san antonio · pdf filem assey brand, branch manager ... lopez iii, ramiro lopez, jr.,...

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™CONSTRUCTIONCONSTRUCTION www.constructionnews.net (210) 308-5800 P.O. Box 791290 San Antonio TX 78279 11931 Warfield San Antonio TX 78216 AUG 2011 Vol. 14 No. 8

San Antonio

New City Hall for Live Oak

continued on Page 25 continued on Page 25

continued on Page 25

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Covering the Industry’s News

Construction meets art Company has grand time

“I’ve been welding since 1985,” said Ray Castillo, Artistic Iron Works. “I started welding when I was in

the U.S. Navy. When I got out, I opened my own business, and I’ve been welding ever since.” Castillo does commercial and indus-trial welding. He said they do fabricating for customized awnings, fences and handrails. “Just about anything to do with steel, we make it,” he noted. Earlier this year, one of Castillo’s cli-ents called and asked if he would do a special project. The special project was a custom gate for a residential property that will serve as the entrance to a back-

yard garden. “It’s a gate that my client has always wanted. He called around San Antonio and couldn’t find anyone to build it. One day he called me into his office and gave me some pictures. He asked, ‘Can you make it?’ I said I will try.” Castillo began working on the gate Feb. 3 and the work is almost complete. The bi-fold door gate is 12-ft. by 10-ft. and each door gate weighs approximate-ly 700 lbs. The total weight will be nearly 2,000 lbs. when completed. “Everything is solid steel. There is no tubular here,” commented Castillo. “Ev-erything was hand bent and shaped.”

Ray Castillo displays his customized gate.

Massey Brand, branch manager for the Austin and Selma loca-tions of The Reynolds Company,

said their Jun. 16 grand opening of the Selma location “was great.” Brand noted 225 people ignored the summer heat and joined Reynolds’ em-ployees, owners and executive manage-ment team in celebrating the opening of the new facility. Brand said they enjoyed a variety of festivities and entertainment such as the 2010 Grammy Award winning Tejano band, Los Texmanaics. While the band played, attendees tested their skill at riding a mechanical bull, balancing on adult tricycles, and

partaking in a hot pepper eating contest. Brand said over 35 vendors had trade booths displayed during the event. Brand commented one unique thing about the occasion was having the entire event powered by a solar powered gen-erator. “One of our vendors has a remote generator that is completely solar pow-ered,” he said. “He provided us with all the power for the event off of the solar generator.” Brand noted he has the commercial sales responsibility for Austin and San Antonio. However, the Selma location is

The Reynolds Company employees prepare for the grand opening of the new branch location.

The City of Live Oak has a new city hall. The GFP Group was the general contractor for the renovation of the

city’s old fire station, which included an additional 1,500-sf of new construction. Mark Garcia, president, The GFP Group, stated the fire station space was renovated into office space and recep-tion area for the Live Oak City Hall. Addi-tionally, the fire station had two overhead doors and two bays, which were reno-vated to new City Council meeting cham-bers. Nathan Wallace was the project manager and Rene Huerta served as the superintendent. Jerry Mendenhall, J. Mendenhall Architects served as the ar-chitect for the project. The project consisted of removing existing VCT flooring and replacing with new VCT flooring, ceramic tile and carpet. Several demising walls inside the office area were changed to rearrange office

space. Additionally, the walls were com-pletely resurfaced and repainted. New ceiling tile and grids were installed as well as new doors, hardware, windows and millwork. The 3,000 sf of new construction cre-ated additional office space, bathrooms and a foyer. It consisted of a new struc-ture, new foundation, stairs, flatwork and site work. The exterior of the original building was stucco. GPP cleaned up and repaired existing stucco and added new. Addi-tionally, the building included a standing seam roof, storefront, ramp and stair-wells. Garcia stated they preserved all of the Live Oak trees and added new Ber-muda grass. Garcia noted the only challenge they faced on the project was staying within the $600,000 budget.

New council chambers for City of Live Oak

San Antonio Construction News • Aug 2011

Action Gypsum Supply opened a new location in San Antonio Apr. 1. The business has its headquarters

in Houston and two other office locations in Pearland and College Station. Gary Perez is the branch manager for the San Antonio area. While he grew up in the Houston area, he has been in San Antonio since 1996 and states San Antonio is home. He joined the company in April. Perez stated, “Action Gypsum sup-plies wall board, drywall, metal studs, in-sulation and tools. However, this is going to be the first center that Action Gypsum Supply is going to have stucco materials for its customers. We just opened our plaster division and we are selling a full line of EIFS materials. We are selling the interior of the houses and the exterior now. We are very excited about our stuc-co line.”

Company expands to SA

“We will be serving Austin and the Valley from the San Antonio office,” add-ed Perez. “It is a growth plan for the com-pany to expand throughout Texas.” Perez said that Action Gypsum Sup-ply is a ten-year-old company co-owned by Lenin Juarez and Terri King. Joining Perez in the San Antonio of-fice is Jason Lewis, assistant manager and outside sales drywall representative, Jason Booth, plaster sales representa-tive, Oscar Alamillo, warehouse manag-er, and Chuck Calder, purchasing man-ager. Perez states that opening the new location requires, “very early mornings and late nights, but it’s all going to pay off in the end. So far we are exceeding our expectations since opening.” Action Gypsum Supply provides resi-dential and commercial building materials. –dn

L-R: Gary Perez, Mario Martinez, Jason Booth, Jason Lewis and Oscar Alamillo


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Gideon Contracting LLC employees enjoyed a change of scenery from the jobsite, as the team and their guests were treated to a Riverwalk dinner cruise Jun. 24.

The summer party included a three-hour cruise to the Museum Reach and dinner catered by Boudro’s. Gideon President Jade Chang said the cruise was a “thank you” and a celebration of “a job well” done on recent construction projects. –dn

Rolling on the riverSubmitted to Construction News

The Independent Electrical Contrac-tors (IEC) held its apprenticeship graduation ceremony Jun. 30 at the

Leon Valley Conference Center. Julie Howard, IEC executive director noted this year’s class is one of the largest graduat-ing classes with 35 students. Howard stated, “Since we are a regis-tered apprenticeship program with the Department of Labor, they [students] have to be working full-time for an IEC contractor to get their OJT hours and their classroom hours. “It’s a huge commitment. They are working full-time, coming to school an average of one night a week for four hours. So, they have gone to school, work and taken care of their family.” To graduate from the apprenticeship program, Howard noted a student must complete 576 classroom hours and 8,000 on the job training hours. Once they have completed the program, they sub-mit to the Texas Department of License and Regulation to take the state test to be recognized as a journeyman electri-cian. Howard added, “After the students graduate from the IEC apprenticeship program, the program does transfer to St. Phillip’s College, Texas A&M-San Anto-nio and University of Phoenix towards their respective degree programs.” –dn

Hard work pays off

Back row: Nikos Rodriguez, Brian Funk, William ThornellMiddle row: Bridger Wilkes, Adam Cain, Jorge Villanueva, Justin Gaston, Robert Contreras, Jr.,

Benjamin Morrow, Andrew VanacekFront row: Jeffery Frothingham, Garret Pooley, Matthew Stokes, Daniel Flores, Luziano Reyna,

Andrew Martinez, Joe Frausto, Gerald Carrillo, Noe Gomez, Jr., Juan Altamirano

Not pictured: Darrell Barr, Jr., Stewart Bun, Rafael Castro, Ronald Dayrit, Rudy Ibarra, Manuel Lopez III, Ramiro Lopez, Jr., Richard Lozano, Saul Lozano, Michael Medina, Robert Rendon,

Shelley Torres, Martin Urrabus, Jr., Walter Witosky

Liberty for allSubmitted to Construction News

Abby BeMent, Austin editor for Construction News, recently traveled to the East Coast and shot this photo of the Statue of Liberty at sunset.


CONSTRUCTION NEWSSan Antonio

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On Jun. 23, two students in the Electrical Systems Technology Magnet Apprenticeship Program

at MacArthur High School, North East I.S.D., finished in the top four in the Na-tional Skills USA competition in Kansas City, MO. Only the best career and tech-nology students in the nation compete in their area of expertise. “Hunter Bakel, junior, and Greg Charlesworth, senior, did an outstand-ing job representing the electrical pro-gram, MacArthur High School and North-east I.S.D.,” said Raul Vasquez the stu-dents’ teacher and chaperone on the trip. Bakel (17) earned a bronze medal in the residential wiring competition and Charlesworth (18) earned a fourth place position in the industrial motor control competition. This was Bakel’s second trip to nationals in two years and Charles-worth’s first. Prior to competing at nationals, the students competed at the state level. They both won first place in their respec-tive competitions, and Hunter received overall best electrical project. Steve Albert, director of the electri-cal program, commented everyone prac-ticed long and hard for the competition, and he is very proud of their accomplish-ments at the national contest. Albert noted students at Skills USA compete against high school students and others who are out of high school in

SA students take nationals

apprenticeship programs. Competitors take a written test and compete in a hands-on competition. “We are going to miss Greg next year; he is heading up to Lubbock to at-tend Texas Tech University where he will be majoring in electrical engineering,” said Albert. “Hunter will be with us an-other year, and I know he will try his best to get to nationals again and come home with the gold.” After graduation this coming year, Hunter plans on working in the electrical field as an electricians apprentice and continuing his education with the Inde-pendent Electrical Contractors (IEC) adult apprenticeship school. According to Scott DeSha, IEC train-ing director, MacArthur H.S. is using the IEC curriculum. When students test out they will have completed the first year of the IEC’s four-year apprenticeship pro-gram. Students will enter into the second year after having successfully completed the certified testing for the first year of IEC. DeSha also noted that students who complete the four-year apprenticeship program may continue their education at college. “Once they finish the program at IEC, they can get credits through St. Philips College, and we just partnered with the University of Phoenix.” –dn

L-R: Greg Charlesworth and Hunter Bakel


Aggie Park was the place to be Jun. 30 for the Burgers and Beer event

hosted by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and San Antonio Bar Association Construction Law Section. Master burger chefs from Big City Access kept the 200 attendees in mouth-wa-tering burgers while the Bob-by Jordan & Ridgecreek band entertained the crowd. –dn

Eat, drink and be merry

L-R: Bill Bell and Brian Purcell, Alamo Iron Works; Desi Valdez, Red Hawk Contracting; and Rick Fulks,

Speedway Building Systems

L-R: Jeannie Martin, ABC; Jennifer Hecht, You Name It Specialties; and Vanessa

Valdez, The Gardner Law Firm

L-R: Tom Hewitt, Barnard-Donegan Insurance; Mark Gross and Michael Owens,

Concept Builders

L-R: Chuck Shipman and Emma Cano, Haynes and Boone LP; Kyle Newman, Monarch Site Services; Dale Hall, AAA Landscape; and Wade Turner, Texas No Slip

Texas No Slip recently moved their company headquarters to new fa-cilities located at 410 West Nakoma

in San Antonio. They began operations in 2006 by company owners Laura Wood, Mark Wood and Jim Yostrum. Yostrum serves as the chief financial officer, Laura is vice president, and Mark serves as the president and operations chief. Wade Turner, business development director, noted, “We have three products that slip proof commercial and residential flooring. Outside of those three products, we provide a maintenance component. We do floor stripping, scrubbing, waxing, buffing and burnishing.” Turner, who recently joined the com-pany, is excited how his industry experi-ence aligns with the products and ser-vices of the company. “My background is safety in the mili-

Safety starts at the bottom

tary, risk management in the insurance industry and subcontracting support for general contractors in the construction industry,” he said. “When I saw the prod-ucts, I realized I would be utilizing all of my experience and expertise.” Turner said the products’ “safety component is unparalleled.” Yostrum noted the company pro-vides service throughout Texas and be-yond. He mentioned they have strategic partners in other parts of the country and are looking to expand and take the prod-uct line nationally. Turner noted their commercial work includes office parks, private businesses, assisted living facilities, school districts, colleges, and city and park facilities. Texas No Slip offers slip resistant floor finishes for all hard surface floors for com-mercial and residential use. –dn

L-R: Wade Turner, Chris Saenz, Paul Onofre and Martin Roman


Harvey PenshornAlamo Concrete Pavers

Alamo Concrete Tile, Inc.

