austin construction news january 2016

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www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 16 H Number 1 H JANUARY 2016

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Austin

Negrete & Kolar Architects began in 2003 when David Negrete and Roger Kolar, architects who have

practiced in south and central Texas for more than 30 years, combined forces. The firm has offices in Austin and Ed-inburg. When Kolar retired in 2011, Negrete’s wife, Diana, bought Kolar’s remaining shares and became a partner. She han-dles human resources and accounts pay-able. “After Roger retired, we reorganized as Negrete and Kolar LLP,” David says. Austin is the firm’s principal location and they currently have five employees, but David says he is evaluating recruit-ment of talented, passionate people.

“I’m always looking to find passionate and intelligent people,” he says. “The rest can be taught. The most difficult short- and long-term issue is to have the right personnel in line with what we are doing.” Austin office senior project manager Bruce Menke has been with Negrete since the beginning. “He is a critical element in making ev-erything work,” Negrete says. The Austin office relocated from downtown to North Austin three years ago, and he says the firm has had contin-uous and steady work. The firm is both a state-certified HUB (Historically Underutilized Business) firm,

Austin staff includes, L-R: David Negrete. Bruce W. Menke, Jesse Martinez and Jason George.

Stanley Consultants, an employee-owned firm operating since 1913, is a provider of engineering, environ-

mental and construction services in 30 locations worldwide. The Austin office opened in 1998 and houses 40 highly technical professional engineers, design-ers and construction managers provid-ing multi-discipline engineering services. They create innovative solutions for com-plex energy, environmental and infra-structure projects. Stanley Consultants has successfully completed more than 25,000 engage-ments for more than 2,500 educational, healthcare, utility, government agencies, industrial, commercial and private cli-ents. The Austin office continues to ex-

pand project capabilities for power gen-eration, power delivery, environmental, thermal utility plants and building ser-vices. “I take great pride in our continued client success that we attribute to quality work, on-time performance, customer at-tention and competitive pricing,” said Randy Schrecengost, PE CEM opera-tions manager of the Austin office. When Stanley celebrated it’s 100th anniversary in 2013, the firm chose to give back through community service. Austin’s employees donated their time to the Texas Ramp Project by building mul-tiple wheelchair ramps for low-income,

The Austin office of Stanley Consultants celebrated the firm’s 100-year anniversary with cake.

Each month we reserve this premium space in our publication to feature a recently completed proj-ect by an Austin general contractor.

Our goal is to vary the project and contractor size to afford everyone the opportunity to participate. We feel a small- or medium-sized project constructed by a small- or medium-sized contractor is just as important as the high profile projects that seem to receive all the atten-tion by other media. Finding those small to medium projects can be dif-ficult at times. Some contractors might think we would not be interested in their project because it may be a modest one. Some may think because they are not a huge company with a full-time marketing staff they don’t have a chance to make the front page of our paper. Nothing could be further from the truth. Since we began our first paper, the San Antonio Con-struction News in October 1998, we have always reached out to everyone big and small. In this tough economy we want to highlight our Texas-based general contractors who are in the game and competing with the out-of-state contractors who have come to our great state.

The Rabb House by John King Construction Ltd.

The Gracy Title interior by RG Tate & AssociatesThe Boardwalk trail by Jay-Reese Contractors

Sonesta Bee Cave by Zapalac/ Reed Construction Co.

Austin Construction News • Jan 2016


Spirit of Christmas

The Austin Construction News (ISSN 1547-7649) is published monthly, by Construction News Ltd., dba Austin Construction News, and distributed by mail to selected construction-related companies in Austin and surrounding counties. All submissions should be mailed to our editorial offices. We reserve the right to edit any materials submitted. No fees for materials, copy or photographs submitted will be due unless agreed upon in advance in writing. Submissions will be published at our discretion on a space-available basis. Construction News, Ltd., dba Austin Construction News, will not be liable for errors in copy or in advertisements beyond the actual cost of space occupied by the error. Publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement at any time.

If you are a construction-related company in Travis, Hays, Bastrop, Burnet, Blanco, Caldwell or Williamson counties and are not receiving a free copy of the Austin Construction News,

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Smile in KyleConstruction News JOB SIGHT

CSI Hose Services employees work on the ventilation system going into the Kyle ER project, owned by Dr. Tom Vo. The GC is Huffman Builders, Cedar Park. –cw

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Austin Chapter got into the holiday spirit with a Christmas Par-

ty at Abel’s On The Lake on Dec. 2. The event was well attended and no “grinch-es” were allowed! –cw

L-R: Sarah Johnson, controller, Wurzel Builders; and Tim Bentley, vice president,Wurzel Builders, and his guest.

L-R: Carson Fisk, Ford Nassen; Jeff Chapman, The Chapman Firm; and Clayton Utkov, Ford

Nassen

Autumn Eastus, Harvey Cleary BuildersL-R: Rick Rushton, Anchor-Ventana Glass;and Roland Rios and Becky Moose with

Southern Demolition LLC

Ugly sweatersand beautiful purses

National Women in Construction (NAWIC) Austin Chapter combined a Tacky Sweat-er Christmas party with a purse drive to benefit SafePlace. –cw

Tacky Sweater winners were L-R: Toni Osberry, Ugly Sweater; Chaundra Callaway, Uglier Sweater; and Britanie Olvera, Ugliest Sweater! All of the sweaters were homemade!

Three boxes of purses will go to help women escaping abuse in Austin.


L-R: Korina and Beatrice Jaimes take care of the office at PCW Construction Inc. in Austin. The contracting company provides excavation, foundation and engineering work. –cw

Smile powerConstruction News ON LOCATION

Business is a game! Play to win!Part 1 of a 3 part seriesCarrie D. Bradshaw, C.P.A.Brown, Graham & Company P.C.Georgetown, TX

Know your scoreBusiness is a game and your financial statements are

your scoreboard. Do you know your score? Are you winning or losing the game? In order to answer this question, you must first understand the financial

management of your company and the story your financial statements tell about your company. Consider your monthly balance sheet as the score at the end of a period; a quarterly balance is your score at the end of the game; and an annual balance is your score at the end of the season. You can make adjustments to the game plan during the quarter if you are paying attention during the game. When you get to the end of the game you will see if your strategic adjustments worked to win the game. If it worked, maintain that strategy for the next game. If it did not work, the strategy needs to be adjusted for the next game to have a winning season. In a nutshell, your balance sheet is composed of assets, liabilities and equity. Assets are what you own. Liabilities are what you owe. Net worth is what is left over.

Ratio analysis – understanding your scoreboard Financial managers use a methodology referred to as ratio analysis to understand the scoreboard. You are probably familiar with some of these ratios as you have been in conversation with your bonding agent or banker. When you evaluate your ratios related to your balance sheet, consider the following:Current working capital: This ratio measures your solvency - the number of dollars in current assets for every $1 in current liabilities. In other words, can you pay your bills today? Debt-to-worth: This ratio measures your financial risk - the number of dollars of debt owed for every dollar of net worth. In other words, does the bank own more of your company than you do? Accounts receivable turnover: Measures the rate at which accounts receivable are collected on an annual basis. How many days from the time an invoice is generated until it becomes a deposit in the bank? Accounts payable turnover: Measures the rate at which accounts payable are paid on an annual basis. How many days from the time an invoice is received until the bill is paid? Something to consider: Should you be paying accounts payable at a slower rate than you collect accounts receivable to conserve cash? Maybe. That question will be addressed in part 3 of this series.

