houston construction news march 2016

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Achieving the end goal

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Brick on it Striving every day

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Acme Brick Co. (Acme) has had a strong start to 2016 by selling its brick and other construction relat-

ed products directly to architects and masonry contractors in the Houston mar-ket. “Our ever growing list of products has prompted us to make this change from our former arrangement,” said Rusty Haile, Acme’s South Texas regional sales manager. “We have always called di-rectly on architects in all our other mar-kets and Houston is now consistent with the rest of our company.” Architects in Houston can now draw from the resources of five of Acme’s larg-est commercial brick plants located in Perla, Arkansas, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Denver,

Colorado and Acme’s Elgin and Denton. “We have a local yard to inventory our commercial products which will sup-port scheduling,” Haile said. Acme has added architectural repre-sentatives, all of whom are well known inside the Houston community. Steve Christianson has been an 11-year sales leader for Acme and has been the point man with its former distributor. Christianson’s hobbies on the side in-clude woodworking, do-it-yourself proj-ects and spending time with his grand kids. Steve Cox is an eight-year Acme vet-eran and salesman with heavy multi-fam-ily experience. Cox enjoys playing golf,

L-R: Acme’s commercial sales team: David Sterne, Steve Cox, Chris Pelton, Steve Christianson

Noah Espinoza is the Master Plumber and founder of All About Plumbing. He operates the

League City-based company with his wife Crystal. “I began doing plumbing work after I graduated high school because I knew I needed to learn a trade,” Espinoza said. “Several of my family members are also plumbers. My brother Vidal works with us today.” After working in the plumbing in-dustry for more than a decade, Espinoza started All About Plumbing through re-ferrals from previous customers. Espinoza says at the time, he was the youngest plumber in the State of Texas to receive his Master Plumber license (Texas

State Board of Plumbing Examiners). Established in 2007, the company has operated at its current location for more than a year. “It is a prime location for us,” he said. “We have definitely seen an increase in business since we moved here.” An eye catching wood sculpture in the shape of a pipe wrench is in front of the office. “The tree out front was starting to get old and the limbs were falling down,” Espinoza said. “We didn’t want to cut the tree down, so we found the sculptor named Earl Jones from Galveston to do the wood sculpture.

L-R: Noah and Crystal Espinoza

Arch-Con Construction has recently completed the Gateway at Spring Valley project located at I-10 and

Campbell Road. The co-developers are Ersa Grae Corp. and StollerUSA. Tenants include part owner StollerU-SA (4th and 5th floor) as well as East West Bank (3rd floor office and 1st floor bank branch). The restaurant Peli Peli will also be on the first floor. Arch-Con Construction’s senior vice president is Jason Cooper; senior proj-ect manager is Ken Hudson and the building superintendent is Montan Montemayer. According to Cooper, the construc-tion team utilized four story tilt wall pan-els to achieve a fire rating between the building and the parking garage. “The site was very constrained, therefore staging deliveries was crucial as storage and construction workers were at a premium,” he said.

Cooper says the exterior construc-tion materials included glass curtain wall and architectural precast with tilt wall panels between the building and parking garage. The interior construction materials included stone, glass, glass walls, upgrad-ed light fixtures, cork flooring, wood ve-neer, motorized fabric blinds and 3M acrylic panels Major challenges were keeping the Class A project within its preliminary budget and having a tight timeline. “We held the budget by working with the design team from the onset of design and reworking design features to ensure the architectural intent was main-tained,” he said. “With the amount of rain in 2015, the timeline was constricted. “We overcame this by overlapping trades and starting core MEP work early

Gateway at Spring Valley

Houston Construction News • Mar 2016

Raise the roof

If you ever meet owner Andre Hurtado, Hurtado

Roofing & Construc-tion, you’d know right away he is a people person. Before he started his own company in 2010, Hurtado gained experience working at other large roofing companies in the Houston area. “When I first start-ed Hurtado Roofing & Construction I was the only employee,” he said. “I soon realized building a good solid relationship with cus-tomers and providing top notch service is the key to success.” Hurtado says business really began to take off in 2015. The roofing crew worked on several commercial and residential interi-or projects. In addi-tion, the company recently moved to its current location on Bellaire Blvd. “I love the roofing business,” he said. “No day is ever the same for me. I love in-teracting with customers and spending time outdoors at the jobs around the city.” Roofer Adan Garcia has worked with Hurtado since the early days at the company. “I have known Adan for about 10 years,” he said. “He is like my own son. He works hard every day to provide a good

Andre Hurtado checks on a roofing job in Houston.

life for his children.” When Hurtado isn’t at work, he says his favorite hobbies are going fishing near the Gulf Coast, riding his motorcycle and cooking. “I look forward to what 2016 may bring,” he said. “I think it will be a great year for us!” Hurtado Roofing & Construction pro-vides commercial and residential roofing, remodeling, custom cabinetry and interior and exterior painting. –ab

So u t h w e s t e r n Paint Co. Inc. has opened its

fifth location at 25507 Interstate 45 in the Woodlands / Spring area. The company held a grand opening event Jan. 28. President and owner Dean Stevens says during the grand opening the company offered discounts and a Rudy’s barbecue lunch. “We had more than 100 people visit us during the day,” Stevens said. “What a blessing!” Established in 1940, Southwestern Paint is an independent locally owned business servicing homeowners and professionals. The company provides industrial epoxies and zincs, metallic faux

North bound

The new Woodlands/Spring location

paints, plasters, wall paints, wallpaper glue and tools. –ab

Painting contractors enjoy a barbecue lunch and check out the new store.


If you are a construction-related company in Harris, Galveston, Fort Bend or Montgomery

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Houston Editor — Abby BeMent — [email protected] — 832-595-0091

The Houston Construction News (ISSN 1547-7630) is published monthly by Construction News LTD., dba Houston Construction News, and distributed by mail to construction-related companies in Houston 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 Houston 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.

Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buddy DoebblerEditorial/Production . . . . . . . Reesa Doebbler Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cyndi WrightAdmin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lacie CortezProduction Manager. . . . . . . . . . Sue JohnsonMarketing Director . . . . . . Leslye HernandezAccount Manager . . . . . . . . . . .Dana Calonge

Taking the reigns

Houston Contractors Association (HCA) has elected the 2016 board of directors. The new leaders were

sworn in at a luncheon held at The Junior League Jan. 28. Representatives from Tx-DOT, Harris County and the City of Hous-ton also attended also the event. –ab

Board of Directors: President, Mark Boyer, Boyer Inc.; Vice President/Treasurer, Gregg Reyes, Reytec Construction Re-sources Inc.; Secretary, Ken Rickett, Mus-tang Cat; Past President, Sherry Barker,

C.E. Barker Ltd.; Director Emeritus, David Boehm, NBG Constructors Inc.

Board Members: Anthony Colombo, Main Lane Industries Ltd.; Brian Conrad, Conrad Construction Co. Ltd.; Tim Cre-son, Webber LLC.; Alan McVicker, Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers; Robert Pike, Bay Oil Company; Keith Steffek, S & V Survey-ing Inc.; Jim Winter, Double Oak Con-struction Inc.; and Dennis Wolford, Jimer-son Underground

2016 HCA board of directors

Attendees mingle at the luncheon.

• In the February 2016 issue, the incorrect photo was used with the Spotlight article. The article should have included this photo of owner/man-ager Megan Ryan, Best Blue Print. Construction News regrets the error.

Corrections

• In the January 2016 Spotlight article, owner Brandi Mathews, Alvin Glass & Mirrors, father’s name was incorrect. Her father’s name is Car-los Brinkerhoff. Also, Mathews, her brother Antonio and grandmother Elizabeth are all owners. Construction News regrets the error.

Brandon DycheOwner

Creative Scape Design and J. Brandon Pools


Even flowConstruction News ON LOCATION

Technician Orlando Juan, Easy Flow Service, gathers the tools he needs before going to a commercial HVAC installation job in Houston. –ab

Ready to go out on his own, Brandon Dyche established Creative Scape Design in 2003.

“At first, I mostly did maintenance work to pay my way through college,” Dyche said. Once Dyche graduated college, he sold his maintenance business to focus on new builds, new construction work and creating landscapes from scratch. “I also went back to school to gain more horticulture experience and learn about landscape design and irrigation,” he said. Dyche says he hasn’t looked back and continues to grow his company. He has a team of 10 guys. “I never want the company to get too big,” he said. “I just want to do the work we can handle and that is it. “Last year was the first year we did two apartment complexes at the same time. It was the most amount of work we have had in a nine-month period.” Based just south of Katy, Creative Scape Design provides landscape design and installation, flagstone, other natural stone patios and walkways, landscape lighting and retaining walls. Creative Scape Design handles residential and multi-family apartment jobs.

Where are you originally from, Bran-don? I was born in Houston, raised in Sug-ar Land and today I live in Richmond with my family.

What was it like growing up in Sugar Land? I played baseball all through grade school. I played the center field and catcher positions.

Where did you graduate high school? I attended and graduated from Kempner High School in Sugar Land.

Did you have a job after school and in the summertime? I worked for a company called Powell Farms. They were one of the companies that sold plants to Home Depot and Lowe’s. I would go to Home Depot and Lowe’s to put up the plants on the shelves. I’d get out of school for the day and

go to about three or four different stores to arrange the plants. I think it was a good first job for me because I learned a lot about a variety of plants and how much fun working out-doors can be. Where did you go to college? I graduated with a degree in Business Management from the University of Houston. Next, I went to Houston Community College to earn my Irrigation license and I also took Auto CAD classes.

What sparked your interest to get into the landscape design business? While I did maintenance work in col-lege, I chose to go to night school to learn about landscape design so I could even-tually make better money. I really wanted to pay for school with-out having any debt. I was not afraid to work outside in the summer heat. I knew I didn’t want a desk job. Once I graduated college, I realized I had time in the evenings and the daytime to focus on landscape design work.