1415 West PoplarLocated at I-10 & Colorado

www.toucanrecycling.comM-F 8:30–5:30 Sat 9:00-3:00737-2267

Part of the attractiveness of down-town San Antonio is the unique concrete pavers forming the

streets, sidewalks, and plazas. From 1989 to 1991, as part of the Tri-Party improve-ments, repaving the areas helped recap-ture historical San Antonio. What you may not know is that Ala-mo Concrete Pavers manufactured the pavers for that project right here near downtown San Antonio.

Have you always been in the paver business? After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin as a structural engi-neer, I worked for five years with a local engineering firm and obtained registra-tion as a professional engineer. After that I switched to working with a firm provid-ing specialized construction systems. That change evolved into working for a company called Prestressing Indus-tries; I worked there for 12 years. I was for-tunate to eventually become president of the company. At Prestressing Industries, we were involved with many interesting projects, the larger projects being the huge pre-stressed concrete containment struc-tures that surround the reactors at nucle-ar power plants. At one point, we re-ceived a contract for two containment structures in Russellville, AR. Our competitor was a company called Prescon, which already had several similar contracts. Our project at Russell-ville was in the hometown of the presi-dent of Prescon. So Prescon ended up buying Prestressing Industries to get our contracts in his hometown. I continued with Prescon as a divi-sion manager and eventually became president of Prescon. At that time, we moved the company headquarters from Houston to San Antonio. We had a plant each in California, Colorado, South Caro-lina, and two plants in Texas supplying post-tensioning materials nationwide. I continued with Prescon another four years. In 1976, I left Prescon and eventu-ally found a business of my own.

How did you come to own Alamo Con-crete Pavers? I always had the urge to own my own business. My wife Peggy and I were look-ing for a business to purchase. In 1979, we found this 35-year-old business as it was going through bank-

ruptcy. We bought it from the bankrupt-cy court at an affordable price. We were really looking to go into the concrete roof tile business, but we were not able to convert it at that time. We had to run with what we had. We changed the name to Alamo Concrete Tile with Alamo Concrete Pav-ers, coming later, as our dba. We were for-tunate to keep the employees from the former business. Currently we have 12 key employees. I acknowledge their val-ue and commitment to our company. Each is here every day and they perform their duties very professionally with little or no supervision.

What products did you manufacture when you first took over the company? The place was pretty run down, but we couldn’t afford anything much better. However, within one year we had it cleaned up and running well. We initially started with patio and stepping stones and scalloped curbing, which we supplied to the big box stores, Wal-Mart, and nurseries. However it be-came impractical to ship concrete to mar-kets far away from San Antonio. Concrete products really need to be manufactured locally for shipping reasons. The percent-age of total cost for freight becomes an inhibitor. We started looking for something else to add to our product line, so we be-came a distributor of concrete paving stones. That proved to be very encourag-ing, so we bought some equipment from Germany and set up our own production in 1983. As our opportunities increased, we gradually transformed ourselves into a paver manufacturer. We still make a small retaining wall block system, but our pri-mary work is manufacturing pavers.

From 1983, when you started doing the patio pavers, how long was it be-fore you started adding other lines? One of the reasons we really focused on pavers was that we knew the large Tri-Party project was coming to the market-place, which would include many down-town San Antonio streets and sidewalks. We got that contract in 1987. It was the largest paver job in the United States at that time. It was over a million square feet. That project really put us on the map in the paver business. We manufactured all the pavers with the equipment we set up in 1983. We also supplied the pavers for Hemisphere and the plaza around the Al-amodome. In addition, we’ve supplied a lot of highway projects, commercial, school and residential jobs. We have been fortunate to get some very nice paver projects in the San Antonio area. In 2000, we built a more modern manufacturing facility with more capaci-ty and automation. This facility is on a 25-acre site on Southeast Loop 410. We phased out more of our concrete patio products in 2001.

What do you see for the paver busi-ness in the future? The biggest single future item we see is the use of “Eco-Locking” concrete pavers to construct permeable pave-ments. Permeable pavers allow rainwater to permeate through the pavement sur-

face into a prepared base below and eventually filtrate into the sub-grade or be drained away. Permeable pavements capture pollutants and eliminate or greatly reduce rainwater runoff. The value of permeable pavements has been verified by research and numer-ous successful projects. We should be us-ing permeable pavements now in San Antonio to reduce pollutants reaching our San Antonio River. The city of Chica-go, as part of a Green Alley Program, is reconstructing 1,900 miles of alleys with permeable pavements. Chicago has a combined stormwater and sanitary sew-er system. Heavy rains overload the com-bined system. Permeable pavements are used to reduce the amount of this over-load, reduce flooding, recharge ground water, and improve the environment.

Will permeable pavement impact your business? We think our “Eco-Locking” concrete pavers could be 50 percent of our busi-ness within a few years as the benefits of permeable pavements are realized local-ly. “Eco-Locking” concrete pavers pro-vide a surface suitable for auto and pe-destrians. The narrow joints between pavers make the surface ADA compliant. The EPA recently gave grant money to ten different cities to further perme-able pavements projects. The nearest one is Austin. Many eastern cities are now doing large projects with permeable pavers. In 2009, 5.4 acres of permeable interlocking concrete pavers were installed around Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain.

Tell me about your family. The most important thing in my per-sonal life is my wife Peggy. We met a long time ago, and we’ve been married 56 years. We are true partners in every re-spect—in business, home and family. We have four kids and nine grand-kids. All our children are happily married. Each of them has children. We have one daughter, Rita, who is a teacher at Edison High School. Her hus-band, Dr. Tom King, is a professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center. They have two sons, Matt and David. We have three boys. Our son Rick works with us as well as running his own

consulting engineering business, Con-sulting Structural Engineering Services, Inc. He is a specialist in pre-cast concrete parking structures. One of his current projects is being built right now at the Pearl Brewery site. Rick and his wife Beatriz have two children, Richard and Kathryn. Our son Joe lives in Azle, TX. He is now an entrepreneur. He previously ran a large company but retired to get immedi-ately involved in new ventures. Joe and his wife Barbara have two children, John Conner and Jackson. Our son Robert lives in Houston with his wife, Debbie. He is a partner with De-loitte Touche. They have three children, Andrew, Ashley and Austin. At different times, in their younger days, each of our children worked at the company with us. We have been very for-tunate in having great children and grandchildren.

What do you do when you are not working? We usually do something with the kids. Between the four families, someone is having a birthday or anniversary. We spend a lot of time with our family be-cause we really enjoy their company. However, we do have a farm near La-Vernia, which has been in my family over 100 years. We have a few cattle on the farm.

Peggy mentioned that your family came from Germany. I’m a fifth generation Texan. Heinrick and Maria Penshorn came to New Braunfels from Germany in November 1845. They brought five kids with them and later had five more children. They raised 10 children and had 50 grandchil-dren. I guess you could say they jump-started the Penshorn family in Texas. Some Penshorns moved to New Ber-lin, TX, in Guadalupe County. That’s where my great-grandparents lived. I was born in the New Berlin area. I went to a little two-room community school, which had ten grades. There were two or three students per grade. I had to learn English there because we only spoke German at home. I went to school there five years. That school was a great start and gave me an edge in later grades. –dn

Harvey and Peggy Penshorn


SITECH Tejas recently celebrated its first anniversary in business. Now the company has another reason to

celebrate. In May they moved into their new 5,000-sf facility at 3206 South W.W. White Rd. The state-of-the-art facility has a dedicated room for equipment calibra-tion, testing and repair, as well as a dedi-cated room for training customers on Trimble equipment, noted Steven Huedepohl, marketing manager. General Manager Glenn Swisher, states the company has an additional lo-cation in Grand Prairie. Both locations of-fer the same services and in-house train-ing for their customers. Commenting on the new San Anto-nio facility Swisher states, “The dealer-ship has done a wonderful job of provid-ing us a facility with warehouse and of-fice space. It’s a beautiful facility.” Swisher noted they have two certi-fied Trimble trainers on staff that provide a combination of classroom and outside field training on the equipment. “Training is very important in my view,” said Swisher. “I was a construction contractor before, so I came from the other side of the business. I think that al-

New facility opened

lows us to bring a different perspective and do a better job servicing the custom-ers by having been the customer.” Commenting on SITECH’s product offering, Swisher stated, “It is technolo-gy-based equipment. We are trying to set it up where we can get our customers in here, educate them, and make them suc-cessful.” SITECH Tejas has eight employees in San Antonio and six in Grand Prairie. The two locations cover 118 counties in south, central, north and northeast Texas. Working with Swisher is Sven Hall-erman and David Henry, sales represen-tatives; Shea Huckaby, certified Trimble training instructor/modeling specialist, and Tams Mullins, certified Trimble training instructor/sales representative. SITECH Tejas provides construction technology systems for the heavy and high-way industry. –dn

New SITECH Tejas facility in San Antonio

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Hispanic Contractors Association (HCA) de San Antonio delivered an Oscar-level performance dur-

ing their 2nd Annual Excellence Through Diversity Awards Gala. The evening event attended by 400 guests was held at the Scottish Rite Banquet Center June 20. The keynote speaker for the evening was Sonya Medina Williams, vice presi-dent of community and external affairs at Silver Eagle Distributors. Kristina De Leon,

San Antonio Hollywood-styleWOAI news reporter, served as the awards emcee for the evening. Tomas Larralde, executive director of HCA noted, “The Gala is an example where we recognize those companies that have done well when it comes to di-versity. We recognize general contractors and owners, but more importantly we’re recognizing the subcontractors that are doing a good job.” –dn

General Contractor of the YearProject Over $10 Million

Bartlett Cocke General Contractors

General Contractor of the YearProject $5-$10 Million

SpawGlass Contractors Inc.

General Contractor of the YearProject $2-$5 Million

ZachryVaughnLayton – ZVL

General Contractor of the YearProject Less than $2 Million

Turner Construction Company

General Contractor of the YearAhead of the Curve

Garcia Construction Group of Texas

General Contractor Safety AwardHensel Phelps Construction

Owner of the YearProject Over $10 Million

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Owner of the YearProject $5-$10 Million (tie)

San Antonio Airport System (no photo)

Owner of the YearProject $5-$10 Million (tie)

U.S. Air Force

Owner of the YearProject $2-$5 Million

University Health System

Owner of the YearProject Less than $2 Million

Alamo Colleges

Esperanza AwardSmall Business Development Center/

Contracting Resource Center

Impact AwardDavila Construction Inc.

Partner AwardDio Electrical

MVP AwardHarvey Zapata, Alterman Inc.

Rookie of the YearECO Plumbing Company LLC

Estrella Award (tie)The Home Depot

Estrella Award (tie)City of San Antonio: Procurement Tech-

nical Assistance Center (PTAC)

Subcontractor Safety AwardSaber AwardDio Electrical

Corporate Champion AwardSkanska USA Building Inc.