Industry benchmarking Now that you understand your score, how do you measure up against the competition? There are many sources for obtaining industry benchmarks: industry associations, Risk Management

Association (RMA), Construction Financial Managers Association’s annual survey, and many others. Compare the ratios you calculated on your balance sheet to your peers and see how you measure up. Are you consistent with your peers? A word of caution in using industry benchmarking: You cannot be sure the comparison is “apples to apples”. There is no standardization of information submitted to the groups gathering this information. You also do not know the level of success of the companies submitting this information. We recommend finding industry publications that publish “Best in Class” benchmarks as well. The purpose of benchmarking is to identify potential targets at which to aim.

Internal financial trends Another important aspect of understanding your score is monitoring your internal performance over time. Is your business seasonal? How does that seasonality impact your score (and more importantly your cash!)? Perform your ratio analysis on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis to help you identify trends within your company. Part 2: Know your costs We will discuss a break-even analysis tool.Part 3: Know your cash flow model Is every dollar of revenue created the same? By beginning to implement a disciplined system of monitoring your score, you can develop the strategy to coach your team to greater success! Carrie D. Bradshaw, CPA and CCIFP with over 20 years of construction contractor coaching experience, is the Managing Shareholder of the Brown, Graham & Company, P.C.’s Georgetown office. You can contact Carrie at [email protected] or call 512-930-4090.

Product Recall Insurance should be part of your Product Risk Management PlanJulie Davis, CICIBTXSan Antonio, TX

There may be no word that strikes greater fear in the hearts of individuals in the manufacturing/

processing industry than “recall.” Mere consideration of the term may mean that someone has been made ill or

possibly died from consumption of or exposure to a product. The response must be inordinately fast and include coordination with federal government agencies, and state governmental agencies, as well as other companies who sit both upstream and downstream of your position in the distribution chain of the product at issue. The aftermath can leave injured consumers and damaged reputations. The monetary costs may include lost profits, recall expenses, civil damages and potential criminal action. Despite excellent quality control, you may find yourself swept into a recall. Advance planning for recalls can make the difference in the survival of your company.

While a written recall plan has long been a regulatory requirement, planning for a recall should include much more than a template form in a file. Recall planning should include record-keeping steps to be taken well in advance of any concerns, but which will make any recall effort more effective. A team of advisors who will serve in various roles in the planning, execution and post-recall process is also a necessity. It should also include Product Recall insurance coverage.Cost of Recall The next step to consider after internal procedures are consistently implemented is how much will this cost the company? Loss of sales, not only the company’s lost profit, but that of your customers should be considered. Also consider the damage to the company’s reputation and possible effect on future sales, the added expense for disposal, replacement product, time and mental anguish by management and employees; these are all part of the cost. Many companies look at funding this possible exposure with an insurance policy, but in today’s market, most Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies will not cover a loss in a Product Recall scenario. Do not mistake Product Liability coverage for Product Recall coverage, they are not the same. Some insurance carriers may offer a sub-limit to cover the expense of removal and disposal of the product as part of the CGL, but these amounts may only cover a fraction of total cost. Product Recall/Contamination Insurance There are insurance carriers that have policies that pertain specifically to the issue of product recall, contamination and/or tampering. These stand-alone policies may also include crisis management consultants. Product Recall/Contamination policies are not standardized policies, so one insurance company’s coverage may look drastically

different than another. Coverage details The following are key issues of the policy, and policies may differ on the definitions. Each policy must be carefully read and understood by policyholders to insure they are purchasing what they need. • Loss of sales revenues • Customer loss of gross profits • Government recall • Voluntary recall • Adverse publicity • Rehabilitation expenses • Extra expense • Defense costs • 3rd Party coverage • “Pay on behalf” or reimburse language Depending on who you speak with, the chance of having a serious product recall occurrence is not a matter of if, but when. Serious consideration of a proper game plan in the event could be crucial for the company’s survival. Is this a cost that the company can absorb or is it more cost effective to purchase an insurance policy for the risk? Recently, many large distributors and retail corporations are requiring Product Recall/Contamination coverage in their contracts. In any event, as part of your company’s recall procedure, add an insurance policy review by a competent insurance professional and review all contracts with suppliers and clients regarding the insurance expectations. Julie Davis, CIC has worked with the food processing industry for over 15 years, coordinating risk management plans and insurance policies to reflect the food industries’ changes to new exposure and heightened responsibility. IBTX understands your potential risk exposure and stands ready to help you make informed decision about how to protect your customers, your supply chain, and your bottom line. Contact us at 800-880-6689 or visit us at www.ib-tx.com for more information or to setup your policy today.


Texas Mechanic’s andMaterialman’s Liens onprivate projects in TexasJanet Townsley, Senior AssociateThe Cromeens Law FirmDallas, TX

Credit is the lifeblood of the construction industry. By the nature of a construction contract, the contractor

extends credit to the owner to the extent the contractor performs labor or services and supplies materials before being paid. When construction funds are withheld, the impact is felt throughout the construction chain. On even a small project, a payment default by an owner can have disastrous consequences for dozens of contractors, subcontractors and suppliers (and their employees). Just as most lenders will not loan money without adequate security for payment, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers need security when they extend credit on a construction project. Such security is the right to secure and enforce a lien on real property for the value of work performed. Mechanic’s and Materialman’s Liens (M & M Liens), when executed properly, elevate a subcontractor or material supplier from an unsecured creditor to a secured creditor. 1

Because the M&M lien operates like an involuntary mortgage on the, Texas law requires specific steps to create a valid lien. One misstep in complying with strict notice deadlines or omission of a sentence required in the notice letter, invalidates the M & M Lien. Anyone who provides labor or supplies materials for the construction, repair of a house, building or improvement is entitled to an M& M lien. After recent changes in Texas law, architects, engineers, surveyors, landscapers, demolition trades that provide temporary workers may have an M&M lien when not paid.

The Homestead Pitfall One of the great things about Texas is the protection of homesteads found in Article 16, §50 of our Texas Constitution. This means you cannot have a lien against a property unless there is a construction contract signed and notarized by the homeowner(s) and filed in the real property records prior to any work. Typically, this means you cannot file a lien for a small repair. This is because it is unlikely a contract has been filed of record unless you filed one. But, if you’re doing a large repair or remodel, it would be worth the investment to hire an attorney to draft and file the contract to ensure you will be protected! A homestead is regarded as a residence owned by an individual that is being OCCUPIED by that individual. A person and spouse may have only one homestead. Hence, an owner building a residence while currently living in a homestead, cannot call the new residence a homestead. However, if the individual does not currently have a homestead and is building a new residence intended as a homestead, the new residence is considered a homestead although the individual does not live in it.2

Notice, Notice, Notice M&M liens are an involuntary lien against someone’s property and although you may not have a contract

with the owner, you may have the right to lien the owner’s property. To perfect a lien, certain notices must be sent prior to filing the lien. This gives the owner and general contractor a chance to resolve your claim prior to filing the lien. All notices must be sent Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested to comply with statutory notice timelines. These timelines are strictly enforced and missing a timeline date even by one day, invalidates the lien. Therefore, do not let anyone stall or push you past outside your deadlines. The notice timelines differ between a commercial and residential project, and on whether you have a contract with the General Contractor. Thus, it is good practice to calendar a deadline for sending notice of unpaid invoices for the 15th day of the second month after the labor was performed or materials supplied, as in many instances, this is the first deadline you will have to meet. An attorney should be consulted to address deadline and notice requirements in specific instances. Janet Townsley is a Senior Associate at The Cromeens Law Firm. For more information on our services, please visit www.thecromeenslawfirm.com or call (713) 715-7334.