What were the early days like at the company? It was just me in the beginning. I started hiring more people in about 2006. Nowadays, I walk the crew through the plans at the job and they make it hap-pen and make everything look good. We go to jobs all around Texas. We have completed jobs west of Houston, The Woodlands, Midland, Lufkin, Eagle Pass and Lake Jackson. We don’t turn down referrals, no matter how far the job is. We started doing more apartment work in 2009. From about Nov. 1 until about Dec. 15, we do Christmas lighting. We close the company for the holidays and then we do Christmas lights take downs in early January. How do you stay up to date in your in-dustry? The only technology I have seen change since I started the company is the lighting. I stay up to date in the industry by at-tending trade shows, conventions and going to events such as the Katy Home & Garden Show. We were one of the fea-tured booths this year. Most of my manufacturers and sup-pliers have classes and training seminars during the year too. I also take refresher landscape de-sign courses when I have the chance. If you stop learning, you are done!

What advice would you give a young landscape designer? My advice is to start small and be good at what you do. In 2013, my com-pany grew really fast without much plan-ning. I now know I want to have a crew of about 10 guys. Always provide professional, quality workmanship and top-of-the-line service for every job, no matter the size. If you do good work, people will call you.

What is the best part about your job today? I love creating and designing land-scapes on a daily basis. I also enjoy solv-ing problems for customers. I like meeting new customers, hear-ing about what they want and fulfilling that desire. It is rewarding to me to keep cus-tomers satisfied.

Are you married? Yes, I am married to Amy. Amy was raised in Beasley. We met at a church group in Sugar Land.

How many children do you and Amy have? Amy and I have two children ages 2 and 4 and we have one more coming in August.

What kind of activities do you and your family enjoy on the weekend. We attend church every Sunday. My boys love spending time outside. My old-est son keeps telling me he wants to grow up strong so he can go to work with daddy. I think it is important for my kids to play outdoors. As long as I am engaging them and they are running, climbing, kicking a ball and chasing, everyone is happy. I love being a dad.

Have you and Amy traveled anywhere in recent months? We took our first ski trip together to Colorado since 2008. Amy and I had fun skiing with our friends. Before we had children, we had the opportunity to travel to New York and Alaska.

Have you traveled with the kids lately? Yes, we took a family vacation to Ar-kansas. Amy, the kids and I loved spend-ing time in nature. The kids really liked the woods.

Do you have any other hobbies? I enjoy playing poker with my bud-dies every now and then and grilling on the weekends. I have traveled so much in the past few years. I was gone more than I wanted. I just like to be home. Hanging out with Amy, our kids and our two dogs is my most favorite pastime.

What is the best part about living and working in Richmond? We live close to 99 and the Beltway so we can get to where ever we need to go easily. Everything we need is on this side of town. We live in a great neighborhood with great schools. It reminds me of growing up in Sugar Land.

What are your plans for the future? I like the size of my company right now. I have also recently opened a new company called J. Brandon Pools to pro-vide pool design and construction. This has come from customer de-mand over the years from Creative Scape Design. I look forward to building our name and brand in the marketplace in the future. My personal goal is to move to some land outside of the Houston area. Amy grew up on five acres of land in Beasley, so she wants to eventually live on some property again. It would be nice if our kids could grow up on some land and enjoy a less busy lifestyle. –ab

Brandon Dyche (left) attends the 2016 Katy Home & Garden Show.


The Houston Chapter of Associated General Contractors (AGC) held its annual meeting at the Hyatt Regen-

cy Galleria Hotel Jan. 28. The meeting served to recognize the 2015 and 2016 officers and board of di-rectors, members and committees, and to present the Honorary Life Member Award to Charles Nelson, Gilbane Building Co. AGC Houston President/CEO Jerry Nevlud; AGC Houston Chairman William Scott, III, Linbeck Group LLC; and Pat-rick J. Kiley, Kiley Advisors, presented Nelson with the award to recognize his 55 years in the commercial construction industry. –ab

Officers:Chairman of the Board: William Scott, III, Linbeck Group LLC; Vice-Chairman of the Board: James Bryant, Anslow Bryant Con-struction Ltd.; Secretary: Tadd Tellepsen, Tellepsen; Treasurer: Brandon Myers, SpawGlass Construction Corp.; Presi-dent/CEO: Jerry Nevlud, AGC Houston

Taking the lead

Board of Directors:James Bryant, Anslow Bryant Construc-tion, Ltd.; Steve Dishman, Brookstone LP; Bob Fretz, Jr., Fretz Construction Co.; Marty Garza, Bartlett Cocke General Con-tractors; Daniel Gilbane, Gilbane Building Co.; Tony Gonzalez, The Gonzalez Group; Chuck Greco, Linbeck Group LLC; Ken Humphries, Humphries Construction Corp.; Gregg Lynch, Rogers-O’Brien Con-struction; Tony Mansoorian, W. S. Bellows Construction Corp.; Steve Mechler, Bal-four Beatty Construction; Brandon Mey-ers, SpawGlass Construction, Corp.; Steve Percival, Durotech Inc.; Bob Potsma, Manhattan Construction Co.; William Scott, III, Linbeck Group LLC; Jim Steven-son, McCarthy Building Companies Inc.; Tad Tellepsen, Tellepsen; Tom Vaughn, Vaughn Construction; Don Woo, Mission Constructors Inc.; Doug Combes, Cham-berlin Roofing & Waterproofing; Kevin Duesterhoft, R&M Service Co. Inc.;James Humphrey, III, Humphrey Co. Ltd. and Murray Neal, MLN Company

L-R: William Scott, III, Linbeck Group LLC; Patrick J. Kiley, Kiley Advisors; Charles Nelson, Gilbane Building Co. and Jerry Nevlud, AGC Houston

Embracing the future

Just in time for its 20th anniversary, Dillon Kyle Architects (DKA) recently broke ground on its new three-story

office building and design studio located at 1500 West Alabama St. Native Houstonian Dillon Kyle, AIA, started the firm in a mobile home outside of Brenham and moved the firm to Hous-ton in 1996. “I practiced architecture in San Fran-cisco and New York before I was drawn back to my hometown,” he said. Kyle says he was drawn to Houston because of the opportunities presented by the city’s spirit, landscape and open-ness. Over the past 20 years, the firm has grown steadily, working on custom sin-gle-family residences, cultural and com-mercial buildings and educational facility projects. According to Kyle, the firm’s future headquarters is sited on a corner lot in the Museum District.

The administration and conference spaces will be on the lower two levels and the design studio will be located on the third level. “A sculptural wooden screen, carved to echo the iconic live oaks that line the streets of Houston, wraps around the structure,” Dillon said. “Trees planted ad-jacent to the building will form a strong visual link with its upper stories, as they mirror the foliage motif of the facade.” With an expected completion date of Aug. 2016, the building is on target to receive a LEED Silver rating. The firm has also named Peter Klein, Parrish Kyle, Russell Morse, Fani Qano and Rudy Fabre as senior associates. “Our clients and staff have made the first two decades of Dillon Kyle Architects a tremendously rewarding experience for me personally and for the firm,” Kyle said. “I am very proud of our team’s ac-complishments and success.” –ab

Dillon Kyle (center) and the Dillon Kyle Architects staff breaks ground on the new office building and design studio.

Setting the foundationConstruction News JOB SIGHT

The T&T Construction crew worked on the new scale foundation at the Cherry Crushed Concrete northeast Houston plant in January. –ab


The Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) Houston Chapter held a Meet and Greet Breakfast at the Crowne Plaza Jan. 29. Folks had the opportunity to network with

peers in the construction industry. –ab

Rise and shineSubmitted to Construction News

Business is a game! Play to win!Part 3: Know your cashflow needsCarrie D. Bradshaw, ShareholderBrown, Graham & Company P.C.Georgetown, TX

In part one, we discussed the importance of knowing your score to be able to win the game. In part two, we

discussed evaluating your costs and how to use break even analysis to improve your score.

This month, we will discuss how to use cash flow projections to fund your next winning season! There are basically two methods of recording revenue and expenses: Cash Basis: The practice of recording revenue when the related cash is collected and expenses when the check is written. The disadvantage is you do not know your profit. Accrual Basis: The practice of recording revenue when it is earned and expenses when incurred. The disadvantage is you do not know your monthly cash flow. We will need these two concepts to coexist for this exercise. Projecting your cash needs involves the following steps: Step one: You will need your income statement (on an accrual basis). Using the income statement, calculate the percentage of sales for each expense category. For example, if sales are $100,000 and small tools expense is $2,000, the percentage of small tools expense percentage is 2%. Step two: On a separate piece of paper (or preferably in a spreadsheet if you are comfortable) create a column for each month of the year. Take your best guess and pencil in your anticipated monthly sales for the next year. Step three: Forecast your monthly expenses by using the average percentages calculated in step one, based on the projected sales you estimated in step two. If your small tools are 2% of sales, in each monthly column you will multiply 2% times the monthly sales to populate the individual monthly small tools expense. Step four: Convert this monthly accrual projection to a cash basis. You do this by evaluating when you believe each job will pay according to the anticipated contract schedule. Then determine the monthly payments to be made for job related costs such as subcontractors, materials, and other variable supplies. Step five: Next estimate your monthly payments for general and administrative costs which is relatively predictable based on historical trends. Step six: Calculate your cash surplus or shortfall. Begin with the expected monthly cash receipts from customers

and deduct cash payments for expenses. This is the amount of cash flows provided by your operations. Next deduct anticipated purchases of long lived assets or repayments on debt and dividends to be paid to owners. Step seven: Repeat this process for each month of the year and calculate the cumulative effect to determine your cash balance for the year. If you have a cash surplus, you are winning. If you have a cash shortfall, you need to start planning. Identify the month(s) with a cash shortfall. You will need to determine what method you will implement to cover the shortfall. The traditional options are: 1. Deposit personal funds into the company, 2. Borrow from the bank, 3. Borrow from your vendors by delaying the payment of their invoices. You may have the opportunity to fund shortfalls by squeezing cash from your balance sheet. To accomplish this consider the following: 1. Collecting accounts receivables faster by giving net/15 discounts (or simply printing a due date on the invoice), 2. Implementing a just-in-time inventory system, 3. Evaluating if you have short term debt that can be refinanced into long term debt, 4. Paying vendors early to take advantage of their discounts. If your business is in a growth phase, this tool is critical. You can use this to anticipate the cash that will be needed to fund the growth. Many small businesses “grow broke” because they do not have a way to anticipate the cash needs to fund the start up costs related to growth. This concept also applies to an upcoming large job. By forecasting and proactively managing your cash, 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.

