, P.E. presented findings
after test runs using PuriNOx fuel in TxDOT vehicles, predominately in southeast Texas.
To date, Hall says there are two versions of PuriNOX, a summer grade and a
winter grade. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has only approved the
summer grade for use. Hall says PuriNOx
is made up of 20 percent water, 77 percent diesel and 3 percent additive. He
said TxDOT administered a double blind
study to test the fuel against regular diesel, and that TxDOT found that the water
in the PuriNOx results in torque loss and
slower full throttle acceleration and max
cruising speeds. However, Hall said the
drivers of the vehicles, who didn’t know
which fuel was in the vehicle they were
driving at the time of the study, said they
felt all the equipment operated suffi ciently.
Hall reported that PuriNOx does reduce fuel emissions, but there is a greater
benefit when using the fuel in mechanical versus computerized engines. Hall
also said the cost effectiveness of using
and making the fuel is still being studied.
Know that it is real: Understand
that the situation is real to your customer.
It may seem elementary to you, the professional who has experienced it all. To
the customer, this situation is new and
the uncertainty of the outcome is the
most bothersome thing to your customer. Certainty is one of those innate human needs that we all must have. Uncertainty may have created anxiety that
manifests itself with anger, accusations
or the charge that you are unprofessional. In this case, people may say things
that later they will regret. In any event,
allow them to vent their feelings. This
may give you insight to what else they
may be experiencing in their life while
you are working on their project. It allows you to get a broader perspective of
the challenge and more information to
create a solution.
Put It into Perspective: Is this a
“code blue” situation? In other words, are
lives in danger? Is there a serious threat
to your reputation? Will there be severe
financial damages? Consider the answers
to these questions from your perspective
and from that of your client. An honest
appraisal of the event will help you to
more freely create solutions. Putting the
situation in perspective means that you
will analyze the impact on your business
and should influence whether to set the
situation aside and for how long. Once
the importance of the challenge is candidly appraised, open communication
with the client is easier and hopefully,
your client will see it in the overall
scheme of the project. By all means, do
not take it personally. See it as a situation
or an event, not as a definition of you or
your customer.
Express appropriate sympathy:
Acknowledging the challenge and
expressing appropriate sympathy for the
situation is imperative. When you acknowledge verbally that a challenge exists, your client knows that you have
heard them. They feel as though you
have an understanding of their plight.
This validation settles their mind to a
place where they can begin to work with
you on solutions. Even if there is a question about who the responsible party
may be, expressing sympathy places you
on common grounds with your client.
Get the facts: Double-check the
facts of the situation. Do not hesitate to
ask lots of questions and take notes in
front of your customer. When a story is repeated and verified over and over, the
truth tends to surface. Verifying all of the
facts creates responsibility. Get clear on as
much as possible. You want to know what
has created the difficulty. The inquiry it-
self may set up a multitude of solutions.
Actively solve the situation: Work to
actively solve the situation. Be proactive in
your approach to the solution. A challenge
that is unsettled only allows matters to get
worse. However, an energetic approach
indicates good intent on your part. When
the other parties in the situation get involved and actively work toward a solution, a synergy is created. When many
people work together on a challenge,
good things can happen. Your customer
sees your proactive approach as a sign of
sincerity. Every solution to the challenge
may not be known at the outset. Your active and interested involvement may generate more solutions along the way.
Enlist Expert Help: It may be necessary to get qualified help to solve the issues. This may be in the form of outsourced experts to endorse your position
or to verify that a challenge even exists.
An objective opinion in many cases will
diffuse the emotion of the moment when
dealing with clients. An outside expert
may offer solutions that neither party
had considered. The expert may also
help put the priorities of the issue in logical order. Experts may come in the form
of engineers, product experts or specialized consultants. The idea here is to get a
qualified individual to offer an unbiased
opinion with the outcome of creating a
solution of the issue at hand.
Agree and deliver: In all cases, if a
challenge with a client is to be resolved,
there must be agreement and delivery.
My attorney friends may not like to hear
this, but our objective as contractors is to
keep our clients happy, our companies
profitable and everyone out of court.
When all of the facts and options for solutions are known, there must be mutual
agreement between contractor and client
for the way the matter is going to be resolved. This mutual agreement is a huge
step, but delivery of the solution is the
determining factor of success. It is like my
father told us while growing up…”There
are only two things that matter, the E’s and
the R’s, Excuses and Results.” Deliver the
results and likely you will regain the confi dence of your client. I am not naive
enough to believe that every client challenge can stay out of court. I do believe
that if we ask enough questions, actively
search for plenty of solutions and deliver
the results, we can convert the majority of
client challenges into client solutions.
Paul Montelongo is the author of 101 Power
Strategies; Tools to Promote Yourself as the Contractor of Choice. Paul is a nationally-recognized speaker and consultant to the construction industry.
Visit Paul at www.ContractorOfChoice.com.
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General Contracting
General Contractors provide variety
With the growth the Austin area has seen, it is no wonder an array of general contracting firms have set up shop around the capital city.
The following are a few interviews with presidents that describe the expertise their firm brings to a project, and how that has helped Austin to grow.
W
ith 18 years of experience in business and two national Associated
General Contractors safety
awards attained, Tremur Consulting Contractors, Inc. is excited about what the
coming year will bring.
“With the increase
in our Sitework and
Site Utility Divisions,
as well as our new
Steel and Ornamental
Iron Division, we are
starting off to a good
year,” said Chris Murray, president of
Tremur. “Our Metal
Building Dealership
also was awarded, and
should bring in more
work.”
This year, Murray says he and San
Juanita Ramos, CEO, have made a commitment to grow the company with the
addition of the Metal Building Dealership,
and for staff in the estimating department
to learn new software and design material.