1Public property is not subject to lien, and is beyond the scope of this article.2A spec home is one owned and being built by a company. It is not a homestead and is considered commercial con-construction.

Electrical Lock Out and Tag OutJoann NatarajanCompliance Assistance SpecialistOSHAAustin, TX

Energy sources including electrical, mechanical, hy-draulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, or other

sources in machines and equipment can be hazardous to workers. During the servicing and maintenance of

machines and equipment, the unexpected startup or release of stored energy can re-sult in serious injury or death to workers.

Failure to control hazardous energy accounts for nearly 10 percent of the seri-ous accidents in many industries. Proper lockout/tagout (LOTO) practices and procedures safeguard workers from haz-ardous energy releases. The OSHA stan-dard for The Control of Hazardous Ener-gy (Lockout/Tagout) (29 CFR 1910.147) for general industry outlines measures for controlling different types of hazard-ous energy. The LOTO standard estab-lishes the employer’s responsibility to protect workers from hazardous energy. Employers are also required to train each worker to ensure that they know, under-stand, and are able to follow the appli-cable provisions of the hazardous energy control procedures: Proper lockout/tagout (LOTO) prac-tices and procedures safeguard workers from the release of hazardous energy. The OSHA standard for The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) (29 CFR 1910.147) for general industry, out-lines specific action and procedures for addressing and controlling hazardous energy during servicing and mainte-nance of machines and equipment. Em-ployers are also required to train each worker to ensure that they know, under-stand, and are able to follow the appli-cable provisions of the hazardous energy control procedures. Workers must be trained in the purpose and function of the energy control program and have the knowledge and skills required for the safe application, usage and removal of the energy control devices.

● All employees who work in an area where energy control procedure(s) are utilized need to be instructed in the pur-pose and use of the energy control procedure(s), especially prohibition against attempting to restart or reener-gize machines or other equipment that are locked or tagged out.● All employees who are authorized to lockout machines or equipment and per-form the service and maintenance opera-tions need to be trained in recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources in the workplace, the type and magnitude of energy found in the workplace, and the means and methods of isolating and/or controlling the energy. Specific procedures and limitations relating to tagout systems where they are allowed. Retraining of all employees to main-tain proficiency or introduce new or changed control methods. The control of hazardous energy is also addressed in a number of other OSHA standards, including Safety and Health Regulations for Construction; Electrical (1926 Subpart K), Concrete and Masonry Construction (1926 Subpart Q), Electric Power Transmission and Distribu-tion (1926 Subpart V), and General Indus-try; Electrical (1910 Subpart S), Special Industries (1910 Subpart R), and Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Dis-tribution (1910.269).

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Did youknow?


Ragu SadaOwner

G2 Builders

Houston, TX (1913)713.868.6111Dallas, TX (1956)972.466.0900San Antonio, TX (1968)210.828.3325New Orleans, LA (1969)504.889.0811Las Vegas, NV (1989)702-435-5053Miami, FL (1997)305.884.5311Los Angeles, CA (2011)818.884.1166Customer Support Center713.868.6111

Over 100 years of building relationships

Since 1913, Fisk has been one of the nation’s leadingproviders for the design, installation and maintenanceof electrical systems, structured cabling applications,integrated electronic security systems, and buildingtechnology solutions.

You could say that Ragu Sada grew up in the construction industry: His father worked for Turner Construc-

tion in Chicago for 45 years. Now, Sada and his wife are raising their daughter in Austin – where he start-ed G2 Builders in 2013. Watching and learning from his fa-ther gave Ragu the tools he needed to run a successful construction company with ethics and moral values.

Tell me about your early life. I grew up in Chicago in a suburb called Lombard. I am an only child. I went to Glenbard East High School. I played baseball and tennis – and I played flute in the band for three years. I wanted to play the drums but my mom pushed me into flute. It turned out to be a good thing, I believe learning the flute made me more sensitive to design.

Your mom sounds pretty smart! Tell me about your parents. My daddy is my hero. His name is Na-rayan Sada and he was born in India. He came to work for Turner Construction in Chicago and worked there for 45 years. During that time, he had 11 projects – each one of them lasting an average of 4-5 years. That’s what inspired me to go into construction. My mom, Hema, is an office manag-er. She is the most loved person in the world! She taught me the value of being energetic and happy. I learned from her the value of bringing a certain energy level to everyone you meet. Up until last year, all four of my grandparents were living.

Tell me more about your dad. This business is tough – it’s easy to get discouraged, but man, he never did. He never left. He said, “Turner took a shot on me.” His loyalty and honor withstood everything. In construction, there are so many opportunities for corruption – he never participated in any of that. He never compromised his principles.

What did you do after high school? I got accepted at three good univer-

sities, but Purdue offered me a scholar-ship. I got three degrees there – the first in electrical, the second in mechanical and the third in structural engineering. I decided to stay in school after my second degree because I was dating someone special, so I went for a third de-gree. Then my dad told me I needed to fin-ish being a student!

After college, where did you go? Well, I had decided I wanted to go visit Australia for six months before I set-tled into a job, so I called a couple of com-panies and looked into a job with them, but they weren’t having any of the taking six months off to go to Australia! (laughs) I called a structural engineering com-pany I had done an internship for and they agreed to letting me have my six months and gave me a signing bonus of $3,200 – that seemed like more money than God to me at that time! When I got back I had $12 and my mom bought me a ticket to St. Louis where the job was.

Tell me about that job. It was with Clayco Construction. I feel like it was so necessary – the firm’s repu-tation is all about ethics and quality. In 1997, I was one the guys who went to start up the firm’s Chicago location. They knew I didn’t like St. Louis. I’d like to think we had moderate success at that venture.

What happened next? In 1999, I was sitting in my favorite barbershop (which I still go to by the way and have been for 40 years) and some of my friends from high school, Jimmy and Oscar Garcia, were there as well and we were just doing the guy thing, kind of complaining about our jobs, etc. We decided to start our own compa-ny, G2 Builders. We maxed out all of our credit cards to start it up.

Where did the name G2 come from? My friends call me “Gu.” Combined with the last name Garcia, it became G2!

Tell me about the early years of your company. It took us almost two years to get our first big jobs. In the beginning, we did anything we could. Our volume steadily grew, even though we went through two downturns in 2002 and 2009. We had to let people go. At one point, we decided to not only be a general contractor but to do con-crete and masonry as well. We found out that we couldn’t really manage it. We made mistakes but we learned from them. We decided to just be really good builders. We were there between 2005 and 2009. It was great. Our daughter, Ava, was born there. When that slowed down we were trying to decide if we should move back to Chicago.