Individual Health Insurance Mandate and what it meansto youCindy Brenke, Risk AdvisorIBTX Risk ServicesSan Antonio, TX

Beginning in 2014, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care

required most individuals to maintain health insurance coverage or potentially to pay a penalty for noncompliance. Specifically, most individuals are required to maintain minimum essential coverage (MEC) for themselves and their dependents. MEC is a term defined in the ACA and its implementing regulations and includes most private and public coverage (e.g., employer-sponsored coverage, individual coverage, Medicare, and Medicaid, among others). Some individuals are exempt from the mandate and the penalty, and others may receive financial assistance to help them pay for the cost of health insurance coverage and the costs associated with using health care services. Individuals who do not maintain MEC and are not exempt from the mandate have to pay a penalty for each month of noncompliance with the mandate. If you did not purchase MEC beginning Jan. 1, 2014 you faced a penalty of the greater of 1% of adjusted household income or $95 per adult plus $47.50 per child. In 2015, you will have to pay the greater of 2% or adjusted household income of $325 per adult plus $162.50 per child. Thereafter, the penalty will be the greater of 2.5% of adjusted household income or $695 per adult plus $347.50 per child. The penalty is assessed through the federal tax filing process. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can attempt to collect any owed penalties by reducing

the amount of an individual’s tax refund; however, individuals who fail to pay the penalty will not be subject to any criminal prosecution or penalty for such failure. The Secretary of the Treasury cannot file notice of lien or file a levy on any property for a taxpayer who does not pay the penalty. Certain individuals are exempt from the individual mandate and the penalty. For example, individual’s with qualifying religious exemptions and those whose household income is below the filing threshold for federal income taxes are not subject to the penalty. The ACA allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to grant hardship exemptions from the penalty to anyone determined to have suffered a hardship with respect to the capability to obtain coverage. Effective for the 2015 filing year, employers, insurers and government programs which provide minimum essential coverage to any individual must present a 1094/1095 to the IRS and a statement to the covered individual that includes information about the individual’s health insurance coverage to prove compliance with the federal mandate. Recognized in the industry for her in-depth employee benefits knowledge and insight, Cindy Brenke is excellent at sharing her more than 14 years of experience with all levels of employees. She is Texas Group 1 Life and Health licensed. She is a graduate from Michigan State University and now resides in Boerne, TX. with her family.

On Feb. 12, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced the newest members of its presti-

gious College of Fellows. Only about 3,200 of AIA's more than 88,000 members hold this distinction. Congratulations to the 149 individuals el-

2016 AIA Fellows announced evated to Fellowship this year. Eleven Texas Society of Architects members were recognized and two of those are in Houston. –ab

Photos and biographical information courtesy AIA

Jeffrey Brown, FAIA, Powers Brown Architecture - AIA Houston Jeffrey Brown, FAIA, principal of Powers Brown Architec-ture, is a leading advocate and nationally recognized au-thority on the design application of tilt wall technology. He has explored thepossibilities of this building method for nearly two de-cades, creating a body of influential research, as well as tools and metrics to support new market acceptance. His innovative designs have garnered numerous awards from AIA and the Tilt-Up Concrete Association, and he gener-ously shares his wealth of knowledge as an instructor, lec-

turer, and author. His book “Tiltwallism: A Treatise on the Architectural Potential of Tilt Wall Construction,” was published in 2014.

Charles H. Griffin, FAIA, WHR Architects - AIA Houston Charles H. Griffin, FAIA, a senior principal and studio lead-er at WHR Architects, has spent 37 years advancing the practice of healthcare architecture. He is one of the found-ing members of the American College of Healthcare Ar-chitects, helping to establish certification standards for its members. He is also a longtime leader of the Academy for Architecture for Health whose contributions have en-hanced the position of the organization in the industry. At WHR, Griffin plays a pivotal role in management of some of the firm’s landmark hospital projects, and he regularly shares his knowledge, experience, and dedication to re-

search and evidence-based design with clients, colleagues and students.


What are the dangersof power tools?Joann NatarajanCompliance Assistance SpecialistOSHAAustin, TX

Appropriate personal protective equipment such as safety goggles

and gloves must be worn to protect against hazards that may be encountered while using hand tools.

Workplace floors shall be kept as clean and dry as possible to prevent ac-cidental slips with or around dangerous hand tools. Power tools must be fitted with guards and safety switches; they are ex-tremely hazardous when used improper-ly. The types of power tools are deter-mined by their power source: electric, pneumatic, liquid fuel, hydraulic, and powder-actuated. To prevent hazards associated with the use of power tools, workers should observe the following general precau-tions:

• Never carry a tool by the cord or hose. • Never yank the cord or the hose to disconnect it from the receptacle. • Keep cords and hoses away from heat, oil, and sharp edges. • Disconnect tools when not using them, before servicing and cleaning them, and when changing accessories such as blades, bits, and cutters. • Keep all people not involved with the work at a safe distance from the work area. • Secure work with clamps or a vise, freeing both hands to operate the tool. • Avoid accidental starting. Do not hold fingers on the switch button while carrying a plugged-in tool. • Maintain tools with care; keep them sharp and clean for best perfor-mance.

• Follow instructions in the user’s manual for lubricating and changing ac-cessories. • Be sure to keep good footing and maintain good balance when operating power tools. • Wear proper apparel for the task. Loose clothing, ties, or jewelry can be-come caught in moving parts. • Remove all damaged portable electric tools from use and tag them: “Do Not Use.”

Guards The exposed moving parts of power tools need to be safeguarded. Belts, gears, shafts, pulleys, sprockets, spindles, drums, flywheels, chains, or other recip-rocating, rotating, or moving parts of equipment must be guarded.

Machine guards, as appropriate, must be provided to protect the operator and others from the following: • Point of operation. • In-running nip points. • Rotating parts. • Flying chips and sparks.

Safety guards must never be re-moved when a tool is being used. Porta-ble circular saws having a blade greater than 2 inches (5.08 centimeters) in diam-eter must be equipped at all times with guards. An upper guard must cover the entire blade of the saw. A retractable low-er guard must cover the teeth of the saw, except where it makes contact with the work material. The lower guard must au-tomatically return to the covering posi-tion when the tool is withdrawn from the work material.

[email protected] x232

The FLSA and coming changes: How will they affect you? Christa Boyd-Nafstad, Esq.The Cromeens Law FirmHouston, TX

The Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) is a federal statute, regulated by the Department of Labor

(“DOL”,) which covers minimum wage and overtime pay for most employees. All non-exempt employees are entitled to overtime pay at a rate of time and one-half their regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours a week. Whether an employee is exempt or non-exempt depends on: (1) how much they are paid, (2) how they are paid, and (3) the kind of work they do.

In July 2016, the current threshold for non-exempt salaried employees will more than double. Under the current regulations, a salaried employee will automatically be non-exempt if that employee makes under $23,600 a year, and is exempt under the “highly compensated employee” exception if they make over $100,000. The DOL is changing these amounts to $50,440 and $122,148, respectively. The changes also include a mechanism that automatically adjusts these figures going forward based on inflation and costs of living. Hourly employees are always non-exempt. Salaried employees making less than $23,600 ($55,440 as of July) are always non-exempt. For salaried employees making more than the minimum threshold, their status depends on if they fall into one of the so-called “white collar exemptions.” Whether an employee falls into a “white collar exemption” depends on the duties they perform, and not on their job title. For this reason this is often referred to as the duties test. There are three kinds of exemptions: executive, professional, and administrative. The exemption that comes up most often in construction is the executive exemption. An employee is considered exempt as an “executive” if management is the “primary duty” of their job. The exempt executive must regularly supervise two or more employees. However, “mere supervision” is not enough. The manager/executive must be responsible for, or have genuine input into the decision-making process regarding hiring, firing, interviewing, promoting, selecting and training employees. They should also determine work techniques, plan the work, and apportion the work among employees. In the construction industry this issue comes up most often in the case of the foreman. Despite the fact that construction workers are almost always non-exempt (meaning entitled to overtime pay), one exception to this is

the Construction Foreman. The distinction turns on whether the foreman is purely supervisory or if he is a “Working Foreman.” The foreman, if purely supervisory, is likely exempt under the executive exemption. Of course, if the foreman is paid hourly, or his salary is less than $50,440 (as of July), then he is entitled to overtime pay, even if he is purely supervisory. However, if the forman is salary and meets the minimum salary amount, then the question becomes whether he is an exempt supervisor or a non-exempt Working Foreman. A Working Forman works side-by-side with other construction workers while also performing administrative tasks. A Working Foreman does manual labor and works with their tools for the majority of the day, and also manages other employees and fills out necessary paperwork. The Working Forman is entitled to overtime pay regardless of whether they are hourly or salary, and even if they meet the minimum salary of $50,440 a year ($970 per week). For a salaried foreman to be exempt under the executive exception, he must not devote more than 20% of his working hours to activities not associated with directing other employees. It is important to note that the duty to keep records classifying which employees are exempt or non-exempt falls squarely on the employer. Because of this, employers should begin preparing for the coming changes; evaluating their current exempt positions and determining whether to raise their salary to the new minimum or re-classify them as non-exempt. In addition, the DOL is expected to modify the requirements concerning the duties employees must perform in order to be considered exempt. These changes are expected to have significant impact and go into place in 2016. For information on the FLSA or any employment matters, please contact me at [email protected].