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The Plumbing Heating Cooling Con-tractors Association (PHCC) held its 2011 PHCC Texas Roundup in Buda,

TX, Jun. 16 and 17. Over 125 participants attended the event partaking in a variety of activities such as an evening reception, workshops, sponsor exhibits, awards cer-emony and the 4th annual apprentice contest. –dn

Annual awardsContractor of the Year: Barry Bankler, Gibson Plumbing, San Antonio

Associate of the Year:Federated Insurance

PHCC Service Award:John Lane, JP Company, El Paso

Chapter of the Year Most Net Members:1st place: Amarillo PHCC2nd place: Waco PHCC

Apprentice Contest Winners1st place: Geoffrey Kennedy, TDIndus-tries, Houston2nd place: Christopher Sproles, Central Texas Plumbing Solutions, Waco

2011-2012 Board of DirectorsPresident: W.B. Maples, Cove Plumbing, Copperas CovePresident-Elect: Ray Jones, Raven Me-chanical, HoustonSecretary: Larry Staas, Staas Plumbing, Waco

Round ‘em up

Treasurer: Pat Freund, Primo Plumbing, San AntonioImmediate Past President: Barry Bankle, Gibson Plumbing, San AntonioZone A Director: Dickie McCurdy, MMM Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, AmarilloZone B Director: Rick Shelton, Shelton Plumbing Inc., WacoZone C Director: Milton Frank, Milton Frank Plumbing Co., SpringZone D Director: Carter Ramzel, Bench-mark Plumbing, San AntonioZone E Director: Juan Sandoval, A & J Plumbing & Mechanical, El PasoAmarillo Chapter: Jerry Billington, West Texas UtilitiesAustin Chapter: Stephen Cox, Cox Plumbing Co.El Paso Chapter: Alex Aguirre, Funk & CompanyGulf Coast Chapter: Phillip Johnson, Air-Care SoutheastNorth Texas Chapter: Lee McFarland, Herndon/McFarland PlumbingRed River Valley Chapter: Brian Walser, Brian's PlumbingSan Antonio Chapter: Robi Jalnos, Steve's PlumbingWaco Chapter: James Urbanek, Lo-chridge-PriestAt Large: Craig Lewis, R.E.C. Industries, BryanAssociate Director: Marty Kamerbeek, Moore Supply, HoustonZone 4 National PHCC Director: Ken Boen, Boen Plumbing, Inc., Waco

L-R: Apprentice competitors Jonathan Bartlett, Primo Plumbing;Christopher Sproles, Central Texas Plumbing Solutions; Geoffrey Kennedy, TDIndustries;

and Ramon Mendez, Lochridge-Priest

2011-2012 PHCC Board of Directors

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You have more exposure topollution claims than you thinkChuck Ashton, Vice President, SalesIndependent Insurance Group, Inc.Dallas, TX

Subcontractor X is working in an older building on the remodel of a room. The sub cuts back a water pipe

so that new fixtures can be installed. The sub is working on a Saturday and when he goes to cap the pipe he dis-

covers he is out of metal caps so he threads on a plastic cap. Over the weekend the plastic cap leaks and floods the room and a room next door. The claim goes to the builders risk policy and they explain the scope of work as defined in the contract did not apply to the room next door. The builder’s risk policy handles damages to the room where the work was done but they deny the losses in the other room. The owner asks the GC who is going to pay. The sub has a general liability policy and the sub’s insurer agrees the sub was negligent and starts handling the claim.

The clean up requires the floor tiles be replaced and that is when they dis-cover the tiles contain asbestosis. The men in space suits are called, and the tiles are removed. The sub’s insurance com-pany says the total cost of clean-up was $30,000 but $16,000 was for asbestosis. That is considered a pollution claim. The insurer pays $14,000 and denies the rest of the claim because of the pollution ex-clusion on the policy. Now the GC and sub have to find a way to pay the owner out of pocket.

Do you store heavy metals, perhaps not as raw material but in a product? For example, after a fire it was discovered the tenant stored molds made of lead. Lead is a heavy metal and requires special han-dling. The men is space suits came, re-moved the lead, and the insurance carrier denied that portion of the loss because it was considered a pollution claim.

In another claim, a fire department evacuates a building as the occupants begin to get sick and some become seri-ously ill. They discover a contractor was working on a project next door running a diesel generator. Fumes from the gener-ator entered through the building’s ven-tilation system. The contractor was sued by the sick employees and the businesses that lost time due to the evacuation. The general liability carrier denied the de-fense and payment of the claim citing the pollution exclusion.

A contractor has a 100 gallon tank of water mixed with chlorine in the back of his pickup which is used to treat swim-ming pools. The pickup loses control on a major highway and flips over. The tank

ruptures and spills its contents onto the ground. The tank is not properly marked but the owner shows up to explain the contents. The fire department refuses to take any chances because there is no hazmat book in the truck. Traffic is shut down in both directions as the men in space suits are called to clean up the spill. Ironically, the chemical spilled dissipates within 30 minutes and it is an hour before they start to clean the spill but, in today’s terrorism environment, no one can afford to take chances. Pollution materials in transit, except those that leak out of the mechanical parts relating to the opera-tion of the vehicle, are not covered as pol-lutants under the standard automobile liability policy.

A roofing contractor is working on a hot tar roof. Fumes generated from tar kettles and treated roofing surfaces cause irritation to employees within the building. Since coal tar pitch is a potential carcinogen, exposed individuals in the building are worried about their health and file a lawsuit. The roofing contractor is liable for releasing potential carcino-gens into the building via the HVAC sys-tem.

An electrical contractor disposed of project material at a municipal landfill ap-proximately ten years earlier. The con-tractor was notified by the EPA that he was considered a de minimus potentially responsible party (PRP) and his settle-ment portion was $180,000. Coverage was denied under his general liability coverage.

You may read each of these exam-ples and say, “That does not apply to me.”

That is not my point. My point is this, none of these contractors ever expected claims like these would happen to them, and yet they did! If it happens to you; are you prepared?

Chuck Ashton is Vice President of Sales at Independent Insurance Group, an agency specializing in Commercial Insurance for Contractors. Chuck can be contacted at [email protected]

Fraud prevention re-visitedLynne M. Grix, CPA CFELynne M. Grix, CPA CFE P.C.San Antonio, TX

Several years ago, I wrote a column for this newspaper entitled “Simple Steps to Help Prevent Employee

Fraud”. This column presents a great opportunity to re-visit that topic and expand upon the area of fraud pre-vention.

A long standing believe is that all a business needs to prevent employee fraud is a strong system of internal con-trols. But in reality, internal controls are only part of the answer to fraud deter-rence. Owners and managers should take a proactive stance in preventing fraud. New employee training should in-clude some basic antifraud training. Af-ter all, fraud hurts everyone. It can im-pact salary increases, benefits and gen-eral morale. Employees should be aware of the controls that are in place because the “perception-of-detection” can help remove the temptation.

Do you require your key employees to take at least a full week of vacation at a time? This applies to field staff as well as office personnel. Many frauds require continuous monitoring and/or manual intervention by the perpetrator. By es-tablishing mandatory vacations together with job rotation the concealment ele-ment is interrupted. It is important that during the employee’s vacation, another individual performs the normal workload of that employee. Additionally, job as-signment rotation can prove invaluable in the case of illness or extended family emergencies that would require an em-ployee to be away from the workplace for an extended period of time.

What about control of company credit cards? Personal use of company credit cards has become a favorite way for employees to increase their take home pay. The number of authorized credit card users should be strictly limit-ed. There is no need for more than one individual at each job site to have the ability to charge materials and supplies. A policy should be in place that requires receipts be turned into someone in your accounting department on at least a weekly basis. Receipts should be com-pared with each credit card statement monthly and this reconciliation should be performed by an employee who does not have access to the credit card. It is also a good idea to have second employ-ee review and sign off on the reconcilia-tion.

How about analysis of charges on fuel credit cards? Periodically calculate the total gallons of fuel purchased by each authorized user of the company’s fuel card. Then convert the gallons to an estimate of miles driven and compare the mileage with the employee’s job site as-signments. Any unusual fuel usage should be investigated and explained by the employee. If the same employees continually have excessive fuel usage, it’s time to ask questions.

How often does your accounting de-partment perform a closed job cost anal-ysis? Most construction companies mon-itor costs on jobs in progress against budget on a weekly basis. Usually this is part of the project management team’s responsibility. Cost overruns are identi-fied and corrected if at all possible. On a periodic basis, depending upon the size and complexity of your business, have someone in accounting look at a closed/completed job. Analyze the total labor hours charged to the job versus the origi-nal estimated hours, adjust for any change orders, then look at the variances by classification. The information can prove valuable for the next time you bid a similar project and can uncover hours paid that were not worked on the job or even worse a “ghost” or non-existent em-ployee. Double check all material and supply charges against vendor invoices and the original estimates. You could possibly uncover misused of materials or vendor kickbacks. Purchasing and proj-ect management personnel should be made aware that there will be from time to time an “audit” of job performance. Remember the “perception-of-detec-tion” can be a powerful deterrent.

Lynne Grix is the owner of Lynne M. Grix, CPA CFE P.C. and has over 15 year’s public accounting experience working extensively with construction contractors. Lynne is also a Certified Fraud Examiner and can be reached at [email protected] or (210) 259-8243.

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Recovering an unfortunatecost of doing business:Attorney’s feesBill Venegoni, Senior AssociateLaw Offices of James Stanton, LPDallas, TX

It is an unfortunate reality that legal expenses are an unwelcome, but necessary, cost of doing business. In

a much appreciated effort to help small and large busi-nesses alike, the Texas Legislature passed two bills de-

signed to help individuals and companies who need to pursue valid construction-re-lated claims and those who may be caught up in defending frivolous lawsuits recover their legal costs. Both bills were passed in May and each becomes effective Sept. 1, 2011.

First, by changing one word to Sec-tion 53.156 of the Texas Property Code, the Legislature imposed a dramatic change relating to actions for enforce-ment of lien and bond claims. Section 53.156 permits a party in a proceeding to foreclose on a lien, enforce a bond claim, or to declare any lien or claim as invalid or enforceable to recover an award of the party’s costs and reasonable attorney’s fees. As currently written, the section states that a court “may” make such an award as is equitable and just. To the dis-may of many parties seeking to enforce their lien and bond claims, as well as those who are seeking to have bogus claims declared invalid, courts in the past would typically rule that each party to the case should bear their own legal costs. Court’s have been resistant to award attorneys fees in these cases be-cause they find that most cases do not involve egregious and malicious actions by the parties, and therefore, as legiti-mate disputes, each party should pay their own legal fees as a cost of doing business.

To remedy the court’s reluctance to award attorney’s fees, the Legislature changed the word “may” to “shall.” Here, one small typographical step leads to a giant leap in the recovery of attorney’s fees. Now courts must award attorney’s fees. Keep in mind though the courts still have ample discretion when it comes to awarding attorney’s fees. The statutory language requiring the award to be equi-table and just still remains part of the sec-tion. Language in the revision also ex-pressly states that a court is not required to assess attorney’s fees for lien claims arising out of residential construction.

Curiously, the legislative revisions do not state that the award of attorney’s fees must be paid to the prevailing party. This omission creates the unexpected possi-bility of a court awarding attorney’s fees to the non-prevailing party. Presumably,

this omission gives courts wide discre-tion in determining the equitableness and fairness of an award.

The second bill passed by the Legis-lature has been dubbed, “The Loser Pays Law.” While the legislation that was passed is not as strong in forcing the “los-er” to pay as what was originally intro-duced, it does begin the process of limit-ing frivolous lawsuits. Part of this legisla-tion requires the Texas Supreme Court to adopt new rules to dispose of frivolous cases upon the motion of one party and to award the prevailing party its reason-able attorney’s fees. Although the cur-rent Rules of Procedure already permit parties to file similar motions to dispose of a case, the motion to dismiss contem-plated by the new legislation permits a court to hear the motion and rule with-out the presentation of evidence.

By permitting a hearing without evi-dence, the new legislation allows a party to assert the motion early in the litigation saving attorney’s fees that would be con-sumed in the discovery process. Also, by requiring the “loser” to pay the attorney’s fees of the prevailing party, the Legisla-ture is sending a clear signal that filing a frivolous lawsuit has real consequences.

Even though these legislative chang-es will not keep parties from getting wrapped up in the unfortunate and too common world of litigation, they should help lessen the burden of attorney’s fees incurred in the prosecution of valid claims and in the defense of frivolous lawsuits. With these legislative changes, the State of Texas continues to show, “Texas is Open for Business.”

Bill Venegoni is Senior Associate at the Law Offices of James Stanton, LP. He prac-tices in the areas of construction and lien law, collections, and general civil litigation. Mr. Venegoni represents owners, general contractors, and subcontractors. He may be reached by telephone at (214) 559-3232 or e-mail at [email protected].

[email protected] x232

Some useful electronic toolsfrom OSHAJoann NatarajanCompliance Assistance SpecialistOSHAAustin, TX

OSHA has a number of useful electronic tools that can walk employers through the requirements of

OSHA laws.