Well, somehow you ended up in Aus-tin, right? We visited a lot of cities – Portland, San Diego, Austin, Boston and more. When we visited Austin, we could not believe how mice everyone was and how beautiful it was. We found a beautiful home in West-lake Hills. I was commuting to Chicago every week. I’d leave on Monday morning and come home of Friday. By 2013, I was getting exhausted by the travel and there were so many opportunities in Austin. I sold my shares in Chicago to Jimmy and Oscar and took 100% of the Austin office. We are still the best of friends.

Things are going well for G2 in Texas, right? We went from $3 million to $68 mil-lion in two years. G2’s vice president of operations, Paul Maurer, came with me from Chicago. The company has steadily grown even though we’re not making any money yet! We have four projects in the Dallas area, six in the Austin area, three in Hous-ton and we’ve finished a couple in San Antonio. My goal for 2016 is to become really good at construction before any more growth.

Did you have any mentors along the way that helped you? All the past companies I have worked with have helped me. I can also say that Guy Martin, Mar-tin-Harris Construction, and Victor Suchs, Helix Electric, have been mentors. I reach out to them regularly to get their per-spective.

What advice would you give to some-

one who wants to follow your path? I would say to 100% really spend the time learning the science of construction. Once you do that, it becomes much easi-er and enjoyable.

How did you meet your wife, Pam? Pam was working at a client’s office. She actually asked me out and I said no because our firms were working together and all that. I woke up the next morning and said, “What am I doing?” Who cares about that? We got married one year lat-er! Pam has an MBA from the University of Chicago and works for offers.com. We have one daughter, Ava, who is 9.

What do you do when you are not working? We both have a huge group of friends so we do a lot of things with our friends. We both play tennis and golf, so we play against each other. We spend the majority of our time doting on our daughter! I like to do Yoga and Pam does Pi-lates. She is definitely the extrovert.

Where have you gone on vacation? We’ve been to Disneyland, Portland, Denver.

You must have relatives in India. Have you visited there? I still have uncles, aunts and a grand-mother in India. Our firm has an office with three employees in India, so I go there once a year. We took Ava there last Thanksgiving. It was great for her to see how different it is. Before we got married, I had to take Pam there to ask permission to marry her – it’s tradition in that culture. –cw

Ragu and Pam Sada and their adorable daughter, Ava.

Submitted to Construction News

Ale to the holidays

Austin’ Chapter’s Construction Leadership Council (CLC), an Associated General Contractors (AGC) organization, had a holiday networking hour at the Austin

Alehouse on Dec. 9. –cw


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What a beauty!Submitted to Construction News

Chaundra Callaway, equipment sales and rental at Equipment Depot in Austin,took this blackbuck on Nov. 21 on a guided tour with Trapper Burkett Pro Hunts

in Stonewall, TX. –cw

New changes fora New Yearby Capt. Steve Schultz

Sponsored by:Waypoint Marine, Majek Boats, E-Z Bel

Construction, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, ForEverlast

Hunting and Fishing Products andColumbia Sportswear.

Well I can’t tell you how excited I am to announce the changes that are in store for the 2016 sea-

son for Steve Schultz Outdoors. For those of you that have fished with me in the past five years, you already know that the Majek Xtreme is the boat that got us to and from our fishing spots in comfort and style. I consider the 25-ft. Xtreme the best hull on the water for the everyday guide and recreational angler. One change that most people will notice im-mediately will be the new Evinrude E-TEC G2 300hp outboard on the back of my 2016 Majek. Evinrude has stepped up their game recently on the introduction of the E-TEC G2 and I have spoken with several guides that have run the out-board, and they are extremely happy with the performance, fuel efficiency and speed not to mention the savings of maintenance. Here is a statement from Evinrude: “The new Evinrude E-TEC G2 isn’t just built to last. It’s built to outlast. Run it right out of the box for 500 hours with no dealer scheduled maintenance.

Less time in the shop means lower own-ership cost, less hassle and much, much more value over the lifetime of your en-gine.”

Along with the change of the new Evin-rude E-TEC G2 will be the new relation-ship I look forward to being a part of with the staff at Waypoint Marine in Corpus Christi. I’ve known owners Jim and Jared Poole for many years now. I also know many of the pro-staff and guides that they have established relationships with them throughout the years, and really

David Wyatt shows off his 26-inch redfish caught on live shrimp undera popping cork with Steve Schultz Outdoors.

look forward to a long working relation-ship with them and the entire staff at Waypoint Marine. They are a full service marine dealership that services all of the major brand outboards and have an array of new and used boats to choose from. Stop by and see them at 3033 S.P.I.D. in Corpus for all your marine needs.

For the past several weeks I have been in a hunting mode, traveling all over South and West Texas hunting and guiding white tail and mule deer hunts. I must say it’s been a good break from the salt life I live on the water. There is something about the South Texas brush country, the mountains in West Texas and the serenity of the Laguna Madre that make my job so enjoyable. I can’t think of anything else that I would enjoy doing.

Fishing remains good in the Laguna Madre/Baffin Bay complex. Both trout and redfish are still being caught on live shrimp and lures along the King Ranch shoreline and rocks of Baffin Bay. Best bet this time of year is still wade fishing with artificial lures.

I have already started to fill the calendar for the upcoming 2016 season. Don’t wait until all the good dates are gone! To schedule your next bay fishing trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or 361-334-3105 or e-mail him at [email protected]. Good luck and Good Fishing.

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Ken Milam’s Fishing LineSince 1981, Ken Milam has been guiding fishing trips for striped bass on Lake Buchanan in the Texas Hill Country,. You can hear Ken on radio on Saturday and Sunday mornings, 6-8

AM on AM 1300, The Zone – Austin, or http://www.am1300the zone.com

The water has finally made it back to our lake and several others! For the first time in years we get to look for-

ward to all the fishing and catching the New Year will bring. Last year we were trying to clean and clear up the scary wild lake bed to protect ourselves from wild-fires, rattlesnakes and cactus. This year its all about the fish!

Just in case you have forgotten what our lakes have to offer, or are new to the area of a recently returning lake, here is an idea of what you can expect.

In the Spring the catfish are loving the cold water. If you want a trophy cat, now is the time. White bass are running up the rivers to spawn again. For several years this hasn’t been possible, but now they are back, and catching them is a lot like eating popcorn. Their big cousins, the stripers, can also be found upriver trying to spawn. Look for crappie to be moving up river in their pre-spawn pat-tern. Warm, sunny afternoons draw them up into shallow murky water around brush and trees because this water

Fishing Calendarof Events!

warms up first.

As spring warms into summer, smaller catfish become easier to find in shallow water. White bass begin moving back down the river channel after spawning and all they want to do is chase shad and eat anything they can catch. Stripers are moving back down stream forming big schools of fish that form feeding frenzies that anglers dream of in early to mid

summer. Once it gets hot they begin to slip into deeper cooler water, but still like to feed on top on cool mornings. Crappie go back to being their elusive selves once it warms up. I have always thought that is why we consider them so delicious, they can play hard to get. A good crappie guide can still get you on them though.