“We will also have a Master Plumber
on staff and will set up for the State Fireline License Test, which will add even
more quality to our Site Utility Division as
well as training for field employees.”
Both Ramos and Murray have dedicated much time to building their own
expertise and require as much from their
employees and subcontractors.
Ramos worked for nine years as an
electrician and electrical master instructor
for the United States Air Force, an officer
with the Travis County Sheriff’s Department for nine years,
Tremur’s safety manager
for two years and last
year purchased 51 percent of the stock to become the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the corporation.
Murray has six years of
equipment and underground utility experience supervising with
other companies prior to the inception of
Tremur 18 years ago.
“We have worked on a lot of quality
projects, such as Academy Superstore, the
U.T. Geology Building, Daniel Ruiz Library,
Koch Materials, the Sterling Acura Dealership, the city of Austin 12-inch water main,
Second Street Hampton Inn and the Sam
Houston State University Parking Structure,” says Murray. “For the future, we are
looking to work on more metal building
projects, to train employees as much as
possible and to win a third national AGC
safety award.”
J
M
ichael von Ohlen, president of
Prism Development, Inc., has
worked in the construction industry for 20 years.
“I began working in
the construction industry
for the enjoyment of
watching something develop and to see it still
years later,” he says.
To date, his company
has two locations, a total
of 18 employees and completes projects throughout
the Central Texas area in
both public and private
sector work.
“We provide project
management, construction management, general contracting, environmental services and telecommunication services,” said von Ohlen.
A unique project the firm has
worked on is the Austin Bergstrom International Airport Business and Technology Center.
“That was unique because it was
one of the first projects we did in which
we were called upon to do both project
and construction management,” said
von Ohlen. “Prism completed the project under budget and on schedule.”
Though this past year’s slow economy has contributed to a decrease in
Prism’s volume, von Ohlen says Prism
has expanded its expertise in project
management, construction management, project
safety, cost evaluation and
value engineering.
As well, the company
generally works with one
or two core subcontractors. However, because of
the impact of the economy, Prism has accepted
lowest most responsive
sub bids.
“The economy has increased the competitiveness of bidding,” said von Ohlen. “Subcontractors who do not adjust their
numbers to reflect the fluctuations of
the market do not get as much consideration and subsequently do not win
bids.”
For the coming year, von Ohlen says
goals for the company are to provide
independent construction and project
management, project safety, scheduling, estimating, value engineering, cost
evaluation and project inspection services while still providing quality general contracting services for client needs.
ohn M. Braun and David Butler founded Braun
and Butler Construction in Austin in Mar. 1982. The
company operates within 200 miles of Austin with a
staff of 30.
“We provide services as construction
manager or general contractor to both public and private customers for new construction or renovation projects,” said Braun.
“Our most recent projects include school
renovations for Round Rock ISD and Austin
ISD, a new family life center for Immanuel
Lutheran Church in Pflugerville, a new bank
for State Bank in Waller and a new library for
the city of Austin.”
Braun says the partners began the company because construction offered the opportunity for a great sense of accomplishment on a daily basis.
“We believed that there would always be opportunities for a company that focused on attention to detail
and customer satisfaction. Our success is the direct re-
sult of that focus.”
To that end, Braun notes that the company’s volume has remained steady as the economy has slowed
because of repeat clients.
“In the past 10 years, 80 percent of our
projects have been for repeat clients. We
are frequently selected as construction
manager or general contractor because
of the quality project we deliver. Our clients realize value includes more than the
price on bid day.”
Entering new arenas, the company has
expanded use of technology to improve
project management and quality control.
Braun says those efforts have contributed
to the winning of quality awards from the
Greater Austin Quality Council in 1999 and 2001.
“Additionally, we offer clients all of the delivery systems available today, including design-build and construction management. We believe the alternative de-
livery systems provide owners better value than the
traditional low bid delivery system. We assist owners in
evaluating which delivery system is best suited for their
particular project. As more and more owners recognize
that the lowest price does not deliver the best value,
owners will select firms such as Braun and Butler for
their projects.”
As well, the partners say their goal on every project
is to work with qualified subcontractors and suppliers.
“Our reputation is built on our ability to deliver
maximum value to our clients and the abilities of every
member of our subcontractor and supplier team contribute to that success. We strongly support mentorprotégé programs to increase the number of qualified
subcontractors and suppliers in the construction industry. The slow down in the economy has not altered our
goal to only use qualified subcontractors and suppliers.
In fact, it has only reinforced the importance of that
goal. Our commitment to our motto, “the difference is in
the details,” remains unchanged.
G
nancial markets.
“In 2001, we started a Special Service Group (SSG)
that focuses exclusively on smaller projects,” said Nauert. “As the market in Austin for larger construction
projects softened, the need for smaller
project services—minor tenant improvements, ongoing maintenance, repairs,
etc.—increased. In the past year the SSG
volume, and our expertise, has increased
dramatically.”
Nauert says DPR Construction is
known for adding innovation to the conventional construction process.
“We combine traditional, hands-on experience with the newest technology and
inventive techniques to meet the everchanging needs of customers. For example “green”—or high-performance—building is becoming more important to owners in Austin. DPR Construction sits on the board of the U.S. Green Building
Council and helps shape the role of the general
contractor/construction manager in the evolving world
of high-performance green building. We offer LEEDtrained professionals in every office, including 12 in the
Austin office, to help owners determine the best high
performance building strategy for their projects.”
In the past two years, DPR has seen signifi cant growth in the number of projects the
company is working on outside Austin and
into the Dallas/Fort Worth area, San Antonio
and Houston.