Darrell “Glenn” Fisher, 62, died Feb. 2, 2016 in Hous-ton. He was born Jun. 20, 1953 in Houston to the late

Harold Blaine Fisher Sr. and Opal Belle Blackmon Fisher. Fisher was a Registered Professional Land Surveyor in the State of Texas and an employee of Brown & Gay Engineers Inc. He served as a mentor and leader for many of the surveying staff as well as others at the firm. Fisher had 45 years of surveying experience with 32 years as an RPLS. He is survived by his children, Damian Glenn, Guin-eviere Renee Mosqueda, Ariel Lynn, Daniel James, and Emily Elizabeth; his grandson, Tristan Glenn Mosqueda; his siblings, Delores “Dodie” Fisher Wilkins, William “Bill” Robert Layne and his wife, Mary Alice, Gloria Gaye Elliott and her husband, Eric, Harold “Blaine” Fisher, Jr. and his wife, Lynn Tucker, his fraternal twin, Cheryl “Lynn” Fisher and her husband, Kirk “Corky” Edward Groat, John “JD” Fisher, Sr., and LaRaye Fisher; as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews and three aunts. –ab

In memoriam

Star-studded night


Companies, individuals and projects were honored at the 19th annual Excellence in Construction Awards Gala at the Houston Junior League Jan. 29.

Attendees gathered for the awards presentation fol-lowing a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception. The masters of ceremonies were Mike Holland, Marek Brothers Systems and Shannon McArthur, MEMCO. The American Subcontractors Association Houston Chapter (ASA) hosted the event. Each year, ASA Houston presents the Excellence in Construction awards in eight categories. The association members nominate individ-uals and firms in each category. Not pictured: Project of the Year Under $5 Million: Baylor College of Medicine Neurosensory Level 5A – Mc-Carthy Building Companies Inc. –ab

Congrats to the winners! Architect/Engineer of the Year:Gensler

Project Manager of the Year:Ray Mancias, W.S. Bellows Construction Corp.

Project Superintendent of the Year:Gerald Moore, Gilbane Building Co.

Project of the Year Between $5-$20 Million:KIPP 8500 Highway 6 South, Linbeck Group LLC

General Contractor of the Year:Linbeck Group LLC

General Contractor Safety Award: Gilbane/Harvey Project of the Year Over $20 Million: ExxonMobil Campus Project, Gilbane/Harvey

Pat Kiley, Kiley Advisors, gave a 2016 Construction Industry & Economic Outlook

presentation to subcontractors at the HESS Club in late January. The American

Subcontractors Association (ASA) Houston Chapter held the event. –ab

ForecastingSubmitted to Construction News


Spring Fishing Forecast

by Capt. Steve Schultz

Sponsored by:Waypoint Marine, Majek Boats,

Evinrude Outboards, E-Z Bel Construc-tion, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, ForEverlast Hunting

and Fishing Products MirrOlure, andColumbia Sportswear.

Hey folks, here we are already in March and the weather already feels like summer. We have been

having days in late February where tem-peratures are reaching the upper 80’s, and sometimes touching 90 degrees. Fishing season is upon us early this year so don’t hesitate in planning your sum-mer outings.

For the next few months we will spend many days walking countless miles wad-ing the shallow waters of the Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay in search of one of the most sought after trophies that roam the inshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Most anglers know that wintertime is when speckled trout are at their peak weight. A 30” trout caught in the middle

One of the most important tools to have before you venture out for your day on the water is something that can’t be pur-chased. A GAME PLAN must always be one of the first things you should have

of the summer may only weigh 6-1/2 to 7-1/2 lbs.; where as that same fish may be 9-1/2 to 10 lbs. in the winter. These heavi-er trout make your catch that much more gratifying.

before you leave the dock. If you’ve kept logs in the past like most serious anglers do, review them. Think back to previous years or outings that were successful. What lures did you throw and which ones did you have the most success with. What were the weather conditions like, cold, windy, cloudy, sunny, etc.? Try to predict what your day is going to be like and look back to find a similar day in your logs. Don’t be like most routine fisher-men who go to the same spots over and over because they caught a good fish with their grandpa when they were a kid. Now that you have arrived to your pre-designated fishing spot, your next deci-sion should be which lure to throw. My suggestion to most of my clients is to throw a lure you have confidence in. I al-ways start out with a lure that has been a producer for me in the past. If I have a group of customers, I always try to mix it up. I start everyone off with a different lure. This helps me determine what the fish are wanting on that given day. After we have established what the fish want we can all go to the same type of lure. Don’t get caught up in some new item that came in a fancy package and costs a small fortune or a lure that your buddy gave you and said these are what I catch all my fish on. Remember one thing when your walking down the aisles at Bass Pro Shops or Academy, fishing lures are packaged to catch the eye of the fish-erman rather that the fish. I have already started to fill the calendar for the upcoming 2016 season. Don’t wait till 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.

Mark Walters (Left) and Chris Huey (ForEverlast Prostaff) had a successful day on thewater wading with Capt. Steve Schultz on Baffin Bay last week.

Great wide openSubmitted to Construction News

Joe Lacy, Diamond Hydraulics Inc., took his son Hudson, 8, dove hunting at Esser Ranch in Kendalia, TX. –ab


If you are out driving around in Texas and you see purple painted tree trunks

and fence posts – it doesn’t mean that someone who loves the color purple (me, for example) lives there. In fact, purple paint on trees and posts mean the same as a prominently displayed “No Trespassing” sign. Purple was chosen due to the fact that even people who are color blind will see it. The law was added in 1997 to the Texas Penal Code regarding Criminal Trespass and was created to allow Texas landowners an alternative to posting “No Trespassing” and “Posted” signs that would give the same legal weight, but without the cost of signs or having to fre-quently replace them. Section 30.05 of the Texas Penal Code, dealing with criminal trespass, says that: (paraphrased) ‘A person commits an offense if he…enters property of another without consent…and that he had no-tice that the entry was forbidden.’ One of the code’s definition of notice is the placement of identifying purple

Purple trees in Texas?

paint marks on trees or posts on the property and that those marks are: verti-cal lines at least 8 inches long and 1 inch wide, placed between 3- 5 ft. from the ground, and that their placement is in a location that is easily visible to a person approaching the property, and that the markings be no more than 100 feet apart on wooded land or 1,000 feet apart on open land. The rule was created in September 1997 and amusingly had an original re-quirement that landowners also post a sign on the property explaining that the purple markings meant no trespassing. That requirement for posting a sign ex-pired one year later, in September 1998. Placing purple markings around your property – as per the Texas code above – to give notice and mark bound-aries, does have the same legal weight as a “Posted” or “No Trespassing” sign; un-fortunately, few people know what the markings mean. But, now, you are not one of those! –cw

Half or Full Day Fishing Trips

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Furnish your TPWD FishingLicense & Refreshments,

and WE DO THE REST!Ken Milam Guide Service(325) 379-2051

www.striperfever.com

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

I’ve been in the fishing business almost all my life and nothing is as much fun as taking kids fishing. I don’t know

what it is about kids and fish that makes something magical happen. Part of the allure I’m sure is getting to go fishing with the grownups. It is a little rite of passage. It doesn’t matter if they go with mom and dad or grandma and grandpa, every kid loves to see and learn new things at the side of their favorite people. Nothing makes them feel more special than for you to share something you love doing with them because they understand that it is a gift. If you are jerking a perch out from under a sun drenched dock, crappie from the riverbank, largemouth from a stock tank or catfish from a Kid Fish even at the coliseum, it is that tug on the other end of the line that is just magical. Fishing is entertaining because it gives us immediate, continuous feedback. Fishing beats video games because you can always find a way to cheat or manipulate your way to achieving a goal in a game, but not in fishing. Right quick the fish let you know they don’t care a thing about messing with you because they are largely in charge of the situation. If they feel like biting, you don’t know when or where or how they’ll do it. No telling whether they will try to sneak off with your bait or hit it so hard they knock it out of the water and just keep on chasing it. Most of all, who knows what you are going to catch and how big it’s going to be! And maybe the fish will just turn loose and leave you wondering what just happened…. Nope you can’t just reset the level on that and try it again! Then there is the fact that fish are just so darn fascinating in the ickiest way. When it comes time to clean the fish you catch most kids are awestruck. First thing, a soft little finger tip has to just see what

one of those googly fish eyes feels like. Next comes the anatomy of a fish lesson. Fish guts are just amazing when you are a kid. They are smelly, not too bloody and so many different colors and purposes. I never met a kid who could pass up a chance to just watch fish being dressed. If you go ahead then and wet another hook and line under the fish cleaning station and get to catching what is lurking there for a quick lunch it just gets more interesting! Fish are just fun. You can watch them in an aquarium with calm fascination, catch a serious case of the giggles over a dare to touch one, or just put a hand full of minnows down your sister’s shirt and run like the dickens. And don’t think girls can’t get into fishing just like boys do because they can and will often out fish you. One bunch of little kids comes to mind. When it came to be picture time

Kids Love Fishing!

to show off their catch at the trip’s end, they all preferred holding their catch like favorite teddy bears embraced by both arms and hugged up tight with big happy grins! II bet Mom was thrilled with that load of laundry! Spring break – kids – you know what to do.


Run this waySubmitted to Construction News

Lacing up their running shoes, Walter P. Moore employees had fun participating in the Chevron Houston Marathon in January. –ab

Engineers from Jones and Carter Inc. took part in the Run of Pi event at the University of Houston in February. –ab

Speeding upSubmitted to Construction News

Kyle Cahill, his wife Susannah and Neri Pastrana, Southern Botanical,

took a break from doing landscape con-struction work to volunteer in January. They rolled up their sleeves and helped plant 1,600 trees and spread mulch as part of the Memorial Park Con-

Bloom where planted

servancy’s first project of the Memorial Park Master Plan. “We planted trees from about 9am until noon on a Saturday,” Cahill said. “We had a blast helping out on a beautiful day!” –ab

Kyle Cahill is ready to spread mulch.

L-R: Neri Pastrana and Kyle Cahill, Southern Botanical, plant a pine tree.

Susannah Cahill digs a hole to plant a tree.