OSHA recently released an online record-keeping decision making tool that can assist when making the determination on restorability of workplace injury cases on the OSHA 300 log:http://www.dol.gov/elaws/OHARecord-keeping.htm

OSHA has an electronic tool that focuses on controlling the top four hazards that are the cause of most workplace fatali-ties. This tool is available in both English and Spanish: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/con-struction/index.htmlhttp://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/con-struction_sp/index.html

OSHA has developed an ergonomic etool for electrical contracting that covers haz-ards associated with material handling, installation and repair, and prefabrica-tion:http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/elec-tricalcontractors/index.html

OSHA’s etool for scaffolds covers both supported and suspended scaffolds with inspection checklists for specific types of scaffolds:http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/scaf-folding/index.html

OSHA has a silica etool that helps compa-nies determine if they have silica in their workplace, how to take an air sample for silica, how to interpret the results, and how to reduce worker exposure to silica:http://www.osha.gov/dsg/etools/silica/index.html

OSHA’s steel erection etool covers the main requirements such as site prepara-tion and fall protection:http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/steel-erection/index.html

OSHA also has several downloadable ex-pert advisors for asbestos and lead in construction:http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/ohasoft/asbestos/index.html http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/oshasoft/leadx_wb.html

These Advisors provide an introduction to the scope and logic of the regulations, and summary guidance to facilitate com-pliance.

The electronic tools can be accessed on the OSHA website at:http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/ohasoft/index.html

Tomas Larralde is observing his first year anniversary as director of the Hispanic Contractors Association de

San Antonio (HCA). Larralde initially joined the organization in Mar. 2010 as a consultant and in Aug. 2010 accepted the full-time executive director’s position. Reflecting on the year’s opportuni-ties and challenges, Larralde noted the most challenging aspect was moving into their new office space at the Alamo University Center in Sep. 2010. “It was exciting. We had more space and nicer space, but it was also setting the tone and putting things in place that would be most accessible to our mem-bers. We needed to find the right balance between being accessible and elevating our presence in the community.” Larralde stated the most successful part of the first year was in organizing the association’s gala. “The gala was probably one of the more successful events. It was the first time, I believe, in this community where people had actually been recognized for their efforts to support diversity.” Additionally, Larralde is pleased with the meetings that are being offered by the association. He stated, “HCA meet-ings provide more sophisticated informa-tion that will help our members take their companies to the next level. “What we are trying to do is help our members become long-term focused. When owners are running a daily opera-tion, they are very focused on daily busi-ness. We are trying to do things that al-low them to get some information they may not readily have, and help them get better prepared for the future.”

A year in review

Larralde noted future meetings will include topics such as healthcare issues and how the national and statewide de-bate will affect business, implementation of the small business ordinance with the City of San Antonio, micro-lending with Accion Texas and partnership opportuni-ties with the UTSA Minority Business Cen-ter. “It’s more about relationship build-ing and knowing what the market looks like so they can prepare and organize their business more effectively. We’ve done some teaming and joint venture discussions as well as discussions on how the state’s and city’s policy impact busi-ness.” Prior to joining HCA, Larralde served as chief of staff for Congressman Ciro Ro-driguez and State Senator Carlos Uresti. –dn

Tomas Larralde

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Ace Bolt and Screw, a family-owned business started in 1927 by the E. F. Heydenreich family, has been

purchased by Dallas-based Winzer Cor-poration. Winzer, a privately owned company established in 1978, is head-quartered in Dallas. General Manager Clint Tate stated, “Ace has been sold to a company that is very much interested in investing in Ace Bolt and Screw’s future and trying to take it to the next level. We are operating in the same locations with the same people. We’re looking to grow and gain market share. “This is a new strategy for us to have store fronts and local stores with local people and local inventory. That is what Ace Bolt and Screw is all about. Our goal is to take nine Ace Bolt and Screw loca-tions and turn it into many more on a re-gional level that we can distribute prod-uct out of our main Dallas facility.” Commenting on what changes the customer may encounter Tate said, “The biggest advantage is customers will have

Under new ownership

the same people serving them out of the same locations with the same experi-ence, but Ace will have more products to offer than ever before. “Ace Bolt and Screw over the years has primarily been a fastener distributor. Winzer is a full line industrial supply dis-tributor.” Tate, a five-year employee with Win-zer, moved from the Dallas area to San Antonio in May. His wife and four-month-old son joined him in June. Tate serves as the general manager over Ace’s nine locations and 65 employ-ees. Fifteen employees are based in San Antonio. Ellie Chapa, San Antonio branch manager, has been with Ace for 30 years. Tate noted that Winzer wants to be-come part of the community within each of Ace Bolt and Screw’s locations. “The local presence is very impor-tant.” Winzer Corporation is a supplier for au-tomotive and industrial maintenance re-pair supplies. –dn

L-R: San Antonio employees Kenn Moyer, Marie Oliver, Ellie Chapa, Clint Tate, Stacee Cox, Barbara Gomez and Michael Holzer, Ace Bolt and Screw previous owners

Similar to a phoenix rising renewed from its ashes, so has Alamo Iron Works risen past its bankruptcy

challenges with the company’s purchase by Industrial Distribution Group (IDG)last year. F.M. “Duffy” Shea, president, Ala-mo Iron Works, noted, “Nobody can downplay the challenge of coming out of bankruptcy. However, if you want to come out with somebody, IDG is an ideal partner because of their national pres-ence and financial performance.” Shea, who has over 25 years experi-ence, stated, “Our goal for 2011 was to focus on gaining share back, which we have been successful at, but we still have a ways to go. “We’ve had other positive change from the way we service our steel cus-tomers to the way we service our supply customers,” Shea added. “We are really leveraging the one stop shop for steel products and industrial mill supply prod-ucts. That’s a traditional strength of Ala-mo, and we have reemphasized the tradi-

Phoenix from the ashes

tional strength of the company. “It’s IDG’s short- to mid-term view that Alamo will be a significant brand of IDG in Texas.” As for the daily operations of the business Shea acknowledged, “There were a lot of opportunities for synergy with our parent company.” He noted some operations were combined with IDG’s corporate func-tions. However sales, marketing, steel management and service center func-tions stayed with the Alamo location. Duffy is not a newcomer to Alamo Iron Works. He worked as a key supplier to the company for four and a half years. “My history started with Alamo in 1982. I was transferred to San Antonio, ironically, to get our product line going through Alamo Iron Works.” Duffy summarized, “We are a 136-year-old company and are stronger than ever. Alamo is a brand and is here to stay.” Alamo Iron Works provides industrial supplies and steel center services. –dn

L-R: Leadership team Charlie Crews and Bill Bell, outside sales managers; Duffy Shea, president; Stacy Reynolds, marketing director; Nick Lopez, inside sales/supply center

manager; and Wallace Schmuck, general manager steel service center


August fishing forecast

by Capt. Steve Schultz

Sponsored by:Trans Sport Boats, Yamaha Outboards,

Ronnie’s Marine, Minn Kota Trolling Mo-tors, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor,

Interstate Batteries, Pure Fishing, Pflueger Reels, All-Star Rods,

Mirr-O-Lure, FINS Braided Lineand Columbia Sportswear.

Predictable pretty much sums up weather conditions for the next month. I guess we really have noth-

ing to complain about, since all we’ve been whining about is how windy this spring has been. Late June and early July brought us some unexpected rain show-ers. I’ve never seen people so happy as they passed over the coastal bend. It would really make this writer happy if we could get a little more of those showers this month to lower salinity levels in the bay complex and cool things down.

Fishing has been pretty consistent for the last few months, except for a few off days during full moon phases. Most of every guide’s clients are going home with fresh trout for dinner and a few fil-lets for the freezer. Our trout bit contin-ues to be best at first light and during gray light just before the sun gets high enough to penetrate the water. If you think the fish has quit biting, try moving to a little deeper area as the sun rises.

Even the slightest depth change can make a huge difference. Some of the ar-eas producing good numbers of trout are the spoils islands between Bird Island Ba-sin and Baffin Bay and the Yarbrough Pass spoils. There are also good numbers of trout coming from the rocks in Baffin and the rocky slough shoreline. One of the hottest bays as this article goes to press is Nueces Bay, also referred to as the Back Bay. Quick limits on solid trout with mixed reds coming off the reefs past sec-ond power lines. Low winds and clear water conditions in August will make this bay hard to pass up.

For those of you who have been waiting for the redfish to show, the wait is over. Many schools have gathered lately along the shorelines of the King Ranch from Pita Island to the south end of Em-mords Hole. However, they are receiving lots of pressure from tournament teams pre-fishing for upcoming tournaments. Best bet for catching these bruisers is to get out early and locate these schools of fish before they are run over later in the day. Use ½ oz. weedless spoons or large paddle tail plastics with a ¼ oz. jighead to make long casts to these fleeing schools of reds. If there are boats already on a school of fish, try to figure out which way they are being pushed and position your boat so that the school will be headed to-wards you. You should refrain from blow-ing into a school of fish if someone is al-ready on them.

Another option in the upcoming months will be the surf. Typically, winds are low enough in the mornings to sneak out the jetties and soak croakers in the guts along the beach. These healthy sil-ver side trout hit hard and fight longer than ones you catch in-shore. Limits can come quick, as can a rough wave over your boat if you’re not paying attention.

To schedule your next bay fishing trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-949-7359 or 361-813-3716, or e-mail him at [email protected]. Good luck and Good Fishing.

Bill Morris of San Antonio caught this 29-1/2 inch trout on a piggy perch near theJFK Causeway. Fish was released after photo by Capt. Steve Schultz.

BAFFIN BAY –– LAGUNA MADRE –– LAND CUTSPECKLED TROUT –– REDFISH –– FLOUNDER

FISHING AND HUNTING TRIPS

(361) 949-7359www.baffinbaycharters.com

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SAN ANTONIOQUAIL COALITION

Thursday, August 25, 2011Leon Springs Dance Hall

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Well if that don’t just beat all! I just got through watching an at-tempted cattle round up in the

middle of the lake . . . the place that was the lake until a few weeks ago. Cattle from across the Colorado River have suc-ceeded in gingerly stepping across the sloppy remains of the river into unchart-ed territory. With no more lake or river to keep them in their place, they have head-ed out for the Wild West!

That’s how it goes here tonight. My part of Lake Buchanan is mostly dry these days. It’s a good thing that the other half of the lake still has plenty of water and fish to keep us busy.

I have heard folks tell tales about the drought of the 1950s and make compari-sons with our current situation. It just got me to thinking nostalgic about the lake.

In the 1950s, the economy of Lake Bu-chanan was booming. It was the first man-made lake in the Highland Lakes chain. If you came from the oil fields of West Texas or the cotton fields of North Texas, Buchanan was the first lake you could get to. Add soldiers from Ft. Hood a little to the north in the mix and the fact that Llano County was the first “wet” county you hit when you got to Central Texas, you had a whole lot of hot, thirsty people looking to have a good time.

Entire families would load up and come to stay for days or weeks. Soldiers and oil field workers would come here to spend their precious little time off. It was a very busy place.

I remember my wife’s family story about the first set of water skis her daddy and his brothers ever laid eyes on.

It seems that a certain young man, who was an acquaintance of the family, brought his brand new boat and some friends to the lake to try out his new set of

water skis. Now this was when every-body had seen the technicolor news reels of the Everglades water ski shows. I guess it may have been about the first time any-body every saw an “extreme” sport be-cause it was really catching on with the younger crowd.

Now anybody that has ever water skied knows that a good teacher makes all the difference in learning the art. Just imag-ine trying to just go out and do it to im-press the ladies all on your own. Need-less to say, it didn’t go well. After a couple of disastrous attempts, the young man who was long on cash and short on pa-tience ran the boat up on the bank and stormed up to the car and yelled at his friends and abruptly headed for less em-barrassing pursuits.

He left the boat there…at the shore…ski rope strung out behind it…skis slowly floating off in different directions. Now imagine four young river rats, raised on the water, witnessing the whole debacle. These boys would do anything they could imagine on the water. By sundown, all of them had mastered getting up on the water skis, with not a single casualty.

Before summer’s end, they were giving water ski shows for the local resort guests. And giving their Momma fits, es-pecially the time she caught them going over a homemade ski jump (angled ply-wood with motor oil on it) with their six- year-old brother standing on their shoul-ders!

They all survived and grew into men. The drought of the ‘50s passed, so I figure this one will too.

Until then, let’s go “save” some of those poor old fishes from our shrinking lakes and pray for rain!