“Along these lines we recently completed
our first two projects for M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Smithville and Houston,” said
Nauert. “The projects themselves—laboratory and research renovations in occupied
facilities—were not unique to DPR, but they
have helped establish an excellent relationship with a new client. We have also finished
out more than 23 individual facilities in Texas for a confi dential client in the past 18-months, with more on the
books. It is this type of relationship that expands our
capabilities in other major Texas markets, and is one
more example of the work we enjoy doing.”
ary D. Nauert is the regional manager for DPR Construction, Inc. The company has 15 locations in the
United States, with approximately 250 employees
in Austin, and between 2,000 and 3,000 companywide.
Nauert has worked in the construction industry in
Austin for 31 years.
“I have always been passionate about construction,”
said Nauert. “I started working on commercial projects
while in high school and continued with internships
through college. There’s no business I’d rather be in,
good times or bad.”
DPR Construction offers construction management
and general contracting services. The company specializes in technically-demanding and environmentallysound projects, and serves the biotech/pharmaceutical,
broadcast, corporate office, healthcare, semiconductor
and warehouse and distribution industries.
DPR Construction saw a slight decrease in volume in
2002 because of the soft market for corporate office,
semiconductor and telecommunications projects. However, the firm entered 2003 with an increased backlog
and overall volume, especially in the healthcare and fi -
F O C U S
Page 18
J
. Carroll Faulkner and Martha W.
Faulkner founded CFX, LP in 1996
with the mission of providing excellence in engineering for clients’ needs.
In 2001, the couple founded CFX Construction, LP.
“CFX is the name used to describe
the full service capability of CFX, LP and
CFX Construction, LP,” said Carroll
Faulkner. “Together these two companies provide engineering, construction
and surveying services to both public
and private sector clients in a variety of
industries throughout the United
States.”
Faulkner says the CFX Construction
staff provides extensive expertise in all
areas of construction, from preparing
cost estimates, setting up budgets,
tracking expenditures and resources to
obtaining permits, coordinating with local and state agencies overseeing subcontractors and other construction-related services.
This past year, CFX Construction
performed most site-related civil construction and all necessary on-site supervision using CFX Construction crews.
One of the company’s initial markets
was wireless telecom. Yet, in response to
the downturn of that industry, CFX Construction diversified into public sector
work.
CFX Construction clients include
the city of Austin, Motorola, the Lower
Colorado River Authority, the University
of Texas, Southwest Texas State University, Texas State Technical College and
Texas A&M University, to name a few.
C
“We have partnered on a number of
design-build projects, including the city
of Austin 9-1-1 RDMT project,” said
Faulkner. “Because of the inter-company relationship, we are able to pursue
design-build with CFX engineering as
prime.”
On a personal level, Faulkner’s exposure to construction came from growing up in a family that worked in the industry.
“My dad and his three brothers were
all civil engineering graduates of the
College of Engineering at the University
of Texas at Austin,” said Faulkner. “My
father began Faulkner Construction in
Pecos, Texas, my Uncle Joe ran Faulkner
Construction in Beeville and my Uncle
Royce began Faulkner Construction
Company in Austin. Martha and I often
explain that we started CFX Construction because Faulkners build things.”
CFX, LP and CFX Construction, LP
are WBE certified by the city of Austin
and HUB and DBE certified by the state
of Texas.
2003 Schedule
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(512) 447-2900
hris Holechek is vice president of
Scott & Reid General Contractors, Inc. in Austin. The company
has three locations in Texas, with nine
employees in Austin and 55 employees
companywide.
“We work in commercial construction, both ground up and interior finishout/remodel, and specialize in office
warehouse, industrial, institutional, recording studios and others,” said
Holechek. “I have been working in the
construction industry, in some fashion,
for 22-plus years.
While growing up,
Holechek’s father, and a
few partners, owned a
swimming pool construction
company.
When Holechek was 12
years old, he said he began working for his father in the summers.
“When I was 14 years
old, I bought out one of
my father’s partners,”
said Holechek. “I worked
in that industry through
college, where I earned my bachelor’s
degree in Construction Management
from the University of Nebraska.”
Early exposure and drive have given
Holechek insight when working in the
construction industry during challenging times.
“Scott & Reid has had some big
work that started eight or 10 months
ago, which has kept the volume steady,
but we have seen a slight decrease in
the amount of Tenant Improvement
work,” said Hoelchek. “The abundance
of sublease space available has really
impacted interiors work. Those tenants
that are choosing to move are often taking sublease space where few renovations are required.”
A
.M. Alexander, general operations
manager for Brycon Corporation
in Austin, has worked in the construction industry for 23 years.
Brycon, established in 1991, has four
locations in the southwestern United States and provides general contracting,
construction management
and design- build services.
“We are a licensed general contractor in states
across the southwest, and we
have the resources to manage any size project,” says
Alexander. “Our projects
range from high-tech facilities, public buildings, tenant
improvements, schools, retail facilities and hospitals.”
The company has managed more
than $300 million in construction volume
as both a general contractor and as a
construction manager.
“As a construction manager/design
Austin Construction News  May 2003
Holechek says for the moment the
company is focusing on the areas of
work it has established itself in and is
continuing to build relationships with
current customers and subcontractors.
“We utilize a core group of subcontractors for nearly all of our work. We do
this because we have a relationship with
these companies and we know what to
expect when these contractors move
onto a project site. Further, it provides a
level of continuity for our superintendents. But, that isn’t to say that Scott &
Reid is not open to meeting new, qualified subcontractors.”
Since the company
opened in Austin in 2000,
Holechek says it has seen
a much greater emphasis
on green building, as
compared to the Dallas/
Fort Worth area.