Hot, hot, hotSubmitted to Construction News

L-R: Jaime Ochoa and Joe Ochoa Jr., Joe Ochoa Roofing Inc., love cooking tacoswhen they aren’t on working on roofing projects. Here they are cooking tacos while

tailgating before a Houston Texans game. –ab

Call Abby BeMent, your Houston editor at 832-595-0091,She would love to get your pictures and story in the paper!

The reel dealSubmitted to Construction News

Nathan Koehn, Oklahoma Waterproofing, went fishing with his buddies at Texas Moisture Protection Co. and caught a bull redfish at the Galveston jetties. –ab

Soaring heights Houston Construction News • Mar 2016

More than 650 high school and college students and military veterans attended the Lift &

Move USA career event held at TNT Crane & Rigging in Houston Feb. 10. Folks learned about the career op-portunities in the crane, rigging and spe-cialized transportation industry. "Lift & Move was a tremendous suc-cess from every angle,” said CEO Mike Appling, TNT Crane & Rigging. The event featured industry speak-ers, table top exhibits, equipment exhib-its and hands-on simulators. "It was nice in a highly competitive industry to see many competitors, ven-dors and other industry participants pull together around a common goal of in-creasing work force interest and partici-

Making friends in Friendswood

Steady growth

Students arrive at the event.

CEO Mike Appling, TNT Crane & Rigging

Students ask questions at an equipment exhibit.

Attendees with an interest of becoming apart of the crane industry.

pation in the crane and special transport arena,” Appling said. TNT Crane & Rigging is a crane provid-er. –ab

Sam the Plumber is a Friendswood-based business managed by master plumbers Sam Poage, president,

and Chris Miller, vice president. Miller says 2016 is looking better than previous years. The company has stayed busy working on more commer-cial jobs for the past six months. “Over the years, we have added more trucks and lots of equipment,” he said. “We are hoping to add more employees in the near future. It is important to us to hire the best people we can. We are defi-nitely growing!” Miller says he and Poage enjoy work-ing in the plumbing business because they like helping people. “Sam and I spend most of the day out in the field and sometimes we work at the office,” he said. “We do whatever it takes to get the job done.” The keys to success are arriving to jobs in a timely manner, providing high

quality work and to always be depend-able, he said. Miller and Poage are Houston Texans football fans and they love going fishing with their buddies near the Gulf Coast when they get the chance. Pouge also enjoys driving racecars when he is not at work. One of his favor-ite cars to drive is a Ford Mustang. The company recently provided the plumbing work at a pizza restaurant proj-ect in Deer Park. Looking ahead, Poage and Miller plan to continue to operate the business for years to come. “We’d like to always be based in the Friendswood area and handle work in Houston and the surrounding areas,” Miller said. “We want to continue to achieve our goals every year.” Sam the Plumber is a commercial and residential plumbing company. –ab

Chris Miller has more than 22 years of plumbing experience.

Founder and CEO Chad Sykes turned his dream to into reality by opening Indoor Harvest Corp. in

2011. He started the company in his ga-rage. “The original concept for the com-pany was to build vertical farms for res-taurants,” Sykes said. “We worked on the original idea and quickly realized there was nobody who made the equipment we needed.” Sykes pivoted the business model from a retail establishment to a company that designed and engineered the equip-ment that would go into facilities. Before Sykes opened the company, he provided consulting services to a company in New York that did indoor vertical farming. “The idea planted an interest in me,” he said. “I had never heard anyone doing this before.” Next, Sykes began doing research to test the process for the systems. He filed patents for the process.

“I love what I do today,” he said. “Farming is very soothing and relaxing. I am able to combine my love of farming with designing and building. It is so new and innovative. I am excited for the fu-ture.” An institutional investor Kodiak has recently invested in the company. "This commitment from Kodiak is our largest single investment to date and our first with an institutional partner,” Sykes said. “This funding will provide us consid-erable flexibility as we scale up opera-tions in 2016 and onward to meet a cur-rent estimated project pipeline of over 19 individual projects.” Houston-based Indoor Harvest Corp. is a full-service, design-build engineering firm for the indoor and vertical farming indus-try. The company provides production plat-forms, mechanical systems and complete custom designed build outs for both green-house and building integrated agriculture grows. –ab

The Indoor Harvest Corp. crew builds a production platform.

Gaining insight


Local high school students partici-pated in "Shadow an Engineer Day" in early February.

Students visited Houston area civil engineering firms and spent time with engineers to see what they really do. The purpose of “Shadow an Engineer Day” was to allow students to experience

Opportunity awaits

PGAL

Binkley Barfield Consulting Engineers

ARUP

firsthand glimpse of what is involved in the field of civil engineering while ob-serving the corporate skills, knowledge and attitudes that are needed to be suc-cessful in the workplace. The American Society of Civil Engi-neers (ASCE) Houston Chapter hosted the event. –ab

A group of volunteers from LAN Engineering Houston's Infrastructure Large Diameter Group helped out at the Houston Food Bank on Dec. 21. –ab

An apple a daySubmitted to Construction News

Tramonte + Johnson has opened its new office in Houston. Partners are Jason Tramonte Jr., AIA, and Kris-

ten Johnson, RID. “Kristen and I look forward to bring-ing our energy and culture to our clients and to our new office,” Tramonte said. “Our team has great chemistry and en-thusiasm. We truly enjoy working togeth-er.” With more than 15 years of experi-ence as an architect, Tramonte currently serves as district council vice chair for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and was the founding chairman of the ULI Sporting Clays Tournament. When Tramonte is not at the office, he enjoys spending time outdoors, espe-cially hunting and fishing with business associates, friends and family. Johnson is an interior designer with more than one million square feet of completed interiors projects. She is an active member of the Rice Design Alli-

ance (RDA), the Menil Contemporaries and has been involved with the AIA Gala Auction committee for the last three years. She is board vice president of the Art League Houston. “I am excited about the collaborative environment Jason and I have created working together,” Johnson said. “Our passion for partnering with our clients develops beautiful environments where people live and work.” In her free time, Johnson likes pho-tography and has been a long-time vol-unteer with the Junior League of Hous-ton. “In the future, we plan to diversify market sectors as we grow,” she said. “Our focus is on commercial architecture and corporate interiors and we plan to grow with our public sector, energy ser-vices and residential clients over time as the market improves.” Tramonte + Johnson is an architecture, planning and interior design firm. –ab

Jason Tramonte Jr. and Kristen Johnson

Sparking the imagination

Owner Easton Hardung, H & S Welding, learned how to weld from his father Warren.

“I first began watching my dad weld when I was about 11,” Hardung said. “My dad has 38 years of welding experience. He ran a fabrication shop when I was growing up. He taught me everything I know today.” Hardung worked with his dad as a helper during high school. Once he grad-uated he was ready to open H & S Weld-ing in Santa Fe. “Business has picked up quite a bit in the past two years since I first opened the company,” he said. “I have had several re-peat customers along the way.” Hardung says he loves his job be-cause he gets an adrenaline rush when he starts welding in the shop. “I get a confidence in myself and that keeps me going,” he said. “I also enjoy working with my dad. He comes to the

shop to help whenever he can. My broth-ers Dustin and Tyler help out too.” If Hardung were to give advice to a young person interested in welding, he says it is best to get hands-on experience. “I think you can learn a lot more from an old-timer in the field than you can sit-ting in a lab watching someone show you how to weld,” he said. “My advice it to work your way up and keep on striving.” When Hardung has free time away from the shop, he loves going fishing with his family and friends. “I go salt water fishing at West Bay up all the way into Trinity and back down to Sergeant,” he said. Hardung says he plans to build a larg-er facility and add more employees and equipment in the future. H & S Welding provides residential, commercial and industrial welding services. –ab

Easton Hardung says he followed his dream to open his own welding shop.

Spring is in the air


Electrical contractors and suppliers attended a Valentine Celebration of Elegant Wine Tasting “Around the

World” and Political Advocate of the Year Dinner at the Crowne Plaza Northwest Feb. 11. The Independent Electrical Contrac-tors (IEC) Texas Gulf Coast Chapter held the event. A donation was presented to Camp Hope. –ab

Mix and mingle

L-R: Sophia Mafrige, Helena Brown and the Honorable Cindy Bennett Smith

Clyde Bryan presents a check to Jordan Gilstrap, Camp Hope

The Honorable Laryssa Korduba and IEC President Danny Colwell

Central Welding Sup-ply opened the Santa Fe location in 2015.

Owner Jody Adkins and manager Johnny Villarre-al have both worked in the industry for 20 years. “We have had steady walk-in customers in the past few months,” Villarreal said. “Our customers tell us they are happy we are here in Santa Fe. Most of our cus-tomers work at local weld-ing shops in the area.” Villarreal says the own-er is waiting for the weather to warm up to have a grand opening event. “We will probably have an event in March or April,” he said. “We look for-ward to inviting customers out and hav-ing hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch.” According to Villarreal the company also has an Alvin location with a ware-house. He says eventually the Santa Fe

location will have a warehouse too. When Villarreal and Adkins have free time, they love going fishing in Galveston or Matagorda Bay and deer and hog hunting in South Texas. “In the future, we’d like to expand more to the west of town,” Villarreal said. Central Welding Supply provides weld-ing supplies, gas and machines. –ab

Manager Johnny Villarreal starts his day at 7am and helps customers until 5:30pm.

The new Santa Fe location

Robert CabreraSurvey Party ChiefHovis Surveying Co.