Fall comes in with a mix of blazing left-over summer heat and the promise of

cooler weather. Catching catfish is still steady over baited holes and will come in to chum. The white bass begin to mi-grate upstream again. Stripers can be slow when it’s still hot because they find our water temperatures in Texas to be ex-cessive. Once the shorter days and cooler nights start to cool off the water, they turn back on and feed like crazy because they don’t feed much in the heat. You will catch a lot of smaller stripers, lots of action. Larger stripers begin their swim upstream.

Winter sees all the fish staging for next year, heading upstream to spawn. We get some really nice fishing days mixed in with the winter chill. It’s worth checking out if only to take a break from hunting and get out of the house.

I think we are in for exciting times on the water in these returning lakes. We have lots of new trees and vegetation improv-ing our fisheries now, plus there are plen-ty of fish out there that haven’t been ex-posed to human fishing pressure or as long as five years in some places. That means they have had plenty of time to get big and bold. I can’t wait!Let’s Go!


Nice start tothe holiday


Shawn Young, branch managerfor H&E Equipment in Hutto, shothis largest whitetail buck with his Recurve on Dec. 3 in South Texas

on the Uno-Mas ranch. He has been hunting on the ranch for 17 years, and the buck scored 157 3/8’s andwas 200 punds on the hoof. –cw

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Talking turkeySubmitted to Construction News

Paul Marriott, Resfloor Concrete Solutions in Austin, bagged this turkey just in time for Thanksgiving dinner! –cw

Convenience achievementConstruction News JOB SIGHT


CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY, INC.

Offi ce: 512-837-1028 Fax: 512-837-7234www.csiconcretesupply.com

404 West Powell Lane Suite 201 Austin, Texas 78753

Decorative Concrete Products • Concrete Floor StainsConcrete Sealers & Densifi ers • Color Admixtures

& Hardeners • Sealants • Epoxies • PolyureasDamproofi ng & Waterproofi ng • Water Repellants

& Coatings • Application MaterialsAnd Much More!

Shauna Mroski was in construction sales and estimating for 15 years, specializing in erosion control with

Matoka and later started the commercial division for Andy Howard Pest Control – it became the number #1 pretreat firm in Austin. This broad based experience gave her the confidence to embark upon start-ing her own landscaping & irrigation firm, Enviro Touch Properties in Cedar Park.

“I began it with small residential projects, never borrowed money, and I remain debt free. I am very proud of that,” Mroski said.

Customer service and attention to detail is the strength of Enviro Touch Properties and as a result she was able to build her business through referrals.

“I have carefully managed the growth to ensure customer service re-mains at the highest level,” she says.

She handles sales, estimating, daily operations and runs both the residential and commercial crews. The firm has an impressive portfolio of banks, restaurants,

Landscaping Austin with a mission

retail centers, office locations and more. Her most current endeavor is a Starbucks and the Shadowview Retail Center in Maynard. She has also added Christmas lighting projects recently – check out the Oasis and Soile restaurants.

This single mom has two terrific young ladies (Hanna is 14 and Dakota is 8). Hanna recently took first place FAA’s Central Texas Junior Creed for public speaking. Mroski utilizes her “spare” time as the director of Texas Stem Cell Re-search, fundraising for clinical trials for children with brain tumors. Hanna and Dakota both participate in her fundrais-ing activities and events for FFA.

“I would like our business to contin-ue with carefully managed growth and set an example for giving back. We will always remain focused on our core val-ues of relentless customer service. I love my work and love showing my girls what they can accomplish with hard work and a giving heart,” she concluded. –lh

Equipment Depot held a sales meeting in December at the University of Texas. As an Official Corporate Sponsor, the company is allowed some special privileges here and

there. The sales teams from across all of the Southwest Region had a two-day meeting at the university with the BIG "Welcome Equipment Depot" on the Jumbotron all day! –cw

Photo by Meg Long

Neat sales meetingSubmitted to Construction News

Ron Vorndran, senior project manager for GC R.J. Allen & Associates Inc., is busy on the site of a new CST Corner Store in Austin. –cw

Helping SantaSubmitted to Construction News

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Austin Chapter collected toys for Blue Santa at the annual Christmas Party Dec. 2. Ono Dec. 9, the toys were delivered to the Austin Fire

Department and are guaranteed to make the holiday bright for some lucky kids. –cw

Things got a little crazy at Raba Kist-ner’s Christmas party in the Austin offices. About 90 people attended

Raba holiday cheer

L-R: Juan Villarreal, Bryan Wood, Howard Holland, Bryan Raschke (hidden somewhat)and Russel Lenz goof around at the event.

between the infrastructure office and the geo/cmt/env group. The event was held at the Golf Club at Star Ranch. –cw

Ken Simonson, chief economist at the Associated Gen-eral Contractors As-sociation (AGC) in Virginia, took time to be a rock star while visiting in Austin to speak on the con-struction forecast with the Austin city council. –cw

Rock star!


Construction Forecast

Lending small businessowners a hand

Debra Ruiz, Vice President - Construction Loan ManagerWells FargoSan Antonio, TX

Part of Debra Ruiz’s job at Wells Fargo is to assist the small business owner by working with them on

loans to purchase or build a space for their operations. These small business owners are the clients of the construction companies and contractors who build or renovate those spaces. So, we asked her what she sees in the construction loan forecast for small business borrowers in 2016.

What does your position as construc-tion loan manager of the SBA Lending Group in San Antonio entail? I manage and oversee an SBA port-folio of close to $40 million in construc-tion-related loan volume. While oversee-ing this portfolio, I am maintaining excel-lent customer service to both my internal and external clients of Wells Fargo Bank. I have the entire State of Texas under my management. My specialty is in Small Business Ad-ministration, working with various gen-eral contractors, architects and the small business borrower on a day-to-day basis. We like to say that we are making dreams come true in the small business world.

What do you expect will be the biggest changes to construction lending in 2016? On my desk and what I have seen ap-proved in our Texas market, are more and more ground up construction projects. We have a lot of land in Texas, so building and owning your own building is key. With the year’s end wrapping up and winding down, I already have approxi-mately $20 million in approved loan vol-

ume, all awaiting on their architects’ plans, zoning, replatting, permits, and just construction bids from their selected general contractor. These are already in the closing group and just waiting. This does not ac-count for the new loans being approved [in December], and this is just the one month forecast in January 2016. I forecast we are just going to get busier in the con-struction industry in 2016. With that said, I foresee an increase in construction material and costs, as this happens every year. With activity in the market and throughout Texas, I would also hope for an increase in overall appraisal val-ues for the small business customer/client. Are there any expected shifts in the market that would affect construction loans next year? I have seen historically the overall va-cancies rates in existing real estate/con-dos improve a great deal. I know some of our Texas cities do not have enough in-ventory to sell, or the real estate seems to be purchased quickly with cash by a sell-er versus waiting on financing.