“Depending on who
the customer is, we’re
often working with at
least some aspect of energy or environmentallyconscious construction methods or materials,” says Holechek. “One of the most
interesting projects we’ve been working
on has been the Lower Colorado River
Authority Transmission Services Consolidation Phase II project. It incorporates
a number of green building design elements with some very striking architectural features. Further, it has been particularly challenging overcoming an array of issues that arose with the demolition of two buildings and re-routing all
of the facility’s utilities.
“That is just one example of how
Scott & Reid works to always maintain
the highest level of customer satisfaction we have had the last 10 years,” said
Holechek.”
builder, we bring together owners, engineers and contractors to provide a single
source of coordination,” said Alexander.
“Brycon understands the importance of
managing an efficient and timely project
and commits the necessary resources to accomplish our clients’ goals.”
Projects of note for the
company include: Garza
County Hospital, on-going and multiple projects
for the University of New
Mexico, the State of New
Mexico Metro Forensics
Laboratory, projects for
Intel, Samsung and other
semiconductor manufacturers.
For the coming year, Alexander says
the company will focus on increasing its
work in design-build and maintaining its
relationships with existing clients while
establishing relationships with future clients.
Baker Drywall
ASSOCIATED BUILDERS
AND CONTRACTORS,INC.
CENTRAL TEXAS CHAPTER
ABC - Training Today for Tomorrow!
Take advantage of the ABC OSHA Grant.
Call the ABC office today at 719-5263 and schedule
Tool Box Talks delivered on your jobsite in
English and Spanish at no cost!
3006 Longhorn Blvd. Suite 104 Austin, TX 78758 Ph: 512-719-5263
Planning - Design - Construction
of
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General Operations Manager
Gene Holmes
Divison Vice President
Victor Murillo
Business Manager
(888) 927.9266
www.brycon.com
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Cedar Park, Tx 78613
1-800-684-4517
512-260-7600
Fax 260-7606
www.bakerdrywall.com
F O C U S
Austin Construction News  May 2003
RV
S SUUR
VEEY Y
This month we are highlighting the General Contracting Industry.
The response was 06%.
40% considered their company “small” with less than $15 million in sales.
30% considered their company “medium” with $16 - $50 million in sales.
30% considered their company “large” with $51+ million in sales.
4 companies were involved in a lawsuit in the last 12 months.
2 companies were audited by the IRS in the last 12 months.
4 companies were inspected by OSHA in the last 12 months.
2 companies are woman and/or minority owned.
1=Strongly Agree
2=Agree
3=Neutral
4=Disagree
5=Strongly Disagree
Results are measured in percentages.
1
PERSONNEL
Have more estimators on staff than one year ago:..................... 20
Employees are requesting more pay and benefits than
those provided:.............................................................. 10
Our staff includes a full-time human resources position:............ 20
We are reducing our staff levels: ................................................ 00
INTERNAL OPERATIONS
We intend to open additional offices in 2003:............................. 00
Company growth requires relocation to larger facility:................ 10
Our company works outside of the Austin area:......................... 56
Cost of insurance rose substantially in 2002: ............................. 40
R
on Albee, president of Jay-Reese
Contractors, Inc., began working
in the construction industry for a
homebuilder when he was 16 years
old.
“I was doing concrete and carpentry
work during the summer. I also had summer
construction jobs while I
was in college after I got
out of the Army. I have
been in construction
since then, totaling 34
years.”
Albee credits his father for helping him discover what he wanted to
do in life.
“When I was a junior in high school,
my father asked me what I wanted to
be when I grew up. I wasn’t sure, so he
asked me what I liked to do, and I re-
2 3 4 5
20 10 10 40
10 40 20 20
00 10 10 60
00 40 30 30
00
40
44
40
10
00
00
20
30
00
00
00
40
50
00
00
plied, “build things.” He suggested I
become a civil engineer, and I never
changed my mind from that moment
on.”
Over the last 14 years,
Albee says his company’s volume has increased steadily, last
year being no exception.
“It was very hard to
continue with modest
growth with the increased competition because of the economic
down turn. We were
forced to look farther
and farther out of town
to find opportunities.
We are fortunate to have strong employees that are willing to work away
from home.”
Albee said Jay-Reese has done
General Contracting
Page 19
TECHNOLOGY
Staff includes full-time computer specialist to maintain
equipment: .................................................................... 20
Computer viruses adversely affected our operations in 2002:.... 00
We will upgrade our technology in 2003:.................................... 00
We use a Website for project control: ......................................... 00
10
10
40
10
00
30
30
50
30
30
10
20
40
30
20
20
JOB SITE ISSUES
We use job site security cameras and alarms: ........................... 20
Architects acknowledge us on the excellence of our work:......... 50
Our mantra is safety, safety, safety: ............................................ 30
Job site theft remains a problem, in spite of our efforts:............. 20
00
30
70
10
50
10
00
40
00
10
00
20
30
00
00
10
SUBCONTRACTORS
Safety compliance by subcontractors meets our expectations:.. 00
Out-of-town subcontractors are driving bids down: .................... 10
Most subcontractors are dependable and deliver results: .......... 00
The majority of our subcontractors work on every job:............... 10
40
10
50
40
30
40
40
30
30
40
10
20
00
00
00
00
FINANCIAL ISSUES
Our profit line is better this year than one year ago:................... 00
Bonding is difficult to obtain:....................................................... 00
Operating costs have risen substantially over the past year:...... 00
We are projecting stability in business in 2003:.......................... 20
30
10
60
50
30
20
30
20
40
70
10
10
00
00
00
00
PERSONAL
I spend more than 10 hours a day at work: ................................ 10
Business demands have reduced time with my family: .............. 20
Affiliation with professional associations improves our
credibility: ...................................................................... 20
I still have time to play:................................................................ 00
more work for airports around the
state, which is a variation from its normal scope of work. Since the company
travels to many of its jobs, Albee says
he also hires a significant number of
subcontractors he hasn’t worked with
before. He says subcontractors have to
be competitive in their pricing, yet previous successful projects and relationships are worth a lot.