The goodold days

Cow grazing beside Colorado River

Water ski show, 1954


Hosted by

22nd AnnualFunshoot

Saturday, August 13, 2011National Shooting Complex

to benefi t theSan Antonio Youth CenterFor Information,contact Cindy Niznik(210) 497-8121

Shawn George, Elite Lighting Designs, has crossed an item off his bucket list.In early May, he and his wife Shannel, headed to South Africa for a 10-day hunt. “During the hunt, I managed to kill seven trophy animals,” said George. “And

I would go back in a heart beat. South African terrain is a lot like South Texas and the Garden Route along the Cape coast is beautiful, lush and green!” –sj

Cross this off the list

The Georges with his Gemsbok

Kudu

Impala

Wildebeest

Off the hookSubmitted to Construction News

L-R: The fishing team “Team Hoy-Up!” recently attended a 12th annual fishing tournament called Spots-N-Dots in Rockport, TX. L-R: Robert Chapman, Chapman

Bros. Construction; Brad Maze, Advanced Door Control; Curtis Tiller, CTB Construction – Austin; Greg Kanning, Dumas Hardware and Clint Tiller, City of San

Antonio. Photo taken by Brian Mathis, Beck Concrete. –ab


CODY [email protected]

Mobile 210.825.0938Offi ce 210.649.3937Fax 210.649.1814

Roll-Offs: Commercial, Residential, Industrial and C&D Waste Removal

John Hutson, project superintendent, Pesado Construction Company, thought building the Colonia Sewer

Wastewater Treatment Plant in Penitas, TX, was his biggest challenge. However, the often time fisherman and boat cap-tain realized something else could try his endurance and patience more than a construction project. During a fishing trip to Shoalwater Bay Jun. 4, Hutson began an hour long battle with a fish that pulled the boat around the bay. Hutson had no idea what was on his line, although he hoped it was a magnificent Redfish.

Man versus the unknown

Finally after battling 50 minutes, the fish came to view; Hutson and his crew still had no idea what kind of fish was on the line. As he drew the fish nearer the surface, Hutson realized it wasn’t a Red-fish or even an Amberjack or Tuna. The monster he was fighting was a Jack Cre-valle. While some may think the Jack Cre-valle fish is not the delicacy of all fish, one will never convince John Hutson it’s not a fighter. The long battle to land this mon-ster was a battle that Hutson will not soon forget. –dn

John Hutson and his prized Jack Crevalle

The 13th Annual Road Hands Fishing Tournament took place in Port Aransas on Jun. 5

Maeghen Strahm-Loper, sales rep-resentative, R.B. Everett & Co. who helps organize the event stated, “It was a huge success yet again. Everyone had a fun Saturday filling their boats with fish, and then headed to the weigh-in at the Port Aransas Pavilion to mingle with others in the road construction industry. “Every fisher received a goody tote bag with a fishing shirt, cap, lip balm, li-cense holder, and koozies. The Road Hands Tournament is held the first week-end in June every year and is open to anyone in the Road Construction Indus-try. A special thank you to our 2011 spon-sors who made the door prizes and cash pots possible.” –dn

Pro DivisionTrout1st: Wes Pady, Colby Martinka, Nathan Marinka, Scott Hickman2nd: RDO Equipment Team: Rick Derling, Doc Holliday, Brian MahoneyRedfish1st: Keith Weidner, Tommy Kotzer, David Alphin

Angling for a catch2nd: McKinney Drilling Team: Neal How-ard, David Peck, Suzanne Jacobs, Charlie JacobsStringer1st: Waukesha Pearce Team: Robert Brown, Mark Talley, Brian Childress David Rowsey2nd: Double S Paving Team: Marty Schneider, Lawrence Mikolajczyk, Emmit Mikolajczyk

Amateur divisionTrout1st: Matthew Dunn, Kenneth Von Heurel, Darrell Hangendorf, Bret Hernandez2nd: Gunn Chevrolet Team: Bill Zbiesz-kowski, Mark Sellards, Rodney McLomas, Tony McLomasRedfish1st: Martin Marietta Team: Tony Gallegos, John Virrealle, Jim Cruz, Gary L.2nd: Leland Witherspoon, Peter Franck-owiak, Blair Lule, Treno LopezStringer1st: Keith Balcar, Howard Snoga, Chevy Herrera, JR Wilson2nd: Performance Equipment Team: Kelly Durham, Dustin Durham, Coby Young, Edward Apolinar

Double S Paving Team

Pierce Sitework

Tex-Con Oil Team


Celebrating25 Years

in Business

HUB, MBE, SBE, DBE and AISC Certifi ed Fabricator

210-532-6852Fax 532-8181

[email protected]

The original company began as an auto parts and fastener business in 1967. The fastener business grew

much faster than the auto parts side, so it turned into Alamo Bolt and Screw, noted Raymond Duerr, inside sales representa-tive. “We’ve been a private business since 1967 catering to the needs of commercial and residential construction. Our empha-sis is heavy industry construction and manufacturing support,” said Duerr. Duerr noted Alamo’s owner is W. L Whitis. Whitis was originally from Lam-pasas, TX, and was born in 1919. Duerr, states, “Whitis calls on clients and stays very busy.” Working with Whitis and Duerr are Randy Duerr, store manager; Tony Cor-tez, inside sales; Sabrina Allen, book-keeper; Virginia Duerr, assistant book-keeper; Clyde Garrison, outside sales; Mark Stiles, account sales representa-tive; and Tony Schultz, warehouse and delivery driver as well as the company’s “PR ambassador.” Duerr commented, “People always

Fasteners, art and more

“Our American Heroes”

L-R: Tony Cortez, Randy Duerr and Raymond Duerr

ask us if we sell to the public? The answer is yes. We are a retailer where contractors and walk-ins are welcome.” One unique feature at the business location is a metal sculpture of the Stat-ute of Liberty called ‘Our American He-roes’ created by Phil Ward. “Ward walks into a pile of scrape and can see what he can do with the pieces available. He doesn’t sketch it or any-thing. It comes together in his head. He takes it and puts it together,” comment-ed Duerr. Alamo Bolt and Screw located at 10101 Jones Maltsberger provides fasteners, in-dustrial and personal tools, adhesives and industry related products for commercial, corporate and retail customers. –dn

Two friendly fellowsConstruction News ON LOCATION

L-R: Rico Medina and Chris Urdiales, Barnett Pro Contractor Supplies, made time for a little Q and A during a recent visit to their location on Nakoma –dn

San Antonio was the site of the 57th An-nual Meeting of the

Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association (TACA). Nearly 300 people attended the statewide event held at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort Jun. 27-29. Richard Szecsy, TACA president stated, “That 300 person group repre-sents about $5 billon worth of industry in the state of Texas. We repre-sent the number two product consumed in the world. Water is the num-ber one consumed prod-uct in the world. “Right now our con-struction economy is off, but everybody talks about things being bigger in Texas. Even with Texas being half off, it is still more than the three or four surround-ing states combined,” add Szecsy. During the conference, companies and individuals were recognized for their performance and achievements during the last year. –dn

Production Employee of the YearWillie Barber, Jr., Texas Industries, Inc.Driver of the YearAndres Garcia, ARGOS USA/ Southern Star ConcreteBob R. Beard Good NeighborTom Green, CEMEX, Inc.

Building the foundation

High Strength Concrete CompetitionWinner with a 20,410 psiARGOS USA / Southern Star Concrete, HoustonPublic Appearance: (Plant appearance and protecting the environment)Best Plant Ready Mix B CategoryArgos USA Southeast Central Zone Richardson Plant #1008Best Plant Aggregate A CategoryMartin Marietta Materials Southwest Inc.Beckmann Quarry Best Plant Aggregate C CategoryHanson Aggregates, Inc.Eagle Lake Plant

TACA Production Employee of the YearWillie Barber, Jr., master mechanic,

Texas Industries, Inc.,Spangler Road Shop, Dallas, TX.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Garza


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The South Central Wall, Ceiling & Plaster Association (SCWCPA) held its 59th annual convention and

trade show in San Antonio June 22-24. The Hyatt Regency Hill Country Re-sort was the location where members had a chance to visit the trade show, en-ter the golf tournament, try their luck at shooting clay and attend the design

Convention timeSouth Texas style

awards competition. Educational ses-sions were also available as was a ladies program. Friday evening brought a close to the annual event with dinner and the awards banquet followed by a casino night. The association will celebrate its 60th anniversary next year at the same location. –bd

Winners of the shooting clay eventTrey & Melissa Harris, The Quikrete Companies

2011–2012 SCWCPA Officers L-R: Eddie McCormick, exec. director; Rick Williams, immediate past president; Michael

Vickery, president; Brent Cannedy, vp; Charlie Meador, sec./treasurer

First place golf winners: Pat Holland,Scott Young,Mark Koski,

Robbin Bostick

Design Awards Pinnacle Award WinnerKevin Whitfield, Drury South,

San Antonio for The Drury Plaza Hotelin the Commercial Exterior EIFS

and Interior PlasterA trio of happy

trade showexhibitors.


Round-UpMechanical Reps Inc. is pleased to an-nounce the following new hires:Mike Voyten joins the San Antonio branch engineering sales team. He has 10 years of experi-ence in the MEP consulting engi-neering field. He holds an Associate Degree in mechanical engineering and design from Triangle Tech in Pittsburgh. Wes Weissgarber joins the engineer-ing sales team with two years of experi-ence as a mechani-cal design engineer. He graduated from Texas Christian Uni-versity with a Bach-elor of Science in engineering.

Marques Mitchell has joined KAI Texas as Business Development Representative for San Antonio.

Raba-Kistner Consultants Inc. is pleased to announce the following:Richard “Blake” Wright, EIT, has been promoted to graduate engineer in the engineering services group. Wright holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at San An-tonio and a B.A. in Psychology from Texas A&M University.Michael E. Lin-scomb has joined the firm as engi-neering practice area leader, facilities services. With over 39 years of experi-ence in the engi-neering and archi-tectural field, Lin-scomb has managed the engineering of projects, both internationally and throughout the United States. He was also instrumental in building a highly recog-nized mechanical, electrical, and plumb-ing engineering business in Houston.

Wade Turner has joined Texas No Slip LLC as the di-rector of business d e v e l o p m e n t . Turner brings his years of military ex-perience in safety, his expertise in risk management and his tenure in the San Antonio construc-tion industry. Over the course of his ca-reer, he has served many local general contractors in various subcontracting arenas and also serves on the board of directors of Rebuilding Together, where he helps coordinate efforts to rebuild and render safe homes for the elderly in the San Antonio community.

Aaron David Craw-ford has joined Comfort Design as an energy consul-tant. He has 13 years of HVAC experience holding previous positions as resi-dential and light commercial operations manager, sales manager and energy consultant.

In addition, John M. Paz, the former owner of Godwin Pumps, has become executive chairman of Trico Lift’s board of directors and will provide operational leadership and counsel to the company working with President and CEO Ken Pustizzi, Carmolin-go and the entire management team.

Trico Lift has re-cently appointed Chris Carmolingo to the newly creat-ed position of chief operating officer. Carmolingo is an 18-year veteran of the company, Hav-ing served previously as executive vice president, Carmolingo created and de-veloped the company’s sales and market-ing program.

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

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

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

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

ound

-Up

Sub

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sio

ns

The Texas district of Sundt Construction Inc. announces the following:Bill Steele, a nine-year employee of Sundt, joins the Tex-as district to serve as manager of pre-construction servic-es. Steele earned a bachelor in busi-ness of arts in politi-cal science from the University of Arizona and has professional LEED AP and DBIA accreditations.Steve Byrne joins as a project director and will serve the higher education market for universi-ties and community colleges. Prior to Sundt, Byrne was the head of the Sys-tem Office of Facilities Planning & Con-struction and senior lecturer for the De-partment of Construction Science at Tex-as A&M University System. Byrne re-ceived a bachelor of environmental de-sign and a master of science in building construction from Texas A&M University.Dustin Murphy joins the Texas team as project engineer and has been with the company since 2007. He is respon-sible for project procurement, fore-casting, contracts, scheduling and estimating. Murphy ob-tained a bachelor of science in civil engi-neering from the University of Arizona.