Do you expect any increases or de-creases in business or interest rates? They have been stable. I do not think they will go up. You hear about it from the Fed, but nothing has happened. I think since we are in an election season, that will come down the road. Lenders are being very aggressive and competi-tive in rates to secure deals. So, it is the time for a small business to request a loan, if they plan to expand, purchase a building or build a new building for their small business. What should clients expect when ap-plying for construction loans? With my job role as a construction loan manager-SBA lending, I am working with the borrower on their approved loan to get them to the closing table as well as making sure their selected gener-al contractor has met the bank’s and SBA requirement to minimize the construc-tion risk. The contractors are not applying for the loan, but once I ask for their financials for bank review, they feel like they are ap-plying themselves. The overall goal is to waive the payment and performance bond fee for the small business owner. This is the fee the contractors pass over to the borrower/owner on the contract. My goal is to try to eliminate this fee, to benefit the small business.

What does the process involve and how long does it take? The SBA-Small Business Lending pro-cess is not fast. So, that is a very open-ended question. We have some small leaseholder deals that have historically closed as quick as 10 days or less. But keep in mind, the borrower has to be on spot and proactive on their end in providing

the paperwork the bank has required. Then, the longer processed loans can take up to six months-plus. Keep in mind, this is based on all of the replatting, zon-ing and permitting processes involved. The loan approval process is the first step of a long process. The six months estimate is the beginning phase of loan application up to the close date. And the close date is based on when the building permit is is-sued. So, the overall process is truly up to the borrower and how fast they really want to close their overall project. What changes have you seen in con-struction lending, as a market or in terms of business, over the last five years? And what would you like to see change? Projects are getting bigger and busier. As I stated earlier, if the inventory for real es-tate is scarce, then small businesses are wanting and needing to purchase their own building or building a new one for business expansion. So, it will only get busier. The overall appraisal values have bounced back since the lull we had back in 2008-2009. So again, I have to repeat that it is the time to borrow, especially for the small business. And keep in mind, the small business has to be profitable and not in the red or negative (net losses). I fore-cast more and more borrowers want to be their own boss, and then be a small busi-ness owner themselves versus working for a big corporate company. And I believe the city fees will increase year after year. I would like to see the building per-mit process throughout the major cities of Texas move a bit faster to benefit the small business owner. Debra Ruiz began her banking career in 1996 and has been working with small busi-nesses since 1999. She has been with Wells Fargo Bank, NA-SBA Lending for 12 years. –mh

Construction Outlook:Sweet (and Sour) ‘16

Ken Simonson, Chief Economist AGC of AmericaArlington, VA™

Texas contractors are facing a varied landscape in 2016. Overall, the outlook is favorable, but the slump

in oil and gas drilling will be a major drag.

The state continues to benefit from one of the highest population growth rates in the nation. That keeps demand high for both single - and multifamily housing, schools, stores and many other categories of construction. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in March, “Two Texas metro areas -- Hous-ton-The Woodlands-Sugar Land and Dal-las-Fort Worth-Arlington -- were the only ones in the country to add more than 100,000 residents over the 2013-2014 pe-riod. Within the Houston metro area, Har-ris County alone gained almost 89,000 people, more than any other county in the nation. The Lone Star State also had four metro areas among the nation's 20 fastest growing by rate of change: Aus-tin-Round Rock (third), Odessa (fourth), Midland (ninth) and Houston (11th).” For 2016, population growth is likely to remain especially strong around Dal-las, as three major national firms relocate thousands of employees to new office space there: Toyota and Liberty Mutual in Plano, and State Farm in Richardson. Even in areas of the state where population growth is slowing, there will be a lot of

school construction to accommodate re-cent inflows of students. The planning for an expanded Pana-ma Canal, currently expected to open sometime in 2016, has already triggered billions of dollars of investment in ports, pipelines and other transportation infra-structure, natural gas liquefaction plants, and storage and distribution facilities. More such investments will occur in the coming year. In contrast, railroads are ex-pected to cut back on construction, after years of investing in new track and yards to serve ports and to haul crude oil from drilling areas without enough pipeline capacity to refineries and terminals. Low natural gas prices may encour-age construction of more petrochemical plants and gas-fired power plants. But those same prices will hold down drilling, related service and materials supply busi-nesses, and investment in wind and solar generation—all of which had contributed to construction in Texas in recent years. With the enactment in early Decem-ber of a five-year federal highway and transit funding bill, Texas and other states will see a slight boost in federal dollars

for transportation infrastructure. State funds also will be more abundant for highways and universities. Healthcare spending has picked up nationally in 2015 after lagging ever since the 2008-09 recession. Compared with earlier periods, fewer patients are being admitted overnight to a hospital, and they are staying for fewer days. Conse-quently, hospitals are building more emergency, diagnostic and treatment rooms, and fewer recovery rooms. A larg-er share of healthcare construction spending is going into standalone ur-gent-care facilities, outpatient surgical centers and clinics in stores and shop-ping centers. These trends appear likely to continue in 2016 in Texas as elsewhere. Construction downshifted in Texas in 2015 while accelerating nationally. From November 2014 to November 2015, U.S. contractors increased their employee count by 4.2%, whereas construction job growth in Texas slowed to 1.6% from a 7.7% growth rate a year earlier. In the lat-est 12 months, the state tied for 36th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia. For 2016, national construction em-ployment and spending growth should continue, albeit slightly less robustly than in 2015. Texas also will add construction activity, but the growth will vary widely by region and sector, with the totals again falling short of the nation. In the Austin-Round Rock metro area, construction employment grew by 5% from November 2014 to November 2015. That rate outpaced the state and the nation but was less robust than the 8% increase a year earlier. (Data for Aus-tin and most other metro areas includes mining and logging with construction.)

Thanks to population growth, tourism, government and university spending, construction in the capital area should continue to outperform the state as a whole in 2016. In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, construction employment has plummeted from some of the highest growth in the nation—a gain of 11,500 jobs between November 2013 and No-vember 2014—to among the largest de-clines—a loss of 2,800 jobs between No-vember 2014 and November 2015. (Be-cause the data actually combine mining and logging with construction, the gains and losses to construction employment alone are probably overstated.) In 2016, Dallas and its immediate suburbs are like-ly to experience moderate-to-strong con-struction growth but construction around Fort Worth will be dragged down by oil-industry woes. In the Houston-The Woodlands-Sug-ar Land metro area, construction employ-ment growth slowed dramatically in the past year, from 16,600 jobs added be-tween November 2013 and November 2014 to 4,000 in the following 12 months. Continuing population growth, expand-ed school construction and the windup of some office and industrial projects may keep construction from losing jobs overall in 2016, but further expansion is unlikely for the time being. Construction activity expanded sharply in the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area in 2015. Construction employ-ment jumped by 10% from November 2014 to November 2015, more than dou-ble the national rate or the local rate a

continued on Page 13


Industry excellence

The Contractor of the Year (CotY) awards for remodeling projects were announced at the National As-

sociation of the Remodeling Industry Austin Chapter (NARI) Evening of Excel-lence event on Nov. 12. Congrats to the winners! –cw

Entire House $750,001 to $1,000,000: RisherMartin Fine Homes

Entire House Over $1,000,000: Realty Restoration LLC

and Twelve Stones DesignsEntire House Under $250,000: Don Boozer Construction Inc.

Entire House $250,000 to $500,000:Austin Impressions Inc.