As part of diversification, Albee
says his company has begun doing
more design-build work.
“We are able to use our wide exposure to unique projects to assist the
design team to create the most cost effective product for the owner. One
unique project we built was the James
D. Pfluger, FAIA Bridge over Town Lake.
The architectural design and the construction challenges on water made
this a unique experience. We were fortunate to be involved with a great team
60 20 10 00
30 30 20 00
40 40 00 00
70 10 20 00
of consultants and the city of Austin
personnel to accomplish this highly visible project.
“We also built a Roller Compacted
Concrete “dam” at the Oak Hill Regional
Detention Pond through the city of
Austin. It was a 700 -ft long dam with
5,000 cu.yd. of concrete installed on
the downstream face with bulldozers
and compaction rollers to give a tiered
affect.
“These projects don’t come along
in this area very often and we were fortunate to have previous experience
working in other parts of the state on
similar projects,” said Albee. “We always put an excellent safety record as
one of our primary goals, and we also
maintain our goal for modest growth
with more repeat business. I believe
this creates more opportunity for
growth and training for our people.”
“Green”
commercial incentives
A
ustin Energy has designed programs
and incentives to help commercial
building owners receive lower operating costs, increased employee productivity and higher indoor air quality. Representatives from Austin Energy consult with designers, engineers and construction professionals during the design phase of building
to provide information on resource-effi cient building materials and systems, how
to reduce construction and operations
waste, as well as environmental and financial issues to consider during the design and
construction process. Many services are
free to Austin businesses.
Services include: Technical seminars,
individualized technical assistance, cash incentives for commercial new construction
and major renovations, programming assistance, construction document review,
marketing for new structures, technical
analysis for energy efficiency, natural resource conservation, healthy indoor environments, assistance in coordinating rebates when applicable.
Staff contact: Maureen Scanlon
512-505-3705
[email protected].
��
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H
B C / Te r r a c o n ’s
Austin office is
pleased to announce
the promotion of Patrick M. Beecher, P.E.
to project manager in
the geotechnical engineering
department. Mr. Beecher earned his BSCE and
MSCE from Texas A&M University. He has
been with HBC/Terracon since 1999.
H
BC/Terracon is pleased to announce
the promotion of George D. Cozart,
P.E. to division manager of the HB Division of Terracon. The HBC Division includes Terracon’s Texas offices located in
Austin, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and
Texas City. Mr. Cozart is one of the founding principals of HBC Engineering in
1994. He has more than 28 years experience with geotechnical engineering and
environmental consulting projects in
Texas. He earned his BSCE and MSCE from
Texas A&M University. Mr. Cozart now
serves on the Board of Directors and Operations Committee for Terracon, Inc.
B
ryan Moulin, P.E.
has joined HBC/
Terracon’s Austin office as a project manager in the geotechnical engineering department. Mr. Moulin
earned his BSCE from
Auburn University and his MSCE from the
University of Texas at Austin. He has been
with HBC/Terracon since 1998.
H
ROUND-UP
B C / Te r r a c o n ’s
Austin office is
pleased to announce
the promotion of
James
G.
Bierschwale, P.E. to Austin office manager. He
was one of the founders of HBC Engineering and has worked as a geotechnical engineer and engineering manager in the
Austin/Central Texas area for more than
18 years. Mr. Bierschwale earned his BSCE
from Texas A&M University and his MSCE
from the University of Texas at Austin.
S
arah Gilbert has
joined
HBC/
Terracon as an environmental
project
manager. She has
more than 10 years
environmental consulting experience in
Texas. Previously she was with Law Engineering & Environmental. Ms. Gilbert
holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
geology from Baylor University.
L
arry Irsik, principal of the Austin
office of architecture
firm, Architexas, is
chairman of the Regional Building Industry Council in Austin
and was elected as
vice president of Strategic Planning for
Preservation Texas.
V
ortechnics, Inc.,
the leading provider of stormwater
treatment systems,
has promoted Amy E.
Anzelc to regional
sales manager of its
central United States
territory. The company’s central regional
sales office is based in Austin. Anzelc
joined Vortechnics in 2000 as a technical
support engineer and provided customers with industry-leading expertise in the
fields of stormwater treatment system
design and regulatory guidance. She
holds a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management Technology from the
University of Maine.
R
osemary Pardu
has joined the
Austin office of Sentinel Waste as the company’s new head of
dispatch.
M
r. Chien-Nan
Fu, P.E. recently
joined Raba-Kistner
Infrastructure, Inc.
as the construction
quality
assurance
testing manager for
SH-130. Mr. Fu has
over 20 years of experience in geotechnical and materials engineering, testing, and research. In addition to work on the SH-130 project, Mr. Fu
also will provide construction management and oversight inspection and testing services for other Raba-Kistner infrastructure projects. Mr. Fu received his B.S.
in Hydraulic Engineering at Chung Yuan
Christian College of Science and Engineering in Taiwan and his M.S. in Engineering from The University of Texas at
Arlington. He is an active member of the
International Center for Aggregate Research (ICAR) and the Texas Aggregate
and Construction Association.
B
J
ose I. Guerra, Inc.
is pleased to announce the addition
of Gabriel Carrera,
E.I.T. to its structural
division. Carrera is a
graduate of the University of Texas at El
Paso and is currently working on the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant expansion
project.
ury+Partners is
pleased to announce the addition
of Brian Estes, P.E. to
its Austin office. Estes
joins the firm as a
project manager and
has extensive engineering experience.