Metal StudsDrywall

AcousticalInsulationWALLS

A C R O S S

TEXAS“DOING A STAND-UP JOB FOR 15 YEARS”

9018 Tesoro Suite 101San Antonio, Texas 78217

(210) 826-4123 Fax (210) 826-5801

The San Antonio Chap-ter of the American Subcontractors Asso-

ciation (ASA) held their 10th annual fishing tourna-ment in Port Aransas Jun. 24 –25. Before the tournament began, Friday evening the association held a fajita dinner for the fishing teams and their fisher-friends. The dinner was hosted by Al-pha Insulation and Water-proofing. On Saturday, 140 an-glers comprising 36 teams set out to capture the best award in either the pro or amateur category. They rounded out the day with a weigh in, raffle, fish fry and awards ceremony. –dn

Amazing anglers

Team Padgett, Stratemann & Co.: L-R Travis Land, Josh Staley (holding Peyton Staley), Pat Bendele, Elaine Garcia, ASA

executive director, and Wade Land

Team Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing Inc.: L-R: Carl Koenning, Chris Wiatrek, Elaine Garcia, Greg Wiatrek and

Scott Wiatrek

Pro divisionHeavy Stringer1st: Padgett, Stratemann & Co.2nd: Capital Pumping / Ur-ban Concrete3rd: Harrell Plumbing Heavy Red1st: Padgett, Stratemann & Co.2nd: Capital Pumping / Urban Concrete3rd: BASF – The Chemical CompanyHeavy Trout1st: SA Quality Fence & Welding2nd: Padgett, Stratemann & Co.3rd: BASF – The Chemical CompanyHeavy Flounder1st: M & M Metals2nd: Traugott Inc.3rd: Padgett, Stratemann & Co.

Amateur divisionHeavy Stringer1st: Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing2nd: CMC Rebar San Antonio3rd: Tidewater ContractingHeavy Red1st: Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing2nd: Martin Marietta Materials #13rd: Performance Equipment ServicesHeavy Trout1st: Alterman Inc.2nd: Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing3rd: Tidewater ContractingHeavy Flounder1st: Alterman Inc.2nd: Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing3rd: Team O’Brien: Bobby O’Brien, Chet Couvillon, Troy Ellison – guests of Four B Paving

Oh, there are so many good ones! The best food ever is the Hula Hut in Austin, on the lake.Bethany Thompson, Gardner Law Firm

I have too many but I guess it would have to be Morton’s.

Jill Foegelle, Ridout, Barrett & Co.

Los Barrios Mexican Restaurant. I like the chile relleno. It is very good.

Ewin Casanova,Quality Fence and Welding

Um, Jacala’s, because I know Kent will take me there for lunch! LOL!

Elena Negrete, Anthony Machine

My favorite restaurant is Paesanos. My fa-vorite item there is Shrimp Paesano, of course. It’s heavenly and sinful all at the same time.

Sherry Reynolds, Alamo Iron Works

Carino’s Italian Restaurant at Bandera and 1604. I like their big bowl of pasta.James Hammond, Express Metal Work

My favorite is the Olive Garden. I like ev-erything they have.

Ray Cullum,Hispanic Contractors Association

What’s yourfavorite restaurant?


Service Providers

Waste issuesand profitability

Kevin Jones, General ManagerRiver City Waste Inc.San Antonio, TX

Construction site protection on a budget

Keith Jentoft, PresidentVideofiedWhite Bear Lake, MN

Guard services defending construction sites from vandalism and copper theft have almost disap-

peared because of tight margins and a down economy; they are simply too expensive. Thankfully, new technology and wireless communications have created affordable alternatives to address residential construction as well as large commercial projects. The article provides a “buyer’s guide” for contractors who want to explore new solu-tions to the problem of site security.

Background Alarm systems have evolved in the past five years. Video cameras, wireless networks, and monitoring services have all evolved and create new options for construction security. Most importantly, things have gotten cheaper and the ser-vices have become more reliable. Con-struction sites present unique challeng-es. Systems must operate in a harsh out-door environment with no power, no phone lines, and no broadband. Ideally, the systems should be portable and be able to be changed as the job site evolves. Most importantly, the systems need to do what they promise – protect the site from theft and being vandalized.

Video Intrusion Alarms New alarm technology has been making a difference and delivering re-sults. Video intrusion alarms are some-thing new. The concept is to detect in-truders and immediately send the video

of the intrusion to a monitoring station for instant review and, most importantly, action. The concept goes beyond the typical CCTV camera and a DVR record-ing the site for later review in the event of a problem. The goal of a video intrusion alarm is priority law enforcement re-sponse to a confirmed crime-in-progress. Immediate police response means that vandals are arrested and prevented from damaging the job site. Traditional CCTV simply provides a recording of the event that is reviewed the following day in the hope of identifying the perpetrators – the damage is already done. The new systems have proven themselves with cops making over 40 arrests in four months in one problem site in Chandler, Arizona.

What to look for in a video intrusion alarm? Many security companies provide these new systems from several manu-

facturers with various options, depend-ing on requirements and budgets. Prices range from over $10,000 for the high-resolution systems to under $1,000 for the MotionViewer systems. Key points to consider when looking at video intrusion alarms include:

1. What communications are available at the site? Wired broadband networks deliver the least expensive communications from the system to the monitoring sta-tion but the network cables must be in-stalled and they can be damaged and/or cut during construction. The alternative is communications over the cell network which provides the most flexibility and instant installations.

2. Does the site have power? There are video alarm systems that require power to the panel/communica-tor and there are systems that will oper-ate up to four years on batteries, they re-quire no power. The advantage of the cordless systems is that they can be in-stalled anywhere, regardless of power availability.

3. How large is the construction site be-ing protected? Can you designate man-traps? Analytics systems using cameras with pixel based detection (called analyt-ics) can provide protection in a large area such as a parking lot or field. These will each require wired network connections and will be more costly. Less expensive solutions using MotionViewers (passive infrared, PIR, motion sensor integrated with a camera) protect 40-foot areas or

“man traps” at entry points and traffic ar-eas that intruders will follow. Motion-Viewers are wireless and need no power or communications cabling.

4. Do you want a “live view” camera? Once the intrusion is detected and the monitoring personnel have reviewed the video confirming the event as a crime-in-progress, the owner/contrac-tor/job supervisor can be alerted and re-motely “log in” to a camera on site to co-ordinate response. This option will re-quire a broadband connection and pow-er to at least one Pan/Tilt/Zoom camera located on the site.

5. Does the monitoring company have experience in the construction market? Many alarm companies specialize in either residential or commercial installa-tions. There are some companies that specialize in construction security and, although they may charge a little more, their monitoring station operators have experience monitoring construction sites. In conclusion, video intrusion alarms have made construction security afford-able. Police are responding to alarms confirmed with video as crimes-in-prog-ress and making arrests.

Keith Jentoft, President of Videofied, is a member of the Electronic Security Associ-ation and chairs the Video Technology In-terest group. Jentoft introduced the Video-fied product line which won the Interna-tional Security Conference West "Best of Show" as well as the “Best Intrusion Detec-tor” and “Best Wireless Alarm System” at the 2009 Electronic Security Expo. –dn

What issues face the waste man-agement industry today?

One of the greatest struggles right now in the waste industry is finding recy-cling facilities to recycle sheetrock. That is the hardest challenge for LEED proj-ects. What makes the disposal of sheetrock so difficult? Sheetrock comes from gypsum which is very plentiful, and it is so cheap to manufacturer. It actually costs more to recycle sheetrock than it’s worth.

Why focus on recycling sheetrock? The quantity and weight of sheet-rock that is generated on a job can be huge. It’s very important for a LEED proj-ect to have 75 or 95 percent recycling in order to get those two or three LEED points. Sheetrock waste can be recycled, but because of the volume of sheetrock in a job, it is difficult to find a recycling facility that can handle the volume.

What recycling is available for non-LEED projects? We provide recycling for any type of project. Depending on space and logis-

tics, we determine what is the highest commodity that can be captured and pulled off the job site. When we separate the waste, it saves the customer money because we only charge to pick up a dumpster, not for placement. The less we pick up, the lower the cost. Customers get money back depending on which commodity is on the jobsite. It lowers the general contractor’s operating costs.

Where is sheetrock recycled? We had two places that recycled for us. One was in San Antonio and the other was in Austin. Both locations stopped re-cycling sheetrock for us due to volume. It’s not unusual that I can inundate someone with 150 to 250 yards of sheet-rock per week. The facilities can’t grind or mix it fast enough, so they call time out and say they cannot take anymore. Sheetrock can go into any kind of in-ert material. There is one drawback to sheet rock. If a large load of sheetrock is buried and gets wet, it literally can pro-duce a poisonous gas. When sheetrock is ground, it has no structure and that prob-lem goes away. The landfills have to be very careful, because if they fill a hole with sheetrock, and it gets wet and starts

to decompose, it produces the gas.

Are there similar issues with other waste products? There is not an issue with wood, met-al, cardboard or plastic. San Antonio is fairly well set up to recycle those com-modities.

Are there new waste management laws that are going to impact busi-ness? The City of San Antonio is mandating that apartments have a recycling pro-gram in place for their facilities. Addition-ally by the end of 2012, the city will re-quire commercial businesses to have a recycling program. An important part of our business is helping companies with their recycling and waste-planning program. We ana-lyze an office’s waste stream and identify commodities for recycling. For example, if a business throws away a lot of card-board, we would provide a container for cardboard and a smaller container for trash. We would segregate the waste, and give the business money back on the commodity. Basically, we lower the an-nual trash cost, and the business just be-came a green company because waste is getting recycled, as opposed to every-thing going to a landfill. We save our customers money when they begin recycling because it lowers

their operating cost.

How is River City Waste doing in this economy? Our commercial division has dou-bled in size this year. We started the com-mercial front load division about two years ago, and now we have four front load trucks and almost a thousand cans on the street. Also, we hired a sales man-ager and sales team, and that is working wonderful. We’ve been very fortunate and very successful this year, and we plan to keep pushing and working hard. We run a commercial and residential excavation division, too. We have a top-soil pit, and we do some demolition. We haul inert material base, concrete spoils, dirt spoils and rock. We also provide a clean up service for projects. What do you enjoy about the waste management industry? I learn something everyday about the waste business. It is always evolving. There are always new and fresh ideas for recycling.

River City Waste Inc. is owned by Cody and Cecily Byrom. The company provides a variety of waste services for residential, commercial, industrial and construction customers. –dn


Service Providers

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2011Schedule

Compliance and SUTA – The silent killers in construction

Mark MettilleM2 PEO SolutionsFlower Mound, TX

What has changed over the last year? Our national unemployment rate is still extremely high; there

are more federal and state regulations and labor laws for employers; gas prices have skyrocketed; there are more OSHA inspectors looking to hand out fines; most companies state unemployment tax (SUTA) rates have in-creased dramatically; and the majority of construction companies labor costs have increased. Let’s face it; it’s not getting any easier to run your construction business. The good news is Texas has created more jobs than any other state over the past year. With all that being said, I like to focus on positive solutions to problems that blue-collar business owners face. I will address a couple key issues, and look at the profes-sional employer organization (PEO) solution that may provide a better and more streamlined way to run your business.