Landscape Design/ Outdoor Living $60,000 and Over:

RisherMartin Fine Homes

Residential Addition $100,000 to $250,000: CG&S Design-Build

Residential Addition Over $250,000: CG&S Design-Build

Residential Bath Under $25,000: Realty Restoration LLC

and Twelve Stones DesignsResidential Bath $25,000 to $50,000:

RRS Design + BuildResidential Bath $25,000 to $50,000:

Bartush Design LLCResidential Bath $50,001 to $75,000:

Realty Restoration LLCand Twelve Stones Designs

Residential Bath $75,001 to $100,000: Realty Restoration LLC

and Twelve Stones Designs

Residential Exterior $100,000 to $200,000: RisherMartin Fine Homes

Residential Historical Renovation/ Resto-ration $250,000 and Over:

Avenue B Development LLC

Residential Interior Element under $30,000: Austin Impressions Inc.

Holiday spirit

Spirit Award: Savana Schroeder Beckman, Schroeder Carpets.L-R: Chris Risher, Kayvon Leath and Savana Schroeder Beckman

President’s Award Winner:Jason Crabtree, Premier Partners

with Chris Risher, Risher-Martin Homes and 2015 Austin NARI President

Contractor of the Year: Realty Restoration, LLC. L-R: Kayvon Leath executive director NARI Austin; Christopher Davison; Kamie Manders;

Laurie Roberson; and David Davison

Residential Interior Under $75,000:Austin Impressions Inc.

Residential Interior $75,000 to $150,000: Clark | Richardson Architects

Residential Interior Over $150,000:Texas Construction Company

Residential Kitchen Under $30,000: Kitchens By Bell

Residential Kitchen $30,000 to $60,000: Bartush Design, LLC

Residential Kitchen $30,000 to $60,000: Adams Company

Residential Kitchen $60,001 to $100,000: Kitchens By Bell

Residential Kitchen $100,001 to $150,000: Realty Restoration LLC

and Twelve Stones DesignsResidential Kitchen Over $150,000: CG&S

Design-Build

Residential Detached Structure: RisherMartin Fine Homes

Universal Design Project – Bath: Realty Restoration LLC

and Twelve Stones DesignsGrand Contractor of the Year:

Realty Restoration LLC

The Austin Chapter Associated Gen-eral Contractors (AGC) annual Holi-day Party was Dec. 15 at The Long

Center for Performing Arts Kodosky Lounge. Austin AGC teamed up with Capital Area Food Bank and guests brought canned goods to help fight hun-ger. Everybody had fun, food and great conversation! –cw


Round-Up

Association CalendarContent submitted by Associations to Construction News

CTSA Central Texas Subcontractors Assn.

Jan. 12: Monthly meeting from 5:30-8pm at Embassy Suites, 5901 N I H 35. Topic: Cyber Security Issues for Subcon-tractors

IECIndependent Electrical Contractors

Jan. 30: IEC of Texas meeting in Austin

NARINat’l Assn. of the Remodeling Industry

Jan. 14: 5-7pm, Steve Plevak, regional di-rector of Metrostudy, presents the “Mar-ket Outlook For Remodeling in Austin” at the first meeting of 2016. This free event, sponsored by Prosource & Austin NARI, will kick off with a members’ mingle at 5pm and the presentation will begin at 6pm.

NAWICNat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Jan. 6: Mix…Mingle…Network! Begins at 5:30pm at Big Daddy’s Burgers & Bar, 9070 Research Blvd. Speed networking event with a photography team on site taking headshots.

PMI Project Management Institute

Jan. 12: Lunch & Learn at Any Baby Can, 6207 Sheridan Ave from 12-1pm

RCATRoofing Contractors Assn. of TX

Feb. 4-6: RCAT Winter Membership Meeting in Houston. Registration is open at (512) 251-7690.SFPE

SFPESociety of Fire Protection Engineers

Jan. 13: Chapter meeting at San Marcos Activity Center, 501 E. Hopkins St., San Marcos. Topic: Fire Safety in Tall Buildings & Performance=based Design Solutions

TACATX Air Conditioning Contractors Assn.

Jan. 6-7: Basic and Advanced TACAMP for TACA members with less than five years in the industry or advanced for members with more than five years in the industry. Call 512-451-5100 for more in-formation.

This is a monthly section for brief company announcements of new orrecently promoted personnel, free of charge, as space allows.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Email (w/digital photo, if available) by the 15th of any month,

for the next month’s issue (published 1st of each month).Email info to appropriate city issue, with “Round-Up” in the subject line:––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

San Antonio: [email protected] Austin: [email protected] Dallas/Ft. Worth: [email protected] Houston: [email protected] South Texas: [email protected]

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Raba Kistner Con-sultants Inc. an-nounced that James Dedrick, PE, has accepted the position of manag-er, Construction Materials Engineer-ing and Testing Ser-vices for the Austin office. He brings more than 20 years of experience in engineering consulting, in-cluding construction management, geo-technical engineering, and construction materials engineering, testing, and in-spection. Dedrick holds a Master’s of Sci-ence degree from the University of Wis-consin-Platteville in Geotechnical Engi-neering and a Bachelor’s of Science de-gree in Civil Engineering from the Univer-sity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Steve Holton has joined Stanley Con-sultants as a proj-ect principal in the company’s Energy Business Unit. Stan-ley Consultants, a global consulting engineering firm, provides program management, planning, engineering, en-vironmental, and construction services worldwide. Based in the firm’s Austin of-fice, Holton will focus on business devel-opment in the energy market. He has an MBA Professional Diploma in Manage-ment from the Open University in Milton Keynes, England, and a diploma in Elec-trical Power Equipment from the City & Guilds of London Institute at East War-wickshire College in Rugby, England.


Helping children

Austin National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) partnered with Wonders & Worries for the Tour of remodeled Homes. Fifteen percent of tickets sales goes towards

the charitable WW organization. L-R: Meredith Cooper, middle, executive director of Wonders & Worries; Dolores Davis, CG&S Design Build Committee Chair for the Tour of

Remodeled Homes; Kayvon Leath, right, executive director of Austin NARI –cw

year earlier. In 2016, growth is likely to continue but at a more subdued pace. Construction activity was mixed in South Texas in 2015. Year-over-year em-ployment growth had matched or ex-ceeded the national average through early 2015 in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mis-sion metro area but stalled beginning in

April. Employment has been nearly flat in the Brownsville-Harlingen area after slip-ping throughout 2014 and 2015. (Data for these and most other metro areas in-cludes mining and logging with con-struction.) In 2016, both areas are likely to record small increases in construction.

continued from Page 11 — Focus

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continued from Page 1 — Highlighting your project

as well as a certified MBE (Minority-Owned Business) and DBE (Disadvan-taged Business Enterprise) firm, which Negrete says helps with being involved with bigger projects. “For example, we were the architects on the City of Austin Water Treatment Plant #4 under prime consultant Carollo Engineers,” Negrete says. “That was an approximately $400 million project with $40 million in architectural work.”