Mr. Estes graduated from Oklahoma
State University in 1997 with a Bachelor’s
of Science in Civil Engineering and from
University of Texas in 2001 with a M.S.E.
in Engineering Management.
continued from Page 3
R.W. Burdett wins award
Sunbelt Builders Show places call for presentations
T
he organizers of the Sunbelt Builders Show 2003 are seeking “Call for
Presentations” from all members of
the National Association of Home
Builders and any building industry experts who would like to present topics
impacting the building industry at the
upcoming 2003 Sunbelt Builders Show.
The third annual Sunbelt Builders
Show, sponsored by the Texas Association of Builders (TAB), will be held Oct.
16-18, 2003 at the Dallas Convention
Center in Dallas. This regional exposition
and conference is dedicated exclusively
to builders, custom builders, remodelers
and contractors of the southwest region
of the United States.
A program of seminars, panels and
special certification programs will provide corporate decision makers and industry professionals with the opportunity to learn about the latest issue strategies and solutions in the southwest
building market.
“Our members play a crucial role in
the continuing development of the Sunbelt Builders Show,” stated Kristi Sutterfield, executive vice president of TAB.
“We rely on these members for input regarding conference topics, marketing resources and support of our sponsoring
manufacturers and suppliers.”
Beverly Koehn, chairperson for the
Sunbelt Builders Show 2003 executive
committee agreed. “The content of the
session should focus on specific trends
work in the construction industry
working for my father and running his
company,” said Burdett. “We still team
up together on projects, even though
my company concentrates more on
commercial and government projects,
and he leans more to the residential
side.”
Presently, R.W. Burdett is working
on adding commercial restrooms to an
Exxon Gas Station in Johnson City, and
is building new offices for the Blanco
County Commissioner’s Precinct facility.
As well, the general contractor
plans to build a low-water crossing for
Burnet County and performs a majority
of work for the Pedernales Electrical
Cooperative.
and dynamics that will impact professionals in the building industry. We are
committed to providing attendees with
the latest information and newest strategies in the industry.”
The conference will cover topics in the
areas of sales and marketing, management,
production, technology and other new topics in the building industry. The format will
be several concurrent sessions over two
days with most sessions being 90 minutes
in length. Please submit suggestions to
Todd Davis at 972-402-0094, ext. 201, or
[email protected]. The deadline for
your topic to be considered is May 16, 2003.
For further information on the Sunbelt Builders Show, please visit the Web
site: www.SunbeltBuildersShow.com.
Work-zone Traffic Control
8-Hour Class, May 28, $195 per person.
Planning/maintaining traffic flow through a work-zone
using TXDOT and MUTCD guidelines.
Railroad/Construction Safety Awareness
2-Hour Class, May 27, $25 per person.
Railroad workplace safety using Dept. of TransportationFederal Railroad Administration guidelines.
Consulting/Safety Programs
512-462-1234 512-442-4393 Fax
1701 W Ben White Bldg. 4
Austin, TX 78704
Western States Fire Protection Co.
“ Solutions for the Protection of Lives & Property”
1609 SHOAL CREEK BOULEVARD SUITE 300
AUSTIN, TEXAS 78701
Call Joel Sands, Area Manager at:
512.832.8069
512.832.8611 Fax
www.wsfp.com • [email protected]
Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
16069 Central Commerce Dr. Pflugerville, Texas 78660
Offices Throughout North America
NAWIC holds
spring golf
tourney
T
he beginning of April not only
meant bluebonnets had sprung,
but that the Austin Chapter of the
National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) was off to Plum Creek
Golf Course in Kyle to hold its yearly golf
tournament.
This year, 20 golfers met on Apr. 4,
2003 to go for par. Door prizes were
handed out and a catfish fry was held after the tournament.
The following are the list of winners:
First Place: Sentinel Waste; Second
Place: Schmidt Electric and Third Place:
Ace Contractors Supply.
The winner for Bringing up the Rear
went to Austin Lumber Company and
Rachel Craft won Women’s Closest to
the Pin.
“It was a great tournament, and I
want to thank all of our generous sponsors who were very helpful,” said Angela
Visintainer, Austin Chapter president.
ASSOCIATION NEWS
ABC
AIA
ASA
May 2, 16 & 30: The Central Texas Associated Builders and Contractors will
hold its ESO classes from 8 am until
noon.
May 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31: Defensive Driving classes from 9 am until 3:30 pm.
May 6: Membership Committee meeting beginning at 11:30 am.
May 12: Safety Committee meeting
beginning at 11:30 am.
May 14: Confined Space class from 8
am until 5 pm.
May 19: Apprenticeship Committee
meeting beginning at 11:30 am.
May 20: Chapter Dinner meeting at
the Hills Café for ‘Meet the GC’ night.
May 26: The ABC office will be closed.
May 28: Oops An Accident class from
1 pm until 3 pm.
For more information call 512-719-5263.
May 2: The American Institute of Architects Austin Chapter will hold its
Executive Committee meeting beginning at 11:30 am at the Chapter office.
May 8 -10: AIA National Convention in
San Diego, Calif.
May 12: Deadline for entries to be
submitted for the 2003 Design
Awards.
May 13: ‘An Evening with Frank Lloyd
Wright’ beginning at 6:30 pm at the
Dell Jewish Community Center to benefit the CSI/AGC scholarship funds.
May 26: Chapter office will be closed.
June 6: 17th Annual AIA Austin/Acme
Brick Golf Tournament at the Golf Club
at Star Ranch.
May 5: The American Subcontractors
Association Austin Chapter will hold its
Annual Golf tournament at Forest
Creek Country Club in Round Rock be ginning at 11 am.
May 13: Monthly luncheon at the Red
Lion Hotel located at 6121 IH-35 @290.
For more information call 512-218-8275
or email [email protected].