Compliance: How many contractors are currently in 100% compliance with the most recent labor laws and OSHA regulations, have their employee hand-books updated yearly, and carry EPLI in-surance to further insulate them from employee lawsuits? The reality is less than 10%. The complicated world of federal and state employment laws continues to bog down business owners who would rather be focusing on their core line of business. The issues involved with prop-erly interpreting and administering such laws as Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Immigration and Nationality Act (INA),

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Occu-pational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and Davis-Bacon Act are not only time consuming and expensive, but can also be extremely frustrating. And what about the Patient Protec-tion and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) also referred to as “Obamacare”? How is your company prepared to deal with it when the final mandates are decided? There are nearly 200 federal labor laws currently enforced by the Department of Labor (DOL), which continue to be modi-fied yearly. How can small to medium sized contractors reasonably keep up with it all? It would take a full time pro-

fessional HR department to manage this mountain of paperwork. Wouldn’t it be nice to lean on a team of professionals to help navigate the ever-changing land-scape of being an employer and the com-pliance that goes with having W-2 em-ployees? That’s exactly what a PEO al-lows owners to do. Construction compa-nies who partner with PEOs spend less time pushing paper and more time mak-ing money. SUTA: The majority of construction company owners I’ve met with in the past year have shared with me their on-going frustrations of rising SUTA costs , which have ultimately increased the cost to run their business. SUTA ironically is the only tax that businesses actually have any control over, yet sometimes it’s the most neglected. The down turn in the economy has forced thousands of lay-offs over the past two years. Because SUTA is calculated on a three year run-ning average, the consequences of downsizing your labor force one year will negatively impact your SUTA rate for the two following years. Many small to mid-sized owners had no idea how losing just one or two unem-ployment claims would negatively im-pact their bottom line and ultimately in-crease their SUTA rate. The SUTA maxi-mum rate in Texas for 2011 is 8.25 percent with the average new company starting out at 2.7 percent. Many owners have seen their SUTA rates nearly double since

the economy went into decline. This typ-ically results from mismanagement of unemployment claims or the lack of proper and timely follow up on the initial claim. This is understandable as most owners are usually focused on the things that make their company money, not HR issues. This is where a PEO adds value by handling the unemployment claim, and following up on required paperwork and deadlines during the claim process. Owners who go from a “stand alone” sit-uation to using a PEO usually see a sub-stantial drop in their SUTA rate, which greatly helps lower the cost of running their business. Construction companies who part-ner with PEOs for help with payroll, work-ers’ compensation, human resources, and safety/risk management increase profitability by focusing on their core business which grows the bottom line. They reduce time pushing paper, stream-line their cash flow, and share the risks and liability that goes with having em-ployees. Ultimately, they have peace of mind knowing that a PEO is helping them manage the ever changing, complex, and expensive world of being an employer. Mark Mettille is the owner of M2 PEO Solutions. M2 assists construction and blue-collar companies with solving em-ployment problems in the areas of Payroll, Human Resources, Workers’ Compensa-tion, and Safety/Risk Management. –dn

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Surveyors providevital service

Gary A. Gibbons, RPLS, PresidentGibbons Surveying & Mapping Inc.San Antonio, TX


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What are the hot issues in your field?

Recruiting young people into the profession of surveying is an important is-sue to remain a current viable industry. We have bumper stickers on our work trucks that are a depiction of Mt. Rush-more. The caption reads, “Three of these men were Land Surveyors.” As our nation developed, the county surveyor was a prominent citizen of the community. He kept the records as land was transferred from public to private ownership. As our Texas cities grew and society was mod-ernized, the county surveyor duties di-minished until most Texas counties dis-solved the county surveyor office entirely. Surveying as a career opportunity in the current era rocks, with intellectual and financial rewards sitting in an un-tapped treasure trove, sadly locked away from the general public as a huge secret. I say the profession needs to develop the foundation for an exciting education path that will attract the geography, mathematics and physics students who also love computers. New technologies are creating in-dustries that are made for licensed sur-veyors. Many governments are utilizing GIS to manage infrastructure, utilities, census data, flood risk and transporta-tion. This is an area that surveyors could become expert at and aid their commu-nities.

What major challenges face the indus-try? One challenge is the public image of

the surveyor. Currently, it is not equal to the public service and responsibilities we carry. This past legislative session bills were introduced that could have dis-solved the Board of Land Surveying or combined it with architects, engineers or others. The bill was defended as a cost saving measure, but the problem is that many people, including legislators, think the surveyor is the man seen along the side of the road looking through the tele-scope. While that position requires skill and experience to perform, the licensed surveyor is not only collecting the data, he is researching at the courthouse, ana-lyzing the information and determining the boundaries. Another challenge is advanced equipment now allows contractors to use their own workers for survey work on a construction project. The unique knowl-edge and skills of the licensed surveyor are diluted because of electronic total stations, and GPS units available at a rea-sonable cost to contractors. I believe the field of surveying is expanding but there no longer exists the environment of all surveying services being performed by licensed surveyors. The registered pro-fessional land surveyor (RPLS) is used to set certain controls and absorb the liabili-ties thereof. Non-traditional surveyors then come off of these controls and pro-duce all of the rest of the construction survey tasks on their own with advanced equipment. The RPLS then returns for professionally signed as-builts. Another major challenge is orbiting satellites transmit information over cer-

tain bandwidths and are collected by GPS units across the country. Hikers using hand-held units, automobiles, construc-tion equipment and precise surveying equipment are all dependent on reliable signals. Recently a company attempted a business model to use frequencies along-side the traditional ones used by GPS. The FCC ordered tests to determine crossover interference. The test results showed significant interference and some GPS was completely shut down. If the FCC does not get involved, this could have tremendous negative impact on the fragile GPS system.

What does it take to become a profes-sional surveyor? To become licensed as a professional surveyor in Texas a four-year college de-gree is required. Then a two-year term as

an apprentice must be completed before taking the final exam. Surveyors work for multi-discipline firms such as engineering or construction and are self-employed in their own companies. Success comes when the individual develops the techni-cal skills to do his job well, the experience to make sound judgments in managing money and resources and personnel. Good character, honesty and people skills are needed to run a business.

Patricia and Gary Gibbons formed Gib-bons Surveying & Mapping, Inc. in Feb. 1991. Gary is a licensed surveyor. They per-form land-surveying services, which in-cludes work for other professionals, such as engineers and architects; collect data and information for others; and provide survey-ing that requires drawing for lenders and others to use in transactions. –dn

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Association CalendarContent submitted by Associations to Construction News

ABCAssociated Builders & Contractors

Aug. 1, 15: Orientation for members’ new hires, 8-11am, $45/person, ABC of-fice. Make reservations with Bob Jett for any first and third Monday of any month.Aug. 4: 25th Annual Sporting Clay Shoot and 11th Annual BBQ Cook-off, San Anto-nio Gun Club. Register with Carol Wia-trek: $150/cooking Teams; $85/shooter. Aug. 16: CPR & First Aid Certification, 5:30pm, ABC office, $40 ABC/BX mem-ber, $60 non-memberAug. 16, 17: OSHA 10-Hour, ABC office, 1-6:30pm, $200 members, $250 non-membersAug. 23: Safety Excellence Awards, 11:30am, Pompeii Italian Grill, 16109 Na-cogdoches Rd., $20 personAug. 31: Scaffold User Awareness Train-ing, 8:30-11:30am, Engineering Safety Consultants Inc., 12758 Cimarron Path, Ste. 127, $25 member, $50 non-memberAug. 31, Sep. 7 & 14: NCCER 15-hour class: Going Green: Your Role in the Green Environment, 1-6pm, ABC office, $300 members, $500 non-members. This is a primer course for future LEED certifi-cation classes.For more info or to register for any of the above call ABC at 210-349-1994

AGCAssociated General Contractors

Aug. 3-4: OSHA 10 hour and OSHA 30 hour, Education Center, 8am-2:30pmAug. 12: Education Committee meeting, AGC office, 8:30amAug. 18: Safety & Health Committee meeting, AGC office, 11:30amAug. 19: First Aid/CPR certification, AGC office, 9:30am-3:30pmAug. 22: AGC/AIA Joint Membership lun-cheon, Bright Shawl, noon-1:30pm, Guest speakers: Vergel L. Gay, Jr, Texas A&M; Alex Araujo, Project Controls. Reserva-tions required by Aug. 17, $35 members, $45 non-members. Call 210-349-4921Aug. 23: CLF Steering Council meeting, AGC office, noonAug. 25-26: PMDP Module 4: Risk Man-agement, Education Center, 7:30am-4:30pmAug. 26: Board of Director’s meeting, The Petroleum Club, 8amSep. 1: Mandatory Cook’s meeting, Helotes Fairgrounds, 1pmFor more info: 210-349-4921

AIAAmerican Institute of Architects

Aug. 12: 2nd Annual Shoot Classic and Mixer, San Antonio Gun Club, 928 Con-tour Dr., 3-7pm, BBQ, Beer and Bucket raffles, call 210-226-4979 or email [email protected] for more info and sponsorship opportunities.Aug. 22: Annual joint meeting with AIA/AGC, noon-1pm, The Bright Shawl, 819 Augusta St. Topic: “Building Information Modeling Case Study-Texas A & M, pre-sented by Geoff Edwards, Kell Munoz; Luis Berumen, Bartlett Cocke; and a rep from A & M, $35 members, $45 non-members. RSVP to 210-349-4921

ASAAmerican Subcontractors Association

Aug. 25: Sporting Clay Shoot, National Shooting Complex

HCA de San AntonioHispanic Contractors Association

Aug. 4, 11, 18, 25: Help Desk Thursdays, Help with certification and other busi-ness issues, FREE for members, 9am-noon, HCA officeAug. 17: Membership meeting, HCA of-fice, 6-8pm, Free/members, $10/non-members, RSVP at www.blacktie-sanan-tonio.com/rsvp Event Code: hcamtg8

Aug. 18: FREE OSHA Record Keeping Training in Spanish, 1-5pm, HCA office, RSVP: Lily 210-444-1100 or email: [email protected]. 19: CPR/First Aid Class, FREE/mem-bers, $15/non-members, Co-sponsored by Turner Construction, 1-4:30pm, HCA office, call Ray 210-444-1100 or email [email protected]. 23, 24: Customized Small Business Safety Training Sessions, Free and open to everyone, HCA office, 9am-noon, RSVP to Lily; Service Disabled Veteran’s Busi-ness Symposium, sponsored by the GI Forum and the City of San Antonio: Pro-curement Technical Assistance Center(PTAC), GI Forum office, 611 N. Flores, SA, 78205, 8am-4pm/day 1; 8am-noon/day 2, contact 207-4680Aug. 30, 31, Sep. 7, 8, 13: FREE, UT Mod-el Contractor Program, Space is limited, Sponsored by Bartlett Cocke General Contractors and Vaughn Construction, 4-7pm, HCA office, call Ray to RSVP

IECIndependent Electrical Contractors

Aug. 4: IEC of Texas Regional meeting, IEC San AntonioAug. 16: A&T Committee meeting, IEC office, 11amAug. 17: Board of Director’s meeting, IEC office, 11amAug. 20: Electrical Maintenance Techni-cian class, IEC office, 8am-5pmAug. 22: Continuing Education class, IEC office, 5-9pmFor more info: www.iecsanantonio.com

MCA–SMACNAMechanical Contractors Association

Sheet Metal & A/C Nat’l Assn.

Aug. 3: Regular and Associate Member Firms meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30amAug. 17: Joint Industry Fund Forum and Business meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30am

PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors

Aug. 11: Monthly membership meeting with a PHCC lobbyist summary of bills af-fecting contractors, Earl Abels Restau-rant, 11am-1pmAug. 24: 2nd Lien Law Seminar, 1:30-4:30pmSep. 1: Due date for Early Registration Reduced Entry Fee for the Fishing Tour-nament in Rockport.For more info: call 210-523-1540 or visit www.phcc-sanantonio.org

SAMCASan Antonio Masonry Contractors Assn.

Aug. 18: 16th Annual Sporting Clay Tour-nament and BBQ Cook-Off, Cedar Ridge Range, 3pm, Registration deadline: Aug. 15, $60 shooters; $15 non-shooters; $50 BBQ teams. Contact Debbie, 830-606-5556 or get registration forms online: www.samca.netAug. 31: Membership meeting, Pap-padeaux Restaurant, 76 NE Loop 410, noon, $25 person

TMCTexas Masonry Council

Aug. 10-12: Convention and Golden Trowel Awards Banquet, Fort Worth Hil-ton Hotel.Visit www.texasmasonrycouncil.org for registration or call Valerie Burkhart, 512-799-3870

Kubota’s – now available with a pressurized comfort cab. Get a load of the excellent visibility, spacious legroom, sliding front window and high-back suspension seat. Weather, dust and debris? No Problem. You’ll have the power, dependability and comfort of the compact track loader only Kubota could build. See for yourself. Schedule a demo today.