Industry FOLKS

Before Robert Cabrera started sur-veying 15 years ago, he did other

jobs in the Houston construction in-dustry. “When I was younger, I worked at an air conditioning supply company and I also poured concrete for a con-crete company,” Cabrera said. “My brother-in-law was a surveyor and he sparked my interest to do this type of work. I kind of fell into this industry.” Cabrera says he is glad he ulti-mately started working at Hovis Sur-veying. Most days of the week, he does land surveying and construction layout projects. “I love working as survey party chief because I have the opportunity to work outdoors,” he said. “It is espe-cially nice this time of year when the weather starts to warm up. I look for-ward to getting outside in the spring-time.” Originally from Houston, Cabrera grew up in the Heights area with his family. He attended and graduated from Waltrip High School. He decided go to work in the con-struction industry right after he grad-uated high school instead of taking college classes. “If I were to give advice to a young person who wants to do what I do to-day, I’d say go for it! Try to get as much training as you can while you are still

in school,” he said. According to Cabrera, the equip-ment and technology are always changing in his industry, so he says it is important to keep up with the trends. “I think to be a good surveyor, you have to be dedicated to your work and you have to be able to work in all kinds of weather conditions,” he said. “I also think it is helpful to know basic math, algebra and trigonometry. I still use these skills today.” When Cabrera has time off, he says he spends as much time as possi-ble with his granddaughter. “My grandbaby is very active these days,” he said. “She is so much fun to be around. She loves playing outside on the weekends.” Looking to the future, Cabrera says he looks forward to doing more surveying projects in the future for Hovis Surveying. “I really enjoy my job and I like working with the folks at the compa-ny,” he said. “I’d love to continue sur-veying until I retire.” –ab

Job well doneConstruction News JOB SIGHT

Anthony Hay, Floor Masters, cleans the windows after he works on the floors at the Mattress Firm project in Richmond. –ab

Into the woodsSubmitted to Construction News

E.E. Reed Construction LP representatives attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Memorial Hermann – Woodlands project in late January. –ab

Construction Education


Many changes inconstruction education

Joe Horlen, Department Head,Department of Construction ScienceTexas A&M UniversityCollege Station, TX

In 2009, Construction News visited with Joe Horlen about construction educa-

tion at Texas A&M University. We talked to Mr. Horlen again this year to find out what changes have taken place since then.

What has changed in your department concerning student recruitment? The change has largely been the number of students recruited from high schools vs junior colleges. In 2009, our largest percentage were students com-ing into Texas A&M straight from high school (50 percent), with roughly 25 per-cent coming from junior college. That’s flip-flopped. Now, we have roughly 50 percent coming from junior college and 25-30 percent coming from high school. The number of students coming into our program due to a change in major has stayed about the same – 25 percent. That’s true of many majors – A&M overall is taking more students from ju-nior colleges. There has been a slight increase in the number of veterans coming in. We are quite veteran friendly. They make re-ally good students, but it’s not a signifi-cant total of the student body.

What has changed concerning scholar-ship availability and student numbers? The change there is we’ve increased the number of scholarships and the dol-lar amount. In 2009, we had 150 students receiving scholarships totaling about $250,000. Now, we have 250 students getting scholarships totaling more than $450,000. In 2009, we had roughly 600 stu-dents in our undergrad program – now we have somewhere around 1,050. We have grown fairly significantly.

What has driven that change? I attribute it to the word starting to get out about the Bachelor of Science in Construction Science degree being a good career path. It is similar to the con-struction management degree, which is what some schools call it. One of our biggest challenges was making students aware of this. Five years ago we hired a recruiter who is working with junior colleges and high schools. We are actually turning away a high-

er number of applicants now. The num-ber of applicants has really grown.

What are your recruitment goals? We still need to work on and contin-ue to improve our recruiting and getting the word out there and continue growing that way, but we’ve obviously turned the corner. It’s still a struggle. There is some-thing like 2,500 high schools in Texas, so you could work all day and never get to them all. We’ve starting making inroads there and we are seeing results. There is still lots of ground we could cover and there is still opportunity, especially to ex-pand the percentage of women in our program. Currently, we run to 10-15 per-cent women students in our department, at the college as a whole, it’s 50 percent. We would like to see our percentage of women increase over the next five years and that’s one of our plans that we are just now implementing. The percentage of women is still the same as when we were 600 students - we’d like to be double where we are in 5 years. I’m hopeful. The industry is very interested in women. We have experienced success in recruiting minority students, especially Hispanics, which now make up about 30 percent of our student body. We have worked hard with several high schools and junior colleges that have high populations of minorities. I am hopeful we can continue that trend as we work to expand our num-ber of women in the program.

What is causing the low numbers of women coming into the program? Historically, it has been a male domi-

nated industry and there’s still that per-ception out there. In all honesty, I think the industry is not a 40-hour work week and it’s not an 8-5 job for the most part. I think that im-pacts some segments of the population more than others. We have the impetus to make it known that it is a good professional ca-reer for many people.

What is the strategy for getting a vari-ety of people interested in this field as a career? The key is getting them interested in early high school and junior high school. For the most part, students who will be high school seniors apply in the sum-mer before their senior year to college. They already have a good idea of where they want to go and what they want to do. That even applies to some juniors. So you better get to them when they are fresh-men and sophomores. We are even trying to get into some junior high schools.

You still require students to take a one-semester internship, right? Yes, and the number of interns has grown, as well. The number of compa-nies hiring our interns has increased to about 500, up from roughly 300 in 2009. There are about 175 companies that take our interns on a consistent basis.

Do those internships turn into jobs for the students after graduation? Yes. In 2009, about 50 percent of our graduates went to work full time for the companies they interned with. That’s jumped to about 2/3. Out of the roughly 85 percent who get a job offer from the com-pany they interned with, 2/3 take the job. That’s the word we try to get out to these companies - if you want to hire our grads, you better hire our interns. That’s the best route to getting our students and then keeping them. We still have 100 percent of our grad-uates finding full time employment as soon as they graduate – that has not changed.

What kind of salaries do these gradu-ates find? Last year the average starting salary was around $60,000. It’s continually improved. There was a period right after our interview in 2009 where the salaries kind of slowed down, but it improved. It’s still one of the high-est starting salaries for undergraduates on campus.

What is one of the biggest changes in your department? From what I’ve seen and heard, the change we’ve seen has been the fact that most students in our program used to come from a construction background, for example, their families were in the con-struction business. That’s no longer true. Some are, but the vast majority is looking for a good career and they found out about working in the construction field. It’s a little different type of student, that doesn’t have that background, but they are very bright and capable and with the internship and summer jobs they can get caught up very quickly.

What is the future for students think-ing about going into your program? The good news is the industry is dong well. We are having a job fair this week (early February) and we estimate we will have 170 companies there, which is the largest department job fair at Texas A&M. Demand is high right now, even with the downturn in the oil and gas industry. Typically, about 10 percent of our gradu-ates go into the oil and gas sector. The other markets in Texas are doing well as it relates to hiring our graduates. The Austin market has grown a lot for us. Of the four major cities, typically the largest number of graduates go to Hous-ton, then Dallas/Ft. Worth, then San An-tonio, then Austin. Now there seems to be a three-way tie for second place be-tween DFW, San Antonio and Austin. It may all be equal by this spring! –cw

NEXT MONTH

April 2016

Women inConstruction


Hands-on training works

Arash Rahmatian, Ph.D, P.Eng,Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Houston (Downtown),Engineering Technology Department,Structural Analysis and Design ProgramHouston, TX

How have construction/engineer-ing education and training

changed over the years? The projected percent change in em-ployment from 2014 to 2024 is 8 percent while the average growth rate for all oc-cupations is 7 percent (Bureau of Labor Statistics). The reason is the variety in the con-struction and civil engineering industry that makes this field more prominent amongst other engineering fields. The promising future of civil engi-neering is potential and tractability with other fields such as materials, chemistry, electronic, computer and mechanics that already lead to civionics specialty. As we focus more on the construc-tion industry, we determine more em-phasis on optimizations: cost, weight,

energy, size, durability, and sustainability. Application of computer and software on the other side has boosted this industry one step ahead of traditional construc-tion. Most of the education has been guided toward knowledge and research over new materials and utilizing, validat-ing more laboratory tests.

How important is “hands on” train-ing? The latest research shows that stu-dents who build using the hands-on ex-periment had "a deeper understanding" of the concepts than the students who had lecture-based lessons. I believe building a concrete cylinder by following its correct steps in the lab makes memo-rizing the ratio of water to the cement or

total volume of aggregates or volume of any supplementary material much easier than looking at a collection of numbers. In any aspect, civil engineering is more tangible than other engineering fields, which makes it more attractive.

What opportunities for construction/engineering education are available at the University of Houston-Down-town? In the engineering department, the faculty tries to involve students more in practical experiments, real industrial challenges and solutions, and innovative projects through building a real sample. Here at UHD we spend more time with students in smaller size teams which lead to higher productivity and results. New concrete lab and equipment and continuous link to American Concrete In-stitute (ACI) helps to keep our students updated in the latest concrete and mate-rial technology. Application of sensor in the construction industry, which is a new knowledge and image processing via 3D camera, is taught to the students and our annual workshop in structural health monitoring (SHM), which is very unique in this field and strengthens our depart-ment level of knowledge and abilities.

What are some of the areas of study? Asset integrity monitoring with ap-plication of sensor, image processing, pre-cast tilt up walls, light weight con-crete, acoustic concrete and fire resis-tance remediation.

What are ways to attract young people to the construction/engineering in-dustry? I had the chance to teach to the gift-ed-talented students last semester about civil engineering. For the first day, instead of talking or showing videos, I took them to the concrete lab and asked them to make their own concrete sample and cast it in an ashtray form of maple leaf. Then they decorated it with marble. On the second day, I asked them to mea-sure difference in the level of the build-ing and then they worked with analysis software demo. At last, unanimously, they found civil engineering as their desired future job with certainty. It means that hands on training always works for any level of au-dience. We just have to design our plan to be comprehensive and smart. –ab

Construction Education

How has employee training impact-ed employee performance and/or

productivity for your organization? MYCON is focused on creating a great learning environment. While we hire qualified personnel for both our field and home office operations, we believe that ongoing training helps each individ-ual achieve a greater level of productivity and performance. We believe in building and sharing a comprehensive knowledge base through our in-house training and our jobsite experiences. The greater each person is exposed to diverse construc-tion challenges and solutions, the better his or her performance on-site and in job growth. Of course, technology has been a game changer. Years ago, on my first jobsite, we had one computer that eight people shared and that provided our labor cost reports. Today, you have iPads, iPhones, laptops, mobile apps, and we are so well-connect-ed to real-time information that our proj-ects rely on these tools to help us track our budgets, change orders, and prog-ress with great speed and accuracy.