The firm also works with Austin ISD, some private clients and public work. Ne-grete says the majority of the work is from repeat clients, although he’s always on the look out for new opportunities. “Our philosophy is to listen, interpret and define their needs so we can provide them appropriate and durable solutions,” he says. –cw

While celebrating its 30th anniver-sary, Cadence McShane Con-struction Company opened its

fourth office, breaking into the San Anto-nio market with a location at 3512 Paesa-no’s Parkway, Suite 300. The expansion broadens the general contractor’s Central Texas Division, which also includes the Austin office. Srinath Pai Kasturi, vice president and general manager for Central Texas, oversees the San Antonio office, which opened Oct. 1. Kasturi started with the company as an intern in 2001 and joined full-time af-ter graduating from college. He earned his master’s degree in construction man-agement from the University of Oklaho-ma, and then, he was offered a job at the corporate office in Dallas. After spending 10 years there, starting as a project engi-neer and working his way up to vice pres-ident, he relocated to Austin. “It has been one of my personal ob-jectives to broaden the Central Texas Di-vision to include San Antonio,” says Kas-turi. “So, since I moved to Austin in 2012, that’s been one of the things that I’ve al-ways wanted to do, and we were finally able to achieve it as a team here.” Currently, he has five people work-ing in the San Antonio office with all of the administration, including accounting and human resources, supported from either Austin or Dallas during the growth

process. Diverse by design to weather chang-es in the market, the company’s core mar-ket sectors are corporate end user, food and beverage, commercial, industrial and multi-family, which includes student housing, apartments, condos, senior liv-ing and assisted living. K-12 and higher education are other big components of their portfolio. Their strategy is to main-tain the same mix of core sectors in their newest market, San Antonio. Current projects in San Antonio in-clude Doerr Lane Industrial Park, a 213,864-sf Class A speculative industrial building located in Schertz, and Villas at the Rim, a four-story, 427-unit luxury multi-family project, as well as Vitre, a mixed-use project. The culture inside Cadence Mc-Shane’s offices includes encouraging charitable initiatives spearheaded by em-ployees through events such as Canstruc-tion or ideas such as Jeans Fridays, where employees contribute $5 to the charity to be able to wear jeans that day and the company matches up to $1,000. Established in 1985, Cadence McShane Construction Company is a commercial general contractor that also does design build and construction management. Headquartered in Dallas, the company also has offices in Austin and Houston. –mh

The Cadence McShane team is leading the way at the general contractor’s new San Antonio office L-R: (bottom row) Ron Wood, Lexy Stecker, Surbhi Usrey, Kevin Cummings, (top row)

Don Watkins, Srinath Pai Kasturi

Want your company in Construction News? Call or Email us!

There is no charge for stories or photos.

[email protected](210) 308-5800 (Home office)

Lone Star Materials had its 2015 holiday party at Top Golf Austin. –cw

Fore ChristmasSubmitted to Construction News

physically-challenged families. Company wide, employees donated over $150,000 and volunteered over 10,000 hours of their own time to lend a hand to those in need. “These types of projects exemplify their commitment to the communities where we live and work, that have sup-

ported us and our continued growth,” Schrecengost said. Ranked #66 in Engineering News Re-cord listing of the top 500 engineering firms, Stanley Consultants is a recognized leader in answering the world’s engineering chal-lenges in energy, environmental, water, and transportation. -lh

Do you have a recently completed project you would be proud to see on our cover? Give me a call or send me an email and let’s get you covered.

Cyndi Wright, [email protected]

210-308-5800 (Home office)

Cheers!Submitted to Construction News

At Bartlett Cocke General Contractors Central Texas office in Austin, employees know how to start the holidays off right! Ugly sweaters and good cheer! –cw


Efficient Air Conditioning & Electric was founded in 1976 as Comfort En-gineering and later became known

as Comfort Mechanical, and most recog-nizably, RM Mechanical. In 2008, owners Molly and George Drazic rebranded the company as Efficient Air Conditioning. In 2014, they added “& Electric” to the name to recognize the company’s growing electrical division. Recently, the company learned that an employee nominated the company to the Austin American Statesman's Top Workplaces Program. “All of the company's employees were asked to complete a third-party sur-vey that asked them about the leader-ship, ethics and values of the company, and whether they feel they are well-treat-ed and given opportunities for advance-ment,” says marketing manager Kate Vil-lacis. “Nearly 25,000 other local workers took the same survey, and based on the results, the Statesman published a list of

40 years and honors

the top 55 small businesses to work for in Austin. Efficient Air Conditioning & Elec-tric, a first-time participant in the pro-gram, was ranked #26.” The company performs mechanical and electrical construction, residential and commercial HVACR and electrical service, and sheet metal fabrication. “They’re willing to give you a chance to prove yourself and see what abilities you have, whereas other companies are all about the numbers,” said service man-ager Dustin McCauley, who began working for Efficient Air Conditioning & Electric eight years ago as a service tech-nician and advanced into management. George Drazic said teamwork is es-sential. “We don’t stick to one thing. We all do a number of things, and we all step up and do what we need to do to get through that day, that week, that month and really keep our customers happy,” he says. –lh

Efficient Air Conditioning & Electric employees believe they workin one of the best places in Austin.

Nick Kennedy founded RISE with a laser focus on transforming air travel for frequent travelers. Co-

founder Clynt Taylor had been involved in numerous start-ups and entrepreneur-ial ventures since leaving IBM. Both had traveled extensively, and suffered through the valuable time lost dealing with airport lines and delayed flights. To-gether they assembled a world-class team and leveraged their skill sets to rev-olutionize private air travel to make it ac-cessible through membership. RISE (iflyrise.com) is a game changer with no lines, VIP treatment and bringing back dignity to flying. Flying out of Austin, Dallas, Houston, and soon San Antonio, their members spend very little time in airports and they have them flying within minutes of their arrival. The only thing worse than spend-ing hours in traffic is spending hours stuck in lines. RISE airports have free parking and are outfitted with a con-

A win-win for busy people

cierge, Wi-Fi, snacks, a comfortable lobby with bathrooms, charging outlets and much more. “Somewhere in my two million miles of commercial air travel, I determined that I would find a way to make travel better for time starved executives,” Ken-nedy says. “The solution had to be afford-able, accessible and a justifiable expense, not a luxury. It had to be safe and conve-nient as well as recover what has been lost in commercial air travel – time and dignity. I hope you'll join the RISE com-munity of successful frequent travelers. We created it with you in mind." Reclaiming hours of busy executives lives is critical professionally and person-ally, and RISE affords them that opportu-nity. “Monthly membership dues are fixed, no matter how much you fly – five times or 20 times a month. So your CFO will never complain about your travel ex-penses again,” Kennedy said. –lh

L-R: Dan Caine, Megan Hodges, Nick Kennedy and Clynt Taylor invite busy professionals to try a more efficient way of moving around Texas.


Triad holiday bash

Solid callingConstruction News ON LOCATION

Jose Hernandez with Rock Solid USA in Kyle gets ready to delivera load of specialty products to a job site. –cw

Neal and Gabriel, with subcontractor MFC Construction, stand in front of the back of a 264-apartment complex going up in Austin. The GC on the project is Oden Hughes, Austin. –cw

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Triad Mechanical in Austin celebrated a holiday party for employees and families on Dec. 4. Everybody had a great time! –cw

L-R: Triad’s owners, Everett Hicks and Marvin Gattis

The whole group got together for a company photo.

austin construction news january 2016

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