29171 I-10 WestBoerne, TX

800-268-0507

Structural Steel ProductsPipe & TubingMetal Building MaterialsOrnamental Iron & AccessoriesCast Iron SpearsFittingsDecorative Castings & DesignsWeldersCutting SuppliesWelding Supplies & AccessoriesPower ToolsAbrasivesShop & Safety SuppliesPaint & MachineryTrailer ProductsAccess Control ProductsGate & Door HardwareGate Operators

210.431.0088 Toll Free 800.725.4776

Fax 210.431.0701www.sss-steel.com

2042 W. Thompson @ Port San AntonioSan Antonio, TX 78226

“GATE OPERATORS FORRESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL

FARM and RANCH”


9635 West Little YorkHouston, TX 77040Phone: 713-896-4002Fax: 713-896-4003

4818 South MainPearland, TX 77581

Phone: 281-992-0002Fax: 281-993-2002

www.actiongypsum.com

Quality Products • Superior ServiceSpecializing in residential and commercial products such as drywall, steel studs,insulation, acoustical and all other related building materials. Our materials aredelivered by boom truck, drop shipped, or picked up at our warehouse location.

420 Industrial Blvd.Bryan, TX 77803Ph: 979-775-0890Fax:979-775-0871

8402 Vidor Dr.San Antonio, TX 78216

Phone: 210-348-8300 Fax: 210-348-8399

The gate has a variety of figures, including snakes, lily buds, frogs, lizards, ants, cat-erpillars, wheat bars, vines, leaves and butterflies. Steel bird houses anchor each end and a spider and spider web is a center focal point. With so many unique items making up the gate, Castillo thought he might find some of the items al-ready fabricated. However, that was not to be the case. “I couldn’t find anyone that had any of this already made, so everything was in-dividually made. It was a long process.” Castillo credits his father-in-law, Tony Espino, for de-signing the lily buds. “He is about 80 years old. I was trying to figure out a way to make these lily buds faster and easier. He came out with an idea, so I used his idea to make these lily buds.” Castillo also has two certified weld-ers, Robert Lopez and Sergio Flores, who work with him in his business.

continued from Page 1 — Construction meets art

Custom lily buds adorn the gate

Castillo says all he needs is a picture, and he will take it from there for special projects. Artistic Iron Works provides commer-cial and industrial welding services. –dn

Excellent night visionSubmitted to Construction News

Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) held their Night Golf Finale Jul. 8 at Oak Valley Golf Club. Winners of the ladies division were

L-R: 1st place: Farhen Graham and 2nd place: Heidi Trimble. –dn

the “first true storefront in the San Anto-nio market.” He said the company will “primarily focus on commercial construction and water and wastewater projects in the San Antonio area. However, throughout the company, we are very much involved in the industrial piece with the natural gas and oil that going on south of San Anto-nio.” Headquartered in Fort Worth, The Reynolds Company is a family owned business, which is run by brothers, Walt and Donald Reynolds Jr. “We are a very large company,” not-ed Brand. “We’re upwards of $400 million

continued from Page 1 — Company has grand time

in top line sales, but we are still run like a family owned business. That’s why I love working here because we appreciate our co-workers, our ownership and our cus-tomers. It is kind of that old school phi-losophy, but in a big world. “We truly value our customer base, and we are very excited and looking for-ward to servicing the San Antonio con-struction market. We are very pleased to be here.” The Reynolds Company is an electrical wholesale distributor of electrical supplies and services with locations throughout Tex-as and southern Louisiana. –dn

He said, “In today’s market, we did it as lean as we could. However, there are always unforeseen conditions. We look for the best value when choosing subs and many times that’s not the lowest bid.So we had little to no wiggle room to complete the project within budget.” Garcia noted All Service Air Condi-tioning & Heating, Ranger Glass, Alco Electric and Copeland Contracting/Plumbing provided subcontracting ser-vices for the project. Regarding the owner and architect, Garcia commented, “They were more than fair and a great owner to work for. They took their time to meet with us and go over every detail. The city manager would come to our meetings and walk through the construction documents and the architect would respond to our ques-

tions in a timely manner. They would give us an audience and listen to some of our suggestions. They were a good customer. “The citizens seamed to be very ex-cited. The city manager wanted to make sure they knew they were getting a good value for their dollar. That was the tone they set from the beginning, and we fol-lowed that direction. We wanted to make sure they did.” The GFP Group started in 2006 by Mark Garcia and the help of leadership from the construction and bioscience industries formed a general contracting firm that would better serve the healthcare industry in South Texas. They specialize in profes-sional construction services with a portfolio of private and public sector clients. The GFP Group is located at 639 Lanark in San Anto-nio. –dn

continued from Page 1 — New City Hall for Live Oak

Live Oak City Hall addition and renovation

City Hall reception area


The Earthmoving Contractors Asso-ciation of Texas (ECAT) held their 2011 annual meeting in Kerrville at

the Y.O. Ranch Resort Hotel and Confer-ence Center June 24 and 25. The state-wide affair drew 70 members to the event. John Mueller, state conservation en-gineer, USDA/Natural Resources Con-servation Service, and Richard Dee Pur-keypile, Purkeypile Consulting Engineer Services, discussed conservation pro-grams and new regulations governing dam-type structures used for impound-ing water supplies. Bob Turner, rural is-sues consultant, provided a legislative and special session briefing affecting the earthmoving construction business. Members enjoyed a skeet shooting contest at the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center. J.D. Godby, Godby Con-struction, Clifton, took grand champion

Statewide meetingheld in Kerrville

while Michael Sweeney, The Sweeney Co., Ft Worth, received reserve champion. New officers and directors were elect-ed for the 2011-2012 year. Officers are Pres-ident Dennis Foerster, Foerster Custom Service, Giddings; Vice President Chad Ottmers, Chad and Ronnie Ottmers Con-struction, Fredericksburg; and Secretary John Frerich, Frerich Materials, Rowena. Directors by District are: Walter Roth-well, Childress (1); Edmund Jenschke, Ker-rville (2); Eddie Leatherwood, Dublin (3); Bobby Watts, Decatur (4); Ed Smith, Fair-field (5); J.D. Godby, Clifton (6); Galen We-ber, Uvalde (7); Tommy Watson, Cuero (8); Lawrence Krause, New Braunfels (9); Ed-win Eckhardt, Fredericksburg (10); Rich-ard Irving, New Braunfels (11); and Clint Krause, New Braunfels (12). Associate Di-rector is Dave Sund, San Antonio. –dn

ECAT skeet shooting participants

L-R: Galen Weber, Weber Construction, receives associate membership outstanding

recruiter award from Marty Caston.

L-R: Tommy Watson, Watson Dozer Service, receives outstanding membership

recruitment award from Marty Caston.

L-R: Dennis Foerster, Foerster Custom Service, presents Marty Caston,

The Caston Company with a plaque for his service as

ECAT president.

L-R: ECAT incoming First Lady, Joyce Foerster,

presents out going First Lady Cyndy Caston with

gifts for her years of service to ECAT wives

as they take care of meeting details.

Associate member, Steve Caldwell,

Bituminous Insurance Co., San Antonio, won

a fitting door prize. Caldwell consistently reminds contractors

to use assisted devises to prevent

back injury.


Job Sights

Renn Truss, owner, Great Northwest Concrete, oversees the pouring of foundations for new houses being constructed on West Bitters Road by Brohn Homes. –dn

San Antonio’s downtown skyline is changing due to new construction of the Public Safety Headquarters by Hensel Phelps Construction Company.

Torre Crane is providing the heavy lifting for the project. –dn

Timing is everythingConstruction News ON LOCATION

Rick Gearin, service technician at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing in San Antonio, puts the finishing touches on his truck before heading out to more service calls. –dn

Malitz Construction Inc. is building a branch location for Randolph Brooks Federal Credit Union on IH-35 at Galahad. Dudley Buttler, superintendent, stated the following subcontractors were working on the site: Ben Reyna Contracting Inc., Carl Electric Co.,

Arahed Lathing Corp., Lundberg Masonry, Samuel Dean Sheet Metal Inc.,Budget Signs and The Grass is Greener Landscape Inc. –dn

Keller-Martin Construction is building a new gymnasium and cafeteria for St. Pius X Catholic Parish on Harry Wurzbach Rd. Doug Neubauer, superintendent, stated some of

the subcontractors working on the project included Rudd & Adams Masonry, GD Interior Construction, Mission Plumbing, Moore Erection, and Bloch Electrical Service. –dn

The City of San Antonio held it’s 3rd Annual Green Building Awards event Jun. 1 at the International Center. The event recognizes projects that incorporate emerg-ing technologies in the field of green building. The awards featured categories

for new construction and retrofit projects, in both residential and commercial con-struction. –dn Residential project winners included:

Good to be green

Residential Construction – New:

SA Youthfor 223 Jemison

Zachry Construction

Corporation;

speegle & KIM-davis: Architecture;

Beicker Martinez Engineering;

KFW Engineering and Surveying;

C2 Landscape Group

Residential Construction –

RetrofitMerced Housingfor 415 Nevada

T&J Builders;

San Antonio Housing Trust


Industry FOLKSJudy DeWeeseMauze Construction Corp.

At the age of 18, Tom Damiani set a goal to own his own company by the age of 36. Fast forward a cou-

ple of decades and guess what Damiani is doing today? He is the owner of Comfort Design. Damiani recalled purchasing the business from previous owners, Wayne and Kathy Kite, in Jan. 2004. “When I purchased the company, there were five people. Now we have ten employees, and we have tripled the size of the business,” he said. First located on Austin Highway, the company moved in Jan. 2011 to new fa-cilities located at 626 Isom Road. Damiani has long enjoyed the air conditioning business. As a college stu-dent at Southwest Texas State University, he worked for an air conditioning com-pany during the summers installing units in the field. He fell in love with the work. “It is one of the last trades still out there where you actually do something with your hands and create something.

A company by design

You provide something for somebody,” he said. In addition to designing and install-ing systems for customers, Damiani en-joys bringing his employees together to plan for the following year and partake in some teambuilding. “Every year we go to Marble Falls and put our business plan together for the next year. We go out on the boat and we play together, but we set our goals. We ask what did we did right this year and what could be different? They are part of the plan. It’s not just me telling them what to do. It’s their plan because we put it together as a team. “The thing I love the most is being able to create this business. At the end of the day, we work for business owners and homeowners. When we leave their house or business, I want them to say, ‘Wow, that’s a different company.’” Comfort Design provides full-service air conditioning and heating for commer-cial and residential customers. –dn

Comfort Design employees and Damiani family

Judy DeWeese is a busy woman who knows the fine art of balancing work,

family and professional affiliations. De-Weese has been with Mauze Construc-tion for 25 years performing administra-tive, bookkeeping and financial duties. She has been married to Ben Mc-Gowan for 41 years, and they have six children and 11 grandchildren. Busy woman, right? But wait there is more. This month she will be installed as the president of the National Associa-tion of Women in Construction (NAWIC) during the 56th Annual NAWIC Conven-tion in St. Louis. DeWeese began her NAWIC jour-ney in 1978. A woman by the name of Nelda Weatherly was a master electri-cian and owned a company called Jesse & Chandler Electric. Weatherly also held the national NAWIC president position in 1965. DeWeese recalled, “She took me under her wing and really gave me a lot of guidance. “In the early 1980s, she asked me if I would be chapter recording secretary. I said yes. That started the winding road that got me started. She was a woman that I looked up to and that I knew could teach me something. I just stayed and soaked up everything I could.” Now DeWeese wants to carry on what Weatherly began. “One of my favorite things is to mentor young women that are coming up and see them develop and grow,” she acknowledged. “We need to reach back and pull those behind us along with us, and reach forward and be

pulled and lifted by those that have gone before us. “In NAWIC the women that estab-lished this and were really the lifeblood of this association, had more gumption than most people do today. I’m in awe of what they accomplished, and I want this generation to continue and help each other, to mentor each other, and lift each other up.” Stating what her goals will be as president, DeWeese said, “My goals truly are to take us back to what we are supposed to be doing – that is enhanc-ing the success of women. I think at ev-ery meeting we need to learn some-thing. We need to establish that net-work that we can call on all the way down the road for us. “ DeWeese will be the 57th national president of NAWIC during her 2011-2012 term. She has been the local chap-ter president four different terms. At the national level, she served as the national secretary, vice president and president-elect, as well as serving twice as the Re-gion 7 director for Texas and Oklahoma. When she goes off the national board as the immediate past president in 2013, she will have served as a voting member on 11 national boards. “That’s going to be a record,” she noted. –dn

san antonio · pdf filem assey brand, branch manager ... lopez iii, ramiro lopez, jr.,...

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