ACEA
May 8: The Austin Contractors and
Engineers Association will hold its
monthly membership meeting at The
County Line On The Hill beginning at
noon.
May 15: Political Affairs meeting be ginning at 11 am.
May 15: Regulatory Oversight meeting beginning at noon at Pate Engineers offices.
June 24: Heatstroke Golf Tournament
at the Avery Ranch Golf Club
For more information call Lisa Lamb at
512-836 -3140.
AGC
A winning team shares a few smiles
and a bite to eat.
IIDA holds
Evolution
for Habitat
M
embers and guests of the Austin
City Center of the International
Interior Design Association
(IIDA) enjoyed a night out on Sat., Apr.
12th at the organization’s Evolution silent
and live auctions and fundraiser.
The event was held at the Umlauf
Sculpture Gardens where The Bop Kings
played for the enjoyment of members
and guests. A portion of the proceeds
raised went to support Habitat for Humanity of Austin.
IIDA is a professional nonprofit networking association that represents all
facets within the interior design profession. Evolution is the annual fundraiser
for the Austin City Center of IIDA, an
event-planning and education component of the Texas/Oklahoma Chapter.
This year’s auctions raised approximately $7,500 to $8,000. Member organizations and guests put up luxurious
items for auction, including tickets to
Cirque de Soliel’s performance of Alegria,
a bay fishing trip or guided duck hunt for
three, various items of hand crafted furniture and a pampered stay at the Stephen
F. Austin Hotel downtown.
Each year the Austin City Center selects a charity or nonprofit organization
in the community to support.
“We are planning a Sat. work day at
one of the Habitat houses, starting in
May,” said Rheannon Cunningham,
with Page Sutherland Page and director
of communications for the Austin City
Center. “We hope to organize several
more work days throughout the year. My
May 3 & 4: The Austin Chapter Associated General Contractors will hold the
annual Bay Fishing Tournament in Port
Aransas, TX.
May 5: Education Committee meeting
May 12: Safety Committee meeting
May 13: ‘An Evening with Frank Lloyd
Wright’ beginning at 6:30 pm at the
Dell Jewish Community Center to benefit the CSI/AGC scholarship funds.
May 14: Activities Committee meeting beginning at 11:30 am.
May 19: Annual Spring Golf Tournament at Lost Creek Golf Club.
APHCC
The Associated Plumbing-HeatingCooling Contractors of Texas are offering several classes in Austin at the
APHCC of Texas office on 505 E. Huntland Dr., Ste 170 and other locations
listed below. Members and non-members are welcome.
June 12-15: Backflow Certification
class from 8 am until 6 pm all four days.
Re - certification all day on Sat.
June 21-22: Tradesman Test Preparation Course from 8 am until 5 pm both
days.
June 28 -29: Master Test Preparation
Course from 8 am until 5 pm both
days.
For more information call David Palacio, education director, at 1-800 -8319313 or email at dpal@phcc-tx- org.
ARA
The Austin Remodelers Association has
moved to 101 Parque Circle in George town, TX 78626.
May 1: The ARA and KVAN-TV (WB 54)
present a unique television-based
marketing campaign presentation at
Nuevo Leon Restaurant located at 1501
East 6th Street.
IEEE
May 27: The Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers, Inc. will hold its
monthly meeting at El Gallo Mexican
Restaurant located at 2910 S Congress.
Topic of discussion will be SatchonSWMCO.
For more information call Steve Kanetzky at 512-326 -3380 or go to the
IEEE web site at http://ewh.ieee.org/
soc/pes/centraltexas/.
NAWIC
May 1: The National Association of
Women in Construction will hold its
regular meeting at Tres Amigos south.
May 23: Final deadline for Barnes David Scholarship.
For more information call Laura Culin
at
512- 476 -5534
or
email
at
[email protected].
THC
May 15-17: The Texas Historical Commission will hold its annual Preservation Conference in Austin.
For more information call Debbi Head
at 512- 463- 6255 or email at debbi.hea
[email protected].
WIR
May 28: The Women in Remodeling will
hold its monthly meeting beginning at
noon at the office of Robert Coe Builders,
Inc., located at 1108 Bluebonnet Ln. #204
in Austin. WIR meets the fourth Wed. of
every month.
Business Card Exchange
Office (512) 440-7751
Mobile: (512) 801-9839
Fax: (512) 440-7752
Searcey & Searcey, Inc.
c.c.
1218 Slaughter Lane W. • Austin, Texas 78748
Insurance & Bonding
N. R. CONCRETE
For Contractors
Manager of General Partnership
Foundations, Flat Work, Commercial & Residential Concrete
Call us today:
GOOD QUALITY WORK
CALL FOR FREE ESTIMATE
AUSTIN, TX 78704
612 Brazos, Suite 210
Austin, Texas 78701
Office: (512) 476-4282
Fax: (512) 476-4286
Evelyn Page
Nick Page
The Bob James Company, Inc.
A diversified builders service company
Shane Turner
Operations Manager
9741 Hwy 290 E.
Austin, TX 78724
email: [email protected]
Specializing in Quality Masonry Projects
Light Commercial
Office: 1-877-606-0870
(972) 596-1592
Mobile: (512) 771-2740
Pager: (512) 207-2289
BRANCH MANAGER
THAD ZIEGLER GLASS, LTD.
For New Branch
in Boerne, Texas
Knowledge in
Glass Industry preferred.
Great benefits.
Send resume w/references:
Thad C. Ziegler
P.O. Box 8298
San Antonio, TX 78208-0298
Or email: [email protected]
EOE
OUTSIDE
SALES MANAGER
TEXANA MACHINERY
AUSTIN
CALL
KIRBY CARPENTER
San Antonio 210-333-8000
Austin 512-272-8922
City code links
City codes and development criteria
have become easier to use.