What training is your company focus-ing on now? We are developing MYCON Universi-ty. We have many MYCON professionals who are passionate about their work and have developed quality performance ini-

Education resourcesavailable and varied

Tommy Campbell, Vice President of OperationsMYCON General ContractorsDallas, TX

tiatives that can be shared and replicated across the company. The idea is to pro-vide an exchange of our company knowl-edge of complex construction projects that will benefit our project managers, superintendents, project engineers and project coordinators. We are building a curriculum and implementation plan, which will enable us to conduct 80 per-cent of our training in-house. This kind of proprietary training will not only distin-guish us as a general contractor but also enable us to control training costs.

What areas of education need to be improved to better serve the indus-try? So much of the training currently fo-cuses on the technical side. But with our clients and projects, behavioral training comes into play. I’ve been in the con-struction industry for more than 28 years, and throughout my career, some of the best training I’ve received was behavior-al-based. People don’t often think about be-havioral training when they put their pro-grams together but the results can be profound. For example, one of the best books for learning how to talk with your customers is called Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking when Stakes are High. Learning how to talk to a variety of clients in a wide range of situations is an invaluable educational experience. There’s another challenge in our in-

dustry today, and that is time manage-ment. Our clients are expecting us to per-form faster and leaner than ever before. This puts a lot of extra stress on our teams. The demands on our time have also exploded with so many channels of com-munication from emails, texting, meet-ings and social media. Using training from Effective Edge, for example, enables our project teams to understand how to man-age incoming data and emails with a spe-cific plan that allows you to carve out time for yourself. The general idea is to learn how to do it, defer it, or delegate it which keeps you from handling data multiple times and allows you to handle just once, eliminating a lot of wasted time.

What are ways to attract young people to the industry? The millennials are a learning gener-ation. If the information is relevant and the intrinsic value is understood, then young people will embrace this training. Even field personnel who have been with us for decades will respond favorably if you have the relevant information. There’s a payoff, too, if you position these seasoned personnel to become trainers for the younger team members. That cross-generational training experience is a plus for the whole company.

What opportunities for construction education are available at area high schools and universities? There are many good programs statewide because our industry is going strong. In North Texas, for example, the Dallas Independent School District offers pathways to construction, welding, busi-ness management and information tech-nology, which are important pathways for the construction industry. Texas State Technical College in Waco has a two-year program in Building Construction Tech-nology. They also focus on workforce

readiness as an educational outcome. I plan to be there at the career fair in March to recruit. Of course, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, OU and OSU have developed excel-lent programs and are top choices for re-cruitment.

Are scholarships available for con-struction education? I have served on TEXO’s Research and Education Foundation. The TEXO Foundation raises money throughout the year through the support of TEXO mem-bers and many of these funds are ear-marked for Region V universities and stu-dents. For young people who are interested in a career in our industry, ACE-DFW funds a scholarship program for students who choose a post-high school course of study leading to a career in the building industry. This program has awarded scholarships worth more than $100,000. The AGC Education and Research Foundation has awarded more than $8 mil-lion in scholarships to more than 3,000 stu-dents enrolled in the ABET or ACCE-accred-ited construction management or con-struction-related engineering programs. And the good news is that women are moving into our industry and moving up the ranks with support from organiza-tions such as the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) that of-fers more than $25,000 in scholarships. I can’t think of any time in my career that has been as exciting as younger gen-erations help to develop and embrace new construction technologies and find their own career paths and opportunities that our industry offers. Established in 1987, MYCON General Contractors Inc. offers design-build servic-es, BIM, Lean construction, LEED/sustain-able construction, construction manage-ment and professional project supervision. –mjm

Round-UpHouston Construction News • Mar 2016

Association CalendarContent submitted by Associations to Construction News

ABCAssociated Builders & Contractors

Mar. 11: Membership BreakfastMar. 28: Spring Golf TournamentFor more information call 713-523-6222

AGCAssociated General Contractors

Mar. 24: AGC A4LE Annual Joint meet-ing, 11amFor more information call 713-843-3700

AIAAmerican Institute of Architects

Mar. 3: YAF Emerging Voices ExhibitionMar. 5: Towers & Tree Downtown Walk-ing TourMar. 12: Urban Art Tour DowntownMar. 19: Houston Heights Bicycle TourFor more info: www.aiahouston.org

ASAAmerican Subcontractors Association

Mar. 2-5: 2016 SUBExcel National Con-vention, Miami, FLMar. 2: Schmooze Mingle, 4pmMar. 17: General Lunch meeting, 11:30amFor more information call 281- 679-1877

FPAFoundation Performance Assoc.

Mar. 9: Monthly meeting, 5pm, The HESS Club, Investigation of Subsurface Anoma-lies Including Faults, Speaker: John Bry-ant, Ph.D., PE., P.G., Bryant Consultants Inc.See www.foundationperformance.org for more info.

IECIndependent Electrical Contractors

Mar. 16: Monthly meetingFor more information call 713-869-1976

MCAMechanical Contractors Association

Mar. 9: Membership meeting, 11:45, HESS ClubFor more information call 281-440-4380

NAWICNat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Mar. 6-12: WIC WeekFor more info: www.nawic-houston.org

NECANational Electrical Contractor Assn.

Mar. 2: Association Executives InstituteMar. 8: Houston JATC meetingMar. 9: EMP meetingMar. 10: CLMCC meeting and Coastal Sa-bine Division meetingMar. 15: Local Union 527 Pension meet-ingMar. 17-19: NECA/IBEW District V Ap-prenticeship ContestMar. 22: Houston Division meetingMar. 30- Apr. 1: Future Leaders Confer-enceFor more information call 713-977-2522

PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors

Mar. 9: Member Lunch, Saltgrass Steak-houseFor more info: www. gulfcoastphcc.org

TSPETexas Society of Professional Engineers

Mar. 8: Meeting, 11:30am, The HESS Club, Speaker: Daniel Wong, PE, Tolunary-Wong EngineersFor more info: www.tspehouston.org

WCAWomen Contractors Association

Mar. 3: Luncheon – Construction Fore-cast with Kiley Advisors.For more information:www.womencontractors.org This is a monthly section for brief company announcements of new or

recently 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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Stephen Lawlis has joined John-ston as practice leader – healthcare interiors. He brings with him more than 25 years of experi-ence. Lawlis attend-ed the Art Institute of Houston, where he earned a degree in Interior Design.

Jerry Preston, PE, CFM has also joined Johnston as prac-tice leader - hydrol-ogy and hydraulics. Preston brings more than 20 of special-ized experience. He attended the Uni-versity of Houston, where he earned a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering.

John D. Waltz, a 30-year veteran of the construction business, has joined E.E. Reed Construc-tion LP as vice pres-ident - operations. He will provide leadership and oversight in the areas of quality control, operations, preconstruction services, business development and staffing. Waltz previously worked for E.E. Reed Construction from 1995 until 2011 serv-ing as superintendent and project man-ager. He received his B.S. degree in Con-struction Management from the Univer-sity of Houston.

Ryan Busking, LEED AP, has joined Brookstone as vice president. His pri-mary focus will be to enhance Brook-stone’s position in the petrochemical market, but will support business development and op-erations in other markets as well. Busking brings more than 10 years of experience in the Houston construction market in a variety of roles and markets.

Lockwood, An-drews & Newnam Inc. (LAN) promot-ed Stephen Gil-breath, JP Grom and Derek St. John to vice president. Gilbreath re-ceived a degree from Texas A&M University at Galveston and a master’s degree in Ocean Engineering from Texas A&M University. Grom received a degree from the University of Wis-consin and a mas-ter’s degree in Ar-chitecture from Texas A&M Univer-sity. St. John re-ceived his degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Marco Villarreal, PE, has joined the LJA Engineering Inc. as a senior proj-ect manager in the firm’s midstream di-vision. Villarreal has more than 13 years of engineering and management experience. He will be re-sponsible for providing engineering de-sign and program management services to clients, expanding the firm’s client base and market footprint and managing overall department growth. He earned a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Tex-as A&M University.

C. Paul Jones Sr., RPLS, has joined McKim & Creed Inc. as regional manag-er of the company’s geomatics opera-tions in Texas. Jones brings nearly 40 years of experience as a registered professional land surveyor in the state of Texas. He will focus on ex-panding geomatics services and growing the company in Texas. Jones is a graduate of Sam Houston State University with a degree in Surveying and Engineering Geomatics.

Discovering trends

The 10th annual Katy Home and Gar-den Show took place at the Merrell Center & Robinson Pavilion Jan. 30-

31. Contractors and subcontractors from the Katy and Southwest Houston areas set up booths at the event. Attend-ees had the opportunity to learn about latest products and services on the mar-ket. –ab

Southwestern Paint Co.

Tim’s Fences

Floors for Living

Left:Sahara Construction & Custom Pools

Diana Ward has joined the CobbFendley utility coordination de-partment as a se-nior project man-ager. She will be re-sponsible for coor-dinating utility relo-cations for major roadway expansion projects.