New online versions of the Land
Development Code
www.amlegal.com/austin_tx/
and Technical Manuals
www.amlegal.com/austin_techmanual/
are set up to save people time in
getting information.
512.280.5194
Fax. 512.280.1704
Custom Residential
Glass Block
Brick, Block, Stone
Concrete Masonry Homes
Off: (512) 388-3834
Fax: (512) 388-2352
continued from Page 1 - Hutchinson Construction refreshes Expo Center
and make it a win-win for everyone involved. The project needs to work for
the owner, subcontractors, the contractor, the architect and the community
that may use the facility. What we have
been able to accomplish with the project not only benefits the county in increased revenue, but it benefits the
community by having a nice facility to
go to.”
The renovation to the Expo Center
began in Oct. 2001 and was completed
this past summer. The Expo Center
seats 6,500 people in bleachers and
another 3,000 on the arena floor. The
center’s Skyline Club accommodates
approximately 400 people.
According to Carter & Burgess Project Manager David Douthit, P.E., “This
was a building that was virtually unusable in the summertime, and now it’s
much more marketable for sporting
and special event venues. The fact that
the project was a renovation/retrofit
required that the design be addressed
as two distinct parts. The first portion
included the renovation and expansion
of a previously unconditioned building
into a well-insulated, energy-efficient,
fully-conditioned arena. This second
portion included a new stand-alone
central plant building to serve the entire facility.”
Hutchinson project manager and
estimator for the Expo Center project,
Ben Simcox, said providing a new
stand-alone central heating and cooling plant to make the Expo Center climate controlled was one of the biggest
parts of the project.
“We found this particular HVAC system to be the most efficient way to produce heating and cooling for a facility
this size. The arena has all underground
and above ground piping that hooks up
to air handler units on four corners of the
building, plus a fifth that serves the concession area.”
Douthit agreed, saying that the chillers used for the HVAC system are unique
for the Austin area.
“Travis County Facilities Management asked us to investigate alternative
energy sources for providing refrigeration for the HVAC system serving the
arena. Natural gas-fired centrifugal chillers were ultimately chosen for the project to reduce the electrical demand of
the facility.”
Hutchinson also said the insulation
of the arena and concession area was an
important part to ensure the working order of the HVAC system.
“We were able to find a contractor
that uses an insulation system that fit the
needs of the project, and at the same
time, was architecturally pleasing. The
insulation is pulled tight across the ceiling and supported by bars and then stapled in place. If needed, a worker can
peel back the insulation at the staple
point, get into the ceiling, and when
done, just staple back the insulation.”
Through hard work and coordination, Hutchinson said the entire construction team rose to the challenge to have
the HVAC system functioning in time for
events Travis County had scheduled be-
fore the project’s final completion date.
Lloyd Evans, project manager for
Travis County and acting director of the
Exposition Center explained, “We had a
few concerts and wrestling events and a
semipro ice hockey team, but the center
was absolutely miserable in the summer heat, and you’d freeze to death in
the winter.”
He added that the Travis County
Commissioners Court agreed to make
funding available for HVAC, “so that the
Expo Center would become more appealing and attract a variety of venues.”
Evans says the plan has paid off.
“The interest level has probably increased at least 50 percent and more
and more people will want to book
events now that they’ve seen it. It’s a
very good-looking building.”
Today, Evans says the Expo Center
has attracted such diverse events as
wrestling, indoor football, Christian
concerts, a month-long rodeo event
this winter, the Republic of Texas Biker
Rally in June, the Texas Heat Wave Car
Show and TejanoFest.
Subcontractors and suppliers who
worked on the Travis County Expo Center renovation include: Ideal National
Mechanical Corporation; Titus Electrical Contracting; Insulation Corporation of America; A&B Site Utilities;
Carpenter Masonry; Sunrise Painting;
Ameri-Tex Metal Building Construction; Cain Concrete Construction and
all employees with Hutchinson Construction.
continued from Page 21 - IIDA holds Evolution for Habitat
INDUSTRIAL
ASPHALT, INC.
INDUSTRIAL
ASPHALT & SEAL, INC.
husband and I have both been involved with Habitat by working on Sat. at their jobsites. We even were able to see a house dedicated to a family. Working with Habitat for
Humanity of Austin is truly a wonderful experience.”
ASPHALT
CITY WORK
STATE WORK
SEALING
PAVING COMPANY OF AUSTIN, INC.
RESIDENTIAL
P.O. Box 1649
Buda, Texas 78610
COMMERCIAL
PAVING
STRIPING
POT HOLE REPAIR
COLD MIX
CAR STOPS
WBE * DBE * HUB
23 YEARS EXPERIENCE
(512) 312-1666
Rheannon Cunningham and Jennifer Bussinger of IIDA’s Austin City Center stand with
the display board for Habitat for Humanity of Austin at Evolution.
On Location
TACLA014827E
TACLA000136C
AC - DESIGN - FABRICATION - INSTALLATION
SERVICE - HEATING - VENTILATION
3312 DUKE ROAD
AUSTIN, TEXAS 78724
512-928-2470
“Excellence in Service”
Sharon McGee
President
ASSOCIATED BUILDERS
AND CONTRACTORS, INC.
www.rmmechanical.com
Steve Poldrack, with MLA Labs, Inc., performs a Grain Size Analysis Hydrometer Test
in the company’s facility on Longhorn Blvd.
Mac Belk and Frank James, of Janov Millwork, frame wood for a banister in the worship center
for the new Canyon Creek Baptist Church. General Contractor is DPR Construction, Inc.
Mark Balades with Corbin and Company paints a restroom wall in an Austin facility.
TXDOT and City of Austin Approved Mix Designs
(512) 238-7611
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May - Construction News

Transcription

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