The Stantec Houston office has named Laura Sachtleben, AIA, LEED AP, as Houston area market leader and Kim-berly Bow is the new project director/bond planner. Sachtleben has more than 13 years of experience in ed-ucation facility de-sign. Sachtleben will expand her management of cli-ents across the larg-er Houston region. In her new role, Bow will now use her decade of busi-ness development and marketing ex-perience to aug-ment Stantec’s bond planning ser-vices.

continued from Page 1 — Brick on it

continued from Page 1 — Striving every day

continued from Page 1 — Achieving the end goal


going fishing and spending time with his wife and kids in his free time. David Sterne is a seasoned Acme veteran has delivered American Institute of Architects (AIA) accredited LEED train-ing to over 1,000 Texas architects since 2008. When Sterne is not at work he likes playing golf, going fishing and watching his four daughters participate in sporting events. Newly hired to the Acme commercial team is Chris Pelton, architectural sales representative. In his free time he likes going hunting, fishing, and riding wave runners. Acme participates in annual events through the Greater Houston Builders As-sociation (GHBA) and other industry events. “We have plans to and are looking forward to participating in events on the commercial side of the market such as AIA and Associated General Contractors

(AGC) events,” he said. Haile says he is optimistic about the commercial construction market in 2016. “Architects and masonry contractors have shared details with us on upcoming projects that will run throughout 2016 into 2017,” he said. “Commercial typically follows single-family roof tops and 2012-2014 was really strong for single family residential so therefore the commercial construction will be there. "The K-12 educational segment is very strong and that has historically been a sweet spot for Acme.” Founded in 1891, Acme owns 26 brick plants and has 70 company-owned sales offices across 15 states, plus a nationwide network of independent distributors. Other Acme operations include American Tile & Stone; Featherlite Building Products; Innovative Building Products and Texas Quarries. –ab

“People passing by often turn their heads to see what it is,” he said. A large job the company is currently working on is the NASA Independent Plaza project. The folks at All About Plumbing par-ticipate in community fundraisers such as golf tournaments and are involved with non-profit organizations in League City. “We believe in nurturing a vibrant and diverse community,” Espinoza said. “We know that helping drive educational and cultural development benefits every-one in our city and creates a place we’re proud to call home. We give back to our city, because it gives so much to us.” During the year, the company has an employee appreciation barbecue event around the holiday season. “We’d like to continue to grow the company in the future,” Espinoza said. “We would also like to find more good, experienced plumbers to work with us.” All About Plumbing is a residential, commercial and industrial plumbing com-pany. –ab

The pipe wrench wood sculpture

by staging the curtainwall installation. From an interior perspective, there were a number of regulations from the City of Spring Valley that we needed to work within and working with multiple tenant vendors on state of the art technology.” Cooper says the owner, construction team and architect all worked together well to achieve the end goal of a beautiful and successful building. “We were able to move the tenants into the building on time with the exem-plary teamwork,” he said. President and CEO Michael G. Scheu-rich founded Arch-Con Construction in 2000. The company has offices in Houston and Dallas and employs 85 people. The gen-

eral contractor specialize specializes in com-mercial design and construction services for real estate developers, building owners, ar-chitects, brokers and tenants. –ab

Key Professional Team:

Arch-Con Construction corporate interi-ors: Senior Vice President: Brad JamesonSenior Project Manager: Jonathan Russell Interiors Superintendent: Cecil AlvarezBuilding Architect: Hussman ArchitectureCorporate interiors Architect: Ziegler Cooper for StollerUSA, Nelson Architects for East West Bank

StollerUSA interior

Account executive Andy Slaven, says Ad-vanced Connections Inc. (ACI) expanded its sales office to Houston two years ago.

“I spear headed the expansion,” Slaven said. “I can’t believe the amount of construction going on right now. Houston is a great market to be in. It is tough to drive down the street and not see cranes in the air.” ACI focuses on hospital, school and retail cen-ter projects. Slaven says during the day he goes from site to site to meet new contacts. “It seems like there is always a new construc-tion company that I haven’t met with,” he said. “I deal with general contractors for large projects. I tend to work from the front seat of my car.”

Making contacts

Andy Slaven meets general contractors on a daily basis.

The Women Contractors Association (WCA) hosted a member mixer at Pinot’s Palette Feb. 17. –ab

Painting Texas styleSubmitted to Construction News

Making the cutSubmitted to Construction News

Turner Construction representatives attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Alief-Hayes Campus at Houston Community College (HCC) project in February. –ab

Bingo!Submitted to Construction News

Slaven loves his job because no two days are ever the same for him in the field. Monty Frazier is the vice president of sales. He is the main point of contact for the sales representatives. “Monty makes sure everything works out,” Slaven said. When employees aren’t working they love going fishing and hunting. They also enjoy taking customers out to play golf at TopGolf.

“We want to keep growing in the fu-ture,” he said. “We want to keep hitting the pavement and meet as many people as possible in 2016.” ACI is a provider of structured cabling, fiber optic cabling, security and access con-trol systems, audio visual systems, paging systems, IP and video surveillance, LED and distributed antennae systems and video projection systems integration. The com-pany also has locations in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and San Antonio. –ab

L-R: Douglas Timmermeyer, David Nolan, Regina Nolan, Amber Timmermeyer, Jazzahi DeLosSantos, Nancy Kinsey, Anita Parrett, Dan Bernhard and Jennifer Omar,

JE Dunn Construction, served dinner and played Bingo with the families at the Ronald McDonald House in the Texas Medical Center in late January. –ab


Founding principal Odis Cobb, PE, RPLS, CobbFendley, (third from right) was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Houston, Cullen College of Engineering Alumni Association. The Lifetime Achievement Award honors

alumni who have impacted the engineering profession, community and society through demonstrated leadership, ingenuity and service. –ab

Learning for a lifetimeSubmitted to Construction News

Tool timeSubmitted to Construction News

Students from Pasadena ISD’s Career & Technical High School Construction Technology class visited the Marek Houston office in January. They participated in a hands-on power

tools workshop, learned about construction safety and tested out some of the latest technology in the construction world. –ab

L-R: Sam Borchers and Jeff Shepherd, Landtech Consultants Inc., does the land surveying for the right of way points near Interstate 45 in Dickinson. –ab

Precision pointConstruction News JOB SIGHT

The Shepley Bulfinch Houston office employees gathered for a dinner party at Brenner’s on the Bayou in January. –ab

Dining on the bayouSubmitted to Construction News

The Mainland Concrete Inc. crew pours concrete at the Burger King project in Alvin. –ab

Smooth finishConstruction News ON LOCATION


Full speed ahead into new era

As Construction News continues to cover the construction industry in Texas in our five printed newspa-

pers, the company is also launching some exciting new opportunities in digital, so-cial media and other projects. With the addition to the staff of Les-lye Hernandez, marketing director, and Dana Calonge, account manager, Con-struction News is well equipped to launch into this new era of digital mobility. “Reesa and I are very excited that Leslye and Dana have joined our Con-struction News family,” says Buddy Doeb-bler, publisher and owner. “So much will happen this year with our papers, social media reach and new digital products. Having the two of them out in front lead-ing the charge will assure we will go to the next level.”

Leslye [email protected] Leslye grew up outside of Washing-ton D.C., in Fairfax, VA, where her father was a pilot for the Air Force and her mother worked at the Pentagon. Because of the military connection, Leslye spent her childhood moving from school to school. “I was never in the same school for more than a year,” she says. “It forced me to reinvent myself on a regular basis to make new friends. Thus, I’m in market-ing!” Leslye has worked with and around construction for many years, which led to her moving into marketing. “I became familiar with construction many years ago when I was responsible for building out hundreds of stores at Op-ryland and the Opryland Hotel in Nash-ville as the merchandising director,” she explains. In 1992, she was recruited by Play By

Play, a large international toy company, located in San Antonio and fulfilled a long-time goal. “I was absolutely ecstatic because it was in San Antonio,” she said. “I had vis-ited and fallen in love with San Antonio and said if I ever had an opportunity to live there, I would like to settle there. I have been all over the world and San An-tonio has not disappointed!” After leaving Play By Play, Leslye opened her own ad agency, Odyssey Graphix. “I had the pleasure of marketing a wide variety of firms from restaurants to construction and published several mag-azines,” she says. “I have always been drawn to the construction industry due to the wonderful folks involved in the business. “Having read Construction News for years, and its coverage of the people,

companies and projects, I was thrilled to be invited to join the team,” Leslye says. “As the digital age has evolved, publish-ers are moving to digital delivery of con-tent and I look forward to participating in that growth for Construction News as we expand our social media footprint, add digital delivery of our papers and launch an e-newsletter mid-year.” She is married to Juan Hernandez and has two daughters and a son. She started at Construction News in October 2015.

Dana [email protected] You could say that Dana has been in the construction arena in San Antonio for her entire career – starting with Alterman Electrical Contractors as a vocational ed-ucation student while still in her senior year at Alamo Heights High School.

L-R: Dana Calonge and Leslye Hernandez are well familiar with the construction industry in Texas. Drop them a line or give a call to 210-308-5800 to find out how they can help you

and your business.

Dana also grew up in an Air Force family. Her father worked at the Penta-gon and the family was stationed there just prior to moving to San Antonio and Kelly Air Force Base when Dana was a ju-nior in high school. After graduation, Dana stayed on with Alterman for 30 years, moving from her original position as a receptionist to the position she retired from as senior project manager. While attending UTSA, she met and married her husband, Dick, and the two were married in 1985 and have one son. After retiring from Alterman, Dana says she spent about one-and-a-half years accomplishing a lot around the house, getting to have breakfast with her son again, and ultimately deciding it was time to have conversations with adult people and not her dog. At that point, she joined Vision Construction as the company’s business development direc-tor and stayed for about three years. A chance meeting between Leslye and Dana, who had known each other through the San Antonio NAWIC Chapter, at Alterman’s annual Christmas party led to a lunch date. Leslye’s enthusiasm for the direction Construction News is taking got Dana’s attention. “I met Buddy when I was on my very first project for Alterman,” Dana said. “When he and Reesa started the San An-tonio paper in 1998, I thought it was a great idea because it gave so many peo-ple and companies a chance to be seen. “With more than 30 years in the con-struction industry, I want to use my ex-tensive experience and network base in Texas to help grow Construction News in all five of our markets.” –cw

The Texas Society of Professional En-gineers (TSPE) Houston Chapter has named Nathelyne Kennedy, PE,

Nathelyne A. Kennedy & Assocates, 2016 Houston Engineer of the Year and James Jones, PE, Jones and Carter Inc., 2016 TSPE Houston Young Engineer of the Year. Congrats! –ab

Engineershonored

Nathelyne Kennedy, PE

James Jones, PE

houston construction news march 2016

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